Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Monday, May 21, 2012

Excerpts from a Journal Junkie ~ Canning Wild White Clover Jelly

from the homesteading/gardening journals. . .
 
Picked white and red clovers for making jelly.  Canned white clover jelly.


Picked more today.  I found some red clover that was growing higher than my waist out back. I made my red clover infusion and will make the jelly tomorrow.  I can't wait to taste it.

Planted 75 Roma tomato plants, 1 heirloom Homestead tomato plant, several more broccoli and cabbage (maybe a flat of each), mustard greens and 4 rose bushes.  Planted collards, 93 green pepper plants (2 varieties), 4 cayenne and 4 jalapeno pepper plants.   Planted 5 mounds of heirloom watermelon and 10 mounds of heirloom pie pumpkins....more to plant yet.

Planted one sage plant to replace mine that died. Planted foxglove seeds, dill seeds, morning glory seeds, and echinacea seeds.

Planted two double knock-out rose bushes that I got on Mother's Day.

Cut 2 bunches of lemon balm, thyme and oregano to dry on my herb rack.  Cut chamomile to dry for the first time, and learned you can't dry it upside down like other herbs.  It's drying out flat.

Planted about 13 more gladiolus. I'm thankful to have been given them as a gift.

We still cannot find grass hay here.  We may have to drive over an hour to buy some this week.  No one wants to mess with it and sell it around here.  We have been cutting the tall grass on the back acres and letting it dry to get by.


(before we cut the grass)


Picked up a load of dirt to fill the raised beds...



...finished shoveling the rest out into the re-done rose bed (after we used newspaper to layer under it).  Still need to finish the edging and add mulch.  Due to a low budget, the border won't be complete until next year.


Discovered the wild black raspberry bushes are in bloom, and discovered more growing around the creek.  I  also identified Sweet Yellow Clover.  I pressed a piece of both in my flower press.  Those will later go in my wild flower journal.


Added a "fairy" garden to my front porch.  They local library was selling them at the farmer's market and marked them down quite a bit at closing.  




from the family journal . . .

We've taken out more bird feeders and are getting them filled and up.  The kids and I like to watch them.

Mom stopped in for a surprise visit and brought us bagels and bread.  Yum!

The kids had a bonfire and invited friends over to toasting marshmallows.
 

from the crafting journal . . .

Made 2 chalkboards out of recycled kitchen trays to sell at the Farmer's Market.  Still need to make several bowls from old records also.  I'm still working on a Christmas lap-ghan and making more pin cushions.  

I started one horse embroidery towel, but got side-tracked again.

I quickly started crocheting a pot holder set for the elementary principal.  It's the last year for any of my kids to be in elementary school.  I also had to decide what to make for the bus driver and the teacher.  


from the gratitude journal . . .

Today I am thankful for:

~the garden help from my son
~a good night's sleep from hard work
~the baby goat, as she makes me laugh
~wild clover on my farm, not sprayed with chemicals
~the pretty blooms on the wild raspberry bushes
~my stove
~my clothesline
~borox
~the last container of frozen homemade pumpkin puree
~God's Love   

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I LOVE the "fairy" garden

simplicityinthemaking said...

You sure are ahead of us in produce. My clover ( we have fields of it) is just a grwoing plant. No heads at all yet. Lots of dandelion though! Made two batches of jelly out of that already.

Candy C. said...

I love your little fairy garden too! The white clover jelly is such a beautiful color, can't wait to see the red! :)

GrannyAnnie said...

What a busy day! I can't wait to hear about how well all those plants produce. You make the most interesting and beautiful jellies... they make my mouth water just thinking about what they must taste like.
That fairy garden is beautiful!