My Self-Guided North Fork Hen House Tour

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Since Chickapalooza, I had been counting down the days to attend the North Fork Hen House Tour that was held on Saturday, June 15th, sponsored by Cornell University’s Long Island Horticultural & Research Extension Center. As my husband Chris hammered away on our upcoming home Sheridan Green, my father and I went on the self-guided tour that spanned from Yaphank, New York to Southold, New York. 

The fifteen locations on the tour ranged from: farms, gardens, bed and breakfasts, stores and residential homes—each one had something to crow about when it came to chicken coops. At Sheridan Green we are planning on having backyard chickens for eggs, so the focus of our tour was residential homes with hen houses.

1st Stop: Vultaggio Hen House: Wading River, New York

Sandra and Carl renovated part of their backyard shed into a hen house three years ago. The chicken coop has an outside wire enclosed run area for the chickens to roam freely. In the evening, a few hours before the sun sets the chickens free-range the property which has helped to keep the ticks at bay. The tick situation out east on Long Island is the worst it has ever been; not only do chickens and guinea hens provide fresh eggs everyday, but also can contribute to your tick prevention program.

The couple has been transforming their property into a backyard sanctuary with beautiful flowers for pollinators and a vegetable garden that will provide sustenance for most of the year.

2nd Stop: Gardner Hen House: Wading River, New York

Sandy Gardner and her daughter Amanda are both passionate about chickens and goats. The original horse barn was converted into a chicken and goat house; chickens on one side and goats on the other. The chickens provide eggs and recently Sandy has begun milking the goats to try her hand at making a variety of cheese.

There is an ample amount of space for the 20 hens, with wooden baskets filled with hay for chicken lounging and large nesting boxes for egg laying. The outside run area is a shared space for the goats and chickens to roam and adjacent to the barn is a large garden. This property is a great example on how to produce your own food and make your property work for you. Something that we aspire to at Sheridan Green.

3rd Stop: Bridgen Hen House: Southold, New York

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Dr. Mark Bridgen, Professor and Director of the Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center at Cornell University led the seminar for Chickapalooza at the Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market this past April. He has been raising his own chickens for more than 25 years and is an authority on the care and management of chickens at the home. The Bridgen Hen house was built last year and includes a green roof as well as a small solar panel for a light bulb. Three breeds of chickens reside here: Ameraucanas, Barred Rocks and Brahmas which lay blue and green eggs.

The coop has an easy-access nesting box on the outside and a small storage shed on one side to store food and supplies. Mark provided a sheet of deer-resistant plants that I was thrilled to obtain considering Sheridan Green is located in Hampton Bays/Red Creek area where the deer are most prolific; hence why we created a rooftop garden above the carport.

4th Stop: Connie Cross Hen House: Cutchogue, New York

The property of Connie Cross was magical, a true fairy tale of multiple chickens, fowl and goats living within a forest amongst the most beautiful gardens you have ever seen. This was a jaw dropping experience; a village of roosters and hens of every kind, and goats lounging about as if they were being fed grapes by hand.

You have to see it to believe it. Unfortunately, Connie was not there to give us a tour so we meandered around the property in complete awe. Connie Cross is a renowned gardener and owns Environmentals Nursery that is a wholesale supplier of fine plant materials to garden centers, growers and landscapers all over the east coast and beyond.

There were two bed and breakfasts on our list to visit: Andrew’s Legacy and The Farmhouse; both places were in Cutchogue. We did not have enough time to visit with them, however I am hoping to fulfill my hen house tour bucket list in the near future.

Maybe next year there will be a South Fork Tour de Coop and you will see Sheridan Green Hen House as one of your stops along the way.

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

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By early June on the North Fork of Long Island the strawberry begins to emerge. This first fruit of the spring season reaches it’s harvesting peak towards the end of the month, bursting with strawberry flavor.

To celebrate this strawberry harvest the Mattituck Lions Club is hosting the 59th Annual Strawberry Festival from June 13th - June 16th featuring: live music, over a 100 arts and craft vendors, rides, the crowning of the Strawberry Queen, foods from around the world and of course strawberry delights made a zillion ways. Proceeds from the event help the Mattituck Lions advance their year-round community service efforts.

If you haven't had enough of this sweet celebration, a variety of farms on the North Fork offer Pick-Your-Own strawberries. This can be an overindulgent endeavor; hauling home more than you can ever plop in your mouth—but who cares—especially when you wait all year long for this sweet and luscious fruit to arrive in June. There is a plethora of savory and sweet recipes that you can make with this fruit, so if you find yourself with more strawberries than you can chew, do not sweat it.

Making a Strawberry Rhubarb Compote is an easy way to render down all that luscious goodness for a delicious Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta.

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

ingredients

  • 3 stalks of rhubarb; cut into 1 inch pieces, 1½ pounds
  • Zest of 1 orange and ½ lemon
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ cup of honey
  • 2 quarts of strawberries; cut into quarters, 2 pounds
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of sea salt

 

directions

  1. In a medium pot combine rhubarb, honey, zest of lemon/orange and orange juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender.
  2. Add the strawberries, nutmeg and sea salt; cook for an additional 5 minutes then remove from heat and chill.

note: can be done a day in advance

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta

ingredients

  • 2 cups of whole milk greek yogurt
  • 1 cup of whole milk
  • 1/3 cup of sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean and seeds
  • 1 gelatin pack
  • 2 ½ tablespoons of cold water

 

directions

  1. Place the gelatin and cold water in a cup; let stand until softened, for 5 minutes.
  2. In a small saucepan, bring the milk, sugar, vanilla bean with seeds to a simmer. Turn off the heat and stir in the gelatin until melted.
  3. Whisk the Greek yogurt in a separate bowl until smooth, then whisk the milk mixture into the yogurt and remove the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture into six 1/2-cup ramekins or Trifle Mini cups. Refrigerate for 3 hours to set.

Assembly


Place 3 tablespoons of the strawberry rhubarb compote on top of panna cotta and top with a mint leaf for garnish.

 

Mashing Up An All Natural Food Supplement For Dogs

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While I was washing my dog Trixie with the Shampoo Bar for Dogs, by the Southampton Soap Company, I realized that I needed to get on my own soapbox and share with you a recipe for an all natural food supplement that I developed for my dog Trixie. "What are we feeding our four-legged friends? Shouldn't the same amount of concern to our own health and nourishment be given to our furry family members?"

In March of 2008, my husband Chris and I adopted our dog Trixie from a high-kill shelter in Kentucky. Rescuers and volunteers from states as far away as New Jersey were working together to save these animals. Trixie was placed on a flatbed truck with a group of other lucky dogs and transported to their foster families in hopes to find a forever home. It was a rainy Saturday, March 8th to be exact, and I remember the drive from New York City to Atco, New Jersey where Trixie was being cared for. I grew up with: cats, dogs, birds, fish and even snakes, but it never occurred to me the responsibility we were about to undertake. The closer we got to our destination the more I thought about becoming a parent to this furry fellow; I guess this is how someone would feel when adopting a child. The list of concerning items were rambling off in my head, particularly “What should we be feeding her?”

Left: Rainy Saturday, March 8th, 2008 we adopted Trixie. Middle: Driving back to New York City. Right: First time at the dog run and first family photo

As we pulled up to the house the barking was most alarming. Chris said, “I hope that is not Pixie [now Trixie as we renamed her] howling on the top of her lungs.” When we walked into the home there was a family meeting their new dog for the first time, and three dogs in the backyard who were insistently barking. As I looked more closely across the room into the kitchen area, I finally saw Trixie, who was wiggling and yelping her way out of the crate to meet us. Thankfully, Trixie was not the barker, but she was and still is the jumper; any opportunity to give you a sloppy kiss she will. Before we drove back to New York City, I was given a bag of low-grade kibble that was being fed to Trixie (foster families do the best they can to provide shelter and food for animal rescues so this is not a judgment on their heroic and thankful efforts) and it was noted that we should find a better diet for her.

Since then, with a little bit of trial and error, Trixie’s diet has evolved. My formula has been to use organic, pasture-raised, all natural products whenever possible, just as I would do for myself. In fact, one thing a veterinarian and a nutritionist would agree on is a balanced and wholesome diet that is not filled with chemicals and words you cannot pronounce.

For the first few years, Trixie had bouts of gastroenteritis; an irritation of the stomach and intestines, usually resulting in diarrhea and vomiting. For us folks who live in New York City we are required to pick up our dogs poop; a law that I feel is a blessing in disguise, to closely analyze how our dogs are feeling.

Depending on who is walking Trixie the conversation between my husband and I go like this, “Chris, how did Trixie’s poop look?” “Perfect”, says Chris. When you become dog parents, it all comes down to analyzing dog poop.

I don’t know about you but Trixie inhales her food. I said to myself, “If she is swallowing un-chewed food I am sure she is not getting the proper health benefits, which is causing havoc in her digestive system." Three years ago, I started to experiment; making a vegetarian based puree, called DOGMASH™ for optimal nutrient absorption. This is not a meal replacement but a supplement that is added to Trixie's food; her digestive tract has improved considerably, not to mention a shiny coat.

All natural wholesome foods contribute to a healthy life for us humans and for our four-legged friends. Next time you are shopping for dog food, take a look at the ingredients; if you cannot pronounce half the words you may want to leave it on the shelf.

The recipe below is one of a few DOGMASH™ lines I am developing. Here is a list of dog friendly foods for you to experiment with. 

Green DOGMASH™

ingredients

  1. 1 bunch of organic parsley, roughly chopped

  2. ½ cup of Bob’s Red Mill organic brown flaxseed meal

  3. 3 large organic carrots, chopped in chunks

  4. 1 large head of organic broccoli, chopped in chunks and fibrous stalks peeled.

  5. 1 organic apple cored, chopped in chunks with skin

directions

  1. In a food processor or blender place the parsley, flaxseed meal, apple and broccoli stalks. Pulse until the consistency is smooth and green.

  2. In a medium pot steam the broccoli heads and carrots until just tender. Do not over steam.

  3. Let the steamed carrots and broccoli cool for 5 minutes; then place with the green mixture and pulse until it is puréed.

    note: If the mash looks dry add some of the steamed water; 1 tablespoon at a time. The consistency should look slightly wet.

  4. Yields 4–6 cups. Refrigerate for up to 5 days and freeze for future use; up to 1 month.

    note: I mix 1 heaping tablespoon of DOGMASH™ with Trixie’s food in the morning and once again at night.