Baking the Opponent – leftovers

Actual conversation at the O.K. Chorale – as I measured out ingredients for a half batch of Mississippi Mud Cake for Eating the Opponent, St. Louis —

Me: I’m going to have a lot of marshmallows leftover. Do you know what that means?

Amigo: S’mores?

Me: Rhubarb upside down cake.

Chuck: I was thinking Rice Krispie bars.

Me: We don’t have any Rice Krispies.

Chuck: I can fix that. Amigo, add Rice Krispies to the shopping list.

Yep, they were preparing the grocery list, and they added the key ingredient for the bars. I might have enough for the rhubarb upside down cake, too. It was a large bag of marshmallows to begin with. This might be the last rhubarb harvest, so it would feel good to make something good with it.

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Oooooooooh, tomatoes!

There really ought to be a theme song for tomato season. We could sing it to the tune of Oklahoma.

But back to reality, I’ve had a lot of tomatoes become ripe and on the way to ripe. I pick most of them so we can eat them and the wild things in the neighborhood can not.

Tomatoes in the sun

Tomatoes in the sun

from left to right - ripening

from left to right – ripening

tomatoes for freezer

tomatoes for freezer

and last but not least, yellow pear.

and last but not least, yellow pear.

And there’s more where those came from, folks. Lots more.

Readers, do you have an abundance of tomatoes? What will you make with them? You can leave a comment here, and you can see more gardeners with an abundance of something on Harvest Monday at Daphne’s Dandelions.

 

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Tomatoes, Tomah-toes, guerrilla gardeners

I planted cilantro – in shifts, so we’d always have some. And then, as the cilantro went to seed, I replanted it. I kept replanting it. The new planting didn’t come up and didn’t come up. Eventually, the cilantro started growing again. But wait – something else came up, too.

Say what?

Say what?

There seems to be a guerrilla gardener in the neighborhood, and I suspect he or she is very sneaky and very furry.

Meanwhile, I started rescuing tomatoes a little early, as soon as they start turning orange. Another (or the same) furry critter likes to grab the low-hanging tomatoes. This critter is picky, however. He or she doesn’t pick the green ones, but aims for those that are turning color. I thought most animals were colorblind?! But anyway, the tomatoes are ripening well in the sunshine from the window.

Yum. Looks like salsa.

Yum. Looks like salsa.

Readers, what do you think? Is the same sneaky creature responsible for both?

After you answer, take a trip over to Daphne’s Dandelions for more Harvest Monday posts.

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Barter Still Lives

Money is important. Money talks, sings, dances, and buys political candidates. Oops, did I say that out loud? Money may rule, but barter, perhaps the oldest form of trade, still thrives.

A blogger friend in a nearby town had more ripe pears than even her three athletic boys could eat. I took a few bags off her hands and offered her a few day lily bulbs in exchange. I still think I got the better part of the deal. But anyway, it was a quick and easy barter.

La Petite bartered a professional photography studio for a thorough refinishing of three pieces of furniture. I think these two were fairly equal in value: both artsy, both professional, both talented people who value their time.

Swagbucks is a newfangled type of barter. In exchange for my time on their site, I earn “bucks” that I eventually use to buy gift cards. It keeps my kindle loaded – and more. In fact, if anyone is interested, click here to sign up. Disclaimer; I’ll be awarded a bonus of 10% of your total “bucks” for the referral. You don’t lose a thing. 

A few years ago we took care of a neighbor’s rabbit while the family was on vacation. We gained a new furry friend and swapped our time for firewood.

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Labor Day Harvest

I’m simmering pear sauce on the stove. I’m waiting for Amigo’s laundry to be done so I can help him fold his clothes (his awesome t-shirt collection, mainly). I’m considering logging into my school account to see if anyone needs help. Meanwhile, I shall share the odd harvest for the week.

It’s odd for its amounts. The beans were nearly done, so I pulled the vines and found a few holdouts. My peppers aren’t doing well this year, but I found a few.

A Handful of Peppers and Beans

A Handful of Peppers and Beans

You can see them on the side – the root crops. I learned from my root crops this year.

Lessons in growing root crops

Lessons in growing root crops

I found turnips too close together. Either my square-foot measurements were off, or I dropped more than one seed in a space.

Parsnips are not ready yet. In fact, I had a similar problem with the parsnips. Note to self: next spring, plant carefully.

I did learn about radishes last year; I learned that I shouldn’t plant as many radishes or I should stagger the planting time. Here’s the latest: just enough for a salad or two.

Radishes, grown in a wooden box

Radishes, grown in a wooden box

Well, fellow gardeners and aficionados of fresh vegetables, enjoy your Labor Day, courtesy of the early Labor Unions. Here’s to a good harvest, and a good week to come.

Head over to Daphne’s Dandelions to see more Monday harvests across the USA and abroad.

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Scavenger Daisy Returns – Encore

This is an encore from last fall – or was it autumn of 2013? I don’t remember. I’m still a scavenger, within reason. I did love the way the tomatoes and onions fell so perfectly into the crock pot and posed for the camera.

I’ve talked about curb-picking. I’m not a full time full strength make-the-rounds dumpster diver, but once in a while something turns up on a curb and calls my name.

I don’t like to waste leftovers. If the leftovers are food in my own refrigerator, they’re likely to become part of a pantry raid. If the leftovers are food sitting somewhere else, it’s harder.

One year in June I staked a claim for leftover tomatoes and onions after our big school picnic at the amusement park. Someone on staff has been pooped on by a gull the last two years running, and – but that’s not suitable for mealtime conversation. Sorry. The tomatoes and onions were clean.

I rescued the leftover tomatoes and onions that were originally destined to top sub sandwiches and brought them home. They slid nicely out of their trays and into my crock pot.

Soon to be Sauce!

Soon to be Sauce!

I added fresh oregano and simmered the lovely mix overnight. The next morning we had tomato sauce, made from scratch from scavenged leftovers. Three containers of sauce, in fact. That’s quite a pantry raid for the last day of school.

And now, with the school year beginning, who knows what kind of scavenging might occur? Readers, you’ll find out here.

Oh, readers? What kind of luck have you had scavenging, food or otherwise?

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August Harvests

For most teachers, Back to School means stocking up on notebooks, pencils, and other supplies for their classrooms. I teach online, and I don’t stock up on computers (thank goodness!). Instead, August gets me into a Stock the Pantry and the Freezer type of frenzy.

Last Wednesday while I was simmering tomato sauce in two crock pots, I harvested lettuce again. It’s been a strange year for lettuce, but I’m not complaining.

Roughly 1 1/2 pound of lettuce, mostly Romaine and red leaf

Roughly 1 1/2 pound of lettuce, mostly Romaine and red leaf

I’ve made two batches of applesauce with tart cherries. This is delicious. I may never buy applesauce from a grocery store again.

Tomatoes are driving me nuts because they’re almost ready to pick. They’ve been “almost ready” for days now. I’m almost salivating with desire for that first taste!

Not much of a harvest here, but there will be more. To see other gardeners and their weekly harvest. go to Daphne’s Dandelions. I enjoy seeing gardens from elsewhere in the U.S. every Harvest Monday!

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The Harvest

We had three rabbits visiting all weekend because La Petite was here. You know what that means: lettuce!

Fresh as it gets!

Fresh as it gets!

It’s been the strangest season for lettuce. Normally, the second batch of lettuce is done by mi-July, if not sooner. I’m harvesting the first crop of lettuces right now.

Still waiting!

Still waiting!

Even after harvest, there’s more to be had. I predict a lot of salads and BLTs this week.

Meanwhile, “Chuck” was busy relocating a peony that we’ve had in the backyard since we moved in. It meant a lot of digging on a hot and muggy day, and thirst quenching with strawberry lemonade.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

The large peony is now beside the northwest corner of the house. It’ll get enough sun, and we’ll enjoy it more.

The new home!

The new home!

If you look closely, you’ll also see the sod from the peony’s new spot. It’s filling an area that had been weeds. If you look even more closely, you’ll see the little black dress, er, fence. I picked those up at a rummage sale a while back, and I knew we’d use them eventually. Chuck’s research (a la Google) told him that tomato cages would be good, but I haven’t used traditional tomato cages for years.

My harvest wasn’t big this week, but you can see other gardeners’ bounty at Daphne’s Dandelions.

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Harvest and Market Prep

Status

Green beans and Google Docs – market produce to prep, tutorials to watch, and a Google Site to create. A teacher’s work is never done, so I multi-task.

Multi-tasking Mama!

Multi-tasking Mama!

Here’s part of the actual harvest:

1 lb beans

1 lb beans and a handful of peas

I also brought in a large bucket of lettuce, but I had it washed and dried and stored in the refrigerator before I thought to take a picture. The lettuce looks great; it’ll be a week full of salads!

Meanwhile, check in with Daphne’s Dandelions for more gardeners and their harvests.

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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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