Recent content by MeggsyGardenGirl

Do pea shoots grown under lights count?!? That's about the closest fresh picked green bit I can manage in the frozen tundra. They are a tasty treat though. I have some lettuce and mustard greens growing inside too but too small to harvest any yet. I can't even get to the hoop house.

Gosh, I envy all those beautiful shallots and would love to have a basket of those beauties. I've tried growing them several times with very disappointing results - always planted in the early spring from sets. Come to think of it, I haven't had much luck with onion sets either. What am I doing...

I think the missing ingredient might be oregano...Mexican oregano if you can get it, any oregano if you can't. My Penzey's medium hot chili powder has oregano in it and I think most commercial blends do too. I've never blended my own but I add other spices and herbs to my chili whenever/whatever...

Why not a plaster skim coat? This may be a regional wall finish, but many of the homes in New England have a plaster skim coat on walls and ceilings and it is a pretty durable and nice finish. I don't know if the cost is more and I'm pretty sure a professional plasterer has to do the work, but...

We don't have a dehydrator so I make green chile sauce with my excess jalapenos. Cook, blend, can, done and yum.

I'm not a fan of sweet tea, but I am an avid tea drinker. My grocery stores (in Massachusetts) sell several varieties of loose tea, so we're lucky up here. But I can also get great tea and a huge selection from around the world here: http://www.uptontea.com. I've never been disappointed by them...

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (sorry - couldn't resist!). Also, Bay, Dill, Basil (Thai and Italian), Cilantro, Peppermint, Lovage, Oregano and Chives. I use them all, but frankly don't cook with Sage that much - it is such a pungent flavor. I also grow Garlic and Onions every year. The...

I keep golf balls in my nest boxes off and on just to remind my hens that pecking eggs isn't a good idea. I'm pretty sure that any broken eggs I get are the result of thin shells and to be expected. I keep free choice oyster shell in the coop year round. It's funny to open the back of the nest...

Deer ticks here. Got three this week - not good because of Lyme disease. Will have to keep an eye on it or go for antibiotics. Mosquitos here too (especially will so much rain), but not as risky as deer ticks.

Me too.

I had a couple different bread machines over the years and I always up using just the dough cycle on them because we didn't like the baked version that came out. In that case, the 'set it and forget it' feature was lost. In the end, I'd rather have my stand mixer taking up room in my kitchen...

I agree with SoLucky and Petey...don't waste your money on a bread machine. I used one until it died and then continued making it by hand. There is no comparison. Now I'm fortunate enough to have a stand mixer with a bread hook, and that makes it a whole lot easier. I do have to say that it...

Oh don't keep us in suspense! What the heck is "the pan?" Some kind of diabolical electrified feeding pan?

Canning isn't hard and shouldn't be scary if we just follow directions. I haven't had any spoilage yet and I process by both pressure and boiling water bath. Acid foods (those with 5% acid vinegar or natural acid from fermentation) are OK to process by boiling water bath according to USDA-tested...

I get buttermilk powder in the baking section of my grocery store. It's called Cultured Buttermilk made by Saco Foods - in a short yellow, red and white round cardboard container with a red plastic top. I sometimes use it when making our breads - we never have store bought bread...or granola...