Christy

Ouch Ambergris, that is a long time to live on soup. Hope you get things fixed soon enough.

We're having potatoes, pumpkin and onion from the oven. All grown in our handkerchief-sized garden.

Oh rats, remember now I forgot to put rosemary. Hopping outside to add that.

Earlier in the week I cooked rice for the dog who had an upset stomach.

So last night we had rice with minced meat and India spices. Green salad with vinaigrette. And I caved in and bought chocolate mousse with whipped cream for dessert.

Tonight we´ll have the few potatoes that were not planted but surfaced spontaneous. I hesitated cos january 2010 I buried my BFF´s cat in that spot Cat is 2 foot deep and the tatters were literally on the surface so they won´t have been in too close proximity with late Herman the cat.

Still half a white cabbage in the fridge and a bit left over from the minced meat. Will make coleslaw with walnuts and raisins. The walnuts to beef up our protein intake cos it's just a few spoons of meat.

The walnuts were traded for a jar of plumjam

Small bit of rice left, might turn that into ricepudding.

Always learned here and in most books it says, plant fruit trees in middle fall. They won't need to use energy to make leaves but will grow roots instead.

Put like that, it kinda makes sense.

Oh nice one Martian. Looking forward to hear your results.

Sorry about the snowstorm coming your way. We're.... having clouds and rain now but tomorrow it'd be 72F and sunny.

Will be thinking of you while you are making your dough.

Hey, there's a thought! I always thought it would make the yeast inactive if it were frozen.

But if it survives, it'd be very convenient to make a humongous batch of dough and freeze portions.

Would it be best thawed taking it out of the freezer into the fridge the night before and then in the morning roomtemperature? Seeing possibilities here.

Baked 8 loaves of bolillos bread today.

Had to look up what bolillos are. A kind of bread! Nice one.

Is the recipe in the link below one you could recommend? They seem really tasty:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/6226/bolillos-mexican-oval-rolls

Looking at the prices in the first post from 2007.... Quite a difference.

Hello Carly. Welcome here.

Last Christmas my neighbour at the BOL sold felted items and made good money. So I'm scouring everywhere for old sweaters to felt upcycled mittens. Bags from sturdy cloth, play mice from felt, Amish puzzle balls, I'm making them to go into sale.

My elderly friend with whom I walk the dogs daily was given LOADS of clothes last sunday. A woman we know recently became a widow. His cupbaord is filled to the brim and his wife was nagging for someone to take the surplus away.

DS and me went to pick up what he didn't want and I've got plenty of materials to work in advance.

So what was the penny saving bit? Got plenty of materials for free to make items to sell.

My friend gave me spools of different colours thread to sew today as well.

I feel a creative extravaganza coming on.

Took an old metal trashcan and planted spuds today. In the front garden cos it gets the most sunshine this time of year.

Layer of leaf-mulch, earth, mulch and the taters inbetween.

It'll take at least a month before the backgarden gets more then an hour or two sun per day. This should deliver tasty food in a few months.

Those stainless steel drums of a washingmachine are great for spuds. They allow drainage with their holes and prevent the tatters to grow into the ground.

Yep, our BOL looks like a real redneck's paradise

Gave my two schnauzers haircuts this morning. Savings $80!!!!!!! And they look like schnauzers again!!!!

Pics, pics, we want pics of furry companions.

take one that is at least 70% wool and wash it on hot and dry it on hot and it will be felted and very small!!!!

As some of us did involuntarily with a gorgeous cashmere sweater that was a present. Dry cleaning = expensive so mizz clever clogs though washing it on low heat would be ok.

It was not.

On the upside, I discovered the wonders of felting and made many hats and headbands for free.

Very nice tutorial. She made it look so easy.

Going to give that a go.

They make nice Christmas presents as well. Plan ahead, get yer cheapo sweaters now

Well Gofish, by the look of things I'll come to your house to have flu next time. You have more in the flu box then we have and I'm taking notes here.

Peppermint candy, nice one. We use the ginger syrup, mixed with water and lemon juice makes a great anti-nausea drink. Peppermint might open up those sinuses as well.

Maybe it's a tangent but lately I have this craving for Vit C tablets. The kind that dissolve with bubbles.

Normally I wouldn't touch it with a 3foot pole but since a month now my body seems to crave that stuff.

We don't drink carbonated drinks but this is something like a physical yearn.

Maybe add a few tubes of that to the box as a Vit C boost in case of flu.

Old timer's trick at allotments here is plant mint on corners of veggie beds and sometimes inbetween.

They swear it keeps the meeces away.

Violet is right. I use my canisters for storing small important items.

Practically airproof and sturdy.

They'd make for a good small stash container as well.

I might set it outside during the day and see if it glows at night.

Lol, only if you catch fireflies in it Miki

Clothes dye cloth traps. Little pieces of cloth you can stick in the machine so your red shirt doesn't stain on your white undies.

Uh what? How about separating coloured and white laundry? New items wash by hand until no dye comes off or wash with black-and-black or red-and-red together?

Tumble dryer cloth that softens the laundry. Newsflash, towels get pretty fluffy in a dryer anyhow.

Anti-static? Just avoid chucking in that fleece sweatshirt and you'll be fine.

Besides, when weather is clement, dry outside.

Really, how hard can it be to pay attention when washing?

Did everything by bicycle instead of car.

Bought only meat that was priced down and put it in the freezer.

Veggies that are on sale now so low budget and another penny saved.

Resisted the emo-eating that I crave after a few really horrible days. Lotsa pennies saved

Right you are Mearwynna. It is one of the safer methods to battle flu. Whatever kind of flu it may be.

We use it as well, have for 3 flu bouts now and see a difference in duration of illness and severety.

C4C, how was your potato crop?

Homemaker had a decent crop.

As I'm going to set up the hugelkultur method at the retreat, I'm curious to find out if adding layers of straw to the wood will perfect this method.

That way it'd require just a small amount of earth on top.

Better take a therosflask with hot tea. This is one for the long haul.

Great find PCS.

The green beans shrivelled to next to nothing. Made some ginger syrup yesterday (2,5 liters) and the ginger is rolled in sugar. It's not as dry as I'd like it to be.

So in a moment I'm going to harvest the smal pumpkins here, cook them and dehydrate the puree. One tray will be sugared ginger, the rest pumpkin puree.

Got a 2 liter jar full of mashes dehydrated potatos now. Colour stayed well and dry as anything.

Blanched 3kg of green beans already and they are drip drying to go into the dehyrator.

They'll make good mals in pouches with spices and saucepowder.