National PB&J Day

Pick a good, healthy bread.

This can be a good source of fiber,

even protein.

This is our prefered order.

It doesn't have to be yours.

Peanutbutter is a great source of protein.

I love 'sunbutter,' too

-made from sunflower seeds.

Avoid the tempation of too much jelly.

Let the blessed marriage commence...

And enjoy!

because it's really not so bad. Yay!

Soap Sock for Scraps

Are you a soap scrap saver?

I found that I started to save these a few years ago, determined that there is a practical, frugal use for them, as yet undiscovered by myself.

They happened to look appropriate in an old blue glass canning jar on the shelf of my exclusively blue and white bathroom.

(This photo is taken in our yellow kitchen.)

One thrifty option I found was a soap sock on some pattern sights for knitting. 

Bingo...? 

I'm not thoroughly convinced, but I've made my first one.  I shall try this and find out.

Be sure to use 100% cotton thread

I had aquired two other soap sock patterns, however because I am a novice knitter, I found them a little too tricky for me and made up my own pattern.

Remember, I'm no proffessional.  Whatever you're left with, just knit.

Being 100% cotton, you just throw these in the wash with the rest of your laundry.  No special treatment required.  I love that!

Soap Sock

size 7 DPN

CO 20, leaving a 10 inch tail

k - knit

in - increase

rep - repeat

p - purl

tog - together

row1 k

row2 k

row3 k2, in1, k7, in1, k7, in1, k4

row4 k

row5 k2, * in1, k3, *rep to end

row6 k

row7 k2, * in1, k3, *rep to end

row8 k

row9 k2, * in1, k2, *rep to end, k last 3

row10-21 k2, p2 to end **

row22 k2, *k2 tog, k5, *rep to end, k last 4

row23 k

row24 k2, *k2tog, k5, *rep to end, k last 3

row25 k

row26 k2, *k2tog, k5, *k last 4

row27 k

row28 k2, *k2tog, k5, rep to end

row29 k

row30 k2, *k2tog, k5, *rep to end

row31 k

row32 k2, *k2tog, k5, *rep to end, k last 2

row33 k

Bind off.

** Your last kp pair will actually be 3 stitches

tracks

National Cleaning Week

Just a little inspiration...

1931

Oh really? Why did they invent the wash machine?

"Like having a 'Handy Man'

to do your scrubbing, waxing, polishing

ALL AROUND THE HOUSE!"

"Even kids enjoy 'Mom's work'"

Don your aprons!

We don't want to get our dresses dirty.

Why is this ad attractive?

1920s Electric Vacuum

Vim!

Sunday Funday - Vintage Old Ads

It's advertisements like the following that help me understand the women's liberation movement.  This is what the activist women grew up with.  We don't realize that.

New Ivory Soap

Amolin Deodorant Powder 1929
"Sold everywhere for 30¢ and 60¢"



1930's Lucky Strike Cigarettes



1952 Complete kitchen in 5 sq. ft.



Pep Vitamins



1979 Thermador Oven

Turn of the century advert for
Sanitized Tape Worms
to stay thin

Feeling better about yourself, ladies?  This is funny now, but imagine finding this kind of thing in this morning's paper, in the doctor's office waiting room, on the billboard along the highway.  I'm glad they're vintage.

Tomatoes From Seed

Are you getting an itchy green thumb?  It's hard this time of year.  Winter drags on and on.  You feel like it's been years since your skin has touched the cool, green grass.  The sun is a rare treat, peeking out every few days. 

Remember these?  They grow from a plant and taste different from something very similar that we find in our grocer's produce section. 

It's time.  It's so time.

No, really.  We can get started!  It's six weeks before the planting season here in zone 4.  Time to start indoor seeds.  I've never done it before and I plan to give it a shot this year. 



Close-up of tomato seeds


It's important to consider your region.  I'm looking at "cooler climate tomatoes," many of which are from Russia.  They're earlier maturing and have shorter growing seasons.

For some reason, tomatoes in my garden tend to be very susceptible to blight, specifically a fungus-like pathogen.  So, I look out for the term "disease resistant."

With all the options offered, these will be my two most important while looking for tomato seeds.

Early Tomato Blight

You'll notice the words "determinate" or "indeterminate."  This refers to how the plant grows.  Indeterminates are vining tomatoes which need caging and support.  Determinate varieties are bush types that generally don't grow taller than four feet.  It helps to know this if you don't have a large garden plot.

If you plan to try to save your seeds for next year, you may also keep an eye out for the term "open pollination."

Pollen is released between 10am-4pm on dry, sunny days (WSU extension).  The wind provides a gentle vibration.  Summers tend to be humid where I live.  This year I'm going to try self-pollinating my tomatoes using a small paintbrush (maybe others plants, as well).

I've been doing this with my zucchini for years, when production isn't it's usual ample standard.  But I've never considered doing this for my other plants.  Duh, I guess.

Something else to keep in mind when choosing your seeds is, for what purposes will you be using them?  My main reason is preserving, so I need a canning tomato.  You may find paste tomatoes and salad tomatoes, as well.

The canning tomato has a lower water content, hence a reliably higher acid content.  It's the acid that ensures a safe preservation.  The only foods that may be safely canned in an ordinary boiling water bath are highly acidic ones with a pH below 4.6, such as fruits, pickled vegetables, or other foods to which acidic additives have been added.

Something else to look for is early-, mid-, and late-season.  This is pretty self-explanitory, having to do with how many days until the first fruit matures to ripeness.  Up here, it's nice to have an early-season variety.

You can be sold on everything else, from size to flavor, shape to color.  Just be sure to prioritize.  Other delicious attributes can fall into place after your most important qualifications are met.

This year I've purchased seeds for Illini Star, Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red, Silvery Fir Tree, Legend, and June Pink.  They're all bred for cooler regions, all disease resistant, all open-pollenators, and all canning tomatoes.  All but one are mid-season.  I will count this as my compromise for aquiring all these other Lycopersicon blessings.  The other is early season, that's will hold us over.

Happy growing!

Paper Pots & Indoor Seeds

We don't need to spend the better part of a twenty dollar bill on one of these to make a paper pot for your seedlings.  They're cute, but are you going to start seeds again next year?  Are you going to be able to find the parts to it, when you need it,  and at the same time?  Wouldn't you really rather spend that money on your garden?




Paper pot maker

 
There are some great thrifty alternative ideas online.  You could also call them "green!"  I bumped into my first "discovery" on Cottage Hill, which triggered another research assignment.  Hence today's timely post. 

Robert Gatz, the Chicago Gardener and Lindy from Cottage Hill had the same idea  Lindy uses soup cans while Robert uses a spice jar. 

Nettle's Notes and Bonzai Aphrodite both use toilet paper tubes.  This is a quick and easy paper pot that the kids can help out with.

First, be sure you're choosing seeds that really need to have a head start.  I can only speak up as a zone 4 gardener.  I know that there is no need for me to go through all the effort for spring crops such as:

spinach
peas
lettuce
beets
carrots
radishes
leeks
Brussels sprouts
parsnips
kale
collards
cabbage
turnips
chard

Backyard Gardener has some good information to help you determine and learn about your zone.

Start your seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date in your area.
For us, that's right now.


 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Your seeds will want:

southern sunlight or cool-white florescent bulbs

80-85°F soil temp

clean containers with good drainage

a tray in which to keep your seeds

soiless mix = peat 4 parts, vermiclite 4 parts, perlite 1 part - 4:4:1


 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Your seedlings will need it warm and moist, but not wet.

Place a few seeds in each container.

Follow directions on seed packet for depth of planting.

Cover with plastic wrap to help keep from drying out.

Check twice daily and use a mister to gently moisten with warm water.

Do not fertilize.

 * * * * * * * * * * * *

Less heat and more light as seedling emerge and first leaves begin to open.

Now you may mist with half-strength fertilizer.

Remove the weakest seedlings from each pot.

Begin "hardening off" in April.  Gradually let sit outdoors, a couple hours each day.