Busyness & Butterflies

What a busy day it's been, not to mention week! The garden is completely planted now, thank goodness! Blossoms are coming on to the tomatoes, the swiss chard is growing tall and the eggplant is coming up. Lots going on out there and the plants are doing well with the recent rains.

I've been busy around the house, catching up and trying to keep decent meals on the table while tending to things outdoors and helping friends accomplish their necessary tasks. I even managed to upload some eBay listings in the past day or three to create a little extra cash flow. If interested, check the items out using the link on the right hand side of my blog.

We've really been enjoying our fresh garden greens. Last night I made a large bowl of wilted greens as an accompaniment to dinner. They were delicious. I used a combination of spinach and romaine lettuce. I'm including the easy recipe below in case you've never tickled your taste buds with this nice change of pace from a regular salad.

Wilted Lettuce Salad

Large bunch of cleaned leaf lettuce or young spinach or a combination
6 slices bacon
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. water
2-4 hard cooked eggs, quartered or chopped (optional)
2 green onions, sliced (optional)

Tear lettuce into large bowl. Fry bacon until crisp, set aside and crumble when cool. Add vinegar, sugar and water to bacon drippings, heat to boiling point. Pour over lettuce. Toss until wilted. Garnish with onion, crumbled bacon and eggs.

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Monarch Butterflies

Somehow, as I was browsing the internet this morning I got fixated on Monarch Butterflies. It didn’t take long to learn that the loss of farmland and use of herbicides is a major threat to the lives and future of these beautiful creatures. It relieves me to know that these 80 acres surrounding me are no longer farmed and that the milkweed grows freely.

Here are two organizations I came across that offer ways to help attract and preserve the Monarch and keep our skies and yards filled with nature’s beauty.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/ explains how we can offset habitat loss by creating a Monarch waystation for the butterflies on their yearly migration route. Certified Monarch Waystations then become part of the International Monarch and Waystation Registry and can display the Waystation sign. However, submission for certification is voluntary.

http://www.livemonarch.com has as their goal to keep the skies filled with color by educating everyone about habitat loss and what each of us can do. They promote habitat reclamation projects across North America and sponsor a free seed program and free “adopt a butterfly” program. These programs are great for getting children involved in butterfly conservation!

Have a soda & a little DNA damage, too!

If high fructose corn syrup isn't reason enough to give up soda, maybe sodium benzoate is? I'll stick with my coffee and tea, thank you very much!

The Organic Consumers Associations says "The problem of cancer causing benzene turning up in sodas seems to pop up in the U.S. with alarming regularity. Last week, the FDA reported that it tested 100 sodas and found unacceptable levels of the known carcinogen in five of the drinks. Some of these drinks had benzene levels nearly 100 times that which is considered safe by the EPA for drinking water. The toxin is formed when a soda manufacturer uses two ingredients that can react to form benzene: ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate. Soda companies found to have dangerous levels of benzene have vowed to reformulate their drinks. In the meantime, boycott the following beverages and consider avoiding any soda with the "toxic two" ingredients, found in an astoundingly high number of popular drinks. (As a note, beverages labeled as "organic" cannot contain these ingredients.)"

These Come From Trees-real simple activism

These folks sure make it easy to be environmentally active and get the message out there. I like that! :)

June in Ohio & Gratitude

It may be June in Ohio but it certainly feels like August! Thank the goddess for the cooling rain this afternoon. Coop got the pepper plants in the ground just in the nick of time! If he’d have listened to me they wouldn’t have been planted. as I was going to wait until this evening. Fortunately he followed his intuition!

My green beans are up and growing like weeds! The tomato plants look to be doing well despite most of them being smallish. I’m sure they will do just fine and give me lots of juicy red fruits later this summer. Last night we enjoyed our first salad of the season made with fresh young romaine and radishes from our garden. The homemade croutons were great in it, too!

Yesterday my niece Jenni and I went to Quailcrest Farms not too far from here near Wooster, Ohio to do some herb shopping. I came home with a few and today added Melissa (lemon balm), Greek oregano, pineapple sage and Cuban basil to my little herb bed. This fall when the pre-existing garlic is harvested, we will double the size of the herb bed and I’ll replant garlic after it’s all cleaned out and turned under. I also came home with a small sized black eyed susan to plant, something I’ve always wanted and don’t know why I never grew them before.

Nearing home on our return yesterday we passed by an Amish farm and produce stand with fresh picked strawberries for sale. I prompted my niece to turn around and go back, which she did. When we got back another customer had just stopped and was purchasing all the berries left. As we were parked across the road, I hollered as to whether there were any left. The Amish lady shook her head no and asked how many I wanted. I said I’d like 5-6 quart but would take less, four, three, even one or two if she had ‘em. The lady purchasing the berries said she could spare four quart so I accepted those four and paid for them with much appreciation and many than yous. The baskets which cost $1.50 each were full to the brim with luscious bright red homegrown berries. Minutes later at home, I was rinsing a few off and popping them in my mouth to savor their goodness. So much better than those big hard ones shipped in! Maybe next year we’ll get a patch started again ourselves. When Jenni left my house she was armed with a bag of spinach and romaine plus a few tomato and pepper plants for her to plant in her own little garden. Oh, and a quart of fresh strawberries, too!

***

As I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes this afternoon I again was overcome with a sense of gratitude and wonder. In a million years I never would have dreamed I’d be back in this old farm house I have loved so well for so many years. To be here now fills me with happiness and wonder.

For those unaware, we moved in originally in 1984 and then had to leave in 1993 due to circumstances beyond our control. Time passed, things changed and all circumstances came together serendipitously for us to be given the opportunity to return. My love for this home and this land never wavered and many times through the years I would think about this place and reminisce. I always said if I could return to any place I wanted to live, this was the place. I do, with utmost humbleness, realize how very fortunate I am. I do not ask for a fancy home, a fine car or more money than I can spend. Instead I choose simplicity, a country life surrounded by trees, quiet (and as my granddaddy would say), the wild things, a garden and at the kitchen sink a window with a view. The universe has seen fit to give me my hearts desire and for this I am grateful each and every day.

Dad & Son

IMG_2690_b
Originally uploaded by groyse

Ok, so I am going though my son's photos on flickr and saw this. It touched my heart so much I had to blog it and share my son Guy and his middle son Mike with the rest of you. Hope you don't mind Son...but it was a public photo. :)

Hope everyone had a good and safe Memorial Day weekend!

ducks are sitting, peonies are blooming & a recipe: sloppy joes for a crowd

suggestion: if all you see are little blank boxes instead of photos on the website, right click on your mouse and then click on show all original images. I've been experiencing trouble with uploading photos to blogger so have had to bypass their method and insert html into the posts.

The lavender and white sprinkles of wild phlox contrast beautifully against the greens of brush and trees and lend a splash of color to the field across the road. Have I mentioned how wonderful it is to wake to birds singing various tunes? And then this morning, to rise and find the peonies have bloomed!

Summer seems to have arrived although the calendar tells us that it’s several weeks away. The nights have been warm enough to sleep with window open. The woods out back are a mass of green, making the sight of a deer within near impossible now. So, we watch as they cross near the barn to the adjacent field.

This month has been a busy one and June looks no different for the most part. This last week of May will be spent helping Conrad and Janet prepare for their yard sale, then organizing things in the barn here for their auction on June 30^th. Janet and I will be setting up the kitchen for auction day and serving the traditional auction fare for those who come to browse and buy. It should be fun…I keep telling myself that lol! I’m sure it will be. I’ve managed the kitchen on several occasions for other auctions so it’s just a matter of organization and preparedness. Once you are ready to go the rest is relatively easy. (It should be fun, it should be fun, it should be fun…it will be fun, it will be fun, it will be fun…)

In the meantime…

Coop has been gathering some eggs recently from Louise, our fickle little black hen Muscovy, who doesn’t seem to be quite sure what she is doing. Thelma by the way is sitting on her nest of about 22 eggs, possibly more. I estimate hatching time to be on or near the summer solstice.

Most people I’ve heard of don’t care for duck eggs, but then they’re referring I believe to regular duck eggs rather than Muscovy. Muscovy eggs are a tad bit richer and have larger yolks, but the difference is slight in flavor compared to chicken eggs. Fried over easy or scrambled they make a fine meal. The eggs are a lot tougher to crack because they have a thicker outer membrane beneath the shell and I notice the white is thicker or more gelatinous than a chicken egg. I haven’t tried them boiled, so not sure if the consistency is any different that way. It may be. There’s only one way to find out!

In light of summer gatherings, whether auctions or reunions, here’s the recipe for a mega batch of sloppy joes. This recipe will make a large electric roaster full or two large crock pots full. As always with my own recipes I more or less estimate amounts, so adjust accordingly to your taste and needs.

Recipe for electric roaster or 2 large crock pots of Sloppy Joes

15 lb. lean ground beef

Approximately 3 large onions diced

Cook beef and onions together in large pan or soup kettle, then drain as well as possible.

Add:

1 #10 can ketchup (institutional size)

1 cup brown sugar

Chili powder to taste (I’d suggest about 3-4 T.)

salt and/or garlic powder if desired, to taste

Place contents in your crock pots or roaster and simmer til time to eat.

I think the last time I used this recipe I actually only needed about 2/3 of the can of ketchup. Just store the rest in a jar.

Natural Insect Repellents

Skeeters

One of my friends asked about a natural insect repellent after mentioning it in my earlier post. You can make it easily with essential oils, either using one or a combination. Essential oils that work well are citronella, lemon grass, eucalyptus, lavender, thyme, tansy and pennyroyal (avoid pennyroyal if pregnant!). I use either citronella or lemongrass or a combination of those and others depending on what I have on hand.

Add approximately 20-30 drops of essential oil into a bottle to which an ounce or two of carrier oil such as almond or grapeseed has been added. (A small bottle with a squeeze top works well.) Roll bottle between your hands or shake gently to mix oils before applying to skin.

You can also add essential oils to water, witch hazel or cider vinegar using the same ratio as above. Increase the liquid if you plan on using this as a spray on repellent. I would guess-timate about 20-30 drops of oil per ½ cup of liquid would be sufficient for a spray. My advice is test as you go to see what seems tolerable to your skin and nose. Sometimes less is more or you may find you are senstive to certain oils. Remember; never put essential oils directly on the skin. They can burn or cause irritation.

Notes:
Be sure to use pure essential oils, not fragrance oils.
Dusk is the absolute worst time for mosquitoes.

Ticks

Ticks live in grasses, shrubs and trees as well as on warm blooded animals. Be sure to check yourself and your pet for ticks during the summer months when you’re spending time outdoors.

A natural tick repellant is found in rose geranium essential oil. In a spray bottle place 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons rose geranium oil. Shake to blend. Use this to spray dog beds and other areas where they sleep. You can also dab a few drops of rose geranium oil onto clothing or pet collars.