Photo Challenge: Week 21 of 52

Seasons are changing. I missed a couple of weeks, and there have been a lot of changes in the yard. We're burning more wood, getting some of the junk wood cleaned out before it really gets cold. The leaves have started falling.

State of the Garden: Beginning of October

Not much doing in the garden now. Still pulling in the italian squash, and sauteeing them in olive oil with onions, or making them into "zucchini" bread. Still lots of tomatoes in the green vanguard. Getting ready to pull all the remaining kale and freezing it for the winter.

Photo Challenge: Week 20 of 52

Photo Challenge: Week 19 of 52

Italian squash still going strong. Last week we fixed a zucchini bread, this week we're going for a cheese/squash bake.

Photo Challenge Week 18 of 52

Starting to think about how to approach next year's garden. The biggest book influencing us at the moment is Gaia's Garden. We're going to try to build a guild based on our dogwood tree that will appeal to birds, and a guild based on our little peach tree.

Photo Challenge: Week 17 of 52

Photo Challenge: Week 16 of 52

Pause in the pictures

Last weekend we were in Maryland for my mother-in-law's funeral. She'd been suffering a while, so it was one of those good family times. Today it's raining, so I pulled some beans out of the garden, and we'll have them for lunch.

Photo Challenge: Week 15 of 52

Photo Challenge Week 14 of 52

The harvest begins in a steady way: the tomatoes are turning, the squash is coming on, and finally, the beans.

State of the Garden: August 2nd

With all the rain we've been getting, we haven't had to do any watering. The lettuces are going to seed, but the kale is going strong. Green beans are starting to come on. Our patch with the edible flowers is overflowing. We've started harvesting short cucumbers, and the italian summer squash is looking good.

Photo Challenge Week 13 of 52

Photo Challenge: Week 12 of 52

Photo Challenge Week 10 of 52

Frugality Strategy: No Spending Days

great frugal idea to experiment with

clipped from simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com No Spending Days I know it sounds simple, I bet a lot of us think we don't spend that often, but in reality with drive through, pharmacies and department stores on every corner, not to mention those coffee shops, I'm amazed at how often we actually spend money. When I was starting my no spending days (which a reader introduced me to), I remember really struggling to not spend money on any day So just how do no spending days work? - You set yourself a target, for example to start no spending 2 days a week. Circle those days on the calendar, put it in your diary, wake up and remember today is a no spending day. - On a no spending day you do not buy anything, not for yourself or your partner or your children. - On a no spending day you will have to go without whatever it is you forget/want/need such as groceries, magazines, gum, bottle of wine, coffee, lunch out, bus tickets etc.

Rolly Through the Screen

State of the Garden at the Beginning of July

We've been harvesting the lettuce and mustard greens like crazy. We've been fighting with someone or something about our pole beans, but we've added netting to the chicken wire barrier and I believe we're making some progress. The potato condo is a total washout so far, though the straw is compacting nicely and getting weathered.

Photo Challenge Week 9 of 52

Firewood Notes

clipped from simple-green-frugal-co-op.blogspot.com Windfall, and how to split wood by hand Tools that are helpful: Splitting maul Wedge Axe Safety glasses Hearing protection Cut your tree into firewood lengths to fit your stove. 16 inch is common and a full cord of 16 inch wood is a good (tight) stack that measures 4' x 4' x 8', Split and ready for stacking and drying. All woods have different properties, where heating and cooking are concerned.

Photo Challenge Week 8 of 52