Joy in the Little Things

[digitS']

DW had little interest in dry peas & beans. Even corn - I think that the grower who came up with Painted Mountain was from your part of the world, @Jane23 . I grew it 3 seasons but she just isn’t a chili beans and cornbread person .

Lentils and chickpeas were really low for production per sqft when I grew them. I’m about to ask @Zeedman about those short season Lima beans but know that she just won’t be interested in eating them. There are farm field acres and acres of lentils, chickpeas and peas around here.

We have to have cooperative arrangements with those in our households. DW is a full-on fresh food person. Our little kitchen table right now has 3 baskets of bananas, apples, pears, plums, and persimmons . That’s fine. I had a persimmon and half a pear with French toast for breakfast and ow 2nd breakfast is a cut-up plum in a bowl of Cheerios with a banana on top .

Meanwhile, DW is frying up some egg rolls. After I handled the food processor for the chicken with homegrown cabbage, carrots and and onions - I had to carry out to the deck those 3 coolers of veggies. Then, it was back to peel the frozen egg roll wrappers apart so DW could roll'em up and begin cookin' .

It works for me. Yep. I grew up eating greens. Mom wasn't really a gardener and Dad didn't seem to have time. I'm not sure where Mom came up with the idea about greens but it might have been because that was available at the health food store where she bought the family's vitamins . Our gardens weren't really for subsistence but there was sweet corn and melons and greens. (And weeds, with Steve out there with a hoe, scratching around.)

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

"Summer sings one last refrain, then exits south, pursued by rain."
–of Indian summer, The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1991

 

[Phaedra]

My last batch homegrown potatoes, planted in July.

Those tubers are very close to the soil surface, and I didn't need digging at all.

Ohh, they have such delicate skins!

 

[Phaedra]

A zero-waste tangerine day!

Citrus peel is one of the few kitchen wastes I can't give the chickens. Usually, they directly reported to the compost heap. I did such garbage enzyme when I still lived in Cologne - I didn't know how to correctly make compost yet and used diluted enzyme as fertilizer and alternative cleaning agents. After we bought the house and started homemade compost, I completely forgot this fermented and useful liquid.

Last week, we bought some nice tangerines. The first target is the juice, and I added one lemon.

The fruit flesh became marmalade - I added a pinch of cinnamon powder and ginger, kind of Christmas vibe?

The rest of the peels will stay in the fridge for a few days until I have empty bottles for making the next batch of the enzyme. The chopped peels make the fridge smell so refreshing.

 

[flowerbug]

worms will eat citrus peels eventually. i dry them out and then gradually add them but i also have no problem using a lot more in the bottom as they do retain their smell as they rot and it gets "interesting" when they are dug up again.

there is a small booklet i found online which talked about a guy who bred worms to be tolerant of citrus for his citrus farm. we don't eat enough of it to have that be an issue here but i don't worry about using it to feed them at the rate we do have it available.

 

[digitS']

A zero-waste tangerine day

And, here I thought you used the zest for cooking .

I'm very pleased that I found a good combination for making herbal tea. I should emphasize that my favorite choice as a sole ingredient is simply lemon verbena. Anise hyssop addition makes it near-perfection for me. However, having only one lemon verbena plant will never give me 3 cups of tea daily, 365 - if I was so inclined . (Anise hyssop by itself is not a good alternative but I could do that with just outdoor production.)

No, it's off to the market to buy the simple ingredients these days (with my own herbs safely stored in the freezer for the citrus off-season). It's not much of a problem since we buy lots of fresh fruit including citrus. Tangerines and Mandarin oranges are the only zest sources I have tried. There is probably no reason not to try organic orange zest, as well.

I just looked at the ingredient list of a favorite commercial product and saw Star Anise listed with citrus zest. Tried it -- nah, not quite. Tried licorice root - bingo! Adding the dried cranberry was an accident. It adds almost no flavor that I can detect but has a pleasant sweetness.

I know! Personal tastes are different. Of course. And, I know that I have rambled on about these simple concoctions, but there is Joy in the Little Things.

Steve

 

[Jane23]

The snow is falling and the ground is frozen. Perfect time to prepare my dried herbs for use.

 

[Jane23]

View attachment 53331
The snow is falling and the ground is frozen. Perfect time to prepare my dried herbs for use.

I am having so much fun right now. I have images of marigolds everywhere in my head and bachelor buttons.

 

[Zeedman]

Stopped for gas, went inside to buy a few things, came back outside... and was stopped in my tracks by this. I wanted to drive a couple miles away to get a better (non-urban) view, but would have lost the moment.

 

[ducks4you]

Who said November’s face was grim?
Who said her voice was harsh and sad?
I heard her sing in wood paths dim,
I met her on the shore, so glad,
So smiling, I could kiss her feet!
There never was a month so sweet.
–Lucy Larcom, English poet (1824-93)