As the wedding approaches, I keep finding more and more little things to do. I've decided that I need a little check-off list so that I won't forget anything. I can't believe this whole thing is going down in less than a month. So little time to do stuff!
- Figure out music for ceremony
- Finalize music for reception
- Make time line/schedule for the event
- Get dress hemmed and bustled and buttons sewn on top section (has to wait until my petticoat arrives)
- Get R fitted for his tux (should be happening this weekend)
- Get a haircut
- Give R a haircut (2 weeks out)
- Figure out how to decorate patio for ceremony (Do I want an aisle runner?)
- Paint little containers for favor/seating assignment plants
- Buy plants and plant centerpieces and favors (not until closer to the date, so I don't have to water them for too long)
- Buy parakeet grit to cover soil in centerpieces
- Make bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages (day before)
- Find stockings
- Figure out the jewelry situation
Brain... hurts...
Because I need to write this down somewhere
Recipe Review: Applesauce
Alternately, this post could be titled "What I do with my evenings now that I don't have class."
Of course, this is just the first week without evening classes and also the last week of school, so I could just be feeling giddy. Anyway, I decided it was time to harvest some of the apples from my lovely apple tree and make applesauce. I love applesauce and I also hate to see things go to waste, even bird-pecked apples. Given that my garden appears to be feeding all of the local wildlife, it is really no surprise that the majority of the apples have a few divots taken out of them, if not large chunks.
The recipe I used was from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving I recently bought, along with some tools to keep me from dropping jars of jam into boiling water and scalding myself. I'll tell you now, the can lifter they have make canning much less frightening than it was when I was using my standard-issue tongs. I'm also glad the whole thing is no longer a two-man operation.
This is the first recipe I have tried out of this book, though I have bookmarked a few others. There are definitely some odd ones (the page opposite applesauce has a recipe for "strawberry smooch," whatever the hell that is), but it seems to have enough good recipes and tips to make it worth the money. Makes a darn tasty applesauce.
Applesauce
Adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Makes about 4 quarts (I got 6, but I think I like a thinner applesauce)
- 12 lbs. apples, peeled (or not, if you're planning on using a food mill like I did), cored, quartered, treated to prevent browning, and drained
- water
- 3 c. granulated sugar (optional) (I wound up using 1 c. to take the edge off, as a few of the apples I picked were still a little green)
- 4 T lemon juice
- cinnamon (optional)
2. In a large saucepan (more like a vat), combine apples with just enough water to keep them from sticking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5-20 minutes, until the apples are tender (time will depend on the variety of apple and their maturity). Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
3. Working in batches, transfer apples to a food mill or food processor fitted with a metal blade and puree until smooth. (After all the apples were out of the water, I reserved ~ 4 c. and poured the rest out.)
4. Return apple puree to saucepan. Add sugar, if using, and lemon juice; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking (you can also add some of the reserved apple-water to loosen things up). Maintain a gentle boil over low heat while filling jars.
5. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot applesauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
6. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 20 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.
The latest & greatest backyard accessory
A ball of bees! I went out to check on my plants this evening and found them in my orange tree. They've swarmed away from their hive (perhaps the hive they were part of decided to split) and are using my tree as a rest stop while they send out scouts to look for a new place to live. I doubt they will stay in the tree, as it seems a little exposed and unstable, but I hope they don't go too far away. Pollinators are always useful, and since I don't have a pool or people running around with bare feet in the backyard I'm not too worried about stings. In these tough times (for bees), it's nice to be a safe oasis for wildlife.
Turning students into cacti
No, I haven't discovered some sort of magical formula for turning troublesome children into passive vegetables (aside from TV, that is). I suppose a more accurate statement would be "turning students' money into cacti" or possibly even "obtaining money from your students for fun and profit."
At the bottom of this convoluted chain is the fact that my 6th graders are never ever prepared for class. There are always a few in need of writing utensils, and I'm certain that the majority of the class does not have a sheet of paper to their name. I've got a small supply of writing utensils, many of which I've collected from the classroom after the class has been dismissed, but my students were constantly forgetting to return said utensils after they borrowed them. After a while, I started asking for collateral.
Now, I've heard of some teachers making students leave a shoe when they borrow a pencil, but I really wasn't interested in having a desk full of stinky kid shoes. When they asked what I wanted I simply specified that it was to be something that they would miss, leaving them to figure out what to leave with me. Frequently, I get backpacks and binders, but on one occasion a student gave me their cell phone.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my more chronically unprepared students started using money as collateral. Generally he'll give me a dollar, but on one occasion he gave me five. Unfortunately for him, he's also fairly distracted, so he wound up forgetting about his money on two occasions, leaving me with two dollars. Had he brought me a pencil the next class session, I would have gladly given it back, but he seemed to have forgotten all about it.
So, there I was with two dollars of student money that I didn't really know what to do with. I would have felt a little odd spending it on myself, but at the same time the student gave me the dollar for the express purpose of repaying me for the writing utensil he took. Lucky for me, my guilt was alleviated by another one of my students, who was selling cacti for two dollars as a fund raiser for the softball team. Putting the money back into the school seemed like the most appropriate use for it, plus I got something cute for my garden.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you turn students into cacti.
Here's hoping my plants make it through the day
Current temperature at my house: 87°F
Forcasted high: 95 °F
I thought it seemed awfully warm this weekend! Luckily, they say it will be getting cooler starting tomorrow. In other exciting climate news, one of the canyons by my house was on fire yesterday again.
The Growing Challenge #9: Harsh lessons
In the time since I repotted, things have not been going so hot in my garden. Well, in truth, it's been too hot, which is probably why everything is dying. The fact that all the animals seem to remember my delicious garden from last year and are visiting earlier means that anything that hasn't died from the heat gets eaten. Radishes? All gone. Peppers? Withered. A couple of the tomatoes I started from seed survived, but only in the shadier places in the garden.
If I were going to be staying in San Diego, this would be a valuable lesson for me, but since I'm not I'll just share it with you all with the hope that it will help out someone else.
The lesson:
Start seeds early. Really early. You want them to be large enough to plant by February or so, when our tiny rainy winter ends. By the time April rolls around, it's pretty hot if you're not living right on the coast, so you want the plants to be big enough so that they can tolerate the heat.
I wound up picking up some (larger) plants while I was at Target today, because I still want to grow something, even if I didn't grow it from seed. Hopefully these ones will do a little better than my smaller plants did. I'm also thinking of planting some radishes along the margins of some of my planters. Assuming they're not eaten, they should be ready to harvest before the tomatoes and peppers get too big.
The Growing Challenge #8: Repotting
I started this post last week, but was incredibly unproductive until today. Blogging? Meh. Work on PACT? A squidge. Those wedding invitations I meant to have addressed? No way.
The one thing I did manage last week was repotting my seedlings. In the beginning of the week, I was filled with a sense of urgency. I needed to move those plants! The roots were growing into the egg carton I was using to hold cocoa-fiber pouches, so I filled the containers I had at hand with dirt and moved the plantlings.
Unfortunately, the containers were in no way deep enough and I was left with a lingering fear for the long-term survival of the plants. I wasn't quite sure what to do, until I saw the bathroom cups that one of the other Growing Challenge members was using to start their seedlings and inspiration struck. Aha! I may not have tiny bathroom cups, but, being a recent college graduate, I do still have a large stash or red plastic cups. You know, the ones that just scream, "I'm drinking some horrible punch made with Popov or Everclear and am probably not of age." As it turns out, the aforementioned red cups are the perfect size for growing plants. What joy.
The Growing Challenge #7: Learning from the master
Having traveled up to NorCal to have the top of my wedding dress fitted, I had the opportunity to hang out with my best buddy S and her father, the expert veggie gardener. It was great being able to ask all of the questions that gardening has fomented and to see how someone very practiced grows their crops. I also got to take a look inside his compost bins at his beautiful rich compost. I'm so jealous!
What I have learned:
- The wire used as cement molds and big metal rods are adequate supports for tomatoes. One should tie the tomato to the rod as it grows.
- Peppers also like some support, so those flimsier stakes and standard tomato cages I bought last year will not go to waste.
- Peppers are good container plants.
- Most seeds are good for a while, but the germination rate goes down over time. S's dad throws his away after 10 years.
The Growing Challenge #6: Once more, with feeling
Since there is still no sign of cucumber growth outside, I decided to start a few inside. I want my cucumbers!
If your can't tell from the photo, my tomatoes are getting rather tall. I will have to start thinking about moving them to a different container soon. Quite soon, in fact. I guess I'm going to have to start rassling up some containers. Does anyone know anything about this "hardening" process I have heard mentioned? When am I supposed to do that?
The Growing Challenge #4: Germination!
Huston, we're got sprouts.
Being a first-time planter of seeds, I spent the whole week fretting over my little egg carton full of seeds. They seem a little dry. Was I supposed to water them? Didn't the coconut fiber keep them wet? Am I watering them too much? Did I kill the seeds by over or under watering them? Luckily for my sanity, one of the pear tomatoes sprouted this morning. They've continued popping up through the day, and now almost all of the tomatoes are peeking out of their nests. No peppers yet, but apparently they can take up to two weeks to germinate.
Now that the plants are growing, I've got to figure out how to keep them that way. I spent all morning trying to figure out where I could find a spot for the plants that is sunny and, more importantly, cat free. Lucky for me, I remembered that my school has several grow lamps that we used last fall for our bottle biomes that currently aren't being used. I don't think they will mind if I borrow them for a month or so to grow plants in my garage (which is delightfully free of cats).
As it has been raining here in San Diego, I had also been worrying about the seeds I had planted outside. Having played an inordinate amount of Harvest Moon, I've gotten the impression that you need to time planting properly when it comes to rain. If you plant when its raining (in the game), the seeds wash away. I was worried that all the rain we've been getting had washed away or drowned my seeds (not that we've gotten enough rain to wash away anything). After seeing the sprouted tomatoes, I rolled up my pajama cuffs, got out my umbrella, and went to check on my seeds. No cucumber sprouts yet, but two little radishes. I should probably plant another row of radishes, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow. I'd hate to have the seeds wash away. I think the harvest elves would be ashamed of me.
image credit
The Growing Challenge #3: Planting
Thanks to the extra long weekend (4 days!), I was able to get all sorts of things done in the garden this weekend. I pulled weeds and grasses, added compost and mulch, and planted the cucumber and radish seeds. I also got a few more herbs while I was as Home Depot getting the compost (it's hard to resist fresh herbs). While I was digging in the soil, I noticed two little volunteer baby cacti. I've got a soft spot in my heart for succulents, so I replanted them so that they wouldn't wither and die in the shadow of the vegetables that will be there soon.
Seeing as Home Depot didn't have any plastic trays for starting seeds that didn't already have the seed starters in them, I was forced to improvise. R had the brilliant suggestion of using an egg carton, which, as it turns out, is exactly the right size. I've got some plastic wrap in there so that the egg carton doesn't soak through.
The Growing Challenge #2: They're here!
My seeds and coconut fiber pellets arrived in the mail this week. Next weekend I have a four day weekend (normally schools have two three day weekends in a row, so our school decided to combine them into one grand holiday) so I'll start my planting then. The task for the week? Information gathering.
Two of the six varieties of seeds are to be planted directly into the soil. The other four need to be started inside, hence the coconut fiber pellets. I was reading the back of the package, however, and found some instructions I don't yet know what to do about. Apparently they need to be kept at 80* F with bottom heat. Am I supposed to get some sort of heating pad? Could I just make a little greenhouse with clear plastic and bring the trays in at night (not that it gets particularly cold here)? I don't know. Time to hit the books. If you know more about this than I do, please feel free to give me advice. I need it.
The Growing Challenge #1: Buying seeds
I also decided to forgo planting melons this summer. Last year I planted honeydew and watermelon, and in the end I only wound up with two individual-sized watermelons and several inedible honeydew. I think the space, and water, could be put to better use.
I'm such a joiner
Thanks to Heavy Petal, I've decided to join The Growing Challenge. Here is the challenge:
1. Grow one additional type of fruit or vegetable than you did last year, and grow it from seed.
2. Post about gardening once a week.
Although I haven't really grown anything from seed before (with the exception of rice during an activity in a social studies class), I've spent a lifetime drooling over seed catalogs. High time I tried it out myself!
In order to not go insane, I think I need to install a drip system. Luckily, I have two weeks off for spring break, so even though I will be spending some of my vacation up North visiting family and trying on a wedding dress, I should still have plenty of time to pimp out my garden. I'm so excited!
Recipe Review: Apple Butter
Ever since the scrubby tree in my backyard came into bloom, I've been thinking of how I would use the apples. They're not good for eating, nor, as an experiment with a friend's apples demonstrated, good for apple tarts. I wound up fixating on apple butter, but unfortunately I didn't have enough time when the fruits first appeared. Thanks to the fires, I've had time this weekend, but the birds had already gotten most of the apples. Still, the tiny batch of apple butter I made is quite tasty. Next time, I might use a crock pot.
Apple Butter
adapted from Culinate
- 1/2 lb. apples
- 1/8 c honey
- 1/4 t cinnamon
- 1 clove
1. Wash apples and remove stems, but do not peel or core. Cut apples into small pieces and add to stockpot. Cover with water and let simmer until apples are soft.
2. Let apples cool, then press them through a food mill.
3. Combine apple pulp with honey and spices in a saucepan. Cook slowly on low heat until a heading spoonful is a thick, rounded mound (this may take several hours, but it took me about an hour with the small amount I had). Stir to prevent sticking; this dish can burn easily, so make sure to check it often. If butter is too thick, add water or apple juice.
Bottle biomes
My sixth grade class is learning about ecology. These biomes, made from 2 L soda bottles, have aquatic and terrestrial sections containing plants and animals. They are sealed off from the outside world, which left my students very concerned about the critters therein. "How will they get any air?" Ah, we shall see.
Since my class started 3 weeks after school began, I've been trying to catch up with the other science teacher. I was only able to give the kids 2 days to find consumers (unlike the other classes, which had nearly a week), which resulted in only 2 kids bringing organisms. Fortunately, one of those kids brought a bunch of rolly-polies, so I was able to spread them out amongst the class, and I had some fish to spare. Crisis averted!
Graphic distraction
Being the last week of drastically condensed summer courses, I've been working diligently on my projects and am somewhat brain dead. I also had my quarterly freak out ("Why am I going into teaching? I don't even like kids.") and very first anxiety attack in the middle of class today, so... here! Pretty garden pictures!
My very first piece of corn. It was teeny tiny, but quite delicious. I look forward to eating the rest of the ears.
This watermelon was about the size of a superball last Friday. Now it's about the size of a brain.
Honeydew melon. While they were small, they looked like fuzzy green testicles hanging from the fence. Now, they look alien and somewhat evil.
My first red tomato. Still not red enough to pick. Stop teasing me!
Ripen, damn you!
Last night, I was so desperate to finally eat one of my tomatoes that I made fried green tomatoes. They were quite tasty. Not the same as a nice, ripe tomato, though.
The first cucumber
It's probably a good thing I have summer school, as there will be a glut of cucumbers ripening in the next few weeks and I will need people to give them good homes.
Home again, home again, jiggity jig
I'm back! Actually, we got home last night a little before 11 pm, after having driven for over 16 hours. R is a hard-core driver (plus we really wanted to just get home), so we drove straight back from Montana in one day. I'll share more about the trip once I've recovered, but needless to say it was wonderful and R's nephew is the cutest and most friendly baby I've ever met.
Look at what was waiting for me at home:
Tomatoes and cucumbers! I could also see the very beginnings of a couple of watermelons. They're not ready to eat yet, but the plants were only just beginning to flower when I left.
Also waiting for me to return was a phone call from a high school looking to interview me for an intern position! Unfortunately, the Principal's cell phone number got cut off by my answering machine, so I have to wait until Monday to call back. I have been looking at the school website to soothe my curiosity until then, and the place looks amazing. The school has a rich culture and history, wins lots of academic and athletics awards, and even has a pool. I'm thrilled at my luck and also terrified that I won't do well enough. In any case, I imagine I will be able to learn a lot from the teachers there. Now if only it wasn't quite so far from my house and didn't start so early (7 am!). Then I would really be in paradise.
I apologize for all the exclamation points, but these are just exciting times.