Massive photo update part four!

DOGGIES! Nuff said. :)

Massive photo update part two!

GARDEN! So much activity in the garden lately. First... SOMETHING is killing my tomatoes. According to several websites I've been reading, it's either early blight or verticillium wilt, likely triggered by the weeks of record-setting rainfall we had earlier this summer. I can't figure out which, but neither have a good prognosis. The remaining fruits are still edible but the disease will likely kill the plants soon. I sprayed them with an organic anti-fungal spray containing copper, hoping to salvage them, so we'll see.

In far more cheerful news, my watermelons and lone surviving cantaloup plant are thriving. I planted them out by the driveway because there was simply no more room in the garden, and the sunflowers we'd planted there before had either been dug up before sprouting or, more recently, chewed to shreds by deer (see next blog entry for photo evidence). 

Daisy meandering.

My dad bought a few disease-resistant tomato seedlings that were on clearance at the local garden store, though at this point they were less seedlings than half-grown plants (one has a tomato already). I pulled up the peas and their little trellis, as they were starting to dry up and die, and planted the new tomatoes in their place. The garlic is long gone, after I realized how late I'd planted them I pulled them up rather than have them waste space, and put a horseradish plant down (mostly for fun, I have no idea how to grow or harvest horseradish). The eggplant are huge and already have one or two fruits each. The beans will probably be done soon, and I'll probably leave that space to put down another row or two of broccoli in August. I'm already planning out next year's garden in my head, making adjustments and trying new plants.

Massive photo update part one!

I've been unusually inclined to spend time in the kitchen lately. I think I've been inspired by the abundance of fresh yummies coming out of the garden and the farmers markets lately. The whole general concept of a more simple, frugal, self-sustaining lifestyle has been on my mind for a long time now, and I've been trying to make changes here and there to move in that direction. So my most recent endeavor involves buying less pre-made, packaged food, and instead making what I can from scratch. In my last post I mentioned the unsuccessful ricotta experiment, and the moderately successful no-knead bread... I haven't given the ricotta another go, but...

I gave a new bread recipe a try and made two tasty loaves,

made another no-knead loaf which turned out beautifully,

and made fresh, delicious, homegrown SALSA!

Chips and salsa are easily my favorite snack, and I buy a jar of Tostitos salsa probably once a week. They cost around 3 or 4 bucks, and I always thought they were tasty until I mixed up some homemade. This stuff blows store-bought salsa out of the water, and that's not because I'm a wizard in the kitchen. It's incredibly simple to make; the reason it tastes so freaking good is just because the ingredients are FRESH, homegrown and natural! I've made 4 batches so far and we've blown through several bags of chips (oh yeah, next projects involves homemade tortilla chips).

As promised... pictures! 

The romaine and arugula, growing nicely.

The onions are sprouting!

 

What a deliciously sleepy morning. Steady rain outside, sipping my coffee in bed with the pups snuggled next to me. 

I do have a to-do list for the day; job hunting being at the top of the list. I quit my last job because I hated it. I hated it with a passion, and it caused me so much stress and anxiety that my health started to suffer. I'm not sorry I left (yet), but I'm worried about the same thing happening. I'm worried that I may never find a job I love that also pays me living wages. I've toyed with the idea of going back to school, but I've never done well with school and it usually ends up being a waste of money. I was diagnosed with ADD a few years ago and unfortunately the medications I've tried have such powerful side effects that I can't stand to take them, so school remains incredibly difficult for me. 

UPDATE, 2:07 PM: Speaking of ADD... I stopped halfway through writing this entry and applied for 3 jobs online, walked the dogs, and packed a box of stuff for moving. I would love to find a natural remedy that doesn't have the type of side effects you get with Adderall, Concerta, or the other prescription drugs. I haven't done any extensive research, but much of what I've read about alternative therapy has concerned diet... eat more magnesium and vitamin B6, no phosphates or refined sugars. While I think this might be effective for some, I doubt it would be so for me. I've had ADD since high school, and my diet has changed drastically in those years (vegetarian to vegan back to vegetarian and finally to omnivore, all with varying amounts of healthy, well-balanced food) but my ADD has not changed at all, at least to my perception.

So this goes on my list of stuff to accomplish while jobless.

• Find a job
• Pack for the move
• Maintain blog
• Set up Etsy store with Mom
• Research alternative therapies for ADD