And then there were nine.

I believe the photo speaks for itself. The day was balmy and still with a bit of haze in the sky. Every time I turned my back one of the cockerels would let out an exploratory and nearly full-throated crow. They spoke their first words the day before we left for Florida and there was nothing we could do but hope and pray they'd remain quiet for the weekend. They weren't so loud, but there were inklings of the kind of noise they would make. The only problem was, how to figure out who was making the noise? No amount of crowing on our parts would persuade one to crow in our sightline. We decided it was probably a couple, a larger one with a white head and a red with a mean look in his eye.

All in all it was swift and relatively painless, I think. Butchering the first was a bit more tricky as I wasn't as clear about which parts were which. I also didn't scald him long enough so the pinfeathers were tough to get out (I used tweezers for the last stubborn few). There was a great 'whizbang' website that walked me through the steps from removing the feet to hauling out the innards. One thing that surprised me was an oil gland on the tail, something I'd never heard of before.

The first bird was celebrated with a meal combining some spring and some winter vegetables. And the final bottle of wine from Rosewater completed the meal. I'd been saving it for a special occasion, and this was perfect. I cut the legs from the tiny carcass and left the breasts on the bone so as not to waste any meat. After salting and rubbing with sage from the garden and a bit of dried thyme and tarragon, I seared for a couple of minutes in my new cast iron skillet and finished by roasting in the oven. I made an aoili with fresh parsley and roasted garlic, then whipped mashed potatoes, and roasted cubed kabocha squash with a touch of cinnamon and lots of butter. For a sauce I quickly sauteed porcini mushrooms (the only mistake, would use some other kind next time) in the remaining jus. Some asparagus tossed in olive oil and salt, then broiled for about 3 minutes completed the meal. The wine was a Cabernet Franc from Shneider in Long Island. Divine, it paired perfectly.

The meat was the best chicken I've ever tasted. I savored the breast and am saving the meat, meticulously picked from the bones for one of my favorite meals of all time - rice soup, Lao style. My camera doesn't do the meal justice.