Self-sufficiency is Where it's At

I know, bizarre, right?  2 posts in one day.  I figured I needed to get out of this "waiting" mode I was in with selling the house and keep moving forward with my life.

Late afternoon yesterday, I went out in the garden and saw this mess:

I have to admit, I have neglected the garden horribly since we put the house up for sale and then some.  I started cleaning up some of the weeds, hoping to put a dent in it and ended up with a row down one side that was cleaned out.  I covered this area with grass clippings until I could figure out what I wanted to do.

The problem with the garden is there are no borders, the grass just comes on in and every time you turn your back, there is the huge chore of weeding to do.  This is not the first time the garden has looked like this.  So I started thinking about raised beds and I made a diagram of my garden with the dimension of boxes I would like and where I would like them.  I was going to go out again today and clear more of the grass/weeds away in preparation for the raised beds, but it's raining, so it will have to wait.

I love everything about self-sufficiency.  I pull a carrot from the ground, feed the rabbits the greens, carry the vegetable inside to prepare for supper and I am filled with a sense of accomplishment that few things can compare.  So I have decided to make self-sufficiency my priority.  It makes me happy, why not?!? 

I saved broccoli seeds from last years plants and while watching TV, will mindlessly free the tiny seeds from the pods.  It takes forever, but saves me from shoving food down my throat while I sit like a zombie watching whatever show that is on. (This week it is Dexter).

The end results looks like this:

:I plan to plant some of the seed for this years broccoli, but I am also going to sprout a bunch for us to eat on salads and sandwiches.  I have a small sprouter I use that I cover with a paper bag from a bottle of wine because the sprouts prefer the dark until right before you are ready to eat them.

 In approximately 4 days, they should be ready to eat after multiple rinses with fresh water.

I also pulled a bag of pecans out of the freezer that I have saved for over 5 years. There are multiple bags in the freezer, but we have never taken the time to shell them.  I had vacuum sealed the pecans after picking them from a tree on acreage we had before Giddings.

I put The Waltons on, grabbed my pecan clippers and started shelling them.  JR was walking in and out from the garage where he was reloading bullets and he grabbed a cracker we had and started shelling them, too.  It went much faster.  After 1 show, we were finished with the small bag.

I steamed the nuts for 10 min with filtered water, mixed them with sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and then baked them for about 8 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.  Talk about good!

Besides eating them by the handful, they are excellent on a salad with thinly sliced apples, feta cheese, dried cranberries, spinach and lettuce.  JR almost swooned when he tasted the finished product.  I told him I would make more if he would get cracking.  :)

The water from steaming the pecans cooled and my outside hanging flowers got a little treat.

I'm taking a little break now, drinking some chai tea with honey from when JR had bees and enjoying my life, enjoying today's productivity even with the rain and enjoying the fact that I have a choice to do what makes me happy.

Until next time,
Pam