Hi Everyone,
NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/998527468831708
This is a short facebook clip about a DIY rain harvesting technique. SO simple!!! True confession: “I” am not going to do this. Frankly, we just don’t get that much rain. But it’s a great idea, using only a large trash bin, a piece of mesh, and a spigot.
Also, I read this morning that you can deter potato bugs by planting cilantro. I think I’ll try it.
I sprouted some lentils this week.
I soaked them in water Wednesday night. Thursday morning, I drained them and propped the jar up in a cereal bowl so the water would drain but the seeds would not. Rinse and repeat, Thursday night, Friday AM and PM, Saturday morning they were ready and I put the jar in the fridge.
Sprouting increases all B-vitamins rfom 20% up to 2,000%!!
Sprouts contain complete proteins and all other essential dietary nutrients, along with enzymes to help assimilate them.
How do you eat them? They are great as a snack (you can add salt, or a seasoning salt, or taco seasoning, etc.), stir fry, salads, pizzas, smoothies, sandwiches, or even on scrambled eggs.
I get mine here: True Leaf Market | True Leaf Market Seed Company. I like the lentils best, but I have broccoli and alfalfa sprouts as well.
GARDEN HAPPENINGS:
So, I learned this week that the reason you are supposed to plant garlic in the fall is because it needs a certain number of “chill hours” to form a bulb. I “think” I put the garlic in the fridge before I planted it, but I’m not sure now. It came up beautifully, but I’m just not sure how it will grow.
At fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/chill-calculator
I was able to put in my nearest weather station (Temecula, California) and actually find out how many chill hours my area has had. (which is 101 hours from March 3- March 17).
THIS website gave specific chill hours needed for different varieties of apple, peach, and pear trees: Chill Hours for Fruit Trees – Maps & Charts – Mehrabyan Nursery
I’ve started to “harden off” the tomatoes. They are SO big they can’t stand up in their pots. I’ve got some pencils holding some of them up and I tied them together so they wouldn’t fall over. I set them out yesterday for 1 1/2 hours. Today, they will stay in the sun for 3-4 hours. TOMORROW they are going in the planting pots permanently.
Last year, I planted all of my tomatoes with 3-4 Tums tablets in each hole. Tums are pure calcium, and this is supposed to prevent blossom end rot. It worked for me. I had no problems last year. These guys planted different things under their plants to see which would work best: (1559) We Buried Common KitchenScraps in the Garden and THIS Happened Surprisingly, the tomato plant with NOTHING under it performed the best. Their conclusion was to use compost which will let the plant immediately access the nutrients rather than having to break them down.
THIS WEEK’S PURCHASE: Rice
“There are more than 7,000 varieties of rice. Long grain rice cooks up dry and fluffy and is good in curries, pilafs, and casseroles. Short grain rice is more tender and sticky and is good for breakfast cereals, pudding, Oriental dishes, and casseroles, too. Mixing different lengths can add textural interest to any dish.
Don’t rinse rice. Rinsing before cooking causes the starches to release more quickly than they should and the rice will not thicken. With only a few exceptions, mix 1 part rice and 2 parts water or broth. Add 1 tsp rice for every cup of rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20-30 min for regular rice and 30-40 for brown. Don’t peek! After allotted time, remove from the heat, fluff with a fork, and let stand, covered, a few more minutes.
SHORT TERM PURCHASE: canned meat or tuna
You really should consider canning chicken or ground beef. This jar of canned chicken equals about 1 pound of chicken. I canned it back in 2018. It’s been hanging out under our bed.
Canning is SO easy. For chicken, no pre-cooking is needed. Cut chicken in large chunks, pack in jars with a little salt, and process in the pressure canner. AND, it’s cheaper than buying canned chicken.
With the price of ground beef climbing, you can get 10 pounds of 85% ground beef at Winco and can it up. I can show you how!
72 HOUR KITS: first aid kit
I’ve used my first aid kit from my car more than any other thing in my 72 Hour Kit. I bought these:
But the little packets are so convenient. These packets and some bandaids: Amazon.com: Lightning X Products Heavy Duty Flexible Fabric Assorted Adhesive Bandages for First Aid Kits (Pack of 100), 5 Sizes : Health & Household
I like these because there are fingertip bandaids, knuckle bandaids, large bandaids and regular bandaids.
At girls’ camp, the most used items were bandaids, mole skin, tweezers (splinters), and Tylenol. Just sayin’.
FOOD STORAGE RECIPES
Mom’s Favorite Cornbread
Contributed by Elaine Westmoreland
Cookin’ With Home Storage, by Peggy Larson
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
2 TB sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 c. oil
1 egg
1 c. milk
Measure milk and put in a bowl. Add to milk, egg, oil, and sugar. Beat.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, Stir into milk mixture and add cornmeal. Mix well.
Pour into baking pan and bake 400˚ for 25 min.
Note–no pan size is given. I’m thinking 9″ square??
— also, I’d grease the pan!
Sheep Camp Lentils and Rice
Cookin’ With Home Storage, by Peggy Larson
1 large onion diced
1/4 c. oil
1 c. lentils
4 c. water or chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c. rice
Optional: carrots and celery, chopped
Fry onions in oil until translucent and soft.
In a 3 quart pan, rinse lentils sort out any small rocks. Add water, bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes. Add rice, salt, pepper, carrots and celery, and onions. Continue cooking until tender, but not mushy. About 25 minutes. Add 1 c. mushrooms.
Rice Custard Pudding
from The Pioneer Cookbook by Miriam Barton
3/4 c. cooked rice
3 eggs
1 quart milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
To the rice, add beaten eggs, milk, sugar, and raisins; mix thoroughly. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and bake at 325˚ for 50-60 minutes, or until a custard forms.
Marti Shelley
