Suburban Entwife

Planted: Nothing, but Ben transplanted beans, peas, soybeans, and salsify into containers along the side of the house.

Harvested: Nothing yet.  I might grab some more wild onions on my way home.

Preserved: 12 4-oz jars of dandelion jelly, which hasn’t set yet.  It is delicious — I’d like to try a lower-sugar version, as this is *very* sweet, but it will be lovely on many things.  As several recipes indicated, it tastes a lot like honey.  Sweet and slightly tart and spicy, and a color almost exactly like medium honey.  If it doesn’t set, then I will have dandelion syrup and all will be well.

Stored: 20 pounds rose matta rice, and I put all the bulk grains into plastic buckets.  I’d like to get another 20 pound bag of rice, preferably jasmine, and then I think I’ll call the grain storage good.  (Eventually I’ll get whole corn as well, but that needs to wait for us to use up the cornmeal.)

Prepped: I finally went out and got bobbins, pins, and thread for the sewing machine, so I can get that set up, and I also picked up safety pins and circular knitting needles in two sizes.  I’m not sure how likely it is that I’ll really get serious about knitting, but several things that I really want to make are easier with circular needles, so they seemed like a good investment.  I have a big container of very multi-grain “pancake flour” from all the different grains I’ve been testing in the grain mill.  Even lentils work, though not quite as well as some things.  I made slightly less whole-wheat flour by sifting out some of the bran.  It’s really a better way to collect wheat bran than it is a way to make white flour, but it was an experiment.  I explored the big Indian grocery on Moody street, which will be a good source of several spices I’d been having trouble finding, as well as dried fruit in large bags.  And limes.  Limes are eight for a dollar.

Cooked: Delicious pancakes and excellent lentil soup.  I’ve made lentil soup many times before, but I seem to have hit upon a really good recipe.  Lentils, one large onion, salt, and a hefty pinch of medieval pepper seasoning.  It also helped that I very nearly burned the lentils, resulting in a nice toasty flavor.  It would have been even better if the onions had been caramelized in some oil first.