The First Blooms

Hello, friends.  Last week, for a dinner, I made salad with recently harvested kale, baked some of our sweet potatoes, pulled a bag of turnips from the freezer for J, and steamed asparagus.  I've been regularly taking empty canning jars out to storage, as we use them up.  The canned and frozen produce from our garden is providing a good portion of our meals, which is as it should be during the winter.  We're still getting plenty of rain, but Tuesday was sunny and in the 60's, so I cleaned up the porch, swept the walk, pruned butterfly bushes, pomegranates and roses, and cleaned up a portion of a flower bed.  I also winter sowed marigolds, sunflowers, lettuce and spinach.  Here and there, spring cleaning urges are beginning, and I've been  tackling some small areas.

I was able to hang out three loads of laundry.  J requested an apple pie, which used the last canned apple pie filling in storage.  Hummus was made for lunches.  I weeded the asparagus patch on a warm day, and J planted onions, a mix of red, yellow and white.  While cleaning up the asparagus patch, I pulled three wild onions, and added them to the broth bag in the freezer.  For a dinner, I made pasta sauce, which used our canned tomatoes and summer squash, fresh rosemary and frozen basil.  Garlic was used in the sauce and a winter salad with our mixed greens.  I sanded all the screw heads in the workshop walls which our son mudded last weekend, and J installed the vent and ventilation fan.  We figured out the remainder (hopefully) of what we need to buy for the workshop, and I used my Lowes cc to get 5% off, which will get paid off when the bill arrives.  

On the way to meet my sister, I picked up a requested library book.  I redeemed a $4 reward at Food Lion, and got gas for .06 less than locally, which saved .50.  M gets Smithsonian magazine, and knows I enjoy it, so he let me read it before he did.  Some bananas bought recently did not want to ripen, so I put them in a paper bag with an apple, and they finally ripened.  Popcorn was made for a snack one night.  I harvested more oregano than needed, and dried the remainder.  For a dinner, I pulled our butter beans from the freezer.  I intentionally made extra brown rice, and the next night made fried rice with frozen mixed vegetables and leftover roasted asparagus.  Yogurt was made, and a bag of pureed pumpkin was used to make dog treats.  I cut them in half to keep the pups calories down, and they don't seem to mind a bit.  A few years ago, I read Compost Everything by David the Good, which was an interesting read.  I've recently found his blog and youtube channel, which has really inspired me to try some things to make better soil.  Though J and I have gardened for decades, by ourselves and together, we still have some serious challenges in the garden.  I really believe building healthier soil will make a big difference.  As a start, I pulled all the brown comfrey leaves in the garden, and started a bucket of compost tea.

I weeded carrots and beets, and thinned the carrots.  The pups are getting the smallest ones.  I enjoyed some fresh, and in a salad.  The carrot greens will all be going in the vegi broth bag.  A loaf of raisin zucchini bread was pulled from the freezer.  Sunday morning, I felt like sweet potato pancakes, so before I set out on my walk, I put a few of the smallest ones on to boil, and made pancakes when I returned, using some milk that was starting to sour.  I recently bought two sets of sheets, the first new ones I've bought in around 30 years.  During that time, I picked them up at thrift stores, and enjoyed mixing and matching sets, but many have been tearing.   I bought good quality new ones, one flannel, and the other summer weight organic cotton, which should last for many years.  Both were on sale, as is typical this time of year.  I got 5% back through Swagbucks for one set.  More fruit trees and shrubs were pruned.  The first of the hellebores and daffodils began blooming, and the first of the wintersown containers has sprouted.  I do believe spring can't be too far away.  Wishing you a most lovely week.