Adventurous Eating!

Ever tried tortoise tonic? How about Walkie-Talkie soup, made from the feet and heads (the "walkies" and "talkies") of chickens? Here is the Walkie-Talkie soup recipe from my book The Amaranth Bloom. If times are hard and you can't afford to eat organic, go to your local organic farm and they'll be happy to give you the feet and heads for free. When I was testing this recipe, I got my chicken feet and heads from Maureen Knapp at Cobblestone Valley Farms.
Maureen raises the healthiest, happiest, most humanely-raised chickens and turkeys in the world, but, I must admit, it would take a very hungry winter before I would ever make Walkie-Talkie soup again.

WALKIE-TALKIE SOUP

Wash and pat dry five chicken heads and ten chicken feet and put them into the bottom of a pot. Cover with water and add some salt. Boil the water and skim off the scum. After a while add some chopped onions, some carrots, some whole unpeeled garlic cloves, and some chopped parsley. To enhance the healing power of the soup, add some wilderwingerd leaves if you have them, or else use spinach. Simmer covered for three hours at a very low temperature, and do not lift the lid under any circumstances. Then take the pot off the fire and let the soup cool without opening the lid. The next day open the pot and skim off all the heavy fat, strain the soup. If you are suffering a hungry season keep the vegetables otherwise throw them away because their goodness will have already gone into the soup. Pick the meat off the heads and feet and add it to the soup. Bring the strained broth to a boil and add chopped onions, chopped carrots, small whole onions, chopped parsnips, celery plus the leaves; and a sprig of rosemary. Boil the soup with the lid on for one more hour. Again do not lift the lid!