Nancy on the Home Front

My Garden: The Song Garden

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the most unusual cutting garden called The Song Garden Flower Farm and Tea House of Cornish. You can find more information on their website or their blog.

It was a glorious day, perfect for an adventure with a girlfriend. The Song Garden is easy to find and the view of the mountains from the property was just beautiful.

The first thing you see as you arrive is a welcoming tent with everything you might need to cut your own bouquet of flowers.

They’ve thought of everything, scissors, cutting baskets, sting and even jars to place you flowers in for the ride home and water to keep them fresh.

Continuing on to the cutting gardens you notice a multitude of flowers everywhere.

Each garden path has a quote relating to flowers or gardening.

Garden related quotes line the garden paths.

If you like there is even a little Tea House nestled on the hillside.

You are invited to relax with a cup of tea and lemon shortbread cookies and enjoy the lovely mountain views.

It was the perfect day and my girlfriend and I each went home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

A beautiful bouquet to remember the day.

For those of you who are local they are only open until the end of September. I’m hoping I can make one more visit before they close for the season.

Can't wait to visit again! — Can’t wait to visit again!

Linked to: SidewalkShoes, ASouthernDayDreamer, BrambleberryCottage, ADelightsomeLife, TheViewFromRightHere, AGlimpseInside, TootsieTime, SmallFootprintFamily, FromTheFarmBlogHop, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, TheDedicatedHouse, NourishingJoy, KatheWithAnE, AnOregonCottage, TheDedicatedHouse

Frugal Tips: Saving For Retirement

Do you spend time thinking about retirement? Planning for your retirement is a responsibility whether we like it or not. It is also one of the easiest ways to learn about the basic principles of investment. You are never too young to start!

There was a time when you could count on Social Security and pensions to provided retirement security. Today many companies don’t even offer pensions and Social Security can only be counted on as a supplement. Your retirement program will be shaped by whether or not you are working full time or part time and by your employer. Many employers offer a 401(k) plan, which allows you to save a portion of your salary directly from your paycheck. Some employers will add to your funds by matching a percentage of your contribution.

However you plan for retirement, don’t put it off! Time has a habit of going by quickly and the sooner you start the better off you’ll be.

Don’t trust that the government will provide either. Chances are you are not going to be able to survive on Social Security alone!

Don’t think you can work forever. Believing you’ll work until you drop is just not realistic!

Be patient, it takes time for savings to grow. You need to give your savings and investments time to grow rather than moving money around seeking higher, and riskier returns.

Remember it’s not all about money either. Think about what you’ll do, where you will live and with whom. A healthy retirement also requires having a purpose to your day, something to look forward to, and someone to share it with.

English: Retirement home (Israel, 2010) — (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don’t assume that your living expenses will drop. Depending on your lifestyle, where you will be living and what you plan to do, retirement may easily cost as much as your working life.

Sit down with your spouse today and talk about your retirement. Dream big but start planning today!

Linked to: TheThriftyHome

Prudent Pantry: Blueberry Vinegar

With such an abundant crop of blueberries this year I’ve been looking for new ways to use the blueberries.

We’ve got frozen blueberries in the freezer, blueberry muffins in the freezer, we’ve enjoyed blueberry crisp, and blueberry lemon bread not to mention the delicious blueberry lime jam in the pantry. Now to try something new – Blueberry Basil Vinegar!

prudent living — Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

I found this recipe in my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. I decided to halve the amount, as I didn’t really need to make ten 4-ounce bottles. It was suggested to use this robust vinegar to make a delicious salad dressing that is lower in fat and calories than a store bought version.

Blueberry Basil Vinegar

2 cups blueberries
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves, crushed
Grated zest of ½ lemon

In a large glass bowl, combine blueberries and 1 cup of the vinegar. Using a potato masher, lightly crush the blueberries.

Add remaining 1 cup of vinegar, the crushed basil and the lemon zest and stir to combine. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand in a dark, cool place for up to 4 weeks, stirring every 2-3 days. Taste weekly until the desired strength is achieved.

Stay tuned, I will do a follow up in couple of weeks and let you know how this turned out! Here is what I will do next. Prepare your caner, jars and lids. Line a strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and place over a large stainless steel saucepan. Strain the vinegar without squeezing the cheesecloth. Place the saucepan over medium heat and heat the vinegar to 180 degrees F.

Ladle the hot vinegar into hot jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rim, center lid on jar and screw down until tight. Place the jars in your water bath canner; make sure they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove caner lid. Wait ten minutes and removes jars, cool and store. This would make a perfect gift to give at Christmas time along with the following recipe.

To make a Blueberry Basil Dressing –

In a blender combine:

1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp fresh basil
2 Tbsp Blueberry-Basil Vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar.
The zest of ½ lemon

Process until smooth and drizzle over your greens for a light and healthy salad.

Linked to: HomesteadBarnHop, RealFoodForager, TuesdaysTable, TuesdayGreens, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, HealthyRootsHappySouls, WildcraftingWesdnesday, KellyTheKitchecnKop, WeAreThatFamily, AnOregonCottage, BackToTheBasics, FrugallySustainable, HomemakersChallenge, BloomDesigns, ALifeInBalance, ThisChickCooks, LittleHouseInTheSuburbs, Econobusters, ItsYourLife, SimplyNaturalSaturdays, BackToTheBasics, HomemakerOnADime, TheChickenChick, HomesteadBarnHop, AHumbleBumble, 4YouwithLove

Recipe Box: Best Blueberry Muffins

The blueberries keep on coming!

When we planted our bushes years ago we planted a good variety, from early to late bearing and as a result we have blueberries for a long time! Last year we were picking berries until September and our first frost!

I have frozen quite a bit, we enjoy them on our granola every morning and I’ve also made some amazing blueberry raspberry jam with a bit of orange in the mix. Talk about delicious!

One of our favorite ways to enjoy blueberries is in Blueberry Muffins! This recipe makes two dozen so if I’m lucky I can get some into the freezer to enjoy later.

Blueberry Cream Muffins

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used refined coconut oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups flour ( I used 3 cups regular and 1 cup sprouted whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar and while your mixer is going add the oil and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients and add them, along with the sour cream, to the sugar mixture. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon into greased muffin tins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

My Garden: And Then There Were Three

In May we purchased six guinea fowl to help with the bug control in our garden.

Almost immediately we lost one. Don’t know what caused the death one day it was fine and the next day it was dead. However the rest of the gunieas continued to thrive and were perfectly content to be raised with our baby chickens. We handled the young birds as often as we could and gave them treats of millet to get them used to us. As they got older we found that no matter how much we handled them they were not as friendly as our chickens.

Soon the young birds were placed into the coop with the older hens. We’re still experiencing a bit of the peaking order but for the most part everyone is getting along. However I wanted the guineas to have free range of the garden while keeping the chickens in their yard. My husband was able to lower the fence each morning and they would wander about all day and then return to the coop in the evening to be shut up with the chickens.

The guineas seemed happy to go into the coop each night.

The guineas wandered around the yard during the day, making a large circle around the chicken coop and eating bugs and grasshoppers all day. They can be noisy especially when on alert but after scaring a large hawk out of the yard we didn’t mind the noise. Luckily we don’t have neighbors close by.

All was going along smoothly and I was content in the knowledge that these strange birds were decreasing the bug population. Until the other night. We went down at dusk to close the chickens and guineas in the coop and noticed the guineas were all perched up on top of our blueberry fence, which is next to the coop.

berries, protecting — Corners of Blueberry Cage

No amount of coaxing could get them down. So the chickens were shut in and we hoped for the best for the gunieas. In the morning there were only three. We have no idea what happened to the other two, there was no sign of feathers anywhere. We can only assume that an owl must have taken them. Needless to say the remaining three no longer are interested in perching on the blueberry fence at night and are happy to be shut up each night with the chickens.

Linked to: SidewalkShoes, ASouthernDaydreamer, APeekIntoMyParadise, WildcraftingWednesday, TheViewFromRightHere, KatherinesCorner, ADelightsomeLife, BrambleberryCottage, ServingJoyfully, SmallFootprintFamily, TootsieTime, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, FromTheFarmBlogHop, FarmGirlFriday, CreativeHomeAndGardenHop

Frugal Tips: Homemade Pita Chips

Two weeks ago I made Homemade Crackers for the first time.

This week I am making homemade pita chips. When pitas first came out many years ago my mother used to make us pita chips to serve with dinner. We all loved them.

You will find endless possibilities for these simple chips, which are a great substitute for greasy potato chips and a thrifty use of stale pita bread.

All you need are pitas.

Cut the pitas in half crosswise and then split open.

Cut pitas in half and spread with butter or olive oil.

Spread them with butter or olive oil, at room temperature

Seasoning of your choice, garlic salt, Italian seasonings etc.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place on a baking sheet. Bake the pitas for about 10-15 minutes or until browned. Watch closely so they don’t burn! Cool pita chips on the baking sheet and then break into smaller pieces if you like. Store in an airtight container for up to five days although ours are gone long before that!

Linked to: LittleHungryGirl, TheThriftyHome, TheNYMelroseFamily, DucksNARow, Frugallysustainable, GooseberryPatch, ALifeInBalance, FrugalFollies, Saving4Six, HomemakersChallenge, TheBestBlogRecipes, BloomDesign, RealFoodFriday, FrugalFriday, LittleHouseInTheSuburbs

Prudent Pantry: Drying Your Herbs, Avoiding Waste!

If you are like me you have an abundance of fresh herbs in your garden, perhaps more than you can use. What do you do with the surplus? I do what gardeners and cooks have been doing for years – dry the surplus!

By drying my herbs now I can store them and use them later on. The process of drying herbs is very simple; you can just toss the cuttings on a paper towel and leave them there to dry out. Just remember to check on them.

Herbs just need the slightest rinsing, unless they are covered with dirt or have been sprayed with something.

Find a spot indoors, that is warm and dry and has good air circulation to dry your herbs. I use a closet in our laundry room.

For larger quantities of herbs, bundle the sprigs together and tie with twine. Then hang them upside down to dry.

Leave everything undisturbed until the herbs are dry, which may only take a few days or may take longer. Once the herbs are dry strip the leaves from the stems. You can leave them whole or crush them. Left whole they retain their flavor better but crushed they take up less space. Your choice.

Store in a glass container with a tight fitting lid and keep away from heat and direct sunlight. Be sure to label your jars. Now you have a fresh supply of dried herbs to get you through the winter!

Linked to: HomemakerOnADime , TheChickenChick, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, FrugalFriday, WeAreThatFamily, FrugalFriday

Delicious Summer Gazpacho

I love the abundance of fresh vegetables in the summer. Last week I shared my Easy Veggie Pasta recipe, which makes good use of vegetables from the garden. This week I am sharing my favorite summer soup – summer gazpacho. If you do a search on the Internet you will find all sorts of gazpacho recipes some adding chicken stock others using tomato juice. I modified the recipe I found in one of my favorite cookbooks, Bakery Lane Soup Bowl.

Bakery Lane Soup Bowl Cookbook — I did not add the bread. If you want to thicken your soup just add ¼ pound of day old French bread cubed. The bread should be soaked in cold water first and then squeeze out the excess water before adding. I found the soup just as delicious without the bread.

Summer Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups diced, pared cucumbers
1 green pepper, seeded and diced (I used a yellow pepper)
2 scallions, diced
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp salt
½ cup olive oil (I used only 2 Tbsp)
¼ cup wine vinegar
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, seeded and cubed.

Be sure to use garden fresh tomatoes! — Combine the cucumber, green pepper, scallions, garlic, salt, oil and vinegar in a blender.

Ingredients for gazpacho. — Blend the ingredients until smooth. Pour into a container to refrigerate. Add tomatoes to the blender and blend until smooth. Add to cucumber mixture. Add additional salt and vinegar to taste. Chill several hours or overnight.

Wonderful with a garnish of cilantro.

Nothing quite says summer to me like a bowl of summer gazpacho, especially if you use fresh ingredients from your garden or local farmer’s market.

My Garden: August Update

The summer seems to by flying by. It has been a challenging growing season this year. First we had an abundance of rain followed by days of extremely hot and humid weather. Currently the weather is beautiful, warm sunny days with cool nights. It’s been perfect weather for haying our field.

Despite the varied weather this summer my garden has done well. A few weeks ago I picked my garlic and it is currently drying in our garage on an old door screen.

The onion bed has been weeded and mulched and it won’t be long before it’s time to pick onions!

Last year I only got a few zucchinis, not sure what the problem was but this year I planted twice as many plants and guess what, I’m getting tons of zucchinis! I don’t mind, I love zucchini and I also need to make zucchini relish this year so I will make good use of the abundance.

The corn is doing all right, not as tall as I would like to see but it’s a new garden and considering our property used to be an old gravel bed I figure we’re doing ok. Each year we had more compost to the soil. Looks like I will be getting some corn this year. I did get the corn patch weeded and mulched, which was a major accomplishment!

It looks like I should have a good crop of tomatoes, just waiting for them to turn red.

Can't wait until the tomatoes turn red! — Can’t wait until the tomatoes turn red!

The beans have been doing extremely well.

I was pressed for time with the first picking so I froze them. Looking forward to enjoying garden beans this winter!

It’s a wonderful year for blueberries! This past weekend my grand daughter and I spent some time picking.

No matter what challenges I face each year I love spending time in the garden. How is your garden doing this year?

Linked to: SidewalkShoes, ASouthernDaydreamer, WildcraftingWednesday, AnOregonCottage, ADelightsomeLife, FromTheFarmBlogHop, LittleHouseInTheSuburbs, TootsieTime, FarmGirlFridayBlogHop, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, SimplyNaturalSaturdays, TheViewFromRightHere, CreativeHomeAndGardenHop, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, CraftyGardenMama, AnOregonGarden

Frugal Tips: Bargains For August

Where has the summer gone? I can’t believe it is August already. Soon the kids will be heading back to school and we’ll be moving into our fall schedules.

School buses in the fall (Photo credit: tncountryfan)

In August the outdoor furniture is marked down, taking it’s last breath as the season winds down.

Check out furniture for sales this month.

Check your local Farmer’s Markets as fresh produce is in abundance and the prices reflect it. Buy peppers now and freeze them to use later in the winter when peppers are so expensive! Frozen peppers can be used in casseroles, soups or stir-fries and you won’t notice the difference. Here is a link for freezing peppers.

prudent living, prudent pantry — Peppers are abundant and inexpensive right now.

August is also a wonderful month to stock up on school supplies. I usually stock up on notebook paper and folders for school reports. The prices can’t be beat.

School Supplies Pencils Erasers August 07, 20103 — School Supplies (Photo credit: stevendepolo)

You will also find sales on pre-season fall fashions. Now is the time to find that special back to school outfit!

White sale items are now offered routinely in August.

Need new sheets? August is the time to buy!

Remember a bargain is only a bargain if you can afford it and it fits into your budget. Don’t spend money you don’t have just because it’s a deal!

frugal tips, prudent living — Remember, don’t spend money you don’t have!

Linked to: FrugallySustainable, ALifeInBalance, ServingJoyfully