This post brought to you by the color orange.
I was reveling in domestic bliss this morning. Woke up early and sat out in the hammock to watch the sun rise over the garden. I watched the chickens warbling about and digging up everything in their paths, foraging leftover goat grain and gobbling up bugs.
After a while I went inside and read up on harvesting calendula and echinacea (great links on my linkapalooza page...tab is at the top). So I went out and pinched the two beautiful blossoms I have going on my one calendula plant (harvesting of echinacea seems to be best left until after a couple of frosts). The author of the article I read assures me that they will be quickly replaced by new blossoms. They are now set to dry in my bedroom windowsill:
Had a quick cuppa while I gathered up calendula seeds to save (i.e. the mess there in the background). Yummy with whipped cream and the coffee/sugar/chocolate grinder from Trader Joes:
Then I commenced to making breakfast. Fresh squeezed orange juice (by this time the boys were awake and ready to help):
Cream biscuits, turkey bacon, and eggs. Our chickens are molting, so they aren't laying a lot of eggs lately and I've had to supplement with grocery store eggs. Today was a mixture and boy, the difference is striking.
Eggs from our chickens, who roam freely, get lots of sun, and eat grains/greens/bugs:
Compared to a commercial, USDA organic egg from hens the carton claims have access to the outdoors:
This article from Mother Earth News discusses the results of their studies on the nutritional content of real free range eggs vs. confined eggs. They've found that the real free range eggs contained:
1/3 less cholesterol
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
and 7 times more beta carotene
So those are the facts, ma'am. But if you ask me, the proof is in the orange. Keep digging chickens!
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