Frugal Recipes

Composting

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Even city folks can compost!

Small garden composters are the way to go!

All the while when I was growing up we kept a cut off milk jug sitting by the kitchen sink. All the vegetable scraps went into that jug. After supper every night, Dad would take the jug out to the garden and dig a hole. He’d bury that scrap every day in a new spot.

Didn’t take long before the soil responded! Dad has the best garden in town these days and he still takes that little jug out every night.

I’ve seen people use the scatter method, just scattering their peels and leavings on top of the garden bed. Some people bury it like Dad does. But if you want to go all out, get a composter unit built for the average backyard. These babies can create dark loamy compost in about a month.

You’ll have rich, dark soil that the earthworms just can’t resist.

earthworms

earthworms

Did you know that some people have a Worm Farm in their house? YES! Start out with a medium sized plastic container filled with a little dirt, and lots of moist, shredded newspaper and a cover (with air holes please). Then add in your worms. Your worms will start eating the newspaper. After the worms have started to multiply, then you can start adding your kitchen waste matter to the bin. The worms will ‘compost’ your potato peelings, your carrot tops, and your other kitchen waste. (Don’t feed your worms meat!)

A property cared for worm bin won’t smell or attract flies. The surface should be damp, not wet. You should allow for air circulation and don’t feed more than the worms can process. Burying the food in the litter will keep down the fly population.

As your worm population grows, you may remove worms to a second bin to ‘eat’ more garbage or you can remove some to your garden.

As long as we’re talking composting, have you ever considered a composting toilet? Don’t laugh! Composting toilets have come a long way. They aren’t just a bucket with a lid or a privy out back. Today’s composting toilets are far advanced. They’re composting systems. They distribute air into the compost, have heating units to help compost at the proper temperature and compost mixing units, all out of sight. Systems can range from a self contained unit to a larger system, perfect for homes with basements. (The main unit – where the composting actually takes place – is placed in a separate room or basement.) A composting toilet is perfect for anyplace that has low perk soil or a homestead that’s too rocky to dig a septic tank, or for replacing a failing septic system. When you consider the cost to build or replace an entire septic system versus the outlay for a composting toilet, you’ll find many a smart homeowner choosing the
composting variety. Composting toilets save water too.

Composting is a smart choice – no matter the method.

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Broken Pot Turned Into Profitable Sideline

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

In my neck of the woods there’s a nice plant nursery. I say ‘nice’ because it’s not necessarily laid out on a grid. The greenhouses are situated all over their property but not laid out in lines. In between greenhouses they have sitting areas, some paved, some with other ground covers so that you get the chance to see some of their products in use.

It’s smart.

There’s even a gorgeous fountain area off the deck that leads to one area of greenhouses. I love to go there to shop!

When you pull in you’re greeted with a series of big ceramic fountains that they even have bubbling in the winter. Then, they’ll sometimes have ice down their sides, gorgeous!

Every now and then they’ll break a pot. They were stacking them up and using the shards in the bottom of large planters, or crushing them for fill. Then one day, a lady came in looking for a broken ceramic pot.

They were flabbergasted, but let her buy one of the busted ceramic pots.

They had to ask. What are you going to do with it?

It seems she had a small fish pond in her backyard and wanted the pot to put into the pond to create a spot for the fish to hide. Right then and there the nursery started a new sideline business that has since exploded. They sell broken pots, specifically ‘broken’ pots to people with backyard ponds.

The pots are now designed to lay on their sides, come in a myriad of colors, designs and shapes, all from one lady thinking outside the box.

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As Long As I’m At It

Monday, March 1st, 2010

As long as I was at it, I told her to look for

old crocks (even busted)
milk cans
wooden boxes
metal boxes

….. and the like

Her look just became more and more dismayed.

Oooookaaaay is all she said.

I told her these things make great accessories or PLANTERS…..

:)

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Ice Storm Aftermath

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Suppose it came an ice storm.

ice

ice

You stand on your porch and you hear tree limbs breaking, and breaking and breaking. You know that once everything warms up that you will have quite a lot of tree debris to clean up.

It’s a waste to pile it up and burn it in a brush pile.

It’s a shame to cut it into lengths and set by the curb for the trash-man.

What’s best?

Cut what you can into usable lengths for the fireplace, or fire pit or barbecue and turn the rest into wood chips for mulch.

A big gas powered chipper will make fast work of the tree limbs, sticks and twigs in your yard. You’ll be turning all that storm debris into valuable mulch to be used in and around your own yard around your plants and trees. Mulch helps retain moisture, something all your plants could use a little help with. Saving moisture saves watering. Less watering means more time and money in your pocket.

Choose a wood chipper that’s sized for the types of materials you’ll need to chip. You can choose a model that chops up leaves for mulch, or a small gas powered model that will handle small tree limbs. You can even ‘macho’ up and go for the big gas powered wood chipper that can handle limbs up to three inches.

Whatever model you choose, you’ll find that turning yard debris into valuable mulch will have great benefits. Not only did you get out into the fresh air, you cleared land. YOU made mulch.

icestorm

icestorm

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Southern Style Sweet Tea

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

I like my tea fresh and I never understood store bought tea until I tried it. It’s sweet and ready to go, although it’s still cheaper to make it at home.

A long time ago, my high school friend Phyllis used to make a big batch of sweet tea for her and her husband on a daily basis. She made a box of tea bags (100) last a whole month. Boy that was some weak tea, but it was good. Probably because it was fresh and southern style (lots of sugar.)

I used to use a Mr Coffee tea pot until Chili-man quit drinking tea. Now I make it for myself on occasion on the stovetop, in a visionware saucepan. My fav? Two Liptons and one green tea and sometimes when I’m feeling special, I use white tea.

What’s your fav?

ice-tea

ice-tea

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Horseshoes

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

What do you do with old horseshoes?

Well, some folks like to hang them over their door for good luck.

Some folks use them for non-regulation shoes for playing horseshoes.

Some folks are more inventive.

horseshoe fence post

horseshoe fence post

Sadly, this isn’t here on the homestead, but at a local park. (Lake Thunderbird). They use these around a green area to keep cars on the road and off the grass. They sometimes run rope through them.

Inventive! And it keeps with the Oklahoma western tradition.

Here’s what’s across the road…

Thunderbird Stables

Thunderbird Stables

And what we saw as we left.

wild turkey

wild turkey

Can you tell what that is? It’s a wild turkey.

Got to love Oklahoma wildlife!

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Flower Pots

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

I saw the cutest thing today. An old 35mm film camera, minus the lens, laid on it’s side with a cactus growing out of the center. Cute as can be.

Made me think about how lots of things can become planters.

Right now, in my kitchen I have the ‘innards’ of an old water jug, holding some ivy. (Old water jugs used to have crocks on the inside.) Outside, I’ve an old child-size wheelbarrow holding rose moss and Mom has an old regular size wheelbarrow with bright green sweet-potatoes flowing down the sides.

Just about any container can become a vessel for a plant.

I’ve seen old leather boots and teapots. They all bring a smile to my face.

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Fire Pits

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

No, I haven’t done it, but I’ve heard of people doing it.

Some folks take the inside tub out of their old washing machine, set it into the ground a ways, and use it as a firepit.

Think about it.

I’ve seen some pretty fancy ones, with high dollar price tags that are essentially nothing more than a metal dish. Why wouldn’t a washer machine tub work for that?

I suppose if you were handy with a cutting torch that you could cut some shapes into the outside, stars, or moons, or wolves… Paint the exterior with a rust colored paint and set it into the ground a foot or so.

That’s recycling! That’s reusing, and it’s using your noodle.

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Daisy Needs a House

Friday, August 7th, 2009

I’ve a friend looking for an old dog house or other such container for her pet duck Daisy. I suggested she wait til big trash day and scour the curbs. “Darn”, she said. “We just had big trash day. WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?”

The morale?

Keep your eyes open – you never know when you might see something that can be repurposed.

Daisy Duck

Daisy Duck

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Everything AND the Kitchen Sink

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Some folks say that I’d reuse everything somewhere, somehow, everything but the kitchen sink.

Uh, they were wrong.

kitchen sink

kitchen sink

I can reuse a kitchen sink!!!

There’s no better spot for an old kitchen sink than out by the garden. Take your fresh picked veggies right over and wash them off.

I made this one with several cement blocks stacked, the sink setting on top and the garden hose run through where the faucet would go.

It works great. Everyone that sees it says “Wow, why didn’t I think of that?”

I have to admit, I had the sink for a really long time before I figured out what to do with it!!!!

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