Good morning readers! 
How was your first June weekend? There's just nothing like getting up with the birds, having coffee, bacon, and eggs (with cod liver oil, too, of course), and visiting the farmers market on a warm beginning-of-the-summer Saturday morning is there? (Have you seen my post, Redeeming My Morning Coffee?) After that it was soccer games, graduation open houses, and hanging out on our friends' deck with the kids running around. Not exciting stuff, but we love it. 🙂
- I really hate to start whining about the garden already, but… Since we've had so much trouble in past years with the various critters eating our produce before we harvest it, this year we've got a lot of plants up on our deck (pictured at right on our deck that's in desperate need of restaining…), and in our garden we only planted onions and potatoes. But now, already in early June, we're pretty sure we have only onions left. There are little tunnels of dirt pushed up where the potatoes were planted and Kent thinks some dumb little rodent has been eating what we planted. Seriously, we do not have good luck with gardening. Looks like we're destined to pay top-dollar for quality produce at the market. Grrrrrr…
- So if you don't mess with all that and just go to the farmers market or have a CSA share, this post from my local blogging friend, Wendy, will be helpful to you: Getting your pantry ready for your first CSA pickups.
- Anyone else researching and reading like crazy getting homeschool plans and supplies around for fall? We did end up buying a curriculum for next year. Since our one son is going into high school, I really wanted the reassurance that all my ducks were in a row. I'm sure I'll be writing more about this soon…
- Want to learn the latest in the raw milk world? Read this guest post at Kimberly's blog from Mark McAfee on a Citizens petition that went to the FDA recently. “Raw milk contains this biodiversity and the special sugars that feed and nourish it. Every American should and must have the right to access a farmer and drink this life and health giving food and no government agency should be able to block consumers access across a state line or erect any other barrier. It is a human nutritional right and this Citizens Petition if required will find its way into the highest levels of the courts in our great land and true nutritional justice will be done!“
- This photo from Health Impact News gives some perspective on raw milk safety:
- Did you see my post last week about the True Cause of Heart Disease?
I'm curious… Does anyone else get funny looks when you buy a dozen pounds of butter at once? And then you're back to the same store for another dozen before too long?
- Don't these Shredded Brussels Sprouts sound good?
Have a great week!
Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs.com says
The title caught my eye, since I’m always curious what others spend on real food. Currently we budget $330/month. It’s always a tight squeeze, but we make it work!
Jill says
Since you’re on the subject of butter, I have a question.
We use plenty of butter at our house. My girls love to slather on the butter, on most things. Someone once referred to it as “happy butter.”, because it’s good for you and it makes you happy to eat it. So I’ve adopted that idealism and know that butter is a good fat and it fills us up. No one is even close to being overweight at our house-so I still think we don’t use too much. So the question….is there such a thing as using too much butter? Sometimes my husband gives looks when he sees lots of butter being used. I want to be respectful, but at the same time I want to be happy!
KitchenKop says
I truly don’t believe that it’s possible to eat too much, because once we’re full, we don’t want to eat that or any more food at all, our body naturally stops. But I’ll post on Facebook soon, so keep an eye out and I’m sure it’ll be an interesting discussion. 🙂
Kelly
Catherine Clark says
I used to have issues with bunnies, but now our cat spends so much time in the yard that the bunnies stay away. Still working on the dang furry-tailed rats (squirrels)!
Shelly says
Kelly, I have been meaning to ask you – do you buy Moo-Ville butter? When we switched to real food, we switched to this butter. Just wondered if this is the best choice in West MI. My kids complain if I run out and we have to eat Meijer organic butter in a pinch. It just isn’t as yummy.
KitchenKop says
Hi Shelly,
Yes I do because it’s from cows pastured *most* of the year anyway, it’s also local, so that’s why it’s not from pastured cows the whole year.
I also buy Kerrygold and usually slip some of that into whatever we’re making/eating to get more of the really good nutrients in. 🙂
Kel
Commenter via Facebook says
my worst garden pest is my dog. If I want fresh strawberries, I have to eat ’em white – she beats me to them every year!
Pam says
Hahahaha. I’m laughing because I can relate to the critter problem. I have planted 15 squash plants each of the last 3 years, but haven’t harvested any, because of squirrels. Ditto tomatoes. So last year I put potted vegetables on my 2nd story deck. No problem. Until the tomatoes were close to harvest. I could tell by the tomato stake that something was standing on it every day, probably testing the ripeness of the tomatoes! But they weren’t ripe just yet. On that last day, when I went out to pick my first ripe tomatoes, they were gone. All gone. Well, only the ripe ones were gone. But that scenario repeated itself every day until that I finally picked the tomatoes before they were ripe.
Jen says
I have the same problem with squirrels, Pam, and it is so frustrating! I’ll spot a tomato or two that are just starting to turn pink/red, and be so happy I’ll have ripe tomatoes in a few days. Then they’re gone! Our squirrels pick them, take ONE bite, then leave the rest around the yard. Makes me so mad! We too, have resorted to picking them before they’re ripe, but they’re not as good as vine ripened.
Marie says
I had endless trouble trying to grow stuff due to homegrown hazards to my garden (kids, Labrador etc) plus the stinking Mojave-desert-burn-your-flesh-off sun. This year my husband built me a garden covered in shade cloth. he constructed it so the Destructo-dog and desert tortoise couldn’t get in. I also went to groworganic.com to get supplies and video help. I’ve actually been able to grow strawberries, pickling cukes, sugar snap peas and more. I love that website. It’s helped me a ton
I get funny looks every time I shop at trader joes. And yes, I nearly always get the “are you gonna do a lot of baking?” question. I’m sure that they look at what I buy and think heart attack in a cart… if they only knew!
Leah G says
last year we fed the rabbits a good portion of our garden. in fact we planted sweet potatoes 3 times before we gave up. this year it is fenced in! SO excited because our grocery bill is crazy. I just added it up and we spend $900-1100/mo for 2 adults and 2 toddlers which is crazy since we raise our own meat and have dairy cows. Grass is expensive. I should add our hay/alfalfa bill in so I can really stroke out. It is crazy we have to spend so much to save money on our health. Our Farmers Markets here are mostly GMO markets with the exception of two growers. I am really hoping to grow enough to open my own organic farmstand. We’ll see what the good Lord blesses us with. As for the butter. I do a happy dance and buy a cart full when its on sale. The poor stock boy always giggles and my kids are known for eating butter by the stick while shopping. I always ask if they’d rather I feed them a candy bar?
KitchenKop says
I love it!!!! That’s a good way to keep the kids happy while you shop. 🙂
Linda says
I forgot to mention when we buy loads of kerrygold butter at Trader Joe’s they always ask if I’m planning on lots baking. I just say we stock up when we come because there are no TJ stores near us.
KitchenKop says
They always ask me that, too. I just say, “Nope, we just eat a LOT of butter because it’s so good for our immune system.” I get all sorts of looks. So then I say, “Really, it is.” I figure I’ll just plant little seeds and hopefully someday others will water them!
Jen says
Our biggest garden nemesis has been squirrels. There are tons around here, and they love stealing a tomato that is just beginning to ripen, or small cucumbers, etc. They take ONE bite and leave the ruined fruit somewhere in the yard. It is infuriating! Even more so, because ever since we put in raised beds, the peppers and tomatoes haven’t done very well. This year we moved them back to various beds in the yard (not raised). We hope to confound the squirrels and get a better harvest. We work to build the soil in our raised beds every year with compost and manure, and a lot of things do well. Just not tomatoes or peppers.
Have you considered investing in a pest proof, fenced garden area, where the fencing is buried a foot or two into the ground to stop burrowing animals? If we had a large property, that’s probably what we would do. Our yard is too small.
We are enjoying lots of strawberries from our 20 sq. foot bed, and no pests seem to bother them, except the occasional bug or worm. My 2 1/2 year old stuffs himself on strawberries every time we’re out back. I finally taught him to pick the top leaves off first, and now we’re working on only eating red strawberries. 🙂
I’ll have to ask my husband if he gets funny looks when buying large amounts of Kerrygold. Our Trader Joe’s is only 10 minutes from his work, but about 40 minutes from our home, so he does the grocery shopping there. We usually buy 8 – 10 packs at a time, which equals 4 – 5 pounds, so not quite dozens of pounds at a time.
KitchenKop says
We’ve thought about it, but Kent just isn’t sure he wants to build Fort Knox in our back yard.
Our son has an air soft gun, though, and I’ll be using that if I have to to keep critters off my deck and away from what will be my fresh salsa soon! Ha!
Linda says
Hi Kelly, I am also being challenged by the wildlife in my gardens, that being rabbits and birds. I expect you are dealing with more than that. I have 2 blueberry bushes and last year the birds got every berry before we could even taste one! This year hubby built a sort of cage with netting over it to keep them out. I think it will work. There aren’t that many berries on them & I plan on going berry picking so I can stock up. Rabbits like eating my sunflowers & even the birds were messing with some of the flowers. I have flowers planted around a birdbath. When I went to fill it up with water I found a flower in it so I know the birds did it. I gave up on tomatoes this year. The animals didn’t mess with them, they just didn’t do well. I grow my herbs in pots & they always do well. If they are messing with your potted veggies maybe you could lay netting or a screen on top?
You asked how much we spend on food? I feel like it’s too much.I don’t even want to add up my monthly bill, I just do what I have to do. When you get to be my age you start dealing with all kinds of health issues. I would rather eat right than be dependent on drugs.
KitchenKop says
“I would rather eat right than be dependent on drugs.”
I love that plan. 🙂
If only everyone was as committed to that!
Sarah says
Hi Kelly, Monday Morning Mix-Ups are my favourite posts. Okay, I really enjoy and like all of them but enjoy the recap of the previous week and some of the older posts being hilighted. Thank you for all that do!
KitchenKop says
Really? I’m so glad to hear that, sometimes I’m not sure how well the Monday posts go over. Thanks for letting me know!
Kelly
Colleen says
Chinese spices probably refers to Chinese 5-spice power like this:
https://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyschinese5.html
The description includes: China cassia cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves.
KitchenKop says
OK, great, thanks for letting me know!
Stephanie W says
Hi, Kelly. I’ve been following your blog for quite some time now and enjoy all your info and thanks for the hard work. I too struggled with gardening until I watched this. https://www.backtoedenfilm.com/index.html#movie
Last year I tried tomatoes and strawberries for my first ever garden at our new home and failed miserably! Then I saw the information at that website and have incorporated it in this years garden and I have a beautiful, all organic garden with zucchini and yellow squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, strawberries, and broccoli. It is doing amazingly well and I couldn’t be more thankful! Maybe it will give you some help too.
Julie says
Stephanie, thank you for the link, I have bookmarked it. It looks very helpful.
KitchenKop says
I’ll check it out, thanks!
meewah says
Amen to this.
This method is great( also our recent discovery) and mulching works perfect.
Pak says
I love that film…for a variety of reasons!