Annarchy

I generally mix my frozen yeast, (now, 20 years in the freezer.), into just a bit of warm flour, and add a bit of cooler/barely warm water, let it sit, before adding the rest of the ingredients. It has never failed to rise, it comes alive and starts bubbling. Sometimes with a vengeance! Especially, if I add salt or sugar to the mixture…

You are so blessed, Darlene!!! Enjoy your harvest! I’m hoping & praying, the fall garden produces. Every thing I’m collecting is, dehydrated. It’s the desert, hot, hot, hot.. I should have known. Roma tomato plants have fried. I got just under a dozen before they died. Even with irrigating daily. We enjoyed them in our salads. Definitely not enough to can. Lol, all the tomatoes I collected, I had to peel. Our heat had blanched the raw fruit on the vine!

Turtles!! Lol. Our next door neighbor has two Argentinian torturous. One year they dug under our house! Under one of our huge safes. I found the tunnel & dug down 5’. Pulled out the smaller one…. 2’ wide by 2’ length. Knocked on their door…”… oh! We thought it escaped…”. Yeah, under my house! The other one is, 2’ wide 3’ long and 2’ tall! It crawls all around the circumference of their yard, daily, has a hole, 3’ down and, at least 25 ‘ in all directions.. I have no idea…. However, I have heard it! It moans! Very loud! MIL even got to hear to, freaked her out! Turtle talking…. It’s true!

Exactly Mother. Summer, here is a bear. However, planning for fall & winter gardening, has always given me hope. Last year, I was a bit lethargic, didn’t plant until the end of January. My bad… been here over 60 years, I should have known! DH has promised to help me build a lean-to over the gardens, for frost and heat. I’m hoping & praying, it will help. I usually use stakes to hold up old sheets over my plants in the winter. Removing & replacing the sheets daily. Even in the winter, daily temps get close to 70°. No clouds, at night, it’ll drop into the 30’s. Or high 20’s.

We’ve been in the 100° teens, for the past 2 weeks. Plus humidity… it’s been breathtaking outside. Even doing my work at dawn, it’s still around 100° We hit 117° officially, my car said otherwise, 121°. Typically AZ in the desert. Clouds move in, then, circle around us. We get a spitting amount of rain, where the Phoenix valley gets inches. Been that way for over 60 years, that I know of. It’s the desert! Lol. Planted the Italian oregano, about where the pot was. Made sure to break up the soil, added, cow poop tea. It perked up within an hour, so did the green chili, now 3” tall…. I laughed, because it looked like the plants said, “ Oh boy! “. Not much else is handling the heat. Looking forward to getting seeds from the carrots and preparing for the fall/winter garden. AZ…planning my “greenhouse “ covers, to prevent frostbite…….

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Containers…. I tried to grow avocados. They sprout, maybe get a stem with leaves. But we are so dry, I end up with a green stick, that eventually turns brown. Tried to plant them in the garden… nada. So far, in my container gardening… the Italian oregano is doing fairly well, but needs to be transplanted into the ground, to use the ground to ‘cool’ the roots. Maybe tomorrow… the celery, as long as it is watered daily, is still growing…kinda. I do have another store bought stalk thriving in side.

Yes, it’s a challenge. But after 40+ years, I had hoped the heat hadn’t hit so soon. It is what it is. AZ. Today the vehicle said 115°, in the sun. So, this fall, once the temps drop into the 90’s, I will re-plant, and prep the garden for the frosts that hit mid December. Because it is fall gardening, things grow much slower, so, I will need to make sure I have the frost covers in place. My dear friend in NM, moved from the east, she’s never lived in the desert… hot summer, cold winters. I’ve been collecting plastic juice bottles, all year to take to her, for her winter garden. Where she lives, gets much more rain & snow! than we ever see. Which is a good thing. She’s close to MIL’s area, and Da used to have a very productive garden, every year. I’ve been trying to produce as much as he did, but, so far, to no avail. She got the flowers to grow & bloom, extremely nicely, but, they just can’t handle our heat. Da gave me several ziplock bags of seeds, they sprouted, grew 2” tall & fried,…. In January!!! ‘‘Tis AZ.

Jeepers, no worries. I usually fill one of my large bowls with hot water and drop my vac seal bag in. Check it after 5-10 minutes, dump & refill with hot water, if it still needs to defrost, like chicken …. Or, poke a hole in the vac sealed bag & nuke it a bit…. Just need to watch it to make sure it doesn’t explode. BTDT! Boom & a mess….. Wet things, I will generally refrig or freeze before sealing with the vac sealer. Saves a plethora of messes.

Speaking of freezers, I have a story…. A friend of DH’s had a big refrigerator, asking $250 for it. DH said OK. 42” W 83” H 26” D + 2” for the handles. So, I measured & measured… removed my cooking equipment from the top of our frig. Then, DH suggested putting it in the shed. So… I spent a day, clearing a place in the shed… things were stuffed everywhere…. Yikes! And the day came to get it. His kid brought a box truck and off they went. 2 hours later, they showed up. DH’s voice was gravely, so was his boy’s voice. It took 4 grown men to put it on its side in the truck! Weighing over 500 lbs.! We recalculated the dimensions. To get it into the house or shed, sideways, was plausible, only if we removed doors & molding, but, to stand it upright, the arch would have sliced the ceiling or the rafters in the shed, not accounting for the fact, there was now only 2 people to move it! So, we sold it, still in the truck, to his boy, for $150. The kid got home, & had some neighbor men help him get it into his garage. Then, he looked the brand/mfg up on line……. $14,000!!!!!!!!! Not a bad investment for $150! Lol. But, he has 4 young ones & her brothers living with them, sooo, God willing it will serve them well. We just did not have the room for something that big.

DH sleep cycle, 4-5 am to 1-2 pm. I’m quiet, however, if I’m working around the house, watering outside, doing laundry, IDC if it wakes him. He knows I need to get stuff done. And, after 40 years, if it wakes him, he just goes back to sleep. It’s the same with me, while he’s up and about at night. Maybe, it’s just us, but both of us, understand, things need to be done. So, I’m deciding & planning the fall garden. We’ve had a couple of times where it rained, but, on average, my vehicle says 114-118°F. In the shade 105-109°. No amount of coverage would help the ambient heat. I know, too many years here. I was hoping I had planted early enough, but missed my mark by a month. This year, it appears, it is a season of seeds. The carrots, planted in Feb. have barely gotten pinky finger sized, yet, I found a big stem flowering today. The parsley & beets flowered also, much quicker than I’ve ever seen. So, I’m saving seeds, and preparing to till the garden in August, when the rain normally comes, God willing. My water bill has been atrocious, watering 2 times a day, just to keep the plants from withering. Typical AZ desert. Many of the local yards have garden spots, most with shade screens, but, looking at the plants, they are also, brown, withered & failing also. Only one gardener, he has set up a few greenhouses with AC. Meh… not gonna try that, way too expensive, just for gardening. Electricity & water costs us up to & over $400/mo. each, I’m not willing to invest more, just to have a small amount of food, that it would produce. Roma tomatoes are fried, better boy are branching out, if they survive until August, they might start to produce again in the fall.

I have always cooked too much for 2 people. Growing up, I learned to cook for 4 boys, an older sister and my parents, it has been extremely hard to judge, just how much for two, DH & I. 99% of my meals have “ leftovers “. I usually refrigerate them, then, the next morning, vac seal them for the frig freezer. Then when I go to TX, he has a good variety of meals to choose from. Or, at night, since he stays up all night, usually till after 4-5am, he can find a quick nukeable ‘snack’ whenever he chooses. Everything from pizza, tamales, enchiladas, beans, rice, corn beef and cabbage, stroganoff, various grilled sausage links, or other grilled meats, mashed potatoes, other veggies, all in single packages. Even waffles & pancakes for the toaster.

Dee, how do you keep the milk from bursting the container? Milk has made such a mess when I try to freeze it. Our refrigerator freezer has, mostly quick meals, re-heat & eat packages, sandwich meats & MIL’s vac sealed mini meals, on a dedicated shelf, that I take to her each month. It is at least as full as the upright freezer.

Oh, my, such organization! I’ve run out of room….. Mine…. It’s a Kenmore we bought used from his friend. We have to keep locked. Avalanches happen regularly…. But that’s a good thing, IMHO. His sherbet kinda is shoved in there too…. Lol. Oh, look, I have room to go shopping for more meat in TX…

So, for me… I got a dozen Roma tomatoes, from 2 plants 4 better boy that did not rot on the vine, &3 small/medium zucchini, before the heat fried it all. That’s all folks….. I tried…. But with temps angering 105°+. It is what it is…

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Zucchini boat. (IDK the real name.) Slice the zucchini in half long ways. Hollow it out, dice the pieces you removed. Fry them with the burger, mix in some tomato sauce, salt & pepper to taste. Fill the zucchini slices, top with cheddar or mozzarella cheese and bake. MIL uses bell peppers filled with hamburger, topped with tomato sauce & baked.

Cooked white rice, milk, sugar & cinnamon…. Beef… enchiladas, burritos, meatloaf… I’ll keep thinking on it… Ideas… https://topteenrecipes.com/hamburger-meat/ https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/17743/main-dish/rice/

Cheese filled hamburgers… Albondigas…. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/62642/albondigas/ Spanish rice… https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/33385/best-spanish-rice/

Spent the morning, reading a book, #7 in a series, Casca…by Barry Sadler. DH tried to get me to read it 20 years ago, but, now, it is a nice break from the net. Oddly enough, it makes a lot of sense…. Anyway.. ants found the hummingbird feeder, had to replace the liquid, because of an inch of dead ants in the liquid…. Greasing the shepherds hook, with motor oil, seems to keep them from climbing the pole… We had a major dust storm, 1/2 hour of heavy rain, then, nada…. 111° today, with humidity…. Yuck! I got melted rubber under my finger nails,when I removed the pine needles from my vehicle windshield. Getting ready to prepare for the fall garden…. Birds & ants, have stripped most of the plants….plus the 110°+ we’ve been 117°F already, this year, the hot days have ravaged everything else. Plus, with the rain we got, misquotes, are out, thanks to all the people that don’t pour out their “rain catchers”, anything that collects water is a spawning ground for the terrible little creatures…. Heard another cicada, being ravaged by a bird this morning.. more rain in another month…?

.21 mile. Down the street and back…. I’m trying. Only paused a couple of times, back was giving me grief…. At least it’s a start…. Not including all the movement, laundry, cleaning house & sweeping, & putting food up….

Ok, $50 worth of pork loins, at $1.98/lb, made 38 pkgs…meals. Appx, .76¢/meal. Vac sealed. Took all day. Tomorrow I have to do the beef….

Miki. DH is now walking 2 miles a day....shaming me.... Geeze... with all the house work, gardening, and other stuff I do... my tracker says 1-2 miles a day..... either way, MIL says house work and walking around the house "doesn't count"?!? Sigh... Ok, time to try to walk a block or two.... but it hurts my back....

Dogmom, I am so sorry..BTDT. Worst part for us, our bank charges us for disputing charges....

Long day on the road….. Stopped & visited my dear friend…. Love her puppies..garden & flowers. Got home… unpacked the vehicle… Going to be busy tomorrow, slicing pork loins, I got for $1.98/lb…and the other meat..total weight, beef & pork… 70 lbs, less than $200. DH & I calculated…. at our local prices..$450. God is Good!