Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Return Of GungaDean












My (not so) little pal Gunga came back for a visit today.  This was him just over a year ago.

My Earthbox shipment arrived.

Finished up the last tiny end bits of siding on the west side.













Got a Ural tire changing lesson from Chuck this afternoon - Mr. Floppy stood guard while I was away.

Solar oven chicken for dinner.  67,73,40,0,B

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

$60 for a basic earthbox ? I will just be using Richard and Cindys 5 year old compost. I have lots of things growing....flax, tomatoes. beans.

John Wells said...

Frann...Good for you - glad you have access to someone elses compost. Are they giving you water too? The Earthbox folks graciously donated 4 of these to TFL for a field test. I am most interested to see how much water these will use compared to conventional growing methods. I will be setting up two of them as per their instructions and two using my own compost mix to see how it goes. In addition...I will be comparing them to some home made versions as well. Care to make a wager?

rj said...

Fran,
Miss your blog..

Scuba Steve said...

John, you may want to truss your chicken next time you roast one. Trussing can keep the legs and wings from drying out and generally result in a more evenly cooked bird.

My $0.02...

just.Bob said...

Interesting, timely.
Received from our friends at EarthBox today a brochure about their Automatic Watering System.
www.earthbox.com/videos/aws-assembly

Rita B. said...

ok...west side....up where the trusses/beams are...is or does that need to be enclosed? can't really tell what's hapnin up there. that chicken looks absolutely delicious....now for some mashed 'tators and little chicken gravy. floppy is gorgeous and hilarious as usual...nice teeth.

Bel said...

Happy Valentines Day!

Dani said...

@ Scuba Steve - LOL Chickens cooked in the solar oven don't dry out - not even if you leave them in there all day. And, if they achieve that stage of brown-ness, they are generally perfectly cooked all over :)

Scuba Steve said...

@Dani - Serious question, I really don't know: Does a solar oven cook differently than a gas oven?

I wasn't saying it wasn't cooked correctly, as you said, the crisp skin is a good indication of that. I was saying that when roasting a chicken you typically get a more *even* (and juicier) cooking when you keep the extremities close and the breasts pushed down and together - both of which can be accomplished with trussing.

Now all that may be moot if indeed the solar oven cooks wildly different.

alam0tx said...

GungaDean is one hansome bull...His color is striking...I wonder if the sire colors of longhorns are predominate in offspring...

Carlos said...

Gunga is going to have an impressive spread when he grows up! He's got 3 feet of horn and he just a couple of years old!

MontelloOffGrid said...

chicken...how long to cook?
structure...amazing!
earthbox...eagerly awaiting results
Ural...drooling
Mr. Floppy...great pic...is he smiling?
Gunga...a beauty!

Rev.JimmyLeeBob said...

Floppy is belting out a cover of "Beast of Burden".........

John Wells said...

5 hrs. at 250°
thanks
we shall see
for sale
yawning
a beast

Dani said...

@ Scuba Steve - Gas ovens cook with dry heat. Solar oven cooking is achieved within an enclosed area where the air is generally damp due to the humidity in the food.

Chickens don't generally get "crisp" but will brown attractively in a solar oven. I guess it's all to do with the fat not reacting with the dry air of a gas oven.

With that said, a loaf of bread or a batch of biscuits will get crisp.

loves2spin said...

That looks incredible! The chicken, I mean. :D

Dani said...

John - fyi:

http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2012/02/from-the-earthbox-photo-contest-secrets-to-tomato-success-earthbox-sips-check-auto-irrigation-check-rebar-staking-chec.html

Dani said...

And :

http://forum.earthbox.com/index.php?topic=7378.0

Allen Hare said...

Lots of great stuff today. The greenhouse looks amazing. Looks like you're about to the growing stage inside there. Mr. Floppy is a ham, and a good subject/model. I thought you were about done with the Ural. The chicken looks delish.