independence days - week 6

since i'm struggling to get the garden in again this year due to my rambunctious toddler, i thought taking the id challenge would be a good moral booster for me. i try to practice this idea anyway during the growing seasons so it's a great reminder of how much i really do even when it feels like i don't.

there's not a place to put it really, but i did a lot of weeding and mulching. i laid down some old black tarp that blew over from the subdivision a few years ago (black on one side, white on the other that had covered some lumber at one point) down the paths and covered with mulch to keep the weeds from popping up. i wish we had much more of the stuff!

1. plant something:
sat: sowed shatavari, tansy, arnica, eyebright, red bergamot, spilanthes, slippery elm, scarlet pimpernel, transplanted more feverfew
sun: none
mon: sowed astragalus, uva ursi
tue: transplanted calendula, curry, and an unknown flower (have to wait for it to bloom, it's self seeded from last year in the medicine circle)
wed: transplanted a bright pink bergamot and oreganos from jen's house
thu: transplanted more basil, 3 rosemary
fri: transplanted holy basil, moved around several existing plants to give them more space

2. harvest something:
^harvested eggs
^rose petals for jelly
^strawberries!!!
^oregano for drying
^peppermint for drying
^st. john's wort flowers

3. preserve something:
^rose petal jelly
^st. john's wort in oil
^motherwort into vodka

4. prep something:
^repaired aladdin lamp and stored extra mantles and globes in basement
^spoke with sheep person #2 about acquiring a ram and possibly 4 more ewes
^worked on cleaning out the garage that is to be converted into a wwoofer/guest cabin

5. cook something:
^tyfon from garden (we usually eat the greens but out of desperation to have a fresh vegetable, i cooked the root which was quite good boiled and tossed with salt, fresh thyme and olive oil)

6. manage your reserves:
^using up applesauce in breakfast breads
^hatching some eggs for more chicks

7. work on local food systems:
^sold eggs and jellies at local farmer's market

8. reduce waste:
^use canvas bags at grocery store
^re-use egg cartons for our nest run eggs
^grocery shopping (i rarely do any other kind than this) less, reducing amount of waste coming into the house
^using smaller bags for garbage to encourage less waste

9. Learned a skill:
^studying up on pasture/hay field rotation