Showing posts with label drying seed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drying seed. Show all posts

Monday, March 12, 2012

Awesome Autumn... My Fruit Rant :)


Harvest
Well its Autumn... and its been awesome so far - not too much of the wet stuff, but lots of the windy stuff, which we anticipate at this time of the year anyway. It would be great if todays low cloud could blow away and the sun could climb through.
Have been thinking a lot this week about Japan and her people. Im hoping theyre slowly starting to heal and rebuild. I know how we feel here, and the numbness takes a long time to abate, the healing is slow, and time ticks away before you know it. The memories of our Events come back. And we are so lucky we didnt have the complications they had in Japan. My heart goes out to them, I wish there was more we could do, or say, that would help.

Winter Deluxe Pie - Pie Pumpkin
I was washing dishes (arent I always?) yesterday, and I washed a lid of a jar that had 3/12 scribbled on it. I had a flash back to last year, all my preps were covered in the date 3/11 because it was then I had started to prepare in case of emergency. I thought back to my confusion. Then, it was so obvious to me. I have grown since then. I actually AM better prepared than I was. There IS less confusion. I DO know what Im doing, and I am well guided, by whatever that force is that motors the Intuition.
I looked through the Preps. We could do a short stand-off (LOL Like theres going to be a Siege?)
Now to prep for the mid-length stand-off... Its all a part of my plan, to down-size, live harmoniously, but to live SIMPLY. Thats the hard one.

Cornucopia of Tomatoes!
This week, I heard on our TV news that Parents have been criticized for feeding their children too much fruit in their bid to feed their children their 5+ a day... which has been leading to accelerated rates of tooth decay.
See, I worry about reports like this. Firstly, parents DO THEIR BEST. With whatever knowledge and resources they have available, for the most part, parents DO try their best. Criticism hurts and doesnt change a thing, nor teach us how to counteract the problem.
Secondly -Why do the media choose such a strong way to get this message across? Responsibility. They have no accountability for what they write, its ok to take a negative stance... and it sells. And everything has become about the dollar.
It is also about educating Parents about the problem and how to solve it, without that condescending attitude.
People need to want to learn new things at any level  - Educate people on the importance of Milk and Water being offered with every serving of fruit, or put fruit after the main meal. Argh. Its NOT about criticism, it is about CHILDRENS HEATH. It is about Educating people, so they can make strong decisions based on good information.
PUT OUR CHILDREN FIRSTHave we forgotten the art of diplomacy and tact? I think as we fracture in society, we are becoming Islands. It is sad, but it is happening. Who can you depend on to give you accurate information about the things you need to learn? Do you learn something new every day?
We get out of the way of learning, but sometimes, it is just as important to REFRESH OUR KNOWLEDGE about important things, and not stop learning all together.


Broccoli - Waltham Seeds in Pods
 Prepping this week involves saving more seeds for next season. I have brocolli, lettuce in three kinds, soon to be four if Im quick :) And beans galore. I love the pink scarlet runners... Happy Beans!
We have Lollo Rosso, which is dark red, and likes low light and cooler days, a frilled green which grows everywhere and makes an attractive addition to a mixed salad. Theres a traditional buttercrunch, and Im waiting to see if we can catch up with seed from Little Gem who is a one-person sized  lettuce, compact and sweet. I often find Miss 5 hanging around the Little Gem, the leaves are very tasty. I have iceberg growing too, and it seeds later. I love watching the lettuce towers as they grow tall and then go poof! The seed is like dandelion fluff, the seeds at the bottom of the fluff go everywhere. Great for self-seeding.
Finally collected seeds from our carrot flower which seems to have been there for forever. Its taken a good four or five months, but we finally have some Nutri-Red carrot seed. These are our favourites, so theyll be replanted. Im trying to keep other carrots to seed, but it is so hard when the kids prey on them :)
Lettuce Fluff!

Well I best be getting on with it. The sun is making an appearance!
This week is shaping up to be a very diggy one.
Lots of weeds to evict... and poo to shovel.
Hope all is well with your world,

Scarlet Runner Beans - 3rd year!
Take care,
Love
E BUTTERFLY
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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Self Seeding... Time to Collect... Dry, Save.

Its that time of year again... Seed Collecting Time.
All the plants are giving their seed, so Im madly collecting what I can, wherever I can... drying it in the sun, on the windowsills on little white saucers. Once dried, the seed is put into small amounts in the small homemade white envelopes - all organized with dates, types and what-have-you on them. Im so organized, its scary!

This week I have some Grey Crown Pumpkin seeds drying, Green striped Butternut Pumpkin, Marguerite Daisy, Common Tansy, Lettuce, and a few others that escape me at the moment...
Ive used my Journalling Stamp to jazz up the envelopes with lines for me to write on. They look like what they are - Organic and Homemade... Handcrafted, definitely! But theyre all my own work... and I love the idea that seed next season will be mostly of our own seed!

Weve had some fantastic bouts of rain. I got home from dropping the lad off at school today, and just as I got out of the car, it hosed down really hard, filling the gutters and you could really hear it on the tin roof.
The Lazy Sloth inside me, just wanted to gather my pjs and go back to bed. I love, love, love that sound.
I could sleep all day under a tin roof with rain on it... but instead...

We Made Cupcakes!!!!The first time ever. And Miss A sat up on the bench and read from the cookbook (she cant read) We doubled the mix, and Im happy to say, we got 4 dozen cupcakes... Yes. We HAD four dozen... They were just small ones... and we liked them. Alot!
So, the icing had to be PINK of course, for some. The others had to be BLUE... and they were good with coffee. And for pudding after dinner...
I got told I was *A good Mummy* for making such wonderful  *Pop-cakes* --- cupcakes, Arlais. No, POPCAKES Mummy, cos you just go *pop* and theyre gone in your mouth.... Ok.

Im a-thinkin' its almost Winter. I feel a bit Wintery-fied tonight, it has definitely got colder... Im even contemplating getting the knitting out. Oh dear. It must be That Time of Year.

Well, I dont have a lot to report this week.
It has been a very slow start, especially after the extra hour with Daylight savings. However, its nice to be relatively still. Still having small aftershocks, but thats to be expected. I havent felt many of them, which is even better...

Will share my favourite loaf recipe with you - its so simple!
And theres not many ingredients, best thing is, you can swap and substitute too...

FRUIT LOAF
4 Weetbix, crushed
3 T Butter
1 C Mixed Fruit (any kind - dates, sultanas, raisins, mixed peels etc)
1 C sugar

1 Egg
1 C Self Raising Flour
1 t Baking Soda

Place first 4 ingredients in a bowl
Pour over 1 C boiling water, stir and let stand, soak for five minutes

Add beaten egg and sifted SR Flour and B.Soda
Mix well
Pour into greased or lined Loaf Tin
Bake at 180C for 45-50 minutes
Cool and slice - spread with butter :) Yum!
Some Ideas...
I put in half the sugar, and added 2 T of marmalade, really nice with the tang of lemon/orange

You could also add honey instead of sugar
Add Orange or Lemon peel with the fruit
Add cranberries with the fruit, chop some walnuts to add into the mix.

This is a super easy recipe, and it is filling and yummy for a Wintery Afternoon Tea.
If you give it a whirl, please let me know what you think!!!

Well, I must fly...
Love to You and Yours,

E Butterfly
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