Chanterelles & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello, friends.  I hope you had a good week.  Besides using a coupon code for my new favorite bra, which I think I forgot to mention, I used another code for 15% off when I reordered.  Two of my wool winter throw rugs had binding come undone when I washed them, so I worked on sewing it back.  I used to be able to find quality wool rugs in places like Marshall's and TJ Maxx, but all I seem to see anymore are synthetic ones or cotton, so I want to keep the ones I have in usable shape, even if they are showing their age.  With one of the recently harvested cabbages, I made colcannon, and served our canned carrots with butter and honey.  I wrapped soaps and finished mending the rugs.  There's a pillowcase I thrifted last year.  Though it was handmade, the trim exactly matches another pillow case I had, but it's huge.  I removed the trim, shortened it, and resewed it, to make it a better size for us.  A jar of sprouts was started.

Our daughter shared a roasted vegetable recipe with me, which I made on a cool, rainy day.  It used our zucchini, red onion, oregano, parsley and rosemary, plus potatoes and diced tomatoes.  J thinks the dish needs sausage.  He'd love andouille, but will settle for vegi Italian sausage :).   It may be September before it's made again, as it requires 1 1/2+ hours in a 400 degree oven, something I'm not likely to make over the summer.  While it was roasting, I put in a pan of our last asparagus of the year.  I'm sorry to see them go, but I remind myself that summer is beginning, so it's time.  I sold one item on ebay.  Eggs were boiled for the pups, and a batch of yogurt was made.  I made popcorn for a snack.  I found the first tomato hornworms, and tossed them to the chickens, as well as the daily Japanese beetle collection.

On a morning walk, I saw a wild turkey.  She saw us heading her way, but didn't move. I greeted her and clapped my hands, as the dogs had seen her at this point.  She flew up into a tree, along with two little ones.  If I'd realized she had babies, I would have turned around and cut our walk short, but it thankfully all ended well.  A few blackberries have been harvested daily.  Chanterelle mushroom season has begun here.  There are many patches in the woods.  The first day I gathered them, I made mushroom gravy to serve over rice with the majority of them.  I prepared a jar of our green beans to go with them.  The next day, I sauteed and froze the mushrooms.  J had harvested two red cabbages, which I made into sauerkraut.  For this batch, I added garlic and carrots, to mix it up.  The first batch of sauerkraut is getting tasty.

I shared a dozen eggs and a tomato plant each with a couple of friends.  Perhaps this is the last of the volunteer tomato plants that have come up in the garden and compost.  I feel we have enough plants for our use this year.  Our son asked J if he could give him any work, so he had him dig a trench for a new wire to the chicken coop.  This job has been on the to do list for some time.  We're happy it's done, and it's a larger wire that will easily handle the coop remodel that's also on the to do list.  Win win.  A load of laundry was hung on the line, and when it was almost dry, it started raining, so they were finished out in the dryer.  One of our red onions was used in broccoli salad.  I pulled homemade black bean burgers from the freezer to go with it.

Can you tell I'm excited about the chanterelles?  This year especially, an abundance of them feels like a gift.  I used an iron on patch to mend something.  While the iron was hot, I ironed the few pieces that needed ironing.  Calendula flowers and more chanterelle mushrooms were gathered.  A friend and I did a virtual visit, our first since the virus. The first coreopsis flowers for dyeing were gathered.  Some weeks ago, a Carolina wren built a nest in a box on the porch.  We didn't realize it, and scared her away after doing some things on the porch.  There's now a new nest, and we're staying away from this one.  We're blessed to have orders continuing to come into my online shop.  Over the weekend, we worked on them.  Zucchini and a few green beans were harvested.  Pasta sauce using our zucchini, basil, rosemary, onion and canned tomatoes from last year was made.  I chopped a few of the chanterelles, and added them too.  The gardenias are blooming, which smell so sweet as you walk by.  Wishing you a lovely week with some sweetness.