Welcome March ~ 2 0 1 7

Our goal for March is to continue pulling weeds.  The recent rain we've had this year has brought in oodles of weeds, ALL OVER!

Front yard, green house {explained in a bit} and side yard where the garden is located are just covered.  We've been slowly plugging away at pulling them, it's a vicious circle.  We will also pour boiling water on the weeds, this works just as well as any harmful herbicides that I refuse to use.

After we get the weeds pulled we'll start putting veggie seeds and some starts in the ground.

Can't wait for some fresh veggies.  Our winter garden didn't really take off this year.  I attribute it to the fact that I injured my leg and haven't been able to get out into the garden and fertilize, everything just seems to be growing so slowly.

Our herbs that we potted are doing fabulous, even the strawberries are hanging in there.  We have two peach trees to plant yet, need to figure out placement for them.  Our Border Collie has other ideas for our main backyard so most of our garden will be planted on the side yard where the girls were.  The trees can go in the main part of the back yard, but will need to be Border Collie proof.

Our greenhouse still needs to be completed.  We've decided that since 4 of the seven councilmembers are against chickens we just as well use that space as a greenhouse.  We still own our property, but they get to dictate what we can and can't do on it.  The hen house itself will make a nice storage and potting area.  We can put shelving units in the main area outside of the hen house to start seeds during the cooler months.

We'll also start trying some veggies in the front yard, sort of integrate them into our landscaping, per code, we can do this as it is considered landscaping.

We'll be putting bush beans, cucumbers, zucchini, okra, tomatoes, artichokes, and lots of peppers. Probably some others I can't think of off the top of my head.

Enjoy the weather and gardening, it's going to be a beautiful time to get our gardens going.

M & S
Uptown Grange

Spring Fever

It's been so nice the last few days, a bit of rain, but still nice, low to mid 60's all week.  Normally I'd be freezing, but I can feel spring in the air.  Yes, I know technically there is still two months before spring is officially here, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming and catching the fever.  Even Grangeman has the fever along with Doodles.

We ran to Summer Winds Nursery today.  I like that nursery over the big box hardware stores because they get different plants in that you can't find in the big box stores.  We ran there because I was after some strawberry plants, lemon balm and Thai basil.  I got two out of the three and then some....

We also got a tomato plant that we will plant under the orange tree on the side yard where the girls were.  Right now it is the only place to plant as we have a puppy and he runs through our raised beds, there is no way we would have any plant left if we put in one of those.

Lemon Balm is the top plant AKA Melissa, a very expensive essential oil, the lower plant is Stevia.

Japanese Giant Red Mustard is the top plant, this plant tastes a bit like horseradish/mustard combined, it will get pretty little yellow flowers on it, on the left are Chives & the lower right is Italian Oregano.

Rosemary

Thyme

Basil 
Grangeman just recently planted this basil, we had numerous self seeded basil plants here, but they were getting rangy and more woody than plant so they got replaced.

We decided to put these in pots to determine where there best placement will be once it starts getting hot outside.  We will also be able to move them inside of the house if need be, I'd like to try to keep them rather than replace each year.

I know we will more than likely get a few more cold snaps before spring officially gets here, but I just can't wait.  Spring is my favorite season! 

M & S
Uptown Grange

Garden – January 2 0 1 7

It's been too long....

December was a very eventful month. Not only was it the Christmas, but my father fell and broke his hip. Thank the Lord he is okay, he had surgery and is getting settled into his rehab and a new living situation.

I planted seeds back in late September, well, the broccoli and brussel sprouts came up nicely, we are still waiting for them to produce, hopefully soon. We had one swiss chard, one cauliflower & one kale come up and that was it. A few beets came up, but were a sorry excuse…

Part of the problem was I took a tumble in mid-October and injured one of my knees. I already have OA in both knees, but this compounded the pain and it was very difficult to get out to the garden, walk or even do anything (including laundry). I am doing physical therapy to strengthen my core and legs at home, and am now on some meds (much to my displeasure) for the pain and inflammation. In February, hopefully my insurance will approve it, I will be getting injections to add cushion to my knees.

But I digress…

Anyhow, the meds are working a bit, so I was able to get out into the garden and get some seeds planted this past weekend. I planted carrots, spinach, beets {golden & detroit}, swiss chard, kale, bib lettuce & cabbage. After they were planted I took some of our homemade compost and sprinkled it over the top, this should add extra nutrients to the ground and the plants as well. I also sprinkled it around the veggies that are already up hoping to give them a boost.

Grangeman started some Carolina Reapers & I started some artichokes inside of the house, they are starting to take off as well. It’s always an adventure, sometimes in futility but not always, you don’t know until you try.

Living in Arizona, we are blessed that we can garden pretty much 365 days a year. Some Arizonans baby their plants through the hottest parts of the summer {late June through July} to have fall and even winter crops, we’ve not had much luck with this, but of course, we are still learning the ins and outs of having a backyard farm, what works and doesn’t work and because we both work full time it can be a challenge to stay on top of things, but we do the best that we can.

There is a bit of news regarding legalizing backyard chickens where we live, but will save for another post.

Happy Trails

M & S
Uptown Grange

Apple Picking

We had the opportunity to pick apples this weekend.  Date Creek Ranch, which is located about 20 miles outside of Wickenburg, AZ, had their 50th anniversary this weekend.  Each Labor Day weekend they allow the public to come and pick their own apples.  We wanted to go last year, and were planning on going one the 2nd day, but they announced that all their trees were picked before we had an opportunity to go so this time we made sure we got up early and made it up there in plenty of time, we were the 2nd family there.

Keeping in mind I've never had the opportunity to pick fresh apples before, this was a fun adventure.  Doodles went along with us as did my mom.  It was a nice morning, the weather was beautiful, for late summer in Arizona.

I made sure we had our own containers to bring the apples home in, they did have boxes to use, but I wasn't sure if we would be able to take them home.  And not having picked apples before, I figured I'd just bring our own baskets.  I knew I wanted to make a bunch of different types canned apples, so I made sure we filled up our two baskets.  Well, uh hum, 80 lbs later, I think we have enough apples to make a bunch of different types of canned apples!

You could say I got a little overzealous!! It's s good thing I love apples!

I'll share pictures and recipes!

M & S
Uptown Grange

Being Placed on the Back Burner

Each month I faithfully call or e-mail our council members office to find out where we are at in the process of getting the ordinance changed to allow backyard chickens. Sometimes I get a generic response and other times I get no response, and I have to follow up again. I don’t mind, it’s the nature of the beast, I know they have other more important things on their plates, however, a time frame would be nice.

When I inquire, I ask when/if there will be any community input meetings prior to the change and have continually been told that they know staff is working on it, but they do not have any information at this time to share and that they will check with staff and get back to me. Well, I’m still waiting.

With council summer break approaching very quickly I would like the following questions answered:

1. Are there going to be any community input meetings at all?

2. Is there a commission or board working on writing, reviewing or making recommendations for the new ordinance or is staff doing this?

3. If there is a commission or board working on this then what commission or board is it?

I’ve asked if there are any meetings that I can attend to gain information about this change and have not been advised of any such commissions or boards.

This may not seem important for everyone and even insignificant for most, but for those of us who wish to own chickens legally in the city of Glendale this is an important issue.

In all honesty, this cannot be the first time that a city ordinance or zoning has been changed. There are other cities in the valley that allow chickens, and have recently changed their codes to allow them. 

Staff & Council have been aware of this since June 23, 2015, it took staff over 5 months from this item being requested as an Item of Special Interest on August 4, 2015 to compile information to bring to council. The information that was provided was what any person could compile, like I did for the June 23, 2015 meeting, yet it took staff over 5 months to gather it and present. It took me less than a month to gather the information and 1 day to prepare my request for council for the June 23, 2015 council meeting.

What is the hold up?  This is an honest question and one that needs to be answered by staff to council, without any excuses.  If this was something that a staff member wanted I can guarantee that it would have been fast tracked.

Meanwhile, Grangeman is working on a new chicken hen house and run for some new girls when the time comes. There is still some work that needs to be completed like the hard wire cloth for the top, finishing the west side wall and then some cleaning up.

On a side note, have you noticed anything missing from Sahuaro Ranch Park?  Like a certain 2 legged creature?  Apparently, a citizen complained about the chickens.  The city contained them in an area and determined that it was costing them about $500 a month to maintain their food.  There were over 30 chickens (that is not a lot).  They were getting about 19 eggs daily.  Did the city maybe think that well, we can donate the eggs to a food bank, or we could SELL them at a farmers market to recoup a portion of the cost of maintaining them?  

M & S

Uptown Grange

Spring Garden ~ 2 0 1 6

We've been working on the Spring Garden 2 0 1 6 for a few weeks now.  We've planted Cucumbers, Zucchini, Okra, Bush Beans, Jalapeno, Ghost Chili, Green Chili, Banana Peppers and Tomatoes {yes, we have a ton from the former chicken yard, but the more the merrier}.

We've weeded, weeded, weeded and weeded yet again.  It's like someone sprinkled weed seeds in both of our yards {probably our neighbor who turned us in for having chickens}..lol  There is still more weeding that needs to be done, it's. Never. Ending....

We get all of our vegetable seeds from Baker Creek.  We've been very pleased with the quality of seed and the reliability of them as well.  One of the other perks of ordering from them is they always throw in a free seed packet.  They are also real responsive to any questions or concerns that you may have about your seeds.

Cucumbers {in the back ground is the bane of our existence PURSLANE}

Zucchini
{either Fordhook or Black Beauty, I love zoodles and sauce, we also love zucchini sliced and on the grill}

Bush Bean {we planted these in the Lasagna Planter we did in the fall}

One of our volunteer tomatoes, no idea what type, but looks tasty.

We did buy 3 tomato plants
{the one on the far right is a San Marzano grown from seed last spring, it survived the winter}

We did order some of the cucumbers we grew last year as the ones we planted this year are looking a bit sad, so we have some as a back-up.  We also order Fordhook and Black Beauty Zucchini seeds, I've already put some more in the ground.

Winter Garden 2 0 1 6

This January we took a small chance and decided to try some to grow some veggies from seeds that we've never grown and some things we have been having a hard time growing.  

We planted everything in the former chicken yard on the west side of the house.  We planted brussel sprouts, turnips, butter lettuce, broccoli, napa cabbage and peas.  Everything took it time coming up, at least 2 weeks, but finally about a week ago things started popping up, everything except the brussel sprouts...of course, I can't seem to win with them.  We'll see how well everything does for the next month or so, before we have to pull everything to put in our spring garden.

the swiss chard patch doing well along with some volunteer tomatoes...
looks like I need to do some weeding out though....

the peas

Turnips (we've never grown these before)

the kale and volunteer tomoatoes....

Volunteer tomatoes, thank you girls!

We are zone 9 and have had our share of freezes and freeze warnings the past 2 months.  We knew we were taking a chance, but we really didn't have anything to lose.  With this garden being on west side of the house and between houses we haven't had to cover anything, we've been pretty lucky.  

The cabbage and the spinach that we planted in the fall are growing a bit, but for some reason they never took off and grew into normal size plants.  We'll see if they change their mind before we need to put in the spring garden as well.  

Everything in the ground except the tomatoes will be yanked by the middle of March.  

If you live in the Phoenix Metro area, the city of Tempe is having a free compost day.  See this link for more information.  It's open to all valley residents.  City of Tempe ~ Free Compost

...the feast of the harvest, the fruits of thy labors... Exodus 23:16

M & S

Uptown Grange

Swiss Chard & Kale Kimchi {Fermented}

Our swiss chard and kale are still thriving, we were trying to figure out a way to preserve them so that we can start getting the garden bed ready for other veggies. As I was researching “preserving swiss chard & kale" I ran across several Kimchi {Kimchee} recipes. I then noticed the health benefits and it seemed like everywhere I turned Kimchi was being recommended for leaky gut, IBS and a general immune system boost. I thought to myself, well, why not, rather than using napa cabbage we can use swiss chard and kale, I found several recipes and sort of combined them.

We gathered a basket full of mixed swiss chard & kale and 2 random radishes that were in with the kale all fresh veggies from our garden.

We then rinsed all the veggies in the sink and let them dry on the counter on top of a clean dish cloth. Once dried we started chopping, cutting, slicing, grating etc. all of our veggies that we were going to add to our Kimchi.

Once everything was chopped, cut, sliced and grated {into 2 bowls} we sprinkled with salt and started working everything together with our hands. The salt, even the little bit that we used in both bowls, really melts down the swiss chard and kale. We started with 2 large glass bowls and ended up being able to combine the bowls and it barely came halfway up the bowl.

Grangeman wanted a spicy spicy one so he added simbal to his Kimchi, I only used whatever red pepper flakes we added prior to mixing the veggies.

Swiss Chard & Kale Kimchi Recipe

1 lb. swiss chard
1/2 lb. kale
3 carrots
1/2  daikon radish
2 red radishes {not required}
1 T ginger
1 T turmeric
1 T garlic
1 bunch green onions
2 T pink himalayan salt or sea salt {do not use regular table salt}
1 T red pepper flakes {more or less to your taste}
1 – 2 T cayenne pepper {more or less to your taste, we did not add this this time around}

You can use pretty much any veggie, other options are zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, and napa cabbage {which is the traditional}

Instructions

1. Mix all of the above together until wilted down. 
2. Place mixture into your container of choice {we used regular canning jars for our mixture} and leave at least 1 inch head space at the top
3. Push mixture all the way down until covered in its own juices {brine}
4. Put lids on loosely so gas can escape {otherwise your jars may explode} 
5. Place jars in a cool area in your house 
6. We placed them on a plate in case they overflowed from their short fermenting process. 
7. Shake jars each time you walk by them {don’t forget to tighten lid for shaking then loosen when done}
8. After day 1 you can taste your Kimchi, if it is not to your liking you can leave it out for another day or two, place in refrigerator after no more than 5-7 days.
9. Enjoy for up to 3 months
10. Incorporate about 1-2 t a day depending upon your preference, go slowly and increase the amount as you feel you can handle the reason for this is each person is different and your body may not agree with it right off the bat {gas, bloating}

We used colored ball jars except the small one that is is the front.

Health Benefits of Kimchi & Other Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are a natural probiotic, there are claims that Kimchi and other fermented foods can prevent cancers, help/cure leaky gut, prevent heart disease, help lose weight, boost your immune system {70%-80% of your immune system is in your gut}, help to lower cholesterol, help your skin & hair, and even help slow down the aging process.

So make your gut & body happy and eat fermented foods. {Consult your Dr. if you have high blood pressure or other health concerns before you start enjoying Kimchi}

...the feast of the harvest, the fruits of thy labors... Exodus 23:16

M & S
Uptown Grange

HaPpY NeW YeAr! 2 0 1 6

As the New Year is upon us all with hopes anew, here is to wishing you and your family good health, promises of a brighter tomorrow and wonderful year ahead. 

We are hopeful that we are able to raise backyard chickens again, bountiful vegetable gardens, good health for us & our loved ones and peace.

While we don't have our girls any longer, this is still one of my favorite photos!

Happy New Year from Uptown Grange!

M & S
Uptown Grange

Making Your Own Laundry Soap

Several years ago {like 8} I became more aware of what foods, chemicals, environment and other unavoidable toxins can do to your body. Since then I’ve tried to become more aware of the foods I eat and to avoid toxins whenever I can feasibly do it. {Like I never microwave something in a plastic dish}

One of the items I decided to change in our family was our laundry detergent. I bought a name brand and it seemed to work just fine, but then I started reading ingredients that I couldn’t even say and started hearing more about what these ingredients can and are doing to our bodies. 

I decided that I wanted to start making our laundry detergent. Now, it is more dense than the laundry detergent you buy at the store, but it was worth it to me in the long run. No, our clothes don’t have that nice smell anymore, but I know they are clean. 

I use Borax, Baking Soda and Zote’ or Fels Naptha. On occasion I will add Biz.

RECIPE (you can use your own judgement too)

4 Cups Borax

2 Cups Baking Soda

1 Cup Biz

1/2 Bar Zote’ or Fels Naptha (grated as finely as you can get it)

Mix together with a whisk or wooden spoon in a large bowl. Once completely mixed together put inside of a jar or container that you have chosen to store you homemade laundry detergent in.  I rescued a small scoop from another detergent and that is what I use to put the soap in my washing machine.  We have an HE washer and dryer so we don't use as much detergent as we used to.  Plus you don't need as much to wash your clothes with this homemade laundry detergent.

Knowing that it is healthier for my family makes the difference for me.  

M & S

Uptown Grange

First Fall Garden {Former Chicken Yard}

 Back in September we planted beets, swiss chards, carrots, radishes, kale and green beans in the former chicken yard. We were afraid that since this yard was recently vacated by our 8 girls that there might be too much nitrogen in the dirt. 

Well, the radishes, swiss chard and kale and doing wonderful, in fact they exceeded any expectations exceeded any previous time we’ve planted them. Baker Creek seeds really do provide very good seeds, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results of these three crops. 

Kale surrounded by tomato plants

From Left to Right: radishes, carrots, swiss chard and beets

The beets and carrots however, did not fare as well. They did get big beautiful tops, but did not provide much in the form of beets or carrots to eat. We were afraid that this was going to happen with these 2 crops, but it was definitely worth the shot. We did learn a lesson and you can’t learn without trial and error. 

When we pull the garden, we will share what we ended up doing with everything. I believe that they will all be blanched for the most part, but I’ve also heard a lot about kale chips and I wanted to try to make some of those.  {the carrot tops already made it into the composted}

The green beans really did climb well, but they haven't produced any beans to date.

Oh yes, lets not forget about our volunteer tomatoes in the former chicken yard. We have several that have blossoms on them. Once all the other crops are pulled we will put them in tomato cages and cover them so they can be in a sort of greenhouse. Hopefully we won’t need to plant any tomatoes this coming spring, just depends upon if they end up being indeterminate tomatoes or determinate.

Bottom left is our Kale and behind the tomato was our little radish patch.

M & S

Uptown Grange

The Hunt….Quick Update!

Unfortunately there were just as many people there when they returned later that week as there were when they left on Saturday.

So lesson learned, put in for an earlier hunt in a less popular area.  Have your own camper, travel trailer or pop up so you are not at dependent upon the individual who owns the travel trailer and their timeline.

Oh, yeah, and listen to your wife when she says to head up a day earlier than necessary, you’ll get a better camping spot, and can scout out before everyone else shows up and spoils the hunt for everyone.

M & S                                  

Uptown Grange

Tidying Up…I’m Overwhelmed!

I had such grand plans and such motivation. There is the room of doom, Dudes bedroom {it’s very messy}, the linen closet, the laundry room, the pantry and the other pantry that all need to be more than tidied up. They need MAJOR de-collectioning!

When I think about tidying up, I am excited, I have the motivation, I even get a bit of a rush, "YES, I AM GOING TO DO THIS!", but when it comes to doing it, that’s another story. I’ll get to the point where I walk into the room or open the door and my motivation just deflates….COMPLETELY!

Sometimes I have the determination to get the cleaning done, but normally that is because I am at my wits end or I am expecting company. Since these areas are not seen by company I am not as determined.

Like right now, I feel the determination to get these areas cleaned and de-collectioned, but the thought of actually doing it makes me feel overwhelmed.

I’ll read a book and feel the determination and then the same happens….deflation.

I guess I will have to put on my big girl panties and just dive in and get it done! Make an agenda of what I want accomplished and give myself a deadline of when I want it completed for each task.

I wonder if I give myself a small treat for each accomplishment completed by my deadline if that would work.  When everything on my original agenda is de-collectioned I could treat myself to a pedicure or manicure, something I don't usually treat myself to.

Is this the weekend that I finally conquer my anxiety with my collections?  I've saved some boxes up from work so I have something to put stuff that I no longer need, items to donate and trash in!

I’m going to give the agenda and treat idea a shot, I’ll let you know what happens.

M & S
Uptown Grange

Baby It's Cold Outside...It's too CoLd For Us...

I know two posts in one day, I am making up for missing a few weeks and I found some motivation last night!

They say the threat of freezing temperatures is over, for now anyway, and we are glad.  We are not equipped for this cold weather in Arizona especially in November; we had to dig out our winter coats long before we put up our Christmas tree.  The weather we are seeing now is our normal January/February weather.   

We're ready for regular fall weather, well actually that’s a lie, we’re ready for spring weather and spring gardening.  However, our basil is going crazy and so are our roses. We decided 4 days too late that it was time to cover the plants at night, so hopefully we don’t lose any due to frost/freezing.  It is only supposed to get down to 41 degrees tonight but given our location sometimes it dips a bit below that, so we will cover again tonight.  We will also water the plants as well as that has helped in the past to keep them from freezing, again 4 days too late.

As I’ve said before, we are not a cold weather family.  We like the heat and warmth of spring and summer.  And of course, we love the spring veggie gardens!  AND hopefully this year we will be able to have some spring chickens! xoxox

Come on SpRiNg!

M & S

Uptown Grange

The Hunt Is On…Literally!

Grange man and Dude were drawn for late season bull elk in 5b up near Lake Mary, AZ. The season is from the Friday after Thanksgiving to the following Thursday, so only 7 days. From what I’ve been able to see Arizona Game and Fish issued 590 tags to this same area for this time frame. While 6A just across Lake Mary road they issued 825 tags for the same time frame.

They went up on Thanksgiving Day after we ate our dinner, made camp about 4:00 p.m. and started scouting. Grange man said there were people camping at every corner. The decision was made to come home on Saturday evening after they had tried all day, and that they would head back up on Tuesday or Wednesday after most of the campers left {hopefully}. They saw a total of two bull elks and only 7 hanging while they were up there.

Wednesday was the day, the are leaving around 3:30 in the morning so that there is at least 2 full days left for hunting.

Send good hunting juju or vibes, we could use them.

M & S

Uptown Grange

Item of Special Interest {Backyard Chickens} Council Workshop – Postponed to January 19, 2016 Glendale, AZ

I spoke with Ryan Lee {assistant to Bart Turner} today. He advised that the workshop scheduled for December 15th to discuss backyard chicken keeping has been postponed until Tuesday, January 19, 2016. See below e-mail from Ryan:

Hi Shelly,

Staff is currently researching and preparing a report to the City Council regarding allowing chickens as pets in residential neighborhoods. We were informed last week that the report will be shared with the Council on January 19, not December 15. We apologize for the delay and look forward to seeing you at the Council Workshop on January 19.

Best regards,

Ryan Lee
Council Assistant, Barrel & Cholla District
Glendale City Council
623-930-2250

If you haven’t had a chance to contact your council member you still have over a month to do so, this also means that we have the extra time frame to reach out to more city of Glendale residents.

Please spread the word about the meeting change, I know there were a few individuals including us that were planning on the meeting this month.

We have also started a petition on change.org to allow backyard chickens.  If you reside in Glendale or are thinking about moving to Glendale please sign it.  If you've decided not to buy in Glendale because of the backyard chicken restrictions you can sign it also, please click on the below link.

Make Backyard Chickens legal for all city of Glendale, AZ residents

Not sure who your council member is? Please see below map.

City of Glendale - Contact Your Councilmember!

We received a call from the assistant to Bart Turner {Barrel District}.  They are requesting that any / all city of Glendale residents that want to legalize Backyard Chickens to contact their council member before the December 15th Workshop.  I would suggest e-mailing that way you have a record, I would also like to suggest including Bart Turner in the e-mail as this is his item of special interest.

ANY RESIDENT IN GLENDALE....This is for any city of Glendale resident please contact your council member even if you are currently allowed to have chickens on your property.  Show support for those that currently are not allowed this option.  

They requested that you send your name, district and address.  HOWEVER, I would only include your name and district if you already have chickens illegally, we don't want anyone else to get into trouble.

If you need help in writing your e-mail feel free to contact me at uptowngrange@gmail.com.  You can also reach us on facebook at Uptown Grange.  There is always the option to research some suggestions online as well.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy or technical, just a simple letter showing support of allowing backyard chickens in the city of Glendale on regular residential lots.  If you want to add more, please go ahead, the more information the better.  I wouldn't limit the number of chickens that you are requesting to have on your lots.  We aren't saying a minimum would be good, however, if they allow to few it may put some families that already have chickens in an awkward position. 

Remember Sahuaro District resident's just recently had a council member change.  See the updated map below for your council member.  Also included below is a direct link to your council members e-mail address and their phone numbers.

Councilmember Bart Turner {Barrel District)}
City Council Office: 623-930-2249
Email: bturner@glendaleaz.com

Vice Mayor Ian Hugh {Cactus District}
City Council Office: 623-930-2249
Cell: 602-615-7672
E-mail: ihugh@glendaleaz.com

Councilmember Lauren Tolmachoff {Cholla District}
City Council Office: 623-930-2249
Email: ltolmachoff@glendaleaz.com

Councilmember Jamie Aldama {Ocotillo District}
City Council Office: 623-930-2249
Email: jaldama@glendaleaz.com

Councilmember Ray Malnar {Sahuaro District}
City Council Office: 623-930- 2245
Email: rmalnar@glendaleaz.com

Councilmember Samuel Chavira {Yucca District}
City Council Office: 623-930-2249
Email: schavira@glendaleaz.com

Building a Compost Container

FINALLY!  The Grange man got some pallets and create a compost container.  

We weren't sure exactly where to place it.  We wanted it to be somewhere where the dogs wouldn't be able to get into it and enjoy it {remember the manure & turds}.  We also wanted it some place that would be easy access should we be able to get chickens again so we can put their manure in there as well.

The spot is the side yard where to girls were, towards the front of the house, that way it is far enough away from ANYONE'S patio.  

Grange man found 3 full pallets and a 1/2 pallet.  This worked perfectly.

The finished product, Grange man used about 2 dozen drywall screws

A view of it from the garden gate and you can also see our fall garden bed

We had been "collecting" some of our discarded veggies, egg shells and coffee grounds so we already had some "goodies" to put inside of it....{it smelled like a good organic earthy matter}.

Hopefully it will be functional for us, and a good spot, and hopefully the girls {when we can hopefully have chickens again} won't bother it too much, but we can always block it off from them.

M & S

Uptown Grange

Pumpkin Puree

GrEaT pumpkin adventures on the Grange.

One of our local stores and the one that Grange man just happens to love had pumpkins on sale for $0.01 {yes, one penny} each, not per pound, just each. Holy cow, can you imagine…well, we did, I sent Grange man and Doodles up there to get a few and they were already back to regular price, figure’s that our luck. They did come back with 2 pumpkins though, in addition to the pumpkin that Doodles already picked up a few days before Halloween, so we had a total of 3 pumpkins.

The plan I had for these pumpkins was to simply them to puree them. Some recommend that you buy the smaller pumpkins but I figured, WHY!?! if you get the bigger pumpkins it means more puree.  {I'm wishing we would have got the smaller pumpkins...I honestly don't know what I am going to do with all this puree}  The pumpkins were about the size of a volleyball and basketball. Not unreasonably sized, GrEaT for carving, but that isn’t what we were going to do with them.

I had this image in my mind of the awesome smell of pumpkin wafting through the house as they baked. To me pumpkin is a smell that defines fall….but without the nutmeg and other spices it really doesn’t have a smell or even much of a taste....so that was a bummer.

Grange man helped me out, he cut off the tops and we gutted them the best we could. {We saved the seeds to bake later…recipe to follow}. Then he cut them in half and then half again and then in half again. We had 4 baking sheets of cut up pumpkin. Yes, it was a tad bit overwhelming.

Roasted Pumpkin Puree Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Whole Pumpkins {however many you are ambitious enough to bake and the size you prefer}

3. Cut out top of pumpkin {like you normally do}

4. You can either cut in half and gut pumpkin or you can do it the old fashion way by gutting from the top

5. Cut up into manageable chunks {4” to 5” square or triangular} you can put these upside down or right side up on your baking sheets

6. Bake from 45 – 60 minutes or until fork soft

7. Let cool

8. Remove pumpkin skin and slice into 1 – 1 ½ inch chunks

9. Put into food processor with the grater attachment and the chop attachment to get a fine puree

Depending upon how much you are processing, you can either remove the puree directly out of the mixer or pour into a bowl. We made a bunch so we poured ours into a bowl and repeated step 9 until all of the pumpkin was pureed.

This is our first 2 pans...as you can see we've only filled 2 bags and we have much more to go...oy vey!

10. Put about 1-2 cups into a freezer zip lock sandwich bag {Grange man decided to make some of them extra full}

11. Lay flat and freeze

I’ll share recipes when I get a chance to start making stuff with the pumpkin puree. I love pumpkin and so does Doodles, the dogs even love pumpkin so they will get some dog treats made for them too. They got to get in on the act too and had a few chunks every now and then.

Grange man just kept saying “I sure hope you like pumpkin”…."because that is a lot of pumpkin"

M & S

Uptown Grange

Canning ~ Sauerkraut

On September 26, 2015 the Hubs started his second attempt at making home made sauerkraut.  There are some changes that we need to make to the recipe as far as how much salt to add.  The nice thing about cabbage is, it is cheap to do our experiments until we have it fined tuned.

The Hubs chopped up the cabbage real fine and added salt and mashed the two together until the sauerkraut was getting watery.

To hold down the cabbage so it would say immersed in its own liquid, the Hubs used a plate with a rock on top {the rock was inside of a zip lock bag}.

This is after 38 days this is the end result.  The Hubs used 2 heads of cabbage and a bit too much salt, but we will know for next time.

1 Quart, 2 Pints and one 1/2 Pint

This is the recipe we will use next time.  It is from a vintage Kerr canning book, {that my folks left behind for us}.

Use good, sound heads of mature cabbage.  1 pound of salt with 40 pounds of cabbage; or more realistically, 2 ounces ( 3 1/2 tablespoons) with 5 pounds cabbage.  One pound fills 1 pint glass jar.

Remove outside green and dirty leaves.  Quarter the head and shred the cabbage finely. Put 5 pounds cabbage and 2 ounces of salt into a large pan and mix with hands; we would use the wooden masher we have.   Pack gently into the crock {or whatever container you are using, we used a food grade plastic bucket} with a potato masher.  Repeat until crock is nearly full.  Cover with a cloth, plate and weight.  During the curing process, kraut requires daily attention.  Remove scum as it forms and wash and scald the cloth often to keep it free from scum and mold.  Fermentation will be complete in 10 to 12 days.

As soon as the kraut is thoroughly cured, pack into clean KERR Jars, adding enough of the kraut juice, or a weak brine made by dissolving 2 tablespoons salt into a quart of water, to fill jars to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar.  Put on cap, screwing the band tight.  Process in a water bath for 15 minutes.

We lefts ours for 38 days, and then canned it today.  Hoping it turns out okay, we would like to use the sauerkraut we made today on Ruben sandwiches.

...the feast of the harvest, the fruits of thy labors... Exodus 23:16

M & S
Uptown Grange