Amish Tomato Prep

Hello, friends.  I did get some of the ripening tomatoes canned last week.  There were four pints, though one didn't seal, because of a tiny chip I missed on the jar.  That's alright.  I just used it in pasta sauce the next night.  With tomatoes on my mind, I also prepped four pots of tomatoes for spring, as in Stacy's video on Amish tomatoes.  I took advantage of the woodstove, melting soap oils and cooking small sweet potatoes for Guinness.  It's been cold recently, and I've been enjoying huddling up by the woodstove, whenever I need some warmth.  Wood heat is such a toasty heat.  Lettuce and chard were harvested, including some for the chickens.

Amish tomatoes

I've been working on my to-go bag, or bug-out bag.  If it wasn't possible to remain in our home, or I was away from home, this is meant to keep me going for a few days in an emergency, whether it's due to weather, fire, or some other catastrophe.  J & I went to the local army-navy surplus, where I picked up a few things that would be helpful.  I hope this is never needed, but I'd be so grateful to have these things, if it was.  If you're interested in putting together something like this, there are multiple resources online.  The Prudent Homemaker has a list here.  The lists vary, so you may want to read a few, then decide what would be best in your case.  I used up all the carbon material for biochar the week I worked at the gallery, so I need to gather more.  These cans will become the newest retorts.  I noticed in the Prudent Homemaker post, there was a mention of charcloth, which I learned is made the same way.  I may have to give that a try.

I made colcannon, using a portion of our last cabbage.  With the holiday season, my soap shop has had lots of orders coming in.  I'm grateful.  J & I went to get our Christmas tree on Sunday.  One of the local schools was selling them as a fundraiser.  We got the last small one (4-5'), for $40.  All the others were 8' or so, and cost $90 and up.  We're not quite ready to put it up, but I'm glad we went when we did.  J put the trunk in the pond, so the tree will be better off than at the lot, in no water.  I'm thinking about starting to wrap and decorate, making things festive.  I hope your week is peaceful, and meaningful in the ways that matter to you.

Tomatoes

Hello, friends.  As I mentioned, I was working at the gallery last week.  Besides bringing a book to read in between customers, I brought soap to wrap, thank you cards to write, which I include in my orders, and  holiday cards to write.  It's enjoyable to be a bit more social than usual, talking with customers.  It's also very nice to have time to take care of some personal things during the down time.  Our tomatoes continue to ripen.  Shortly before I started work at the gallery, I was able to can a few pints, and it looks like there will be a few more to can.  I'm cutting up the imperfect ones for the chicken mash.

Being I was gone every day except Thanksgiving, not much got done at home.  We had a simple Thanksgiving.  J prepared a turkey breast for himself, and I made mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, roasted brussels sprouts, and fresh cranberry sauce.  The pumpkin pie I froze last week was heated.  We opened a bottle of Prosecco, to make it a little festive.  I'm very excited to see that Temple Grandin will be speaking at a local theater in March.   I've cared about the treatment of animals since at least the 80's, and have followed her for some time.  She's a beautiful example that despite being different, you can make a huge, positive influence in the world.  There was a wonderful movie about her in 2010, and I see there's a new one on Amazon.

Sunday was all about playing catch up.  Lots needed to be put in its proper place.  Groceries were bought on the way home Saturday.  I was pretty tired by the time I got home, so produce was washed and prepped on Sunday.  The chickens were happy to receive their mash again.  I've also been opening their gate, after I bring the mash, so they can wander.  It made them happiest of all, I think, to have some freedom again, after having to stay in their yard all week.    Wishing you a cozy week.

Handmade Goodness

Hello, friends.  I've recently been blessed with some lovely handmade gifts, and thought I'd share them with you.  Above is a felted northern flicker my niece bought for me.  I have it hanging in my sewing room, and it makes me smile every time I see it.  My dear friend (we've been friends since 9th grade, so over 50 years now!) gifted me this wonderful felted wool potholder and woven towel from Boone.  I so enjoy using handmade items in our home.  They have a soul that massed produced items don't.  I know I'm a lucky woman.

Last week, I went thru Swagbuck for 4% cash back, with a coupon code for 20% off a food purchase, a business supply purchase for 2% cash back, with redeemed points for an additional $6 off order, and an order for my soap shop, for 3% cash back.  Every little bit adds up.  I've started my annual week of working at the gallery.  I worked Saturday, and will work through Saturday next week, except for Thanksgiving.  We'll be keeping it simple that day.  A pumpkin pie was made on Sunday, and frozen, so that's done.  I hope you enjoy good food and good cheer on your Thanksgiving holiday. 

Good Trolls

Hello, friends.  Last week, the Thanksgiving cactus began blooming.  I didn't do a good job of making notes last week.  I do know I doubled the recipe for GF pizza crusts, enjoyed one for dinner, and froze the other three.  I pulled vegan mozzarella and homemade pizza sauce from the freezer to use on the pizzas.  J had some outpatient surgery last week, and knowing I'd be waiting for several hours, I brought reading material, and needle and thread, to sew a button on a shirt.  Some of the other buttons were getting a little loose, so I shored up those, while I was doing it.  I did get an odd look from someone, but what can I say, I like to make use of down time.  J did well, and is recovering well.  We go back for a check this week, and he'll hopefully be better than new before long.  For some time, I've been wanting to check out the seed library in our little local library.  I finally did, and picked up packets of gazania, cosmos, carrots (Little Fingers variety), and four lettuces.  I look forward to trying them next year, and hope they do well enough that I can return some seed to the library.

The weekend did involve trolls, but these were the good kind.  If you've not heard, Danish artist Thomas Dambo has created more than 150 giant trolls, which have been installed around the world.  There have been several recent installations in NC.  A longtime friend and I went to a concert in Durham Saturday night.  Before heading home on Sunday, we checked out the five trolls that are in Raleigh.

Please forgive the quality of these pics.  There were SO many kids, dogs and people.

The trolls are entirely made from reclaimed wood, pallets, fallen branches and other natural materials.

They are spread out in a park.  We got our steps in, walking 3.5 miles to see them all.  Happily, it was a beautiful day.

That's it for this week. I hope your week has a happy surprise or two, and maybe a little bit of magic.

A Happy Potato & Prepping For The First Freeze

Hello, friends.  Last week,  I gathered the last of the pears, except for a few left for the critters.  I try and get more than one use, when using the oven, so knowing I was baking sweet potatoes, I made a pear pie to add.  All the smallest red potatoes were canned.  While prepping them, I cut into one with a smiley face.  It might be a little bit of a stretch, but hey, I'll take a smile from the universe every chance I can.  I've been working on using up various frozen greens, and made a recipe which used a bag of kale, and a jar of spaghetti squash.  Knowing the time was growing short for fresh basil, I gathered basil and oregano, and made pasta sauce.

I've begun making biochar again, tucking retorts I've made from tin cans into the woodstove.  I typically do this overnight, and pull them out the next morning.  We got some initial results from the soil testing, and as expected, most of the soil was bacteria dominant, with some anaerobic conditions.  We'll be working on encouraging fungi, and doing our best not to support anaerobic conditions.  One of the main culprits is soil compaction.  A batch of cashew parmesan was made.  After J was so kind to wash my car recently, I vacuumed and cleaned the interior, which always feels and smells so much nicer.  

Not too long ago, I bought a key case that snaps on your purse strap.  Before it, I had a more expensive brand, which worked great for a long time, but found this one for less on Amazon.  The snap has never been very secure, and twice in one day recently, my keys dropped, with me unawares.  Thankfully, I got them back both times, but it was time to do something different.  J & I looked at possibilities online.  I already had some leather scraps.  J bought Chicago screws, which will be used for other things as well, and created a key fob for me.  I used a carabiner I already had, resulting in a more secure key situation.  In the winter it's usually not a problem, as I can use my pockets, but in hot weather or when wearing leggings and a sweater, I often don't have pockets, so this is a solution.  I should add that my fanny pack is always packed to the gills, so no room there.

The beautiful days we had last week inspired me to clean up an elderberry patch that had become overrun with pawpaw saplings and wild blackberries.  J & I worked on cleaning up a large flower bed, which had lots of honeysuckle, blackberries, cat's brier and some tree saplings in it.  I had asked William about honeysuckle, and he said to just keep cutting it back every time you see it, and it will eventually stop coming back.  I try to pull it out by the roots whenever possible, but will cut it back if it won't budge.  Now, if I can keep up with it next spring.  A pot of small and damaged sweet potatoes was boiled for Guinness.  

I got around to dealing with all the recently gathered onions.  Though the tops had dried down some, there was still quite a bit green, so I chopped the tops, and dehydrated them.  I'm not sure the bulbs will last any time, being they were harvested with green tops, but I'll use them up as quick as I can.  If it seems they're not going to last, I'll probably chop and dehydrate those too.  J planted our garlic, and picked the last of the lima beans and green beans.  Our first hard freeze is forecast for tonight.  I went ahead and harvested lettuce and chard yesterday, which was much nicer to do in the 70's, rather than the 40's forecast for today.  Easier too, before we cover it with a layer of plastic today.  I hope you're finding ways to gather food for your pantry, and enjoying cozy days.  

Fall & Firewood

Hello, friends.  When I saw we had a day coming with a high temp in the 40's, it was time to get the flannel sheets down from the attic.  While up there, I also sent Fall decorations and my winter clothes down to J.  A little Fall decorating was done.  A pan of GF bread ends were ground into crumbs, for future recipes.  I was most excited this week about hiring a permaculture consultant, to help with our garden woes.  It just felt like time to get some fresh ideas.  I'm a follower of William's youtube channel, and it was a real pleasure to meet with him, and discuss strategies to address our various challenges.  We'll be getting a written plan in a couple of weeks, along with several soil test results.  He's such a force of positivity and knowledge, I'm excited again, to think about gardening here.

A batch of golden paste was made for Guinness.  The last of the basil was turned into pesto.  After I shopped at Food Lion on the 30th, I received an email notifying me of a $3 reward, expiring slightly over 24 hours from when I received it!  Lately, I've been noticing they no longer carry over the rewards to the next month, which seems to be a sucky policy, especially when you receive them in the last few days of a month.  I just so happened to be near a Food Lion on the 31st, so got a bottle of honey, so as not to lose the reward.  

My sister and I met for lunch, to celebrate her job change.  She'd been at her job for 28 years, but like much of the medical field these days, she felt the overwhelming stress they heaped on her was making her sick (due to chronic lack of staff & focus solely on the bottom line).  So, even with plans to retire in 2 1/2 years, she took a leap of faith.  I'm so proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone, and looking after herself.  It's very sad to see what conventional medicine in this country has become, since I began working in it, in the late 70's.  Almost all the small practices, which were people focused, have gotten sucked up into merger upon merger, until they've all become an unrecognizable monster.  I do have hopes for better days ahead in our healthcare, but sure wish it would come quickly.  

I guess while I'm on the subject of the current state of medicine, I'll get back on my soapbox for a little bit.  My current Medicare plan has been harassing me for several months, to the point of daily phone calls, plus several emails and "real" mail per week, imploring me to follow their idea of good health.  I've done my research, am well informed, and nothing they can say will change my thoughts on that.  Instead of using so many resources to harass their customers, which of course gets added to the cost of insurance, perhaps they could get behind things that would make a real difference in the state of health in this country, or at the very least, lower the cost.  Happily, I had a phone call with my Medicare broker this week, who found a plan for me that will be zero or at most a few dollars out of pocket, depending on the Medicare hike, gives me $200 for OTC items a year, and also credit towards fitness items.  I'm looking forward to switching.  

We got around 1 3/4" of rain last week.  Hallelujah!  There's a chance we could get a little more tonight (Sunday).  With the latest Windows update last week, my laptop developed the blue "screen of death".  J worked on it, and somehow reset it.  I'm so thankful for him.  If it were up to me, and my tech knowledge, I'd be buying a new laptop.  There was a big focus on firewood last week.  J worked hard at it, and I helped as I could.  We make a great team.  When stacking it, we do something that looks like a bucket brigade, with me at the tractor bucket, handing off to him at the stack, making quick work of it.  Here's to working together.  Wishing you a beautiful week.

Late Blooms & Harvests

Hello, friends.  J finished harvesting the sweet potatoes, and I gathered enough sweet potato leaves for a few smoothies.  Something had been chewing on the sweet potatoes on the far end of the bed.  With a fire ant mound not far away, we wonder if it was them.  There were half a dozen mounds that were entirely eaten off, and some hollowed out on other vines, but we still got quite a few.  We had a better harvest than last year, and are grateful.  Red colored marigolds were gathered for dyeing, and others for seed.  I pounded a rebar barrier around the lemon verbena mid-summer, as it had been mowed.  It's since produced a small sprig of leaves, which was harvested.  At the same time, I pounded another barrier around a young serviceberry, as it had been mowed and weed-eaten multiple times.  That's my latest protection strategy, and it seems to be working.  The contractor flags and tape just weren't cutting it.  

After an appointment, I went by the thrift store, and found a cast iron doormat for $8.  I saw a less ornate one on amazon for $90.  There's already one at the side door we use daily.  Some consideration was given to putting it at the front door of the rental house, but I'd be sad if it left with one of our tenants, so we'll use it here.  The great thing is I should never have to buy outside doormats again.  I stopped by the feed store, and picked up cabbage and collard plants.  I would have loved some more lettuce, but what they had was already bolting.  J worked up the soil of our hoop house, which hasn't been used for several years, due to increasing shade.  He cut down a cedar that was blocking sun, and seeded a patch of winter salad mix.  I added biochar to the holes, and got the plants in the ground.  He surrounded the hoop house with deer netting.  Once it gets colder, we'll put plastic up, for more protection.  This is the first winter I haven't had kale, but my seedlings never did much, and I haven't found plants.  There's always next spring.  

I picked up a few things at Harris Teeter, getting the senior discount.  Before he put the pressure washer away, after using it at the rental house, J washed his car with it, then washed mine, which made me happy.  I didn't know you could do that, but it's fine on a low setting if you use the correct nozzle.  I guess it's not much different than a car wash, now that I think of it.  I harvested basil leaves of good size, but left the plants standing, for the bees, who were happily working it and a large aster.  We evidently did a pretty bad job of harvesting potatoes and onions in the pond garden this year, as there were lots of volunteer plants.  We dug them up on Friday, and have enough potatoes for a few meals, and plenty of onions, though they're quite small.  I'm happy to use them, nonetheless. 

the larger potatoes are not shown

With the woodstove going,  the first soap fats of the season were melted for free.  A local friend recently asked if I'd like some canning jars.  Of course, I said yes.  I brought a bar of my Pumpkin Chai soap as a thank you.  While there, a fully ripe Korean zucchini, called aehobak, was offered to me, which I gladly accepted.  I'll save the seeds, and look forward to trying it.  I also sampled a few of their persimmons.  They don't eat them, and I was offered to take some, which I may do after the first frost.  Another local friend expressed interest in the zaater, so I stopped and brought her some to try.  I spend lots of time in solitude, which I love, but it's also very nice to get out, and have conversations with good people.  When I got back home, I helped J split a nice load of firewood.  Tis the season.  We stacked it on Sunday.  After I cracked at least half of the pecans, and they were all bad, J suggested I just use them as biochar fuel, which is exactly what I did.  At least they were of some use.  Stay cozy.