tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post4030816129820948310..comments2024-03-28T21:42:22.620-08:00Comments on The "Make Do" Homemaker: When Life Gives You Lemons...: Frugal Friday: Money Saving Weekly Recap and Garden UpdateErika, "The Make Do Homemaker"http://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-28380984659517726092016-06-15T20:35:52.879-08:002016-06-15T20:35:52.879-08:00Erika, I had the same problem with pickled cabbage...Erika, I had the same problem with pickled cabbage. Is that the Ball Blue Book recipe? It sounds like it as I remember weighing out 6 lbs of cabbage. It was so off. Made at least double what it was supposed to so I had to make more brine. I only made it the once, never again because we ended up not liking it. We did use it up, but I've gone back to making red cabbage on an as needed basis. It just doesn't take that much time. Athanasiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005869307957326671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-75220744660271248112016-06-15T20:35:37.003-08:002016-06-15T20:35:37.003-08:00Erika, I had the same problem with pickled cabbage...Erika, I had the same problem with pickled cabbage. Is that the Ball Blue Book recipe? It sounds like it as I remember weighing out 6 lbs of cabbage. It was so off. Made at least double what it was supposed to so I had to make more brine. I only made it the once, never again because we ended up not liking it. We did use it up, but I've gone back to making red cabbage on an as needed basis. It just doesn't take that much time. Athanasiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005869307957326671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-88530714514326178672016-06-10T16:31:02.371-08:002016-06-10T16:31:02.371-08:00I love catching up on your blog! I've been st...I love catching up on your blog! I've been struggling without internet, and have to catch it at the library or other places, so my time is very limited. <br /><br />Your garden is looking excellent. Those boc choi plants look like they are getting close, if they are a "baby" variety. Otherwise, they will grow quite tall--depends on which kind they are. I love it in stir fry and chicken soup. If the bugs cremate the tops, you can still use the stems and throw the leafy parts away.<br /><br />I was raised on a peach farm. My camper is parked on one now. Our peaches floated, too. We do fill the jars and gently tap them on a dish towel so the peaches pack in, and that gets more in the jars. But they still have some juice on the bottom. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-49493172618471897322016-06-07T07:03:24.403-08:002016-06-07T07:03:24.403-08:00I took your advice and cleaned off the top of my k...I took your advice and cleaned off the top of my kitchen table. IT IS WOODEN!!! I had forgotten what it looked like. The problem was that I took everything and dumped it on the cabinet in the laundry room. Then I had to work on cleaning that room without putting everything back on the kitchen table, not easy. <br />It went like this. I thought since the shelves were mostly empty I would wipe them down first. As I began to put things back on I noticed I had quite a few small leftover amounts of various dried beans from last years garden. I put all those in the crock pot for dinner. My son said he really liked it and could I fix that again? Nope. It was a once in a lifetime special meal I made just for him. It is a secret recipe (I am really a great Mom). <br />I spent all afternoon in there and I am proud to say, “I have a four foot square clean spot in my house!” Woohoo!<br />As for achieving my goals. I did make some progress.<br />1. Sit and stare. Did that quite a bit and in all directions! I even had company. My husband and the dog joined me on the front porch for a while.<br />2. Make a “to do” list. I got started but my hand started to cramp from writing so much.<br />I suppose one out of two isn't bad. Right?<br />Jeannie<br />Jeanniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11333123227073032453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-81392892993048702562016-06-05T22:13:11.048-08:002016-06-05T22:13:11.048-08:00Don't feel bad. Rhubarb grows like mad up her...Don't feel bad. Rhubarb grows like mad up here in most people's yards and yet it's still at LEAST 2.00 lb at the store...usually 2.49 or more in season. So really 4.00 lb when it doesn't grow where you are really isn't that bad.<br /><br />I never thought to save the small pieces of peel and things from peaches to make popsicles. That's a neat idea! I'll have to try that next time I can peaches!Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-16981501588669851722016-06-05T22:11:28.430-08:002016-06-05T22:11:28.430-08:00Good to know I'm not the only one with floatin...Good to know I'm not the only one with floating peaches :).<br /><br />Your daughter finds the exact same things in Victorian Farm as my daughter. Lots of baby animals and I'm also happy that she's learning a little something along the way (she has a hard time grasping that they are living like they are in the past and how far back in the past the Victorian Era is...timelines are still coming together for her).<br /><br />Working is definitely frugal. Can't get much more frugal than actually making money can you :).<br /><br />I have some parsnip seeds that say to soak them in warm water before planting and I was wondering if it would make a difference. Good to know it works that well.<br /><br />And I have to say that Oregano is like one of the most "shrinky" herbs I've run across when you dehydrate it. My favorites to dry are rosemary and sage as they seem to shrink the least and can be the most expensive for me to buy at the store. Thyme dries okay, but man the amount of stems you end up picking out of the final product can get tiresome.Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-59525365597079980202016-06-05T22:05:44.959-08:002016-06-05T22:05:44.959-08:00I am loving the fact that so many people have had ...I am loving the fact that so many people have had floating peaches too. It makes me feel better about my peach canning deficit *laugh*.<br /><br />My grandma and aunt Mary were some of the people in the world who were able to can perfect peaches, so I always kept thinking, "They did it. How can I not DO this???" At least the peaches still taste good ;).Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-57485199684341802002016-06-05T22:03:09.294-08:002016-06-05T22:03:09.294-08:00Your list made me laugh so hard because there are ...Your list made me laugh so hard because there are SO many days that I end up doing just that because there's so much to be done and I don't know where to start.<br /><br />I usually end up starting with the kitchen, getting it in order and the kitchen table. That way when I get overwhelmed I can just go and sit and stare at a clean kitchen and pretend that the rest of the house is walled off and dead to me while I sip my coffee *laugh*.<br /><br />Tomorrow I need to tackle Mt. Foldsalot that is taking over my master bedroom, recover what passes for my den after my son destroyed it at the last bout of speech therapy and hopefully keep on top of the rest of the house enough so I can shampoo some carpets before another bout of speech therapy tomorrow afternoon. Fun times.<br /><br />Thanks for the imput on the cabbage. I was wondering when I should harvest it (it is indeed the dwarf bok choy). Good to know I can start picking it...I'll at least get some before the bugs attack it this way :).Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-40269278746369535812016-06-05T21:25:52.698-08:002016-06-05T21:25:52.698-08:00Your garden is doing great! The bok choy beside y...Your garden is doing great! The bok choy beside your rat tailed radishes looks like it is almost ready. If it is some of the seeds I sent you then it might be the dwarf variety and will only get a few inches higher. You can pick the outer leaves off now and put it in your salad. I love it because it is ready so early.<br />I have also had stored rice smell bad. It probably absorbed the smell of the container. If you take it outside, spread it on a cookie sheet in the sun and leave it for a day, it will smell fine. Just make sure the birds don't get into it. <br />Last year I made peach pit jelly. I considered it a success because it was from something I usually throw away.<br /><br />Yesterday was the last of the 15 hour work days. The season has ended for this year. Now I can catch my breath. <br />Everything around here is a mess. I got up this morning and went to the kitchen to fix myself a cup of coffee. I sat down in a rocking chair to wait for it to brew and beside me was a pile of coupons to be cut out, newspapers to be read, mail to be opened, lunch boxes to be put away, groceries on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink. I went into the laundry room and could not even see the floor for all the clothes. It smelled like a gym locker. When I opened my bedroom closet, I noticed I still have winter clothes in there. It has been in the 90's this past week and I HAVE SWEATERS AND SWEAT PANTS!!!! I took my coffee out on the front porch just to avoid looking at the waiting chores and outside I saw seedlings to be planted, flowers needing water and caterpillars attacking everything. I am dizzy with all that needs to be done. So, my goals for this week are as follows:<br />1. Sit and stare. Any direction will suffice.<br />2. Make a “to do” list. Put my chores in order and just take one step at a time.<br />Yes. I can take one step, do one chore...tomorrow.<br />Jeannie<br /><br />Jeanniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11333123227073032453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-12508271636509234202016-06-05T18:30:40.929-08:002016-06-05T18:30:40.929-08:00You accomplished a lot!! Your cabbage and peaches ...You accomplished a lot!! Your cabbage and peaches both look wonderful. My mom always had floating peaches, too, but they are some of my favorite home canned goods. We loved to eat them on bran flakes or wheaties, such a great combination. I haven't thought of that in a while!!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16128676927462151254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-74189785243304214992016-06-05T12:00:54.714-08:002016-06-05T12:00:54.714-08:00Home canned cabbage, home canned peaches, and brow...Home canned cabbage, home canned peaches, and brown rice all added to the pantry for little money (my peaches float too, but they still taste good). Plus you were able to make some extra money! That's the way to grab up those opportunities, Erika!!! <br /><br />Your garden it looking great! Mine is about at the same stage as yours (except my lettuce is not that far along). We finally had a really good rain today, so hopefully it will all take off even more over the next week.<br /><br />My daughter seemed to like watching the Victorian farm as well. In fact, I had her watch most of the series with me. So many baby animals kept her interest, plus I loved that she was learning something at the same time.<br /><br />I didn't have too many frugal accomplishments this week, mainly because I'm working. Actually, working and not spending money is a major accomplishment, so I shouldn't complain! I cut some fresh oregano from the garden at work and tried drying it in my dehydrator for the first time. I need to harvest more because once dried it didn't make too much. It's free though, so that's good. I put the leftover stems in my veggie scrap bag in the freezer that I use to make broth (I also keep chicken bones in the freezer until I have time to boil up a batch). I cut both my daughter's and my bangs so we didn't have to go to the hairdressers. I tried soaking my bean seeds for 2 days before planting them this year (I soaked my peas as well as you're supposed to) and the results have been amazing. These are the heirloom seeds I collected last year, which may also be why they are doing so well. Regardless, I'm very happy that almost every single seed came up this year! And, last but not least, my husband and I attended a dragon boat practice this weekend for some free fun and exercise. Next weekend we will be in the dragon boat race for some more frugal fun and exercise. That's about all I can think of right now. Looking forward to reading about your grocery shopping trip!<br />Rhonda A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00448188064878559345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-20832880191511880962016-06-04T19:48:09.687-08:002016-06-04T19:48:09.687-08:00I am so jealous at your rhubarb plant, I wish I ca...I am so jealous at your rhubarb plant, I wish I can grow it, I see it in stores sometimes for the crazy price of 4.00/ lbs, and I have to broke down and buy it.<br />I bought peaches today for 67 cents / lbs, I get a bunch of them and I spend the day canning them. I also kept a bag to eat fresh until I will go grocery shopping next week. <br />I even made 8 Popsicles from the peels and the small pieces left ftom canning. The kids love any fruit Popsicles I make, it is so easy to make them with whatever fruit I have available, just pure in the blender add some sugar and pour in molds and freeze.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02873345808647096113noreply@blogger.com