Posted on 01/01/2026 5:52:41 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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I succumbed to buying one of those basil plants you see with roots at the produce section a couple of weeks ago. I took off all the tops and stuck them in a jar to root. Used most of the underparts, but those 4 stems all rooted and are now potted. Even if they don’t do anything but grow a little taller, that’s better than nothing.
The rosemary I have is from a stem cutting. Still going strong but I like the idea of misting them and having a pan of water nearby.
All the plants I’m trying to over winter are in a south facing window, with a couple of grow light lamps nearby. They’re all making it, but I’m sure they wish they had more sunlight.
“They’re all making it, but I’m sure they wish they had more sunlight.”
I think my plants will all make it through - it’s my idiot CATS that I’m worried about. They have Cabin Fever this winter, the WORST I’ve ever seen! Cats? You ARE welcome to live in the barn if you’d like! Sleep on Stew the Steer - he puts off tons of body heat! The ‘Oops’ litter of puppies winter before last hung out with that years’ steer (Chuck) for extra warmth all winter. I cannot believe that no one got squished!
Eva Grace keeps looking at me as if I control the weather, LOL! Boyd spends the evenings roaming around the house and calling out - to who? The Weather Gods? Who knows!
So far, no broken crockery or other pretty things destroyed in the middle of the night, and while they have always ignored my houseplants...I’m sure it’s coming.
The Beagle is taking it all in stride, but she doesn’t mess around when it’s time for a Potty Break, LOL! ;)
6 Winter Vegetables That Are Packed With Protein—and How to Enjoy Them
When it comes to protein, vegetables are an underrated source. Granted, they don’t have as much as some other foods, but they can still contribute to your overall intake. It also doesn’t hurt that vegetables provide other essential nutrients, such as fiber and antioxidants, making them a worthwhile addition to your diet.
Many of the best protein-rich options are winter vegetables, meaning they’re hardy and flourish during the cooler months. It’s an excellent reason to shop seasonally and boost the protein content of your meals. Here, we asked dietitians to call out the top winter vegetables high in protein, plus ways to use them in recipes.
https://www.marthastewart.com/winter-vegetables-high-in-protein-11885468
Spinach
Russet Potatoes
Peas
Brussels Sprouts (Yay!)
Mushrooms
Parsnips
Just spent 50 minutes outside - 17 degrees, feels like 10. Boy oh boy, it’s going to take a while to warm up. I was getting a tarp tied down on the car, but the wind was blowing enough I had to make a trip to the barn for some bricks. They helped hold the tarp down until I could get some ropes on it & do some tying.
We’ve got snow showing on radar, but nothing hitting the ground yet. The wind should die down to almost nothing tonight. We’ll have snow until tomorrow (looks like about 8” is the forecast) when it goes over to sleet for most of Sunday afternoon with maybe some freezing rain as the storm ends. Brutal temps for the rest of the week - there will be no melting going on.
All the storm prep is done except finishing off filling some bins with water for flushing toilets if the power goes out. This afternoon, I put a pot of Beef Barley soup on - it surely smelled good when I came back into the house!
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/beef-barley-soup/
Light snow all day, low teen temps, a nice breeze /s, currently 5 or -11 with wind chill.
Left work a little early to do a few thing before it gets dark and colder. Swept paths from the house to truck and to firewood. Gravel driveway and powdery show. Easier and faster to sweep than to shovel. Got the fire rip roaring and rigged a little fan up high near the wood stove aiming down at an angle to the floor sort of towards the kitchen table where we sit when eating or on laptops. Warm up them feet. One of these days I’ll do it proper with a fan on back of stove and vent that shoots out under the front of stove.
Gotta bring wood in to refill the rack in here. That’s lasting 24 hours with these single digit nights and there’s no end in sight of those in the current forecast.
See Post #447! ;)
Most excellent reply; I’m in your debt! You would’ve been amazed at how fast I ran out the door with a pair of scissors. The rosemary is sitting in a partially filled Mason jar as I type. :-)
What about the needles I stripped off? Can they be frozen, so that I (or, more likely, my sister, the gifted cook) can use them like fresh at some later date?
And good for you on the bay laurel ! I’ve been following your instructions to the letter, and have gotten a couple of nice “bursts” of new growth.
The Beef Barley soup is really good - hits the spot after being out in the cold. I didn’t have stew meat so I used ground beef, which works just fine. I also made my own ‘brown gravy’ package instead of buying one.
As much as I want chickens, taking care of animals in this weather is not something I want to do ... I tip my hat to you taking care of all the dogs, cats, chickens, mule, steer, etc. in this weather!
Menards has a quite bright (12500 Lumen rated) “VoltKing” LED shop light on sale for $15. It should make a good grow light, or a great shop light, but DOES require modification to be reliable and not cook itself. (130 watt rating.) If you are handy with screwdrivers, a soldering iron, and possibly a Dremel tool, this could be a cheap way to get a lot of light, IF you want to spend a couple hours at it. I should have time to write up the mod, later this evening.
:-)
I would put whatever Rosemary leaves you have in a paper bag and let them dry. Close the top and shake the bag from time to time. Your sister will know what to do with them. :)
OR make yourself some ‘Rosemary Sticky Rice’ in the microwave.
https://www.publix.com/recipe/rosemary-sticky-rice
I had a customer bring his flat of pepper seedlings to the Garden Center. They were BLACK. He asked what he had been doing wrong.
Yeah - he COOKED them with way too bright of lights, LOL! Luckily, there was still time for him to re-start another flat.
“Sir? Step AWAY from your grow lights!”
16 hours on, 8 hours OFF - and the OFF is as important as the ON! And, no closer than 6-8” if you’re using those super-duper bright lights. 2” away from the top of the seedlings for basic cool-white shop lights.
Chickens would be the easiest to care for in these temps - and this week is an exception; we are RARELY this sub-zero for this length of time. Last time this happened was 2004.
I am so THANKFUL that Beau is home right now, so he’s doing most of the Heavy Lifting these days. If it were just me, I’d just have the hens and nothing else. ;) He will be gone the last weekend of January into February to help with tagging bears while they’re still in hibernation - but also sedated - with one of his Game Warden pals. I think they are counting newborn cubs or something, too. Mama Bears more often than not give birth while they’re hibernating - not a bad system, really, LOL! Hoping the weather isn’t as bad then as it is now because I will be in charge that weekend!
Our coop is inside the barn, so one of your out buildings, with a coop inside of it would be more than warm enough for your girls in the winter months. We have a heated plate for their water, and amazingly it has not frozen over once...even at 18 bellow.
They are laying like crazy-mad again - I have three dozen stashed to give away right now. Daylight determines their laying, not so much the temps - which is kinda weird. Who wants to raise a chick at 18 below? LOL!
Antipasto Pasta Salad
Flavorful vegs, cheeses, meats, pasta. A nice side, or entree on its own for dinner.
Combine 8 oz cooked rotini 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved 6 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts quartered & drained (reserve oil) ¼ med red onion sliced ½ c green/black olives (or mix) 4 oz salami thinly sliced and halved 8 oz mozzarella balls 2 tbl thin-sliced fresh basil leaves 1 tbl chp fresh parsley, 1 cup bottled Italian dressing. or ¼ cup red wine vinegar ⅓ cup olive oil (can use olive oil from artichoke hearts ½ tsp ea gar/powder, dried basil, s/p. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Do you have a Publix near you? If so, I may have to come for a visit!
I don’t. Wish I did. We have Piggly Wiggly and a Super Walmart. The nearest Aldi is a 50 minute drive away. :(
My closest Aldi is 25 minutes away. In fact, there are two, in different directions, both 25 minutes away. The one south of me I went to, and hated it. Wondered what the big deal was.
I have since heard that the one east of me is much better. My only problem is that these days, I don’t go much further than the Costco which is 20 minutes away, before I get as far as the Aldi store. I still tell myself I need to give it a try. Get the other one out of my mind. Go in with an open mind. I really should try them, and sooner rather than later. Though perhaps not this week until the winter storm is behind us.
The snow arrived a few hours ago, and has been slow and steady. I don’t know if we’ll end up with 3” or a foot. It would be nice if the forecasters were all closer to each either. Who do I trust, and someone tell me, why should I?
Oh that’s too cute!
Reminds me of when the neighborhood hooligans would come knocking on our door when my kids were young, to see if they could come out to play…or be terrorized by them!
In fact, Mama Hen would answer the door and tell the kids to skedaddle before I could count to 3!
(Lord knows, I put in my time I that neighborhood 30+ years ago.)
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