Use and Re-use

Reusing some items is easy to do and very cost effective. I am refining my kitchen re-useability. I have started composting again (having stopped when Elias was born) and instead of just throwing scraps and ends out I am saving them to juice with other veggie scraps. I combine the juice and the pulp, add seasonings, simmer and then strain off and freeze. This has cut down my broth cost and the leftover mash is perfect worm/compost food! My garden is producing lots of squash, so I think many pots of broth are in my near future!

Home for a Meal

Wow! What a summer it has been. We have been traveling nonstop the last two months...starting with two trips to Cottonwood at the beginning of June. Followed by over a week in Colorado and then a good 10 days in Cupertino. We have been eating out for most meals and were ready to come home and go nowhere!

Unfortunately, with a 10 day absence comes an empty refrigerator. I really didn't want to go to the store yesterday, so it was oatmeal (oats, almond milk, applesauce in cupboard) for breakfast. Craig picked up bread for lunch (grilled cheese with tomatoes). Dinner was going to be a challenge, but my garden came through with tons of squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper and gobs of parsley, basil and green onions. I made some 7 (ish) grain pilaf with lentils, added the sauteed veg and mixed in some leftover feta and herbs. Some fresh sliced Armenian cucumber and some fresh made chapatis rounded out the meal. It is good to be home!

Garden Abundance

Over the years we have put in small gardens. When Elias was born, the garden became even smaller with less attention put into it. In the past our winter garden has produced radishes, lettuces, beets, spinach and broccoli. The summer garden has never done well producing tomatoes and on occasion zucchini.

Elias loves to garden and as he is becoming more helpful and interested we have decided to scale up a bit. We built five more beds this summer and put in a late garden of tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, squash, eggplant, beans, cucumber and numerous herbs. Even with the late start and inattention due to my absence the last month and a half the garden is starting to flourish. We are working on watering issues (the beds are getting too much) and would like to add more plants.


Over all I doubt it is saving me much money (except in herbs!) It is still a small garden, but it gives the kids some experience with different types of plants and how they grow. We watch the critters that hang around, measure the veggies as they grow and the kids love to eat all the produce fresh picked!

Big Fat Juicy, Itty Bitty Teeny Worms!

What kind of pet do you have!? Worms? Okay, maybe they aren't pets, but they are awfully fun to watch. Elias loves to pick them up, feed them compostables, talk about the microbes they are eating, count babies, shred paper and in the future mix the worm castings into the garden soil.


We have been working on keeping a good moistness, enough food and a bug free environment for our worms. We are still in the learning phase and there have been many adjustments. It is too dry and hot for the worms outside and the bin is easily flooded. I think I am getting the hang of it and might even order a few more worms. I look forward to all the wonderful worm castings that will enrich our garden soil.

Morning Independence

Faces and shapes = taste better!

Elias loves to wake up early and he wakes up hungry. Eva loves to sleep in and nurse. This creates a problem...especially on those days Craig is up early and out the door cycling. The solution has come about with age. Elias is now old enough and big enough to open the refrigerator, pour pre-measured milk, and in general grab a snack for breakfast.

We have been trying to place some kind of morning snack in the refrigerator or on the table where he can immediately access it in the morning. He loves this! It is a surprise to see what we made and I think the feeling of independence is heady. So here are some of the morning ideas:

Sunshine fruit.

Hard boiled eggs (pre-peeled)
Cheese (cubed or cut into fun shapes)
Muffins/rolls
Fruits
Cereal with milk in a cup
Nuts/seeds
Yogurt with chopped fruit/seeds

The trick is to make them simple to eat; no heating or mixing. Just add milk or sprinkle fruit/seeds. Shapes and faces, colors and dips are always favorites. Sometimes these are his breakfast and at other times they are a start until I can get up and make something hot!

Change on the Horizon

A few minutes of reading.

As most of you know Craig has decided to leave his current job and take a position working from home. This was a tough decision as Craig was not looking to change jobs; he likes his boss, his coworkers and has worked there for 7 years. He had lots of vacation time, a flexible schedule, coworkers to go to the gym with and all that comes with a good job. The move to a work at home position is exciting! It goes along with our desire to home school and eventually move out of town on a larger piece of land. It explores new areas of programming and he is looking forward to working on the new projects. He will be traveling once a month for a couple of days, but otherwise will be home.

It should be fascinating to discover how the kids, Craig and I deal with the challenges of this new situation. Craig does a remarkable job working from home on an occasional basis. Elias is thrilled to know he is here and will come out for a quick break once in a while. I hope that Elias' willingness to let him work will be maintained on a long term basis. Craig says he gets more done at home because no one comes in to take him away to another project. He also feels guilty not concentrating on work since we are around and the sooner he gets done the sooner he can be with us. This might wear off with time, but we can hope not!

We do spend a couple mornings in town which will allow Craig several hours of uninterrupted work. If things are too hectic or noisy around here he can also go get a cup of coffee at a cafe with wireless access. In preparation for this new job we have placed a wireless router in the house. This will hopefully allow him to get the quiet needed or be involved as he desires. He can work with Elias at the table, go watch us play outside on the porch or get away to the back bedroom.

There are some many benefits to working at home. Craig's bike rides will be more than commutes and a couple longer rides. He can now stay out of the middle of town and ride the more scenic, hilly routes. If it is cold, he can leave in the afternoon and on a hot day he can ride in the morning. He can play more of a role in homeschooling, reading or watching here and there. Starting work earlier in the morning and having more time in the afternoons for family time. He won't be commuting an hour and a half a day.

The few drawbacks are merely things we will have to work towards: Going to the gym will take planning since it is a drive into town. Socializing in general will have to be something we are proactive about. Craig will try and meet his old coworkers at the gym, continue to ride with those he rides with and we will have to try and have company over more often. The lower vacation amount will be balanced by not having to take time off for me being sick or appointments.

So here we go onward with this new endeavor!

Knead and Rise

Finished rising, time to bake.

I have had numerous requests for this recipe and have finally decided to sit down, type it up and post. For those who have requested it, this is the loaf with apricots, cranberries, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Without these extra ingredients it is a perfect sandwich loaf or great for hamburger buns.

History: Around a year ago we discovered a lady at the farmers market who made whole grain (fresh ground flour) bread. We started picking this up every Saturday and enjoyed it. The loaves we bought at the store, even whole grain, never compared. I set out to develop a recipe comparable (and a bit cheaper than farmers market price). While I have yet to get a grain grinder, I have developed a fairly tasty loaf which we use for most our bread needs.

Multigrain Breadmachine Bread

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons honey or 1 1/2 Tablespoons agave nectar
1 egg

3 cups whole grain flour (I tend to use 1/2 Whole Wheat and 1/2 Whole Wheat Pastry)
1/2 cup 10 grain cereal like Bob's Red Mill (I use this and include my own flax, millet and amaranth)
1/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds
3 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
Up to 3/4 cup extra ingredients (dried fruit, nuts) if desired

Using a bread machine, place liquids in the bottom and the dry on top. I always use a dough cycle since cooking it in the machine made it denser than I like. Check the dough after a couple minutes and add more flour if it is sticking to the sides of the bin. After the dough is done (approx. 120 minutes), pull out and knead a minute or two. Shape and place on or in a greased pan. Cover and place in a warm area until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. If using this for sandwiches let cool before slicing, otherwise it tends to crumble.