tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90677949459389700142024-02-19T20:38:14.682-06:00Chickadee GardenA blog about gardening, homeschooling, cooking, art with friends, and life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-41036401166630326562013-06-11T12:26:00.000-05:002013-06-11T12:26:23.081-05:00Produce from the Farmers' Market and What I am Doing With It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past week our town opened up its Farmers' Market for the season. The city government has set up this market in our new Urban Farm Park, where there are shady spots for picnics, the Community Vegetable Garden (which I joined this year), a large chicken run and coop with lots of chickens, a rooster or two and a guinea, and areas for community activities. The Farmers' Market was great -- it's on Thursday evenings from 5 to 7:30, which means it will be a little bit cooler on the hot days, and the time frame makes it great for the whole family to go, which we did. They had lots of vendors selling local produce, fresh baked breads, local honey, local meats, etc., along with food trucks so you can eat an easy dinner there, live music, folks hooping, chickens clucking. A wonderful atmosphere. I think we'll be going every Thursday night -- maybe pack a picnic dinner this week.<br />
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Above is my haul from last Thursday: a huge bunch of beets, an incredible purple cauliflower, yellow squash and zucchini, and some sweet potatoes - purchased from a grower near Senatobia, MS who grows in a greenhouse through the winter, hence the early summer veggies.<br />
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What I have made with this stuff:<br />
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1. A roasted cauliflower and chard salad (I still have a lot of chard and winter greens in my garden, but trying to use it up fast as this hot weather will make it all bolt and go pretty bitter). The beets had tops on them and if I didn't have my own fresher greens I could have used the beet tops.<br />
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2. Roasted (see a trend here?) sweet potato, chicken, and chard salad with chick peas and an herbed balsamic vinegar dressing. This was last night's dinner and I ate yummy leftovers for lunch.<br />
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3. For tonight, the plan is grilled zucchini and summer squash planks with herbs and parmesan, fried eggs (from my chickens), and sweet potato biscuits with butter and Amaretto Pecan Creamed Honey from Wolf River Honey that my husband could not leave the Farmers Market without.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-9657955462636602842013-05-27T13:38:00.000-05:002013-05-27T13:38:59.447-05:00Red CloverAlmost every spring portions of our front yard are covered with red clover. The clover blooms about the same time as the milkweed plants start growing, and until recent years large numbers of monarch butterflies on one of their migration routes up from Mexico, would descend on the yard to feast on the clover nectar and lay eggs on the milkweed.<br />
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This year, the red clover bloomed, the milkweed grew -- but I haven't seen a single monarch. Every year over the past ten or so years they have been fewer and fewer. The honey bees are fewer and fewer also. Last year I had to hand pollinate most of my vegetable garden plants to get a fruit set. When I see the lawn spray trucks all over the neighborhood I just want to scream!<br />
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Now the clover has all set seed, and I'm harvesting the seed for next year.<br />
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I cut whole seed heads and plunk them in a paper sack, that I will fold over and staple and label. Some time between November and February, on a nice day where rain is expected later that day or the next, I strew them out all over the yard, walking over where they fall so they make some contact with the soil. And maybe next spring there will be monarchs.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-59007178670714604842013-05-16T21:05:00.000-05:002013-05-20T16:11:48.704-05:00Making Violet Syrup - Part 3 of Eat Your Weeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't believe I've left so many weeks slip by without blogging. In my defense, we have had many days of heavy rains and a record late freeze that have left my garden bedraggled and gasping and not very photogenic. And on the days when the weather has been good and the garden inviting -- well, I've been working hard playing catch up on all the garden jobs, trying to get the creeping charlie under control (grr), and getting the vegetable garden in, while trying to control my Annual Spring Horrid Rash that I get every year (chickweed poultices and washes with chamomile tea seem to work about as well as anything the doctor has ever prescribed -- I don't know if any treatments actually ever work, or if the Horrid Rash simply runs its course each time and eventually recedes).<br />
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With our crazy spring weather and the total lack of a spring garden, I have been relying on the "weeds" in our yard (along with the remnants of my very successful winter garden -- swiss chard is still going strong, although the kale and collards all bolted and played out, as did the winter lettuce). One weed I like to use a lot in salads is violet -- which grows profusely in the shady areas of our yard. Both the leaves and flowers are a great addition to salads.<br />
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Here are some snips from around my yard that I add to salads: red veined sorrel (a perennial), chives, chive blossoms, pansies, lemon balm, red and pink clover, and some violets are in there, too.</div>
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A few weeks ago I made violet syrup with the violets in the first picture.</div>
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Fill a mason jar about half way with violets, then fill the jar half way with warm water and let steep over night in the fridge, to make a violet "tea" or infusion.</div>
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Strain out the violet blossoms. You can see below that the "tea" has a little bit of color to it.</div>
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Boil the violet water (this was about 1 cup) with one cup of sugar to make a syrup.</div>
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For dinner I made oat and apple pancakes, garnished with flowers, and served with dried tomato chicken sausages. The syrup was wonderful with it.</div>
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Violets are a good source of vitamin C, and pure violet syrup makes a healthy (as in healthier than artificial pancake syrup) and economical alternative to pure maple syrup.</div>
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linked to various blog hops, including <a href="http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-about-sunny-simple-mondays.html">Sunny Simple Monday</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-38454031566442660632013-04-08T14:43:00.000-05:002013-04-09T09:22:15.858-05:00Dandelion Cookies -- Part 2 of Eat Your WeedsLast week I posted about making Chickweed Pesto out of common chickweed you can find growing in your yard. This weekend my 5 year old grandson Aydan came over and we harvested dandelions from the yard and made Dandelion Cookies (thus, Part 2 of Eat Your Weeds).<br />
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We had to look all over the yard, in many nooks and crannies to pick a half cup of dandelion flowers. Our neighbor's front yard is full of dandelions, but since they have used a yard service for many years (which sure doesn't seem to do much good!), I had to explain to Aydan that we can't eat those flowers, only ones that are in our yard that we know are safe.<br />
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This one was actually in a garden bed, snuggling up with some collards.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our neighbor's front yard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of MY front yard</td></tr>
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After we collected about 1/2 cup of dandelion flowers, Aydan helped me pull out the yellow petals, throwing the green calix parts into the compost bucket. Then we mixed them in with 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of honey, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 eggs.<br />
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We poured this wet mixture into the dry ingredients (1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of regular oats, and a pinch of salt) and Aydan stirred it all up. We dolloped tablespoons of the cookie batter on to a greased cookie sheet.<br />
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Into the preheated 375 degree oven for about 12 minutes.<br />
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Perfect for a little picnic outside on our first warm, sunny Saturday in many a month!<br />
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Simple ingredients, using what we have in the pantry and the yard.<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://www.anoregoncottage.com/2013/04/tuesday-garden-party-highlights-4/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AnOregonCottage+%28An+Oregon+Cottage%29">Tuesday Garden Party</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-11861009806270073062013-04-02T14:11:00.001-05:002013-04-06T14:44:25.129-05:00Chickweed Pesto (more growing food without a garden)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YaVVBA-f5jNayFbNgEIPqcY0gERV46Kuwv7Ay4IufW3ztRxYofxXUIfBESRFi3o_RzIfMsdkNCJ-JBuhAL3LP2Y2wTkhB7j8MOqzlYYAW1sVpOXqCXKOyCIp-kiL16xOPvOLqOzlIzM/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YaVVBA-f5jNayFbNgEIPqcY0gERV46Kuwv7Ay4IufW3ztRxYofxXUIfBESRFi3o_RzIfMsdkNCJ-JBuhAL3LP2Y2wTkhB7j8MOqzlYYAW1sVpOXqCXKOyCIp-kiL16xOPvOLqOzlIzM/s1600/images.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">notice there are only 5 petals, but they are deeply split, making it look more daisy-like</td></tr>
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What a cold and wet spring we have had here so far! I've barely been able to do anything in the garden. Our March temperatures have averaged 20 degrees colder than last year's March. Last March was too warm by 5-10 degrees, but you'd think we could have some "normal" more moderate weather!<br />
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My collards and pak choy that have grown so well and keeping me in greens through the winter are<br />
bolting (evidently the bolting has more to do with longer days than warmer temperatures). The cold and wet have kept me from planting much in the garden for spring, and I'm afraid now it may be too late for a good spring harvest of radishes, sugar snaps, and lettuce before we hit the hot summer temperatures.<br />
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Since I haven't dug much in the garden yet, nor emptied pots around the yard from last season, I have a good bit of chickweed growing everywhere. Chickweed loves to grow in cultivated ground -- garden beds and pots. It is also easily found growing in a lawn that is not sprayed. It's easy to pull out, and of course the chickens LOVE it -- but it is also a pretty tasty edible that you can add to salads or use as a sandwich topping like lettuce or sprouts.<br />
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The other day I went out to the yard and just snipped some plants off from the base and brought them in and made a pesto spread. We don't spray any of our yard with pesticides or herbicides, and we live on a residential street so I feel we don't need to worry about too much pollution from cars affecting the plants. A couple of snips yielded about 2 or 3 cups, which I cut up with scissors in the bowl so the long stems would not tangle in my food processor blade.<br />
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Into the food processor, with 4 cloves of minced garlic (because I like lots of garlic), 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of parmesan, a tablespoon of lemon juice and some lemon balm I found growing in the herb garden, a dash of salt, some pepper, and a handful of walnuts.<br />
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Chickweed Pesto! We used it on crackers and with chips. It had a fresh lemon-y flavor and kept its color over the several days it lasted. I used the remainder then in a pesto-bean-syrian (thinly sliced red onions, roasted mini-peppers, tomatoes, green beans, olives and feta with the pesto mixed in a lemony oregano vinaigrette) kind of salad to go with the Vegetable Pastitsio I made for Easter dinner.<br />
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I love to eat my weeds!<br />
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Joining <a href="http://www.anoregoncottage.com/2013/04/april-seedling-update-tgp/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AnOregonCottage+%28An+Oregon+Cottage%29">Tuesday Garden Party</a>; <a href="http://www.backyardfarmingconnection.com/2013/04/the-backyard-farming-connection-hop-26.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBackyardFarmingConnection+%28The+Backyard+Farming+Connection%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail">Backyard Farming Connection Blog Hop</a>; <a href="http://deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2013/04/farmgirl-friday-blop-hop-103.html">Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-9917443558821644782013-03-29T13:12:00.000-05:002013-03-29T13:12:26.286-05:00"Old Lady Gardening". Really? (and some Altered Book art)Sometimes, more than I like to admit, I like to torture myself by looking at the stats on this blog. I'm pretty sure it's one of those "no-no's", like tracking the stock market on a daily basis. You can get yourself all in a state with the ups and downs.<br />
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Anyhew, there with the stats is a thing that shows "traffic sources", and it will show the google searches people have made that lead to your blog, with the key words they use.<br />
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"old lady gardening"<br />
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hmm.<br />
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Of course, one of my goals is to be one of those spritely "old ladies" always in the yard, with sticks and seeds in my stylishly ultra short steel gray or snow white hair (think Judy Dench), stooping down conversing with the fairies that live near my frog pond. I didn't think I was quite there yet, though. At least my hair is pretty much the same old boring brown, with some gray mixed in, that it's been for a number of years. But I do often have sticks and leaves and seeds stuck on me. And sometimes I find a chicken egg forgotten in my coat pocket from the last time I went outside.<br />
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Well, enough of that.<br />
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This was my spread for the March meeting of the Altered Book group I belong to. The theme of this book is "Good Fortune" (as in fortune cookies). The fortune at the bottom says "One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became."<br />
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And further up on the page I wrote with pencil that existential observation "Things in the mirror may appear closer than they are". I spent a lot of time on my recent trip to Austin looking at that phrase imprinted on the side mirror of the car I rode in (what should have been an 11 hour drive took 14 hours due to interstate construction).<br />
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Another member of the Altered Book group (the owner of the "Good Fortune" book as a matter of fact -- come on, Cindy! I dare you to post a comment! -- I don't even have those weird unreadable letters and numbers to trip would-be commenters up ;-), brought these to show -- they are made from toilet paper tubes. I think it would be cool to make a chess set out of them.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-83991770580395943232013-03-07T20:23:00.001-06:002013-03-07T20:23:42.608-06:00Welcome Kemper!Today we welcomed our newest grandchild to the world, Loren's (our #2 daughter) and Jonathan's first child, and our third grandchild! Presenting Kemper Lizbeth:<br />
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She's a big ole juicy baby -- 10.6 pounds! Mother and baby are doing great, and even though Loren and Jonathan and Kemper are far far away in Austin, TX -- the wonders of technology and the web made it almost like we were there.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-20238922111532077352013-02-23T16:49:00.001-06:002013-02-23T16:49:39.408-06:00Snacking from the Winter GardenSometimes you just want that salty crunchy thing for a snack!<br />
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Baked Kale Chips<br />
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Some Kale leaves from the garden (note, I should have stripped out the large center stems)<br />
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drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes.<br />
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Salty and crunchy, tasty, just like chips -- but so much better for you! Eat your greens.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-20525200664816431102013-02-19T18:32:00.001-06:002013-02-19T18:33:12.067-06:00Grilled Beets and Mashed TurnipsLast week I paid a visit up to our town's community communal garden where Jef the Farm Dude invited me and my friend to harvest as much red cabbage, turnips and beets as we wanted, as they had tons and he is planning to turn over the bed in the next week or two. So I have a fridge full now.<br />
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Last night I made a Turnip and Pear Mash, which was delicious (chunked turnips and pears, boiled until soft, mashed with butter, salt, pepper and thyme).<br />
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Tonight we had Grilled Beets, on greens, drizzled with honey and topped with chopped walnuts and feta cheese. It was way too cold to grill outside, so I peeled and sliced the beets, brushed them with olive oil and salt and peppered them, and put them under the broiler for about 30 minutes until tender, then set them on fresh greens from the garden, drizzled honey on them and sprinkled them with the walnuts and feta.<br />
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Now I need to figure out something to do with the red cabbage.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-70389214101714446482013-02-13T11:11:00.000-06:002013-02-13T11:11:55.741-06:00Starting a Garden - The EASY WayAs we start having a few warmer days in February and March, it's tempting to get out there and start gardening! But if you haven't gardened before and starting from scratch seems a bit overwhelming, or if your main garden is just too wet and mucky to start planting, potting up a few containers that you can place in your sunniest, warmest parts of your yard are a quick and easy way to get some veggies going right away.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">asian stir fry mix</td></tr>
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If you are in an area where some alternating freezes and thaws may still be likely (like here in Zone 7B southwest Tennessee where we go from highs around 70 for several days, to plunges into the 20's and even snow in February and early March), do not use ceramic containers as the freezing and thawing can cause them to crack. Stick with plastic or resin composite containers for your early spring February plantings.<br />
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Radishes, lettuces, swiss chard, and other leafy greens can all be seeded in pots very easily. Even peas (sugar snaps and snow peas are especially easy and do well here in the midsouth) can be seeded in containers. Most veggies, such as these mentioned, only need about 8 inches of soil to grow well, so the containers needn't be especially deep. Good drainage is important, so be sure your container has good drainage holes. If the container is large and deep, be sure you put a layer of broken crock (maybe you have assorted broken clay pots scattered around the yard where you forgot to empty them and bring them in for the winter, like I do -- don't throw them away, use the pieces for drainage), packing peanuts, or something to create a layer for water to drain through. I've used inverted small plastic pots in the bottoms of large pots to create a drainage area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">kale and petunias</td></tr>
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Germination of the seeds can be speeded by covering the pots with a blanket or piece of plastic to hold in some warmth, but once these plants have germinated they can handle cold temperatures close to freezing. If below freezing temps are expected, it's easy to throw something over a group of pots to protect them.<br />
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With any luck, you will be pulling up some radishes and harvesting some lettuce leaves in about 30 days, followed by some sugar snap peas and other leafy greens about when you are beginning to get your main garden planted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">discarded recycling bin and window boxes in a cold frame</td></tr>
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Since our temperatures here in the midsouth rise so quickly in May, it's important to get an early start on the so-called cool season crops. If you wait to plant them until late March or April they are likely to turn bitter and bolt before they can even be harvested.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf31iSHWlqvv9a3ipcZrX4tHRvktPO0bHmxfXts53etFdLVKsqRIhds9omuKMrVMa9th9y0wpRvBglq4Pjo0jAdzFpEXOtuJiT_LlQdD24iuh-7_9w8Zbk2XT0ddNGqYYVMt4R57hF_c/s1600/IMG_0118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf31iSHWlqvv9a3ipcZrX4tHRvktPO0bHmxfXts53etFdLVKsqRIhds9omuKMrVMa9th9y0wpRvBglq4Pjo0jAdzFpEXOtuJiT_LlQdD24iuh-7_9w8Zbk2XT0ddNGqYYVMt4R57hF_c/s320/IMG_0118.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">notice the fun painted pots - they're plastic! This is a community/school garden in Seaside, FL</td></tr>
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Growing organic veggies does not have to be a big production! You can get started almost any time of year with some containers -- any size, seeds or plants, and some bags of good potting mix.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-2441759067400939692013-02-11T14:39:00.000-06:002013-03-05T15:39:08.111-06:00Gardening WITHOUT a Garden! Growing Sprouts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is something about harvesting delicious veggies straight from one's own garden and eating it the same day!<br />
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But for some, time, space, and even health constraints may make planting and caring for even the smallest garden seem a bit overwhelming.<br />
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Growing sprouts can catapult the would be gardener beyond all of those hurtles! It is the easiest! Requires only the simplest equipment, found in any household, no soil, no pots, no outdoor space at all!<br />
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All you need are some sprouting seeds (buy seeds suitable for sprouting and eating -- conventional seeds for planting may not be the freshest and may even be treated with anti-fungal agents); a quart size jar of some sort, and something to put over the top of the jar that you can drain water through when you rinse the sprouts (or a cover that can breath, at least, like cheesecloth or a paper towel -- then you will need to drain and rinse the sprouts through a strainer or colander and replace back in the jar, rather than rinse and drain directly in the jar); a counter where you can keep the jar so you see it and won't forget about it; and maybe some indirect sun from a window to green the sprouts up on the last day in the jar.<br />
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And talk about economical! I do believe sprouting must be the most economical form of home gardening there is, with the highest return on one's investment. I calculated that my investment in a $4.99 8oz packet of "salad mix - alfalfa, radish, and broccoli" sprouting seeds will yield the equivalent of $54.00 worth of sprouts purchased from a grocery in my area. Add to that the economy of being able to sprout what one needs -- so that hopefully one is not left with half a plastic clamshell of sorry dilapidated uneaten sprouts, it is very economical indeed.<br />
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And I can tell you that the quality and flavor, the juiciness and crunch, of sprouts that you have grown yourself, eaten within days of their first sprouting, is far superior to anything you can buy at a store, where it's been shipped and held who knows how long. And growing it oneself avoids the problems with contamination that commercially grown sprouts have suffered from in the past year or so.<br />
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Here is how I grow a quart of sprouts:<br />
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Buy seeds (I found mine at Whole Foods).<br />
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Measure out 2 teaspoons, and soak them in warm water for a few hours in a quart jar. I have a set of plastic lids with holes in them that I got way back in the 70's when sprouting was required for any self-respecting reader of Mother Earth News. These lids fit any wide mouth quart jar.<br />
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Drain the seeds, and prop the jar so that any excess water can drain out. You want the seeds to stay moist, but not swimming.<br />
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Now, at least 2 times a day (morning and night) -- 3, if you can remember -- pour some fresh water on to the seeds, swish them gently, rinsing them, then drain the water out.<br />
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On the third day maybe scooch the jar a little nearer to a window (not in full sun! they would cook then), so the light will green them up a bit. On the third or fourth day they are ready to eat! Keep your uneaten sprouts in container in the fridge. Easy Peasy. Growing your own food just doesn't get any simpler.<br />
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And here's my lunch that very day (bought and soaked the seeds on Sunday, lunch on Wednesday.<br />
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As usual, my photos do not do it justice, but here is my sandwich -- whole wheat bread, spread on one side with mayo with a bit of pesto mixed in, and on the other with a bit of leftover chickpea puree from the previous dinner, and for the filling: bacon, cucumber slices, sun dried tomatoes (much better than so-called "fresh" tomatoes in the winter time!), sliced avocado, and fresh sprouts.<br />
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It was so good, I had the same thing for lunch on Thursday!<br />
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Linking to <a href="http://www.backyardfarmingconnection.com/2013/02/the-backyard-farming-connection-hop-19.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheBackyardFarmingConnection+%28The+Backyard+Farming+Connection%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail">The Backyard Farming Connection Blog Hop</a>; <a href="http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2013/02/sunny-simple-sunday.html">Sunny Simple Sunday</a>; <a href="http://www.anoregoncottage.com/2013/03/easy-care-shrubs-plants/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:%20AnOregonCottage%20(An%20Oregon%20Cottage)&utm_content=Yahoo!%20Mail">Tuesday Garden Party</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-39112704747502379812013-02-09T12:59:00.001-06:002013-02-09T12:59:15.822-06:00Free Garden Dream Guidebook download!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been working on a some big projects over the past couple of months! Since I have been doing some garden coaching for a few people, I decided to both stretch my computer know-how and develop that business a little more formally, by creating a business website apart from this blog.<br />
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To celebrate, I pushed my computer know how against the envelope and created the Garden Dream Guidebook, a downloadable 20 page ebook full of dreamsheets (I won't call them worksheets!) and exercises designed to help a prospective gardener focus in on her dream garden and where and how to begin a garden that is just right for her and her family! And, I must say, they are pretty to look at and fun to play with -- even if you are an experienced gardener.<br />
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I hope you will follow the link <a href="http://chickadeegarden.weebly.com/free-garden-dream-guidebook.html">here</a> to my new website and fill out the form and request a copy of my Garden Dream Guidebook. That will also get you on my newsletter list, so you will be the first to know when I have new offerings. I have plans for a number of short ebooks over the next year, as well as topical garden/urban farming-focused newsletters upon occasion.<br />
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(I also made my first video EVER, which can be viewed on the homepage of the website).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-43319356815802099672013-02-04T18:47:00.000-06:002013-02-04T18:47:09.846-06:00Quesadillas with pork and sweet and salty glazed onionsOh this was yummy! So yummy I forgot to take a picture of it plated up and I'm trying to refrain from posting pictures of half-eaten food.<br />
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Quesadillas made with left-over pork, and my most favorite condiment or "relish" -- sweet and salty glazed onions.<br />
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It all began yesterday, when to celebrate Downton Abbey Sunday, I made some barbecue boneless country style ribs, along with roasted carrots and potatoes and an especially nice salad with Asian stir fry greens from my winter garden, topped with clementine orange slices, cucumber slices, and avocado, dressed with a citrus dressing of equal parts olive oil and lime juice, salt, pepper, and minced red onion, sprinkled with lightly toasted sunflower seeds.<br />
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A special dinner for a special Sunday. I heard that there was some sports show on another channel last night, but I don't really know anything about that ;-)<br />
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But the dinner I made tonight with the leftover pork -- sublime! And simple.<br />
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1. cube up leftover pork (theoretically you are supposed to shred these things, but shredding was not happening).<br />
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2. fix up a batch of Sweet and Salty Glazed Onions (3 or 4 onions, sliced, sauteed in olive oil for 10 minutes or so until softened, stir in 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and 2 T red wine (I didn't have wine, so I used balsamic vinegar and a good red wine vinegar), 3 T sugar, 1 t salt, 1/2 t freshly ground pepper -- and let all of this cook on low for about 20 or 30 minutes until thick and syrupy.<br />
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3. Make a quesadilla using cheese (provolone or a smoky cheese is especially good), the pork, and the onions.<br />
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yum yum. It was one of those meals you just want to keep eating even after you are full (so best just make one per person so you won't be tempted!)<br />
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I've also been busy with other matters.<br />
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Found some sprouting seeds at Whole Foods, so I dug out my c. 1976 sprouting lids and did up some seeds. This is a 3 seed salad mix, with alfalfa, radish, and broccoli seeds. Should be ready in 4 or 5 days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">super scientific hygienic seed sprouting method</td></tr>
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I also replaced some pictures over the couch in our family room with some panels I found on sale at Pier One for less than $10.00 each!<br />
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Here is the wall with its tired old pictures and arrangements -- I had bought those pictures at an auction in Hernando, Mississippi over 20 years ago for around $1.50 each and they've been hanging there for 15 years!<br />
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Time for a change -- here are the new ones (our family room is rather dark, it only has one window which looks out onto our screened porch).<br />
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Much improved. I think it really freshens up the room.<br />
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The picture on the left actually covers up a huge hole in the wall where the stupid non-functioning 1970's coppertone colored intercom/radio went that we ripped out -- which thus dictates all the furniture placement. I guess one day we will have to deal with the hole in a more reasonable way.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-72819328191166621352013-02-02T14:28:00.000-06:002013-02-02T14:28:11.353-06:00Spring, where are you?Well, I guess some parts of the country would consider our 40-50 degree highs spring like, but I DON'T! I'm done with it! I want some real Spring!<br />
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I went out searching in the yard. Harvested a big bunch of lettuce that had been covered against lows as low as 22 degrees the other night. So far I haven't had to buy any lettuce this winter.<br />
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Anyhoo -- I found these harkenings of springtide:<br />
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The hellebores (lenten roses) are blooming. Of course, no surprise that -- they're supposed to bloom in January!<br />
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But this . . . the first daffodil of the season! Used to, I could count on the first daffodil to bloom about the second week of February. But this year, and last year also -- blooming on January 30. If we have several sunny days (we've had over 9 inches of rain in January!), then I'll be bringing bunches into the house by the middle of this coming week.<br />
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I have not been successful in taking good pictures of the birds at my feeders outside the kitchen window -- but every day we are seeing flocks of goldfinches, purple finches, some red-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, cardinals, and two bluebird pairs! And the little Carolina wrens are flitting around beginning to build nests in whatever little corners they can find.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-31837880110899701562013-01-31T16:41:00.000-06:002013-01-31T16:41:02.988-06:00Homeschool High School - ForensicsThis year for homeschool high school science my 15 year old chose to learn about Forensics, so we have had three other teens join us every other week to do some Forensics lab work. Thus far, we have worked with hair evidence, fiber evidence, and blood evidence. Along the way we have worked with a microscope, learned to prepare slides and operate the microscope, performed heat and chemical tests on fibers, learning a bit of chemistry, tested for blood type, and dissected an assortment of mammal organs.<br />
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This week and the previous session we were learning about glass evidence. The previous session involved examining a variety of glass fragments and learning a lot about reflective and refractive properties of glass, as well as about light and optics.<br />
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Above is some of the stuff we used the other week to explore reflection and refraction, as well as fluorescence -- homemade light box with slits, mirrors, a card with refraction angles marked, a combo black light/flashlight, and some books we were using.<br />
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This week we explored glass fracture patterns -- how a fractured pane can give us information of the sequence of bullets fired, types of bullets or projectiles, the angles of the shots, etc. We used certificate frames from the dollar store, which were shot with a variety of air soft guns, producing both radial and concentric fracturing typical of gun shots to glass. We kept the plastic on the frames and that held all the glass together so we could see the fractures. That was great, because we didn't have to carefully lift and tape up the panes to preserve the fracture patterns for our observations.<br />
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The frame above had a really good pattern of 4, possibly 5 shots, and the kids were able to deduce the order the shots were fired in from the patterns.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-59138886233933022792013-01-26T15:02:00.001-06:002013-01-26T15:02:31.483-06:00Excited about a New Garden Project!I've been working for the past week or two developing a new project that I'm very excited about. I've been developing a guide, or workbook, to help individuals and families who want to have a garden, to plan a garden that is just right for their individual needs. Here's a sneak peak:<br />
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Hoping to have the whole thing finished and available for download soon!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-7124853742598645772013-01-21T10:26:00.002-06:002013-02-08T15:32:02.467-06:00The Paper Towel DilemmaFirst, a picture of my daughter and her friend ready to head to an Anime convention held at the Memphis Botanic Garden this weekend. Cree is a "My Little Pony", and her friend has been "consumed by darkness". I'm sure you can guess which is which in the picture. Cree and her friends love to CosPlay (dress up in costume) and the environment at the Botanic Garden was a very nice, safe venue.<br />
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Now, on to paper towels.<br />
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Oh, the dilemma of Paper Towels! So handy and convenient, yet wasteful, kind of expensive, and guilt inducing (at least for those of us that worry about waste and recycling and frugality and such -- I have to add that I know many many worthy, considerate, kind people who never give paper towels a single thought).<br />
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Years ago when I had cloth diapered babies, and ultimately 4 children, we eliminated paper napkins from our house and began exclusively using cloth napkins. Since we seemed to be doing laundry all of the time, adding cloth napkins to the mix did not seem burdensome at all -- and so we have continued over the years. The napkins live in a drawer in the kitchen peninsula between the cooking area and the eating area, facing the table -- so they are very convenient to get to when we need them.<br />
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But paper towels remained in our lives. Until recently. I figured out a solution that works for our kitchen layout and keeps things handy and convenient.<br />
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1. We do keep one roll of paper towels, because sometimes things come up that you just want to use a paper towel for -- you don't want to put anything in the wash -- you just want it GONE. I won't elaborate on what those occasions are for me, but I'm sure you might have your own list.<br />
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We keep the roll in the utility closet in the kitchen, so it's there when we need it, but not so convenient that we automatically grab it for spills and clean up, microwaving, crumb catching or whatever.<br />
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2. I purchased a pack of 12 smallish white washcloths at Target when they were on sale with all the dorm stuff back in the fall ($4.99) and started out with that, and later augmented that with a purchase of 12 (I think -- or maybe it was 24) very ample white washcloths from Costco for about $16.00. White, so they can easily be bleached if we want.<br />
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3. Half of these I keep in a plastic bin under the sink on the "cooking" side of the peninsula. The other half I keep rolled nicely in a wicker basket on TOP of the peninsula, accessible from both sides of the kitchen where we used to keep the paper towels. This means we can easily get one of these cloths when we need one from both sides of the kitchen, and the basket keeps them looking nice.<br />
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4. We have a bag hanging inside the utility closet where we throw any soiled cloth napkins and washcloths, making it easy to get them out of the way and to tote to our laundry area (which is upstairs).<br />
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Since we adopted this approach, one paper towel roll has lasted us for months!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vRucmZonVWI/UP1nfoVCFgI/AAAAAAAAClQ/FjppEQ7ym3Q/s1600/IMG_0288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vRucmZonVWI/UP1nfoVCFgI/AAAAAAAAClQ/FjppEQ7ym3Q/s320/IMG_0288.JPG" width="320" /></a>Now, I must be honest -- if I had small children, and most especially boys -- I am pretty sure I would be using paper towels still! <br />
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Bonus Frugal Tip: When I open a can of tomato paste, I use what the recipe calls for (often just one or two tablespoons), and then put the remainder in an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer. After it's frozen, I pop the tomato paste cubes into a freezer bag and keep handy in the freezer part of the fridge. One can lasts a good long while that way, before I have to purchase another one.<br />
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Sharing with <a href="http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2013/02/sunny-simple-sunday-link-party_2.html">Sunny Simple Sunday</a>; <a href="http://deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2013/02/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-95.html">Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-32835175551944342222013-01-16T22:03:00.000-06:002013-01-19T11:25:31.037-06:00Easy Meal: Oven Chicken Stew with Sweet Potato Biscuits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love a good meal that cooks itself -- just dump all the ingredients together and stick it in the oven. I had a busy day today catching up on a lot of running around that I didn't do yesterday due to the ice storm here (it ended up not bad as far as ice storms go, and the streets were clear today).<br />
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Anyhoo, I chose one of my oven stew recipes for dinner tonight. This is something you can either make in the crockpot or cook it in a dutch oven in the oven at a low temperature (I do it at 275 degrees) for about 5 hours. I shared my Easy Oven Beef Stew recipe <a href="http://chickadeegarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-meal-oven-beef-stew.html">here</a>.<br />
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Today's dinner was Oven Chicken Stew with Autumn Vegetables. I used 4 legs and 4 thighs (because that's what I had in the freezer). Other times I have used boneless skinless breasts or even boneless pork -- it's all good.<br />
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I take the skin off (because I don't like rubbery stewed chicken skin) and browned the pieces a bit on top of the stove in the dutch oven with a little olive oil. You can totally skip the browning step, but it does add some extra flavor. Then I dumped in a cut up onion, a bunch of quartered small red potatoes, some cut up carrots and some cut up celery. I meant to throw in mushrooms, but I forgot. Turnips and parsnips are good in this recipe, but I had potatoes and carrots.<br />
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Season all of this with some pepper, thyme, and sage, and get the chicken up on top of the veggies.<br />
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Pour over it a cup or two of a white sauce or gravy or a can cream of mushroom soup thinned with a bit of water.<br />
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Cover with the lid and cook at 275 (or 300 if you feel safer that way) for 4 to 5 hours. It comes out falling off the bones, with the potatoes and carrots absolutely luscious, with a very "short" sauce. You can check things and add more liquid if you like more sauce. My picture does not do the dish justice.<br />
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I served it with sweet potato biscuits. Periodically I mash leftover sweet potatoes and freeze them in ice cube trays (pop out the frozen cubes into ziplock freezer bags), so it's easy for me to pull out the equivalent of a cup to thaw to use in biscuits or soups.<br />
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Sweet Potato Biscuits:<br />
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1 cup mashed sweet potatoes, mixed with 1/2 cup melted butter<br />
1 beaten egg<br />
2 tablespoons sugar<br />
(mix all of the above together)<br />
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2 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 tablespoon baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
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mix with the liquid ingredients and knead it in the bowl, turn out on floured board and knead a little more until it holds together nicely. Roll out about 3/4 inch thick and cut into about 12 biscuits. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.<br />
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Sharing with <a href="http://whitewolfsummitfarmgirl.blogspot.com/2013/01/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-91_18.html">Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-48955922899859565342013-01-14T19:37:00.001-06:002013-01-14T19:37:13.843-06:00This sums up the day . . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another "Noteshelf" app journal page created on my iPad today.<br />
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Too cold.<br />
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Sleet.<br />
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Watching birds at the feeder -- a pair of bluebirds have been showing up daily over the past week, along with a downy woodpecker, a cardinal couple, several chickadees (of course!), red breasted nuthatches, and juncos.<br />
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And I've had my 5 yr old grandson Aydan here all afternoon (and evening). So the wooden trains are snaking out into the upstairs hall and the girls' old wooden dollhouse, flower fairies and and gnomes are getting a good workout.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUBx5Nhl7G_nPTyhwhzoKlyUY_KYwoeOhC3wKpVQmlUdAvEYxW57zlvYnIri-altd6etl5Mj1c1imS3BRS-TP3tvtV3gMm1oQ3kdAMwAaSq7P2653eZAWYY9IJjf8hlxcWYgtki5V9vM/s1600/IMG_0301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBUBx5Nhl7G_nPTyhwhzoKlyUY_KYwoeOhC3wKpVQmlUdAvEYxW57zlvYnIri-altd6etl5Mj1c1imS3BRS-TP3tvtV3gMm1oQ3kdAMwAaSq7P2653eZAWYY9IJjf8hlxcWYgtki5V9vM/s320/IMG_0301.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-24357763035164551362013-01-13T15:47:00.000-06:002013-01-13T15:54:29.279-06:00Playing around with "Noteshelf" on the IPad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvyrOBMt40ZZbuLeWOnQ-xtsaSE-ewhTh-LWCIbn9pj_86BxCRMUmWapaWGVhyphenhyphentyYhBtrhVn2pw0_AO-NLWxjkrnMaSDOp0Pc9CNMAPxd-yqYNS5ECuXRoPfmk8rCVW82Eo7K3r6gaTE/s1600/IMG_0294.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvyrOBMt40ZZbuLeWOnQ-xtsaSE-ewhTh-LWCIbn9pj_86BxCRMUmWapaWGVhyphenhyphentyYhBtrhVn2pw0_AO-NLWxjkrnMaSDOp0Pc9CNMAPxd-yqYNS5ECuXRoPfmk8rCVW82Eo7K3r6gaTE/s320/IMG_0294.PNG" width="254" /></a></div>
Above is a page I made with a new app I got for my IPad yesterday that I've been playing with, called "Noteshelf". You can make pages for "books" using a variety of page backgrounds (this is on what looks like wide ruled notebook paper, although you can't see it well in this picture) with a variety of templates included in the app -- plain, graph paper, ruled paper, list paper, to do type lists, etc. Then you can create text in a variety of fonts, place the text, move it around, shrink or expand it. You can also use your finger or a stylus to doodle, write, and scribble in different colors -- either with a line or wash effect, use little graphics, and even take photos without leaving the app and size and stick them on the page, and apply text or doodles directly over the photos. You can also send the pages you create to email, facebook, twitter, or photo stream (I put this in photo stream, so I could then use it in Blogger).<br />
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You can give the books you create names, and choose from different "covers" and they sit "displayed" on a shelf ready to click on to open and read, use, or edit. What an easy way to do some journaling or document a project and make notes directly on photos or text.<br />
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I'm sure there are probably other programs and apps that do similar things, but this was really easy to work and worked seamlessly and cost under $5.00. Can't beat that!<br />
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Sharing with <a href="http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2013/01/sunny-simple-sunday-linky-party.html">Sunny Simple Sunday</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-10964020251374192792013-01-05T14:27:00.000-06:002013-01-05T14:27:18.581-06:002012 Calendar Challenge Finale!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wwck6wQIwbY/UOTVmgJ6L_I/AAAAAAAACgw/Oc6RRGXkAS8/s1600/IMG_0283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wwck6wQIwbY/UOTVmgJ6L_I/AAAAAAAACgw/Oc6RRGXkAS8/s320/IMG_0283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December all finished! (if you ignore the blank squares when I forgot the calendar existed)</td></tr>
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Just one more loose end from 2012 to clean up: Completing <a href="http://thekathrynwheel.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-year-in-journaling.html">Kate Crane's 366 Calendar Challenge</a> for 2012!<br />
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Back in January I decided to participate in the 366 Calendar Challenge, where one creates a calendar spread for each month, and then each day writes or doodles something evocative of the day -- a kind of combo journal and art journal endeavor -- resulting in the end an artistic recording of the year.</div>
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I seldom had a month ready to go right at the first, but I usually had each month ready within a week of the first. And my journaling endeavors confirmed what I already knew -- May, June, and December tend to disintegrate into busy days running together, punctuated by stupified fogs that I wake from periodically, leaving days of blank squares when I completely forgot the calendar even existed. Looking back I also see that I wrote "Aack!" on a lot of dates. </div>
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But that's all ok. Just part of life.</div>
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I tried out lots of different arrangements and techniques with the different months -- cut and glue, doodling, duct tape, stamps, water color pencils, paint, etc.</div>
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Below is the completed calendar:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDkX-in_VuT_eWMP4-macudgPZPEMNxplIjc6jq_wSfd2Z6QwoWsFbm2vMSL_NA8raJXhUKaQfkVm04YWv90_FK_6pshKgoWY8LeYKPmWeX9pKXuTCljJpHCGWbRlGevCZHjtLqgjhd4/s1600/DSCN0925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDkX-in_VuT_eWMP4-macudgPZPEMNxplIjc6jq_wSfd2Z6QwoWsFbm2vMSL_NA8raJXhUKaQfkVm04YWv90_FK_6pshKgoWY8LeYKPmWeX9pKXuTCljJpHCGWbRlGevCZHjtLqgjhd4/s320/DSCN0925.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqw4Myzq49BHHzPNgtRIbmHjWavXSKHmvSfKOSYS8x3jgZbE-bIeKzPs3NGswrTUqDFpGVO2l9McrzsDCNSb28tIqbYehrqEVj_bykeXv2hADI089-6DkFPB4R1jc7vNxw-YpOH0smk8/s1600/DSCN1075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqw4Myzq49BHHzPNgtRIbmHjWavXSKHmvSfKOSYS8x3jgZbE-bIeKzPs3NGswrTUqDFpGVO2l9McrzsDCNSb28tIqbYehrqEVj_bykeXv2hADI089-6DkFPB4R1jc7vNxw-YpOH0smk8/s320/DSCN1075.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">February</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RPwyA5U4BOA/T3nb3JUQKSI/AAAAAAAABOM/lwuNaGs5dDM/s1600/DSCN1218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RPwyA5U4BOA/T3nb3JUQKSI/AAAAAAAABOM/lwuNaGs5dDM/s320/DSCN1218.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9PxR5a5TzY/T6RrPZYnuUI/AAAAAAAABWA/qvjmxV-3y4s/s1600/DSCN1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G9PxR5a5TzY/T6RrPZYnuUI/AAAAAAAABWA/qvjmxV-3y4s/s320/DSCN1379.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qefmth7nAZQ/T9tnpXdvmbI/AAAAAAAABi8/S2JMjkZfUQw/s1600/DSCN1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qefmth7nAZQ/T9tnpXdvmbI/AAAAAAAABi8/S2JMjkZfUQw/s320/DSCN1437.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e61oGhVuCRg/T_HG_yNPOiI/AAAAAAAABq4/T6OhLtDSsHk/s1600/IMG_0272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e61oGhVuCRg/T_HG_yNPOiI/AAAAAAAABq4/T6OhLtDSsHk/s320/IMG_0272.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U9PVGLB5NSU/UB2yoVCBuII/AAAAAAAABzM/6R9cezc_pIk/s1600/IMG_0415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U9PVGLB5NSU/UB2yoVCBuII/AAAAAAAABzM/6R9cezc_pIk/s320/IMG_0415.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zwo0B-mrZ4s/UETRMmGIs7I/AAAAAAAAB5s/Eb8LnP5aa6Q/s1600/DSCN1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zwo0B-mrZ4s/UETRMmGIs7I/AAAAAAAAB5s/Eb8LnP5aa6Q/s320/DSCN1485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JQ5nN9VlLRwo71N1JrfQoY7SdSvAO_v7fSjQzi-UUZxJUX5vqhWjvBa550G2iCC6D4x2NbC9kwng-vJZqsApH_nqFqFgujvkcZ1fsql-QLbFQXpirHdNIE21_rEg5K6DEhcYzOcfJ0c/s1600/IMG_0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JQ5nN9VlLRwo71N1JrfQoY7SdSvAO_v7fSjQzi-UUZxJUX5vqhWjvBa550G2iCC6D4x2NbC9kwng-vJZqsApH_nqFqFgujvkcZ1fsql-QLbFQXpirHdNIE21_rEg5K6DEhcYzOcfJ0c/s320/IMG_0595.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jZraKv29OOI/UJU-k93GQlI/AAAAAAAACPA/Q51ABWrND4c/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jZraKv29OOI/UJU-k93GQlI/AAAAAAAACPA/Q51ABWrND4c/s320/IMG_0086.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1P6LC4hX8Ho/ULuwx39S6BI/AAAAAAAACa0/g0_DTzlZBEg/s1600/IMG_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1P6LC4hX8Ho/ULuwx39S6BI/AAAAAAAACa0/g0_DTzlZBEg/s320/IMG_0180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">November</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wwck6wQIwbY/UOTVmgJ6L_I/AAAAAAAACgw/Oc6RRGXkAS8/s1600/IMG_0283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wwck6wQIwbY/UOTVmgJ6L_I/AAAAAAAACgw/Oc6RRGXkAS8/s320/IMG_0283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">December</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-1696221727418624752013-01-03T14:12:00.000-06:002013-01-03T14:12:18.808-06:00Christmas 2012 RetrospectOh my goodness. The holidays -- so long prepared for and anticipated. Then here and gone in a flash.<br />
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I had holiday pictures to post and the best of intentions to craft meaningful, organized, coherent posts about our holiday revels.<br />
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Yet, here it is. January 3.<br />
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It didn't help that my mother was in the hospital right before Christmas (was home in time for the holidays) and I spent a lot of the week between Christmas and New Year's helping her catch up on bill paying and other tasks, and then I came down with the flu last weekend and have been sick all week (this is the second time I've ever had the flu, the first time being 8 or so years ago).<br />
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But, I've been fever-free so far today -- and how can I ever move on with the new year if I don't get Christmas finished with here? So here goes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwkLirxZWKH5q3c6cBhrhXJ6feK2MJB8W0DLAP8hYFvcFGHXI0_BSpXE4MPfweO5YV45SGnb564qkEhvGkjBPQiUcob8Egto_RBmgVr4jYc9elCskCQbD4R8xb9G_dF8WmWNmxJSv94I/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwkLirxZWKH5q3c6cBhrhXJ6feK2MJB8W0DLAP8hYFvcFGHXI0_BSpXE4MPfweO5YV45SGnb564qkEhvGkjBPQiUcob8Egto_RBmgVr4jYc9elCskCQbD4R8xb9G_dF8WmWNmxJSv94I/s320/IMG_0213.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Christmas Day was a tri-part event this year, beginning with morning gift openings and stockings with Cree and Hannah (home from first semester of college), and our special Christmas breakfast of a breakfast casserole and yogurt parfaits.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO8lJgM2jhDbwJTRF2Shyi84J0fiKBCm_W2TCoHd54hKOaN5RHJ7TDBRfQlxYSLZx1c2za0r-_p6rgMVV4nGf1NKkrGUmt90u4UfCt7x7BZqM6gnEGqXb2pouWRwwpg5Pdo3QEqoXk-M/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO8lJgM2jhDbwJTRF2Shyi84J0fiKBCm_W2TCoHd54hKOaN5RHJ7TDBRfQlxYSLZx1c2za0r-_p6rgMVV4nGf1NKkrGUmt90u4UfCt7x7BZqM6gnEGqXb2pouWRwwpg5Pdo3QEqoXk-M/s320/IMG_0266.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some "gifts" I bought myself earlier in the month and wrapped up to open xmas morn</td></tr>
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Then around mid-day our oldest daughter came over with the grandkids -- more presents and stockings for them.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7aGsNyKTfo/UOTW5jlujJI/AAAAAAAAChI/KkKMszo_nP8/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7aGsNyKTfo/UOTW5jlujJI/AAAAAAAAChI/KkKMszo_nP8/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIAC2XTVQClwlNdh0CG_BCxZE66zZ-TKs6q9HUCXjyfBCO4n8AuOVWvrolOLm_93lpmlzsz2NqD7j9cMyqI2T2TPUCL16xalydO91t54XHGHn36FMQ96blt_3zQzHTvaDWOk-rmuSbJQ/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIAC2XTVQClwlNdh0CG_BCxZE66zZ-TKs6q9HUCXjyfBCO4n8AuOVWvrolOLm_93lpmlzsz2NqD7j9cMyqI2T2TPUCL16xalydO91t54XHGHn36FMQ96blt_3zQzHTvaDWOk-rmuSbJQ/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ari and Dora look just alike!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8IXlPt38dkI/UOTW8L1m1lI/AAAAAAAAChY/c7grtqJNaZc/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8IXlPt38dkI/UOTW8L1m1lI/AAAAAAAAChY/c7grtqJNaZc/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayday was thrilled with dinos and a v-tech</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ancF9wN64_8/UOTXg1Faa5I/AAAAAAAAChg/MfbtALiwqYQ/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ancF9wN64_8/UOTXg1Faa5I/AAAAAAAAChg/MfbtALiwqYQ/s320/IMG_0260.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Throughout the day I cooked and prepared for the big Christmas Dinner at our house -- this year there were 14 people to sit down at dinner. I think in the future we may need to re-think how this is all handled, because spending Christmas Day preparing a full sit-down dinner for 14 was not exactly enjoyable or relaxing -- but that is a rant for another day.<br />
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We got the dining room (and foyer) set up to seat 14 people somehow -- no easy task!<br />
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At dinner time, the foyer annex/overflow/"children's" table, was christened the "Young Professionals' Table".<br />
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It held Cree, Hannah, Hannah's boyfriend, my youngest sister's 10 yr old and 3 yr old daughter's, and my other sister's daughter, who lives and works in London when she is not visiting here at Christmas.<br />
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Back at the Old Fogeys' Table, I can't find a good picture to include -- there are pictures, but everyone is looking grumpy, stressed, or is otherwise very seriously applying themselves to their meal.<br />
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Part way through the meal, my youngest sister remembered that she had actually never remembered to wrap anyone's presents or to bring them over so she jumped up and went to her house fetch the forgotten gifts, and we all forgot to do the Christmas Crackers (supplied by my other sister and her husband).<br />
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The final festivities occurred when my sister returned and we convened in the family room to do the Christmas Crackers and exchange gifts.<br />
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It was good we didn't do the crackers in the dining room! The contents (marbles and other hard objects) went flying out around the room with great force -- I think there would have been breakage and injuries if we had done them in the dining room!<br />
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And then, the day after Christmas -- we have some snow!<br />
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Farewell, 2012!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-17440716419438951132012-12-22T11:01:00.000-06:002012-12-22T11:01:57.294-06:00Collard Wraps with Egg Salad (Cooking from the Winter Garden)This recipe is for the low carb -- gluten free crowd (at least I'm guessing it's low carb and gluten free)<br />
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On Friday we celebrated the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar along with the Winter Solstice with a picnic potluck with about 20 homeschool teens and their families at one of the picnic areas of the Wolf River Greenbelt Park (a greenbelt with a hiking and biking path that runs along the Wolf River from Germantown west almost to midtown Memphis). Fortunately the 40-50 mph winds of Thursday had died down to a mere 10-20 mph by Friday, and the brilliant sunshine mitigated the cold of the day, which never got above 45 or so degrees.<br />
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I made Egg Salad Wraps, using collard leaves as the wraps. A friend called them "southern dolmas" (dolmas being middle eastern stuffed grape leaves -- and a Turkish woman that was there said that they sometimes use collard leaves instead of grape leaves to make dolmas -- though not filled with egg salad). The collard greens, chives and parsley were all picked fresh from my winter garden (during the high winds and rapidly dropping freezing temps of the preceding day!). The eggs were from the store, because alas my chickies are not laying more than 6 or so eggs a week during this solstice season.<br />
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They were a definite hit and easy to make. From what I have gleaned on the internet, you can pre-prepare the collard leaves and keep them for several days in the fridge, ready to use for individual wraps any time you want.<br />
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THE EGG SALAD:<br />
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Of course you can use any egg salad recipe, but this is the one I used:<br />
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8-12 eggs, hard boiled<br />
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayo (or however much you want)<br />
1/4 grated carrot (I like this, because it gives a little crunch)<br />
3 T chopped green onions (I used chives from my garden, or you could use a mild onion)<br />
3 T chopped fresh parsley<br />
3T chopped fresh cilantro (although I didn't use this because I didn't have any)<br />
1 T dijon mustard<br />
1 1/2 t curry powder<br />
1/2 t salt<br />
1/2 t pepper<br />
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THE COLLARD LEAVES:<br />
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Wash and dry your collard leaves. Cut out the big middle stem on up in the leaf, but don't cut the leaf in half yet -- leave the two halves attached. Now, some folks simply take all the leaves prepared in this way and let them soak an hour or two or overnight in warmish water with lemon juice or vinegar to soften the leaves so they will fold easier. Other folks lightly steam the leaves (like just a few seconds). I tried both methods and found I liked working with the lightly steamed leaves better.<br />
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Take your prepared leave, and cut out the rest of the middle stem, cutting the leaf in half. Overlap the two halves in front of you, place some of your filling on it and then proceed to tuck and roll just like you do a tortilla or grape leaf or any other wrap.<br />
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On my "southern egg salad dolmas", I think a little dollop of chutney or some other "relish" (chow chow? picalilli? cranberry sauce?) would have elevated this to a sublime meal or party dish.<br />
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I may start keeping some prepared collards handy in the fridge to make into quick wraps on a regular basis -- it's a fun way to increase your leafy greens consumption and collards are incredibly good for you and so easy to grow in the fall and winter!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-54184647548928878232012-12-20T20:33:00.000-06:002013-01-11T12:00:23.809-06:00A Winter Veggie GardenNothing like a garden post a few days before Christmas! But then, fresh home-grown veggies from one's very own veggie patch on the Christmas table is something sublime -- especially if you don't live in Florida or California, but plain old Zone 7 -- 7B to be exact.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those blue clips are for holding the row cover (seen folded against the window) in place when temps are below freezing</td></tr>
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Lately I have been hearing two questions asked A LOT: "Can I have a veggie garden to pick fresh veggies from in the winter?" And also, "Can I grow veggies in pots, because I don't have space for a veggie patch in the yard" or "because the only sun I have is on my deck or near the sidewalk".<br />
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Of course, the answer to both those questions here in Zone 7B is YES! You CAN pick veggies fresh from your garden EVEN IN THE WINTER, and you can grow fresh veggies to nourish yourself and your family IN POTS -- just like flowers!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pot of "stir fry mix"</td></tr>
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Here in Chickadee Garden I have food plants growing both in pots and in the vegetable garden soil itself. Because of shortened days, veggies that produce leaves to eat are the most productive -- even more productive than in the summer because those leafy veggies do not like our scorching summer temperatures and prefer cooler days and nights.<br />
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Some examples that grow quite well in my garden are: Swiss Chard, Lettuce (I prefer loose leaf varieties over head lettuce, because they keep on producing after you harvest leaves, so you can get several harvests from each plant), Kale, Collards, Mustard, Turnips, Beets, and Sorrel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss chard grown from seed sown directly in the pot in mid September</td></tr>
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One doesn't even need to cover these crops if the temperature isn't going very much below freezing. For a cover, I have some yardage of "garden quilt", which lets in moisture and light. But I also use old shower curtain liners and cheap vinyl tablecloths over some of my pots to protect the plants from low temperatures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale in its SECOND year! growing in a repurposed recycling bin</td></tr>
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Kale can even freeze solid in quite low temperatures, but can be harvested and eaten like normal after it thaws.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale and collards, and some late carrots in the open garden</td></tr>
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In addition, Broccoli will do quite well, and late sown Carrots will winter in the ground and then bulk up in the very early spring.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli</td></tr>
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I have a number of herbs that do very well in the winter garden with minimal or no protection from freezing temperatures: Parsley, Rosemary, Chives, Fennel and Oregano can be harvested through out the winter. I keep them in the open herb garden, as well as have duplicate plants in pots that I group near our back door, making it easy to harvest in cold and wet winter weather and easy to throw a covering on if we have some days and nights of extreme cold.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosemary and chives, and parsley growing to the left in my cinder block raised bed</td></tr>
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I even picked fresh tomatoes a week ago from a Roma Tomato plant that I had growing in a pot. I had moved it several weeks ago to a spot against the south facing side of the house where it received maximum sun and warmth from the bricks of the house. One key to continuing to maintain production from sun loving summer veggies, like tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants, as well as an advantage of them being in pots, is to be able to move them to a warmer micro-climate in one's yard. Pots grouped together are also easier to cover up when the temperature dips, and if they are close to your door it isn't such a chore.<br />
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Below you can see some of the veggies I grow through the winter in various locations in my yard.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">collards and chard, planted early October</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pak Choi in a pot</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xjCf17ry1Pc/UNM4gLXaA7I/AAAAAAAACf4/P9UxDRfl-_s/s1600/IMG_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xjCf17ry1Pc/UNM4gLXaA7I/AAAAAAAACf4/P9UxDRfl-_s/s320/IMG_0240.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lettuce and pak choi in a salad table (6 inch depth)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--2DD6UuGS-Q/UMZTMbRWv1I/AAAAAAAACek/k5LNFqE6TLw/s1600/IMG_0206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--2DD6UuGS-Q/UMZTMbRWv1I/AAAAAAAACek/k5LNFqE6TLw/s320/IMG_0206.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lettuce from seed planted mid Sept in bag of top soil laid on sod between sidewalk and street</td></tr>
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With some planning in the late summer/early fall and protection from freezing temperatures, we are able to have something fresh from the garden every day through the winter.<br />
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Sharing with <a href="http://whitewolfsummitfarmgirl.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-country-garden-showcase-42.html">Country Garden Showcase</a> and <a href="http://deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2013/01/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-91.html">Farmgirl Friday</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9067794945938970014.post-14111128931834419112012-12-17T18:26:00.000-06:002012-12-17T18:26:11.294-06:00Cooking from the Winter Garden: Roasted Root Vegetables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvGEd7bVAxAReMi_2uictKk4opBloDmNvQoGEyu0GG0wMF3est3xOeOppNdL9TkojxLaxOzK7XAkZa4HgZU9JcXOFr0Gz468p65OzdWb8pg02A9CHUfOKBrCjLEpQ76-3YcDUpzeUiiM/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvGEd7bVAxAReMi_2uictKk4opBloDmNvQoGEyu0GG0wMF3est3xOeOppNdL9TkojxLaxOzK7XAkZa4HgZU9JcXOFr0Gz468p65OzdWb8pg02A9CHUfOKBrCjLEpQ76-3YcDUpzeUiiM/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I found a pork roast in the depths of the freezer that I wanted to fix on Sunday, however it didn't thaw in time. I knew I would be home most of Monday afternoon so that is what I fixed for dinner tonight.<br />
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That, and Roasted Root Vegetables with Herbs. I have some carrots from my garden, supplemented with some baby carrots and small red potatoes from the grocery. I rolled them in some olive oil and then pondered the seasonings. Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper of course. Crushed dried sage -- and some fennel? Fennel fronds, not the seeds. I went out to the garden to see if I could find any fennel still growing -- we have been unseasonably warm -- and bingo! I found some growing, self seeded, in a pot by the back door where I have a Fairy Queen Rose planted. A bit tricky reaching into the thorny stems of the rose to liberate some fennel fronds, but success!<br />
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Salt, pepper, sage, and chopped fresh fennel leaves to season the root veggies as they roast, and also to rub on the pork roast -- into a 325 oven for 1 hr 40 min.<br />
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It was so good.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09974162432733340830noreply@blogger.com0