The theme for this year is 
“Laser focused, hunkered down and spending as little money as possible.”
We're talking gardening, bargain shopping and pantry building and how we utilize all three to keep us fed and cared for without breaking the bank!
(picture: Roma tomatoes from our container garden)
So, how did we do this week?
We got some rain; in fact, it rained all day one day! We were so thankful even though the humidity was off the charts! The next day the temps, which had dropped to the upper 80's rebounded back to the upper 90's with feel like temperatures over 100. We still need more rain but are so thankful for what we got.
(As I was working on this post Sunday evening, a thunderstorm came up and we got another good rain shower!!! We are so thankful!)
In the garden: The day it rained all day, before it started, I made a quick trip outside and threw more flower seeds into the tractor tires. The day after it rained, I planted cabbage seeds in a container outside to grow plants for fall planting.
I'm beginning to have hope that we might be able to have a fall garden!
I harvested some Roma tomatoes and turned them into sauce. I only had about a third of a 5-gallon bucket, but I was determined they were not going to go to waste. I washed them, cut them in half, roasted them in the oven for about an hour, then cooked them down in a crockpot.
Roasting the tomatoes brings out a rich tomato flavor. I also roasted a few pods of cayenne pepper with the four pans I got for added flavor as well.
This was an all-day process, so at the end of the day I let the sauce cool down and refrigerated it for processing later. (I plan to can the sauce today, on Monday.)
Sometimes breaking a time-consuming project up into manageable parts is needed and for me, this was one of those projects.
In the kitchen: We've been enjoying bacon and tomato sandwiches this week! We look forward to having fresh from the garden tomatoes for this purpose every summer. We've been saving bacon in the freezer waiting for our tomatoes to get ready. We had them twice this week! They were soooooooooo good! Bacon tomato sandwiches are a symbol of summer at our house!
Thrifting, Bargain, and/or Loss Leader Shopping at the Grocery Store, farmers market, etc: None this week!
For this 2-liter jar, I added 4 tablespoons of non-iodine salt to the jar before adding the tomatoes. I added enough water to dissolve the salt, added the tomatoes, filled the jar with water and put a fermentation weight on top of the tomatoes. The weight keeps the tomatoes under the saltwater mixture.
After 3 weeks, I'll put them in the refrigerator and use as desired. They will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. I'm working hard to get more fermented food into our diets, and this is another addition.
Since we didn't grow any brussels sprouts in the garden this year, I've started purchasing them, dividing them up into meal size portions and freezing them. I got two meals out of one package. I purchased this pack of brussels sprouts a couple of weeks ago and just tossed them in the freezer until I had time to divide and vacuum seal them into meal size portions.
Click HERE to read what I've been up to in the sewing/creating world this week! This week I started a new summer dress for myself.
I continue to cut flowers from my tractor tire flower beds and enjoy them in mason jars throughout our home.
I've spent time the last couple of days praying for our country and the horrific event that occurred on Saturday. (This is not meant to be political; I will not approve any political comments.) If you are of a mind, I ask you to join me in praying for our country and those affected by what happened.
That's it for me this week, what has your week looked like?
until next time,
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
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I have mainly been at home this week. I made some carrot chutney, mended some clothes and made a new knob to replace the broken one on my breadbin. Our very wet Summer has been awful for growing edibles, but our flowers have been wonderful, so I have been cutting them for the house.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great week. Hope you have another this week.
ReplyDeletePatsi, I’m so glad you got rain. I know how it is to need some badly! We’ve had some good rain over the last several weeks, first due to a tropical storm and then a hurricane hitting the gulf coast of Texas. Our area had no damage, thankfully, but it does put me into a preparedness mindset and has me thinking of any potential gaps there may be in my efforts.
ReplyDeleteColton and I are approaching gardening differently this year. We are focusing heavily on native plants and perennials, and staying with the annual varieties that we know do well and are easier to grow. As fun as it is shopping the seed catalogs, trying different varieties usually results in a failed crop. I just don’t have it in me anymore to do all that work for a poor harvest. We are also utilizing our wood chipper now that it is fixed. The half of the garden that is covered in chips has done so much better than the half without. Drip lines and soaker hoses have helped both me and the plants survive the summer. Work smarter, not harder 😉
I have been battling heavy fatigue for the last month or so. I’ve found that a to-do list has become overwhelming and discouraging when I don’t check things off, so I have made a different kind of list where I write down what I got done each day, no matter how small. This makes me feel better at the end of the day and also spurs me on in my work so I can write down “one more thing”. I’ve let go of the guilt, accepted that this is how things are (I’m working with a doctor in the meantime), and rest when I need it.
I hope everyone has a good week. And yes, I am joining you in praying for those affected by Saturday’s horrific events, and that nothing of the sort happens again for either party.
I am so glad the rain came your way! Everything at home is super dry so I don't think it rained here although it rained at the lake several times. We have wept and prayed for our country. Our hearts just feel sick.
ReplyDeleteThe lake house had been broken into....again...sigh. Anything that had any value for quick cash had been stolen years ago and it is frustrating to have to keep fixing the same window over and over. Nothing in the house was even disturbed that we could tell. The window was so damaged this time though that Hubby went and got plywood and just boarded it over. It is under the deck and in the laundry room so not an obvious place people see. I wanted to put a sign in the yard saying-"Please don't break our windows-you thieves have already stolen anything of value. However, if you want our hideous plaid couch just come back when we are here and we will hold the door for you while you carry it out!" Our neighbor there is so helpful and lent Hubby tools that he needed to make the repairs. We used to have tools there but they were the first to go when the break-ins started.
We mostly stayed in out of the heat and rested and read and watched old movies. We did pick up a few grocery deals and found a few needed items at the thrift store. There is a new liquidation store in town but the day we went they were closed. After I realized that it would be a 'look and see what we can buy' sort of stop so it was best that we did not get to shop that day. We had a few meals out and enjoyed the local restaurants.
So it is back to reality and onward we go!
Thankful for the rain you received. I'll be getting some raspberries and blueberries in the next few days to make jam (mostly for a fundraiser; I'll keep a few small jars for my pantry) and for the freezer. Our tomatoes are still about a month off, but I've been looking at my supply of jars, rings, flats and vinegar for pickles. The light on my coffee maker is flashing, indicating that it needs to be cleaned, so I know I'll need more vinegar for pickles. We had storms on Saturday late afternoon and overnight, and again late afternoon and overnight last night. The rain gauge showed 2" total from those rains, and we're under a severe storm warning and a flood advisory for tonite, as well. Hoping some more of this weather front reaches you as a steady rain and not severe thunderstorms. Stay safe, and in the meantime, stay hydrated.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased to have strained off my vinegar and it has a mother! I've made vinegar before, but it's never grown a mother before. It's not much of a mother but it's a baby one, lol. I made English muffins and Oatmeal bread. I took advantage of a sale at Kroger and bought the limit on 2-pound blocks of cheese and got a free dozen eggs. I saved over $18 with best customer coupons that day, too. I have more plants to transplant, all rooted from cuttings.
ReplyDeleteI put five bags of peaches in the freezer last week for future cobblers. I brought home a box of peaches again today. They won't even be edible until the end of the week but I plan to put a few more in the freezer. Of course, we'll eat fresh ones every day, too. I only buy peaches while in season from a local shed and then I don't buy any more. I plan extra into my budget so I can do this.
I have started using the expired items in my pantry. So far, things are going well, everything has turned out tasty and for that I'm grateful. There's nothing makes me more irritable when I'm trying to save money than food that is not good, lol. If it tastes good, I don't mind half so much!
We were blessed with a long rain shower yesterday that lasted nearly 2 hours. We so needed that rain. I put plants under the porch eaves to catch the water coming off the roof.