Plant something: Transplanted zucchini, new cuke plants (to replace the ones I let fry), planted some borage seeds, planted radish seeds Planted carrots-rainbow blend, carrots- Parisian market; nasturtiums, sunflower mammoth grey stripe, planted a pot of chives- trying planting peas on northside of house(is cooler); I won’t boar you with the water plant I planted, but want to ask a question: does anyone know, I heard this years ago- if you can use watercress bought in a store for starts to grow water cress?
Prep something: Nada –
Harvest something: Nada-
Manage something: Nothing
Cook Something New:Made a sugar-free rhubarb/strawberry sauce for over sugar free ice cream
2 stalks of rhubarb, chopped
1 cup of strawberries, sliced
about ¾ cup of sweetner (I used brown sugar twin, I would imagine you could use nutra sweet or sugar
enough water to cover rhubarb and strawberries in a medium pot
1 tbsp of cornstarch (to thicken)
put rhubarb and strawberries in pot, cover with enough water to just cover rhubarb and strawberries. Bring to boil. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cornstarch. Add a few drops of red food coloring if desired. Serve over no sugar ice cream or some pound cake or eat it like applesauce!
Work on Local Food Systems: Talked to my mom about going in together in a csa, investigated csa for meat; Started a contest on my blog for folks to win my balls- my seedballz or rather the extra I have- rather than planting and wasting the hummingbird flowers and the basil, I decided to give them away!
Compost something:same as last week- added some starbucks to my compost, turned compost this week
Learn a skill: nada

The gardens are staying weeded, and it’s not like a big chore but something to do for a few minutes during a lull in the day.

We’ve continued planting even though “planting time” is typically over by now. Just this weekend we put in three more blueberry bushes to make our total five (all planted this year). As long as we are careful to water them when it’s really hot, they’ll be fine.

I’m harvesting and drying herbs little by little each day. Using the car which sits in the street most of the time these days as a “solar dehydrator” is working well for this. I just pick a few herb stems or the day’s batch of blooming flowers of chamomile or whatever, stick them in a wicker basket and let it all sit in the car for a couple of days. They’re drying perfectly with nothing but solar energy used.

Yesterday I started lacto-fermenting a yarrow ale with the yarrow flower tops. I got the recipe from Jessica Prentice’s book, _Full Moon Feast_. We’ll see how it turns out, but this is learning and cooking something new. I’m also making a yarrow oil which will become a salve with beeswax when its done steeping. Yarrow salve is a wonderful herbal remedy. Today I am going to start a lemon balm ale, from the same book. I’ll share how they turn out on my blog in a few days!

The peas are just starting to flower here in MN b/c we planted late. The cabbage is just starting to form its little balls. Potatoes are starting to flower, tomatoes and peppers are budding, and the beets are looking very healthy. I had my first taste of ripe currant berry yesterday, from our new currant bush. I’m looking forward to soon preserving the gooseberries somehow; the elderberries are just beginning to form; and the clusters of grapes are getting bigger and looking promising.

We are feeling abundant here! So grateful for the challenge…

Lisa in MN

For that matter, I’ve finally given in and we’ll be putting the air conditioner in after all. I can’t get the creative brain matter together for doing my artwork (plus I don’t want to sweat on the ink and paper) because we haven’t ha d a break from the humidity in weeks, and the asthma is not happy.

We haven’t even been able to finish the first haying because that needs two straight days of dry weather…

Did manage to pick some raspberries, but they’re only just starting to come ripe here. Gave up on canning strawberries, too hot. Bought a jar of locally made preserves to try out and see if I can eat it — has cane juice but not organic, so don’t know if I’m allergic or not. If I can eat it, we’ll buy some jam and at least it will be locally made.

Farmers market is going along pretty well. Getting to meet more local folks and sharing interests. Planning on bringing spinning wheels to next Saturday’s market and get more spinning done, plus maybe find out who’s interested in that kind of thing.

Got some herbs from a friend in PA, delivered via some folks who were going to the same place she was going to be at last weekend. Think there’s enough of the comfrey that I can split it between three gardens here.

The IDC has also provided me with a rich resource to glean ideas from and I have already used many in my own quest for Independence!

So, week ten…

Planted Something: pumpkin, basil & cilantro, preparing garden for fall planting sometime this coming week.

Harvested something: Sweet and tart cherries, wild raspberries, gooseberries, radishes, onions, garlic, chickweed, lamb’s quarter, red clover, Elder blossoms, lettuce, mulberries, eggs, rosemary, oregano, basil, and thyme

Preserve Something: Mulberry and tart cherry jam; Brandied sweet cherries; froze pie cherries for winter pies; dried red clover for tea and elder blossoms for medicinal reasons, blanched & froze lamb’s quarter; dried cherries; froze left-over soup (see “Cooked Something New”)

Stored Something: Vodka for tinctures, navy beans, water

Prepped: Found a down comforter, lambs wool sweater and stove-top corn popper at thrifts (and it was 50% off day!). Decided to add new category to my IDC up-date: “To Do Something”. Mainly,this is not only a way to “prep” myself for next week so I don’t feel so scattered, but also a way to “manage” my time.

Managed: As mentioned, making new list to help manage my time and remember what needs doing in the upcoming week; My money resources-learned what it would be like if I decided to SAH for at least one week because work did not give me a paycheck in error (updated: paid Monday morning, but it was still an eye-opener to which debts need to go first); used up frozen sausage from two years ago (first pig we raised) by making eggs, lamb’s quarter and sausage for dinner. I only used a small amount for that meal (stretching our meat); however, I browned the entire package and made a yummy soup with the rest (more below); used up old mixed white beans in soup; used two jars of canned tomatoes from ‘05; added third deep super and queen excluder to bee hive (they’re doing great and everything looks as it should. The honey is golden and they are capping it. I was worried about some ants I found under the top, but resources say it is common and not to worry about them).

Cooked Something New: I actually did this week! A few weeks ago, two of my co-workers took me to lunch and I ordered what I thought was just plain old navy bean soup. Turned out, this soup was some white bean and tomato soup and it was great! I decided to make it myself at home and used some old mixed navy and large lima beans (I had dumped older beans together as I was consolidating bean stores), some of my older canned tomatoes (yes, I know three years is pretty old , herbs from the herb garden, carrots, lamb’s quarter, and sausage. It turned out better than the restaurant version (I was guessing on ingredients) and everyone in the house loved it! I made a huge pot so we ate about half and the rest is now tucked away in the freezer for convenience meals.

Reduce waste: Just the usual–reduce, reuse, recycle. Oh, and feed the pigs & chickens!

Local Food System: Not much in this area. Still in contact with Bull Guy and Hay Farmer.

Learned Something New: How to make Brandied Cherries
How to use the smoker on the bees
Learned that ants commonly make nests between top board and roof of bee hive (to stay out of bees way) and not to worry about them. I also learned they bite like the devil when they get inside your gloves!

To Do Something: Pick blueberries & raspberries, call bull and hay farmers,trellis tomatoes, weed garden, plant fall crops, section off pasture to separate sheep from leased bull.

Harvested: Lettuce, spinach, beet greens, green onions, bok choy, peas, chamomile, mint, purple clover for tea. I also dried a handful in the dehydrator, I should have a nice little tea stash for winter if I keep at it. My currants and gooseberries are almost ready! Just a handful of each, but maybe enough for a jar of fridge jam or something. Tonight I’m going to go and pick clean my aunt’s pie cherry tree.

Preserved: Dried clover, mint, and chamomile. Also have a full dehydrator of bing cherries going right now. Shira and Deb G, the cherries at the stand on Meridian (not organic, but eastern WA and v. tasty) has apricots now. They are SO yummy. Between those and the endless cherries I’m eating, I might be in digestive trouble here soon. Pit fruits will be my undoing!! Deb G, I’ll visit your site and e-mail you in a bit, I’m almost off to work!

Storage and prep: Made some good progress on the shed and moved a bunch of stuff out there. Got my row cover materials in the mail. Bought some bulk black beans.

Cooked something new: Not really. I did make my dad a cherry pie for his birthday from the last of last years frozen.

I’m going to try to take some photos and update my album over on the food storage site. The before and after is really something. Look for it tomorrow or the next day.

Megan

This week — the refrigerator died this week, and my true love nixayed no fridge, but we did discuss it: the first time, he looked ready to commit me; the second time, he acknowledged the freezer and ice thing might work but “it’s summer;” the third time, after we had bought the fridge (so he was safe), he said Sharon might be on to something.
Since, we live three blocks from my office which had an empty refrigerator because of vacations and holiday, and since we bought a yardsale huge coleman cooler to use for rootcellaring, we lost almost no food. Since it was a holiday weekend about one manufacturing cycle after April, we were able to buy a new 2008 energy star standard smaller fridge well-discounted, which will save, I estimate, 2/3’s of the energy of our old “came with the house” ten year old behemoth. My fruit freezing is however now on indefinite hold as we lost freezer space and “we’re” not ready for a chest freezer.

Planted: nothing
Harvested: the last of the redleaf lettuce but I’m keeping the stalks going for seed, mesculun mix lettuce, chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, thai basil; two eggplants by squirrel and chipmunk; baby green beans by undisclosed varmint
Preserved: 1 qt. frozen blueberries
Stored: nothing
Prep: reclaimed the dining room table and created an entry/shoe station using materials we had; my partner is organizing the basement storage area; cleaned out the refrigerator (haha)
Managed: the refrigerator thing
Cooked something new: whole peaches roasted on the grill (could save marriages); whole turnips roasted on the grill (skip this one)
Waste: the refrigerator thing again
Local food systems: last weekend, shopped the farmer’s market and bought a lot of local blueberries at a supermarket loss leader sale; this weekend, didn’t shop except for ice cream to test the new freezing compartment (my partner seems to think a lot of this sort of testing will be necessary)
Learn: that would be the refrigerator thing again

From my blog:

Plant:

Sunflowers and nasturtium.

Transplanted: yarrow, feverfew, motherwort, mullein, evening primrose, bergamot, wormwood, valerian, saltwort, salad burnet, joe pye, skullcap, arnica, woad, horehound, marshmallow.

Harvest:

Raspberries, black raspberries, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, squash, onions, garlic, shallots, broccoli, kohlrabi, beets, dill, oregano, basil, rosemary, chives, eggs, milk and our first potatoes—yay!

Preserve:

7 half pints black raspberry jam, 20 half pints raspberry jam, 7.5 lbs butter.

Store:

Nothing this week, unless you count the preserves.

Well, not really “storing” per se, but we did have two goatie babies born on the farm this week, and we lucked out with little girls, which means more dairy animals on the farm. They’ll be keepers, so it’s kinda like storing. Yeah, it’s a stretch, but I got to include gratuitous baby farm animal photos.

Prep:

Jim made more bullets for hunting, built a more solid backboard for target shooting, and sighted in his deer rifle.

Manage:

Trellised the cucumbers with cattle panels, and they’re much happier. Continue to monitor plants for insect pests: squash bugs, borers, japanese beetles, potato beetles, bean beetles.

Harvested garlic and put it up to cure before braiding. I’ll likely replant most of it this fall, as I’m trying to build up my seed stock this year. Garlic is sooo expensive to buy.

Cook:

Raspberry jam. I made the black raspberry last year, but this was my first time making the red raspberry.

Add:

CSA delivery to 10 families: lettuces, kohlrabi, carrots, onions, beets, dill, chives, eggs.

Finally purchased hair care and toiletries from local, organic company Terressentials after using up all the various little bottles of stuff around the house.

Reduce:

Continue to compost, reuse plastic containers, reduce electricity usage, use reusable shopping bags, reduce driving, reduce reliance on grocery stores, harvest rainwater, etc.

Learn:

Researched more on grains, pressure canners, and local coffee roasters.

Plant something: it’s the lull before fall garden things go in. Went to the discount grocery and found some intriguing little potatoes (they cook up yellow like Yukon Gold and taste the same but look different) in five-pound sacks that have begun to sprout, bought two sacks for seed potatoes and will put them in around other things over the next week.

Harvest Something: Peas!!!! Lettuce, spinach, garlic, beet greens, bok choi, mustard, onion greens, dandelions, Japanese knotweed (for stock feed, bean poles, mulch, and compost), nasturtium, rosemary, marjoram, chives. As always, chicken and duck eggs.

Preserve Something: Put up seven quarts of snap peas, four of greens (mostly spinach).

Store Something: More firewood, kindling, bean poles, feed sacks (to hold up insulation under house).

Manage Reserves: Hit the thrift store, found two terrific trivets, a cream dispenser, decanter, serrated butcher knife (for cutting weeds) — $1 each. Covered the chicken house with knotweed branches to shade the poultry while we’re away for the Fourth.

Prepped: Cleaned up one exterior wall to repaint.

Cooked Something New: discovered a mild kind of mustard greens that are good in the stir fries. We don’t know what it’s called; the flat was on sale in Bargains at the feed & seed.

Worked on Local Food Systems: Selling eggs regularly. Most meals home grown (vegs, eggs, solar mint tea). Took a big bag of greens with us to our Fourth-At-The-Beach (a splurge), using them in all three meals each day, with duck eggs and some storebought red potatoes from up the road a ways (none of ours are ready yet). Joined Seed Savers (did I tell you that last week?)

Reduced Waste: Grey water to fruit trees. Composted knotweed leaves. Rode the bus.

Learned a Skill: Techno Week. I figured out the timer on the digital camera (the instructions in the manual made no sense to me). Beloved learned how to make new folders on a computer and sort and organize files. I am extremely hearing impaired, and this week I began learning to use my new Captel telephone.

Or; Learned Something New: About Spelt, Eikorn, Emmer, Kamut, Sibirisches, and Urkorn, and that we might be able to grow and harvest one of these (instead of winter wheat).