Sunday Bits #54 (No-Knead Bread, Compost Tumblers, Blueberries)
- themarigoldgc
- Nov 5, 2023
- 7 min read
Happy Sunday, friends! What a great weekend I've had.... though I have achieved almost nothing and had no one to enjoy it with, hah! The family is busy with hunting season, away on holidays, or working... something. So it's just me and the pets here at home but we've had a nice time. The sun is shining, I watched The Whale movie, drinking a lot of tea...
I've been doing a lot of planning and thinking up ideas. That seems to take a while, burn the daylight hours faster than I can keep up with. I am trying to stay really busy as I recently started intermittent fasting and am starving by the time I break my fast in the late morning. I'll fill you in on that in another post coming up soon.
But hey... I have such a lot of fantastic links for you today! Look forward to hearing your thoughts on some of these Bits!
Gardening Bits
Winter composting. There is really great information in this read, but I am going to say right now that there is zero chance that I will be storing scraps in my freezer till spring, hah! If I cannot fit it into my composter, into the green bin it goes ; ) It's a great read though, enjoyed the rest of the ideas.
I have one of these black tumbling composters, and I must tell you that I love it so much. I will be picking up one more as I think I can fill both to have a constant supply of homemade compost on hand. I will know exactly what went into it so is far better than any purchased compost.
The premise is that you fill up one side and then add nothing else to it so it has time to break down all the goods without you always adding more. This means it makes finished compost in just 6 to 8 weeks. Amazing, right? Both of my sides are full right now. One is 90% ready and the other side is about 70% ready. Just needs a few more weeks in spring and then I will have my own compost to feed my spring and early summer plantings. Oh, and these chambers hold much more compost than you would think!
These fall garden tasks... I just really enjoyed the pretty pictures, but the tasks are good, too.
Gardening - Zone 3 fruit growing information. Of course, you can buy these plants for warmer zones, too, it's just that they are hardy down to 40 below.
Fruit trees that are hardy to this zone. I thought this was a really good read! Also several links for where to buy these hardy fruiting trees and shrubs.
Fruiting berries for a zone 3 garden. I like what they say about the Haskap. I agree and so will not grow them myself. I grew them years ago and am just not a fan. The other ideas though! Great advice. Time to go looking for a black raspberry ; )
Growing grapes in a cold garden zone. I really want to try this Sommerset grape. Think I will put one in the greenhouse, right beside the edge as they suggest. My Valiant is doing great outside on the southside of the house. It was here when we got here so cannot take any credit.
Gardening ideas for November from Monty Don. These are for those of you in warmer climates. We prairie folks have most all of this done, had to get our wiggle on two weeks ago, but you all still have time. I always love to look at Monty's garden ideas!
Growing great blueberries. My tips from when I grew two long rows of them on the island... Plant in good soil, check the mature size and plant accordingly, spaced far enough apart, water weekly the first year, taper off to twice a month, mulch them up to retain moisture. Feed with manure at the drip line in early spring. Water deeply once a week while they are making flowers and fruiting, for lots of berries that are big and sweet. Check out the blueberry fertiliser mentioned below to feed yours if you feel yours need a boost. Can be applied now or in spring.
Blueberries are hard to grow here on the prairies, as our soil is so alkaline, and the weather is harsh... but I'm a diehard fan, so I keep on trying. The two bushes were planted into nearly pure peat moss that we dug into the bed last fall. I don't buy peat moss usually, but it is the pretty much the only way to plant blueberries here so that they get off to a good start. I will also be trying the organic fertiliser for acid loving plants that the author recommends (find the picture at the bottom of this post) in that blueberry article. Will feed it to my 2 little blueberries, my dwarf evergreens, and all the hydrangeas I plan to grow next year, hah! It's a bit pricey, sigh, but I like the organic ingredients.
Jade Plant Care Guide: How to Care for a Jade Plant | The Old Farmer's Almanac. I have a great affinity for Jades. I had a really big one in my greenhouse that stayed out there year round, in the SE corner, to bring luck, friendships, and good business fortune. According to feng shui, that is. It certainly seemed to work as I met so many lovely people through the greenhouse who became my friends, and the business thrived.
My Jade here at the new house, is in the SE part of my living room. They say you can place in in either the SE corner of your house, or the SE side of your room. I went with the living room as it is closest to the front door which is said to encourage friendships, and bring good luck, of course. Even if you don't believe in feng shui (not sure that I do either, lol) it cannot hurt to place it accordingly, right? Btw, giving a Jade as a housewarming gift is the perfect gift to bring your friend happiness and luck in his/her new home.
Turn Your Raised Garden Bed Into a Cold Frame - Dave's Garden (davesgarden.com). This is in my plans for next year. Will extend my season in both spring and fall. The plan is to first put bug mesh on the bed to keep the pests off of the brassicas, and then top that mesh with poly in spring and fall, to extend the season by a few weeks. In warmer zones, you can do this for all your winter growing.
Sunday Decor Bits
This Swedish apartment is so lovely. So smart, too. Love the way they fit in a table in that wee kitchen! I'm not sure that I could ever have figured out how to use that space so cleverly. Would love to sit there for my meals. The ceiling to floor drapes in the bedroom, the lovely dining area. Well, I just think the whole place is so perfect.
I can't believe the difference in the before and afters. Some folks are so amazing, to be able to take it from what it was to what it is. Check out this cottage renovation. If you are on Insta, you can also follow along here, or just check out all the pictures in more depth.
This pretty green and white kitchen! It's a smaller kitchen, just a bit bigger than mine, great layout, great ideas, and I sure do love that ladder. No to worry, you can hang up the ladder, out of the way (by the door).
But, oh my... check out this craftsman style kitchen. So perfect! See it in the picture above. Those tiles, the green, the hood fan!
How do you feel about wooden counter tops? I really wanted to put one on the island but hubby vetoed the idea. Said that it would get too scratched up, banged up, damaged, as we are not careful with our surfaces. He may be right? But I sure do love them. Check out that draining board idea.
These window films are so pretty! We have one on our front door and also in the sauna room but mine are not nearly as pretty (bougie!) as these ones. Check out the antique mirror one!
Diy Bits
How and why you bake your pinecones before crafting. Most all the snow has melted away so I am going to go pick up my spruce cones to do some kind of crafting with... not sure what yet, but if nothing else, a simple bowl of cones is so pretty.
How to dry oranges and keep them looking bright and vibrant.
Recipes
Mmm! Sweet and salty caramel sauce? Yes, please!
If you have never made this no-knead bread, you have been missing out. It is the best artisan bread ever, is even better than the Peasant Bread but takes so much longer that I make both.
This cider punch comes as a cocktail or a mocktail. Thought I was a lovely fall bevie idea. Going to try that alcohol free version.
This alcohol free wine trio looks amazing, too.
Christmas...
I put Christmas on the bottom as I know not everyone is really ready to start planning. I am not a big Christmas person, do not go all out, but I like to plan the little things that I do do, like planning a colour scheme to pick up paper and such, picking pinecones, and drying oranges. The little things. So, here are some of the ideas that I have pinned on my (secret) Christmas board. Keeping it Secret because I also pin gift ideas for the 'kids'.
It is exactly 4 weeks till first advent! Can you believe how fast that happened? This lovely advent wreath in a bowl idea. Plus the bits of greenery and candles, of course.
It is no secret that I love candles. I have candles for decor that I never burn, I have candles for all the seasons, I have scented ones that I burn to freshen the house or get rid of the wet dog smell... well, I just love candles. It is a very Scandinavian thing. I just grew up with candles everywhere, for every occasion. I recently read a candle bashing thread. Yikes! It gave me pause, for sure. So, if you are worried about the possible toxins that occur due to burning candles, here is a nice, healthy way to freshen up your home with a simmering potpourri instead. You can do it with anything that has a nice scent, though, even kitchen scraps like orange peels, rosemary stems, thyme... work so fine!
Happy Sunday! Wishing you all a perfect day~ Tanja
*Disclaimer. There are a couple of Amazon links on this post. As an affiliate, if you were to purchase an item(s) from one of the links, I get a wee small amount of money to support my blog. It does not cost you any extra to purchase through my link than if you went there on your own.
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