Kitchen Catastrophe ~ Medicinal and Winter Prep ~ Playing with Herbs ~ Preserving Lemons Question

 We have had non-stop problems with the pipes leaking under the kitchen sink.  When the kids lived here, they would shove stuff under the sink and bump the pipes, hence the leaks.  No kids, and now we have a leak?  I took everything out, and took assessments.  Not to mention, clean everything off, and wipe the cupboard dry.  Not the worst kitchen catastrophe, but I use my sink several times a day.

Once the pipes are all fixed, I will be replacing the cheap dollar store placemats I had in there, with this . . .

It's washable too!  If we spring another leak, at least it will protect the wood.  The absorbent fabric is USA made.  I found it on Amazon.  I'm not sure if stores have this or not.  I wasn't very patient for looking for a better solution (for keeping things dry).

I am late to the game so to speak.  I got one jar of Four Thieves started.

I got about 3 more trays dehydrated of sage, more thyme, and rosemary.

I am gathering a shopping list to make Fire Cider too, but my recipe in the book I have does not say how to properly store it after you add the honey and cayenne.  It's been many years since I have made it, and I cannot remember?  I just want to make sure I have a variety of "medicinals" on hand this winter/spring.

Is there a way to keep lemons fresh longer, or preserving them?  I like to have lemons and limes on hand all winter, but I am wondering about a tried and true method to preserving them.  Juice them and freeze the zest and juice?  Like freeze the juice in an ice cube tray perhaps?  

Another Warm Day ~ Trampled Chicken Run Fence ~ Have Dehydrated Mushrooms?

 

Although fall is here, we had another odd warm day.  I took advantage of it again, and washed all the towels and put them on the clothesline.  There were lots of bugs again, but a good shake before tossing them in the basket did the job.  The weather is all over the charts, making coop building the most difficult job (more like the job not getting done).

Woke up to find that a deer had trampled my chicken run fence.  Looks like it got in by jumping the fence, and could not get out, so it took down the other side. By the size of the hoof prints left behind, it was a small one. I finagled the fence back up, but it won't last long.  Deer season has been very bad this year. 

I took advantage of one rainy day.  I caught up with shredding bills, and started unpacking more boxes from the renovations over the last year and a half.  We will probably be unpacking, sorting and purging for another year around here, ha ha!

I had enough potting soil to dig up, and bring in one of my rosemary plants.  I'll attempt the other one after I buy more potting soil.

Need ideas for your dehydrated mushrooms?  Well, there are so many ideas you can use them for, and I love to be able to just toss them in and let the crock pot do it's magic.  The last time I made this recipe was in 2020.  I was shocked that I had not made it again.  Well, I made it again, and the funny thing is, I roasted asparagus, just like I did back in 2020 (see blogpost).  Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole.

Rosemary Roasted Asparagus - I simply drizzle my asparagus with olive oil, add salt and pepper, then grind the dried rosemary a bit and toss over the asparagus.  I roast at 400°F, and bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on how thick it is).

Note:  Next time I will add more garlic powder to the chicken dinner.  I may also just mince fresh garlic and add it to the shallot and celery prior to adding the rest.  It lacks flavor.

I've been baking us this breakfast a lot lately.  It's just so easy to mix together and bakes while I'm zipping around doing laundry or house work.  Cheddar and Chile Egg Casserole.