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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

It's a Cloudy Day in the Sunny South

Today is a catch up day for me.  The clouds are fully covering the sun so I've had to turn a light on near the seedlings on the window sill for light.

I went to the grocery yesterday to pick up a few items that were on special.  Nice sized strawberries went in the cart.  When I say nice size I mean they are not huge and scary looking.  They were California grown on top of the nice size and natural looking color.  Ninety nine cents bought a pound of them.

Asparagus was 1.67 a pound.  The stalks snapped with a crackle so I knew they were fresh.  To continue to keep them fresh they are in a cup of water in the refrigerator.  I also took advantage of the fresh green beans for .99 cents a pound.  Betty Crocker cake mixes were 1.00.  I bought two, but I've been thinking about cake mixes.  There's no reason I can't mix my own dry ingredients and put them in a vacuum sealed jar to keep them fresh.  I have a fantastic recipe for a chocolate cake that I'm usually too lazy to make, so I rely on a boxed mix.  This needs to change - soon.  I'll let you know what I come up with.

I can't help but notice the brilliant colors produced in nature.
The food is so appealing!


This morning I made organic deodorant - also from Annie's Simple Life on yoo toob.  It's waiting to solidify at the moment so I can scoop it into a deodorant container that has the labels removed.

6 T melted coconut oil
4T non GMO corn starch
4T baking soda
8 drops of essential oil ( optional )

Mix very well and let sit in the bowl to harden.  Scoop into an empty deodorant vessel. 

The recipe for this and the foaming hand soap was written on a recipe card and placed in my 1969 recipe box.

The deodorant mixture is almost solid.  It will mostly take a full
hour to solidify enough to scoop into the container. 


I made a salad for lunch using the first five spinach leaves from my garden.  I don't think a person can get fresher than that.  Speaking of the garden a row of radishes that I planted in the fall are just now showing their leaves.  I thought for sure they had died from the harsh winter.  Who knew?  Needless to say this was a pleasant surprise. 

It looks like a lot, but there are only five spinach leaves
on the plate.  Yummo!


I've also been de cluttering the house.  This morning the candle drawer was tackled.  I definitely have a problem with candles as I have way too many.  I gleaned out twelve after I asked my daughter if she could use them.  Thinking about why I collect candles then am afraid to burn them enlightened me.  There was a time -when medical bills were enormous - that when I did have a candle, I didn't burn it because I wanted it to last a long time.  Having even one was a special treat for me.  I have to train myself to use them now because I can buy one when I want another one.  Retraining a thought process can be difficult, but all things in life are relative.  I can easily do this with a bit of practice.

The votives in the lower right corner were a gift from my
number three daughter.  I kept those and will burn one a day
until I have mastered my fears.


 


2 comments:

  1. Asparagus can also be wrapped in a damp cloth (water with some vinegar). This way the water-soluble vitamins won´t "disappear". Do you cook asparagus in some water or in a sort of steam-cooker? If in water, you can use this fluid for
    a good soup or sauce. I know what corn starch is in German, but what does the abbreviation GMO mean?
    Your salad looks very appetizing and healthy! And with your super-fresh spinach leaves! Could not be better. Do you use a
    vinaigrette on top?

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're absolutely correct about the vitamins being water soluble. I forgot that important fact. Thank you for the reminder. I cook asparagus on top of the stove in olive oil and lemon, then put the cover on the pan to steam it. (lemon juice) When I make soup I boil it then, I too, use the veggie broth as the soup base.

    GMO is an abbreviation for Genetically Modified Organism. If you google it you will become disgusted. It's what Monsanto does to seeds to make them resistant to natural predators such as mold. There is a big movement in the USA where people are now aware of this practice and are fighting it. You may read the word organic on a number of blogs. This is a way of eating pure foods in this country. If you ever hear this term being brought up in Germany, fight it with all you have. Between GMOs and herbicides our population is getting very ill with heart disease, diabetes, etc.. People are wising up and won't take the blame (on themselves) any more. Our population is not over weight because we eat a lot, they are over weight because of the chemicals that are put in our foods. Did I mention the chemicals? Don't get me going on this one. I have so much to say, and it's not pretty!

    ReplyDelete