Swiss Chard

Gardening IS possible almost year round in OK, if one is willing to learn how to cook with the marvelous abundant greens that like fall and early spring.

Oh boy, I need to learn how to re-arrange these pics! Anyway, You simply saute onions and garlic diced in 3 or 4 tablespoons butter, then add the diced stems, saute a minute, then add the rest of the chard sliced into 1/2" ribbons piling it high as it cooks down rapidly. Saute' just until softened and then sprinkle with some gomasio and tamari OR a bit of himalayan pink sea salt and enjoy.

I'm serving this with baked sweet potato (mashed with butter and maple syrup) and a baked homegrown ham.

Knitting Swiffer Covers

Ravelry.com ought to get some sort of major award for what they've done in creating an awesome web community! Most recently some of the ladies there have shared their patterns for swiffer covers for those of us not into throw away lifestyles. I've just knit 2 different styles and dd#2 has caston and 1/2 knit yet a third style. http://www.elmore-pisgah.com/ and http://www.rmyarns.com/ are my favorite places to buy cotton yarn for dishcloths, washcloths, baby sweaters, and now swiffer covers. Great prices, quick shipping, friendly service, and no driving an hour to the store to be assaulted by toxic synthetic chemicals in the air from candles, cleaners, and potpouri.

Manuel's Rye Starter

Making a sourdough starter isn't really difficult, keeping it going has been more the hurdle I don't always make it over. I'll let ya know how this one goes in a few more days, I hope to make sourdough tortillas and bread.

Rendering Lard

Today's work was rendering 25 pounds of lard in preparation for some soapmaking. I'm doing a workshop later this month and need to replenish our home and a local store's supply of homemade soaps. Haven't gotten any further on my barrel-ponics setup yet.