Coffee chaff in the animal compound

With hard economic times, here are a few ways to pinch those pennies.

There are some advantages to living in the city.  Goods and services are more readily available and nearby as compared to living in the country.  The various shops around town always have some discards for which they usually have no more need.

Did you know that coffee roasters have burlap bags that once contained coffee beans, grounds and chaff as a by product from roasting and that they want to give away both for free? They only need someone to haul them away.  That would be us - thank you, very much!

Chaff, the dry, scaly protective casings of the beans, is cast aside after the bean is ground for roasting.  The chaff from coffee makes a great bedding for the hen house & "mulch" for the animal compound.    I just open up the huge bag and dump it into the compound – smells so yummy! MMMMMMM

:: Resource ::

Coffee Chaff Chicken Coop Litter

Burlap bags in the garden

The discarded burlap sacks come in handy for uses in the garden for soil erosion and weed control.  Not that we need ANY weed control, but the sacks come in handy when we are turning over the beds and don't want the fresh dirt to attract all the cats from the neighbor to use.

:: Resource ::

Uses for Burlap  in the Garden

Coffee grounds feed the worms

And, last but not least, coffee grounds  will perk up your compost pile with much needed nitrogen.    Our blueberries thrive on the caffeine fix! Sunset Magazine did a soil experiment and it turned out the grounds also provide generous amounts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and copper.

Also worms also love coffee grounds!

So you see, there are lots of creative uses for "throw-aways."  Somebody's trash is another's treasure!

:: Resources ::

Coffee in the Garden
Compost Coffee
Give your Garden a Jolt
21 Ways to Use Old Coffee Grounds
Coffee Grounds, Coffee chaff, and Burlap Sacks

Hey, you sure have purty eyes. How'd you get here huh?

Toads are of essential service, especially in a garden, to eat up cabbage worms, caterpillars, etc.
-  Farmer's Almanac

After a pretty comfortable June, the heat (& humidity) ratcheted up a notch or two and we are in the "dog days" of summer.

Lookie what we spotted in the garden.   Never, in our 25 years, seen the likes of a frog, er toad, here before.  It’s certainly a long way from the stream in the Arroyo Seco.  Wonder how it hitched a ride?   Seems the garden's become part of a Beatrice Potter novel – we had our rabbits,  have our ducks and now a toad!

Reminds me of when I was a kid growing up on 10 acres. I loved catching frogs. We had the green ones and BIG ones.   I'd keep them as pets and then let them go after a few days.  This is the first frog EVER to visit our farm here in the city. Still quite curious how it got here amidst the concrete jungle? Sure hope it stays and helps with our bug problems.

What new critters have you spotted in your garden?

:: Resources ::

Attracting Toads to Your Garden

Toads in the Garden

Create a Haven for Toads

Wacky weather whiplash pattern continues.  Last week it was a scorching 95 degrees; then quicker than you can say  "summer's here?" a  few days later it's cold, overcast and raining (what a BLESSING!).

The poor plants are totally confused and so are we - sweater on, sweater off, on, off?

In the garden, the elephant garlic is just about ready to harvest and we've been digging up pounds and pounds of tasty potatoes!  Just today made a potato salad with home canned pickled carrots and homegrown celery - so yummy!  Can't beat the flavor and texture of homegrown potatoes!

The summer crops are slowly replacing the spring greens and brassicas. Justin informed me that they already spotted the hated (invasive) bagrada bug due to the heat. Bugger!

As head manager of the front porch farm stand, my duties include not only managing the operation, taking orders and such but also  filling them. Think that's my favorite part: to be out in the garden early in the morning harvesting the lovely bouquet of greens.   I do declare that one morning we all picked nearly 30 lbs of greens to fill the orders that morning!  Whew!

Bouquet of greens, indeed.  One of our customers exclaimed, "If I ever got married, this would be my bouquet."  Awwww.

APRIL HARVEST

276 lb produce

Eggs 141 (Duck) 73 (Chicken)

2011 YEAR TO DATE

939 lb produce

Eggs 486 (Duck)  190 (Chicken)

Jamboree!

Guess what sis & I been doing?   We kicked off the fruit season with a medley of jams - sweet grapefruit, strawberry rose, strawberry lemon verbena and just plain ol' strawberry.

With all the wonderfully fragrant roses and herbs growing in the garden, I pick a few hand fulls and infuse them in with the fruit preserves.    Turns ordinary jam into extraordinary!

What sorts of canning activity are you doing?  Do you like to go beyond the same old and experiment with adding herbs, flowers and spices?

Here's one of my favorite "outside the jar" canning blog

Sorry for such a short post, love to write more but we have a BIG produce (edible flowers, salad and lots of greens) order to fill this morning and major world news outlet coming at noon to do a story about our urban homestead.

More later!

Chopping up the pickles!

Quite colorful and tasty too

Anticipating the time in the future of adding some fish into our diet (see ETHICAL EATING),  we have been adding more tuna to the menu.

Since turning vegetarian in the early 90s, we’ve occasionally eaten fish.  So fish we is what we are  used to,  but it’s been awhile since we went fishing!  Actually, on our 10 acre homestead in Florida, we had a fresh water pond filled with bass.  I used to fish "Huckleberry Finn" style with a simple pole.  Sometimes, I got lucky!    Grandpa loved to fish and  he would take us kids with him on his fishing trips to Tampa Bay.    And Grandma would make a mean snapper dish that was famous far and wide.

We aren't fishing any time soon.   Canned tuna is cheap, so we figured we’d start with that.  We bought a couple cans of "dolphin safe"  from Trader Joes. I know there's probably a better (fresh)  fish selection at Whole Foods (or 'Whole Paycheck' as one of our friend likes to call it) but we've committed not to shop at Whole Foods since it  admitted to selling GMO's

Recently,  I decided I should make an easy peasy tuna pasta salad.  But, of course, my habit is tweaking recipes to fit what we have in our home canned pantry stock.

Opening up the cupboards,  I find sweet zucchini pickles and dilly carrots.   Hmmm, this could work!

PASTA TUNA SALAD
© 2011 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 1/2 c. sm. pasta
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen peas, thawed  (substituted a two handfuls of homegrown celery)
1 1/2 c. chopped carrots  (substituted chopped dilly carrots & sweet zucchini pickles)
1/4 c. finely chopped onion  (substituted homegrown green onions)
2/3 c. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dill weed   (too early for fresh dill in the garden yet, substituted fennel)
1 tsp. salt  (I used 'celery salt')
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 sm. can tuna

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Cool (rinse with cold water to cool quickly; drain well). Thaw peas completely; drain well. Combine cooled pasta, peas, carrots, onion and tuna in a large bowl; mix well. Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, dill weed, salt and pepper in a small bowl; blend well. Pour mayonnaise dressing over macaroni mixture; toss lightly. Chill. Garnish with paprika and serve on lettuce leaves if desired.

Happy to say, everyone enjoyed it!  Even Jordanne, who's not too keen on tuna.

First jam session in the newly restored room

Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom.
- E. B. White

Such is the lesson of the middle bedroom.

Twenty-five years ago when we purchased this old 1917 (fixer upper) house it came with lots, I mean - LOTS,  of problems. Problems that we didn’t have the money at the time to fix. One of “the problems” old asphalt roof that leaked and did  some serious water damage to the middle bedroom.

It wasn't until 2006-2007 that we finally had the time and money to put on a new (metal) roof.  You can read about the roof saga here, here,  here, here ,here and here -- this last post is worth reading because it talks about who we are and where we are because of choices made

Until then, we lived with a blue tarp covering the whole left side of the house. Of course, not only did we live with a blue tarped roof, we also lived with the unsightly middle room. That room was certainly an eyesore and a disorganized mess ( thanks to friends always giving us books, yarn and fabric) The middle bedroom became like a storage unit serving no real purpose but to store “stuff.”  That room left us fit to be tied.

We all knew this room needed some serious help, but Jordanne was the one who kept the most faith of us both. Faith that one day we’d find the time to fix it up. Year after year, she would go into that black hole of a room and whip that mess into shape – boy, did it give her grief! Slowly and oh, how slowly, the mess was sorted out into a decent order.

Me, well, I have to admit I oftentimes throw up my hands in despair.  The room was a disaster! So much stuff, no place to put it and, oh, that horribly  huge water mark and peeling paint – yuck!   It was a room that we didn't like friends to see, but then again why should folks judge you from appearances?   This was definitely a room that tried tested character.   In fact, the whole house and yard is a testament to hard work and the DIY spirit.

Overtime, we were lucky to get some second hand furniture and even a sewing machine so we put it in the room with plans on one day transforming it to a multi purpose craft/music/library den

A lesson in all this: It sometimes takes years to see a vision fulfilled. After the seed is planted, it takes time to bear fruit. It doesn't happen overnight. And it takes faith that it will produce after all.

Just as 2010 was coming to a close,  the time had come for the eyesore to be transformed.  With not much work to be done in the garden, Justin got on board which really helped us gals.  Couldn't have done it without his help.  Thanks buddy!

After over a decade, within a few days, the room has had its cracks filled, peeling paint scraped and a new coat of paint.

Like kids in a candy shop, we are bugged eyed with creative ideas.   Like to use the room for knitting gatherings and now we (and others) can easily access our library of books so perhaps we can have reading or lending thing going. Lots of ideas/plans that's for sure.

There's still lots of organizing to do - yarns, fabrics and sewing notions.  Not to mention need to scrap up the hideous linoleum because there's beautiful wood floors underneath - just takes some time and lots of elbow grease!

So as I sit on the sofa knitting a few rounds on a prayer blanket for a friend with the soft afternoon sun glowing across the freshly painted walls, I remind myself that it can take a couple days to transform a room but character is built over a lifetime.

Definitely a real life lesson in patience, perseverance and faith.

Water damage that happened many years ago

Cracks and peeling paint

After scraping the walls, on goes the primer

Furniture gets pushed into the middle of the room

First coat of paint

Done but still lots of organizing to do.

Second hand desk, chair, lamp and sewing machine

Sofa was free, found on the side of the road.

Table, mirror and vase second hand. Nice and cozy

Fairlight loves the attention

In the garden

Farmer D talks about how much food is grown on our little city plot

Filming gets you hungry! Sitting down to enjoy a homegrown and cooked meal

The KCET crew enjoys the food

Our first appearance on the local PBS station KCET was in 2003 which featured a little blurb about our garden.   We're back!

Val Zavala visits the urban homestead and this segment will be featured So Cal Connected and air

Friday Dec. 10th at 8:30 pm
Saturday Dec. 11th at 6 pm
Sunday Dec. 12th at 6:30 pm

Once it airs it will also on be on their website at kcet.org/socalconnected

Oh and don't forget the FREE URBAN HOMESTEADING event this coming Sunday.  Hope to see you there!

And it was a great night indeed!  With amazing food, fellowship and good ol' fashion music (guitar, banjo and flute) with renditions of Angeline the Baker,  Cluck Old Hen, Orphan Girl Wildwood Flower, Down by the River to Pray I'll Fly Away and a few other old Appalachian Tunes.

Hadn't had so much fun in quite sometime.

How'd you spend your holiday, care to share?

Socializing

Incoming! LOL Don't quite know why we both ducked at the same time.

Ooolala. A HUGE Apple Pie

Give me some of that old time music!

We sing & play some old tunes for the guests

Some even join in the foot stomping music fun

Gift of Music

Speaking of homegrown music, our dear friends and fellow homesteaders in Tennessee sent us a stack of their CD 'Father Along'

Here on the urban homestead we really enjoy playing their CD.  In fact, we play it over and over and over and over again - singing along too!  Their songs just brighten our day and are such a wonderful blessing to listen to.

We are selling their CD's this holiday season, so get them while supplies last! - BUY NOW

Beautiful family harmony from the Appalachian hills; ballads, old country and originals written and sung in their timeless way.

The West Girls consist of a close knit family of a mother and three daughters. The West Girls latest CD, Farther Along, is rich in family harmonies, old hymns, and beautiful originals that will encourage and bless your spirit and soul. Featuring their hit song, “ Green Beans in the Garden” which children especially enjoy.

Seven of the ten songs were written by the West family. These songs that reflect their home life, growing up where the “creek is bubblin’ too” and show their love and thankfulness for all life.

The West’s make their living at home in the beautiful valley which is a horse and buggy community literally flowing with milk and honey in the hills of Tennessee.

Green beans in November? What a treat!

and Sweet Peppers too!

The weather's turned chilly and the fall winds blow so out have come the hoops and row covers to protect the young greens and brassicas.

What summer hold outs do you have in your garden?

On another personal note....

Our family would like to thank all those who took time to share their sympathy over the loss our "Darling Clementine." It was nice to read that she was the first chicken many of you ever met and petted - thanks for sharing those memories with us.

Life goes on, another chapter with pages to fill and so we look forward with good memories in our hearts.  Now, who's gonna replace Clem as the poster chick for the urban homestead?

Perhaps we should hold a chicken tryouts?  Just kidding!

Sorry for not posting in a few days, but hadn't really been in the mood for writing.  Our family has some very sad news to share.

I knew this time would come one day but it sure did come as a shock to all. The matriarch of our homestead and poster chicken for urban homesteading, Miss Clementine, quickly and peacefully passed away in Jordanne's arms on Friday afternoon at the ripe old age of eight.

Her chickenship was a very happy and healthy chicken to the end,  eating grubs, greens and hanging with her gal friends.

But last week, she wasn't her normal self.  We noticed she was  slower and not as bossy around the chickens as much.   On Friday afternoon I went into the animal compound and found her in the corner just sitting there.  I knew it wasn't a good sign and frantically called for Jordanne.   Jordanne brought her into the house, sat on the couch and and held her on her lap.,  stroking and talking to her until her heart slowed and, in a matter of a seconds, stopped.

The first of our city chicken flock,  she was certainly the world's most famous chicken.  Clementine was featured in countless articles, video pieces, books and even our 2011 "Little Homestead" calendar.

Our fluffy black cochin was not only a beautiful but also a very sweet chicken.  Everyone who met her immediately liked her.   She loved dust baths, grubs, sitting in laps and ruling the roost!

All of us had a good hard cry as she is one of the oldest living critters to have passed away here on the urban homestead. She was a very special chicken to a lot of folks and will be (is) missed.

I still look for her amongst the flock and pains me to see that she's gone.

Our "Darling Clementine" now lies in the garden, under an apple tree.

You are lost but not gone forever