Happy Spring and Frugal Accomplishments

Happy Spring!  I'm joining in with Frugal Accomplishments today.  The forced forsythia bloomed this year! I cut the branches, left them on the porch until they began to open, then brought them indoors.
I planted pineapple tomato seeds indoors and wintersowed (later than usual) calendula, night scented stock, and mexican sunflowers. Planted spinach seed in the hoop house bed.

pineapple vinegar

I baked the cookie dough remaining in the fridge from the thank you cookies- ww chocolate chip & sesame cookies, making the guys here happy.  I cut up a pineapple and started pineapple vinegar.  I made yogurt, kefir and a double batch of granola.

Frugal Fail-- sadly, I found quite a bit of produce going bad in the root cellar.  A large pot full of squash and sweet potatoes went to the compost, good portions of some sweet potatoes got cooked for the pups, and chickens got a soft pumpkin.  I made a Butternut Bisque soup with part of the last 3 butternut squash, homemade broth and our carrots,  & "pumpkin" pie custard from the rest of the butternut and the last delicata squashes and our eggs.  Good scraps went into the freezer bag for broth.  There are still 3 Hopi Grey squash, lots of sweet potatoes and 3 or 4 apples.  The root cellar is built into the hillside and is underground except for the front wall.  It stays cool but not too cold all winter.  I don't believe it gets enough air flow, which causes things to mold.  Considering it's spring, I can't really complain, as it kept the vegi's pretty well for months.

mended scrub pants and hair scrunchies

I washed laundry in homemade soap and hung one days laundry on the line (the other day it went into the dryer due to threatening rain).  Requested two books from the library.  Mended two sweaters, and a pair of scrub pants and made my first two hair scrunchies using fabric I cut from too long scrub pants made with a batik fabric (love batik!).

Sold an item on ebay, and brought in another couple items from storage to photograph and list when I have time.  I added items to the boxes being donated to Goodwill, which happens almost every week but I forget to mention.

Used homegrown calendula to decorate a custom batch of soap.  Made crowder peas and corn with peas we grew.  Been doing well with eating up leftovers.  I brought lunch, snacks and water to work the days I worked away from home.

On Sunday, I raked up leaves, which J put around fruit trees.  We're trying some new things this year, recommended in this book.  We're hoping to have more and nicer fruit with these changes.  He's already put nematodes around the trees, which helps with a number of pests, and Neem oil is on the way.  I spied the first asparagus spears of the year, which makes me very happy!