Hi Everyone,
NOTES:
As we move deeper into summer, temperatures will continue to rise. If you live in a fire zone, you probably have one or more sites like ours that will keep you informed about fires. Check out this county website for tips on handling extreme heat: Extreme Heat and Cold Weather | County of Riverside Emergency Management Department
For more information on active fires, visit https://www.rvcfire.org/incidents
For more information on wildfires and how to prepare…
https://rivcoready.org/disaster-preparedness/wildfire
All Riverside County residents should sign up for Alert RivCo at RivCoReady.org/AlertRivCo and download the County’s Protect app
For tips on power outages and how to prepare, click here…
https://rivcoready.org/disaster…/have-plan/power-outages
For information on food safety during and after a power outage, please download this helpful brochure (in both English and Spanish).
https://rivcoready.org/…/131-18-DEH%20Food%20and…
Check your local county resources. Just google “____ County emergency services” and see what pops up. You might also want to look into VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters) and find out how you can get involved. VOAD is nationwide but separated into counties. They are the liaison between county emergency services and the public as far as donations and volunteer work is concerned. In our local chapter, VOAD is home to The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, Team Rubicon, ARES (ham radio), along with several faith-based organizations.
Here is an article I posted a while ago that bears repeating:
Is It Safe to Keep Your Plastic Water Bottle in a Hot Car?
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
So, I’m not sure what is eating these, but it looks bigger than a worm! Squirrel? We’ve never had squirrels before. A mouse? could be, but I’ve not seen any mouse droppings anywhere. Don’t you think it’s rude! I have now put EVERY tomato and pepper in a small mesh bag for protection.
However, something ate a small hole in one of my ripe tomatoes, RIGHT THROUGH THE BAG!!! Again, so rude! I guess my next options are to completely cover the entire tomato plant with mesh (like I do for the blueberries) OR get some of that sticky mouse trap paper and try and catch whatever it is.
Also, you can pick the fruit before it is fully ripe and let it ripen on the counter. As soon as it is good and orange, you can safely pick it.
There isn’t a leaf on the bean plant that doesn’t have holes in it. Again, I don’t “see” any bugs, but I’ve been spraying with BT anyway. The pole beans are producing – finally – and I LOVE fresh beans with dinner!
When you spray, be sure you do it early in the morning, or later in the afternoon. I sprayed Neem Oil on a zucchini once under a hot sun, and it literally fried the entire plant and killed it!
It’s never too soon to start thinking about saving seeds for next year:
LONG-TERM STORAGE: onions
You can get a #10 can at the Home Storage Center for $10. I LOVE using dehydrated onions and use them almost exclusively. I just microwave a small cup of water for 1 minute, dump in a handful of onions, and let it sit for about 15 min while I brown the hamburger or start dinner preparations. Drain the water and you have finely chopped onions, ready to add to your meat or dinner. You CANNOT chop them as fine as this. No tears. So easy.
Please don’t dehydrate onions yourself. Your house, your furniture, your clothes, your hair will smell like onions. You can buy dehydrated onions at your local grocery store in the spice section. At Winco, you can buy them in the bulk section.
I would imagine that 1-2 #10 cans would be plenty for an entire year.
SHORT-TERM STORAGE: cinnamon, vanilla
I picked up a large bottle of vanilla when I went to Mexico last year. I’ve been using it all year, but now it has lost all smell. So disappointing. After all, that’s the whole point, isn’t it? The smell?
Can you use imitation vanilla? According to this “Taste Test” article, tasters could not tell the difference between real vanilla and imitation vanilla. Pure Vs. Imitation Vanilla Extract: Is It Worth Spending More For The Real Stuff?
Even though real vanilla had a more pure flavor and aroma, it was barley noticeable once the cookies were baked. However, everyone preferred the real vanilla in the whipped cream.
Finally thought, imitation is totally fine.
72 HOUR KITS: a sharp knife!
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES:
25 Simple Backyard Campfire Recipes | Urban Survival Site
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert–all over the campfire.
During my scrolling this week, these two recipes sounded so good.
Cinnamon Roll Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
Mix according to directions, except use milk instead of water. Pour in a greased 13 X 9 pan and set aside.
Mix
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 TB flour
1 TB cinnamon
You can microwave the butter for a few seconds so this becomes a smooth batter. Drop by spoonfuls all over the cake. Then use a butter knife to swirl the cake mix back and forth and incorporate the cinnamon down into the cake.
Bake 350 for 30 min or until done.
Frosting: Well, how much and how sweet do you want your frosting?
Her frosting:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 TB milk
splash vanilla
4 TB cream cheese
MY cinnamon roll frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese at room temp
2 TB softened butter
Cream together
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
I didn’t use any milk. This frosting is more for spreading, less for drizzling.
Cinnamon Swirl Crunch Bread
Cinnamon Swirl Crunch Bread – Cook Like Lauren
1 stick softened butter
1 c. sugar
Cream until mixed and fluffy
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Add and mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. flour
Add dry ingredients and mix
Pour 1/2 of the mix into a greased loaf pan
(filling)
1/2 c. sugar
1 TB cinnamon
2 TB melted butter
Add 1/2 of the filling to the loaf pan.
Top with the second half of the batter and then the second half of the cinnamon sugar mix.
Heat an additional 2 TB of melted butter and drizzle over the top.
Run a knife through all the layers to create the swirl.
Bake 1 hour at 350˚
Cool for 15 min then slice and serve
Marti Shelley
