Organizing the Disorganized

Since “Unorganizable” isn’t a word recognized by spell check, I used disorganized in the post title. The shelves were not really disorganized, not so much, well maybe a little. The varied sizes and types of containers made it difficult to put things away or take anything out without disturbing the delicate balance and watching several tumble to the floor.

Step one in the organization process: Take a “before” picture.

Top Shelf

Top Shelf – before organizing

Step 2, if I’m completely honest with myself, went like this: forget you took before pictures and completely forget that the shelves need organizing. Ahem.

Step 3: remove the small and tiny spice and herb containers.

This helped a lot.

This helped a lot.

And finally, after sorting and stacking a little more, I could reach into the shelves without (much) fear of an avalanche.

Less chaos! Better access!

Less chaos! Better access!

The shelves still teeter a little, but they’re much more stable and I can find (almost) anything I need. Ah, the feeling of a practical project well-done.

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Summers “off”? For teachers, that’s a myth.

A typical day at Chez O.K.

A typical summer day at Chez O.K.

I’ll identify the important parts of the photo so you can see what a summer day “off” means to this teacher.

  • On the left, peas waiting to be shelled.
    • these peas will go into the freezer to be cooked and consumed in the dark cold depths of winter
    • I’m not your typical doomsday prepper, but I call this filling of the pantry and freezer “preparing for the Walker apocalypse”.
  • On the far right, coffee mug “So many books, so little time”.
    • good coffee, special mug from a special person
  • In the middle, laptop computer about to be logged into graduate course
    • 3 graduate credits toward renewing my teaching license
    • Online course for convenience and for the learning experience
    • I’m taking two courses right now – 6 credits in all. When compressed into the time span of June, July, and August, this is a significant workload.

My point, readers, is just a simple reminder that while my paychecks may spread over a 12 month period rather than the 10 months I’m actively in class, the summer months are not time off. These months are full of necessary and valuable activity for my professional responsibilities and for my family.

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Market Monday

I’m not posting a Harvest Monday because, well, I haven’t harvested much of anything in the past week. I picked a bit of rhubarb to complete a batch of rhubarb-strawberry butter, but otherwise, it’s been a maintenance week for the gardens. In case you’re wondering, here’s the “harvest” from Saturday’s farm market.

This barely fit on the counter.

This barely fit on the counter.

Some of the goodies are for eating now, and some are for putting up – storing for later. From left to right: blueberries, now; strawberries, now and later; grapeseed oil and smoky sea salt, now and later; carrots, now; tomatoes, now; mushrooms, now; lettuces, now; peas, later; more lettuces, now; asparagus, later. Oh, I forgot the cheeses. Block of cheddar, for eating now. Cheese curds, for sharing with La Petite. We sampled a few to make sure they were tasty.

The Facebook comments on this picture got interesting. I joked (sort of) that I was prepping for the Walker Apocalypse. Many teachers I know are in a Cautiously Paranoid condition; we know the future of public education in our state is shaky, at best. We’re looking to provide for our families one way or another. My method consists (in part) of filling the freezer and the pantry with decent food, mostly organic, much locally grown.

If you want to see harvests that will make you hungry, visit Daphne’s Dandelions. If you want to see more of what’s happening in Daisy’ pantry and freezer, stay tuned. I’m simmering a batch of strawberry-rhubarb butter right now, as I type. The house smells wonderful.

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Fun with Cookie Cutters

I found these at a rummage sale. Naturally, I bought them. Chuck enjoys model trains and finds railroads fascinating, so it was an easy decision.

Chug Chug Chug Chug Chug

Chug Chug Chug Chug Chug

Then I made cookie dough. I added a little cocoa so I wouldn’t have to frost them and decorate with all kinds of sprinkles and other delicious but messy garbage.

I baked the cookies.

Cookies! All Aboard for cookies!

Cookies! All Aboard for cookies!

And while you Ooh and Aah over the adorable little engine, coal car, and caboose, let me tell the the rest of the story. I usually bake this recipe in winter, most often at Christmas. The next picture will show you why I tend to avoid this recipe in the humid days of summertime.

Oh, dear. Project derailed.

Oh, dear. Project derailed.

They tasted okay with coffee, at least. Maybe I’ll attempt to make them again in December.

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Harvest Monday – cilantro

It’s June, folks, still June. I have a lot of sprouts growing, but not much to harvest except the ubiquitous rhubarb. The cilantro, though, is reaching for the sky.

cilantro

I planted small amounts a few weeks apart so it wouldn’t ripen all at once. The batch on the right is past its prime, if I’m honest. I might let it go to seed. On the left, that might be ready just in time for tacos. In the middle, it’ll join me for salsa. I planted in sections because we don’t use a lot of cilantro at any one time. The flavor is quite strong, especially when it’s fresh.

If I have too much, I can always feed it to the pet rabbit.

For more Harvest Monday, visit Daphne’s Dandelions. I wonder if she makes dandelion pesto? I should ask.

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The Downtown Market is Back!

The haul - week one

The haul – week one

In case you missed it on Facebook, here’s the counter full of goodies gotten while the gettin’ was good, real good, at the first downtown market of the year.

How’s that for an amazing run-on sentence? I’m almost proud.

I did not buy rhubarb, for obvious reasons. There’s a recipe for rhubarb bread pudding sitting on the table and calling my name. I’ll freeze whatever’s left over.

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Depression Cake with Rhubarb

Ah, the rhubarb. We’re having a bumper crop already. I used up a little in a strawberry rhubarb ice cream. For my next trick, I modified a classic cake that I usually make with applesauce. In place of the applesauce, I used rhubarb sauce (you guessed that, didn’t you?) and then baked them as cupcakes instead of in the 13 by 9 pan

In case you don’t like to click on links, here’s the updated version.

Depression Cake (named for a historical time period, not the illness)

2 cups strong coffee
2 cups raisins or chopped dates or other dried fruit
½ cup rhubarb sauce
2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour, my favorite)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. each ground cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)
Powdered sugar for garnish (or serve with whipped topping)

Preheat oven to 350.
In large saucepan, combine granulated sugar, coffee, raisins, and applesauce. Simmer 10 minutes. In large bowl, blend remaining ingredients, except powdered sugar. Stir raisin mixture into flour mixture. Pour batter into well-greased and floured cupcake pans. Bake at least 20-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with whipped topping.

The original was adapted from a recipe in a California Raisin cookbook put out at least twenty years ago.

 

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The History of the Rhubarb

I never had rhubarb in my yard when I grew up. If we ate it, I don’t remember. I do remember my next door neighbor having a substantial rhubarb plot behind his garage. His youngest had a little trouble saying his R sound, so he called it ‘Woo-bob’.

When dear sweet Chuck and I bought our house, we discovered rhubarb growing along the back lot line. I decided the south side of the garage would be a better location with more sun, so I transplanted the rhubarb plants. With the transplant, they spread.

Then I bought my first rain barrel and set it up under the downspout on the south side of the garage. That entailed moving the rhubarb again, this time to the patch beside the deck that had held hollyhocks. When the hollyhocks came down with rust two seasons in a row, I pulled them out for good.

Now the rhubarb is thriving in this spot. It’s growing so much that I’ve even given away a few small plants. By the reports from my friends, the transplanting worked well for them, too.

Rhubarb is often the first harvest of the year in my northeastern Wisconsin climate. So far this season I froze some, gave some away, and cooked the rest into a rhubarb-strawberry syrup to flavor my first attempt at strawberry-rhubarb ice cream. Mmm, it’s tasty. I’ll definitely do this again.

An Early Harvest

An Early Harvest

Ready to cook, bake, and freeze.

Ready to cook, bake, and freeze.

Want more harvest posts with pictures? Go to Daphne’s Dandelions for her weekly gathering called Harvest Monday.

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The Garden Grows

I put in the plants, and I pulled off the masking tape grid. But wait – it’ll be much easier to imagine if I just give you a picture or two.

Beans!

Beans! Beans on the right, tomatoes on the left. 

A thin layer of grass clippings functions as mulch for now. Meanwhile, behind the garage, the pile is shrinking.

Good intentions -

Good intentions – the pile was mostly topsoil, so Chuck made a new outline from repurposed boards and started spreading the soil.

The reverse angle image –

raspberry canes!

raspberry canes!

A few raspberry canes survived the garage construction. I have a few more in buckets; I hope to transplant them to this area to restart the raspberry patch. In a year, or maybe two, we’ll have raspberries again.

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