Seed Order

In the spirit of keeping with my New Year's Resolutions, I have inventoried my current garden seed and made a list of what I will need for the coming growing season.

What I need to get: carrot seed, rutabaga, onion, corn,pop corn, acorn squash, butternut sqaush, pie pumpkin, large pumpkin for pig feed, bell pepper, hot pepper and greens.

I hit the Fedco tent at the Common Ground Fair this past fall and picked up many packs of seeds on sale. I buy my seed from mostly local seed companies Fedco and Pinetree Garden Seed.  I also like to put in a small order to Seeds of Change.

here is my list for Fedco:

Ashworth organic OP sweet corn ( 72 days)

Golden Bantam organic OP sweet corn (85 days)

Pennsylvania Dutch Butter popcorn (102 days)

Table queen Acorn squash

Ponca baby butternut squash

Long Pie Pumpkin

Connecticut Field pumpkin

Scarlet Nantes carrots

Peacework bell peppers

Early jalepeno pepper

Alisa Craig onion

From Pinetree I ordered:

Toothache plant

motherwort

Fenugreek

Black hollyhock

cleriac large prague

rutabaga Laurentian

onion south port red globe 

rattlesnake pole bean

Jacob's cattle dry bean

Cabbage Brunswick

Hopi red dye amaranth

Woad

All varieties are Open pollinated and heirloom to increase my ability to save seed this year.  It is our hope to provide some feed for our animals by our own efforts which is why we are growing 2 varieties of sweet corn and field pumpkin.  I am also working to build a medicinal herb garden and perhaps a garden for natural dyes.  We will be ordering some berries and some pear trees from Fedco as well so we can take advantage of their tree sale in the spring.

Only 74 days until spring!!!

The perfect food

I think that a good recipe is one where the result can stand alone;  each bite is full of yummy, nutritional goodness.  Soup falls into this category, as can a savory pancake.  A good recipe is one that is basic in ingredients and but can be improvised depending on what you have in the house. In our house a good recipe is one where we can sneak in green food for he toddler under the guise of familiar appearance. A good recipe is one that can last more than one meal.

I received Laurel's Kitchen for Christmas  ( Thankyou BIL Peter). Under the chapter of Heartier Dishes are Potato Poppers:

"1/2 onion 

1 stalk celery diced

1/2 tablespoon oil

11/4 cup mashed potato

1 cup brown rice

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole grain bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan

Preheat oven to 350

Saute' onion and celery in oil

Combine all ingredients and form into 1 and 1/2 inch balls.

Place on greased baking sheet ad bake on top rack of oven for 20 minutes, until delicately browned.  Makes 12 balls."

I did not have celery but I did have spinach. I added minced garlic and mushroom to the mixture. I doubled the recipe. This did not hurt the consistency at all. I used homemade tomato paste.  This is a great way to use of left overs of rice or mash potato.  The balls held together really well.

I think next time, instead of using all bread crumbs, I might add wheat germ, nutritional yeast or flax meal for added nutrition. I think you could also spice these up ala hint of Mexico by cooking down some salsa to a thick consistency; instead of tomato paste. Substitute cheddar of jack for the parmesan.

I served this with some Caribbean Black beans and a salad. ( I  know, I know greens are not seasonal now but I just craved some fresh greens).

Resolute

Happy New Year!

I hope your holidays have been full of cheer!  We had a very nice quiet and simple Christmas. Hubby had the last 2 weeks off from school. Most of the holiday break has been filled with snowshoeing and soup.

I enjoy the idea of New Year's  Resolutions even if they are not continued through out the whole year. Why? Well, I think it is the promise of change. I think that in some small way  you gain some benefit from a New Year's Resolution even if you end up not committing to the whole idea. Even if the lesson learned is to make more attainable goals. For example, last year I resolved to do some sort of exercise every day.  All winter long I either walked or did yoga. When spring came some of the awareness waned but I was busy in the garden and was active. But now I am where I was last winter and will be more conscience of be active every day.

In that vein I have some lofty goals and some simple goals for the next year.

First, I am going to gather all the little pieces that have someone's phone number on them and rewrite the master phone list and update my address book. Simple goal.

Second, I am going to have my seed order to Fedco planned by January 15. Simple goal.

Third, I am going to renew the activity goal.  I am going to do some exercise every day. Moderately difficult goal.  I will try to be active everyday through the winter when it is so easy to stay in a comfy chair by the woodstove. So I will keep the climbing frog going until I have a good habit in place again. Besides, he is fun to look at:)

Fourth, I received the cookbooks Nourishing Traditions and Laurel's Kitchen for Christmas. Both are great cookbooks that will help me to continue my journey towards more wholesome cooking. So I resolve to eat more whole grains by weaning out refined sugars and refined wheat products . I resolve to eat more locally by exploring traditional methods of food preservation such as lacto- fermentation.  This will take diligence during times when life gets busy.  So moderately difficult goal but it just takes planning.

Fifth, The wee one turns three this May. Momma is needing to wake up from the baby years. I resolve to take more time for myself and take care of the self more. This might include time to get a regular hair cut, time out with friends, a quiet walk by myself on those days that might be a little overwhelming. I need to feed the soul more. So this might be difficult at times when Hubby is working extra days this coming semester and it is not so easy to get away from the house. But I am going to try hard because I really need this.

I think that is enough. What about you? Do you have any resolutions?

Independence Day Challenge

Well, how is the economy treating you?  

We are doing okay.  For now. 

Hubby came home from work; last week and the week before,  with news that both schools that he teaches at are freezing their budgets.  One school thought they may have to have layoffs. 

We had lost some income earlier in the year, so we have learned to adapt.  We planted a big garden and preserved most of its bounty. We paid off a few small debts. We have stocked up on some bulk food to stretch the grocery dollar. We grow our own meat and we don't eat it but once or twice a week.   We drive one car and we are more intentional in its use.  We are getting by and do not want for much . So far, so good.

But a layoff would be a problem for us.  

This is a really a really smart woman.

This is the really good book that she wrote.

I've been reading Sharon Astyk's blog for about a year now.  I decided to join her Independence Days Challenge when oil was over 100.00 a barrel last spring. I decided to join when the price of the flour I buy, in 25lb bags, went from 13.00 to 21.00 in one month.

I still do the IDC challenge, now, to provide insurance if hubby should find himself under employed in the next year.  And I do it for this little obscure index.

I also do it because it is actually a good way to see how incorporating elements of simplicity into one's life ( cooking from scratch, eating local and organic, living with the rhythms of the seasons, finding a good deal at a thrift store) can ease the uncertainty in these uncertain times.

It has been about a month since my last IDC posting.  So there is quite a bit to report.

Plant something:  Nothing to plant. But we are getting seed catalogs.  Yeehaa!!!

Harvested: There are jerusalem artichokes  in the ground but we had an ice storm last week and can not get to them.  They will be there for us in the spring.

Preserved:  I got some late season apples at one of the last regular farmers market so I made more applesauce.  Hubby helped a friend harvest her flock of rams.  She gave us half a mutton for his efforts.

Local food systems:  We are buying eggs from local farmers until our new chicks start laying. Bought local goat cheese for Thanksgiving at the farmers market.

Managed Reserves:  I keep an eye on the winter squash every week.  If there are any soft spots I either make soup or bread  with the squash.  I may have to learn to can it soon because, if I have too many squash turning at once, I won't want to waste it. I keep an eye on the home canned food; making sure that we are not eating all of one thing at a time.  This is really hard because we have all become pickled carrot fiends.  Finished putting the garden to bed.  

Prepped:  I found 2 pairs of winter boots on freecycle.  New trays for the dehydrator and a neighbor gave us another dehydrator. The same neighbor gave us a case of baking soda that was damaged at the grocery store. It smells like it may have had laundry soap spilled on it so we will use it for cleaning.

reduced waste: finished putting the compost bins to bed for the season.  I should have a good amount to start the season with. I am enjoying the thrills of freecycle.  I haven't killed my worms yet. But they are taking up a lot of space in the bathroom so I  am going to move them down to the basement.

cooked something new: I have tried several new squash recipes.  We have too many squash. I learned how to make baking powder.  2 parts creme of tartar to one part baking soda.

learned something new: I learned how to make homemade playdough.   I am making most of my gifts for Christmas this year and I learned that I need to give myself  more time.

Pay it forward:  We have been helping out our church's food pantry.

Winter Weather on the Way

Well, it looks like we are really expecting some winter weather. We have had a couple of small snow storms with maybe an inch or two; followed by rain. But this coming storm sounds like it could cause some trouble.  

With the threat of an ice storm or significant snow accumulation there are certain things we do around here to make sure that we are prepared.

First,  we check that all oil lamps are full and wicks are trimmed, flashlights have good batteries, radio has batteries.

Second, in the event of an ice storm, we make sure that any thing outside that we may need to use ( shovels,  firewood, hay) is under cover or easily accessible.

Third, is there plenty of bottled water  for cooking,  washing and animals? Our good neighbor has a hand pump we can use to water our animals in the event that we should lose power.  Do we have enough buckets?

Fourth, I'll make a big pot of soup so that meals will be easy to prepare and clean up after.

Fifth, a last load of laundry, just in case.

Sixth, I will move any meat in the kitchen refridgerator to the freezers in the garage just to make sure that the meat will keep.  Even if we lose power, the freezers will stay colder out in an unheated building than if they were in the house.

Well, gotta get to work....

furry goodness

                                                                        Scruffer
                                                                        Chedder
                                                                               Lily
I am a cat lady.  I grew up in the house of a cat lady. I have not crossed that thin line between cat lady and crazy  cat lady; but given the right circumstances, I think there is the potential. In a way, I am every bit the stereotype of a cat lady.  I have a vast collection of books and work in a bookstore. There is nothing sweeter than knitting with a cuppa tea and a cat in your lap. I wear glasses.  Oh, and you can betcha that I have been overheard having long in depth conversations with my fur people.

What is it about cats?  Well, unlike dogs, cats don't have a codependent need to please.  They are independent , soft, compact critters with their own personalities.   They lay about like scatter rugs.  In a way, the perfect home decor.

Alas, we have a rule in this house. One dog= Two cats.

Frugal Quickie

So, yeah, its December and my goal this holiday season was to make all my Christmas Presents. There are 3 small persons I have on my list this year that will be receiving some wooly knitted goodness but I wanted to also put a little something more kid friendly in the package.

So Teen and I did this today.

We bought cheap, on sale flour and creme of tarter which came to about 7.00.  I went to the dollar store and found small containers; 1 package with 10 small containers was 1.oo. Two bags of cookie cutters with 6 cookie cutters in each came to 2.00....total 10.00.

We divided the playdough into three clumps and colored with food coloring.

Each child will get 3 cookie cutters and  3 containers and a special wee one who will get 4.   There was extra playdough and cookie cutters left over so I am going to give some to a good neighbor's grand kids.

Teen had a great time with it and it really was fun to make!