Kitchen Scrap Gardening

I have been reading a lot about kitchen scrap gardening. I checked this book out on Libby (my online library app) and I was intrigued. I can say with absolute confidence that I DO NOT have a green thumb, but I was able to find a few projects that I think I might be able to do.  I'll update my progress as I go. I'm sure some things will be a flop but others will do well. In fact, my oldest daughter has already had a little success with growing some lettuce. All she did was put the base of a head of Romain in the ground and a few days later it had leaves already sprouting. She also planted some carrot tops, and while we may not really get a crop of carrots out of it, they have already started to sprout some greens. My next project is going to be to try and get some herbs going from the fresh herbs I bought at the grocery store. I don't want to go to the hardware store to buy seedlings  and the basil my daughter planted never sprouted, so I'll see how it goes trying to propagate them from cuttings. Right now I have basil, mint, cilantro and dill cuttings. I might ask around on the neighborhood Facebook page for some more cuttings.

Potatoes

                                                         

Here are the potatoes we started. I found that some of my potatoes had formed buds so my daughter cut them and we let them dry for a few days. I planted them in a recycle bin in a sunny spot and watered them. I left just a little of the sprouted part sticking out. From what I've read I just need to add dirt as the plant grows to give the potatoes room to grow. I'm not sure that we will get much out of it, but they were just going to go in the trash anyway so why not put them to good use in the yard, If nothing else they will add some organic matter to the soil. I have another recycle bin as well next time I have to go to the grocery store I might try to purchase some potting soil so I can get something else going.  Any suggestions? (leave a comment if you do)

Celery and lettuce

I also planted some lettuce and celery in pots. Many of the instructions I've read say to start them in water, but the lettuce that my daughter started in her garden worked great without propagating it in water first. We shall see what happens. I am not too worried about it. I didn't purchase anything to make this garden. All I did was reuse things that I already had lying around.

Lettuce

My daughter just put the bottom of some lettuce in the ground less than a week ago and it is already starting to grow leaves.  She planted a few carrot tops as well.  They have nice cute little plants growing out of the top.


It has been nice doing a few little projects around the garden. I have never been successful at it in the past, but with kitchen scrap gardening I know that the only thing that I'm putting into it is time... and I have a lot of that right now... so what can I lose.




So far I have planted potatoes, carrot tops, lettuce, celery, and green onions.  I plan to work on propagating herbs,  and planting some ginger and garlic.  If you have any easy ideas on things to plant that are easy and cheap then let me know in the comments.

Ding Dong Ditch

Ding Dong Ditch....Remember that game? 

It went by other names as well... but basically it was a prank where kids would approach a stranger's door, ring the bell, and then run and hide. There are a variety of names for the game (depending on where you live). It is not a particularly creative prank, but at least it is a more innocent prank than some similar ones that were popular in my day like TPing houses (although this one might be welcome in these times of shortages) or leaving a flaming bag of nastiness on the porch.  

In this time of social distancing my daughters have been feeling low. Today my younger daughter asked if she could make cookies and deliver them to some friends. So tonight we rang the bell, stepped back to a safe distance, and waved..not exactly ding dong ditch... but a new era of ding dong ditch.  Random bell ringing with a prize at the end... not the giggling excitement of hiding in the shadows...  but cookies and a glimpse of a familiar face. And sometimes a gift for the bell ringers as well.

The cookies

Ding Dong

A tip for the delivery driver

The original Toll House cookie Recipe 

INGREDIENTS

1. • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
   • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
   • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   • 2 large eggs
   • 2 cups Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
   • 1 cup chopped nuts

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
   2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
   3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

When Buffalos Fly

It has been a long time since I have written a blog entry. I am really out of practice... and I am not really sure why I decided to write my first entry in years about Buffalo wings... but here it is. I am going to try to write something daily. Typically this blog was about food and food lore, but for now I think I'm just going to write about anything that I find interesting.

I often feel bored right now, but feeling bored doesn't have to be a bad thing. Sometimes it can force you to try new things or look at something common and day to day in a new way. Maybe if I write about it I will find ways to make the best of this time and put my boredom to good use.

Buffalo Wings

I love making hot wings. They are so easy to make at home and it makes things seem a little more festive. Especially now that going out to eat is not a possibility it is nice to add a little festive into the mix. 

Buffalo wings were invented at a bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964. They weren't popular outside of New York until the mid-80s. Now it is hard to imagine a game night party without them. They are usually served with blue cheese and celery. Although here in Texas you are just as likely to see them served with Ranch.

The classic buffalo wing sauce is made with butter and chili sauce, but now that there are so many restaurants devoted entirely to hot wing there are countless possibilities. They range from the tame all the way to the 5 alarm fire variety. Here are the two I make the most. If you have a good recipe for hot wings then let me know in the comments. You can even share a link to your recipe.

Here is how I make mine:

To cook wings-

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

Arrange wings on large foil-lined pan. Bake on lowest oven rack for 30 minutes or until crispy, turning once. I usually make a lot and so I can sauce them two different ways.

Classic Sauce:

• For 2 ½ lbs chicken
• ½ c. hot sauce 
• ⅓ c. butter, melted

Mix butter and hot sauce in medium bowl; set aside. Toss wings in sauce mixture until well coated. Serve with blue cheese and celery, if desired.

Spicy Korean Sauce:For 2lbs chicken

• ¼ c. gochunjang
• ¼ c. soy
• ¼ c. sugar
• 1 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 T water
• Green onions and sesame seeds to garnish
• 
  

Combine all but garnish and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium low and cook for 3-5 minutes.Mix butter and RedHot Sauce in medium bowl; set aside.

When I made these the other night I was in the middle of planning a multiplication lesson for my third grade class. Teaching from home is not really natural for me. Without the face to face interactions it I have to dig deep to find the personal connection to it... That is what inspired me to arrange my food into arrays and use it to teach hot wing and tater tot math.


I made buffalo wings last night.  I arranged the wings in 8 rows and each row had 6 wings.  How many wings did I make? If I divided the wings equally between myself, hey husband and my two kids then how many would each person get?