Nancy on the Home Front

My Garden: Starting Seeds Indoors

It’s the time of the year I look forward to. As we near the end of winter it is time to start my seeds indoors. Starting vegetable plants indoors from seed can be rewarding or disastrous depending on the outcome. If you start your seeds too early you will then have to hold back the seedlings until they can be planted outdoors. This can often result in tall, spindly seedlings that topple over and may never do well when planted outside. In order to be successful at growing seeds indoors certain conditions must be met for the seeds to germinate and grow properly. These include temperature, light and humidity.

First I mix up my germination media. You can purchase seed starting soil at your local nursery or you can make you own. Click here to read my post on making your own seed starting mixture.

potting soil, seed starting — Seed starting mixture

To start your seeds find a container that will hold about 2” of the media and have drainage holes in the bottom. Fill your containers with the moistened mix, firm the soil and mark the container.

seed starting, gardening, prudent living — Various containers I use for seed starting.

Use only the best seeds. Old seeds or seeds that have not been stored properly may not germinate. If you have time do a seed germination test to determine the viability of your seeds. Check my video on the seed viability test I did on some pepper and tomato seeds.

Sow your seeds about ¼ inch apart in rows. Cover lightly with the soil mix.

seeds, planting seeds — Cover seeds lightly with soil.

After sowing and covering the seeds, water the seeds lightly. Do this with a fine mist so that the seeds are not washed around. After watering, try to keep the humidity at 80% or higher. I use old salad or lettuce containers as mini greenhouses. Once the seeds have sprouted I remover the lids. You can also slip your containers into large plastic bags. Check the containers daily to make sure they are moist.

greenhouse, plastic greenhouse, seed starting — Creating a mini-greenhouse.

Once your seeds have sprouted they can be placed under a grow light. Place the containers about eight inches below the light. They should have light for 14 hours a day. Once the true leaves appear you can transplant your seedlings into larger pots.The containers should be placed in light but not direct sunlight.

grow lights, seed starting — Seed starting set-up.

Temperature is one of the most critical factors in starting seeds. Temperatures too low or too high will reduce germination. Bottom heat from electric cables, hot pipes or radiators my assist in maintaining proper temperatures. Ideally a temperature of around 70 would be perfect.

If you follow these steps and pay close attention to the light, temperature and humidity you should have good success with starting your seeds indoors.

gardening, prudent living — Vegetable Seedlings

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Frugal Tips: Save Money! Save Lives!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on saving money online called Never Pay The Sale Price. Up until that time I was using the sites I mentioned to save money. Recently I became aware of a site called Save1.com. Not only can you save money by using coupons, discounts and deals from thousands of the web’s top American retailers but you can help feed a child at the same time. It’s a win-win situation!

How does it work? Each time you use one the their coupons or special deals to save money, Save1.com will use a portion of their commission to provide a nutritious meal for a hungry child through on of their partners. They partner with Action Against Hunger, Feeding America, Feed My Starving Children, and Project Peanut Butter. Their partners are accredited 501(c) (3) non-profit organizations that have a solid history of successfully feeding children in developing countries.

Who started this? Save 1 was created by Joy and Todd Smith, high school sweethearts who’ve dedicated their lives to helping others, along with their children Danielle (and her husband Josh) and Gerrid (and his wife Jessica). This family started this business because they have a passion to help the most desperate people in the world. This is exactly what they are doing with our help.

I was quite impressed with the site, since launching 10/01/12; they have provided more than 92,000 meals! You can save money while helping others in the process.

Be sure to check out their website. They are also on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest so you can stay up-to-date on the latest deals and happenings! They also have an awesome blog with a section on money saving tips!

If you don’t make online purchases, you can still help (free of cost). Like their Facebook page and they will feed a hungry child. Share the page, and they’ll feed another. Save money and at the same time support a cause bigger than what you ever imagined just by shopping online with Save1.com. Working together we can make a difference.

[hana-code-insert name=’Save One’ /]

Linked to: LearningTheFrugalLife, TheThriftyHome, KatherinesCorner, AGlimpseInside, SevenAlive, ThriftyThursday

Sausage and Lentils So Simple

As I mentioned last week, I love lentils. This Sausage and Lentils recipe was passed along by my mom. My mother didn’t have a large number of recipes that she made but the ones that she made often we thought were delicious. We enjoyed this simple recipe growing up and are still enjoying it now.

It’s a great recipe, simple, easy to make and freezes well. You can even use the leftovers to make a Sausage and Lentil soup which I will share next week.

Spanish Sausage and Lentils

Ingredients:

1 pound small sausages sliced (can also use ground pork)
1 cup cooked lentils
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 ½ cups canned tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fry the sausage until it is lightly browned. Break the sausage into bite size pieces. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Brown the lentils in the remaining fat with the onions, garlic and pepper.

Cook the mixture until the onion is tender. Add the tomatoes and the sausage and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook in the oven at 325 for 25 minutes.

Delicious served alone or served with rice. Makes about 4-5 servings.

You can use the leftovers to make a delicious soup.

Making Almond Milk is Easy

My husband has been been drinking almond milk for the last year. I was able to buy some raw, organic almonds through our local co-op and decided to try making our own Almond Milk at home. I was able to find numerous recipes online. The ingredients are simple: pure, filtered water and one cup of raw, organic almonds. Making Almond Milk at home is so easy!

Making Almond Milk

Ingredients:

! cup of almonds

Directions:

The first step was to soak the almonds in the water at least overnight but up to 48 hours. I placed the almonds in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator.

After soaking the almonds they are drained and the water is tossed. I placed the soaked almonds in my blender with four cups of water.

Blend the almond water mixture until frothy.

Pour the contents of the blender through a cheesecloth-lined strainer; I used the bag I use for making jelly. You could also use a piece of cheesecloth to drain the mixture it would work just as well.

Once the liquid has drained through give the bag a squeeze to get every last bit! Just like store bought almond milk this should also be stored in the refrigerator. Use it up in three days and give the jar a shake before each use. Easy!

Remember to only make as much as you and your family would consume in three days. Just make it a habit to make fresh milk twice every week.

My Garden: 8 Favorite Gardening Books

Gardening and reading are two of my favorite occupations. I saw this poster online the other day and I though it was perfect.

Going through my gardening books I pulled out eight of my favorite books. As you can see some of them are well loved.

Taylor’s Guide to Perennials and Taylor’s Guide to Annuals. I actually have a whole series of these books but there two are my favorites. Both are filled with excellent cultural information and wonderful photographs. The photographs are arranged by color, which I find very helpful, especially if you want to try and identify a flower.

Let It Rot! By Stu Cambell – Years ago I took a Master composting class from the University of Connecticut. This book was highly recommended at the time. It has been republished and is now in the third edition. Teaches gardeners how to recycle waste to create soil-nourishing compost. Also contains advice for starting and maintaining a compost system, building bins and using compost. If you’re not composting yet this is a great book to help you get started.

The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust This is one of the most useful tools a gardener can have. It gives you clear advice on taking care of your perennial garden from deadheading, pinching, cutting back, thinning and deadleafing. If you follow the advice in this book your garden will reward you with beautiful blooms all season.

Dick Raymond’s Gardening Year and The New Victory Garden both books are very similar and set up according to the month. I find it very useful to follow as you can just read the section relating to what month it is. These books guide you through step by step from planting to harvest.

Are you interested in learning how to garden year round? Since our growing season is so short here in Vermont this book has provided me with good advice on extending our season. Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman introduces techniques that the North American gardener can use to extend their growing season. Coleman has been successful in using cold frames and plastic covered tunnel greenhouses without any supplementary heat to produce fresh produce all through the winter. He is a true inspiration.

Seed saving is something I have just started to do. As we find our favorite plants no longer available in the local nurseries saving our own seeds is one thing we can learn how to do to make sure was can grow exactly the variety that we want to. Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth contains detailed information about saving seeds including the population size, isolation techniques and the proper methods for harvesting, drying and storing your seeds. It’s a wonderful book that will tell you everything you need to know about saving and keeping your own seeds.

These are just a few of the many books in my gardening library, but they are my favorites. Do you have any favorite books on gardening in your library?

Frugal Tips: Why Pay For a Free Credit Report?

Did you know that by law you are entitled to one free copy of your Credit Report for each of the three big credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). They will fulfill that obligation, at no charge – but only if you order from the right web site. Log onto the wrong one, and you may wind up paying for costly services.

Image representing TransUnion as depicted in C... — TransUnion, one of the three credit reporting companies

The site you want to go to is AnnualCreditReport.com; there you can order free reports from all three of the bureaus (or if you’d rather you can call, toll-free 877-322-8228). Be careful because there are other sites with similar sounding names, like Freecreditreport.com, that attract customers with the promise of a free report but then push fee-based services like identity theft insurance or credit monitoring at a monthly cost that can range from $9.95 to $29.95! The credit bureau sites also try to sell you these services.

Image representing Experian as depicted in Cru... — Experian, another creit reporting service

You may decide to purchase these services, monitoring does alert you to unusual activity on your credit report but you can also uses your credit reports and do your own monitoring. What I do is every four months I request a free report from a different bureau. That way I can find any mistakes that might affect my credit score. If you do find something wrong it’s up to you to contact the bureau and clear it up.

Image representing Equifax as depicted in Crun... — Equifax, the third credit reporting service.

Keeping an eye on your finances is a good idea and requesting your free credit report is a good place to start.

Linked to: LearningTheFrugalLife, WeAreThatFamily, EarningMyCape, TheNYMelroseFamily, TheThriftyHome, Thrifty101, ALifeInBalance

Recipe Box: Lentil Soup

I love lentils just about any way you can eat them. During the colder months I enjoy this delicious lentil soup. It freezes well and I often use the soup as a basis to make other soups. It’s easy to make although you do need to allow time to cook the lentils! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound lentils
¼ pounds bacon, diced and cooked
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery and leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ cup chopped red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sugar (optional)
¼ tsp thyme
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Thinly sliced scallions

Directions:

Wash lentils and soak overnight in water to cover them.

Drain soaking water and place lentils in a large soup pot. Add 2 ½ quarts of water. Add bacon to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 ½ hours. Add chopped vegetables, garlic, bay leaf, sugar and thyme to the pot.

If you prefer a smooth soup use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Remove bay leaf before pureeing. Heat butter and blend in flour. Add some of the hot soup mixture to the butter and then return to the soup, stir until thickened. Stir in lemon juice. Serve, sprinkling the sliced scallions as a garnish.

Prudent Pantry: Keeping Track – Step Two

As I mentioned last week organization in your pantry is a two step process. Once you have cleaned out your pantry and put like items together it is a good idea to have some sort of inventory of what exactly is in your pantry. Knowing what you have on hand you can save yourself time and money. How frustrating is it to go to the store and buy a few items only to come home and find those items already in your cupboard!

I haven’t found the perfect system yet. I started with a notebook but have since changed to keeping a list on my computer. I write down the item that I have in the pantry and have a line next to each item. Periodically I’ll go down to take inventory and recount how many items on are on hand. I keep the list in the pantry so that I can mark off when we use an item.

pantry, prudent living — Pantry Inventory

I use the same method for keeping track of what’s in my freezer as well. Once or twice a year I will empty my freezer and write down what was in there. I keep a copy on my computer and a copy in the kitchen. When I take something out I make a notation. I find this especially handy as we purchase our beef and pork from a local farmer and I want to make sure we use up what we have purchased!

In my spice cabinet I write the date I purchased the spices on the bottom of the jar, unless it is a jar I refill in which case I will write the date it was refilled. I have found this helps me quite a bit. When I do my cleaning of the spice cabinet I can check quickly and see how long something has been in the cupboard.

Keeping a shopping list on the refrigerator also helps me to stay on top of what I need to purchase. When we use something up I immediately write it down. Before I head to the store I double check my pantry list to make sure we need it.

There are numerous print outs you can find online and even apps you can buy for your smart phone to help you stay organized. There are even apps where you can scan the barcodes on items to make a list. If you use an app to stay organized please leave a comment and share what you use. I’m always looking for ways to improve my system! There are also books you can buy to help you be more organized. Organizing From the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern has some wonderful ideas for organizing your kitchen.

organization, prudent living — One of the many books on organizing.

It doesn’t matter how you keep track of the items in your pantry but you will find that keeping track of your pantry items will save you both time and money!

Linked to: FrugallySustainable, HomemakersChallenge, SmallFootprintFamily, 21stCenturyHousewife, PremediatedLeftovers, LittleHouseInTheSuburbs LilSuburbanHomestead, HomesteadBarnHop, CountrifiedHicks, HomeAcreHop

My Garden: Finding Beauty in February

In February my garden is covered with snow, the hills are white and there is little color anywhere.

Recently we went to Billings Farm and Museum with some friends. I love visiting Billings Farm; it is a working farm with numerous animals and an operational farmhouse run as it was run in 1890. It was a beautiful day. Shadows made patterns on the fresh snow.

The light was absolutely beautiful in the farmhouse as it reflected off the pantry shelves.

Molasses cookies had just been made and their scent filled the kitchen with good smells.

Apples hung on a string, waiting to be used in an apple pie.

Trees reflect in the antique glass.

The world may have been cold and white outside but inside there was life in the plants that framed the window.

Containers sat on the counter waiting to be filled with fresh butter.

My garden may be covered with snow but there is beauty everywhere.

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Frugal Tips: Never Pay The Sale Price

If you are like me you search for the cheapest price of an item whether you are in a store or online. Once I have found a good price on an item there is one further step I take to make sure there aren’t any other deals I can add in to make the price even cheaper.

amazon.com — Amazon often offers the best prices.

Amazon often offers the best price but did you know that there is a website that lets you find out what the best deals of the day are on Amazon? You can find it on MoneySavingExpert.com. This website has some good advice as well as helping you find the best deals for shopping on Amazon. Another guide on saving money on amazon can be found HERE. The article is called 28 Genius Tricks: How to Save Money on Amazon and Get Free Stuff. Worth checking out.

Another site I check out is RetailMeNot.com. There you will find more than 400,000 coupon codes for more than 100,000 retailers. There is even a tool you can add to your Web browser that alerts you if you’re shopping at a site for which there’s a code. I find that this site is always worth taking a few minutes to check out, even if it’s just to get free shipping.

PromotionalCodes.com is similar to RetailMeNot.com. They have thousands of codes for popular retailers, many of them originally uploaded by customers who received them by email or snail mail.

It becomes a game to first find exactly what you want and then to whittle even more money off the price with a quick Web search or two. I check out a handful of sites and rely on them to provide me with codes, if one comes up empty I try another. Sometimes I just Google to see if anyone has a discount code, for example, try a search term like, “discount code Staples”. Many folks say “I never pay retail”, it’s even better to say, “I never pay the sale price”!

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