1. Plant: planted tomatoes, onions, beets, dill, oregano, basil, cilantro; did some weeding in between storms/rain showers
2. Harvest: basil, oregano, thyme, parsley
3. Preserve: nothing this week
4. Reduce waste: "recycled" leftover stir-fried squash/zuke into a casserole; ate leftovers for lunch that I REALLY didn't want to eat; regular recycling stuff; working on potty training the 2 y/o
5. Preparation/storage: replaced sugar used in canning last weekend; bought some coffee for the pantry; hubby's almost done with the chicken coop (yay!!); discussed quantities of various home-canned items we’re aiming for, so as to better judge how much u-pick produce we need to buy; discussed foraging with mom (I’m so glad she doesn’t think I’m nuts anymore)
6. Community Food System: contributed more of H's pee dipes to the anti-deer campaign (I am shocked that it's actually working!!); discussed how we're going to handle the herd of wild hogs that are ransacking our community's gardens
7. Eat the food: stir fry from farm-stand veggies; rice, pasta, jarred sauce from storage; basil, oregano, thyme, parsley from the garden; muffins, homemade bread, biscuits made from pantry; homemade jam
Monday, May 25, 2009
That was a GOOD day!
We got up early and H USED THE POTTY! Of course, she also peed on the floor trying to GET to the potty, but that's beside the point. ;) We ate breakfast (I made fresh sausage with herbs from the garden), and miracle of miracles ... IT STOPPED RAINING!!! Well, it still sprinkled off-and-on through the morning, but I got tired of telling the girls no, so they jumped into their bathing suits and hit the pool. Oh, wait. They were ALREADY in the pool, in their pajamas. I just legitimized it with the suits. LOL While they were playing in the pool, I planted the tomato plants in the herb garden and did some weeding in the veggie patch.
We came in and I took a shower while DH and the girls watched cartoons. Then we all headed to the store (lunch first). It went so much faster with hubby along to help kid-wrangle.
Back home, H went down for a nap. F and I were supposed to nap, too, but that didn't last long. We got up and F practiced casting her rod & reel (she informed me after we bought it that she didn't like fish and never wanted to actually FISH with the rod & reel, but she sure does love practicing with it), then we flew the kite for a bit while dad made more boffer swords.
I took a little mommy break and F woke H up from her 2 hour nap. I decided to make a pasta salad for dinner ... and thus commenced Boffer Sword Showdown, Spring 2009. B and the girls chased each other around the yard bonking each other with boffer swords for a good half-hour. When the girls started pretending the swords were pogo sticks, dad was done, but a couple minutes after he sat down I heard F yell, "H ... wanna fight?!?" Dad was so proud! LOL
My pasta salad was ROCKIN' (more fresh herbs :D) and F nearly fell asleep at the table. A quick bath and the girls and I were down for the night. Hubby and dad were supposed to go hunting wild hogs last night; I heard him come in, I think around 4AM, so I'll talk to him about it when he gets up.
There's something deeply satisfying about a day where you can get outside and work and play. We all slept so good! :)
We came in and I took a shower while DH and the girls watched cartoons. Then we all headed to the store (lunch first). It went so much faster with hubby along to help kid-wrangle.
Back home, H went down for a nap. F and I were supposed to nap, too, but that didn't last long. We got up and F practiced casting her rod & reel (she informed me after we bought it that she didn't like fish and never wanted to actually FISH with the rod & reel, but she sure does love practicing with it), then we flew the kite for a bit while dad made more boffer swords.
I took a little mommy break and F woke H up from her 2 hour nap. I decided to make a pasta salad for dinner ... and thus commenced Boffer Sword Showdown, Spring 2009. B and the girls chased each other around the yard bonking each other with boffer swords for a good half-hour. When the girls started pretending the swords were pogo sticks, dad was done, but a couple minutes after he sat down I heard F yell, "H ... wanna fight?!?" Dad was so proud! LOL
My pasta salad was ROCKIN' (more fresh herbs :D) and F nearly fell asleep at the table. A quick bath and the girls and I were down for the night. Hubby and dad were supposed to go hunting wild hogs last night; I heard him come in, I think around 4AM, so I'll talk to him about it when he gets up.
There's something deeply satisfying about a day where you can get outside and work and play. We all slept so good! :)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I feel like CRAP!
It's almost midnight, and I'm sick. *pout* A quick update, another dose of homeopathic meds, and I'm done for the night, I think.
1. Plant: Nope ... too windy/rainy. Again.
2. Harvest: Nope
3. Preserve: Nope
4. Reduce waste: Ate leftovers for lunch that I REALLY didn't want to eat. :P
5. Preparation/storage: Replaced sugar used in canning last weekend; bought some coffee for the pantry; hubby bought some lumber to start the chicken coop
6. Community Food System: Contributed more of H's pee dipes to the anti-deer campaign. I am shocked that it's actually working!!
7. Eat the food: Stir fry from farm-stand veggies; rice from storage.
1. Plant: Nope ... too windy/rainy. Again.
2. Harvest: Nope
3. Preserve: Nope
4. Reduce waste: Ate leftovers for lunch that I REALLY didn't want to eat. :P
5. Preparation/storage: Replaced sugar used in canning last weekend; bought some coffee for the pantry; hubby bought some lumber to start the chicken coop
6. Community Food System: Contributed more of H's pee dipes to the anti-deer campaign. I am shocked that it's actually working!!
7. Eat the food: Stir fry from farm-stand veggies; rice from storage.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
On the Farm
I harvested my first herbs yesterday: basil and oregano, which went into homemade meatballs. They were so good that between me and H, about a third of them didn’t actually make it to the dinner table. Mmmmm! I can’t wait to get some seeds in the ground to supplement the plants that mom & hubby originally provided. I’m also looking forward to planting the leftover onion sets; hopefully they’ll make us some green onions. And then there are the tomato transplants, patiently waiting in the corner of the porch. And the beet seeds. *happy sigh*
I took about 5 minutes to do some weeding in the veggie garden before picking up the girls this afternoon, and discovered some tiny little bell peppers and yellow squash! I literally jumped up and down squealing. I'm such a dork! LOL
In other news, we found out yesterday that there are at least 100 pigs running wild in the woods behind mom & dad’s house; they’re rapidly making their way towards the families’ gardens, and they’ve already destroyed the neighbors’. Add them to the rabbits, raccoon, wild turkeys and deer that already call our land home. I’m really astounded at the amount of wildlife still in our area/on our property, and to be perfectly honest, I’m looking forward to EATING some of them, before they eat us out of house and home. I do find it … wyrd … that the wild hog population seems to have exploded in the two years since we moved into our home. We've made many offerings to Frey over the years and I can't help but feel that he's making his presence known.
It has rained everyday for at least the last week to 10 days, and yesterday the high was nearly 30 degrees below normal. Mom says she’s only see the weather here do that once before, about 40 years ago. Rain is in the forecast every day for at least another 10 days; I think the river might come back out of its bank again if we don’t get a break soon, and this does NOT bode well for the annual mosquito battle. I heard a few weeks ago that in the central part of the state, the mosquito population is 8000 times greater than this time last year. That just makes me want to curl up in a ball – under some netting – and hide!
IDC Quickie Monday & Tuesday:
Plant – nothing today, but I did do some weeding
Harvest – basil & oregano
Preserve – nothing
Waste not – nothing
Preparation/storage – discussed quantities of various home-canned items we’re aiming for, so as to better judge how much u-pick produce we need to buy; discussed foraging with mom (I’m so glad she doesn’t think I’m nuts anymore)
Community Food System – nothing
Eat the food – basil, oregano, pasta from storage, jarred sauce from storage; muffins made earlier in the week; homemade bread w/ homemade jam
I took about 5 minutes to do some weeding in the veggie garden before picking up the girls this afternoon, and discovered some tiny little bell peppers and yellow squash! I literally jumped up and down squealing. I'm such a dork! LOL
In other news, we found out yesterday that there are at least 100 pigs running wild in the woods behind mom & dad’s house; they’re rapidly making their way towards the families’ gardens, and they’ve already destroyed the neighbors’. Add them to the rabbits, raccoon, wild turkeys and deer that already call our land home. I’m really astounded at the amount of wildlife still in our area/on our property, and to be perfectly honest, I’m looking forward to EATING some of them, before they eat us out of house and home. I do find it … wyrd … that the wild hog population seems to have exploded in the two years since we moved into our home. We've made many offerings to Frey over the years and I can't help but feel that he's making his presence known.
It has rained everyday for at least the last week to 10 days, and yesterday the high was nearly 30 degrees below normal. Mom says she’s only see the weather here do that once before, about 40 years ago. Rain is in the forecast every day for at least another 10 days; I think the river might come back out of its bank again if we don’t get a break soon, and this does NOT bode well for the annual mosquito battle. I heard a few weeks ago that in the central part of the state, the mosquito population is 8000 times greater than this time last year. That just makes me want to curl up in a ball – under some netting – and hide!
IDC Quickie Monday & Tuesday:
Plant – nothing today, but I did do some weeding
Harvest – basil & oregano
Preserve – nothing
Waste not – nothing
Preparation/storage – discussed quantities of various home-canned items we’re aiming for, so as to better judge how much u-pick produce we need to buy; discussed foraging with mom (I’m so glad she doesn’t think I’m nuts anymore)
Community Food System – nothing
Eat the food – basil, oregano, pasta from storage, jarred sauce from storage; muffins made earlier in the week; homemade bread w/ homemade jam
Sunday, May 17, 2009
IDC Update - Week #3
1. Plant something: hubby got a lot of work done on the herb bed, plus he weeded in the veggie gardens and transplanted some corn from one bed to another (we're trying to consolidate the few corn plants that actually came up); planted sunflowers & pumpkins
2. Harvest something: radishes (maybe a dozen), onions (2 that bolted), strawberries (36-1/2 lbs.)
3. Preserve something: put up 8 pints of strawberry preserves and prepared berries for 2 more batches of jam, a batch of strawberry syrup, and a bag for the freezer that will probably end up in a mixed-berry jam ... we ran out of time & steam to finish everything!
4. Reduce waste: normal recycling stuff; salvaged as much of the forgotten basil in my fridge, grown in mom's garden, as I could; saved commercial jars for dry storage; rescued a HUGE cardboard box from the trash at work, hopefully to use as a solar oven or dehydrator
5. Preparation/storage: added liquid bandage stuff to the first aid kit; found some rockin' plans for a solar dehydrator; printed a fall garden plan from http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/; discussed what needs to be done in the garden ASAP, and what things we can plant now for the fall; priced materials for a chicken coop
6. Community food system: discussed ways to keep the deer out of the communal garden plot; gave a copy of the fall garden plan to my mom; DH helped mom, dad, my brother, and the neighbors install power poles at the communal garden to provide power to the shallow well that mom & dad had dug for irrigation as needed - unfortunately, they found out the next day that the power company was going to charge over $2K to run the line, so we're looking at other options now (I'm pushing for solar!); offered to share some of my dried garbanzos from storage with a friend, since we have a LOT more than we would normally eat in years; gave strawberry tops and culls to the neighbors for their chickens (they share their eggs with us)
7. Eat the food: beans, pasta from storage; 2 dzn. apple spice muffins from homemade muffin mix I keep in the pantry, applesauce from the freezer, and cinnamon chips from the pantry; 2 dzn. banana muffins from frozen bananas, muffin mix, and chocolate chips from storage; shepherd's pie - ground beef & mixed veggies from the freezer, flour and potatoes from the pantry, and butter and cheese bought in bulk; 4 loaves of bread, all ingredients from storage
2. Harvest something: radishes (maybe a dozen), onions (2 that bolted), strawberries (36-1/2 lbs.)
3. Preserve something: put up 8 pints of strawberry preserves and prepared berries for 2 more batches of jam, a batch of strawberry syrup, and a bag for the freezer that will probably end up in a mixed-berry jam ... we ran out of time & steam to finish everything!
4. Reduce waste: normal recycling stuff; salvaged as much of the forgotten basil in my fridge, grown in mom's garden, as I could; saved commercial jars for dry storage; rescued a HUGE cardboard box from the trash at work, hopefully to use as a solar oven or dehydrator
5. Preparation/storage: added liquid bandage stuff to the first aid kit; found some rockin' plans for a solar dehydrator; printed a fall garden plan from http://www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/; discussed what needs to be done in the garden ASAP, and what things we can plant now for the fall; priced materials for a chicken coop
6. Community food system: discussed ways to keep the deer out of the communal garden plot; gave a copy of the fall garden plan to my mom; DH helped mom, dad, my brother, and the neighbors install power poles at the communal garden to provide power to the shallow well that mom & dad had dug for irrigation as needed - unfortunately, they found out the next day that the power company was going to charge over $2K to run the line, so we're looking at other options now (I'm pushing for solar!); offered to share some of my dried garbanzos from storage with a friend, since we have a LOT more than we would normally eat in years; gave strawberry tops and culls to the neighbors for their chickens (they share their eggs with us)
7. Eat the food: beans, pasta from storage; 2 dzn. apple spice muffins from homemade muffin mix I keep in the pantry, applesauce from the freezer, and cinnamon chips from the pantry; 2 dzn. banana muffins from frozen bananas, muffin mix, and chocolate chips from storage; shepherd's pie - ground beef & mixed veggies from the freezer, flour and potatoes from the pantry, and butter and cheese bought in bulk; 4 loaves of bread, all ingredients from storage
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Saturday, Part 2
Oh. My. GODS. what a day. I woke up at 5AM; H woke up before 6, and F shortly after. We all got dressed, had muffins, and waited on mom to call RE strawberry picking. By waiting, I mean I chased kids, cleaned the kitchen, and did some laundry. By the time she called at 8:40AM, H was already filthy and wet from playing outside, so I had to redress her down to her shoes. TBH, I was pretty grubby too, but I figured HEY, we're just going to pick berries, it'll be fine. So, off we went.
Even chasing the girls all over the fields, we picked 36-1/2 pounds of berries in less than an hour. It didn't LOOK like 36+ lbs. Really! I'm pretty excited about putting them up tomorrow. Mom said she was going to look up recipes this evening. Mmmm, strawberry preserves. :D
So, I looked GORGEOUS after that, and the girls and I were hungry. Make that STARVING. Since mom picked up the tab for the berries, I told her lunch was my treat. We went to a Chinese buffet (not the "good" one, honey), where the girls were completely fascinated with the piped-in music, and let everybody in the place know. Loudly. So, about 3/4 of the stuff they had on their buffet had some kind of seafood in it, so I wasn't thrilled. They did have egg foo young (I have no idea how to spell that), so mom was THRILLED. I found a little something to eat, and was minding my own business, when manager of the plant where I work showed up with his wife and one of our coworkers. Just the folks I wanted to run into looking like a dirty farmhand. Oh well ...
So, we made it home and I fell asleep with the girls whilst trying to get them to take naps. Oops. But I sooo needed it, and felt GREAT when I got up. :D Alright, so now it's, what 3:30? I got the girls settled in watching a movie, then sat down with some grid paper and drew out the 2 herb beds, including the plants already in them. Then I went through my seeds to see what I could add. I was just about to go out and do some planting when hubby got home from the range [yes, ladies & gentlemen ... I'm married to a cowboy ;)]. He convinced me that we needed to get the sunflowers, pumpkin & watermelon planted in the "long plot," but it was 5PM before we actually got out there with the kids. I got the sunflowers planted while hubby planted the pumpkin seeds (tomorrow, we're gonna set out the pumpkin transplants mom gave us).
Dinner was hamburgers, brats and grilled veggies. By the time everybody had eaten and settled down, it was 8:30PM. No time for baths for the kids ... straight to bed, wearing the clothes they'd had on all day. I know, I suck. :P And yes, I fell asleep with them. Again.
So much for a quiet, relaxing day.
Here's my IDC update for Saturday:
1. Plant something: Sunflowers & pumpkins.
2. Harvest something: Strawberries.
3. Preserve something: tomorrow ....
4. Reduce waste: n/a
5. Preparation/storage: See #2/3.
6. Community food system: See #2/3/5 (mom & I will be sharing the preserved strawberries with my bro/sil and our neighbors).
7. Eat the food: Muffins for breakfast; burgers and brats from the freezer.
Gotta go whip up some breakfast and get ready for another relaxing day.
Even chasing the girls all over the fields, we picked 36-1/2 pounds of berries in less than an hour. It didn't LOOK like 36+ lbs. Really! I'm pretty excited about putting them up tomorrow. Mom said she was going to look up recipes this evening. Mmmm, strawberry preserves. :D
So, I looked GORGEOUS after that, and the girls and I were hungry. Make that STARVING. Since mom picked up the tab for the berries, I told her lunch was my treat. We went to a Chinese buffet (not the "good" one, honey), where the girls were completely fascinated with the piped-in music, and let everybody in the place know. Loudly. So, about 3/4 of the stuff they had on their buffet had some kind of seafood in it, so I wasn't thrilled. They did have egg foo young (I have no idea how to spell that), so mom was THRILLED. I found a little something to eat, and was minding my own business, when manager of the plant where I work showed up with his wife and one of our coworkers. Just the folks I wanted to run into looking like a dirty farmhand. Oh well ...
So, we made it home and I fell asleep with the girls whilst trying to get them to take naps. Oops. But I sooo needed it, and felt GREAT when I got up. :D Alright, so now it's, what 3:30? I got the girls settled in watching a movie, then sat down with some grid paper and drew out the 2 herb beds, including the plants already in them. Then I went through my seeds to see what I could add. I was just about to go out and do some planting when hubby got home from the range [yes, ladies & gentlemen ... I'm married to a cowboy ;)]. He convinced me that we needed to get the sunflowers, pumpkin & watermelon planted in the "long plot," but it was 5PM before we actually got out there with the kids. I got the sunflowers planted while hubby planted the pumpkin seeds (tomorrow, we're gonna set out the pumpkin transplants mom gave us).
Dinner was hamburgers, brats and grilled veggies. By the time everybody had eaten and settled down, it was 8:30PM. No time for baths for the kids ... straight to bed, wearing the clothes they'd had on all day. I know, I suck. :P And yes, I fell asleep with them. Again.
So much for a quiet, relaxing day.
Here's my IDC update for Saturday:
1. Plant something: Sunflowers & pumpkins.
2. Harvest something: Strawberries.
3. Preserve something: tomorrow ....
4. Reduce waste: n/a
5. Preparation/storage: See #2/3.
6. Community food system: See #2/3/5 (mom & I will be sharing the preserved strawberries with my bro/sil and our neighbors).
7. Eat the food: Muffins for breakfast; burgers and brats from the freezer.
Gotta go whip up some breakfast and get ready for another relaxing day.
Busy, busy
We're going strawberry picking today -- I hope! The last time we went to the you-pick farm, the fields were picked clean. Mom's going to call them to see if it's worth going out there this morning.
I've also got a boat-load of laundry to do (nothing new there); pumpkin, tomato and marigold plants to transplant; and herb seeds to put out.
If we do get berries today, we'll probably do the canning tomorrow: jam, syrup, etc.
Here's my IDC update for Friday:
1. Plant something: n/a
2. Harvest something: A few of my onion plants bolted, so I harvested those, plus 1 lone radish. I meant to grab some cilantro for our Mexi-feast last night, but forgot in the bustle.
3. Preserve something: n/a
4. Reduce waste: normal recycling
5. Preparation/storage: n/a
6. Community food system: Offered to share some of my dried garbanzos from storage with a friend, since we have a LOT more than we would normally eat in years. Found out that the power company wanted $2200 to connect power to the shallow well pump for the communal garden. Eek!! I'm putting in a plug for a solar panel.
7. Eat the food: I made banana muffins from frozen bananas, my pantry quick bread mix, and chocolate chips from storage. Lunch was peanut butter from storage.
Gotta scoot. I need to wash some clothes before the potential strawberry picking! :D
I've also got a boat-load of laundry to do (nothing new there); pumpkin, tomato and marigold plants to transplant; and herb seeds to put out.
If we do get berries today, we'll probably do the canning tomorrow: jam, syrup, etc.
Here's my IDC update for Friday:
1. Plant something: n/a
2. Harvest something: A few of my onion plants bolted, so I harvested those, plus 1 lone radish. I meant to grab some cilantro for our Mexi-feast last night, but forgot in the bustle.
3. Preserve something: n/a
4. Reduce waste: normal recycling
5. Preparation/storage: n/a
6. Community food system: Offered to share some of my dried garbanzos from storage with a friend, since we have a LOT more than we would normally eat in years. Found out that the power company wanted $2200 to connect power to the shallow well pump for the communal garden. Eek!! I'm putting in a plug for a solar panel.
7. Eat the food: I made banana muffins from frozen bananas, my pantry quick bread mix, and chocolate chips from storage. Lunch was peanut butter from storage.
Gotta scoot. I need to wash some clothes before the potential strawberry picking! :D
Friday, May 15, 2009
It's Raining, It's Pouring ...
I wish that I was snoring. :P It started raining on the way home yesterday, and sprinkled/rained all evening. It's still raining this morning. My rockin' hubby got out in the rain and worked on filling the 2nd new herb bed with topsoil. 'Cause he's awesome. :) Did I mention that my Mothers Day/Anniversary present was not one, but TWO raised beds for my herb garden? Yay, me!
Today is Water Day at F's pre-K -- mighty appropriate, if you ask me. Which they didn't. I had to go buy her a one-piece bathing suit and water shoes for the event. Why in the WORLD are bathing suits for preschoolers made like they're meant for swimsuit models? I could not find a single non-character bathing suit in her size (6) that didn't have the entire back and sides cut out. I mean, her BIKINI is more tasteful than that crap! So, I ended up buying her a size too big in order to get one that was modestly cut, and had to shorten the straps last night. I hope they hold. :/ Not that it's going to matter ... as I type this, it is POURING down rain. I'm pretty sure the whole thing is going to get canceled. Which means I'll have wasted $15 buying crap we didn't need.
I think I need some sunshine.
Here's my IDC update for yesterday:
1. Plant something: Didn't get anything planted, but as I mentioned, hubby got a lot of work done on the herb bed. He also did a lot of weeding in the veggie gardens and transplanted some corn from one bed to another (we're trying to consolidate the few corn plants that actually came up).
2. Harvest something: nothing today
3. Preserve something: nope
4. Reduce waste: more in the recycle bin. And I'm kind of weirded-out about this, but mom asked me to start saving H's pee diapers. She's going to use them to try to deter the deer in the "communal" garden, since the deer repellant doo-hickeys don't seem to be having ANY effect. Technically, the dipes will end up in the trash eventually, so this is just a temporary detour. PLEASE, potty-train soon, H. PLEASE!?!?
5. Preparation/storage: nothing
6. Build community food systems: DH helped mom, dad, my brother (A), and the neighbors install 2 power poles at the communal garden. This is the 1.5 acre plot that belongs to my parents, but that our little community isworking on together. We're hoping that it'll provide food for ALL of us (11 adults & 4 kids). The power poles are to provide power to the shallow well that mom & dad had dug for irrigation as needed.
7. Eat the food: I browned a few pounds of ground beef on Monday and used the last of it in last night's dinner of chili. The beans were from storage (I remembered to soak/cook them! yay!!).
Okay, time to get to work. Eww.
Today is Water Day at F's pre-K -- mighty appropriate, if you ask me. Which they didn't. I had to go buy her a one-piece bathing suit and water shoes for the event. Why in the WORLD are bathing suits for preschoolers made like they're meant for swimsuit models? I could not find a single non-character bathing suit in her size (6) that didn't have the entire back and sides cut out. I mean, her BIKINI is more tasteful than that crap! So, I ended up buying her a size too big in order to get one that was modestly cut, and had to shorten the straps last night. I hope they hold. :/ Not that it's going to matter ... as I type this, it is POURING down rain. I'm pretty sure the whole thing is going to get canceled. Which means I'll have wasted $15 buying crap we didn't need.
I think I need some sunshine.
Here's my IDC update for yesterday:
1. Plant something: Didn't get anything planted, but as I mentioned, hubby got a lot of work done on the herb bed. He also did a lot of weeding in the veggie gardens and transplanted some corn from one bed to another (we're trying to consolidate the few corn plants that actually came up).
2. Harvest something: nothing today
3. Preserve something: nope
4. Reduce waste: more in the recycle bin. And I'm kind of weirded-out about this, but mom asked me to start saving H's pee diapers. She's going to use them to try to deter the deer in the "communal" garden, since the deer repellant doo-hickeys don't seem to be having ANY effect. Technically, the dipes will end up in the trash eventually, so this is just a temporary detour. PLEASE, potty-train soon, H. PLEASE!?!?
5. Preparation/storage: nothing
6. Build community food systems: DH helped mom, dad, my brother (A), and the neighbors install 2 power poles at the communal garden. This is the 1.5 acre plot that belongs to my parents, but that our little community isworking on together. We're hoping that it'll provide food for ALL of us (11 adults & 4 kids). The power poles are to provide power to the shallow well that mom & dad had dug for irrigation as needed.
7. Eat the food: I browned a few pounds of ground beef on Monday and used the last of it in last night's dinner of chili. The beans were from storage (I remembered to soak/cook them! yay!!).
Okay, time to get to work. Eww.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Rain Again
It's raining again. Good for the garden -- at least, for the plants already IN the ground. However, it's making it a little difficult for me to put MORE plants in the ground. :( So, the pumpkin and tomato plants are languishing on the porch, and the rosemary and blueberry bushes are patiently awaiting their new homes too. It's far past the last recommended date to transplant any of it, but I'm going to anyway. Blind optimism, I know.
Here's a quick IDC update:
1. Plant - nothing
2. Harvest - nothing
3. Preserve - sigh ... nothing
4. Reduce Waste - salvaged a HUMUNOUS cardboard box from work, hopefully for a solar oven;
5. Preparation/Storage - found some rockin' plans for a solar dehydrator; printed a fall garden plan from www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com; discussed what needs to be done in the garden ASAP, and what things we can plant now for the fall
6. Community Food Systems - discussed ways to keep the deer out of the communal garden plot; gave a copy of the fall garden plan to my mom
7. Eat the food - baked apple spice muffins from homemade muffin mix I keep in the pantry, applesauce from the freezer, and cinnamon chips from the pantry; made shepherd's pie for dinner: ground beef & mixed veggies from the freezer, flour and potatoes from the pantry, and butter and cheese bought in bulk
Okay ... it's 7:30PM and I need to get the girls in the bath. I'll TRY to get up in the morning to write something ...
Here's a quick IDC update:
1. Plant - nothing
2. Harvest - nothing
3. Preserve - sigh ... nothing
4. Reduce Waste - salvaged a HUMUNOUS cardboard box from work, hopefully for a solar oven;
5. Preparation/Storage - found some rockin' plans for a solar dehydrator; printed a fall garden plan from www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com; discussed what needs to be done in the garden ASAP, and what things we can plant now for the fall
6. Community Food Systems - discussed ways to keep the deer out of the communal garden plot; gave a copy of the fall garden plan to my mom
7. Eat the food - baked apple spice muffins from homemade muffin mix I keep in the pantry, applesauce from the freezer, and cinnamon chips from the pantry; made shepherd's pie for dinner: ground beef & mixed veggies from the freezer, flour and potatoes from the pantry, and butter and cheese bought in bulk
Okay ... it's 7:30PM and I need to get the girls in the bath. I'll TRY to get up in the morning to write something ...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Independence Days
One of the projects that I want to try to keep up with on this blog is my participation in Sharon Astyk's Independence Days Challenge (http://www.sharonastyk.com/). Yesterday (May 11th) was update #2 -- weeks run Monday-Sunday. I'm going to try to remember to note my daily activities ... we'll see how it works out. Here are the categories we're focusing on:
1. Plant something.
2. Harvest something.
3. Preserve something.
4. Reduce waste.
5. Preparation/storage.
6. Build community food systems.
7. Eat the food.
IDC - Monday:
1. nothing
2. nothing
3. nothing
4. Mom brought me some basil from her garden last week that I forgot in the fridge. I salvaged as much of it as I could to use in my spaghetti sauce. Also, I held onto the sauce jar to use for dry storage; I'm getting a HUGE collection of jars!
5. I cut my finger pretty badly while chopping basil. I'm listing that under preps because it made me realize that, while I was awfully glad we HAD a first aid kit on hand, it needs some additional supplies. Also, I finally understood why they say a dull knife is so dangerous. :( We'll be getting them sharpened ASAP.
6. nothing
7. See #4. :) Also used ground beef and bell peppers from freezer; onions, garlic, jarred sauce and pasta from storage.
*********
IDC - Tuesday:
1. nothing
2. Radishes
3. nothing
4. Added tin can to the recycle bin.
1. Plant something.
2. Harvest something.
3. Preserve something.
4. Reduce waste.
5. Preparation/storage.
6. Build community food systems.
7. Eat the food.
IDC - Monday:
1. nothing
2. nothing
3. nothing
4. Mom brought me some basil from her garden last week that I forgot in the fridge. I salvaged as much of it as I could to use in my spaghetti sauce. Also, I held onto the sauce jar to use for dry storage; I'm getting a HUGE collection of jars!
5. I cut my finger pretty badly while chopping basil. I'm listing that under preps because it made me realize that, while I was awfully glad we HAD a first aid kit on hand, it needs some additional supplies. Also, I finally understood why they say a dull knife is so dangerous. :( We'll be getting them sharpened ASAP.
6. nothing
7. See #4. :) Also used ground beef and bell peppers from freezer; onions, garlic, jarred sauce and pasta from storage.
*********
This evening, I harvested radishes that I grew all by myself! I was so freaking excited! Guess what I found out? I don't really like radishes. :P My French Farmhouse cookbook suggested just eating them fresh from the garden, dipped in salt. It tasted like ... hot perfume? I don't know, are they an acquired taste? I have another cookbook that has a recipe for steaming them. I'll try that before I take the lot of them to the office.
IDC - Tuesday:
1. nothing
2. Radishes
3. nothing
4. Added tin can to the recycle bin.
5. Bought "liquid bandage" stuff for the first aid kit.
6. nothing
7. Girls ate leftover spaghetti and black beans w/ salsa and sour cream (beans were from storage). I ate leftover pulled pork that Bodi smoked himself.
The rest of the garden is coming along, I guess. The corn is taking forever, and the germination rate doesn't seem that high, so I'm awfully glad mom & dad have planted lots. Our squash are up and looking healthy, and the potatoes have started to flower. The onions are developing flowers/bulbs on the tips of their greens. The eggplant seems to have recovered well from transplanting and, while they aren't tall, they've leafed out nicely.
I have some onion bulbs that I didn't put in the big garden; I think I'll make a space for them in my herb garden for harvesting as scallions. I also have a bunch of herb seeds that I want to get in the ground this week. There's a chance of rain every afternoon, so I'll have to time it just right.
I got a bonus at work! We're going to use the money to finish the 2nd herb bed, and whatever's left over I want to use to buy materials for a chicken coop. :D
Okay, gotta wrap this up ... the day is calling!
So this is blogging ...
I've become so addicted to reading other people's blogs,that I guess it was inevitable that I try my hand at it. If it does nothing else but serve as a window into our lives for distant relatives, or a place for me to keep track of all my interests and projects, then it'll be worth it (I think). I like the idea of setting aside some time each morning, when everybody else is still asleep and I have the house all to myself, to gather my thoughts and focus on what's important, what I want to work on that day, what I accomplished the day before.
So, here's my first attempt at a blog. Be gentle with me.
So, here's my first attempt at a blog. Be gentle with me.
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