Left door is completely bent and plexiglass has popped out. Can't close the other door as there's nothing to latch it to. 🙁
One panel completely popped out, the next one wants to go, too. 🙁
This is the big panel the blew off. Found it near the tree line on the west side of the property. No lettuces or spinach were hurt in this mini-tornado! 🙂
Here in zone 9b, I’m already late putting my starts into the ground!
I’ll have a big crop of San Marzano tomatoes for canning this year. And pickling cucumbers.
Only the strawberries are in.
Probably too late for scallions?
Peaches, Plums. Apricots and Olives coming along nicely.
A lovely and cheerful picture. Thank you for brightening the day.
Thanks for the ping. Late to the party. Have been a bit under the weather, but made a big batch of bone broth and started to feel better. Plan to plant taters tomorrow-hubby got the raised bed flood prevention put in.
He also poured the last bit of concrete for the Shed/Root Cellar. A couple of doors, and the siding is all that’s left I think.
We had a problem in a nearby county with the health inspector not allowing sale of canned goods at the farmer’s markets. As I was doing research, I ran across this article, and thought it might be of interest even though it’s from the real milk blog:
Preserved foods in mason jars on a counter(I’ll try to post a picture of these foods below).
Excerpt—the entire article is at link below:
On December 10 1, District Court Judge Cynthia Feland put an end to one of the more ambitious power grabs by a government agency in the area of local food regulation when she ruled that the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDH) exceeded its authority by adopting rules that ban the unregulated sale of some homemade foods that the Legislature allows to be sold under the Cottage Foods Act [also known as the 2017 North Dakota Food Freedom Act (FFA)].
Under the FFA any producer can sell cottage food products directly to a consumer without regulation
2. In her decision, Judge Feavel enjoined NDDH from enforcing the cottage food regulations; the department has decided not to appeal the ruling so the judgement is final.
Moreover, NDDA will not be working through its allies in the state legislature to introduce legislation to amend the GGA this session, a move the department made in 2019. The filing deadline for bills in the 2021 session was January 25.
Attorneys for the Institute for Justice represented five cottage food producers challenging the rules. The case boiled down to the definition of a “cottage food product.”
The FFA defines a “cottage food product” as “baked goods, jams, jellies, and other food and drink products produced by a cottage food operator”
3. The only food the Act expressly bans the sale of are “uninspected products made from meat” (the sale of uninspected products from poultry is allowed if the cottage food operator slaughters no more than 1000 birds a year).
The judge found that “nowhere in the Cottage Food Act is the Department of Health granted any authority to further restrict foods that can be sold under the Act.” ..snip..
(Because Lord knows I need more squash recipes)
Pumpkin Custard/Pudding:
This recipe uses both starch and eggs to thicken it, which blurs the lines between “pudding” and “custard”. But it has proven to be simple to make, and makes a good substitute for pumpkin pie when you don’t feel like baking.
Ingredients:
2 cups, or one pound, or one 15-oz can of pumpkin. If the pumpkin you’re using isn’t pureed already, that’s ok.
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
UP TO 2/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp maple extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
To pre-warm the eggs, fill a bowl with hot water (tap water hot, not boiling) and store the eggs inside until you’re ready for them. Do this first, before collecting your other ingredients so they have time to absorb the heat.
In a medium saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Stir constantly while it cooks, to prevent scorching.
If using pureed pumpkin, combine the seasonings and extracts in a heat-proof bowl large enough to hold the entire recipe. If your squash isn’t pureed, use a blender in place of a bowl, as if you were making a smoothie.
When the milk mixture is close to boiling, remove the eggs from the hot water, dry them with a towel, and crack them into the bowl (or blender) with the seasonings.
When the milk mixture comes to a full rolling boil, remove from heat. Immediately blend a scoopful of the milk mixture in with the eggs and seasonings. When that is combined, pour the rest of the hot mixture in with the eggs, all at once, and blend thoroughly.
(If done right, the heat from the milk mixture should be enough to cook the eggs to a safe temperature, without curdling them.)
I make this with butternut squash, and usually have to cut the sugar in half. Sometimes 1/4th. After tasting some of what was left in the saucepan this last batch, I might skip the spices entirely next time. It tasted like a combination of peach, mango, and orange.