3 cubic yds. of mulch is always more than I think when I order it. But we were able to put a nice 2-3 inch layer down to help retain moisture during another potentially hot, dry summer. |
The work is done for today. |
We also took advantage of the one potentially sunny day last weekend to have our biennial 3 cubic yards of bulk mulch delivered (it wasn't as sunny as originally predicted and on April 12 I was pitching mulch in 3 layers of clothing with little snowflakes falling.) But now s eeds are started indoors and Ben even rigged up the grow lights in the garage inside of the odd bay window with a blind that's there. We still aren't quite sure why the original owner installed this window, but the bay between the awning and the window makes a perfect spot for seedlings. With the light on a timer, it's a pretty low-maintenance set-up thus far.
The glow from the garage reminds me of early parts from the movie "E.T." |
It feels good to have all of that base work under our belts. I did plant some greens yesterday in the partially shaded end of our original raised bed. As I defined the nine rows for green stuff I tried to strike a balance between the excitement I feel at this point in the season--really craving lots of greens--and the anticipated overwhelmed sensation we'll feel in a couple of months as we deal with a bottleneck of baby lettuce, frisee, mesclun mix, and Asian greens. I would rather err on the side of bottleneck and just plan to do a helluva lot of green juicing this spring and summer and give the surplus to friends and neighbors.
Indoor projects include sewing, a new knitting project, spring cleaning, and making homemade gummy vitamins. V has been religiously taking her "Yummi Bears" every morning, but I recently learned that I could make my own. I found this goofy Jell-O bean mold at a thrift store last year and after making one batch of Jell-O beans for Easter I realized why someone had discarded it (Oh yearh, P.S. I, admittedly, forgot to lightly spray the mold as indicated.) It makes the perfect portion size for gummy vitamins. I added Vitamin C powder--which I buy in bulk at the natural foods co-op and sometimes use as an anti-browning agent (if not plain lemon juice) when preparing canned peaches in the summer and for keeping avocado mayo and herbal oils (like basil oil) from turning drab green. I also added probiotics and local honey. With an unsweetened, basic juice (or homemade juice if you can) these gummy vitamins might now only be just as tasty as the store-bought kind, but probably much cheaper. I have yet to do the math. V likes them so that's all that matters.
At least this goofy mold is good for something. |
Homemade Gummy Vitamins--no packaging waste either |
Kid-tested, Mother-approved. |
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