One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1516 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.

How to Grow Your Own Food – 7/24/2013 Garden Tally

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 24, 2013 · 15 Comments

This year I’m on a mission to grow 4,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables in my suburban backyard. In 2012 I was able to grow 2,028 pounds, and in 2013 I’m going double or nothing. I have absolutely no idea if I’ll be able to achieve my goal. But, as with any adventure, half the fun is getting there. ~Mavis

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Now we’re farming! Last week we were able to harvest a little over 45 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from our backyard garden. Peas, cabbage, beets, and raspberries were the big winners and we were also able to harvest our first beans of the year too. Life is good!

I’m hoping we’ll be able to harvest our first zucchini this weekend {the slugs set us back a bit} and we are all looking forward to more fresh beans and tomatoes. The chickens are loving all the kale and Swiss chard, and actually, I think I may be giving them too much because egg production has slowed down a wee bit. Does anyone have any insight on that? This is my first year counting eggs so I’ve never really noticed before if that can play a role or not.

Here is what I have harvested so far this year:

Basil – 9 ounces

I LOVE making fresh pesto.

Beets – 7 pounds 15 ounces

We harvested a huge batch of beets {this is only a few of them} the other day and I can’t wait to cook them up today. We still have plenty to harvest in the garden box and have planted more seeds for a fall harvest.

Bok Choy – 4 oz

Check out this Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy I made. It’s pretty awesome.

Broccoli – 13 ounces

Is it normal for puppies to eat all their vegetables? Why can’t kids be this way?

Cabbage – 40 pounds 14 ounce

We are done harvesting cabbage until fall. There are more heads planted alongside the greenhouse and I started more cabbage seeds for a winter harvest so we should be cook for a while.Here is my recipe for homemade sauerkraut.

Carrots – 3 ounces

This is a picture of carrots we harvested last year. We had to plant our carrots 5 times this year due to slugs. We are just now starting to see a row of green tops. I share a picture soon.

Chives – 1 pound 1 ounce

We are picking about an ounce a week to use in recipes.

Egg Count – 1,608

The chickens are slacking off again. We only collected 62 eggs. I’m not sure if it’s the heat or if they are getting old. 😉

Garlic 9 pounds 2 ounces

If you have never harvested garlic before, be sure and read my How to Harvest Garlic post. It’s super simple.

Garlic Scapes 11 ounces

We used these to make Garlic Scape Pesto. Yumm!

Green Beans 10 ounces

I’ll be picking more today, this time I’ll be harvesting those skinny French beans {I forget the name}. If you have a favorite green bean recipe you think my family would like please leave the recipe or a link in the comment section below. I’m always up for trying new things.

Kale – 7 pounds 1 ounces

I’m just not feeling the kale love right now, I just keep picking it and feeding it to the chickens so it doesn’t go to waste.

Kohlrabi 5 pounds 10 ounces

All out spring kohlrabi has been harvested. Be on the lookout for a kohlrabi recipe soon!

Lettuce – 34 pounds11 ounces

I plan on planting lettuce seeds towards the middle of August when we get back from our trip to St. Jude. I think it’s a little too hot to grow it right now and I don’t want to chance it bolting so I’ll just wait a few more weeks.

M icrogreens 5 ounces

My favorite way to eat microgreens is with egg salad sandwiches.

Mint 6 oz

I made some blueberry mint jam and also harvested some mint for tea.

Oregano – 7 ounces

Onion – 1 pound 7 ounces

We are using our onions as we need them. We harvested 2 more last week. 🙂

Peas – 42 pounds 9 ounces

We harvested the last of the peas last week and pea season is officially over. I’ll plant more pea seeds on August 1st for a fall harvest, but for now we are pealess in Seattle. 😉

Potatoes – 15 pounds 12 ounces

Would you believe we still have a few potatoes left from last week’s harvest? Crazy, I know.

Radish – 22 pounds 2 ounces

I just planted more of these!

Raspberries – 16 pounds 14 ounces

We can’t pick the raspberries fast enough! This is what a typical daily harvest looks like. The blueberries should be next.

Sage – 14 ounces

Spinach – 15 ounces

Sprouts –2 pounds 2 ounces

Here are instructions for growing your own sprouts.

Strawberries 9 pounds 6 ounce

The strawberries have slowed way down. I’m not worried though, production will pick up again in the fall. So far this summer we made strawberry kiwi jam, strawberry freezer jam, strawberry pie, and homemade strawberry shortcake.

Swiss Chard 8 pounds

Chickens love it! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Tomatoes 3 ounces

Sun Gold tomatoes are the best cherry tomato on the planet. Nuf’ said.

Wheatgrass – 7 ounces

Total Food Harvested in 2013: 244 pounds 10 ounces

Total Eggs Collected in 2013: 1,608

If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more on the topic of organic gardening, my #1 favorite book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food By Tanya L.K. Denckla.

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Green Beans with Toasted Almonds Recipe

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 23, 2013 · 2 Comments

I picked a nice big basket of fat Roma bush beans this morning and had to stop snacking on them so I would have enough for dinner tonight. This recipe is very simple, but it’s my favorite way to eat green beans.

And if you’ve never tried Roma beans before, put them on your list for next year. Trust me, they’re worth growing!

Ingredients

1/2 pound fresh green beans
1/4 cup almonds, chopped and lightly toasted
1 teaspoon sesame seeds {optional}
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
kosher salt to taste

Directions

Blanch green beans in a pot of boiling water and set aside. Dry and then in a large bowl, toss green beans with sesame oil.

Place olive oil in a hot skillet and saute the green beans for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add kosher salt to taste. Garnish with toasted almonds and serve. {My husband likes his beans warm, I like mine cold} 🙂

Looking for a great fresh veggie cookbook? Check out Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch By Nigel Slater. It’s one of my favorites.

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Fat Smitty’s: Big Hearts and Big Burgers

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 23, 2013 · 6 Comments

As a special treat, on our way back from the lavender festival in Sequim, Washington the other day, The Girl and I stopped by a little burger shack called Fat Smitty’s. I don’t know how anyone could possibly NOT stop with all those cool hand carved statues out front. We figured we’d find your typical roadside burger and fry place, but when we stepped inside we were in awe.

It wasn’t the food that surprised us {I mean it was awesome and just like a Mom & Pop hamburger shop should taste}, it was the money. The dolla dolla bills, yo! There were dollar bills covering every inch of that place; every wall and every spot on the ceiling! The ritual began when a traveling salesman wrote his name on a single dollar bill and tacked it to the wall 27 years ago.

That practice became what Fat Smitty’s was known for and before they knew it, people were coming from all over the state/country to pin their own bills to the restaurant walls. It was a pretty incredible site to see! Almost every bill has a note written on it and is addressed to Fat Smitty himself. Last year, Carl “Fat Smitty” Schmidt took down $10,316 in $1 bills from the walls and ceiling of the restaurant and donated them to charity, $3,000 of that going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital {how cool is that!}.

It didn’t surprise me one bit to hear Fat Smitty was charitable. The entire diner screams patriotism and he even has a jar so people can donate money to pay for lunches of uniformed military personal, whom he feeds for free when they come in! He’s an all-American, support-the-troops-and-our-country kind of guy. I’ll give him my business any day!

And just when you were thinking our troops were the only one Fat Smitty was hooking up, check out this killer deal. In the market for a new knife? Buy a Smitty Burger and get a knife for only $2. Of course you’ll probably never live long enough to use it because a Smitty Burger consists of two patties, three slices of bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato and sauce, plus a side of fries! Whew. I’m getting heartburn just thinking about it.

If you’re in the Discovery Bay, Washington area, I totally recommend putting “Eat at Fat Smitty’s” on your to-do list. Your wallet might be a few dollars lighter, but you’ll leave with a full belly and a full heart. Charity {and a big fat hamburger} will do that to ya!

~Mavis

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Mavis Mail – Michelle From Albuquerque, NM Sends in Her Garden Photos

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By Mavis Butterfield on July 23, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Wow! Check out these awesome garden box photos Michelle from Albuquerque, NM sent in.
Here’s what she had to say:

Hi Mavis,

My name is Michelle and I live in Albuquerque NM. I rent a house with my husband {who never gardens, but will water} and my best friend Buddy {my dog -who does garden, mostly picking!}

My dad always had a garden when I was growing up outside of Boston, but I hated having to water and weed. I remember many family dinners forcing down salads and vegetables-now I am a vegetarian Who knew that not only was he ahead of his time, using organic practices, but that I would inherit his love of gardening long after he was gone!

I start almost all my veggies from seed in Feb/March and keep them under lights on a metro rack in my guestroom. Only my daughter from my New England family will visit during seedling time because the room smells like fish emulsion! After planting my own garden I always have tons of seedlings left so I have a few friends who get them every year. Last year I sold 50 tomato seedlings at a yard sale for .50 each. The neighborhood was happy!

Like so many other gardeners I am a renter so I started using buckets and containers for my tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and the rest of my plants.

Luckily we have a yard and it has a big cement slab that I put all my containers and raised beds on. In the last few years I have found a treasure at my local Home Depot. I found an empty semi-finished wooden bed used to hold and display metal lawn edging. I immediately asked if I could have it and proceeded to tie it into the back of my car. Driving home was dicey with it hanging 2 feet out the back. It is 8ft x 2ft. I have “acquired” 3 so far and love them. My husband just pops in a bottom and drills some holes and I am ready to go. They aren’t cedar, but they are free!

I did purchase an 8ft x 4ft cedar planter for my perennials and herbs. This spring, my daughter {the one to brave the fish room} built me an addition to the back of it so I could plant some taller Yarrow and Echinacea. She used some cedar fence slats on sale for $1.36 each for a total cost of around 15 bucks! Natural cedar is supposed to last longer but buying it is so expensive.

I have salad and greens almost every day-as does my dog-who loves veggies. He “helps” me garden by chasing away the birds. He also will dig his own radishes and eat tomatoes and beans off the plants-much to my dismay. Like Lucy, he loves to dig in the “sweet” smelling composted soil. I think he would eat it if I didn’t stop him.

I spend all summer canning, drying and freezing all my bounty. I use many of my recipes for gifts and get “orders” from my friends and family all the time. My pantry is full of dried fruits and veggies, jams, pickles, pickled veggies, tomato sauce and herbal vinegar. I buy fresh eggs from a friend and trade recipes with her all the time. If only my dog would let me have chickens…..

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!

~Mavis

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so, show me some picture of how you are going about it.
Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.

Go HERE for the official rules.

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.