I can understand buying certain convenience foods at grocery stores. Grabbing a box of Hamburger helpers is better than succumbing to the lure of fast food. Waffles are time consuming to prepare for everyone if you are needing to get to work. I get it. I don't begrudge people buying convenience foods. Sometimes time demands it, and sometimes you just don't feel like taking the time to do it yourself. Can I share a secret? I too have bought convenience foods. I know the combination of everyone's gasp just sucked some poor shmuck off the street. It's true though. There are times when it is easier to grab a ready made pizza or frozen dinner.
Now that the true confessions part of my post has been taken care of; can I just say that there is a line I will not cross. There are certain things that don't pay to grab at the store. For example, I do not buy already mashed potatoes refrigerated in a plastic country crock, or Cinnamon sugar mixture in the spice section, or my personal pet peeve, the already made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off. Drives me crazy the thought there is a market for these things. The mark up on these items is ridiculous. When potatoes cost at most 45 to 50 cents a pound, I don't understand paying 3 to 4 times that amount. Same for everything else I listed. Take the time to make your own cinnamon sugar. Just take about 1/2 cup sugar and 1tsp cinnamon(or more if you like) and mix it up in jar or other container. Make your own PB and J and cut the crusts off. Use the crust if you want to make bread crumbs or croutons.
Okay my vent is done for now.
On the homestead, I can say I have been able to prune my fruit trees (and but good too cause I have to be able to get all the spray to them this year. I WANT PEACHES!). My plan is to prune them back a good bit and open it up some so that the spray I use can reach all parts of the tree. I probably won't get fruit this year. My thought is if I can get ahead of the leaf curl, and fruit moths this year then maybe I will get fruit next year. I am not out anything because I am throwing away at least a bushel of peaches every season. Not Cool! Being outside, even in the cold has only reinforced the longing to get back out in my garden. I am starting to make my plans and dream of a wonderful garden this year. I am thinking we are looking at another rainy summer so I need to take that into account in my plans. This means I need to put in at least another two concrete raised beds. In those three raised beds I will be adding some extra sand and organic material to help with drainage. Hopeful that will make those areas more productive. Well that and the addition of the chicken poo.
Other plans on my more than ambitious list are building a small green house, and hopefully a better chicken coop. We also have some house type repairs that need to be made. Are going to do it all? Uhhhh No! We will pay to have some of the repairs done cause there are things I have no clue about when it comes to home repair.
So now that I have dreamt aloud.. What are your spring dreams?
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