NO POO: Hair cleaning, Degreasing, Deodorizing.

Vinegar

Baking Soda

Hair Care

Gross.(not really though)

I have been washing my hair for that last 2 years give or take a few months, with Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar.

I have tried this method off and on a few times, with long hair and short hair. Works better for me with short hair, as it fried my long hair but that could have been the way I was doing it.

The first few times I kept a container of dry baking soda in the shower just dumped a little in my hand and added enough water to make a paste. Then tried to evenly distribute it through my long locks. That fried my hair, I gave up after a few try's.

Then I cut my hair and donated my pony tail to Locks of Love for wigs for children, it made my heart feel good.

Well then I tried it again with short hair same process, made a mess of my hair again. Gave up again! F-this noise I tells ya.

So I did some more research, and I can't remember if I followed someone elses idea or plans or if I just made them up myself, in this case pffff, I made them up myself, "those who dout me........" add your own profanities, expletives this is family friendly... Well I try. It's a quote from the HBO show Deadwood, you get my drift, It has a lot of swearing in it, and crude comments, it is fantastic.

So we found some glass jars with cork style lids at a yard sale or thrift store or someplace like that.

The tools and ingredients - water

 For the baking soda I take a little more than a handful of baking soda load that into jar then add water to fill the jar put the lid on shake it up.

Then for the Apple Cider Vinegar, I fill up the jar 1/3 up then top off with water, put the lid on, shake.

The How To, NoPoo

This method has been working very well for me the last two years. Now your supposed to be able to ween yourself off of this stuff, when your hair starts "naturally" cleaning itself, I have never gotten to that point my hair gets pretty gross if I don't wash it for more then two days. I thinks its all a load of what? you may ask your self, BULL, ya maybe if you don't do to much with your day and sit around in an extremely Air conditioned building then you might be able to get away with weening your self off. Me? no I'm in the heat and humidity too much, just doesn't seem plausible.

Final product with its relatives

Now these two containers last me about 3 showers a piece, I don't use the Vinegar wash every time, just like you don't use conditioner every time, unless you do then go for it. 

Wow

I have been bad at this lately, I have not written a thing in quite awhile now.

First off gardens are coming together, back yard is a mess, big circle fenced off from the dogs trying to grow some grass there, and trying to get grass in the front also, its full of weeds, I don't really like grass I think its rather stupid why would you put something on your property that you constantly have to work at and spend your hard earned money for a fancy lawn mower, grass seed, time and energy. But that is what people want and if you want to sell your home you gotta make it look the way people want it. People are stupid..............

Second off...... i will get to the second later.

Well that's that. Peace I'm out.

I learned a new word

This world has a lot of languages and I can speak two, English, and bad English. Thank you Bruce Willis.

But the word is Sublimation; 

Sublimation (phase transition) - Like when snow evaporates, solid into a gas skips the liquid form.

      That is the way I learned it this morning.

Sublimation (psychology) - To express (socially or personally unacceptable impulses, specif. sexual impulses) in constructive, acceptable forms, often unconsciously.

        The way I used it today, which I didn't realize that it really did have two definitions, till I looked it up.

The English Language fucking people up for centuries.

"I don't wanna be a granola head"

Made deodorant tonight will let you know how it goes, wear it tomorrow at work see how that pans out.

I am a Pillar of my Community

See what I did there in the title...... oh well because I have been making Pillar candles, it really isn't as funny when you have to explain it. I'm sorry.

Since filtering of the Bees wax has occurred, candles I have been making. Actually I have been making candles since before the wax was filtered I am that impatient, but so far so good..... I have been learning from my mistakes.

Making dipped taper candles is the easiest way to make a candle, but the most time consuming and the ugliest if you don't know what your doing.

I have been experimenting with different mediums for molds and how as to keep the wick centred. Two of the sizes I have been playing with seem to be working out well. I need a few more different sizes of wicks and molds to try out. This has been fun and because of this we have been burning candles everyday.

I have since run out of wax need to go make another purchase and start filtering again, I have given away all our 2" and 1.5". So I need to make some more, then I can take pictures for the Burning Wax! Tips post I wrote up earlier, so go check it out and if I haven't put up pics then check it out in about a week or two, after I get myself some more wax.

I have on order some more sizes of wicks, to try and make some better tapers, the smaller size I have is still too large, causing to hot of a flame and they are dripping which is a no-no.

Peace back to doing house stuff... lame

Burning Wax! Tips

This is a quick tips guide for burning candles; what I have learned and found about burning beeswax candles. I use most of these tricks while burning my candles and testing them.

The wick on your candle when new is going to be longer than 1/4".  Before you light the wick, cut it down to 1/4" (about 4 pennies stacked... oh we don't use pennies anymore okay well then 3 nickels stacked, or 5 dimes or 4 quarters equal 1/4"). When lighting the candle, light at the base of the wick to help soften the wax and/or melt it so that the wick has fuel to burn. A wick works as a siphon. When there is a hot pool of wax around a lit wick, the heat from the flame draws wax up the wick and it is used for fuel to create light and more heat. The wick is still burnt but much slower then the wax. If lighting the wick from the tip you will burn more of the wick before it has a chance to create a pool of wax to feed from.

When deciding to burn a candle, estimate the time the candle will be burnt for (how long is the candle going to be lit). That's when you can choose what size of candle you should light. A candle that has time to make a pool of wax right to the edge, or with in an 1/4 - 1/8" of the edge, is a candle that is burning properly. A candle that only has time to make a small pool of wax around the wick, is a candle that is going to tunnel.

Oh no my candle is tunneling, don't worry we can fix it.

If a candle wants to start tunneling there are some tricks that are easy to do.

First is hugging the candle, where you can wrap your hand around the outside of your candle and put gentle pressure on the outside, squeezing in. Be careful when doing this so as to not spill wax on yourself. The wax is very hot and will do some serious damage to your skin.

squeezing the sides in enough for the heat from the flame to start melting the tunnel.

Another method of hugging is just using your thumb or finger and pushing the edges in to the center, raising the pool of wax, to allow for 1/4" of the wick to stick out.

Press the sides in and down towards to wick evenly all the way around, while raising the pool of wax,
with out drowning the wick. Make sure to leave a 1/4" of wick above the pool of wax

Alternative method is adding more wax.  If you have wax drippings from a previously burned candle than you can add some pieces to the pool if it looks like it is starting to tunnel. Again, just add enough to bring the pool up so 1/4" of the wick is protruding.

Some people like the tunneling look of the glow of the flame behind a golden wall of beeswax. So if that's what you like than go for it. Just keep the shell of a candle and break it up to feed other candles so you don't waste any of the wax.

When you have decided that you have had enough, and want to extinguish the flame. It is recommended that you push the wick into the pool of wax to put out the flame, so to essentially wax the wick. After dunking the wick in the wax push back up to straighten out, and you will have a prewaxed wick to re-light.

Pass the honey, Honey. Pass the sugar, Sugar. Pass the tea, Bag?

"We're putting it on Wax,(it's the new style)"

Yep, that is a quote.

Well we decided to try something new, we like honey, we use a lot of honey, and it smells awesome. So what have we got planned? Bees wax candles, Why? Cause we need to make a mess somehow. but at least it is a mess that smells good.

raw, pre-cut, dirty, smells awesome

I purchased some raw bees wax from a local apiary, where I go to get the liquid gold. On this trip I asked if I could purchase 5lbs of wax also; show up and there it is, chipped off the old block with a chisel and marteau. Fill up a few jars of honey and we're off. So then after about a day of the block sitting on the computer desk and smelling terrific, I decide to start chipping it into smaller pieces to ease the melting process. This is a little bit of a task, so I make up a double boiler with an old mason jar, old pot, and a coiled up piece of copper wire. Filled the mason jar with water and placed my chisel and putty knife into the mason jar to heat up. I then push the chisel and putty knife into the wax till it starts breaking apart and repeat this process till I am left with pieces in the 2"-3" with a ton of little chips and flakes everywhere. They look like good sizes for quicker melting, so I start melting them down in the double boiler system.  While that is happening I start creating a makeshift filtering system, now that's the secret part can't let that one out. Filter is made, wax still melting. after about 30mins wax has fully melted. Pour wax through filtering media, onto baking pan... old baking pan, lined with parchment paper.

All chopped up.

She's always there happy to help, dangerous or safe

Getting wax off stuff is a pain in the ass,and anything used quickly becomes something old and something you don't care about. Kind of like how North Americans treat our elderly in old age homes.... ouch that's a sore spot. So was that wax that just dripped on my hand. Use caution and PPE.

All the crud left in the filter media

found this little fella, in the filter too. 

After filtering the wax and letting it harden it takes on a lighter colour since dirt and debris have been removed. Yes, if it is previously unfiltered it is going to have dirt, propolis, pollen, bees and bee parts, and who knows what else.

The whole process makes your house smell nice and sweet like honey.

Hot Chocolate Part Duex

So, I wrote a post with a recipe for Hot Chocolate last year, but I love the stuff too much, who can blame me right?! RIGHT!

So I am Lactose intolerant, that store bought junk just messes me up big time. So last year was an experiment in the making of hot chocolate. I just wanted to control what was in it. There still is a lot of sugar in it, which I might try experimenting with this year or next what ever comes first. But alas there is only skim milk powder where I live. Then I got adventurous, I looked on the internet went to these weird sites about alternative foods not found in your local grocery store cause they are the devil, am I right? YA! So doing some incognito web surfing(chrome has a setting for that) and I found Rice Milk powder, Soy Milk powder, other Milk Powders, Cocaine Powders....no, no I didn't, and last but not least Coconut Milk Powders, YEAH! BITCH!

So I go down to the local Health food Shop, Jo Annes, sneek aboot look in the baking section there, bammo there it is White Gold. So I takes that back home.  Mix up a little chocolove slam that back and then life was born on the 9th day.

So in all seriousness back to the recipe. AND pictures this time.

1 3/4cp  -  Cocoa Powder
1 3/4cp  -  Powdered Sugar
2 cp       -  Coconut Milk Power
1 tbsp     -  Corn Starch
1 tsp       -  Salt

All the Ingredients in the bowl, sifted but not mixed.

Everything all mixed up.

Sitting Pretty.

Looks like something out of a 70's magazine, But better.

Peace, I'm off to work.

Getting to the end

I am not really good at keeping up with regular posts I have failed a few times already at trying to up date regularly, but I am doing it now so get over it.

The date is August 12th 2013, I am featured watering the plants and petting Herc while hes lounging in the grass, Zoey our fluffy ridiculous cat also makes an appearance, and some bees.

Tomatoes have really started producing at this point and everything is flowering.

thanks for watching, now go to bed
PEACE.

Tea Time

This is old forgot to post.
Tea, so many flavours, so many different ways to make it, so many different ingredients, so many different cultures, many many different things. My all time favorite is Lapsang Soochong....... no, no it is not actually I don't like it much at all I use it for something completely different from tea since I was so disappointed, maybe I will release my secret use for lapsang in the future. Really my favorite tea is Chai one of my old bosses said he thought North Americans were funny, cause we call it Chai Tea, because Chai means tea, so we are saying Tea Tea, he is Persian.

Well as I am making a big ole batch of tea for a pot luck at Greenshire Eco Farms, I will post my recipe.

So the way I make my Chai for a small batch enough for a few cups.

5-8      -  Cardamom pods (bruised/opened by pressing down with the back of a                   spoon or smashed with a mortar and pestle)

5-8      -  Cloves

5-8      -  Black Pepper corns

tbsp     -  Minced Ginger root

1"        -  piece of a Cinnamon stick broken up

3 or 4  -  Tea Bags (I use orange pekoe caffeinated and decaffeinated depending                 on when I'm making it)

1/2cp   -  Milk (soy, Almond, Coconut, or regular)

4 cp     -  Water

1 tbsp  -   Honey or to taste

bring water to a boil, add everything but the tes bags and milk, reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for about 5 mins or your house smells awesome, throw in the milk, tea and honey.

There you go my version (probably stolen or elaborated from someone somewheres) DEAL WITH IT.

Peace I'm out.

June 11 2013 Garden Updates and garage sale finds.

A few weekends ago I scored 3 pieces of vinyl @ a yard sale two doors down, $2 bucks for Paranoid - Black Sabbath, Who's Next - The Who & Frantic City - Teenage Head. Been playing them quite a bit. What a beauty find good thing I walked the dogs or I would have missed them. I stopped when I saw Teenage Head poking outah the back of a milk crate. To my surprise she had a few good records in an otherwise mediocre collection, she had all the same stuff you would find sitting for ages at a thrift shop.

Well this is interesting looking up our garden video to post for this blog I came across plenty other videos of people doing garden updates for the same day so here is some links just because I want to.

Alderman Farms - Brookhaven, Mississippi
J&J Acres - Toomsuba, Mississippi

Life: Our Adventure

It has been warm again the last few weeks. Everything in the garden has really been happy with that. We have gotten a ton of new Tomatoes forming, which means maybe some canning might happen. I have already made and froze four 2 cup containers of marinara. Had some more Tomatoes diced up in the fridge and now we have eight 250ml jars of salsa as of yesterday, everything but the Jalapenos and cumin seed came from our gardens so that's fun. Peppers have been washed, sliced and frozen on a tray then put into bags for storage.  Also been trying out our dehydrator. I have dehydrated Patchouli, Calendula Flowers, Basil, Blue Berries, Cilantro, and some Jalapeno peppers. I am going to try a few more things and add to our jars of dehydrated things. I need to make some Pesto to freeze for a little bit of summer taste in the colder months.

Been spending some time re-arranging our house. We picked up two used items of furniture for a good price on Kijiji, we couldn't really pass them up. First was a vintage solid wood teachers desk or pedestal desk what ever you wanna call it, its beat up in all the right places I like it. Then we also picked up a couch which cost more in our own labour to get it out of the condo and into our house than it did to buy.  I would say it took a good 3.5 hrs X 2 bodies to move it, including travel time. Small condos and old houses just don't fit big furniture at all.

We weren't planning on buying furniture but we had talked about it lots. We didn't like our desk, but we got it from our house mate when he was done school.  It didn't have drawers so we had baskets under it holding the printer paper and extra USB cords and other cords, just looked like a mess. We had the couch for 5 years I think, with a lot of ass traffic. They have both served their purpose and have been well used, we just needed a change. So we browsed Kijiji just for fun, found the desk, wow good price for something we actually really like: big, wood, old and storage. When we got it home, cleaned it up and found a sale sign in one of the drawers asking $350. We got a lot better deal than that so I can not complain there. It was an easy move, it already had the screws taken out and separated in 4 parts, fit in the truck easily. When looking at a piece of furniture in a garage, then putting it into an old small house, there is a little bit of distortion in eye balling the size of it. To fix that we no longer have a dining room table and now no longer have a dining room, it is a multipurpose room.

Then we looked at couches on Kijiji and saw this one dark couch, looks new and not gaudy. So we booked a time for picking up the couch; also take into consideration we have not gotten rid of any of the other furniture yet. The day after we get the desk home we head on out to get the couch. We got the measurements, yep seems like it will fit in the truck alright. Head down, look at the couch, realize there is no bargaining for this thing its in brand new condition. So now to get it out of the ladies condo 5' long and 3.5' wide hallway, 7'x3'x3' couch, and a 34" door way into another hall. Turn it this way, no turn it this way, well they got it in here. I don't remember what they did to get it in here. Lets try it this way, we're going to scratch the wall, no now its up against the mirror, ok try it this way, Alright we are in the hall, pick it up walk down the longest Apartment building hallway ever. In the elevator (that was the easiest part in the elevator). Down to the moving room, ?No moving room? really? We have to take it through the underground parking? Alright in the basement down another really long hallway, wait? There are 4 doorways in this hall, with the hinges on opposite sides of the frames, for no other reason than to annoy us.  They also seem to get smaller and smaller, turn it this way, no that way.  Wont work the door is on the other side, oh the doors will not stay open, okay we're through to another hallway. Oh look the moving room yes, no, it just leads into the underground parking, remember that part, right okay. Through the underground to the doors, run around to the front of the building, grab the truck bring it around. The door for the cap is 33" high, wow that's no good. Well we just have to get it over that hump of the couch then it gets lower in the middle, okay that's not soo bad.  I will just lift it up on this end and tilt it in nope, okay tilt and turn, no the legs are hitting the side box of the cap okay.... we'll flip it on its back okay lets try that, no right its as high as it is deep, flip it back over lets lift and just force it the padding will squish, alright we're in. Oh well that was fun, great Thickson Rd. has an accident and they are diverting all the traffic, sweet traffic jam. Oh I will just head north, 'F' the 401 I says to my little lady friend we can go north, "Hey remember that little pastry I brought home from the Portuguese bakery, well its just around the corner from here.", "Lets go."

Get home a few hours later, "alright lets get it into the house, the other couch came in easy, maybe this one will." No, no it wont, its shaped completely different. Get everything out of the way get it out of the truck, wow that was really easy how come it came out so easy? Gremlins I tells ya little Gremlins. Alright into the front porch, into the hallway, oh our hallway is a little bigger that will help. No it won't there is a staircase in it as well. Turn it this way, no turn it this way, lets try it this way, we're going to scratch the wall no now its up against the mirror, okay try it this way. "Well what if we turn it around" says the pretty little blonde girl on the other side of the couch, "No, I don't think it going to work that way" says me. Lets try it, tilt it up, slide it into the bigger area at the bottom of the stair, spin it around slide it back bring it back down, pick it up, walk 1/3 up the stairs over the railing, "turn it this way" says the voice hidden behind the couch.
"I can't see anything you gotta let me know what to do"
"okay I got a leg and the arm through"
well I am stuck on the stairs holding this thing and can't go anywhere, well figure it out, its in, it is in the living room with the other couch, wow! We should have gotten rid of this stuff first. House in shambles.

Another Video

We are going back in time again to May 29th 2013, how did I do it? Well I went on my computer, then to Youtube on my internet browser and drank an espresso and amazingly we traveled back in time and heres a video to prove it.. oh? we didn't travel in time? prove it! Video #2

Peace, its bedtime.

The Garden

Yesterday was productive, Well it was productive in the back garden. Meaning we planted a lot of stuff or re-potted a lot of stuff. We had planted 7 Tomatoes of varying species earlier, I listed them HERE! but we still had quite a few more maybe 15 more plants. Anybody want a Cherry Tomato plant, here in the Kawarthas? I went and bought 3 more storage totes, from that place that sells a bunch of stuff and has tire in their name. A 115 liter tote holds two tomatoes very well we had two from last year so 5 all together now, plus our 3.5gal pails from the grocery store bakery which used to hold frosting (the gross kind). We also planted 4 Cucumbers which will be trellised, 3 or 4 Courgettes, 4 Basil we have 6 more to plant, 3 Nasturtiums. Also sowed 14 Bush green Beans, and 4 Scarlet runner Beans which will also be trellised, Cilantro lots of em, Chamomile hundreds of em.
Our Kale, Spinach and Chard, are all coming along nice. A couple more Chard and Kale seeds have sprouted and been coming along now for about a week. Leaf miners, Leaf Miners, Leaf Miners have already made an entrance into the raised bed. Picking off eggs sucks, they do what their name means, they hatch burrow themselves in the leaves, and eat eat eat, leaving a miners tunnel behind. They look like little bugger maggots. To Remove poke a hole at one end of the tunnel carefully push from the opposite end of the tunnel to the open end, as if you were trying to get air bubbles out of your phones screen protector. Depending on how early you do it, little tiny maggots pop out or how late bigger ones will come out with a little black dot for a head. CRUSH! those little bastards they are very unwanted. So row covers have been implemented over our chard and Spinach they seem to leave the kale alone.


We have been hardening off our Peppers, Aubergines, Watermelons and Delicata Squash.

Pictures will come later it was uncomfortably humid to be fiddling with a camera today or yesterday. Not used to our season yet.

Peace I'll be back.

Laundry time

REvisions

Ran out of laundry soap.... gotta go make some I guess. There are a lot of posts about making your own cleaners and detergents, So I am going to add another to the list the more the merrier. We have read a few recipes.... but I don't like that cause I'm not going to eat it. lets call them directions and measurements.

I am not experienced in the whole making your own cleaning products still a little green, my roots are showing but were going to try different things. Right now this is working for us with our city water, I don't know if it will be different with well water or hard water. It took me this long to make our laundry detergent, Trampled by Turtles - Rebellion (lies) (Arcade Fire cover), and a while longer to write this post.

What you will need!
Pure Castile Soap (I used Dr. Bronners Magic Soap)
Borax (Sodium Borate)
Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate)

So what to do? Well grate the soap with a fine grater make it small flecks, more soluble in water that way you don't have to use hot water cool or warm will work.

After you do that add two cups each of the Borax and Washing soda.

Mix it all up either stir or put in container and shake what ever you prefer.

Use 2 tablespoons We now use 3 - 4 tbls per load of laundry, I use 3 4 - 5 tablespoons when washing work clothes(I am a Diesel Generator Technician I tend to get smelly) put more or less in find what works for you. If you want more Smell from the soap grate another bar and add another cup each of the sodas add some essential oils, though we found that didn't really work.

While writing this I stumbled upon this gem Death (Detroit, Rock and Roll '75) how? I don't know but its great.
 That link no longer works here try this one Death - Politicians in my eyes!
Peace, I'm Out

Hot CoCoa(chocolate)

well this has been sitting in the draft box for about a month sorry.


I will admit it. I love chocolate any form, mainly Dark Chocolate.

When we went to Hillside Festival last summer. There was a food vendor that I was eyeing every time we showed up, left or walked past. It was pretty well at the entrance to the festival. They were making corn flour tortillas on a huge cast iron looking pan, with I'm pretty sure cocoa in the stuff being wrapped up maybe I'm wrong, but they also had Aztec or Mayan Hot Cocoa. Which by the end of three days of walking past I finally had enough. I says to myself "F-this noise, I'm getting some Hot Cocoa, and tacos or burritos what ever those things are" luckily it was like the last 15 mins of the festival and they were just trying to get rid of stuff, and selling it cheap, put in my order and got the hot Cocoa and just about died, it was awesome, warm as in spicy, and hot as in hot chocolate it was marvelous, finished it before my taco or tortilla things were ready, before the security officials were asking us to leave, before they had to do something about it.

Well now it's getting close to it actually being winter and hot chocolate season, I'm ready to start experimenting. first batch. Cocoa powder, powdered sugar, skim milk powder, pinch of salt, cornstarch(why I am not sure but it asks for it), then in my cup I added a pinch of chili powder, that sucked, nothing even close, that really was bad, but I finished it, it tasted more chocolate than chili so it was bearable.

Then added the mix to another cup added a little cinnamon, and Cayenne pepper, wooo I found it, not the same but close enough to tie me over to the next time I find Aztec hot chocolate from someone who knows how to make it.... WARNING watch out how much Cayenne you put in it. Did I ever tell you how intolerant I am to spicy, I love it, it does not like me... but either way hit the gas.
 So I drank it, it was phenom-nom-nom-nomenal, if i don't say so my self.

Will post Recipe in the future once I have perfected the Mayan on Aztec part of it. But for the time being.

Hot Cocoa

1 1/4cp - Cocoa Powder
2 cp      - Powdered Sugar
2 cp      - Skim Milk Powder
1 tbsp   - Corn Starch
1 tsp     -  Salt

sift through ........sifter? to break up any large chunks of powders.
Boil water add 3 to 4 heaping spoonfuls into mug, fill with boiled water half way mix vigorously til mixed add soy, almond, coconut, or more water... enjoy.

Peace

Kids in the Street.

I remember growing up in the east side of Toronto, East York, to be exact Sammon Ave, and Woodbine Ave. My brother and our friends on the street or a few blocks down, running in the street skateboarding, rollerblading, playing catch, climbing the sides of our house, putting speakers on the outside on the roof from our bedroom playing records and tapes maybe CDs and pretending we had a radio show, microphone and all the whole block probably heard it through my dads stereo system. Running around outside was not foreign, playing Cops and Robbers with my parents Black Pontiac, Parisienne (the bat mobile) it would be the Cop car and getaway car depending on who was in the drivers seat, now we didn't have the keys and the thing didn't move but we would jump around in and out of it slamming the doors, probably yelling and carrying on like boys would do. Playing Basketball, road hockey and baseball in the alley between the houses were in our repertoire, I was young but I am pretty sure there were no complaints to our parents about this racket.
Then "Game On!" we move to Napanee near Kingston, and in Kingston there are people complaining about street Hockey and wanting it banned, the main complaint, was that someone had to wait a moment while they cleared the equipment or just the players to get out of the way. That opens up another issue with the mentality people have of they need to get where they want to go, as fast as possible. Now they didn't ban street hockey and most people say they did but the put restrictions on it, they just pointed out the obvious. Clear the way when vehicles approach, don't break neighbours lawn or things, keep noise down(F-that one right there) you can't play between 8pm - 9am Street Hockey in Kingston, By-Law.
Then again "from downtown" we, my partner and I move to The City of Kawartha Lakes, and a friend from Toronto who used to partake in the noise in the streets with my brother and I, well he posted a link about a woman in Peterborough complaining about a kid playing basketball in his parents driveway, and getting the Ministry of Environment involved. Are people that out of touch with their younger selves? Do they not remember they were annoying loud bastards also? Its what kids are, That is why we ourselves don't want any yet, we enjoy quietly walking the dogs and sleeping in.
Kids need to be outside playing, making noise, breaking things, getting hurt, adventuring, doing things that might get them in trouble, from the greatest movie ever made, The Sandlot Mothers plea for son to go outside.

Turkey, Things

Turkey left overs.

Yesterday I prepared the turkey carcass, that we brought home from the family, for some stock making. after I found our largest pot threw in some celery, onion, carrots garlic and some bay leaves with the carcass. and let that boil down for about 3 hours. The house smelled awesome and thanks to the leaky windows I'm sure we made everybody on the block salivate. Let that cool and skimmed any fat off the top.
Now I have to make up a batch of soup and freeze half of the 12 cups of stock.

Now its time to get something done.

Peace Out.

Can...ning,

Canning of the tomatoes continued into Monday, we canned 6 jars of salsa, with peppers and tomatoes from   our Winter Friend. It was supposed to be spicy but it did not turn out like that, I am fairly intolerant to spicy, I sweat go red and cry. I love it but, it does not like me. 

We used this recipe Spicy Tomato Salsa, maybe all the peppers weren't spicy, but the piece of pepper that I tried that seemed to be the same as the others felt like burning. It ended up a bit sweet, possibly from the red wine vinegar but its better than last years batch. Found a trick, after you dice up your toms put them in a colander and let them drain into a bowl, for about an hour or till you clean up everything, that way you won't have as much water to combat with when you boil down your salsa. re-measure your tomatoes and add more to bring up to the recipes amount. That trick gave us a slightly thicker salsa this year than last. We may just have to add some Sriracha sauce when we eat some salsa.

We also tried out canning Pickled Beans, pickling is a lot faster than anything to do with tomatoes so that was more fun, less clean up.

Peace,
Have a good night.

What the Pud!?

Well its getting cooler up here now. Maybe it will warm up again in the next few weeks. We sowed a few spinach, kale, and chard seeds. The chard we sowed a few weeks ago have grown very well and ready to be eaten, the spinach I believe got eaten by squirls. The second bunch of seeds we put into the ground, just to see how long we can keep them going under our mini green houses, or just over winter under some mulch, since that was successful the past winter.
Well to get to the point of this, my Little lady friend went out to help with a fundraiser for the Healing Horse Center at Boston Pizza, for their vet and hay bills. I went and got some groceries and made a mess in the kitchen. What mess did I make?
I made Chocolate Pudding mess, but not just any chocolate pudding, since the two Humans in the house are lactose intolerant.

3 Avacados - scooped out and pited
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup of Honey (or to taste)
2tbsp of Peanut Butter (optional)
1/4 tsp of Salt
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup of cocoa powder

put it all in the food processor mix until smooth, scraping the sides back into the mixture. Refrigerate and bam pudding.

Now this tastes good but don't be fooled its not going to taste like "regular" pudding, but if you have good ingredients it will taste good. But, thats just my opinion

Most of the ingredients.

All of the ingredients.