Re: The Toy Box (the return)

Lavender Debs 11/23/2011, 10:19 am

Are you on the west side of the Island Janezee? On a calm day the west-side wind can be wild. I think the weather is what draws me back to the island (that and my roots are there)

boffer 11/23/2011, 12:58 pm

Lavender Debs wrote:
boffer wrote:Whatcha think, Deb, will this be a Thanksgiving when we all lose power? It's been a couple years for me.

??? A couple of years since you have lost power on Thanksgiving or since you have lost power (both are common in Western Washington in case you wonder why I'm asking him).

Specifically, Thanksgiving Day ie when we end up eating the turkey at midnight, if at all, and no football all day!

I can't remember a winter when my power didn't go out.

janezee 11/24/2011, 6:10 am

Yes Debs, I am. We're having crazy high and low tides this week, too. Extremely high, and low. New moon, I guess. Windy to 60 mph Thursday, too. Hope my boards and rocks hold my cloches down. Batten the hatches! Thar she blows!

Lavender Debs wrote:Are you on the west side of the Island Janezee? On a calm day the west-side wind can be wild. I think the weather is what draws me back to the island (that and my roots are there)

Lavender Debs 11/24/2011, 11:48 am

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Baking10

My ideal is living a life of thanksgiving. The truth is I like to complain. Not today. I'll start with that pie, most of the apples came from my little back yard!

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Img_0025

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Img_0025

This was my winner! Caught me off guard, I am not a great broccoli farmer. This one grew in a box that only used home-grown compost. Last year all my broccoli looked more like broccoli raab so I did a little reading. The number one bit of advice that I am thankful for is holding back on the amount of nitrogen given (amended?) to the broccoli bed. In homemade organic fertilizers nitrogen comes from oil-seed meal (cottenseed meal, linseed or soybean too). Fish meal (or liquid) and blood meal are also high in nitrogen. I do not use many dead animal products in my garden. I was still careful to not add any nitrogen to this box. The pay-off was this huge head that gave us three meals. The side shoots on this big girl (and her sisters) were bigger than the main heads of what I usually get from broccoli past. We harvested this head in July and were kept in sweet, tender broccoli until mid September when I finally gave it to the nuggets. (I am also thankful for the old book, "Growing Organic Vegetables West of the Cascades" by Steve Solomon for the information) Thompson OP from TTS

Something new to be Thankful for.....

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Img_0026

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Img_0026

Fava Beans (broad beans). Last spring I tried samples of many different types of vegetable protein. Fava beans were a wild success. I already have 3 squares of Broad Windsor from TTS. Sweet, nutty and easy to grow. Plant and forget until the upright pods become heavy and start to droop down (than the real work begins). The other vegetable protein in an urban garden winner was the Whidbey Island heirloom bean, Rockwell, a cranberry type. This was another "test patch” that will get far more space next year. Uprising Seed

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Sept_110

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Sept_110

The nuggets have gifted me again and again. I am SO thankful. I've missed chicken gossip on a lazy summer afternoon.

Lavender Debs 11/24/2011, 12:36 pm

I was not done with the post above. My dear friend, prayer partner and walking buddy, Connie just stopped by for some seed to take with her to Arizona. Her mother has a home with a yard there so she is going to give container and square foot gardening a try! WooT (I'm thankful for that too.) Except for the part where I miss her already, I am jazzed.

I was going to say that I am thankful for Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, another winner in my garden.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Sept_113

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Sept_113

In my rush I posted the wrong nugget pic, this is the one I meant to post.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 00110

Most thankful! (even if I'm a ditz)

janezee 11/25/2011, 4:21 pm

Debs,
How was your power yesterday? Ours went out, thankfully only 2 minutes after I got the turkey into the oven. My mom, ever the worrier, had already baked the pies, so the oven was available. Whew!
Calm and sunny today, of course!
Very Happy

j

Lavender Debs 11/26/2011, 9:17 am

Thanks for asking J. We did not even get a blip as far as I know. My sister in Snohomish made dinner for everyone BUT my hair dryer worked just fine (grin). I made a pear-ginger bread upside-down cake, but like your mom, I made it the day before, so no worries.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Ginger13

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Ginger13

Yesterday (black friday) was beautiful. Ray and I packed up the boys (both in their 30's) and our dogs and left-overs (we always make a turkey dinner even if we are going to someone else's house for dinner just for our black friday picnic) to spend the day on Whidbey Island birding and geo-caching. We ate our meal at the Oak Harbor beach. Stunning!

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 20111110

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 20111110

Debs.....ready to get back into the dirt, gonna move the cold frame into one of the boxes and start some micro greens.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Baking11

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Baking11

The apples for my pie came from the toy box. After yesterday's beautiful sunny day we are about to be hit with the next storm in the train. Barometer dropping fast. Sabbath is mild and wet with chances to run out between the drops for fresh air. 70% chance of rain. 50/48

Luci Dawson 11/26/2011, 6:18 pm

Lavender Debs wrote:[color=#422b2b][font='Verdana']I made a pear-ginger bread upside-down cake...

Oh no, Debs...you don't get away THAT easy showing us your cake in progress without sharing the recipe! I know one of my Christmas gifts is going to be that cast iron pan and I would love to "baptize" it with your scrumptious looking cake!!!

Lavender Debs 11/27/2011, 2:34 am

Awww, how sweet are you Miss Luci. I found the recipe on the net (thought it sounded like a good mix and if I thought so, than someone else must have also)

Still, I will make a point of doing a write up on it ASAP.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Ginger14

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Ginger14

Lavender Debs 11/27/2011, 2:57 pm

Miss Luci!

Pear Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake

Luci Dawson 11/27/2011, 4:25 pm

Thanks so much, Debs. I've printed it out so I'll have it ready as soon as the cast iron pan is in my hot little hands!!!

This is without a doubt the most generous Forum I've ever come across!

**walshevak** 11/27/2011, 5:03 pm

I think I'll have to dig out my cast iron frying pan. Very Happy

Kay

Lavender Debs 11/30/2011, 2:28 pm

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 New_ga10

Not long ago I was playing with paint, planning next years garden. Ray needed something to do so he got started. The tractor was moved to the new box. Now the nuggets are out singing his praises. Not to complain (you do believe me???), I wish he would weed whack. The tractor has a skirt on it that makes it difficult to get grass cut back. Another job for another day. He also fixed the loose edges on the cold frame. Looks like it got a good scrub too. I'd best get out and get dirty.

Debs .....who just posted about tomatoes (yep, in November)

Dreaming about Tomatoes

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 009_co10

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 009_co10

Both the barometer and the humidity are high, the clouds are low and I just cannot get warm. No rain for a couple of days but the ground is still squishy. 43/32

Lavender Debs 12/1/2011, 9:50 am

Multi-Purpose Tomato Cage.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Nov_3010

My youngest (32) put lights on the house yesterday. He mentioned something about using a tomato cage for something. This is what I saw when I walked out front. (What I noticed when I posted the pic is the mess of a dead flower bed that needs some care)

Debs.....Happy Holidays

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Nov_3011

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Nov_3011

Sunset on the last day of November 2011; 12/1 early in the morning the Toy Box looks like it belongs in a Grimm's Fairy Tail. All misty with gray light trapped in the cold wet embrace. Just before dawn the temp is 33 and the barometer is very high. Cold, low clouds without a real chance of rain. All is dark and still but the wind is fixen to kick up. 46/34

**Furbalsmom** 1/4/2012, 9:05 pm

Lavender Debs wrote:Miss Luci!

Pear Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake

That was the best gingerbread cake I have ever eaten. I did use Granny Smith Apples instead of Pears, mostly because I had them.

I have already given the recipe to several friends who loved it as much as I did.

Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

Luci Dawson 1/5/2012, 1:45 pm

Furbalsmom wrote:
Lavender Debs wrote:Miss Luci!

Pear Gingerbread Upside-Down Cake

That was the best gingerbread cake I have ever eaten. I did use Granny Smith Apples instead of Pears, mostly because I had them.

I have already given the recipe to several friends who loved it as much as I did.

Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

Oh. My. Goodness. I think I've died and gone to heaven! Since Christmas I've made this twice...once w/pears and once w/Grannys and they were both outstanding!!!!!

Lavender Debs 1/5/2012, 2:45 pm

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Jan_5_10

I thought that this thread had been put to bed with the Happy Holiday's post but I do want to re visit it long enough to say how happy I am that you enjoyed the cake. It is the best gingerbread I have ever had too. I plan to try it in summer using peaches with raspberries or candied ginger. For a summer cake I may use half as much molasses and half honey.

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Jan_5_11

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Jan_5_11

FBmom, I saw your hurry up spring post (last frost dates). I love what you do for us, thanks!!

The Toy Box (the return) - Page 9 Jan_5_12

It is difficult to believe that the coldest weeks of the year (last 2 weeks of January, 1st 2 weeks of February) are still ahead of us when it is bright and beautiful out like it is today. The light through my window and makes me wonder why I ever needed a SADD's light. 52/32 -breezy.

January 5th SFG pics 1. Garlic coming up through the mulch 2. Kale that keeps coming back and fava bean sprouts. 3. Leeks in a maple leaf nest. I've been making some of the best soups ever! Still getting chard, parsley (and other herbs). There is one last celeriac root waiting for one last soup. I'm in love with celeriac!

countrynaturals 2/9/2020, 1:35 pm

windrider1967 wrote:I love following this thread. Complete opposite end of the world from me, and interesting to see what is up

Not too far from me. What a great read for a cold, windy day. reading

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The Toy Box (the return)