Fall veggie harvest needs planning and planting now...

Yes I know it's 100+ degrees and bone dry in parts of the country but alas this too shall pass eventually, hopefully...  Never the less if you want a fall / winter garden you have to plan now.

Some of the veggies, etc. that can be planted for another round of harvesting are;

Potatoes - Beans - Broccoli - Cauliflower - Cabbage - Carrots - Garlic - Onions (not sets) - Peas - Parsley - Lettuce - Radishes - Spinach

If you have some seed potatoes left over, think about planting then now and there should be just enough time to have some new ones come fall. If not, then they'll be set to give you some come first part of next year....

Between now and till around the first week, week in a half of September you can plant small areas of them beans and you should, if the cold doesn't set too early, have some nice fresh fall beans.

Some other tips to help with your planting of fall crops;

Try to stay away from areas that are prone to frost early, like low lying areas, shaded areas, etc. An area where the sun shines in the winter is your friend for fall crops...

Also no matter what you decide to plant make sure they are fall and winter hardy varieties. EX: lettuce, like Winter Density, does better in winter then others.

Timing is very important, remember fall growing period is short, cooler and in most parts of Northern Earth less sunshine, so allow extra days for veggies, etc. to mature.

A couple of things you can do is; 

#1 - determine your frost date for your particular growing area.

#2 - Look on back of your seed packets and find days of maturity and add 10 to 15 days to that.

 #3 - Figure back from your frost date to get to the date you'll need to start planting said seeds.

EX: your frost date for your area is October 10th, the veggie you want to plant takes 60 days to mature plus the added 10 to 15 days for fall plantings. So you are going to need around 70 to 75 days before frost hits. Which means you'll need to plant that certain veggie by July 26th to July 31st...

Here are some sites to help you figure your frost date in US, Canada & rest of world - 

SITE ONE

SITE TWO

SITE THREE

It's the Time of the Signs!

Summer means vacations and fishing to some, but to many the word summer is interchangeable with the words “garage / yard / porch, etc. sale.” Tis' the season of the year to drive around and seek valuable information contained on garage/yard sale signs that dot every street corner, every electric pole, etc.

After all one wants to make sure that said garage/yard sale is selling good stuff - - like old, moldy plastic flowers, or that half open bag of grass seed, maybe that special purple tie-dyed "I'm with stupid" t-shirt you been searching for for 3 years, them amazingly well kept bent aluminum window frames, or just maybe you'll see way off on the side, one of them rare, elusive Canadian sofa bushes, etc.


It’s the Time of the Signs!

In the early days of garage / yard sales, the days of selling were just usually Friday and Saturday, now most sales take place starting on Thursdays and running until Sundays. Most garage sales have set times however it has been noticed on occasion that those who arrive early with pockets full of money often make their own rules.

I’ve noticed that some people price every item while some have various islands of goods organized by price, I prefer the island theme but that’s difficult unless you’re selling books or like items.

One difficult part of garage/yard sales is trying to competitively price items, I mean you wouldn't want to give away them bent window frames for less then they're worth, now would ya? A ten cent used bottle of Elmer's glue that would have gone home with someone instead was priced at fifteen cents and sadly returned to storage, to await another day. The seller’s high hopes of a little less clutter are only partially realized, and the effort to carry everything back inside is only greater in comparison to what was needed to first display everything.

Some folks buy garage sale stuff and just use it, some are just looking for project ideas, they will build planters, bird feeders, benches and whatever from items many folks throw away, or sell at garage sales.

Others go around looking for parts, in fact while researching a bit for this post, I discovered Mr. Jalopy. Mr. Jalopy finds parts / items bound for oblivion and creates something useful, interesting or both. He recently rewired an old stereo that he could record vinyl albums to an I pod. He also gives a lot of credence to those who garage sale creatively in that he is a leader of something called, “The Maker Movement.” This movement is composed of people who make items bound for a landfill into something useful. My Jalopy has even been consulted by large corporations who seek to market their products to people like him. The “Maker Movement” is supposed to be a new group in America’s culture, however I believe it’s simply making do with what you have, or with what you find at a garage sale.

Then you have some who garage sale just for fun, others for their children’s dorm room, while others have a whimsy to satisfy. If times are indeed getting a little tougher, then garage sales make even more sense than ever. You can save money over buying new and a week-end of sales are much less expensive than the same time spent boating on a lake. Plus, where in the world are you going to find old, moldy plastic flowers or bent aluminum window frames, competitively priced, but at a garage sale.

Talking about all this got me to remembering a story I heard while back at the Pinnebog General Store about Miriam and Soloma.

Seems them two love garage sales, especially Soloma and they're always on the lookout for a big bargain wherever they can fine one. Well one day, they were driving along when Soloma spyed a garage and driveway full of stuff. Getting all giddy she started to yell at Miriam, STOP! STOP! STOP! Miriam slammed on the brakes, thinking she hit a dog or something.

Soloma jumped out and started towards the driveway and garage. There were all kinds of things, such as baby toys, sports equipment and household items, this was one of the best Garage Sales she had found in a long time.

Miriam was trying to park the car while Soloma was already looking around, but something was odd. She noticed there was no one else at the house looking around, and then she noticed there weren’t any price tags or a sign in the yard. She looked at the owners of the house and they were smiling.

“Is this a Garage Sale?” she asked?

“No, but it should be,” "We're just moving in" the husband replied as they both started laughing. Soloma's face turned tomato red as she apologized then hightailed it back to the car.
 
Have a special day and a great week! 

Tid-Bits #2

Make your own laundry detergent for 1/10 of the cost. Boil 4 cups of water with one bar of Ivory soap (shredded with a cheese grader). Combine this with 3 gallons of water, 1 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup of borox (if desired).

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Ever try making salsa verde? Super easy w/ this recipe:

INGREDIENTS - - 1 & 1/2 lbs tomatillos - 1/2 cup chopped white onion - 1/2 cup cilantro leaves - 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice - 1/4 teaspoon sugar - 2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped - Mix it all together and salt to taste

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Cake from scratch

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

For a Yellow Cake: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening until fine crumbs are formed. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then high for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl frequently.

Pour batter into greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Variation for a White Cake: Prepare as for the basic cake except use 3 egg whites for the 2 whole eggs. Whites may be beaten separately and added for a lighter cake.

Variation for a Chocolate Cake: Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the basic cake mix prior to adding the milk.

Five lessons of life around Knobby's Acres

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'Who was that?'

'It was Bob the next door neighbor,' she replies.

'Great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'


Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
 
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Lesson 2:


A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'

'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'

Puff! She's gone.

'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.'

Puff! He's gone.

'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager.

The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'


Moral of the story:

Always let your boss have the first say.


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Lesson 3:


An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?'

The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.'

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.


Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.


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Lesson 4:


A turkey was chatting with a bull. 'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.'

'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients.'

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.


Moral of the story:


Bulls**t might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..
 
 
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Lesson 5:


A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who s**ts on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of s**t is your friend.

(3) When you're in deep s**t, it's best to keep your mouth shut!