Independence Days week ending 5/16/09

Well, this update is going to cover two weeks' worth of activities. We had 21 straight days of rain and I was pretty much couch-bound with sick kiddos for 2 weeks - so the list of my accomplishments is shorter than I would have hoped. But I did get some things done, so I am pleased with that.

Plant something - calendula seeds (in herb garden), re-potted root-bound peppermint, seeds for Mesclun salad mix, planted new tomato plants to replace 5 of my seedling transplants that didn't make it, bee balm (herb garden), thinned seedlings and pulled weeds in veggie garden.

Manage reserves - Okay, I'm not sure if this counts, but we ate a lot of food from the back of our freezer and from the food I stored a couple of weeks ago because I was unable to get to the store for 2 weeks.

Cook something new - Cooked beets for the first time and LOVED them! Yum -roots and greens! I'm so excited now about the beets in my garden. Also, I'm not the one who actually cooked this recipe - but I enjoyed it A LOT - and I wrote the recipe down to use myself. Anyhoo - the reason I'm putting it here is that it is a super easy recipe for a yummy treat that is sure to put a smile on the family's faces even in troubled times, and it is simple and uses only items that we would almost certainly have in our emergency stores. I got it from my mom:
Peanut Butter Cookies:
1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

Seriously. That's it. Mix it up. Scoop it up. Flatten them with a fork and bake at 350 for 6-10 minutes. I think it deserves it's place here. The cookies are totally delish. And, in the absence of eggs, you can usually sub 1 Tblsp of milled flaxseed + 3 Tblsp of water for an egg. I haven't tried it in this recipe, but I have had success with it in other recipes.

Regenerate what is lost - planted calendula seeds in butterfly garden

Reduce waste/Reduce dependence on commercial systems - made bread, sorted recycling, used brown paper grocery sacks to make paper pulp to make handmade paper embedded with wildflower seeds (Okay, I admit it, I'm pretty bad at remembering to take my cloth grocery bags with me to the store. But don't worry; I flagellate myself regularly with a gluten-free spelt noodle ;-) ). I used this paper to wrap up my homemade soap to go with my handknit washcloths. I'm kind of proud of my handmade Mothers Day gifts, can ya tell? It's mostly because I actually finished them in time to give them on Mothers Day. Which brings me to my final activities in the reduction category: working on and completing some Christmas gifts. Sounds impressive, right? Well, it's not - these gifts are to fulfill IOU's from LAST Christmas. Yikes. I have really patient family members. I finished Dana's handbag, Lance's hat and scarf, and almost finished an apron for my mom. I'll probably get finished just in time to start on this year's Christmas gifts!

Well, this week should be more productive. I've got roses, blueberry bushes, strawberries, and peppers to get in the ground!
TTFN,
Brooke