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The Best Chicken Coop

May 18, 2022 by Jenny Gomes Leave a Comment

Best Chicken Coop: Easy to Clean, Easy to Move!

This post will share the absolute best chicken coop that is easy to clean and easy to move.

This post contains affiliate links. This is NOT a sponsored post. I just love this coop!

I started shopping for a chicken coop a few months ago and quickly realized that what I was looking for almost didn’t exist. I wanted a coop that was:

  • Easy to clean
  • Easy to move

And it appeared, initially, there was no such thing. 

I wanted these attributes because I’d slowly, over the course of the school year, been around a friend’s coop and realized what she had was a CLEAN coop. A clean coop doesn’t stink. A clean coop has happy chickens. A clean coop is a place where you can enjoy watching chickens be funny and charming and where you can collect eggs. My whole life I had thought that chickens were gross and I was completely wrong. 

What is gross is poor animal husbandry practices, often practiced in coops that never move and are hard or impossible to clean. 

I found the Omlet Eglu Coop and realized that while totally unusual-looking (it is kind of modern, and plastic!) it met every criteria I had in mind. 

The coop itself (where the hens sleep at night and where they lay their eggs) is elevated off the ground which meets a chicken’s desire to find safety up high. Inside the coop, the back door easily opens and a tray slides out to allow for simple cleaning. The tray is where you’d place moisture-absorbing pine shavings, straw, etc and when you dump it in your compost pile, everything slides right off. It is easy to hose off or wipe clean with cleanser because the plastic is heavy duty and NON POROUS. This is hugely helpful. It is visibly, obviously better than wood because it can be easily cleaned. The smooth plastic is easily cleaned! 

The roosting bars are removable (one-handed, even!) and easy to hose off as well. I’ll often remove them, give them a hose off, and let them dry just while I’m feeding the hens during the day. 

The coop has a separate door to open to check for eggs in the nesting box. This area has a little sliding door you could shut to prevent hens from sleeping where they lay (you don’t want that, and my hens in this coop don’t have that issue so far). 

The nesting box door is easy enough for kids to open but secure and weather tight.

We bought the automatic door which was a splurge that I’m grateful we chose. It closes automatically based on the light in the sky, or on the time of day (my 10 year old programmed it). It eliminates the rush to get home after sports practice or supper at friend’s to shut it. The door is also easy to affix to other coops – consider it if you have an existing coop! We love it. 

The wheels beneath the coop allow for the run to be lifted a few inches for moving. My kids can move the wheels so the run is “up” and they are 8 and 10 years old. 

The attached run is strong (much stronger than chicken wire) and assembled without power tools. It did take me and the kids all day to assemble the run and the second half of the coop (my husband only had time to assemble the base of the coop, the wheels, and the front coop wall before the work week began). The run clips together with strong clips and it was easy for the kids and I to see how it was supposed to go together. 

I do wish the instruction manual had WORDS. It has clear illustrations, but I’m a reader and would have appreciated some written instructions. Their YouTube video was actually the best help, especially in assembling the coop. The kids would play it, we’d figure out exactly what we needed, and pause it for me when I was doing the next step. 

There’s a door to the run that opens like a Dutch door and is easy to operate.

The smart feature on the run that I don’t see on other runs/coops is the wire ‘skirt’ that lays flat on the ground about 8 inches out. A predator doesn’t know to start digging in back away from the run wall; they want to start digging right where the skirt and run wall meet, which is impossible. It is really a smart design. When I move the coop (daily, or even twice daily) I have to kick the pinecones out of the way because they prevent that skirt from laying flat on the ground- you want it flat to prevent digging by predators. 

UPDATE: Bear Resistance: 3 months after getting this coop, we suffered a bear attack. A younger black bear of under 200 pounds (not a huge bear at all for our area, but a bear nonetheless) pulled the whole coop plus the run onto it’s side with a crash (the point where I woke and my husband and I ran outside), and the crash plus the bear’s force ripped the top, back section of the roof of the coop off. In those fateful 90 or so seconds, he ate 2 of the 4 hens. 1 escaped by being hidden in the coop rubble (it really looked like a car wreck rollover- the roosting bars were on top of our Rhode Island Red) and our cute Orpington managed to flee in the dark and she returned in the morning unscathed, clucking hello by our cars.

This type of attack is what I would suspect any coop would struggle to defend against and the Omlet was no match. Bears are incredibly strong, they are fast, and they are persistent.

We moved the remaining hens into a dog crate for the night, and for a week or so while we got our bearings we kept them in a horse trailer, which makes an excellent, in a pinch option. Horse trailers are strong, and surely the most bear-resistant option most people could access quickly.

NOW: We put up an electric fence (a trapper told us to drizzle honey or syrup on the wires as a shock through bear fur, as you can imagine, isn’t as strong. A tongue shock is more instructive.). My husband and his father put the coop back together and wrapped ratchet straps all the way around the coop. Ratchet straps are what we use locally to keep bears out of dumpsters. The run was bent back to shape (it was a little cattywhompus) but moving it isn’t very easy because the base the Omlet sits on was pretty seriously bent in the attack. It works, but before I was moving it a couple times a day sometimes, over fairly uneven ground, and now, I don’t think I’ll be doing that. It very much feels like the coop is like a car that’s been in a car wreck. There’s a lot of little things out of wack as a result. We continue to see fox poop around our property and I think it is impossible for him to get into the run. I have concluded that the only other predator that could get it would be possibly a snake. We’ve not tested that yet, thank goodness.

GOING FORWARD: I plan to get a very large, welded wire and metal post run built (I’m dreaming of a 40×80 foot pen, where I can have a garden inside as well) that will have an electric fence around it, and will have 2 omlet coops inside it. It will have a metal roof/wire top to prevent aerial predators as well. The Omlet still has so many excellent qualities and even though it isn’t bear resistant I’m still a convert. I will keep the one I have with the run attached as it creates a really great secondary run space. I plan to get pullets in the fall and they can be in the main Fort Knox style pen but IN an Omlet + run so they are safe to grow without bossy hens bothering them but where they can be safe from bears, too. I want the gate of this new pen to be wide enough for me to wheel the Omlet + run out for daytime use, too.

MORE GREAT OMLET ELEMENTS: The included feeder and waterer are really simple but really smart (like the rest of the coop). They keep food dry, water in, and are easy for my kids to manage. 

There’s a variety of cool add-ons you could get like a walk in run attachement, perches and swings, and peck toys. 

I think the only inherent drawback to the Omlet Eglu Coop is the size. The coop is large enough to house 6 hens comfortably (more if you have bantams). The run would be snug, I think, with that many. You want the chickens to have plenty of space to themselves to dig, dust bathe, eat, etc. I have 4 and I’d consider adding just one more as I keep them in the run nearly all the time. So, Omlet would need to maybe add one more run extension, I think, for me to feel good about having 6 hens in that space. Of course, another extension to the run would make it heavier and more unwieldy to move so I’m sure that’s why that isn’t an option currently. 

My family of 4 is loving the eggs that 6 hens are giving us this spring (I have two other hens in a wooden coop- check out my Instagram highlight to see the difference- the wooden coop pales in comparison).  They are robust layers (2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Ameracaunas, 1 Buff Orpington, and one Welsummer) and I have enough to give my Gram a dozen every week or so. We eat a lot of eggs (one of the many reasons we decided to get chickens) and this amount is working well for us. 

My final recommendation is to warmly recommend the Omlet Eglu Coop to anyone who wants to keep 6 or fewer full size chickens safely contained and tractored around. It is easy to clean, easy to move, and is clearly the best chicken coop for this size of flock. 

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Filed Under: Living, Uncategorized

Sourdough Book Review

February 7, 2022 by Jenny Gomes Leave a Comment

Sourdough Book Review: Comparing The Sourdough School and Tartine Bread

This post will share my thoughts on which book is best for a beginning baker, and which is best for an experienced baker, and pros and cons of each sourdough book. 

This post contains affiliate links. 

The Sourdough School by Vanessa Kimbell is well-rated, very popular book. It has very pretty photography done in a very modern style (chipped bowls, rough-hewn wood, moody tones, etc) and the introductory chapters are very well written. I will say that it is clear to me (as an English teacher) that her first language is not American English as there are many spots sprinkled throughout that cause small spots of confusion- referring to “jugs” for example when in America, a jug probably isn’t what’s meant. This is fine of course if you’ve made sourdough in Europe, but it was one of many issues I had with this book. 

There’s many headings in the book that indicate it’s attempt to be beginner friendly. It couldn’t be less beginner friendly, unfortunately. The “recipes” are a selection of ingredients that an experienced baker can assemble into bread if they know how to do that. There’s no directions for how to do that IN the recipe section. It feels absolutely intermediate-advanced to have this arrangement. 

The next giant problem with The Sourdough School is that there’s no helpful photography whatsoever. There are NO photos that are truly HELPFUL. There’s lots of photos of vaguely European kitchens and homey bowls of dough (what stage is the dough in? Is this when it should be turned? The photo isn’t going to say) but there’s no INSTRUCTIONAL photography. 

My takeaway is this is a pretty book with an engaging intro that got me jazzed to bake and the last ¾ of the book are appropriate for an intermediate baker. 

Tartine Bread couldn’t be more different in ways that matter. The photos are also beautiful, but are brighter, and much clearer in terms of what you’re actually looking at. The intro was also engaging, interesting, and energizing. 

Tartine Bread teaches with MANY step by step photos how to make a basic country loaf (of all our dreams, frankly) in clear, understandable directions. With this loaf as a base, there are recipes after it that build/add on that basic one (adding olives, for example) and there are again, MANY EXCELLENT PHOTOS that help a beginner understand what the dough should look like, what cues to look or feel for, etc. 

The jargon used is limited, meaning a person who is really new to the baking scene would understand the directions. This was an important departure from The Sourdough School. 

The recipes beyond are all clear and easy to understand and are things you’d be excited to make and they don’t use obscure ingredients.

My takeaway is that Tartine Bread is a far superior book in terms of clarity of direction, helpful photography, and recipe arrangement and inclusion. It is ideal for a beginner and surely would be valuable even to an advanced intermediate. That said, The Sourdough School is beautiful, and the “recipes” DO look tempting. Gift this book if you know a skilled baker. 

Ready to make your own sourdough starter? Read this post where I share the 4 types of sourdough starter with step by step directions. 

4 Types of Sourdough Starters

Filed Under: Uncategorized

8 Shrub Recipes

July 27, 2020 by Jenny Gomes Leave a Comment

8 Shrub Recipes

Rhubarb Pineapple Balsamic Shrub

Rhubarb is one of my favorite veggies. I love the color, the flavor, and how delicious it is in a pie, crisp, and canned into jam or syrup. It is pretty easy to get 1 3/4 cup chopped rhubarb; even a new gardener can cultivate this amount. It is also available in grocery stores. Just be sure to be careful with the leaves as they are poisonous.

Rhubarb Pineapple Balsamic Shrub

Meyer Lemon Champagne Shrub Recipe

This post will share the recipe for Meyer Lemon Champagne Shrub and the best Moscow Muled Copper Mugs in which to serve it. You’ll learn a little about how easy shrubs are to make and why you need to have this recipe in a mason jar in your fridge all summer long.

Meyer Lemon Champagne Shrub Recipe

Grapefruit Shrub

Here is a beautiful, pink, fresh tasting shrub recipe that is easy and uses a vinegar I haven’t showcased before: champagne vinegar. Read on for the recipe!

Grapefruit Shrub

How To Make Shrubs Course

This post will share the new and improved shrubs email course that you all should sign up for in order to impress this season.

Shrubs are a syrup made with fruit (which spoils rather quickly without refrigeration), sugar or honey, and vinegar. Vinegar is very high in acid, and acid is one way we can make food and drink a place where germs that make us sick cannot thrive. Sugar is a powerful preservative, which is one of the reasons a gummy worm doesn’t rot away when lost under a car seat the way a slice of bread will. The combination of sugar and vinegar means that fresh fruit flavor is preserved in a concoction that will last much longer than fruit left whole. 

  Enroll in the Shrub Making Course here!

How To Make Shrubs Course

Strawberry Pineapple Shrub Recipe

Strawberry Pineapple shrub is an easy preserve that is a perfect cocktail mixer and it elevates sparkling water infinitely. The vinegar and sugar combined with the fruit make a bright and flavorful syrup with very little effort and this is the perfect shrub for beginners because it is simple to make. I enjoy mine with sparkling water (the lemon flavored kind is a tasty addition) and with a shot of tequila. It’s not as foreign a flavor as my delicious Rhubarb Pineapple Balsamic Shrub so I’d say it’s the better of the two to start with if you are shrub-uninitiated. This particular shrub also is the prettiest pink color. Read on, Dear Readers!

Strawberry Pineapple Shrub Recipe

Pineapple Core Shrub

This post will share how to use the part of the pineapple that is so often tossed or composted and thus saves and makes terrific use of it to make a delicious, flavorful shrub. Read on to see how one magic step makes the core the best part of the shrub!

Pineapple Core Shrub

Blood Orange Balsamic Shrub

Blood Orange Balsamic Shrub is the second shrub I have crafted with balsamic vinegar. The other recipes I have shared use apple cider vinegar and that is a much more mild tasting vinegar. Balsamic is bold both in flavor and in color and when added with blood oranges and plain white sugar it creates a strong but delicious shrub. This mixes so, so well with unflavored sparkling water and in a cocktail with bourbon.

Blood Orange Balsamic Shrub

Shrubology Ebook

What the heck are shrubs? They aren’t just bushes in your front yard. They are Prohibition Era fruit and vinegar syrups that are SUPER easy to make (truly, they are NO COOK) and you can make them in a jar on your countertop. This ebook will teach you HOW to make shrubs out of any quantity of fruit, using super versatile ratios for whatever is in the fridge!

Apple Shrub

This post will share with you a super simple apple shrub recipe that will help you transition from sweltering summer days to cooler fall nights. Apple Shrub is a great recipe because it takes just one apple of any variety, is fun to spice up with cinnamon or a few dissolved red-hot candies, and mixed with whiskey. It is a cocktail that will transition your beverage game right into autumn.   

Apple Shrub

Honey Strawberry Shrub: A Perfect Pair with Sparkling Water

A shrub is one of the simplest types of preserve. I have fallen in love with them and I want you to come along with me. There’s no hot water bath, no fermentation bubbles (though those would be exciting!) and the only real virtue required is patience. It takes about a week on the countertop for this beginner-friendly preserve but the results are so worth it. Shrubs are an excellent addition to water (and really, who is drinking enough? Not me…) and are sublime when added to a cocktail.

Honey Strawberry Shrub: A Perfect Pair with Sparkling Water

27 Recipe Mixology Matrix

27 Recipe Mixology Matrix

This beautiful, printable guide gives a budding, homemade cocktail mixologist a  27 recipe guide for homemade mixers and countless ways to mix them into cocktails or mocktails sure to impress and refresh. Read on for how to create farmer’s market fresh drinks quickly and easily all year round!

Mixology Matrix
8 Shrub Recipes

1 Hour Homemade Coffee Liqueur

 I know this is NOT a shrub BUT this is a fantastic recipe that you will love. This 1-hour homemade coffee liqueur recipe can be prepared and dispensed into bottles for gifting or enjoying yourself in an hour. It is a simple recipe that my mother has used for years and this coffee liqueur is delicious both hot or cold in a variety of mixed drinks. It also is easily doubled and is best made with friends. Read on for a delicious homemade coffee liqueur recipe that won’t have you tied up in the kitchen all afternoon!

1 Hour Homemade Coffee Liqueur

Filed Under: Cocktails, Uncategorized

Best Crumble Recipe

July 15, 2020 by Jenny Gomes Leave a Comment

The best crumble is one that is fast. This best crumble recipe is prepared entirely in the food processor so you have fewer dishes to wash and less time spent preparing the crumble topping. Read on for the best crumble topping recipe!

Best Crumble Recipe

Crumbles are like a crisp or cobbler, and this particular crumble recipe is crisper than some because of the quarter cup of ground nuts incorporated into it. If you have no nut allergies, the nuts add great flavor and a little crunch to make a crumble that’s close to a crisp. If you do have a nut allergy, this recipe is not for you. I also like the nuts for the nutrition they add.

You will need:

¼ cup walnuts and/or almonds – I used a mix of walnuts and almonds and like that combination a lot. Straight walnuts or almonds are also great. 

6 tablespoons cold salted butter cut into chunks

¾ cup all purpose flour 

¼ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

How To Make The Best Crumble Recipe

Butter an 8×8 dish for baking or cast iron skilled (8 inch across is what I use with 2 cups of fruit fill- see below) and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Add the nuts to the food processor and pulse till finely chopped or ground fine depending on your preference.

Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until incorporated; the crumble topping will be a bit like damp sand – clumped together in small, pea-sized pieces. 

Add your fruit filling (see below for suggestions on fruit fill) to the baking dish (2 cups is the minimum, and I’ve done as much as 4 for a very fruit-heavy crumble) and top with the crumble topping. 

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden and fruit is bubbling. 

Best Crumble Filling

The way to make this fast crumble recipe even faster is to use home-canned pie filling. This Strawberry Rhubarb filling is my favorite for using with this crumble topping recipe. It’s not a true jam at all; it’s a loose filling that doesn’t have a ton of sugar. Try it!

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Canning Recipe

I’ve also made this recipe with 1 cup homemade jam and 1 cup fresh fruit; 1 cup raspberry jam and 1 cup fresh raspberries.

Want to learn to can your own crumble filling? Join my Free Canning Basics Course!

Free Canning Basics Course

Filed Under: Cook, Uncategorized

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Best Chicken Coop

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Start Canning Course

Start Canning Course | The Domestic Wildflower click to read this super helpful list of resources, tools, and gift ideas for the homemade and handmade enthusiast in your life!
This video course will invite you into my kitchen to watch me can a wide variety of recipes and use several beginner friendly techniques. It is the perfect course if you want to learn but have no idea where to start; even if you've never boiled a pot of water! Learn how you will know you are doing it right, safety best practices, simple recipes that are foolproof and guaranteed to impress, and skills to apply to any recipe.

Shrubology Ebook

Shrubology: Refreshing Homemade Fruit and Vinegar Syrups for Cocktails
Make easy, no-cook fruit & vinegar syrups for cocktails & mocktails! This ebook shares crowd pleasing recipes and simple to understand ratios so you can make a shrub on your countertop any time- without a recipe. Dive into these Prohibition Era drinks today!

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The Domestic Wildflower
www.thedomesticwildflower.com.
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