So here's what's been happening at the little Homestead...
1. Plant Something- Still winter, but did save/move a fern after my Trader Joe's Amaryllis bulb garden finished blooming-
I removed the bulbs and added fresh potting mix to the fern. Looks good!
2. Harvest Something- The hens finally started laying last week! No eggs since about October. I'm grateful I started our little flock years ago. I will probably get a few more chicks later this year for a larger flock. Debbie is still alive, leaving only two laying. Sunny the Brown Leghorn lays white eggs, Luna my Silver Laced Wyandotte lays brown. I like buying mixed varieties of chickens so that I can tell who's doing what-
Sunny laid first!
3. Preserve/Store Something- Froze some chicken parts, will be making some relishes to store in the fridge. Bought some extra rice to store. Will thaw some home grown tomatoes for pasta sauce and peaches for some desserts. I may also can some, didn't have time last summer.
4. Manage Reserves- Get a Good Deal/Barter/Stock Up/Prep- Trying to avoid tariffs I bought/will be buying a few things. Bought a used bread machine, thrifted after my old (thrifted) one died. I was able to find most of the owners manual online, made my first batch of bread, came out great. Loaves are a little smaller but I can make bread as needed. Too much arthritis to hand make breads. Bought two Nike hoodies for myself on eBay (used, like new) warm and cute! Found some new sneakers 40% off on-sale on Amazon, love Sketchers!
Will be buying hubby Dave a few things right away, like his sneakers, etc. Bought a few cans of protein powder mixes (non dairy) on sale. We can't do much dairy. Bought a nice, small little rice cooker that works great! $20.00 Amazon, makes perfect rice, all kinds, always had trouble getting rice perfect every time, no more-
5. Eat the Food- Try New Foods/Recipe- We went out to a Japanese dinner the week of Japanese New Year and were gifted with a free thermos with the restaurant's name, how fun!
In honor of Japanese New Year I bought a little snake figurine at the Asian store (year of the snake), and then two lucky cats. The cats are called Maneki Neko, one for prosperity and one for good health, in my entry way-
I'm
starting to make some simple Japanese food. I re-did part of my kitchen
counter in the corner with some of the basics like sticky rice, etc.I
got out a few things that I thought looked nice and added them. Since I'm a visual person hopefully this will inspire me and
make it easy to find what I need. The two matching containers and bamboo vase were thrifted-
I had an extra planting box left over that I cleaned up, filled with various seasonings making them easier to find in the cabinet-
I like how it came out! I made a fun little bunting with some free sushi cat clip art. I printed on photo paper and strung on thread. I love it!
We're really fortunate we live five minutes from a huge Asian food store, the biggest in the area. Their staff is also really helpful in finding things! My first dish I made is called Onigiri, or rice balls. Usually made in a triangle with different fillings for snacks or lunches. These had Bonito flakes/soy sauce and pickled ginger, yummy! I wrapped them in Nori, added some whole grain rice mix for more nutrition-
6. Build Community Food Systems- No farmer's markets yet. May start selling some eggs to friends with prices the way they are. I suspect a lot of people will be buying chicks soon, hopefully they will do their research first. I may do a "how to start your first urban flock" post soon.
7. Recycle/Re-Use- We donated several boxes of holiday decor, clothes, kitchen items, shoes, etc. Bought a used bread machine $12.00, I got a few years out of my last thrifted $10.00 machine!
I've been looking more critically around the house, getting rid of more decorative items I didn't really use. I donated quite a few cookbooks that I had gotten on eBay/thrift stores. I'm sure somebody else can give them some love. On the kitchen counter (see above) I got the two blue and white ceramic storage jars with cork lids, $5.00 each. One for brown rice and one whole oats, nice! Got two Asian medium sized plates, $2.00-
Got two sets of 2 condiment/sauce mini trays for a couple bucks-
8. Skill Up- I started watching YouTube videos about what it's like living in Japan, really interesting. Here's a YouTuber I really enjoy Chani In Japan She's Australian and moved to Japan to teach English. She had been there before. She goes camping in Japan with her kitty Millie and is delightful. She bought an abandoned house, fixed it up, inspired me to try making Japanese foods. Check her out! I'm doing lots of Youtube and Pinterest for recipes.
9. Regenerate What is Lost/Salvage Something- We have decided to cut down our front apple tree. We will either plant a dwarf apple tree, small shade tree or perennials. Time will tell. Just too much to manage. Have been deep cleaning and re-organizing chunks of the house. Took everything out of the fridge and washed all surfaces, reorganized. Looks great! Will re-do the storage in our office/spare bedroom. Need t move some things around and re-sort home canned stuff, etc. More to come on that.
