The Real Farmville

As far as the eye can see! The expanse of farmland in Australia, where we spent Spring Break, is mind-boggling. The vast horizon is criss-crossed with grids of green hedges and white fences, with specks of cattle or horses peppered across the landscape.

Shedding our city slicker rags for ratty jeans and sneakers, we were ready for our farm adventure. We literally got into the thick of things, mingling with the goats, watching our friends wrestle with each one, squirting a syringe of thick de-worming solution into their clenched mouths, before herding and pushing them all back into the next pen to feed. After a two-minute lesson on tractor driving, Husband was hauling soil and rocks onto the driveway that had been eroded some time ago by heavy rain. The rest of us carried buckets of feed to the clucking chicken and ducks, whose body clocks cried “dinnertime!”

Our friends have what I call Prada chicken: pretty and definitely not ordinary. The Silkies are dainty in white. The black and white Wyandottes lay beige eggs, and can produce about 200 eggs a year. Blue eggs are laid by the Araucana hens.

We had enough for scrambled eggs the next morning, which I made using the new technique I learned from Rouxbe Cooking School.

Creamy Scrambled Eggs

4 Eggs
2 teaspoons Butter
Salt to taste
Spring Onions, sliced thinly

Break the eggs into a non-stick frying pan. Over low heat, add the butter. Stir swiftly and continuously, scraping bottom and sides of pan as you stir. When the eggs are almost set, turn off the heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the eggs as you stir. Season with salt towards the end of the cooking process, otherwise the eggs become watery. Sprinkle top with spring onions and serve.