I did some more weeding in the garden this week and finished cleaning out the chicken coup.
I harvested carrots and radishes! The radishes are underneath the carrots. In a couple of weeks, I'll start harvesting the carrots for preserving purposes.
In the Kitchen: We had a cool day in the midst of our warm days this week, so I made a pot of chicken and dumplings. They were so good, and we had enough for leftovers later in the week.
Bible Study: I completed and posted lesson 23 in our ladies Bible study on Esther. It can be found HERE. Lesson 23 wraps up our study on Esther.
Me and My Herbs: I started a few jars of herbal oils. They need to sit in a cool place for about 4 weeks and then they'll be ready for use. I'm anxious for the plantain oil to be ready. I use it on bug bites, stings, etc. I also have mullein oil, chamomile oil and lavender oil in the works as well. I make herbal oils the slow way by filling a pint jar or smaller approximately half full of dried herbs and then filling the jar the rest of the way with olive oil. I make sure to give it a good stir and then top it off with olive oil again the day I make it and the day after. After about 4 weeks I strain it out and either bottle it for use or use it for whatever purpose I have in mind such as salves, soap making, etc.
I strained up some nettles tincture and it's now ready for use. When I think of nettles, I think of allergies. Research indicates that nettles is good for allergies and as an overall spring tonic. I put just a drop or two of the tincture in a smoothie if I don't have nettles powder.
In the Flower Garden: still waiting on that 'warm enough weather' to plant the seeds. It won't be much longer! I looked at the row in the garden that I have marked off this week ... I am patiently or maybe not so patiently waiting to get that row planted! I have a vision of beautiful flowers filling that whole row and of their beauty filling vases in my home and bringing a smile to my face every time I'm near the garden. We mustn't forget that they will also act as a draw for pollinators for the garden. If you asked me, that's 3 pretty important reasons to have a row of flowers in your garden!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Continuing Education/Skills: I watched this video on building/having a pantry in a basement and picked up some tips that we could possibly make work for us. We don't have a basement nor a freeze dryer nor are we ever likely too. However, that doesn't mean I can't learn from those who do. If nothing else, it's great inspiration!
I didn't work on my dairy making skills this week, it just wasn't the week to tackle anything more than caring for my hubby and keeping the home fires burning.
Waste Not!: I saved the glass bottles the olive oil was in that I used for making herbal oils mentioned above. They are dark green in color and will make excellent bottles for syrups, extracts and several other things we can make for ourselves. I'm in the soaking them with hot soapy water to get all the oil out and the labels off! This may take a while to get the labels off, but I'm determined. Do you have any idea how much these type bottles cost if you buy them empty!!!
This week’s frugal quote/discussion topic … Instead of allowing ourselves to get down about frugality, why not let frugality drive our creativity! What are your thoughts!
That’s it for this week, what has your week looked like?
until next time,
mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
Sharing 44 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building
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How wonderful you are harvesting already. Your thought of the week: I so agree. I remember when frugality was work and it got tiresome. Now it is a habit and I totally enjoy figuring out new ways to use or do things. Creativity does make it fun!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, it really does come down to our attitude, doesn't it!
DeletePatsy, I'm so glad your husband is doing better and healing well. Those strawberries, sweet potato starts, carrots and greens look GOOD!! In spite of snow, I'm seeing a few shoots peeking out of the ground and leaf buds on the lilacs. Chicken and dumplings is a favorite comfort meal. I'm also excited to read about your herbal oils and nettle tincture. Yes, those bottles that olive oil come in--if you can find them--are a luxury purchase; soaking what you have and reusing them is worth it. If you find the labels to be stubborn and have Vaseline in a drawer or cabinet, that works well to get the adhesive off with some granulated sugar or salt. Orange oil also works. When we lived in Ohio, the neighbors (a farmer and his wife) had an amazing pantry in their basement where she had dozens of shelves of home canned goods.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good week in our little spot of the world. Lots of weather outside meant productive time inside. And a nap or two. (smile) "Instead of allowing ourselves to get down about frugality, why not let frugality drive our creativity!" How perfect! When we see and appreciate what we have already we can figure out how to make the most of it. As a dear friend used to say, when life gives you scraps, make quilts! Yet we have so much more than scraps, don't we? Thank you for more inspiration today. --Elise
Elise, we do have so much more than scraps to work with don't we and getting creative with what we have takes our minds off of wishing for what we don't have.
DeleteHey, I'm in the season of life that power naps are welcomed, love me a nap when I need it.
I'm so glad your Hubby is doing so much better!
ReplyDeleteOur middle son's family is here visiting and yesterday he went out into the yard and brought in one flower from each type of azalea that is blooming and asked me to tell him which one I wanted him to cut and bring inside for me! He actually cut two huge vases full. He is always so thoughtful this way and blesses us. He also spent a few hours helping Hubby fix some areas in our fence line. And we are loving having the grandchildren here!
Lana, what a wonderful son you have! I have a wonderful son too and am so thankful.
DeleteEnjoy your family, what a special time.
I agree with Cheryl, i have always been frugal. Makes my frugal heart happy. I love it when i can find something in my home that I can repurpose instead of buying something new.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I feel the same way, it's so satisfying isn't it! Way better than shopping as far as I'm concerned!
DeleteAfter following your posts, I've learned to exercise my creative brain in figuring out how to do many things with what we have on hand. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we still have gobs of rain going on so planting outdoors wont happen until is slows down on the rain and also warms up. But that doesn't mean we can't start seeds! Oh the urge was bad to buy new seeds. But, I looked at my seed storage and realized we had more than enough to go ahead and start butter and romaine lettuces, early jalapenoes, early girl tomatoes, shishito peppers, peas (sugar, snap and snow) and mexican gherkins (aka cucamelons - they are 1-inch big and look like mini watermelons but taste like a citrusy cucumber---sooo crazy good). All are inside our house on heat mats and in mini greenhouse looking trays - the lettuce has tiny sprouts already - less than a week in! I took inventory of our shed - we have plenty of pots for transplants. Carrots will be direct sowed in a raised bed at the end of this week. It feels good to know that for this coming season - we wont have to buy seed. Plus - I did our first cover cropping and it was a success - the soil is rich and ready to go! As for hobby time: I'm attempting to teach myself to draw via library books and youtube. It's been hilarious and a fun escape. I just use regular ticonderoga pencils and any paper I can get my hands on. I also -love reading so if it isnt at the library or on the libby app - the book goes to a list to check them later. I've canned chicken soup this week and minestrone will be next week - this to backfill what was used from the panty over winter. We've also - cut the cord on cable and only use streaming services. Did you know you can watch via the library - shows/movies on the canopy app? Funny thing. We didn't even miss having cable. We started going "old school" and listening to our local radio station in the morning for news, weather and such. It's been a great way to kick off our mornings. Hope your husband continues on his path of healing. Thank you for writing such a wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteBecky, thank you for your encouraging words! It's comments like yours that help so many learn and that are so inspiring! I'm going to reread it and take notes!
DeletePatsi, I'm so glad to know that your husband is on the mend. Knee injuries can be so tricky. You're an inspiration keeping your eyes on the prize. I love how you recycle your olive oil bottles . I do the same thing. Ko
ReplyDeleteThe past week for us was a mixed bag of everything The handyman came to do the work that hubs couldn't do. He will be back tomorrow to finish up all the high ladder things that need to be done. I got the same beets roasted and frozen, baked flour less peanutbutter chocolate chip cookies and made a new to me recipe for cinnamon raisin buns with cream cheese icing. They were purported to be better than Cinnamon and hubs said they were. I
I continue to watch YouTube for free water color painting classes. I have learned so much.
I've never felt down about frugality. It has almost always been the driver of creativity for me . My mind opens to new ideas, different ways to do things, seeing objects in a different light, learning new skills and so much more.
Out of the Cupboards! I've been a bit under the weather this week, as has Hubs, but yesterday we worked together to get all of the canned goods, pasta (in plastic bins), etc. out of the pantry cupboards and onto the behind the work island shelving in the kitchen. Patsy, I LOVE this set up. I can see at a glance all that we have, but the shelving can't be seen... even from the table in the eating area. It's going to make it so much easier to know what we need to buy/not buy. Also, it frees up those cupboards for small kitchen appliance storage. Something I've desperately needed. We have a lot of counter space in this kitchen, but not so much when it gets cluttered with equipment like a toaster, knife bock, coffee maker, not to mention other small appliances when they're not tucked into cabinets below. The older I get, the harder it is to bend down and wrestle something heavy from those cabinets.
ReplyDeleteAlso did some freezer rotation, taking an inventory of what's in the chest freezer. There's a lot I won't need for awhile, including bacon, butter, chicken and pork. Good to know!
We got a $10.15 cent check from our auto insurance (refund) that went into savings. Makes me giggle, but every little bit helps. I have everything we need to make Easter dinner. Spiral ham will go from the freezer to the fridge today to thaw. No littles in the family, so no candy or toys needed. Our youngest son (31) is joining the Catholic church and will be Confirmed Saturday night; I already had his gift and his sponsors will join us for Easter, so the end of this week will be busy. Wishing you and all your readers a blessed, happy and safe Easter weekend!
--Elise
Thankful your dear hubs is on the mend. And you're right that it's time to be cautious so as to not reinjure it. Love the question about frugality, and it is so timely. After several years of low peach yields in my hometown area, due to a late hard freeze that came with an ice storm, I was able to get locally grown peaches and restocked my pantry. I was grateful for the farmers who persevered through their lost crops. Late yesterday, a farm I frequent in the summers posted on their Facebook page that they'd confirmed what they thought would happen when we had a deep freeze and heavy snows in January -- lower branches that were buried in the snow survived, but the majority of the trees were above that height had completely frozen, are not showing any sign of regrowth, and had to be trimmed back (or the entire tree removed). Frugality in buying and preserving peaches and making peach jam last year will carry me through this year. And, as the farmer recommended, please remember to buy apples and other produce from my farm this year and we'll have peaches in the future. When life gives you an overabundance of lemons, make lemonade. If there are no lemons, grab what's available and make do. I am blessed and thankful for what I do have and will be forever grateful for the skills I've learned to carry me through tough times. Wishing you and others a wonderful Easter Sunday.
ReplyDelete