Independence Days Challenge

Independence Days Challenge-
It's been just gorgeous fall weather with a touch of winter in the air. The days are getting a little bit cooler this week in the mid-60s going down to low 30s at night for next week. It maybe a cold Halloween! Neighbor kitty Poesy found a nice spot yesterday by our raised bed-

Then gorgeous skies, with orange clouds-

We've been doing lots of miscellaneous things and thought this would be a good post to catch them all up. So here we go...

1. Plant Something-
As usual we do not do fall plantings, but I did buy a nice purple Mum for the front porch!

2. Harvest Something-.
We had already harvested the last of the tomatoes and they are ripening nicely on the counter. The weather has been so mild I was holding off harvesting the last of my herbs. My herb box has a nice big rosemary plant in it, lemon thyme and oregano. Will harvest soon. No eggs.

3. Preserve/Store Something-
We decided to stock up on a few things when we were out grocery shopping. I bought a nice big 20 Lb. bag of rolled oats. We'll use it for ourselves and also for a treat in the winter for our chickens, great deal! I stored some outside and the rest in big gallon glass jars in the pantry. We've been freezing the tomatoes as they ripen on the counter. We bought some extra dry goods when we saw a really great deals. Things like egg noodles, granola bars, and clearance-price gourmet breads. I also bought a bottle of dark red wine since I want to make some beef stew soon. Nothing like beef stew on a really cold night! Will be stocking up on a few more things at Costco soon, since I do not go near that store until after the holidays. It's really nice to see that our freezer in the garage is actually just about completely full! It was about half-full this summer after we'd used up last year's veggies, fruits and meats. Now we have more fruits, veggies and lots of other yummy things. I do need to stock up on some meats soon, will watch for good deals.

4. Manage Reserves- Get a Good Deal/Barter/Stock Up/Prep-
We did get a good deal at the local Ace Hardware for wild bird food, good to keep for emergencies for chickens as well as feeding the local wildlife. $10 for 20 Lbs is a great deal so we got two! Bought some heavy, clear plastic to enclose the main coop door, and cover our work bench on the back deck. Got a few decor items including this, $7.00, keeping with my Scandinavian holiday goodies!

5. Eat the Food- Try New Foods/Recipe-

I have a new recipe I saw that I'm going to try soon, tangy red pepper sauce over pork chops. Looks great! Would work on others things as well, it's here - Roasted Red Pepper Vinegar Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper-Vinegar Sauce
Roasted red peppers add sweetness to this sauce, and hot cherry peppers bring some heat. Garlic, tangy vinegar, briny anchovies, and a generous amount of olive oil round out the flavors. This sauce is an excellent accompaniment to lean meats such as pork chops or chicken breast.

Ingredients-
¾ cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dry
2 jarred hot cherry peppers, stems removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, lightly crushed
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
½ teaspoon Salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar  (Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar can be substituted for the            white wine vinegar, if desired.)

Instructions, Serves 4, makes about 1 Cup-

Pulse red peppers, cherry peppers, garlic, rosemary, anchovies, salt, and pepper in food processor until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses. Add water and vinegar and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and add water and vinegar. Add ⅓  cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2  tablespoons minced fresh parsley, slowly whisk in oil until fully incorporated. Stir in parsley.

6. Build Community Food Systems-

Waiting for the hens to start laying to sell some excess eggs. The 2 older ones molted, big time, and the 2 younger ones are close to laying. 

7. Recycle/Re-Use-

We've been cleaning out closets again and donating more things. I recycled some things inside the house recently when I redid our guest bedroom with more of a French country feel-

8. Skill Up-

I have been studying local politics more lately since we have a big election coming up. While the powers-that-be keep a pretty good stranglehold on things it's still good to vote.

9. Regenerate What is Lost/Salvage Something-
My hand is doing well, still in the brace for 3 more weeks. I'll switch to a small brace and then wean off. Learning to mouse left handed has been hard. I'm so glad we're not buried at work! We were having some issues with our Subaru Outback and took it to the dealer. It turned out that the battery and battery cables were under warranty and that was the problem. Free replacements! It was also running a little bit odd, they asked where we bought our gas and Dave usually buys it at Costco. They told him not to buy gas ever again at Costco and here is why- when you sell a high volume of gasoline you're constantly putting in more gasoline into the pump tanks. Residue and grit in the gas never has a chance to settle, so it winds up in your fuel lines. They said they bought a gallon or two and ran it through a coffee filter. They said It was full of tons of grit and debris. Good to know! Since two of our fruit trees have a fungus I bought some Copper Fungicide spray. It kills the fungus naturally and will save our trees. I forgot to spray last fall and our poor peach and pear trees suffered. No more! Just waiting for all the leaves to fall off in another week or two.