One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1710 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.

Super Bowl Recipes: Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 29, 2013 · 5 Comments

These bacon wrapped jalapenos are just about the easiest appetizer on the planet to make. There are only 3 ingredients, and once you start popping these babies, good luck stopping.

Ingredients

12 jalapenos, halved and seeded
8 oz cream cheese, softened
12 slices bacon, sliced and cut in half

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cut the jalapenos in half, length-wise and remove the seeds and membrane. Stuff the inside of the halved jalapeno pepper with cream cheese and wrap with 1/2 a slice of bacon. Secure the bacon and jalapeno with a toothpick.

Bake in a grill pan {or a pan with a rack} for 20-25 minutes until the bacon is cooked but not too crispy.

Serve immediately!

If you are looking for a good, quality grill pan, Amazon currently has the Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Square Grill Pan in stock and ready to ship.

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How Do I Know What Variety of Tomato to Grow? Determinate Vs. Indeterminate Tomatoes

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 29, 2013 · 23 Comments

It’s almost time to start those tomato seeds!

If you are new to gardening, choosing a variety of tomato you want to grow can be a wee bit overwhelming–but no worries, Mavis is here to help. {I’m using the term “help” loosely.}

First, decide what you will mostly be using your tomatoes for {i.e. for canning or fresh in your salads, etc.}. Second, knowing the difference between a determinate and indeterminate varieties helps you decide how much space you’ll need to grow the tomatoes and whether they’ll serve your purpose.

Determinate tomatoes tend to ripen all at once, over a period of 1-2 weeks, bearing one large crop. They are smaller, at about 3′-4′ {they are sometimes referred to as a bush tomato}. If you are growing your tomatoes in a container, determinate tomatoes are probably your best bet. Romas, most paste tomatoes, Better Bush, Ace and Silvery Fir are all examples of determinate tomatoes.

Indeterminate tomatoes bear fruit throughout the season. They typically have longer vines {they get 6′-12′ tall}, so they require a bit more space. They also need quite a bit of support {plus staking them to keep the fruit off the ground will prevent all sorts of rot problems}. Cherry tomatoes, Red & Yellow Pear, Brandywine, Beefstake, Sun Gold, and most Heirloom varieties are indeterminate.

When you are ordering your seeds, you can typically find DET or INDET on the packet somewhere, letting you know what variety you are dealing with.

These are the tomatoes I will be growing in my garden this year:

Cherry Rainbow Blend {perfect for salads}
Italian Roma {for eating fresh and sauce}
Ace {for canning}
Cherokee Purple { the best tomato on the PLANET!}
Better Bush { for eating fresh}
Principe Borghese {for roasting and dehydrating}
Green Zebra {LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one}
Sun Gold {My daughters favorite}
Red and Yellow Pear {great for snacking and on salads}
Speckled Roman {A new variety I’m trying this in 2013}
Black Krim {The HH’s favorite}

Hope this helps, and let me know what variety YOU will be choosing this year.

~Mavis

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Reclaimed Food Show and Tell

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 29, 2013 · 11 Comments

I was going to sit here and tell you I didn’t keep the cantaloupe melon because all the bottoms were soft and mushy. And how the majority of the grapes had brown spots on them, and how after a long weekend I didn’t feel like picking through them for the potential keepers.

I was also going to mention that although there was an entire case of lettuce, I only kept a few heads for my family, and divided up the rest between our chickens and Girly Girls, and that the mangos looked a little iffy so I passed on salvaging them for smoothies.

I think I was going to complain.

But once the pictures were on my computer screen, my mind went immediately to the book I had finished on the plane ride home from Denver. The Glass Castle. Have you read it?

It put a whole different perspective on the fruit and vegetables I had kept.

I bet if the Walls children had come across these same 3 boxes of discard produce, they would have sat there and ate every single piece of their bounty. And here I was, giving most of it away to our pet chickens.

~Mavis

Head on over HERE to read all the past reclaimed food stories and to see all the pictures.

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 Plant a Meyer Lemon Tree in a Container

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By Mavis Butterfield on January 28, 2013 · 39 Comments

On Friday, Gustav my handsome UPS driver delivered a Meyer Lemon Tree to our house. Sadly, I wasn’t home so I didn’t get a chance to thank him. I have mail ordered strawberry plants and blueberry bushes before, but never trees, so I was a little apprehensive even after I received a glowing recommendation about Fast Growing Trees from a friend.

After drooling over the picture of Erin’s Lemon Tree she sent in, I knew I didn’t want to start with an itty bitty one. So I took the plunge and ordered a 5-6 foot tall tree and crossed my fingers. I placed my order on a Monday, and it arrived on a Friday. How’s that for fast shipping.

The tree arrived in perfect condition, and I was amazed.

Not only did the tree arrive in perfect condition, there were tons of lemon buds.

The root ball was even perfect. Seriously. I don’t think I am going to be hauling fruit trees in the back of my car anymore. This online ordering stuff is totally the way to go.

I picked up this handsome pot at the Home Depot this afternoon.

Did I mention I named my tree Lemon {after Tina Fey’s character in 3rd Rock}?

Once my tree was shipped, Pam over at Fast Growing Trees sent me an email with planting instructions.

Cool Container + Soil + Meyer Lemon Tree = Lemons.

Let the count down begin!

~Mavis

P.S. Do you name your plants too? Or is that just weird?

Planting in a container

Begin by selecting a container with drainage holes in the bottom.
Do not plant in containers that are too big for the tree because it makes the soil moisture levels harder to control with smaller trees.

Choose a sandy based potting medium that might contain perlite or vermiculite and is well drained.
Add water slowly to your container a make sure it is draining well.
During the warmer months when temperatures are above 40 degrees, place outside in an area with full sun. Citrus trees prefer at least 8-12 hours of direct sunlight.
Make sure to avoid shocking your tree by slowly transitioning it to less sun before you bring it inside. Place the tree in partial sun for a week or so; this helps it transition from the outdoors to indoors. Conversely place the tree in shade for a week before transitioning to outdoors in the spring.
When temperatures begin to drop below 40 degrees, bring your inside and place near a sunny window.
Citrus trees will drop their leaves if the humidity grows too low in an indoor environment – ideal humidity should be 45-50%. Use a humidifier if necessary.

Fertilizing, Mulching, and Watering
Do not fertilize until new growth appears. After, fertilize once per month between February and October.
Choose a fertilizer that is specifically suited for citrus trees. Use a fertilizer that is higher in Nitrogen, such as a 2-1-1 ratio. Follow instructions carefully on the packaging.
Do not mulch your citrus trees. This will cause mold to form on the trunk of the tree.
Give your tree frequent “deep” watering for at least the first year – 1/4 – 1/2 gallon every 5-7 days.
Water at ground level. Make sure you check the wetness of the soil at root level before watering.
Do not over-water. Allow the first two to three inches of topsoil to dry out between watering times. Check it with your finger. If it’s still wet, don’t water.

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.