Weekly Challenge update, sweaty butt crack edition

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge

1. Plant something- Nope

2.Harvest something. Picked plums;cucumbers; chard; borage leaves

3. Preserve something- Froze some blackberries.

4. Prep something.- Washed old T-Shirts, sorted, donated some to charity, made rags out of the others

5. Cook something new- Made a "lazy days of summer" meal!- a “LATS” Sandwich, with Cheap Vegetable Gardener’s Oven Baked Fries

LATS (Lettuce Avocado Tomato) Sandwich

1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tsp. Thousand Island dressing

2 slices whole wheat bread (toasted-optional)

1 leaf lettuce

1/2 medium tomato, sliced

½ fresh Avocado, seeded, peeled and sliced

Alf Alfa Sprouts (optional) Instructions
In small bowl, combine mayonnaise and Thousand Island dressing. Spread one side of each slice of bread with mayonnaise mixture. On bottom slice of bread, layer lettuce leaf, 2 tomato slices, 2 bacon strips and 4 avocado slices. Top with Alf Alfa sprouts if desiredTop with second slice of bread.

Baked French Fries Courtesy Cheap Vegetable Farmers Blog

• 2-3 large potatoes

• Vegetable spray

• 1 tsp salt

Description: Preheat oven to 450F. Peal potatoes and slice to desired thickness. Soak in water with 1/2 tsp salt for 10 minutes. Strain out water and pat potatoes dry on paper towels. Spray cookie sheet with vegetable spray and then lay out potatoes on single layer and spray with another coat of vegetable spray. Sprinkle remaining salt on top of fries. Cook until fries are golden brown (about 10-15 minutes)

WHAT I DID DIFFERENT-I cut the potatoes into thin slices on the mandolin rather than fries flip them over and cook until the other side is golden.

6. Manage your reserves- Got Quilt, sheets, pillows and Bodum French coffee press on freecycle

7. Work on local food systems.

8. Compost, Repair, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle something: Repaired water wand to water plants in basket or high up. Got Quilt, sheets, pillows and bodum coffee press on freecycle. Repaired rain barrel hose.Took old T-shirts and some other clothes to Salvation Army

9. Learn a skill: Took a class on canning and food preservation at the community center. Signed up for a class on Productive Vegetable Gardening in Small Spaces

CRUNCHY DOMESTIC GODDESS’ 5 MINUTE SHOWER CHALLENGE 5 Minutes for showering, catching warm-up water in bucket; drew the winners in my Water Savers Giveaway-

Low Flow Shower Head- Hayley; Shower Timer- Shadows of the goddess designs; Areators- EB, heather and Elouina

CRUNCHY CHICKENS' REALLY GROSS SWEATY BUTT-CRACK CHALLENGE OK I gave in and sat in air conditioned comfort in the living room tonight. We are having our annual dog days of summer heat spell this weekend. The A/C was already on when I came home from work, and I left it on. Wuss that I am. I had to work, was tired and sweaty, it felt good!

MELINDA'S GROWING CHALLENGE- Borage is really growing now, harvested a couple of leaves and put them in a salad.