The WE2's

Fixed left overs for supper...fresh garden veggies with pasta...for a "creative" oriental wok supper. Pretty tasty!

These won't make it to the dehydrator...LOL Their destination is a green tomato, eggplant, corn, pepper salsa that I love to put over pasta! The squash will get shredded, mixed with parmesan cheese, egg & flour and end up as a patty with our sausage & eggs! Love my square foot garden, and it August 30th! Got tons of green tomatoes, squash & egg plant coming on.

We are not sure if square foot gardening will yield enough produce to feed our family if our country enters a depression, but we're hoping that it will. It saves space and since we don't have a lot, we've got to make it work somehow.

 

The trick is in the planning. You want to be able to rotate your food families, so that a single box doesn't become a haven for insect pests or other messies. You don't want to mix lots of vegetable families inside one box or it makes rotating hard.

 

Also, and this is important - be careful with summer vegetables to plant veggies of similar height together. Otherwise, you'll have shading problems come up as the taller plants grow. Be careful to plant shorter types of flowers. We have super rich soil in our boxes and my flowers shot up like Paul Bunyans!

 

One more thing: If you live in the South, don't do everything the way Mel Bartholomew says to in his book. He says you can plant tomatoes a foot apart. Maybe if you live up north you can, but down here our plants grow tall fast and our growing season is longer. Our tomatoes got wilt.

 

I'm in the process of trying to plan my boxes so that I can rotate vegetable families. I think it will take a lot of boxes if we're going to have enough for canning. That's a ton of wood that we can't afford, so we may just outline a 4 foot by 8 foot patch of ground and lay string across to make grids.

 

The best thing about square foot gardening is that weeding is no big deal. I like the organized look of everything. It fools me into thinking I'm organized.

Just got home from our SQFG...and here it is, almost the last day of August, and here 's a pic of another batch of summer squash, some early green tomatoes (I want to make a green tomato, corn & lady finger eggplant (didn't pick it yet...want it a bit longer) salsa that I put over pasta) and some bell peppers. Again, I like them early before they develop alot of seeds etc. Yum, yum! We've still got green tomatoes & yellow squash coming out our ears...in yes, our SQFG. As mentioned in another post, we'll probably put in another 4 boxes of 1x1's.

You can store in sealed tightly in the cupboard, or you can freeze the bags for longer storage.

I have not used O2 absorbers in my dried things yet. Maybe someone else will post about that part.

 

I use my canning & hose attachment to my food saver machine...so don't need oxygen absorbers. But...when I put something in one of my food saver bags for preservation, I use the absorbers. I even store my pastas in a 1/2 gallon jar that has been sealed with my food saver. I just don't can. If it needs canning...I buy it canned (smile).

Lovely!

 

Did you use Fruit Fresh or something like that to keep them from turning dark? They look really nice.

I mix lemon juice (1 to 4) in a small spray bottle (cheaper!) and spray them on both sides before placing them on the trays.

Abby is so cute with her little white lower lip. Bet she can get her pout on with it! I was going to ask you what her name is.

 

Dearslayer, I love you for how you treat your animals. They are so lucky they found their forever home with you. I'll bet you feel the same way too.

 

I know Gofish has a dog story in another forum but I can't open it. I'm too soft hearted especially when it comes to dogs. I can't watch or read stories about hurt animals even if I know the outcome is a good one. I still haven't seen Bambi or Marley and Me. I turn the channel if the news is going to report an abused animal situation. I think I need to toughen up but those eyes and furry face and velvety ears....sigh.

 

And Sarah McLachlan's animal shelter commercial...I've never made it past the first few chords.

Yeah, she can get her "pout on" for sure! She also has 4 paws and a chest that has white on them. While camping recently while hubby was taking her for her walk, a man (who had ingested several beers?) told hubby "you better keep that dog...she's got 4 white paws and that means she's smart" LOL She's a handful with her temperament so we keep her pretty well occupied with sports and games etc. She just recently had a "sicky" bout that nearly sent us bzrk but about $300 later she's fine. Yeah, we pamper the snot out of her! Hugs to all you pet lovers:grouphug:

Are you reading about the Bjorklund's first coming to the US? Oh my but I loved that series!!!

Shonuff!

Just finished my last bag of apples and they are sitting proudly in their place in my pantry plus 2 bags for us to start snacking on! That makes lots of apples, oranges, onions, bell peppers, carrots, asparagus, celery, pinapples, and watermelon. Even ground up some coriander (needed some for our lunch, creamed lentil soup) and put a bag in my freezer. Now...to clean up after myself.

"wonder dogs"....love 'em! We rescued our dear Abby from a home shelter because we wanted a medium sized dog that could travel with us in our travel trailer & be an alert agent. She rides in the canoe with us, loves to swim (as you can see in this pic, with her wet muzzle), has gone to tractor pulls, rifle range, you name it. Nothing intimidates her for very long. Her momma was dumped there with a tummy full of puppies. She's 1/2 lab and 1/2 aussie...we're told. We were also told she was 8 wks old, and then upon review they called and said "ooops"...she's only 6 wks old. We had a time since she had absolutely NO inhibition bite training and no socialization. We took her to puppy classes and they told us she was of two of the best breeds...but mixed, she was a "puppy on crack". She's now 9 months old and weighs a hefty 60+ lbs...NOT a medium sized dog! But...like you my online friend, she's a part of this empty nester family...that's gone to the dogs! Congrates to you for being a loving "pack leader"...LOL

Very close to this gal's heart. My first husband survived a brain tumor for 26 years...and I took care of him. We were married for 42 years. The last 3 years were the hardest because he ended up having a colostomy and just couldn't understand what that "thing" was on his tummy and of course wasn't able to do the maintenance on it. I had to have an aide come help during the day during those last 3 years. Being a caregiver is one of the hardest and least recognized parts of loving. My mom is 87. We bought her "homestead" and she lives there paying $1 a year. We take care of the maintenance etc. and pay her a monthly payment on the homestead (we let her trust make the loan to us). This takes the financial responsibility away from her and gives her another source of income to her social security without putting her in a "over the top" income level. I've since met and married a wonderful hubby and we do all the things I wasn't able to do for 26 years. God is good! He rewards in His own ways.

This is soooo fun! I'm currently working on a basket for a couple friend of ours. They have a c-class that they travel alot in, and she was looking for a set of 4 place mats. I found a set of 4 at a yard sale for $1.00 , and yep...I'm up to my basket-loving stuff! Knowing how she loves a "different cup every morning" for her coffee, I found a couple of cuties in my cup collection, have the place mats folded and pulled to make a "fan" and have added the cups with a bag of coffee from my "food saver collection" (enough coffee for 2 pots) and then I'll probably add some other little goodies for both of them. They're planning to have us to dinner at their lovely farm, and I plan to come armed with "their basket". Yippee!!! Cost of "their basket"...$1 for the mats. The rest has come from my collections and storage items.

I found these ideas somewhere on the internet, a couple of years ago... and thought that quite a few of them were not only 'doable' but, very good!

 

 

Bread Cloths

How about some cross stitched bread cloths? There are many Christmas/Hanukkah designs out there just for this purpose. Not too hard to find especially in your local library. Another thing would be to simply purchase some pre-quilted material in designs of the season and edge them with a ruffle or some lace and give place mats with matching napkins.

 

 

Just Time and Imagination

For years now I have made homemade gifts for my friends and relatives. I really didn't have a lot of $ to put into them, just some time and careful planning. A few of the things I have done in the past are: Painted sweatshirts, cross stitched items like t-shirts, sweats, etc and also matted and framed in an inexpensive frame. I have for many years fixed tins w/ cookies, fudge, and other tasty treats in them for friends and family also. Baked breads with the colored plastic wrap, tied w/ ribbons is also an easy idea and it smells good too. Pictures of you framed make a nice present to grandparents since they don't have to go and buy a new frame for your new picture. There are several good ideas about making Christmas gifts around. You just really to take the time and imagination to come up with some of them. I hope this helps some.

 

 

Use Magazines for Inspiration

It's amazing that we spend so much time in a library and forget all the information available. You may want to go back to the library and search for relevant books and periodicals. Or find someone that subscribes to Martha Stewart's Living, Sunset, or other home/hobby magazines (your library may carry some). These usually have great and inexpensive projects (Living usually has great projects that can be done much cheaper than as done in the mag.).

 

 

Homemade Christmas Cards

I just got finished making a set of Christmas cards for my grandmother to send. She's already excited!

 

A pack of white card stock (250 sheets) is about $7 at Office Depot. I used an Angel holding a star and ribbon stamp (pretty expensive, about $14) and a tree stamp (I don't remember how much) and a few other odds and ends (like colored pencils.) But the stamps are re-useable, and one sheet of card stock makes two cards (one sheet of card stock can also be used to make the envelope in which to send your card). One pack of card stock could theoretically make about 150 cards (75 sheets) and 175 envelopes. (I may have the price or number of sheets wrong since it's been a while since I bought this stuff.)

 

 

Another thing I make for my family and coworkers -- and this is not cheap but may be cheaper than buying something -- is to make candy every year. People just go nuts over homemade chocolate covered cherries (I found the recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.) Truffles are made with chocolate and whipping cream and people really like those, also.

 

 

Special Spoons

This is in response to the recent college grad who is looking for inexpensive home-made gifts for the Holidays. Buy a package of plastic spoons, preferably in festive colors. Dip them in chocolate (melted chocolate chips work well) and shake off the excess. Place them on wax paper and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy. After they dry, wrap them in cellophane and tie with a ribbon. Put a few spoons in a coffee mug along with some individual hot cocoa or coffee packets and you have a great gift for those chilly nights!

 

 

Personalized Stationary

My favorite gift to make is stationary. On white paper, I create a design that wouldn't interfere with letter writing: borders, names, corner highlights. Then I take it to a local copy shop & have them run off copies on a paper that has matching envelopes. Some copy shops will charge you for the prices of the copies only (3-4 cents) if you supply your own paper. The paper can be bought by the ream at a bulk office supply store pretty inexpensively. I mix & match several designs or colors, bundle in groups of 20 (don't forget extra plain paper for back pages) & tie with a pretty ribbon with dried flowers.

 

 

Cup of Joy

Hi. I live in Hoboken, NJ - an expensive yuppie enclave just across the river from NYC. There are lots of funky, overpriced stores in my neighborhood that cater to the "lots of disposable income" young professionals in the area. Once, I spotted a simple idea that had a hefty price tag - $12 - that I knew I could make at home cheaply and easily. The item is a candle in an antique tea cup. I scour the garage sales (and my mom's cabinets) for cheap but interesting tea cups. I then melt down old candle ends or any type of wax I can find (paraffin can be costly) and - optional - add a little scented oil like lemon grass or grapefruit. I put a wick in - really cheap by the yard from the craft store and for about $1, I have a nice gift with a little tag attached to the handle.

 

 

A Spicy Alternative

Check the library for recipes for homemade spice mixes, vinegars and mustards. All are EASY to make, don't cost a lot (it might seem like they do - you buy one of this and one of that - but end up making a LOT of this and a LOT of that for lots of gifts), and people really enjoy receiving them. Either save and reuse bottles and jars at home, ask friends to save them, or find them at yard sales and thrift stores. To make these really special include a recipe for each spice mix or vinegar.

 

 

Ceramics

I suggest taking a ceramics class where you take something that is already cast, and paint it yourself. You don't have to invest in a lot of supplies, and it's fun to take something and personalize it for a gift.

 

 

Basket Filled with Love

I suggest buying (a) straw basket(s) at a yard sale or flea market and deciding on a theme for the particular person- whatever would be appropriate for that person- and filling the basket with either different fruits or other foods (i.e.-herbal teas, cookies, etc). You could make your own homemade cookies and include the recipe in the basket. Or, you could fill the basket with something other than food stuff. An example would be a framed picture of you and your friend who you're giving it to. Another idea is to give 'IOUs' for different services such as a car wash, child care service, a massage, a manicure, etc.

 

 

'Can' Do It !!

I saw this concept in a magazine and at a craft show. Take a clean, dry can from soup or canned vegetables. Using craft acrylic paints and your imagination, paint the cans for the holidays. This is a great project for kids too. Right now my family is working on painting jack-o-lanterns: simply paint a can orange, let it dry, repeat if needed, and then use black to make the face. Fill the can with candy, tissue paper, pencils, etc. We're also working on snowmen and I plan on painting the top part black and putting paper around the black for the rim of Mr. Snowman's top hat. The larger cans could be filled with baked goods, fudge, etc. I've seen some that are painted with a design then spatter-painted which looks quite neat. This is a nice way to recycle cans into something useful and fun. I'm thinking that candy canes will look nice for the holidays.

 

 

Another similar idea is to buy the smallest terra-cotta plant pots from the store, paint them, and put small votive candles in them. Silver and gold stars are nice for a holiday theme but you could do whatever suits your fancy. I'm sure you could use larger pots with pillar candles for a bigger centerpiece.

 

 

Beauty Gifts

Marsha and Dani B. need to check out the book Natural Beauty for All Seasons by Janice Cox. The Book tells how to make homemade bath salts and beauty products.

 

One of my favorites is Candy Cane Bath Salts:

 

* 2 cups Epsom salts

* ½ c. sea salt

* 4-6 drops peppermint oil

* 2-3 drops red food coloring.

 

Place one cup of Epsom and 1/4 cup sea salt in a bowl or re-sealable plastic bag. Add 2-3 drops peppermint oil.

 

Place the remaining ingredients in a second bowl. Mix all ingredients well. Layer the red and white salts in a clear bottle or jar. Half liter Naya ™ water bottles work well because they have the stripes. Tie with a ribbon and some small candy canes. This makes a great holiday gift for friends.

 

 

If you are a good cook, try home made cookies. I make cookies for gift giving. I put them in cellophane bags that are decorated with holiday print. Most craft stores carry those bags.

 

 

Flavored Oils and Vinegars

The solution is as close as your kitchen. Every year, I make huge batches of flavored oils and vinegars. Fruit flavored vinegars, such as raspberry, blueberry & cranberry are my favorites. I've also made basil, hot pepper, rosemary and garlic, but I prefer to use the herbs and spices in oils.

 

For either one, the process is simple. For the vinegars, I use plain white vinegar. (Cheap, at $3.29 a gallon at my local grocery store.) Frozen berries are cheaper most of the year and work wonderfully. Steep the berries or herbs in the vinegar for about a week at room temperature, in a dark place. Strain, and bottle in an attractive bottle. A few berries or a sprig of the herb you used added to the finished vinegar is a nice touch. I use a good quality olive oil for the oils. (A fairly good bargain, at $10.00 a gallon.) Check sources you might not normally think of for good prices on fresh herbs. I buy huge bags of fresh basil from a Vietnamese grocery store for 79 cents each! If you cannot find well priced fresh herbs, dried will do, just use a smaller quantity. Prepare in the same manner as for vinegar. However, when you strain and re-bottle the oils, don't add any fresh herbs, as they can spoil at room temperature.

 

Besides salads, and marinades, flavored oils have many other surprising uses. Garlic flavored olive oil, for instance, is heavenly on baked potatoes.

 

 

I also make wonderful scented ornaments & gift tags with the following dough:

 

Cinnamon Spice Craft Dough

 

* 1 cup apple sauce

* 1 cup cinnamon

* 1 teaspoon nutmeg

* 1 teaspoon cloves

 

Mix until the dough has the consistency of play dough, adding more apple sauce or cinnamon as needed. (Incidentally, I buy cinnamon at the dollar store for 50 cents a bottle.) Roll flat, dusting counter and rolling pin with cinnamon if dough sticks. Cut out shapes with knife or cookie cutter. Use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging. Dry at room temperature for 5-7 days, turning over at the end of the third day to ensure even drying. They dry even quicker in a food dryer, and give your house a wonderful smell!

 

 

Plants

Take clippings from a hearty plant like an ivy and start them in a tin or inexpensive flower pot. (I like the General Foods International Coffee™ tins) Make sure you cut with at least a 1" stem and that there is at least 1 leaf to sustain the clipping until it forms roots. Keep the soil moist until rooted.

 

Everyone should appreciate a plant, especially if it's a hearty one. Wandering Jew, Spider plant, Philodendron, Pothos, and most ivy can withstand some neglect, even if your recipient doesn't have a "green thumb."

 

 

Paper-mache Bowls

My family spent a creative fortnight several years ago making paper-mache bowls which we painted in bright acrylics from the local art supply shop and spray varnished. We then filled them with homemade sweets, Xmas mince pies, chutney and herb vinegars wrapped them in cellophane and tied them with raffia, gold ribbon etc.

 

 

Creative Frames

What about framed pictures? We have a couple of stores where I pick up nice wooden or clip frames cheaply. I collect these frames (all standard photo sizes) and send them off with pictures of family/friends that I've taken during our last get together. This way I know the picture won"t just get tucked in a drawer and they'll have a special keepsake of our adventures together.

 

A side tip - if the frame is a plain wood and you want to dress it up some, pop out the glass and spray paint it (I use gold or copper colors).

 

One other tip is to shop the $ stores to see if there are any "substantial" item such as - safety goggles, work gloves, kitchen products, baby safety items, books, fancy pens/pencils, chocolate, craft items ... If you know the taste of the recipient you can put together a nice bag. box, bucket of "theme" items e.g. new home, toolbox starter, new baby, chocolate lovers surprise, home spa weekend

 

 

Special Oils

Make home made vinegars and olive oils with used bottles (wine, coolers; any kind of bottle) Use herbs you grow ore buy fresh or dried at the store buy large olive oil at bulk stores as Costco. Wash bottles dishwasher soak off labels make your own label. Small bottles stretch the budget do not buy bottles recycle. Red small Chile peppers look great experiment look at the gourmet bottles in the store and use the same herbs they use.

 

 

Cruise Craft Stores for Ideas

I had the same idea that you two have for gift making. It's a cheaper and more personal way to give gifts to those you cherish. Anyway, what I have been doing is going to craft stores and getting ideas. You can make everything from beadwork, knitting, crocheting, fake floral arranging, cross stitching on plastic canvas, making candles, etc.

 

 

Simple Solutions

These are some that I have come up with:

 

1. Make your favorite homemade cookie mix and pack in Mason™ jars, seal, and attach recipe. I think this would be great for teachers and friends who drop by unexpected with a gift.

 

2. Fix a large box of items such as dishwashing liquid, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. that you have gotten for almost nothing using double coupons and sales together. These items are items that every household needs and will use over the year. I plan on making this type box for my parents and my brothers family. I will put at least 10 to 12 of each item in the box so that the items will last all year. I'm sure they will think of me each time they need soap, toothpaste, etc.

 

 

"Aren't They Cute?"

My small nephews (3 and 5) get their pictures taken a lot by the grandparents and the rest of us. So, as part of their Christmas presents, I purchased two small photo albums and put several pictures of them inside (from babyhood to present). They were delighted to have their "own" albums that they can add to as they get older.

 

 

An Evening 'In'

Here's an idea I came up with when in a similar situation. I bought vouchers/gift certificates from my local Blockbuster video (or other large chain video rental store) and put them in baskets with movie size candy and microwave popcorn. I bought the popcorn from Smart N Final and the movie size candy from a discount pharmacy. The baskets were picked up from yard sales and thrift stores. Wrap it all up with plastic wrap and a nice bow and you have a gift for a whole family for under $5.00 if you shop for bargains.

 

 

It Says "Welcome"

Here's an idea! I gave these as gifts to teachers, etc. one year. Purchase sisal door mats at discount store for about $2.00. Weave ribbon around outer edge. In one corner make arrangement out of greenery, small Christmas ornaments, etc. and tie a bow.

 

 

Kitchen or Crafts

Baked items are always popular well received gifts..but the more unique the food, the better. Search through some cookbooks for candies or cookies that are off the chocolate chip/sugar/peanut butter beaten path and have fun experimenting with new recipes! (Just be sure to taste test first!)

 

 

Another hit....buy inexpensive T-shirts or sweatshirts at a discount store or craft store for around $3-$5 a shirt along with some fabric paints and customize a shirt for your loved one perhaps with a "This TShirt came from XXX University" or even wording referencing an inside joke with that person!!!

 

 

Cookies!

What wrong with something as simple as homemade baskets of cookies. Get your baskets from yard sales, tuck in mugs(one for each member of the family) another yard sale item or dollar store. And in each mug place a flavored tea and envelope of cocoa. Choose three or four really good cookie recipes and start baking. When its time to assemble your baskets that when the fun begins, get colored plastic wrap, Reynolds™ make a very nice one, use coupons to buy all ingredients and wrap. You'll find these gifts to be very rewarding and quite thrifty to make. Everyone loves cookies, and for cookies are not your thing, a loaf of pumpkin bread would be just as nice, and even cheaper to prepare, freezes well, and there are lots of pumpkins around this time of year.

 

 

Nostalgia Baskets

Last year I made "Nostalgia Baskets" for my siblings, containing three varieties of cookies our Grandmother used to bake, including copies of her cookie recipes. On the recipe sheets, I added a few of my memories about our Grandmother, the times when she served those particular cookies, etc. I gift-wrapped the cookies and recipes in attractive baskets that could be used by the recipients for other items after the holidays. The "Nostalgia Baskets" were a real hit!

 

 

Another delicious idea is to prepare homemade chocolate-covered cherries. Use a recipe for Soft Center Fondant or Basic Fondant, which can be found in the Candies/Confections chapter in most slightly older cookbooks (i.e. Joy of Cooking). (Fondant is a cooked mixture of water, sugar and/or corn syrup.) Soak maraschino cherries in Tawny Port wine (Taylors™ is good) overnight, leaving the stems on the cherries. Purchase Chocolate specifically designated for dipping, as well as some paper candy "cups" and small white cardboard boxes to fill with the completed chocolate-covered cherries. The dipping chocolate, candy papers and boxes can usually be found at stores that sell cake decorating supplies (such as Michael's, MJ Designs, etc.) or gourmet cooking supplies. When ready to assemble these confections, wrap enough fondant around the cherry to enclose it, then holding the cherry by its stem, dip the cherry into the dipping chocolate, completely coating it in chocolate. Place on waxed paper til chocolate has cooled and hardened. Place each completed confection in a candy paper cup and fill boxes with them. Gift wrap the boxes, and you have a very unusual gift to give. (Note: by leaving the stems on the cherries, your gift recipients will know they have a handmade treat!)

 

 

From Stationary to Keychains

This is in response to the roommates wanting ideas for inexpensive gifts... There are TONS of inexpensive gifts you can make, some ideas are: make stationary with your computer. You can buy a disk that has tons of clipart on it for around $10 and you can make decorated stationary for pennies! People love it because it is different and it is homemade! I made ALL my christmas gifts last year...some of the ones I made were: Victorian Christmas balls (ornaments), (I just bought clear plastic balls..about $4 for 6 of them) and covered them with lace, trim, tassels, etc. They were gorgeous!....I also made keychains for some of the younger teenagers who were just getting their first cars and such. I also made Victorian picture frames...just cheap (Dollar Store) frames which are plain and you decorate with flowers, lace, ribbon etc. I only decorated 2 corners (otherwise they tended to look "overdone").

 

 

Limited Travel

One that I used myself when we were limited to a $10 gift limit. What I did was got a box covered it with pictures from travel agencies of our local area. Got a gift certificate from a gas company. Now this took some talking with the guy as they don't usually do that. But now I added it to a nice card and gave them a trip. Included was local tours and bike tours and museums etc. This was about ten years ago when $10 of gas would get you some where.

 

 

A Flavorful Gift

CHOCOLATE SPOONS

Get some good quality plastic spoons to start with-no flimsy cheap stuff! Try using gold or silver ones, clear is OK too. Also find some good quality chocolate and different extracts/liquers to make the spoons different flavors/colors. There is no end to the flavors you can come up with! Melt chocolate till it is liquid, watch out that it doesn't scorch...you can do this in the microwave. Add extract or liquor of choice (almond extract, Frangelica, peppermint, anise, Kaluah etc). Then just dip the spoon into the chocolate ...and lay the spoons with their handles over the edge of a wax paper lined cookie sheet till set. You can drizzle white chocolate in a design over dark or milk chocolate...or dip ½ of spoon in dark and ½ in white..best flavors mocha, mint, plain, raspberry...Don't just dip lightly you want a nice puddle in the spoon part and part way up the handle.

 

I wrap these in clear plastic bags tied with raffia and a tag stating the flavor.

 

Other things you can dip into chocolate and put in gift baskets:

salted Pringles™ (dip only half),

chocolate chip cookies (dip only half)

use a clean new small paint brush and paint the mixture on the back side of freshly washed, patted dry leaves (rose, camellia work well). after chocolate has dried gently peel off the leaf and enjoy your chocolate leaf.

 

 

CANDIED TEA STIRRERS

vegetable cooking spray

34 pieces fruit flavored hard candy--crushed--lemon, cinnamon etc

2 TBS light corn syrup

heavy weight plastic spoons

 

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Spray with cooking spray. In a small heavy saucepan combine crushed candies and corn syrup and melt over low eat stirring frequently.

 

Spoon candy into bowl of each spoon. Place spoons on prepared cookie sheet with handles on rims and spoons level. Allow to harden. Store in air tight container.

 

 

 

POSTED BY NANA

 

 

 

I've collected lots of baskets...lots of different sizes and shapes. I've used them for gifts to everyone rather than buy paper bags that get thrown out. Friends love to see me coming (smile) 'cause they know it's filled with goodies tailor made for them! I've collected scarves & costume jewelry to use instead of bows, t-cups, etc., and then started from there building their "basket". One of our husband friends got his birthday basket with scrubbies (nice to crochet them), homemade glycerine soap, aftershave, a bottle of beer & a "cheap card" made on our computer. So much fun!!!

Love my library! Currently reading 2nd in a Red River series, Lauraine Snelling. I love pioneer-type books...lots of info that has lead me to check different things online for their meanings etc. Also watch for book sales, just recently had a "bag for a dollar" sale so hubby grabbed a bag and I did too. Now we gotslotsa books saved to read if we can't get to a library etc.

Mixed up a fresh batch of laundry soap. Used one small pork tenderloin, split it in 2 and pounded it out to eat with our sweet potatoes & creamed peas. Neither of us are heavy meat eaters so one equals two!

After 42 yrs., I suddenly found myself a widow. Kids wanted me to sell out & move near them. I didn't. I stayed here in our small midwell Missouri town where I had tons of friends & some family. The economy in this particular county is extremely low and home prices also. Taxes extremely low. When I remarried, new hubby was a "somewhat prepper" and wanted to buy land with his savings & by selling his home (we live in mine). After alot of searching we decided that based on our ages, living in a rural setting, spending money for wells, electricity, gas etc., we would spend alot more than we really wanted to at our age. So...my mom's "city homestead" (4 lots with a queen ann bungalow type home) was what we wanted. We tore down the old garage and used the "land money" to build hubby's dream garage...a HUGE 3-bay metal pole-type barn with concrete floor and lots of attic space. Then we had another 12x26 metal barn built on skids that we could move wherever we wanted to. We keep our travel trailer parked there, we have our square foot garden there, and we lease the house back to Mom for $1 a year as long as she lives. She keeps and eye on things for us. It just really works for us. We're in process of remodeling the one house to sell, and we live in the one I owned when we got married. All debt free...again, it just works for us. Near lots of friends, family, churches, and an extremely "sanctuary" minded community. Home is where the heart is??? Yeah!!!

Just a suggestion...find a pair of cheap cotton gloves. Cut the fingers out up to the first knuckle. At bed time, rub your hands with Unkers (lots of Dutch/Omish stores carry it) & put the gloves on and go to sleep. Pretty good.

Additional comment...I've had "great" muscle rubs from hubby with Unkers... and it feels soooo good! Unkers isn't the same concoction as mentholatum rubs though, so don't bypass it as an anelgesic (?). Just as another footnote...I stock mentholatum rubs etc.

I would find this an extremely interesting subject...

Just a suggestion...find a pair of cheap cotton gloves. Cut the fingers out up to the first knuckle. At bed time, rub your hands with Unkers (lots of Dutch/Omish stores carry it) & put the gloves on and go to sleep. Pretty good.

These may be older postings, but thought I'd put my 2 cents worth in. I re-seal my mylar-type bags with my flat iron hair curler, set low enough not to burn through. Great for re-using for popcorn etc. The old saying..."a penny saved is a penny earned"!

"His banner over us is love"...

Gosh...3? No way!!! Microwave, food saver, dehydrator, mesh sink strainer, meat slicer, my Bullet, convection oven, cutting mats, sharp knives, ceramic knives, sun oven, where do I stop? I probably use at least 3 every day...some weekly...I'm with the rest of ya ladies! Got lots of tools of our trade (smile).

I dry frozen veggies all the time. I just spread the frozen veggies on the tray and turn the machine on. I do use wax paper on the trays to keep them from falling through the slits, especially the corn. Mine is just the round dehydrator...I can't think of the name of it right now to save me. When they are real dry and cool, I put them in a cannning jar and seal them with my food saver attachment. I don't use oxygen absorbers with the food saver. The food saver bags would save more room than the jars but I had some 1/2 gallon jars that I didn't have any other use for. Plus they are pretty...

 

Trudy, I've never tried the Asian mix. I would think you would have to watch them very carefully since the veggies have a different thickness. I'm sure they would dry at different rates. I've only done one kind of veggie at a time.

I dehydrated 6 packages of frozen bell pepper mixes (they were on sale for $1 a bag) and got ALL of them in a half gallon jar. Probably could have dried another 2 bags & gotten them in the jar also.

Do you need to use Oxygen absorbers if you are going to vaccum seal them or putting in jars?

I don't use oxygen absorbers when I put my dried veggies (or fruit) in jars.

I two I use that I find work perfectly for me (and I do ALOT of dehydration of veggies and fruits) are my American Harvester that has 7 trays but can take several more, and my "biggie" is an Open Country Garden Master with 7 trays but can take up to 20+. Also have an oldie but working, Galloping Gourmet with 5 trays that I can use for garlic & onions etc., or in a pinch if I end up with more product and want to get it drying along with the others. I operate them in my enclosed back porch with the door ajar so I don't have any of the heat or odors in the house. The Excalibur looks awful nice, but alas, it's way out of my price range. I've read some negatives on it anyway, when you try to buy things for it. Anyway...this is my story and I'm sticking to it!

Wonnerful...wonnerful...wonnerful!!!