Not the most flattering pose on my part but isn't the machine just the star of the show. I couldn't resist showing her off. Its my birthday on Thursday....and yes, this little baby is my birthday present. What more could a girl ask for (she rolls on her back laughing!!!!)
On Thursday night we (the family) will all gather together for dinner at our favourite Greek restaurant in West end. We all love Greek food which is good but what is so special is that every one keeps the day free to celebrate together with whoever is having the birthday. That means more to me than anything.......I hope it never changes. Family is so special and I certainly do love mine. I'm one lucky Gal :-)
This past week I have been sprouting.....not me personally....remember I'm losing weight albeit slowly. I have two batches growing. alfalfa sprouts and mung beans. The alfalfa is growing just fine on a wet paper towel and I have already harvested some for my lunch today. Its the mung beans....beansprouts, that are driving me crazy. Periodically I get out my jar and have "another go"! I am ALWAYS disappointed. I really don't know what I am doing wrong. I rinse them daily, drain them, sit them in a dark cupboard but they just don't look good. I have to say...they almost look as bad as the ones in the supermarket. Old and tired.
When we lived in KL (Malaysia), twice each week a small truck would drive into our apartment forecourt and an old Chinese couple would roll up the canvas sides and display their wares for sale. The freshest fruit and vegetables I have ever seen. Poh Lai and his wife Hua Toh spent the week visiting apartment blocks...their produce was always just perfect, I don't know how they did it but I was just so pleased that they did.
Hua Toh was always ready to share recipes and cooking hints with me but it was the bean sprouts that won me over. They would be in water, in a white plastic pail with the lid on. She would scoop out whatever I needed, drain them and wrap them in newspaper. They would remain fresh for days in the refrigerator. I have experienced perfection.....I want it again....and I am just so darned cross that mine are not anywhere near as good. What am I doing wrong?
Grrrrrrrr.
Yeah, bean sprouts !! Grrrh. The home grown ones never look the same, never have long stems.
ReplyDeleteI posted a picture of our log splitter on my blog yesterday, it looks a bit different to the one you have. I dont do the splitting, but my bloke said that once in a while, if the wood has a twist in the grain, a piece will fly off unexpectedly. He places the logs on the cutter and stands WELL BACK!! Take care.
Have a very happy birthday on Thursday.
Hi Linda,
ReplyDeleteGetting back to the sprouts..I think they need (almost) a continuous flow of water to grow long and straight, now thats MY thoughts, so dont take it as gospel.
The incubators take 4 dozen eggs per tray so that is 8 dozen going in each week. There are 3 levels in each and when full they each hold 144 eggs. The first tray goes in at the top, then the following week that tray is moved down to the 2nd level and the new tray goes in at the top, and so on until all 3 levels are full. After the 1st tray has been in for 19 days the eggs are placed into the hatching compartment on the floor of the incubator where they stay until they are hatched at 21 days. Then.. new tray of eggs in top ... and so it goes on.
We used to hatch turkeys and a few different breeds of chooks years ago, but gave it up when the cost of food and electricity went up, but now Popeye thinks the demand is back and people are willing to pay to have good healthy chicks.
Years ago we had about 80 pure breed Australorps point of lay, ready to go to the market, when a wily fox found a way in and destroyed the lot in one night. They were beautiful birds and are still my favourite breed. I love the colour in their feathers when the sun catches it.
Oh my...thats serious chooking. We are hoping to do another deal with the young man who built the chook hilton and get him to build a Turkey palace in the new year. We have never kept turkeys before but absolutely love to eat them :-) so are planning to add them to our menagerie. I know where to come for helpful hints ;-) No wonder you need such a big machine.
ReplyDeleteDear Linda, be warned,turkeys are not easy to raise. They are prone to a disease called Blackhead, which really has nothing to do with the colour of their head. It affects the liver, they stand around with their head drooping before they die. They can be cured with medication only available from a Vet. Also they need to be kept apart from the chooks, but you already have the right idea there, build a different enclosure.
ReplyDeleteJust thought of something else, they FLY !! I hope I haven't put you off, but I recall the many hours I've spent chasing the stupid things up and down the road, trying to get them back through the gate (yes, they flew over the fence but dont have the brains to fly back over) They'd run toward the gate, almost there, only to turn around and run in the opposite direction. In my opinion they are more stupid than sheep, and they say that the only thing more stupid than a sheep is the person who owns them ! (yes we have them too) Happy farming. :-)
What a hilarious way to began your post. You do look right at home Linda and I am so pleased to hear you are delighted with your birthday present. Which brings me to say, I wish you a very happy day and what a wonderful family tradition you keep. I think it's marvellous that the family does this and hats off to you for nuturing and bringing up a great family that indeed wants to do this. Make sure you eat lots of tzatziki and only a little piece of the baklava. Happpy Birthday.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about bean sprouts and stop being so hard on yourself. You cannot be perfect at everything! Sounds to me like you are very, very good in other areas though.
I'm afraid I shall be away for a while, so I look forward to reading about 'Linda at Bellavista' when I return. Till then, see you my dear blogging friend.
xxx Mariana.