Eggopotamus

We were goofing off the last time we ate this, which is how we came up with the name Eggopotamus. Actually it was me that called it this. It's a spin off tortilla de patata.

Eggopotamus

3 medium potatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
8 eggs
2 T butter
1/2 t each garlic powder & onion powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Peel your potatoes, then grate them onto a plate lined with paper towels. Spread them into an even layer & press more paper towels on top of them. This gets them as dry as possible for frying. While your potatoes are drying between paper towels, crack your eggs into a bowl & whisk with spices.

In a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, melt your butter. Add onions in a layer & spread your shredded potatoes atop the onions. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Fry on medium heat until browned on the bottom. Lay a plate on top & carefully, but quickly, flip the potatoes & onions onto the plate. Slide back into the pan. Fry until browned. Add eggs, fry until they are done on the bottom, then flip again onto a plate. Slide into pan & cook until done through. You may also put them under a low broiler rather than doing the flip if you prefer.

Cut into wedges & serve.

And the layer of this one is.....

Well..... We're not sure. We *think* it might be Floppy's egg, but I thought she'd been laying for more than a week already. Maybe so, maybe not, but she'd been in the nest box several times. This was found on the floor of the coop, as was another one.....

That's a nickel for size comparison ;-)

A bit of an update

Baby rabbits are now 9 days old (confirmed 6 kits). They should be opening their eyes tomorrow or the next day. They are HUGE compared to when they were born. They have their fur, and they are so soft. 1 black one & 5 white with spots. Momma's doing very well this time!!

Tina Turner was re-introduced to the coop the evening of the 20th. The next day the other hen(s) were still pecking at her bum, so I rubbed vicks on her, and we haven't had any issues since. Since she was on antibiotics, her eggs are not being consumed by humans for 3 weeks. I am, however, feeding them to the pup so they don't go to waste. They are still being logged in the amount of food we raise. LT is thoroughly enjoying that treat.

We've been planting seeds like crazy. Hubba bought more plant & aquarium bulbs for my grow light set up, and we'll be borrowing 2 more light fixtures for them. I'm just running out of room. On a good note, everything that has been planted & should have germinated by now has.

My redneck greenhouse is holding up well. It was more or less a test to see if the plastic would hold in this Wicked Wyoming Wind. I don't have any use for it for still another couple-few weeks. I wanted to get it done ealry, so if it fell apart on me, I would have time to come up with another plan.

Hubba started buying 2X4's to build the greenhouse. When we moved in all of the old windows & doors from the house were under the porch. Our plan is to clean them up, paint them & use them for a greenhouse.

Egg Tally

This is a list of how many & how many pounds of eggs we gather each month. The girls laid their first egg on October 20, 2009. It was a double yolker & such a sweet egg. Hubba got the first one, but I got a taste. :D

Notes- In March 2010, I removed the overwinter lights in the coop. Since this was their first year laying & it happened as weather turned bitter here, I chose for the first year to add a winter light. Since removing their light, our egg production has dropped & in April, it dropped even further when some of my girls started to molt (already!!!).

October 2009- 1#13.7oz; 20 eggs
November 2009- 19#4.7oz; 190 eggs
December 2009- 28#11.4oz; 248 eggs
January 2010- 28#9.4oz; 254 eggs
February 2010- 23#14.9oz; 195 eggs
March 2010- 25#0.5oz; 199 eggs
April 2010- 19#4.6ox; 152 eggs
May 2010- 20#4.4oz; 158 eggs
June 2010- 25#7.6oz; 187 eggs
July 2010-
August 2010-
September 2010-
October 2010-
November 2010-
December 2010-

2009/10 total-

Gardening in February in the Rockies, ordering birds & compost

2/15- I attempted to save some Royal Burgundy Beans from last year's garden. They don't quite look like the original seed that I planted with, so I've planted 6 seeds to test their viability. I want to know now if they are viable, rather than waiting until the last minute & having to order seeds. Ordering seeds at the last minute can mean a couple of things. Reputable companies selling non-GMO, heirloom seeds may be out of stock. It also means "Oops, it's too late to plant them." Planting in the Rockies is a very skilled task. Our season (zone 4/5) is short. They give us 100 days, but that is not always the case. Last year our night temps didn't get above 42 until mid-July. Considering that and the fact that I'd never gardened outside of Georgia, the garden did extremely well. The Lord blessed us, not only with a decent bounty (considering the obstacles), He also presented hands on learning for us. I believe we learned a LOT last year & that we can do better this year.

Along with beans, I also planted some lavender, "peppermint" (true mint will not come from seeds) and some parsley. I had 6 herb plants that were neglected while we were away & I've got those soaked down (and drained) and in a clear rubbermaid container with lid (greenhouse), hoping for their survival.

2/16- Compost has proven difficult for us, thanks to frigid temps. It's hard to turn the frozen pile in the winter, and it gets so cold that it doesn't seem to cook itself into the wonderful richness called black gold. I've taken a 3.5 gallon icing bucket from the bakery and filled it about 2/5 full of dead bean plants (from my saved seed), egg shell, coffee grounds & filters, and banana peel. I was also able to sweep up some shavings & rabbit poo from the barn floor to add. I made sure that all pieces of material in the bucket are cut very small. No more than an inch long and about 1/2" wide. I've poured water over it all, mixed it up & it has a home in the coldframe, where the temps should keep it from freezing. Not the intended use for a coldframe, but I wanted to test this thought out.

I also had to make food for my chickens. The feed store is closed on Sundays and we ran out of feed. I couldn't go Saturday as I was waiting to sell a few more eggs to have the funds to get the feed. With our emergency trip, funds are tight for us right now. On Saturday, I wasn't even aware til later in the day anyway, that we'd used the last bag. I was going to go yesterday, but when I called they were closed. I called again today, to make sure they were open today, and they are..... But not until 5pm. Frustrating stuff. But..... They had Gourmet- apple cores & peels (were in freezer for apple juice jelly- guess I'm not making that anymore), arugula, flax seed, sunflower seed, cooked pintos, popcorn, blueberry yoghurt, some dry oats and raisins. Sounds appetizing, huh? No matter, they enjoyed it.

I also cut the hole in the top of my barrel so I can try to get it set up in the next couple weeks. A bit late, but apparently our winter will slam us in March. We've had an extremely mild winter thus far. I didn't get that worked on more, because between that, digging out (frozen) soil, messing with the compost bucket & other outdoors chores, my fingers hurt from the cold. I forgot to grab my gloves. Yes, I should know better. Hush.

I have found another gardening tool, speaking of frozen soil. I brought the bag in & took the hair dryer to it. Worked quite well, if you ask me. You don't have to ask, though, I just offered that bit of advice up *grin* .

Last month I ordered more layers, more meat birds & (drumroll, please)



(picture from Dunlap Hatchery)

POULTS!!!! SQUEEE!!!!

Everything should be available for pickup in May. If I remember correctly I've ordered the following (I don't have my sheet in front of me at the mo):

2 Rhode Island Reds (eggs)
2 Easter Eggers (eggs)
2 Barred Rocks (eggs)

10 White Plymouth Rocks (for meat. And I actually ordered 30, but only 10 are mine)

3 bronze & white poults (I can't remember but it's 2 of one breed- I think white, and 1 of the other breed)

I've never done turkeys before. I know they only do straight run, & being in city limits, I really can't have a Tom. Therefore, I'm hoping at least one is a hen. I do have (a) home(s) for any that are Toms. I have some learning for sure, but just like the chickens & rabbits, I'm willing. And I'm doing a LOT of research.

I planted a dishpan of 8 garlic bulbs today, too.

I think that's all for now.

Welcome to my online mini-homesteading journal

And that's all it will really be. I don't promise to be exciting. This is simply a place to log what we are doing to self & support locally on a small in-city-limits lot. Most of my posts will be short & to the point. If I've bred a rabbit, or need to add my monthly measurements for eggs, produce or remember what orders I've put in where & when to expect them, I'll be posting it here.