Seed catalogs have started to arrive. Doesn’t it seem a bit earlier this year? I don’t remember getting catalogs before December. Whatever, it’s nice to start figuring the next season’s planting as we head into the dark, chilly part of the year. I’ll be sticking to the usuals, such as peppers, tomatoes, beans, etc, but I want to get more herbs going this year, along with root veggies, and maybe try again with the squash family. (Why am I the only person on the planet who cannot grow squash??)
This past weekend, Isaac was in a musical at the high school. He was in the chorus, playing one of the orphans and, later on, one of the thieves. Rehearsals had been going on for two to three months — that was a lot of work, I bet. They put on three shows over the weekend and we went to the Saturday evening one. It was really amazing! I was so incredibly impressed! Not just at the hard work & talent involved but that people can get up on stage and do… anything.. in front of so many people — without having a nervous breakdown and passing out. *shudder* Taking him to & from rehearsals felt like a major pain in the butt at the time (it wasn’t, really; it only took a few minutes out of my day) but seeing the show made it all worth it on my end. I hope he chooses to do more!
Our beekeeping club will be having their annual holiday dinner in a couple of weeks. Man, those people are some good cooks! At each holiday dinner, they hold a silent auction. Most everyone brings something or two to put on the table and then we all mill around and jot down bids. It’s to raise funds for the club and it’s just plain ol’ fun. We’re not talking big ticket items, just little things. I think last year I made a bee-themed bag? This year, I’m making some bee sting/bug bite balm. I’ve got some herbs infusing for it right now. Maybe if I get enough time after Thanksgiving weekend, I’ll sew something up as well.
Speaking of the bee club, they’ve decided on a time for the 2013 beginning beekeeping class. I’ll make a separate post about it down the road but, for now, it’s going to be February 16 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Same as always: Everyone is welcome, kids included. You get not the class but also membership into the world’s best local beekeeping club, the Illinois state beekeeping association (you don’t have to live in Illinois), a free beginning beekeeping book, and door prizes. The cost is $30 — that’s for the entire family, not per person, and includes everything I listed. Good, good stuff from good, good people. If you’re in northeastern Missouri, southeastern Iowa, or western Illinois and are at all interested in learning about bees, this is where you want to be. You won’t be pressured to buy bees — at all — but you will have an opportunity to get in on the group buy if you wish. Shoot me an email or leave a comment if you want more info.
I recently got in a much-awaited order: Pickl-It jars. Oh, man, I’m excited! I’ve done great with ferments like kombucha, viili yogurt, and kefir — even doing some salsa now & then. But, overall, I’ve had horrid luck fermenting veggies. Sauerkraut, I’ve tried repeatedly and all have been disasters. Blech. Now, armed with the Pickl-Its, I can give t another go — anaerobically, as it should be. This week, I’m prepping to start sauerkraut, kimchi, cranberries, ginger carrots, and beet kvass. I got the beet tops cut off the beets this morning and put into the dehydrator. I’ll pound those to dust and sneak them into various soups & stews over the winter. I can’t stand the things but I can’t stand to let them go to waste , either. From the book I have on anaerobic ferments, it says the beets need to sit for a week or so without their tops to concentrate the sugars, before I make the beet roots themselves into beet kvass. I should be able to get the other ferments going over the next couple of days, though. I’ll keep you all updated on my new fermenting adventures!
In other news, I’m going to be starting on the GAPS diet Monday. GAPS stands for “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”. Don’t let the “psychology” part of it fool you — while I may be completely psycho, it’s also for allergies and a gazillion other things. It’s not a permanent diet but a temporary, healing diet. The first month or so, the “intro” is rather restrictve but it’s very quick. You start out with a limited range of well-cooked meats & veggies that are not likely to offend your system and then add other things back in, one by one, backing off if they cause you any issues. Once you’re on the full GAPS diet, it’s pretty easy as the choices are plenty. The gut continues to heal and, after a year or two, all should be as well as can be and you can transition to a normal diet, to hopefully include even grains and other major offenders. I’m going on it for my severe allergies. There’s not much I can eat anymore without some sort of reaction — and those reactions are getting worse and worse. I went on the full GAPS diet last year and saw some remarkable improvements, even without doing the intro. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure, but I’ve experimented on myself enough to think this could be at least part of the answer for me. Either that or I end up in the ER one of these days with one of these stupid reactions to food.
So now ya know. I’m sure I’ll be rambling on about GAPS this or that stages & foods over the next few months, probably some whining along with it. Keep me in line, folks!