DOWN-ON-THE-FARM FRESH

Chef Zander approves his "love toast."  (Evy photo)

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Its hard to beat food that's fresh, from the backyard.

The Beneda boys are enjoying fresh eggs.  Atlas whipped up a 5-egg omlet for lunch, and a few days ago, Zander, 5, made French toast with eggs from his chicken, Icey.  He calls it "love toast" because it was made exclusively from eggs Icey laid.   A photo with a selection of eggs recently gathered are shown below, and Icey laid the light cream eggs.  Two fell out of Zander's hands onto the cement walk, but the numbers are evidence there is good egg production these days.

While we wrapped up supper at the Benedas, Atlas got on his bike and rode around the yard picking asparagus in his favorite spots.  Before we were ready to head out the door for home, he had washed the ten or so asparagus stalks, cut them into small chunks, and sauteed them on the stove.  We tried a few pieces and they were delicious.

Atlas, age 10,  prepared a spring delicacy.

Foraging about in the yard, as far as Main Road at times, is the flock of chickens that produced the eggs shown in the photo below.  Several were tiny chicks last spring, in 2012.  Added recently, after a natural attrition of several of the original hens, were larger hens courtesy of Don Johnson's boys.  There were more hens than they could manage, so two were added to the Beneda's coop.

The personality differences between hens is remarkable. New chickens deserve new names, and based on their apparent characteristics (I think) they were given names of family great-grandmothers.  Frieda is the golden hen, very sociable...knows all the hymns, according to Evy.  Nellie is a bit reclusive, stays inside by herself much of the time and takes extended smoke breaks, much as did Chad's grandmother.

The only one who seems able to pick up any hen at will, without a fuss from them, is Zander.

All this free-range and farm-fresh business made us feel guilty in bringing a box of sugared donut holes for desert.      -  Dick Purinton

Eggs  from several days laying.  Icey's eggs, Zander's
favorite, are in dish at top, left.