Do Hens Make Noise?

...n wanted wake-up call, but so far nobody has complained. Being naive first time chicken owners, the first time we heard this sound caught us by surprise. We suspected that it’s the result of discomfort from squeezing out an egg, or some wonder of selective breeding, a way to announce to the poultry farmer, “Hey, time to collect an egg!” In fact, research presented by University of Sheffield animal scientists Tommaso Pizzari and Tim R. Birkhead, in...

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Loquat season is here!

...t the fruit is best on trees which are not completely ignored. This is the time of year when the fruit comes ripe, and it’s always kind of an exciting time because the loquats bridge the “fruit gap” between winter citrus and stone fruit. The thing about loquats is that they are really suited only for fresh eating. And I mean fresh off the tree–they don’t keep long after they’ve been picked, which is why they never appear in stores. We’ve tried to...

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2014, a Year in Comments: Plant Thievery, Loquats, Breakfast Cerial and the Apocalypse

...particular blog post gets is often inversely proportional to the amount of time it took to write. Kelly and I will sometimes spend hours agonizing over a blog post that gets just a few comments. Other times, a post dashed off in ten minutes will touch off a spirited discussion. This is not to say that a post that gets comments is any better or more popular than one that does not. Some posts, I suppose, are just more worthy of commenting. And we’re...

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Saturday Tweets: #FlyingLess, VHS Making a Comeback and Alanis Morissette Impressions

The #flyingless movement is gaining traction! It’s time for organizations to get on board. It’s not a huge ask: simply encourage members to fly less and support this behavior wherever possible. @AmericanAnthro @theAGU @TyndallCentre @KevinClimate @jasonhickel @Malena_Ernman https://t.co/144QP2UG8M — Peter Kalmus (@ClimateHuman) March 22, 2018 Manhattan Beach beekeeper pushed aside by city in favor of pest control contractor https://t.co/Upwrz5Erx...

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How to Make Stock

...s are full of flavor. Save them! Put them in the freezer if you don’t have time to make stock at the moment. Making fish stock is pretty much like making chicken stock with a carcass. Gather all the fish bits or shells you have and add them to the basic ingredients for veg stock. Skip the mushrooms and potatoes, though. Maybe add a little more onion. Parsley goes well with fish, so try to use that if you can. A bit of thyme is also very nice. Whit...

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