From My Home to Yours: 3/28/25

 From My Home to Yours

3/28/25

~ When opportunity comes knocking ...  ~

... we take advantage of it and that's what we did when we were given the opportunity to purchase a box of lemons fresh from Florida.

I set to work almost immediately preserving them ...

(They were beautiful, a really good size, fresh and in good condition.  I was very pleased with the entire box.)

I soaked them in a solution of water, vinegar (1/4 cup) and salt (2 Tablespoons) for at least 30 minutes but no more than an hour.

Here's how I'm preserving them ...

make lemon zest and dehydrate it for use in baking, etc ...

cut into wedges, flash freeze and then bag up for use in water, tea, etc ...

juice some and freeze juice in ice cube trays (2 Tablespoons per cube) for use in cooking, canning, making salad dressing and many other things ...

lacto-fermented some for use in making salad dressing, roasting chicken (stick one in the cavity of a chicken), etc ...

slice, dry and powder some for use in baking and creating salad dressings.  It can also be used as a substitute for lemon zest (1 teaspoon lemon powder for 1 tablespoon lemon zest)

and make some fermented lemon, ginger honey for medicinal purposes.

There were 115 lemons in all, and I was thrilled to get every single one of them.  

Preserving lemons this week was not even on my radar of things to do, but when opportunity knocks, it's wise to take advantage of it if at all possible!

Do you preserve lemons, if so, how?  How and what do you use your preserved lemons for?

I've been letting some 'old' bread air dry for several days waiting until I could find time to turn it into breadcrumbs.  I did that this week by running the dried bread pieces through my 40-year-old food processor first and then adding a garlic spice mix and an Italian season mix to the breadcrumbs for seasoning.  Volia ... I was able to add 4 quarts of seasoned breadcrumbs to my pantry.  Waste not, want not!

In the garden our garlic is growing well.  Toward the end of May or first part of June, we will harvest it and replant this raised bed with something else.  I'll use the garlic as an ingredient in herbal remedies, as an ingredient in spices mixes, to make minced garlic and for cooking purposes.  And of course, I'll save a few of the biggest and best cloves for replanting in the fall.

I needed to open up 2 of my plastic milk jugs this week as the seeds had germinated and grown into plants that were outgrowing the container.  I'm thrilled to have added the skill of winter sowing to my gardening skill sets.  If you don't have a greenhouse or if your greenhouse needs some repairs, like ours, or if you don't have a grow light setup, this plastic jug method is another option and as you can see, it works, too!

I stitched up 4 more drawstring bags for an upcoming project.

One morning we needed to run errands and when I went to get in the vehicle, I found these flowers waiting for me in my seat.  Hubby had cut them from our camellia bush and put them in my seat for me to find.  Hubby knows that I like flowers, and he does this type of thing for me whenever we have flowers in bloom.   It's the little things and yes, I know how blessed I am!

I hope you've found something in my ramblings this week that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine 

From My Home to Yours: 3/21/25

  From My Home to Yours

3/21/25

~  We've said 'no' a lot this week ~

With medical bills rolling in and one of our once-a-year bills coming due, this month has been one where we've had to literally watch every penny while making everything count stretching it as far as it will go.  Consequently, we've said 'no' to a lot of things ...

we've said no' to ...

eating out

grocery shopping (made possible by our well-stocked pantry)

unnecessary purchases

and unnecessary driving

We said 'yes' to using our personal allowances for the things we did have to purchase.

Is it fun to say 'no' to ourselves, nope, but by hunkering down for a 'season' we've been able to pay our bills ... monthly and the one yearly one that came due this month and pay the extra medical bills.  Let me tell you that that felt so good!  We both are in agreement that the sacrifices we chose to make were and are well worth it!

Those two little words, 'yes' and 'no' are doozies that carry great consequences in our finances!  It's up to us whether they're good or bad ... depending on our self-control!

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-control.  II Timothy 1:7

I made a big pot of spaghetti sauce from scratch using part ground beef and part ground pork because that's what I had.  I had some pepperoni slices and cut a few of those into pieces for added flavor.  I seasoned it with home-made Italian seasoning spice mix.  It was delicious and while I was making, I made enough for another meal!

I harvested more nettles.  Take a look at my simple labeling system ... a piece of freezer tape with the name of the item written on it stuck to the side of the colander.   This helps me remember what it is after it's dried.  So many herbs look similar once they are dried and if you're drying more than one, it can be a problem to remember which one is which!

I made a jar of fermented sauerkraut.  I try to eat about a tablespoon per day for the probiotics.  This jar will last for several weeks.  Gut health is so important and I'm on a mission to improve mine.  I use the same method as this lady HERE.

I pulled an uncooked squash casserole from the freezer, let it thaw, placed it in this dish and cooked it for a side for one of our meals.  I have one squash casserole left in the freezer, and plan to make more when our squash starts producing in the garden.  This is one way I preserve squash every year.  I also can squash, freeze it and dry and powder it as an ingredient for veggie powder.  Do you preserve squash, if so, what methods do you use?

In the garden, our potatoes are coming up ...

our onions are doing well ...

and our peas are about hand high.

So far everything is doing well and those cabbage seeds I planted about a month ago, well, they're ready to transplant into the garden now.   That's on the upcoming week's to-do list.

The seeds I planted in the milk jugs have done very well and soon, very soon, some of them will be ready to transplant as well.  In fact, in about 2 weeks we can start planting our summer garden.  Gardening season is in full swing for us right now and I couldn't be happier!

I've been working on a big 'time sensitive' sewing project for an upcoming event.  You can read more about it HERE.

One more thing ... since the weather has gotten warmer, I've been walking outside for a change up in my daily exercise routine.  While walking I've been listening to audio books that I 'check out' for free through Libby the library app.  I've listened to two complete books and am almost halfway through a third one.  I'm really enjoying 'feeding' my mind while exercising my body!

I hope you've found something in my ramblings this week that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

From the archives ...

Stop Worrying About What You Can't Do

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine 

From My Home to Yours: 3/14/25

 From My Home to Yours

3/14/25

~ a week of making everything count ~

On Monday I cleaned out the refrigerator of leftovers.  I found about a half cup of fried skillet corn, about 1 cup of pinto beans, about 3 cups of leftover beef stew and some leftover mushroom sauce from a meatballs/mushroom sauce meal we had last week.  I reached into the fridge and took out a small bag of English peas from last year's garden, popped them into the microwave for a quick cook, and opened up a jar of home-canned chicken.  I drained the chicken and then mixed everything together and put it in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  I then made the pourable crust recipe I use for pot pies and poured it over the top of the mixture.  It went in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes and was ready to serve.  (All the flavors really melded well together and made a delicious meal ... in fact we got two meals out of it!)

Here's the recipe I use for the pourable crust ...

(mix all together and pour over crust)

1 cup self-rising flour

1 stick melted butter

1 cup milk

Before we continue with our theme this week of making everything count, I wanted to show you what I'm enjoying every day right now!  This is at one corner of our house ... isn't it just beautiful!  I just love that old fashioned dinner bell and the forsythia ... oh my ... I'm trying to soak in all the forsythia's beauty as it will be gone before you know it and I'll have to wait until next year to see its spectacular blooms again.

Okay, back to making everything count ... I added food scraps, a cardboard egg carton that had gotten wet and come apart, the cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels, chicken poo from the chicken coop, leaves from our yard, shredded paper and wood ash from our wood stove.  I'm setting up several of these 'protected from the critters' compost bins at different places in our row garden and larger raised beds.   

It's that time of year again that pits me against the critters ... and I'm not backing down!  Having come up with a solution for the critters getting into our compost bin, I am now trying to outsmart the deer in our area.  Oh, the lengths that I am going to protect my spring garden from their destructive behavior!

I harvested nettles and parsley today and while harvesting the nettles I cleaned up the area from the winter debris etc.  In the process I accidentally pulled up several pieces of nettles that had roots.  Not being one to just toss them I replanted them in the area where our elderberry bushes grow.  While replanting the nettles, I observed all these new baby elderberry plants/bushes that can't stay where they've come up.  I'll relocate a few to another place on our property but for the most part they will have to be mowed down.  I hate to waste them, but I don't need all these!  If you're local to me and want any, let me know ... they're free!

I made two pecan pies, one for us and one to share.  Ours was delicious but the next day I noticed the arthritis in my hands really bothering me.  I thought and thought and thought about what might be causing a flare up and then I remembered the pie!  I may or may not have eaten more than one piece and the sugar and corn syrup in it made me have a flare-up!  Lesson reiterated!!!  If you can't eat treats with moderation, then you can't have them at all!  Oh, my aching hands!  Please tell me I'm not the only one that makes poor food choices and then reaps the consequences!

I started the process of sprouting sweet potatoes for planting.  I have them in this crate so I can easily grab it and move it inside should we have a cold night.  I'll keep an eye on the water level in each jar making sure to keep it topped off, so the sprouting doesn't get held up.

I've been growing the same bunching onions for years.  This is really the onion that keeps on giving as long as you take care of them.  The first picture on the left started out as one single onion plant the beginning of last year.  I pulled it up and separated the onions (second picture).  In the third picture I removed most of the green blades and then trimmed off the bad parts of those.  I took the blades inside and prepped them for the dehydrator.  Once they are completely dry, I will powder them and use them for onion powder in cooking and in making seasoning mixes.  In the last picture I took the now separated and trimmed up onion plants and placed them in a recycled #10 can and added a small amount of water in the bottom.  While they got a good drink, I prepped a new area to plant them to begin the process all over again.  I probably have 20 -30 bunches, like in the first picture, to pull, separate, trim up and replant.  In our area, these will grow year-round giving me access to fresh green onions throughout the year.

On my seed starting schedule for this week is tomatoes, peppers, zinnias and marigold.  This is all the seeds I will be starting for spring planting as we will be able to start direct sewing by the end of the month if the weather cooperates.  

For an update on how the seeds I've planted using the plastic jug method are doing, well, I can honestly say I am amazed.  I have simply been able to plant them and forget them ... not that I did that entirely as I visited them daily to see if there were any new sprouts/plants that had germinated and popped through the ground.  Yes, I admit to peering down into each and every jug every day to get a glimpse ... it's like Christmas in the garden!

It's been a while since I've had any sewing projects to share, but this week I managed to put the finishing touches on a few.  These quilted zippered pouches are one and there more over on my Grandmas Got a Sewing Machine blog.

Let's wrap this post up with something that made my heart sing this week ... I received two different 'happy mail' cards in the mail!  Happy mail is when you send someone something just to cheer them on or encourage them.  Hence the name 'happy mail!'  I can tell you that it does indeed make the recipient happy ... thank you Annabel and Lee Ann!

I hope you've found something in my ramblings this week that will help and or encourage you in the coming week.

From the archives ...

The Job of Stretching and Saving

Use It Up Food Challenge

What Does God 'Taking Care of His Children Look Like?'

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine 

From My Home to Yours: 3/7/25

  From My Home to Yours

3/7/25

~ join us for a morning in the kitchen ~

One morning this week I was in the kitchen for the purpose of trying out a new to me granola recipe ...

I got the recipe from Leisa over on Sutton Daze ...

I enjoy having granola sprinkled over plain Greek yogurt and am always on the lookout for new recipes.  This one in particular called for fresh orange zest and since I had some fresh oranges, I decided to give it a try.  It smelled delicious baking ... even hubby thought so and he's not a granola person.  The smell didn't disappoint, it tasted as good as it smelled!  This recipe will be a keeper!

I also needed to make up some more chicken poultry seasoning (I've been using this family's recipe for a long time.  I like it that we grow more than half of the ingredients.), so I did that ... then hubby decided he wanted a ...

... pound cake and since we are no longer on egg rationing, I agreed!  So, I moved to a different part of the kitchen, and he set to work.  We each enjoyed a slice as dessert along with our main meal of the day of deep-fried catfish nuggets, pinto beans and a slice or two of onions.  We got up from the meal feeling satisfied and full!

We're finally beginning to settle into our new 'normal' routine and things are flowing better.  (Hubby continues to get stronger in strength and stamina each week.  A big thank you to those who continue to keep us in your prayers.) With that in mind, here's what else we got up to this week ...

I found petunia seeds to purchase and planted them in an empty plastic jug.

I planted more onion plants ... this 'setting' filled up the area I had set aside for growing them, so we can mark onions off our spring planting list.

We've started having trouble with stray critters inviting themselves to the contents of our composting area, so I set up an enclosed 'composting' bin in one corner of a raised bed.  The 'chicken wire' will keep critters out and allow air flow.  When the compost is ready it will be easy to lift the 'bin' spread the compost or shovel it out and then move the 'bin' to another area.   I'm hoping that this will keep those unwanted stray critters out!

In the garden, our beets are coming up ... can you see the tiny plants just breaking through the ground?

The cabbage plants (grown from seeds) have gotten their second set of leaves ...

... and the peas are up and off to a good start!

Not pictured, but definitely in the gardening category is that the broccoli seeds we planted in our other salad barrel are coming up as well.  I wasn't sure if they would since the seeds were several years old (yes, several, as in three or more).  We didn't have 100% germination but there are definitely enough up that will meet our broccoli growing needs.  Never discard old seeds, they could very well still be viable!

I harvested dandelion flowers one morning and am letting them dry naturally.  Here's how I plan to use them, (1) for tea making purposes; (2) in making homemade vinaigrettes and (3) for salve making purposes.

I love our simple homemade way of living.  We do things on a small scale using what we have to work with which always includes our hands. We try to grow enough to meet as much of our food needs as we can, prepare the best we can for the future with the resources we have and stay busy doing as much for ourselves as possible.  Sometimes that's easy and other times it's not ... but it's always so very satisfying!

He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.  Proverbs 10:4 NKJV

The word rich in this scripture doesn't always mean money, in fact according to the Greek Lexicon, the definition is 'to be happy, to be blessed, to go straight, to lead, to guide.  In the usage section under the word rich, it says ... it primarily conveys the idea of being blessed or happy.  It can also imply leading or guiding in a straight path, suggesting a sense of moral or spiritual direction.  In the context of the Old Testament, it often refers to the state of being blessed by God, which encompasses both material and spiritual prosperity.

As you can see, being rich is so much more than having money

One more thing ...

Our TV went out this week and had to be replaced!  Really!!!  2025 ... you are not being very nice to us!

(In view of what I shared about being rich and that it can refer to the state of being blessed by God, one may wonder, why then did our TV go out?  That doesn't seem like a blessing ... well, no, that definitely was not a blessing, but the fact that hubby and I were able to pool our personal allowances we had been saving and were able to replace it immediately was!!!  God never promises His children that bad things won't happen to them, but He does promise us that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)!  Enough said!)

I hope you've found something in my ramblings this week that will help and or encourage you in the coming week.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine 

From My Home to Yours: 3/2/25

 From My Home to Yours

3/2/25

~ You know it's spring when the chickens start laying again! ~

Just like that, we went from getting 3 - 4 eggs per week to 6 - 8 per day!  The longer days resulting in more sunlight signal chickens to end their molting and get back to work.  Yes, we could add artificial light to our coop to keep the chickens laying year-round, but we prefer to just let them follow their natural rhythm of molting through the winter months.  This winter we had to buy eggs a couple of times during their time of molting.  I have a plan not to let that happen again, I'll be freezing more than I think we will use for this next winter!  One more thing before we move away from the topic of chickens, we were at our local farm store over the weekend and there were two different families there to buy baby chicks ... at $20 each!!!  We will definitely be encouraging our hens to 'set' all they want to this spring!

This week our temps have been in the 70's all the way up to 80 degrees so we took advantage of it and did some gardening.  Hubby borrowed a neighbor's tractor and 'disked' up our row garden.  I was concerned that this would be too much for him, but he assured me he was fine.  He did however, head back inside for a time of rest after returning the tractor back to the neighbor.  His first week of cardio physical therapy is behind him and we are both encouraged in how well he is working his way through each session.  He is exhausted afterwards but recovers quickly with some rest.  I can't tell you how blessed I feel and how thankful I am that he is still by my side.  

I have to share this, for all you 'young loves' out there that think as you age your marriage loses its zill and zest.  It doesn't have to ... every time my hubby made a run by where I was standing while he 'disked' the garden, I could hear him singing a slightly different version of 'the Big Green Tractor' country song by Jason Alden.  Instead of singing 'And I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor, we can go slow or make it go faster ...' as the lyrics actually say, hubby would sing, 'and I can take you for a ride on my little red tractor, we can go slow, or we can go faster ...'  Our eyes would meet, and I would smile sending him the message that he still makes me happy and is still the one for me, even after 44 plus years of marriage.  Marriage doesn't have to grow stale; it can grow deeper with the years and experiences you share.

I teach a young wives Bible class on Sunday mornings at the church where we attend, and marriage is one of the many things we discuss.  I want them to know that making our marriages a priority is a priority in God's eyes.  So goes the home, so goes society and if we're married our homes start with our marriages.  (Please understand that I'm well aware that it takes both the husband and wife working to make their marriage a priority.  I'm also very aware, that sadly that is too many times not the case.)

"the older women likewise ... that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, ..." Titus 2: 3-4 NKJV

While hubby rested and then got called into town for a work-related event, I planted these Texas Sweet onions ...

and these Red Pontiac potatoes in the freshly 'disked' garden.

On my seed planting schedule this week was tomatoes and peppers.  I planted two different varieties of tomatoes, but didn't get around to the peppers.  I also planted marigolds ... both the tomatoes and marigolds were planted using the plastic jug method.

Peering down into one of the 'milk jugs' I planted with calendula earlier; I was delighted to see the seeds sprouting and coming up!  I also noticed that other things I planted in other jugs are starting to break through the soil as well.  This method really works!

I told you last week that I would share an updated picture of the cabbage seeds I planted in one of my salad barrels.  If all these survive, I'll have plenty cabbage plants to share with friends and neighbors!

In the kitchen, I took a large package of ground beef from the freezer, let it thaw and then made a meatloaf, meatballs and browned the rest with onions.  Batch cooking saves me time and especially in weeks like this one where there was a lot going on, such as ...  (I did not take the following picture: a friend sent it to me.  I think it was taken by one of the responders that was helping fight the fires or maybe reporting on it.  I'm not sure,)

... this massive fire that got less than 2 miles from my house!  We had a couple of very anxious days and were glad when it was contained and then put out.  In fact, we had several wildfires all around us this week, to say that it was a time of being on 'high alert' is an understatement.  I've had experience with several different preparedness scenarios, but never one that involved multiple massive fires so close to home.  It has me looking more closely at a preparedness plan for having to evacuate at a moment's notice and or surviving the smoke, odors, etc that come with huge fires.  For those who deal with wildfires on a regular basis, I'd love it if you would share some tips on being prepared for and surviving them.

With hubby's physical therapy, garden planting and the fires, we had a very full week.  By last evening my whole body was letting me know that it was time for some rest.  With hubby limited yet in what he can do, I have to listen to my body and not overdo it.  It wouldn't do for us both to be 'down' at the same time!

I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the coming week.

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine