Baby Chickens for Sale in Fairfax, Virginia
Baby Chickens for Sale in Fairfax, Virginia
Never Go Hungry Frittata: Backyard Chickens Save the Day
It has been a little over two years since our family grew to include an average of five chickens. Having hens means there is always something to make for dinner. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought there was nothing to eat in the house and was able to pull something delicious together thanks to our eggs. Backyard chickens really do save the day–or at least dinner.
Occasionally I will have dough for a single pie crust (either homemade or store bought) in the freezer and will make a quiche, but I most often make a frittata or tortilla española. Both of those are simply different names (Italian and Spanish, respectively) for the same thing, which is essentially a crust-less quiche. Without the crust it is a little healthier and definitely faster, easier and potentially more affordable (especially if you buy the crust or crust dough.) We also do a lot of scrambles, but a frittata or tortilla just seem a little more “dinner.”
Between baby and work I don’t always make it to the grocery store before the fridge starts looking empty. This week was no exception so I picked a few veggies and herbs from the garden and collected a few more eggs. Zucchini goes particularly well with eggs. :)
I also found a few potatoes and snap peas in the fridge. I don’t have a picture of the frittata fully completed since a little Baby bird started getting cranky, but here it is nearly done:
Never-Go-Hungry Frittata Recipe
This is more of a template than a recipe. Feel free to improvise with the ingredients and make it your own!
Step 1: Pre-cook hard vegetables like potatoes or broccoli (boil, roast, etc.) Please also clean out your fridge of any already cooked leftovers. Oven roasted veggies are awesome, as is any leftover meat. This is a great use of a little meat that would be less than a full serving if eaten alone. (My husband finds it more substantial when I use potatoes.)
Step 2: Sauté aromatics, like onion, in a healthy amount of olive oil or coconut oil (it will also be keeping the egg from sticking) on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add other veggies and cook until soft. (Options are endless, but try zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, bell pepper, kale and other greens…)
Step 3: Beat eggs with a fork vigorously until light and fluffy. Use at least 2-3 eggs per serving. You want to have enough eggs to cover all the filling that is in the pan. If you need to use more eggs than you will eat that night, do it. Leftover frittata is great. If you run out of eggs and need a little more volume, add in a little milk. Season with salt, pepper and spices and then pour into the pan. Turn the heat down to low.
Step 4: Finish by adding fresh herbs, tomatoes and cheese. (All I had was my truffled goat cheese. Cooking it essentially wasted the truffle salt. Adding any kind of heat takes away the flavor of truffles which is why they should be used only as a finisher. But, hey, I needed the cheese!)
Step 5: There are at least three options for cooking it all the way through:
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on super low heat until the top appears set.
- If you have an oven proof pan (i.e. the handle is entirely metal and not covered in rubber) you can transfer it to the oven and broil a few minutes to cook the top.
- If you are daring, try the Spanish method. Once the bottom half of the tortilla is cooked, take a large plate and flip the entire tortilla onto the plate and then slide it into the pan so that the other side is now down. Finish cooking until the center is done. (This is heavy and awkward for me personally, so I use one of the first two methods.)
Serve cut into wedges. Goes great with a green salad.
Notes:
If your zucchini grow a little too big, like ours often do, I recommend peeling them and cutting out the seeds at the core. The rest of the flesh will still be good.
Want to know a trick for fluffy eggs I learned in Spain? When I was an exchange student I watched the señora I lived with make tortillas like this: she tipped a bowl so that all the yolks drifted to one side. Then she beat the side with the whites with a fork vigorously until they were completely broken up. Next she incorporated one yolk at a time. Essentially, she beat the whites alone without going to the trouble of officially separating the eggs. I’ve done the same ever since.
Tips for cooking for baby:
Pediatricians recommend avoiding egg whites until baby is one year old. We have given her plenty of egg yolk since around 7 months but we still do not feed her whole eggs. I often reserve the filling just before pouring the eggs in. Potatoes, zucchini and other sauteed veggies make great homemade baby food! In our case this week I wasn’t fast enough. She was getting super tired and the only thing done was the boiled potatoes. Lucky for her she likes baby mashed potatoes….
And here it is:
Baby’s First Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Scrub organic potatoes until clean. Potatoes are a priority to buy (or grow) organic, even if you don’t normally do, since they are sponges for pesticides. Roughly chop and boil in water until they are fork tender. Drain and let cool. Pull off the skin. Mash them in a baby food mill, with a potato ricer, or with a fork. Add a good helping of breast milk until they are smooth and creamy.
Cauliflower is also yummy mashed, either alone or mixed with potatoes.
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Baby Chickens Under Lights in Fairfax, Virginia
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Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Fairfax Virginia catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to their site and request one if you are interested.Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
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Fairfax Virginia * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
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available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
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all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
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breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Fairfax
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Baby Chickens And Ducks For Sale in Fairfax, Virginia
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in Fairfax Virginia is easy and has always been a very pleasant experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Fairfax, Virginia Baby chicks are very adorable and also difficult to stand up to, but it's finest to plan for their arrival before you obtain them. Prepare first by gathering not just the right materials, but additionally the proper knowledge to take care of them. Raising baby chicks is fairly basic, you simply should offer them with the following: A tidy as well as warm and comfortable environment A lot of food as well as water Interest and love Environment Your environment can be a straightforward box, aquarium, pet cat service provider, or guinea pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as blankets (without loosened strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks make use of straw over paper. Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only paper or other slipper surfaces-- or your chicks legs could expand malformed. You likewise need something to dish out food and also water in, such as a chicken feeder and also water meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from an animal store. Also, as the chicks age you can present a perch right into the habitat to obtain them trained on perching. Heat To maintain your chicks warm you should provide them with a warmth source. This could be as basic as a 100 watt light bulb in a reflective clamp style lamp from a hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth light bulb also function effectively (my referral). Chicks need this heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is changed with plumes (which could use up to two months). The newly hatched out require a temperature level in between 90 and 100 levels, and each week this can be decreased by about 5 degrees or so. The heat resource ought to be on just one side of the cage to enable chicks a variety of temperature levels. The chicks are your best thermometer- if they are concealing in the opposite corner of your heat lamp, you need to lower the temperature. If they are smothering each various other under the warmth (not just cuddling), you have to put some warmth. Housekeeping Cleanliness is crucial and also it maintains your chicks healthy. Make certain to change the bed linens usually as well as always supply clean food as well as water Food and water. Chicks expand extremely quickly which calls for lots of tidy food and water. Offer enough at all times as well as examine usually to avoid parched as well as starving chicks. Chick food is various compared to grown-up chicken food, and also it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the very first 2 months, after that change to a grower food (~ 17 % protein) for an additional 2 months, then to a slightly reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed (if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a head start on taking filth bathrooms, while others will not occupy that activity until they are older. If you have the space in your chick enclosure, present a tray of sand or filth for them to wash in. Focus as well as love There are a few benefits to hanging out with your chicks. To start with, they will most likely bond with you and also not escape as adults. Second, if you analyze your chicks daily and also see their habits, you can capture health problem or other problems earlier. Keep an eye out for wheezing, hopping, or other unhealthy indicators. Make sure to also look at their poop, as looseness of the bowels could lead to matted plumes and blocked cloaca. Lastly, it is essential to watch out for social issues, such as the smallest chick getting picked on. Vacant nest disorder So your chicks are now totally feathered as well as its time for them to leave the security of your home as well as relocate outside into a cage. Look into our section on chicken coops to learn more regarding coops and also proper coop environments.Baby Quail Chicks For Sale Baby Chicks House
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