Here’s how the week has gone…

I found out I had poison ivy, which I’ve since treated with Benadryl, Muppet bandaids (to put over the disgusting blister looking things) and pizza.

One of my chickens essentially stabbed my finger (those Muppet bandaids sure are coming in handy) when I was trying to put her in the run. I’ve remedied any future such experiences with some sturdy gloves from Lowe’s (where they have two aisles already dedicated to Christmas and I found out are dog friendly – yay).

While at Lowe’s I picked up a caulking gun and various sundries to reinstall the window pane that fell out of one of the coop windows this morning (I discovered this fact while drinking tea and realizing a lone chicken was running around the yard – awesome). Thank goodness for Google – this helpful video for first time caulking folk came in handy. Dear readers, have we not all realized anything can be found on Google? p.s. Google has created what might be the best ad ever…check it out.

Did I mention while walking Bacchus a couple days ago I saw a woman do a u-turn on a reasonably busy stretch of road and drag a dead raccoon into her SUV? Oh no she didn’t? Oh yes, she did!  I stood there watching this happen like one of those thousands of a-holes who stop up traffic on the freeway watching some poor guy/gal (to be politically correct) change his/her tire. It was a pretty big raccoon. I don’t even want to know what she planned to do with it. I mean I really don’t want to know. Really.

Oh, and while I was harvesting the final vegetables from one of the raised beds I stuck the back of my hand straight into a yellow jacket. Can we have another “awesome” please? Actually, it stung like heck but I did the only thing I could sucked it up and went on harvesting and carrying stuff to the compost. Sitting around staring at it certainly wasn’t going to help. I’m pretty happy with all that I grew this year and have been analyzing how crops performed, what I consumed and was able to feed to the chickens and based on that data I’ll create my grow list for next year. I’m also taking stock of what seeds I have left and those I need more of. I’ve already decided next year’s big garden project will be a flower bed by the chicken coop (I’ll prep it next weekend) and hopefully I’ll be able to integrate what I learn (assuming I’m accepted) from Master Gardeners into my garden.

The final harvest (save for more cabbage and a little kale) and the diagram of my beds behind the barn – I’m visually minded so this helps me keep track of what I’ve grown.

Here’s a delicious recipe that uses up a healthy amount of cabbage and an apple or two. It’s from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes by Betsy DiJulio. My friend Ellen gifted it to me last spring when I told her I was trying to eat healthier.

 Cabbage, Apple and Caraway Salad from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes by Betsy DiJulio

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp sweet paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper (I skipped this in the vinaigrette since I used it in the salad)

Salad:
4 cups finely shredded cabbage, loosely packed
1 large red apple, cored, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette – In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk to blend well. Set aside.

Salad  - Combine the cabbage and apple slices in a serving bowl. Add the dressing, caraway seeds and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

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