Thursday, October 04, 2007

Morning errands


Maggie has gone broody, so I brought her some food...

...but it looks like she'll have to share. I ended up putting those fake eggs in the right nesting box (from the kiddie kitchen section at Target: quite realistic, which is why I've marked them with an "X") under her to make her feel useful.

Every morning, between dropping our daughter off at school and starting work, I try to do one outdoor task. This morning, I headed east to the Fruit Exchange to get the birds some more scratch.

I adore the fruit exchange. It's our feed-and-seed shop, but it is also the regional fruit processing and storage facility. Normally, I can chew the fat with the guys who work in the warehouse. They look at me (I think) as an anomaly: when we first moved here, I was in there often to get supplies to beef up my compost piles (greensand, dolomitic limestone, cast-off fruit, moldy straw) so I guess I have rightly earned the reputation as "that organic gal." But today they were busy, far too busy to chat, and the place was hopping! Big semitractor trailers are rolling in, their trailers piled high with wood boxes filled with apples and pears. Conveyor belts were rumbling away in the now well-lit warehouse, with a few women sorting and dumping the beautiful red round fruit rumbling down it.

I got a peck of Cortlands for $3, got my scratch, and made for home.

8 comments:

meresy_g said...

Chickens first thing in the morning makes me smile every day. I've been buying them 'deer apples' from our local orchard (apples that I guess they won't even sell for sauce). But the chickens love them and are always grateful.

El said...

Chickens make me smile, period! (And was thinking of your poor bird this a.m. when I noticed poor Maggie. No trips to the drugstore for me.) Alas, our girls are spoiled and won't even eat the falls from our apple trees. But I even considered the deer apples at the store this a.m.: though I have tons of quarts downstairs, one could always use more sauce!!!

cookiecrumb said...

You realize, don't you, that you are living inside a children's book? Trucks and apples and chickens. Sweet.

Matt said...

$3! $3!!! Goodness gracious. I thought I got some good prices.

$3!!

El said...

Cookiecrumb! (Sniff!) What an intriguing thought. A good children's book, I hope: believe me, there's a lot of dreck out there. (But B. Potter is a hero of mine.)

Matt: It was so tempting I just had to buy it. And me, with trees full of apples...

Robin (Bumblebee) said...

I so very much want chickens. I think next spring will finally be the time.

I just realized that you have chickens, so now I'll have to go scour through and find all your other posts.

--Robin (Bumblebee)

Anonymous said...

I love the two photographs of your hens and guinea fowl.
Sara from farmingfriends

El said...

Robin: Yes please do! They are immensely charming, hilarious, wonderful creatures who just happen to lay the most wonderful breakfast items imaginable. Oh and I love their poop, too (or actually I should say I love what their poop does for the gardens).

Sara: Thanks for stopping by! The guineas are such crazy creatures. The other night they actually chased three deer that had ventured into the side yard, such great watchdogs they are.