Feather your Nest Friday, 11th November, 2022.

This week I was able to get on with freeze drying after getting set up last week.  I was so excited to start! 

It is a learning experience.   I just want to try so many things!

I began with the Celery that needed to be harvested.  I still have more to do and as I am picking it the older dying and going to seed bits are going to the chickens.  Plenty is still good though.

Having the food processor has really helped.  Even slices make it all dry at the same time.  The freeze drier came with Mylar bags and Oxygen absorbers so I had a crash course in how to use those.

Basically I will jar up the foods that will go in my regular pantry and things I want to put away for long term storage and emergencies will be in Mylar bags or in vac sealed jars.

My friend Wendy gave me a big bunch of Rhubarb and a bucket of roses from her garden.   

I can't tell you how happy I felt with the gift of roses.  Some went in a vase on my bedside table.  They have made me happy all week!   The roses that have lost their petals are valuable too.  I freeze dried a tray of them and they came out so well! 

(This is before,  ready to go in.)

Here you can see the Rhubarb and Rose petals in the background and Parsley (from the garden)  and baby Spinach ready to go in.

When the apples come in (which is around March) I can add Rhubarb as I cook them and make pies etc.  Very handy! 

I can see I am going to go through jars at an even faster rate than usual.   A lady posted in the Swap table group that she had a box of jars if anyone wanted them.  I put my hand up and said I would love them and would she like some fresh eggs?   So that was a trade. 

Once eggs can into it the lady said she could put together another box of jars if I would like and could use them.  So I gave her another dozen eggs and got the second box.    THEN another lady saw all these interactions (on the FB group) and asked me if I would like MORE jars as she had some.  Obviously I said yes and traded eggs with her!   These ones are to be picked up next week... as I was all egged out by this time.

Then a friend came by and he brought me two big bags of jars as well.  So I am good for jars for a while!   As I go through them I save the smaller ones for when I am making jams.  

I have a lot of eggs but this way I soon go through them.   I gave my daughter three dozen.  Mum 1 dozen.   Two dozen were traded, a dozen each to two good friends....  

There is a lot of value in producing something. Preferably producing a few things.  This gives you an alternative currency.   A way to help others too.   I keep working on being a producer.

Now I have a story to tell.  When I picked up the first box of jars the lady left them at the swap cart in town.  This is next to an early learning centre.   As I picked up the box of jars there were boxes of toys and puzzles on top of (and next to)  the early learning centre bins.  mmm  

I realised they were most likely throwing out broken toys and puzzles with missing pieces etc.  But I was game to find out so I lifted two boxes of puzzles into the car.   

The next night I spread the puzzles out over the big outdoor table and Andy and I began to piece puzzles together.  It was great fun and if a puzzle was completed it was like winning a prize!     In the end we had a lot of incomplete puzzles but 12 complete ones.    Also some of the bits and pieces were useful to repurpose ie wooden letters and numbers...  they were not all there but I saved letters to spell Tom and Sidney.

I placed each into a large snap lock bag so no one every has to sort them out again!  

Chloe does a little home school session with Tom everyday and she was most pleased with them!  I thought it was fun and worth it!  

I honestly felt so busy this week and in part it was the care and love of the puppies.  They have all done well.  They have grown heaps.  They come when I call them.    Today three went to homes.  So it was a sad/happy day.  They got a lot of kisses. 

They are just so affectionate and beautiful.  

I have another story.  Andy noticed Zackie sitting looking through the fence.   Later he noticed she was still sitting in the exact same spot looking through the fence.  Intrigued he went to see what she was looking at.   Well,  she was looking at nothing she had her head stuck in the fence.  She never said a word, she never complained,  she just sat there.   So he rescued her and off she trotted.  

I planted Chilli and Capsicums in a couple of spaces. 

Andy dug out some gutters and drains.  They had years of leaf mulch in them so this was added to our pile of good potting soil. 

At the op shop (thrift store) I got a flannelette sheet covered in dinosaurs.  I thought this would make lovely hankies for the boys and maybe a pillowcase each.

Also a cotton waffle weave quilt cover... this will be used to back my big size kitchen towels as it is so absorbent.   A lot of fabric in these for $2.   Oh... and two beautiful cook books.  

My cook up was Honey Mustard Chicken.  It was good and I gave Chloe a ready meal for tonight.

So that was my week.  I have two puppies still for the weekend and they go to homes on Monday.  I am going to miss them so much.   I would do it all again in a heart beat. 

How did you build up your home this week?  Were you able to add to your pantry?  Some of us are heading into summer and some of us are heading into winter.  Either way there are things to do to get ready.  Have a beautiful weekend.xxx