~ Woo-ee! I think we are into some winter time weather. Today the sun is shining brightly, not a cloud in the sky, there is no wind, it's 11 a.m. and our temperature is 6.8°
~ Although that lovely sun is streaming in all possible windows, we have both wood stoves corking away to make it cozy in here.
~ Just went down into the basement to get some onions and garlic. Onions are holding out very well, but I see now I didn't plant enough garlic and we'll run out in a month or so. Skippy-dippy good thing I increased this year's planting.
~ I have a huge pot of will-be broth simmering on the stove using yesterday's turkey carcass and leavings. I'm finding I really prefer turkey broth over chicken broth as it seems richer and has more flavor.
~ I should zip into town today to pick up a special order at the Co-op, materials in at the Library, and make a stop at the hardware store. When it's possible, I prefer going into town first thing in the morning and being able to check it off my day's list pronto. Today I'm playing my Wimp's Card and waiting to see if the temp has warmed up a bit after lunch.
~ Retrieved some baking apples and potatoes from the root cellar this morning. We're so pleased with the way things are keeping. Maybe we could wish for the carrots to look better. They're growing "hairs" . . . but are staying firm and crunchy. I'm still perplexed about my carrot harvest this past season. The two new-to-me varieties of "purple" carrots I tried grew big and fat and long. A success. My main crop of Scarlet Nantes which normally do the same came out of the ground nearly pencil thin. Long but skinny. And they were all planted in the same raised bed. Very strange.
~ I can hardly believe how fast this winter is going by. Oh, sadness and woe, I had plans for spending so much time in my quilt room, but day after day goes by filled to the brim with daily chores and a bit of move-ahead progress, and I don't seem to get in there much at all. Never mind, my little sanctuary filled with beautiful fabric (and tons of ideas) will be there whenever I can sneak in. Life is good.
We're cold too, and I used that opportunity to clean out the BIG freezer, plus one of the smaller freezers (meat) . It's nice to be able to put tubs and baskets of stuff outside and it stays frozen while the freezers defrost. I'm on track this year with frozen vegetables. My onions, on the other hand , are very very naughty this year. They're all starting to sprout, darn it all!
ReplyDeleteI've got plenty of garlic, running a bit low on taters, and still lacking in sun as well.
Tell ya what, I'll bring garlic--you provide the sunshine (and pie???)
:D
Sue - IT'S A DEAL!!!
DeleteMama Pea,
ReplyDelete6.8 degrees....is cold!!! I can totally understand why you have two wood stoves burning wood. Going into town early on a field trip for items needed is best done in the early providing plenty of time in the day at home to accomplish other chores or spend time in one's quilt room :-)
Sandy - Exactly! I just got home now at 'round about 3 p.m. and I feel like my energy is done, done, done for the day. If I had gotten back home before mid-moring, I'd still feel like I had the day here at home. (We can be so silly, can't we?)
DeleteWoo-we, it surely is cold up there! Tonight is an anomaly here, it's going to get into the high 20's. I'm having a fire tonight. Yippee. Question...do you store your turkey broth in the fridge? If so, how long will it keep?
ReplyDeleteLaurie - The pot I cook my bird carcasses in is huge and I fill it up with water over the carcass. Two or three if I've stewed chickens for their meat. I add chunks of celery, carrot and onion and sprinkle in some herbs. I simmer it over low heat for 2-3 days and then strain off the broth. Because I usually get 8-10 quarts of broth using this method, I freeze them for future use. They could be canned also. I suppose broth would keep in the fridge for several days. Getting all the good stuff out of the bones makes a broth with a lot of gelatin in it which is so good for us. The gelatin will dissolve when you use the broth in soups, stews, or whatever cooking you choose.
DeleteThat's great. I'm just now learning about the benefits of bone broth....well, over the last few months anyway. Do you drink it or just cook with it? Boy, we would have a lot to talk about if we were neighbors.
DeleteLaurie - I just cook with it . . . but most of my soups (of which we eat a lot) are made with some kind of broth (super good to make gravy, too, for instance) and I never purchase any broth anymore. I just use my beef or poultry broths. Next to the homemade I think you'll find the commercially available stuff tastes like water. A good, good friend of our daughter's succumbed to cancer last year, but for months I made her beef bone broth and she drank it straight to try to build herself up. Unfortunately, the cancer was too far progressed.
DeleteI know it's totally unrealistic, but how wonderful would it be if we ALL lived in close proximity and could help and learn from each other? That would be so simply wonderful!
We ran out of onions, but have plenty of garlic here. I keep hoping we'll have the time to dig a root cellar. It's cold here too. Brrr.
ReplyDeleteKristina - Our daughter is "helping" us go through the garlic this year so that may be what is causing the shortfall. But I offered a share of all our root cellar goodies to her, so I should have planned better. Next year I'll do better!
DeleteHow about a commune!?! That excites the old hippie in me...our temps were in the high 20s yesterday morning and this morning it was -5. This weather is for the birds. Penguins, that is.
ReplyDeleteHello, you old hippie - Okay, let's form a commune! But we'll have to call it something else 'cause there was a BAAAAD one up here (no longer) for many years.
DeleteYepper, this has been a strange weather winter, hasn't it? Hope we all have a "normal" summer.
It's almost 60 here yesterday and today. Major flooding but colder tomorrow and SUN!!!
ReplyDeleteLHinB - So sorry about the flooding problem. Not good. Sounds like you might have some ice to deal with tomorrow with those colder temps. Be careful!
DeleteNice thoughts :) There's a little snowstorm here today but it's so cold outside (-18C) that the snow is as light as dust. I laughed out loud when I went out with the shovel, I hardly lifted a finger...very different from the icy heavy wet snow we had last week where I nearly passed out from exhaustion! I'm ready for spring. I took up journaling this winter. I made a Garden Journal...all creative and artsy-like. I'm loving it. I ordered my seeds for my new container garden too and I decided to just go for it and make a pumpkin patch...yeah, I'm renting but what the heck huh? I was so envious of yours last fall!!!
ReplyDeleteRain - Atta girl! Bloom where you are planted . . . or grow a garden where you can?? So eager to hear all about your gardening efforts this coming season.
DeleteThank you :) I just can't wait two more years for my garden! Actually it would likely be three if I'm moving in two, I won't have time to plan and plant right away...so containers it is. I'm most excited about the 'punkins :) I'm going to try to put a little blog together this year to showcase my gardening efforts! I'll let you know :)
DeleteRain - Well, ya know, there are folks who do ALL their gardening in containers and excel at it so there's no reason why you can grow A LOT that way. In the seed catalogs, look for varieties that are recommended for container growing . . . or "bush type" veggies.
DeleteThat's true! Thank you for the tip!! :)
DeleteI envy your food storage. I was recovering last year and got nothing put by. I still have bags and bags of wool to get through and April is looming close with four more bags to process. Now that my kids are not so demanding, I need to develop a plan for the passage of the seasons. This year's goal is to study other northerners' plans and see what I can glean from them to work for me here in CT.
ReplyDeleteFarmer Barb - There are just times when we have to adjust and go with the flow. (But it never feels good when you're "forced" out of your normal routine. :o( )
DeleteChoosing to live in the northern part of our country does present certain challenges, but once we get over the learning curve, I don't think it's bad at all. Heck, even gardeners/farmers/homesteaders in the more southern states have their own different challenges!