Time to Henpeck Your City Council!
[photo by Sena Christian for the Sacramento News & Review]
Did you know that 65% of cities in the U.S. allow urban chicken ownership? That number is higher than I would have guessed, but it could be even higher. Walk around Davis, and you'll hear soft clucks emanating from backyards all over town. In Sacramento, though, we aren't currently allowed to keep laying hens on our properties.
EAT Sacramento has started CLUCK (Campaign for Legalizing Urban Chicken Keeping), to educate citizens and council members alike. Not only can you get fresh eggs by keeping chickens (note that the ordinance would be for hens, not roosters), their manure is a soil amendment for gardens, and they eat insects and bugs that might otherwise nibble your plants. CLUCK has its next meeting Tuesday, July 28th at 6 pm at the Coffee Garden (2904 Frankin Blvd.) if you want to hear what has their feathers a-ruffle. They'll also be sponsoring the screening of the film "Mad City Chickens" on August 7th at the Guild Theater in Oak Park, including a live Q&A session with the film makers.
The Sacramento News & Review recently published an article on urban chicken keeping as well, including testaments from chicken owners who believe that they make great pets. There's also a link to the EAT Sacramento petition and contact information for your local council member (fortunately, mine--Rob Fong--is all for the idea of yardbirds).
In this economy, you not only need a victory garden, you need a victory chicken (or three!).
Comments
We have the victory garden..now we just need the chickens, and a goat maybe?
Posted by: Melly | August 18, 2009 10:14 AM
Thanks Lynn for the kudos on the Caesar Salad. You're right, being a foodie makes it fun. I'm a firm believer of only fresh and basic ingredients. Don't get fancy with gourmet mustard, it’s French’s or none. Only use Lea Perrin’s Worcestershire sauce. Fresh lemon’s for juice, and for goodness sake, fresh garlic – don’t get a jar of fancy garlic cloves. And no, I’m not a corporate advertiser, just know what works best for the salad.
Take your time, have fun, get the kids involved. When my boys were younger, they always had their hands in the bowl mashing the garlic and anchovies, throwing in more mustard. These days, they just say, “Dad, can you make Caesar again?
Enjoy!
Posted by: Mel | August 27, 2009 3:34 PM