Why Gardening Is Good For You [Infographic] by the team at WhatShed.co.uk
Linked to: TuesdayGardenParty, GardenTuesday, OutdoorWednesday, WildcraftingWednesday, WakeUpWednesday, HomesteadBarnHop, BackyardFarmingConnection
Deals for October
Here we are almost through the month of October already! The time just seems to slip by! I love the month of October, the cooler nights and the bright sunny days. It is also a good time of year to find some great bargains.
October is a big candy month. Stock up on candy for all your holidays this month.
Do you like to garden? October can also be a good time of year to check your garden centers for deals on perennials. Plant soon so the plants have a chance to get established before the cold winter weather sets in. It’s also a great time of year to find mulch and soil amendments on sale.
Need some new blue jeans? October is also a good time to find deals on blue jeans. Retailers stock up for the back to school season and they may want to move those items they didn’t sell.
Look for local bargains as well. Ibex, a high-end local clothes manufacturer holds a tent sale every Columbus Day Weekend. It’s a great time to find fabulous deals on clothes you might not be able to afford during the year.
Remember no matter how good the deal is ask yourself “do I really need this?” Buy only what you need. Remember there is a difference between a need and a want!
Crabapple and Plum Jam
Getting ready to leave the west coast and head back to our home state of Vermont. Couldn’t resist sharing this wonderful crabapple and plum jam recipe with you. Fall in Vermont means beautiful foliage and crabapples! I can never resist making a batch of this wonderful crabapple and plum jam.
Plum and Crabapple Jam
Ingredients:
3 cups of quartered unpeeled crabapples
1 ½ cups water
1 cinnamon stick about 4 inches long
4 cups of sliced blue or purple plums
5 cups of sugar
¼ cup dry red or white wine or grape juice.
Directions:
Place crabapples, water and cinnamon stick in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes or until fruit is soft. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick. Press crabapples though a sieve; discard solids.
Return crabapple pulp to saucepan. Add plums, sugar and wine. Bring to a full boil and boil rapidly, uncovered, until mixture will form a gel, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
This jam makes a wonderful gift over the holidays as well, if you can bare to give any away!
Makes about 6 cups.
Cream of Carrot Soup
We had a good carrot crop this year. I love the taste of fresh home grown carrots and one of my favorite ways to use them is in this wonderful Cream of Carrot Soup. It’s a perfect soup for a wet, chilly fall day. I’ve been making this recipe for years and it freezes well although if you are planning on freezing it I would add the light cream later. This soup does not need to be blended but I have one of those wonderful emersion blenders, which I love to use! So before adding the cream I puree the soup. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Cream of Carrot Soup
2/3 cup diced onion (from my garden) 2/3 cup diced leek (from my garden) ¾ cup diced celery 2 cups shredded carrots (from my garden) 6 TBSP butter ¼ cup white wine 6 TBSP flour 6 cups chicken broth (made from our meat birds) 2 cups light cream (I used whole milk) Salt, pepper and thyme
Soften leeks, onions, and celery in the butter. Add wine and reduce heat.
My Garden: How Long Are Seeds Viable?
Here in Vermont my gardening season is over. I still have some a lot of clean up to do and a few blueberries still left to pick but everything else is pretty much finished. Now is a good time to go through your seeds and figure out which ones you may want to re-order. What vegetables worked well this year? Did you enjoy what you planted?
Record keeping is not one of my strong points so while things are still fresh in my mind I like to go through my seeds and evaluate what I planted this year.
In looking at my numerous seed packets how do I know what to save and what should be re-ordered?
Generally corn, leeks, onions, parsnips and spinach are short-lived seeds lasting only 1-2 years. Check the date on your seed packets from last year and make sure they are still viable.
Squash, pumpkins, peas, eggplant, parsley, beans, carrots and celery should last up to five years.
The seeds that last the longest are broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers and turnips.
When ordering seeds it is also important to choose seed companies that focus on your growing conditions and climate zone. Find a local company that sells seeds that will thrive in your area. If you can find a local seed saving organization even better, I found a small local company just a town away and I know her seeds will grow in my garden. If she doesn’t have what I want I choose Fedco Seeds or Johnny’s Selected Seeds both located in Maine. These companies offer a wide variety that will do well in my climate zone. By choosing the right seeds you will have a better chance at a wonderful garden harvest.
Before you get busy with the holidays take a few hours and go through your seeds. If you have parsnip seeds that are five years old throw them out. Take stock of what you have on hand and you’ll be ready to order when the time comes.
Linked to: TuesdayGardenParty, GardenTuesday, OutdoorWednesday
Requesting a Credit Report
When was the last time you requested a credit report? You should request a copy of your credit report periodically and review it for accuracy. Most experts recommend an annual review. There are three principal credit reporting agencies and you are entitled to free credit report from them each year. 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.
If you have been denied credit in the past 60 days, the credit reporting agency that sent the report to your prospective creditor must provide you with a copy of the report for free. However, it will not be sent to you automatically. You must request it from them.
Below are the three credit reporting agencies:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
www.equifax.com
Experian
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022
www.transunion.com
Be aware of web sites that ask you to pay a few for your credit report. You can get your free credit report from 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.
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.
Keeping an eye on your finances is a good idea and requesting your free credit report is a good place to start.
Linked to: PennyPinchingParty
Why Have Your Water Tested?
We have well water here On The Home Front, when we built our house we wanted to have a spring fed water system but the bank required a drilled artesian well. We have plenty of water and have never run the well dry even during the driest summers. Personally we think our water is wonderful. The well was tested when it was first drilled 17 years ago but we’ve never had the water tested since then. My husband is an avid home brewer and was curious about our water chemistry, so we decided to go ahead and have it tested for more details.
The Vermont Department of Health is a wonderful source of information. Although there are no requirements for the testing of private residential wells, the Vermont Department of Health recommends the following testing schedule:
Total coliform bacterial test – EVERY YEAR
Inorganic chemical test – EVERY FIVE YEARS
Gross alpha radiation screening test – EVERY FIVE YEARS
What are these tests?
Total coliform bacterial test
This test is recommended every year for homeowners with private wells. Coliform bacteria are a large group of soil and intestinal bacteria that indicate potential well contamination and may cause health problems. However, coliform bacteria do not necessarily make you sick. If total coliform bacteria are found, the water is then checked to determine if the origin of the contamination is fecal. This result indicates whether recent animal or human waste has entered the water. Do not drink water that has tested positive for bacterial contamination. Boiling drinking water for one minute will kill bacteria so that it can be used for drinking.
Inorganic Chemical Test
This test is recommended every five years for wells and includes tests for arsenic, chloride, copper, fluoride, hardness, iron, lead, manganese, nitrate, sodium and uranium. These inorganic chemicals can create nuisance problems, or in some cases, health symptoms.
Gross Alpha Test
This test is recommended every five years. It is a screening test for mineral radioactivity in water, for example, uranium and radium. This radioactivity is measured and reported in picoCuries per liter (pCi/L).
While water usually has some radioactivity, the gross alpha test will help determine if the levels are high enough to warrant additional testing due to potential health concerns. If screening results are equal to or greater than 5 pCi/L, the water should also be tested for radium. If the screening results are equal to or greater than 15 pCi/L, the water should be tested for radium and uranium.
Once the test kits were ordered and received, the collection of each water sample was pretty easy.
You let the water run for a certain amount of time and then using the container provided collect a sample.
There was a mailing kit provided but my husband decided to drop off the samples in person.
Once the health department received the water sample they will run the tests and mail us the results. Now to be patient while we wait for the results.
Linked To: WildcraftingWednesday
Blueberry Crunch
I realize I have shared a lot of blueberry recipes this year, however our bushes kept producing and I don’t want the berries to go to waste! I’ve made a blueberry crisp and I’ve even made this delicious blueberry crunch!
Even our chickens have been enjoying the blueberries.
They are so funny to watch as they jump up and try to grab a blueberry. I posted the video on my Facebook page, if you haven’t seen it click here.
This recipe is similar to an apple crisp but made with blueberries.
Blueberry Crunch
Ingredients:
4 cups blueberries
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup flour
¾ cup oats
½ cup butter, melted
Directions:
Place the blueberries in a 9×9 inch square baking pan.
Combine the brown sugar, flour and oats and mix well. Add the melted butter and mix well.
Spread over the blueberries.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Tastes wonderful with some vanilla ice cream!
October Already!
I can’t complain, we’ve been having beautiful weather lately. Perfect for planting bulbs and just enjoying the outdoors.
Believe it or not our blueberry bushes were not affected by the few light frosts we’ve had and are still producing blueberries. Now that the garden is finished we are letting our chickens free range once again. They really love to have the freedom to wander about. They are quite funny to watch, they love the blueberries and will stand under the bushes and jump up to get the blueberries!
We’ve had the opportunity to take a few drives and enjoy the fall foliage. The colors are quite pretty this year.
Over the weekend we took a hike on the Appalachian Trail, it was a beautiful warm day and the view from Lucy’s Lookout was amazing.
We also spent some time doing some clearing and now have three very large bonfires ready for burning. We’ll wait until a wet day or when we have some snow cover to burn these piles!
In another week we’re heading to the west coast to visit all of our children who have decided to relocate there. Can’t wait to see them all, especially the grandchildren! I am very thankful for our neighbors who make it possible for us to be away, our chickens will be well taken care of!
What’s happening in your neck of the woods?
Linked To: TuesdayGardenParty, GardenTuesday, OutdoorWednesday, TheBackyardFarmingConnection, WordlessWednesday
Bulk Mathmatics
How thrifty is it to makes purchases from Warehouse clubs like Sam’s and BJ’s? Before you make your decision you have to know your prices. This is where having a Price Book comes in hand.
For example if you buy maple syrup at the local grocery store it might cost $17.18 for a quart of syrup. But at BJs the syrup is $13.99 per quart.
A bit of a difference. This week the maple syrup was on sale at the local grocery store for only $15.98 per quart, still not as good a deal as the warehouse store! You have to keep an eye on the size of the product to find out if you are getting a deal or not! At first glance you think the real deal is the $7.99 bottle only to realize you are purchasing just a pint not a quart!
It’s often cheapest to purchase a gallon of syrup at a time, but to purchase a gallon of maple syrup might be a little cumbersome. What do you do with all that extra syrup? Decant the syrup into smaller containers and freeze the extra. The syrup won’t actually freeze but the cold temperature will prolong the syrup’s flavor. You could also re-can the syrup using your water bath canner.
Another good deal to be found at the warehouse clubs is olive oil. A 5 liter container of olive oil is about $24.99 at my local BJ’s.
Seems a bit overwhelming but at $24.99 that’s only $4.70 per quart. If you purchase olive oil on amazon you pay $27.50 for 5 liters, a savings of $2.51. If you purchase the oil at the local grocery store you can only purchase the oil in a 3 liter container but the price is almost the same as the warehouse store per quart. The container is on sale this week for $8.99 which works out to $11.28 per quart! Again it is key to know what size you are purchasing to find the deal.
Saving money is not always easy and the key is to know your prices. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to run all over town to get the best deals at each store, especially if you are only saving a few dollars. If you keep an eye on the sales and know the prices on the items you purchase often you are well on your way to being a smart shopper and saving money!
Nancy on the Home Front 