The Back Forty

Easy Homemade Mayo: Mess or Success

2012-01-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time...
What do olive oil, egg, lemon, vinegar, and salt grow up to be? If you do it right, it makes great mayo!
If you don't, you fall into the category of folks like me that got downright slimed in the kitchen. But there is hope, and I survived the learning curve and am here to tell you about the quickie 2- minute stick blender method I just tried...and found successful!

Mayo Schmayo
I grew up in a family that was highly mayonnaise-prejudiced. My father couldn't stand anything that obviously had mayo as an ingredient. My mother was a bit more neutral, and also necessarily bargain-conscious, so we got the store brand mayo sometimes, but the other times we purchased Hellman's. Never has my family on either side made their own mayonnaise. And up until today, I've been a total Hellman's snob because its texture is less smear-y and the taste is tarter than most others out there.

Hellman's vs Miracle Whip
It's a firmly divided camp. I've found there are loyal Miracle Whip families, and staunch Hellman's folks. in our case it was NO salad dressing or Miracle Whip. It HAD to be Hellman's. But, that said, I've had plenty of times I couldn't afford anything but the store brand. I've leaned a bit farther towards liking mayonnaise in things than my father ever did, but I still am not its biggest fan until it comes to sandwiches.

Oh Brother, that Mother...
We all know the saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes I intentionally make certain things necessary so that I have to find a better solution, as in this case. I let myself run out of mayo, and after reading the long list of ingredients on the store jar, I knew making it myself would cut out a lot of preservatives and iffy ingredients. And it would be cheap. And it would be REAL. The mayo labeled "olive oil mayo" at the store may have had some olive oil in it, but it also had soy oil and some unpronounceable additives. And a a bigger price.

I'm making a penny scream for mercy at the checkout counter these days, and when I see store prices for things I could easily make much more economically myself, I cringe. I almost never buy baked goods anymore from the store, or cereals. And so on. I've been long overdue to try my hand at mayo, especially since it's something I need only in small quantities now and then. But when you need it, there's really no substitute...say for making tuna salad, or a tomato sandwich. So this week, I painted myself into a corner when it came to grocery shopping and my weekly meal plan included some things requiring mayo. It was time to learn to do it myself.

Only a few basic ingredients...
I had seen online the short list of ingredients it takes to make a basic homemade mayo, and asked myself how hard this could possibly be. The only expensive ingredient in the basic recipe is the oil, depending on what sort is used...the other things are minimal...an egg, pinch of salt, something acidic like lemon juice or vinegar, and a bit of dry or prepared mustard. Other spices are optional...

We can't afford the deluxe forms of oils at this point, so we keep a light olive oil on hand, one we buy in the larger bulk size at the bulk warehouse. It doesn't have a strong flavor, so it's my go-to oil for most things. When I saw the price of the mayo versus the price of the oil which is mayo's biggest component, it made more sense this week to try my hand at a homemade replacement.

When I got home, I was in a hurry in the kitchen, multitasking several cooking projects. Sometimes I have great success at this, but that night was the exception, argghhh! I was reheating some homemade chicken and dumplings and scorched the whole thing (drat!), the quickie frozen pizza I stuck in the oven as its fast replacement was...errr...left for too long and ended up becoming a smoking petrified frisbee. I was mentally tallying the wasted grocery money as the disasters compounded, all the while chopping left over bits of this and that to put into a hasty tuna salad.

It was time to make the "easy mayo."

EPIC FAIL #1

I'll sum up.

I never realized the "slow drip oil" method was crucial to mayonnaise-making the classic way, and I never knew mayo is one of those acquired skills of a good cook. The cookbooks I had pulled out (at this last minute) warned against curdling and separation. Huh?? Oh dear, this was sounding touchy. I (wrongly) deduced that maybe a better and faster way to forgo the drip method (which they said could take a long time, drip dripping oil into the other ingredients while whisking) would be to use the blender. The REGULAR blender, the one that's big and makes smoothies in quantity.

End result? Oh gosh...it was enough to put a person off eggs and oil for a longg time.

EPIC FAIL #2
It was a big mess, and the more I tried to salvage it, the worse it got. There was actually a section in the Joy of Cooking cookbook instructing what to do in case of a "mayonnaise failure." I tried their instructions, and just ended up wasting more ingredients.

And had totally slimed the kitchen in the process!

In the end, I had a sink full of oily dishes and nothing to show for the lost grocery ingredients, UGH.

But the fun continues...

Since today is a new day, and I'm not a girl who's easily vanquished in the kitchen (for the sole reason that if I accept defeat, we don't eat), today was a Do Over. And I did what I usually do when I have to find an easier way to do something...I consult the Oracle That Is Google.

And that is how I found out a STICK BLENDER, i.e. an immersion blender, seems to be the way to go unless you are a mayonnaise snob, a French chef, or MUCH better at making saucy things than I am.

Since my standards are limited to 1. Know the ingredients 2. Afford the ingredients 3. Achieve success and actually produce a real food product, I went the stick blender route.

Here's a video to show how quick and easy this is...

...(and don't think just traditional method flunkies use it -- I also saw a youtube video of Gordon Ramsay demonstrating the stick method himself)

Ingredients, thou are simplicity:
The recipes call for egg, oil, vinegar/lemon juice, often a teaspoon of spicy mustard, and salt.

Where the blender recipes vary is whether to use a whole egg, or just the yolk. Either way produces a good mayo, though forums on the internet show debates about mayos with whole eggs (meaning including the whites, not the shells, ha) and how anything with an egg white as an ingredient isn't a true mayo. Whatever.

Apparently the three easy tips for success with the stick blender are:

1. Have the egg(s) at room temp before using
2. Do the stick blending in a narrow container such as a beaker or Mason jar (if it's much wider, it doesn't mix the same...and do not use metal containers.
3. Position the blender stick blade all the way to the bottom, over the eggs (the other ingredients naturally will rise higher than the eggs, which are heavier, when you dump everything together before blending), and don't move the blender away from the bottom when blending, until the bottom liquid becomes thick. THEN you move the stick up and down a few times to incorporate the rest of the oil.

NOT difficult! And it's really good :)

Today, I did it just as the videos show and the online sites describe. With the stick blender, it literally took two minutes! Next time I SHALL leave the egg(s) out at room temp, as most of the instructions state. But it still worked fine with my cold ones straight from the fridge.

The stick blender was set right at the bottom of the jar, over the eggs, and then I started blending it without moving the stick. It started emulsifying first the eggs and I left it right there till it thickened at the bottom, then slowly moved the stick around to incorporate the rest of the oil. I left it in there a couple minutes. The result was ACTUAL MAYONNAISE...hoorayyy!!! It then went right into the fridge, and also right onto a tomato sandwich. And it was GREAT...thick and not runny, and delicious! (Even to a Hellman's gal)

I'm going to play with ingredients to tweak them to make my own "best" as I keep on trying this.

I went with:

1 egg plus one yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp of dijon mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp vinegar ( used my homemade pine needled vinegar!)
few shakes of paprika
3/4 - 1 cup light olive oil

But the combinations are endless and there can be plenty of differing amounts and substitutes.

Here are some good recipes out there on the net and some blogs:

http://www.circle-b-kitchen.com/food-and-recipes/2011/8/8/stick-blender-mayonnaise.html

http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/homemade_mayonnaise_recipe.htm

http://forums.cooking.com/showthread.php?t=10699

As a final note, some pages warn that since raw eggs are an ingredient, there is a risk in using them. Some sites online show the same stick blender method, but give instructions to first heat the eggs before using. My Amish cookbook has recipes for "cooked salad dressings" as well. I will personally be making very small amounts of mayo at a time and using them quickly, and not leaving it out at room temp at all, especially since we're down here in warm Florida. Use these recipes at your own risk, if you do make the raw egg method...I'm just relaying my own experiments here, but each cook takes responsibility for the safety measures in his/her own kitchen.

Do you make your own mayo or other condiments? If so, do you have a proven, favorite recipe? I'd love it if you'd share!

Green Papayas as a Vegetable Dish

2012-01-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

I've never cooked green papayas before, so I wanted to start with something really easy. I decided to just peel, cube, and boil/simmer till cooked, about 20-30 minutes. We have an excess of papayas right now and they have not been quick to ripen indoors, so it was time to experiment.

I chose one and peeled it easily. There were bead-like white immature seeds inside this one, and I removed those with a spoon. The texture of the fruit when cubed was something like a butternut squash, but easier to cut through. The chunks were very firm, with no stringy-ness.

It cooked up really nicely, and has a mild neutral flavor leaning slightly towards a winter squash without the sweetness, and somewhat like potato but without the granular starchiness. I served it with sauteed garlic, a pinch of sea salt, a dab of butter, and served it instead of rice as the base for some sauteed/stewed onion, thinly-sliced steak, peppers and garlic. At least that was Jack's. I had mine by itself with a side of greens. The next night, it found its way into some curry, and was just as good that way, too.

Next time, maybe I'll try shredding it raw and making a kosher version of Som Tam, a Thai fresh salad, and substituting my own anchovy/garlic/soy blend for the fish sauce and omitting the shrimp.

I'm delighted to find a "veggie" use for a green fruit we can grow!

I think a lot of folks who don't exactly love the musky flavor of ripe papaya fruits would find a way to love the cooked green fruit because of its vegetable-ish attributes and its very mild and completely different (than the fruit) flavor.

Does anyone out here have any other way to use green papayas?

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Homemade Pine Needle Vinegar: A Balsamic Vinegar Stand-In

2012-01-23T01:24:00.000-08:00

Six weeks ago, I picked some of our treasured wild medicinal plants--Y'know, those things some folks refer to as weeds? Included among them was a harvest of fresh pine needles.

I had read this recipe in which a pine needle vinegar is made by combining apple cider vinegar and clean chopped pine needles.

So I gathered, cleaned, and snipped enough pine needles to pack into a jar, and covered it with an equal amount of ACV per the recipe instructions. The recipe specifies white pine needles, but its author and all the other herbal recipes I've found online say any type pine needle can be used, the flavor varying somewhat from astringent to pleasantly close to balsamic in flavor.

It was worth a try! So it's been jarred for 6 weeks, awaiting its debut...

Tonight was the night! I filtered it into a clean glass jar. And I have to say, it smelled delightful!

This first batch came to a little over a quart. (I used the correct proportions based on the recipe, but not the exact recipe measurements.) It has a very piney fragrance, and it does have a balsamic-y flavor minus the depth...it's much brighter. No, it does not taste like turpentine, ha! Even if it had, I'd have used it as a great homemade pine cleaner, but this batch is good enough to eat. I'm looking forward to substituting it for balsamic vinegar in some recipes.

It's so easy to make, it's definitely worth experimentation, and I will be making more!

Have you ever tried it? What's brewing/fermenting/cooking in your kitchen?

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You Know You're in the Country When...

2012-01-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

Seen in passing, from the car window, on one of our day-drives in more rural areas. Due to my affliction of a wayyy too urban-based past, I have no idea what a butt pen is.

But I know where you can get one!

And making up some possible definitions with Jack was pretty entertaining... lol :-D

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The Best Kind of Mail

2012-01-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Beautiful, and it smells as good as it looks! There's nothing quite like receiving packages in the mail (anything but bills, right?), and today the bar of handcrafted calendula tangerine soap I won (yay!!) in the recent giveaway over at LaughingDuckFarm arrived. Thanks, Melodie! I'm passing along the link one more time for anyone who wants one of these fragrant and skin-nourishing bars for yourself.

Lovely, and it made my day!

Hope yours was good, too :-D

Thrifty Thangs

2012-01-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

Thrift Store...the phrase makes me nearly as happy as the phrase Junk Store! (as in the antique store in which you can spend hours digging through dusty boxes, and most things are not overpriced)

As we've de-cluttered, I've been loathe to fill up the cleared spaces with more stuff. However, I do have a pretty scaled-down mental wish list of a few items I look for in thrift stores.

I've hit the mother lode a few times at a local thrift store that really moves their stock quickly and keeps prices low. Since I don't even have an "extras" budget, affordable to me means it truly needs to be necessary AND affordable.

Here are some thrift store things over the course of time I've unexpectedly found useful in our home:

1. Flatware. Go ahead, laugh! but I so DO buy it at the thrift store. I HATE running out of spoons or forks. Whatever my original set used to be, it's not a matched set any more. But that's okay since I'm not always a matched set kind of girl. Over the years, spoons have been taken in lunches and ended up who-knows-where, knives were used here and there and in the garden, and...well, voila! When I found a box full of unmatched forks, knives, and spoons and saw the price, it said Buy Me. At 93 cents for a drawer full, thrifting ROCKS :-D

2. Bedside table. (For my reading lamp, medical stuff, basket of books, and to set mugs of tea.) Actually, the "table" I found was an all-wood, perfect condition piano bench. Lift the lid? Vintage sheet music, to the top! Half price, it was mine for $12.00. Actually, for me that's at the top of what I'll ever pay, but this was something we'd been looking for. I can't beat the $12.00 at any bargain store.

3. Bed linens. We have a queen sized bed and we use our linens the European way, with a comforter inside a duvet cover as the top cover, and a bottom sheet beneath. This makes for a really easy mix-and-match. Any used comforter in good condition (and washed well a couple of times in hot water if straight from the thrift store) can be the filler for the duvet, which fits like a pillow case over it. I'm allergic to synthetics for the most part, so it's easy to find all-cotton duvets occasionally, and odd or matched pillowcases. I've found some beautifully embroidered ones as well. The pillowcases run 50 cents or less, and the duvets perhaps $3.00. I like very light colored linens on our own bed, so I just buy with that in mind. Dust ruffles are also a couple of dollars or less, so with a solid color duvet and mix-and-match pillowcases and dust ruffles, it doesn't matter which things go to the wash, there's always a way to put fresh ones on and still have some variety. I've outfitted the guest bed in the same way. I wish I'd thought of this system years ago! P.S. Yesterday I found a queen sized comforter in a beautiful pattern, Ralph Lauren brand (even though I couldn't care less about brands...just mentioning because it indicates its original cost). Five dollars, hooray!

4. Older kitchen items. Casseroles, utensils, baking dishes. It seems like the older ones are a better fit in my kitchen, and the price is right.

5. Curtains and table linens. I've bought these only when I see something that's a perfect fit for my preferences and if they're the right price. In the bedroom I have understated lace panels at the windows. I could never have afforded them from the retail store. Total cost of these? Four panels, 4 dollars. I also pick up some really beautiful placemats and tablecloths this way. Since there are just 2 of us, a couple placemats at a dime apiece is just fine, and it doesn't take much effort to add that small touch to make mealtime together even nicer.

6. Dishes, cups, dinner plates. We have an odd assortment, but they're ones I like. I leave the expensive ones on the shelves but buy the "grandma-ish" loners and other mismatch china for pennies. I also use a couple of older china dishes on my dresser to corral the girly stuff like lotion, etc.

7. Canning and storage jars. I love finding these, but usually someone's beat me to the punch. Even so, I'll find the odd canning or storage jar in the older shapes and brands now and then, for a little loose change.

Sometimes we've learned the hard way that just because something's a deal, it's not ALWAYS such a deal. Beware of stinky sofas. A friend and I went in together on one for a young family setting up a new apartment. What had looked great in the store was ...aromatic...in the worst sense of the word. Not just stinky, but stanky. I have one chair I just love from the thrift store, but most times we steer clear of upholstered things since it's hard to get them really clean if they're in bad condition. And there are some really stinky sofas out there!

Maybe it sounds like I shop thrift stores all the time? I don't. And I don't go to any other type store without a list, because for the past few years we've needed to budget carefully (and I know myself and my tendency towards buyer's remorse.) Those extras coins add up, so we keep a jar and collect it. But it's nice to have the option of some quality items as real deals when we do want to carefully aquire something.

Two of my favorite finds were a 6 foot all wood buffet with drawers (in need of stripping and refinishing because someone had gone crazy with stain and polyurethane, ha) half-price at $25.00, and a circa 1970s Singer sewing machine/table with electric treadle, half-price at $12.00.

I know a lot of you guys are bargain-a-holics, so I'm among experts, ha!

What are some of your tips for thrift stores, and what have some of your best finds been?

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Yay, I Won!

2012-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

There was recently a giveaway over at Laughing Duck Farm's blog, and yippee, I won some terrific handcrafted herbal soap!! I'll take pics when I receive it...I've always wanted to learn to make wonderful soaps, but just haven't taken on that project yet. I love seeing the great originality and beauty of the diverse handmade items from so many other blog neighbors out here.

For a peek at Melodie's great Etsy site, here's the link.

First Papaya Harvest

2012-01-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

This was the first year any of our papaya trees bore fruit. We never had any put on fruit until this year, and we weren't sure how long the fruits would last before a freeze threatened. We found out...

One of the trees appeared to be a yellow-fruiting papaya, and the other the ruby type fruit. We watched with great anticipation as the fruits developed in a spiraling pattern up the trunks, slowly growing larger. There were nearly 20 on the ruby papaya, and a half dozen or more on the yellow.

We had to harvest all the papayas prematurely, or at least earlier than we would have chosen, when we heard that the temps would drop to freezing for not one day, but at least two in a row. Still, I wrapped them as well as possible in sheets. But the night before all that, we went ahead and brought in the fruits that were big enough to allow to ripen and eat.

The yellow papaya fruits were smaller than the ruby papayas, but they still got bigger than what I've seen in the stores. They are more round, as well. This one is the first of any of them to ripen since we harvested the lot. The skins turn mottled and patchy and aren't the kind of "supermarket attractive," but the real treasure is on the inside...

The flesh of the yellow papayas is a pale cantaloupe color. It appears these seeds were not fully developed, or at least that's my guess, since we harvested them early.

Usually, the seeds are plentiful,dark, and coated with a thick gel coat...papaya "caviar." We'll save these, just in case they germinate, but it's likely they are too immature to be viable.

But the proof's not just in the hardiness, but also in the taste. I've tasted some bland and downright yuck papayas before from the store, and others that were wonderful. For me, papaya has been an acquired taste, but I was pleasantly surprised tonight when we shared a half for dinner. This particular one had a mellow honey taste with mild papaya flavor...not insipidly mild, and also not heavily musky like some papayas. It was sweet and tender, so...SUCCESS!!!!

We're new to being able to actually have any fruit to show for our (well, Jack's) tree-growing efforts. But it is worth the wait! And I'm not sure I'm yet adjusted, even after 8 years, of having fresh fruit ripening in the middle of winter. But NO complaints!

Are you northerners eating your jars of apple butter yet and drinking spiced cider? It's COLD up there :)

And a question for any Floridians...do your papaya trees die all the way back in the winter likes ours are? If not, what's your secret?

And final question...I posted these pics a larger size than most of my posts. On your screen, do they bleed over the column edges, or are they just fine? If they are problematic for some of your formats, I'll shrink them again.

Hope everyone is staying warm!

Herbin' Legend: Swedish Bitters

2012-01-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

This past year, I enjoyed taking beginner's steps in making some of our own herbal medicinals. Many medicinal plants are what mainstream gardeners consider weeds. Others can be found as easily as looking right in a basic spice collection.

My focus is to use herbs to both help cleanse and regenerate...detoxify and nurture healing. We use most of our herbs right now in the form of teas made as either infusions (hot or boiling water poured over an amount of herb and steeped) or decoctions (herb brought to a particular temperature/boiling for an amount of time) depending on the recommendation I find in some of the books I have. Sometimes we use herbal tinctures, since we don't always have a good source for the fresh plants or the dried herb (and if bought they can be expensive). The tinctures preserve the dried or fresh herbs beautifully...there are specific ways to tincture specific plants, and specific parts of the plants and harvest times that are optimal...so I am using herbal how-to books a lot right now to learn those things. I'll make a list of some of the books I'm really loving...soon :)

An interesting development has been that Jack and I have discovered that our personal diets often lacked foods that are bitter, to whatever degree. Many of the herbs we are using have varying degrees of bitterness, not all unpleasant. As we accustom ourselves to drinking these throughout the day, and pairing them with better foods including greens that sometimes have a bitter taste, we've come to realize that the actual bitterness within these healing foods is something we've been lacking. Oftentimes, they help cleanse and tone our bodies, noticeably our muscles, and as a result Jack has had less muscle wear and tear, and less pain or recovery time when his physically-active job runs long. His legs used to be in knots when he tried to sleep, and he was often plagued with cramps and muscle fatigue.

Tonics made of bitter herbs have been around for lifetimes.

In reading a couple books by the late Austrian herbalist Maria Treben, she repeatedly mentions a particular bitters tonic called Swedish Bitters...here's an article that describes it in more detail.

I decided to make my own Swedish Bitters tincture from the original "recipe," and found a way to order it here (no, I don't get paid to mention this, it's simply where I ordered it).

It's as simple as adding at least 40 proof alcohol to the dried herb mix, covering it and letting it steep in a warm place (sunlight's ok) for 2 weeks, shaking it daily to make sure it gets distributed throughout the liquid. Then you can strain the liquid off into amber bottles for use. The instructions state that the herb can be left in the larger container and small amounts strained off as needed.

The herb mixture has a camphor-ish smell, not unpleasant. (Do any of you get a kick smelling herbs like I do?? OK, maybe I'm weird, but I love it) I lidded my jar with the standard canning lid and ring, but put a piece of plastic wrap underneath it before screwing it on to prevent the alcohol from coming into contact with the metal.

Voila...Swedish Bitters!

We'll use this, when it's done, for a variety of household DIY personal care needs topically as well as take it as a tincture whenever we want our bitters "tonic."

I made some of this years ago, and it keeps indefinitely once made and stored in a dark closet. It darkens considerably to a black-brown slurry which takes on the strong smell and healing properties of the herbs, for so many uses, it's sort of a herbal workhorse. I'll write more on it as we strain off the finished product and use it, but I wanted to include these quick pics to show how easy it is to make, and to see if any of you out there have ever used Swedish bitters or any other bitters formula before.

Anyone? I'd love to hear your go-to homemade herbal "old faithfuls"!

Happy 2012 !!!

2012-01-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings...Again...No, really!
Whew, has it really been that long since I posted on the blog? Well, Happy New Year to all and I hope your winter and holiday seasons have been warm and great!

Holidays
We had a very low-key celebration of Hanukkah, except for a visit to our friends about an hour away who always put on a lavish and homey homecoming for family and friends. It was a repeat of Thanksgiving, with a Hanukkah twist, and I contributed some home eats to the mix both times. Food, friends, and enough eating to fuel all sorts of new resolutions afterwards, ha! It was a happy time at a distance, too, as we learned of friends welcoming babies to their families during this season...which really is a bright spot for everyone's new year! I was remiss in getting out ANY holiday cards this year (some years I do better than others).

Around Here
Florida isn't very cold in the winter, but there are some cool spells that seem to coax certain trees and plants into dormancy and give the milder weather ones a time to perk up again. All the new succulent growth of the re-sprouters can be found now, so I'm putting the sunshine to good use and will be plucking up fresh plantain herb today, and trying to identify other "weed" herbs at their young growth stages...I still lack a good working knowledge of "what's what" in the weed and wild plant world. So, slowly I learn. But I know better than to nibble without identifying correctly first.

Loving Those Weeds and Herbs So Much
Sometimes the paths of necessity and interest converge in unexpected places. Had we not found ourselves in the situation a few years back of making the most of our situation and becoming more self-sufficient, I think we wouldn't be nearly as rich in life experiences and new interests (really useful ones!) as we are now. I simply LOVE pairing a better way of eating (and all the while, the simpler and cheaper way has ended up being the healthiest by far) with a burgeoning interest in not only the multi-use plants, but the older uses of certain plants that have fallen out of use in modern times, AND the use of weeds and herbs as healing foods/herbs.

Thank You For Your Comments!
Sometimes there's a delay in my seeing the comments that get left here, since they no longer (for whatever reason??) no longer always send a notification to my email. But I find them eventually..and thank you for your recommendations and advice, I take it all to heart! So please pardon my delays in responding.

I Want to Be An Herbalist
...when I grow up?? Well, now, anyway! Or taking those beginning steps along that path. At the moment, I'm in love with some of the simpler "weedy" herbs...nettle, burdock, yarrow, dandelion, chickweed to name a few. But I'm way beyond infatuation with a tonic here or a cute little box of herb tea there. I love the way internally and externally the simplest "weedy" herbs (that are the bane of People Who Market Roundup) are THE nutrients this world, this society, this generation NEEDS for vibrant health, cell regeneration, stress repair, and vital nutrients no scientist can adequately list. I am particularly interested in the simples...single herbs...made into more concentrated but mild infusions.

I found a source only in the past couple of days for dry nettle and for oatstraw. I'm going to make infusions according to the instructions I found on Susun Weed's instructional youtube videos, since each of these herbs can be made into nourishing infusions, with benefits too numerous to list, that both Jack and I can benefit from. He's not only my willing partner in these adventures, he's as motivated as I am, and as happy when we find something really good.

For example, he experiences muscle strain since he puts in a lot of miles walking at his job, a lot of it up and down concrete stairs. He used to come home with his leg muscles in knots, and they would often cramp repeatedly. At some point, though we were using it for something else at the time, we found that a very low dose of wormwood tea (made with hot water and the dried herb, very small dose) had the interesting "side effect" of his being able to have faster muscle repair...the days he took the low dose wormwood before work, he had much less muscle tiredness and oftentimes no cramps or pain afterwards at all. He already was taking Hyaluronic Acid for his joints (we swear by this), so having the simplicity of a couple sips of wormwood tea (it's not for the fainthearted...it defines "bitter") as a muscle support herb has been wonderful! For stubborn cramping, I ran across a mention in Maria Treben's Health Through God's Pharmacy that a simple tea of sage (yep, like the one in the spice rack) could help, so I made that with a heaping teaspoon the next time Jack had leg cramps, and it really helped, along with the wormwood, as well. This is just our own experience, but it is valid for us. We just reduced my husband's reliance on 800 mg Ibuprofen, in exchange for a few pennies' worth of herb and an occasional swig from our one dollar bottle of clear liquid Magnesium Citrate (found in glass bottles in the laxative section of any drugstore...another of our cheap tips). We use the Magnesium citrate in tablespoon doses to add electrolytes anytime there is muscle pain or tightness, or exposure to a lot of outdoor heat. But I digress...

Back to the Herbs
I've slowly been gathering some reference books around me, too, in order to go forward filling in the learning gap, and to have some reliable information other than things gleaned at random on the internet. If anyone has a particular recommendation of really good and sound herbal books, I'd love to hear about them :)

A Reader's Experience with the Gynura
I was contacted a few weeks ago by a blog reader who had come across a post of mine from 3 years back about the Gynura procumbens plants we had ordered then. We have grown them in pots and in the ground ever since, and they were originally purchased because I had read somewhere that in Malasyia and parts of Asia, they are used as blood sugar reducers for diabetics. When I was contacted by the very nice man recently, he told me he bought some of the Gynura plants for the same purpose and was calling to let me know he ate the leaves fresh daily and his blood sugars were lowered from their original higher readings to completely normal since he began with the Gynura. I'm just relating his experience, but he was the first person I could find who could provide evidence of a safe dosage amount of the fresh leaves. He has been taking them a year and a half or more, with completely normal blood sugar readings as long as he continues eating the fresh leaves daily. So he grows enough plants in his guest bedroom to keep him in the green all year around.

This really jump-started me, and I found further evidence in the meantime that Gynura can be made into an extract in alcohol, so in a couple weeks' time, my own extract will be ready. I'm finding with certain herbs and plants that an alcohol based extract will keep for a very long time and can be made in concentrations that are therapeutic, portable, and easy to measure out. There are a lot of good herb books out there with the specifics of preparation and dosage of many types of medicinal herbs.

So, I am my own guinea pig. I will not go off my prescription medication, no, not yet, but I've already lowered my dose (I've been taking blood sugar-supportive herbs, yay!) My plan with the Gynura tincture is to start with a couple drops of the tincture, and slowly work up to more drops as my sugar count goes down. I found a scientific study from Singapore that said the Gynura tincture has the similar effect as Metformin on blood sugar, and this is one of the two types of meds I'm on. SO...I intend to pull a slight switcheroo. Reduce the one slowly while incorporating the other. Let's see how it goes. My doc will be involved all along the way, just saying...

Everything Goes Back to the Eating
I wish I were the person who grew EVERYTHING in our backyard. I'm not. Yet. But we have learned that almost anything homemade from scratch is better than almost anything from a store not homemade from scratch. That said, we still have our Pan Pizza moments, and I love fresh sushi rolls.

Our diet has improved greatly. Getting starches to a lower percentage of our meal intake has been a challenge, mostly regarding rice and potatoes. We have not totally eliminated rice, and we'll never eliminate potatoes, but we HAVE nearly eliminated wheat flour and most dairy (exception, butter). Since we make black beans, the rice just goes with that so well. But there's been no more homemade bread, other than a random homemade banana bread loaf, or cake for a celebration now and then. We've substituted fruit, and a slightly "faster" food concession has been keeping a big can of cold canned peaches or applesauce in the fridge for those moments when we have a sweet tooth. Adding in the fresh juiced carrots and the greens --- a keeper for good. And where Jack is, garlic gets added into nearly everything. Our meats are greatly greatly reduced...I can stretch a few chicken breasts out an entire week as a small addition here and there to meals, but not as a main course. Simplicity can be delicious and filling.

An Interesting Side Effect
I still have a lot less energy than most other people, or maybe less motivation to drive myself than I did when I was younger. Or maybe I just like simplicity and hate chaos, and have embraced a slower life. The interesting side effect embracing a bit of frugality and a big dose of simplicity has been...that other areas of my life are coming into order. I guess maybe the refusal to be busy for busy-ness's sake has made me a stubborn "simplist" but it's helped me recognize the more important things, and cleared my mind even in small matters, like organizing my house. Slowly, those forgotten corners are being cleared out in the same way. I simply don't NEED a lot of possessions. I can reuse things (like glass jars, etc) rather than create more waste. I don't need as many clothes, and don't need trendy things. I don't need constant entertainment...that's been VERY interesting...silencing the voice of the TV the past number of years has helped with distractions. I'd go through Google withdrawals and Netflix convenience, but I COULD easily adjust to not having this computer. I'd miss the convenience of emails because we do use that a lot. But it could be done. I LIKE the clear spaces in my life now that used to be cluttered with detritus that was unnecessary or not really being enjoyed fully. In a way, it's like eating a little bit of great nutritious food rather than immense amounts of junk that don't actually satisfy.

So, a good side effect! Evidence that things are still constructive, a good sign :)

I still have to rest a lot more than a lot of people. I am hoping this will not be forever. I am treating that need with respect, understanding my body needs healing. There is a time to mend...

But while the sun still shines, I'm headed to pick some fresh papaya (yayy!!! our first!) and see if I can decipher the little green leaves that are popping out all over the ground. I need to learn what they are..there is a world of wealth underfoot!

What does your New Year find you doing and looking ahead to? Thank you for your comments and advice!

Happy New Year!!

Happy Foraging!

2011-12-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

Leaf types from top right, clockwise: Jujube, Gynura procumbens, Guava, Moringa , Narrow Leaf Plantago (plantain), Dollarweed, Nopal cactus pads

It's hard to believe winter's upon us and yet outside in the backyard everything is still green. But so grows Florida! The papaya tree now has 16 fat and heavy fruits winding up its stem, and counting...what fun! The second one has smaller round fat ones and seems to be trying to keep up.

What's new in our neck of the woods? Well, not enough new news to keep me blathering on here too often, since I just don't want to come here to fill blog space. But my excitement comes in small things, and these days it's the plants and learning so many uses for their different parts. Our focus has been plants that thrive in this climate without a lot of fuss, so that is a marriage of plants that usually get categorized separately into categories such as "fruit trees," "perennials," "culinary herbs," "medicinal herbs," and of course the one that makes me chuckle..."weeds." (We so appreciate our native plants that I get more excited about weeds these days than I do a garden center full of exotics. One gal's weeds are another gal's wonder plants!) I do love me a native plant. I also love the proven immigrant plants that over the years thrived right along side the native ones, as long as they don't bully them.

I probably don't write enough here about our harvests of leaves and greens because I still don't think of my backyard as a garden as such...until I walk under the moringa trees and pick some chaya leaves or guava leaves or other things I'm beginning to add to our repertoire of natural food and medicine. Learning to USE these things has been a process, and it continues. I'm just not used to the "un-garden"...one not in raised beds or tilled plots or rows.

But the good news is that so many common trees have leaves with edible uses, or medicinal. So do "weeds," and so do some plants with a lot of staying power.

Pine needles harvested for making a mock balsamic vinegar and pine needle tea

My computer ate my Dummy-proof five option photo editing program somewhere along the line. Or maybe it was so out of date it just retired early, ha! But I'm using Picknik.com now and I'm having fun with the effects. But back to the leaves...

One day I looked around our yard, counted the sorts of trees and shrubs we have (some we planted, others that are in the woods that border our property) and then researched any known food or medicinal uses for each of them. The results were SO exciting! Everything from pine trees to citrus to landscaping shrubs, and nearly all of them had some traditional use somewhere in the world as a food, a spice, a supplement, or a medicinal. It has caused me to really stop and study these leaves I walk by so casually every day...inside of each of them is an array of nutrients I'd never be able to afford were I to try to fill my medicine chest or spice rack with the individual isolates.

Many are wonderful as teas. Others are gentle herbal supports. Others are powerful stimulant herbals. Others are tonics and digestives. Others make wonderful vinegars, syrups, flavorings. Others contribute their benefits when made into balms, lotions, compresses, poultices.

Just picked from the backyard, my food and art: Dollarweed, Plantain leaves, Pine needles. Happiness in a basket!

As we nibble our way through the newness of the backyard greens, I may post here about some of them.

We are continuing to juice, mostly carrots and apples, as a healing change to our diet and a way to get raw foods when we're all salad-ed out. For some reason the juice has a more noticeable effect, and maybe a quicker one, than just the smoothies or raw salads, so we're doing a combination of all those alongside a small percentage of cooked greens and soups. Lots of fruits and greens. I am REALLY trying to get rid of this diabetes. We're drinking many supportive teas, some for specific benefits and others just because we like them. When I say tea, I'm meaning herbals, usually loose herbs boiled and steeped, or infusions left to concentrate for a few hours before drinking (I learned that one from a Susun Weed video, and it really seems to get the most use for the herb that way).

I'm still making up some batches of tinctures, but I'd like a book as reference for the specific herbs so I have a better idea of the correct proportions of herb to alcohol. One step at a time :)

And that leads me to my last quick mention...I've decided I want to become a master herbalist. I've had a great deal of fun researching so many of our plants for our own uses, it just dawned on me I'd love to delve deeper as well as actually utilize a lot of what we've learned. Besides the fun aspect, I believe good health is within the grasp of those with very little cash or savings and is crucial for the times we're in. Learning and utilizing traditional herbalism AND lesser-known (or just overlooked) edibles is a backyard pantry whose ends are health...and a different kind of prosperity and abundance.

This will be a long-term thing, so why not enjoy learning beside so many of the great herbalists who've made their wisdom and resources available? If anyone can recommend some good school or program with distance-learning access, I'd love to know more!

What's going on in your neck of the woods...and do you folks in the Upper 47 have snow yet? Ah, the smell of fir trees and icy air! :) Stay warm!

Blessings from us to you,

Robbyn

More Dehydrator Juice Pulp Uses

2011-10-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal made with addition of apple pulp from juicer

The juicing continues! The resulting juicer pulp also continues!

The nice thing about juicing is that it fits into any diet, ramping up the veggie and fruit content considerably. We're all for eating those good things fiber and all (fiber's good!). It's just that we're concentrating our nutrition for some specific targets nutritionally for the time being, and the concentration of fresh juice is really benefitting our bodies (they can really feel the difference).

I did a practice round with the pulp (as written about in my last post) by mixing it with oatmeal and seeds/nuts and dehydrating. They turned out pretty well, but for it to be perfected I'm going to have to play around with it some more.

In the meantime, we separate the apple pulp (as it comes out of the juicer) and save it since we remove the seeds before juicing. The pulp itself is sweet and pretty moist, so it certainly merits some dehydrator experimentation, something maybe with cinnamon?

But anyway, the pulp has never made it yet as far as the dehydrator...it's the perfect pairing with hot cooked oatmeal. When cooked up with some oatmeal, it actually lightens the oatmeal ( I was surprised), giving it a texture less gummy (quite pleasant, really!). It's wonderful with some walnuts and maple syrup, or raisins and honey, or cinnamon, etc. It's a great homemade "apple cinnamon oatmeal" and cooks up in no time if your oatmeal is the faster cook kind (but if not, is great in the slow cook kind, of course).

Next up for experiments will be some of that lovely soft fruit/veggie pulp mixed in with seeds and nuts and oats and raisins to make homemade granola! I'm not sure what additional pulp we'll use besides the apple, maybe a little carrot?

So....what to do if you are inundated with extra pulp and you don't have time to do any particular experiments those days??

I'm mulching a tree seedling that's suffered a bit. Lots of lovely veggie pulp right around the root line. And the wonderful surprise that greets me these days as I go to empty the overflow there again?

Butterflies!! The viceroy butterflies seem to love carrot pulp! There are usually a half dozen or more at a time, perched on the fluffy orange compost, finding some way to feast on their own version of a carrot juice pick-me-up...ha :) I'll try to capture that on camera if I can soon...so pretty! And the tree seems to be holding is own...I know the microbes and little crawlies must be enjoying a new lease on life as the fertility ramps up. (It's the lazy woman's composts, indeed).

If you have any suggestions for uses for the good juicer pulp, let me know! I'll post the results of the granola experiment, if any of the apple pulp makes it that long without being snacked on beforehand. Chilled in the fridge, it's almost like apple sauce.

Hope your fall is refreshing and full of color!

Juicer Pulp Dehydrator Crackers

2011-10-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

(Pics enlarge if you click)

I don't know how many times I've been in my local supermarket produce section and have passed through the small organic section after curiously eyeballing the only bulk item they carry there...carrots. I'm not much of a carrot eater per se, at least raw carrot sticks. Sure, we use them in stews, but never to the point where I need 25 lbs of them in my refrigerator at a time. But, wow, they seemed like a good deal...priced at $14.99, that comes to about what, 60 cents a pound?

So now I guess it's time for true confessions. We were given a Champion juicer a while back, and had not used it yet, despite the best of intentions. Why??? (head banging time, ha) I don't know! But I succumbed to a sudden urge to ramp up our nutrition as I stood there in the produce section, and knowing that that many carrots would be a pretty good buy for some serious juicing. I've juiced before, and I'm used to the taste, especially with a carrot and apple base.

We had never used a Champion juicer, and Jack manned it after we watched a couple of youtube videos to get all tutorialed up. It was really easy to use and clean and it did make a lot more juice than some cheaper juicers we've used in years (wayyy) past. So we juiced up some carrots and a couple of apples, and it was oh, so good! The juice was drunk right on the spot by us both.

But what to do with that good clean carrot pulp? Kaleb got a snack of some, some went into the evening soup pot, but the bulk of it was the stuff of experiment. Having made some dehydrated raw foods in the dehydrator in the past couple years (but never crackers), I wondered if I could approximate some of those dehydrated crackers I've had in the past from the health food store. I needed to use whatever ingredients we had on hand, bits of this and that. We're trying to stay away from most flours, but we do eat oatmeal and seeds and nuts. I also don't have one of those convenient tray liners to make thin spreads on, so I have to make the mixture thick enough to not fall through the dehydrator spaces on each rack.

I put about 2 parts carrot pulp (a tiny bit was apple) to about 1 part uncooked quick raw oatmeal and added sesame seeds, raw hulled pumpkin seeds, some flax seeds, a few pinches of sea salt and some pepper, a little olive oil, and a few spices, namely powdered garlic. Then I mixed in 1/2 of a onion, minced fine. It was still too crumbly at that stage, so I added water enough to really wet the whole thing, and let it set for about five minutes so the oatmeal could get sticky enough to hold everything together a little better. I tried to patty out portions as thinly as I could between my hands and then transfer them each carefully to the stacking dehydrator trays.

I had no idea how they would turn out, but hey, it would be a shame to waste that really good organic carrot pulp! I let the deydrator go and didn't really pay attention to how much time it took, but I think it was in the neighborhood of about 4 or 5 hours (???)...till they were very dry. I didn't want them still moist in the middle because I'd like them to last without molding for a while, or at least until they're eaten :)

They didn't turn out badly! Not a 10 but definitely way above the category of a dog biscuit (ha!) Not bad for a first attempt. They're crunchy and very full of fiber and have a sweetness from the carrot that pairs nicely with the oatmeal binder, and the seeds and onion and garlic are nice. This will go well with soups or with some farmer's cheese topped with herbs.

We're already glad we got supplied with enough carrots to begin juicing again ...it's been way too long! We watched some clips and full length videos about the Gershon Protocol and have tweaked our eating once again. It seems we're always having to hone our focus in the area of our eating, and get on track with better choices. With the carrots going into juice, soup, and now dehydrated crackers all at one shot, it really makes me feel like we got a very healthy bang for our buck.

How do you use the pulp from your juicers? Have any great dehydrator recipe along those lines, or other ways to use it?

I can't believe this is the first time we're doing this. Jack's already requested a sweet version with raisins and maple syrup or cinnamon. If you have any experience or ideas, help, I can use it!

I hope you all are well and are having wonderful cooler weather with some relief from those high temps. The days here in Florida are simply beautiful just now, and the nights a bit cooler. Ah, I miss my Tennessee autumns! But no complaints from down here in paradise right now...

:) Robbyn

5772: Thoughts for a New Year

2011-10-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

These are calabazas from a prior year....our version of the fall pumpkins! We're headed into the fall and today is the day after Yom Kippur.

The slate is clean and white, a new year ahead! What am I determined to remember heading into the upcoming months?

1. The dream is not dead.   Dreams change, alter, of necessity. When I began this blog some years back in 2007 (or was it 2006?? ack, my memory!) Jack and I were making preparations to relocate eventually to acreage where we could be more self-sufficient. In the ensuing years, I experienced discouragement as that dream would seem to be on the precipice, yet fall through time and time again. It was not for a lack of effort and creativity, and patience, on our part. I said I was discouraged, and I'm sure Jack was, at times, but he has the gift of a resilient outlook on life and an irrepressible optimism. I'm so glad, otherwise I'd be tempted to let my sometimes dour outlook on adversity have freer reign. So, instead, God has taught me to cherish what I do have, especially the partner He's given me. Jack is THE best. No dream for me would be happy without his being the main ingredient within it. I also am so grateful for being right where we are, even as I hope to one day relocate. Jack is behind this desire...he wants to see us settled to his satisfaction where we have fewer monetary obligations, namely mortgage. Until then, here we are. This place is simply beautiful and has sustained us so well. If we remain here, it's because God has decided it's where we need to be for the longterm. We planted out all those buckets of plants right here...put down roots, literally. We remain poised for change but dig our weeds right here, right now :)

Dreams delayed can sometimes make one heartsick, but dreams can be tools to change us. I'm different now, much the same at heart, but having made concessions for real life, and learning to bend to fit dreams to reality. I also allow for the open door, not just the closed ones. As God directs our path, we continue to knock on doors. If the door ever opens to "that dream," the one where we're on some land where we can build something very small and have no mortgage, I believe the delay has been a learning experience. And a lesson not to allow hope in something future to lessen the living in the Now.

2. Remembering to be present in my own life. Life is so short. The other day, I was putting together some pictures for my daughter from photos collected over the last few decades. I realized something as I went through the albums and boxes of old pictures...I had left myself out of almost all the shots, and had not included any of the few pictures of myself, with only a few exceptions. It was weird. It was as if everyone else had lived through those birthdays and holidays, special events and candid shots, but either I was the one behind the camera lens, or had excluded my picture intentionally. It was as if I were absent from my own history. I'll probably always be camera-shy, but this was somewhat ridiculous! So I went on a hunt for a few pictures to include, and I did finally find a few. So into the albums they went. Some passing vanity of not wanting my photo to be viewed unless I were at an ideal weight, a cuter outfit, a more flattering shot instead of that one laughing with my mouth completely open...how silly I had been to be so superficial. Those who know me today would seldom realize that as a child I went through a period when I was so painfully shy I would cry if I were forced to say hello to someone I had never met before. At my core, I still have a shyness that wars within, but I've learned appropriate ways to push past it, most times. But I think it's that latent "pull-back" tendency that kept my image from being among the photos of family and friends. I resolve to be present TODAY, warts and all, and without apology to myself. If I'm caught in a photo laughing with food in my mouth or on a bad hair day, or at a size I wish were smaller, fair warning...too bad, it's me! I refuse to be invisible in my own history any more.

From a wonderful book I'm reading called Making Loss Matter, by David Wolpe, he quotes Thomas Merton: It is a foolish life which is lived in the minds of other human beings. Freeing myself from the constraints of what I believe to be the opinions or conviction of other people is allowing me to do something that would otherwise not happen --- mature. I need to have enough confidence in the lessons I've learned about what's important to me and how to walk out this life that I am not edged out, by my own omission, into a life where I don't appear in any of my own life's scenes. I need to trust the wisdom God has gone to the trouble of teaching me. I'm quick to listen to others, and learn, and defer. I need to quit pretending that I, myself, have less to offer and I need to actually use my talents and knowledge, or I'm living a shadow life that mimics others, rather than being present and vital in my own. I need to make my time here count in a meaningful, sometimes bolder way, and not as the child who is plagued with fear of failure or embarrassment and retreats to the safety of shyness...or invisibility.

3. I'm resolved to delight in my Judaism. I rarely write about this here, but today is the exception. This figures largely into my life, so on the list it goes! Did you know when you're a Jewish convert or are at any specific point in the process of conversion, it's going to be very controversial? It's not for the faint of heart :) I'll leave it at that, but I'm not talking about friends in christianity who don't understand my choice that way, but rather some Jewish sects who have very concrete ideas of what that means and how it should happen. And, of course, I'm not the perfect fit for some of these groups. :)

I'm an odd fit theologically and spiritually--there is no cookie cutter formula for me other than my credo "to the Torah." The quest of going "scripture only" flies in the face of some element of ALL religious groups at some point. That my conclusions don't agree with most of the people who made up my life for my first three decades and more has meant loss and being misunderstood, but my focus remains simple "Seek God." Most of my friends are christian, as I was for most of my life until several years ago, and my love and appreciation for them has not diminished. For some, my conversion was a deal-breaker, for others, they chose to "trust me to God." (that's how one lifetime friend puts it :)) The funny thing is that as a convert to Judaism, there are certain religious Jews who do not welcome me (yet!) because my conversion did not match their established traditions for such. That's not to broadly generalize, nor to denigrate any group, but it is a reality I was blissfully unaware of. Nevertheless, I'm at the point where I've got to be ok with that, after all, I'm happiest on this path.

I am happy to be the oddball (with some caveats, ha)! But it can be rather like being the one schoolkid not picked to be on the kickball team at recess :) Where some people are born into a culture of belief and never ask questions beyond the "approved ones," I will always reserve the right to ask and seek and want to know the scriptures. Question everything. Truth can always bear up under the asking of questions.

Judaism, by my definition of following the Torah as the covenant between God and Israel, is broad enough to include me and endlessly rich in equipping folks for its primary goal...tikkun olam...the bettering of this world, or literally in the hebrew "the repair of the world." It expects participation, not resignation, and includes a motly crew that very much now includes me. It's messy work, but it means one person CAN and DOES make a difference, here, and now. So this year, I'm going to FLY. I'm going to continue to learn, study, and pray. I'm going to look for ways to make the ordinary meaningful, and do what I can to make this a better place, to fix little wrongs and add enthusiasm and some elbow grease to existing efforts already doing this.

I'm not anything "typical" as far as being Jewish, but the one unifying element among "practicing Jews" (meaning ones who have Jewish belief, not just ethnicity) of any "variety" is the Torah...a love of living its precepts, love for fellowman, love for God. I may have to piece together my own place along this path, and that applies to finding a congregation. There's not an orthodox one to be found within driving distance, plus the orthodox don't drive on shabbat. Our work schedules thankfully allow for Saturdays off at this point (Yayyyy!!!) but we're so tired on that day, we usually rest here at home instead of finding a service somewhere. We participate in services via the internet, but that, understandably, has its limitations. We study regularly, but not with others, and my attempts to gain an internet study partner through some better known sites has so far resulted in my being told that my conversion was not orthodox enough to make me eligible to study with the orthodox . Which is beyond ironic because I'm what most Jews would think of as quite "observant." This only means I'm now fully in my usual comfort zone of being...a square peg in a round hole!!!! HA!   It's ok...to be original :) Which leads me to my next point...

4. My definition of success and of myself is not going to look like anyone else's. Sometimes the fact that I find myself not squarely in ANY camp is a bit unsettling. But we have to strive for authenticity, being true to the unique qualities God created in us individually, and the values which anchor us. "Success" will be defined personally much differently for me than how our surrounding culture defines it.

I love love love the Steve Jobs quote (may he rest in peace).   See if this has meaning for you, too. I know of NO authentic person to whom this quote would not apply:

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.~ Steve Jobs

Thank you to Steve Jobs. This is a very powerful quote, and I won't forget it soon.

5. Be more deliberate. This will mean having my goals before me, becoming more disciplined, getting healthier, organizing certain areas of my life better, using what I have at hand to utilize my talents, and not starting too many new projects until I see through the worthwhile ones at hand. It will also mean being kind, and investing more effort into relationships and keeping them nurtured. It also will help me focus attention on being true to my core values in ways that support integrity even in small details. Specifically, I'm going to be aware of things that I do and how I do them, such as how I use my time. What do I fill my moments with, my mind with? What company do I keep, and what have I been rationalizing under the guise of entertainment, relaxation? I've found that as much as I enjoy watching movies, I've slowly over the years compromised some of my core values in what I allow myself as far as "enjoyment" and entertainment. There often is so much yuck along with the fun stuff, I've lost my barometer many times by justifying junk as entertainment. Being a really easygoing person in this area (I don't like santimoniousness in myself or others), I've gotten TOO relaxed. So this year I will exercise more deliberateness (is that a word?) in being honest with my choices and honing my focus a bit more in areas I'm slack or unproductive. This also goes for Bible study, career, household, relationships, and so on. Here's to a gentle and consistent raising of the bar to gain the best rather than settle for counterfeits :)

6. Joy!! This is a choice and an attitude. I've had many times of grief and loss in my life. I've also had great blessing. No matter what befalls, there is something to be grateful for. To not cultivate joy and choose to see the extraordinary in the everyday is to miss the gift we're given every morning when we wake up and have been given one more day to live. I'm no stranger to adversity, but without it, I'd still be a child and not an adult. Our focus AS we go through things is our choice. I'm determined this year to celebrate JOY any time I can grab it! Life is to be tasted, handled, marveled at, experienced. It's way too short to settle for mediocrity, and too precious to not appreciate its worth. I resolve to grab joy at any turn possible.

7. Cultivate community. I need to continue to do this, even though a large part of my makeup is to be a hermit. I need others and have much to offer. I'm the person who is uncomfortable in a crowd unless it's a crowd of people I already know well, and even then I prefer to interact with one or two people at a time. But it's time to push past this big rock of reluctance and discomfort I have, so I can become more connected. Whenever I've done that in the past, I've seldom regretted it.

And there we have it! This past month has been one of reflection and contemplation, and as is the case this time of the year for me, I was waiting to see which things rose like cream to the surface, as far as how to proceed from here.

I'm so grateful for all the blessings we've been given, and so aware of how fine a thread holds things up. Jack and I are so very aware of how God's protection and mercy have been the only reason we're still here, with a house over our heads and money to pay the bills so far. Our dreams and hopes are in His hands. Our hearts our full of gratitude!

I'd love to hear any thoughts you have to share, even if this is not yet your own new year. I so appreciate the many comments and emails I receive and I thank you for sharing your life with us. Every comment, email, is cherished!

May your year ahead be full of good!!

Robbyn

Stinging Chaya: Butterfly Buffet

2011-10-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

(all photos can be clicked on to enlarge)
Here's a closeup of a Gulf fritillary, one of dozens surrounding these half-feral stinging chaya bushes with fluttering clouds of color. We initially planted the stinging chayas for their prolific growth of nutritious edible (cooked, never raw!) leaves. We discovered their modest white flowerets lure certain butterflies...constantly!

Don't be fooled by the freeze frame here...I'm proof that an avid nature watcher armed with camera can still take a LOT of pictures of butterflies and still come out with only two that aren't total blurs. These little nectar hunters do not sit still for a good pose! Here's the same shot from farther away, showing the floral landing pads that stick up from the bushes, singing their siren song for winged passersby.

If you live in a hot climate, do consider the stinging chaya plant. It needs to be sited somewhere casual contact won't be common, as the leaves cause contact dermatitis (nearly instantly) to bare skin. The leaves are harvested with cloth or other gloves for that reason. Once rinsed and cooked in boiling water, it is rendered edible. And full of amazing nutrition, which is why we even bothered, but we're so glad we did! Jack simply clips an entire "branch" from a more mature plant, sticks it in some ground where he's dug a hole and worked the earth a little, adding some compost if he has it, and watered it in for a few days. Even in the hottest part of the summer, they soldier on and grow pretty fast, going from branch to waist high bush in a couple months.

The bushes have a nice rounded form that do not need trimming to keep a shape, but may be trimmed to keep the growth down. Harvesting the leaves doesn't hurt the plant, and I think it actually encourages more growth. Ours die back each winter all the way to the ground, but they come back in the spring from the roots. The original one we have that is three years old has now surpassed 10 feet tall...that thing is huge!!

I'm 5' 5" tall and these are chaya plants Jack planted from single "branches" about 8 weeks ago in an area that is not particularly fertile...they come up to my shoulder height or more. It is hard to get a good pic of them. They're in an area where we've tried several different types of plants to see which are best for a fast growing hedge. Minus the fact that they wimp out in the wintertime, for the warm season, these work well. Hard to pass up something you can EAT that grows faster than the national debt! :)

Sorry for the overexposed pics today...the sun's shining so beautifully and the world's all lit up! Here's a midday shot of another area in which we planted the more "domesticated" non-stinging chaya plants we got from ECHO. To date, we have yet to see any flowers on any of them. They do propagate just as easily as the stinging, more feral, variety...from cuttings. But as far as butterfly attractors, nope! These two shown here were planted in April and then immediately feasted on by our wandering ~~mutant Bambi zombies intent on wiping out entire species of edible plants~~ DEER, right to the ground. I put tomato cages around their sad little remains and they did stage a comeback (the plants, not the deer), albeit a bit shyly at first. They're certainly keepers, but won't be on our Butterfly plant list.

There are some other things luring our pollinators these days. The blue butterfly bush (clerodendrum, not shown) has consistently been repeating flushes of flowers and growth spurts throughout the hot months. Some of the butterflies and bees love their blooms. This (above) is a pic of a branch of the jujube tree I can see from my window. Its flowers are, like the stinging chaya, modest rather than showy. But they add to the pollinator buffet, though butterflies are less frequent visitors to them than the other insects.

And here is a gratuitous shot of....our first real papaya fruit, EVER!!!! Jack has planted papayas from seed for several years now, only to get really healthy plants that never put on any fruit, and then die back in the rare freeze or two we have each winter. We never used purchased seeds...our bad, perhaps. We took our chances sowing seed from storebought papayas, which may have been one of the factors in the fruit eluding us all this time. They are SUPPOSED to be easy to grow here. Well, two of them came up after the freeze this spring from the wimpy-looking remains of the half-frozen plants. We expected them to die. Jack watered them a few times, but we are ruthless in our "let nature reign" philosophy of plant survival. We do nurse tender seedlings through the transplant and rooting stages, but we don't pamper plants as a rule. But on the south side of our house, these two plants did come back and grow, slowly. We paired them with a bird feeder so we can watch the cardinals and doves from the office window (better than TV!) Then we began to notice, what?? could it be???....baby fruits developing. We kind of held our breaths and adjusted our expectation, waiting to see if they would be A. eaten by something deerlike B. die C. be attacked by a voracious insect D. rot E. be struck by lightning F. be the brunt of some squirrel's nosedive, armadillo's snacking, raccoon's curiosity, or be knocked off by an overly-enthusiastic senior Australian shepherd's glucosamine-inspired sprints around the yard.

They are fascinating to observe...and this is a bad picture, but the leaves are large and umbrella-like and the flowers branch out from the main "trunk" (which is really more of hollowish thick stem). The flowers that are fertile change by swelling and closing at the end, and as the fruit grows, the last of the old petals are attached to the fruits end, and turn brown and fall off. These are arranged in a spiral upward, which is so cool! If no catastrophe happens in the interim (deer, demented three wheeler, four horsemen of the apocalypse) it ends up being a big stalk supporting individual ripening fruits (that seem too heavy for it to support, but it does) and spiraling from the trunk bottom all the way up to the top of the plant...SO COOL!! (yes, those of you who grow legions of papayas effortlessly will laugh at our amazement, but this has so so so not happened for us until now, and we're jazzed!)

This may be (knock knock knock, throwing salt over shoulder) our first HARVEST of ANY kind of fruit tree of ours, aside from a handful of raspberries one year and a random lemon and lime or two from the citrus before they died in the freezes.

And this pic??   This pic is of my very happy moments as a pollinator voyeur, daydreaming with camera in hand, strolling through the overgrown mini-jungle on a PERFECT day stalking butterflies. It's delightfully toasty outside, but with a breeze and much lower humidity, cooler nights, everything refreshed! This is what most of my photo shots turned out like...lots of pics of the backside of the Attention Deficit butterflies.   Too beautiful a day to say a single bad thing, though...color me happy!!!

I apologize for my slow response to the comments of the past few weeks! I did just now publish them after finding them here at blogspot but NOT in my regular email inbox (???). Guess I'll have to be more conscious to do a thorough check instead of relying on my email provider. Or something. But THANK YOU for your comments, I love them always!

I'm a little embarrassed that I know so little about the butterflies I see so often, including not knowing their names. I'm still trying to ID them. There are four types that frequent the chaya plants...the Gulf fritillary is the main one, but there is a pale cream version (similar to a fritillary, but I dont know what it's called yet), a sulphur colored bright yellow sort, a smaller white one, and a sharply pointed spotted brown one. Yeah, those descriptions SO help, right?? ha   I'll keep looking in the butterfly guides online to help identify them.

It's so interesting that different plants attract specific ones. Makes sense. But how very disconnected I've been from even these basic realizations, till I stop and really notice.

Do you have any favorite butterflies and reliable butterfly plants you love to watch every year?     I'd love to see your pics...if you can catch one in your lens long enough to click~!

Happy beginning of October!!

~~Robbyn~~

Already September!

2011-09-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

(Can click on pics to enlarge)
I can't believe how fast August came and went! There's about a week's delay in these pics. We got one...uno...and not any more...blooms on one of the two guava trees. That's a first! The two trees were the only survivors of several we've planted the last few years, small ones. This year may be different, as there was no partial shade available on that lot until the moringas this year came back much fuller due to last year's heavy pruning. The moringas die back in the winter, but their foliage is timely for acting as nurse trees to the smaller trees around them, a mixture of types. The winter frosts are more dangerous for the plants than the direct sun, most years.

I found that guava leaves are used as a medicinal tea in some parts of the world. I've tried them twice, but don't want to gather too many leaves at this stage while the two trees are so young.

It's hard to get a decent picture of the thryallis. It is very heat tolerant and just goes to town when other plants are struggling. It's got a nice bushing habit but also looks somewhat delicate despite its toughness. Its yellow panicles are so sunny in the landscape, a wash of yellow against green. The plant has traditional uses in places such as Mexico, said to be effective as a respiratory tonic, but since the information is so scarce at this point and I can't find much to go on as far as how to use it safely, we'll just enjoy it in the meantime as a new favorite on our little suburban 'stead. A friend nearby assures us it is easy to propagate from branch cuttings planted into good soil into the ground. We'll likely test this theory when the weather is reliably in the mid to lower eighties instead of nineties. I would love to see this naturalized nearly everywhere. It looks to be completely disease-free and really really hardy even with big weather fluctuations.

The zinnias were planted as an aside this spring, not even from seed (gasp!)...ha :) I had succumbed to the siren song of the garden center sometime in April when armed with some birthday money, and one or two little trays of them made their way in with some other things. I had the idea of mixing them among the tomatoes and some other plants as a trap crop and to attract pollinators, and simply for beauty. They sure do take a beating. Something has been chewing on their leaves and I stopped deadheading them sometime in July, but they just keep getting taller, spreading a bit since the rains, and punctuating the trees, bushes...and weeds, ha...with brilliant color, mostly red and salmon. They are such game plants and so delightful, we'll save these seeds and replant next year!

This is our first year to plant Jerusalem artichokes. I ordered a small bag of the corms (is that the right term?), but later than suggested as the ideal planting time. We planted some right away, but made the mistake of holding onto the others for later, not knowing they're best planted before the tubers shrink and dry out some. I had sliced the tubers into smaller pieces, and we planted them at the bases of some of the moringas. Of all that we planted out, the ones that came up are the few we planted first before the tubers dried out. They came up with green leaves, growing taller and taller before finally blooming here in the past couple of weeks. What a beautiful natural look they add! The yellow glows in the shade of the moringas. The plants could use staking, but at this point we're letting them lean since the stalks look really sturdy. If they seem to need it, we'll probably go ahead and stake them right to the growing moringa plants, since the moringa trunks are more like rigid stalks than actual trunks.

I've become a little infatuated with the nopal cactus. That's odd for me, because I don't really lean towards succulents or arid-area plants (at least in the past). But they seem to do magical things overnight. The huge nopal plant we chopped into plant-able pieces (neighbor was needing the plant removed and it weighed a few hundred pounds and was bigger than our truck bed would fit!) are simply planted in the least fertile soil on our lot next door in an area where nothing else will thrive. These plants get HUGE down here in Florida, with some of them in the neighborhoods exceeding the roofline of the nearby homes, tumbling in a profusion around mailboxes, or just standing like single, many-armed soldiers in places nothing else will grow. The pads are edible and have beneficial nutriotional and medicinal qualities, according to those who grow them. We have found that the plant is basically spineless with the exception of a few fine hair-like spines that grow on the youngest pads...as a protection from being eaten as a snack by deer?...which is why they should be handled with gloves on and scraped well with a knife before snacking on them ourselves. Ask me...my fingers are proof of the few nearly-invisible needles on the baby pads...I've had several in my fingers and they sting, but are easily removed. When the pads are prepared (surfaces scraped with a sharp knife and rinsed well, with gloves on), the young pads are...DELICIOUS!! They are like the mildest lemony cucumbers, without the "burp-back" quality some cucumbers have. In fact, they are hard to describe. They have a (for lack of a better word) slimy quality cucumbers don't have, but when rinsed, the young pads cut into slim strips and refrigerated are just some of the best raw things around to munch on, put into a salsa, or include with a salad. Pico de gallo, anyone? LOVE the mild lemon flavor!

This picture shows the new baby pads that have grown on the old pieces of cactus we planted only weeks ago. They seem to appear overnight, and really REALLY mature quickly!

These succulent little fleshy protrusions remain on the pad as the pad grows wider and larger, until the pad is big enough that the pointy things here will appear, when mature, as mere bumps on the mature pad. I love this tiny stage of growth, the first beginnings, when these little many-armed baby pads appear from little dents in the big "mama" plant. Look at the "fuzz" at the base of the little spikes...so fascinating :)

Another gratuitous shot of the Jerusalem artichoke. They have the cheeriness of the sunflower and a graceful foliage.

This is a shot of the VERY first beginnings of a new nopal cactus pad, growing from what appear to be injuries to the old plant, or little scabby fibrous areas. Were these little dry brown areas originally succulent little points in their youth, drying out later as the plant expanded and weathered? These little fingers of succulent here are a single pad in its infancy, soon to show itself grown into a firmly attached pad all its own. To harvest when they do become pads of 8 to 10 inches, they can be snapped from the plant very simply. With gloves on, just in case :)

More friendly Jerusalem artichokes. Some folks think of them as too hardy, almost invasive. But we really are going for a naturalized and casual mixed planting of trees, shrubs, natives, perennials, and planting other annual things among them. Anything that prides itself on being a survivor and also yields edible food or treats is a keeper for us.

I'll give a more comprehensive update soon. Jack had surprise success in burying milkweed fluff (with the seeds, ha) in a bucket just to see if they would germinate, and now he has about a hundred all jammed together to transplant.

We have anything BUT a showcase garden. In fact, our plants are naturalized into what others might think of as one continual growing mess...ha...but it provides such joy for us every day as the seasons change and the droughts and the rains come and go. We added some bird feeders throughout, and it's our favorite entertainment to see the insects and birds and animals all bustling about in the little jungle. The plants seem to have personalities of their own. And the butterflies crowd to the chaya plants. But more on that later!

What's making you smile and take notice at your place?

August Update

2011-08-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

(clicking on pics will enlarge)
I haven't been here much for updates, but thought I'd post some pics of our jungle. These are from last week, and Jack was just beginning to catch up with mowing after our mower was in the shop for almost three weeks. Since the rains began in earnest (hooray!!!), any delays in mowing made for some pretty thick growth. Just another reason to either have the right equipment or live in a place not requiring a lawn and neighborhood scrutiny.

This pic is of the stinging chaya, which is now topping 7 feet in height. The leaves are delicious as a cooked green, and are inedible (and sting!) if uncooked, but lose any unpleasantness after being chopped and boiled. It dies back all the way to the ground in the winter here, coming back from the roots the following spring. The modest white flowers are prolific and butterflies LOVE them. In fact, Jack has taken cuttings and rooted them directly in the ground, and the flowers appear quickly on the "new plant," even after sticking a cut limb into the ground with no fuss. It's definitely a keeper!

This is the first year we have grown tomatoes with any real intent. The purple-ish one here is a Black Prince, and they are delicious within a day or two of picking, but turn to mush thereafter. They have also been very prone to splitting, and we have lost almost half of the VERY prolific crop to deep splits, meaning we pick them green now and lose the peak flavor that comes from sun ripening. But makes for great fried green tomatoes... :)

This pink variety is a German Johnson. They usually ripen into a shape somewhat like this, usually with two pronounced "cheeks," but we've also had some trouble with their splitting, though it's mostly at the top of the tomato. They are good sized, larger than the Black Prince by about double, and are good slicers. They're a potato-leafed variety. Both types are heirlooms. We're trying to figure Florida seasons out...maybe we should have tried these for a fall harvest when the temps drop a few degrees? Dunno...trial and error. Regardless, there have been enough, after cutting around splits, for some fantastic tomato sandwiches, salads, and eating out of hand!

The other little guys shown here are the yellow pear cherry-variety tomatoes, and the orange cherry tomatoes. Our favorites? Jack likes them both and I prefer the orange, because they never split, are prolific and pest-free, and have this amazing zingy flavor that's both sweet and tangy. We WILL be planting these again, at least the orange ones. The yellow ones are mild and sweet, but sometimes split even as small as they are. They're sure pretty in salads.

The Black Prince before ripening...and splitting...they are bigger than a golf ball and smaller than a baseball.

Another pic of the stinging chaya. The flowers have no scent. The deer have left the plant alone after eating it nearly to the ground when it first was regrowing in the Spring. There are nearly always butterflies clustered or airborne around this plant. It is EASY to propagate from cuttings!

We have bets on this plant. I thought it was an older soapberry plant that had matured some. Jack thinks it's a native plant. Well, it's near where he is trying to root soapberry plants, which are mostly all small. This is at least year three at his attempts with the soapberries. But they seem to soldier on.

Moringas, loquat, chaya, etc. Our little jungle...the moringas are about 12 to 15 feet tall. The remarkable thing is that the landscape looks SO different in the winter. The ONLY plant that would show in this pic in the winter is the loquat, which remains green. ALL the others die back completely to the ground, and it would be nothing but flat ground till the Spring.

Another view of the annual jungle. Jack has had much success at clustering several moringa cuttings in a single hole in the ground, having worked a little compost around, and keeping them watered regularly...and then they take off like you see here. Most of these are two year old plants. They can be cut to within inches of the ground and their branches/leaves harvested for greens or fodder or green manure/mulch for other plants, and they will re-grow this way several times in the long warm season here. I think we could get anywhere from 7 to 12 full cuttings a season this way if we were disciplined enough to keep at it. As it is, there is more than we can eat, and in our humidity I have not found a workable way to dry such a large amount of it. So I am harvesting some of the best of the leaves and tips and am making extract/tincture by chopping those and putting them in 100 proof vodka so we'll have a way to utilize the leaves even in the winter months, but putting drops in tea or juice. Letting medicine be our food and food our medicine, indeed!

When the moringa leaves get a little stressed, they turn pale yellow. This is not a sign of disease, but of widely varied periods of drought and deluge...our rains and dry spells are very uneven sometimes. But the stars in this picture next to the moringa are the Jerusalem Arthichokes (sunchokes) that FINALLY came up despite my very late planting. This pic was taken last week. This week they have surpassed me in height, so they're headed to about five and a half to six feet now. Maybe we'll see blooms soon? I found a few tiny buds forming.

Another pic of our weedy Eden :)

These naked and fairly homely specimens are our HUGE blessing from God (as are all our plants!)...the spineless Nopal cacti. These are all the survivors of one HUGE Nopal plant belonging to a friend of ours, a very old lady who has a lot of herbal wisdom she passes along. She needed the plant removed because of some house renovation that was requiring a plant bed to be relocated. She was going to just have it hauled off, but was happy to give it to us when she found out Jack would volunteer (or BE volunteered, ) to remove it. Jack and I both worked to remove it and the surprise to us was that the SEVEN FOOT cactus (and almost that many feet wide!) turned out to weigh somewhere in the range of 300-400 lbs! It was HEAVY, so heavy it had to be chopped into more manageable chuncks to even collect it and haul it in the truck bed. Each SINGLE cactus pad becomes an enormous cactus that size, if left to itself for about 3 years. And these are edible cacti...the reason we are bothering to transplant them. This has turned out to be a labor of love....of Jack for me...because we learned the Nopal cactus is another really great plant for diabetics. I am still exploring the uses, but the young cactus pads, which are usually completely spine-free (but we use gloves and scrape the pads well after cleaning just to be on the safe side, because there is an occasional spine) are delicious when scrubbed clean of spines (or scraped) and sliced and chilled. They are a clean, lemony cucumber flavor, minus the cucumber's tendency to leave an aftertaste or make for burps. In fact I prefer them, now that I've tasted them. They do reduce blood sugars and their fiber greatly slows sugar absorption. I have yet to bake the older pads, which are very hard to slice through and are fibrous, but I've heard they back well and I'll be doing that as an experiment soon. I can see the young pads being chopped and chilled and tossed with a fresh pico de gallo, or in a salsa (yum!!). I used the peels and some chopped pieces of Nopal pads and jarred them, topped with 100 proof vodka, to make tincture. Again, said to be good for diabetics (I'm my own guinea pig)

Looks can be deceiving. You might think these "arms" would snap easily off...nooooooo...they require a hatchet! These arms have grown from one single pad stuck into the ground in poor soil. There are no fussy requirements as far as the soil goes and we put them in the sandy area where nearly nothing else will thrive.

Here's a closeup of one of the buds that formed in a single week since the pads were planted/relocated. This was last week. The interesting thing is that as it grows (quickly!) it flattens out and the spikes become the little prickles you find on young pads. So fascinating to watch!

Another chunk showing where single pads grew their own "arms" and places where some had been snapped off to harvest (or to move them!)

Parts are so woody, they are thick like a tree trunk. These little "babies" appear nearly overnight.

Another section. Jack worked in the punishing heat that day just to get them all in the ground. It was an incredible gift out of the blue for us...clearly God is giving us gifts to get rid of this diabetes!

This is another happy success, one we weren't sure about the outcome and have pleasantly surprised. This is the mulberry sapling we bought at the ECHO nursery in early April for my birthday, along with two plum trees. The plums are suffering a bit in the heat, but holding their own. The mulberry at first was looking very peaked...leaves browning and only a little new growth at the very tips, until our rainy season began. WOW, the leaves have come to life with all this rain. It is thriving! We sure hope it makes it through the winter, and we do have high hopes to one day enjoy some fresh mulberries..I've never tasted a mulberry in my life, and it's always been on my wish list of trees.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll be back with more pics. I hope everyone is having a great summer ...I guess summer is headed into school days for some. If you're like us, you've got a LOT of heat right now. Stay cool, and let me know what's growing best for you this year! What plants have been pleasant surprises..and which ones gave up the ghost?

Ever made tinctures and extracts? I'd love any tips, from those of you who have.

Be well! And blessings from our place to yours :)

Green July

2011-07-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

(clicking on pics will enlarge)

Here's a pic of one of our cherished loquat trees. We simply love them...they give so much back for so little effort on our part, and they are truly lovely! If you've read one of my recent posts, we are harvesting their leaves for use as a home medicinal.

Here is one of the groupings of moringas, most of which are in their second or third year since being started from cuttings rooted right in the ground. They are a steady source of greens for us, and if we ever have animals, will be for them, too. They are so prolific we can't begin to keep up with them (they are long overdue for a good trimming back even now) but that is more profit than problem for us since mulching with their branches and leaves is a great fertilizer for our other plants. One of our favorite uses of the moringa is as a hot weather nurse plant/partial shade plant for other young trees. Our potted fig never found a comfortable location until we planted it right beside a moringa, which in the spring grows slowly but with the heat leaps skyward and mitigates the intensity of the sun glare for more tender plants. They die back in the winter, but come back with a vengeance with warm weather. We call this section of our lot "the jungle"...but it's more a feathery-ferny waving tunnel of green.

The stinging chaya plant is now topping seven feet in height! After a lusty pruning by the deer, it sprang back with a vengeance and is covered with butterfly-luring white flowers, unspectacular individually but grand food for pollinators! It is hard to capture the flowers well on camera, as the sun on the pure white makes for overexposed blobs...but up close, it's a star-studded display of white against a deep green foil. These leaves are simply delicious as a cooked green (they must be cooked, they contain cyanic properties (is that the right term?) that disappear with cooking, as do the "stingers" ( fine nettle-ish
"hairs") which are rendered non-stinging (and the texture is nice, not weird) as a cooked green. Anyway, as a pollinator-station alone, this plant rocks :) This one now is, I believe, three years old. Wow, has it been that long??

Thunderstorms have been GRATEFULLY received here in the past few weeks, which is now cutting today's computer time short. But I'll have more pics soon (they're already taken) I'll also respond to recent comments that I've neglected (sorry!). Just had to pop in and post at least a couple pics during this hot summer...how is your summer going, and what do you have growing??

MISS you guys! Sometimes it seems a lot happens between posts, and other times what's exciting to me doesnt exactly equate into dynamic updates, ha :)

More later...everyone enjoy the heat while we can!

Greening My Blood Sugars

2011-06-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm almost reluctant to post this because I don't want to inspire anyone to tinker in an irresponsible way with their own health, or have anyone mimic what has worked for me without seeking their own medical supervision.   So whatever you read here is simply MY experience, not my recommendation for anyone else.

I am my own guinea pig...that's what I'm saying.

And the second thing I'm saying is that I might never have known that I could SOLVE a very crucial problem as a diabetic with any of these things, were it not for the availability of a wide range of resources via the internet...not all of which are trustworthy, but the bulk of which can be cross-referenced, compared, and gleaned from. Here are the players God has provided in our own backyard, which have each added up in different ways to bringing my blood sugars down from Very Scary, to normal...TODAY...for the first time in years:

Certain tree leaves made into strong tea
Certain fresh green herbs
Black beans
Certain cooked greens
Certain spices

My sugars had gotten out of control, for reasons I don't fully understand except that the longer I am diabetic, the more stubborn the symptoms seem to be in responding to improvement.   The trick now is keeping the numbers in a good range and eventuall easing off the prescription meds, or at least reducing them.

I still need to lose weight...it's my Achilles heel, and my body is so so resistant at this point. But when my sugars surged to over 450 a couple months ago, the biggest problem was that I was already on the maximum dose of this level of oral medication,and I REALLY don't want to graduate to insulin injections.

In a somewhat more desperate run of Google searching, I have run across so many more anecdotal mentions of common plants useful in different cultures for either lowering, controlling, or stabilizing blood sugars. Since natural plants don't come with "parental government controls" (thank goodness!) as far as dosage recommendations and a list of contraindications, we are CAUTIOUSLY testing some of these (the ones with the fewest cautionary mentions) on ourselves. This is just my own personal philosophy, but I believe that if we learn, learn, learn as we go and judiciously ease into the use of some of these natural "remedies," the likelihood of permanent damage and side effects is significantly less than that of most pharaceuticals, most of which are synthetic.   The fact that our backyard plants are pesticide-free, suited to our climate and location, hardy (some are considered weeds), and either free or inexpensive all adds up to encouragement and availability instead of the pricey dollar figure of so many "magic bullets" offered elsewhere.

We don't have this down pat yet...maybe we never will?   But we've eased into more natural eating. I tried going "mostly raw" for a time, and gained some experience and some benefits. What I carry with me from that is the determination to eat more greens of all sorts. Our regular eating had included unbalanced proportions of cooked foods and too few raw ones...like the myriad greens that can be paired with almost anything to round out a meal and ramp up the body's energy and nutrients. The simple act of including a wide variety of greens, raw or cooked, to our daily meals meant a noticeable health difference.

Black beans are now a staple in our household -- we had them quite often before, anyway, since Jack is from Cuba and since both of us seem to digest black beans easier than most other types of beans. But n ow we have them almost daily. When I read a while back that black beans in particular significantly help slow down the metabolizing of sugars, helping diabetics sustain a "slow burn" rather than quick spikes, I decided to test it on myself. And it doesn't hurt that I happen to really like black beans...   A simple blend of spices, after some tinkering around, really does the trick, and we use our new pressure cooker to make them from scratch. Maybe I'll be tired of them someday, but for now they are a great "side" for so many things and I find myself needing to use very little meat throughout the week because of how "meaty" the black beans are in a meal, even for Jack (which is amazing since he's the meat eater around here...black beans do the trick instead of meat for him now, most times).

The other recent addition to our regimen (read my disclaimer above, don't do as I do...) is the use of loquat tree leaves for fresh tea taken daily.

Loquat leaves have a shiny top side and a slightly fuzzy underside.   When washing to make tea from the leaves, the fuzz of the underside must be rubbed off under running water, or it can slightly irritate the throat. We take four loquat leaves (just go outside and pick them), clean them under running water (making sure the fuzz is rubbed off), tear them into pieces, cover with a good amount of water, and heat in a stainless steel pan till boiling. We simmer it, covered, about 10 minutes at a fast simmer (sometimes add a cinnamon stick for extra flavor and extra blood sugar regulation), and then turn the heat down to low and let it stay there till whenever we're ready to drink it. We pour it out into individual mugs through a small strainer, and the color turns out a rich mahogany brown. The taste is fresh and fragrant and not heavy or very distinctive. The cinnamon goes well with the loquat tea.

I try to drink that at least once a day, but we like it so much we usually drink at least two full mugs each, daily.

This is the 7th day I've been drinking the loquat tea, and today is the first day my daytime blood sugar reading was in the FULLY NORMAL range.

I"m VERY pleased and excited! I credit the black beans AND the loquat tea, as well as the combination of other plants we alternate eating from the backyard (weeds such as Bidens alba, the gynura procumbens, the moringa, etc), almost all of which require almost no fuss or true "gardening skills" to grow.

Color me happy! I'll keep posting here about my progress, but since this is the first day I saw "Normal," I had to report in with the news :)

Whatever ails us, I am encouraged that there is MUCH information to be further researched simply by beginning with an internet search, a willingness to keep looking for more natural answers, and a determination to not give up...

I truly believe God gave us the green herb (plural) for healing. Not as a magic bullet, but for vitality and longevity and a closer eye to elements so taken for granted, such as the soil beneath our feet, and the plants we've come to think of as weeds. I laugh to keep finding that I can make a meal from the weeds I pass by everyday, and that our mower chews right up, and that the goodness contained within those plants exceeds so many bottles I could pay an arm and a leg for at the health food store. (Don't get me wrong, we still frequent the health food store and take some supplements)   I discover another "weed" that was sitting beside my house all along and learn of its benefits...and laugh at my own ignorance...and begin to feel really really RICH. How blessed we are by our Creator that food and medicine are so abundant, they frequently are chopped back and considered pests!

SO glad God has a sense of humor! And I'm so glad He uses the humble things in ways much mightier than we were conditioned to understand.

What are some of your favorite "humble" plants with big nutritional and medicinal punch?

Happy Father's Day!!!!

2011-06-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all you great dads out there, and all you men who step in to be the man in a child's life a father should be.

And as is the case for some of us whose good father was the Almighty alone, I am daily thankful for Him!!!

Happy Father's Day to my husband, Jack, who is the earthly man in my daughter's life who best defines the term Great Dad :)

The Eating of the Green

2011-06-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

"...I have given every green herb for food." Bereshit/Genesis 1:20

Gynura procumbens and fresh Bidens Alba, enough growing to have some regular harvests...a delicious medicinal "mess 'o greens"!

What wild and/or intentionally-grown green's in your salad bowl or stewpot?

Blast! Mosaic Virus, I Think

2011-06-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Ding dang dong...I think the "heat stress" that I assumed resulted in the yellowing of the cucumber plants is really Mosaic virus. They look yellow and blasted (the leaves) and have a geometric pattern across them. Internet search indicates Mosaic virus, spread by aphids most likely (even though I have seen none).

And there are blooms all over the plants!

Does anyone have any experience with this? I suspect I need to pull the vines and burn them. With so many blooms on the vines, that sounds drastic. If anyone knows an alternative, I'm open to learning!

If not, well Boston Pickling cucumber either is not as suited for my area as my garden center wanted to promote, or I just need to try again in a different location or different time of year. (We're down here in Florida, y'all...)

Advice appreciated...!!!

Tomato Cuttings

2011-06-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm trying my hand with some cuttings from our indeterminate tomato plants while they're in their first flush of good growth and vining like crazy. If they can root and grow into mature plants, it sure would make for some happy tomato harvests ahead!

I read a lot of suggestions online, but decided to go with the easiest of them, which is simply placing the stems of the cuttings into some basic potting soil (in pots) and keeping them in the shade and moistening them daily until they get some size to them. Then I can move them to a sunnier location to harden off and and later transplant them into an in-ground full sun location, or so I hope.

The ones I'll be trying to multiply by this method are the German Johnson, Black Prince, and the Yellow Pear.

I originally got these heirloom varieties at the local garden center, priced buy 2 get one free...so I walked away with a total of 9 that day. Think of all the cuttings I can get from these without disrupting their fruiting...maybe there is succession planting in our future?

Coincidentally, there are black oil sunflowers growing near the tomatoes, as well as some flowers of different types, cultivated and wild. I've noticed the sunflowers are a cheerful trap crop for the stink bugs, luring them from focusing soley on the tomatoes, and so far the only thing I've had to do to discourage the stink bugs when I see them on the tomatoes is to spray them off with the water hose. That may change, but our hands-off tendencies mean we're waiting to see the insect population keep its natural balance without too much interference from us.

I'm counting the days till TOMATOES...

Can't wait to see if the tomato experiment works. If so, it's even easier than growing from seed! (at this point)

Anyone out here ever grown tomatoes from vine cuttings?

Baby, It's Hot Outside

2011-06-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

(apologies ahead of time for maiming the original Baby, It's Cold Outside)

Baby, It's Hot Outside
warped lyrics by me

I really can’t stay (Baby, it’s hot out here)
It's blazing today (Wouldn't you like a beer?)
The garden's not in (That sunburn across your nose...)
It's hot as sin (...want me to spray you with the hose?)

I melt when I step out the door (I'll turn down the AC some more)
My windshield has started to crack (...Triple A will call right back)
Just help me up off of the floor (Need me to fan you some more?)
Well, maybe some ice cold tea (Here's one for you, and one for me)

The neighbors might think (They're at the Bingo hall)
Say, what’s in this drink (think you can stand, or crawl?)
I wish I knew how (Here, let me have that cup...)
To catch my breath (How many fingers am I holding up?)

I'm sweating more more more more sir (I'm not getting too much closer)
I think I might self-combust (Well, aim the other way if you must)
Let's sit in the cool (Here Baby, the kiddie pool)
Oh, but it’s HOT outside

I simply must go (It’s HOT outside)
My clinical strength (Baby, it’s HOT outside)
deodorant gel (hon, you don't look so well...)
just bit the dust (re-apply as often as you must)

Those thunderclouds look suspicious (This watermelon tastes delicious)
We better listen for an alarm (I won't let you come to harm)
These thunderstorms can be so vicious (We'll eat and then we'll do the dishes)
Well maybe till the rain slows down (It's really far for you to drive to town)

I’ve got to get home (Baby, it's wet out there)
Say, lend me a comb (It’s up to your knees out there)
You’re such a great guy (I just saw a tree blow by)
Where is my raincoat (I think you're gonna need a boat)

There’s bound to be folks talk later (I better start the generator...)
At least there will be plenty implied (I hope the freezer hasn't died)
I really can’t stay (The power is out)
Oh, but baby it’s HOT outside

Edible Weed Roundup: Bidens alba, Spanish Needles or Common Beggarticks

2011-06-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

The best kind of Roundup is a harvest of edible greens...even if they're the sort, like this plant, also touted by some folks as being one of the worst annual weeds. I guess beauty (and worth??) is in the eye of the beholder! The Bidens alba, and its nearly identical brother, the Bidens pilosa, are some of the hardiest naturally-occurring forbs...yes, WEEDS to some. But I prefer to think of them as the superheroes of the natural world!

We walked past these for years in our area, unaware of their edible benefits. The Bidens alba/Spanish Needle is a modest wildflower with small white flowers, and quite the bee and butterfly attractor. The only precautions I can find as far as edibility are photosensitivity (don't eat it if you're going to have skin exposed to the sun soon after) and to avoid eating it if you're in an area where opals are mined....the video (below) from Green Dean's site explains why. It goes by other names, most of which indicate the brittle seeds that stick to the coats of animals (like my dog) or pant legs, like so many little needles.

It grows right alongside our cultivated plants and most any place its friendly presence so desires, but doesn't seem to be a drain on its neighbors' fertility. It is unobtrusive and in our philosophy of "benign neglect" we've allowed them to flourish side-by-side with anything else we've planted. We love a diversity of plants, and this one, though hardy, is hardly invasive. We feel a natural mix of plants ensures a diversity of pollinators, insect "trap" plants, soil enhancers, and so on.

I recently learned that this plant is higly edible, very nutritious, wonderful as a nectar plant for bees, and prolific enough to even be grown as a crop, if one so desired. As it is, we have so many everywhere throughout our property, I think we have enough to harvest as a potherb during warm weather. This is welcome news! We LOVE edible greens, especially the carefree sort!

Here's where I first learned of the Biden alba, at one of my favorite sites, Green Dean's Eat The Weeds

And here is his short video on identification and information about the Spanish Needles plants:

This plant like to tuck itself along the edges of our porch and just about anywhere, and it's easy to identify.

I harvested the leaves by clipping off "branches" of it and stripping the leaves to cook in a pot of mixed greens.

We like our garden spiders to deal with the insect population, rather than spraying chemicals.

Here's a closeup of the blooms. Later, the little needlelike seeds enjoy hitching a ride with anything that comes along brushing up against them.

Closeup of the garden spider. Even though I like garden spiders, I prefer them at a distance ;-)

Harvest of mixed greens. Bidens alba leaves are at the bottom left corner. (The loquat leaves on top arent for the pot but are for tea)

Pot of freshly-harvested mixed greens...Bidens alba, Gynura procumbens, Okinawan spinach, Stingless chaya, moringa oleifera. Since the chaya has to be cooked at least 20 minutes, these will boil then simmer with some chopped onion and a little olive oil and sea salt in enough water to cover. Not only is it packed with nutrition (off the charts!) but includes some blood-sugar-regulating properties, too. YAY!

Have you ever tried eating a Bidens? This will be our first batch to taste...I'll report back to tell you how palatable they are.

What "weeds" do you love to eat?

Mystery Squash...Solved

2011-05-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

(click pic to enlarge)

The mystery of the volunteer squash...solved! Now, about two or more weeks after picking it, our bets are that it's definitely a Golden Hubbard. The colors in the pic above are unretouched...it really is a deep, bright orange. Good...there are a couple more baby ones on the vine, woo!

What surprise volunteers appeared in your neck of the woods this year?

Summer's Here!

2011-05-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

(Clicking pics will enlarge)

Unretouched Beach Colors

2011-05-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Clicking pics will enlarge...

These beach pics are taken near the lighthouse end of Gasparilla Island/Boca Grande, where the Peace River empties out from Charlotte Harbor through a narrow neck between two islands, into the Gulf of Mexico. The barely visible land mass across the water is Cayo Costa State Park.

There's no way for a camera to adequately capture the whole shebang. The wind, the calling birds wheeling on the ocean drafts, the shore birds scuttling from surf to dune and the foam lacing the shoreline and disappearing in a fizz of withdrawn waves.

I've never thought of myself as a beach person at heart, so in love am I with the mountains and streams and lakes and backwoods ponds of the Deep South (which, ironically, is north of this state, ha). But every place has its beauty, potentially.

A few days ago, Jack and I ventured for an afternoon together to Gasparilla Island. With the toll bridge costing $5, and stowing our own water bottles and a few things to schlep, it was the best of cheap dates. The weather was hot enough, and the breezes constant.

But oh, the COLORS...I wanted to jump into the water and just float miles away...the color was so jeweled and clear and...indescribable.

The photos don't do it justice, but I didn't edit any of the colors in these pics. Thank you, God, for the impossible liquid glasslike turquoise blue and green and every hue and shade in between, there, for my mind and eyes and senses to feast on. PERFECT.

Clear to the bottom. So blue and green and clear, it feels like you're walking through a moving, porous spectrum.

I mean...that is BLUE, and the ibis is happily unaware of how picturesque he is...

Perfectly clear to the bottom, standing right in it. I'll just post pics instead of blab. Beautiful, perfect, Gasparilla Island day.

My whole body and soul was...happy. I marvel at the Creator whose watercolors are so lavish and gleaming from vast expanse to smallest divisible particle.

When and where was your last perfect day?

Tempt Me With Tomatoes

2011-05-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Clicking on pics will enlarge...

I planted two patio tomatoes (in a pot, yes) while I was still confidently stating that we weren't planting anything this year. But maybe a pot of tomatoes means I'll have a few little ones to perk up our salads.

And there's nothing like a good, homegrown tomato.

No, we didn't put in a garden. But, we did put in some plants. I suppose the difference between the two is scale...you should see the scale to which I hope to unleash my gardening mojo in the Great Hereafter We Move To a Permanent Location. Nuff said on that.

So my birthday was in April and I succumbed momentarily to the siren song of the garden center, assuaging my (rather robustly immune) conscience by telling myself that HEIRLOOM plants were a somehow more virtuous acquisition. And so on. And then there were 10. Three Black Princes, three German Johnsons, one Yellow Pear, and a yellow cherry tomato. All but the two patio tomatoes are happily IN the ground (I want happy microbes, happy earthworms, happy pollinators and insects galore, and I planted a conglomeration of happy mixed flowers and flowering shrublets as neighbors. And don't forget the birds, who like the cages for landing sites near the bird feeders.)

Here's hoping the blooms that are popping out make it full cycle to juicy fruits and many happy salads and tomato sandwiches to come! We have sandy soil amended with compost here...there's no telling what the tomatoes will taste like...ah, terroir! I remember the tomatoes we grew in the red clay when I was a kid in Mississippi tasting so tart and sweet and loaded with juice, it's hard for anything to compare.

What's your favorite tomato? The one that grows best for you?

2011-05-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Mom!

2011-05-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out here! It's the hardest and most rewarding job around. I hope your day is extra special!

:) Robbyn

Dry Season

2011-05-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Florida is still strange to me, a transplant from Tennessee. We catapult from our mild version of a winter to (this year) a warmer spring than most...a good many days reaching the high 80s.

But I'm learning the dance, slowly. (Which is a good thing, judging by my lack of rhythm in the real dance department!)

Yesterday, we got 30 minutes of a heavy, soaking, delicous rain. We sat on the back porch (I simply can't adapt to calling it a lanai, ha) and watched the show. You could almost audibly hear the plants drinking! The newly re-sprouted moringa trees were dancing, the willows across the swale nodding and curtsying. Occasional thunder rolls and misty gusts paired with a long hard shower serenaded us. Pure delight!

As other areas of the country look with dread at more water headed their way, our seasons here seem upside down, as if Florida can't make up its mind whether it's closer to the northern or southern hemisphere some years. Our supposed wet season sometimes begins mid-summer right along with the timing of "hurricane season," both of which are anybody's guess for the weatherman or gardener. A couple years I've lived here, the wet season was a no show, and drought sorely depleted the water tables. Hopes for relief continued to be just hopes for a couple years running. Other years, a rowboat would have come in handy.

For so many, recent disasters have brought personal "dry seasons" and a flood of troubles.

We're praying for our friends (you) who are in areas desperately needing some water, and also for those who've had more than their share of it. I can't wrap my head around the devastation shared by many states. Tornadoes, flooding, wind damage, loss of loved ones and homes or property. They're scenarios so varied, and in many cases replete with stalwart volunteerism and proof that community and good neighbors are not yet extinct, good hearted folks still helping shoulder tragedies together. It's the bittersweet reality of survival.

And I still can't get my head around the losses.

How can we help? Maybe much the same way we take charge of our own limitations of situation and finances, by changing things one action at a time and being empowered in the smaller realm even when we can't seem to budge the larger. By helping out in some way because it's the right thing to do, and not pass on by without participating. And cementing the concept of Neighbor and good will. Those single acts of neighborliness add up. A single act of help can feel, in all its smallness, like the refreshing 30 minute shower we had in the midst of a run of hot, dry days.

Isn't it interesting how we come together in an entirely different way when the power goes out, laundry and showers are no longer taken for granted, the freezers full of meat need to be eaten (neighborhood BBQ!), and cutting up trees and cleaning up debris have replaced prime time reality shows?

Our hearts are heavy for the losses so many people are experiencing recently. We're encouraged to see the emerging backbone and strength of community.

I can't think of anything that weighs as true a coinage as a real friend. Whatever we're doing here in our homes, gardens, lives, means little without that currency.

It's Anybody's Guess

2011-05-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Whatever kind of squash this mystery plant is is anyone's guess. But I can say one thing about it...it's unbelievably hardy!

The seed must have survived for months in the wood and plant litter in our mulched front bed. I suspect it got there as we were layer-composting some kitchen trimmings. In the fall I sometimes will buy a new-to-me type of winter squash from the supermarket assortment...how they get such a selection, I'm not sure, but there's such a variety at times and I like to try different ones. Anyway, the vine appeared a few weeks ago, and we fully expected it to die back. We hadn't deliberately planted anything there other than a rosemary plant that soldiers on, so we were surprised when it began to vine and then put out little fruits, most of which have died back.

I'm watching the development of this first one, the others not having made it probably due to lack of pollination..the little baby yellow fruits withered and died before getting any larger. But THIS one is securely hanging vertically, partially obscured within the branches of the viburnum bush the vines are clambering over.

Any guesses what it'll turn out to be when all's said and done? I don't buy summer squash from the store, so I know it's most likely a winter squash. Probably... It's about a foot long, seems to have a hard shell with a bumpy surface and color striations of yellow and some lighter yellow from stem to stern. I'm not sure how big it will get. My guess at this point, after looking over Google-search pics on the internet, is Yellow Hubbard. Or if it reddens, maybe a Red Kuri?? (not so sure it's going to redden, though)

Not to mention it's fruiting...in May????!!!

OK, no complaints!

Like I said, we have not babied this plant. It wilts in the hot part of the day, and then perks up again come nightfall and through the morning hours. We've not watered it, and we havent had much if any rain lately (hope that changes!) So, if it turns out to be a good squash and puts out any more fruits, it's a keeper (yay!)

Grow on, little mystery squash, grow on!

Walkabout

2011-05-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

(Clicking on pics will enlarge)

Ants as pollinators on ground orchid

Closeup

Stinging chaya rooted cuttings beginning to bud

Gynura procumbens cuttings taking off

Much bigger than life size gynura buds

Closer view

Pollinator-eye-view of petunia's Come Hither look

Gynura crepidioides, otherwise known as Okinawan spinach. This is different than the Gynura procumbens.

Pentas blooms making heart-shaped pollinator valentines with their curling filaments

Walking stick kale seedlings, closeup

Walking stick kale, awaiting transplanting

Sweet potato embracing its neighbors

The first of the mystery squash fruits, this one hanging vertically in the shrub it vined up

Pollinator on plum leaf

Ground orchid pretty in pink

Hey, lady...y'done with the camera? I. Will stare. At you. Till you notice the doggy with the summer crew cut. Who wants treats!

The Hardscrabble Plantation of Benign Neglect

2011-04-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

No garden, per se.

HAHA. That doesn't mean a lack of PLANTS...

Just plants that love to grow, despite inattention from their owners.
Yes, they get SOME attention, mostly admiration. And some water. And a good start in life.
But they are survivor plants.
I will mention some below that, thankfully, have survived us. Not meaning we're dead and they aren't. But meaning they've survived because they are suited to this climate and they soldier on without a lot of attention. Many of them are perennials. Even choosing not to put in a tilled garden, or even so much as an official raised bed this year, we can still enjoy these greenies, many of which have edible uses, or even multiple uses beyond their already valuable existence.

Or maybe they are simply evidenceof our human weakness despite our best intentions when looking at mail order or in garden stores.

At any rate, we belong among our plants, even if they are the good-natured little green versions of latchkey kids.

--------------

Jack's home from his night shift and gently snoring in the other room. I have time for a quick update.

He and I tamed the savage beast called Our Yard a couple days ago, but we seldom feel that need for the adjoining lot we also own...we let it stay fairly au naturel, since we're not in a manicured subdivision. However, the general area IS manicured enough that we have to maintain our *ugh* lawn (one of the most worthless of inventions the world has ever known) since we (yeah yeah yeah, cue the same refrain...) are keeping it somewhat curb-appeal-ish for selling some day. Maybe not too far down the road in time.   But anyway...

It's consistently warm...even HOT...enough to take inventory of what plants remain in the ranks of survivors this year. We had several hard freezes this past winter, so there were casualties. But from the looks of things at this point, here's an idea of the plant population other than bermuda and weeds:

1. Gynura survived in pots, sheltered under shrubs and on back porch. We're now at the point they're big enough (again) to make more cuttings to root (again). Yay!

2. About 12 clumps of moringa, and counting, all sprouting and growing gangbusters daily.   Time for some leaf harvest soon. Again, yay!

3. Two of the three guavas are back.   The nice big one may have bit the dust.   The gangly little sidekick sheltered next to the BU5GBM ( Big Ugly 5-Gallon Bucket Mountain whose days are numbered) made it. (As did the one annually reappearing among the weed patch we refer to as our field) This does not ensure the survival of the said BU5GBM, only that we've learned that clustering the sophomore trees and plants during winter is crucial to their endurance.

4. One of the two languishing fig trees made it. They were in pots for years, in a patch of what came to be overgrown who-knows-what, growing in symbiotic fashion (as all eyesores love to do) and indiscernable as anything but another big ol' clump of tall weeds. I broke up the relationship, mowed down the rather woody weeds (well, Jack mowed them after I chopped them all to the ground) and repotted the one vigorous fig to a new location right up against a larger clump of moringa. I'm hoping the shade works its wonders. The other fig was down to a withered root, so it went composting...

5. Both aloe veras stayed the course.

6. Rosemary, check.

7. Yerba Buena, by a nose.

8. Loquat tree, check. Make that loquat three...Jack installed two more. He is a complete loquat enthusiast now. They can take the freezes AND the heat. And they produce fruit (only ours haven't yet...maybe next year).   And they're attractive. He's in tree love.

Birthday acquisition of:

9. 1 mulberry tree (please survive, my friend)

10. 2 small plum trees (more like sticks with leaves...2 different varieties for pollination)

11. A different kind of Gynura with purple backsides to the leaves, 1 pot

12. And a sweet potato plant (I have to learn to grow these to be worth my salt as a southerner)

13. 2 non-stinging chaya plants, going strong!

OK, back to the other non-birthday plants that are happening...

14. 1 three year old chaya plant, the stinging kind, getting bigger every year

15. 1 jujube whose little upstarts multiply every spring, making it more of a jujube clump

16. Several basic viburnum (not the fancy flowering kind) baby bushes Jack has been planting for windbreaks, screening

17. 2 survivor grapevines, no fruit

18. 1 confederate jasmine vine that did the Rebel Yell to me in a garden center recently

19. 2 new thryallis (golden shower) shrubs (yayyyy!!!!)

19 1/2. (oops, almost forgot) 2 tibouchina (not sure which variety) baby shrubs with gorgeous purple flowers

20. 1 clump asclepias (butterfly weed)

21. 2 recovering papayas

22. 1 clerodendrum (blue butterfly bush)

23. Several walking stick kale babies

24. 1 ground orchid

25. 1 survivor Surinam cherry bush

26. 2 soapberry bush babies and several surviving transplants of same

27. 2 bushes whose names escape me, but hardy to sun and with nice foliage that flower dark blue-purple flowers

and drumrolll.......

after MUCH anticipation, more anticipation, and excited nailbiting, we have the privilege of being sent some

28. Purple Leafed Tree Collards (!!!!!), due to arrive any day now (soo soo excited!!!)

and

29. We're finally putting in some Jerusalem artichokes in some of the more naturalized areas.

not to mention the

30. Pentas, assorted, flowers

31. Zinnias

and

32. Ruellia Brittonia gone nuts (Mexican petunias, blue flowers), naturalized on the steep slope adjacent to the shed, along with some interspersed butterfly weed

33. 2 dwarf cavendish banana plants, hanging in there till we hopefully get a wet season

34. 1 Mystery volunteer squash vine climbing the walls and anything else in its way

That's about it...till there's more :)   And these are the things we have going while "we're not growing anything"...ha!

Oh...there is one patio tomato plant. I would have to turn in my Girl Raised in the South card if I neglected to have at least one token tomato while the sun doth shine.

How grows your garden...or, like us, your "we're not growing anything this year" collection? ;-)

---------------------

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE:

Um...Garden Centers = My Kind of Crack

Recent (as of round trip to garden center and back now for a few minutes) plant additions:

2 Black Prince heirloom tomato starts (!!!!!)
2 Yellow Pear heirloom tomato starts (!!!)
2 German Johnson heirloom tomato starts (!!!)

and a cucumber vine of some variety

and two burgundy pentas starts

and a couple more butterfly weed starts

and a partridge in a pear tree...

:) Robbyn

Comfrey Demure

2011-04-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

(click any picture to enlarge)

The Heat's On!

2011-04-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

(click any pic to enlarge)

Volunteer mystery squash blooming and fruiting...

Butterfly weed making itself available for Monarch fly-bys and feasting...

Gynura procumbens cuttings sprouting...

Comfrey in bloom...

Confederate jasmine perfuming the air...

Jujube tree rapid new sucker growth...

Zinnias defying the heat with colorful impunity...

Birdbath surrounded by carpet of spring growth...

Grapes repositioned from buckets to trellis made of fencing sections turned upright...

The gorgeous proliferation of edible stinging chaya, back from the freezes once again...

Moringa cluster (left) as a nurse plant/semi-shade for the transplanted Brown Turkey Fig (right)...

The jujube...last year's thorny branches still not showing leaves, but new growth from the roots galore...

Sunflower seed escapees sprouting under the bird feeder...

Some flowers encouraged to naturalize...or is it we're lazy gardeners? ;-) We want those pollinators!

No trellis? No problem...shrubbery will do just fine, ma'am...

Loquats...no fruit this year, but we LOVE our loquats!

Pentas singing their siren song for the butterflies...

A couple of hardy blooming shrubs added here and there...can't remember the name of this one, but love the blooms!

Smaller mystery shrub, different type, with small jasmine-type purple blooms...

Jack's new favorite way of propagating moringa...sections of old branches stuck into the ground in the fall...voila, now it sprouts!

No shrub is safe from The Vine That Would Be King

Plum tree!!! There's another variety near by...hope my baby plums make it...I love plum trees!

The ugliness that will later become another patch of moringa...even amidst the bermuda...

Porch therapy...in the back is the ground orchid

Buckets o' babies

What's a picnic without some ants?? (this is said very sarcastically...we are overrun with the ants)

Ya take a chaya branch cutting, ya stick it in some potting soil...more edible shrubs on the way!

A sure sign the world renews itself yearly...green and blooming things...and Passover!! Next year in Jerusalem :)

'Bout Time

2011-04-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

...maybe David will slay Goliath?

Monsanto Sued By Organic Growers

.

The Old 45s

2011-04-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm of the generation that knows what the old 45s are. And today, I'm the old 45 !!!!! Older, and feeling very vinyl in this world of laser and digital and virtual and viral, and not wishing it otherwise.

I painted my toenails, took the day off tomorrow, determined that today nothing would keep this smile off my face despite a big bleach splatter right across the whole right side of my new scrub top, waking up an hour early due to inadvertently re-setting the time on my alarm clock instead of setting the alarm, and drama drama drama on the job. But the truck ran, the wipers worked even in a downpour, the house smelled like fresh baked banana bread, our clothes are clean, my dog loves me, my daughter phones for long talks, the AC works, and Jack still laughs at my really lame jokes and kisses me a lot. And I got some really wonderful emails today from friends (thank you!)

We might do nothing special tomorrow, but even that will be something special if Jack and I can have it together. The rains came today and there is an actual springlike cool outside tonight that is simply delicious!

I have the last two chapters left of the Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series to curl up with beside my unconscious and slightly-snoring hubby. And plenty of South African Red Rooibos tea to inhale (it smells wonderful) and savor. My house is halfway clean, which percentage-wise means I'm 100% content relaxing in it if the lights are low (ha!)

One of my clients is well cared-for, but frighteningly lonely and anxious. She weighs on my mind a lot. Today, we decided to begin a project. Each time we're together, we'll write some of her memoirs. Maybe paper and pen can anchor in words some of the parts of herself she fears she is losing.

"One day at a time, one moment at a time..." I say those words aloud, but I think I need to hear them as much as she does.

How quickly those days and moments have added up to the number 45.

Memory is the only precision instrument needed for instant replay.
And like those songs on the scratchy, comfortable vinyls, the sound can get stuck repeating in the darnedest places.

Doggit !!

2011-04-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Dog,

I hope you enjoyed your impromptu picnic. Or maybe it was a Progressive Dinner?

I don't recommend ripping through black plastic only to be rewarded by the day-old juices left in the wrapper from the previously raw turkey. But taste is subjective.

I hope the fist-sized lump of week-old rye bread satisfied.

And the tin can lids...well, sure...live a little.

And the fact that you enjoyed it in SO MANY DIFFERENT SETTINGS....the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the hallway, the bedroom. Well...no one can say you aren't well traveled.

I didn't have to stomp my foot, raise my voice, or even scowl. You have THAT kind of intuition...we are on a finely-tuned wavelength. You have ESP. You greeted me at the door as I arrived home, and then promptly put yourself in Time Out in the back bathroom.

My silence was eloquent. Your artistic flair was evident all across the white tile floor. Yes...I was...floored.

I've had my two cups of red tea, and I'm calm. Calm after cleaning up my floor that only yesterday I had mopped and shined. No, really, I'm not upset. Not at all upset about the concept of smearage being smeared smearily allll across it. (Remember how much I LOVE to clean floors...)

You're truly irresistible. Yes you are, oh see...now you have determined your Time Out is over, and you're back with your halo repositioned, as if nothing ever happened. Yes, yes you are!

You look at me with hopeful eyes, thinking there is further food fun in store for you, though I have to say I do remember very well what the contents of the trash was before you became the Canine Garbage Recycler. Your brown eyes may try to work their magic, but I'm strong, even stalwart, at the moment. Your taste is questionable, but I have no doubts... you are replete.

So, human-to-dog memo: DEAR DOG, YOU HAVE HAD YOUR DINNER. YOU'RE DONE TILL TOMORROW. THAT'S RIGHT...NO KIBBLE TONIGHT. MUCH LOVE BUT DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING INTO MY KITCHEN. LOVE, MOM

P.S. If you have a relapse, a moment of intestinal deja-vu... along the lines of daring to lick the frozen flagpole, going where eagles dare, crossing through No Man's Land just for the thrill of the chase...

Knock yourself out.

I already took the trash out and changed the liner. The two used teabags I just discarded there are for your sole enjoyment.

Bon Appetit!

Not gone

2011-04-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

...just working, sleeping, eating, working, sleeping, eating.

Shall get back here somewhere in between one of those!

My numbers change in two days. I'm aging fast.

I'm stumping for a fun day to the ECHO global test farm, to see what multi-purpose edible plants we can discover ...and adopt! Shall take camera if so. If not, I shall bore everyone again with pics of all the dormant plants that have sprung back to life in the near-90s heat we're having now.

Update, news, pics, and final giveaway soon. Till then, I'm embracing my Inner Geezer and getting actual sleep at night instead of staying up at the keyboard. The job is going well and I'm good and tired by evening. Sleeping the sleep of the somewhat mischeivous-yet-fairly innocent...

Doesn't make for exciting blog text, but I have a few subjects up my sleeve for some stolen moments here...

1. Rooibos, aka, Bush Tea
2. Purple Leaf Tree Collards
3. Jack's new propagation technique (even more Benign Neglect as successful growing, ha!)
4. The removal of The Pole Thing
5. The alien concept of The Dishwasher
6. I Can See All Floor Surfaces Now (or Cleaning for Passover: the good, the bad, the cathartic)
7. OMGosh It's Almost Passover and we have to Hurry Up And Eat the Leaven
8. Working With the Elderly is SO VERY COOL At Times
9. Fat Dog, or Vet Confirms Some Animals Have No OFF Switch
10. Disgruntled Dog, or Mom Has Me on Gulag Rations
11. Eating The Actual Plants We've Now Spent Several Years Writing About

And so on.

I'll be back between hasty pre-Passover cleaning and guilty pleasure occasional OLD Hulu back-episodes of Hell's Kitchen. And any in the series of Number One Ladies Detective Agency books by Alexander McCall Smith I can keep unstocking from my local public library. In which plump women are not termed Fat, but rather, Traditionally Built.

Maybe this summer, what with the heat and everything, I'll manage to become less traditionally-built ;-)

It's late...so for now, sleep.
.....bbl

Re-drawing...Winner

2011-03-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

The winner of the last giveaway was a no-show, so I've redrawn, and Judy is now the winner! (If you peek at her blog, you'll see her beautiful new cabinets)

Judy, just email me at the address on my sidebar and let me know where you'd like me to have your new book Perennial Vegetables delivered. Congratulations!

Winner, Please Contact Me!

2011-03-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have no contact information for the winner of the third giveaway, Linda, and have not received a reply since announcing the results. Linda, please contact me here in comments or by email found on my sidebar to let me know how to reach you so I can arrange delivery of your book!

If I have not heard from Linda by tonight at midnight, I'll draw again and announce the new winner tomorrow morning...

Linda linda linda!

:)

Third Giveaway Winner!

2011-03-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

I used the "draw straws" online computer application at Random.org and the winner of the book is....Linda! (I don't have a link to you, or I would have included it here) Linda, just drop me an email at the address on my sidebar and let me know your contact info so I can have it delivered. And congratulations!

And to everyone, the final Giveaway this time around will be announced soon!

Love you guys!

Third Giveaway!

2011-03-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

We've discovered a lot of things in our dinking around with seeds, buckets, and an overgrown bermuda plot next door.

We love plants that are hardy to our area.

We've begun rethinking the term "weeds" and instead thinking more of them as "super survivors" (and seeing what uses we can find for those wonder plants that weather such extremes with such grace!).

We've tended to lean away from anything that needs too much babying, and our amateurish efforts have necessitated that Benign Neglect is more of our "gardening style." There ARE plants that do thrive that way.

We love multi-use plants.

We love edible landscaping (and about any edible plants of any kind!)

And we LOVE perennials!

As part of our celebration of having the blog going for five years now, for God's miracle of expediting our getting out of debt recently, and of THANKS to you for your friendship across all boundaries, this book Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier is our next giveaway prize! In it you'll find some great resources and information about edible perennials....

To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment and mention your go-to favorite edible plant...that's it! The drawing will be on Sunday sometime.

And now we go to eat our first loquats Jack picked today, another edible landscaping plant...delicious!!

Second Giveaway Winner!

2011-03-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Using the random online "draw straws" program at this site , we now have a winner....Rachel!!! Rachel, email me at the address on my sidebar with your contact info and let me know which of the three fermented starters you'd like, and I'll arrange for it to be shipped to you ASAP. Congratulations!!

Second Giveaway

2011-03-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

Something we experimented with early in our blogging years, and that we'll return to when our schedules are more predictable, are fermented foods. Three types of fermented foods we enjoyed making ourselves were kombucha, kefir, and Caspian Sea yogurt.

Kombucha

Here's a post of ours from 2009 that tells a little about our kombucha-making.
There is much to be found online about brewing your own kombucha. We eventually went to the continual process kombucha rather than the batch process. It takes a few weeks to kickstart, and then about the second month you have a regular supply for enjoying. It is a tea and sugar mix that is fermented by a "mushroom" (nickname, not truly a mushroom) called a Scoby, (read more here) to transform it into a highly probiotic drink.

Kefir

We also tried making Kefir from a live starter, so we could try it as a great probiotic. It is very easy to make with live starter culture ("grains") and milk. Now we see kefir sold in the supermarket. We enjoyed this best mixed with fruit and honey in a blender as a smoothie.

Caspian Sea Yogurt

This is a type of yogurt I first saw mentioned on a New Zealand homesteader's blog, unique in that it does not require anything but some starter, some milk, and being set out at room temperature for about 15 hours...that's it! No heating or fuss.

My husband went NUTS for this. At first, it seemed odd compared to traditional yogurt I'm used to...the texture is slick, pourable but with a fresh mozzarella-like slickness that's hard to explain. Depending on how long you leave it out, the tartness will vary from super mild to super sour. If left to sour too long, it will separate into whey and curdle. It only takes a bit to use as starter for the next batch, and repeat, and so on. Here's a back post of ours that mentions some of our Caspian Sea Yogurt making.

-----------------------------------------

When we begin fermentation projects again, I will opt for the Caspian Sea Yogurt and Jack will request some continual brew containers of Kombucha be up and running...but we love all three fermented cultured products mentioned above.

Because these are unique to our "homestead" experimentation and something others already are trying or might like to experiment with, they are our next giveaway. . .

2ND GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Pick your fermented fun!   If you'd like to begin making one of these 3 types of probiotics, we'll pay for the one you prefer!

The winner gets to choose one of the above fermented product starters (whichever one you most prefer)-- Kombucha "mushroom," Kefir live grains, or Caspian Sea Yogurt -- and try it for yourself...our gift! We bought starters from The Happy Herbalist and were very happy with them.   The kombucha we were given as a gift (thanks, Maria!), but The Happy Herbalist has good starters, too.

**health disclaimer** We take no responsibility for the health benefits or effects from any of these products. Consult with your own health professional before consuming any food you have questions about.

If you'd like to enter the drawing for one of these starter cultures, leave a comment and we'll get this going :)

First Giveaway Winner!

2011-03-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

I used the "draw straws" application at this link to select the winner of the from the comments at the end of the post and the winning "short straw" chosen at random by the program Heirloom Gardener magazine was Paulette....congratulations, girl!!!!

Thank you, everyone who participated in this drawing...and check out the next giveaway I'll be posting tonight!

Giveaway Week!

2011-03-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

This is a week we thank you for your friendship and for all we've learned from you! The blog's been here five years, wow...who knew?? Thank you for sharing your lives with us and being a part of this blog! We celebrate God's goodness to us throughout these years, and for the recent blessing of helping us retire the rest of our debt...and we'd like to share our joy with you. We've chosen a few things that have meaning to us, and today's giveaway is a subscription to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed's Heirloom Gardener magazine.

I love Baker Creek Heirloom seeds...love the arrival of their seed catalogs seasonally. I don't even have a subscription to this magazine myself, and have always wanted one...but first, to share!

To enter for a chance in the giveaway, just tell us in comments what some of your favorite magazines are...can be anything and doesn't have to pertain to homesteading subjects per se. We'll randomly draw a name. Enter before my next post...not sure when that is, but will be in the next day or two!

We love you guys!

The Debt's Gone: Part Two...YOU

2011-03-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Part two of "we're out of debt" is about our indebtedness (in the good sort of way) to you, our friends.

You have been with us as we trudged through the ups and downs of the hardest part of getting out of debt (besides the paying back of it)...the waiting. It takes time.

We've gotten to know numerous people here, and we consider you friends. Throughout the past four years of this blog's life, we've learned so much and been so encouraged during some of the grayer days where we so wanted forward progress to be quicker. So...THANK YOU to all of you who have taken the time to share your insights, encouragements, and humor with us along the way...the way we're still walking (it's not over! :)). Thank you for nudging me when I got a bit morose or disheartened at the seemingly slow pace, and for reminding me of the real priorities and of so much for which to be grateful.

I had an interesting experience a couple days after we realized what was happening recently with the unexpected (miraculous!) windfall (from God!). Looking back on it, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut, but I shared with a former classmate a bit of what had happened, without realizing that it might not be something easy for her to be happy about, too...after all, we had commisserated for a couple months about job related things as we juggled bills in light of the scarcity of job openings and the specter of rising gas prices...and so on. Her husband had found a job (we'd prayed about it and saw it as a welcome answer to prayer), and we sometimes had touched base about this and that as we both eased into entirely new careers at the same time, comparing notes and such. I was stunned at her reaction to my news, momentarily.   She was bitter and snide, actually.   Whoa.

(She doesnt know I have a blog, nor would she be likely to read this sort...so this is not a passive agressive jab via the blogosphere, btw)

I just was surprised.   But it's hard sometimes to face down personal sucker punches and be happy for others' happiness...and all this to say that I'm not here to wave this happy time glibly in anyone's face as they go through really tough times. I feel we've all along the way been very blessed AND very much in the trenches.

One of the lessons I've learned is that doing with less is not poverty, nor does there have to be a poverty mentality as long as we maintain control of whatever choices we have at the time. But, plain and simple, living more plainly and simply has taught us to appreciate a lot of things we used to take for granted AND it's taught us there are plenty of THINGS we are just fine doing without...even things others might call necessities.

We're only midway on the self-sufficiency scale compared to a lot of others out here who really are excelling at it, but then again we usually do most things slowly, easing into them. I have to say that this community we think of as the "homesteading" community (and all the diverse range that encompasses that loose term) KEEPS us motivated...that's YOU! We're not down-and-outers...we're cutting edge! You, our neighbors via the internet (all over the world!) challenge us to get really creative, look at the possibilities, use what we have in the most interesting and creative ways, compare notes on so many different levels and topics, throw out questions for those with the most experience to help us answer, and share the REAL details of home life, not just some "green dream" but rather the nitty gritty of successes, failures, and family along the way.

We're SO GRATEFUL for YOU!!!!

And we THANK YOU !!!

A special extra thanks goes to those of you who have taken the time to pray for us at any point along the way. We truly feel your prayers are what have been answered here, not just ours. Any time we can return the favor, please email us...it's one thing we so believe in. We thank God for YOU. Thank you for caring about us!

Re-reading this post, I'm really inadequately saying what is on my heart just now, but I hate to let one more day go by without at least trying. As so many people are panicking right now, or running scared and not knowing where to turn, we feel we already have a community that has roots and can help ground those around us who need somewhere and someone to turn to during hard times...we point people to local resources but also to this community...again, YOU. These connections with REAL people who become familiar to us and such a welcome bunch of friends as well as a wealth of wisdom...these connections are so important. There are answers, solutions, things to try, changes that can be made, a way to make it...and keep our choices, decision-making, and quest for the best quality life at the forefront of our efforts rather than losing heart and giving up.

A big ingredient in my not losing heart is seeing and learning from your personal blogs...and in getting to know you in ways ranging from occasional comments to knowing someone well enough to recognize a kindred spirit :)

Thank YOU

Thank YOU

Thank YOU

I seldom say it enough, how important you are to me, to both Jack and myself. I'm saying it now.

We're now sharing our happiness with you, who have been with us for however long or short on our journey. Please share yours with us as well, even if we don't show up in your comments as often as we'd like. We DO care!   Time's kept us away from reading your own blogs as often as we'd like (and boy, do we LIKE to!) but...dare I say it ...we simply LOVE you guys.

So

THANK YOU

You are one of the biggest parts of our happiness right now.   Thank you for sharing it with us. If you're someone in the fire right now, or just having a hard time seeing light at the end of the tunnel and it's hard to share anyone's happiness, I'm saying hang in there and keep doing the right thing.   And email us so we can pray for you or encourage you, too.   In so many ways, we're all in this thing called Life together. Thank you to everyone out here who has helped us realize this!

Much love from myself and my beloved Jack to you,

Robbyn

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

2011-03-02T17:19:00.000-08:00

...flies, rather than creeps! (sorry, Ye Bard)

I have every intention of typing up Part Two of "Debt, Gone!"...was supposed to do it yesterday, then today...I'm not procrastinating but I want to have my brain at the computer along with my fingers while typing. I'm tired! It's a good tired from more recent activity than I've been used to.

Anyway, the subject of Part Two is the role friends (you!) have played in our debt-repayment success, and I don't want to rush through it. So HOPEFULLY tomorrow I'll have time to respond to your WONDERFUL comments and to pen the next post. It's not for lack of being grateful...so hope to have something up by tomorrow late PM. Just didn't want anyone to think I'd fallen off the internet in the last couple days :)

Hoping to be back tomorrow...!!! THANK you for being happy along with us, and for being a part of so many of our ups and downs, and in this case, JOYS :)

The Debt Gone: Part One

2011-02-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

I'm on my face with awe to our wonderful God. I have no words to really express anything I'd like to express to Him right now.   Thank You is a really inadequate phrase.

Here, I'll back up for a second...

For anyone who's read a few posts here and there at this blog, you'll notice a repeating theme of "we are working to get out of debt"...repeated so many times it became an annoying little mantra.   But as we have made, altered, and amended our goals in the shortterm and the longterm, the first barrier and first consistent thing we needed in order to get our household in order was to be out of debt.

We did not carry a dollar amount of debt that most people would think of as exorbitant, and it was less than the "debt forgiveness" counselors quote as a starting point to negotiate with lenders for friendlier payback terms.

Nevertheless, though it was a smaller mountain, it was still a mountain. And daily, weekly, we still "climbed" it. My wonderful husband kept us steady in that regard, working at a somewhat thankless job that's not his lifelong career, simply in order for us not to slide backwards. And I got creative on the home front budgeting, and contributing with jobs on the side through this last 4 years, too. It's been a joint project, and a daily prayer, and on the daily prayer request of folks who have loved us enough to pray for us.   "Please help us get out of debt"

Why be out of debt? There are a lot of reasons, and I won't go into all of them, but the long and short of it is for the sake of independence and being free to make choices based on not having ties to any lenders.

I should stop here and say that we still are paying a house note, a modest one, so we are not truly 100% debt free. Our goal, however, has been to pay off all other debts and then to sell this house when it's the right time and shoot for being able to come out at least slightly ahead and COMPLETELY at that point no longer owing anyone anything.

Part One of this is the part I did not know was going to happen.

We made two huge mistakes since I started this blog, and since we focused our efforts on what we term our "homestead journey"...and both mistake involved money. There were two times we could have utilized two separate windfalls over the past four years, and would likely have been out of debt by now.   It was a learning process and it was also a big test of Jack's and my relationship and whether we could withstand disagreeing on such a vital decision. I won't belabor it, but for other equally-worthy causes, the money was at the time used in other ways, and then didn't accomplish what we had intended the result to be...in fact, it backfired.   Talk about a huge huge HUGE sense of regret. And more lessons in loving each other, and cementing the determination to not make the same mistake...again.

That is where the new year this January found us.   Ever try making a fresh Goals list while still having Goal One (debt) be the SAME goal as the year before...and the year before...and be the one thing we STILL were working on?

Part One of the equation is....God. What we're trying to do is to walk His way, and so many of the changes we've made and would like to continue making all are things He's helped us find and learn and get really excited about as we keep on at day at a time. We've done well in many ways, but in other ways we had setbacks, made mistakes, and sometimes flopped. He's helped us in spite of ourselves. We have made a conscious effort to stay with the determination to not take on any more debts.
We appreciate the correction He's given us to help us realize just how important it is to be free, simplify, say no, and do without non-essentials.

We are BETTER for the lessons!   And grateful.

There are plenty of others on this same road, and yet others who are not quite at the same perspective. We had to say No a lot of times that were frustrating for others due to the fact that our budget simply could not stay on track if we took expensive vacations, traveled out of state, bought holiday gifts for a lot of people (including us!) and so on. At no time did we feel deprived, but a lot of times we have had to settle for being misunderstood by some folks we love who just can't understand why we won't swipe the plastic one more time to be more available to their plans.

I used to apologize for it, but I don't any longer...it's the only way we could live sensibly on our budget and our reality is not everyone else's. Some folks are working with a lot bigger budgets, which is awesome for them...I'm not begrudging :)

We have friends who've prayed and prayed for us, both folks we know in person and those of you here who we are so very happy to know even though at a greater distance. We have no idea which, if any, plans we have He'll direct us towards or away from...we remain flexible...but even despite our mistakes, sometimes some grumbling, a little discouragement now and then, and lessons in focusing on making the most of Today....God has kept us kindly, mercifully, graciously...and generously.

One month ago today, we thought we were no closer to being out of debt than we had been the month before. We still owed thousands.

You hear people throw around the term "miracle" pretty loosely sometimes, but we believe a miracle happened for us.

I'm still in shock and in awe, so this post will scarcely contain the wonder I truly feel at how, one month later, we are now debt-free. How many times do we wish we would win the lottery, have some kindly great-uncle we never knew bequeath us a legacy, and so on?

All I can say is there was a check in the mail, and it had to do with money that rightfully was ours but had been, without any knowledge on our part, in limbo for years until four weeks ago. And to think I almost threw it out as junk mail without even opening it!

I can't go more into detail, but it was part of our hard-earned income "error in your favor" re-materialized...and a complete COMPLETE surprise to both of us!

The other neat part is that it was enough to cover all our debt, besides our house note, and a few things we had sidelined due to our tight budget...car repairs, dog to the vet, a pair of good work shoes, etc.   For the past 2 or 3 weeks, we've been cautiously paying everything off to see, after the dust settled, where things stand now.   And they do, they DO (!!!) stand Paid In Full !!!!!!!!!!

So Part One of all this is God's timing, God's goodness, God's mercy, God's graciousness. This post is all about how HE gets the credit (ha, ironic little term there) for this happening, and helping move us FAR FAR FAR forward in ways we had absolutely NO control over.

So we are GRATEFUL to GOD.   We were grateful before this happened, and we are...what's a good word?? words are inadequate...mind-numblingly in shock and humbled and HAPPY about this!

So, thank you, our Great and Loving God, for bringing this about, and may we proceed from here only by Your guidance, with joy and wisdom from You. Our prayer is that He lead us how and where He specifically wants us...that's truly where both of us want to be.

And yes, besides the shock, it feels GREAT (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to look into the mailbox and have no bills coming in.

Still

In

SHOCK

Thank you for sharing our happiness and our journey with us!   Part Two, my next post, is about...you.

The Huge News

2011-02-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

I'm on my way to work, but I can't wait any longer to share the big news...

WE'RE OUT OF DEBT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a MIRACLE!!!!!!!!

The details, a celebration, LOTS of gratefulness spelled out in my posts throughout this week. But I could not wait ONE MORE SECOND to share!

Juicy details to come, and a giveaway :)

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Giving thanks to God, our praying friends, and sharing our joy :)

More to come...

More Alternative Edible Leaves

2011-02-27T07:27:00.000-08:00

Sorry, but I couldn't resist when I went to this webpage at the Plants for a Future site. What a wonderful resource! Check out even more alternative edible leaves...

Funny how things turn out, but if you'd have asked me four years ago if Jack and I would be SO excited every time we found another unusual-to-us edible leaf, I may have laughed...but not so now. In fact, they are at the heart of our plans for the present and future.

As I mentioned in the last post, I have some specific things I'll be writing about here this week.

But I couldn't pass up mentioning this great link...enjoy :)

Still here!

2011-02-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

The past little while has been BUSY, but it's been a good sort of busy!

Thank you to all who left your information about your own home businesses. I have a reason for asking :)

Jack and I will be making an announcement in the next few days, and that will be paired with a giveaway.

There will be a few more posts focusing on debt and frugality and lessons learned (and some we still have to learn). I'll include an update on my new job, an entirely new career shift (though I hardly think of any of my jobs as a "career").

And lastly, but certainly not least, I also have some great information to post about another edible leafy green we'll be trying this spring (well, throughout the year), the purple leaf tree collard. I'm delighted to welcome a guest post-er from the west coast for that post, or series of posts, so he can share his firsthand knowledge of this plant, since the information we were able to find about it on the internet was scant but fascinating.

It's almost shabbat now, so there'll probably be no action here at the blog till next week. But we're still here and will shoot some posts here forthwith, after the weekend.

Have a great and restful few days!

Robbyn and Jack :)

Question for Readers: Do You Have Your Own Etsy Site or Homemade/Homegrown Products for Sale?

2011-02-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone out here...I'd really love to know if you have your own home business, homemade items, homegrown things you sell on the side or as a part your cottage industry. I don't put advertising on my sidebar or in my text mainly because I didn't create this as an income-generating blog, plus advertising usually gets on my last nerve.

HOWEVER, I'd LOVE to know what YOU make yourself, sell as a legitimate service, etc etc...I'd love to put them in a post here.

If you make homemade soaps, design websites, bottle honey from your own honeybees, have raw or spun wool, knitted/crocheted/sewn items, make quilts, etc...and a hundred other things that could go on the list here...I'd love to have a link to your site or email address with a list of what you have available.

I love my internet friends and want to encourage exchanges and purchases among our mutual cottage businesses and personal handmade/etc items.

Just list your info in comments and after a few days I'll include them all in a post...I have my reasons for asking :)

Thanks! Can't wait to see what everyone has for sale!

O'er The Ramparts We Watched

2011-02-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

...were so gallantly streaming.

I'm just sayin'...

How neat would it be if we let some young kids give us our Superbowl anthem. The words would be remembered and for what they'd be paid, it would put them all the way through college.

Using Leftovers: Homemade Dog Treats!

2011-02-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

Got some leftover veggies on hand that aren't going to make it into a soup, fritter, casserole, etc? Many veggies and leftovers can be incorporated into making dog treats. Pumpkin, squashes, green peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, oatmeal, are all things that can be used, and dog treats are easy to approximate.

Essentially, they're biscuits, and they don't have to come out pretty to be appreciated by our Kaleb.   Avoid any ingredients your pet might be allergic to, and all ingredients on the DON'T list for dogs...grapes/raisins, onions, and so on.

I was cleaning out my fridge and had some items that weren't spoiled but were too sparse to make it into another meal soon...a bit of fish, a little cooked carrot, dab of oatmeal.   There are a lot of good dog treat recipes online...I just mixed some old pancake mix (don't need to keep it on hand and there was not much left) with the leftovers, mixed in some powdered milk, flour, dry oats, oil, and an egg. Stir, roll out, and bake!

These were kind of homely and the white stuff isn't powdered sugar but flour.   But they actually smelled good cooking and I cooked them long enough for them to be hard enough to keep well stored in a sack in the freezer, and for a few to be kept in the treat jar.

Got any tried and true recipes you use for your own pet treats? I'd love to know!

From Kaleb's kitchen, bon appetit!

A Reminder

2011-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

of what we inherited as US citizens, and what we must hold dear and protect.

The Constitution of the United States. I'm rereading it as a reminder.

The Preamble used to be required memorization in my high school, but I've gotten a little rusty in the years since...thought of this scene in a favorite re-run...

Pot-holes Ain't Just A Mississippi Road Feature

2011-01-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

This past week was a bumpy ride.

It's an amazing answer to prayer that I have employment now that DOES fit within our unconventional one-vehicle-sharing schedule. This is such an timely and specific and welcome answer to prayer!

The fact that at age 44 I've embarked on something completely unfamiliar to me as far as a skill/career (don't really like the word Career) just means old dogs can hopefully sometimes learn new tricks. Let's see.

This past week had some successes and some flops. I am very aware of my inexperience and limitations.

The first day of work, Jack was supposed to get off his night shift at a particular time and be here at the house in plenty of time for me to use the vehicle. He called an hour late to alert me that an emergency had occurred there and he'd be home in time, but later than expected. An hour later, I touched base with him and he was at a repair shop because he'd had a blowout on the interstate close to our exit and had just gone straight to the repair garage to see what they could do...his donut was locked in and the tools to remove it were stolen along with the jack back when our truck was stolen a year and a half ago..we were unaware of that.

Long story shorter, he could not get here in time, and I was down to the wire...first day at new job, arggggh!!! There was no way I was calling them less than an hour before blastoff and telling them to find someone else and give a bunch of reasons, all of which were actual but none of which anyone cares about when you're a new employee. STRESS :)

So, game face firmly in place, I called a taxi. It arrived late, got me there just in the nick of time, and thankfully the very first job assignment I had went very well. It was a short one. When both Jack and I were safely back at home a few hours later, we both felt like we'd run a sprint.

My second assignment, being trained for a particular client by another CNA, took the wind out of my sails. In short, the job was more than a bit out of my comfort zone as far as my lack of experience. It was very intimidating and left me momentarily asking myself later that night what in the world I'm doing trying to do this new job track at this point in my life, blah blah blah. Then I told myself that Grandma Moses didn't start painting till she was in her 70s.

Then I said " I SHOULD RETURN TO PAINTING!!!"

Then I said "if I want to ever afford paints again, I need to see this new job change through and learn it and enjoy it"

Dang it, Grandma Moses!

:)

So I will, and this week I actually have jobs to do...it's NICE to be employed!!! I am SO ready for us to write out those remaining payments for debt and be DONE with it, so that is my Muse this week. Still nervous, still got my game face on. And ready to say No to any jobs that are truly beyond my abilities, but Yes to the ones I can handle.

Gee, I'm nervous. I'll just grit my teeth as we bump over the pot-holes along the way.

And I'll look forward to that wonderful thing called "Paycheck Therapy"...oh yeah!

Got any stories for me of past job woes and successes? Is there a particular one you're glad you saw through and any you are glad to never have again?

My least favorite EVER was the brief stint moonlighting on the side working for a drapery cleaner. I was cleaning draperies in an un-airconditioned building in a Florida summer, working with a large steam press that kept breaking, endless nasty draperies filled with dust and nicotine, and sweating like I never have before. But hey, it was a free sauna and brought in a paycheck, ha!

Little Okra Jawbreakers

2011-01-28T06:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, the first attempt at dehydrating okra to make "okra chips" resulted in my not being sure how to achieve true okra chippy-ness. But I did come up with some great okra jawbreakers, or mini Ninja throwing stars. The upside is that okra truly dehydrates into great storage bits and can be added right into soups and such and will rehydrate. Storing the dehydrated okra takes so little space it would really be worth it to do.

As far as edible snacking chips go, it looks like I need to invest some Edison lab time into further experimentation! Maybe I'll puree it first? Hmmm. In the meantime, though, I'll try dehydrating other unsuspecting veggies that have prolific garden tendencies...Paulette mentioned zucchini, so I'll keep on trying things. No veggie will be safe from the dehydrator around here for a while :)

Got any successes in this department? I could sure learn from someone else's experience!

Next Experiment: Dehydrated Okra "Chips"

2011-01-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

I keep getting really useful and intriguing tips from my friend in north Mississippi, the last of which was that regular okra, fresh or frozen, can be dehydrated after being sliced in the standard rounds...and makes a great, healthy snack...supposed to be delicious (even for those not usually inclined to like okra), and really nutritious!

Supposedly, yep...you just plop 'em on the dehydrator racks and get it going (okra "slime" and all) and a few hours later you take the finished product, store in airproof container, and eat it like you would chips or other snacks.

I consulted the Google oracle to see if many people out here already are doing that, but didn't find a whole lot of mention besides a lady who seasons hers first with Tony's seasoning (creole) before dehydrating. And guess who happens to have a random shaker of Tony's seasoning in the bursting spice shelf? Yay!

I have bags of frozen okra. The reason this one's worth a try for me is HUGELY because the nutrition is up there in exchange for really NO down sides...there's no flour or starches added, it's a green vegetable, and its mucilagenous (sp?) qualities mean good things for joint and bone health.

Second reason?   It can grow here, and in SO many zones, like a weed (but not invasive).   Two years ago we did an experiment and simply sowed the seeds directly into fresh stable cleanings right on top of the ground, and mid-season the bermuda was thick as thieves all around it but it vanquished even the knee-high bermuda grass...now THAT's a survival plant!

We need some okra love around here...we do like it in gumbo-ish stews and love love love it fried, but we don't NEED to be eating it fried very much, and since frugality and health have become prime factors in this household, soup is almost always on the menu as the main event or as a side. That said...there is only so much soup okra can go in...it has unique characteristics.

There are a lot of vegetarians and a lot of other cultures that already utilize okra really well, here's an example of some worth trying. It definitely is worth some further branching-out (ha no pun intended) with recipes and some ethnic favorites...I'll try to do that this summer.   But for now...dehydrating sounds...easy! (especially since I have bags and bags of okra languishing in the freezer, feeling neglected).

SO....finding a way to make it into delicious "chips"....yes, yes, and YES!

Let's see if it delivers on my expectations, or if I can find ways to tweak it to be a go-to treat. If so...we can be assured of almost UNLIMITED nutritional snacking! WOO!

So....tonight I load up the cheapo, lawnmower-decibel-level dehydrator (our only one at present) and pretend it's "white noise" to fall asleep to...ha!   and perhaps by the morning, I'll be taste-testing.

I'll report back, hopefully with pics...couldn't seem to find any "okra chip" pics on the Net, either.

Has anyone out here ever made it??   If so, I'd love to hear!

Any other unsuspecting dried veggies that function well as "chips" that you know of?   I have yet to try kale "chips" but they too are on the Try Soon list :)

Dear Person Who Invented Scrubs,

2011-01-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

I LOVE YOU!!!

Instead of having a bad dream where you realize in the middle of everything that you've left your house in your pajamas...this is reality...

you get to wear your pajamas to work EV-ER-Y DAY!!!

Sure, there may be a bad day now and then, but WHATEVER...

you're wearing your pajamas!!!

I'm so glad that you, whoever you are that invented scrubs validated pajama-wearing in the workplace by coming up with the term "scrubs" instead of "pajamas."

Semantics...

I mean, seriously...what other legitimate work wear featuring superheroes, cartoon characters, flowers, unicorns, candy-color solids...can be worn by qualified working adults in soft-soled shoes?? ( I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question, actually)

Thank you thank you thank you, Person Who Invented Scrubs!!

Maybe in another ten years fuzzy pink slippers will be part of the uniform, too, woo!

Employed!!!

2011-01-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

Yes I am, as of today...Yayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, God !!!! And thank you for those who prayed in our behalf !!!

CHOP CHOP CHOP, and the debt goes tim-bberrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......woo!!

Care Packages ROCK

2011-01-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

What's more exciting than getting a box in the mail...chock full of awesome treats? One of my long-distance soul sisters totally blew me out of the water by filling one of those pre-paid US mailing boxes full of things designed to make my heart sing and help gently nurture my body back into prime health. There were several different packets of different dried sea vegetables (seaweeds/kelps and such of different kinds), none of which I've ever eaten and ALL of which I'm jonesing to try! There was a jar of tahini, some wonderful teas, a smoked salmon filet (!!!!), and small marble mortar and pestle (!!!), a big container of xylitol (I can't seem to find any here) and a small squeeze bottle of agave nectar. A box of Indian spice. And a wonderful personalized postcard with her picture (it's been years since we've seen each other) on it.

Did I mention I LOVE SURPRISE PACKAGES?? woooo!!!

I love my friends even more than care packages, too. THANK YOU, MJ, for the wonderful goodies, but even more for your friendship over the years...no words can express it adequately. And to those of you friends here, who have come to mean so much to me, THANK YOU. If you've prayed for Jack and me and for my recent bronchitis slump to get better...I'm feeling better by the day...so much better than even a few days ago. I have met very few friends from here online yet, but I appreciate you all. I am so grateful!

MJ, I did try that seaweed in some soup...the wakame...and it is wonderful!

Here's to brown paper packages tied up with string.

And here's to friendship!

Now...which tea should I drink tonight?? :)

Do-It-Yourself Supplements: Saving Big Bucks By Filling Caplets

2011-01-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer disclaimer disclaimer blah blah blah...check with your doctor first before ANYTHING, etc etc.

Ok....now.   If you're taking a SAFE herb, know what dosages are SAFE (disclaimer disclaimer blah blah blah)...it might be frugal to make some of your own supplements.

FOOD, fresh and straight from the garden to the plate is the best of everything. There is just no substitute for garden fresh nutrition. That's always the first goal.

As a backup, there are things I want that I do not yet grow or process.   For example, we grow moringa for its leaves and enjoy them most of the year, except the colder months. I would like to enjoy the health benefits of some of the dried moringa leaf powder so I've been experimenting with a more affordable form than what I found available to me at first search in the stores (nada) and the internet (bingo!).   A single bottle containing 120 capsules of the straight-up pure moringa lead (dried, powdered), with shipping is going to run me about $30.    That's for about 3 dried ounces of product total weight.   In my world, that is going to add up too quickly.

Finding the Stuff I Need:   So I priced the moringa powder all by itself. This was more affordable. I found a source I liked where I could purchase 16 dry ounces (1lb) of the powder for about $25.00 inclusive of shipping and handling. Since moringa is the backbone of a self-designed little health regimen I'm currently trying, for me it was affordable in comparison with some other options.   So I bought the pound of powdered leaf. It's as fine as cornstarch. 1/2 a teaspoon can be made into tea and so on. In any concentrated form, it has a very strong flavor, and I was wanting to take not only teas but also higher concentrations of the leaf powder.

How To Make A Pill?:   So I ventured to the health food store to see if they carried any empty "veg-caps" (gelcaps not made of gelatin) with which to make my own moringa capsules to take with my other supplements by mouth. Yeesh...a tiny box of 100 "0" size caps was about 8 bucks!!!

So After I Pawned An Arm And A Leg:   I ponied up for one box till I could find a better alternative since I wanted to begin taking them sooner than later.   I went home, poured out a little of the powder into a bowl, and in about 20 minutes' time I had filled all 100 caplets with moringa leaf powder and stored them in one of the brown glass bottles I save from other supplements as we use them up.   Now I have a bottle of 100 caplets for a lot less than what I could get them online. A bottle of 120 (3 oz) costs about $30, remember?

But I can do better than that...and I have a LOT of moringa powder left (it barely looks like I've used any so far)

O Google My Google:   So I found an online source for "veg" gelcaps...1,000 for $11.00...now we're talking!

I Failed Math But Let's Try This Anyway:

...if I fill 120 caps with @ 3 oz of powder, let's see if I can guesstimate the math...

$25 = 16 oz powder breaks down to..... @ $ 1.57/oz.....3 oz of powder = $ 4.71
Plus
$ 11.00 = 1,000 gelcaps breaks down to... @ $ .011 per caplet.....120 caplets = $ 1.32

GRAND TOTAL = $ 6.03 homemade  120 caplets of powder
                                  VS
                                  $ 30.00 storebought moringa caplets

A SAVINGS OF $ 23.97 per bottle (which is hypothetical because I'd never have paid that much anyway. It simply means I CAN purchase it now, whereas before, I couldnt)

Conclusion of the DIY Caplet-Filling Caper:   This works well for anything as far as a safe natural herb that would normally be taken in caplet form.

-----------------------------------------

Soon, I'll be making tinctures.   It's as easy as 100 proof alchohol plus a certain proportion of medicinal/nutritive (SAFE ONES ONLY) herbs and such, plus time, and then bottling it up. Those savings, too, are astronomical in comparison with retail for those tiny dropper bottles of tinctures/extracts that can run anywhere from 6 bucks a bottle on up to 18 dollars or more...for a tiny bottle.

Anyway, more on that when I assemble my ingredients.

I just had to share about the savings on the caplets. People not needing to use the vegetarian (non-gelatin) caplets can find the gelcaps at an even better bargain. We go for the vegetarian sort because of wanting to avoid pork-derived products.

And of course, if you grow your OWN herb, moringa, whatever....that cuts the cost after growing, drying, and powdering it to next to nothing :)

Anyone out here doing this one?   I'd love to hear about what supplements you "fill" yourself!

I should have started doing this a lot sooner. I did it years ago and then slacked off. Why oh why??  (head-smack moment!)   :)

The Slow Road

2011-01-18T23:22:00.000-08:00

For someone as naturally impatient as I am by nature, perhaps it's a great cosmic joke that the one lesson I seem to be repeating is...learning patience. I trust God with the results...isn't it funny that Practicing Patience is one lesson where I'd most like to be a fast learner?? ha!

We're all a work in progress. Because in many ways Jack and I still have one foot in the "standard American Way-o-Doin' Things" (meaning not yet out of debt, long commute blah blah blah) and the other foot squarely on our ideal path, progress has been slow and steady. I'd much prefer it to be fast and permanent!

Chronic health problems seem to dog me. I've made a lot of "gentle changes" and others that were more abrupt, have had setbacks, have had victories. Looking back on the past couple years, we've made significant changes to nearly every area of our lives, Jack and I. We're eating much more consciously, sensibly, healthfully.

Still, I have constant allergies/sinus problems, ear infections, and occasionally bronchitis and walking pneumonia.  One bout of pneumonia as a teenager nearly took my life, and ever since then have had a somewhat wimpy bounce-back response internally. I've been to the specialists, and I know there's a time and place for pharmaceuticals and antibiotics...and I also know the cost of having been so reliant on them over the longterm. I'm TRYING to embrace a more sustainable answer for both Jack and myself...he's on board. The difficulty is in the Phasing-Out process while improvements are underway but not fully achieved yet.

There are areas in which we still have to make a lot of headway...or rather, regain a LOT of lost ground. We didn't get "here" overnight...it took years to learn that we NEEDED to undo and change things, or else. We're in that middleground of progress that takes ever-more-diligent efforts and goal-setting to keep the momentum and see improvements through till they're fully achieved.

I've had a long bout of illness the last couple months and have been very determined not to use my normal fallback of "doc visit and antibiotics/get better/relapse/doc visit and more antibiotics" namely for the reason that over the course of many years the result has been nearly NO immune system left to wallop infections with.

For a period of time last year, I focused on eating raw foods. I then continued incorporating them into our daily eating on a lesser scale than originally attempted. My conclusion at this point is that ideally, Jack and I NEED raw and cooked organic greens and vegetables, nuts, fruits/berries of every kind as the bulk of our eating...no more processed foods and chemicals, and fewer heavy foods and meats.

The smackdown of reality is that until we are growing our own (and right now we're returning the yard back to Curb Appeal Minus Garden in order to sell our house), we can't afford much in the way of REAL FOOD. So yes, we do have green smoothies and I try for half our dinner plate to be raw food or very dark braised/stirfried greens, etc. I hate to think what our health would be like if we were still heavily bogged down in the Standard American Diet any longer. In fact, in eating better, I can almost not tolerate storebought meats now...I literally can taste the nastiness...bleach or poop or something, but the taste is unmistakeable after a while. Not that we don't eat meat, just significanly less till we can raise our own clean meat or barter for quality in some way.

But I digress...

I need to get better, lose a lot of weight, keep on keeping on, not lose momentum. I feel terrible overall right now. If I can stick to much tighter goals, especially in the area of weight loss and exercise this year, (and Jack, too, we're a team) MANY of these health issues will reverse and disappear. Ever tried to exercise when you have a double ear infection and it hurts to breathe?   I know...wahhhh wahhhh....Robbyn needs to go all Nike and Just Do It. (true!) Robbyn is also used to popping a Z pak and Bam! being somewhat functional in less than five days...and this time I'm TRYING to be more natural.   Tick tock, tick tock...I'm learning patience...

No Antibiotics = Very Slow Recovery for me right now.

,,...and more patience.   (I must say, convalescing and reading good spy novels are mutually compatible...though it doesn't exactly get the dishes magically done)

Now for the good news...they say Necessity is the Mother of Invention.   ) Well, in learning more about some supportive herbs, of course Moringa came up (since we are experimenting with growing it).   Ours will be dormant till the late spring, and we weren't sure of how to harvest it except for the fresh leaves. We've eaten up our reserves of frozen moringa, so I ordered some moringa powder made of the dried, ground up leaves. With the tremendous nutritional support and immune-boosting qualities and actual nutrients, I wanted to begin experimenting with the ground up moringa powder as a tea and in things like soups.

It's potent stuff!

So far, I've used it in tea, and so far it's most enjoyable in hot tea rather than cold, since the powder does not stir in well in cold liquids unless you beat it in well (think a fine powder like corn starch). In soups, I use my stick blender.

With moringa, a little goes a long way...it has a very green somewhat peppery taste with a ginger-type warming sensation. Soon, I'll purchase empty caplets to make my own capsules so I can take some of it with my other supplements on the occasions I want a larger dose than my tastebuds decide they can handle in a tea or soup.

Tonight's meal was simple toasted black bean "patties" with a dab of plain yogurt and some salsa, and a bowl of red lentil/moringa/chicken broth/garlic soup.

I'm having to learn a different time frame of healing minus the quickie pharmaceuticals I've used over the years. There's a lot my body will have to clean out. I'm not new to herbs and supplements but the slowing down...the reprogramming my mind from a "pop the pill and hurry and get well" mentality...to a "build a strong core immune system over time" is something that doesn't come easily to me. Because it requires....PATIENCE...arrrggghhhhh!!

:)

And perhaps this is how mellow, gracious, naturally-paced living is embraced??  (I embrace, I embrace!)

I hope I learn my lesson.

Fast.

Does Anyone Else Have This Problem??

2011-01-17T22:21:00.000-08:00

I spend time seriously de-cluttering, which is easy when it comes to most of the areas of my house...if I haven't used it in a long time and so on, off it goes to a better home.

But what do you do in the kitchen? I need counterspace and I don't particularly like clutter. My modest pantry is full of some bulk and overflow...but as much as I try to keep unnecessary gadgets from even making it into our house (and believe it or not, I'm NOT a kitchen gadget junkie) I can't seem to find a place to put the things that keep ending up on my kitchen counters.

Does anyone else have this problem? I have a cabinet full of spices, but I keep the ones I use the most right at hand, because if I don't I simply forget to use them. And we use the toaster oven as a substitute for heating the entire oven, quite frequently...it stays out. And the juicer, yep...it was just given to us as a gift and it will be put to use ASAP. The potatoes and onions...aren't languishing in the pantry because there is no room!

Same with meds and supplements...Jack has a few, I have mine, we've tried finding a way to put them where they're logical to take at the right time...and not hidden too well, or we'll neglect them. But who wants to look at them? Not I...and yet...

I corrall "like" things together...spices overflow to this area where I have some different dried beans and seeds, etc. This is as high as they'll stack without falling over or being hard to reach...

...and more spices...

...and yet more stash...

I've even gone through each of these to see what could go...and plenty did...but still, I have a veritable Rubix Cube stack of herb teas that I do use.

...the back of the stove isn't even safe...

For space-challenged kitchens...what do YOU do?? The rest of my cabinets are at capacity with the basics, and all drawer contents have been consolidated and organized.

Whaddaya do with these sorts of things?

We're thinking down the road to an even smaller (much!) house and wonder what in the world we should do about foodstuffs, spices, tools...etc, especially when it comes to counter space.

Homesteaders...help! :) Any suggestions are welcome!

Some John Kohler Fun

2011-01-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

Videos featuring John Kohler from the GrowingYourGreens site...Enjoy!

So Much For Bedtime Stories

2011-01-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

Little fact about Jack...he knows no bedtime stories. No fairy tales, fables, myths, Winnie the Pooh or swashbuckles. He does know OF some of the more famous ones, but don't drill him on the finer points of the story of the Little Red Hen or the Gingerbread Man.  But he does have a great imagination.
His night shift means that on his days/nights off, a lot of times he's not sleepy during normal nighttime hours...when I do sleep. That was the case last night, so he queued up Star Wars DVDs and settled in for a mini-marathon. I was sleepy and kind of hinted it would be nice to snuggle up for a while till I fell asleep...then he'd have all night to himself with The Force.

He came in to snuggle up, having paused one of the DVDs mid-scene. (That meant I'd better not take too much time falling asleep? ha)   Turned the lights out and held me close.

Me, to Jack: Hey, do you know any bedtime stories?     I remember you saying you don't remember many, but tell me a story, even if you have to make one up, k?

Jack: Sure.

Me:   Ok, shoot...

Jack:   (thinking)
          There was a girl who was sleepy.
         So she fell asleep.
          THE END.

Me:   Hey, no way, that's not for real, tell me a for real bedtime story.
          Like the kind that starts with "once upon a time." Just make up something!

Jack: Once upon a time there was a little girl who got sleepy and fell asleep THE END.
          (not even a breath between words.)

Me:    JACK. You're cheating!
         There need to be details.
         As in details about the girl and some storyline between the Onceuponatime and the THEEND.

Jack: (again)
         Once upon a time there was a GIRL NAMED ROBBYN who was sleepy and then she
         fell  asleep THE END.

(Now I can't stop laughing...)

Me: NO WAY are you getting off that easy!
        There needs to be action, use your creativity...put in some stuff about swashbuckling or overcoming
         incredible odds or castles and moats or throw in some mythical creatures that fly or something...

Jack: This is the last time.
          (pause)

          Once upon a time...

Me:   Good, it's good so far...

Jack: ...there was...

Me:   (...don't say there was a little girl...)

Jack: ...there was a little girl

Me:   AAAAGGGHHHHH

Jack:   ...wait! wait for it...

          there was a little girl named

          (still pausing)

          ... Little Red Robbyn Hood.

Me:   who??

Jack:   Little Red Robbyn Hood.

Me:   Do you mean Little Red Riding Hood... or Robin Hood?

Jack: I mean Little Red Robbyn Hood.

Me: There IS no Little Red Robbyn Hood.

Jack:   Yes there is. It's MY bedtime story.

Me: Well your heroine has a split personality. What does she do...steal from the rich to give to...Grandma?

Jack: No. No, you have to let me tell the story.

Me: Ok ... so what happens next?

Jack:    (silent)

             (silent)

             (silent)

Me:   ...hello?

Jack:   So Little Red Robbyn Hood

Me:    yes?

Jack: FELT SLEEPY AND WENT TO SLEEP,
         THE
         END

Me:   (Silence)

Jack:    What?

Me:   I'm so grateful.
        I don't know what I'd have done without that story.

Jack: You're welcome!

Me: (laughing my head off...)
         Now GO...GO to her!!

Jack: Her who?

Me: Your dream girl

Jack:   baby you're my dream gir...

Me: No! I'm on to you now. GO to Princess Leia!

Jack: Huh? I don't even like Princess Leia

Me: It's all about the braids. Princess Leia has mondo braids in weird intergalactic configurations all over her head. My hair won't braid long enough to wrap all around my head. I know you're secretly fascinated with her weird braids and can't wait to see what side of her head they're on in the next scene. Go!   And may the force be with you!

And he laughed until he had a coughing fit and yes he did, he did go and finish the Star Wars marathon.

And I turned on the lamp and picked up a good spy novel to read...

Till I felt sleepy and fell asleep THE END.

:)

Couple of Books -- Survivors

2011-01-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

One thing in this house is a constant...somewhere there'll be a stack of books.

I can definitely say I get my tax dollars' worth from my local library. I reserve them from the online site quite often, to be delivered to my local branch, and for books not in the wider system, there is an easy way to request books free through inter-library loans (which have brought books to me from faraway states).

I'm not sure how I chose these two, but I recently enjoyed reading The Phantom Warrior, by Forrest Bryant Johnson

and Devil At My Heels by Louis Zamperini.

(No, I don't get anything for endorsing the books...)

Both books are true stories about two very different men from quite different backgrounds who survived great challenges during World War 2 (and in one of the cases, survived being a prisoner of war and being stranded for weeks in the middle of the ocean on a life raft without food and water).

The common denominator between the two books is the fact that they both are about men who overcame very real perils and who maintained a "can-do" attitude despite real discouragement, some struggles, and the unexpected. They're a good read for a reality check, or just a little backbone,  when feeling discouraged about our economics or when we might be tempted to get into a slump when faced with repeated challenges.

One of the men was an Olympic athlete, the other never finished school beyond 3rd grade. One was raised in the city, the other in the country. One was determined to not give up, the other did his duty and found himself an unlikely hero. Both were survivors, and their stories are the sort I never tire of, and wish I could listen to told by our older generations as my own grandparents used to share memories with us kids at night, sitting out on the back porch and listening to the night sounds. These books are real war stories...and I love hearing these men's voices telling their histories.   Because history has a way of repeating itself in different ways.

Good reads...and worth checking out, even if you're not normally a nonfiction war book junkie :)

What books have helped give you gumption when you needed it?

Ah...the sun's about down for the night, and the weekend commences.   Shabbat shalom to all, and a restful weekend :)

Take Back Our Power

2011-01-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

These are hard times for a lot of people, and the future looks challenging as well.

After reading a comment elsewhere that made me go Hmmm, I think we need to get bullish on taking back our power.   And by that I don't mean perpetrating hate crimes (just had to say that...)

Jack and I have decided there IS a "best" life out there for us, and we keep working towards it. Work is not always fun.   But we touched base again last night about our greatest fears and worst case scenario...what if we lose it all?

So we continue to re-adapt our plans. And I told him...and I mean this...I would be happy to be debt free and living with him in a garden shed. I want a patch of earth that is ours enough to grow a basic garden. And a room big enough for a bed, a couple chairs and a hot plate or woodburning stove. I think we'll actually come out with a bit different scenario in real life, but that's how simply it boils down to things with me...I want self-sufficiency no matter how stripped down it comes, because I don't like feeling powerless.

And you know what? When it's our own choice, it's empowering, even if it doesn't look like the more modern version of the American dream.

Have you ever had that talk...the What If talk?

If we can get past the fear, we get empowered to refashion our possibilities. My grandparents grew up without air conditioning, health insurance, a 401k, and a second vehicle (actually they started with a mule). Progress is great...but when it boils right down to it, if we give up our POWER to be as self-determining as possible in exchange for things we come to think of as necessities, we lose some kind of grit that can see us through.

So I say, let's take it back, even if it looks different than today's norm.

What's are the ways in which you've taken back your choices and your "power" that have worked for you, and what hasn't worked? A lot of you are my heroes for doing just that!

Edible Leaf Crops

2011-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

This is a subject I just won't shut up about already, I know :)

Like last year, one of our resolutions for this year ahead is to eat more greens...more and more we're realizing just how important they are in our daily eating and in our planning for the longterm in how we intend to feed ourselves with the highest level of nutrition.

Well, we have NO crops going at the moment, except for some cuttings that are rooting in vials of water on my kitchen counter and a few things under wraps at the moment outdoors (we could be growing plenty of things right now outdoors, but are just going with our existing perennials, most of which got toasted in the freezes).

I found this link about leaf crops, and since we really enjoyed our experiments this past summer with the moringa leaves and chaya leaves, I thought it would be worth a look to see what other leaves are overlooked, highly nutritious edibles...take a peek at the link, since it covers different growing zones.

I can list some right offhand, most of which we have yet to try on a larger scale and some which we've sampled...think of them as unlikely foods that oftentimes are a second crop from plants that bear more familiar foods:

1. Cowpea (black eyed peas and that family) young leaves
2. Okra young leaves
3. Sweet Potato leaves (cooked, not of the true yam family)
4. Pumpkin and squash young leaves
5. Moringa
6. Chaya/Pig Chaya leaves ( cooked only, never raw)
7. Clover leaves
8. Dollarweed leaves
9. Amaranth leaves

Doing the odd internet search during down time has reaped some interesting finds as far as dual-purpose plants. Let me know what leaves you find that we never knew were edible...there are areas of the world outside the US in which these optimal foods are eaten regularly and the memory of their use is still contemporary...

Food Budgeting Part Five: Breakfast Cereals

2011-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

This one will have to be short, but I did want to mention it.

I came from a family that ate cold cereals for breakfast. We were never allowed "sugar cereals" such as the obvious Froot Loops and Cap'n Crunch (not that we didn't try asking!) The selection was either Cheerios, bran flakes, or Wheat Chex, or something along those lines, with lowfat milk.

These days, I still occasionally crave a crunchy bowl of Wheat Chex, but cereal buying is one small area I've changed completely from my former practices. In the past couple years, I've been carefully reading labels due in part to blood sugar issues and also in wanting to be aware of what foods have preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

It was an eyeopener that a lot of cold cereals touted as "healthy" have a lot of sugar in them...a lot.

The other concern is what we get for our money....Packaging, and very little else. If you lift the inner bag from the eye-catching cereal box, you basically get a small amount of actual cereal slumped forlornly in the lower half of the bag, and if you read the "serving size" it may vary from 1/2 cup portion to maybe 1 cup portion size. And though we all need to watch our portion sizes, you just don't get a LOT of cereal usually for the money spent.

I seldom see any cereal on the shelf in a family-sized box for less than 4 or 5 dollars.   For a single grocery item, in our house, that's off my chart...and I'm feeling cheaper by the minute!   I see a lot of young families cruising the cereal aisle ( and it's an entire aisle, yes) at the store and the children being asked what they want for the breakfast cereal.

Well, I'll cut to the chase.   Except for the rare occasion, we just don't buy cold cereals any more. We either eat hot cereals or we make our own granola, or granola spin-off. We also just don't buy dairy much any more, either.

We use regular oatmeal...any kind that's on sale without any fillers and preservatives, for a lot of things. Instead of those little flavored packets that have nothing but a few tablespoons of oatmeal and a lot of artificial flavorings, we just make a quick bowl of real oatmeal and stir in real spices, sweetners, nuts, fruits, whatever suits. For days when we do want cold cereal with milk (those days are fewer and farther between), oatmeal is the base ingredient in granola I've made and kept in jars...and can be as simple as just the oatmeal and dried fruit or as complex as multiple grains/nuts/sweeteners/fruits/spices.   There are limitless easy granola recipes online, and they are fast and easy.

Oatmeal is one of the ingredients it usually does pay to purchase in the generic label or in larger quantities if you eat cereal a lot. I have yet to do a comparison ounce to ounce with cold cereals cost-wise, but I KNOW it comes out to pennies for a serving of oatmeal, and a WHOLE lot more for boxed cold cereal.

There are plenty of other seed and grain options out there besides oatmeal too, especially for hot cooked cereals.

A sprinkling of dried cranberries or a drizzle of real maple syrup is so much more satisfying and healthy a flavoring than chemical flavor counterfeits that come in boxed cereals. I make up individual portion packets of oatmeal and dried fruits, with a pinch of brown sugar and cinnamon, for Jack to take to work for a warm cereal on those cold night shifts. Just open a sandwish bag, add boiling water, stir for a few seconds and let it soften about a minute...a better tasting hot oatmeal than any flavor packet.   Add a handful of chopped nuts for added protein for those who like some crunch.

Anyway, avoiding the cold cereal aisle has trimmed our budget dramatically, but we don't have to go without REAL cereal...a few simply steps take hardly any additional preparation time, and are really worth the money saved.

Plus..there are a lot of other foods to have for breakfast...!

Any thoughts?

Food Budgeting Part Four: Quantity and Bulk

2011-01-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

This one seems the most obvious, right? Yet for the tighter budgets, bulk and quantity purchases have to be planned for carefully.

Quantity and bulk buying...we eased into this in the past few years. I felt as rich as a queen when I had that additional margin, no matter how small, in the food budget! I'd love to hear your own tips (and am enjoying the ones already shared in comments!) about your own bulk and quantity buying. Here are a few things we think along these lines at this point:

1. It's always best from a garden first. Our own garden, preferably! It's not always guaranteed, however. Crop failures are just a part of the vagaries of each new year, so the garden that dealt out copious zucchini and tomato bumper crops might not happen the following year. Or, like us, changes in circumstances might mean the LACK of a garden some years. Having preserved the surplus from past times of plenty always is a big help. Those seeds get a much better return for the money as far as quantity than a buck at the store does, usually, and you know what has gone into your food...and what hasn't. That said, it IS possible to have the $42 tomato plant if not keeping garden inputs to low-or-no-cost, except for sweat and elbow grease.

2. Farmer's markets, especially at the end of the day or when they're overrun with a particular crop...can be a real deal, and you get to know your local small farmers! Unfortunately, we have rarely had the chance around these parts to do exactly that. Our farmers market is on Saturdays, which is the day we don't buy or sell (Jewish sabbath) and we miss out on that particular opportunity in our particular town. But there are also produce stands we DO frequent. A couple notes on that...not all produce advertised as "field grown" or "local" always is.   We've noticed that some folks here claiming "local" are really re-selling imported or trucked-in goods from other states, or pretty far reaches of our own state. And those field-grown tomatoes? Hmmm. I know sunripened when I taste it, and usually when I see it. But anyway, there ARE times you can get phenomenal surplus and in-season fruits and veggies in quantity at these stands and markets, and many ARE what they say they are :)    You'll need to ask if they're sprayed...etc.   Unless they say they're not, assume they are.

3. Ugly But Good Produce. I've heard it said local grocers will sometimes sell a person produce that is slightly bruised, etc...their produce that doesnt look "pretty" or has been pulled not for spoilage but for aesthetics.   My own supermarkets adamantly do NOT do this. But it's still worth a try, for those who haven't asked your own grocer out there. Most buyers who have never gardened don't realize "pretty" doesn't always mean that much when it comes to edibility.

4. What You Don't Need Health-wise. When buying in quantity or bulk, we've had to learn what NOT to buy, especially if we've tailored a diet to exclude certain foods for health reasons.   We are trying to stay away from white flour and some other dietary specifics, so for us it makes no sense to buy a 20# bag of all-purpose flour unless we're having a big baking extravaganza for gift-giving. For a person who is trying to feed a family gluten-free, buying wheat in bulk would make no sense.

5. Storage Considerations: Will we use it before it spoils, and can we prepare it further to prevent spoilage? Dried pinto beans will keep a longggg time. A lot of people further prepare their dried beans by canning them for easier use, to cut down on preparation time at mealtime. A 20# bag of potatoes will have a different storage need and time capacity. Different foods will require different types of further home-processing to keep them for the longer term...canning, freezing, dehydrating, pickling, cold storage, cellaring, etc. What works for our household, because of our needs and how we're set up isn't the same thing that will work for everyone else...we can push the envelope on some things, but we'll never have the same needs and capacity as, for instance, someone in a cold weather setting and much different climate. There are a lot of great resources out there to learn about stretching storage options, different types of containers and ways of storing, and so on.

6.  Do we like it enough to eat it up? If you hate eating Great Northern Beans, have tried them in different ways and simply KNOW you'll never want to have them on the menu regularly, there is no deal so great to justify spending the money and taking up the storage space...unless you're out of food and other choices. When it comes to real hunger, honestly, you'll be happy to have them.   But in any less dire scenario, have on hand bulk items you know you'll use or can and will easily barter for items you'll truly use. We learned that the hard way, too.

And along these same lines...

7. Will we really use it in time?   Ooops! We purchase nearly a freezer-full of turkeys on sale...two years ago. I'm not sure how much turkey we THOUGHT we'd eat, but it didn't end up being nearly as much as was in the freezer. We are not yet set up to can with a pressure canner (that day will come, but hasn't yet...it's on the wish list), so a lot of perfectly good turkey went overly long in the freezer and became....dog food. That in itself isn't a waste, but was not our first intention. Will you be able to use/further process/optimally store your bulk purchases before they go bad? Just another consideration.

8. Is is really a better deal? Paying attention to the per pound or per ounce cost (which can be found on the shelf stickers, usually, for customer convenience at most stores) is important. Purchasing 18 eggs isn't a better deal if you can buy 2 containers of a dozen eggs at the same price for both of the same type egg. At a store where I shop, individual limes were selling for 16 cents apiece. Mentally, it's quick to tally the fact that ten of those would be $1.60. A bag of 8 limes cost $4.00....same type limes. We go through a lot of limes, and I could get 10 for the lesser price...it's a deal. But since I use them fresh and limes go bad within about a week's time, I buy what we need for a specific timeframe...a week. If I had my act together better, I could buy a slew of them, juice them, and freeze the juice in portions. But I'm out of freezer space at the moment, so that would be a waste of good limes. When sweet potatoes, which usually sell here for 99cents/lb went down to 25cents/lb during the holidays, I knew I could store them in cool closet space for longer storage, so I stocked up...and we still have plenty handy.   Check the REAL price...the cost per pound or ounce, and do some simple math before deciding if that huge bag is really a better deal than several of the smaller bags of something.

9. Some discount stores selling big quantities will allow even further discounts for larger purchases. This is the case with Sam's Club, the only big discount store in our area. A case of chicken costs less than buying the same number of the two-hen packages would...same product, but by the case has a different price. It only makes sense if you can truly utilize and store that much chicken...but is a better deal if you can.   This is the case for freezer purchases at butchers sometimes, too. Know what you're getting.   If it's terrible chicken or beef, you're stuck with a lot of it, but if not, freezer specials can beat out other types of buying sometimes.

10. Doublecheck ingredients. We buy foods with no preservatives. I keep dried black beans on hand always, but like to have some backups of canned black beans handy (till I get my pressure canner!).   HOWEVER, not all cans of black beans are created equal...I have to scrutinize the label. Only ONE brand (thankfully, the cheapest) lists the ingredients of beans, salt, and water. All the others have loads of preservatives. We have to be very careful to read ingredient lists. We do this anyway, as Jews, and it's been a real education seeing how much lard is in baked goods and other little surprises we find as we read the ingredients lists.   Read labels (and try for real foods that require no labels)...the longer the laundry list of ingredients, the less it is really real food.

11. Shoot for the stars, settle for the best you can get.   Ultimately, we want to eat foods that are completely non-genetically-modified, not chemically treated, are organically raised (that doesnt mean it has to have the "official" label, totally local, and most of all...from our own garden or pasture. In every new push, we try to take another step in that direction. But we're not there yet, and we recognize our limitations. Go for the purest, cleanest, simplest, most useful, most healthful. less "filler" and more "substantial," totally unprocessed and non chemical you can get for what your abilities are (I speak to myself here). I no longer accept guilt trips, inflicted on myself BY myself after seeing how far I still am from the mark. EVERY good step is progress. I remind myself that there will be NO new steps if we do not wisely use our pennies, and get out of the rest of our debt. The truth of that will not go away if I overspend or overreach my abilities. Doing my best FOR the best....is the best I can do right now.    I can be a discriminating shopper on my way to even better choices down the road...I use wisely what I am given within the realm I can operate. So trips to the store...are no longer guilt trips.

12. Co-ops: got one?   I don't, and I need one!   If you can share the cost with others through a bulk-buying co-op, and it makes sense in your own budget, do!   My friends elsewhere love the ones they're a part of...see what's in your neck of the woods!

13. Cowshares/goatshares/buying on the hoof....when looking for quantities of creamy delicious real milk, especially for your "pets," find a local farmer with healthy animals, clean site, and fall in love with food right where it comes from, even if you don't have your own animals yet. Purchasing a cowshare/goatshare guarantees you a good supply of the best milk, if this fits your budget. Also, co-raising a beef steer or other deals of "meat-on-the-hoof" and sharing the slaughter expenses (etc etc get creative) are options closer to the pasture for those who want larger quantities of beef, lamb, and goat meat.   And if you're up to learning how to slaughter poultry, you might find a local farmer with some roosters that don't need to make it to maturity.

OK, so much for this ramble...I'm sure I've missed something somewhere...and I'm loving the feedback in comments!   So...for quantity and bulk buying, whatcha got? What works, what's a disaster? I love learning from your expertise!

To Be Continued

2011-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

after I get through hacking up a lung. Am recovering from bronchitis, with the help of my wonderful husband. My ex-Marine came through with the most timely of provisions and backup. Next post will come when this troop is back in action, soon...

Semper fi !

Food Budgeting Part Three: Piggyback Meals

2011-01-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

Ha, funny post title for a family that eats no pork?    ;-)

Here's something I'm still learning, but that cooks like my grandmothers and most of the women today I know who have years of frugality under their belts are well-honed in...the art of making a few items into multiple delicious dishes. Or in our house, what's known as "using every part of the chicken but the cluck."

It starts with some goals such as utilizing those QUALITY foods that are really good for us, but that often we need to stretch into more than one meal for the sake of frugality or lack of waste.   It means taking a few basic ingredients and using them as the basis for several very different dishes, some to be frozen, others to be assembled a day or two later.

We're not eating meat as often as we did last year, but even so, I'll give the example roast beef. I found that I got the best price per pound at Sam's Club for bottom round roast...a boneless cut of meat that I could get in a pretty good size for $2.68/lb.   We do not have a good source for cleaner more organic meat...this was what we did as a second option. I decided to try reducing our portion sizes of the beef, but Jack still wanted some beef because of the physicality of his job and amount of time spent walking during his work shifts, about 5 or so miles of walking per 8 hour shift. Without some occasional beef, he ran out of steam a lot quicker.

My shopping corresponded with the weekend, so on Sunday, I filled up a big roasting pan with the roast seasoned with sea salt, garlic powder, and pepper and added around it whatever root veggies/tubers/squashes, etc, I wanted to roast along with it....it varied each time, but I really filled that roasting pan up and then sealed it off tightly with foil. As long as there were plenty of potatoes, onions, carrots, whatever else, in there along with the roast, it isn't necessary to add any liquids.   I'd slow roast/bake it at 350F for several hours, since I'm usually home at that time, or while we ran errands if we'd be back a bit later. Instead of baking it till the roast was pull-apart tender, I'd take it out just before that stage, while it was still firm and slicing it would hold its shape.

Roast/Meal One...that night, was roast beef and some of whatever veggies we'd roasted alongside. Always can add a salad and/or fresh fruit to round things out.

Well, that was a big roast. I'd let everything cool in the pan. When cool, I'd take the veggies and bag them in a gallon ziplock bag or put them in a separate container of some sort and put them in the fridge. The roast got cut into 4 or 5 big chunks and bagged/contained separately, and refrigerated. The pan juices, when completely cool, got poured, scraped, into another container and also refrigerated. After a few hours of cooling, it will separate into a jellylike aspic and a layer of hard white fat.

What meals had I planned for the week?   For meals involving meat, I already had it cooked, portioned, and ready to be put into use...just slice, dice, cube, or chop.

Meals Two through...a lot more: What meals can piggyback roast beef?

Shepherd's pie, roast beef sandwiches (hot or cold), BBQ, sliced beef w/sauteed mushrooms and gravy, curries, vegetable beef soup, chili, tacos, enchiladas, stroganoff, casseroles, beef in wine sauce, tostadas, beef and potato hash (breakfast), beef and beans (especially black beans, yum), stir fries, sloppy joes, spaghetti or other sauces, beef stew...and so on.

I'm sure you have your own beef favorites. The point is, the portions were already determined and the meat was already cooked...and it was very quick to arrange other meals from it. Or to freeze some of the portions to be used later in the week.

For the already cooked veggies, they became "fast" foods...the cooked cold potatoes easily are cubed or sliced for crisping in a skillet as hash browns to serve with eggs (fast!), to dice into curries, to cube and add to soups, to slice and reheat in a skillet and serve as a side with some melted cheese, etc. The cooked onions are pureed and added to soups or pan gravies...delicious!

The pan drippings, after being refrigerated, had separated into a hard layer of white fat (beef tallow) and a congealed aspic that is dark brown and very concentrated with all the seasonings and flavors. This is brown gold...it is beef bouillon times ten!   I break off the fat, wiping all the bits of the brown gel back into the container, and throw away the fat (but if I were saving it for soapmaking, I'd probably at this point freeze it.) The cup or so of remaining pan drippings is THE seasoning I use as a soup starter, seasoning for a pot of beans, flavoring for some curries, and anything else you want to add a very concentrated beef flavor to.

I can get a week's worth of meals off that one roast, and I didn't have to slave at anything. The other good thing is that it's flexible...I have some basics already ready and can add the fresh veggies and fruits around it a-plenty, tailoring the rest of the week's meals more around seasonal things than being locked into this dish or that. After all...almost anything can become soup :)

I used the example of beef. The same goes for chicken, and depending on the cut or type of chicken (roaster, fryer, stewing hen, leg/thigh pieces, etc) it can further be used by boiling it or boiling the carcass and bones with some sea salt and optional veggies for an incredible chicken stock...which again can be used in most anything. It's amazing how much meat can be gotten off a single chicken and refrigerated and portioned for further meals, and the stock is lovely in so many things even without the addition of the meat.

The same goes for other meats and types of foods except those that spoil quickly, like fish. I hardboil eggs in quantity sometimes when I find a really good sale, to keep in the fridge for adding to cold meat salads, tossed salads, garnishing greens, dicing into soups, etc.

Baking or chopping up and leaving raw and then storing in the fridge quantities of veggies, or roasting large portions of winter squashes and pumpkins or sweet potatoes are also sometimes good for later use. I reheat baked sweet potatoes without the skins for use in curries and stews (pureed), as a side item (whipped with a tad of cream, maple syrup, toasted nuts), sliced and heated as a non-gluten base to serve chili or black beans over, or jazzed up a bit and used instead of pumpkin in my favorite pumpkin pie recipe, sans crust, for a sweet dessert.

Again...it's preference paired with necessity, but instead of a once-a-month monster quantity cookery (which I never mastered and have no space for) it's more of a weekly piggybacking of spinoff meals originating with a couple of quantity ingredients.

Yes, and I'm SURE most everybody but me has already been doing this!   But it sure did simplify things for me, since I do like to cook most of the time but am not so enamored with it that I feel supercharged spending more of my free time there. I LIKE being able to reach into the fridge on a given week and knowing that I have ready portions to turn into a meal in about 20 minutes...and can then utilize my fresh greens and veggies and fruits around them and vary things a lot.

Now we're getting more away from using meats, but evenso, when I cook them, this way has now become a habit that seems to work for me pretty well.

What meals do you enjoy "piggybacking" and stretching to the Nth degree? Got any favorite spinoffs that have become your family's favorites?   If we ever get a grill, THAT will become another "quantity" cooking type I'll enjoy serving "reruns" from :)