Independence Days challenge: getting greener

Time again for Sharon's Independence Day's Challenge. It's been a big week for the garden; seems like every day something new is up or beginning to leaf: sprouts of peas, lettuce, chard. Bigger dandelion and Good King Henry and sorrel and ramps (these may be big enough to harvest some in the coming week). Emerging yarrow, comfrey, garlic, lemon balm. Chives being picked daily for snacking on by the kids.


(more, larger ramps in the "forest garden")

Here's what I did besides watching the garden come back to life:

1. Plant something:
More lettuce, beets, peas, and chard from seed. Transplanted the parsley that's all that's left of my "winter herb garden" into the herb bed outdoors. Rhubarb, a transplanted gift from a friend.


(new rhubarb)

2. Harvest something:
Eggs. Parsley. Sap. Chives.

3. Preserve something:
*!#@*! I burned the little bit of sap we were able to harvest this week. The pan might not even be salvageable.

4. Waste not:
I've been working on using up all the old stuff that gets buried at the back of the freezer (3 opened bags of hamburger rolls? Really?).

Can't remember if it belongs in this section, but this week, I've been crocheting quite a bit (progress report on that soon!). I've completed my first diaper cover, which cost me $5, as opposed to the $25 I spent to buy some. A good money savings, as well as being very satisfying!

7. Eat the food:
Inspired by last week's cheese cracker success, I decided to try some more crackers. These didn't come out nearly as well as those did, probably because they're significantly less decadent and because baking with 4 small children in the house is always tricky (i.e. they're nearly burned. Yes, burning food because of too many distractions is a frequent event around here). I'll try again, though. They did come out crispy and crackerish and I loved knowing they were safe for my dairy-allergic baby and had only wholesome ingredients. The kids loved them, too. We're eating lots of dried fruit, applesauce, potatoes, and frozen veggies, using up the end of the stored foods.