Independence Days Update #1

(Sharon has reinstituted the Independence Days posts this year!  The first week's update is here.)

Plant something: Not yet, but we did finally finish the seed orders . . . (In our defense, the hooplah surrounding John's mother's death late last year has set everything back somewhat.)

Harvest something: Eggs, mostly. Last year's new chicks have begun laying (there are curently 8 dozen eggs on my kitchen table waiting to be cartoned); the cold weather forecast for the weekend will retard them a little, but not much. I didn't plant any winter greens last year. (See previous excuse.)

Preserve something: Jams—Ginger/galangal, mango, garlic, orange marmalade. Not positive whether this counts as "preserve," since these are for sale; also, I realize these ingredients aren't even remotely local (except the garlic), but they were bought at the local oriental foods shop.

Waste not: The usual feeding of scraps to the chickens, along with those apples too far gone for us to eat. Using assorted saved cardboard boxes as firestarting materials, along with trash mail. Burned the last of the crappy old firewood this winter, since it's not been terribly cold. Raked leaves from site of new shed and tossed into the garden for the chickens to spread. Using the winter's accumulation of orange peels to make the year's supply of degreaser.  (Put peels into jar. Cover with vinegar. Let sit 6 months or so, then decant into spray bottle.)

Want Not: Acquired many, many canning jars (some from John's mother's house, some from my brother's thrift-store forays, plus what we've emptied over the winter), plus three new canners (one pressure, two water-bath) and two bags of lids and rings. Canners were John's mother's; we don't need them (we have three already), but no one else wanted them and . . . Also: half a dozen small plastic buckets suitable for egg gathering, a new-to-me colander, two sprinkler tops for ironing (remember those? My grandmother used one stuck in an old glass Pepsi bottle.), a wooden ironing board (still sturdy after 50 years, and at a better height for me than my current newer metal one), assorted pyrex dishes. Four lawn chairs.

Eat the Food: Eggs, various guises. The last of the stored apples, which didn't keep too well in this warm winter. Potatoes, also not keeping too well, and needing to be eaten. Working on eating down contents of the big hall freezer. Made a big bowl of Waldorf salad with apples, stored raisins and walnuts. Many pots of applesauce, and apple pies. John successfully rejuvenated the sourdough starter, so we've had sourdough raisin bread.

Build community food systems: Keeping our mechanics supplied with bread and eggs (we drive an old car and an older truck).

Skill up: I learned to knit over the last summer, and have produced many hats and scarves. Now learning to do stranded colorwork.

Health Notes (my own addition): Lost 7 pounds (only 43 to go . . . ). Blood sugar is down closer to normal range. Also, bleeding gums have mostly stopped; apparently the bushel of oranges consumed over the winter has helped. Walking 5 days out of 7, at least thirty minutes per day. (Managed an hour yesterday, but none today as it's snowing, windy and below freezing.) Taking tulsi capsules, which help with blood sugar; have begun spirulina. Arthritis in knee and foot have mostly subsided for now, but one hip hurts when I get up. It's always something, isn't it?

Comments

[linda]

Very neat! I'll not be joining it this year but I've been enjoying reading about what others are doing.
Have you grown Holy Basil? It smells divine! Like bubble gum. I Didn't get to harvest much of mine because thats when weakness began to set in for me, but the bees and the dog loved it. I need to start spirulina too.
Congratulations on the weight loss:)

[Kai]

This is ALWAYS my favorite thing to read! I love knowing how you grow & use & RE-USE things! I wish I lived near enough to learn from you, Anita! It would be AMAZING! I'm SO proud of you for both the weight loss (My butt FOUND what you LOST! Sigh.) and the subsequent health improvements! Love you!!