Jello Fun

For fun.  Because nothing can be left as "normal" right?

Step 1) We used double batches of jello to do our layers of jello.  Start with yellow.  Besides clear which is just gelatin, yellow is the lightest color.  it provides the "field" to sculpt your shape.  Let the jello set.

Step 2) Scrape out a round center out of your first layer of Jello.  We left a ring that was approximately 2 inches thick.  

Step 3) Fill in the newly created "hole" with what ever color you've chosen.  We did green.  Again let the jello set.

 Step 4) Used the yellow that you previously scraped out of the bowl, and fill in as much of the second layer as possible.  By eyeing the level, you can get pretty close to equal layers.  Once your layer has been filled with a good portion of already set jello, make a new batch of yellow.  Let it cool for a few minutes, and then add to the already set jello fill in.  (This is a time saving method.  You can use fresh brand new jello for every layer.)  Remember to let every layer set sufficiently.

Step 5) Now dig out a new "center".  This one will be slightly smaller than the first.  Like steps when you look at it from the profile.  Once your happy with your new "center" fill in this newly created whole with your chosen color, or in this case... green.

Step 6) And yet another layer and so on.  Until you've reached the top of your dish.  You'll see that as the "steps" move upward they take on the appearance of a tree.  As I get more clever with this, I want to see how much I can decorate that tree.  But for now this was a fun project with the kids.

And it must have made a point because it was wiped out in seconds.  If you wanted seconds, you were out of luck.

Both a top and side view.

For more, take a look at my website artbystaci.com.  Or, look me up on Face Book at artbystaci.

Where to Start

If your just starting out with food storage don't worry, things will get done before you know it.  Being on a tight budget is only a small obstacle. 

We found that by replacing our regular menus with food storage specific items, we were able to more quickly add to the storage.  It isn't essential to go for the "deals" but still highly recommended. 

Here are a couple of ways that we started, and still work our storage today. 
(some of these have an order based on season).


1) A garden.  Even if all you have to plant is a few pots on a balcony, every extra item you can get on your own effort, is a plus.  Work with a neighbor and see if you can trade work for a plot if they have a yard.  Or how about a family member that maybe lives on a bit of land.  Travel time is worth it if it means you can start to put together your own storage. 

If you have just enough room for flower beds consider planting vegetables in between established plants. 

First time gardening?  Also no problem.  All credible nurseries have qualified people that can answer any of your questions.  I have always found that nurseries are full of people who love their job and want to be helpful.  They can give you advise on everything from soil preparation, to harvest times.  They can also recommend what plants are best for certain yard sizes. 

I know, to many people, this next idea is maybe.... sacrilege, but consider giving up the lawn.  You'd be amazed at the amount of space you'll suddenly have, and how much you can get into it.

2) Hunting/ fishing.  For some fishing will be easier to do.  For others, none of it is acceptable.  Not a hunter? That's fine, just remember that while your putting together your food storage to add proteins.  There are many kinds of proteins, including soy (Textured vegetable protein, TVP), canned, meats, legumes (beans) and even peanut butter. 

Hunting might be an outrage to some, that's their issue.  You open yourself up to new options if you can hunt and fish.  In a truly desperate situation you will be able to feed yourself and your family.  But more than that, you will not necessarily have to rely on anyone else for that same benefit.

3) Other options.  For awhile there "food storage" was a dirty word, or at the least, taboo.  It was something ...."Those people did".  Now, finally it has become popular again, and recommended.  Because of it's increased popularity, stores all over the country now carry both goods, and supplies for food storage. The supplies are typically available year round now too.

      A) Lets start with commercially prepared food storage. 

Right away, having stated it that way, I'm sure your thinking about large #10 cans full of dried foods.  Or 5 and 6 gallon buckets full of beans and wheat.  Okay, yes, those are useful in of food storage, but, the variety is so much larger than that.  Commercially prepared includes canned soups, vegetables, meats, fruits and anything else that has been bottled or canned, that you would normally buy or find at the market, and which can be stored for an extended period of time.

You know. Campbell's, and Hormel, and several other brands.  Then there is the gigantic variety of commercially dried and freeze dried goods. Dried goods aren't just peas beans and flour. They include complete meals that just need hot water added.

Commercially prepared also includes M.R.E.'s (Meals Ready To Eat)  They used to be just a "military" thing.  But now, they can also be purchased and utilized by the every day Joe.

B) Dehydrated goods.  Both home and commercial are a great way to have long term storage.  One of the pro's for dehydrated is the amount of space saved for the amount of food stored.  However, the con side of that is that more water will need to be both stored and available through other sources for the purposes of reconstituting and cooking.

We purchase AND dry our own goods.  We've had a dehydrator for years, but were never really all that satisfied with the results.  I can't remember the brand off hand.  It was a round one with no temperature control.  We worked with it, which meant fussing over it all day long during the drying process.  Changing trays, even putting empty trays in between the foods we were working with and the blower.  It worked.  We made it work.. But it was a lot of work.

We purchased a L'Equip Deluxe Food Dehydrator and have been in love with dehydrating ever since.  It has temperature control plenty of trays, and is rectangular instead of round making it easier to push to the wall while using it, keeping it out of the way.

Since we purchased it about 18 months ago we haven't put it away yet.  It has paid for itself over and over again.  Produce that would have turned because we had too much, for what ever reason, has been dried and stored.  That one advantage alone has reduced purchased, produce waste in our home by more than 80%.  Vegetables and fruits that we grow at home have a new venue.  We have a couple of smaller trees for example, that don't produce enough to warrant bottling them.  However, they still produce more than we could consume before they turn.  Depending on what they are, we slice them into thin wafers, and add them to the dehydrator.  Depending on what they are they get peeled.  For instant, peaches.  

We don't typically add anything to our dying fruits.  Some people do, but we like natural.  

We store our home dried goods a couple of ways.  We have short term bottles, and long term buckets.

Our bottles are normally 1/2 gallon bottles.  But we also utilize quart and pint bottles.  All of these bottles seal air tight.  But none have oxygen packs in them.  They all are for our immediate use.  Spices for recipes, ingredients like carrots celery and mushrooms, and home made vinegar's.

For long term storage we use 5 and 6 gallons buckets.  We add bay leaves to the bottom of the bucket followed by a double lining of plastic bags, contents oxygen pack, tied and then ore bay leaves on top between the bags and the lid.  We have not used Mylar yet.  So I can not speak to that.  However, I have heard great things about Mylar.  We will begin using Mylar with our next round of home storage.

C) How about your own home bottled items.

Tomatoes, pickles, jam.  These are probably three of the most common food storage items you hear about.  But trust me when I say there are hundreds of others. 

Tomatoes are, to say the least, a great staple.  But they are more than that.  They are versatile.  When we "put up" tomatoes we don't just use them by themselves.  We add them to all sorts of things.  Spaghetti sauce, salsa, rice dishes, omelets, and many more.

I believe they are most commonly heard about because they are one of the easiest to preserve.

(Wash and dry your bottles rings and lids.  Then place your lids into a small pot of water and simmer.  This prepares them for later processing.)

1 quart bottle

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

(these are done to taste)

And boiled water

Now the tomatoes.  You can use any variety of tomato.  Even yellow.  The smaller the tomato the quicker they are to prepare.  They only need to be cut into halves and then put into the bottles.

If the tomatoes are larger, you'll need to decide if you want to keep the skins or not.

To remove the skins of the larger tomatoes, blanch in boiling water.  They need to be submerged for a few minutes.  Test one.  If the skin rubs off easily with a little pressure they are ready.  (I like to boil the water, put in the tomatoes, boil for about 2 minutes, and then turn off the burner.  Let the tomatoes sit in the water while you work with them.  They will continue to blanch as long as the water is still steaming.)

Do enough tomatoes to fill 7 jars.  (We typically have enough tomatoes to do several batches of jars.  7 jars fit into the water bath caner.)  Use a bottle funnel to keep your rim as clean as possible.  Add clean boiled water leaving 1/2 inch head space, (up to the top of the shoulders of the jar).  Make sure to wipe the rims with a wet cloth or even a wet paper towel.  If you feel any chips or imperfections, don't use the bottle.  (by rubbing your finger around the rim of the jar you will be able to feel any imperfections.  These imperfections might not seem like much, but they can prevent the bottle from sealing properly.)  Then place your prepared lid onto the bottle, add a ring and tighten, only to finger tight.  Place them in your water bath or steam caner and process for 40 minutes.  Add 5 minutes for every 3,000 feet above seal level.  Then at 8,000 feet add 10 minutes more.  Then you can either process them in a water bath caner, or a steam caner.  This will seal the lids and set them for storage.

When you go to the market for your regularly scheduled grocery run, plan on 1 of 2 things. Or both. 

Step one, Is there something that you buy, that you could give up?  You know that guilty pleasure, or even the so called addiction.  How much soda do you buy in a month?  Could you give up half of that soda and put the money you save toward a few extra cans of vegetables, or some other canned item?  How about junk food in general?  What can you give up to put extra money towards your food storage?

Are you buying top of the line sirloin when bargain would be just as good?  Name brand when store brand is comparable?

Step two, Can you just set a little extra money aside with your grocery money that can be used for food storage?

Usually the immediate answer, is some explanation and a "no".  Think about it.  How important is it for you to really get a food storage together?  If your reading this, hopefully it's already a priority.

If you are a parent, it is your job, as an adult, to do everything in your power to protect your kids.  This is just another step toward that protection.  

Imagine being able to buy 1 extra can of something every pay day.  Your probably thinking, "One can?  That isn't going to get me anywhere."

I used to think the same thing.  There truly are some families that can only do 1 can a payday.  If you can do more than that great.  If not, slim it down.

Be an active participant in your prepping plans.  Be an active participant in your survival.

For more recipes I recommend the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  It has 400 hundred recipes which include both water bath and pressure caner canning.  (The pressure caner is a must for any non-pickled and meat items you plan to do on your own.)  I use this book all the time.  The recipes are easy to follow and include tips and hints.

Or here is one website I visit often.  They have great ideas, tips and recipes.  Simply Canning.

Looking for more information and great products?  Try here at NewSurvivalSkills.com. 

.

Pretend for a minute

PRETEND for just a minute that you have all of your food storage to your satisfaction.  Now what?  How about a fully stocked medical storage.  To you, this might mean a shelf, or a full room.  Where do you start?  Always start with basics and things you can do with what you already have on hand.  Triangle bandages for example.  Or even Needles and thread for of course sewing.  (we're not talking embroidery, we're talking stitches.)  How about along with your triangle bandages, some pressure bandages, and pads to pack wounds?  Absorbent, clean cloth or material can be sewn or even just rough cut to serve medical purposes. (Pinking shears, ~the ones that make the zig zag cut~, make non frey edges.  Once made they can be stored in ziplock bags. 

Now that you've gotten this much started you can put that extra $10.00 a pay day towards other medical needs.  Alcohol, iodine, peroxide, commercial bandages, sunblocks, actual sutures (when you can find them), maybe more serious supplies like scalpels, forceps, pickups, hemostats, and so on. 

The point is, once the basics are taken care of everything else begins to fall into place.  You begin to see a clearer picture of what you have and what you still need.  Be diligent in gathering your supplies.  If you are short on space and have to become creative, make sure to keep an inventory.  It is much easier to see what you need, if you can actually see it or have it written down.  Consider your families needs.  Do you have someone with special needs, or perhaps a particular medication.  Maybe even a type of cough or cold medicine that is preferred.  Would you rather use mylanta or pepto?  You know those kinds of comforts, will make a huge difference. 

There is no time like the present to start.  Wouldn't you rather be prepared and have nothing happen, than not be prepared and your whole world falls apart? 

(I do recommend as soon as you have a couple of weeks of storage ready to go, to start on other supplies like first aid/medical and cleaning and sanitary supplies.  This allows you to have a small collection in several different storage groups rather than everything in only one storage group, ie; food and medical and sanitary and ammo, rather than only food and nothing else. 

Don't forget about your water.  A 5 gallon square storage container complete with spicket can be picked up in many different locations now for under that $10.00 mark.  Many stores now sell bottled water with different sized containers.  Or as a fall back, save those two liter soda bottles and fill them.  When your desperate, it wont matter what the container looks like, as long as your prepared.

For more information on preparedness information feel free to take a look at what else I have.
Or if you would rather take a break and see what else I can do, stop over at my art site.  artbystaci.com.  Thanks

Solar Oven

This project was an idea we received from a great group of people, New Survival Skills. (You can also find them on Face Book.)

What else?  A solar oven.  A great idea with a lot of possibilities. 

We all started the project together.  However, my oldest quickly decided she didn't mind doing the majority of the work.  So with a little bit of guidance this is what she/we did.
We started out with the 81mm Mortar box.  Here in Utah we were able to find one at about $40.00.  I know I can find them a little bit cheaper online, but had two disadvantages to that.  1) I would have had to wait for shipping, and 2) I wouldn't have been able to inspect the box before purchasing it. 

The store we found, had several mortar boxes.  That was an advantage because we were able to pick the one in the best condition. 

We is my daughters and I.  Sometimes, when he has time, my husband.  More often than not, these projects take us everywhere together.  From chasing lightning, to building hobo stoves, and camping together.  We love the challenge of a new adventure.  Now I just have to get them to remember that there are still regular chores too.  But that is a subject for another day.

Anyway, back to the solar oven. 

So we started, as I said, with the mortar box.  81 mm mortar box.  Next we needed a role of reflectix silver insulation.  It is thin and of course reflective.  The purpose is to line the interior of the box creating a surface that will hopefully redirect the sunlight toward the contents of the box, creating a heat value.  The reflectix was just under $17.00 dollars after taxes.  Not bad for 25'.  We could probably do two full ovens with just the one roll. 

This role is 25' ft. long and 16" in wide.  The box didn't need more than 13 1/2" in and 24 1/2" in long.  That gave us plenty of reflectix to use for the various parts of the solar oven.  Including, when I neglected to tell my oldest that she didn't need to wrap all of the foam. 

Oh yes, and the foam.  Our mortar box came with foam inserts.  Some were glued into the mortar box, some were loose.  The foam is strategically placed to hold the original mortar shells.  We either ended up with extra pieces, or that is what the box comes with in the first place.  In the end, we only needed two of the foam inserts that were glued in, and two that were loose. 

Like I was saying, our box came with a total of 8 foam pieces.  Two on the lid, and two in the bottom of the box.  The other four pieces were loose.  They were also thinner and wider than the four glued to the interior of the box.  All we needed to do was carefully pull or cut the foam out of the box. 

The first to foam pads we attempted to remove buy cutting.  We did our best to only cut the glue away from the metal, but achieved a much less appealing result.  Should have stuck to the tried and true, "pull on it, see if it's loose".  That's what we did for the last to pads. 

As you can see a bit of testing effort in the beginning might have given us a clue that we could muscle them out.  Oh well, live and learn.

Next, we needed to attach the silver reflectix to the interior of the mortar box, and around several of the foam pads.  For this we were going to need spray glue.  This is where knowing people who have worked in the sign and printing industry can be a great help.  (Thank you Marc).  We were able to get a hold of spray adhesive.  Now we were told that the other thing we would need to use was rubber cement.  Rather than that we purchased a roll of aluminum tape.  The kind you would use to close leaks in your air ducts. 

Aluminum or heat duct tape.  This contours to the shape you intend to cover, and is adhesive, making it easy to seal seams and gaps.

This silver colored tape allowed us to close the seams created in the reflectix when we used it to wrap the foam pads, and still keep a reflective quality to the full interior of the oven.  The spray adhesive covered in a good solid coat and didn't, at least as far as we can tell, need any extra adhesive. 

So to recap:

81mm mortar box, with original foam pads They are priced anywhere from $25.00 up to $40.00.

25' x 16" reflectix insulation.  It is rated Class A/ Class 1.  Just under $17.00 after taxes

Spray adhesive Anywhere between $11.00 and $25.00

And aluminum tape. Depending on length, anywhere between $6.50 to $15.50 a roll.

There are a couple more things we are going to need, but we will get to those in a minute.

Pull out the foam pads, and then with a flat knife or scraper, clean up any left over foam or glue.  Next measure the interior of your mortar box.  Your going to need 2 piece that are approximately 24" x 13 1/2" , one for the lid and one for the bottom. 

 

One recommendation... Don't do this in the direct sunlight.  Unless you have really good sunglasses.  Save the sunlight for cooking time.  :)

Go ahead and attach the lid and bottom first.  The spray glue works best in generous amounts.  Spraying both the mortar box and reflectix you'll be creating two contact points that making the adhesive more likely to connect your reflectix with out any problems.  (remember to do a test run with the reflectix pieces to make sure they fit before you glue them in.  Any trimming will be done at this time.) 

You can measure and pre

**Then you'll want to measure and cut the piece or pieces that are going to make up the interior sides of the box.  We chose to cover the sides with one full piece.  This was a little more challenging, but effective and left us with only one seam, which we later taped with the aluminum tape.   

Getting the length and width measured and then test fitted onto the side of the mortar box was easy.  Spraying glue and then attaching the reflectix was a bit more challenging, especially trying to keep the sides as one piece.  Dads are great helpers.  :)

Once the interior is covered you can begin working on the foam. 

We knew we were going to have seams, so we decided to cut the material specifically to deal with that issue.  Cutting this modified "T" allowed us to enclose the entire foam, with minimal bunching at the seam sights.  Then aluminum tape, and we had fully enclosed foam pads. 

Now we needed to decide which foam would work in what location.  To make the best decision we would need at least one more item.  Plexiglas.  This was another thing I already had on hand.  I wouldn't need to buy any.

Now the last two things your going to need are Plexiglas and cording.  The plexiglas can be purchased in certain sizes, but you may find that you need to buy something just a little bit larger and then cut it to size.  (The hardware of construction depot that you buy your Plexiglas from should also sell Plexiglas cutters.  This is the best way to cut your plexi.  Be patient.  It may take several passes before the cut is complete.)  Then once your done cutting you can drill two holes in each end for handles.  This is where the cording comes into play.  One loop on each side is all you need to make your handles.  This is how ours looks finished.

In both the right and left photos you can see the handles.  My husband melted the ends into a slight ball, making them large enough not to slip back through the holes.  These "loops" will allow us to pick up the plexi-glass without trying to dig our fingers underneath it.  (Just makes things a bit easier)

Optix Plexiglas For a sheet that is 36" x 30" x .093 your going to pay about $20.00.

Cording.  This all depends on what you want to use.  We had a 1/4" x 12" long piece of braided cord that worked for what we needed.  Because there are so many different types of cording, and it will be your choice, The cost can be a few pennies for the amount you need to half a dollar or so.

Most hardware stores will carry all of the items your going to need, except that is the mortar box.  For that your going to need to check in to Army/Navy surplus stores.  We found our box at one called Uncle Sam's.  There are also General Army-Navy stores.  Both physical locations and online stores.  

We only had one challenge with the plexi.  It was a standard pre-cut size.  That meant that it was just about 3/4 of an inch to short on one side.  In order to accommodate that gap we just added more foam to the front edge of the solar oven. 

And then finally with handles on each side of the plexiglas we are finished. 

Because we had a great group of people who had already done this before us, we had a good idea of where we were headed.  We didn't run into any real snags.  Just a bit more time to put in the sides because we did them as one piece. 

We hope this article will be helpful to you as well.

Staci and Kel

Corn

These are in the first plot or bed.  They were planted in June.

This year we grew some, well a few, okay more than a few corn.  Corn has a lot of great qualities, and tastes wonderful, especially right off of the stalk.  (That is when it is the sweetest.)

I know, I know so what, I grew some corn.  Well that is only part of the story.

We did two plots.  We started with the first behind a fence.  (Dogs.) In the first plot we dug in mulch.  Nothing special, just some stuff we picked up from our local dump.  The city accepts green fill and mulches it.  Then they sell it back to the public for about $30.00 a truck load.  1 truckload is about 3 cubic yards. And fish.  Not all of the fish.  We "planted" the guts, heads tails, and bones of the fish. 

After digging in the mulch to a consistency of about half mulch and half dirt, we began planting.  We didn't plant the fish until we were ready to plant the corn seeds. 

We started the bed with radishes.  They are better as an early crop.  We kept everything we planted this year in fairly uniform rows.  That made it easy to get the corn seeds started in between the radish rows.  All of the radish seeds we did this year were from last years crop.  Once the radishes were large enough to pull, we got them out of the way to make room for the quickly developing corn.  A few we left for a new seed crop this year.  Radishes loved the mulch, and fish.  Rather than the few dozen pods like last year, we have thousands of pods.  +1 for the mulch and the fish.

Now for the corn.

For the longest time we had just short little stalks of corn.  They couldn't have been more than 3 ft tall.  I was worried that the ground was to "hot".   (Mulch that is to much and to fresh.)  We had already lost several garlic starts that just couldn't take the new rich soil.  Boy was I wrong.

The corn and sunflowers are both in the same bed.  This pictures was taken a couple of weeks after we initially measured the corn and sunflowers.  By the time of this picture the sunflowers are 13 ft tall.  Unfortunately due to the weight of the flower heads, and the wind we sometimes get here, this particular stalk has since been broken.

We left on a two week trip.  Between a sprinkler system and several great people who helped to keep the yard running while we were gone, we came back to a thriving and healthy garden.  In the two weeks while we were gone our corn and sunflowers decided it was time to really show off.  (we planted our sunflowers along the fence line behind our corn.)  The tallest corn stalks were approximately 8 ft tall.  The smallest were still in the 5 ft range.  The sunflowers were just about 8 1/2 ft tall.  In just a couple of weeks we were rewarded with some very showy plants.  As far as size was concerned, +2 for the mulch and the fish.

Now the leaves of the corn, and sunflowers, was a beautiful medium shade of green,  They were large and lush.  There were no wilted spots that we could see upon inspection.  Overall a beautiful color for both plants.  +3 for mulch and fish.

Along with the beautiful colors and height of the corn, we also discovered an ample supply of corn ears.  Each stalk had two ears.  (This was much more than I expected for just a backyard garden.)  From all outside appearances the ears looked wonderful.  They were still way to early to even hope to pick, but beautiful just the same.  (When corn is close to being ready to harvest the "silk" at the top of the ear will appear to be dried out and brown.  A quick inspection underneath the husk will verify if the corn is truly ready.  Sometimes the kernel's at the top of the cob don't develop.  This is because they weren't pollinated.  This can be because the stalks are to close together, or the wind wasn't able to carry enough of the pollen between plants.)  Still we were going to have to wait until the corn was ripe. 

Now picking time.  We had a beautiful array of yellow and white in the individual kernel's.  The kernel's were large and plump.  And there was very little un-pollinated kernel at the top of the cob.  Having experienced un-pollinated corn kernel's in the past, and remembering the conditions previous stalks were subject to, I still will chalk this up to a better mulch process.  (The mulch and fish, I believe, gave the corn the needed nutrients that allowed the "flowers" to mature properly.  With the added size of the stalks, I believe, the corn was given the best chance possible at reproduction.) + 4 for the mulch and the fish. 

Now for the flavor.

Each corn ear we have pulled so far has averaged about 8 inches in length, and about 6 inches in circumference.  I wish I could remember their name, because they are a wonderful sweet corn.  A sweet, beautifully large plump kernel.  One bite an your hooked.  +5 for mulch and fish.

Now for our other corn. 

Averaging about 8 inches long and approximately 6 inches around, these ears are just as large as the ears on the first plot.

This second batch of corn was planted nearly three weeks after the first batch.  Our attempt at a late crop I guess you could say.  Rather than a mulch combination, we tried just using the fish. Why not, this is a process that has been used in ancient cultures?

We prepared the corn beds by creating rows to determine spacing, and then "planting the fish. 

Just like the first bed, not the whole fish.  The guts, heads, tails, and bones. (Of course we kept the meat for dinner ;) )  In my family we like to fish, and thanks to the generosity of certain people, You know who you are, we were able to put nearly 2 dozen fish into the ground.  Once the fish were planted into the rows, we laid seeds in the tops of those same rows.  No other fertilizer or mulch process was used in this bed.

This photograph is a bit over washed with light, but if you look closely you can see the corn in the background.  It is the first plot.  Even though it is in the background, you get the general idea of the two sizes.

Compared to the mulch and fish bed, this corn wasn't nearly as tall.  Part of that I attribute to the late start, part to the fertilizer.  However most still hit approximately the 4 ft range.  Not bad for a back yard garden.  We have a sprinkling system, and we also had plenty of rain this year.  I doubt lack of water was a factor.  On height, fish gets a -0-

The color of the stalks and leaves was the same as the batch with the mulched ground.  A beautiful medium green.  No dry spots or fungus that we could see upon inspection.  Overall a really healthy looking plot of corn.  +1 for the fish.

Again, just like with the mulch, each stalk had two beautifully large ears.  The hardest part at this stage was leaving them alone so they could finish ripening.  Each of the ears looked plump and long.  Even though the stalks were shorter than the first bed, the ears were approximately the same size as the first plot.  +2 for the fish.

Once we were finally able to check on one of these beautifully sized ears of corn, we couldn't wait to start picking them.  Carefully pulling aside the husk to reveal the corn inside, we could see again the beautiful yellows and whites that colored each kernel.  The kernel's were large and plump, and almost all had been pollinated.  (There are almost always a few kernel's toward the top that don't get pollinated.  But it is a relief to see only a few affected in this manner.)  +3 for the fish.

Each one of these looks this beautiful.  Rich color both in the husk and kernels.  You can see to the left what the silk should look like before you harvest your corn.

Now for the flavor. Just as sweet and delicious as the first bed.  The sweetness is addicting.  Large round kernels lots of rich color, and large ears all come together to create a delectable treat. + 4 for the fish.

The yellow banana peppers that we added right at the ends of some of the rows became huge plants, with huge peppers.  + 5 for the fish.

These banana peppers are the ones that we planted at the ends of some of the rows.  This is my best year for peppers.  I will do them again next year. Cucumbers loved the mulch, and so did the raspberries.  However this years raspberries are living on last years mulch.

The only detectable and obvious difference was the height of the stalks.  However in both flower beds there were other obvious differences.  Like how well other crop plants grew.  With the Zucchini we got beautiful large lush leaves, but very little fruit.  Same with the crook neck squash.  However, the radish, turnips, corn, sunflowers, carrots, peas, and peppers all thrived on the "hot" or rich soil. 

Look how big these kernels are...

We broke this cob in half.  That gave us the chance to see how big the kernels were.  Such a great flavor!

Lessons learned:  Certain crops thrive on "hot" soil while others take on an ornamental view or completely die off.  The addition of fish seemed to be the extra boost that the gardens needed.  Next time we plant corn we will for sure use the fish trick.  Next year we will allow the garden to run on what we added this year.  One of the crops that seemed to do VERY well on just mulch no fish was the mustard we planted this year.  It was all nearly 6 ft tall, and covered in pods loaded with seeds.  But that is a subject for another blog.

Artists Highlights

ARTBYSTACI.COM

Check out these artists from Utah.  Or to see my work, check out my whole site here at artbystaci.com

Today's Feature Artist:
Carolyn Guild

Luke Frazier

Aaron Peterson

Nathan Florence

Joni Flint

Paul Ferney

Bret Edge

John McNaughton

Damon Denys

Jeff Clay

Greg Wilson

Clay F Wagstaff        Kathryn Stats             Rachel Pettit              Al Rounds       
 Melani Nogawski     Susan S. Morris         A.R. Kennigton     

Barbara Pence

You can find them on my webstie at artbystaci.com.


Check back often to see what new artist has been featured.  If you know an artist you would like to see featured, let me know here or on artbystaci.com.

Kels Melting Pot

For a school project, my daughter decided to support Locks of Love. You can see her story here.

Well actually this started out as a family project a couple of years ago.  We had several people that were close to us, in a very short amount of time end up with a diagnosis of cancer. 

When you get that kind of news from someone you know, you immediately imagine all of the ways you could help.  But all of those ways quickly become overwhelming not only to you the giver, but also the recipient. 

As a family we decided that our best opportunity for help would be to donate our hair.  We donated in the name of those we felt we could honor. 

This last year, as a school project my daughter Kel, needed to find a kind of "pay it forward" project.  For her, at least I think, it was a fairly easy decision.  Locks of Love!

The school that she attends, does not just do a few weeks on anything.  This project is called "Year of Service" for a reason.  Because of the extended time on the project, and all of our hair being long enough to donate again, she chose to cut it all off. 

Well, I'll let her tell you.  :)  This is the beginning of her story.  In "My Project" she talks about some of the reasons, and consequences of the decision to give away all of her hair. 

Take a look and tell her what you think.

Thank you
Sincerely,
Staci

Lemon Balm Jelly

Three views of lemon balm.  Each of these plants root balls is at least three years old. 

Thanks to my husbands grandmother, we have a lovely, aromatic supply of Lemon Balm.  It is one of my most favorite fragrances in the garden.  Because of it's prolific growing nature, we often times have to mow sections of it that have established roots through the grass.  As much of a pain as that is, I still put up with it due to the lemony flavor it leaves in the air, once it has been disturbed. 

Lemon Balm has some great uses, including potpourri, acne treatment, or even in combination with Valerian is as effective as some tranquilizers with out the side effects.  For more information check out Discovery Health on Lemon Balm.

So with all of these benefits what could be better than jelly?  Okay well, Discovery health did have a recipe for sorbet, (gonna have to try soon), but really, lets get to the jelly.

On a whim, I googled Lemon Balm Jelly.  This recipe is an easy to follow, straight forward recipe.  The only additive I would make is that we treated this recipe very much like the rose petal jelly recipe.  Rather than boiling the "Lemon Balm Tea" for only a minute, we boiled it for 7 minutes.  That ensured a good strong pectin reaction.

The only other change was green food coloring rather than yellow.  (My daughters choice). 

As a plain jelly the flavor, may be an acquired taste for some.  It is much more like a flavored honey than a jelly.  As a peanut butter sidekick, the flavor is much milder. 

As a kid that grew up almost exclusively on grape jelly and peanut butter sandwiches, I am very much, more excited about this new world of jelly flavors.  The ability I have, I am thankful and grateful to have, to grow so many varieties of plants in my garden, has really given me the opportunity to try new delicious recipes, I might not have tried otherwise.

The original recipe calls for yellow food coloring, however my daughter thought green would be prettier.

Dandelion Jelly

I know, crazy right?  Well Maybe not sooo crazy.  I had heard several times growing up that dandelions were edible.  But Dandelions, really?  Have you ever picked a bunch of them and then accidentally put your fingers in your mouth?  Gross right. 

Well, apparently there is a proper time to pick dandelions which makes them less bitter.  The best time, just like with radish, is in the spring before the heat comes on.  So, finding only a couple dandelion volunteers this year in the yard, we set about popping off the heads everyday.  We began to fill a 1 gallon zip lock bag.  Once we had that bag entirely full we cut the yellow petals away from the green leaves of the flower head.  (Because it took us awhile to get enough flower heads we kept them in the freezer in the meantime.) 

Now that we had enough flower petals, (with as little green as possible), to equal 4 cups we were able to move to the next step.  4 cups boiled water poured over the flower petals.  Then we let that steep over night, at room temperature.  Once the "tea" had the chance to sit over night we poured it through a clean non-terry cloth towel.  We squeezed out the last of the "tea" into a measuring cup and then started the jelly process. 

This site has the recipe we used.   Dandelion Jelly.

Our jelly had a dark honey color, and tastes just the same.  No bitterness to the flavor.  It really does taste just like honey.  We were able to fill 2 1/2, half pint jars with this recipe.  It does not make a lot of jelly, but well worth it if you have the time, and patience.

I will definitely do this recipe again.

Photo Tour

This is just a short tour through some of the recent photographs I have taken.  I hope the information, and photographs here are useful and that you enjoy a sampling of my work.  For more of my photography and art work, please feel free to visit my site at artbystaci.com.  

This is a daring jumping spider.  Because of the size of the abdomen and the lack of enlarged palp ends, we believe this spider is a female.  (Generally the female will have either a larger abdomen or her whole body will be larger than the male.)  This little lady was making her way from the lawn to the shady side of the fence.  When I tried to get close enough for this photograph, she immediately turned her body sideways to me.  When I attempted different angles to capture her eyes and head, she would again turn.  Eventually she was using a combination of threats with her front legs, to blocking my camera view with her abdomen.  This partial side view was the best she would allow.  She was approximately a half inch long, and looked as if she may be soon laying one or several egg sacks. I let her on her way once I determined she was going to make the "perfect" shot much more difficult for me. 

That's right, this would be me needing, what's the term, a mani-peti.  Okay so aside from the crappy polish on my fingernail, is this a great shot?  This little girl made her way up my pant leg.  Several of the kids were quick to point this out.  I think they were hoping it would make me jump.  Sad for them... Anyway.  I convinced her to climb onto my finger, where I was able to left handed, and with the assistance of the tweenager, take a few quick shots.  My fingernail measures 10mm at the widest point, by 10mm at the longest point.  This little jumping spider was a little more than half that distance. 

This is the blossom of an orange tree.  This tree is an indoor tree.  The blossoms are cute an petite.  On this particular tree, they are un-assuming.  I thought they made a beautiful splash of white against the dark background. 

This could be an oriental, or Asiatic lily.  It grows from a single multi layered bulb.  The older and more well fed the bulb is the larger and more brilliant the bloom.  This one was a beautiful spring time beauty for my yard this year. (Oriental and Asiatic lilies are not edible.)

Some of my favorite flowers come in vases.  (Favorites, especially if they are for me ;) ).  The way the light hit the backs of the petals of this lily made me look for my camera right away.  The petals are so rich in color, and then graced with translucence.  I loved the pink polka-dots, and couldn't resist the natural framing of light.  (This lily is not edible.)

Chamomile.  This wonderful smelling herb is often referred to by my nephew as the "applesauce" plant.  From the very first time he helped me pick these little fragrant flowers, he called it that.  It helps that apples is exactly what it smells like.  Sometimes it is called ground apple.  There are many uses for Chamomile that are now becoming more known.  I already knew some of the benefits of this excellent plant, but now after visiting this site, I am even more grateful that I grow it in the yard.

Once upon a time we threw the top of a strawberry into the garden.  This is what we found.  Those seeds that were still embedded in the left over meat clinging to the green top of this little delicacy found a way to germinate and grow a whole new plant.  Actually several plants.  I love strawberries but had heard that a strawberry from seed is not a good strawberry.  So I let it go wild.  It makes a very cute and hardy ground cover.  It does produce berries, although not very large ones.  However, after having tasted several of these berries over time, I have come to the conclusion that they are a wonderful berry.  And with a little husbandry I'm sure I can have plants that produce beautiful and large berries.  Even these small berries have better flavor, by far, than the ones at the market.

Ever seen a potato flower?  Well now you have.  This flower is at the tail end of an experiment we tried this year.  Soon we will be finalizing the experiment, but for now this petite little flower was a welcome site in the green house.  The experiment was to grow potatoes in a container, starting them in the house.  We chose a bucket that is approximately 40 gallons.  With a little bit of effort on the part of the soil, and a little effort in watering and caring for.  We were able to, I believe, successfully grow a bucket of potatoes.  We still need to dig in and see what the true outcome was.  But that will be included in my Bucket of Potatoes link.  Look for a future link here.

It was a beautiful site to see this year.  We lucked out.  Between the late spring and extended wet weather we had this year I was sure that we were going to miss out on the beautiful flowers that we have here.  However, I was lucky.  We happened to be in the right place at the right time.  This is the center of a pink (obvious) prickly pear cactus flower.  They were huge this year.  The petals seem so strong and sturdy until you get right into them.  They are as delicate as they come.  Several petals make up the cup shape of this particular flower.  They come in a variety of colors and are often covered in some kind of bug.  We, several times, have found them covered in ants.  This time, I was fortunate to find them without all of the bugs. I found this flower in Topaz Camp, now a historical land mark.  (If your not familiar with that name, it is the internment or concentration camp that President Roosevelt and congress at the time built to house Japanese citizens.  Citizens who, without ever being charged with a crime or conspiracy against America were shipped to this or 9 other locations across the west and Arkansas.  More information to come on Topaz Camp later.)

Back to the flower, This one was part of a well established cactus that was approximately 3 1/2' to 4' ft wide.  It reached about 1 1/2'ft tall.  None the less, a beautiful specimen.  Prickly Pear flowers are edible.

This is a Nursery Web Spider.  Just a little guy.  It was only about 5mm long and very skinny.  He was quick, and like the Daring Jumping Spider didn't want me to get to close.  When he would turn to avoid me he would also bolt trying to get away.  Not having anything with me to corner him safely, for him and me,  I did the best I could to try and just capture a photograph.  He is small enough that he easily blends into the tan and light brown backgrounds prevalent in the high deserts of Utah.  Having residential homes and business's in these areas just makes life a little easier for these critters.  Like everything else, they are opportunists.  People, and their pets, and lights, and water supplies bring bugs.  What better to a spider, than a ready supply of food?  There are three main ways that I know of that a spider hunts.  They lay in wait with a trap door, they lay in wait on a web, or they actively stalk and pounce on prey.  This particular spider hunts by pouncing on it's prey.

The beautiful flower, the Columbine comes in a variety of colors.  It is great at re-seeding itself, and has no problem cross pollinating giving its new starts a variety of colors.  Columbine is edible.  The leaves are edible when thoroughly boiled, and the flowers are edible raw and according to this site, taste slightly sweet.   

After many hours, literally, of searching, I was able to finally find the name of this flower.  Thanks to this blog, watching the world wake up, I would not have found the name of this brilliant yellow flower.  At least I wouldn't have today.  So thank you Watcher.  I am grateful you were here when I needed you.

These cool flowers were all over the place on the way from Topaz Camp, to Topaz Mountain along State Road 174.  Every where you looked, you could see an abundance of flora.  They were and are in great show this year.  I believe it's the abundance of water we received this year. 2011 Exceeded almost all of the 2008 water percentages for Utah.

When you think of a desert, especially if you've never been there before, do you think of all the beautiful flowers?  Like I said before, this was a great year for flowers.  This striking  flower made a beautiful enhancement to the landscape.  The Evening Primrose is a pretty little flower that comes in varying shades of pink and white.  Thanks to the efforts of SW Colorado Wildflowers, I was able to find the name of this one.  This page in particular led me to the answer.

I believe after several comparisons, that this is Yellow or Golden Cryptantha.  According to CanyoneeringUSA, This is the Cryptantha.  It was a lovely abundant wildflower all over the Topaz Mountain area.  They came in a variety of stages during the time we explored there.  Several were very short stature bushes, while others were large taking up at least 2 square feet of space.  Even though the bush or main plant is fairly large, the flowers are petite and almost barrel shaped before opening. 

Awww the mighty Yucca.  This little, or should I say, quite large specimen sat perched at the edge of an outcrop of rock.  In full bloom, with very few of the flowers being old, I was able to get some lovely photographs.  However, to get this close to this type of plant does require a sacrifice of blood.  Having tangled with them in the past, I was well aware of the danger they were capable of.  But still, getting the best shot....  Well lets just say I didn't escape injury free.  Yucca is edible and depending on which kind you have, may have edible fruit.  This one is the Thin Leafed Yucca.   It's fruit dries into a hard shell.  If you can handle dealing with The spines at the tips of the leaves, supposedly you can use the leaves for baskets and what not.  Unless I'm desperate, I'm not willing to try that one out.

This particular picture was slightly challenging.  Of course the bug, an Earwig, was a great additive.  This particular lily is also an addition to my garden.  Every year they are only in bloom for so long.  When I spotted this one in bloom I headed straight away to get it.  Then I noticed the little Marauders camping out under the petals.  The Earwigs like the abundant foliage and ready meals, but these lilies are toxic to people.

What can I say, I like the Macro.  I couldn't resist the raised bumps and hair like structures that make up the inner part of this lily.  Being an Oriental lily this little beauty is not edible.  But grace and elegance make up for the lack of usefulness in the kitchen. 

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".  They, the rose, come in a variety of sizes, petal counts, and fragrances.  This little rose has, every year, produced an abundance of flowers very reminiscent of the blanket of flowers awarded the winner of the Preakness or Belmont races.  Almost cascade in effect.  This one is also a great bee attractor.  An excellent advantage when keeping a garden not far from the bush.  Roses are edible.  Some have better flavor than others.  I prefer the Lincoln and coral roses, they seem to have the best flavor.  At least so far as I have found.  Especially when making Rose Petal Jelly.

I can't help it.  I love the brilliant colors of these oriental lilies.  I have already posted others, but couldn't resist.  This one is an Oriental variety and there fore not edible. 

This Lily has a couple different names.  Commonly known as the Tiger Lily, it is also known as the Ditch Lily.  They have become quite common in the past several years, which is good news to some, not to others.  There are now only a few states that don't consider this lily "invasive".  On the plus side this Lily is edible.  The flower bud, stalks and bulb like roots are all usable in the kitchen.  For more information on this lily here is the link. 

Beautiful, delicate, and capable of growing in harsh climates.  The beautiful Iris, comes in dozens of colors, and varieties.  Sometimes called flags, these flowers have graced yards across the country for decades.  It is toxic.  However, while it IS toxic, its toxicity is short lived.  So enjoy these beautiful flowering plants if you have them or would like to plant them, but be aware that they are toxic when ingested.  Some may have a reaction to the petals and leaves of this plant.  Some may have a reaction to the sap.  However, this may be due to an already existing sensitivity to the plant.

And one more Oriental Lily.  The water droplets, to me, struck the right cord.  Brilliant stamens against the long anther, a few well placed droplets, and a filtered light, and viola. 

I hope that this photo article was helpful and fun to review.  Let me know what you think.  I look forward to your input.  For more photographs and macro images, visit my website at artbystaci.com, and click on the photography section.

Disclaimer: Information on this blog is based on research from the internet, books, articles and studies. Statements in this blog have not necessarily been evaluated and should not be considered as culinary advice. Use plants and herbs in moderation and watch for allergic reactions.

Always seek compentant advice from the experts in your area for conclusive answers to questions you may have.  Local extension offices can direct you to authorities that deal specifically with the flora and fonna of your area.