Huevos y aves de corral

A new series for living the good life

Made At Home

This exciting series comes from the father-and-son team Dick and James Strawbridge, who live "the good life" on their small acreage. In Made At Home they share the knowledge and experience gained over years of producing an abundance of good things to eat and drink: organic fruits and vegetables eaten, juiced, fermented and preserved; pigs smoked for ham, sausages, salamis and bacon; a mixed flock of birds used for eggs and eating; and bees for honey, to name a few. It's an enviable lifestyle driven by a desire to eat well every day.

It is also a lifestyle that does not require a lot of space. Made At Home contains numerous adaptations to urban and suburban life. Plants are grown in small lots and pots, chickens are kept in backyard pens, and meat items, such as sausages, are smoked in the backyard. Proof positive that anyone can live the good life.

A guide to raising chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys, with 27 recipes.

Backyard poultry have gained popularity in recent years as some municipalities loosen regulations to allow homeowners to keep coops. Raising poultry is a sustainable activity, which in relatively little space produces fresh eggs and meat.

Eggs and Poultry is organized in five sections. The first four cover everything needed to successfully keep the most popular types of poultry: chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. It discusses the pros and cons of each and provides all the information needed to start out, including building a shelter, planning runs and ponds, dealing with pests and problems, laying and breeding, incubating and hatching, slaughter, and plucking and drawing. Butcher skills are also illustrated.

The 80-page recipe section explains the essentials of cooking with eggs and poultry: butcher skills, such as deboning a chicken; cooking methods, such as coddling eggs; and features 27 delicious dishes. They include Eggs Benedict, Smoked Eggs with Halloumi, Turkey Pie, Crispy Duck with Pancakes, Southwestern Fried Chicken, Confit Duck with Caramelized Orange and Fennel Salad, Lemon Pepper Chicken Nuggets, The Ultimate Turkey Burger and Goose Livers with Cider.

Eggs and Poultry is aimed directly at an audience who dream of, or are actually enjoying, the authors' made-at-home lifestyle. It is a beautiful and practical addition to the cookbook shelf.