HOT Leaves & Winter Plants

Our son's Boy Scout troop did a service project last week and the scout master dropped off the leaves by our garden on saturday.  Today I went to put some on the garden beds for mulch and I discovered that they were HOT and already composting.  I was amazed!  They were at least 80 degrees only a few inches into the pile.  Composting can happen fast and your garden will always benefit from the extra organic matter and nutrients.

We planted winter wheat out of our storage on Sept. 3rd.  I have never planted it before, but boy has it grown.  Plus in this bed is an assortment of brassics family that we are starting to nibble and will have the opportunity to eat in the early spring.

Have You Put Your Garden to Bed?

Gardening can't be easier if you garden in raise beds and mulch in the fall.  Yes, it does have some up-front costs and time invested (see garden bed post for "how-to's"), but gardening will become a easy and a complete joy.

Today I started putting our garden to bed.  As you can see it looks "straggly".  The far back bed has winter braccias family and winter wheat planted in it.  Some of the other beds have salad greens and onions.  Those beds will be mulched with leaves around the exsisting plants. 

Here are the steps I use to Putting Our Garden to Bed.

#1 - Remove old vegetables.

#2 Pull back hoses.

#3 - Raked and smoothed out soil.  Repositioned hose.

#4 - Cover with fall leaves or straw.  Do not use hay or you will have your bed full of grass.

In the spring all you have to do is pull back the leaves slightly to expose only the soil where the seed is going to go.  Plant your seed and you already have your weed mulch in place.  This is the easiest way to garden.

Now off to get the rest of the garden put to bed for winter.

Our House Smells Like Heaven

Today, between storms, I dawned my over-alls and garden shoes and headed out to the yard. I had hoped that the scented geranium, Rose Attar and the Lemon Verbena weren’t damaged by the frost and hard rain that we have had. They were fine, so I harvested the branches of both and they are hanging at the edges of the curtains in the dining room. Oh, how I wish the internet were “scratch-n-sniff” for you to smell. The fragrance is like heaven.

I dug up the plants and re-potted them to bring in for winter. They don’t look like much, but they have the ability to “enliven” the soul by their scent. The Lemon Verbena makes a wonderful tea, especially mixed with Lemon Balm and Lemon Thyme for sore throats or just because. The Rose Geraniums will be a lovely addition to the Rose Lavender Potpourri that is given as a special gift at Christmas.

I’ve been meaning to get the All Blue Potatoes harvested. They were grown in a garbage can, with holes in the bottom and sides. As you can see by the picture the harvest is small. We will only eat the cut one. The rest I am saving for seed for next spring planting. Maybe we will have better luck growing them then.

Gardening is my favorite experiment. You never know what will do well, but it is one of the most exciting things for me to watch as a seed, this size “o” is planted, watered, weeded and it produces abundance to grace our table.

WOW - We Completed 2 Weeks NO Currency

We did it!  And it wasn't that hard.  I really wanted to drive through DQ for a blizzard one time.  My DH wanted to go to the store to buy ice cream. DD was a great support.  DS was happy as long as he was full.  DH did go to Home Depot and bought chain saw oil.  I actually made it the whole 2 weeks on one tank of gas.  DH filled for his commute, but we made no extra trips.

Not shopping has allowed me more time to finish some long awaited projects and that felt so good. 

It was easy for us to make substitutes for most food items. Last night we wanted a sweet treat and we made "Dog Poop" (no bake cookies) recipe follows.  Of course everything in them are staples in the pantry or refrigerator. 

We learned that we are low on some things and that it's a good idea to have extra of our basic pantry items at all times.  We only ran out of quart sized ziplocks & dog food, we bought the dog food and did without the ziplock bags. Here's our shopping list of the things that we want to have extra of, but we didn't run out of: quart sized ziplock bags, dog food, cupcake liner papers, non-stick spray, tabasco sauce, liquid stevia, kitchen trash bags, dishwasher soap, dishwashing soap, washing soda (for homemade laundry soap), balsamic vinegar.

A great way to celebrate our 2 Weeks of No Currency, store bought ice cream & pie cookies. 
What a wonderful learning experience this has been!!!  Thanks Prepardness Pro for challenging us.  http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com/

3 Month Supply List
This is a list that I carry in my purse notebook and try to have these as my purchasing priority. I try to have all of these items on-hand at all times. These items along with canning and meat in the freezer completes our 3 month supply of regularly used food and household items. Remember though, that this is a consistent work in progress and is never done, just rotated and adapted to our family.

12 pkgs - pasta                                                            
2 - 7lb. pkg. raisins                                                
8 pkgs. walnuts                                                            
8 pkgs. almonds
25# pwd. milk                                                             
5 lbs. protein pwd.                                                 
3 gal. olive oil                                                              
1 gal. white vinegar
6# br. sugar                                                                
50# sugar                                                              
3# pwd. sugar                                                             
1# cinnamon
10 pkgs. choc. chips                                                    
2 maple extracts                                                      
3 large pkgs. corn tortillas                                            
2 apple cider vinegar
2# parmesan cheese                                                    
4# mozzarella cheese                                           
4# cheddar cheese                                                       
25# onions
50# potatoes                                                              
2 pkgs.-15 dozen eggs                                          
2 - cottage cheese                                                        
12# butter
1# chili pwd.                                                               
1 beef soup base                                                   
1 chicken soup base                                                     
3# honey
50# flour   
1 gal. olive oil
1# yeast                                                                 
2- Qtips                                                                
6 pkgs. TP                                                                   
3 shampoo
1 gal. dishsoap                                                             
1 tub dishwasher soap                                           
1 toothpaste


Dog Poop (no bake cookies)
I can't remember when we started calling these Dog Poop.  It was just a funny, catchy name that the kids still giggle about...especially when they ask their friends if they would like some "Dog Poop".
Place into a medium saucepan -
2 cups sugar                          
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
Bring these ingredients to a full boil and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add:
1/2 cup peanut butter                          
3 cups quick oats (regular cut oatmeal can be put into the blender or food processor, 1 cup at a time.)
Stir until well mixed and drop into "piles" onto wax or freezer paper.  Let cool for firmer cookie, if you can wait.  Yum!