Weekly Challenge Update - or What the hell are you eating?

Dandelion fritters

A day after drooling- er I mean posting about Cheesesteaks and Chili Dogs I figure it is time to get back on track. So here is this weeks challenges update:
Sharon's Independence Days Challenge

1. Plant something. Trying to start the avocado pits I have been collecting from all wonderful avocado’s I got recently from a friend visiting from California . Planted some radishes.
2. Harvest something: chard, borage, cucumbers, zucchini, dandelion flowers,
3. Preserve something- Froze Cauliflower, Put up a gallon of Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
4. Prep something.- Trying to make an EarthTainer™ using two five gallon pickle jugs; Made a DC powered Hombrew Air conditioning unit. I used a 12 Volt fan and a 12 Volt Bilge pump. This can be solar powered. I reuse water and soda pop bottles found in the trash fill them 2/3's full and freeze them for the ice
Cook something new- Dandelion Fritters, Borage and cucumber salad
5-Manage your reserves: Put up storage shelving for Canned goods. Finished making storage space for canning tools.
6- Work on local food systems- Besides shopping at farmer’s market, nope
7-Compost, Repair, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle something: Trying to start the avocado pits I have been collecting from the wonderful avocado’s I got recently. Found some cloth bag holders to use as Laundry bags to put dirty clothes and rags in. Saved two plastic 5 gallon pickle buckets from going to the dump by making them into an Earth Tainer™ planter , Found a child's folding lawn chair perfect condition in the dumpster at mom's apartment- Will give it to a cousin or someone with a small child!
8-Learn a skill: Learned how to make Earth Tainers™ (Self watering/water conserving planters)

This weeks Cooked something new recipes:
DANDELION FRITTERS
1 cup of dandelion flowers
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 ½ cups of flour
½ cup of Corn Meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
To make the fritter batter; beat 1 egg, then blend in 1 cup milk. Mix 1-1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup cornmeal with 2 tsp. baking powder in a separate bowl before blending with the egg mixture. Rinse and dry flowers. Dip the flower buds into the fritter batter. Carefully drop breaded flowers in hot oil until golden brown. These can be used as croutons in a green garden salad.
NOTW: It would probably work better if you used the flowers fresh rather than putting them in the fridge and waiting until 11:30 at night Like I did the first time. They tend to close up a bit.


Borage and cucumber salad
3 large cucumbers
1/2 pint sour cream
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon of dried dill seeds or 2 or 3 sprigs of fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh, young borage leaves (chopped finely)
Slice the cucumbers thinly. Salt lightly and set aside in a colander for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the remaining ingredients, add the cucumbers to the mixture, and toss lightly. Garnish with borage blossoms. Chill for one hour before serving.

CRUNCHY DOMESTIC GODDESS’ 5 MINUTE SHOWER CHALLENGE Still doing it at 5 minute or less showerd, still catching shower warm-up water, still clean and not smelly! Got the water bill and we used about half the water we normally do for August.

CRUNCHY CHICKENS' SMELLY OLD SWEATY BUTT-CRACK CHALLENGE No A/C Use this week. I did however, set up my DC Powered Homebrew AC Unit. This is cool - it is powered by the car's battery! And it can be solar also!

MELINDA'S GROWING CHALLENGE Borage is really taking off! I think it is getting ready to bloom! Note to self take pic of borage and post. Actually makes a nice plant- I can't beleive some people would call it a weed! Broccoli- just the little green sprouts... Apparently some one forgot to tell Broccolli Dude how patience-challenged I am.