Independence Days week 2

A light week in many categories. I've been a little under the weather and we've had a ton of stuff going on - Amelia & e5 turned six years old, we had a meeting at Amelia's school, another with the MRDD / County Services folks, e5's kindergarden "music" show, doctor visits... (And let me tell you - nothing makes you feel old quite like sitting in the waiting room at the urologist.)

Anyway, on with the report.

1. Plant something - I transplanted my seed-started onions (Jaune Paille Des Vertus), and finished out the row with a few shallots. I moved my tomato seedlings into yogurt cups, and moved them from the window to under the shop light setup for seeds in the basement. Hopefully that will jump start them. I'm trying a few new varieties this year: Bonny Best, Amish Paste, and Weeping Charley, all from Baker Creek. I've also got a bunch of generic Romas, a few Red Grapes, and a few Mortgage Lifters. All but the last two are mostly for canning, but actually I love Romas for salads and sandwiches too. They're my favorite all-purpose tomato. I forgot to count, but I've got more than 50 tomato seedlings.

I've been dying to plant carrots, beans, and corn, but between the soggy ground and my mysteriously missing seed plates for my Earthway seeder, I'm at a standstill. I'll probably compensate by popping some cucumber, pumpkin, and melon, and squash seeds into my newly freed seed tray.

Oh, and I put out a few more comfrey plants.

2. Harvest something - Just eggs. Oh, and also eggs.

3. Preserve something - Does Lori freezing some "make ahead French toast" count?

4. Reduce waste - Does using old yogurt cups as seed pots for like the third year in a row count for anything? It's not really a new activity, but it does reduce waste. Got a ton of hand-me-down clothes from our neighbors.

5. Preparation and Storage - Not much this week. Read a bit of The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman and started adjusting greenhouse & cold frame plans.

6. Build Community Food Systems - Bought local cider. Didn't get to sell eggs this week, butI'll make up for it tomorrow.

7. Eat the Food - Pumpkin bread from home-canned pumpkins. Local popcorn. Local cider.

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