Independence Day Update - And Sunday Seems to be My New Normal
Sharon June 15th, 2008
I think I’m shifting my Independence Day updates to Sunday. Why? Because I’m actually getting them written on Sundays, and so it seems wise for me to give you the impression that this is by actual intention and wise and careful planning. You are buying it, right?
Ok a fair bit to report:
Planted something: Raspberries, Strawberries (to replace the one the sheep ate during their tenure in my front yard), tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, watermelon, squash, pumpkins, zucchini, borage, lettuce, kale, parsley, okra, tomatillos, saskatoon, carrots, turnips, beets, arugula, marshmallow, corn, beans, limas. Garden is still not finished or anything, but getting slowly in that direction. I hope to finish spring planting before it stops being spring - so soon.
Harvested something: Alpine strawberries (the only ones we’re getting since abovementioned sheep at all the rest), rhubarb, lettuce, arugula, bok choy, chinese cabbage, parsley, peas, peonies, chives, lemon verbena, radishes, baby beets.
Preserved something - Froze and canned rhubarb. Kim chi’d Chinese Cabbage. Made calendula flower oil. Dehydrated strawberries. Lemon verbena jelly.
Cooked something new: Lemony Carrot Soup - really good.
Managed reserves: Sorta cleaned out the freezer, enough to get our share of the cow (32lbs - will last us a long time at the rate we eat meat) we split with my friend Joy, my Mom, my aunt and my sister. Beef is raised about 5 miles from me, on grass only, and was butchered locally. Tried to figure out what the heck these packages of beef are for (We tend to buy ummm…cheap cuts, but when you buy the whole cow, you get a good mix of stuff - a much more exciting mix than I normally have anything to do with).
Prepped something: Bought some more sprouting seeds, priced propane grills on Craigslist and new. I want one with a side burner, for pressure canning, which I suspect means I’m going to have to buy new, but checking the local options. Right now, besides our solar ovens, summer cooking is with electric, so the grill should save energy. Plus, grilled eggplant is an inspiration in and of itself.
Minimized waste: Got our first load of free kitchen scraps from our friend’s deli/bulk store, fed them to the chickens - yay!
Learned A New Skill: I tried (from a book, with advice from a friend) to graft my first fruit tree ever. Time will yet tell whether I have actually learned this skill.
Ok, how about y’all?
Sharon