Chickens are Everywhere.

Well, shoot. Blogging takes some time. Taking pictures, writing... doing stuff to write about. Fortunately, I have not been left wanting for the latter. I did not have time to make a chicken coop last weekend, but hopefully I will soon, because, well, just take a look:

Ready to move out into their own coop.

Of course, my dad's coop is pretty looking and practical and is actually complete. Unlike mine, which was designed to be a very simple chicken "tractor", which basically means it can be moved about your yard in order to provide fresh bugs and grass to the chickens, and to fertilize the lawn. Its not a very practical standstill coop and is kind of falling apart.

Now that's a Chicken Coop.

I must have a chicken aura around me lately, because while walking on a trail to Lake Michigan, we stumbled on some wild mushrooms-- "Chicken of the Woods". I'm pretty sure it gets the name from someone who thinks that chicken tastes sort of bland on its own and needs flavoring (basically supermarket chicken), because that's what this mushroom tastes like. Its great in things though! Zucchini and parmesan and Chicken of the Woods on pasta is perfect, as you can tell by the fact that I ate most of it before I remembered to take a picture.

These are some of the easiest mushrooms to identify because they don't have any "false" counterparts. Many different edible mushrooms model themselves on a poisonous mushroom in order to get the benefits of the poison (not being eaten) without the drawbacks (having to develop your own toxin). But not Chicken of the Woods! This makes them a very easy mushroom to identify, and, honestly, I probably wouldn't eat a whole lot of other wild mushrooms. To cook it, just "saute" it in water for a bit. (Ali is going to try sauteing some in oil and flavorings tonight, and we'll let you know how it goes. Edit: Delicious!)

Anyway, that's it for right now... look for a cheese themed post soon!