What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

when did you plant winter veggies? here we start them in july.

Well, normally I'd start them much earlier but we had that vicious drought and 100+ degree temps so I didn't get to start mine until early October when temps cooled and we FINALLY got some rain. I had hoped it would be OK to start them later because we typically don't get beyond a light frost until January time from which would give me a solid 60 - 70 day growing period. Unfortunately this year has been anything but common. We've had over a week of temps in the 20s (-4 C) at night for over a week now. That's so abnormal here at this time of the year. I just checked the weather and it's supposed to go back to normal later next week - 60 by day (15 C) and 40s by night (4 - 5 C).

 

[jerryse]

Bone broth is just broth . Broth or stock has always used bones . Just a fad marketing ploy in my opinion . Okay so more bone than meat . Roast chicken , turkey or other meats we have always saved the broth for soup or gravy .

 

[TJAnonymous]

Thats essentially the problem, I have a spinal compression injury overall, and the two key points of problems are lower back and in the neck, the neck causes problems everywhere, lower back, obviously just the legs. They will only treat one area at a time, if i get a shot in the neck it'll be a month before i can get a lower shot if I need one. This time the neck one just really I guess bruised the muscles in my neck because they are really sore and painful. I am sure this causes them to be puffy and inflamed, which squeezes nerves, which ignites a whole bunch of nerve issues. Another issue with nerve damage is, pain meds don't really work on nerve damage. it's a whole different world and I don't want to load up on Gabapentin or meds of that sort either. So when it gets bad, just. tolerate it as best as I can and hope that in a week or two it works itself back down to a dull murmur.

This means, some days when I have a LOT of stuff I really have to do, im reduced to laying in bed so I don't get vertigo type sick, and just pissy because im pretty worthless as a person on days like that, and KNOW that my work list is just getting longer and there is nothing I can do in my condition to shorten that list. I keep telling myself, it's NOT your fault Aaron you are NOT being lazy but well, anyone who's been in this type situation knows that --- that does not help your disposition really, and you just lay there depressed feeling like crap... because you feel like crap. In a way, having pets like chickens, or an insistent cockatoo, who love you regardless and demand your attention, no matter how you feel while you throw your pity party... while they are doing it for their OWN little selfish needs it does help break the cycle YOU got going on and is I guess you could call it theraputic. But, any day that I spend on the UPPER side of the compost heap is a good day right?

Life goes on and when we are lucky, so do we, birds and all.

aaron

My DH had 2 crushed vertebrae in his neck. Worst pain he's ever had in his life. He had to get surgery to put plates and fake vertebrae in his neck. It worked and he's back to a normal life. Usually I am not a proponent of surgery because it seems to make it inevitably worse but not so in his case... Just saying.

 

[Matejka]

I have to be honest I can not recall ever having bone soup? How exactly is this done and used? Does it have a real beefy flavor? gamey? organish flavor? or is it used really as a starter for when you make a beef stew where you add a bunch of veggies and such?

This is kind of like something Ill do when cooking other foods. One thing I like is, Ill cook up mushrooms, peppers, onion, garlic, bunch of veggies etc and pan fry them with a bunch of spices as an add on side dish when I do steaks. I'll save the liquid I pour off, which basically came straight out of the veggies so you KNOW it's good. THen next time I make a soup or stew and need to add water, instead of just out of the tap, I'll u se this water for extra flavor and nutrients.

Aaron

Bone/chicken/vegetable broth.
You've seen used the chicken broth In. Cans/boxes at the store? Used in soup dressing stuffing.its the same thing only alot tastier. The can stocks are too salty for me. I make my own. Chicken-carcass bones all go in a bag in freezer. When bags full or I feel like it I boil them down, usually add onion to mine then I will fill qt freezer bags lay flat and freeze
I do same thing with beef bones.
Veg stock. The bag gets alot of my veg trimmings, except potato peels. Bag full I boil it down. Freeze .

 

[WthrLady]

Woke up to and did chores in windchills of negative 10. ::No motivation to do anything today so OC I'm just doing little things::
New thermal curtains in the master bedroom, fixing a small handheld sewing machine, taking down a set of blinds, finishing sister's dress, feeding critters.
Had massive allergy shot dose yesterday and am trying to keep busy so I don't feel so anxious.
Couldn't sit still long enough to focus on classwork, so physical indoor work it is.
Not even thinking about spring gardening. If we don't get precipitation this winter, I might not plant one. We are in the highest level of drought and are being careful with the well.

 

[Sally PB]

not sure what to think on that one, its healthy it's growing, but I don't see much 'walking' or even flowering, hope it lasts the winter.

You can put them in some soil, spread out a bit. Spread them out to 1 for every 2 square inches or so. They'll grow some roots, sprout a bit. But you will be able to separate them in the spring and replant them where you want them.

Bone/chicken/vegetable broth.
You've seen used the chicken broth In. Cans/boxes at the store? Used in soup dressing stuffing.its the same thing only alot tastier. The can stocks are too salty for me. I make my own. Chicken-carcass bones all go in a bag in freezer. When bags full or I feel like it I boil them down, usually add onion to mine then I will fill qt freezer bags lay flat and freeze
I do same thing with beef bones.
Veg stock. The bag gets alot of my veg trimmings, except potato peels. Bag full I boil it down. Freeze .

I make bone broth in my Instant Pot. Any bones, any onion and garlic scraps/ ends, any carrot and celery chunks. (Well, not anything that's slimy, and be sure to cut off any dirty root bits off the onions.) Other veg, but in lesser amounts. I'll find the link if anyone wants to know more.

I use this to cook rice. I use it for any soup base, and also to make any cream soup I need for a recipe, as I can thicken it with corn starch and make it gluten free.

 

[vall]

Started seeds, winter stuff plus squash and cukes. I'm in central FL, barely, but since I'm only a few miles from the ocean I'm tentatively following the planting guides for south FL. Mowed the lawn/weeds including the tall patch I couldn't mow for months because the squash grew over it. Cool again today and expecting an inch or two of rain over the next week so that should help the seeds I direct sowed.

 

[Ascholten]

I wish we'd get some rain we really need it. Got a few inches with the hurricane but otherwise we been really dry here in Jax. I need to get the front of the h ouse fixed up and ready for spring and this is the optimum time but just so distracted and so many things going on, sometimes I want to get a 40 foot wide brush hog and just mow the entire place down and start over
Aaron

 

[WthrLady]

Blinds are down
Curtains are up
Machine is fixed
Dress is done.
Now lunch and maybe make some cookies.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

The high today was 40F. But I finished covering the chicken run yesterday and it’s a lot warmer in there. Apparently a few of my chickens are still laying. I found 3 eggs this morning in a nice little nest and got another one just a few minutes ago. I’m basically taking it a bit easy today but managed to scrape 4 buckets of compost from the old pile and dump it in a garden bed. Hoping to get leaves blown out of the backyard either Sunday or Monday then be done with outside work. That is after I move the French Lavender planters onto the front covered porch.