Very Cool

I have spent the last 15 minutes trying to figure out WHERE in the world I found this blog. Grrr. That's been happening a lot lately, due to the fact I'm using DH's mac and am not allowed to Clutter Things and use the bookmarks and In General make his computer my own. Bummer.

But anyway...somehow I found this Cool person who decided on an Awesome Project last year. Well, awesome in some ways and not in others.

Check it out!

I'm actually excited about her project this year, which is making her entire wardrobe out of 100% post-consumer, recycled materials. I'm going to spend some time in deep comtemplation. Do I want to tackle this as well? Would I be able to find time to sew the things I would need? How far would I take it, and do I really want to be the wacko weirdo in the family? (Oh...too late...I already am. I have kefir-babies and chickens in the backyard 5 minutes from downtown.) *sigh*

The point would be focusing on what I have and can make vs. being discontent and wanting to go shopping and spend more than neccesary when we need to use those funds for other things. (Namely...a new furnace so I won't freeze again this winter or take to living at the library or grocery store.) Plus, it would expand my designing experience, which I would like to try anyway.

I have a lot of material I need to use up anyway...so clothes would not be a big deal. Plus the fact that I really do my best to shop at the local thrift stores.

The whole shoes/undergarment thing would be more dificult. But then, I've had most of the same shoes for years, except for cheap Walmart flips and such. But that's been solved because DH and I both bought Chaco's and will never buy flips again, except to get them refurbished, of course. That's why we decided on them to begin with. Less of the "wear it out-throw it out" routine. I think that's a good thing. Plus, my feet are just very happy to have such a good support system in place.

Hmmm....undergarments. Depending on how long I would set a goal for, I think I'd be ok in this department. Does getting stuff on clearance at Gap count? Not sure I'm ready to tackle t-shirt panties quite yet. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for wedgie-world.

Maybe I should just be happy with all the clothes hanging in my closet and try my best not to buy anything new for a while. I have a bunch of hippie wrap skirts like my mom used to wear, and enough jeans to last a while. The only problem is tops, so I guess I need to start figuring out how to remedy that situation.

I'll let you know what I decide. DH might veto this project, but I doubt it.

Flower Pics

Here are a few pics that I've taken recently. Can you tell I'm lovin' the orange?

Here's a cool lily that's blooming in the garden.

When you let dusty miller go to bloom, it puts up cheery clusters of little yellow flowers that the insects love.

Here's some thyme and mint that are blooming out front. (I know...I know. I'm starting to pull the mint out. It's trying to take over. I need to find a pot where it can be happy all by itself.)

The sedum is starting to bloom too.

Did you know...

...that the powdery look on grapes, cabbage and what not...ya know, the "water off a duck's back" affect? ...is actually there for a reason - to protect the little bacterial cultures? If bacterial is the correct term...I'm not quite sure.

Ok...I looked it up. Here's what Dom says in his info about making what he calls "kefirkraut."

"The native microflora of cabbage is evident as a powdery white film, covering the surface of the outer dark green leaves. This film causes the interesting phenomenon, which I refer to as, water running off of a duck's back. This effect can be observed when water is poured over the surface of cabbage leaves. The water is repelled away from the surface of the leaf, repelling the water forcing it to form water beads, which readily roll away off the leaf. This phenomenon protects the native microflora from being damaged or removed in wet conditions."

He uses the native microflora on the cabbage itself along with kefir grains to make kefirkraut....a milder and healthier version of sauerkraut.

Well, I decided to try making some kraut Sally Fallon style last week. She uses some salt, and if it is available, whey. Here's the recipe.

Sauerkraut

4 cups shredded cabbage, loosley packed

1 tsp juniper berries

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp sea salt

2 TB whey, or add additional 1 tsp salt if not available.

1 cup filtered water.

In a bowl, mix cabbage with spices. (I sliced the cabbage into thin ribbons and it seemed to work fine, and used several of the outer green leaves as well to boost the microflora. Also, I only had mustard, so that's what I used.) Mash or pound with a wooden pounder for several minutes to release juices. (Heh...I used a glass drink bottle I could fit my hand around.) Place in a wide-mouth quart jar (not neccesary....just makes it easier to get in) and pack down. Mix water with salt and whey, pour over, and add more water if needed to cover cabbage. There should be about 1 inch of headspace. Cover tightly ad keep at room temp for 2-3 days. Transfer to cold storage. It can be eaten immediately, but will continue to develop over the next 3-6 months. If little white spots of foam occur, it's fine and harmless. Just remove them with a spoon.

If a batch gets too much oxygen and goes bad, you'll know it and won't even be tempted to eat it. In general, a room temp of about 72' will be sufficient to insure fermentation within 2-4 days.

She says. "Lacto-fermented vegetables should have a pleasant odor and a mildly acidic taste. They are not meant to be eaten in large quantities, but as condiments."

I let mine ferment for 3 days, because I forgot to check it on the second. Oops! Seemed to be fine...I was pleased with the taste. Oh...make sure you open the jar over the sink...it tends to want to spray and overflow, but there's just a bunch of air that can be mashed back out of it so the liquid will cover again.

I try to eat a few forkfuls as I'm preparing a meal and in and out of the fridge. This gives my digestion the boost it needs to prepare for a full meal.

Here's a pic of the kraut on the right, and some kimchi on the left. The latter is spicy and has carrots, ginger and garlic in it.

Mountain Stage in Bristol

Well, the Mountain Stage of West Virginia came to Bristol this weekend. They produce a radio and TV show for public broadcasting.

They are trying to showcase Bristol as the birthplace of country music, where the first albums were recorded in 1927 at a little studio right down the street.

The artists in attendance were: Tim O'Brien, Dale Jett, (Carter family) Yonder Mountain String Band, Odetta, and Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys. My bro-in-law drove up from FL with 2 friends because Chris Thile from Nickel Creek was supposed to play as well, and they figured it would be a once-in-a-lifetime show.

So we hung out on the backside of the Paramount for a bit, hoping to get a glimpse of someone or something...lo and behold Ralph Stanley came walking by. Or course we didn't try to engage him in any conversation. *grin* It was cool seeing him up close and personal, especially since we ended up sitting towards the back.

He's getting up in years, and so he only sang. "Only" sang. Woo boys...he did the song from "O Brother, Where Art Thou." It was acapella..."O Death." Amazing.

Sorry to say I couldn't say the same for the rest of the bunch, excluding one. Stanley's son wrote and sang a sorry song with the same melodic phrase for each line. I think I could have written a better one. His 14 yr. old grandson plays the mandolin very well, so perhaps the talent skipped a generation.

Tim O'Brien deserves mention...he is an artist and pretty talented.

The Carter Fold represented by the grandson? and 2 others needed better stage presence. They sang some of the old favorite family tunes.

The huge disappointment came about a third into the show, when they announced that Chris Thile was unable to attend due to sickness, or something. We were NOT happy, needless to say. The concert did little to help our crushed spirits, though something happened later that partially amended them.

I would say the crowning preformance of the evening was by Odetta.

She was amazing...seemingly timeless in age, with her mellow, husky voice rising and falling and mesmerizing me along with everyone else. Bob Dylan, Joan Biez and others all credit her with inspiring them. Hearing her will always be something I treasure.

On to an unexpected occurence. While we were seated and waiting for the show to start, watching folks take their seats, my bro-in-law happened to notice this man. We all debated over whether or not he was the actor from this movie we've seen.

Of course, the pic kind of gives away who he is from a series that he participated in. (Squint real hard...heh.) Recognize? Looking him up this morning I realized he's Uncle Bogg from Christy!! Imagine that. I knew he seemed familiar.

Frank Hoyt Taylor is his name, and the bro-ham was able to catch him coming out of the theatre. He was gracious enough to chat with us for a few minutes. Very cool. Our new favorite actor who lives in Scott County close to here.

So we ended the evening somewhat mollified.

I said 'Somewhat.'

Lima Bean Solution

I looked up some recipes for my limas, just to see what was out there. I was kinda wondering what else there is to do with them besides boiled or as succotash.

Pleasantly surprised, I decided to try this recipe.

Curried Lima Beans

Two 10 ounce packages of frozen limas, cooked, drained

4 ounces of cream cheese, cut in sm. pieces

1/2 cup of onion, chopped

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of flour

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup of milk

1 tablespoon of curry powder

2 ounces of pimientos, sliced

Melt butter in skillet, sauté onion. Add flour. Pour in milk and stir until thickened. Add cream cheese. When blended, add curry powder, pimientos and beans.

I put some colored sweet pepper in to saute with the onions, in leiu of pimentos. The spics of the curry eliminated the blah taste you sometimes get with limas, and the creamy sauce smoother out the texure too.

All in all, a make again. Of course, I'm a big curry fan, so am always looking for something new to put it in!

Grrr....

Last night I froze another 8 quarts of green beans. Yeah for me. More today as well.

Not so thrilling was going downstairs this morning and finding the freezer cacked open and things half-unthawed, ice cream and OJ melted, water dripping everywhere. Ack! How do these things happen to me? Hopefully the beans will survive. And hopefully I can figure out what to do with 2 lbs. of cooked lima beans. Lunch, anyone?

I was talking to my mom the other day about the garden. How much fun it is to write a seed wish list...plan out where to put everything and research companion planting. How cool to put the little seeds in the ground and stave off the morning glory vines from overtaking their tender little selves. How I enjoy watching how fast they take off, looking for first blooms and little fruits. And then...now...it is producing. Whew. Now I have to figure out what to do with all of it! Make a list of who I can give things to. Plan ways to get help picking and breaking beans. *lol* I'm not sure I quite thought out the whole process, though I must say that my dh did try to warn me.

Maybe by the time the toms and peppers are coming in steady, the beans will have abated. Of course, the little yellow bugs are doing their best to kill them as I write. War must be waged, if I can convince the chickens that they are a scrumtious treat and enlist them to eradicate the population.

Walmart:The High Cost of Low Prices

My husband and I just watched this recently, and it was the shot in the arm I needed to break my lasting tie with Walmart.

I am a frugal shopper to the hilt. I have always loved Walmart since the first time I set foot in the store and was astounded at the great savings. As little as 3 months ago I was getting all our groceries from there, and was thrilled to be able to "splurge" from time to time.

Well, after my husband took a roadtrip to Ashville and saw that they built in the tiny community of Erwin, right where the most amazing and awe-inspiring view is, he came home and swore never to enter a store again. After I saw the "view" for myself, I just couldn't believe the brashness and utter disrespect for a small town that didn't need that huge store and parking. And as you look at the beauty of about 4 layers of mountains ridges and are just wide-mouthed with the beauty, there, almost an intentional slap in the face, is their sign, obliterating the highest peak. It's just brazen.

And it's not happening just there either. I think they take pride in incorporating their image into every small-town view they can.

But that's beside the point. That's merely and aesthetic observation. The truth about Walmart is much more eye-opening.

Low wages that force associates to apply for state aide...if they even can qualify for that.

Ghastly worker conditions and wages overseas. Hear about a chinese girl's experience, and see workers in Honduras and India.

Purposefully causing people to work overtime and finding ways to avoid paying them for it, to the extent of changing time cards and training managers. Has resulted in many lawsuits.

Disregard for evironmental hazards that they cause, such as pallets of fertilizer and pesticides left out in the rain, that then go down the storm drain and into a river used for drinking water. Lack of action or even response is commonplace.

Millions of dollars they take in subsidys that then cripple a small town's ability to offer the best services to its citizens, such as emergency services.

And that's just a start. See for yourself.

My purpose in writing this blog is to not only share what I've learned, but hopefully help to change even one person's view of this dangerous and deceptive corporation. They are a far cry from what they protray themselves to be.

So no more Walmart for me. Thanks to HSB I've been trying to shop more local and all that, but this has strengthened my resolve. It will be a sacrifice, especially come winter, but that's something I'm willing to deal with.

I'm talking about people with no regard for anything except putting more money in their pocket. They don't care how it's done...even at the cost of our economy and small abandoned downtowns, and families that have shed blood, sweat and tears to start an independant business and run it for over 40 years, only to have it go under when Walmart comes to town.

I'm trying to do my part...now what's yours?

Garden Pics

A storm came through and knocked a bunch of glads over, with the result that I get to enjoy a whole passle of them! I'm stingy with my flowers...heh. I don't know why, but I just never would have thought to pick this many to bring indoors.

Echinacea with wierd looking fly.

Single petaled poppy above, and cleome below. They say the latter spreads like crazy. I guess I'll find out soon, as I'm just enjoying it right now!

The purple cabbage didn't seem to get cabbage worms as bad...but then, it's taking longer to head up than the others.

My brussel sprouts are starting to form little sprouts at the base of the leaves! I'm so excited...this is one of dh's favorite veggies.

And looky looky...my first okra bloom. I planted marigolds in between some of them, and those seem stunted. I'm wondering if they just don't like each other, or it's just a competition for nutrients?

I bought 2 heirloom varieties of toms. The beefsteak, below, has had a major problem with splitting. I think it's better now that I'm making sure they get water more regularly.

The romas are loaded...

I think these are Brandywine...

Didn't expect the squash to make it...they got a late start. Glad I was wrong.

Pirates...Arghhh, Matey

We went to see the new one, Dead Man's Chest, with b-i-l and Dad.

My review? ...I thought it was a good continuation of the story. They upped the ante, with lots of good fight scenes and interesting looking characters. Pretty amazing what they did with one scene in particular and the use of a water wheel. It is a middle movie, so of course it's not as good as the first one. Just keep that in mind. Very entertaining though, if you like the frenzied pace.

It has the excitement, the cannibals, the creepy after-life pirates. I recommend it if you were really into the first one. But maybe wait until the DVD so you don't hold me responsible for wasting your money.

And it didn't do so well on Rotten Tomatoes...see for yourself.

Current House Project

Well, we finally got up the gumption to start another house project. Somehow we thought this would be a "small one," and though it is less daunting than dealing with layers of wallpaper or plaster, it's still taking longer than I thought.

Of course, my dh being gone for 2 weekends in a row might have something to do with it...I can only work so fast!

Here are a coupla pics. It's our sunporch on the front of the house. It's also on the southern side, so in the winter we migrate here to bask on sunny days. I'm hoping to keep my tender plants alive out here, so it will be a combination greenhouse and sitting room, I hope.

The walls are panelling of a particularly hideous shade. I'm glad to finally be kilzing it. The end result will be a sky blue ceiling with white walls and peachy trim, to pick up the color under the eaves.

Freezing Green Beans

Here are the results from my experimentation.

I unthawed them after being frozen for several days, and heated them in a saucepan with a bit of water. I was pleased with the texture...they still had a bit of crunch and the flavor was still very fresh.

So, I decided to go ahead and freeze them all, about 2 walmart bags half full. They are State Half-runners. I still have another bag of Blue Lake to do, and as they are a more tender bean I will have to be careful, methinks.

I put them in the steamer for about 8 minutes, turning them over halfway.

Then they were transferred to ice water and cooled down.

I laid them out to dry pretty thoroughly on a dishtowel.

Then they were packed into freezer zips, and I vacuumed all the air out that I could.

So that was that! Oh...and I must give a heartfelt thanks to Rebekah, who came to keep me company and help her silly sis-in-law pick beans in the middle of the day, and then break them all. I would have been breaking them all day without her!

Green Tea

After tasting the yummy albeit expensive Sobe green tea my husband bought the other day, I decided to try making some for ourselves.

This is what I tried. A. NOT steeping the tea so long that it gets that bitter taste. B. Adding mint leaves and a 1/2 lime. C. using honey and a tat of sugar.

End result? Very refreshing! I'm not sure if there's a better way to steep the mint to get more flavor, or if I should have used more leaves. Goodness knows I have enough taking over my front flower beds. It's blooming right now and pretty enough, but between that and the vinca both competing for "most aggresive and aggravating to get rid of," I guess I should start waging war. Of course, the bamboo makes everything else kind of pale in comparison. Anybody out there had to deal with it before? I'm looking for another option to RoundUp. Grr.

Kefir, Anyone?

Ok...so what IS kefir anyway, you ask?

It's a cultured milk product similar to yogurt, but differing enough to make it vital to digestive health. The thing about yogurt is that it only feeds the friendly bacteria that you already have in residence. Kefir actually replenishes the bacteria, and is considered a great probiotic. I've been doing this Colonix cleanse, and they strongly encourage a probiotic. So I use kefir, and on occasion, Garden of Life's (Jordan Rubin) Primal Defense supplement with homeostatic soil organisms which promote healthy bacterial count and Ph levels in the gut. His products are all cultured as well, to take advantage of the way the enzymes break down and improve the assimilation of nutrients. Oh..and he emphasizes whole foods to feed the body verses a specific supplement to treat a problem. I haven't totally given up on supplements, but I'm coming around to the "whole food" way of thinking. 'Nough said...

Ok...back to topic. It's really cool how kefir is made too. You can start off with the packets from your health food store, but the best is to use the little globules called "grains" that host the bacterial culture. They propagate through the medium, whether milk, water, or fruit juice. There are different kinds of grains for different things, and if you make kefir cheese the whey can be used to make other cultured foods like kraut or kimchee. (Sally Fallon has a ton of cultured recipes.)

I've done a lot of research, and finally found some one to send grains to a friend and I. There are several "sharing" sites where people offer to send or let you pick up their extra grains. We are able to get almost organic, whole creamline milk that is not ultra pastuerized to make it with.

It might take a little patience to get to "know" your grains and how they work. It took a few weeks for the grains to recover from the trip, and I was so relieved when I tasted a batch and it tasted cultured and NOT soured like the previous. It's similar to yogurt in flavor, and after it ripens it can get a pleasant, effervescent "tang" to it. Yumm!

It's great in smoothies too. Many people report feeling so much better after starting to drink kefir on a regular basis, and I think it has helped my digestion as well.

The best site for info is Dom's Kefir site. He talks a lot about how kefir works, its properties and things you can make with it, etc... Check it out! There's a yahoo group as well that will bombard you with reasonably useful info and discussions on sourdough and things of that nature.

It's been amazing to me to think about how "clean" America is and how concerned we (I!) am with that. And it's that very thing that robs us of organisms necessary for life! And the whole cultured food goes against our American way of thinking too. We want clean countertops with no weird growing things on it. *grin*

The best part of kefir will be sharing with someone when my little guys decide to make some babies. Supposedly as the grains grow pieces will break off to become a globule of their own. I guess I'll have to keep a close eye out.

Ok...time to go drink a glass and gross my family out!

Recipes

Here's a few recipes I've used lately.

Easy Coconut Pie

4 eggs

1/2 cp. self-rising flour

1 3/4 cp. sugar (Decrease if using sweetened coconut, substitue partial honey)

1/2 butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cps. milk

1 cp. coconut, fine

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 9" pie pan. Bake at 325' for 30 minutes.

This is a custardy type of pie...we made it all the time when I was growing up and loved it.

Coconut Macaroons

3 cps. coconut, fine

1 cup sweetened, condensed milk

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

Mix and form into balls. Place on heavily greased baking sheet. (I was feeling scrimpy with the oil, but it needs to almost have a puddle for each one.) Bake for about 8-10 minutes at 350', until lightly browned. Remove immediately and cool.

My review of this recipe is pretty good. They stressed the difficulty of removing the macaroons from the pan. This proved true, and a lot of them crumbled. I think parchment would make it easier to peel them away, but I would still grease it down good. The flavor is good, and I'm not one that cares for that condensed milk stuff. They are moist and chewy.

I plan on making this more traditional macaroon recipe sometime this week.

Traditional Macaroons

4 egg whites, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla and/or almond extract. (I will use the ratio from the previous recipe.)

2/3 cp. sugar

1/3 cp. flour

3 cps. coconut

smidge of salt

Carefully mix ingredients into egg whites, folding in coconut last. Form into balls and bake at 300' for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove immediately and cool.

Why all the coconut recipes, you ask? Heh...I recently ordered from the co-op, and for some reason put down an insane amount of coconut on my order. *lol* So now I have to use it all! Such a shame...coconut being one of my favorites.

Finally, here's a green beean salad I came across and tried.

Bean Vinaigrette

2 lbs. beans

1 TB oil

2 TB of each...

sugar or honey

dijon mustard

vinegar

lemon or lime juice

Steam the beans 10-12 minutes. Mix up dressing and pour over.

I added cucumbers, sweet peppers, green onions, and tomatoes. The dressings is nice and tangy, and the mustard gives a little kick. I would advise marinating several hours in the fridge, maybe holding off on the toms until time to serve.

How the Garden Grows....

Here's a picture of the garden right now...it's so pretty with all the gladiolas and poppies blooming! The tomatoes are loaded down.....no ripe ones yet. And the green beans...State half runners...are climbing well. I also have a row of Blue Lake bush beans behind, and two rows of potatoes, and cabbage and onions. The brussel sprouts are getting big, and you can see the little spouts starting to form at the base of the leaves. Pretty cool! I thought they would be huge plants...the ones I've seen on gardening shows are always about 3 foot tall. Maybe I'll just have little stunted sprouts.

Here's one of the poppies. They are so cool...some are single, others are slightly ruffled, and then there are some completely ruffled, like this one. I picked some seedpods that were ripe the other day, and they are chock full! I was told that they can be used for baking and such. I actually had tried some, and wondered if it was a special poppy that produced edible seeds. These spread like crazy, and look a bit like little lettuce plants before they bolt and produce buds. If anyone wants seeds, send me a message and I'll try to get some out to you. I also will have some larkspur and columbine seeds, if I can get out there to collect them.

My first cucumber. Obviously, I didn't find it until too late, and it was tough as I expected. There have been a couple more, and they got picked and eaten while the seeds were still small. Nothing like fresh out of the garden!

My biggest pepper is coming along nicely. I can't remember where I planted the 2 green plants amongst the others...so I suppose I'll just have to wait and see if it turns bright red or not.

I love the echinacea. I moved these from inside the garden before we tilled everything up. Have you seen some of the new colors? My s-i-l has one each of Sunrise and Sunset. The latter is my favorite, because it's orange. *grin*

Well, that's about it for the tour today! I need to go tend the granola. It didn't turn out too well this time...I think I got a little too much water and it's not sticking together and is trying to burn. Grrr. Anybody have a tried and true recipe? I thought I had this down...

Green Bean Update

Well, I steamed them for about 6 minutes, dropped them in ice water and then let them dry and drain for a while. So they didn't have water on the outside when I packed them.

I put them in quart freezer zips, and sucked all the extra air out of them...a straw works pretty good. I ran out of time and decided to forego tray packing, to save the extra step and eliminate the task of figuring out how to fit cookie sheets in my tiny freezer!

I checked them this morning, and they look ok, and even break into smaller sized clumps. So that makes me happy. I still have portion control. Guess I'll wait a few days and then try them, to see how the texture is. If the packers can do it for the stores, why can't I? It's worth a try to not have to cook them so long with canning.

Freezing Green Beans

Anybody out there have any preferences or things that work well for them? I picked my first batch and I'm trying to preserve some of them. There's only two of us, so I'm debating about whether I should try to tray pack them. That would alleviate guessing the quantity while I'm packing them, and allow me to customize the portion at cooking instead of having to unthaw one or two whole bags.

Here's a good link about freezing and blanching.

Guess I'd better quit stalling and start snapping! My plot to have my sis-in-law help fell through. That's ok though...I'm sure there will be plenty more.

July 4th Celebration

We got together with the fam and had a good 'ole time and a scrummy meal.

Here's my dh with his hat from Papaw.

"Love is in the air..."

We even had someone to provide the pickin' and grinnin'.

Here's Mom and Dad. After eight kids and two in-laws, she's as beautiful as ever!

Buck, our dog, even got to go along. As you can see, he is just thrilled to pieces!

After dark we had some fun with sparklers...

All in all it was a very fun day.