Size Doesn't Matter

Our allotment of backyard farm fresh eggs doesn't come every 24 hours as most people would think. In fact, hens lay eggs every 25 hours, and very seldom lay eggs in the afternoon. Theoretically (and under perfect conditions), the hens will continue to lay eggs for maybe a week and then skip a day and begin the whole process again.

I've noticed with Chicken and Pox the egg size does become smaller after the say, forth or fifth consecutively laid egg, but the yolks remain the same. I've cracked these eggs open and found the yolks to be bright, large, and beautifully golden – quite tasty in fact.

So size really doesn't matter. It all depends on what’s inside.

Early Harvest

A few weeks back, well before the weather became, uh stifling hot, I harvested some radishes and enough lettuce leaves to feed a mouse. It may not have been much but the result was delicious.

Now that the heat of the sun is here to stay, I'm looking forward to some vine-ripened tomatoes. Our worm tea has done the trick -- we have a gorgeous crop with plenty of fruit.

City-Wide Composting: A Brilliant Idea

I’ve always loved San Francisco politics and new legislation signed Tuesday by Mayor Gavin Newsom is no exception.

The San Francisco mayor signed into law the nation’s first mandatory composting legislation that will prevent tons of material from going to the landfill and in turn, will reduce greenhouse gases. Residents and more importantly, businesses, will be required to compost food scraps.

According to the mayor’s office, San Francisco already converts more than 400 tons of food scraps and other compostable discards into high-grade, nutrient-rich organic compost every day. By requiring homeowners, apartment dwellers, and restaurants owners to separate their food scraps from their trash, that number is expected to increase, and will further reduce the amount of methane gas that is released in an oxygen-starved landfill.

The city believes that composting will become “second nature for Americans, just like sorting bottles and paper.”

I’ve been recycling bottles and newspapers for more than 25 years. Let’s hope food composting takes less time to catch on.

Helping Hand

I commandeered my visiting nephew, Brad, into turning over our compost, a chore that my husband hates to do. It's great to have a strapping, 22-year-old helping with our homestead chores, especially the ones that are difficult to maneuver and unpopular with Matt. Thank God someone in this house is young and energetic and doesn't have to tend to a four-year-old.

How Many Eggs is Too Many?

In anticipation of some family members arriving from Chicago, I've been hoarding eggs from our layers, Chicken and Pox. Since Joe won't eat eggs -- loves to hold them, kiss them, collect them but not eat them -- only four of us will be eating them over-easy tomorrow. I have 14 eggs in the fridge. I cannot wait. I hope it will be enough.

Eeeeewwwwww!

For kicks I gave Chicken and Pox a little chicken for dinner. Chicken ate it. I'm not going to do that again. Something is just not right.

Urban Chicken Watch!

Check out Nightline on ABC tonight (11:30p ET/PT). There's a segment on urban chickens scheduled to air!

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/

A Mistake

A few months ago, when I planted the first seeds of the spring, I added this beautiful squash plant. Silly me thought I could train it to go up a lattice. Little did I know that a few weeks later the squash, now a pumpkin, would commandeer my entire garden. Out it went. I hated to see it go but there was no way I was giving up precious space for something that is harvested in October.

Cherries!

My husband and I have been picking cherries in the orchards of Leona Valley since we've lived in California -- nearly 14-plus years. We love the old fashion parade the town hosts every year which features the town-folk llamas. Unfortunately the cherries arrived a week late so we missed the parade. The cherries, however, were divine. Well worth the trip!

Yogurt!

Chicken and Pox enjoying their daily dose of yogurt.