68th Annual Granville Garden Club Daffodil Show

This weekend was the 68th Granville Daffodil Show, at Bryn Du Mansion, an event I always look forward to--even more so since Terravita Farms began growing daffodils for florists two years ago. My appreciation for and admiration of the daffodil continues to grow! 

Before I get to the pictures I'd like to share a happy coincidence that took place at the show. As I was getting ready to leave I decided I would wear a daffodil in the lapel of my jacket. I have quite a few daffodil bouquets in the house and was debating the strengths of the various flowers I had to choose from and finally settled on 'Accent'. I felt 'Accent' had something unique to offer as the clear white petals surround a trumpet that begins as yellow at the base, changes to gold near the middle, and finally ends in salmon, quite striking. The last room of the show has individual daffodils displayed in vases and each variety is available to pre-order as bulbs for fall planting. I noticed that one vase had a picture of the daffodil variety rather than a real flower--and that daffodil just happened to be 'Accent', the one in my lapel! I offered to give my flower to the show and it was quickly placed in the vase and exchanged with the picture--what a happy coincidence!

What follows, in no particular order, are a series of displays I found beautiful, interesting, and or eye-catching. Enjoy.

Duck Eggs: The Other Egg

At Terravita Farms we raise two breeds of endangered ducks, the Saxony and the black and white Magpie. Each of these breeds is considered critically endangered (fewer than 500 breeding pairs worldwide) and at risk for extinction by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, a non-profit organization that tracks and promotes rare breeds of livestock.

A pair of Saxony ducks. Hen on left and drake on right.

Our duck eggs are available for purchase now by the half dozen from The Going Green Store in Granville, OH. Your purchase ensures that these rare breeds continue “working” at what they do best and as a result continue to add their unique genetic footprint to an ever shrinking range of breeds in American agriculture. Our ducks are raised on pasture and always have access to a custom-dug pond for swimming. In addition to what they forage, we feed them an all natural diet.

Magpie ducks, like their namesake, sporty in black and white.

Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs, their shells have a waxy cuticle layer which protects the eggs from absorbing excess moisture as ducks live in wetter environments than chickens. When you crack a duck egg for the first time you'll notice that the shell doesn't crack quite the same way as a chicken egg and the whites are more opaque and don't release from the shell as easily--this is normal. When cooked sunny-side up, you'll notice the whites will have a firmer consistency than a chicken egg. Hard-boiled duck egg yolks are creamy, fatty and delicious--far superior to a hard-boiled chicken egg. Use them for plain hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs, and for a real treat--poached. Recipes online abound! Diversify your cooking and try some today.