As the calendar year comes to a close, I decided to look back at what I have done this year with respect to my SS stuff. Here's what I found in my journal:
Edibles:
~I made a couple of batches of kombucha starting from a store-bought bottle
~I made ghee for the first time
~I made a lot of yogurt
~I made cottage cheese that wasn't very good
~I made and canned veggie broth
Garden:
~The peach tree produced a ton -- but they all got stolen
~The cinnamon spice apple tree produced two small apples; the others didn't produce...yet
~No grapes, plums, pluots, pears, or figs...yet. All fruit trees are still alive.
~Not many blueberries (the plants were moved mid year)
~The boysenberries flourished; the raspberries didn't
~I bought WAY too much hay for the chicken run/mulch (eight bales = too much) -- but now it's all composted down to almost nothing
~I chopped-and-dropped some nitrogen-fixing cover crops, but my soil still lacked nitrogen
~Only one zucchini plant thrived; none of the pumpkins grew
~Lost one artichoke to something that tunnels (gopher? mole? vole?); the other is still alive but hasn't produced...yet
~Lost one brussels sprouts plant to gray bugs (aphids?); the other is still alive
~Grew ginger, mint, and potatoes from farmers' market purchases
Other:
~I made blender soap for the first time
~I tried no-poo (no shampoo) by substituting baking soda and ACV, and decided it was too drying
~I made an olive oil lamp and learned that olive oil burns nicely without being a major fire hazard
~I raised an extra kid for half a year
Animals:
~I lost one chicken to a predator, and one rabbit to old age
That's it for me...for now.
I wish you all peace and happiness for 2012 and beyond.
