Preserving: Garlic

So after my semi successful garlic harvest, I was looking for ways to preserve it. 

Now, I know you can braid it and it will stay for about 6 months, but I just couldn't get the dirt off and some of the stalks broke when I pulled them out so braiding really wasn't an option.

So I did some research.  Here is what I learned:

-Un-peeled garlic will last on the shelf for about 5 months ( just like the braided).

-Once you peel your garlic you either have to use it, store it in fridge for 2-3 weeks or freeze. {Source}

-Do not store your garlic in olive oil at room temperature. This can cause botulism. {Source}

-However, you can freeze chopped garlic in olive oil. {Source}

I froze my oil and garlic in ice cube trays, then when I warm up my pan just put a cube in,  let it melt and start cooking! 

Just chopped it all up in the food processor, and divided into my ice cube trays.

Added my oil, and froze. Once froze I popped them out and put them in a container for easy grabbing!

Any neat preserving tricks? I'm trying a bunch of new things this year!

 So far this and the strawberry rhubarb jam have been a hit!

Calling All Crafters: 70th Edition

Welcome to Calling All Crafters! 

A place where you can share your craftiness!

 This week I am loving...



Shaken Together's
Twine Wrapped Fish
(I swear Twine can fix ANYTHING!)





AND

Artsy Fartsy Mama's
Smore Cookies
(Yum. Smore just scream summer to me!)

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Here are the "rules":

I want YOU to stop on by, and share what you are up to, cooking, cleaning, crafting, you name it!

If your not a follower, please become one, this let's me easily find and visit your blog too!
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Come back next week to see if your great idea has been featured!

Lifesavers Series: Shaker Top on Ball Jar

Just another tip to save you some time, money and frustration!

Saw this out in blogland and had to try it! 

At first I didn't believe it! But a cheese shaker lid fits onto a regular (not wide mouth) ball jar! 

Oh the possibilities!  I'm thinking craft storage, spice storage maybe?

Just wish they weren't green!  

No More Rust Ring!

Gosh! Has it really been that long since I made my ball jar soap dispenser?  Wow!

Anyways, I was sick of replacing or attempting to clean this:

I know. Duh. Water soaked hands getting soap, dripping on metal jar lid that was cut open.

And after thinking about it ( and working on something else) I thought why not replace the metal with plastic. So I did! I used some of that plastic canvas (that I don't know the true craft for!)

Yes it doesn't have the same old fashion flare, but now I dont have a rusty yucky ring looking at me!

Yea! One less thing to have to clean!

Finished: Pink Granny for Baby B!

Yay, last week I showed you the in progress. And I literally finished it that night! 

Gotta love quick and satisfying!

Maybe this was all I needed to get back into my yarn stash! 

I've been on the hunt for my next pattern to work on. Have any to share?

Sausage and Kale Pasta

Last night I was looking in the fridge trying to decide what to cook for dinner. 

( I know what your thinking, doesn't she meal plan? And yes I do. But I don't really do it in the summer! I know strange. But it works for me. Lots of grilling and picnics make it so that I don't have to plan too far ahead!) 

Anyways, last night I decided to cut some kale from the garden and make a nice pasta dish. And boy did it turn out yummy! Definitely will make again! The sausage/kale/pasta combo was delicious!

To make all I did was brown up some bulk sausage .  Added a little butter to that pan and threw in my kale. (I saw recipes that said to blanch it, but then its too mushy for me. But you do what you like!) and I just sauteed the kale in with the sausage and butter. Tossed in my cooked pasta.  Served with some parmesan cheese. 

Quick, easy, delicious. 

Any garden combos I'm missing out on?

Calling All Crafters: 69th Edition

Welcome to Calling All Crafters! 

A place where you can share your craftiness!

 This week I am loving...


Little Lady Bird's
DIY Dollhouse






AND

Made in A Day's
Painted Wedge Sandals

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<center><a href="http://allthingsfee.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5588365611_b3055bb44c_m.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Mondays @ All Things Fee!" /></a></center>

Here are the "rules":

I want YOU to stop on by, and share what you are up to, cooking, cleaning, crafting, you name it!

If your not a follower, please become one, this let's me easily find and visit your blog too!
Don't like to follow? Prefer Facebook?  Like Us! 


Tell your friends!

Come back next week to see if your great idea has been featured!

Lifesavers Series: Humidity Free Cookies!

Just another tip to save you some time, money and frustration!

Ugh! This time of year, my fridge is packed. Not because of my garden, but because of my cabinets! 

Yup, my cabinets just don't keep food from getting soggy in the humidity! So in a desperate attempt to not have to throw out anymore cookies, crackers or chips out, I put them in the fridge. 

Sometimes I just stick the item in its original packaging, but sometimes I put them in the tupperware. Either way, my cookies stay fresh and not soggy.

And like I said, it works for any crunchy cracker, chip or cookie that I've tried it with!

A Sweet Surprise!

Last night I went out to water the garden, and decided I needed to do some garden "maintenance". 

I pulled some weeds, re-guided some vines and tied up my tomatoes (they're almost as tall as I am!).

When I went to guide some watermelon vines, much to my surprise I found not one but two baby watermelons!

Someone asked back when I shared I planted them, that they never knew anyone to grow them and to keep you all updated. So there you have it! Your first watermelon update! So far so good! Not sure how big they will get! But they are growing!

Have any garden successes this year? 

I had no faith we would get anything but I tried and look what happened!

What is worse than a WIP?

For me, a finished project that didn't go as planned! 

Remember my cute chevron baby blanket?

Well, I washed. I blocked. I hated.

It was only about 17 x 20 inches in size! 

My guess is because I only used 1 strand of yarn instead of two?

Anyways, I decided to pull it out and whip up a granny square blanket for Baby B! 

It's kind of easier to rip it out and crochet right with it. No yarn ball rolling around!

I only pulled out 2 stripes and I am already as wide as the  chevron was! So I know it will be big enough when I finish!  

Strawberry Rhubarb JAM!

Now, I have only made jelly once and it came out okay. It was kind of thick and I was just "winging" it. So when I came across this three (maybe four if your feeling dangerous!) ingredient recipe, I had to try it. What was there to lose? I had all the ingredients on hand!  

I followed the directions, but added some defrosted strawberries to the mix too. Some of the comments said they added the strawberries and it helped balance the sweetness and tartness factor.  The only thing I did that wasn't in the recipe was... I used my immersion stick blender to mash it up some more.

It's funny when you look at the recipe and it says that you only need solid ingredients. I was stumped at first, but then when you put the sugar and rhubarb it makes a syrup... See? 

You let the rhubarb and sugar sit overnight ( I started in the morning and let it sat all day, then finished after dinner) and the sugar draws out whatever water is in the rhubarb!

Once I put my hot jelly in my jars, I wiped the lips, put on the lids and rings and hot water canned them for 10 minutes.

Super easy, and delicious. Plus it helped use up some of my rhubarb crop!

This is definitely going to be my go to jelly recipe!

Calling All Crafters: 68th Edition

Welcome to Calling All Crafters! 

A place where you can share your craftiness!

 This week I am loving...

Just us Four's
Utensil Caddy
(I need this! Nothing like sitting down for the fourth time and still needing something!)





AND

Ellen's Creative Passage's
Yardstick Stool Makeover

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<center><a href="http://allthingsfee.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5588365611_b3055bb44c_m.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Mondays @ All Things Fee!" /></a></center>

Here are the "rules":

I want YOU to stop on by, and share what you are up to, cooking, cleaning, crafting, you name it!

If your not a follower, please become one, this let's me easily find and visit your blog too!
Don't like to follow? Prefer Facebook?  Like Us! 


Tell your friends!

Come back next week to see if your great idea has been featured!

Lifesavers Series: Show me your favorite!

Each week I test out different "things" that save me some time, money and frustration! 

Do YOU have any tips or tricks you would like to share?  

This week I want you to look around your blog and see what tips I've been missing out on!  

A printable to help me stay organized? 

A cleaning tip that will save me some scrubbing?

 A cooking tip that will change the way you cook?  

An organization tip that will change the way I look at my clutter?

Can't wait to see what I might be missing out of!

Garlic: Semi Success

Okay, so this is only my second year growing garlic. 

And I'm calling this year a semi success compared to last year!

Last year I got very small heads of garlic. So small that I actually replanted them in the fall. They were so small you couldn't get the cloves apart without smashing them to nothing.

So last fall I replanted all my garlic and this is what I got. Yes, I got fewer heads (I planted nearly 70!) this is all I got. BUT the heads are bigger and will definitely be able to be used. I'm going to go back out today and see if I can find some more in my garden. I'm thinking critters may have got them?

Plus my in laws bought me a larger variety of garlic to plant this fall after they heard about my lack of luck with my current garlic.

Do you grow garlic? What am I doing wrong?