A Brief Intro to Dovecotes and Raising Doves and Pigeons

A Dovecote at Oxwich Castle, Wales, United Kingdom - dating to mid 1500's

http://www.glamorganwalks.com/Dovecote_Oxwich.jpg

A dovecote (pronounced: “DOVE-coat”) is also known as a columbaria ("co-lum-BEAR-ee-uh") or pigeonaire ("pigeon-AIR").

 

 

A dovecote is simply a house for doves or pigeons. I have seen a few of these in person, but the only ones I ever saw that were currently in use were in Turkey. Historically, doves and pigeons were kept as primary food sources throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The earliest dovecotes are thought to be in Egypt and Iran. I am strongly considering adding a dovecote in my yard.

 

 

 Dovecote at La Providence Wine Farm, Franschhoek Valley, in South Africa's wine country.

http://southafricantraveldesk.com/accommodation/franschhoek/images/la_providence/mews_dovecote.jpg

So the big question is why would anyone want one? My three answers are Meat, Eggs, and Manure.

Meat

Young pigeon and dove meat is called “squab” in the culinary world. It is considered a delicacy. Moist and rich, squab is all dark meat. The skin is more fatty (like duck) than chicken, and the meat is less fatty (more lean) than domesticated chicken. I have had squab on a few occasions, and I have had friends who have eaten squab in many places around the world. I have not met anyone who has tried squab who has not really liked it. This is a great tasting bird!

Squab with Porcini Mushrooms... my mouth is watering!

Here's the recipe!

Eggs

Pigeon and Dove eggs can really vary in size. However, for rough size comparisons... a medium-large pigeon/dove egg is about half the size of a medium chicken egg and double the size of a quail egg. Pigeon eggs are not nearly as common as quail eggs, but could easily be substituted in any recipe. For any eggs calling for chicken eggs, pigeon/dove eggs could be used as a unique ingredient. I admit that I have not tasted pigeon/dove eggs... yet. I enjoy cooking and eating quail eggs, and I imagine that these eggs are quite similar, just larger.

The Scotch eggs use quail egg, but pigeon/dove eggs could easily be substituted.

Here's the recipe!

Manure
Pigeon manure has a long history of being collected for fertilizer and for use in making gunpowder. The only information I could find places pigeon/dove manure at a NPK ratio of 4:2:1. This was (roughly) consistent from multiple sources, so I will run with it. This compares fairly well to chicken manure. Just like chicken manure, pigeon/dove manure should be considered "hot" (i.e. high in nitrogen in too raw a form) and should age, perferably in a compost pile, for a few months before applying it to growing plants.

Some modern dovecote designs.

http://www.dovecotes.org/images/rivington4.jpg

Quick Facts:

• Pigeons and Doves belong to the Columbidae Family.
• The Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) is the “common” pigeon seen in cities.
• The Domestic Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica) was developed from the Rock Dove.
• There are many species of wild and many varieties of domestic doves and pigeons, each with different squab and egg sizes.
• Pigeons developed primarily for meat at called Utility Breeds.
• Common Utility Breeds are: King, American Giant Runt, French Mondain
• Pigeons and Doves form mating pairs (one male and one female), and they care for their young themselves - no human intervention required!
• A breeding pair can produce 10-15 squabs per year.
• Doves and Pigeons can live and produce young for over 10 years, there are some that have lived for over 30 years!
• If there are sufficient food sources surrounding the dovecote, there is no supplement feeding needed.
• Squabs reach adult size, but cannot yet fly, at about 4 weeks. This is when they are slaughtered.
• Weight at slaughter is about 0.5 pounds (0.2 kg) in a traditional (no supplement feeding) operation, but can increase up to 1.3 pounds (0.6 kg) in a high-input, industrial operation.

The King Pigeon is a common bred developed for meat.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/King_pigeons.jpg

Permaculture Plants: Fennel

The classic garden Fennel with "bulb".

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ExVFIJbPTN0/TSTVsYjXU8I/AAAAAAAADqc/kAuiqCkDjmA/s1600/fennel.jpg

Common Name: Fennel

Scientific Name: Foeniculum vulgare

Family: Apiaceae (the Carrot or Parsley family) - formerly known as the Umbelliferae family

Harvesting Fennel

http://www.lizcrain.com/foodloversguidetoportlandblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fennelharvest.jpg

Description:

Fennel is a cold-hardy, perennial herbaceous plant with feathery, bluish-green leaves, hollow stems, and an anise (or black licorice) scent and flavor. It is a very common culinary herb with a long history of medicinal use. With edible leaves, flowers, pollen, seeds, root, and "bulb" (only present in the Florence cultivar), its ability to attract beneficial insects, its ability to grow in a wide range of soils, its drought resistance once established, and its beautiful appearance, Fennel deserves a place in all gardens, traditional garden and Forest Garden alike.

Foeniculum vulgare

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Foeniculum_vulgare_-_K%C3%B6hler%E2%80%93s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-148.jpg

History:

Originally from the Mediterranean, Fennel is now found around the world, often near the ocean.

Trivia:

• The chemical that gives Fennel its characteristic flavor is called anethole. It is found in fennel, anise, licorice, star-anise, and tarragon, and basil (especially thai basil).
• Used as one of three herbs to give flavor to absinthe, along with wormwood and green anise.
• It is commonly mislabeled, and I have see this, as Anise (Pimpinella anisum) which is a very different plant.

The feathery leaves (fronds) of Fennel.

http://www.calabriafromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Wild-fennel-fronds.jpg

USING THIS PLANT

Primary Uses:

The primary use is as a cullinary herb to provide an anise (black licorice) flavor to foods. The flavor is strong when fresh or in large amounts, but even if you do not like the flavor of black licorice, a small bit as a base to a sauce imparts a deep, subtle flavor that most people enjoy.

• Leaves - fresh or cooked. Pick young leaves at the base of the plant as older leaves become more tough.
• Flowers - Bright yellow flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. Great addition to salads or desserts.
• Pollen - can be collected by placing a paper bag over a mature flower head and shaking. Added sparingly to meat
• Seeds - Green seed pods (fresh or cooked) or ripe seed (typically dried).
• Stalk - when still a little green can be placed on coals to impart a smoky, anise flavor to meats; when dried the stalks can be used as straws since they are hollow - they will give a faint flavor to whatever liquid passes through.
• Bulb - the "bulb" is really fattened leaf bases and can be used as a vegetable itself or mixed with other dishes
• Root - apparently a bit like parsnip, which makes sense since they are both in the Carrot family

• Tea - both leaves, flowers, and seeds
• Medicinal - many historical uses, especially to aid in digestion

Secondary Uses:

• General insect (especially bees) nectar plant.
• Benificial parasatoid wasps and spiders prefer the foliage.
• Lacewings prefer to lay eggs on Fennel over many other plants.

Yield: variable

Harvesting: Year round in mild climates, anytime during the growing season in colder climates, seeds in Autumn

Storage: Fresh parts can be stored for up to a week in a cool environment (bulbs longer than the leaves); Dried seeds and pollen can be stored in an airtight container for a long time

Fennel flowers give little bursts of flavor.

http://www.lifemelusa.com/assets/images/foeniculum_vulgare02.jpg

DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-10 (a lot of variation depending on the souce)

AHS Heat Zone: No reliable information available

Plant Type: Large Herbaceous Perennial Plant

Leaf Type: Deciduous, but is cold-hardy, so it can be

Forest Garden Use: Herbaceous Layer 

Cultivars/Varieties: Many varieties available. The common "garden" fennel, Florence Fennel (F. vulgare var. azoricum) has been bred for large, bulb-like lower stems. The wild fennel is identical but for the bulbs.   

Pollination: Self-Pollinating/Self-Fertile

Flowering: Spring (May-June... depending on the USDA Zone where it is planted)

Life Span: Not really relevant as it reseeds so easily.

Fennel and Parsnip roots... yeah, almost identical in appearance, but not flavor.

Check out this blogger's account:

http://frenchcountrychallenge.typepad.com/blog/2010/11/experimenting-with-fennel-root-an-identification-challenge.html

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT

Size: 3-5 feet (0.9-1.5 meters) tall and 1-3 feet (0.3-0.9 meters) wide

Roots: Tap root

Growth Rate: Medium to Fast

Fennel seed is commonly seed in stores, but is easy to harvest.

http://www.indianfood.ro/product_images/r/500/05_05_10_02_32_fennel2__28785_zoom.jpg

GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT

Light: Prefers full sun

Shade: Tolerates light shade

Moisture: Medium to Dry, can be fairly drought tolerant

pH: prefers fairly neutral soil (6.1 - 7.0)

Special Considerations for Growing:

• Avoid growing Fennel near Dill as it can cross-pollinate. The offsping of this pairing will be of bland taste.
• It is best to grow Fennel out a bit, by itself. It produces some growth inhibitors that are not kind to annual vegetables.
• Fennel is not a good ground cover, but grows well through many ground covers.

Propagation: Usually by seed. Direct sowing is best. Can be divided in late Winter/early Spring.

Maintenance: Almost none.

Concerns: Can spread annoyingly well by seed. Just snip these little, wayward plants when they are young, and use in the kitchen.

Fennel pollen is easy to obtain and is a "new" trend in cooking.

http://www.silkroadspices.ca/assets/products/1244/large/Fennel_Pollen.jpg?1242536384

Book review: The Wild Table

The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes

I came across this book about a week ago, and I was extremely excited about finding it. I was not disappointed. This book is an amalgamation of many of my favorite things: food, wild harvesting, cooking, and sustainability. While this book is targeting a North American audience, many of the foods outlined in this book are found where I am currently living in the Azores, and they also can also be found where I was previously living in Turkey.

I should note that this is not an identification guide.Great hints are given for proper identification, but a good guidebook or two, and if you are lucky, a local wild food gatherer as well, should join you on your harvesting trips.

Overall, I found this an entertaining read, and I was very inspired to get out and search my local area even more for wild foods.

From the publisher:
A captivating cookbook by a renowned forager of wild edibles-with more than one hundred sumptuous recipes and full-color photographs. In the last decade, the celebration of organic foods, farmer's markets, and artisanal producers has dovetailed with a renewed passion for wild delicacies. On the forefront of this movement is longtime "huntress" Connie Green, who sells her gathered goods across the country and to Napa Valley's finest chefs including Thomas Keller and Michael Mina.

Taking readers into the woods and on the roadside, The Wild Table features more than forty wild mushrooms, plants, and berries- from prize morels and chanterelles to fennel, ramps, winter greens, huckleberries, and more. Grouped by season (including Indian Summer), the delectable recipes-from Hedgehog Mushroom and Carmelized Onion Tart and Bacon-Wrapped Duck Stuffed Morels, to homemade Mulberry Ice Cream- provide step-by-step cooking techniques, explain how to find and prepare each ingredient, and feature several signature dishes from noted chefs. Each section also features enchanting essays capturing the essence of each ingredient, along with stories of foraging in the natural world.

The Wild Table is an invitation to the romantic, mysterious, and delicious world of exotic foraged food. With gorgeous photography throughout, this book will appeal to any serious gatherer, but it will also transport the armchair forager and bring to life the abundant flavors around us.

Multi-Generation Households

The term "Permaculture", as I have explained previously, is a portmanteau (or blending) of two words: Permanent + Agriculture. Since its inception, it has come to also be a portmanteau of Permanent + Culture.

A key part of all culture is family, and a vital part of a family is what I call the elders of the family. These are the oldest living members of the family. In most cases, these are the grandparents and greatgrandparents. To me, these should be the most revered members of the family. They should be fought over. There should be desire for the elders to live in the childrens' homes.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in the United States any more.

 

As I have travelled around the world, most homes that I visit outside of the U.S. are filled with many generations of family. At first I thought that this was due to lower economic status, but the more I travelled, and the more I matured and began having children of my own, I began to understand that this rarely had anything to do with money. This is the way things were by choice not by bad circumstance. Many cultures have rules to decide with whom the parents will live. It is often the eldest son that is chosen for this honor, but there are many variations.

 

 

The only place where I have seen a significant number of grandparents not living with their children and grandchildren is in the United States. It seems that we have developed a culture where putting our aging adults out to pasture, with the occasional visit spawned by obligation and guilt, is now considered appropriate.

 

 

I firmly believe we in the United States have lost reverence for our elders. In removing the grandparents from the home, we are depriving ourselves and our children a lifetime of earned wisdom. Wisdom gained from being alive for more than sixty years. Wisdom gained from raising children to adults. Wisdom gained from dealing with a life of relationships and jobs and, well, just plain life. We have lost skills that were once passed from generation to generation. In a much more selfish and utilitarian view, we have lost built-in baby-sitters, house-sitters, garden waterers, and even dog-sitters.

 

 

Our children are missing so much without being with their elders. They are being raised by day-care workers who are earning a paycheck and have no vested interested in the morals, values, and education of our most precious resources. I know some have no choice, but many of us are actively making the choice to have our children raised by the State.

 

 

What about poor or declining health you ask? As a physician, I understand situations where there is need for medical care. I know there are times when the medical care required for a family member surpasses the family’s ability to provide. I get that. I have also witnessed many cases of caregiver burnout. However, while these situations occur, it is not as common as many fear. Fortunately, I have not had to do that myself, but my parents have, and while it was hard, I don’t think they regret it at all.

 

 

What would you prefer... dying at home surrounded by those who love you, even if you were a burden for a while, or dying alone in an “old folks home” surrounded by other dying people? There is no question on how I would like to spend my last weeks and months on this earth. And if we desire this for ourselves, how can we deprive our parents of this? Well, we do every day. I call it fear and selfishness.

 

 

It is not nice to watch your parents get old and sick and, yes, even die. However, this is part of life. Did we forget this? Are we so delusional to think that by not being with a person as they die we are somehow less affected by it? We are affected by death. We should be. Our children should understand it as well. It is part of the cycle of life we live while on this earth. Hiding from it or trying to sweep it out of sight (i.e. a nursing home), takes away so much from those dying and takes away so much from us as well. Being present for life and for death makes us more caring, more able to appreciate the moments we have, makes us more human.

 

 

And while death may eventually be part of having our elders live with us, there are typically many, many years to enjoy and cherish while they are very much alive. Please don't miss out on that. Please don't buy in to the status quo. Please remember what so many of our generation have forgot. Our elders are a vital part of our family. They are a vital part of our community. They are a vital part of our culture.

Wild and Not-So-Wild Food Plants Near My House

The figs (likely Ficus carica) growing in my garden.

I wanted to quickly share some photos of the food plants I have found in my yard and within a block of my house. I will be using these in my kitchen for sure. Seeing what grows naturally around me gives me a good idea what "crops" will likely succeed in this area. 

A variety of mint (Mentha species) grows all over the place around here.

Wild Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) which doesn't form a bulb is a"weed" in my garden.

These Azorean Blackberries (Rubus hochstetterorum) are welcome in my garden.

There are little tufts of parsley (Petroselinum hortense) growing in any crevice it can find.

There are many walls and fields overrun by Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum species) which have edible, almost spicy flowers.

I thought this was corn from a distance, but it is not. I still think it is in the corn/maize (Zea) family. I'll keep an eye on it and see how it develops.

Tidepooling with my son!

Elijah and me on the Azorean coastline.

I take about 100 steps from my front gate and I am here on the rocky southern coast of the island on which we live. Most days of the week, I will go with one or both of my boys (or even the whole family) to "climb on the rocks" and visit the tide pools. This place is truly good for my soul. There is such an amazing diversity of life on this rugged jumble of rocks. Fish of all sizes, shrimp, crabs, starfish, sea snails, seaweeds and other sea plants, tiny things crawling all over the place, seagulls and terns and sparrows high overhead or fluttering close by... this black outcropping, called Ponta Negra (Black Point) by the locals, is so alive.

There is so much life here!

This Sunday, Father's Day in the U.S. and celebrated by us living overseas, I took Elijah with me to the tide pools. I took Isaac out shopping with me later in the day...that is another article coming soon. Walking along the rocks before the tide really started coming in, we saw a number of local Azorean men in wetsuits scooting along the water's edge carrying buckets. This is a pretty common scene. There is a large variety of foods to be gathered here. I have seen shrimp, large crabs, limpets (aquatic snails), and seaweeds already. I am planning to get some local insight on the types and cooking methods of these wild foods just as soon as my Portuguese gets a bit better. I am also barely able to wait for my snorkeling gear to get here as spearfishing is a very popular local activity. I am enamored with harvesting foods from the wild. I love that the locals have been doing this for hundreds of years in such a sustainable way. The sustainability I have already seen on the island is amazing, but this is also an article for another day.

Elijah pointing out is favorite limpet shell.

Here is Elijah in front of the tide pools at the beginning of our "adventure". The tide was just beginning to come in. As the waves were starting to splash a bit higher, we quickly climbed to higher ground. About twenty minutes after this photo of Elijah was taken, we were on the ledge behind Elijah in the far distance. I took the photo below which shows the same spot Elijah was standing now covered in water. How better to explain tides and how they change then to actually show it to your kids? To let them see it and feel it. What fun!

My New Azorean Garden

My new garden.

So, here it is. This is my new garden! I love it. It's not really much of a Permaculture garden. It has concrete paths, a fountain, a pool, and almost no food plants. We are renting our house and this garden from an elderly widow who comes from a well-to-do family. She and her family are very kind people, but it is unlikely they needed to spend time growing their own food, so their garden is much more park-like in design. In fact, this is a very large and very upper class garden for the island. The only neighbor I have seen that has a larger garden happens to be just across the street (at the top left of the photo above). The garden has not been well kept for many years. Only the basic lawn trimming with minimal shrub tending had been done. Many of the plants that had been tended were poorly pruned as well. The photos here were taken after a bunch of trimming and weeding has been done over the last two weeks.

Our pool nestled in the garden.

I'll be honest about the pool... I really don't know what to think of it. It is pretty. My wife and kids will love it during warm days. It is nice. However, it seems rather... extravagant. Pools are a waste of resources. Water, money, time. Chemicals are poured into the water which aren't too healthy for humans or wildlife. Basically, it is a sterile pond. Very unnatural. Makes me have really mixed feelings. Bottom line, it is not mine. We are renting the house, a pool came with it, and I am not getting rid of it. So I will enjoy it while I am here!

Adjacent to the pool and back garden is a very large undeveloped area.

This is one of my favorite parts of our property. I have written many times about having an undeveloped or completly wild area. In Permaculture, this is called Zone 5 (read about Zones 1-5 in this article). We often need to allow one corner of our garden to "go wild" again. But I have a number of acres of completely undeveloped land abutting the back corner of the garden. I've climbed over the fence just once so far, and it is great. The land is about 4-5 feet lower on the other side of the fence, so there is a low canopy that I can walk (a bit hunched as I am 6'3" (190 cm) tall). There are lillies all over the place and birds darting everywhere under there!

Here is what I am calling my "lower garden". It is the part that is closest to the house and really is a few feet lower than the rest of the garden. The dog doesn't seem to be too interested in it. I plan on building some raised beds for annual vegetables in it. It is bordered by bougainvillea in front, a mix of hibiscus and bird-of-paradise on one side and a bunch of small shrubs on the back side. 

Here is the "back garden". We just cleared out a whole lot of overgrowth and put in a fence along the road side (left side in the photo). With our dog, this was necessary. There's a large patch of aloe vera growing here along with a long strip of bird-of-paradise. There are roses and hibiscus and lillies in the back. Along the right side is a hydrangea and a number of yet-to-be-identified shrubs. A single cycad and a poorly tended fig are there as well. This will likely be left mostly lawn for the dog and kids.

This is the fountain area. There is a large variety of flowering bulbs along all edges of this section as well as around the fountain. The fountain itself is in a mild state of disrepair. It is overgrown with water plants. There are quite a few frogs that love this "pond". We are planning on cleaning things up a bit. We'll clear out a good section of the water plants, but not all. I want to keep this somewhat "wild", especially since the fountain pump is broken and is not going to be fixed. I'll likely interplant as many food producing plants in this section as I can get away with without it looking to unkempt.

This is what I am calling the "back garden". The southeast corner of the pool area is overshadowed by a large, sprawling fig tree that is covered with hundreds of immature fruits. I think it is awesome that I planted and tended my fig tree back in Turkey for two years, with no harvest, knowing that someone else would literally eat the fruits of my labor, and now I will do the same with whomever planted this fig tree years ago. Not that I buy into it, but it is very karma-ish. The "back garden" abuts the neighbooring, undeveloped land. There is a large stand of brambles on the fence line that I am pretty sure is the Azorean Blackberry (Rubus hochstetterorum), but I'll have to do a little further investigation on this. I think this would be a great location for a beehive... more on that soon!

This is the view from my back fence. Very natural Azorean coastline. There is small road between the treeline and the rocky beach. The small bay above has a tiny dock where old fishing boats leave most mornings. The land jutting out on the other side of the bay contains pastures and, at the far left, a bird sanctuary. I am planning on heading over there in the next week if I can.

Just on the other side of my house is this view. Looking back inland over the few blocks of the village/town where we live, you can just barely make out the rising hill/ridge that is lost in the low clouds. This is a commonly seen phenomenon. Most of the upper hills or volcanic mountain tops are covered many days or parts of most days in low cloud cover. The clouds in this photo are blocking about half of the pastured hills from view.

Looking directly down from the view in the previous photo, we can see our neighbors backyard. This is what is much more commonly seen in the land surrounding homes here in the Azores. Most people have vegetable gardens. Here is corn, squash, potatoes, and some form of cauliflower or broccoli that is forming seedheads. There is fertile soil here, and I can't wait to start planting in it!