Bumblebee Blog

Bzzzz October 27th, 2008

Certainly, the eggs we get from our hens are fresh. But they also often have double yolks and can be humongous. The double yolks are probably the result of the fact that our hens are young and their production is out of synch. But the size? Holy moly.

See the egg on the right? That’s about the size of large eggs I can buy at the grocery. The egg on the left is much larger even than the extra large eggs you can get at the store.

According to Wikipedia, a jumbo egg, which I have never seen at the store, is 71 grams or larger. This egg weighed in on my kitchen scale at 92 grams!

Having given birth, I can only feel for the poor chicken who pushed out this egg this morning. No wonder they were all screaming in sympathy.

Posted In: Chickens

Tags: eggs

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Bzzzz October 26th, 2008

Here it is the end of October and the garden is still pushing out things we can eat—red peppers, Swiss chard, lettuce, lots of herbs. I just harvested the last of the lima beans. I also have a beautiful and abundance lemon grass plant, so am seeking recipes that use more than just one stalk.

The garden is still a lovely place to visit. I believe that my habit of mixing vegetables, herbs and flowers contributes to the garden looking rather nice even now since there aren’t large bare patches where summer vegetables have been ripped out. Also, we haven’t yet had a killing frost, so there are flowers blooming on the ice plant, Miss Huff lantana, cock’s comb and cat mint, among others.

I have planted broccoli, but decided to forego the collards and Brussels sprouts this year, since I am the only one here who really eats them. In my enthusiasm for winter productivity I managed to buy 2.5 pounds of different types of garlic from Seeds of Change. They all got into the ground today, so I’m patting myself on the back for completing that big chore.

Last week I planted more spinach and lettuce in a coldframe and am keeping my fingers crossed that we can get a good enough harvest in the winter to avoid buying a few of those fancy salad greens my husband favors at $4 a bag. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that the whole coldframe doesn’t sail away with a good gust of wind. I have it anchored on all sides, of course, but I can’t help envisioning the worst—coldframe flying away in the dark of night and leaving my baby greens exposed to the elements.

I am interested in hearing your fall and winter strategies for keeping the garden going. Any ideas you can share?

Keep warm!

Posted In: Gardening