Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

Dallas News.com ^ | March 14th, 2008 | DEAN FOSDICK

[nw_arizona_granny]

Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick

Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.

At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."

Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.

A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."

[snipped]

She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.

"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."

[nw_arizona_granny]

Sounds like a good plan and you should know how to do the process in both ways.

Black Krim does sound like an exciting find.

You have plenty of reading for tonight, LOL, on gardens.

I wanted to close this window, hours ago, started with3 tabs and now have 30 that are full of links to check......

I must get some self control....

Have fun, that is what you are meant to do.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

When plants are large enough to survive transplanting outdoors, plant the seedling trees in a sunny, well-drained location. Most fruit trees take many years (up to 7 or more) to become mature enough to flower, particularly when grown from seed. Many fruit species need to be cross-pollinated by another cultivar of that fruit, so it is best to grow a few of each type.

Most of the orchards around here (peach, plum, nectarine, almond or orange) put plants into an orchard at about 1 foot to 18 inches high. It takes several years to mature enough to produce fruit. Interestingly, for the stone fruits and oranges, the trunk is actually a different plant, and the desired fruit branches are grafted onto the mature stock. So orange trees are actually sour lime stock (better heat and disease resistance) with orange branches grafted in. In the first year of production, many of the stone fruit growers leave just one branch of the original tree growing and graft in the remaining branches. I guess the single branch supports the tree long enough for the other branches to catch up. The trees sure do look odd when they are cut up like that.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Dr. Bill should be on in a minute, LOL, wrong in an hour, you don’t have the same time as me.

Spokane, WA, is to have a chill factor of 20 below, tonight, per the news, so much for global warming.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I wanted to close this window, hours ago, started with3 tabs and now have 30 that are full of links to check......

I must get some self control...

You make me laugh with your comments. Reading through the earlier part of this thread (I'm up to about 6300 now) I find I look forward to your posts. I stop and read your posts carefully to see what you are going to say next. How faithful you have been on this thread! It's a real treasure. FR is lucky to have you. I will try to contribute more but maybe someone can learn from my beginner questions. LOL

Anything going on with the scanner tonite? Are you listening?

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://entire-of-itself.blogspot.com/2007/02/soup-to-rescue.html

Don’t want to cook but want a good dinner? Soup to the rescue!

When I worked I just crawled home exhausted most nights, and then collapsed in a corner! Soup was my salvation then in cool weather; big main course salads were my salvation in hot weather. It’s winter now, so let’s talk about soup first.

Even now that I am retired, there are many nights when I just don’t want to cook; and yet I want a meal that has both great taste and good nutrition. Soup fulfills both these requirements. It is also very cheap, and most soups freeze very well.

I’m not talking about little watery soups, but big hearty soups with some substance to them - soups that are a complete meal with a whole wheat roll or a slice of whole wheat bread. (Or even white bread, if you must!)

There are many different soups that are good for this purpose; I’ll mention just a few:

* Beef Vegetable Soup

* Chunky Calico Chicken Soup
* French-style Vegetable Soup - my current favorite! (Recipe follows.)
* Lentil Soup - there are many lentil soup recipes
* Split Pea Soup
* Hearty Tomato Soup
* Black Bean Soup - my recipe is on this blog, in the
post entitled ‘Eating Beans and Rice’.
* Hamburger Soup - ground beef and many vegetables
* Ribollita - Italian-style vegetable soup with Italian bread.
* Minestrone

There are many more. But even with only the soups I have listed above, you can have lots of variety and you won’t be bored eating the same thing all the time.

First, a few general tips on making and freezing your soups:

1. Don’t use pieces of potato in soup that you will freeze. Pieces of potato turn into nasty horrible cardboard (bad texture, bad taste) when you freeze them.

2. The more fresh veggies you can use in your soup (as opposed to frozen veggies), the better your soup will be. But hey, we live in the real world; not the ideal world. Sometimes I have to use some frozen vegetables, but I can
always use fresh carrots, onions, garlic, celery, and cabbage.

3. If you put frozen peas in soup, cook them separately and just put them in the bottom of the bowl you will eat the soup from, then pour the hot soup over them. They don’t reheat well, they get nasty, and they don’t freeze well either. This way, they won’t be in the soup that you either freeze or reheat.

4. To make the soup hearty, you can add a drained, rinsed can or two of beans. I prefer cannelini beans for this. My second choice would be other white beans. Dried, home-cooked beans are even better. But again: we live in the real world. Sometimes I have home-cooked beans and sometimes I do not.

You can cook and can (bottle) beans at home, but I’ve not reached that exalted state of organization yet. It would be A Very Good Thing to have home-canned beans and maybe someday I will. In the meantime, canned beans are fine
if you drain and rinse them to remove most of the added salt.

5. If you have a food processor, you can grate up a pound or two of cheddar (or other cheese) and freeze it in plastic freezer bags. Then you just need to take out some grated cheese when you start heating your frozen soup. The cheese is put in the soup when you dish it out. This also adds heartiness to your soup.

6. I don’t like to use plastic containers in the microwave. So I bought several small glass (Pyrex) containers of various sizes and shapes. One is just the right size to heat a one-person-meal amount of soup (for us, this is two bowls of soup per person). This is very convenient. Of course, you can reheat soup on the stove top also, if you prefer.

7. Soup can be frozen in the small Zip-Loc (or other brand) ‘disposable’ containers. In spite of the fact that the manufacturer would like you to dispose of the container after one use, you can wash them and re-use them indefinitely. They stack in the freezer, which is good. I have a lot of these containers in a ‘one meal size’. Theoretically, you can heat soup in the microwave in these, but I prefer to put the container in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes, then slide the soup out of the container, and heat it in a glass container in the microwave.

8. You can also freeze soup in plastic freezer bags. In that case, when the bags are sealed, put them all flat on a cookie sheet or plastic tray and freeze them that way. Otherwise, they slump down between the bars of the freezer shelf and stick to the bars. When your bags of soup are frozen, and
nice and flat, then take them off the cookie sheet and stack them on the freezer shelf. You cannot reheat in the frozen bags - just put the frozen bag of soup in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes, and then you can slide the soup out of the bag and reheat in the microwave (see #6, above) or on the stove top.

9. If you make a big pot of soup, don’t wait for it to cool down naturally - it can take too long to become completely cool: this gives bacteria too much time to grow. Put the pot in a sink of cold water (with ice cubes, if you have them), and stir the soup gently. Replace the water with fresh cold water if it gets warm. Then freeze your cooled soup. Or put the pot outside for a while in the snow, if you have deep snow. (At the moment, we have about two feet of snow on the ground! That would cool a big pot of soup pretty fast, I think.)

French Style Vegetable Soup

This is my current favorite soup; it is very loosely based on ‘The Soup - French Style’ from The Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon.

The amounts listed here actually made ten meals of soup. Each meal also included some kind of bread or roll, and often included grated cheddar served in the soup.

Ingredients:

* 2 very large onions or equivalent amounts of smaller onions
* 8 small cloves of garlic
* 2 stalks of celery
* 2 carrots
* 1 parsnip
* 1 large handful of fresh green beans
* 6 large mushrooms
* about 1/3 of a small head of cabbage
* 1/2 a 32-oz bottle of V-8 juice
* about 1-2 cups of white wine (didn’t measure)
* 2 28-oz cans of whole tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
* 1 can of canellini beans, drained and rinsed
* various herbs - basil, thyme, marjoram, a little tarragon
* tamari (also called ‘shoyu’ - a superior kind of soy sauce)

Pretty cheap! Very healthy!

This is almost a minestrone - if you add cooked elbow macaroni, then it would be minestrone. It took about an hour’s work. Well, I’ll spend an hour to have ten nutritious and delicious meals meals any time. Warning: this soup is addictive. I’ve made it three times so far this winter, and will be making it again today. You can cut the quantities down, of course, and I usually make a smaller amount than given here.

By the way, this is one reason why I really love my food processor. You can cut all the veggies with a knife and cutting board and - indeed - you can do a more uniform and a prettier job with a knife and cutting board. But using the food processor makes the job go very fast.

I don’t care about pretty in soup; I care about taste. Obviously, if you don’t have a food processor, slice or chop by hand.

OK, from the beginning, this is how I make this soup:

I use the food processor for every veggie in the soup (except the canned tomatoes).

Chop 2 large onions and 8 small cloves of garlic in the food processor, put them in a bowl. Slice two stalks of celery with their leaves (try to buy nice leafy ones). Slice two peeled carrots.

Sauté all this in a a little olive oil. I do not have a large soup pot that will saute worth a darn, so I Sauté in another pan and then transfer everything to the large soup pot. I would like to get a better large soup pot someday.

Transfer the sautéed veggies to your big soup pot. Add two 28-oz cans of diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes - if using whole tomatoes put them in a bowl first and quickly chop them up. Top and tail the green beans, then slice them. Slice a peeled parsnip. Add the green beans and parsnip to the soup pot. Add a lot of white wine, maybe about 2 cups.

Add dried Italian parsley, basil, also some thyme, marjoram, and a little tarragon. Also some tamari. (When I last made this soup, I wanted to measure to be able to tell you how much of each, but I couldn’t bear to slow the process down; my back really hurt at the time.)

Add about one pint (two cups) of low-sodium V-8 juice (tomato juice can substitute for this) and some water.

Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the flame down so it will just simmer. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer gently for about 40 minues.

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Slice the 1/3 head of cabbage finely. Add them to the soup pot. Drain the canellini beans in a colander and rinse them with cold water. Add the beans to the soup pot. Bring to a simmer again, and let the soup simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes - just until the mushrooms and cabbage are soft and taste cooked.

Taste - add more herbs or tamari if you think it needs them.

Frozen peas: just a few. I don’t like frozen peas when reheated, whereas the rest of the soup reheats just fine. So I cook the peas separately, and just put some peas in each of the bowls before I dish the soup out.

Add grated cheese to the soup after it is dished out, if you wish. Grate black pepper over your bowl of soup if you wish, also.

This seems like a lot of work, but I want to emphasize that you are making about ten meals at a time. It’s really not that much work considering how many meals you are making and how good it is.

Pat

16 February 2007

Copyright © 2007 Patricia Meadows

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

IF he's on in a minute, he'll be on here too at the same time, assuming the show is live. Do you listen on KGO the San Francisco station?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Can My County Feed Itself?

LOL, I know I'm bragging, but Fresno County, along with Tulare, Madera, Kings, and Merced County (the Five-County Area) feeds the WORLD! We are very blessed to live here...

[nw_arizona_granny]

Interestingly, for the stone fruits and oranges, the trunk is actually a different plant, and the desired fruit branches are grafted onto the mature stock.<<<

Many plants are grafted, fruit trees and roses, if they are to be true to the named variety.

That is why planting fruit tree seeds is so much fun, at the least you get a pretty plant from citrus seeds, and who knows, maybe you will have th ‘one’ that someone thinks is a good one.

Orchids to be the named variety, have to be a part of the actual plant, you cannot graft them.

Some shrubs and trees can be propagated by scraping the bark and putting it in a growing medium, while still attached to the original plant, until it roots........a world of study.

I promise that you will never learn all there is to know about gardening, science plays a large part in it.

Strange as it is, the new ‘fads’ in gardening, are the ancient ways of growing, there is little that is brand new.........except in electronics.

[nw_arizona_granny]

I will try to contribute more but maybe someone can learn from my beginner questions. LOL<<<

We all have to learn and when you stop learning, you might as well be dead, as if the brain is dead, then not a lot of need for the rest of the body.

I just turned off Big Bear, they are slipping and sliding down the cliffs 3 and 4 at a time.......all gov vehicles got the order for chains a couple hours ago.

Had Las Vegas on, the bullets flew all afternoon and they chased people, even had out the copter, which they rarely use and the dog.......I think they were firing at the cops, as the dispatcher was giving different locations for shots fired and a couple cops, chimed in and gave their locations and said the bullets were flying.

People do not have a clue to the danger on the streets of Las Vegas and it gets worse by the day.

I must find something to eat and will check Denver while I do.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Yes, I am getting kgo on the radio.

Dr. Bill in 30 minutes, Ms Kraft is on and she can talk more liberal nonsense, for more hours than anyone I have ever heard and not say a thing worth remembering........LOL, she is an attorney in real life, as I recall.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/0,20633,845294,00.html#Anchor-ZONE-44867

Important information for gardeners. The link to the interactive national map is here:

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/garden/article/0,20633,845218,00.html

Sunset Climate Zones (North America)

A plant's performance is governed by the total climate: length of growing season, timing and amount of rainfall, winter lows, summer highs, humidity. Sunset's climate zone maps take all these factors into account — unlike the familiar hardiness zone maps devised by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which divide the U.S. and Canada into zones based strictly on winter lows. The U.S.D.A. maps tell you only where a plant may survive the winter; our climate zone maps let you see where that plant will thrive year-round.

ZONE 1. Coldest Winters in the West and Western Prairie States
Growing season: early June through Aug., but with some variation—the longest seasons are usually found near this zone's large bodies of water. Frost can come any night of the year. Winters are snowy and intensely cold, due to latitude, elevation, and/or influence of continental air mass. There's some summer rainfall.

ZONE 2. Second-coldest Western Climate
Growing season: early May through Sept. Winters are cold (lows run from -3 degrees to -34 degrees F/-19 degrees to -37 degrees C), but less so than in Zone 1. In northern and interior areas, lower elevations fall into Zone 2, higher areas into Zone 1.

ZONE 3. West's Mildest High-elevation and Interior Regions
Growing season: early May to late Sept.—shorter than in Zone 2, but offset by milder winters (lows from 13 degrees to -24 degrees F/-11 degrees to -31 degrees C). This is fine territory for plants needing winter chill and dry, hot summers.

ZONE 4. Cold-winter Western Washington and British Columbia
Growing season: early May to early Oct. Summers are cool, thanks to ocean influence; chilly winters (19 degrees to -7 degrees F/-7 degrees to -22 degrees C) result from elevation, influence of continental air mass, or both. Coolness, ample rain suit many perennials and bulbs.

ZONE 5. Ocean-influenced Northwest Coast and Puget Sound
Growing season: mid-April to Nov., typically with cool temperatures throughout. Less rain falls here than in Zone 4; winter lows range from 28 degrees to 1 degree F/-2 degrees to -17 degrees C. This “English garden” climate is ideal for rhododendrons and many rock garden plants.

ZONE 6. Oregon's Willamette Valley
Growing season: mid-Mar. to mid-Nov., with somewhat warmer temperatures than in Zone 5. Ocean influence keeps winter lows about the same as in Zone 5. Climate suits all but tender plants and those needing hot or dry summers.

ZONE 7. Oregon's Rogue River Valley, California's High Foothills
Growing season: May to early Oct. Summers are hot and dry; typical winter lows run from 23 degrees to 9 degrees F/-5 degrees to -13 degrees C. The summer-winter contrast suits plants that need dry, hot summers and moist, only moderately cold winters.

ZONE 8. Cold-air Basins of California's Central Valley
Growing season: mid-Feb. through Nov. This is a valley floor with no maritime influence. Summers are hot; winter lows range from 29 degrees to 13 degrees F/-2 degrees to -11 degrees C. Rain comes in the cooler months, covering just the early part of the growing season.

ZONE 9. Thermal Belts of California's Central Valley
Growing season: late Feb. through Dec. Zone 9 is located in the higher elevations around Zone 8, but its summers are just as hot; its winter lows are slightly higher (temperatures range from 28 degrees to 18 degrees F/-2 degrees to -8 degrees C). Rainfall pattern is the same as in Zone 8.

ZONE 10. High Desert Areas of Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle, and Southwest Kansas
Growing season: April to early Nov. Chilly (even snow-dusted) weather rules from late Nov. through Feb., with lows from 31 degrees to 24 degrees F/-1 degree to -4 degrees C. Rain comes in summer as well as in the cooler seasons.

ZONE 11. Medium to High Desert of California and Southern Nevada
Growing season: early April to late Oct. Summers are sizzling, with 110 days above 90 degrees F/32 degrees C. Balancing this is a 3 1/2-month winter, with 85 nights below freezing and lows from 11 degrees to 0 degrees F/-12 degrees to -18 degrees C. Scant rainfall comes in winter.

ZONE 12. Arizona's Intermediate Desert
Growing season: mid-Mar. to late Nov., with scorching midsummer heat. Compared to Zone 13, this region has harder frosts; record low is 6 degrees F/-14 degrees C. Rains come in summer and winter.

ZONE 13. Low or Subtropical Desert
Growing season: mid-Feb. through Nov., interrupted by nearly 3 months of incandescent, growth-stopping summer heat. Most frosts are light (record lows run from 19 degrees to 13 degrees F/-17 degrees to -11 degrees C); scant rain comes in summer and winter.

ZONE 14. Inland Northern and Central California with Some Ocean Influence
Growing season: early Mar. to mid-Nov., with rain coming in the remaining months. Periodic intrusions of marine air temper summer heat and winter cold (lows run from 26 degrees to 16 degrees F/-3 degrees to -9 degrees C). Mediterranean-climate plants are at home here.

ZONE 15. Northern and Central California's Chilly-winter Coast-influenced Areas
Growing season: Mar. to Dec. Rain comes from fall through winter. Typical winter lows range from 28 degrees to 21 degrees F/-2 degrees to -6 degrees C. Maritime air influences the zone much of the time, giving it cooler, moister summers than Zone 14.

ZONE 16. Northern and Central California Coast Range Thermal Belts
Growing season: late Feb. to late Nov. With cold air draining to lower elevations, winter lows typically run from 32 degrees to 19 degrees F/0 degrees to -7 degrees C. Like Zone 15, this region is dominated by maritime air, but its winters are milder on average.

ZONE 17. Oceanside Northern and Central California and Southernmost Oregon
Growing season: late Feb. to early Dec. Coolness and fog are hallmarks; summer highs seldom top 75 degrees F/24 degrees C, while winter lows run from 36 degrees to 23 degrees F/2 degrees to -5 degrees C. Heat-loving plants disappoint or dwindle here.

ZONE 18. Hilltops and Valley Floors of Interior Southern California
Growing season: mid-Mar. through late Nov. Summers are hot and dry; rain comes in winter, when lows reach 28 degrees to 10 degrees F/-2 degrees to -12 degrees C. Plants from the Mediterranean and Near Eastern regions thrive here.

ZONE 19. Thermal Belts around Southern California's Interior Valleys
Growing season: early Mar. through Nov. As in Zone 18, rainy winters and hot, dry summers are the norm—but here, winter lows dip only to 27 degrees to 22 degrees F/-3 degrees to -6 degrees C, allowing some tender evergreen plants to grow outdoors with protection.

ZONE 20. Hilltops and Valley Floors of Ocean-influenced Inland Southern California
Growing season: late Mar. to late Nov.—but fairly mild winters (lows of 28 degrees to 23 degrees F/-2 degrees to -5 degrees C) allow gardening through much of the year. Cool and moist maritime influence alternates with hot, dry interior air.

ZONE 21. Thermal Belts around Southern California's Ocean-influenced Interior Valleys
Growing season: early Mar. to early Dec., with the same tradeoff of oceanic and interior influence as in Zone 20. During the winter rainy season, lows range from 36 degrees to 23 degrees F/2 degrees to -5 degrees C—warmer than in Zone 20, since the colder air drains to the valleys.

ZONE 22. Colder-winter Parts of Southern California's Coastal Region
Growing season: Mar. to early Dec. Winter lows seldom fall below 28 degrees F/-2 degrees C (records are around 21 degrees F/-6 degrees C), though colder air sinks to this zone from Zone 23. Summers are warm; rain comes in winter. Climate here is largely oceanic.

ZONE 23. Thermal Belts of Southern California's Coastal Region
Growing season: almost year-round (all but first half of Jan.). Rain comes in winter. Reliable ocean influence keeps summers mild (except when hot Santa Ana winds come from inland), frosts negligible; 23 degrees F/-5 degrees C is the record low.

ZONE 24. Marine-dominated Southern California Coast
Growing season: all year, but periodic freezes have dramatic effects (record lows are 33 degrees to 20 degrees F/1 degree to -7 degrees C). Climate here is oceanic (but warmer than oceanic Zone 17), with cool summers, mild winters. Subtropical plants thrive.

ZONE 25. South Florida and the Keys
Growing season: all year. Add ample year-round rainfall (least in Dec. through Mar.), high humidity, and overall warmth, and you have a near-tropical climate. The Keys are frost-free; winter lows elsewhere run from 40 degrees to 25 degrees F/4 degrees to -4 degrees C.

ZONE 26. Central and Interior Florida
Growing season: early Feb. to late Dec., with typically humid, warm to hot weather. Rain is plentiful all year, heaviest in summer and early fall. Lows range from 15 degrees F/-9 degrees C in the north to 27 degrees F/-3 degrees C in the south; arctic air brings periodic hard freezes.

ZONE 27. Lower Rio Grande Valley
Growing season: early Mar. to mid-Dec.. Summers are hot and humid; winter lows only rarely dip below freezing. Many plants from tropical and subtropical Africa and South America are well adapted here.

ZONE 28. Gulf Coast, North Florida, Atlantic Coast to Charleston
Growing season: mid-Mar. to early Dec. Humidity and rainfall are year-round phenomena; summers are hot, winters virtually frostless but subject to periodic invasions by frigid arctic air. Azaleas, camellias, many subtropicals flourish.

ZONE 29. Interior Plains of South Texas
Growing season: mid-Mar. through Nov. Moderate rainfall (to 25” annually) comes year-round. Summers are hot. Winter lows can dip to 26 degrees F/-3 degrees C, with occasional arctic freezes bringing much lower readings.

ZONE 30. Hill Country of Central Texas
Growing season: mid-Mar. through Nov. Zone 30 has higher annual rainfall than Zone 29 (to 35”) and lower winter temperatures, normally to around 20 degrees F/-7 degrees C. Seasonal variations favor many fruit crops, perennials.

ZONE 31. Interior Plains of Gulf Coast and Coastal Southeast
Growing season: mid-Mar. to early Nov. In this extensive east-west zone, hot and sticky summers contrast with chilly winters (record low temperatures are 7 degrees to 0 degrees F/-14 degrees to -18 degrees C). There's rain all year (an annual average of 50”), with the least falling in Oct.

ZONE 32. Interior Plains of Mid-Atlantic States; Chesapeake Bay, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey
Growing season: late Mar. to early Nov. Rain falls year-round (40” to 50” annually); winter lows (moving through the zone from south to north) are 30 degrees to 20 degrees F/-1 degree to -7 degrees C. Humidity is less oppressive here than in Zone 31.

ZONE 33. North-Central Texas and Oklahoma Eastward to the Appalachian Foothills
Growing season: mid-April through Oct. Warm Gulf Coast air and colder continental/arctic fronts both play a role; their unpredictable interplay results in a wide range in annual rainfall (22” to 52”) and winter lows (20 degrees to 0 degrees F/-7 degrees to -18 degrees C). Summers are muggy and warm to hot.

ZONE 34. Lowlands and Coast from Gettysburg to North of Boston
Growing season: late April to late Oct. Ample rainfall and humid summers are the norm. Winters are variable—typically fairly mild (around 20 degrees F/-7 degrees C), but with lows down to -3 degrees to -22 degrees F/-19 degrees to -30 degrees C if arctic air swoops in.

ZONE 35. Ouachita Mountains, Northern Oklahoma and Arkansas, Southern Kansas to North-Central Kentucky and Southern Ohio
Growing season: late April to late Oct. Rain comes in all seasons. Summers can be truly hot and humid. Without arctic fronts, winter lows are around 18 degrees F/-8 degrees C; with them, the coldest weather may bring lows of -20 degrees F/-29 degrees C.

ZONE 36. Appalachian Mountains
Growing season: May to late Oct. Thanks to greater elevation, summers are cooler and less humid, winters colder (0 degrees to -20 degrees F/-18 degrees to -29 degrees C) than in adjacent, lower zones. Rain comes all year (heaviest in spring). Late frosts are common.

ZONE 37. Hudson Valley and Appalachian Plateau
Growing season: May to mid-Oct., with rainfall throughout. Lower in elevation than neighboring Zone 42, with warmer winters: lows are 0 degrees to -5 degrees F/-18 degrees to -21 degrees C, unless arctic air moves in. Summer is warm to hot, humid.

ZONE 38. New England Interior and Lowland Maine
Growing season: May to early Oct. Summers feature reliable rainfall and lack oppressive humidity of lower-elevation, more southerly areas. Winter lows dip to -10 degrees to -20 degrees F/-23 degrees to -29 degrees C , with periodic colder temperatures due to influxes of arctic air.

ZONE 39. Shoreline Regions of the Great Lakes
Growing season: early May to early Oct. Springs and summers are cooler here, autumns milder than in areas farther from the lakes. Southeast lakeshores get the heaviest snowfalls. Lows reach 0 degrees to -10 degrees F/-18 degrees to -23 degrees C.

ZONE 40. Inland Plains of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario
Growing season: mid-May to mid-Sept., with rainy, warm, variably humid weather. The lakes help moderate winter lows; temperatures typically range from -10 degrees to -20 degrees F/-23 degrees to -29 degrees C, with occasional colder readings when arctic fronts rush through.

ZONE 41. Northeast Kansas and Southeast Nebraska to Northern Illinois and Indiana, Southeast Wisconsin, Michigan, Northern Ohio
Growing season: early May to early Oct. Winter brings average lows of -11 degrees to -20 degrees F/-23 degrees to -29 degrees C. Summers in this zone are hotter and longer west of the Mississippi, cooler and shorter nearer the Great Lakes; summer rainfall increases in the same west-to-east direction.

ZONE 42. Interior Pennsylvania and New York; St. Lawrence Valley
Growing season: late May to late Sept. This zone's elevation gives it colder winters than surrounding zones: lows range from -20 degrees to -40 degrees F/-29 degrees to -40 degrees C, with the colder readings coming in zone's Canadian portion. Summers are humid, rainy.

ZONE 43. Upper Mississippi Valley, Upper Michigan, Southern Ontario and Quebec
Growing season: late May to mid-Sept. The climate is humid from spring through early fall; summer rains are usually dependable. Arctic air dominates in winter, with lows typically from -20 degrees to -30 degrees F/-29 degrees to -34 degrees C.

ZONE 44. Mountains of New England and Southeastern Quebec
Growing season: June to mid-Sept. Latitude and elevation give fairly cool, rainy summers, cold winters with lows of -20 degrees to -40 degrees F/-29 degrees to -40 degrees C. Choose short-season, low heat-requirement annuals and vegetables.

ZONE 45. Northern Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Eastern Manitoba through Interior Quebec
Growing season: mid-June through Aug., with rain throughout; rainfall (and humidity) are least in zone's western part, greatest in eastern reaches. Winters are frigid (-30 degrees to -40 degrees F/-34 degrees to -40 degrees C), with snow cover, deeply frozen soil.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

It looks like you are in Zone 1, or maybe Zone 10?

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.joann.com/static/project/0812/P349714_cinnamon_stick_candle_holder.pdf

Project courtesy of Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores®

Designed by Sandy Dunlavy

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
• 1 Glass container
• 2 pkgs Cinnamon sticks
• 1 spool Green wire-edged green ribbon, 1 1/2” wide
• 1 Pine sprig
• 1 Small pinecone
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Wire cutters
• Scissors
• Glass cleaner and paper towels

DIRECTIONS:
1. Clean glass container.
2. Using wire cutters, cut all cinnamon sticks to a length 1/2” below top of glass container.
3. Refer to photo in placing all materials.
4. Glue cinnamon sticks to sides of container. Let glue dry thoroughly before proceeding.
5. Wrap ribbon around container and tie a knot. Trim ends at an angle.
6. Glue pine sprig on knot. Glue pine cone in center of pine sprig.

Optional design: Add small berries or holiday-themed picks if desired.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.joann.com/static/project/0712/P448334.pdf

Project courtesy of FloraCraft

Designed by Kathleen George
Project size: 9” tall

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
• Styrofoam™ brand foam
Cone, 4”x9”
Disk, 1”x6”
• Wrapped peppermint candies, 1 or 2 bags
• 1” Decorative ribbon, 20” length
• Holly floral picks
• White craft glue
• Low-temperature hot glue gun*
*Glue gun should only be used with adult supervision.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Glue cone to center of disk.
2. Glue ribbon around sides of disk.
3. Beginning at bottom of cone and working up in rows,
use hot glue gun to adhere peppermints to cone until completely
covered. Top cone with single candy.
4. Press holly floral picks into disk as desired.

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://crockpotbbq.blogspot.com/

Caramel Crunch Bars
I had taken a pretty long lay off from making desserts. I’m not really sure why, but it may have had something to do with it being summer and wanting to focus more on the BBQ meats. I was inspired to try to do a little spin on one of my favorite candy bars, Nestle Crunch. The question was whether or not I could make this delicacy for myself. I have to say this recipe met and exceeded my expectations. The only thing I need to worry about now is making sure I don’t eat the whole thing. Fortunately, I can take a lot of my leftovers into the office where I have a solid group to help me eat all of this.

Ingredients
1 20z squeeze bottle of Caramel Sundae Syrup
2 single serving containers (4.6 oz total) of Cocoa Crispies
6 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Symphony bars (about 26 ounces total)

If you thought this was an easy recipe to make you were correct! Pour the cocoa crispies into the bottom of your crockpot and spread out evenly. Break up the chocolate bars into one or two square pieces and distribute evenly on top of the cereal. Set your crockpot to on hour on high.

After about 30 minutes take off the top and shift the the chocolate pieces around. Some will have melted a little more than others. After another 30 min all of the chocolate should be melted. Test it with a fork because it may still appear to retain some of it’s shape even though it is completed melted. Stir the chocolate and cereal with a big spoon until the cereal is evenly coated. Spread the cereal out on a sheet of wax paper about 1/4 inch deep and put in the fridge for an hour to cool.

Top the now cooled mixture evenly with your caramel sauce and you are ready to go! As you can see, the caramel does get a little messy so if you are more of straight up crunch bar fan you may want to hold off.
The results actually tastes exactly like a nestle crunch bar, only more chocolaty thanks to the better chocolate and cocoa crispies. Enjoy!

[nw_arizona_granny]

http://crockpotbbq.blogspot.com/2008/05/quick-easy-bbq-sauce.html

Quick & Easy BBQ Sauce
Saw a recipe on epicurious for BBQ sauce that looked pretty good. I made a few modifications to it and overall am pretty pleased with the results. Camera is on the fritz so no photos this time I’m afraid.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of butter
1 medium onion (chopped into small pieces)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
16 oz ketchup
1/3 of a cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Melt the butter down in a saucepan and saute the onion for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic in and cook for about another minute. Add in everything else except for the hot sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the hot sauce and give one final stir before transferring to a bowl.

Put the bowl in the fridge for about an hour to allow the sauce to thicken up an serve over your favorite meats.

[nw_arizona_granny]

LOL, if you are not asking questions, I am.

I like the Cinnamon stick candle holder, but what is the flash point of cinnamon?

Glass conducts heat, is it enough to cause a fire?

I think you are right, about zone 10 on the growing map, you remember, as I always forget...Please.

LOL and I bet if I get out my Sunset growing book it will be an 18, as they keep changing the chart, or have at least 3 times that I know of.

To be safe, if I am going to worry about the zone, I read/check the nursery chart, then I know we are talking about the same chart.

At one time Sunset and the Gov did not have the same numbers on their charts.

But then being me, I often try and grow it anyway.

That is a pretty Peppermint tree.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

http://www.duncancrafts.com/ProjectDetails.aspx?id=25548a48-9c81-4625-981e-cba3b22ae0d9

Crafting Projects

HOLLY JOLLY HOLIDAY TREE
Create this adorable tree to spread holiday cheer anywhere and everywhere! It’s oh-so-simple to create… just apply Collage Pauge™ Instant Decoupage™ to decorative papers and glue to a foam cone. Make one for every room!

Materials List

Collage Pauge Instant Decoupage™

Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue®

Miscellaneous
Sequins, snowflake
Freezer paper
Foam cone
12” x 12” paper: Christmas prints - 2 red, 2 lime and 2 turquoise
Scissors
Masking tape
Paintbrush, large
Wire
Pencil
Paper cutter
Foil
Instructions

1. Cut all papers into quarters.

2. Squeeze a puddle of Aleene’s® Collage Pauge™ Instant Decoupage™ onto a small piece of freezer paper. Tape a large piece of freezer paper at corners onto work surface, shiny side up. Brush Collage Pauge™ onto a section of freezer paper slightly larger than one of the cut pieces of paper. Choose one of the colors of Christmas paper and smooth onto glue.

3. Continue adding Collage Pauge™ to section of freezer paper next to the printed paper you just applied and slightly onto the paper. Add another piece of same color of paper onto Collage Pauge™, slightly overlapping onto other paper. Brush Collage Pauge™ on top of papers. You will have a collage of the same color/print of paper that is slightly smaller than the original 12” x 12” sheet you began with.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each color/print of paper. You should have a total of 6 collaged papers.

5. Let dry overnight.

6. Peel collaged papers from freezer paper. Cut around edges to straighten.

7. Using paper cutter, cut 1” wide strips from each collaged paper.

8. To form tree loops, squeeze Aleene’s® Original Tacky Glue™ onto the back of a strip at the top. Fold the bottom end of strip back and press into glue. Refer to photo. Repeat with for all strips except one, which will be placed around the top of the tree. Let strips dry.

9. To create the tree “leaves,” first choose the color of loops of your choice and apply some Original Tacky Glue™ onto the portion of paper loops where the ends meet. Starting at bottom of cone, one at a time, press loop in place with looped end extending downward from bottom of tree, using bits of masking tape to hold in place. Repeat all the way around the bottom of cone.

10. Repeat process for each layer, alternating colors. Refer to photo. Let dry. Glue un-looped strip of paper around top of tree.

11. Glue snowflakes randomly all over tree, by first squeezing a dot of glue on back of a snowflake sequin. Press in place on a loop. Repeat process for all snowflakes.

12. Freehand draw a star on white paper or matching printed paper using a pencil. Cut out two. Glue back to back (refer to photo) with wire in between. Press wire into top of tree.

---

I'd use christmas wrapping paper! Why spend money on scrapbook paper at $1 a sheet?
10th

[nw_arizona_granny]

Going Hog Wild
Sorry for the lapse between posts. Don’t think I haven’t been working on some new things though. As I mentioned before I planned to test out the concept of flavor injection. That is, using a syringe like device to inject liquid marinades deep into meat prior to cooking. With memorial day around the corner, I opted to go with the classics and make some pulled pork along with a homemade BBQ sauce.

I also was able to find a bone in pork shoulder at the supermarket. This was especially nice because I have heard a lot about how the bone flavor the meat during the cooking process. Let’s start with the Pork.

Ingredients
1 bone in pork shoulder (about 4-5 lbs)
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of honey
4+ tablespoons of your favorite bbq rub

You can make your own rub if you like. I usually buy my own because I’m pretty limited on space but I have made one quick recipe which works fine.

In a bowl or measuring cup, mix the Worcestershire sauce, water, liquid smoke and honey until even blended. Fill your flavor injector up as shown above and push the needle into a thick part of the pork shoulder and press down on the syringe to release the flavor into the meat. I recommend making about 5 to 6 insertions. Pour the remaining liquid over the meat and turn it a few times to make sure it is evenly coated. Apply your dry rub even over the meat and put the meat in your crockpot on low for 12 hours.

If you have been able to find a bone in pork shoulder (this recipe works fine with a pork butt or pork loin) you will be able to literally pull the shoulder bone out cleanly as can be seen above. Take the pork out of the crockpot (be careful as it will fall apart) and use two forks to shred the meat. Using a spoon or turkey baster, apply the juices left in your crockpot to the meat to add back little moisture.

You can pick up a flavor injector at any kitchen store for about $5-7 and it is definitely a worthwhile investment. If you don’t have one on hand, pouring the mixture over the meat works fine as well.

Now for the sauce...

Ingredients
2.5 cups of ketchup
1.5 cups of brown sugar
5 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 tablespoon of honey
3 teaspoons hot sauce
1 small onion chopped

Saute the onion in a pan with olive oil. Mix together all the remaining ingredients until evenly blended. Pour the mixture over the onions and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir one final time and pour the sauce into a bowl and container and put in the fridge for a few hours to cool. Definitely a little wiggle room here. I like spicy food so if you prefer a sauce that is a little sweeter, you may want to cut back a little on the mustard and hot sauce and taste test your sauce until it suits you.

Here are my results. While I didn’t wind up with any leftovers to take home, as long as people enjoyed it that is good enough for me.

http://crockpotbbq.blogspot.com/2008/06/going-hog-wild.html

[Different amounts in this BBQ sauce...several photos.]

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Quick and Easy BBQ spice rub
In the event that you do not have access to a store that sells spice rubs, below is a pretty good recipe for a basic spice rub. This goes well with chicken and pork, but could be used with beef as well.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of black pepper
4 tablespoons of paprika
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

I would recommend buying pre-made rubs individually if they are available to you because they are pretty cheap and effective, but if you have a fully stocked spice cabinet, this works great to.

http://crockpotbbq.blogspot.com/2008/03/quick-and-easy-bbq-spice-rub.html

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I liked it too. I think I’d start at the bottom and use glass headed pins. I’d push the pin through the candy wrapper end, then dip the tip in glue, and then push it into the cone. That way you could take the candies off the tree easily on Christmas night or later. Also you could “shingle” them over each other instead of arranging them like tiles on the styrofoam. LOL it’s fun to take these ideas and develop them further.