Saturday, July 21, 2012

Still dry and an IDC

Today has been cloudy and cooler- only 89 today- so I've spent most of the day outside until I'm about ready to drop.  Anything that needs done outside in the near future needs to be done today since we are forecast for 100+ for the next few days.  Sadly with the clouds we had today there was no precipitation.  There was a band of showers on radar for a while but it dried up before it got here and we got only a few sprinkles.  I think it's probably too late for most of the corn crop here even if we did get rain.  I need to water my newly planted shrubs later and probably the tomatoes and peppers as well as the vining crops.
Work has been brutal this week- we've been short staffed and my patients have been particularly challenging.  It has been a long time since I have been SO ready for a weekend.
I have been making progress in my Independence Days Challenge this week.
Plant something- Got my shade garden planted but nothing food-wise.  My little seedlings for fall planting are doing well. I should be setting them out in a few weeks but I'm worried about them in this heat and dry weather.
Harvest something- eggs, potatoes, peppers, kohlrabi, zucchini, a few herbs, a few tomatoes and a single cucumber.  The cukes aren't setting on- I'm not sure if it's the heat or the drought- could be either.  I'm excited that I've got a few little eggplants out there but they're not quite ready yet.
Preserve something- my sanity???  Froze a bunch of chicken that I'll talk about later.
Waste not- the usual.  I did bring a whole bag of old produce home from work for the chickens.  We do meal preparation with our patients with eating disorders and sometimes have left overs.  We were cleaning the fridge and I couldn't bear for wilted lettuce and a slightly slimy bag of spinach to be thrown out.  The chickens thought it was grand!   I keep asking my co-workers who do the meals to save stuff but usually they forget.  This week, since I had been covering meal groups, I knew what was in the fridge.
Want not-  I've been stocking up on chicken this week.  The local grocery chain is having dollar days sales this week and have chicken (breasts!!) for $1/lb.  It is bone-in but I've been skinning and boning the breasts, repackaging them and making packages of the bones as well for making broth.   They have also had some good deals on other things that I've snagged.  Canned chili beans, pasta (even though I can make my own sometimes it's nice to not have to!)  They also have peaches for $1/lb. I've been hoping for some local peaches to make some jam but I may make do with these.  We got some for eating and they are quite tasty.
Eat the food- Eggs, sauteed zucchini and onions, chicken fajitas with peppers and onions
Build Community food systems- got some wonderful sweet corn from a farmer selling it in the parking lot of a local store.  Eggs to work and home with Roger and Sharon.
Skill up-  The latest issue of The Herb Companion arrived with great articles this month.  Most interesting are articles on alternatives to antibiotics and one on natural medicines for colds and sore throats.

I know I've been bad about reading and commenting on others blogs this week.  I'll try to catch up.  Now I'm off to do some laundry.


15 comments:

  1. Let's face it, this time of year with the garden is crazy. Don't you wonder what we do with all our time in the winter when the garden isn't constantly yelling for us to come tend to it?

    You've got a full, full load considering you work full-time off the homestead so be good to yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My garden is weedy but not totally crazy yet. We also finally finished the roof over the chicken run today. I think I've got plenty of projects to keep my busy in the winter- but also, now the days are so much longer I feel the need to do more.
      I do try to keep myself balanced- it's just that sometimes everything seems to crash down at once.
      J

      Delete
  2. Do you find the Herb Companion to be worth the money? I am on the fence...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome, Edgar! Glad you stopped in! I wasn't sure about the Herb Companion initially. I got it because one of my children had a magazine sale for a school fundraiser and since they no longer carried Organic Gardening I was looking for something I could use to support the school. I've had it for about a year now and have found that it has lots of useful articles. It does tend to be rather on the expensive side for as few issues as you get but this month's in particular has been good. There has always been something useful in every issue. (I can't necessarily say as much for OG)

      Delete
  3. Nice to see you again! Soooo sorry to hear about the dry weather. It's horrid - especially when it teases with clouds and the threat of a storm and it never happens. Try to stay on the bright side.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're being teased again today. It seems that every shower that comes through dissipates when it gets within a few miles of us. Not that there have been any really big lines of rain moving through anyway.

      Delete
  4. P.S., LOVE your corn picture!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks- it is some we got at the farmer's market. It was REALLY tasty!

      Delete
  5. Sorry you didn't get a good rain. It's been raining here about every other day and sometimes everyday for several days. It didn't rain yesterday and that is good because with all this rain the grass grows so fast. It's hard to keep up with the weeds and little mushrooms are popping up in the yard, so far about 4 different kinds.
    Would love to share the rain with you if I could...debbie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Send a bit of that rain our way! We haven't had to mow in over a month. I guess it saves on gas but I'd rather have the rain.

      Delete
  6. I think I would save on food just to shop in your area.our farmers market is ridiculous

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a pretty careful shopper and always check the adds for good deals. I'm so glad I've got the freezers and space to stock up on things when there is a good sale going on.

      Delete
  7. Hahaha- "Preserve something -- my sanity?" We could all use a little of that right now! It does tend to feel like you're in a pressure canner this time of year, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome chipmunk! Sometimes preserving my sanity is about the best I can do! And probably the most important. It does seem like a pressure cooker with the weather we're having! It's certainly been hot enough.

      Delete
  8. Try and relax in there somewhere too :) I know how tough it is working in a hospital short-staffed :(

    ReplyDelete

Glad you stopped in. I would love to hear from you.