Carrot Top Mouth Wash ~ Carrot Tops ~ Food delivery and tidbits

Although our carrot harvest was zero this season, we still had carrot tops.  You know our family motto?

Waste nothing.  Not that there was much to waste either.

I used some of the tops to make homemade mouthwash.

Boil 3 cups of water, and add a half cup of chopped organic carrot tops.  Simmer on the stove top for about 20 minutes.  Steep for an additional 30 minutes then strain.  Store in the refrigerator.  Simply gargle each day in place of your store brand mouth wash.  Carrot tops have antiseptic qualities.

We stole off on a motorcycle ride the other night, and delivered meals.  I just happened to get a call the night I made salmon romanoff, from one of the girls.  Of course she asked, "what's for dinner?"  and "can you bring me some?"  Luckily, I was already delivery a meal with pie to my Dad, so we packed up another meal for her.  She later texted me "OMG that was heaven" ha ha ha!  Kids!  

It's that time of year again, when I have to rack up points in order to keep our health insurance at the same price we pay.  What a joke it is too.  I have to sit at the computer and watch the most boring videos and click a hundred times to "read" articles and then take a test to pass.  Just a waste of my time.  I don't even watch or read, I just click and flip thru the questions.  I know them all anyway, especially the eating well stuff.  Man, it's taking a lot of time that I could be ripping out the garden (which needs done in a bad way).  

You would not believe how much time I waste just for 25 lousy points, and we are each to acquire 1,000 points.  Some slideshows are 38 minutes long and while watching one, it logged me out 3 times.   You can't just play it and go clean something either.  They randomly ask questions for you to click on for the slideshow to continue.  

Okay, off my soapbox on the insurance points.....

I went with my youngest to the "big city" and we both got real haircuts.  Boy it felt great too.  First time in two years for me, about a year for daughter.  

Rain Barrels ~ End of the Garden ~ Salmon Romanoff

I've lacked the motivation to do much of anything for winter prep, and slacking horribly.   I finally went out and drained all the rain barrels and flipped one upside down.  That was the extent of my "winter prep."  One barrel has poison ivy growing in front.  Wonderful.  I'm flipping the rest today.

It's a winter without beets as well.  I did my first dig and they are the size of the carrots - pathetic.  All that weeding for nothing.  Can't even save the greens - tops dying off.

I took some time to dig up more carrots, but if you saw my post about it, they are getting tossed.  No carrot seeds saved this year either.

I saved some of the carrot tops.  I'll have another post for that project.

More tomatoes were picked - 7#.  Last picking.  Plants are coming out.  I would have started it yesterday, but I left my knife in the house, and walking back and forth to get it was not on the agenda - too hot anyway.

Global warming has me concerned we won't be able to survive without a green house now.  This tough garden year really has be thinking about food shortages and with all the store food contaminations and recalls, I really don't want to be buying it.

I got some homemade condensed cream of celery made, and in the freezer for winter.

Salmon Romanoff was for dinner, with salmon caught by my oldest brother and gifted to us.  Yum!

Salmon Romanoff
1/2 finely chopped organic shallots
1 clove home grown garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. organic butter
1 cup organic cottage cheese
2 cups organic sour cream
5 dashes home canned hot sauce*
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. cooked salmon, flaked
12 oz. medium homemade noodles*
1 cup shredded organic shredded cheddar cheese*

Saute the shallots in the butter until they are clear, then add the garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss them into a large mixing bowl and add the cottage cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt. Flake the salmon and mix.

Preheat ove to 325°F and lightly oil (or spray) 9 x 13 in baking dish.

Cook noodles and drain.  Stir into mixture and pour into baking dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake approximately 30 minutes.

*5 dashes of Tabasco sauce can be substituted.
*I some times any non-gmo/organic store brand noodle too.  Amount of noodles can be changed as well.
*I like to put an additional 1 cup of organic shredded cheddar cheese in the mix too.  

I apologize for no photo of the dish, we took off right after to deliver some of it to two places.  I'll try to get a photo next time and add it to this post.