Sunday, June 28, 2009

The first Tomato of the year- the weekly challenge update

My First tomato of the year, off my robin tomato plants



Sharon's Independence Days Challenge- Year two, week 8

1. Plant something: Some “watermelon" radishes- a different variety than what I am use to; cherry belle radishes, transplanted hot pepper plants, some lettuce and some mesclun greens; “kent beauty” oregano – an herb whose flowers attract butterflys; transplanted a Hungarian pepper plant, Started some Sweet Potato slips , 2. Harvest something: India Mustard greens, Arugula, Beet Greens, and Dandelion, Basil, My first tomato!

3. Preserve something: Made and froze pasta and sauce for lunches and suppers; froze some basil cubes, bought one of those ziplock freezer vacuum packers with freezing bags to go along with my seal a meal; made a batch of strawberry jam (and before I get comments and emails on using jars not meant for canning, the large jar is one I put in the fridge immediately after for immedieiate consumption); froze the rest of the berries using Grandma's freezing trick
4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Used a 5 gallon and a 3 gallon bucket to make a self watering planter; Used a big jar that had pepperoni sticks in it that I won in a raffle years ago to store homemade instant oatmeal in.Used some pizza boxes as weedblock for the potted plants in the front yard. The usual recycling, composting, vermi-composting.
5. Preparation and Storage: Obtained a case of jelly jars and a case of canning jars and lids; Checked the food in the freezer- need to start eating the guinea hens and other frozen food in there! Made a batch of Instant oatmeal, recipe found on Cheap Like Me’s blog stored in a big jar originally fully of short pepperoni sticks, reused for this purpose
6. Build Community Food Systems: Shared how I make Self watering planters on my blog; (ok a stretch, but it works for me); Volunteered some time and labor with SuBu creating a demo garden for community gardening at the B/ias(Burien Interim Art Space) in Burien
7. Eat the Food: India Mustard, Arugula, and Beet Greens, Dandelion greens in a salad with strawberries and feta cheese; Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil dressing; some Apriums (a plum and apricot mix) Used leftover salad in a wrap;
8. Cook or eat something new: India Mustard, Arugula, Beet Greens, Dandelion greens in a salad with strawberries and feta cheese; Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil dressing, Apriums and crème (well not crème- non-fat rice milk); Made a sugar free version of Chocolate Mug cake; Made some home made instant oatmeal following Cheap Like Me’s recipe

Melinda’s Growing Challenge: Showed how I make Self Watering Planters on this blog; Transplanted a Hungarian pepper, started some sweet potato slips; Volunteered some time and labor and donated some plants with SuBu creating a demo garden for community gardening at the B/ias(Burien Interim Art Space) in Burien




Melinda's Buy Sustainably Challenge: Bought Romeo a handmade chew toy from the Strawberry Festival and Sammy a Catnip Bird from the same and bought some Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar and a couple of jars of bell pepper sauce from vendors Sunday at the festival. FOUND OUT THAT FRED MEYER SELLS BULK ITEMS!!!-I bought rolled oats in bulk to make instant oatmeal. Saving $$$ over prepackaged instant oatmeal using Cheap like Me’s recipe ; bought a half flat of local strawberries at the Burien Farmers' Market

3 comments:

Farmer's Daughter said...

I'm jealous of that tomato!

Cheap Like Me said...

Tomatoes already? It seems we don't get tomatoes until August around here. Our tomatillo plants are trying mightily, although they are only about a foot tall. We're still in the broccoli-and-greens time of the year here. It looks like you've been BUSY!

Robj98168 said...

Farmers Daughter- I was big- for a cherry tomato!
Cheap like me- normally we don't either- that one must have been an early bloomer. Thanks for the instant oatmeal recipe! I love it!