This is the sight that greets me when I open the chicken coop up in the morning. A Pigeon decided that it would be a good idea to build its nest, no more than a scruffy collection of randomly placed twigs, at eye level in the hedge right beside the hen’s run. These are two squabs that hatched about 10 days ago and that sit precariously balanced on the ramshackle platform lodged in the branches of a Hawthorn. After reading up on them I discovered that squabs are prized as meat birds, a culinary delicacy known for its tender, rich, and slightly gamey flavour. It’s often compared to dark chicken meat, but with a more succulent and fine-grained texture. They are apparently at their tastiest when less than 4 weeks old. I can’t imagine that there is very much in the way of meat on the poor little things, but that won’t put off the poncey foodie connoisseurs. I think I will pass, and wait for the plant based version to appear in Waitrose.
I’m not writing much today because I’ve got too much to do. I am having tomorrow off to attend a funeral in Amersham Bucks, so today has been a work day, and later on I am going to watch the football, so time is limited for blogging. One has to maintain a healthy work-life balance don’t you know?
Pheasant watch. I may be wrong, but I think that she’s down to two chicks now.
I was sitting in the greenhouse the other morning for my coffee break when a wasp landed on my boot, seemingly in need of nourishment. Lots of insects come in but can’t find their way out and spend hours up in the apex of the glasshouse looking for an exit, with many of them expiring before locating one. I think that this one had been up in the roof for a while before dropping down on to my steel toecap. She wasn’t your bog standard Vespula vulgaris (common wasp), no this was Dolichovespula media (median wasp) a species that was first recorded in the UK in the 1980’s but can now been found all over the UK. I squeezed the juice of a grape onto my boot to provide it with some energy, then I relocated it on to the flower of a fennel which is a plant that they favour.
You can be having a bad day, then something like this comes along to cheer you up. Meet nosey Tom.
Right the football has finished so I’m just going to tell you what’s available this week before laying down in a darkened room. I’m getting some green beans in because mine are a joke so far, I will be lifting my Florence fennel (with tops), they are not all that big but lovely and fresh and in good shape. I am hoping that there will be enough Little Gem lettuces ready to cut, cucumbers and tomatoes are still doing well, though both slowed down in the overcast weather of last week. There will be new season Discovery apples – not mine, they are still a couple of weeks away from being ready. These are coming from Herefordshire where they are a bit earlier. Curly kale and chard are your greens options.
That’s your lot for this week, I’ll have more to say next week I expect.
Phil