Today Grandma Dub, Keira and I went on a little adventure. We heard about a group of families in Alameda who were opening up their yards to let people see their backyard chicken coops. There were several different types of coops.... some made with plywood and chicken wire, some with reclaimed/re-purposed redwood, and some that looked like little doll houses/children's playhouses. It was very clear that most of the houses along the tour didn't just think of their chicken as utilitarian "egg layers"... and more like family pets! There were some different species of chickens which were absolutely beautiful! Some of my favorite were:
Slikies - There were several silkies... white and black. Very cute. They look like tiny little fluff balls!
Mille Fleur Belgian D'Uccle... this little bantam girl was adorable. She was bandaged up though, as she broke her wing trying to outrun a neighbor dog! Her eggs were TINY! (Apparently very tasty though!
Black Sex Link... there were a variety of sex links along the tour. I especially loved how some of them had a shimmery blue tint to some of their feathers in certain lighting.
Crested Polish.... You've got to love the little Feathered Afro these chickens have! They are just so funny looking, you can't help but love them!
Easter Eggers / Americananas... these beautiful ladies were big girls! Beautiful oranges and reds.
Wyandotte... another big girl. She was very pretty blackish bird.
After spending the day touring all these coops, it made me want to get some chickens of our own. Unfortunately, we don't have the kind of backyard which would be very fitting to chickens.... we have ZERO grass, and the only vegetation is my garden and I wouldn't want them tromping through there. So, we'll have to settle for fresh eggs from Grandma Dub's house.... well in 5 months that is!
Keira was a great on the tour. She didn't complain about getting in and out of the car, over and over and over. She didn't chase the chickens, she didn't try to catch them, and she only pet them when they would come up to her extended hand. I was impressed! She did rather enjoy the houses along the way which had sand boxes and toys for her to play with. She also loved looking at the baby bunnies in the rabbit hutch. At one point though.... after scraping her arm along a brick wall... she lost her sense of adventure and humor. GONE... out the window. Stick a fork in her... she's DONE!
We noticed a cute little market as we were pulling up to one of the house so...G-Dub and I bribed her with some juice. Please be good... be patient... and after this house we'll go to the market. Well she was, so we did! WOW! I would love to live next to a little market like this. There was a fresh bakery, a sushi bar, a butcher/meat counter, and a kitchen gadget shop all around the perimeter. The meat counter had an incredible selection of grass-fed meats, wild fish, pastured pork and poultry. They displayed the ranch name from where the meats were from. WOW... places do that?
We walked into the grocery section greeted by a tray of fresh cut strawberry samplers. Behind there were strawberries laid out for you to put together your own basket. Places do that? WOW! The produce section looked so colorful and fresh! I knew I wanted chocolate, and I was curious... so we walked to the dairy section. There before our wondering eyes did appear... RAW WHOLE MILK! They had Raw Milk, Raw Cream, Raw Colostrum (Not sure I want to try that one) They even had chocolate Raw Colostrum. Hmmmm. I have NEVER seen Raw Milk sold in a grocery store! I've been quite curious to try it so we picked up a quart at a whopping $5.60!!
We got to the car... got Keira in her car seat... and loaded up with her juice. She was content and Mom and I were anxious to try the milk. I don't know why.... but I was shocked at how "normal" it tasted! Actually, for whole milk (which anyone who knows me know I hate!) it was smooth, light, refreshing and left a wonderful texture/aftertaste behind. I don't like typical whole milk because it tastes/feels like I'm drinking like heavy cream. This Raw Milk was great and it went wonderfully with my chocolate bar!
Oh... the quart of milk, in case you might wonder barely made it home! Between G-Dub, Keira and I we drank almost half of it. Once we got home... Keira was begging for some "Cow Milk" (as opposed to Almond Milk aka "Grandma Milk" or Egg Nog aka "Snowman Milk."
Now I just need to find a place to buy it where it doesn't cost $arm and $leg!
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