From Garden to Table

While our garden is still weeks away from producing much of anything, we had our first harvest of asparagus last night for dinner.  This was planted three years ago and is now producing enough to pick.  Another bed was planted last year and I'm tempted to plant one more strip this spring.  There is NO comparison to freshly picked and store bought.  It's that delicious.  Last night I made salmon noodle casserole served with asparagus, carrots, stewed rhubarb and milk for dinner.  You can buy Alaskan salmon in small tins .. it's drained, flaked and added to homemade mac and cheese making for an easy to prepare meal.

What's getting picked or preserved from your garden?

Vintage Cookbook Review

I picked up a jewel of a book (off my mother's bookshelf;) titled, 'The American Woman's Cook Book,' from the Culinary Arts Institute .. originally published in 1938.  It makes for a good read as it goes into detail the daily nutrition needs of children and adults ... and includes such topics:  Food Values, The Lunch Box*, Menu Making, Food For Invalids, Useful Facts About Milk (farm fresh) .. etc.  This book was written prior to the mass use of commercially produced (fake) food, and the current epidemic of obesity. There are charts explaining vitamin content in produce (cooked and uncooked), the importance of good fats/oils and a host of other topics.  As a gift to you, I'm including a few links .. this one you can read the book online .. and here you can download a pdf copy for yourself.  Enjoy.

*Imagine that!  Long before the FDA got involved parents were responsible for sending nutritious foods packed in boxes for their children to take to school. 

Conquer and Divide

'freebee' plants

Week three in the garden ended with the nicest day so far this year.  Mid 70's .. blue sky .. making for a good work in the yard day.

The soil under the fruit trees was tidied up (weeded), fertilized and mulched.  I am still in sticker shock from our tax bill we just paid so wanted to go easy on buying any flowering perennial plants.  You know .. if you just take a look  around you can often find 'freebies' from plants that have self seeded.  I have lots of foxglove and columbine.  And I'm still finding violas that were originally planted about four years ago.

campfire cooker

Our geraniums were overwintered and are perking up .. as well as mint and rosemary that is getting an 'attitude' adjustment by being on the shady front porch for a week before getting any full sun.  The mint has been divided and now I have some potted ready to give away.  It was given some new potting soil that retains moisture.

We had dinner al fresco using our new campfire cooker.  Beenie weenies cooked in a covered dutch oven  ... and coleslaw served up on metal camp plates .. easy peasy.

freebee foxgloves plants

Yesterday I planted peas, lettuce and radish from seed.  What's being planted in your garden?

Week Two

a blank slate to start the 2012 garden

Himrod grape vine

hardy rhubarb

... in the garden.

in ground garden

I wish I had taken a few pics of the garden last week.  It was strewn with straw bedding, pine needles, and much debris that had blown in with the winter storms.

We topped off the raised beds with a fresh blend of compost mixed with sand .. and gave the walkways a fresh layer of fine bark that smells heavenly.  Our older (in ground) garden is half way prepped.  The raspberry vines are pruned, rhubarb is greening up and the garlic is starting to poke through the soil.  I can't believe the voles ate most of the horseradish I planted last year.  I guess I'll have to devise a wire cage around what root is left.  Can you believe the heat from this root doesn't just ward off the little pests???  A grape vine has been planted.  I hope the site gets enough sun and does well.  One of three hoop covered beds was also installed.  What's up and going/growing in your garden?

Easter Sunrise

My 'Walton' Style Family

Four Generations

Today was a mix of planned and unplanned events.  'Pa' had planned on bowling with 'John Boy' and 'Jim Bob'.  I had planned on going to 'Ike Godsey's General Mercantile' to pick up the smoked ham I ordered for Easter dinner.  Some time this morning our oldest daughter, 'Mary Ellen,' called to see if our grandson could visit as she had a migraine and still had to hunt down her newborn's heart medicine from a pharmacy in 'Charlottesville.'  Sure, we'd take 'John Curtis' for the day.  He ended up bowling and having a wonderful time with his grandpa.  'Mary Ellen' ended up at five pharmacies before getting what she needed.  'John Boy' .. our oldest was supposed to eat dinner with us, but had other plans with friends by late afternoon.  Of course, we always have an extra place (or two) at the dinner table ... so when 'Mary Ellen' called and hinted that she was tired and asked what I was making for dinner, I extended an invite.  Her husband, 'Dr. Curtis Willard,' would join us on his way home from the office.  In typical 'Walton' fashion, a few more plates were added to the table and I made another side dish (buttered carrots) to s.t.r.e.t.c.h. the meal.  After dinner, this 'Ma' got to hold and rock the baby and observe 'John Curtis' put together a jig-saw puzzle next to the fire while dishes were being washed and put away. 

Good night John Boy,

Good night Pa,

Good night, Ma,

Good night Jim Bob

Good night Mary Ellen

Fruit Tree Pests ~ Killed Naturally

I came across this blog that has a remedy for fruit tree moths and thought it might be worth a try this spring (when we ever get into spring ... ugh) .. anyhow.  Check it out if you have such trees that are plagued with moths/worms.

Moth Killer Recipe

Enjoy the day!

Easter Dinner Recipes

I had a new reader, Kim, ask for some recipes used in our home for Easter dinner.  We usually have the same meal every year .. and it's always comfort food .. but if you eat too much, you certainly don't feel too comfortable.  I'm adding the recipes through links to a shared cooking blog.

Sean's Potatoes

Sticky Chicken Wings

Baked Beans

Overnight Coleslaw
(for a large dinner .. double or triple the coleslaw recipe)

We also serve a smoked ham cooked on the BBQ, green salad, green beans, dinner rolls, dessert and coffee.

Bon Appetit

Free vintage images from here

A Pattern Of Rain ... and Itching to Garden

some backyard visitors in March

Yesterday I was able to walk around our property checking for signs of spring.  Rhubarb, French sorrel, oregano and thyme are bouncing back.  Raspberry canes show budding leaves.  Fruit trees are waiting patiently for their turn to wake up.  We are completely snow free .. even the snow piles from clearing the driveway have melted.   Now the work begins getting the yard back in shape, adding additional soil to the raised beds, raking the lawn and clearing out the footpaths in the garden .. refreshing the bark.  To do this work, we will need a few days of sunshine .. and that's not happening anytime soon.

I have grapevines to plant.  Again .. wait and hope for sunny weather.

It is amazing to watch plant life unfold after being dormant all winter.  Perennials look stick dead until you peek near the soil and see life clinging near the roots.  There is much trimming to do in the next few weeks to remove the dead tops of these plants.

Our little indoor greenhouse is brimming with overwintered plants, geranium starts, seed trays, grow lights and a heating mat.  I chose the seeds to have a mix of paste tomatoes for sauces and heirlooms for slicing.  One of our 4 x 8 ft. raised beds held 32 plants last year producing 140+ pounds of  tomatoes.  We grew them using the square foot garden planting system .. training them to grow UP .. anchoring them to tall trellises.  These raised beds have thawed enough to plant peas and early spring seeds.

It looks like we're in for more rainy weather in the Inland Northwest

This will be our seventh year of having a veggie garden and there is SO MUCH more to learn.  What's going on in your yard?

I'll Take A Zombie With That Prepper

If our ancestors could ...

My grandfather's family and farm early 1900's

see the world today .. I think they'd roll over in their graves and go back to sleep.  They would be amused at all of the people that think it's cool to knit or make soap (for fun or to practice).  Baking bread .. well, that was done blindfolded.  Sweeping floors without an electric vacuum .. been there done that too.  How about going off into the woods to find herbs for healing?  That too!  Up before sunrise, milk the cows, feed the animals, cook, weave, garden, take care of children, clean, heat water for a once a week bath taken oldest to youngest using the same water in a portable tub.  Many folks were so dirt poor they had dirt floors.  Don't even get 'them' started about living off grid.  There was no grid to 'get off of'.  And, yet, myself included, we prance around 'discovering' that lost skills can be rekindled.  I think there is a reason some of these skills were 'lost.'  I'm not saying there is anything inherently wrong with rekindling the old ways, cutting down on our consumption of fuel, lessening our footprint.   And for sure our 'modern' food system is bankrupt ... but I think there is a hyper-activism in our society today fueled by fear of a meltdown and lots of people are lining up like lemmings waiting to rush with the crowd over the edge of a cliff.  There is a list a mile long of supplies ranging from bomb shelters to bug out huts ... gas masks to ammo and guns stashed between wall studs.    People going to and fro obtaining the latest-greatest gadgets.  Some folks are getting rich.  Others are becoming poorer.  TV shows are popping up feeding the frenzy.  Freeze dried this and freeze dried that.  They want INSTANT survival skills and spend TONs of money insuring their safety should any one of 100 disaster scenarios play out.  Whew!  Am I the only one that thinks this movement is a few tacos short of a fiesta platter?  It's almost akin to GOLD FEVER ..[greed and the contagious excitement] a type of RUSH.  Come let us reason together.  Be sensible.  Save some money for a rainy day.  Pay off debt.  Have a disaster plan for your family that doesn't include a thousand different ways to check out of society.  Really .. are the zombies that close to an invasion?  Life is too short .. get out and smell the roses.  Our ancestors did NOT think that survival skills and supplies could be obtained from watching a TV show for ideas.  They 'practiced' life every day and lived surviving the elements by their wits ... not from supplies someone has put on a list that you NEED to buy to survive.  I'm telling you .. I'd rather become zombie food than live in such panic driven fear.  Food for thought.

Moving Beyond The Basics ...

new shelves for storage

A few years ago, writing about gardening, baking bread, sprouting-drying-grinding wheat, saving money, making homemade cleaning supplies, etc. filled my blog with almost daily posts.  I suppose one can grow beyond the 'basics' and need to move on to something new.  On the horizon:  Fine tune canning skills; winter gardening; sourdough made in my sleep (oh I wish:); Dutch oven cookery; weekly hikes; kayaking on a river??; check out 4-H and therapeutic horseback riding for Nathan; birding ... and identifying and finding wild edibles.

I recently purchased a 'Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker for Dutch oven/outdoor cooking .. and can't wait for our fire pit to dry out to try my hand at outdoor cooking.

sprouted wheat drying

The 'old' skills are still being practiced and have now become routine; that's what happens when you practice, practice .. and practice.  

Hubby retires next year so we are getting 'ready' to live on his pension.  Paying off all debt has been our major goal as we enter this new phase of life.  With all of the uncertainty in the world, we don't want to have the added stress of a mortgage hanging over our heads after retirement.  Earlier this month we said goodby to Wells Fargo Bank and house payments.  In a few days it will 'hit' me when I don't have to write THAT check any longer.  Oh, don't worry .. we got hit with a tax bill to take its place after losing some tax deductions last year (daughter moving out .. no more school tuition payments .. little mortgage interest) .. it's going to take a bit of 'mental' adjustment to equate more tax with outgoing payments that could be written off.  I think we will still be ahead of the 'game' once I wrap my mind around the idea :)

canning supplies

Our storage room is coming along with the addition of new heavy duty shelving.  Each individual (new) shelf holds about 1500 pounds of weight .. so it is perfect for heavy canned goods.  Our extra kitchen gadgets now have a place that can be easily accessed.  And all of my canning jars are neatly stacked in their original boxes by size.  Most of the year our storage room is in the 50's F .. summer  in the low 60's F, which is perfect for storing garden seeds and canned goods.  It's also windowless .. so nice and dark keeping potatoes from sprouting.

What new/old basic skill have you recently mastered or are working on?

How to 'Convert' a Picky-Eater

My  5 year old grandson has a limited taste palette and he often won't eat the meals I prepare.  So .. I have been telling him about nutrition one bite at a time.  We have chats about my garden and the farm where we get some of our food.  He is now my kitchen helper washing and peeling carrots, chopping lettuce, and adding ingredients to the cooking pots.  Observing, soaking in, and hands on assistance is converting him to a boy that now enjoys carrots, milk, and even butter.  This morning I had him help churn butter in a crock.  Prior to today, he would always tell me, 'I don't like butter' .. not even hidden under jelly on toast.  After his try at making butter, I made him toast .. and he insisted Grandma not cover up 'his' butter with jelly.  We have little chats about where his food comes from each time he comes over.  That boy will one day be a discerning eater ... by golly!

Historic Continental Hotel Waffles

Our family enjoys waffles for breakfast so I often make a large batch and freeze the extra for midweek.  My go-to recipe has the additional step of whipping egg whites .. which on frenzied weekday mornings, makes me rethink making them.  I recently found a recipe that omitted this step .. and produces a great tasting waffle, from the 1887 White House Cookbook, it's called ~ Continental Hotel Waffles.  Doing a little research about this hotel, I have come to the conclusion that it's the same place now called, The Willard Intercontinental.

"A most celebrated historic Washington DC hotel, the Willard InterContinental Washington, has been the focal point for elegant dinners, meetings, and gala social events for more than 150 years. An institution, this grand Washington DC historic hotel has hosted almost every U.S. president since Franklin Pierce in 1853."

Here's the recipe ~

Put into one quart of sifted flour three teaspoonfuls of baking-powder, one teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, all thoroughly stirred and sifted together; add a tablespoonful of melted butter, six well-beaten eggs, and a pint of sweet milk (fresh milk); cook in waffle-irons, heated and well-greased.  Serve hot.

My adaptation included a mix of freshly ground white winter wheat and soft wheat.  I needed a little more milk (about 1/4 cup) to give the consistency of pancake batter.  This recipe can be made in a bowl without a mixer and makes about 8-10 waffles.  My waffle iron is a Belgian maker .. and it takes about three minutes per waffle.  To prepare the extra waffles for freezing, place them single layer on a cold oven rack with the door open a bit so they don't get soggy .. (or a wire rack on the counter) .. when cooled place in zip lock bags and freeze.  To reheat, simple set out for a few minutes and toast or warm in a 350 oven.

Household Hints From the 1800's

To preserve brooms:  Dip them for a minute or two in a kettle of boiling suds once a week and they will last much longer, making them tough and pliable.  A carpet wears much longer swept with a broom cared for in this manner. (I'm sure this is meant for natural brooms)

To Ventilate a Room:  Place a pitcher of cold water on a table in your room and it will absorb all the gases with which the room is filled from the respiration of those eating or sleeping in the apartment.  Very few realize how important such purification is for the health of the family, or, indeed, understand or realize that there can be any impurity in the rooms; yet in a few hours a pitcher or a pail of cold water - the colder the more effective - will make the air of a room pure, but the water will be entirely unfit for use.

Home of my great grandparents, Osmond, Nebraska

To prevent lamp wicks from smoking:  Soak them in vinegar, and then dry them thoroughly.

Selected from:  The Original White House Cookbook, 1887 Edition

Fresh air is a must in our homes .. especially during the winter.  Prior to electricity, when wood or coal  was used to heat, and oil lamps gave light, indoor air quality was very poor.  Homes were not built as air tight as modern homes, so there was some exchange of outside air.  Our modern homes are very air tight making it important to have good ventilation.  Keeping a window cracked at night when the furnace is not cranked up .. will sometimes suffice.  At every opportunity, you should air out your home for the health of your family.

Today we're keeping up with routine maintenance at the Thrifty Garden/Home.  Hubby and I feel it is imperative to not let repair work stack up and have a small job turn into a big job.  Routine maintenance can be checking caulking around the window trim or around the bath tubs.  Keeping the carpets and wood floors vacuumed so they wear better and last longer.  De-greasing the stove hood and cleaning the stove top .. just small stuff that if neglected makes for drudgery later on.

Two days this week I was away from home all day long.  Eating out .. even being careful .. has led to food allergies (hives) .. so it's nice to be back in the kitchen making our own food.  I've even noticed inflammation in my hands from not so stellar food ingredients.  Our food system in the U.S.A. is pretty doomed unless you go above and beyond the fare offered in the general market/restaurant.

Spring is right around the corner .. although not free from the possibility of snow and frost, it's promising to see sunny blue skies and hear the birds chirping ... and thinning snow.


Have a blessed day!