One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1246 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Mavis Butterfield | Backyard Garden Pictures 4/13/14

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 13, 2014 · 5 Comments

Happy Sunday everyone, how is the weather where you are? This past week has been spectacular up here in the Pacific Northwest and as a result our backyard garden is really starting to take off.

The potatoes we planted a few weeks ago are starting to pop through the soil {second garden box from the front on the left} and before too long it will be time to set tomato plants outside {my favorite thing to grow}.

The pallet garden is coming along nicely. Later this week I hope to transplant a few more lettuce starts to our pallet garden. {I’ll be sure and take some close up photos when I do}.

Check out our espalier pear tree we having growing alongside the house.

Aren’t the blooms gorgeous? I wonder if we’ll get pears this year? This particular tree has 6 different varieties grafted to it, how cool is that?

The garlic is really beginning to fill out the boxes.

I think I’ll turn the lasagna garden into a sunflower and pumpkin patch. Now all I need to do is wait another 6 weeks to plant the seeds.

Poppies and rhubarb.

Two of my rhubarb plants have giant flowers coming out of the center. I think this happened last year as well so I’m not too worried. Once the rhubarb stalks get a little bigger I’m going to pick a few and make a batch of Vanilla Rhubarb Jam.

The greenhouse is still pumping out gourmet lettuce leaves by the bowlful.

Daffodils and raspberries. You probably can’t see it {unless you squint real hard} but the first round of tulips are beginning to pop up. The daffodils are dying a slow death and should be done blooming by next week, but the tiny grape hyacinth are still hanging in there.

And last but not least, the backyard is bursting with tiny vinca {periwinkle} flowers. These bloom twice a year, in the spring and fall, and are great plant for growing on a hillside.

Ahh Spring, I love you.

~Mavis

This years garden is being sponsored by the folks at Botanical Interests Seed Company. You can check out their website HERE, order their new 2014 Garden Seed Catalog HERE.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

How to Freeze Eggs

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 13, 2014 · 5 Comments

Now that the chickens are producing like mad again I decided to try and freeze some of their eggs. Did you know that you can freeze eggs. Well, as long as you freeze them properly, you can freeze them for up to 4 months! How cool is that?

Here’s some freezing basics, if you want to give it a whirl:

Whole Eggs

To freeze whole eggs, crack them into a big bowl, blend them up, and then transfer the blended eggs into an airtight container and freeze.

Egg Yolks Only

Egg yolks can get too gelatinous to work with if you don’t store them right, so to freeze them, you need to take an extra step. Beat 1/8 of tsp. of salt or 1 1/2 tsp. sugar or corn syrup per 1/4 cup of yolks into the mixture before transferring to an airtight container and freezing.

Egg Whites

Break and separate the eggs. Pour the whites into an airtight container and freeze. If you need to be able to measure whites out more easily, try freezing them individually in ice cube trays, then moving them into an airtight container.

Hard Boiled Egg Yolks

While they aren’t tasty just on their own, hard boiled egg yolks can be frozen and then used in soups and/or as salad toppings. Just hard boil the eggs, remove the yolks from the whites and place them into an airtight container.

When it is time to use the eggs, here’s a quick guideline on quantities:

2 Tbsp. thawed egg whites = 1 large fresh egg white
1 Tbsp. thawed egg yolk = 1 large fresh yolk
3 Tbsp. thawed whole egg mixture = 1 large fresh egg

Do you freeze your eggs? Would you be willing to try it?

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Dye Eggs With Natural Ingredients

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 12, 2014 · 6 Comments

how to dye easter eggs naturally

Easter is right around the corner so I thought I would re-post this easy How to dye eggs naturally post.

*******************

Did you know you can dye eggs with natural ingredients?

Since my chickens lay brown & green eggs, last year I decided to splurge and buy 2 dozen white eggs at the store and give it a try. I was worried if I used the brown eggs the dye would not be as vibrant, and in the end, I’m glad I went the white eggs {even if they were not as fresh as home~~grown~~ laid eggs}.

vinegar

The process is surprisingly easy. Here are the simple directions:

Blue Eggs: Combine 2-3 cups chopped red cabbage, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and simmer for 3o minutes. Drain colored water in a large bowl and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 3 hours {less time if you don’t want dark blue eggs}.

Yellow Eggs: Combine 2 teaspoons turmeric, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 2 hours {less time if you don’t want dark yellow eggs}.

Red Eggs: Combine 1 cup shredded beets {2-3 beets} , 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and simmer for 3o minutes. Drain colored water in a large bowl and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 3 hours {less time if you don’t want dark pink eggs}.

blue eggs

*Keep in mind that the longer you keep your eggs in the colored water, the deeper your eggs shells will turn out.

naturally dyed easter eggs

Dry your eggs on a cooling rack. Once the eggs have completely dried, use a paint brush to brush away any extra bits. See, I told you it was easy.

how to dye easter eggs naturally

Have you done this before? What did you think? Pretty easy huh?

Looking for the ceramic egg rack featured in this photo? Amazon has it HERE.

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Upcoming Seattle Tilth Educational Classes

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on April 12, 2014 · Leave a Comment

If you are an expert gardener, a novice gardener or even a non-gardener, the Seattle Tilth has some perfect classes for you. Whether you want to raise goats, learn about companion planting, or learn about food preservation, you’ll find a class that matches your interests on their extensive class list. They’ve added a whole slew of cool new classes, and here are just a few:
Kitchen Classes
Food Preservation Certification Course
Saturdays, May 31-June 28; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Veggie Gardening
Learn to design a four-season organic veggie garden.
Get Your Garden Growing Thu., May 1; 6-8 p.m.
Comprehensive Organic Gardener
Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. & Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., April 9-30
Container Gardening 101 Thu., Apr. 10; 6-8 p.m.
Container Gardening 101 Sat., May 10; 2-4 p.m
Organic Gardening 101 Two Thursdays, Apr. 17 & 24; 6-8 p.m.
Organic Gardening 101 Sat., May 10; 1-5 p.m.
Some Like it Hot: Grow Great Tomatoes Sat., May 10; 10 a.m.-noon
Organic Pest Management Sat., May 17; 2-4 p.m.

Urban Livestock
Produce your own eggs, honey and fertilizer! Find out what it takes to raise chickens, goats, rabbits, ducks and bees.
Raise City Goats Sat., Apr. 19; 10 a.m.-noon
Poultry Health Basics Wed., Apr. 30, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
City Chickens 101 Sat., May 17; 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
City Chickens 101 Sat. July 19; 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Raise City Ducks Wed., July 16; 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Raise City Rabbits Wed., July 23; 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Beekeeping 301: Harvest Honey & Winterize Your Hive
Sat., July 26; 10 a.m.-noon

Permaculture & Sustainable Landscapes
Go beyond basic veggie gardening.
Urban Weeds & Wild Foods – Part 1: Identify and Harvest
Sat., Apr. 26; noon-2 p.m.
Urban Weeds & Wild Foods – Part 2: Preparing for Your Table
Sat., Apr. 26; 2-4 p.m.
Secrets of Companion Planting, Sat. May 17; 10 a.m.-noon

I not only love Seattle Tilth’s classes, but their whole organization. I’ve been to their Urban Farm and Chicken Coop tour and I never miss their plant sale every year. They’re awesome! So if you’ve never taken a class like this, trust me when I say they’re totally worth it.

Peace out,

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.