My 20 day Challenge Report:
Challenge this week or the past 10 days or so:
1. Used bones, some meat, celery seed, salt, pepper in making chicken broth from leftover chicken. I haven’t done that for a long time. There wasn’t really much meat as the final leftovers were given to the cats.
2. Used up the last of the lentils/rice/diced tomato dish with some chicken broth from item 1 above for dinner that night.
3. Had some leftover strawberries with oatmeal the next morning.
4. Bell peppers are going into the dehydrator today or tomorrow.
5. I failed completely at using up the mustard greens I had got at the store! I thought it’d be interesting to try they but maybe another time.
6. Had lunch out with some friends and used the leftovers from that meal the next meal.
7. Broken down and ordered pizza DELIVERED twice in the past two weeks. How many points off is that?but they tasted good! :) and they are leftovers for at least one day probably two.
My sundried tomatoes came out quite well. I'll do more next time.
peace, shamba
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 12
I’m putting the Roma tomatoes out to dry today.
A little later: Dehydrating tomatoes (Roma tomatoes, I wanted to start with smaller tomatoes): well, it seems that the October sun, which I do prefer to the July sun, has got a lot of clouds along with it today. I’m so used to having hot and constant sun! that I forget that the seasons I like the best might not cooperate with the same sun as in July! So, I put the tomatoes in the Tulsi with the electric back up on. We might have a front moving it, I don’t know. So far the weather says that we’ll have much warmer temps by the end of this week—around high 90s. We’ve had really good cooler weather the past 2 weeks.
Don't forget, we are now officially in the Oct 10 to 15 time period Clif has pointed to where signs may pop up for the event on the 25th. Keep your eyes open. I am referring to the webbot project trying to predict the future ….
http://www.halfpasthuman.com/ and http://www.peoplenomics.com/
I am a follower of George Ure's Urbansurvival. com site. The webbot project reading the future is something he's involved with and he writes about it often. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not. This fall, the interpreters of the webbot data think that a great financial/economic turn for the worse is coming. It can also be interpreted a little differently depending on how you look at it--as all data predicting the future seems to be! :) You can LOL or not as you believe in the possibility of these things. I, obviously, believe in the possibilities.
We'll see this time how accurate it becomes. I still have some projects to do to the townhouse but I haven't made any plans to travel or do much after the past year of economic conditions happening that no one thought could happen anymore! But if really nothing happens to further the downslide of our world/economy/whatever I'm going to look into taking one of two trips I'd like to do in my lifetime. I'll be 59 in November (!) and have probably 15-20 good years left if my good DNA works for me that long. I feel like I'm waiting for the end of the world so I can get on with my life! Wierd feeling!
I would not abandon my present "prepping arrangements" or not do anymore but I'm getting tired of living for the complete apocalyse happening any day now. I'm sure things generally will get worse over the next few years due the economy, peak oil/energy and the climate changings. There's been plenty of "the worst" that could still happen to lots of people anyway so I shouldn't be looking forward to fulfillment of that! I won't like it much when it gets here, I know.
peace to all,
shamba
A little later: Dehydrating tomatoes (Roma tomatoes, I wanted to start with smaller tomatoes): well, it seems that the October sun, which I do prefer to the July sun, has got a lot of clouds along with it today. I’m so used to having hot and constant sun! that I forget that the seasons I like the best might not cooperate with the same sun as in July! So, I put the tomatoes in the Tulsi with the electric back up on. We might have a front moving it, I don’t know. So far the weather says that we’ll have much warmer temps by the end of this week—around high 90s. We’ve had really good cooler weather the past 2 weeks.
Don't forget, we are now officially in the Oct 10 to 15 time period Clif has pointed to where signs may pop up for the event on the 25th. Keep your eyes open. I am referring to the webbot project trying to predict the future ….
http://www.halfpasthuman.com/ and http://www.peoplenomics.com/
I am a follower of George Ure's Urbansurvival. com site. The webbot project reading the future is something he's involved with and he writes about it often. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not. This fall, the interpreters of the webbot data think that a great financial/economic turn for the worse is coming. It can also be interpreted a little differently depending on how you look at it--as all data predicting the future seems to be! :) You can LOL or not as you believe in the possibility of these things. I, obviously, believe in the possibilities.
We'll see this time how accurate it becomes. I still have some projects to do to the townhouse but I haven't made any plans to travel or do much after the past year of economic conditions happening that no one thought could happen anymore! But if really nothing happens to further the downslide of our world/economy/whatever I'm going to look into taking one of two trips I'd like to do in my lifetime. I'll be 59 in November (!) and have probably 15-20 good years left if my good DNA works for me that long. I feel like I'm waiting for the end of the world so I can get on with my life! Wierd feeling!
I would not abandon my present "prepping arrangements" or not do anymore but I'm getting tired of living for the complete apocalyse happening any day now. I'm sure things generally will get worse over the next few years due the economy, peak oil/energy and the climate changings. There's been plenty of "the worst" that could still happen to lots of people anyway so I shouldn't be looking forward to fulfillment of that! I won't like it much when it gets here, I know.
peace to all,
shamba
October 9-10th posted on October 12th
Very iffy sun today, temps are in the high 80s but sky is slightly over cast and the light peeks in and out of the bigger puffs of clouds. I put rice, yellow splitpeas, a can of diced tomatoes and some seasoning in the Tulsi oven. I plugged it in to use the electric backup on low to see how that will do today. I soaked the split peas for a couple of hours. These are the tail end of a group of split peas and I suspect they are a little harder with age so I soaked them.
I also have chicken to cook up tonight but that’s going in the inside oven later this afternoon.
My herb plants are doing very well. They are all growing and growing.
Next week one day , I’m trying drying tomatoes in the global oven. I haven't done it before so maybe I should say i'll try! No, this will be a very easy thing to do, I'm sure.
I‘ve inherited some containers with plants from a neighbor. There are several aloes and some other things growing among the various aloe plants. One of them looks like the leaves of a golden pothos or something just like that. I think some Irises are growing between the aloes in one of the pots. Anyway, I’ll have to look those up, blooming Iris would be great or the upright stems/leave plant look pretty good the way they are.
All thei ttime I'm doing anything, I'm watching events in the world--financial and other--about the "big" event that's been p[redicted by the webbots and seems to be happening based on reports of overthrowing the dollar as reserve currency and the grwing debt in the US, the dollar falling in value the past few months rather severely.
anyway, I'm watching
Peace for now, shamba
I also have chicken to cook up tonight but that’s going in the inside oven later this afternoon.
My herb plants are doing very well. They are all growing and growing.
Next week one day , I’m trying drying tomatoes in the global oven. I haven't done it before so maybe I should say i'll try! No, this will be a very easy thing to do, I'm sure.
I‘ve inherited some containers with plants from a neighbor. There are several aloes and some other things growing among the various aloe plants. One of them looks like the leaves of a golden pothos or something just like that. I think some Irises are growing between the aloes in one of the pots. Anyway, I’ll have to look those up, blooming Iris would be great or the upright stems/leave plant look pretty good the way they are.
All thei ttime I'm doing anything, I'm watching events in the world--financial and other--about the "big" event that's been p[redicted by the webbots and seems to be happening based on reports of overthrowing the dollar as reserve currency and the grwing debt in the US, the dollar falling in value the past few months rather severely.
anyway, I'm watching
Peace for now, shamba
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Oct 7th
I ate out yesterday with leftovers for dinner. I had lunch with Donna and Mildred on Tuesday. M. wanted to take us both out for the help we'd given her on her genealogy. It was a beautiful day, 82 degrees. We just sat in the Paradise Café for three hours after we ate, talking and talking. They don't think we'll have any more downslide into depression--"the worst is over"-- but we'll not have much of an economic recovery for a while. I've been increasingly schizophrenic the past two months about the whole financial/economic thing. Sometimes I think "okay, maybe, it won't be so bad and we'll stabilize and have some weak recovery" but usually that lasts only a day or so! I see something like a business going out of busines, or hear some news, or talk to friends about their job situation and then I think, buy some more oatmeal or practice making bread, rolls, etc.
Mildred will be 89 in November! She drove herself yesterday; she does have some kidney and some severe joint things. She's okay in the mind but she's definitely getting a little frailer every year. She seemed a little more stooped in the shoulders than I've seen her before. I need to make a point of talking and seeing her more often. She was a great friend and neighbor to my parents and family when I was growing up. She's my second mother, as my mom told me once. D. and I are both 59. Thirty years between Mildred and us.
As for the Blog thing here, my posting about anything here will be spotty over the next 4-5 days as I have some appts and other things scheduled. this includes going through the food storage and seeing what is needed to use up soon and if I need more of anything. I ran out of canned tomato products in the kitchen cupboards but I have another place I keep "more" of that kind of thing. I need to go through them. I seem to use all kinds of tomatoes: whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes of Italian or Mexican seasoning, stewed tomatoes with seasoning or none, tomato sauce, etc etc etc. I don't have any pureed tomatoes right now. I use these with all kinds of dishes, meat dishes, pasta, veggie anything.
For today, I have some leftovers of a soup I made the other day: Beef broth, some pearled barley soaked overnight, leek, scallions, carrots, 1 small potato, celery for a soup. I'll wash, slice and eat the two medium pears that need to be used up. I just like them as plain fruit, maybe with a little cinammon and brown sugar. They'd be good with a chocolate sauce but I'm not going to do that today.
All for now,
later,
Shamba
Mildred will be 89 in November! She drove herself yesterday; she does have some kidney and some severe joint things. She's okay in the mind but she's definitely getting a little frailer every year. She seemed a little more stooped in the shoulders than I've seen her before. I need to make a point of talking and seeing her more often. She was a great friend and neighbor to my parents and family when I was growing up. She's my second mother, as my mom told me once. D. and I are both 59. Thirty years between Mildred and us.
As for the Blog thing here, my posting about anything here will be spotty over the next 4-5 days as I have some appts and other things scheduled. this includes going through the food storage and seeing what is needed to use up soon and if I need more of anything. I ran out of canned tomato products in the kitchen cupboards but I have another place I keep "more" of that kind of thing. I need to go through them. I seem to use all kinds of tomatoes: whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes of Italian or Mexican seasoning, stewed tomatoes with seasoning or none, tomato sauce, etc etc etc. I don't have any pureed tomatoes right now. I use these with all kinds of dishes, meat dishes, pasta, veggie anything.
For today, I have some leftovers of a soup I made the other day: Beef broth, some pearled barley soaked overnight, leek, scallions, carrots, 1 small potato, celery for a soup. I'll wash, slice and eat the two medium pears that need to be used up. I just like them as plain fruit, maybe with a little cinammon and brown sugar. They'd be good with a chocolate sauce but I'm not going to do that today.
All for now,
later,
Shamba
Saturday, October 3, 2009
October 3 Saturday
Suffice it to saw that the economic news this past week has helped to dim the “bright lights” of recovery hopes. I’ll not get into that at all today. I’m enjoying the weather too much.
Not much in food news today. Eating the last of beef stew and veggies and have to make a big store run for all kinds of food and related supplies sometime today. I'll get to Sprouts for bulk purchases later this week after i checked out all those supplies in my pantry. At least, what I think of as my longer term storage pantry.
Thinking of emailing the local CSA and seeing what’s involved in getting on their supplies list.
My containers of basil, parsley and oregano are dong just fine.
Happy News from the Desert!
Our temps are now below 100 degrees, at least for the next 10 days!
On October 1st in the morning in my house it was 70 degrees from the weather alone. Ac didn't run all night and it was very quiet the previous night because my neighbors' ACs weren't running either.
It was cool inside! Not just an absence of warmth but actual coolth! :) :) :) :) :)
Peace to all,
shamba
Not much in food news today. Eating the last of beef stew and veggies and have to make a big store run for all kinds of food and related supplies sometime today. I'll get to Sprouts for bulk purchases later this week after i checked out all those supplies in my pantry. At least, what I think of as my longer term storage pantry.
Thinking of emailing the local CSA and seeing what’s involved in getting on their supplies list.
My containers of basil, parsley and oregano are dong just fine.
Happy News from the Desert!
Our temps are now below 100 degrees, at least for the next 10 days!
On October 1st in the morning in my house it was 70 degrees from the weather alone. Ac didn't run all night and it was very quiet the previous night because my neighbors' ACs weren't running either.
It was cool inside! Not just an absence of warmth but actual coolth! :) :) :) :) :)
Peace to all,
shamba
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
September 30th, Wednesday
At the last minute, like 15 minutes ago, at 12:55 p.m., I decided to cook in the Global sun oven. I have a pot of beef stew meat, canned stewed tomatoes, some minced onions, and some other seasonings and it’s out there cooking. It wasn’t quite unfrozen so it’ll need all the 3 ½ hours of sunlight it’s got left today to cook.
I don’t know what else I’ll eat with it but I’ll deal with that later.
Okay, it’s 30 minutes later and I’m using up the last ½ of brown rice in a glass jar. I’ll need to open a new package of rice after this. I will use water to cook it in, not broth this time. And it will go in the solar oven under the meat dish when I’m ready to cook it. It only takes an hour or so to cook.
Update Wednesday: Success with the beef stew meat by 4 p.m! I put it in a little after 1:p.m. still pretty frozen. The condensation on the glass door started about 3:30 and I could begin to smell the food cooking a little before that. I got the idea of putting the meat in even if still frozen from the Solar Chef who put some frozen meat of her own in her oven and it was done after 3-4 hours. Also had adjust the oven frequently, including moving the table it was on. If it's on the table it's higher to catch more sun after 2:p.m. Middle of the day is still fine for cooking.
I’m not sure about green stuff tonight I’m fresh out of most fresh stuff.
shamba
I don’t know what else I’ll eat with it but I’ll deal with that later.
Okay, it’s 30 minutes later and I’m using up the last ½ of brown rice in a glass jar. I’ll need to open a new package of rice after this. I will use water to cook it in, not broth this time. And it will go in the solar oven under the meat dish when I’m ready to cook it. It only takes an hour or so to cook.
Update Wednesday: Success with the beef stew meat by 4 p.m! I put it in a little after 1:p.m. still pretty frozen. The condensation on the glass door started about 3:30 and I could begin to smell the food cooking a little before that. I got the idea of putting the meat in even if still frozen from the Solar Chef who put some frozen meat of her own in her oven and it was done after 3-4 hours. Also had adjust the oven frequently, including moving the table it was on. If it's on the table it's higher to catch more sun after 2:p.m. Middle of the day is still fine for cooking.
I’m not sure about green stuff tonight I’m fresh out of most fresh stuff.
shamba
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday Sept 28th
Sun: I have the last of some brown rice in one of my glass jars to do something with today; not quite a cup. I have more rice but I’d have to open a package or something. So, I do what I do with rice, I’ll put it in the solar oven with some split peas/lentils, maybe add some vegetables at the end of the cooking time, dehydrated minced onions, cumin, coriander, salt and vegetable broth.
I’m losing more sun exposure on the patio faster and faster every day. Its interesting how fast it moves this time of year. I'll have to move i to the front soon.
Saturday: Put a piece of beef with assorted and some leftover veggies in the solar oven pot today. Potatoes, last 1 ½ leeks, carrot, little bit of a leftover onion, sea salt, ground pepper, freshly chopped up basil, parsley and oregano. I’m not sure how much of the fresh herbs really need to be added I’ll guess I’ll know better when the whole thing is done.
Update: the meat dish could have used a little more of the herbs, I’m just chicken with putting too much in dishes.
Wednesday: Used up the rest of the brick of cheddar cheese and grits and assorted other ingredients to make Chile Cheese Grits. I halved the recipe though as it makes a huge amount of food, about 12-14 servings. I’ve cooked the whole thing for potlucks before and kept half for me. The cheese I had wouldn’t have been enough for the whole recipe anyway. Note for next time: more green chiles make it tastier.
So, I have some cheese grits for today and froze the rest and that’s several days worth of food. It freezes well and reheats well. It cooked just fine in the Tulsi solar oven; I hadn’t cooked that dish in a solar oven yet.
Cheers,
shamba
I’m losing more sun exposure on the patio faster and faster every day. Its interesting how fast it moves this time of year. I'll have to move i to the front soon.
Saturday: Put a piece of beef with assorted and some leftover veggies in the solar oven pot today. Potatoes, last 1 ½ leeks, carrot, little bit of a leftover onion, sea salt, ground pepper, freshly chopped up basil, parsley and oregano. I’m not sure how much of the fresh herbs really need to be added I’ll guess I’ll know better when the whole thing is done.
Update: the meat dish could have used a little more of the herbs, I’m just chicken with putting too much in dishes.
Wednesday: Used up the rest of the brick of cheddar cheese and grits and assorted other ingredients to make Chile Cheese Grits. I halved the recipe though as it makes a huge amount of food, about 12-14 servings. I’ve cooked the whole thing for potlucks before and kept half for me. The cheese I had wouldn’t have been enough for the whole recipe anyway. Note for next time: more green chiles make it tastier.
So, I have some cheese grits for today and froze the rest and that’s several days worth of food. It freezes well and reheats well. It cooked just fine in the Tulsi solar oven; I hadn’t cooked that dish in a solar oven yet.
Cheers,
shamba
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
