It's Fall, Y'all

Remember mystery vine?  The one that sprouted out of our compost bin and creeped through the fence and started growing all over my neighbor's yard?  Because she is the nicest lady ever she didn't get upset, and actually said she was interested to see what it turned into.  When it started sprouting pumpkins I told her she should of course keep whatever pumpkins she got, but she insisted that the girls should have them. For some reason the ones that grew on our side of the fence are a weird shape, kind of butternut squash/pumpkin hybrid, but hers were perfectly formed "faerie tale" pumpkins.
Mooch was so excited to get to pick them.  Who needs a pumpkin patch when you've got a compost bin??

 I wanted a new fall wreath for the front door, but I'm picky.  We've all seen some of the fall themed ones on Pinterest, and some are cute but some are just .... not me.  Let's just say if it can be described as "cute" I'm not going to dig it.
I had this simple wreath frame I picked up at The Thrift Store That Shall Not Be Named

I found fake leaves and yummy smelling potpourri at the Dollar Store.  Brainstorm - some of the potpourri has interesting stuff in it, seedpods and herbs and such, that are really pretty, and this variety smells fall-y without being overpowering.

Of course I ended up being totally sucked in to the fall and Halloween decorations at the Dollar Store, which happens every year even though I swear this year will be different.  I turned a corner, and lo and behold ...

Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T need about a million of these?  I only got 2 and I'm kicking myself.  I want to cover the front of my house in them.  

The Mister came in and took a look and said jokingly, "Now you just need to put a 3rd eye on them!" and then saw how excited I got and immediately said, "That was a JOKE."

"But I'm so going to do that.  Best idea ever.  High five, craft buddy!"

"Don't do it.  People already think you're a witch"

"Too late, seed of brilliance planted."

And after a night of wine consumption and burning my fingers - again- with hot glue and catching up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (and the horrible realization that I think I don't hate Camille so much now) this is the beast:

 I love it.  I have a Halloween sign that I put up every year that says "Don't Make Me Use My Flying Monkeys" with a pair of witch's boots underneath it, but I do not want to take this down.  

I'm trying to harvest herbs and preserve them now.  (In all my spare time.  HA)  I did pull up my basil plants the other day, and made vegan basil/chive pesto that is pretty amazing.  My chives never flowered this year, which I think is because they were in too much shade, but I still have lots.

 Guess who won't take off her Halloween costume?

I did not measure (I don't really, ever) but here is an approximation:
Vegan Basil Chive Pesto
Approx. 3 c of basil leaves
A good handful of chives
1/4 c macadamia nuts
2 Tb pine nuts
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
Place macadamia nuts and pine nuts in food processor and process until it resembles coarse flour.  Add basil and chives, pulse until incorporated.  Add olive oil (about 1-2 Tb) salt & pepper to taste, and crushed garlic clove, pulse until completely combined.
And in closing, if you don't follow The Blogess, your life up until this moment has been completely wasted. 

Pan Roasted White Beans with Rosemary

Hello All!
Our little homestead was rocked with a wicked case of the flu, and we are all just recovering, which is why I haven't been active in the last few days.  Hate when regular life gets on the way of my blogging!

Since I'm eating these for lunch today, I wanted to share this fast, easy and delicious recipe.  I am always trying to incorporate a more vegetarian approach to eating in our home, and since the Mister is a die hard meat lover, I have to get creative.  I also have a five year old that doesn't eat anything that's not cereal or fruit these days - but she eats these.

First of all, if you don't have rosemary growing around or in your home - go get a plant and plant one.  I started off with three teensy plants growing in one of our front garden beds, and in our rocky clay-heavy soil, it thrived.  I now have a certified rosemary hedge right next to our front door that smells amazing and provides us with all the fresh rosemary we could possibly want.

Rosemary is known as an aide for memory, and has antiseptic properties as well.  In ancient Greece, students used to braid rosemary into their hair to help them to remember their lessons.  And it is traditionally placed on grave sites for remembrance. 

I came up with this recipe as a protein boost alongside veggie dishes, but it's pretty yummy in its own right.

Rinse and drain 1 large can of cannellini beans in a colander. 

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tb olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add beans and 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and fresh snipped rosemary to taste (I usually use around 2 Tb).

  Add salt, freshly ground pepper, and 1/3 c good white wine (*Don't forget to thoroughly test the wine beforehand*) :-)  Cook over medium low heat until slightly crispy and brown on the outside, but tender; approximately 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Making Your Own Thyme Honey

I started studying homeopathy last year, after the birth of my second child and an awful experience with an IUD.  To be brief, my OBGYN pushed me to get a Mirena IUD, and the thing was horrible.  Cramps that brought tears to my eyes, constant bleeding, mood swings - you name it.  I called and reported the problems, went for check-ups, had the strings trimmed (the Mister swore he could feel them) and the staff at my OBGYN's always said the same thing "It's all normal, you just have to adjust to it"
WHAT??!?!?
Bleeding for 3 months straight is not normal.  Having synthetic hormones being routinely released internally is not normal.  My body would cramp and it felt like it was trying to push the stupid thing out.  I had it removed after having to TALK MY OBGYN INTO REMOVING IT <- (let's name all the things wrong with that statement, shall we?)and got fitted for a diaphragm.  Yes, we use spermicide - but I can remove it whenever I want, and I'm not using fake hormones, which scare the hell out of me.  
Anywho, the whole thing, along with Butterbean's birth experience (that's a whole other post) had officially soured me on doctors and hospitals.  (I make a special exception for my kid's pediatrician, who is super pro-breastfeeding, very non-invasive, and open to homeopathic alternatives.)  The kids I nannied for were always on antibiotics and I watched them get sick and suffer with their mom never making the connection that she was not allowing their bodies to use natural defenses.  The antibiotics that they took for a cold would lead to them having digestive issues, yeast infections, you name it.  The cure was worse than the disease.

With Butterbean going through teething, I started using Boiron's Teething Tablets.  The first night we used them I went to bed all edgy and worried she'd be suffering - that child slept straight through the night!  Similar success with Coldcalm and Sabadil for allergies.  I also read a great article on Planet Green's site about using locally produced honey to combat seasonal allergies.  One teaspoonful every morning, and my itchy eyes and tickly throat are gone within an hour.
Thyme has been long used for it's antiseptic properties, and herbalists use it as a natural cold remedy.  I bought a small plant this year and it grew like wildfire in my garden, so I bought another small plant and put it in a planter so I would have fresh thyme available year-round.  Our local Co-op carries local organic honey, and while you can use commercially produced non-organic honey, it is well worth it to find a local honey producer and get the good stuff.
First, you need to cut  to fill whatever clean jar you are using (make sure it has a tight-fitting cap)  Pack the thyme in and bruise the leaves well with the back of a spoon.  I also use hyssop in mine for an added healing property.  Pour honey over the herb (or herbs) until there is about 1/4" of space at the top.  Gently tap the bottom of the jar on your counter a few time to release any air bubbles.  Seal and allow to steep for 2-4 weeks.  After this, strain out the herbs and re-jar the honey, and keep in a cool dark spot.  One teaspoon when you feel a cold coming on usually does the trick, but if not take a teaspoon 3x a day.
Here's my jar, sitting on my windowsill among all my other crap stuff:

Extracts post to come soon ...

To Do's ... and To Don'ts

I've moved the mint, thyme, oregano, sage, and basil inside for the winter and stockpiled a bunch of seeds that were on sale at our local Co-op ... feeling rather squirrel-ish :-) My dream is to have a sunny space where I can grow herbs inside all winter long. This involves cleaning out the dreaded cat room ... a perfectly wonderful sunny little room befouled by the two ornery cats. Did you know cats are sociopaths, by the way?
From Dictionary.com :

so·ci·o·path 
–noun Psychiatry .
a person, as a psychopathic personality, whose behavior is antisocial and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. 
Yup, that's cats for you. If there litter pan - or more appropriately, their open container of bio-hazardous material poisoning the air I breathe - is the least bit dirty, they go on the floor. BUT, if it's too clean, they also go on the floor. And Tobey, my mentally challenged cat, has also taken to pissing in a doorway right where the linoleum in the room has a seam - so no matter how much I wash the floor, it reeks of cat pee. I've tried the, "OK, you're outdoor cats now" thing, but they both would screech at the back door until I let them back in anyway.
But anyway, until those two bite it, I'm stuck sharing my space with them. The Mister has agreed to help me put up shelves to better organize that room, and in the meantime I'm using it to dry out herbs from the garden, which masks the general smell of cat. But please do not ever get sucked into the evil plot of a kitten - it's looking up at you with those big kitten eyes and cute furry face - but also vowing to somehow drive you batshit.
Anyway, dogs make better babysitters:

We are also planning the construction of a vegetable garden on the side of our house that gets a lot of sun. It will be a raised bed to keep the handsome devil above (the dog, not the baby) out. Buying materials tomorrow and assembling this week, layering peat moss and compost over top to enrich the soil over the winter, then planting in the spring! I love that we will have fresh veggies growing on our property next year. I've been reading a lot about cold-hardy greens and how to over-winter certain vegetables, so that is absolutely on the horizon too.


Pictures to follow of the construction process ... and of me rolling around in ecstasy on my beautiful, wonderful dirt.