Simple living

[abcowboy]

Moss (and the others), I talked to the resident experts in my life about this (Bubba and her mother) and here's their advice. Vegetables should be blanched, then fresh frozen, so again use your vac sealer. Or they should be pickled.. if you like "pickled" products such as dill pickles. Either way, they can be done in whatever portion size you wish. In the fall, Bubba pickles cucs, carrots, and beets. Year round she pickles eggs for me. As far as fruits go, canning or processing is best. Your co-worker was somewhat correct, canning needs to be done carefully, fruit prepared properly, jars and lids sterilized. But you can cut your canning recipe into the amounts of ingredients needed for the amount you are canning. The time will also be constant, no matter what portion size. MIL cans strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and crabapples. I'm not a real fan of them though as the sugar level is too high for my taste. Bubba processes fruits, meaning turns them into sauces or pies, then freezes them. Not sure if that helps, but I can guarantee that booze would have killed me long before our home preserves would have lol
Years ago, when we had the kids coming over for the weekends (visitation rights) I used to make homemade bread and buns, yes, I did it! Go figure, this tough old cowboy in the kitchen mixing up dough and then baking. Nothing makes the house smell better than freshly baked bread out of the oven! Bread products are relatively cheap to buy, I did it mostly to avoid the preservatives put into store bought bread products to give them longer shelf life. A bread maker can be a simple addition to the kitchen to give you fresh bread of any kind! Shop the garage sales and flea markets to find some good deals on them if you find the price tag in the stores a bit pricey. That's all I have for today my friends, have a great weekend!

[BeachGirly]

Wow - Cowboy in the kitchen making bread.
I bet the kids loved the small of that, and that will be a lasting memory for them of special time with Dad.

Great tips from MIL.
I tend to be like Bubba and puree and freeze. Fruits and vegs.
Right now I have alot of pureed spinch, that was just about past its prime, so I blended it up in my NutriBullet, and froze in smaller portions. Now I pull one out and throw in my morning smoothie for an extra boost.

BG

[DarrylC24]

Indoor garden? I would love to have that in my house.

[MossRose]

Cowboy - I'm with Beachy - you in the kitchen baking bread is something your loved ones will always remember. I recall reading an interview with John Lennon many years ago. It may have been his famous Playboy interview of 1980, but I'm not sure. Anyway, he talked about baking bread. He saw it as an art form. I loved that. Now you have me looking at bread machines. LOL.

And I'm trying to find a local canning class. Better safe than sorry, right?

I started pricing freezers today. I think I found one that will suit my needs and not break the budget. I also bought two more grow lights today. My first few of batches of microgreens have been a success. Now, I'm ready to try something more ambitious. My set-up is still very rudimentary, but I'm doing it! I'm actually growing food indoors even when the temps dip to minus 10 degrees. Next up - lettuce, arugula, dandelion (I'm weird like that), chard, and kale. I'm sure that I'll have a few failures, but I'm keeping notes, so hopefully I'll learn as I go.

Next up in my quest for a more simple life is cutting the cable cord. I watch a few shows and I'm disgusted at the price I must pay for that privilege. I know that quite a few of you here have already done it. I'm looking into antennas but since I live in an apartment, it needs to be internal. Any thoughts out there? I can get all my entertainment from Netflix, but am looking for a way to still access local news and weather. I know the Internet is available, but if it goes down, I would still like to be connected. Any thoughts?

[BeachGirly]

Hi MR - I have been considering cutting out the TV cable as well. I cannot believe how expensive it its. I personally NEVER have the TV on (and we have 3 of the darn things - 2 never used). My son likes his computer, and never watches TV either. But my DH loves his evening veg out. Car shows and mindless whatever. It helps him unwind. So - this is a work in progress.

Right now I am working on decluttering. I feel like I have become obsessive compulsive with tidying and throwing out.

I really wanted to go sugar free as well, but having a hard time converting to this still. I have done it before, so know I can get there. Getting rid of all processed food in our diets.

The budget is always a work in progress to simplify that....

I read something that said that simplicity is not an overnight thing. It is a process. And if we can just do a little bit each day to be closer to where we want to be,, (our true selves) then we are doing good.

So great job with your garden. I am useless at gardening - indoors and out. Glad there is such a good local market close by.

Have a great simple day.

BG

[Guitarista]

Next up in my quest for a more simple life is cutting the cable cord. I watch a few shows and I'm disgusted at the price I must pay for that privilege. I know that quite a few of you here have already done it. I'm looking into antennas but since I live in an apartment, it needs to be internal. Any thoughts out there? I can get all my entertainment from Netflix, but am looking for a way to still access local news and weather. I know the Internet is available, but if it goes down, I would still like to be connected. Any thoughts?

Hi Mossy and y'all.

You might have to go down the street for a newspaper! I chucked out the T.V. a year or so ago, and must admit, i have missed the daily news as i used to have it on in the mornings to read the latest news scrolling across the screen, volume down to avoid the mindless babble of the presenters and ads. I access news via internet, but not regularly so i'm often a bit out of the loop. There is a 'news in 90 seconds' program here on the net which is handy.

Breadmaking, baking, gardening, cooking....all great age old mindfulness techniques. Stressbusters! Imagine what you can do with the savings of cutting cable Mossy. Don't forget your phone should be able to roam and find a connection if home internet/power goes down?

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. Off to a local free music festival down the street today. G

xpost. Hi Beachy!

[MossRose]

Hiya G. Nice to see you here. My dad couldn't start a day without a print newspaper. I tease him sometimes for being such a dinosaur. But, it's his ritual. I stopped by there for breakfast a couple of weeks ago, and he handed me a section of the paper along with a cup of coffee. It was a flashback to my youth. There was something so comforting about it. I live far too much in the digital world.

ok - I did it. Cut the cord about half an hour ago. I'm done. I'm free. I just saved myself almost $100 a month. The cable company tried to convince me to stay - made some really enticing offers - but I decided that this is about more than just the money, so I declined. Beachy - I barely watch the tube either. I have always subscribed to cable out of habit. My ex-husband was a sport fan, so it was a "necessity." So I totally understand. But I really only turn it on in the morning to catch the weather and traffic report. Not worth the money.

You are right - this is a process. We'll get there!! Thanks for joining me on this journey.

[MossRose]

I just had to update this post. I was telling my neighbor about my decision to get rid of cable. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was having second thoughts. I almost stopped my request to disconnect. Apparently, we have an antenna on top of the apartment building that I didn't know about. LOL. I guess I never paid attention. Anyway, he stopped by this morning and showed me how to hook up my TV and it works. Life is good!! What a nice man. I need to bake him something.

[MossRose]

I have spent the last month finding ways to entertain myself on the cheap. I am now hooked on Netflix, and am using my library card to its full potential. Except for the habit, I really don't miss cable one bit. I found one more goodie yesterday that I wanted to share with all of you. I know this will sound like a bit of a commercial, but bear with me.

I love magazines. I always have. The photos, the recipes, the interviews - everything about them. And it has remained one of my most expensive guilty pleasures. Magazines have gotten very costly, but they somehow end up in my cart at the grocery store. LOL. Yesterday, I heard about a service called Next Issue (http://www.nextissue.com/) that allows you to read as many magazines from their catalog each month for a flat rate. Plus, you have access to lots of back issues. That's my one complaint with my local library - the magazines are always checked out.

So I am giving it a try. They offer a 30 day free trial. So far, I am thrilled. They have a few magazines I really enjoy (gardening, cooking, health, etc.) I stayed up way too late last night reading past issues of Organic Gardening. haha. Anyway, thought I would pass this along. With my Netlix subscription ($9.99/mo) and this subscription ($9.99/mo) and my library card, I am still almost $70.00 to the good each month without the cable bill. Yay! I love saving money.

Anyway, just thought I tell you all about it. Ecologically smart, and a huge savings if you are a magazine junkie like me.

[BeachGirly]

Hi - that is a good tip. I am going to check it out. I love mags also. I subscribe to a few and when they come in the mail I am like a kid at xmas. but you are right - very expensive.

I get a clean eating mag which I LOVE - but I seldom do any of the full meals in it. I can get the same info on the website.

Today, I decided to clean out my summer clothes and take to consignment anything I did not wear last summer. I then made the mistake of trying things on (some still with tags) - and darn, now I cant give them all away. I have gotten a good pile to take, but not as much as I should have. Seriously - how many black tshirts does one girl need???

Glad to have you back Mossy.
Tell me about the Magnesium you mentioned. Do you take it at night? What benifits? what dose?
thx

[MossRose]

Beachy - Too funny. You know the secret now - don't try anything on!! I did the exact same thing recently. And well...black tshirts go with everything, right? We'll get there. LOL.

I bought a product called Natural Calm (cherry flavor) from the health food store. There are two kinds. One has calcium, but I chose the magnesium only. My girlfriend swears this stuff changed her life, so I gave it try. A word of warning - it's easy to take too much, and if you do, you will know very quickly. It can cause stomach upset. But I cut back to 1/3 tsp in water right before bed and it's worked like a charm. Sleeping through the night. No more anxiety. I haven't taken it during the day because it makes me too mellow. It's like a sleeping pill for me without the terrible side effects. Hope this helps.

[scottish lass]

What a fun thread! I have missed this one in the past.
I spend a lot of time looking for real farm eggs (unwashed preferably) - hoping I have just found somewhere - first order is good, so hoping this one lasts - they are also raising some cows for beef hopefully!
Ordering the magnesium as my feet are cramping every night - so hopefully that works...
My rosemary looks lovely - can't keep basil alive, but need some sage.
looking forward to getting tips and advice here

[NoSugar]

Hi, SL

I thought it was illegal to sell unwashed eggs in the US, which is why we have to refrigerate them. Has your seller found a way around that?

[scottish lass]

I do not believe it is illegal, just a preference by those who are unaware. When I have found a farm selling eggs and I ask for unwashed they have always provided and this new farm says that they don't wash...

[scottish lass]

So it turns out to be state by state - all states say commercially produced by large farm are to be washed, then state by state differs. The farms have not batted an eyelid when I ask. It is actually illegal to hash in the UK and many European countries