Good Links

I found these two links while blog reading about wasted food @ http://wastedfood.com/.
The 1st is Love Food Hate Waste outta UK that has a great section on recipes where the search is based on what needs using up. There's a recipe called Bubble & Squeak that's worth a try for the unique factor alone. http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes
Link to converting Metric to Standard (it's a UK website after all) http://www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm
The second link from Wasted Food is the Society of St. Andrew, a Christian ministry dedicated to gleaning America’s fields and feeding America’s hungry.
Great opportunity to learn about gleaning - http://www.endhunger.org/index.htm


~~ pelenaka ~~

First Salad of Spring

Free Organic Baby Salad Greens grown in the cold frame. Seeds were a gift from a fellow urban homesteader. Not sure where she obtained them from no doubt a barter deal. This is a mix of non-iceberg lettuce the majority I can't i.d. without a seed catalog except for Red Oak. Wanna say the seed packet read salad mix from Johnny's seeds.

I sowed the lettuce much too close in the beginning of April half thinking it wouldn't be a problem since the seeds are 4 years old, more than likely not to grow. So now for the most part we'll just come out and kneel down next to the frame and attempt to pluck out every other lettuce plant. Make that pluck 3 leave 1.

Frugal aspect: from an earlier blog post about the cold frame http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/2007/08/happenings-on-back-40-feet.html

Materials were free wood scraps, about $2 worth of black paint, and guess of $5 worth of upholstery plastic. Still need to do that upgrade to enable the original goal to be met - growing greens in Winter.

Current pricing on organic salad greens is $4.99 for 8 oz. Frame paid for itself last season so I'm curious how much of a savings it will generate this season.

Last night we ate about $6 worth for dinner.

~~ pelenaka ~~

1. P.S. Chore list 5/5/08 - future rain barrels didn't get painted due to a difference between my engineer (DH) & myself. He has an idea for a new design ...
2. New Patio design is 1/3 completed, waiting on the take down of my greenhouse which is waiting on the final threat of frost. Extreme difficulty foraging for cinder blocks, (must be the recession).
3. New Raised bed is started but also waiting on the removal of the greenhouse. Soil was relocated from a bed located in the driveway along with found compost material (lazy neighbor who doesn't rake). Wasn't able to collect pond scum or wood chips yet. Placed rabbit cages over this bed & another to direct collect poop. Bun's are enjoying the change of scenery. I'm enjoying NOT cleaning cage pans.
4. Rabbit tractor has been put on hold until I can find a suitable pasture. First attempt @ a local park attracted a dog & owner with way too many questions. The tractor design was my smallest cage placed on the open lawn.
5. Planted a very small bed of wild garlic from a plant trade with a coworker. Garlic should be planted in the Fall when possible. Hope to trade a lilac for a Hosta next week.

Chore list

Monday, Monday, time to get organized after my 3 12-hour shifts @ work. Quick check of the long range weather claims highs around mid 60's & more importantly lows around 40's. Chance of rain <>
So here's my list of outside homesteading chores to complete in the next 4 days.

• Paint 2, 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels black so DH can make me more rain barrels. We both have a feeling that this will be a drought Summer.
• Rework the patio - rearrange the pavers & put up a privacy trellis that will double as vertical growing space for green beans. Involves relocating pea gravel & using found materials.
• Install a new raised bed - HD is having a sale on landscape timbers @ $1.89 each. Our need for more growing space outweighs our usual lax time schedule of curb shopping for found materials to use in construction of raised beds such as cinder blocks & huge rocks. This will also free up old cinders to recreate a better hearth for my canning stove or make a new stove.
• Visit a local city park that has a fresh water filled quarry (licensed fishing only) to collect pond scum for composting. Forage for plants.
• Snag countless trash cans full of free wood chips for mulch (city dump) for the back 40'.
• Plant all those darn seeds we keep buying, collecting, trading, received as gifts.
• Make a rabbit tractor so buns can be free ranged to save on feed & give them some space.
• Survey my oldest DD's backyard to finalize plans for a satellite garden . She's rented a house in the same neighborhood so maintaining it will be convenient (yea, famous last words). Oh duh, add @ least two more rain barrels for that garden. Figure out a fencing system to deter her neighbor & their pets.

~~ pelenaka ~~