Pioneer Woman at Heart

On a recent trip to the library, one librarian shared that she had been buying (Mediterranean) pickled turnips at a market, and wondered what the "pink" color was from (and if it was healthy).  She raved about the taste, so I came home and made some. By the way, I was right on my first guess - the pink is from beets.   I sliced my turnips in stick form.  The beet and hot pepper are at the bottom of the jar.  By the way, I will be making these again using the garlic vs. the chili pepper next.  I found a few ways to make them now. 

I made an herbal hair tonic to encourage hair growth and repair.  You can read the original post   here .  Why I made it is written below.  The hair tonic is made with all nettle, but I'm considering adding burdock root now.  The tea infusion I am drinking is made differently. I have researched this through a few books and online, and do feel calcium helps hair and nails, so I made sure I was also drinking nettle and tulsi teas (infused for a stronger tea). I made my tea infusion using 3/4 cup dry nettle and 1/4 cup dry oat straw.  Both are good combination for calcium, and hair and nail health.  I used a quart canning jar, poured boiling water over the herbs, placed the lid on, and steeped it for 4 or more hours, sometimes making it at night and steeping all night.  Drinking within 36 hours, before it goes rancid.

The title should be "what's not happening" ha ha!  Hubby is still working 12 hour shifts.  I see him for about 2 hours from when he wakes up to when he returns to work.  Yesterday, I woke up early (surprisingly) and noticed he wasn't home. I texted that I was a bit worried.  He texted back "working till 10."  I texted, "can they do that?!"  That would be a 16 hour shift, and he has a one hour drive home.  Let's just say I was wide awake at that point. In the meantime. I have put 6 cups of shredded zucchini in the freezer.  It's not a lot sadly.  We need rain.  I can water with well water and some with rain barrels, but a good soaking is so very badly needed.  I put up about 2 more pounds of green beans too.

We have nothing but thistle growing in one tomato patch.  We put down a heavy layer of straw this year to prevent weeds and grass, but the thistle is up everywhere.  I, like the dummy I am, walked through to check on my butternut squash mounds, and to weed them out.  My feet were in flip flops of all things.   Yes, the thistle gave me a rash, somewhat like the itchy burning rash you get from fire ants (only the blisters are filled with clear liquid).  Oh, did it itch.  To get rid of it I used what we typically use for poison ivy.  Our milkweed is not up or visible yet.