"WE HAVE FOOD!"
That's what I hope to say when our economy goes belly-up, the America dollar plunges to worthless and no one can afford food anymore. Or maybe I was listening to a doomsday prophet again. I shouldn't do that.
Anyway, I've been working pretty hard on the pantry and emergency food storage. I'm kinda proud! I think right now, we could probably live for a week on what's in our pantry. It will be better after this growing season. Now what we really, really need is a chest freezer. Everyone in my family had one. It's a critical piece of food storage equipment and we really need to make the investment.
I cored and sliced 8 flippin' quarts of strawberries! Good Lord, when that was over, my hands were frozen, numb and stained red, but I have 2 big bags in the freezer and one in the fridge. (One that is now half empty because I used half of it to bake a pie tonight.
I bought 3 pounds of rhubarb at the market last week, and also used about half of it to bake pie tonight. The other half I sliced up and stuck in the freezer. Vegetarian Times had a 5 recipes to try with rhubarb in the May/June issue. There has to be a use for it besides pie! Alex won't touch it of course, so it will be up to me to give the ol' college try.
Tonight I choked down a pork chop, again, and decided that I am probably heading back to my vegetarian diet. It's hard to eat in my house. Alex, my sweet hubs, is deathly allergic to poultry, so we never eat chicken or turkey. Unfortunately, he is also a picky eater, so he won't touch a veggie with a ten foot pole. (Pretty sure I've mentioned this predicament once or twice before.) But he will willingly eat carrots, when prepared right, corn, potatoes, bell peppers when served with stir fry, and celery (but only raw with peanut butter). He has occasionally been willing to try other things, but by and large, he turns up his nose and frowns at my kitchen adventures when asked to taste-test. I'm not really sure if I am craving my vegetarian ways again because the garden has been so mouth watering, or if I am truly tired of eating meat, but either way, I'm collecting my vegger recipes together and getting ready to plunge into meatlessness soon.
A few updates from the garden:
The corn is almost waist high due to more excessive rainfall. (My waist, not a normal human's waist. So the corn is about 2 and a half feet tall.) I've only actually watered my garden once this year. The rest of the time, it has rained and then I have been sure to mulch with grass clippings to keep the moisture in.
I am going to go out and dig for a few new potatoes tomorrow. No, I really just cannot wait, its THAT urgent. :) I will leave the rest for a main crop, but I think since I have 7 plants and all will produce about 10 pounds of potatoes, we'll be okay this winter minus a few.
It's been chilly again all week. The summer solstice seemed to mock us here in Northern Indiana. My tomatoes, while flowering, have stalled in their growth again. I really need four or five good hot, humid days in a row to get the growth restarted and the fruiting process going.
Got the opportunity to hand-pollinate the zucchini this morning. Hooray for plant sex! (ROFLOL) 3 zucchini plants, all flowering, only one with actual fruit, but that fruit looks like they will be real winners.
I planted a new variety of cucumber a few days ago - a pickling gherkin. I have never liked dill pickles in my life, but strangely, I will eat sweet gherkins, so that's what I'm going to go with. I also planted some large-podded shelling peas, and I planted a LOT of them. I am really hoping for several pounds of shelled peas in the freezer for the winter.
The green beans are still small and weak. This is so strange to me because beans are supposed to be so simple to grow! I have successfully grown amazing things in this garden and the easiest veggie of all is giving me trouble?? Where is the justice?
The garden will eventually be completely overtaken with several kinds of squash vines. Yes, I am aware that I 'could' go and pull them out and I will do so eventually. But right now seeing the gorgeous green leaves makes me smile. I simply cannot bring myself to pulling them out. I purposely planted the zucchini and the pattypan squash. But the pumpkins and the gourds were not intentional and they are getting quite out of hand.
I am experimenting with a type of melon. I planted the seeds - quite late I might add - and I am more or less hoping for the best. If our growing season extends into October, as it sometimes does, I will probably have a few melons. But I am not wagering any money on having prize winning melons this summer. But wait until next year....
I will have a handful of ripe red raspberries in about a week.
My sunflowers are being devoured by earwigs. Time to break out the diazanon - which is a repulsive, but effective way to get rid of them.
I pulled a carrot out of the dirt two days ago. It was still a little short, but a perfect shade of orange and quite sweet, with just the right amount of bite.
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
El Dorado Heirloom Seeds
I was clicking through some of the advertisements on my blog this morning, which I do from time to time to see what kind of companies are using my space for their marketing, and I was excited to see a company called El Dorado Heirloom Seeds. As I am a sucker for organic seed companies, and always researching and looking for the best companies to purchase my seed from, I began to research and delve into their story and their product offering. I was delighted with what I found.
This is just a small excerpt from their 'About Us' section of their website, and it has the heart and soul of this company wrapped into a few paragraphs:
We are honored to live a simple life. We lived in a chicken coup for six months while we passionately built our tiny straw bale cabin in Montana. With no electricity or running water we forced ourselves to learn how to raise our own food and live by our own efforts. Those eight years were as hard as it gets and we value them more than all other years because they molded us into what we are today. Because of the rough times and the doubts and stress then, we laugh more today.
Just six years ago, our dad started over again, this time by himself. He cut his way into a wooded five acre property he bought for almost nothing, pitched a tent and built a chicken coup, which worked as his home five days a week, while he built another small cabin, this time with wood.
This simple and somewhat humble lifestyle fits us well and if you ever gave it a try, you’d discover how much we have in common.
Our Mission at El Dorado Heirloom Seeds is simple:
To get American’s to return to growing their own healthy food and thus eliminate unhealthy GMOs and sterile hybrid vegetables grown by corporate farms.
Our Personal Philosophy is rather basic:
Accept yourself and the responsibility of making yourself a little better each day. Then no matter where you start it’s only a matter of time before you are worthy of the greatest rewards and respect. And what goes for you should go for others, meaning, all of us have the right to be wrong and broken, so don’t force your beliefs and desires upon others. Be an example! Plant a powerful idea.
The world would improve in every way if the people grew authentic and organic heirloom vegetables out the back door and down the street and on the rooftops. The next step would be to start eating our meals together.
Are you impressed yet??
Check them out for yourselves!
This is just a small excerpt from their 'About Us' section of their website, and it has the heart and soul of this company wrapped into a few paragraphs:
We are honored to live a simple life. We lived in a chicken coup for six months while we passionately built our tiny straw bale cabin in Montana. With no electricity or running water we forced ourselves to learn how to raise our own food and live by our own efforts. Those eight years were as hard as it gets and we value them more than all other years because they molded us into what we are today. Because of the rough times and the doubts and stress then, we laugh more today.
Just six years ago, our dad started over again, this time by himself. He cut his way into a wooded five acre property he bought for almost nothing, pitched a tent and built a chicken coup, which worked as his home five days a week, while he built another small cabin, this time with wood.
This simple and somewhat humble lifestyle fits us well and if you ever gave it a try, you’d discover how much we have in common.
Our Mission at El Dorado Heirloom Seeds is simple:
To get American’s to return to growing their own healthy food and thus eliminate unhealthy GMOs and sterile hybrid vegetables grown by corporate farms.
Our Personal Philosophy is rather basic:
Accept yourself and the responsibility of making yourself a little better each day. Then no matter where you start it’s only a matter of time before you are worthy of the greatest rewards and respect. And what goes for you should go for others, meaning, all of us have the right to be wrong and broken, so don’t force your beliefs and desires upon others. Be an example! Plant a powerful idea.
The world would improve in every way if the people grew authentic and organic heirloom vegetables out the back door and down the street and on the rooftops. The next step would be to start eating our meals together.
Are you impressed yet??
Check them out for yourselves!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Will Work For Food
Big deep sigh.
Perhaps if I take an early shower instead of a late one, I will have the motivation to get myself going today.
The kitchen is a mess, I need to wash dishes and then I need to do some baking and cooking.
Alex woke up with a bit of a tummy ache. He thinks it's from the milk we finished off yesterday that had a sell by date of Dec. 26th. He's probably right. But it could have been from the 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies that I made last Sunday that he has systematically proceeded to wolf down. I think there are 6 left, and they're the ones that got slightly darker on the bottom.
What'll it be today? Blueberry muffins? Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? Oatmeal raisin cookies?
Apple pie?
After that, pasta sauce and potato salad.
Then patch the nail holes in the bathroom walls, sand them down, paint and then repaint. Hang the new toilet paper holder and the curved shower curtain rod....
Then finish all the baby shoes that are in the works right now. Waiting for my special ordered yarn to arrive to make a special hat for a breast cancer patient. I hope it comes soon.
Going to be a busy one today! Here's a recipe to get YOUR day going!
I made this farmhouse chowder last Wednesday. We seem to have an abundance of potatoes and ham. (Thanks Mother.) Alex picked through it like a fussy 2 year old, but I really liked it, and ate the leftovers by myself for 3 days following.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped sweet red pepper
2 tbl. butter
1/4 c. all-putpose flour
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 1/2 c. milk
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups cubed fully-cooked ham
1 can corn
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
1. In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery and red pepper in butter until vegetable are crisp-tender. Stir in the flour and ranch dressing mix until smooth; gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, cook and stire for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Add the potatoes, corn, ham and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.
Perhaps if I take an early shower instead of a late one, I will have the motivation to get myself going today.
The kitchen is a mess, I need to wash dishes and then I need to do some baking and cooking.
Alex woke up with a bit of a tummy ache. He thinks it's from the milk we finished off yesterday that had a sell by date of Dec. 26th. He's probably right. But it could have been from the 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies that I made last Sunday that he has systematically proceeded to wolf down. I think there are 6 left, and they're the ones that got slightly darker on the bottom.
What'll it be today? Blueberry muffins? Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? Oatmeal raisin cookies?
Apple pie?
After that, pasta sauce and potato salad.
Then patch the nail holes in the bathroom walls, sand them down, paint and then repaint. Hang the new toilet paper holder and the curved shower curtain rod....
Then finish all the baby shoes that are in the works right now. Waiting for my special ordered yarn to arrive to make a special hat for a breast cancer patient. I hope it comes soon.
Going to be a busy one today! Here's a recipe to get YOUR day going!
I made this farmhouse chowder last Wednesday. We seem to have an abundance of potatoes and ham. (Thanks Mother.) Alex picked through it like a fussy 2 year old, but I really liked it, and ate the leftovers by myself for 3 days following.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped sweet red pepper
2 tbl. butter
1/4 c. all-putpose flour
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 1/2 c. milk
2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups cubed fully-cooked ham
1 can corn
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
1. In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery and red pepper in butter until vegetable are crisp-tender. Stir in the flour and ranch dressing mix until smooth; gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, cook and stire for 2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Add the potatoes, corn, ham and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.
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