Washout

It rains and rains. I can't really complain. I work indoors; it's not been hot, and I prefer this to a drought. Had I prepared better last fall I would have had more raised bed space, and drainage would not be such an issue.

This year is not for tomatoes. And to think I had grand eggplant plans! I do have garlic, onions, shallots, podding radishes, peas and favas, and lots of happy slugs. And enough dried '08 chiles to hold me over.

You may have heard about my woodchuck hunting exploits. After 6 weeks in Hunter Safety class with a bunch of twelve-year-old boys, I finally obtained Madre's .22, and shot one little woodchuck from this year's litter. Compared to birds and fish, this herbivore mammal had a very high ratio of entrails to meat. I feel terrible about shooting her, and even worse that I wasted her flesh. (I fell asleep during the braising part of a rillettes recipe; the pan boiled dry.)

Often, things don't work out how we would like.

This is the last year for the Cuckoo Marans flock. I was hoping to get 4-5 years out of them, but in their third year, they have essentially stopped laying. Time to think about poule au vin.