Independence Days Challenge - Week 4

1. Plant Something.

I started all the brassica seeds, except the Brussel sprouts. With so much going into the garden this year, and the fact that I can take them or leave them, well, they just didn't make the cut. I also started the celeriac, which I apparently missed last week :)

2. Harvest Something.

Nada. It's still February March! But I noticed the other day there are green things starting to show in the garden....

3. Preserve Something.

Nothing this week. But I did make another batch of my homemade hot chocolate mix.

4. Waste Not.

I made pulled pork again last week (at the request of family members who were helping with drywall - I guess they liked it?), and really didn't want to throw away the bone, which still had a good amount of meat still on it. So, I chucked it in a pot, added water to just cover and some diced onions, carrots and celery, and simmered it until the meat fell off the bones. I added some rice, canned beans, diced jalapenos and some spices - my first ever bean soup! I wasn't too keen on it when it first came off the stove, but the next day, re-heated for lunch?  YUM!! And so cheap!

5. Want Not.

I bought some cheddar cheese that was on sale, to add to the stash. I grate it before I freeze it, and can use it for making cheddar-jalapeno biscuits, topping meals like chili, and even to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

6. Eat the Food.

Leftover veggie soup from last week, leftover pulled pork, leftover chili from the family meal... I love leftovers. And they were all so much better accompanied by the buns from the canning swap - I REALLY have to learn to make bread!

And since I was cleaning and chopping veggies anyway for the bean soup, I made a pot of pasta sauce with homemade sausage, the tomatoes from the canning swap, and, of course, diced onions, celery and carrots.

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Attended "Niagara in Jars", the first local canning swap meet.

8. Skill Up.

I really have to stop using this challenge as justification for buying books :) But, after hearing about this book from two different sources in the same week, and then seeing it at the bookstore I went to after the canning swap, I figured it was fate!