Saving by Gardening

Thank you for all who encourage me in my writing of this blog.  I have enjoyed sharing ideas on ways to live a thrifty lifestyle.  Not all deal with saving money, as some may save you time which can equally be important.

To those who have left private messages on Facebook, I would appreciate you leaving your input here in the comment area so that others can also see it.  That is another part of my intention of this blog, for my followers to share ideas with each other.  The topic of this blog will allow you to do just that – share a recipe.  Read on …

It is a wonderful time of the year, as the abundance of summer produce is available, possibly from your own garden or at local produce stands and farmers markets.  My garden is starting to produce wonderfully fresh items including different varieties of lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, and fresh herbs.  We like to eat healthy, and knowing that we can grow our own vegetables and herbs makes it easier.

If you haven’t started a garden, plan one for next year if space allows.  Otherwise, stop by farm markets or produce stands.  Not only will you be supporting a local home business, but you will be purchasing foods grown near where you live that are fresh.

Many people blanch and freeze corn on the cob or can produce like green beans.  Personally, I have never tried either of these methods, but have frozen other produce both in raw and in a processed form.

Before doing so, follow safety tips to make sure the food will be safe to eat.  Libraries are a great place to be educated and locate recipes.  There are also many good web sites with proper safety preparation information and recipes.  Personally, I like http://extension.psu.edu/food-safety/food-preservation.

A few summers ago, the overabundance of tomatoes and jalapeno peppers gave me the idea to make my own salsa, which freezes well.  After defrosting it, all I have to do is drain off some of the liquid and it tastes great.

Never having grown zucchini, a few years ago I had no idea that 4 plants would produce more than we could eat.  I gave many of them away and sought out recipes using it.  Did you know it could be used in baking with chocolate – YUM!

Now it’s your turn to share.  Please post one of your favorite recipes using locally grown summer produce.  I’ll start with one I discovered last year using zucchini and I added carrots to,  If shredded enough you might be able to get your children to eat their vegetables without knowing it!

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Carrot and Zucchini Meatloaf

Meatloaf

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup either chopped or shredded carrot

2 cups shredded zucchini (1 large or 2 small)

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

Topping
    1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard

·         Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix all meat loaf ingredients until well blended.

·         Press mixture into an ungreased 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Bake 35 minutes.

·         Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix all topping ingredients.

·         Remove meat loaf from oven; pour off drippings. Spread topping over loaf. Return to oven; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until thoroughly cooked in center and meat thermometer reads 160°F. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Photographic Memories

Memories are made, time marches on, and things change.  We look back and wonder where the first six months of 2012 have gone.  As we reminisce, we may also wonder how other years have passed so quickly.

Our lives are constantly changing.  Before you know it, you have graduated from high school or college.  Your children are grown, and you are a grandparent.  Maybe you are in a different point in your life and you are downsizing, moving from the home where you raised your family to a smaller, easier to manage residence.

More now than years go, we document our lives in photo.  So what have you done with your photos and other memories?

Before my parents downsized a few years ago, I had begun to gather and organize their photos and other printed memories such as marriage invitations, school graduation programs, and funeral memorial cards.  As they moved, these items seemed to multiple.  I located more in their collection that had been packed away, plus some appeared that previously belonged to both of my grandmothers.  Now the decision arose, what to do with all of these precious memories.

This began an ongoing project, where I am dividing and labeling these items.  When on sale, I went to either A.C. Moore or Michaels and purchased memory boxes in two sizes.  The 12”x12” boxes are great for oversized photos and for items like school graduation programs.  The smaller boxes can hold up to 1000 photos and come with divider cards.

Setting up three different families of boxes (different colors), I am currently pouring over thousand of photos, attempting to label a dozen or two a day.  One set of boxes is for my father’s families, another set for my mother’s, and a set for my parents life together that includes my siblings, and our families.

Since some of the photos were still in the developing envelope, I was able to easily decipher what year they were taken.  Others were not as easily identifiable.  My parents have been able to assist me with some, but there are others that could be relatives who passed long ago or they may have been family friends.  For those that neither my parents nor I could not identify, I scanned and emailed some of the photos to relatives who I knew might be able to assist me in this project.  For some I was able to gain knowledge, others remain as unknown.

After identifying who was in a picture and listing the year and in some instances only the decade, I placed them in the boxes using both the divider cards and also index cards (since there are never enough dividers) standing on end with the year listed.

What I learned from this entire project are some words of wisdom I wish to pass along to anyone who gives photos as memories.

1.      Start labeling your photos now while it’s hot outside – this is an activity that will allow you to sit and keep cool.  Also, the longer you put it off, the more memories that will be created and even forgotten as we age.  I have scanned and backed up many of these memories that I know are irreplaceable like the only know photos of some relatives.

2.      Use a storage method that is also safe for the memories.  A shoebox is a good temporary storage method, but not as safe for long time storage as are the photo memory boxes which are created to be acid free.

3.      Gather these memories in one place.  You may be surprised of what is found in drawers, basements, and attics.  Memories may be damaged due to extreme temperature changes, light, mold, and other environmental factors.

4.      Using a photo safe labeling pencil or pen, identify on the back of your photo the who, what, where, when, and why of the picture.  Do not use a ball point pen, nor write on the front of the photo, nor attach a label as even permanent ones lose their “stickiness” many years later and fall off the photo.

5.      If you give photo Christmas cards; consider putting the year and names on it in the order that the people are standing.

6.      Consider assisting your parents or older relatives in doing this type of a project, because one day you may be the individual who inherits the family treasurers.

As someone who has loved genealogy and putting together the pieces of my family tree, I have come across photos that I never knew existed of relatives who I never met because they passed before I was born.  These organized and labeled treasurers along with my printed family history are a legacy that I can pass down to my niece and nephews.