On the Bright Side

One of the last squash harvests and bigger-than-it-looks bowl of tomatoes.




My husband and I have been trying to purchase a house for three and a half months. I loved this sweet house, but I loved the yard even more.

The house was on a third of an acre, and was beautifully landscaped with a variety of garden beds and bulbs galore. There were lots of exotic-looking flowering plants, ferns, hostas, ornamental grasses, hydrangea, rhododendron, and so many plants I wanted to identify and explore.

We spent hours talking about what we would do with the house and yard, and I dreamt up all of the fruits and vegetables I wanted to persuade to grow.

Right at the end, though, it all fell apart. Though I have been working through many emotions, we have short and long-term plans and we're going to be ok.

The good thing about having half of your house packed and then having to unpack in the same house is that you get to really assess how to organize things as you put them away. I have ideas working there way throughout my entire house--better ways to do pretty much everything!

Staying in the same place after disconnecting gives you an opportunity to try again. I've gotten to know my landlords/neighbors so much, and now I can get to know them even better.




Here's to enjoying the rest of the harvest, something I had planned on gifting to my landlord.




My watermelon was actually perfect, if quite small. You CAN grow melons, late in the season, in the Pacific Northwest! Just pick personal-sized melons.




And hopefully this harvest will produce some delicious, home-canned, home-grown tomato sauce.

The Tomatoes Are In!!

Well, they're really coming in now! I've been hand picking the best tomatoes for company we've had in town, which is very fun. This is the largest overall harvest I've ever had for tomatoes, and the largest single picking, too.

I'm going to get some pint jars to can tomato sauce with the rest of the tomatoes. Woohoo! I'm excited. I LOVE adding to my cupboard of home-canned foods.

Home Canned Cupboard and Personal Peach Crisp Recipe

Well, I suppose I have to admit that there are other things in this cupboard, but this side is completely MY canned food. It goes back 5 jars, and all double stacked. Ahhh...what a beautiful sight!




From left to right, top: blackberry jam from gleaned berries we picked on public property, more blackberry jam, Squash Dill Relish, Squash Dill Relish.

From left to right, bottom: pineapple from $1 pineapples, Squash Dill Relish, Peach Pie Filling, Squash Dill Relish.

I had about 1/2 Cup of the Preach Pie Filling that wouldn't fit into a jar, so I made a tiny personal Peach Crisp with it in a ramekin. It was beautiful and delicious!!  Next year I will definitely go and pick a box of peaches just to make more of this recipe.

What's filling up YOUR home-canned cupboard these days?

*****

Personal Peach Crisp Recipe

1/2 Cup Peach Pie Filling

1 1/2 TBS Flour

1 1/2  Old Fashioned Oats

2 TBS Brown Sugar
1 TBS Butter
Pinch salt
Pinch Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400o.

In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in butter until the mixture forms large crumbs and butter is incorporated throughout.

Pour peach pie filling into oven-safe ramekin.  Pour the topping mixture on top, perhaps needing to pack it down slightly.

Place ramekin on a small baking sheet in case of spilling.  Bake about 20-25 minutes, until topping is slightly browned, and pie filling is bubbling a little.  Let cool as long as you have patience for, then dig in!

Preserving the Bounty

I have been in awe of those who have lived without modern conveniences for some time, but my little garden has made me much more so.

As I harvest yet another squash, or a handful of green beans, a few tomatoes, or some basil, I feel pride in my hard work, and I'm happy to be the steward of such plants.

However, as certain plants discontinue thriving, or are outright failing, I feel frustration. The first plant that keeled over had me thinking--AFTER I was finished with being upset. My thoughts were these: "This is not my livelihood, I can go to the store and replace much of what I grow, and I'm grateful I don't have to be too concerned about starvation if my crops fail."

I am, however, on a mission to enjoy and preserve as much of our bounty as I can. I want to save money for our family, and feed my children more nutritious foods.

My day started out with a counter full of squash and 10 large, ripe peaches (we had some and my dad gave some to me and this is what we had left after we ate a lot fresh).




I peeled/sliced the peaches, and turned those into peach pie filling...




I got 1 quart, plus 4.5 pints of the pie filling. Yum!! It smelled good. I used the recipe from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie.




After that I started working with the scallop and crookneck squash I'd harvested. I cubed, blanched (in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then drained and placed into a bowl of ice water), drained, dried on a towel, froze on a cookie sheet, then tossed the squash into a gallon bag. I have more squash coming on, and I'll do the same with it and fill the bag. I'll use it in fajitas and soup this winter.

And then I made Squash Dill Relish...




Lots of it!! I got 11 half pints, and would have gotten another, but I ran out of jars.  Oh well!  I slightly adapted this Tangy Dill Pickle Relish.  Instead of cucumbers, I used crookneck squash, I used 1.5 tsp ground mustard, and I upped the vinegar quite a bit.  I believe that cucumbers take up less space per pound than squash. I canned this same recipe a few weeks ago and it was delicious with the squash.  Texture was very close.

It was a LOT of work, but it was fun, and I'm excited for the jars to cool so I can stack them nicely into my cupboards, and benefit from them throughout the fall and winter!

How Important is Fertilizer to Container Gardens?

I used to think that fertilizer was only for dedicated gardeners only. I thought my plants would do just fine without fertilizer, and that I didn't want to add that expense to my garden.




However, when I transplanted my Meyer Lemon tree, I wanted to baby it a bit and get some fertilizer for it. Turns out that the fertilizer I got wasn't specifically for citrus (kind of a bummer), so I could use it for my entire garden. I decided to go ahead and use it on my entire garden, since it wouldn't hurt.




I knew some of my plants weren't as green as they could be, but I was pretty surprised to see my plants go from washed out, to deep green.




These photos show the light color the foliage had been prior to fertilizing, and the color they turned or are turning into. This is just so interesting to me, and has turned me into a believer of fertilizing!

The container of soluble fertilizer I purchased was rather expensive, and I'd like to use compost/mulching and see if I get the same results. Next year! I should have some great compost next spring.

Ways I Saved

I was so inspired the first time I read the Prudent Homemaker's "Last Week's Frugal Accomplishments" that I started trying to pay more attention to and finding more ways to save.

Last week we bought fireworks using a $10 off coupon. We also bought some fireworks that were on sale buy one get one. We used many items in the freezer to make hamburgers, I used a coupon to get chips, and we bought some ice cream on sale to make milkshakes. We had a great Fourth of July!

I made do and didn't do much shopping. Mostly just some fresh produce. I have made a very careful list for this weeks shopping. I stocked up at Costco the first week of July. It was scary to spend a good 70% of our budget there, but it seems to be worth it so far. I don't have much money left in my budget, but I also don't need much.

We made some Fourth of July decorations, and did several crafts from items we already had.

We're starting to get some produce from our garden. Last week we harvested the last of our tiny strawberry yield. I clipped lettuce leaves for a salad, and the outer leaves are ready to be clipped again. We also harvested a tomato!

Somebody offered us a memory game, and two other stringing games. I said yes, and the kiddos are having fun playing with them!

I was able to fit some quart canning jars into the budget. They were the lowest price I've seen.

We sorted out our kid's clothing. I was able to pull out and put away everything our son would need for the summer (we'd been given most of the clothes from my sister), and our daughter had a few things that still fit from last summer, so she doesn't need anything either. Whew! Clothes can be expensive!

We went to the zoo for free with our membership.

We went to garage sales and found several items we were looking for or wanted. My husband found a nice skill saw for $20, and we found several children's books for about $.50 each. I also found a like-new tub of Lincoln logs for $3! I've been wanting these for our kiddos for a long time. This set retails at $45!

Hangin' With my Gnomies

I used to think that garden gnomes were a little goofy.  I didn't understand why anybody would buy one without it being some sort of joke.  Pardon my error, friends! 

When my sister sent a link to the One Hundred Dollars a Month blog, I immediately enjoyed it and began viewing it daily to see what Mavis was up to for the day.  Soon after following her blog, I discovered that she's started a Send in the Gnomes Project to raise funds for St. Jude's Children's Hospital.  Per each gnome that she receives by August 1st (up to 10,000!!), she's going to donate $10.00.  Creative fundraiser, and that's an amazing amount of money for one person to fund.

Well, as I've been looking around for a decent-priced gnome to send in, I've learned to love them.  When I found this little guy on steep discount at Jo-Ann Fabrics, I HAD to buy one for Mavis...and myself!  So here is my first Garden Gnome.  I haven't named him yet.  Not sure I will!  Not sure if he's the first of many, or the first and last.  All I know is that he makes me smile every time I see him.