Hilling Potatoes.... How do you do it?

Having never planted Potatoes... We have had endless quesions on what approach to take, and the internet... well lets just say... NO two places tell you the same thing... So we went for it... I guess we will learn in the end if we did it wrong!

Before

After

The Herb Garden Update.

Finally today after spending the last month focusing on getting the veggies planted, the container gardening project completed and the yard cleaned up... I was able to give the herbs a bit of love this morning!

The are all so sad.... Very little growth... what will I do with out my herbs?  I think next year they will have to find a different location, somewhere that gets a little bit more sun.

But not everything is struggling!  OMG!!  The Peppermint is taking over!

All the growth below the "center plant" is new! It has spread out about 1' to a 1 1/2'... Now I have to figure out exactly what I can do with it, other then make Peppermint tea.  How impossible or possible is it to make your own extract/oil?  As I bake alot of goodies around christmas that use peppermint.

The multiplier onions and garlic are also coming along nicely... but they can tolerate a bit more shade then most herbs

All other herbs aren't worth mentioning at this time... as their growth is so sad!  So today, I gave them a nice top feeding of bone and blood meal... along with a sprinkling of Epson Salt... and for their next watering I will ensure to use compost tea... And hopefully this will give them the added boost they need to get back on track!

So much damage in so little time

 Yesterday all was well... then Mother Nature decided to show her true self....

Top is a Habanaro.. that I think is on its way to the big garden in the sky (compost bin), and then a strawberry... about 50% of the leave have these nice wholes right through them.  It is so sad, but I have to wait and see if they will decide to fight the fight... or move onward.

Any suggestions, on what might help these poor little guys?

Muddy Hands????

Re-use what you have!

1 onion/garlic bulb bag
2 pieces of tomatoes stretchy tape
and all those left over soap chunks that you normally toss
(I only had 1 really small piece, so used a new bar of soap)

The bag give it that nice rough scrubby feeling... and lifts all the dirt!

Then hang it off your outdoor faucet or near where your hose is stored

It is now ready to scrub all that mud off those hands.... and you no longer have to haul that dirt into the house!

Before and now.

I believe that this would be a good advertisement as to why one should use sunscreen!

Dead or Alive?

When do you finally decided that a seed you had sown didn't make it? It has been 3 full weeks since the cucumbers were planted, and still no sign of them. I was able to determine that the beans had frozen and rotted in our end of May snow storm.. but cucumbers seeds are to tiny to determine.

In the last few days I have noticed a tiny seedling starting in the general area that they were planted... now is that a weed seedling or is it a cuke seedling and when do I decided to give in and go buy some plants?

Ginger Beef

 We are trying thing recipe tonight... hope it is yummy!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flank steak
• Marinade:
• 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons ginger juice (storebought or homemade)
• 1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp white or rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 teaspoon hot chili oil or crushed red pepper flakes, or
  
  
  
• 1 stalk celery


• 1 red bell pepper


• 1 carrot


• 4 to 5 cups oil for deep-frying


• 2 Tbsp oil for stir-frying, or as needed


• 3 red chili peppers, seeds left in


• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped


• 1 tsp sesame oil


• Batter:


• 1/4 cup flour


• 1/4 cup cornstarch


• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil


• 1 Tbsp hot chili oil (optional)


• 1/3 cup water, or as needed

Preparation:

Partially freeze the beef to make it easier to cut. If making homemade ginger juce, grate the ginger and squeeze out the juice until you have 2 tablespoons. Cut the partially frozen beef along the grain into thin strips the approximately length and width of matchsticks. Add the marinade ingredients and marinate the beef for 25 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, vinegar, sugar, water and hot chili oil. Set aside. While the beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables and sauce. Cut the celery, red bell pepper, and carrot into thin strips. To prepare the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the vegetable oil, and the hot chili oil if using. Add a much water as is needed to make a smooth batter. It should not be too dry or too runny, but should lightly drop off the back of a wooden spoon. Heat the oil for deep-frying to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Dip the marinated beef pieces into the batter. When the oil is hot, add the beef and deep-fry until it is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Increase the heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep-fry the beef a second time, to make it extra cripsy. Remove and drain. Clean out the wok. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. When the oil is hot, add the chilies, minced garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until the chilies begin to blister. Add the carrot. Stir-fry briefly, then add the celery, and then the red pepper. Push the vegetables up to the sides of the wok. Add the sauce in the middle. Heat to boiling, then add the deep-fried beef back into the pan. Mix all the ingredients together. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

Got to love it when you trip on the deal of the century!

We visited the MCC today in search of planters, or alternative planting ideas... but walked out with 4 dozen 1 liter canning jars for $4.80!  Now I sit here wondering... so we head back and pick up more?  and if so what sizes do I need?  Can you ever have to many jars around when canning season approaches?

Now for me just to decide whether or not to splurge and buy myself one of these... or to wait and see if I can find a deal on a used on.  If I am going to can more then what I did last year, I have to come up with one, new or used...

A few more seeds have been sewn

 After determining that our bean had all decided to rot instead of grow (probably because of our end of May snow storm)... we have planted some cauliflower, cabbage and kohl rabi in its place.

I had also promised my other son, that he could plant some seeds in the front, as the jealousy of his brother was eating him up... so he plant some flower seeds around our tree, and cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, iceberg lettuce, swiss chard and spinach in our small front bed.  I figure the rabbits will have a heyday in your yard, and I can collect rabbit poop for the garden in the back!

A weekend of planting...

Well the weather has been good again... so we have spent the entire weekend in the back yard.  First off was to load the truck with all the sod we pulled up 3 weeks ago.  We waited until this weekend to take advantage of the community cleanup, therefore free dump loads!  This was back breaking work! after days of rain the sod was soaked.  We got the truck loaded, throw in a few other odds and ends, so the yard is now free of "junk" not mess yet, just junk.

We then spent the balance of saturday, screening the loam that was left behind... Nothing goes to waste here!  Then as promised we enjoyed our first campfire of the year... the best part of summer if you ask me.

Sunday was garage sales (looking for containers to plant in), screening buckets full of compost and planting more of the seedlings.  But the day ended quickly when I realized I was redder then a lobster, and needed to get out of the sun.

So hopefully this week I will be able to work on getting the rest of the seedling planted, and the seeds in the front done... so we can start to enjoy all the work we have put into it.

Create a ginger garden inside

An interesting article for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere who love our ginger..... We can actually grow it!

Create a ginger garden inside

Fruits our labour

 Well today we got to enjoy a wonderful simple meal... that tasted amazing!!  A quick batch of spaghetti sauce, thrown together at the last moment but packed with wonderful fresh herbs straight from the garden.  I can't wait for lunch tomorrow when I get to enjoy that sauce again.   It sure makes all the work well worth it.

Our garlic has sprouted!!

I can't say I have ever in my life had fresh garlic.... I am kinda interested in seeing how amazing it actually is... and can't wait to tray out :

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients

1  tbsp vegetable oil
8 chicken thigh skinned (2 lb 1 kg)
40 garlic cloves, about 4 heads
1/2 tsp crumbled dried thyme
1/2tsp crumbled dried rosemary
1/4tsp crumbled dried sage
1/4tsp pepper
Pinch salt
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp fresh parsley

Preparation:

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken all over. Transfer to plate.

Drain fat from pan; fry garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, pepper and salt over medium heat until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Return chicken and any juices to pan; cover and simmer, turning once, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced and garlic is softened, about 25 minutes.

Local Calgary Farmers Markets

Airdrie Farmers Market

Royal Canadian Legion‎

3 Avenue Southeast, Airdrie

Wednesdays: 3:30pm - 7:00 pm
Starting June 2nd, 2010

Bearspaw Lions Farmers' Market

Bearspaw Lions Clubhouse

25240 Nagway Rd, Calgary 

Sundays: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Jun 6, 2010 - Oct 3, 2010

Blackfoot Farmers Market

5600 - 11th Street SE, Calgary

Friday: 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

May 21 - October 31

Calgary Farmers Market  

Currie Barracks

H6, 4421 Quesnay Wood Drive SW, Calgary

Friday & Saturday 9-5
Sunday 9-4  

Till End over November

Crossroads Flea Market

1235 26th Avenue SE, Calgary

Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am-5pm

Year Round

Grassroots Northland Farmers' Market (Calgary)

Northland Village Mall

5111 Northland Drive NW, Calgary 

Tuesday:   3:30pm to 7:00pm 
June 8th to September 28th, 2010

Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers' Market

1320 5 Ave. N.W. , Calgary

Wednesdays 3:30 – 7:30 pm

Jun 2 – Oct 6, 2010

Kingsland Farmers' Market (Calgary)

7711 Macleod Trail South, Calgary

Wed, Thurs, Fri: Noon-6:30p

Sat: 9:00a-3:00p

June 16 - ?

Mckenzie Towne Farmers' Market 

McKenzie Towne Hall

40 Mckenzie Towne Blvd SE, Calgary

Thursdays: 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Jun 3, 2010 - Sep 23, 2010

South Calgary Market

Grey Eagle Parking lot

3777 Grey Eagle Drive, SW, Calgary

Thursdays: 3:30-7:00pm
June 17th - September 30th, 2010

South Fish Creek Farmers Market

South Fish Creek Recreation Association)

333 Shawville Blvd. SE, Calgary
Fridays: 2:00 - 6:00 pm

June 11 to September 24

*Thorncliffe/Greenview Community Farmers Market (not confirmed for this year yet)
5600 Centre Steet North, Calgary AB  

Saturdays: 10:00am – 3:00pm

July 3th – September 4th

Triwood-Mountainview Lions Farmers Market

Triwood Community Centre

2244 Chicoutimi Drive NW, Calgary

Thursdays: 3:30pm to 7:30 pm

through September 30

Chestermere Market 

Chestermere Recreation Center

201 West Chestermere Drive, Chestermere
Friday: 3:30-7:00pm
Opening June 4th 2010

Cochrane Farmers' Market

104, Griffin Road E, Cochrane

Saturdays: 9:00 AM - 1:00PM

June 5 - Sept 25

High River Farmers Market

Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex

228 - 12 Ave. SE, High River

Thursdays : 4:00 - 7:00pm

June 17 - September 23rd

Millarville Farmer's Market
Millarville Racing and Agriculture Society
Millarville, AB

Saturday: 8:30 a.m. until noon
June 12th - October 9rd 2010

Okotoks Kinsmen Farmers' Market

Okotoks Country Living

SW corner of Hwy 7 and Southridge Dr, Okotoks

Fridays: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Jul 2, 2010 - Sep 24, 2010

 

Strathmore Farmers' Market
Strathmore Exhibition Grounds 

120 Brent Boulevard, Strathmore
Fridays: 3:00 PM -6:30 PM

June 11 to September 24, 2010

Do you know where your food comes from? - Eat Real. Eat Local.

Teeny tiny, but we have some green!

Onions, Radish, Leaf and Romaine have all started to pop their little heads out!! We have some green... A snow storm, heavy rain fall and these guys have still decided to pop there heads out!  


Progress has been made.  The Bone Meal we applied may have actually worked.  I have been smiling like a little girl in a candy shop (or big girl, if you're me).  I can't wait until we can test the first item that we have produced.  With all the  love that has gone into this project I be they are all amazing!

Kinda ironic if you ask me......

Shrek glasses recalled by McDonalds made in N.J.

June 4, 2010 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The New Jersey company that makes the “Shrek”-themed drinking glasses recalled by McDonald’s because they contain cadmium says it only learned of the problem late Thursday and is looking into it.
Tom Reed, vice president of human resources at Arc International’s plant in Millville, says the company received a copy of a McDonald’s memo on the recall of 12 million glasses but has not heard anything...



Well, why would people be concern??  Well kids of course and what the cadmium can do to them.  But did the parents that bought the glasses for there kids not buy food at the same time?  And did they ever think what that crap is full of, and what damage it is cause our kids?

Rain Days are good days!

The weather today was ! So I figured whats better then Chili on a Chilly day... So I fried up my burger, added my tomatoes and realized I had no chili powder..... So for the first time ever I made my own Chili powder... and the Chili ended up wonderful.

But we needed something to go with it so we made up some Cornbread.

Rain Days are good days!

Buttermilk Cornbread


Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bounce This Along

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

1.    It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them.  It also repels mice.

2.  Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle. 

3.     It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often. 

4.    It repels mosquitoes.  Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season. 

5.    Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

6.    Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.. 

7.   Dissolve soap scum from shower doors.  Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

8.    To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet. 

9.     Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

10.   Prevent thread from tangling.  Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew. 

11.  Prevent musty suitcases.  Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing. 

12.  To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

13.   Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan.  Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean.  The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.. 

14.  Eliminate odors in wastebaskets.  Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket. 

15.  Collect cat hair.  Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs. 

16.  Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds.  Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling. 

17.  Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering.  A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth. 

18.  Eliminate odors in dirty laundry.  Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper. 

19.  Deodorize shoes or sneakers.  Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight. 

20.  Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away. 

21.  Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them.  It will keep them smelling fresh. 

22.  Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce.   

Herbs, Herbs and More Herbs....

Today we finished planting the Herbs in our garden!  One more major step in our Son and Mom project completed.

My fascination with herbs started years ago, when I started researching homeopathic remedies for my endometriosis. At the time I was desperate for any solution to the pain and suffering..... then I found an amazing book, that really changed my life, Fibroid Tumors and Endometriosis was a lifesaver, it gave me guidence when no medication professional was able to.  I changed my diet drastically, which included herbal supplements, and going gluten free and vegan.  I was able to maintain this until it was time for us to start our family, then I returned to my old meat loving carb addict!

A wonderful resource for everything herbs is The Herb Book: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to More Than 500 Herbs.  I got this book over 20 years ago... and love it to this day.

The Bayou Gardener

I found this interesting site today, and figured I would share it with everyone. The Bayou Gardener has tons of information about down to earth living... The forum is full of information on canning, cooking, washing, sewing, making butter, cheese, baking, all the "old" ways...

I love sites like this, and best of all Recipes! Good old southern recipes.

Not necessarily a good sources for planting in Canada, but he has the knowledge on how to do things, from starting your seedlings, caring for them, transplanting them, thinning, making trellises you name it.

Life changes quickly, and we must adapt

Well I received my EI deposit today, and it was only for one week... so it looks like they have finally cut me off.... This forces me back to work, and back to searching for further ways to save money.

I will be hunting for a PT or FT job, but something overnight so that I am home for my boys. I hope I find something quickly as, money will soon become an issue. How I wish I could of convinced they husband to move away from Calgary long ago, but here I am stuck, paying the price for living in an oversized industrialize nightmare.

Anyways, we must make the best of what have... So off I go to find some work!