Not my Typical Autumn Saturday

I didn’t go to the downtown market today. It may have been the last one, too. I was tired, stiff, sore, and just didn’t feel up to it. I have a good supply of squash, apples, and any other goodies I might have bought, so it’s okay.

I got my annual flu shot last night. I’m stiff and sore and feeling a little under the weather. Is there a cold virus attempting a takeover? I hope not. I have an extra long week next week, and it includes the first virtual classes for elementary music. I need to be strong and healthy.

Meanwhile, the garden wants to be put to bed for the winter. I “harvested” parsley seeds today in an effort to be ready for spring. Garlic I planted in a basket next to the rhubarb. If I can spot a few bulbs for my walking onions, I’ll find a new home for those, too. The onion patch will be turned into a corner of the new garage next spring. If I want the green walking onions to be part of my pantry for a few more years, they’ll need a new home just like the garlic did.

The plan for today: settle in on the couch with hot apple cider. Watch the Wisconsin Badgers dominate the football field. Take care of a few outside tasks and rest or nap in between. Keep drinking liquids.

Got it? I think it’ll be effective. Later, folks. I need to refill my cider mug.

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The To Do-Be-Do-Be-Do List Returns

A killing frost threatens, so I must get at the final harvest tasks. The to-do list is growing, and here I sit on the couch, stretched out and relaxed with my laptop. Maybe all of this will look more possible tomorrow.

  • Dig up garlic plot. There may be at least three bulbs I can pull apart and plant.
  • Bring in all tomatoes big enough to ripen. They will ripen indoors.
  • Bring in the mini-greenhouse shelves and herbs.
  • Transplant blueberries into pails for the winter in preparation for the garage replacement project that would surely destroy them.
  • Make a trip to Fleet Farm for a backyard shed. Start moving garden tools and equipment out of garage and into shed.
  • Empty rain barrels. Turn them upside down for the winter.
  • Bring in any peppers of decent sizes.
  • Pull pepper plants out of straw bales.
  • Spread straw around garden.

Know what, friends and readers? Lying here with my laptop is looking better and better. Maybe I’ll work on laundry and take naps instead.

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Kitchen Sink Stew or Pantry Raid?

When I was looking through Homecoming posts for yesterday’s encore, I stumbled upon an early Pantry Raid. This one had a “recipe” for what I called Skillet Stew. As I read it, I realized that I could make it, almost exactly as noted, with the foods in my pantry and kitchen today. And then I realized I’d made pantry raids a few times in the past few weeks.

There was the tomato soup. I realized that I had too many tomatoes for BLTs or salads, so I quartered them and loaded the crock pot. Chef Daisy added in a few herbs and a small onion, diced, along with a hint of garlic, and then it simmered all day. Upon arriving home from school, a potato masher squashed the tomatoes, an immersion blender blended the pulp and pulled out most of the skins, and it was almost soup. A little Worcestershire sauce took the edge off the sweetness of fresh tomatoes, and then a little powdered milk helped thicken it to soup consistency.

Mmm. A little grated cheddar and we had a Wow supper.

Later…I had a chicken rice soup that wasn’t a big hit. The broth was weak. So, with the brilliance of an experienced Kitchen Raider, I drained the soup in a colander. I then added what was left (chicken, rice, and vegetables) to a container of tomato soup. It was thick, tasty, and delicious.

Now, inspired by reviewing my old Skillet Stew, I can see that I might be able to use the leftover lamb chops for a Hunger Games style Lamb Stew. Let’s see if I can find dried fruit to represent the dried plums that Katniss liked. I don’t have any plums at the moment, and for a true raid, I should use what’s on hand here.

By the way: there was no Farmers’ Market today because of a huge celebration that our fair city calls Octoberfest. It’s okay; I have enough fruits and vegetables in the house to feed the family quite well this week, thank you very much.

And another aside: Eating the Opponent this week means Chicago style pizza from Papa Murphy’s take and bake. Sometimes I ask the pros to help out. 

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Updates

Life goes on, even when the blog isn’t working. Now that I can post again, here’s the update from Saturday’s market.

It's fall - apple season and more!

It’s fall – apple season and more!

I was on a field trip Monday to an urban farm in Milwaukee. They did the container gardening thing to extremes – awesome extremes. I think I need one of these.

Roll Out the Barrel

Roll Out the Barrel

I really liked this one.

We'll have a barrel of fun!

We’ll have a barrel of fun!

Oh, it feels good to be back online again. Bear with me, people. I may be a little punchy this week.

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I’m back!

I don’t know how it happened – either a very generous tech friend or family member or sheer luck — but we are back online with Compost Happens.

Now what? Now, I rest. Tomorrow, perhaps, I’ll post.

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Pepper Sauce

Or is it Peppa’ Sauce? It’s a Southern dish, a spicy hot vinegar that goes on everything and anything, if I’m to believe the comments. I found it when a friend had too many peppers. This was one suggested solution. I had just the right bottle, so I tried it myself.

Pepper Sauce!

Pepper Sauce!

It’s more formula than recipe. Measure enough vinegar to fill the bottle. Heat the vinegar to a simmer. While it’s heating, prep the peppers by slicing into the skins to enable the vinegar to best soak in and absorb the pepper flavor. Add whole peppercorns and a few cloves of garlic, minced. Pack the peppers into the bottle, and then pour in the warm vinegar. Voila!

If we don't like it, at least it look pretty.

If we don’t like it, at least it look pretty.

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Parsnips?

The greens are certainly huge. I thought that meant I could harvest a few parsnips.

The greens look good.

The greens look good.

But seriously, folks, even the rabbit wanted nothing to do with these funky looking root vegetables.

Today's garden lesson:

Today’s garden lesson:

Straw bales might not be the best growing medium for parsnips.

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Hornets, beans, and Clifford the Big Red Dog

It’s been a random day – or several days full of randomness.

Chuck started cutting the lawn Monday evening, and he came too close to a hornets’ nest. They stung him and chased him around the house. He had trouble knocking enough off that he could come in the house! Several stings on the left hand, a few on the right, and he was in pain and more than a little freaked out.

The exterminator came Wednesday. He found the nest, sprayed it, and informed Amigo that the bees would be “angry today, but dead by tomorrow morning.” Result: Chuck didn’t attempt to mow again until Thursday.

Thursday he stepped outside to start the mower and the rain started.

The lawn looks like a wheat field. Or alfalfa, maybe. I’m thinking we should expand the garden and just quite mowing altogether.

Something about the first week of school makes me crave smoothies. Maybe it’s the transition from summer break to being a schoolie again. It could be the heat and mugginess. There’s also the possibility that I just like the smoothies from City Center Plaza, and City Center Plaza is only a few blocks from my workplace. On the way to the smoothie place, I saw this.

Someone spilled the beans.

Someone spilled the beans.

I helped set up our book fair for the upcoming first day of “school” on Tuesday. We asked the driver of the truck if he ever sees kids waving at him. Why? He has Clifford the Big Red Dog and a few other classic characters painted on his truck, bigger than life. We teachers decided that Scholastic should paint Clifford on our vehicles and pay us to drive them around town.

So then Amigo and I went to a local pub that has a great Friday fish menu. I tucked a napkin into my shirt to prevent clam chowder spills and I had a frightening realization.

I was wearing a Milwaukee Brewers shirt in a Chicago Cubs bar.

I left the napkin covering the logo on my chest until we left.

So, readers, all in all, life is good. School starts Tuesday, and I’m looking forward to meeting my students and their families. Good times are ahead! Meanwhile, I’ll relax and have a weekend.

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Cutting Corners & Cards

Amigo complains that I’m a “Green Freak” when I look for alternatives to gift wrap and tags. He doesn’t know that I have another use for old cards – decorative tops for canned goods.

It all starts with two lids, one regular and one large. Those are the patterns, templates, tracers, whatever you’d like to call them. If I have a choice, I’ll cut out a large one because I know I can make it smaller if I need to. Add a box of cards (holiday, birthday, etc.), a scissors, and I’m ready to work.

Getting to work!

Getting to work!

I cut apart the cards to make gift tags or round tags for my canned goods gift giving.

Finished Circles

Finished Circles – in two sizes

More finished circles

More finished circles

Some cards are too special to cut into pieces.

This one is a keeper.

This one is a keeper.

The rest are now in a manila envelope on my bookshelf Any time I’m giving away a few jars of goodies, I can reach for some nice, classy pictures to decorate the tops.

Okay, readers, let’s build on this. What other uses do you have for cards? Do you scrapbook? Make new cards from old? Leave a comment sharing your ideas.

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