Scaling up my gardening

I've had a veggie garden of some kind since I moved out of my parent's place when I was 19, but it's never been a very big garden. We were always temporary. We moved a LOT. Except when we lived at the housing co-op while Abby was young. My community garden plot there was larger and much more productive. I gave away a LOT of tomatoes. I never supported myself from it.
I've been reading these how-to market gardening books, and dreaming, and thinking, and planning... but never doing. This year my plan is to grow as many veggies as I can and try to grow all of our produce for the months of July and August. Fruit isn't possible yet, so that can be a plan for next year. Herbs are completely possible. I'm going to be able to grow all of my mint tea for the year, and hopefully a good portion of my chamomile.

Easy homemade gifts

1. Homemade peppermint extract

Take clean, fresh mint leaves, fill a mason jar, crush with the handle of a wooden spoon to release the oils, fill to the top with a clear liquor of your choice, and put on the lid. Let it sit for a month or two (two is better). Strain into gift jars. Give to your favourite baker.

How to become a little bit more self-sufficient (even if you live in the city)

Being more self-sufficient also means saving a bit of money. This is what's called a 'win-win', I believe! If this is super new for you choose one item off this list, and start from there.

1. Have some herbs in pots in a sunny window.

My kitchen is too dark to keep plants in, so all of my herbs, and my lemon and bay trees have ended up in my daughter's 'study'. She likes being surrounded by plants while she works, and her window faces nearly directly south, so everybody is happy. Between this and my outdoor herb garden I haven't had to buy anything except annual herbs for years, and I have enough to give away as gifts, as well as make my food extra yummy for the whole year. I honestly believe this is why my roast chicken and soups are as good as it is. Fresh, or freshly dried, herbs really do make all the difference.

Dye, you fool!

Madder and dyer's chamomile. Dyer's chamomile smells just like chamomile tea, so my daughter didn't hate this as much as weld. Thank goodness she wasn't around for the woad.

I always used to get orange out of madder, but I've got the hang of it now. This is the madder with dyer's chamomile. The picture doesn't do the colour any justice. It's a quite nice tangerine.

First Attempt at Mead

It takes me a long time to work myself up to trying something new. I'm always worried that I'll mess it up and end up having wasted my time and money. However, in this case, everything is either cheap or reusable.

I keep bees, and earlier this summer I was trying to do something with one of my hives (I can't remember what now), and I ended up with a frame of unfinished honey. This honey smells a little off, but it's perfectly safe to eat. I suspect there were some odd flowers or something that went into this batch. It just doesn't taste very good in my tea.

So, I saved it in the fridge until I was ready to try making mead. I have enough of that honey to probably make just about five gallons of this stuff.

Crispy veggie and herb snacks

I have a bunch of friends who are trying to go keto and/or reduce their carbs. In grain-free land that's pretty much how we roll (not always by choice sometimes). I've collected a few recipes to help deal with that craving for potato chips that will inevitably develop. For most of these some sort of mechanical slicer would be a good idea, such as a mandoline. Some of the recipes also use a dehydrator. You can use an oven as a dehydrator, but it doesn't really work as well, and it uses a lot of energy, so I've included some baked alternatives.

Mend your own clothes- patching jeans and shirts

I took patching my jeans to spectacular new heights in high school. I had one pair that was more patch than jean. They fit like a glove... mostly because I remade them that way. I would pin the patch onto my jeans while wearing them (safety pins of course), take them off, and then sew the patch like that. Usually with contrasting thread and embroidery floss.

I'm not that radical anymore, but I still enjoy a good patch on a knee or two. Elbow patches on sweaters are endearing. Inner thigh patches are a little bit embarrassing, mostly because I don't really want to draw attention to that spot, and patches tend to draw the eye.

That said, I must be a little more gentle on my clothes than I used to be. I almost never blow out the knees of my jeans. I mostly need to patch the outside edges where the fabric wears from use along the seam at my hip. Or moth holes in my favourite wool sweaters. (Bloody moths)