I feel a bit scattered with my post but things are getting back to normal so next week should be better.
Gardening: Pulled out the broccoli that flowered while I was gone. Harvested and pulled the snap pea vines. Tied tomato vines and then tied some more tomato vines. Potatoes are flowering. I have a pepper almost big enough to pick and some squash that should be ready within the week. Some of the larger tomatoes are starting to ripen. Nothing new planted as I need to get the current plants back under control. Working on plans for the fall container garden.
Harvested: small amounts of peas, green beans (and purple), green onions, kale, rhubarb; a few cherry tomatoes; lots of lemon verbena, mint (assorted types), basil (assorted types), oregano, and thyme; a small amount of sage and lavender that were looking rather unkempt.
Preserved: dried lemon verbena, mint, basil, sage, kale leaves, beet greens, lavender, rhubarb, oregano, and thyme. Added some strawberries to the freezer just before I Ieft for flood relief so I’ll count them here.
Cook something new: They do not require cooking but I have been eating fresh blueberries which is not something I have done before this year. Sad that I lived more than four decades without eating blueberries but there it is.
Prepped/Stored: Thanks to the fact that I drove rather than flew to Rockford, I picked up some things to add to my stores while on the road. I bought 2 lbs of honey from a local producer in Rockford. I took advantage of a store, Woodman, with better prices and more selection than my local grocer — not to mention being employee owned — to purchase some staples. I added more rice, beans, the honey, pastas, teas, a few pounds of coffee, assorted grains to try in 1 and 2 pound amounts, and more organic popcorn.
As I ran errands upon arriving back home, I took advantage of some sales combined with coupons and added a few things to my stash of non-food items: more toilet paper, bandages, tooth brushes, Advil, shampoo, allergy tablets, ammodium, and tums.
I finally gave in and invested in a garden fork; trying to turn the compost with a shovel and hoe was NOT working. I also added more pint and half gallon canning jars to my collection.
Managed: I have been entering my inventory into an a spreadsheet. After only a few months of picking up extra when I find a good deal, I have a surprising amount on hand. I am much further along that I would have thought. I’ll keep picking up and putting up what I can this summer. Any big purchases will have to wait until after regular checks start again at the end of September. Used the aforementioned hoe to thoroughly turn the compost pile.
Local Food Systems: While in Rockford, I visited two different Farmer’s Markets. This isn’t local to me but it was supporting local food in general. I have market envy; there is a market almost everyday somewhere in Rockford. From the markets there, I purchased things I could eat in my motel room and 2 lbs of honey to add to my storage. After returning home, I made my weekly visit to the local market now that I am back home; my market report for that trip can be found here. I cooked my OLS meal for the week and posted about it here.
Reduced/Reused/Recycled: I can’t think of anything out of the ordinary here.
Other observations: All local fuel is currently at $4.23 or higher with most over $4.25.
