Purslane

Today I found out that a weed in my garden is the best plant source of Omega-3 and antioxidants! Super. I was blackberry picking with my book club (feel free to read last years post of this tradition - I learned my lesson though, I avoided stickers and poison ivy!) Anyway, one of the wise women of the group shared the knowledge of purslane. So we all braved a taste. I commented that this was one of the pervasive weeds in my garden. So after a long evening of commitments, I arrived home and immediately (okay, so that is a lie, after a 30 minute crash on the couch) I decided to use my favorite tool - Google- to learn more. I was a bit worried that this would be a plant that had a poisonous copycat plant. Turns out, I am a smart cookie - purslane has an evil twin, spurge. Isn't that a great evil twin name - Spurge. I mean come on say it out loud - SPURGE - it just sounds like a super villain, albeit an amazing lame and trite super villain, but a super villain nonetheless. So back to the actual story. I learn the easiest marker between the two is the evil spurge has a milky white sap if you break the stem. Well, of course I must know immediately - am I blessed with wonder plant, Purslane or the scourge of Spurge (come on, that is some funny stuff). Keep in mind at this point it is 10:20pm and very dark outside. So do I wait for morning? Bah - of course not, I grab my flashlight and head out to the garden (of course, may neighbor happens to walk out with her dog, but she already thinks I am nuts, so...) to search for the "weed" to identify. After much scientific deliberation....(yeah, yeah, I know, get on with it) I am pleased to announce I am the proud cultivator of purslane! Whoop it up, lots of healthy stuff finding its way to a dinner plate near me.

No Grocery Month

So I am going to try a little experiment courtesy of my friend, Erin. She had read about a challenge where you don't buy groceries for a month, as a way to both save some cash and clean out your pantry a bit. (Come on, we all have those boxes that get further and further into the dark recesses of the cupboard than are found years later.) So I am going to give it a whirl. Now, the good thing about trying this now, is my garden is overflowing with lettuce and a few tomatoes are starting to ripen, I should have squash, corn and beans before all is said and done as well. This is good, because I don't know that I could go a month without fresh produce, the temptation might be to much for me.

I am concerned that I am setting the bar to high with the month timeline, but hey we should always aim high, right!I don't have milk right now or eggs so it may be a semi-vegan month unintentionally. Does grocery shopping at Mom's count? Hmmm, that is something to ponder......

Baby, it's cold outside!

Given the drop in temperature and the snowfall in my lovely corner of the world, I have decided to post on keeping those tootsies toasty. First, take stock. Look at yourself, how are you dressed right at this moment? Could you be wearing the same thing in April? May? September? You know, when it is warmer out? If so, you probably have your heat tuned higher then necessary. One of the joys of winter is bundling up in those cozy sweaters. So dress the part. You can save some energy (and some pennies) by turning down the thermostat. For example, at this moment, I have long johns, jeans, knee high socks, house slippers, long sleeved t-shirt, and perhaps the plushest, coziest house coat on the planet. (I am not wearing a sweater because the housecoat is soooo cozy, sweater tomorrow!)
Other things to do, check the windows - are there drafts? The coop is not the most sound of places, but as a renter, I am limited. So I invested in the Duck brand Window kits. The amount plastic is bothersome to me, but it is less impacting then the heat loss generated.
Also, something as simple as indulging in that cup of hot cocoa or tea. The internal warmth created helps bit the need for bumping up the thermo.
My other big step is to invest in a small space heater. I purchased a forced fan variety because they are safer for the furry friends. It pleasantly heats the little nook I prefer to sit in to watch a movie or read a book. I am keeping my heat between the 63-65 range and have been very cozy. Stay warm! Give something above a try or turn the heat down a degree or two. Remember, baby steps are as important as leaps, both keep you moving forward.

Breakfast to go.

Some mornings are hard to get out of bed, especially in the winter when the bed is so nice and toasty. As a result, sometimes breakfast is sacrificed. Well, maybe not sacrificed - more like postponed. Often I stop at the little coffeehouse on my way to work and purchase baked oatmeal or buy the "breakfast" option the school has for the students (or the really unhealthy muffins they have.) The problem with these is packaging (and transport but that maybe taking things to far.) I have been actively trying to avoid any and all Styrofoam use and individual packaged items. The aforementioned breakfast items violate both of these. So I decided to try to make my own baked oatmeal and freeze it. So I dug out the little Pyrex and corning ware containers and my large muffin muffin pan and got to experimenting. SUCCESS! Today I had a rushed morning, so I grabbed a baked oatmeal muffin out of the freezer, microwaved it at school and ate it while taking care of morning emails. Yeah! (and this will be cheaper in the long run for the frugalistas out there.) I will post the baked oatmeal recipe soon.

Blackberry Cobbler

Success! I found a recipe online and used some of my freshly picked blackberries, to make this incredible cobbler.....I know, humility is a gift of mine...anyway, the only downside is I have no vanilla ice cream in the house, sad, but true. Tomorrow I will rectify this situation by walking down to the homemade ice cream guy and buy a quart, reheat some cobbler and...ah, perfection! Try some seasonal baking, it is fun. Tomorrow I am going to get up early and make some blackberry muffins for my breakfast meeting.

Cooking Diva

Oh, yes, I am becoming a domestic goddess. Bow down to my culinary prowess.....okay, going a bit overboard here, I know. However, I am determined to learn how to cook. I have been using the Simply in Season cookbook I mentioned a few post back. The soup is the Zucchini Garden soup found on page 93. It is scrumptious! The other is a vegetable pancake thing. I was supposed to use a 9 in pie plate, but alas, I am without one. My mamacita has graciously offered me one of her spares for future endeavors. In the general cooking area, I am trying to use local and in season items (I have been bumming veggies from already fruitful gardens, mine is slow growing.) in my cooking. Check the cookbook out from the library and try the soup it is yummy and easy.

Eww, what's that smell?

So I have been testing out a variety of 'earthy' deodorants....I have said the above statement for a couple of them as I realized, darn, that smell is me! These are three that have performed more efficiently. I was very skeptical of the crystal one but it works fairly well, not overly convenient for a quick reapply later in the day due to the need to get it wet, but it works fairly good. I like the Kiss my Face the best but am a little concerned about the packaging involved for the roll-on. Hmmm. Things to ponder.

Garden Update

As of today everything is officially planted. The garden looks great and weed free.* We shall see how long it last.


*I did leave some weeds around the volunteer sunflowers. I was going to pull them, in fact was in the process of pulling them, when I noticed Rose was relaxing in her "jungle" paradise of those weeds. Since then I have noticed her hanging out there quite a bit, so I have decided to leave them there. FYI, Rose is one of the ferals I have TNRed (grammar?) She has taken up permanent residence on my porch and surrounding area. She was Porch Kitty until I broke done and named her. She is fully an outdoor cat, but if anyone wanted her for an indoor kitty, she is forever trying to come inside. I should post of photo of her in the sunflowers but I don't have one. Sad. Well, this post took a major side trip. Tee Hee. By the way, as of this post, Rose is the lovely cat featured as my profile photo.

TNR photos

Here are some photos of the TNR process. I had two live traps set and covered near the feeding stations. I did not set food out the day before to make the bait more attractive. I used aromatic wet food in the traps. The traps are then covered with breathable fabric so the cats are more likely to go. The second photo is one of a trapped cat. (If you look in the first photo you can see the trap with burlap has been engaged.) The cat on the outside is Rose, she is a feral who has decided to be a tame cat. She was spayed during the first wave of TNR. The second the recovery room set up. I have a crate that is made for cats. I have it in a small room that can be closed off from my pets. Again the crate is kept covered to help keep the comfort of the cat during the recovery. It is important especially after a spay surgery to try and keep the cat comfortable and quiet for 48 hours. This timing really worked out for me. The two days I had her indoors in recovery, it was gray and rainy. However, release day was beautiful and sunny. This cat made a mad dash for her barn. We shall see how long before I see her again. I always have my vet use dissolving stitches so I don't have to worry about that. He also ear tips them while they are out. This is a process of removing the tip of one ear. This may sound cruel to some, however, it is the suggested method for typical TNR methods. It prevents cats from having unnecessary anesthesia and surgery only to find out they have already been trapped. Ear tipping will allow me to see immediately so I could just release the ear tipped cat.

Compost Bin

So my March goal was to set up a composting system. There is no reason not to. I have the space and the landlord's permission. However, I got so caught up in the car buying process this month (which was June's goal) that I got side tracked. So wish me luck. Tomorrow I shall wield my hammer and wire cutters and stumble my way through construction. I imagine it will be a funny sight. I will include photos. I am using a ramshackle of supplies, so I don't have to buy new. Apparently, there are great commercial composters out there (yes, I will buy one some day) but right now the better financial option is to beg and borrow from different sources. Dear Aunt Mary has some wood stakes in the barn I can have and I have some chicken wire left over from a sculpture project. Thursday, I will hit the flea market to see if I can find a pitchfork to turn the compost over.