How to Pickle anything (2010 edition)

Wondering how to pickle things? Readymade Magazine has a great article on fresh pack pickling and blanch and seal pickling- pickle everything! Good freshness extenders! My favorite? Pickled Red Onions(Beefmaster) with Garlic!

Bring a Lunch- Part II

Yesterday we found lunch boxes and bags. Today, a few hints on saving money on them. First- reuse that lunch box from last year, or buy one at a garage sale or thrift shop. If your kid has outgrown the theme of last years box, take it out to the garage and give it a paint job. Then let junior put stickers or decorate it. Now to fill that box

FIRST- alternatives to zip lock and plastic bags.

Yesterday I mentioned Lunch Bots- these neat little tins that can hold a sandwich, some snacks, or what have you. You can also use old jars, but you have to figure out if your little lunchster is capable of not breaking them. Planet Box sells their "Big and Little dipper, stainless steel cannisters that would hold sandwiches and snacks on their website (you can order these without paying $35 for a lunch box). THe small dipper has a plastic lid and the big dipper has a stainless steel lid.For a plastic free alternative, check out the Happy Tiffin's "LunchBowls". Lunchboxes.com also features Lunch Bots as well as a variety of plastic sandwich boxes for the lunch box. While Fake Plastic Fish is probably having convulsions over the suggestion that you buy a plastic sandwich holder, it has to be your choice. I wouldn't but I ain't raising your kid. My own personal feeling on it is as long as it isn't getting thrown away, use it.

Now how about Cooling that lunchbox?

Well first let me say that Ice Packs suck. And what the hell is "Blue Ice"?? IF it gets a hole in it then that blue shit leaks all over. A little trick of mine for filling ice chests is freezing water in a plastic water bottle or pop bottle- that way you are reusing the bottle for something good! And if it leaks it isn't toxic- it's water!

It simple- fill the bottle 2/3'rds full, cap it and stick in the freezer.

Anyway I hope your little Einsteins have a great year... and tell them I said summers almost over- MUWHAHAHA!!!

What ideas do you have on B.Y.O.L (Bring Your Own Lunch)

Bring a Lunch

Click on pic to enlarge

Well august is here... time to start thinking about School! It's also time to start thinking about lunches! You know you will save a ton of money if your kids brown bag it. But what to send those great lunches you make in?
There is always the paper bag. Or the plastic grocery bag (if you want your child to get beat up a lot). Or you can make the decision to give Junior or Princess a neat lunch box that makes a statement. Your kid's lunchbox says a lot about them. I know.

The lunch box that gets you beat up!

From experience (I was the kid who had the nerdy plaid lunch box in elementary school and yes got beat up for it) What was my mom thinking?
If I was a kid today I would want a really cool lunch box. Lunchboxes.com has a lot of really cool choices. From a Jimi Hendrix Experience lunchbox to a Roy Rogers Cowboy Lunch Box . They have metal lunchboxes like when we were kids, plastic Bento Boxes and Laptop lunch boxes, tiffin's, and all sorts of reusable lunch bags.
I like the aforementioned Jimi Hendrix, but also they have a really cool lunch bag from the Kid's Konserve series- an all cotton lunch bag with napkin and sandwich wrap,a couple of snack cups and a stainless steel water bottle. Great for an eco-conscience kid. There are also Gator Tots- a company offering up personalized reusable lunch bags, backpacks and stuff.
Speaking of Bento Boxes, there are a lot of them geared for kids. LaptopLunches.com has a good variety of them. And junior can walk around like a little business person with his or her laptop style lunch box. Kind of a bento box redesigned for kids. I am not against a plastic lunch box, as I assume it will be used over and over but if you don't want to give you precious little person a bpa lunch, (NOTE: Laptop Lunch products are BPA Free) there is an alternative to the plastic bento- Planet Box.com offers a stainless steel laptop box that even comes with different magnetic stickers so little Picasso can redesign his or her lunch box everyday! And the stickers are not just for the planet box... Happy Tiffin has some unusual shaped steel tiffins to make your child (or adult) happy.
As far as lunchboxes, you could also add some extras like Lunch Bots for holding a sandwich or snacks in. I think the one lunchbot for sandwiches at a price of $15 is the cost of 8 boxes of ziplocks-or an estimated cost savings of over $50 during a school year!
A lot of choices out there. But think about it- this is something a child carries everyday. It should say something about who he is. So take some time before deciding to go out and just buying the first lunch box you see when shopping for school. That way your son or daughter won't end up with the stupid plaid lunch box that makes bigger kids want to beat them up.
And think about getting the adults in your household lunch boxes as well. Tomorrow- how to save $$$ on your lunch box!

Honeysuckle Berries

Surprise! A new berry!!!

I was out in the garden before work and saw these berries growing on my honeysuckle vine. Well I immediately went in and looked up "Honeysuckle Berry" on google and determined they were OK to eat. Kind of like a Kinick Kinick berry but sweeter. Found out while researching them that you can open the honey suckle flower and drink the nectar for a sweet taste treat. Why does nobody mention these things... They are important!!! Note - the berries on my plant are edible- buy most aren't. So add a new one to my "Forage list". Also one of my Columnar Apple trees has apples on it!!!

Side of the road finds!

I was driving to work and saw a sign around a pile of treasure junk that said FREE on it. You know the truck automatically stopped and looky what I got- A metal headboard that I will use as a trellis for the garden, some Chevy Hubcaps, and a set of skis that I am thinking a funky outside chair project! I love free stuff!

This blog post is linked to:

2nd Time around on "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words blog"

How to freeze Peaches

Photo: Pick your own. org

I am thinking of investing in a flat of peaches. But how to preserve them? Dehydration doesn'r seem right, not for peaches. Canning could work, but seems like a lot of work. Freezing? I remember my mom freezing peaches and it didn't work out great. So I turn to one of my favorite web sites, Pick your own.org, and find out how to freeze peaches, found out my mom didn't use any syrup or fruit juice to freeze them in. Also has directions for freezing Plums, Cherries, Nectarines, Figs and other soft fruit.

Finders Keepers- The Weekly Challenge Update

Another busy week- one were I get to work the weekend :(

I don't mind working weekends, but I feel like I get disconnected from friends and family and my community when I work so much.

On the bright side going to work today I say some junk along the side of the road with my favorite words on a sign "Free Stuff" so it wasn't a complete bust!

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Year 3, week 27
1. Plant something: Bok Choy, Chard, radishes, carrots
2. Harvest something: Some golden plums
3. Preserve something: Froze some plums using the new method I found
4. Waste Not: Found some treasure for free on the side of the road on my way to work- some old snow skis, maybe a chair project and a Metal Headboard that would be perfect as a trellis for runner beans!
5: Want not: Bought a solar shower at REI - have wanted one for awhile.
6. Preparation and Storage: Solar Shower for TEOTWAWKI. If not I like to shower outdoors and now have a camping shower.
7. Build Community Food Systems: Trying to get a meeting of the community garden board to go over the August 22 Kitchen Garden Day Celebration, which we are now doing it a week later on the 29, to meet with folks schedules.
8. Eat the food (cook something new): Microwave Jam;

Garden Challenge: Extreme Evangelist Edition-found a Metal Headboard for free that would be perfect as a trellis for runner beans!