Lisa Zahn

Sharon has started the Independence Days Challenge on her blog and I've signed up. Food Independence is what we're talking about, and we're supposed to one thing every day or so that helps work toward being self-sufficient food-wise. There are actually ten areas to work on and here they are along with what I've done in the past week (with some help from George, of course)... Planted: nothing yet, waiting another week here in Minnesota for most things; will plant peas this afternoon though. I promise! :~/ I did divide my one rhubarb plant into three plus a lot of little “bits” (see local food systems section…) Harvested: things are just coming up; have been “snacking” while weeding, on the sorrel, daylily shoots, chives, and whatever else. The kids love to do this too! Preserved: nothing yet but bought a pack of canning lids and a magnetic lid lifter in preparation; also bought a mandoline to use for cutting cabbage and other veggies thin for sauerkraut and other pre...

Today I went to the Tuesday Morning store and splurged on a mandoline for cutting vegetables. It was a great deal and it's going to save me so much time when I make sauerkraut or other vegetable-preserving recipes this summer. Also, I hate sauerkraut or coleslaw when the cabbage is too chunky, so I just had to have it! The in-laws' place, in Gloucester, Virginia The other cool thing about having a mandoline is it will always remind me of my mother-in-law's house. The first time I visited there was one week after George and I were married. (The first time I met my in-laws was the day before the wedding, so there you know why. If you'll recall from a previous post , George and I were engaged three months after meeting each other, married six months after that, and since my in-laws live in Virginia we didn't have a chance to get out there until after the wedding.) Anyway, I remember that first time walking into the kitchen at my in-laws' home, which is called Tree ...

We're open for business! The salvage business, that is. These photos show the items we've trash-picked or collected from neighbors or businesses this week alone. No, we don't do this all the time; this being the start of garden season was an exceptional week. Sometimes I think we must have "sure, we'll take it" signs on our backs, though. People are always offering to give us stuff, or I'll find it on the side of the road or, in the case of the tires and 55 gallon barrels, I seek it out. Free stuff. Stuff that would otherwise go in the landfill for the next 500 years. George and I are great at envisioning uses for things, and often the things meet a need we have. For example, the tires are going to be used for potato growing. I found this idea in the latest issue of Backwoods Home magazine, and from this gardening article here . First I'll plant two-three potatoes in the bottom tire, laying down newspaper to kill the weeds and compost to enrich the soi...