tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67839744349205326972024-02-22T01:31:44.971-05:00Swamp Yankees From Outer SpaceBeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-77591797962101269232009-08-02T13:09:00.000-04:002009-08-02T13:12:18.888-04:00Bad Blogger!I've been very negligent in my posting lately, apparently being unemployed or underemployed is more conducive to blogging than having an intensive internship. Luckily (or not so luckily) you haven't missed out on much because I've been too busy to do much crafting and the weather is so bad here that not much is going on in the garden either.<br /><br />There are a few interesting things though. I believe I mentioned earlier that I had bought all kinds of crazy things to start from seed this year and now some of them are actually producing!<br /><br />Here is a ground cherry in action:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDi-AUHTNkBRpBV_ZWBWnppf-VskxOXFWIPKfVhqfZc7LvNBIb9QaQHcY3EbyoRUfm6oGY8Bx4ifIO3LPYWBzltU5UxyVy966CkyrzH8u1LmxR590coHDhQC9_hIegxI3FyLd7c8S3Wx6/s1600-h/DSC03452a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDi-AUHTNkBRpBV_ZWBWnppf-VskxOXFWIPKfVhqfZc7LvNBIb9QaQHcY3EbyoRUfm6oGY8Bx4ifIO3LPYWBzltU5UxyVy966CkyrzH8u1LmxR590coHDhQC9_hIegxI3FyLd7c8S3Wx6/s400/DSC03452a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363299917976601474" border="0" /></a><br />And here is a tomatillo:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOdNHonMb6ADoiMvJzsrImWA7Ah72rMglWZvQMpuqe3Rb9c_DuSbBGNDmYmHgB8e74Nj0-qx07ebU4Rrgr3yo1Mdxe6YhwUSLuDRwMWjexcwkWy1UV53aUxzK8eIedV1ClhqpjUZ8Xxgf/s1600-h/DSC03450a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOdNHonMb6ADoiMvJzsrImWA7Ah72rMglWZvQMpuqe3Rb9c_DuSbBGNDmYmHgB8e74Nj0-qx07ebU4Rrgr3yo1Mdxe6YhwUSLuDRwMWjexcwkWy1UV53aUxzK8eIedV1ClhqpjUZ8Xxgf/s400/DSC03450a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363299915395015730" border="0" /></a><br />Although I knew the ground cherry and tomatillo were fairly closely related (both being husk nightshades) I didn't realize how similar they were. Before they fruited the only really distinguishing characteristic between the two plants was the purple vein running along the stems of the ground cherries.<br /><br />I'm actually really excited about both of them too. Not only are they are producing heavily (provided nothing happens before they ripen) but they are also really attractive plants (not nearly as random and awkward as a tomato) with pretty little flowers.<br /><br />I also have jalapenos!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHusy0NG1ZcMnTe8vagrUGonRjW8k0TvyOiykf461XrdanybF7blQ3gR8FLWzVsXDeNdYF_vZqWW0CqkTY-POG-lFXnpGlQGPyeWA9hZMf7aK29KGHb51pXtIlzh-8aeRAONUX5earz6dY/s1600-h/DSC03441a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHusy0NG1ZcMnTe8vagrUGonRjW8k0TvyOiykf461XrdanybF7blQ3gR8FLWzVsXDeNdYF_vZqWW0CqkTY-POG-lFXnpGlQGPyeWA9hZMf7aK29KGHb51pXtIlzh-8aeRAONUX5earz6dY/s400/DSC03441a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363299913193981186" border="0" /></a><br />The one thing that concerns me is that after it produced these three it stopped flowering and shows no sign of starting again, possibly due to the bizarre weather we had. If it indeed is done producing those will be expensive peppers ($1 a piece!).<br /><br />Finally we actually have...tomatoes!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOexck561P_TibES_o0A31QNs0brNLdxxXNWqKnCbZcriz0s0XWTQ-iKJO6OwXxEakeuOMaGOGnSftqYi4Ep2O63JBIDHf73P7c4scqDa8vohRuLHYjgYBBIhyWfCYMTJxJoIZ1BJ2laTF/s1600-h/DSC03440.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOexck561P_TibES_o0A31QNs0brNLdxxXNWqKnCbZcriz0s0XWTQ-iKJO6OwXxEakeuOMaGOGnSftqYi4Ep2O63JBIDHf73P7c4scqDa8vohRuLHYjgYBBIhyWfCYMTJxJoIZ1BJ2laTF/s400/DSC03440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363299909332646450" border="0" /></a><br />For those of you who are already effected by the nasty late blight that is devastating tomato crops all over the northeast...don't worry these sucked anyway. I mean they were really bad, mealy and flavorless. Again the crappy conditions (cold and wet through all of June and July pretty much) are probably to blame.<br /><br />I'd rather not end a post on such a sad note as the generally badness of New England tomatoes this year so here is some absolutely professional looking bread that mom made.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQjEWKE_NFK3pNljJUgFoYWn79ETOxfFY0ysE2M2WJgv7UEAgOwoZu004rHNJvczl2pbNUSkO19NKy4lI0pxdEdpRUw-D3W5XhiGoBeFOIYdvHqw2qxBsK2l5OeDDC3P2ujhMqIozHyjY/s1600-h/DSC03433a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQjEWKE_NFK3pNljJUgFoYWn79ETOxfFY0ysE2M2WJgv7UEAgOwoZu004rHNJvczl2pbNUSkO19NKy4lI0pxdEdpRUw-D3W5XhiGoBeFOIYdvHqw2qxBsK2l5OeDDC3P2ujhMqIozHyjY/s400/DSC03433a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363299904361277858" border="0" /></a><br />Although the word rustic seems to fit I also can't help shaking feeling that the one on the right kind of looks like a toe. Sorry if that puts you off bread for awhile.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-31663989008364091402009-06-29T18:46:00.008-04:002009-07-01T12:27:14.368-04:00EscaroleI thought I was already a vegetable nerd but since I've started working on a farm I've been exposed to some new veggies I hadn't really used before. I'm sad to say one of these was escarole:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgzpz3hrR8KsfIjbrUhs3u7x13a9H8gweA459fmhFEf34FOnonzB0-qLk2MrfI6Ge0ufnGUlOUkfmCGQZNqRhCZOp8J5bAKLmGCLrMO0Scki041GD_jQHGxbFK3CUXwUs5OUxIeJScvW_/s1600-h/DSC03410.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgzpz3hrR8KsfIjbrUhs3u7x13a9H8gweA459fmhFEf34FOnonzB0-qLk2MrfI6Ge0ufnGUlOUkfmCGQZNqRhCZOp8J5bAKLmGCLrMO0Scki041GD_jQHGxbFK3CUXwUs5OUxIeJScvW_/s400/DSC03410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352884937841834818" border="0" /></a><br />I've been missing out. Although it's in the endive family escarole looks more like a head of lettuce although I wouldn't really eat it like lettuce. It's a little tougher and has a mild bitterness (but definitely not too much) so it's delicious cooked.<br /><br />Since it's featured heavily in Italian cuisine that's what we stuck with: first we made the classic escarole and beans (or more accurately: "scrole and beans"). This dish is basically cannellini beans, escarole and lots of garlic with some Parmesan for serving. We also put some sausage in ours although it certainly can be a main dish even without meat. Also: it really should be served on or near some good toast.<br /><br />Next we used some escarole in Italian wedding soup. Our version had spicy meatballs, escarole, potatoes and onions in broth although there are lots of other variations of this soup. Again the escarole was fabulous.<br /><br />If you can find some at your local farmer's market I highly recommend trying some. Cook it the way you would any other cooking green or throw it in a soup.<br /><br />Anybody have any other favorite ways to use escarole?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-68029286159717880312009-06-23T12:23:00.003-04:002009-06-23T13:07:47.478-04:00Bag Balm and 100th Post!This is my 100th post on this blog. Woo hoo! In celebration I may eat some cake. You should too.<br /><br />In other news: after my recent post on hand balm a wise person sent this along in the mail to me:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AzekIu1ylcug44KNkjKaCqePudxB_nJNvamXNrNsD3WQgkAp1MSz_x3hRB-JmrmWhzICZV4jCAryeVfN8QzsRIZkC7ORgj3DIyhzhIw50RTyjAfQRLfIHu2CKzwYUFdyu-8VK_AE44Ye/s1600-h/DSC03403.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AzekIu1ylcug44KNkjKaCqePudxB_nJNvamXNrNsD3WQgkAp1MSz_x3hRB-JmrmWhzICZV4jCAryeVfN8QzsRIZkC7ORgj3DIyhzhIw50RTyjAfQRLfIHu2CKzwYUFdyu-8VK_AE44Ye/s400/DSC03403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349941563102631042" border="0" /></a><br />Bag balm! Originally for udders but now loved by humans and cows alike, including Shania Twain! (Don't worry I didn't just call her a cow.)<br /><br />Besides being awesome for my gnarly farmer hands it comes in the most adorable tin:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxclk0QZT8Omv5FCdhvgkXOUMw-LabSvb_B4vVkVK6KP_jsn-rzlBgKehVx_9EbpQlU3jFslWEhseuZSY98bQFVKhL8YDZsZQMQ1RzGwngRJfSBb2wseZMadL2ODvvd-fXrELf6ES5kFD/s1600-h/DSC03405.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxclk0QZT8Omv5FCdhvgkXOUMw-LabSvb_B4vVkVK6KP_jsn-rzlBgKehVx_9EbpQlU3jFslWEhseuZSY98bQFVKhL8YDZsZQMQ1RzGwngRJfSBb2wseZMadL2ODvvd-fXrELf6ES5kFD/s400/DSC03405.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349941561838859362" border="0" /></a><br />The best part though is probably the picture of udders on one side:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZkZzCdqUKioEHsdCH3VDO0UwxhEW0gnHwtI9YBmKbFPB7w5-l01a-u7cdAXvEPs7-KSYf0tEHKe5kzBzdKEzhBK9Mezb3oqTgMz7QEUeZcH2Tszw6GEx3uiPr8cDwISRf966lzI2la_O/s1600-h/DSC03406.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZkZzCdqUKioEHsdCH3VDO0UwxhEW0gnHwtI9YBmKbFPB7w5-l01a-u7cdAXvEPs7-KSYf0tEHKe5kzBzdKEzhBK9Mezb3oqTgMz7QEUeZcH2Tszw6GEx3uiPr8cDwISRf966lzI2la_O/s400/DSC03406.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349941568706914546" border="0" /></a><br />From what I've read this stuff has a multitude of uses, from soothing a fresh tattoo to diaper rash. I bet it's also amazing for dry feet. You could slather a bunch on before bed and then put socks on and wake up with feet as soft as udders! I may have to do that to someone I know (who has particularly dry feet) while they are sleeping. I'll let you know how that goes.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-24555609075670746672009-06-21T16:32:00.002-04:002009-06-21T20:22:56.398-04:00Garlic ScapesIt's garlic scape time of year again. For those of you who haven't had the privilege of growing your own garlic (I highly recommend it), scapes are the flower stalks that you pull off around this time of year.<br /><br />They are actually quite yummy, with a fresh slightly mild garlicky flavor. Although you can use them any way you would normally use garlic they are also good chopped up in salads or grilled whole. I put them on a grilling rack so they wouldn't slip through the cracks but if you're brave you could throw them right on there, just watch them carefully so they don't burn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0B5FLvvPcc2fybLqmLM4-IfJNGzRY593lLEr6ER5auyLaur7W6t6nWc3oNIowCgEngWeOrceWZY5BY3WnmdEhASdVEkGTpfNK706oJvd5QNMpAvWm3XxoMM2P17RWzncY74oXEMJI50Vi/s1600-h/DSC03400.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0B5FLvvPcc2fybLqmLM4-IfJNGzRY593lLEr6ER5auyLaur7W6t6nWc3oNIowCgEngWeOrceWZY5BY3WnmdEhASdVEkGTpfNK706oJvd5QNMpAvWm3XxoMM2P17RWzncY74oXEMJI50Vi/s400/DSC03400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349937861957612402" border="0" /></a><br />These are some of what we picked at home, I think we should have about 40 clubs of garlic if all goes well and they don't rot right in the ground from all this rain.<br /><br />Interesting fact I recently discovered at work: if you pick about 2000 of these you'll end up with white crystals all over your hands from the sap that comes out of the scapes. I have no idea what it is besides garlic juice but I smelled like it for the next couple days. At least I didn't have to worry about vampires.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-84563324203103360382009-06-15T18:39:00.007-04:002009-06-15T19:04:14.186-04:00Totally Shameless Product PromotionI'll tell you upfront that I have no other motive for telling you about this product besides the fact that I really like it.<br /><br />Back to the beginning: when I first started my current job (organic farm intern) I discovered that the combination of lots of dirt and wind can make your hands really freaking dry. I'm not really sure why mud is considered a spa treatment because in my experience it doesn't really do much for your skin besides dry it out. But clearly I've never had a spa treatment so what do I know.<br /><br />Although I have my day to day moisturizer that I really like (Nature's Gate Tea Tree Lotion since I'm name dropping anyway) it wasn't cutting it for my terrifyingly dry rough hands. I knew I needed something more in the "balm" category, ie: more oily and thick.<br /><br />I went to my local food coop prepared to pay out the nose but I was amazed when I looked at the selection. Burt's Bee's was $10 for a tin and a smaller brand was $20! But this was only about $6:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4PQtgJWK8gagdZ3IM-ZdUlDFc71RtHLUb_diRMKReqLSpKcZ7EM-oSO3jY6VZI-454xaa8R1roxbWKV6SspJ_018OcHIor1EcNqGxrXK7DbcauJ8Ph_Ld4FfsZWn256qiQYXOiheNEAV/s1600-h/DSC03037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4PQtgJWK8gagdZ3IM-ZdUlDFc71RtHLUb_diRMKReqLSpKcZ7EM-oSO3jY6VZI-454xaa8R1roxbWKV6SspJ_018OcHIor1EcNqGxrXK7DbcauJ8Ph_Ld4FfsZWn256qiQYXOiheNEAV/s400/DSC03037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347689188570642306" border="0" /></a><br />Not only does it work fabulously but could you resist that badger? Now what I can't figure out is how they extract the balm from the badger. Do they have to kill it and render it or do they just provoke it into excreting it from a gland?Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-35028976109691278592009-06-08T18:12:00.001-04:002009-06-08T18:36:44.209-04:00Recipe Organization for the Obsessive CollectorI'm sure you've figured out, based on the fact that every time I go somewhere I buy I cookbook, that I'm a rather obsessive collector of recipes. Besides buying cookbooks I also subscribe to cooking magazines, look for recipes online and take cookbooks out of the library. What this means is that I end up with stacks of recipes that I've printed from the internet, torn out of magazines or even photocopied from books.<br /><br />My only salvation from being killed by a toppling stack of cookbooks is that I get many of them from the library first and if I see only a few recipes I like I just photocopy them using our handy scanner/copier/printer. The downside is that if there are too many recipes to copy I end up buying the book.<br /><br />I guess there is technically another downside which is that I end up with stacks of loose recipes. They accumulate on all surfaces, even the cats, until eventually you get an avalanche of paper or someone spills something on the entire pile. Either way it's a mess.<br /><br />My solution: three ring binders! Although I always pinch my fingers in the rings I still think that three ring binders are one of the marvels of modern technology. Here are two other marvels which help me get organized:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHF9TDysu4YhusfNfXUVE7bnUnL5OGg6kxhMiGorgHXlax8Wfg0BW0p8kc2PD1et2WCQCQJ_DAk4qY7dVdAJt0ACVNldkqko41vnZhbC8AzbbvtkSEZrIynkb5cJ9GiLiHqbTGVA0nZ3O/s1600-h/DSC02225.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHF9TDysu4YhusfNfXUVE7bnUnL5OGg6kxhMiGorgHXlax8Wfg0BW0p8kc2PD1et2WCQCQJ_DAk4qY7dVdAJt0ACVNldkqko41vnZhbC8AzbbvtkSEZrIynkb5cJ9GiLiHqbTGVA0nZ3O/s400/DSC02225.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343647488581848658" border="0" /></a><br />Without my paper cutter and fancy ass hole punch it would take me a lot longer to get all my recipes stored away. It also helps to have pretty binders:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1GaMHcJF44rSYu0Ixdjc2znKhaI405hLj_C08KicgtWnqsDrlVHjnHPIXe6BPW3dKp38NmieulfKpTJZoT8ftgzlkDryKEszehGVbk2_DTCIT3bW7eDT_imcUe6pK2VXALRopwvjUhcl/s1600-h/DSC02218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1GaMHcJF44rSYu0Ixdjc2znKhaI405hLj_C08KicgtWnqsDrlVHjnHPIXe6BPW3dKp38NmieulfKpTJZoT8ftgzlkDryKEszehGVbk2_DTCIT3bW7eDT_imcUe6pK2VXALRopwvjUhcl/s400/DSC02218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343647478667760290" border="0" /></a><br />My recipes are divided into several categories: cocktail recipes, canning/preserving recipes, desserts, and those I've cut out of Cooking Light (which I have a subscription to). I really enjoy the magazine and there are actually quite a few recipes per issue that I want to try so to make them easier to find I just cut them out and tape them onto paper so I can recycle the rest of the magazine. It saves space and time when I go looking for the recipe because let's face it, no matter how much we think we're going to go sift through old magazines for those recipes we liked, we never do.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_JfX2oTSMxPTWqF6wREcEKcJhL1pne39QhMoivAJyjUPbvaIPf-GBcxtdQ55bYJDrAfuKs4TXsMhUjy5755V6OeSPuMbybPQ0llJDp15DMxumYTrG8XwLk68WCSyvTyVV3Djoo59G6yb/s1600-h/DSC02219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_JfX2oTSMxPTWqF6wREcEKcJhL1pne39QhMoivAJyjUPbvaIPf-GBcxtdQ55bYJDrAfuKs4TXsMhUjy5755V6OeSPuMbybPQ0llJDp15DMxumYTrG8XwLk68WCSyvTyVV3Djoo59G6yb/s400/DSC02219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343647482497199042" border="0" /></a><br />I suppose I could save space by getting rid of the photographs but some of them are so pretty, it's half the reason I want to try the recipe!<br /><br />Finally there is my binder of everything I've photocopied or printed from the computer. It's at least and inch and half thick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93Y8zZL0yp_kD8JcLrfdyBmafKarvYAII2xQu8_0BhWj7qeKKJGuT8hVXQ1Ej_mOR05ZYu8KhwMdK9qTsMDbfNrR39BKnji-cd5sQDTorD77Az_x3IZAw-w8gPLJ_PhcfhWgcJpdyYcOV/s1600-h/DSC02228.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93Y8zZL0yp_kD8JcLrfdyBmafKarvYAII2xQu8_0BhWj7qeKKJGuT8hVXQ1Ej_mOR05ZYu8KhwMdK9qTsMDbfNrR39BKnji-cd5sQDTorD77Az_x3IZAw-w8gPLJ_PhcfhWgcJpdyYcOV/s400/DSC02228.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343650143571427266" border="0" /></a><br />I made dividers for the different categories to make finding things easier. I used old folders (I had a stack of legal sized ones for no apparent reason) and cut them to size so I'd have the tabs for easy flipping.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzUkpA-zv7Q5QYma7cSzhwpzJwP3TRlz8XwDzfNxtkJmfDUd58Mwy8quUfEVbWZcJtWCI7TBNpMKDomKufOWP8AU0cKRaolFMZOGOuiMtPRB-wqodBWBIUc9d3wcgscK_-0gnn038OAmS/s1600-h/DSC02227.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzUkpA-zv7Q5QYma7cSzhwpzJwP3TRlz8XwDzfNxtkJmfDUd58Mwy8quUfEVbWZcJtWCI7TBNpMKDomKufOWP8AU0cKRaolFMZOGOuiMtPRB-wqodBWBIUc9d3wcgscK_-0gnn038OAmS/s400/DSC02227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343647497183729394" border="0" /></a><br />I got a little crazy with my categories: appetizers, breakfast, breads, tapas, soups, vegetable sides, starch sides, main dish: Mexican/Cuban, main dish: Asian, pasta, pizza/sandwich, main dish: seafood, main dish: veggy, main dish: meat, main dish: meat light. These are of course customizable so if you aren't as nutty as me you could simplify.<br /><br />Once it's all established it's easy to keep organized. I just hole punch the new recipe and slip it in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-_pVOVoHf7mE0F4ZXr0Mn3mIDh87Kzn5uyALj14_TwcrBaAOgLpqeoqrsf5bszW7JaQthJR3d4l4u8Yhm0yQDozHtcV6hdKKpkQWVlP4x9dxaG6SypZGmdAVYq_vw-pSjq7-eclRtJTC/s1600-h/DSC02226.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-_pVOVoHf7mE0F4ZXr0Mn3mIDh87Kzn5uyALj14_TwcrBaAOgLpqeoqrsf5bszW7JaQthJR3d4l4u8Yhm0yQDozHtcV6hdKKpkQWVlP4x9dxaG6SypZGmdAVYq_vw-pSjq7-eclRtJTC/s400/DSC02226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343647492986158002" border="0" /></a><br />A final upside to cooking from photocopies is you feel very little guilt about scribbling notes all over the recipe once you've tried it, or spilling food on it for that matter, which I inevitably do.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-17443399678919980292009-05-29T17:08:00.010-04:002009-05-29T17:49:12.802-04:00Broken Key Fix(I hope you're prepared for the most exciting and revolutionary craft project of this decade.)<br /><br />I always though my purse was a tough place. With all those things jostling for space (keys, wallet, nail file, pocket knife, ping pong balls, chapstick, and moisturizer to name just a few) it is no surprise when the occasional pen gets broken. But when my boyfriend presented me with a broken key I realized that men's pockets may be even worse than my purse.<br /><br />To be fair this key was crappy to begin with, instead of a metal top it was all plastic and I think it might have actually been partially broken when he acquired it anyway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpPHLwhXZHcqbl20XL8l6SnB0VF8rVhsUOVWqj91PWN1OgOxMbpNBqA8ZD3FNhjzsHhO_w87lcWWCJarPtqb5siU4MG7JSzneXOnaEOEAAxP0UvjAn00C7VRTjFiwyFzir_dLHUmhkWup/s1600-h/DSC02929a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpPHLwhXZHcqbl20XL8l6SnB0VF8rVhsUOVWqj91PWN1OgOxMbpNBqA8ZD3FNhjzsHhO_w87lcWWCJarPtqb5siU4MG7JSzneXOnaEOEAAxP0UvjAn00C7VRTjFiwyFzir_dLHUmhkWup/s400/DSC02929a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341356181213142226" border="0" /></a><br />Whose brilliant idea was it to make the top out of plastic anyway? Seriously, I want to meet that person and have a word with them.<br /><br />When it finally broke completely I realized it was a rather dire situation. With no way to attach it to a key ring it was just asking to get lost. (And trust me, he'd lose it.)<br /><br />So I sewed a solution which I think was rather clever if I may say so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtyAjNPl062ZpSuAxsZoMR1yEfCGblmsP_9aHQod08MJisGWnX_WjRLFHA6uyPBVmaUgiuaW0hbnD7AE4YCE_699x2UiBA0TjXLWa68xHtuewVNdl8qL3j-zLfKSwckP3fDNrcnL6jSvs/s1600-h/DSC02930a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtyAjNPl062ZpSuAxsZoMR1yEfCGblmsP_9aHQod08MJisGWnX_WjRLFHA6uyPBVmaUgiuaW0hbnD7AE4YCE_699x2UiBA0TjXLWa68xHtuewVNdl8qL3j-zLfKSwckP3fDNrcnL6jSvs/s400/DSC02930a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341356186425348466" border="0" /></a><br />It was basically a rectangle of fabric I folded in half and then sewed up along both sides. I then flipped it inside out and cut a little slit in the folded end. I reinforced the slit like a button hole so I had a tube with the key sticking out one end and the other end was open. I folded the open end over a key ring and sewed it down. Here you can see the side that was folded down:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaLKRs9T-iRPh9gBJ4Jzd0Kn-QFIxNffN8BUMAxaapZcjcJLop3olGuU_uEx6ch-foD8aO3mhcIgNbIslTGzuRNh5jSWfB9sucAo3PAQ4UKHOhhIyBY8EF26skWUfC0XF8zXoyw3IjYcd/s1600-h/DSC02931a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaLKRs9T-iRPh9gBJ4Jzd0Kn-QFIxNffN8BUMAxaapZcjcJLop3olGuU_uEx6ch-foD8aO3mhcIgNbIslTGzuRNh5jSWfB9sucAo3PAQ4UKHOhhIyBY8EF26skWUfC0XF8zXoyw3IjYcd/s400/DSC02931a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341356189946518562" border="0" /></a><br />And here you can see my reinforcing:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaSE_ZQeNqAx3ov3jJE1uRnDHkcoUHFB2Hyz_nHICct7p7DqTHO2vMt9Wb_2gaNgWxqsv22Gg0piD4xutipJFoirDYM83tobON7Du1K-9PWTGxTexZV_TyV7EwFHAU4ER8rrvxvloh6tb/s1600-h/DSC02932a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaSE_ZQeNqAx3ov3jJE1uRnDHkcoUHFB2Hyz_nHICct7p7DqTHO2vMt9Wb_2gaNgWxqsv22Gg0piD4xutipJFoirDYM83tobON7Du1K-9PWTGxTexZV_TyV7EwFHAU4ER8rrvxvloh6tb/s400/DSC02932a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341356193642660930" border="0" /></a><br />I also made a point of choosing nice manly fabric. Had it been for myself it probably would have been purple and floral. The best part was that it took all of about five minutes. I know I could have just gone and gotten a new key made but in my experience when you copy a key the copies tend not to work as well as the original.<br /><br />I'll even admit I was tempted to make decorative floral covers for all my keys...but that would have been a little too Martha for me.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-16429953230488676162009-05-24T12:23:00.005-04:002009-05-24T12:57:28.517-04:00First Salad of SpringThanks to a concerted effort and some row covers we've already had our first salad from the garden! (Well actually it was at least a week ago but I've been neglectful about my posting so here it is finally:)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFibCiMwGduEuszfPmVZ4sDhdXGT9Swz2LbPGsKf3BkzPJ_j-ERlpNCE4j69taK_9Gr-E1rwqvzZsm3wEaXn0_E7Y5OThye_5Nlj_O_ues7texaTBuIyx0TGB-V5pedjE4vboxsmrvatCq/s1600-h/DSC02961.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFibCiMwGduEuszfPmVZ4sDhdXGT9Swz2LbPGsKf3BkzPJ_j-ERlpNCE4j69taK_9Gr-E1rwqvzZsm3wEaXn0_E7Y5OThye_5Nlj_O_ues7texaTBuIyx0TGB-V5pedjE4vboxsmrvatCq/s400/DSC02961.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338999263599558146" border="0" /></a><br />The main component was mesclun mix and baby salad greens that we grew by direct seeding them. The problem with that method, especially with a new mesclun mix, is that you're never quite sure what is something you actually planted or just something that volunteered. Once we managed to discern which plants were edible and picked the leaves that were big enough I also threw in some violets and redbud blossoms. I was very lucky that they were both blooming at the same time because they are both edible and look amazing together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6x3nPvLbfndK7H6TX4aZ-PUwzJ4n9gDeweQ0fHY89tqHxx95LYgVxOfss-UJ5vdWnc7ntbEGy_h9VyutTK_-PUvj7WN3PlV_HagapLdGQeWUwK19ndxkhuvhrpEYjAFpA80UWo7129t9/s1600-h/DSC02967.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6x3nPvLbfndK7H6TX4aZ-PUwzJ4n9gDeweQ0fHY89tqHxx95LYgVxOfss-UJ5vdWnc7ntbEGy_h9VyutTK_-PUvj7WN3PlV_HagapLdGQeWUwK19ndxkhuvhrpEYjAFpA80UWo7129t9/s400/DSC02967.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338999271218474674" border="0" /></a><br />This was a fancy shmancy dinner since we had a guest so the salad was served alongside homemade bread and a vegetarian curried mushroom parsnip pie I made. The pie was delicious but it wasn't actually vegetarian since I used chicken broth. I'll also confess that I used storebought crust since it was already in the fridge.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmZkZX7BKlEUhwWPMjYn3r4C7_FNCnBsEuFjphudhx4Kap-9Oqp-a3izu5AZt6dGHeM1_Pjf8iDADfoXimdM5nOlvus9ict903yVD8rIfDTyjb6SjbtS72hOmUC34xPZ1Pm-FTXFGIjQ6/s1600-h/DSC02972.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmZkZX7BKlEUhwWPMjYn3r4C7_FNCnBsEuFjphudhx4Kap-9Oqp-a3izu5AZt6dGHeM1_Pjf8iDADfoXimdM5nOlvus9ict903yVD8rIfDTyjb6SjbtS72hOmUC34xPZ1Pm-FTXFGIjQ6/s400/DSC02972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338999271124853810" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a bonus recipe that isn't nearly as seasonally sensitive:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBqimlZ6nbSY3K_g_fi8rK-uMk3mxNbZORk6KgD5Um6cLGwMD_hBQ2-9uE56lkqFZVJDwzNKCRx-j_cxz3YczxDQRTFo3rqcnTtargPetygRot-Po0EeIIbzT1EW0CLuENhnksxx9qOSD/s1600-h/DSC03024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBqimlZ6nbSY3K_g_fi8rK-uMk3mxNbZORk6KgD5Um6cLGwMD_hBQ2-9uE56lkqFZVJDwzNKCRx-j_cxz3YczxDQRTFo3rqcnTtargPetygRot-Po0EeIIbzT1EW0CLuENhnksxx9qOSD/s400/DSC03024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338999275017472386" border="0" /></a><br />Can you tell I only thought to take the picture after I'd started eating it? This one may not look nearly as flashy but what it lacks in appearance it more than makes up for in flavor. Plus I think it's super easy (once you find the ingredients) considering how fancy it seems.<br /><br />The first major ingredient is Israeli couscous (which is different and larger than the North African couscous most people are used to seeing). It basically tastes like a little pasta so if you really can't find it you could definately substitute orzo (although you miss some of the nice toasty flavor of the couscous).<br /><br />Next we have French lentils (or Lentils du Puy, or green lentils). These lentils stand above all other lentils in my opinion because of their texture and flavor. They stay firmer when cooked than other lentils so they work perfectly for a salad (instead of turning into mush). The flavor is also amazing, when I cooked them for the first time I swore someone had thrown a bunch of black pepper in there with them but that is actually just how they are by themselves. Their color is also really cool: when raw they are a mottled bluish greenish color. I hope you can find them reasonably priced, I get them at a local natural food co-op in bulk so they aren't terribly expensive.<br /><br />Next you'll need feta. I used <a href="http://www.richeeses.com/index.html">Narragansett Creamery's</a> Sea Salt Feta which is local! I'm excited about local cheese because until recently (as far as I'm aware) there wasn't any large scale cheese production in Rhode Island (at least not for a couple of hundred years). If you happen to be in RI and get to try some the Atwell's Gold is especially delicious.<br /><br />Back to the salad: once you've located your ingredients you just boil and drain the couscous and lentils (separately). I don't really have a definite timing for either, I just keep checking them until they're just tender enough.<br /><br />Once drained I dress them with olive oil (I won't tell you it has to be this or that fancy kind, let's just say the best you're willing to pay for) and balsamic vinegar. I also throw in some herbs (maybe oregano or thyme and either fresh or dry, depending on if I feel like going outside to pick it). I also (gasp!) use garlic powder.<br /><br />When the salad is ready to serve toss in some feta and if it's a Friday night and you're feeling really crazy you can serve it on a bed of arugula. I just happened to have some on hand so I ate mine with it and it's perfect because the peppery flavor in it really compliments the pepperiness of the lentils.<br /><br />Now if I were to suggest that this is a meal in and of itself I'm sure the meat lovers out there would scoff but I'm serious, I can sit down and eat a huge bowl of this for lunch. It would also be great to bring to a party if you want to seem like a real fancy pants. Once you start rattling off the international list of ingredients (preferably with an English accent) people will surely be impressed.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-27254785022558144532009-05-16T17:09:00.004-04:002009-05-16T19:31:35.631-04:00PeasAlthough we have lots of plants started this year we don't have much out yet besides greens and snow peas. But oh do we ever have snow peas. First we soaked them overnight and planted them in a bed outside. After we'd finished that we realized we still had lots of extras that were already soaked so we either needed to use them or throw them out.<br /><br />We used up some of them by planting them in toilet paper tubes and keeping them inside to germinate. The rest we put between two damp paper towels to sprout. Once those sprouted we picked one of our big barrels outside that needed to have a non-nightshade in it this year (for disease avoidance rotation reasons) and planted them in it.<br /><br />So now, although we already had a bed and a container filled with peas waiting to sprout outside we also had these inside:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO_LpUq7zzl8dtBTfdaYrc-mQipyFUzrTLfICMWT10oyWzuNkHXjIsmuUfE6ay90aQd-vkUKT6a2jSfocNx0Z9w8yGuKL0AQROO6ij9uIu_xOCssn5kkvZh4R_wjF_Vo3Yn6Vay3BeF8j/s1600-h/DSC02394.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO_LpUq7zzl8dtBTfdaYrc-mQipyFUzrTLfICMWT10oyWzuNkHXjIsmuUfE6ay90aQd-vkUKT6a2jSfocNx0Z9w8yGuKL0AQROO6ij9uIu_xOCssn5kkvZh4R_wjF_Vo3Yn6Vay3BeF8j/s400/DSC02394.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333225833675854786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-yGQocPtZ83nI9pHwi1i1B_t_6j5WvqaWz11-fDsod7qsOzAOvXv7RImmK9V0IaLImrPh1suUb2oSDb5S2DHqH4p8GjRY6RP0Gx8oLCAac4Mkht9mYd7-yToE75M3WnKwidM2FlTSaet/s1600-h/DSC02397.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-yGQocPtZ83nI9pHwi1i1B_t_6j5WvqaWz11-fDsod7qsOzAOvXv7RImmK9V0IaLImrPh1suUb2oSDb5S2DHqH4p8GjRY6RP0Gx8oLCAac4Mkht9mYd7-yToE75M3WnKwidM2FlTSaet/s400/DSC02397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333225828215104434" border="0" /></a><br />Since I have trouble throwing away any baby plants we found another container to plant these in. We used freshly cut branches to make a tipi for them once they start climbing:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8gKQFL40yVwzsfplH1B9gp5QED6P91nynPZH8iTq2INKxSk_G7LuoVkhyphenhyphenKwY8vnSY0PIgjncprm7a4bTZxh9OKUBo8jUP4sdSyPr6WtU6SvA11WDz8hiT6FgByIg259mHkLXCfmGoiT7/s1600-h/DSC02866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8gKQFL40yVwzsfplH1B9gp5QED6P91nynPZH8iTq2INKxSk_G7LuoVkhyphenhyphenKwY8vnSY0PIgjncprm7a4bTZxh9OKUBo8jUP4sdSyPr6WtU6SvA11WDz8hiT6FgByIg259mHkLXCfmGoiT7/s400/DSC02866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333225819665558194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2U1y-CBdkcm4HqnVf7avhjDDuRJLGPl4Dft1NC6gKopUk6sG8hSQRF9ovn91SjuG7k4VIYY5V-lugOAB6FBC7G9OKYYZMyT2nvUZInoQLEs6F8jv_cPCOAR6CXRk9mWQqe2yqrp4k24-/s1600-h/DSC02867.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2U1y-CBdkcm4HqnVf7avhjDDuRJLGPl4Dft1NC6gKopUk6sG8hSQRF9ovn91SjuG7k4VIYY5V-lugOAB6FBC7G9OKYYZMyT2nvUZInoQLEs6F8jv_cPCOAR6CXRk9mWQqe2yqrp4k24-/s400/DSC02867.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333225813992689506" border="0" /></a><br />Here's where we learned our first lesson: even though we planted the sticks upside down they still started to get buds on them and they're probably rooting. That may be a fun mistake to deal with later in the year. Next time we'll use dry bamboo.<br /><br />We also learned that peas transplant fine. But here is the really interesting thing: the ones we started inside and put out last are the biggest. The ones we sprouted and then planted outside are considerably behind them and the ones we planted directly outside are the furthest behind. So the lesson is that if you can manage to keep seedlings inside as long as possible they'll get bigger faster than if you put them outside and it's still chilly. I'm sure this information was already in a book somewhere but it's much more convincing when you experience it first hand.<br /><br />Finally, did you know if you have extra peas plants that need thinning you can toss the pea greens in salad as long as they're still fairly small? It's crazy to think that what some gardeners throw away other people pay big money for at restaurants. Speaking of salad...well you'll just have to keep checking back for that post.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-68285480650126439092009-05-15T09:40:00.007-04:002009-05-24T12:58:21.074-04:00Cookbooks EtcBuying used or vintage stuff doesn't count as materialism or consumerism because it isn't contributing to the supply for new goods. At least that's what I tell myself. So without further apology here is the stuff I've found recently:<br /><br />First the cookbooks, this one was too gorgeous and for a couple bucks way too good a deal to pass up:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOzdvfRpa_dAiSAEk7n_mt9HnhfWI8Cg-2yLbzV3qWd24JaOMY4k9MEMLEdRJUZblrUafvYukNrAcq2Kmc52LwMJ-buYp4YHREuyRwPeRYnb0scfCQX-GiUSpBwLXXsjMKlsc9EJq9ccT/s1600-h/DSC02409.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOzdvfRpa_dAiSAEk7n_mt9HnhfWI8Cg-2yLbzV3qWd24JaOMY4k9MEMLEdRJUZblrUafvYukNrAcq2Kmc52LwMJ-buYp4YHREuyRwPeRYnb0scfCQX-GiUSpBwLXXsjMKlsc9EJq9ccT/s400/DSC02409.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332154109065777266" border="0" /></a><br />I also love unusual cookbooks and this one seemed fairly unusual:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmkzdrD28P09oRWZruz7lvB5B5_kp7PXSnYD0G0BKjmecxOBZCKYyPJzH2Fc1TjtYYymEN0fkb7OZrXi8jMaNiVb5AGIBuqUyexJ-hvPEcXIkooYv_-UrxpUx9Aj2O0owLYlz2uuDs_ZC/s1600-h/DSC02408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmkzdrD28P09oRWZruz7lvB5B5_kp7PXSnYD0G0BKjmecxOBZCKYyPJzH2Fc1TjtYYymEN0fkb7OZrXi8jMaNiVb5AGIBuqUyexJ-hvPEcXIkooYv_-UrxpUx9Aj2O0owLYlz2uuDs_ZC/s400/DSC02408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332154114631279378" border="0" /></a><br />That is of course until I got home and my dad informed me he already owned a Burmese cookbook. My thunder was sufficiently stolen.<br /><br />I also just found my own copy of this for only a couple bucks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjVvbITqDQF568hYon418Gv9pkUX0UzDBwuSPB2tYzxBYEtmZbIPV7MhyPhSWfAd_uXYEs9489J_yyfhzPOfxDAY9V7W6lIEQs7GmwBg50-Qbj91DlXUTt1o-HxpKZ0nd0CoRbGQZ4gql/s1600-h/DSC02940.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjVvbITqDQF568hYon418Gv9pkUX0UzDBwuSPB2tYzxBYEtmZbIPV7MhyPhSWfAd_uXYEs9489J_yyfhzPOfxDAY9V7W6lIEQs7GmwBg50-Qbj91DlXUTt1o-HxpKZ0nd0CoRbGQZ4gql/s400/DSC02940.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336062254250194162" border="0" /></a><br />I think I'm the only one who likes it but I couldn't resist this teapot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWicLMQOGFauJbz_tJqF0RoCTuDYIxe-LYw2b-JXfObuEN1tr-y3ReBmJiGEY0i7-4NqOwC3YcpvSovBDb-tIjHXH14YAjVZbpsAhB3Jqxb3DfuNSdtHcXIkjXqHrVwXDPtpzRrcSuvGVT/s1600-h/DSC02934.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWicLMQOGFauJbz_tJqF0RoCTuDYIxe-LYw2b-JXfObuEN1tr-y3ReBmJiGEY0i7-4NqOwC3YcpvSovBDb-tIjHXH14YAjVZbpsAhB3Jqxb3DfuNSdtHcXIkjXqHrVwXDPtpzRrcSuvGVT/s400/DSC02934.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336062249832863010" border="0" /></a><br />Here's the back:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVFhC86j8GI1F-Y5YyUva9whJ_26lJ9CWUbzSFvG9jtwA3P7WVPT7UCVReJm6jgrk7hZbYOsm_ULcZUa7ej3wo-rlYQ_Z7oXp7cvE_TgLNh20ssysTEjzDFs-QiANIEcdRhPy7-ZdCKhU/s1600-h/DSC02935.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVFhC86j8GI1F-Y5YyUva9whJ_26lJ9CWUbzSFvG9jtwA3P7WVPT7UCVReJm6jgrk7hZbYOsm_ULcZUa7ej3wo-rlYQ_Z7oXp7cvE_TgLNh20ssysTEjzDFs-QiANIEcdRhPy7-ZdCKhU/s400/DSC02935.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336062250362820770" border="0" /></a><br />And here's the mark on the bottom:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpaDM_M4u0MCF6BBX9Vh1wYO4JS8Ai_LuCqRv6HooijoayqIqks4mW3cRFv6JNtJ6YkthRklLt0RUN2Sji04QJpaELDM-BP3xP9-EZaog3dikOf5zKV3-64ImaqKCh69AqdoRTiN4TvGe/s1600-h/DSC02936.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpaDM_M4u0MCF6BBX9Vh1wYO4JS8Ai_LuCqRv6HooijoayqIqks4mW3cRFv6JNtJ6YkthRklLt0RUN2Sji04QJpaELDM-BP3xP9-EZaog3dikOf5zKV3-64ImaqKCh69AqdoRTiN4TvGe/s400/DSC02936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336062253722422754" border="0" /></a><br />And this mug, the owls!:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihL5lp-CS6h1J0huCloCqhalYlUVhAhmJWuF4Jd_HhxZtuo7eUWUXwPB8f6ONXFAfFHtjST9o0FgsL_zhBuDYL_BN-lVBoCkwEJOVyw22PuGHqz1ANlONZERgFtkNK1yXcSHwWmhlA5_S/s1600-h/DSC02938.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihL5lp-CS6h1J0huCloCqhalYlUVhAhmJWuF4Jd_HhxZtuo7eUWUXwPB8f6ONXFAfFHtjST9o0FgsL_zhBuDYL_BN-lVBoCkwEJOVyw22PuGHqz1ANlONZERgFtkNK1yXcSHwWmhlA5_S/s400/DSC02938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336062255424286754" border="0" /></a><br />Finally I got this box:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tFViacKmyJGK2K5jr509r7MGqSikJgMh7YmhDVLLzjLQPoemgqfqQOXP9uLvdCCvvcd5SsNt8Ak9PP2NabckvG0Kl1UeFWOW3ci2X5TsMP3QOxlwLAFhOWl7S2e3XAh_mlFxAUA6iBai/s1600-h/DSC02411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tFViacKmyJGK2K5jr509r7MGqSikJgMh7YmhDVLLzjLQPoemgqfqQOXP9uLvdCCvvcd5SsNt8Ak9PP2NabckvG0Kl1UeFWOW3ci2X5TsMP3QOxlwLAFhOWl7S2e3XAh_mlFxAUA6iBai/s400/DSC02411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332154120439325650" border="0" /></a><br />I think it probably came with some wine in it or something so it might be silly that I paid for it but I like it and it seemed super useful...now I just have to think of something to put in it.<br /><br />And now I present a photo essay that illustrates what it is like to try to photograph something with a cat around:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwToLOep7t3j9j3MzKPkp0XUJFWKql-mCbhpYJWdSGa9MWGMDEEGaEp9rsmHY5v38_OgZfII3qm7UWq7G0l3rlDsw38KWoGu-42T63vPwmf53ZbuvcJB6s9grs3mmxdYrA0uwF8OPGuvfo/s1600-h/DSC02412.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwToLOep7t3j9j3MzKPkp0XUJFWKql-mCbhpYJWdSGa9MWGMDEEGaEp9rsmHY5v38_OgZfII3qm7UWq7G0l3rlDsw38KWoGu-42T63vPwmf53ZbuvcJB6s9grs3mmxdYrA0uwF8OPGuvfo/s400/DSC02412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332154122757231426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqlUkL6J8p9kz2lG3Zj38zF13gRoB9yiumDIFjiTSgf8dB1DuehT5D3Dqngv9Z4e_ocRKv8aN4ejJg3Zhw12hdmxuMcELIT8kW1Uv62hGugGnSoMOlmNKKLXzMWswIMBUpM_fEOyZVTde/s1600-h/DSC02413.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqlUkL6J8p9kz2lG3Zj38zF13gRoB9yiumDIFjiTSgf8dB1DuehT5D3Dqngv9Z4e_ocRKv8aN4ejJg3Zhw12hdmxuMcELIT8kW1Uv62hGugGnSoMOlmNKKLXzMWswIMBUpM_fEOyZVTde/s400/DSC02413.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332154127488281106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFRU3gp40Kl53921I-B9evrhdvcW3uC54oXehvl9iJjj1Nf4J2SM6i_3CvQBVhEXqDMRICo5NRN0JaGXNO019rAupE46C1bbochMORkH5YB3-zWaxfOCTdQodYB2ytuuLfbPCegS3-MLV/s1600-h/DSC02414.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyFRU3gp40Kl53921I-B9evrhdvcW3uC54oXehvl9iJjj1Nf4J2SM6i_3CvQBVhEXqDMRICo5NRN0JaGXNO019rAupE46C1bbochMORkH5YB3-zWaxfOCTdQodYB2ytuuLfbPCegS3-MLV/s400/DSC02414.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332397037781206722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBT-UJYt7lXZbHHL1fSIZbHh-T_F4fOkWQjLMh7YZZxk0bq5qFxUZxzKD-HoCzC3dmgDlqUYbndnJZJ13MI2vE4yOu6BteIfZ-P8L_vsqZnm3_eRm2CQaLwLKeYlvWKeWnZXpjDn3rT5cL/s1600-h/DSC02415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBT-UJYt7lXZbHHL1fSIZbHh-T_F4fOkWQjLMh7YZZxk0bq5qFxUZxzKD-HoCzC3dmgDlqUYbndnJZJ13MI2vE4yOu6BteIfZ-P8L_vsqZnm3_eRm2CQaLwLKeYlvWKeWnZXpjDn3rT5cL/s400/DSC02415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332397040014956626" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFg6gZNFSgnCZWOVVX3PcCiLcFFuDiPdHY3lT5HiMDGnsXwkTE8Yecv4BKdxLDmR8YidaViPiUNyFZDcl1jhFB4ryIXV7oAJwLnlrhZq0Zpl1h7-LxLO2M_trWJvSvEvnbUmLNTtKi2lv/s1600-h/DSC02416.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFg6gZNFSgnCZWOVVX3PcCiLcFFuDiPdHY3lT5HiMDGnsXwkTE8Yecv4BKdxLDmR8YidaViPiUNyFZDcl1jhFB4ryIXV7oAJwLnlrhZq0Zpl1h7-LxLO2M_trWJvSvEvnbUmLNTtKi2lv/s400/DSC02416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332397047145659826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY40c3dBWFvi74Wgql1iiBVuoOVm_o0mtYJIFXxVVpP0EB5EJSIqL6CsphtoTYrxXAbWyjdfz8OTwjNLToPX6E8_jdEJvjn-reI6KvV9nb644IHQMOyXX73qpEIhYXjtsHvN6UphocfRak/s1600-h/DSC02417.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY40c3dBWFvi74Wgql1iiBVuoOVm_o0mtYJIFXxVVpP0EB5EJSIqL6CsphtoTYrxXAbWyjdfz8OTwjNLToPX6E8_jdEJvjn-reI6KvV9nb644IHQMOyXX73qpEIhYXjtsHvN6UphocfRak/s400/DSC02417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332397050056879842" border="0" /></a><br />Fin.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-91851091892054961012009-05-04T15:46:00.000-04:002009-05-04T16:02:50.212-04:00GingerI've decided you can never really have enough ginger in your diet. Besides being yummy it is also really good for upset tummies and muscle aches (which I've had plenty of since starting to work again). Actually you probably could have too much ginger but I doubt I'm at any risk for that. The problem is that fresh ginger is kind of a pain in the ass, at least I think so. If a recipe calls for a couple teaspoons you have to fish it out, peel it and grate that little bit, only to have to repeat the process the next time you need a little and by my standards that is a pain.<br /><br />We accidentally stumbled upon a way to avoid this hassle. Mom really likes ginger tea so we started using the food processor to grate whole pieces at a time and then we divide it into tablespoon sized piles which we freeze. This way when mom wants to make a couple cups of tea she can just take one cube of ginger out of the freezer. But it also works great for cooking. The other night I had a recipe that called for fresh grated ginger so I just threw in a couple pieces, still frozen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzX6BAza4xsJmUAb_4tec9df1j-2DqfgGrGd63gY_DWC1zeygta8DspsA9VSVDn7IbmZdl_2cR-mCeZvzxqhEgyFXICgMq-0ALukLPs6aCrU_Up59AzTW3-EnPCYCC2IixXsI2OTNRc1f/s1600-h/DSC02850.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBzX6BAza4xsJmUAb_4tec9df1j-2DqfgGrGd63gY_DWC1zeygta8DspsA9VSVDn7IbmZdl_2cR-mCeZvzxqhEgyFXICgMq-0ALukLPs6aCrU_Up59AzTW3-EnPCYCC2IixXsI2OTNRc1f/s400/DSC02850.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331762238925524274" border="0" /></a><br />It even kind of works for sun tea. Although our <a href="http://swampyankeesfromouterspace.blogspot.com/2008/08/sun-tea.html">usual recipe</a> calls for mint of some kind along with the black tea I wanted to try some with ginger. Using the frozen grated ginger you definitely get some ginger flavor but it's not super strong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggL5laFDVvu0Nnk2a5vYI-SqDJYs_DaltC8ZQIy7qWdrbul7PDmREHB093sLJ1oCEyG2uf9bdxJda-HlHs-GASfcqTx_2BaXrEYqo1w6RnniTvekLMA93dW1Vt2o9JrcLwKsV27i8ICOlh/s1600-h/DSC02848.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggL5laFDVvu0Nnk2a5vYI-SqDJYs_DaltC8ZQIy7qWdrbul7PDmREHB093sLJ1oCEyG2uf9bdxJda-HlHs-GASfcqTx_2BaXrEYqo1w6RnniTvekLMA93dW1Vt2o9JrcLwKsV27i8ICOlh/s400/DSC02848.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331762233051180082" border="0" /></a><br />The scary looking stuff floating on top is actually the ginger. It also serves as a good theft deterrent, who would want to steal something that looks like that?<br /><br />We also tried planting some. We started with a fresh piece (we tried to find one that wasn't too dessicated). This one already had little knobs like it wanted to sprout so we figured it was a good candidate. Here it is in all it's knobbiness:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbHX8SzgJYclDWkTqvE3P1440_liEY2nEFKJzRoVCZidZvtWEdXIPuqIiPft1i0a4sZcA3XQ3DwA0qNQ5uojA09FfVcoBgTL7-tildLPWD7PyFmJ3MoZNig_p_A8e4pFy9NxcfJVbYeyk/s1600-h/DSC02815.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbHX8SzgJYclDWkTqvE3P1440_liEY2nEFKJzRoVCZidZvtWEdXIPuqIiPft1i0a4sZcA3XQ3DwA0qNQ5uojA09FfVcoBgTL7-tildLPWD7PyFmJ3MoZNig_p_A8e4pFy9NxcfJVbYeyk/s400/DSC02815.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331759857783538386" border="0" /></a><br />Look at that knob close up; doesn't it look like a claw?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JxLaUZqAZc43x-QYJr00iBrWcd4fvvSNAoCyFzdItaaUsCYUaNJANuWqXQHl__0-jNna9wdOmJOlKRowl2TrrJ7CZHwPOOQootskm0JpxOnE1zvh1HfLjUIC_k5FmyHN6PAnTjT31iib/s1600-h/DSC02816.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JxLaUZqAZc43x-QYJr00iBrWcd4fvvSNAoCyFzdItaaUsCYUaNJANuWqXQHl__0-jNna9wdOmJOlKRowl2TrrJ7CZHwPOOQootskm0JpxOnE1zvh1HfLjUIC_k5FmyHN6PAnTjT31iib/s400/DSC02816.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331759857666325106" border="0" /></a><br />We cut off pieces and soaked them overnight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCi2tTXvRusIZ6YsyFUJmZBiybXBQd_x31ZlbWejvXT_fnFTr8OGUALxd8KvmbBMY8uoXxTah7XTCysh6SPRXe8JejBETKj-czFHdpTKy5z-D3ezw89s-L_HP5Q8jHwNaY4bSyykwfzMp/s1600-h/DSC02820.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCi2tTXvRusIZ6YsyFUJmZBiybXBQd_x31ZlbWejvXT_fnFTr8OGUALxd8KvmbBMY8uoXxTah7XTCysh6SPRXe8JejBETKj-czFHdpTKy5z-D3ezw89s-L_HP5Q8jHwNaY4bSyykwfzMp/s400/DSC02820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331759864234069138" border="0" /></a><br />Doesn't it look like a monster's toe floating in there?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFDBZWqGgd2jkYlw6R5Yi5AqvaqfahPnpegvrVl-Z3Hmzs7Gi5_EPpM_E7wLmV7thljsgn5cdFFEEk_4OwBOqLp8ZMtjc70NRE-cn-wkyDKd3hBK6FfEo2wxVVUzBGnh1FBkdCUxR-pZN/s1600-h/DSC02821.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFDBZWqGgd2jkYlw6R5Yi5AqvaqfahPnpegvrVl-Z3Hmzs7Gi5_EPpM_E7wLmV7thljsgn5cdFFEEk_4OwBOqLp8ZMtjc70NRE-cn-wkyDKd3hBK6FfEo2wxVVUzBGnh1FBkdCUxR-pZN/s400/DSC02821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331759869081429554" border="0" /></a><br />The next day we planted them:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNbW5EJ2KbV8IaNjTIzEecYmXxvWx7W4tpd8foI0A0Cxrf6WOk_il4jZeC_aghfD2cd9xhFZuxtvgpkI5aUN7Dr_JQegBzVAMW9KG4H3aaeJi_8sv40tmFmFbiOC_hO5j5vYPHAUTXe_I/s1600-h/DSC02837.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNbW5EJ2KbV8IaNjTIzEecYmXxvWx7W4tpd8foI0A0Cxrf6WOk_il4jZeC_aghfD2cd9xhFZuxtvgpkI5aUN7Dr_JQegBzVAMW9KG4H3aaeJi_8sv40tmFmFbiOC_hO5j5vYPHAUTXe_I/s400/DSC02837.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331759873430345186" border="0" /></a><br />We planted three pots and put them in a sunny spot. I can report that a few days later there is some sort of leaf poking up so I think it worked!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ERpCXd5M66VEmQIpUBx8zQemOVEDk95ucLHFOVkH_Lj_3K-pJyT7VPI-_ClGXB4XVvWOaDbWVLrtXJ0hyphenhyphen0fgpytGaoeojcJZiOu-EGDBgwKSsUGq86FYD07ApzJOgnsWQtOiMV_l-Tew/s1600-h/DSC02842.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ERpCXd5M66VEmQIpUBx8zQemOVEDk95ucLHFOVkH_Lj_3K-pJyT7VPI-_ClGXB4XVvWOaDbWVLrtXJ0hyphenhyphen0fgpytGaoeojcJZiOu-EGDBgwKSsUGq86FYD07ApzJOgnsWQtOiMV_l-Tew/s400/DSC02842.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331761125528467266" border="0" /></a><br />I'll let you know if we actually ever get any ginger.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-4991656769129128892009-05-01T14:04:00.002-04:002009-05-01T14:47:32.116-04:00Just Shameless FlowersSorry about the rather infrequent posting, I was so traumatized by the spider incident that I had to take a little break. Just kidding, I've actually been working and those four hour shifts are really wearing me out.<br /><br />Despite my rigorous schedule we've still been working on some projects but for now I'll just show you some of what's in bloom. Of course there are violets:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AenTZWiZlREOKBNYI0QP2KKhMKVZuUsxWGq2uC3Ld6pE1N0MRYUC2HVK6KS3r72g_Jh84N04CEZj8ctxpNLRgusxChIyPqGTDHyKWsznoGxf3pXteTL8pqiFFlfio5G5U3HKbDFGL50B/s1600-h/DSC02868.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AenTZWiZlREOKBNYI0QP2KKhMKVZuUsxWGq2uC3Ld6pE1N0MRYUC2HVK6KS3r72g_Jh84N04CEZj8ctxpNLRgusxChIyPqGTDHyKWsznoGxf3pXteTL8pqiFFlfio5G5U3HKbDFGL50B/s400/DSC02868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329902669239672802" border="0" /></a><br />I really like them, I don't mind a yard full of them although I'm not sure everyone agrees.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKyYe1-mhUnzWzUugTOS-wr-MrKhJWbM8yvd9xABqB_2j5A8L2UtxNjIr0LeaReiy-WyjERXOv2J1JeA3_3asnfEI_SButBDyGY2958BHV1RHGWOcjheyF3s2CeZ5Oy2lqS7FGYQd0Vvg/s1600-h/DSC02872.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKyYe1-mhUnzWzUugTOS-wr-MrKhJWbM8yvd9xABqB_2j5A8L2UtxNjIr0LeaReiy-WyjERXOv2J1JeA3_3asnfEI_SButBDyGY2958BHV1RHGWOcjheyF3s2CeZ5Oy2lqS7FGYQd0Vvg/s400/DSC02872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329902675294677682" border="0" /></a><br />Close by we also have vinca:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc-8PqXxYfHQxrTIAHpRuCDEJyWanuzoIncknKm-2xaxoG4mAjl9_AvYZEYuPZKqZbKjTKqH9ozOuZzMdRl-R9dhGOjiRqfs_Q_hjXvtbrvM_mmcYf8I_lSBxmvWPbR3WjvgYmqXY2uum/s1600-h/DSC02879.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc-8PqXxYfHQxrTIAHpRuCDEJyWanuzoIncknKm-2xaxoG4mAjl9_AvYZEYuPZKqZbKjTKqH9ozOuZzMdRl-R9dhGOjiRqfs_Q_hjXvtbrvM_mmcYf8I_lSBxmvWPbR3WjvgYmqXY2uum/s400/DSC02879.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329902681158471698" border="0" /></a><br />And then there was the magnolia which bloomed for all of about 5 days this year but it sure was nice while it lasted.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWR86puds9vqQLqngTqRwuopWu7OL9Mwn9Iz45RZbAFs63QFqaUFripJX-aY44mPbkZZ_rpd05URk6VaYgHNLEURO8tZoPYLZ1ixxNBzYjdW9KhsyagnDZakHWWyOTRka7bUlX4yO9Wsy9/s1600-h/DSC02791.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWR86puds9vqQLqngTqRwuopWu7OL9Mwn9Iz45RZbAFs63QFqaUFripJX-aY44mPbkZZ_rpd05URk6VaYgHNLEURO8tZoPYLZ1ixxNBzYjdW9KhsyagnDZakHWWyOTRka7bUlX4yO9Wsy9/s400/DSC02791.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329902685172133698" border="0" /></a><br />The combination of a couple days in the 90's and some cooler weather and wind in between meant all the petals fell quickly, and specifically on our driveway:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQi-H1zzsbATgzmSvX9GS_3SjmeW7agn0T41WKcjWFTcHyB3iUhgO0WyryV7UExf2s6-JDgkkOopVWjf5RrfZqHJNJkiK31JJ_VoLYWr4ultWNnptWc5zedEBN-Mcqym8CCdd3LyPCDIH/s1600-h/DSC02831.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQi-H1zzsbATgzmSvX9GS_3SjmeW7agn0T41WKcjWFTcHyB3iUhgO0WyryV7UExf2s6-JDgkkOopVWjf5RrfZqHJNJkiK31JJ_VoLYWr4ultWNnptWc5zedEBN-Mcqym8CCdd3LyPCDIH/s400/DSC02831.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329902688436071154" border="0" /></a><br />It's nice until you realize that they rot and get all slippery. You really have to be careful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmlJ_VTM7hPhQWmQWkFyg6Y1CgfQD9ExHU1MP8LWR8tWLe0LreE414X6L1CiZVkqf3p8TfUKf1srhDOWxKOJiF25fPaenJl_TaiabDJRX-k7EBwcDpsIuTAD_t44NYGaTibzch2U-5swm/s1600-h/DSC02832.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmlJ_VTM7hPhQWmQWkFyg6Y1CgfQD9ExHU1MP8LWR8tWLe0LreE414X6L1CiZVkqf3p8TfUKf1srhDOWxKOJiF25fPaenJl_TaiabDJRX-k7EBwcDpsIuTAD_t44NYGaTibzch2U-5swm/s400/DSC02832.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329906226483616002" border="0" /></a><br />Just in case you can't quite make out what kind car that is it's a Rolls Royce, in case you were wondering. More real goings on coming soon, I promise.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-38859464448352214372009-04-21T08:58:00.007-04:002009-04-21T18:27:35.422-04:00TraumaWarning: you might want to skip this post if you don't like spiders (don't say I didn't warn you Amanda).<br /><br />So...I hate spiders. Well, hate isn't really the right word, more like fear. They creep me out, a lot. But I don't like to kill them! I just really really don't like when they are near me and I don't realize it and all of a sudden I'm an inch away from touching one or something horrible like that.<br /><br />I'm also convinced I have an abnormal number of traumatizing spider encounters (but I'm not sure if they are what cause my fear of spiders or just karmic justice). Here's a good one: when I'd first moved into my old apartment I was going to bed one night and as soon as I turned the light off I felt something hit my arm and I knew, I just knew it was a spider. And guess what? It was a giant black spider. I slept with the light on that night.<br /><br />Then there was the time I was unrolling a sock and felt something kind of damp in my hand. I threw whatever it was on the ground and leaned down to inspect what looked like a piece of black lint. That was until it unfurled it's 8 terrifying legs and crawled away.<br /><br />It's mostly the big hunting spiders that bother me. Tiny ones and daddy long legs (which aren't technically spiders I believe) don't really bother me. But there is an exception: specifically the time I was watching television in the dark only to have a black spot obscure my vision. When I put a hand to my face to brush the spot away I realized it was a daddy long legs...crawling across my eye. It was so light I couldn't tell it was there.<br /><br />So here is the latest incident: I was fiddling with something in my apartment (and by apartment I mean my parent's basement) when I noticed something black a few inches from my hand. Thanks to our <a href="http://swampyankeesfromouterspace.blogspot.com/2009/01/karma.html">handy bug catcher thingy</a> I captured it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH6lAuEMzcI0uhg9biE4XG3FFgTrtR5toQWYvoGos_wph_oPSF2YezyYl70l4I0g-U3Ihi5oC60VBJ8MMXdo8TSVAaWXI0pzvY_bLCTNxxdevwGW482Bj_2hb8RjA_JDGvfDYl7UZOXqX/s1600-h/DSC02399.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH6lAuEMzcI0uhg9biE4XG3FFgTrtR5toQWYvoGos_wph_oPSF2YezyYl70l4I0g-U3Ihi5oC60VBJ8MMXdo8TSVAaWXI0pzvY_bLCTNxxdevwGW482Bj_2hb8RjA_JDGvfDYl7UZOXqX/s400/DSC02399.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325468807949202130" border="0" /></a><br />It's playing dead but trust me, it's not.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX25KRLlWUfGokX0KLwezI3SLtbtgFakZK7mucWUJgWSbDyEqQzyH7Dd04rz_I_KtpdVYOhnJ0pwUYC-GK_pmy1UvoPTjy5pQzbt9xwPb3AfzY8jy5oZqv9jhCV4HSdraBzO4ExxP5NWi/s1600-h/DSC02400.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisX25KRLlWUfGokX0KLwezI3SLtbtgFakZK7mucWUJgWSbDyEqQzyH7Dd04rz_I_KtpdVYOhnJ0pwUYC-GK_pmy1UvoPTjy5pQzbt9xwPb3AfzY8jy5oZqv9jhCV4HSdraBzO4ExxP5NWi/s400/DSC02400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325468813572744082" border="0" /></a><br />Here you can see it's horrendous fangs and stripey legs. I hate when they have stripey legs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHIA_S1SW2VwiTy4NkDDhEUeOLkQMNPi9KtSi4CWDvNxu-yl55fzSM8P9EojiFBzDgaqZ7GF6Ryn7NqPLIj2IqFo57yJhhiVW7YANR-xrY_sckFnD2ILzeQcMeCbze1lnTj08GrMXW0pJ/s1600-h/DSC02403.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHIA_S1SW2VwiTy4NkDDhEUeOLkQMNPi9KtSi4CWDvNxu-yl55fzSM8P9EojiFBzDgaqZ7GF6Ryn7NqPLIj2IqFo57yJhhiVW7YANR-xrY_sckFnD2ILzeQcMeCbze1lnTj08GrMXW0pJ/s400/DSC02403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325468816521047106" border="0" /></a><br />This is the best shot I could get of him before we released him outside. I'm sure though that by now he's found his way back to the basement and is lying in wait for me somewhere even more terrifying like my sock drawer.<br /><br />And if anyone recognizes this spider and just happens to know that he's poisonous...please don't tell me, I'll only be further traumatized.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-71480780039993093682009-04-14T10:21:00.000-04:002009-04-14T11:44:06.199-04:00Make Your Own Travel Chopstick CaseAlthough this technically falls under the crafting category of "things you didn't know you needed," it is still a really cute idea. The premise is that instead of wasting a pair of disposable chopsticks every time you go out to eat you carry along your own pair.<br /><br />There are other designs floating around for these cases which inspired my design (and those might have better instructions if you are looking for a really precise tutorial). Although you can make these with one piece of fabric I wanted mine to have a contrasting interior so I started with two sets of fabric to make two cases:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhyphenhyphen9cXBJYwjVUIPx2PehBqx6JQX8PO28TcyT9WO8fhSDTOe0sxl0QdF9pYWHKbhDHObtsBKtisphcBpZ_g91eweF0sgtCk6D0H9q2dmj7pwSUTPb_y5IUPlu3ktt0K1HMe79r9ZRrk0Rf/s1600-h/DSC02185.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhyphenhyphen9cXBJYwjVUIPx2PehBqx6JQX8PO28TcyT9WO8fhSDTOe0sxl0QdF9pYWHKbhDHObtsBKtisphcBpZ_g91eweF0sgtCk6D0H9q2dmj7pwSUTPb_y5IUPlu3ktt0K1HMe79r9ZRrk0Rf/s400/DSC02185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323844988092382914" border="0" /></a><br />Here is where I have to make a confession about where I got the fabric: I bought it at Walmart. I usually try to reuse or recycle fabric as much as possible but I was really picky about the prints I wanted for these and Walmart has this new section of fat quarters for quilting which has some surprisingly modern patterns.<br /><br />Out of each set I cut one of each of these shapes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyoDWcOG1aFa7oJGc6KqXJPTuMvK6sdUX1Bc1G_Elbo1NVNVu0To8IJ-6F0DoTWhLpz7R1FP2bn5qlazznXs-3jBBIbXySJs0rz2OlygCnq3vbW13AIwSd4Z6hc2hkdG-VJxoV5Dl0ERN/s1600-h/DSC02180.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyoDWcOG1aFa7oJGc6KqXJPTuMvK6sdUX1Bc1G_Elbo1NVNVu0To8IJ-6F0DoTWhLpz7R1FP2bn5qlazznXs-3jBBIbXySJs0rz2OlygCnq3vbW13AIwSd4Z6hc2hkdG-VJxoV5Dl0ERN/s400/DSC02180.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323845656600498674" border="0" /></a><br />(You'll see later why the outside piece is larger than the inside piece.)<br /><br />I then pinned them together with the right sides facing each other and sewed along the bottom (leaving a gap large enough to flip it right side out later):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-x637C2gkXnHqpIwKRa07AE_DbiTRkEYOuuYXlnoW3NgYQSLaGrEu01cF_s2rLMx8igNaTa3qJpjINulsUBMcIYFkZOBpvJCZwgOiOkrAntgHce71z6hLgJ0smk1jhHccinx7F7LK7j1d/s1600-h/DSC02186.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-x637C2gkXnHqpIwKRa07AE_DbiTRkEYOuuYXlnoW3NgYQSLaGrEu01cF_s2rLMx8igNaTa3qJpjINulsUBMcIYFkZOBpvJCZwgOiOkrAntgHce71z6hLgJ0smk1jhHccinx7F7LK7j1d/s400/DSC02186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323845659380169010" border="0" /></a><br />I then pulled the shorter side up so the points of both pieces met (but it is still inside out):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQHwOd9Z9P0ZZ0sraxZLujFtmCPcY1KW4lOYJZ-ZsFJON7GDPADGoiH9RotRFs6NZz9rLnET6JQWD7Iz2EehDPX3fW8TEOTzj1yVvDikPnYw65tyahhxXh6QxCYXv5MDbDKhgdTXU7aR8/s1600-h/DSC02187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQHwOd9Z9P0ZZ0sraxZLujFtmCPcY1KW4lOYJZ-ZsFJON7GDPADGoiH9RotRFs6NZz9rLnET6JQWD7Iz2EehDPX3fW8TEOTzj1yVvDikPnYw65tyahhxXh6QxCYXv5MDbDKhgdTXU7aR8/s400/DSC02187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323847290752877762" border="0" /></a><br />Here it is pinned together:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTY7Q4k2DbUWsX8tQCwdIJ6NaAi_y9aWMoAmGEvruHr0Ki3gc3jUPOmxnTRDucCdKgttOwC5uAoxfZPwV3OxDweEhnpUjrEcYGm9pPPMZ2YdD-2a4QaPR6FK7pRS-AB9qD6u0q258qXkF/s1600-h/DSC02188.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTY7Q4k2DbUWsX8tQCwdIJ6NaAi_y9aWMoAmGEvruHr0Ki3gc3jUPOmxnTRDucCdKgttOwC5uAoxfZPwV3OxDweEhnpUjrEcYGm9pPPMZ2YdD-2a4QaPR6FK7pRS-AB9qD6u0q258qXkF/s400/DSC02188.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323847294504569074" border="0" /></a><br />I sewed all the way along the remaining sides and trimmed off some excess fabric at the corners:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcwIsG7YWUTg9OesmoX70hpUddX_10GaQZwNS4oqUs-U7pcWMOaXsfkOcmyCsFeOhiep86d-kptt00Gv1V45LaXOFrwBLBe1SX3T7fASiI_IHyu-8iXLWUe8sIgaTN5TP1DrCUKR5czAb/s1600-h/DSC02189.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcwIsG7YWUTg9OesmoX70hpUddX_10GaQZwNS4oqUs-U7pcWMOaXsfkOcmyCsFeOhiep86d-kptt00Gv1V45LaXOFrwBLBe1SX3T7fASiI_IHyu-8iXLWUe8sIgaTN5TP1DrCUKR5czAb/s400/DSC02189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323847297536364914" border="0" /></a><br />Now the case is ready to flip inside out (so the right sides of the fabric are on the outside now). The last major step was to sew the opening closed and then fold the bottom up to where it begins to angle towards the point and sew that down on either end.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQ8OJ6_2h3aJNwg9OrU3hyGTZjWxtz7wsmdlLqJWhBhEHRnR59rYsMWUMzpzbZU0lYCGgjJL2kiTfP-1cFCpcPmSjFJig1k6OJmJFqaF9Ky-InEy4CHNeMDysgSS1aKNlngpdXF541uZp/s1600-h/DSC02191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQ8OJ6_2h3aJNwg9OrU3hyGTZjWxtz7wsmdlLqJWhBhEHRnR59rYsMWUMzpzbZU0lYCGgjJL2kiTfP-1cFCpcPmSjFJig1k6OJmJFqaF9Ky-InEy4CHNeMDysgSS1aKNlngpdXF541uZp/s400/DSC02191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323850167584739522" border="0" /></a><br />This is what one end looks like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpg_AnVgJnMuPo0wuzhS0pYKLTM-l-QnwDSf3qnCHDLnwaztj47bQUv5_R8yI3XAkoD1jOrx8G-_89X7OOv5EDIdCv5HAXFL5X-0icZdnT0_euFo4-yq6HB_pKqpyE5mFBv_8vlNOtj4N/s1600-h/DSC02190.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpg_AnVgJnMuPo0wuzhS0pYKLTM-l-QnwDSf3qnCHDLnwaztj47bQUv5_R8yI3XAkoD1jOrx8G-_89X7OOv5EDIdCv5HAXFL5X-0icZdnT0_euFo4-yq6HB_pKqpyE5mFBv_8vlNOtj4N/s400/DSC02190.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323847305100369618" border="0" /></a><br />The reason I made the outside piece bigger than the inside was that if they had been the same the seam would have come out at the top of the little bit you folded up and I thought it would look neater if it was on the inside. So essentially it is being hidden on the inside of the little pouch you make.<br /><br />Now all you need is something to keep it rolled up. I sewed a piece of ribbon on the outside of the point and added a button over it to cover my messy hand stitching. I folded the ends of the ribbon over and sewed those down to keep them from unraveling.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwCSdDiTicF24aw4AlRN0695M70YWbQ5o2m9EPyjE58LJq9CDqSr2-9G6nfLYfEaL0aX3tCO2vJMGN-fy8OolQwclUTkVKJD6ylny31ZDvHzg7aCUYY5PwhsF6OKf4xrryQtUhZwSVT2A/s1600-h/DSC02193.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwCSdDiTicF24aw4AlRN0695M70YWbQ5o2m9EPyjE58LJq9CDqSr2-9G6nfLYfEaL0aX3tCO2vJMGN-fy8OolQwclUTkVKJD6ylny31ZDvHzg7aCUYY5PwhsF6OKf4xrryQtUhZwSVT2A/s400/DSC02193.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323850174927733378" border="0" /></a><br />Slip in the chopsticks and its ready to be rolled up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLlubT3kVwx-qHebAN2GvudJdhm9Ky89dIuXrPgDe85ZY6zzCK5FyYQwG6AUoAwo64SfJPWXx8NU6UTRB4fg03lZzFJgDIjaQgNbH0M_5jni5LF2nBLo2eQsFJ5ggdRyyP0c0-8i5qR2L/s1600-h/DSC02195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLlubT3kVwx-qHebAN2GvudJdhm9Ky89dIuXrPgDe85ZY6zzCK5FyYQwG6AUoAwo64SfJPWXx8NU6UTRB4fg03lZzFJgDIjaQgNbH0M_5jni5LF2nBLo2eQsFJ5ggdRyyP0c0-8i5qR2L/s400/DSC02195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323850177699152418" border="0" /></a><br />I didn't give you dimensions for how big to make it because it really depends on the chopsticks you get. The ones I found are actually children's chopsticks that I got at a local Asian produce store. I specifically got the children's sets because they are much smaller and therefore more conducive to being lugged around in a purse all the time. Here's a closeup of the chopsticks, they're actually very cute:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86USA24s1eZifzm338Rz27p_hwUqc6fBfP4ADZhH2KCpBxsXgXRK-4BoMNpLlsSzAo_SzyxB2-69MGTb-x-m0AB1JNsbo_JRONvBP2MR7BP9Qca3n-5sRepnjV8jOE1rMmt-Qsf2SjEsz/s1600-h/DSC02196.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86USA24s1eZifzm338Rz27p_hwUqc6fBfP4ADZhH2KCpBxsXgXRK-4BoMNpLlsSzAo_SzyxB2-69MGTb-x-m0AB1JNsbo_JRONvBP2MR7BP9Qca3n-5sRepnjV8jOE1rMmt-Qsf2SjEsz/s400/DSC02196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323850180354320962" border="0" /></a><br />Here it is all rolled up and ready to go:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODWx2rnqcMLncUZYBjRcH6XSpZDwOIOFyZ0H-kJ1DH4bxrWfx-wHPP00N3IFkXqaX3tll4SKV-62rF4QQWvJNuBZ9Bb_1OZcCnUQChOB9CnHbxNnSTQO2qR48pZxvlsMXnw7_IxRmtKO3/s1600-h/DSC02200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODWx2rnqcMLncUZYBjRcH6XSpZDwOIOFyZ0H-kJ1DH4bxrWfx-wHPP00N3IFkXqaX3tll4SKV-62rF4QQWvJNuBZ9Bb_1OZcCnUQChOB9CnHbxNnSTQO2qR48pZxvlsMXnw7_IxRmtKO3/s400/DSC02200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323850185030968210" border="0" /></a><br />I ended up making three of them. The top one was the test run so I'm keeping that one but the other two are gifts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsdffAa3gl8YKfeN6NWUF_4k2r-ytI-j9MJ6OU6-6Pg9y1hs8XMMZJZ_QH9dcKNYzaDW31tJotbq-ynQAiJqHM1kHX4rm8341i-mG4dnz1ICLjri3Pu0WUijh0UaohVywRUCe691JRcki/s1600-h/DSC02205.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsdffAa3gl8YKfeN6NWUF_4k2r-ytI-j9MJ6OU6-6Pg9y1hs8XMMZJZ_QH9dcKNYzaDW31tJotbq-ynQAiJqHM1kHX4rm8341i-mG4dnz1ICLjri3Pu0WUijh0UaohVywRUCe691JRcki/s400/DSC02205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323855570790302210" border="0" /></a><br />Here's the button from the bottom one, it came in a bag of vintage red buttons. It's a face!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpM-zYUz7v8DzKo7q2ZQYVP55U46c1v7tA9539LecVFp76Cv1_UZwa3k9vEy4r3_J1m9Ax_zt9ZY1jt7cK4afMBWunKvann6b6vQRzmjikUgsB5lWTgv7hY0_a7qCV8oJeBvFKYp5UfWC/s1600-h/DSC02204.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpM-zYUz7v8DzKo7q2ZQYVP55U46c1v7tA9539LecVFp76Cv1_UZwa3k9vEy4r3_J1m9Ax_zt9ZY1jt7cK4afMBWunKvann6b6vQRzmjikUgsB5lWTgv7hY0_a7qCV8oJeBvFKYp5UfWC/s400/DSC02204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323855574767119266" border="0" /></a><br />Hopefully these came out sturdy enough that they can be thrown in the wash after they are used.<br /><br />So those are my kind of instructions. If anything isn't clear feel free to ask and I'll attempt to explain!Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-64999880622462099062009-04-09T10:31:00.001-04:002009-04-09T16:07:04.353-04:00Super Frugal Cooking: Reusing Stock ChickenI guess to begin with I need to make a distinction between several ways of making stock. The first method, which is what you see in cookbooks, involves buying a whole chicken or something like that and then boiling the heck out of it. This inevitably leaves you with delicious stock and a bunch of flavorless chicken.<br /><br />The second method, which isn't particularly relevant here, is using only inedible chicken parts to make stock. For instance we save all our bones and scraps (like wing tips) in a bag in the freezer and then when we have enough we use those to make stock, maybe with a bag of chicken feet (<a href="http://swampyankeesfromouterspace.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-low-point.html">think I'm kidding?</a>) thrown in. I like this method a lot because it makes you feel like you really aren't wasting anything. But to be fair I'll admit that is a cultural bias, in some places chicken feet aren't considered inedible.<br /><br />So back to the method of chicken stock that involves a whole carcass. What bugs me about that is all the wasted meat. Some people still use the 4 hour boiled meat for some things but I've tasted it and it just doesn't work for me. So I started doing <a href="http://swampyankeesfromouterspace.blogspot.com/2008/08/chicken-feets.html">my own version</a> of this process which involves cooking the chicken for only an hour, taking off the meat and freezing it and returning the bones and scraps to the stock to continue cooking. This way you get chicken that is still edible (although not the tastiest you've ever had) and good stock.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp-P7fy9XvgQnZ7yZay8ZP2dtuGiRNtSadyjW-e4PUgPGU-6aJgwMK6f_92klwK4iCyGFCyMyl7rOERsK2v46Rq17-BTbxuPGciZTR9KZs4e3cqIFV08yNnEHmjuE5Av-GlEqoe3Yl0IR/s1600-h/DSC02082a.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqp-P7fy9XvgQnZ7yZay8ZP2dtuGiRNtSadyjW-e4PUgPGU-6aJgwMK6f_92klwK4iCyGFCyMyl7rOERsK2v46Rq17-BTbxuPGciZTR9KZs4e3cqIFV08yNnEHmjuE5Av-GlEqoe3Yl0IR/s400/DSC02082a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322325845082557570" border="0" /></a><br />(Bag-o-cooked-shredded-frozen-defrosted Chicken)<br /><br />While I have described this method previously I don't think I've ever really talked about what we do with the shredded frozen chicken. You might expect these bags to languish in the freezer, forgotten and frostbitten but quite the contrary, they are in high demand. This is because we've found they make really good chicken pot pie (or chicken and biscuits, or chicken and dumplings, or chicken over rice).<br /><br />Of course when we make any of these variations on the basic creamy chicken stew with veggies over starch recipe we use our homemade chicken stock, which is kind of funny because we are reuniting the chicken with the stock. And although these all come out good there is just something about the frozen chicken that doesn't quite live up to using fresh (by grocery store standards) chicken. But this is a frugal recipe so of course we're going to find a way around that arent' we?<br /><br />One day inspiration struck me, why not try a little curry powder? (Or perhaps it was the need to use up the gigantic jar of Madras curry powder I had bought.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0JgFqUDdb2il3RowD-FVbS3eYZQF4Pm7PafD_Vi_mIKG5T_s1gcCjxq9tfVF8u1OjfCHpooDHGzCjpOMjsVsJOTFOcZiKATuUjniaB17MeAI7onzGHWzr_73kH1-Sc3HvE_b9CkOLXgX/s1600-h/DSC02379.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0JgFqUDdb2il3RowD-FVbS3eYZQF4Pm7PafD_Vi_mIKG5T_s1gcCjxq9tfVF8u1OjfCHpooDHGzCjpOMjsVsJOTFOcZiKATuUjniaB17MeAI7onzGHWzr_73kH1-Sc3HvE_b9CkOLXgX/s400/DSC02379.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322325843730041810" border="0" /></a><br />(This is the aforementioned giant jar of curry powder.)<br /><br />I put in a couple teaspoons or so to my basic recipe (flour, fat, stock, milk, misc. veggies, chicken), not so much that it tasted like a full on curry but enough that you got a little of the spiciness. And it was surprisingly good and made up for what the chicken itself lacked. (I'm not giving you a recipe since I don't really have a set one but if you wanted one you could look up any good chicken pot pie recipe and just add a couple teaspoons of curry powder.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVV2cR3jyMQ65a8BiThhmhf4YJ8Ox0VmXxosycP5xZ2V5C4l7rpyIUyI-_2a1xAF_bXu7ahhvICFy2UggtVXAHFBRVs-wSkzs9q603WUKP6W_U3dnMN0YOOeIA0ORulcC9UmB6wWF3SHp/s1600-h/DSC02084a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpVV2cR3jyMQ65a8BiThhmhf4YJ8Ox0VmXxosycP5xZ2V5C4l7rpyIUyI-_2a1xAF_bXu7ahhvICFy2UggtVXAHFBRVs-wSkzs9q603WUKP6W_U3dnMN0YOOeIA0ORulcC9UmB6wWF3SHp/s400/DSC02084a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322325858341645634" border="0" /></a><br />Anyone else use curry powder in something that isn't strictly Indian cuisine? I'm curious because this is a new concept to me and I'm surprised I don't see it as an ingredient more often.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-8638396429492006792009-04-06T11:14:00.008-04:002009-04-06T11:59:56.852-04:00Container Gardening on the CheapAs I may have mentioned previously the sunniest part of our property is unfortunately the driveway. This has led to an ever expanding container garden that lives there. Like everything else we tried to do this as frugally as possible which means we don't go out and buy lovely glazed ceramic pots for all our plants (although I'll admit I've bought a couple).<br /><br />The cheapest way to get containers for a garden is obviously to see what you can get your hands on for free. We've had some luck with this, even getting one from a neighbor who knew we used them. But eventually we realized we actually had to buy some. I began noticing that all the large pots, even the plastic ones at the big stores, were still expensive, usually $10-20 each. Now this isn't terrible but for crappy plastic containers it seems like there would be cheaper alternatives. Why would I pay $20 for a plastic pot when I can get a plastic storage tote for $4?<br /><br />Even better yet I realized we had at least one old tote that was cracked lying around. So I grabbed that plus a couple new ones and transformed them into containers for the garden. The only real modification they needed was drainage holes. I used an electric drill to make 6 holes in the bottom of each container. (These holes will later be covered with whatever we have around, seashells or pot shards, to keep the dirt from falling out or clogging them.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSvG3Z8PFh1d11PJGJH-b7ATcgANa3vim-azy0Zs677RCYIVQUnRzKLw-GlOsnxZWjyuznXMkswsk6YCm6_7rKadg5AuCrmWdkRE9WCa6YrK6J6M7G0-UMrERkJxfTgNw85tqlUXKkeDm/s1600-h/DSC02316.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSvG3Z8PFh1d11PJGJH-b7ATcgANa3vim-azy0Zs677RCYIVQUnRzKLw-GlOsnxZWjyuznXMkswsk6YCm6_7rKadg5AuCrmWdkRE9WCa6YrK6J6M7G0-UMrERkJxfTgNw85tqlUXKkeDm/s400/DSC02316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321322032571315698" border="0" /></a><br />I put a piece of wood under the spot where I was drilling. Why? Maybe to protect our immaculate lawn? Whatever my logic at the time was it seemed to help. And yes that is me actually drilling the holes, I swear it wasn't staged.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uTbdW7oxsNG-3twz7nx_uUKPmYs4jlk5AIEdpVImt1t8ed2e78FG6bc5eI1tdSulu0Ewny9IskU1uewE1NEIvlBLgjs0Rz94EA_9iER4WZn8MIB8iMCN-n7Fp3l1sa1qcYWxTU7W4ef2/s1600-h/DSC02317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uTbdW7oxsNG-3twz7nx_uUKPmYs4jlk5AIEdpVImt1t8ed2e78FG6bc5eI1tdSulu0Ewny9IskU1uewE1NEIvlBLgjs0Rz94EA_9iER4WZn8MIB8iMCN-n7Fp3l1sa1qcYWxTU7W4ef2/s400/DSC02317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321322035737092274" border="0" /></a><br />This is my crappy old container after drilling. How did it get so cracked you ask? (I'm aware you probably wouldn't ask that but let's pretend.) It was my recycling bin for awhile. I know it's not standard but my landlord didn't seem to think I recycled so I had to get my own and this had a green lid so I figured it was close enough. And apparently it was because the recycling guys always grabbed our stuff. But perhaps the bin wasn't quite close enough because it got some pretty rough treatment in their hands and that it how it came to be cracked and mangled. And now you know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrt9IQdqUC9x82PKJVp2L3GmMrHK6obhpV0WRF2CIQw83-3rummkL4faavqkyZgfTU0_xUfFB-VGfnihtg1SK7uEUY-8sUrHIOzyuJfKofj5ESswPsjy1QnCSESoyWUGfNrtLH_tXtFjDq/s1600-h/DSC02318a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrt9IQdqUC9x82PKJVp2L3GmMrHK6obhpV0WRF2CIQw83-3rummkL4faavqkyZgfTU0_xUfFB-VGfnihtg1SK7uEUY-8sUrHIOzyuJfKofj5ESswPsjy1QnCSESoyWUGfNrtLH_tXtFjDq/s400/DSC02318a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321322041041932834" border="0" /></a><br />And this is the nice new one I defaced. Perhaps purple isn't the best choice but for $4 I can't really complain.<br /><br />That was basically all that was needed to transform the totes. I even kept the lids to shelter the containers until the seedlings emerge to protect them from cats. Although if you do this you have to remember to take off the lids so the containers can get water when it rains. But then again you might want to leave the lid on if you are worried about a really torrential spring rain washing away your seeds. It is a delicate balance of lid use, but I don't have a job so what else do I have to do?<br /><br />And if you are aesthetically offended by the look of these (which I wouldn't blame you) you could always surround them with your nicer containers.<br /><br />I wish I had some nice pictures of these filled with plants but it's a little early for that. Since this is the first year we've tried to use these types of containers I guess this is still all theoretical but I don't see what could go wrong unless the plastic leaches chemicals into our vegetables and they all mutate. I hope that won't happen, but I promise to let you know if it does!Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-90024203487292317952009-04-02T16:52:00.015-04:002009-04-04T18:19:25.919-04:00The Joys of PoutineI don't actually know why I didn't think of this myself: french fries, gravy and cheese. What else could you really want out of life? I'm not sure why this brilliant Canadian creation doesn't get more attention.<br /><br />Although I've never had authentic poutine (ie: made in Canada) I've been striving to replicate it myself. The only problem is that finding cheese curds around here isn't exactly easy. So up until now I've just been eating fries with gravy, and not even the proper gravy, I use canned turkey gravy (don't scoff unless you've tried it).<br /><br />But lo and behold on my first trip to Trader Joe's this weekend I found Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds! I'm not positive what the exact difference is between cheese curds and regular cheese (I'm sure I could figure it out if I checked Wikipedia but I already looked up poutine and that's enough research for today) but from what I understand cheese curds should be squeaky.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4O3_3y7-gJll1lt0YHdybnslbfVy6Ic0DmyHaYjUkhTIiwGKLIu0AXDRF4u1scU_frv4xBi-ZOVBakKdD_Z8zCFU28lMpL7m4nYV0eJ1KF3RQVgvFvK5hlM-hir9Gj7HBSXXa8NaqwVlv/s1600-h/DSC02341a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4O3_3y7-gJll1lt0YHdybnslbfVy6Ic0DmyHaYjUkhTIiwGKLIu0AXDRF4u1scU_frv4xBi-ZOVBakKdD_Z8zCFU28lMpL7m4nYV0eJ1KF3RQVgvFvK5hlM-hir9Gj7HBSXXa8NaqwVlv/s400/DSC02341a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320658621620960626" border="0" /></a><br />So with my squeaky cheese curds in hand I returned home and threw some frozen fries in the oven. I suppose I could have made real fries or used homemade gravy but that doesn't really seem quite in the spirit of poutine.<br /><br />So once my fries were sufficiently heated through I topped them with the curds and put them back in the oven for a second to get a little melty. Then I topped it with deliciously hot microwaved Campbell's turkey gravy (which I have a soft spot for even though I'm not sure it counts as food).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sBcUzHLsI8zxe8ay7Hm-YvQ1_Hz-_HIN3q-0Ov6G4vuLUxXnK-2BHi-QfwcA-aHlJFicQ7jXAXP61gUeTEdN6hZXvk3lcvhti7qf0pgCXnKShjVccsMlryqqVXSkWcK87jzh8AJDmpGx/s1600-h/DSC02343a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sBcUzHLsI8zxe8ay7Hm-YvQ1_Hz-_HIN3q-0Ov6G4vuLUxXnK-2BHi-QfwcA-aHlJFicQ7jXAXP61gUeTEdN6hZXvk3lcvhti7qf0pgCXnKShjVccsMlryqqVXSkWcK87jzh8AJDmpGx/s400/DSC02343a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320658626280873570" border="0" /></a><br />And it was amazing, really amazing. I may in fact start a poutine fan club in Rhode Island. (And yes, I know those are technically potato wedges and not fries but that's all I had! And I also know cheese curds aren't always orange but a little annatto never hurt anyone.)<br /><br />P.S. Funny story: 5 years ago I was in Quebec and didn't even order poutine! Sadly I didn't know it existed at the time and therefore missed my opportunity to try probably one of the most brilliant culinary creations ever.<br /><br />P.P.S. I don't actually recommend trying this. Unless of course you want to get really fat, really quickly. In which case be my guest.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-49161924560080225962009-04-01T14:36:00.000-04:002009-04-01T15:02:56.685-04:00Garden Bed or Litter Box?The tough thing about gardening is that there are so many unknowns. Although cooking can have variables generally if you have the correct ingredients and follow the correct procedure things come out fairly reliably. But with gardening things can vary wildly from one yard to the next or one year to another.<br /><br />Take for instance one of our unique problems: where we see plant beds our cats see big giant litter boxes. Gross, I know, and not something any gardening book can really prepare you for. The first issue is that their incessant digging tends to kill any baby plants that come up. The second is that for food crops, especially greens, I don't think raw cat manure is the most sanitary thing.<br /><br />This has already become an issue with our garlic crop this year. We should have seen it coming. We put our garlic in the same place we had our wheat last year (which you may recall <a href="http://swampyankeesfromouterspace.blogspot.com/2008/07/wheat-harvest.html">Toaster also destroyed</a>). So we needed to protect the garlic, and quickly.<br /><br />Our solution: a frame of sticks covered with chicken wire. So far it has worked quite well and is also quite elegant if you ask me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp4CRdQmCZxEVwIP6JpETCm6Kl_4y0ixB7cLOgSZ6hfI4kb8J4kwOd70vUUJvGp7YjSAWhTSy5KcQngkayAvC8QOe6F2iA1q2Qenx4eHPTdLBURp79N0cD4EFwzoht6d_IexMhxKO0AFU/s1600-h/DSC02295a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMp4CRdQmCZxEVwIP6JpETCm6Kl_4y0ixB7cLOgSZ6hfI4kb8J4kwOd70vUUJvGp7YjSAWhTSy5KcQngkayAvC8QOe6F2iA1q2Qenx4eHPTdLBURp79N0cD4EFwzoht6d_IexMhxKO0AFU/s400/DSC02295a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319394043013622738" border="0" /></a><br />And yes I know it's all crooked, that was on purpose. We were going for a rustic look.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-6700475549687833672009-03-29T14:12:00.002-04:002009-03-29T16:24:59.113-04:00Dress Shirt Refashion (Finally)First I will give you the dramatic before and after of this refashion and then you'll get the back story.<br /><br />Before:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwVJQAHHyTI3A_OUy2aZZdZPAnWT2fdxx0_h3WfU1YiXajQNLpMnnnfLVdnEnh6pTTp5U9puxHDXE2AOlWopn7423nDkjdDEBN2m8gnpHpZWIz-xCo2Z6TTtm3_gGG47sZPn0nPA8UllK/s1600-h/DSC02113a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 373px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwVJQAHHyTI3A_OUy2aZZdZPAnWT2fdxx0_h3WfU1YiXajQNLpMnnnfLVdnEnh6pTTp5U9puxHDXE2AOlWopn7423nDkjdDEBN2m8gnpHpZWIz-xCo2Z6TTtm3_gGG47sZPn0nPA8UllK/s400/DSC02113a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317990245086257970" border="0" /></a><br />After:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmOxjao7PHmX0OWxhgRw-ag9BeCuHY-MgjT69BcFhcqQxyTKcz0TIItdToB6Fq5F3vOX1fc2QOgS39ORqdY5a22z2_pVSdWEgU3xsDVQrDCYOJ5yhe49we4ApDopuFtvMKeAJCNFW6vXF/s1600-h/DSC02281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmOxjao7PHmX0OWxhgRw-ag9BeCuHY-MgjT69BcFhcqQxyTKcz0TIItdToB6Fq5F3vOX1fc2QOgS39ORqdY5a22z2_pVSdWEgU3xsDVQrDCYOJ5yhe49we4ApDopuFtvMKeAJCNFW6vXF/s400/DSC02281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317991687076329234" border="0" /></a><br />The back story: while sifting through my closet for something to refashion I came upon an old dress shirt. It had been well loved in its day but now it was far too dingy to be used for formal occasions. My first thought was that it needed to be dyed but I also realized that once dyed the cut would be too formal to be useful so it also needed some refashioning.<br /><br />The first thing I tackled was the collar. It was too pointy and extreme so I opened up where the two pieces were attached. I have no idea what they are actually called so let's refer to them as the collar and the base of the collar.<br /><br />And here is the obligatory help from a cat, they like to hold down fabric for you:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xooOnPp0HENAxeU4FiASXCHJEOMG-zEptrHhcfpyuz-ItMj68dU-Owyy2w-BgfeTYPpU21-7O1wIjnnV_W8FdbJAaMSbqvc7NJdgRvdHx-M94kiuiwcv531jPpfcdw3J4tELejnQPBTv/s1600-h/DSC02115a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xooOnPp0HENAxeU4FiASXCHJEOMG-zEptrHhcfpyuz-ItMj68dU-Owyy2w-BgfeTYPpU21-7O1wIjnnV_W8FdbJAaMSbqvc7NJdgRvdHx-M94kiuiwcv531jPpfcdw3J4tELejnQPBTv/s400/DSC02115a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317990254708066162" border="0" /></a><br />You can see where I seam ripped between the two pieces:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpDJJkWORT95ecWWyHSO5Jj94GsgaZEur8Y9A1k17c9iT4ARd4eWQX-WJLfxyrFMZ2O4lui5cht2vCn9GqtoXsMdIWbDssYtbJW5vjxP4KDhwD95S35nWQSy3d62TRL0kwFwOvnUNa8tD/s1600-h/DSC02114a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpDJJkWORT95ecWWyHSO5Jj94GsgaZEur8Y9A1k17c9iT4ARd4eWQX-WJLfxyrFMZ2O4lui5cht2vCn9GqtoXsMdIWbDssYtbJW5vjxP4KDhwD95S35nWQSy3d62TRL0kwFwOvnUNa8tD/s400/DSC02114a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317990250359346082" border="0" /></a><br />Once I had separated the top piece I was left with a nice little stand up collar. All I had to do was sew the piece that remained back together which I did by hand.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXQs41NAlyLak5D4lA2pCpSpBTZWapnCFGF3WbGsShCwl4Y2V0E_AYFcFE-4FdgL-Jz4AVcAYTrr2oVXfEwLs7RPUYxzfIYvHnp8n7rHdLf2PsWG84JQMYHiNsAqW-21S8UcrCFID2_Z9/s1600-h/DSC02124a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXQs41NAlyLak5D4lA2pCpSpBTZWapnCFGF3WbGsShCwl4Y2V0E_AYFcFE-4FdgL-Jz4AVcAYTrr2oVXfEwLs7RPUYxzfIYvHnp8n7rHdLf2PsWG84JQMYHiNsAqW-21S8UcrCFID2_Z9/s400/DSC02124a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317990254270409202" border="0" /></a><br />Next I tackled the sleeves. After about 50 false starts I decided just to chop them off (with a lot of experimentation to figure out the angle at which this should be done). I used leftovers from the sleeves to make a cuff (is that what it's called if it doesn't have a button?) for the sleeve. I actually had to piece it out of two different lengths but you can't really tell because the much smaller piece is on the inside of the arm. To gather in the extra material I went with one large tuck. (I only have pictures from after it was dyed.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsN-PDiAz6_3q-bN6Dq_b-FTMVjQjV2buUeTbkEmvLKWUcc9kmP-UPmawC226Y74-Fao_-68NNZHak16NG8HVryhyN3kJ4uGdlFalKG-o5N7xeeOCwXZM8kt53TBRD3NR6VrBwamXpKl8/s1600-h/DSC02289.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsN-PDiAz6_3q-bN6Dq_b-FTMVjQjV2buUeTbkEmvLKWUcc9kmP-UPmawC226Y74-Fao_-68NNZHak16NG8HVryhyN3kJ4uGdlFalKG-o5N7xeeOCwXZM8kt53TBRD3NR6VrBwamXpKl8/s400/DSC02289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317991689646975586" border="0" /></a><br />Although I liked the shirt a lot better with short sleeves it was still a little boxy so rather than attempt to reshape the entire thing I just added two ties at the sides:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11SIWhR7hhaVXO7AEhS7GFCA4jU18icYJshVmHDPpfdsn0HQB_XnZCnSRHLjGWc0fnppb54Q1Q2qGHa-timKe4BfoVmHOHErNEXjTx28y4DT0ZVyN3SQRo6zouKX5U_GugOXTxT98C_BR/s1600-h/DSC02279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11SIWhR7hhaVXO7AEhS7GFCA4jU18icYJshVmHDPpfdsn0HQB_XnZCnSRHLjGWc0fnppb54Q1Q2qGHa-timKe4BfoVmHOHErNEXjTx28y4DT0ZVyN3SQRo6zouKX5U_GugOXTxT98C_BR/s400/DSC02279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317990255528924610" border="0" /></a><br />I left them really long so they can actually be tied in several ways; as shown above or tied in front at the waist or as an empire waist.<br /><br />Finally the shirt needed dying. (Pretend it wasn't already dyed in previous pictures). I did some research and decided after finding much praise for it that Dylon dye was good and widely available. (The <a href="http://www.dylon.co.uk/colours.html">"colour" page</a> [I love British spelling] on their homepage has a cool color wheel of all the dyes.) After much mental anguish I went with "ocean blue:"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4TlyXabsRmA7_JhVhpWUHbx_v1SX09RycGw_38HJf50EtA5GcydPqbsZ0pc21cZ0LkGNtkCHuuHrDoKZN8lH9iG7CWFYSgXwuk3pZtFz0bS3cacLQsFJ_k8xm0VfP8JdcWSqhzNeLsmB/s1600-h/DSC02213.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4TlyXabsRmA7_JhVhpWUHbx_v1SX09RycGw_38HJf50EtA5GcydPqbsZ0pc21cZ0LkGNtkCHuuHrDoKZN8lH9iG7CWFYSgXwuk3pZtFz0bS3cacLQsFJ_k8xm0VfP8JdcWSqhzNeLsmB/s400/DSC02213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318023719427513890" border="0" /></a><br />I was happy with the saturation of the color but disappointed that it came out a little streaky, although that is fading with every wash (and also could have been my fault).<br /><br />I also had no idea how dying over pin stripes would turn out, whether they'd still be visible or disappear completely. I like that they are subtly still there.<br /><br />It ended up being way more work then I expected but it was worth it because I really like it now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabfJxiqV8xuPbYLGaHDN8xkl8XIurTP7nIBFWWA5igOJGfqLu5tfWTAxJ_1iMmloXhO0Eh-sAdNPSm3iRDAc2Oi1WUMMo-7ysnKmmOsinCR3pnJP0jkVy7h_RGQ9b7npY2m_qTUo-1wgA/s1600-h/DSC02291.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabfJxiqV8xuPbYLGaHDN8xkl8XIurTP7nIBFWWA5igOJGfqLu5tfWTAxJ_1iMmloXhO0Eh-sAdNPSm3iRDAc2Oi1WUMMo-7ysnKmmOsinCR3pnJP0jkVy7h_RGQ9b7npY2m_qTUo-1wgA/s400/DSC02291.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317991695060579378" border="0" /></a><br />P.S.: Total cost: About $3 for some cotton fabric to make the ties out of (I had plenty of white fabric but I wasn't positive any of it was 100% cotton so I had to buy some) and the packet of dye.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-88329374375929351972009-03-26T14:34:00.004-04:002009-03-26T16:02:15.658-04:00Just to Tide You OverMy latest refashion took longer than I expected plus I want to get really good photos of it before I post it so in the meantime one of my less awe inspiring creations: a new kind of pizza.<br /><br />I'm sure you've heard of veggie lover's pizza or meat lover's pizza but how about salt lover's pizza? This is what dad and I invented: it has anchovies, bacon and ham on top. Plus jalapenos and onions just for good measure.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tricu0W1-iJAaAJn1OCQrP5agLMCdshVIsTI1PUS7y4BVkj5KCmalZsVfYuNtKiOhjTtyUzdxM87TTiLi0umnl30fT-H-3hZ0mdvH7R7SPpJchTqZKTp6crCQOJLL9yDYQF-7VYFb5bc/s1600-h/DSC02133b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tricu0W1-iJAaAJn1OCQrP5agLMCdshVIsTI1PUS7y4BVkj5KCmalZsVfYuNtKiOhjTtyUzdxM87TTiLi0umnl30fT-H-3hZ0mdvH7R7SPpJchTqZKTp6crCQOJLL9yDYQF-7VYFb5bc/s400/DSC02133b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317567494556226930" border="0" /></a><br />I labeled the picture because it was a little confusing. And for those of you who are connoisseurs of fine china the plate is from Walmart. Fancy isn't it?<br /><br />P.S. I bet you're wondering if the pizza was actually edible. In fact it was, and quite delicious too. Plus I got my necessary sodium dose for the next week or two.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-28045920285737386282009-03-17T19:11:00.006-04:002009-03-17T19:22:51.339-04:00First Seed SproutsWe just got around to starting our first seeds for the garden Friday (alyssum, forget me nots, and both peppermint and spearmint). The flowers were added to our plan at the last minute in an attempt to attract more bees to our vegetables. Apparently our cucumbers just weren't sexy enough for the bees last year because we had quite a few pathetic little ones that never developed and a farmer told me this was because of lack of pollination.<br /><br />So we picked alyssum and forget me nots in the hopes that they would be nice enough to attract some attention but not so gaudy that they were detract all attention from the vegetables. This is all purely theoretical so I have no idea if it will actually work.<br /><br />So Friday we planted and by Monday we already had baby plants! These are our baby alyssums:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAa2rN5DAM-G5moONCYg3AjNLFMX7u73S25WGVr-nuMjj6-L0oG83Bmgf4egMVUY4DJkKhlxwQn9P-yuQ4txQ32JQtGrAqu3SyNUfODGcTCGGkq9Ta0rm8MiJK6z6LReBgEh5u33TLrEb/s1600-h/DSC02112a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAa2rN5DAM-G5moONCYg3AjNLFMX7u73S25WGVr-nuMjj6-L0oG83Bmgf4egMVUY4DJkKhlxwQn9P-yuQ4txQ32JQtGrAqu3SyNUfODGcTCGGkq9Ta0rm8MiJK6z6LReBgEh5u33TLrEb/s400/DSC02112a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314298844482384018" border="0" /></a><br />Very exciting but it also reminds me how much more work we have to do. Oy.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-51929361908292851972009-03-16T11:26:00.004-04:002009-03-16T13:08:56.508-04:00Mom's Jacket RefashionThis poor jacket, it just can't catch a break.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8omszf03bnBB-q4EPY6Inbf7KsektyQ_vq-xK6qSnwPj53HmaruV-LOY4FfVFvgiEFYaHZEeJvkAisy2iWxJGQuleXDYGY2WR3Gu84Ynprjbgkro1BggeJll5YeE442_SKX9MvWPvG_4b/s1600-h/DSC00478a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8omszf03bnBB-q4EPY6Inbf7KsektyQ_vq-xK6qSnwPj53HmaruV-LOY4FfVFvgiEFYaHZEeJvkAisy2iWxJGQuleXDYGY2WR3Gu84Ynprjbgkro1BggeJll5YeE442_SKX9MvWPvG_4b/s400/DSC00478a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313577135217035010" border="0" /></a><br />When I was in middle school (way back in the 90's) it served me well. Once my arms got too long for the sleeves mom inherited the coat. This may sound backwards to you but sadly there are things that I outgrow that still fit mom. I don't think we've been able to share shoes since like 6th grade. But enough about my ginormous feet.<br /><br />Mom used the coat for quite a few years before managing to get paint stains on the sleeve AND break the zipper (I blame Land's End, stupid coat only lasted a decade or so!). So she came up with a plan to salvage it.<br /><br />Like me she has an aversion to replacing zippers so she opted instead to make her own toggles and loops to keep the coat closed. She made everything out of fabric scraps from the stash (including the toggles). She also used coordinating pieces to cover the paint stains on the sleeve.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67xOwwyK75UC2m50QSQA-B2M9PAK2aXEoYgPvn5rgBEoH9t3eqO_XYfhmfHg1AvdaVfyGDfNGQ4Lp82OMvuYrrlFu3Wjd7wR6T41mf3jKoXQ1_rDKIN_Esa3eI31Z8asNd5HdZVz7g4c7/s1600-h/DSC02112a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67xOwwyK75UC2m50QSQA-B2M9PAK2aXEoYgPvn5rgBEoH9t3eqO_XYfhmfHg1AvdaVfyGDfNGQ4Lp82OMvuYrrlFu3Wjd7wR6T41mf3jKoXQ1_rDKIN_Esa3eI31Z8asNd5HdZVz7g4c7/s400/DSC02112a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313577144050571346" border="0" /></a><br />I told her it's totally 80's and made her promise to only wear it around the yard. Her defense was that she missed out on 80's fashion so she needed to catch up.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-21698266152385715112009-03-14T18:00:00.001-04:002009-03-14T19:04:10.845-04:00Homemade Frozen BurritosFor a household that makes so many things from scratch there are a few dirty secrets lurking in our cabinets and freezer. One of the worst atrocities is Tina's frozen burritos. For those of you not familiar with them they are incredibly inexpensive and not so healthy. Unfortunately they are so deeply ingrained in my Dad's routine that I saw no hope of weaning him off of them.<br /><br />But since the two of us have so much free time on our hands (unemployed and retired respectively) I figured we could make our own passable substitute. The challenge wasn't making a better tasting burrito but one that worked out to being as cheap.<br /><br />For cheapness using dry beans is essential. When I am diligent in my bargain hunting I can usually find pinto beans for no more then $1 a pound. Although we could have left them meat free I decided I wanted some pork in them and at $1.99 a pound for pork loin I figured it wouldn't jack up the price too much either.<br /><br />The first step was to pick through a pound of dry pinto beans. Does everyone else do this with their dry beans?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMH34DfUFHZwk08jM8xXgWWtfdgOmUxEQLvtFWF6V1ciVlad1CeLklAAvX67G1C6PT6Hfv6wptZDon35z-GpYl1nYVCHuQyVgjUAbUPex-o_dVSDo108sKnIStK8WTbEQd8zuXJBTue0T/s1600-h/DSC01789.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMH34DfUFHZwk08jM8xXgWWtfdgOmUxEQLvtFWF6V1ciVlad1CeLklAAvX67G1C6PT6Hfv6wptZDon35z-GpYl1nYVCHuQyVgjUAbUPex-o_dVSDo108sKnIStK8WTbEQd8zuXJBTue0T/s400/DSC01789.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311325113805597122" border="0" /></a><br />My parents make me look through for rocks although I don't think I've ever found one. I do however find some pretty funky looking beans with holes that look suspiciously like they were formed by worms. These pathetic looking ones got discarded:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcFKcIXmKj2VIu00AQTyCzDM08cacNcPSGJTUfK3jACBf-_KQXnbXXcB02_YMg2Lqbi4ZAN41skQuKdU9PuPVmccfQh1y2KKp8NhSHLMEsDLtBe0ht31mQ_xuAdxO1cdRNd12cZO3Iiqn/s1600-h/DSC01794.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcFKcIXmKj2VIu00AQTyCzDM08cacNcPSGJTUfK3jACBf-_KQXnbXXcB02_YMg2Lqbi4ZAN41skQuKdU9PuPVmccfQh1y2KKp8NhSHLMEsDLtBe0ht31mQ_xuAdxO1cdRNd12cZO3Iiqn/s400/DSC01794.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311325120120816290" border="0" /></a><br />Then I rinsed them and covered them with water. I also added some ground cumin and some epazote. If you are not familiar with epazote it is an herb used in Mexican cooking, often with beans. All I really know is we get it at Mexican markets and I had to pick some twigs out of it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg_RCbNGTTqadaDHSxLZA1E6guT5jj5ddh5V6ic6-JFR4Lf7Flv1VvaUk7vJLOKf0RKSkiASvM0lKEGQE8-u-N-D8OcnSfCQ1_aBu6o-DLpfwM1sa9uGtbvmFNH0FyZ3DEdSYbGWxIE0V/s1600-h/DSC01804a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg_RCbNGTTqadaDHSxLZA1E6guT5jj5ddh5V6ic6-JFR4Lf7Flv1VvaUk7vJLOKf0RKSkiASvM0lKEGQE8-u-N-D8OcnSfCQ1_aBu6o-DLpfwM1sa9uGtbvmFNH0FyZ3DEdSYbGWxIE0V/s400/DSC01804a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311325136712598306" border="0" /></a><br />But wait! Didn't I forget to mention letting the beans soak overnight? It's because I didn't! My parents insist that it works just as well to bring the beans to a boil, let them simmer for a few minutes, turn off the water and let them sit for an hour and then cook them. And that is what I did.<br /><br />And in the mean time there was the pork loin to deal with:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDh73N_dAKOJ8JpM7iUzEXYiXm-1Z92wplSfGsXZBcergAf22kx1Dlp8SCmYPR1hT_ajRXFDYdj-3dBqNuXvUgU9BAMg7KBangEs0nGRwIRnI7AXuR3XI-mcyHLAyp_wY68FPwn25lSRz/s1600-h/DSC01809a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDh73N_dAKOJ8JpM7iUzEXYiXm-1Z92wplSfGsXZBcergAf22kx1Dlp8SCmYPR1hT_ajRXFDYdj-3dBqNuXvUgU9BAMg7KBangEs0nGRwIRnI7AXuR3XI-mcyHLAyp_wY68FPwn25lSRz/s400/DSC01809a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311325145300256050" border="0" /></a><br />If you find that awkward to look at you're not the only one. Let's move on to cooking it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3qfx1Dg17MOJ6cuctQGgRftkrjkzha8B0xZREJxcbbaLJ3Q5itg85xsIA7sc_y7Qy3glM0VvxZWj6v6gyVsFRo_ejVA__xrjyBJve_4RHoyJoKzeBEBQDGrTZgdVcwJURDgQ4N38VOde/s1600-h/DSC01812a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3qfx1Dg17MOJ6cuctQGgRftkrjkzha8B0xZREJxcbbaLJ3Q5itg85xsIA7sc_y7Qy3glM0VvxZWj6v6gyVsFRo_ejVA__xrjyBJve_4RHoyJoKzeBEBQDGrTZgdVcwJURDgQ4N38VOde/s400/DSC01812a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311326271967630066" border="0" /></a><br />Dad cut off a two and half pound piece (I don't really do meat butchering) and we browned it in my fake Le Creuset dutch oven. We then added some wine (which is totally optional) and a couple cups of water and cooked it in a 200 degree oven for awhile. I say that because I don't remember how long it took. What I do know is that we cooked it until it was all nice and falling apart. (The pork loin we get for $1.99 a pound is kind of tough so stewing it like that is really one of the only options.)<br /><br />If it sounds like we did this all in one day we didn't. But we can pretend we did. So...later that day (or like two days later) we mashed the cooked beans. Dad has a thing about mashed beans so I wasn't allowed to totally mush them up but I mashed enough that it was kind of like refried but with a few whole beans floating around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUFOHo82BoukZqBPupck9cLsDSaZo79KvoPbIoLx9czgAVvFAXB6afI_Z_qyHxWhaEKEEDcUkbiCXu1eQbcnZTdU0ufCu-6iHW26L17uZkBHPLeoMwlQQHZQJkBR4l4hlmnsh3W9dVOP7/s1600-h/DSC01886a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUFOHo82BoukZqBPupck9cLsDSaZo79KvoPbIoLx9czgAVvFAXB6afI_Z_qyHxWhaEKEEDcUkbiCXu1eQbcnZTdU0ufCu-6iHW26L17uZkBHPLeoMwlQQHZQJkBR4l4hlmnsh3W9dVOP7/s400/DSC01886a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311326277931045330" border="0" /></a><br />Also that day (yeah right) the meat got shredded up:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2o3Y3QMtI8r10o6_l_-RI-Uw7OnPc0ypiulElzwDP8V7xUOIs_SxV2thAOtdGBuouM6uazVtexmde7GzHFokAvHjNXegtzroksvH0BQ1P-ycQv891xTasEwS9oQt2TAwBxJNLrT7IJbb/s1600-h/DSC01898a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2o3Y3QMtI8r10o6_l_-RI-Uw7OnPc0ypiulElzwDP8V7xUOIs_SxV2thAOtdGBuouM6uazVtexmde7GzHFokAvHjNXegtzroksvH0BQ1P-ycQv891xTasEwS9oQt2TAwBxJNLrT7IJbb/s400/DSC01898a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311326284512981474" border="0" /></a><br />This all went together in a big pan with the addition of a few ingredients, one of which was these:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Mp6tawKuS448NbK67YHvF2Q37izccs9uB1bSWi30rJdkNFnCxQ50UC99dEUkNkkq2zU47Wloa0M0hF8yLZ3C-dgaIu3LC_6qVi18weMZBcpsQB4sM9lWaPr8NsyHgd38Tiotvmb6Iwco/s1600-h/DSC01900a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Mp6tawKuS448NbK67YHvF2Q37izccs9uB1bSWi30rJdkNFnCxQ50UC99dEUkNkkq2zU47Wloa0M0hF8yLZ3C-dgaIu3LC_6qVi18weMZBcpsQB4sM9lWaPr8NsyHgd38Tiotvmb6Iwco/s400/DSC01900a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311326300686168466" border="0" /></a><br />I have only recently been converted to using canned jalapenos when fresh one's aren't available and I've got to say, I'm a true believer now. Although for most things I usually prefer fresh I've got to say that sometimes even when we can get fresh jalapenos they are so crappy (ie they are either scary and wrinkly or they are so mild they might as well be a green pepper) I'd rather just use canned.<br /><br />So a third of a can of jalapenos went into the mix along with a couple teaspoons of ground cumin, oregano, chili powder, sweet paprika and a touch of hot smoked Spanish paprika. The mix still didn't seem beany enough so in went a can of black beans at the last minute. (I was secretly rooting for black beans all along, they are my favorite.) I also threw in a cup or so (don't really remember) of frozen corn. And then there was more seasoning: garlic powder, black pepper and about 3 tablespoons of lime juice to freshen it up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_CM0hZjfPrHz4Xops-TsBl3vIZxmkQhy-g1FkQ-UsX7B7C_UydtQ4pi4JHwMExntmWFe9wuKEqzMibqyA-B69uceurFd1JCfXaS1KCW49sjPEc3DKTSoBh2_QVJBPNDaOVw07FZUBpib/s1600-h/DSC01901a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_CM0hZjfPrHz4Xops-TsBl3vIZxmkQhy-g1FkQ-UsX7B7C_UydtQ4pi4JHwMExntmWFe9wuKEqzMibqyA-B69uceurFd1JCfXaS1KCW49sjPEc3DKTSoBh2_QVJBPNDaOVw07FZUBpib/s400/DSC01901a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311327022668662690" border="0" /></a><br />Once the mix was done all that was left was to wrap up the burritos. What we actually ended up doing was refrigerating the filling and wrapping them the next day. Although the tortillas need to be heated to make them pliable the filling was actually easier to deal with when cold. I think we did about a half cup of filling each and we ended up with quite a few. The picture below is only about half of them. We froze them quickly on the tray and then later went back and packed them into bags to keep in the freezer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd1hJk8lywPKIc_nW1pEEnEZpg1Ey2j5y-WC9cU0RuSA5-Ccg9iKeDONmnsBfuwOcPq_6WVTeCf34cXfgLlQurHt9wI6Hw466x8HgYepkR1PYMJk_s032ws6SEA4El2vhY4TzJwCR7fd9/s1600-h/DSC01921a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd1hJk8lywPKIc_nW1pEEnEZpg1Ey2j5y-WC9cU0RuSA5-Ccg9iKeDONmnsBfuwOcPq_6WVTeCf34cXfgLlQurHt9wI6Hw466x8HgYepkR1PYMJk_s032ws6SEA4El2vhY4TzJwCR7fd9/s400/DSC01921a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311327030440606850" border="0" /></a><br />Since we did this a while ago and have had time to eat most of them I can tell you the results of this experiment. The burritos are delicious, much better than Tina's. But as for price, well they weren't so great. Although they worked out cheaper it was by maybe only 20 cents or so. The disappointing part is that the biggest expense was the tortillas themselves. They ended up being about half the total cost of the finished burritos. This could be avoided by making your own flour tortillas, if you can get them to come out as nice big circles, which I never can.<br /><br />So is this going to save you a ton of money? Not really, but it will taste so much better and probably be better for you.<br /><br />P.S. If any of you ever try to follow these as actual cooking directions I apologize in advance.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-83989509801781334062009-03-06T17:08:00.011-05:002009-03-09T11:36:38.717-04:00SimaSima (not to be confused with Zima, although I suspect there may be a connection) is a sparkling Finnish beverage made by briefly fermenting lemon and sugar.<br /><br />Now why would we participate in such an obscure cultural tradition? Is it because we are honoring our Finnish ancestors? Or perhaps we were taught the technique by an elderly Finnish neighbor? Nope, nothing as cool as that. Mom got it from a Time Life book. Although to be fair it is from the 1969 Food of the World series which in my humble opinion is fairly badass. I recommend grabbing them if you come across them, especially if you find not only the cookbook but the larger book it came inside of.<br /><br />Back to the wonders of sima: not only does it fulfill my love of all things sparkly beverage related it also avoids the guilt of buying can after can of seltzer (which is essentially using fossil fuels to ship water).<br /><br />Here is how it is made: you take a few lemons and peel them and then get rid of the pith (yucky white stuff).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznfDI3xBQmGRyg3h0r4Kj3XnMRifMNgU6gNzRyVOLS-wj1zHQkpyWtI3PrMlIv6d7mxgzottnVZpxOfWY_-FNxp8zkGHWgHamPZCL6hMFKqSVbytNLPX0r0jDrUp_uvfuiXEKYoWwmTNN/s1600-h/DSC02015a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznfDI3xBQmGRyg3h0r4Kj3XnMRifMNgU6gNzRyVOLS-wj1zHQkpyWtI3PrMlIv6d7mxgzottnVZpxOfWY_-FNxp8zkGHWgHamPZCL6hMFKqSVbytNLPX0r0jDrUp_uvfuiXEKYoWwmTNN/s400/DSC02015a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310201073741572962" border="0" /></a><br />(The batch pictured included ginger which is what is being chopped.)<br /><br />Then throw the peel and lemon into water with some white and brown sugar. You heat this up to dissolve the sugar. You then let it cool before adding yeast (so the yeast isn't killed) and then let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours. This is the first fermentation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGtnketvHFBm9z8i129453MtZddXhN8G2NnN-DYyVuP5RGLEU7WU9PmJzW_v0y7O3sBx3jcnMKxwxMZUuKtB9t8z8N7Da1-EiIzkBVZGsCLr6rORxqO_dZ_yzHIeWQoLtgIyEY83rJcIv/s1600-h/DSC02021a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGtnketvHFBm9z8i129453MtZddXhN8G2NnN-DYyVuP5RGLEU7WU9PmJzW_v0y7O3sBx3jcnMKxwxMZUuKtB9t8z8N7Da1-EiIzkBVZGsCLr6rORxqO_dZ_yzHIeWQoLtgIyEY83rJcIv/s400/DSC02021a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310201077448171026" border="0" /></a><br />Then you take sanitized bottles (we use old Grolsch lager swing top bottles, I'm frankly not sure what other kinds would work) and add sugar and two or three raisins before pouring in the liquid.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1GiEEGeghyphenhyphenqn2F9hzqNGb0L0VZOVH1jrtADUDfUqhi27qvgvT8q5-nv34-lInveHYlhxG2Ad4W50x0q5cx2fUcCR4Tv-XlDvqds2cFcGh1rLzKhEsVAaU2SFqosrdW25HLifK39UCzj2/s1600-h/DSC02029a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1GiEEGeghyphenhyphenqn2F9hzqNGb0L0VZOVH1jrtADUDfUqhi27qvgvT8q5-nv34-lInveHYlhxG2Ad4W50x0q5cx2fUcCR4Tv-XlDvqds2cFcGh1rLzKhEsVAaU2SFqosrdW25HLifK39UCzj2/s400/DSC02029a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310201086213236866" border="0" /></a><br />If you figure out how to do the pouring step without making a total mess feel free to enlighten me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oTo1Si2m-PsdnpTAZRwy0ISO-9yDHrk6JgAyxURc484LWa_XwmeRKAgw_94WJ-hOS5soBHcCfSjd-rVEYLRb3SgNep2QtNF5fiU9pXZzXcu9VlwTiQv9VIqCr2Utcm3x0Hc8KJ_DFYG_/s1600-h/DSC02047a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oTo1Si2m-PsdnpTAZRwy0ISO-9yDHrk6JgAyxURc484LWa_XwmeRKAgw_94WJ-hOS5soBHcCfSjd-rVEYLRb3SgNep2QtNF5fiU9pXZzXcu9VlwTiQv9VIqCr2Utcm3x0Hc8KJ_DFYG_/s400/DSC02047a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310201094423104210" border="0" /></a><br />You then seal them and let them sit at room temperature until a mystical process takes place which results in the raisins rising to the top (some mumbo jumbo about carbon dioxide...I don't believe a word of it). See the raisin at the top!?<br /><br />Then you chill and it's ready to drink! Now you may wonder, with all that fermentation, wouldn't it possibly be alcoholic? According to my mom the short fermentation and small amount of sugar aren't enough for it to get very alcoholic (probably less than half a percent).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNWNP4SsHOz9hxpgJH1Kh4yEkoWxecVBM_MUu-sfskEXMsi5qRpDIQBwJy9fnyUReLJKgRJYFQYV5SRY6nAmgsm95vvJxIZRq2ZaZ-dHoP6iexLAnbEEhj6bIASstE1K1yh19nzxFg3xK/s1600-h/DSC02049a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNWNP4SsHOz9hxpgJH1Kh4yEkoWxecVBM_MUu-sfskEXMsi5qRpDIQBwJy9fnyUReLJKgRJYFQYV5SRY6nAmgsm95vvJxIZRq2ZaZ-dHoP6iexLAnbEEhj6bIASstE1K1yh19nzxFg3xK/s400/DSC02049a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310201099296410034" border="0" /></a><br />But a word of caution: open these with all the care you would use for a bottle of champagne! There have been a few explosive sima incidents and I wouldn't want anyone to loose an eye.<br /><br />Now to totally disregard tradition here are some of our variations: we tried adding some ginger with the lemon once, it was good but not really worth the effort, it wasn't nearly as gingery as we expected. We also added lime once which I liked. Lemon lime soda!<br /><br />And a note on peel: mom will only use the peel of the lemon if we get organic ones (pesticides and all) so if that isn't an option you can always leave the peel off. The sima will come out good but without the hint of bitterness the peel gives it (which may or may not be a good thing in your opinion).<br /><br />Here are our instructions based on the Time Life ones:<br /><br />Sima variations<br />makes 9 - 10 pints<br /><br />3 small lemons<br />a chunk of ginger<br />or<br />2 small lemons<br />1 lime<br />or<br />a couple large lemons<br /><br />If fruit is organic separate zest so you can remove as much of the white pith as possible. Slice peel and fruit thinly.<br /><br />Peel ginger and grate or chop.<br /><br />Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add fruit and 1/2 cup each white and brown sugar.<br /><br />Let cool to barely warm (100 to 105 F/40 C) on wrist.<br />Add 1/8 tsp. (baking) yeast<br /><br />Leave at room temperature for about 12 hours.<br /><br />To bottle in pints:<br /><br />Wash the bottles in hot, soapy water. Rinse very well and drain.<br />Add 2 raisins to each bottle. Using a funnel, add 1/2 tsp. sugar to each bottle.<br />Then fill with sima, straining out fruit, and cap.<br /><br />Leave at room temperature until the raisins rise to the top. Check frequently because<br />the raisins may subsequently fall but the bottles are still ready to refrigerate. Keep<br />cold until serving time (or else!) and open cautiously.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6783974434920532697.post-29181643515099661622009-03-01T13:36:00.026-05:002009-03-03T11:31:49.167-05:00Seasonal Denial: Make Your Own Seed Starter Pots (With an Attempt at a Tutorial)There's lots of snow on the ground. But I'm still in denial, convinced that spring is right around the corner.<br /><br />In the spirit of this we already <a href="http://swampyankeesfromouterspace.blogspot.com/2009/02/starting-to-think-about-garden.html">ordered seeds </a>and they have arrived. We also went through our old seeds and pulled out all the ones we'll try this year:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_WMFAs_xxe4WzA0zJKTSwek-76k2ir-VQyO-aYFKEzHWRMV6UPed3jFUgjOvuaP7-CuJl_xJF-aaFMtBkCF-DnyVGX87E2KAqlPoE40LizeTe760yIa-20XZwHqAv2bOjCt-3VNeyWOW/s1600-h/DSC02074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_WMFAs_xxe4WzA0zJKTSwek-76k2ir-VQyO-aYFKEzHWRMV6UPed3jFUgjOvuaP7-CuJl_xJF-aaFMtBkCF-DnyVGX87E2KAqlPoE40LizeTe760yIa-20XZwHqAv2bOjCt-3VNeyWOW/s400/DSC02074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308295083284183154" border="0" /></a><br />Not a great picture but it was the last decent one I got. Why you might wonder? Well did you notice a shadow looming in the upper left hand corner of the picture? It foreshadows what happened next:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKACKt2J0SUveUzBuKnbJo9H-vg7XDTE6xkLk3XeX_x5xAkSI5fRcTIt4HD6U9HS6CVK6qHutjWnu1h2U2j_cUjaAx6_MoHcWhB-6YIbNK496XFyA4DOd-yubxse-sTbep7-L-ANnXvBSD/s1600-h/DSC02075.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKACKt2J0SUveUzBuKnbJo9H-vg7XDTE6xkLk3XeX_x5xAkSI5fRcTIt4HD6U9HS6CVK6qHutjWnu1h2U2j_cUjaAx6_MoHcWhB-6YIbNK496XFyA4DOd-yubxse-sTbep7-L-ANnXvBSD/s400/DSC02075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308295086474714946" border="0" /></a><br />And then this gesture which was just unnecessary:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vgGn52aY2bSndyNsuTFkd3py7tyIpzBmENx4aXHxA36IfJR3cwPIPpaeOtxhmmBohL_6MQE_3AgDDXL4ZUmKS1Z4A1-jNRhAssFfABSKuuf78_y0CctNcxDibbincOvcO3-2Y2CEBkAa/s1600-h/DSC02076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vgGn52aY2bSndyNsuTFkd3py7tyIpzBmENx4aXHxA36IfJR3cwPIPpaeOtxhmmBohL_6MQE_3AgDDXL4ZUmKS1Z4A1-jNRhAssFfABSKuuf78_y0CctNcxDibbincOvcO3-2Y2CEBkAa/s400/DSC02076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308295093649640338" border="0" /></a><br />You might think I stage this stuff but I swear, I was trying to grab a few quick pics and he interjected himself into the photo shoot totally uninvited.<br /><br />But back to gardening. Feeling a little overwhelmed this year by all the different seeds that need to be started and the new beds that need to be dug in time for those seeds to be transplanted I printed my own calendar to keep track of it all. It's super boring, I could have made it much fancier.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3irCdZeA2lEWRk6siApCmIKODRz3wpYsHPlw4YM0xMo2cAHsVHEgp8bRRb2Hk4w85Ks7PdQj9L1UAWMeXRfv_m6j8WuaBLNEi_wIPeMCG_XLbBmryr7g_sMi65PzGctMdXcdyzeiZeIl/s1600-h/DSC02077.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3irCdZeA2lEWRk6siApCmIKODRz3wpYsHPlw4YM0xMo2cAHsVHEgp8bRRb2Hk4w85Ks7PdQj9L1UAWMeXRfv_m6j8WuaBLNEi_wIPeMCG_XLbBmryr7g_sMi65PzGctMdXcdyzeiZeIl/s400/DSC02077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308295102332358706" border="0" /></a><br />But what would have been the point of a nice calendar when my horrendous handwriting is going to inevitably ruin it?<br /><br />If you have denial like me and you want to start preparing you can make your own seed starter pots out of newspaper. Here is my kind of tutorial (this is as close to one as you'll get from me):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Newspaper Seed Starter Pots:</span><br /><br />1. Start with some newspaper (discard the sheets that are just a single page, they aren't wide enough.) You will also need a glass bottle (although I suppose any material would work, as long as it's open at one end). Mine was 2 inches across at the bottom and 4.5 inches tall. Another size might work but I haven't experiment enough to be sure. I told you this wouldn't be much of a tutorial!<br /><br />2. Cut the newspaper into strips across the width. I made mine as wide as the bottle I was using. (And they'll be as long as the newspaper when it's folded open. You need this much length for it to work.)<br /><br />3. One strip at a time wrap them around your bottle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE4Sos8baQx4EoXGybqtnh_-9C2WC_EHFcYdhctI9BYxgOqXX767oLgQTBDM-ybUyYkpCP0SLO-mkcWfMj-N5fWtOP69EpFIJiprhyphenhyphenTHWVo94XIMPK2zGyiG1sO1aZGjgQdfqhRq0P81d/s1600-h/DSC02054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE4Sos8baQx4EoXGybqtnh_-9C2WC_EHFcYdhctI9BYxgOqXX767oLgQTBDM-ybUyYkpCP0SLO-mkcWfMj-N5fWtOP69EpFIJiprhyphenhyphenTHWVo94XIMPK2zGyiG1sO1aZGjgQdfqhRq0P81d/s400/DSC02054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308298498139932050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhwIN1frDQ7F6GQGqmGtIBiql2uep-IgFSWxlJD_oe60TuOb51Jzl_KeIzqV9wCqe0beJsbUO4sBaY5fV6kdGMbgd8_Pvj9phYHifqgvJFO8fJDPXjpmyKZyQDJrUFpjmcLcMZRm7m12O/s1600-h/DSC02056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhwIN1frDQ7F6GQGqmGtIBiql2uep-IgFSWxlJD_oe60TuOb51Jzl_KeIzqV9wCqe0beJsbUO4sBaY5fV6kdGMbgd8_Pvj9phYHifqgvJFO8fJDPXjpmyKZyQDJrUFpjmcLcMZRm7m12O/s400/DSC02056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308298509552068082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BAfVxp0oE5F9116JMisLNsDNnk2b6BvVitcFl42aGSbCjPA4N3O7s2EHwdq9xQAeKjtTfD0talRdGoGuyAWJbn3M2ojWZurcZS3geSSJZeOjhurnY3lnxw_eSUTOHw080v78VXzers1E/s1600-h/DSC02058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BAfVxp0oE5F9116JMisLNsDNnk2b6BvVitcFl42aGSbCjPA4N3O7s2EHwdq9xQAeKjtTfD0talRdGoGuyAWJbn3M2ojWZurcZS3geSSJZeOjhurnY3lnxw_eSUTOHw080v78VXzers1E/s400/DSC02058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308298511632841186" border="0" /></a><br />4. With the opening of the bottle on top pull the roll about halfway off the bottle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UHYahEPYsYCPbi8BVYpVXI43FCjH9ENfwGqsv1tafcQoVlaGztFUw3rZ_34mm8DboLCLuCpbFpMZH-3-NC0QCCyIpiRCi34UiH1RXC4JtGBWU-LQH5Yyuhlonnl8_kdq3YzAG95XUtFj/s1600-h/DSC02059.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UHYahEPYsYCPbi8BVYpVXI43FCjH9ENfwGqsv1tafcQoVlaGztFUw3rZ_34mm8DboLCLuCpbFpMZH-3-NC0QCCyIpiRCi34UiH1RXC4JtGBWU-LQH5Yyuhlonnl8_kdq3YzAG95XUtFj/s400/DSC02059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308298515323178946" border="0" /></a><br />5. Starting with the seam where your strip ended fold the top part into the opening of the jar.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCwMPy3Kk2eBQCsOvw9Qn8v_8JS4f_dRGl2ZSe0L-_S3ugAxVKHAvHZGOkU6rkqgtE67fALEGv9MeQtP63k0Bf4N5yglQ08S79wKS01D5mymjmn-XbEM0QU-r3Xji-eL-M-fsF_7eZHRT/s1600-h/DSC02060.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCwMPy3Kk2eBQCsOvw9Qn8v_8JS4f_dRGl2ZSe0L-_S3ugAxVKHAvHZGOkU6rkqgtE67fALEGv9MeQtP63k0Bf4N5yglQ08S79wKS01D5mymjmn-XbEM0QU-r3Xji-eL-M-fsF_7eZHRT/s400/DSC02060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308298525616407650" border="0" /></a><br />Do this all the way around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheQ3JAVo6vtYyAlyvw2_J6Bbo_aqDLJcKmjtXHLLpTyC0gKNy-wwnm_S4VMOaqgj7qIt2ApY8dhxU54VigIm-SU9WLTPQk-EhkdINRpT-ubTuuVPhD4C9DGne-FUNRea-JxjK-9QR0Iok/s1600-h/DSC02061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheQ3JAVo6vtYyAlyvw2_J6Bbo_aqDLJcKmjtXHLLpTyC0gKNy-wwnm_S4VMOaqgj7qIt2ApY8dhxU54VigIm-SU9WLTPQk-EhkdINRpT-ubTuuVPhD4C9DGne-FUNRea-JxjK-9QR0Iok/s400/DSC02061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308301159820684818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqvosE_topchqbuvzXO4rpzpGtESaIW1opITr474ri0KD8yLCdqAhEwZMzHeY94Who5zOe22XE9ENBEkcAZzlnBtnsy8eSKbMKSH5g12G7-X1nytdjez8G_iQe_73LHfVKZb0Mhc_5jmq/s1600-h/DSC02062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqvosE_topchqbuvzXO4rpzpGtESaIW1opITr474ri0KD8yLCdqAhEwZMzHeY94Who5zOe22XE9ENBEkcAZzlnBtnsy8eSKbMKSH5g12G7-X1nytdjez8G_iQe_73LHfVKZb0Mhc_5jmq/s400/DSC02062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308301157143369618" border="0" /></a><br />6. Pull the pot off and flip the jar over and stick the bottom of the jar into the pot to squish down the bottom.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshHl2qZHkskoRjjS5YM0fjPI6_e_VQdaUwCYW79J-2_459-GEYRoZW_aObjpz3aaUW4Q0nStqzGg25ujkZY14g6egczNJ4WhocugCv_8skfT6RS89lYp4O94yzvE4YR0s4vtvdRJgYUr2/s1600-h/DSC02063.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshHl2qZHkskoRjjS5YM0fjPI6_e_VQdaUwCYW79J-2_459-GEYRoZW_aObjpz3aaUW4Q0nStqzGg25ujkZY14g6egczNJ4WhocugCv_8skfT6RS89lYp4O94yzvE4YR0s4vtvdRJgYUr2/s400/DSC02063.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308303075183518290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aa5-Ii4ZwU4kHsJRjafUTSUuzvj78ooR24OJe5Y8EFtWGMc_4OwSMbgtqTP7aX9O9qd4WlPkJ6lrZg4dnXf-yD6dTaB4JuqZwczDnf8xaLtdj7xYImY_pewqyJpzk6xz8nIeIFJ_d-xq/s1600-h/DSC02064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aa5-Ii4ZwU4kHsJRjafUTSUuzvj78ooR24OJe5Y8EFtWGMc_4OwSMbgtqTP7aX9O9qd4WlPkJ6lrZg4dnXf-yD6dTaB4JuqZwczDnf8xaLtdj7xYImY_pewqyJpzk6xz8nIeIFJ_d-xq/s400/DSC02064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308301165433018850" border="0" /></a><br />7. Your pot is done!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDpR2HZmrr0bR621jZAJtiEBpSWuUlk48a2wMzjnMSpWFlB7Gu40uWWtu4eQhl8iLxPHdEXt8nmUoLw9vccqu2rv-daU_B1zQtCXbBpUM-Mjs4_ubUEvi8PlvKFTSrV7lF_2dDM_qB48Y/s1600-h/DSC02065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDpR2HZmrr0bR621jZAJtiEBpSWuUlk48a2wMzjnMSpWFlB7Gu40uWWtu4eQhl8iLxPHdEXt8nmUoLw9vccqu2rv-daU_B1zQtCXbBpUM-Mjs4_ubUEvi8PlvKFTSrV7lF_2dDM_qB48Y/s400/DSC02065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308301166657210866" border="0" /></a><br />The bottom may look a little funky but as long as all your dirt doesn't fall out it should be fine.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWLyBzzDFBTcS0qz7on-y5YLTKeHwtEQJRzBGMXqt1vHzfRxZRfTiTsYRGJFLzlvzhLOk9wPxfiLHXxOGH21gvQLlK9DPF_ujKT8Tko04-tlTOerA_vpbQP4vMFhH5dZ6o6N7Wvoqbk9v/s1600-h/DSC02067.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWLyBzzDFBTcS0qz7on-y5YLTKeHwtEQJRzBGMXqt1vHzfRxZRfTiTsYRGJFLzlvzhLOk9wPxfiLHXxOGH21gvQLlK9DPF_ujKT8Tko04-tlTOerA_vpbQP4vMFhH5dZ6o6N7Wvoqbk9v/s400/DSC02067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308301176232384050" border="0" /></a><br />Now repeat as many times as necessary. Here is what we got done so far:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV3xufEHIxnrRkP__rCW-sCK4e4_MjJrQrDzFe7GzUSlw5R4Ccs7oGs-YXh0ebmxPSLnrP32oWaHNMOUW6YJPE7Ft33MgJ2aTYzX1sOctlysz-40d1vYb4byh3YXbPP_QjLGxbKeVZznu/s1600-h/DSC02068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiV3xufEHIxnrRkP__rCW-sCK4e4_MjJrQrDzFe7GzUSlw5R4Ccs7oGs-YXh0ebmxPSLnrP32oWaHNMOUW6YJPE7Ft33MgJ2aTYzX1sOctlysz-40d1vYb4byh3YXbPP_QjLGxbKeVZznu/s400/DSC02068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308302129165123778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The advantage of these is that you can put the whole thing right in the ground. But it's probably a good idea to rip off some of the extra paper if possible and make sure the bottom is open for the roots to escape. Despite this it's still better than having to totally uproot the poor little seedling. Much less traumatizing.<br /><br />And in case you were wondering; those were NOT my hands making the pots. My finger nails are much nicer.<br /><br />P.S. I'm sure there are other variations of this out there and maybe even this exact same version. My mom has been doing it for years so she doesn't remember where she first learned.<br /><br />P.P.S. Feel free to tell me anything that isn't clear. I'm still working on the whole tutorial thing.Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430535472251876401noreply@blogger.com3