Mid November & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  On Monday, I canned vegetable broth.  It was a rainy, cool day, a perfect time to add heat and humidity to the house.  Recycled shipping materials were used for a gift I was mailing.  I enjoyed salads with gathered chickweed, home grown tomatoes and peppers, and homemade salad dressing.  Laundry was hung on the line.  A pot of vegetable soup was made with our fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables.  Popcorn was made in the wok to have with it.  Our fall planted winter greens bed is still pretty young.  I gathered some leaves from there, added greens from volunteer areas from previous beds, rounded it off with kale, then made a winter salad using the greens and our garlic.  Collard seedlings and collards were shared with a friend, who gifted me books, and several lovely handmade, useful things.  I sent her home with several autumn clematis and beautyberry seedlings.  I only learned this year that beautyberry are edible.  This week, I also learned they have mosquito repelling properties.  Good thing the birds spread them around here.

While J was out of town, I watched two free episodes of This Is Us.  I ate some things he can't, such as okra and maitake mushrooms, which made a little more room in the freezer.  You may have gathered that I like to mix things up, as far as food.  I love the seasonal changes, and am enjoying brussels sprouts and pomegranates, winter squash, and have a rutabaga to prepare with our potatoes.  Even with something as simple as oatmeal, I like to change it up.  During the summer, I mostly enjoyed it with an apple, a mix of berries, hemp seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.  Some days I use a banana instead of an apple.  One day last week, I used the last 2 figs, pomegranate arils, hemp seeds, blueberries, and chia seeds.  I put a pot of leftover soup on the woodstove, while I was doing several chores, and it was hot when I was ready to have lunch.  A batch of suet was made for the birds.  The Lion's mane medicine was ready to be mixed up, and was bottled.  I'm taking a tsp a day.

It's really early for me, but because of how full my plate is going to be between now and the holidays, I wrapped all the Christmas presents I already have.  Between work, various appointments, and some travelling in the coming weeks, I wanted to get ahead of the curve, so I could better enjoy the season.  All the boxes were recycled ones, and there are two that are pretty enough that they'll only need a bow.  All the paper and ribbon were previously bought on sale.  I used a 50% off Walgreens code for photos of my niece's families, and will put them in thrifted frames.  Some more of the maitake mushroom was used to make mushroom gravy, which I enjoyed with jasmine rice, lima beans and a winter greens salad.  Selected amazon slow shipping, and received $1 digital credit.

This weekend was the annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters.  On Saturday, I was asked to set up my soaps in the gallery of potter friends.  I volunteered at the Celebration on Sunday.  It's a joy to be involved, and to see all the handmade goodness.  I did a small amount of shopping for gifts when my shift was over.  These were bartered for, using credit from days I worked for them.  Colcannon was made using our potatoes.  The refrigerator fix seems to be working.  There's no water or ice in the fridge, though there is still an occasional high pitched sound that comes from it.  Hooray for that.  I'm working on organizing the upright freezer, and found bins at Dollar General that fit well, and should help in that mission.  Wishing you a warm and joyful Thanksgiving!