Taking a Sabbatical

After some discussion with my husband, we've decided to do something akin to Dave Ramsey's debt diet and therefore we will be getting rid of our $50/month cable Internet connection this week along with a few other things we think we can live without.  Let me say though, it's going to be hard to live without the Internet and email!  (What will I do without Google?)

It's hard enough starting out as a young family, but this economy has really been the pits.  We have a little bit of consumer debt that we want to go ahead knock out while we're in a good position to do so, hopefully leaving us with less worries hanging over our head if things should go south.  We also have some costly repairs we need to get done on the house that we'd like to save up for and pay in cash.  It just seems like the most pragmatic thing to do and we both faintly remember what life was like before the computer took such precedence and we're pretty sure we'll survive.  ;)

Also, considering how much I will really be able to get done around here without any time distractions, all in all, it's shaping up to look like a really good idea and I think it's something that God could bless in our lives.

So this will be my last post for awhile... I may try to do an occasional update from the library if I get a chance and I will still check my email there from time to time.

It's going to feel pretty weird, living "unplugged" after all this time.  I might even go through a little withdrawal.  We're keeping the electricity on, so don't worry--I'm not going completely Amish.  Ha.

I'm really going to miss all of my blogging friends.  A special thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my ramblings and leave such nice comments.  I've really enjoyed the feeling of community and chatting about our shared interests.  Take care, everybody!

Prep Work For Canning

Well, I've been able to confirm that some of my paste tomatoes have contracted Early Blight and I'm going to have to yank them out of there.  I'll be making a trip over to Ohio to purchase some additional canning tomatoes since I can get them for $5.00 a bushel there.  Really, I'm not sure why I take up so much garden space on tomatoes since it's easier to buy them all at once.  I do have certain varieties that I prefer, but that's just me being stubborn I guess.

Since I don't have enough paste tomatoes to can a full load right now, I've been washing, coring and quartering them as they ripen, then sticking them in the freezer until I'm ready.  This will speed things up considerably when I go to can.  All I will have to do is dump the frozen paste tomatoes into a big pot and cook them down (no need to remove the skins on paste tomatoes because you'll run it through a sieve later.)  This method also works well for your diced tomatoes too, because freezing the tomato whole will cause the skins to slip off nicely and in my opinion this is a little easier than blanching them in small batches.

I almost have enough banana peppers to make my Hot Pepper Mustard.  Oh, it's so good!  We are addicted to it and go through it quickly, using it to glaze a ham, on sandwiches or as a dipping mustard with our homemade venison summer sausage.  I like to make up a lot of half-pints to give as Christmas gifts too.

This prep-work also makes it so quick and easy to whip up a batch of mustard.  I pre-measure my four quarts of chopped peppers in to one-gallon Ziploc bags.

While I'm on the subject of hot peppers, let me give you a few words of wisdom on chopping them up, if you've never done it before.  These are things I learned the hard way!

1)  Always wear gloves.  Be very careful of what you touch with the gloves (i.e. the handles on the sink) and wash those things off thoroughly before you go back later and touch them with bare hands.  There is nothing worse than rubbing your eyes with so much as a hint of hot pepper oil on your fingers.  It hurt so badly I thought my contact lens was going to melt into my eyeball!

2)  This was a weird one I found out the hard way too.  All those hot pepper seeds and veins you toss into the sink will give off caustic vapors when you go to spray the sink down with water.  Dispose of them all before you go to rinse out the sink.  The vapors off of them will burn your eyes and lungs.  It's horrible!

Other than that, I love hot peppers.  :)

Now guess what I have planned for these glossy green beauties...

  

I am going to make homemade jalapeno poppers!  These are Mucho Nacho Jalapeno peppers.  This was the sole reason I grew them.  I also have another recipe for stuffing them and wrapping them with bacon then cooking them on the grill.  The poppers can be made up ahead of time and stored in the freezer to enjoy later.  I will be preserving most of them this way.  I'll share those recipes too as I make them and have pictures.  :)

We purchased a 20 pound propane tank this week for my canning so I wouldn't run out.  I'm still trying to find the correct adapter/hose for my Coleman camp stove, but I think I can buy extra parts to make the one I have work.  I bought the small canisters of propane for it last year and that is not very economical.

This post is linked to Barn Hop #22

Starting the 3in30 Challenge

I've decided that I NEED to do the 3in30 Challenge.  It may be my only hope.  ;)

I first heard about it over at Sparing Change.  Basically, it is a monthly challenge designed to motivate you to accomplish your goals.  I think the added accountability will do me good!

Those of you who know me personally or have followed my blog for some time have probably come to notice that I tend to lack follow-through sometimes.  I too frequently daydream about things I want to do, start projects, buy the materials for them, then lose them by the wayside.  I have a detailed, very itemized to-do list on my fridge that has been there for a few months now and I've only managed to cross off nine out of about fifty items.  Sad!  And frustrating.  I pass by and look at things everyday and it drives me nuts that I can't seem to get around to accomplishing them.

Remember the antique armoire my mother-in-law gave me that I was going to convert into extra kitchen storage?  I bought six cans of spray paint to do it, but it's still collecting dust out in the garage.  In my defense, I did finish painting the free desk I got from the plant and it is in use as my computer desk now.

The roll-out nest of my dreams, designed to make egg-collecting and egg-washing easier... There is a stack of plywood out in the garage designated for that project.  At this time though, I decided that what I really need is a whole new chicken coop and to kick the chickens out of my little barn so that it can house some goats in the winter.  Add it to the list!

Here's one that makes me hang my head in shame.  My mother-in-law commissioned me to make seven sets of photo coasters with pictures of my late father-in-law's famous roses so she could give them to friends and family as a memorial.  I was half way done with this one then for some reason put it all into a basket and later found it buried when I went to clean out my craft room.

Speaking of my craft room, I did finally get it all cleaned out, shampooed the carpet, put in lots of storage cabinets and a table for workspace.  I still have to sort through the boxes of my craft junk, throw out or give away some of it and sort it into the drawers.  Will this ever come to pass so that I can start using and enjoying my own special space set aside just for me?

If my family were depending on me for soap, they would all be very dirty and stinky right now.  For months I have been collecting the supplies.  The only thing I yet lack is a sturdy plastic pitcher for mixing lye.  What is stopping me from running to Walmart and buying a $3.00 plastic pitcher?  I don't know, but I'm sure it's purely psychological.  I will make soap sometime before I die...

My husband and I started building my new super-duty hive stand for my bees about one month ago and although it has been very hot and also I was quite sick and useless for two whole weeks, I think that one might actually get done here soon.  I also must confess that I still have frames left over from this winter that still need to be assembled.  Good thing my bees didn't swarm, huh.  :P

So you see what I am up against?

Hello.  I am the President of the Procrastinator's Anonymous Club.  Eventually I will get around to chartering the club so that you can join too if you  want or have time to.

Well, I had a really hard time deciding on my three goals for the month of August.  Naturally, I want to start out simple and not completely overwhelm myself so that they can be attainable.  I'd sure hate to totally tank and scare myself off track on the first round.

By the end of August, I am going to:

1)  Sort and back up to Kodak online at least one month's worth of digital pictures.  Since I got my new camera for Christmas, a Pentax k-x DSLR, I take a lot more pictures than I used to.  I'd hate to lose them if my computer ever blew up!

2)  Finish sorting my craft room, as mentioned above.

3)  Take my poor child to the playground at least once a week.

In future monthly challenges, I plan to try to work on an assortment of to-do's, farm projects, fun things I've meant to learn to do and also an occasional aspect of self-improvement.

I do tend to do at least those things that I really want to do.  My garden is probably the one area of my life that I faithfully keep up with.  Well, that and my blog.

Wish me luck!  And if you're feeling the need for a little encouragement to tackle some goals you've tentatively set for your life, be sure to go check out the 3in30 Challenge today.

Weekly Harvest Weigh-In #7

I'm starting to get a little bit of everything from the garden now, except for the beans and okra which I am still waiting on, and of course the pumpkins/melons.

I've been up to my eyeballs in summer squash and have to pick it everyday.  It seems to be a little easier to give it away when you get to them while they're still small and tender!  I've frozen several batches of summer squash/zucchini for soups and Summer Squash Casserole to enjoy this winter.  The casserole is one of my all-time favorite recipes and I'll be sure to post that for you all the next time I make it.  It's really good!

Here's my numbers for this week:

Yellow Squash - 7.24 lb.
Zucchini - 1.42 lb.
Asst. Paste Tomatoes - 4.59 lb.
Asst. Slicing Tomatoes - 4.72 lb.
Asst. Cherry/Plum Tomatoes - 2.36 lb.
Eggplant - 0.66 lb.
Asst. Peppers - 4.65 lb.
Fennel Bulbs - 0.86 lb.
Blackberries - 1.98 lb.
Cucumbers - 0.84 lb.

Total - 29.32 pounds of produce

Year-to-Date - 87.82 pounds

 

Some of this week's colorful harvest, minus all the summer squash which I gave away!

I predict next week's numbers will be pretty substantial.  The garden is really starting to hit its full stride now.  I'm gearing up for canning as we speak and waiting for my 20# propane tank adapter to come in the mail so I can hook up my Coleman camp stove and get down to business.  I'll keep updates on that in the weeks to come as well and share some of my favorite recipes as I go.

Please take some time to leave me a comment and/or link and show us how your garden is doing!  :)