Chili Time

Making chili doesn’t have to come out of a can or box. This is an easy recipe that you can bend and shape to fit your taste.

First I start out with some onion and pepper cooked through. You can use olive or coconut oil to saute them but I just go naked with this step.

Then I add some beans. I use black, red kidney, navy beans and pinto beans. Use whichever beans you like. I add some diced tomatoes and some tomato puree. You can use beef or chicken broth if you don’t like tomatoes. Some people like to add some sliced carrots, whatever floats your boat.

Next I add some green Anaheim pepper and Jalapeños chopped. I brown some ground beef and rinse it before adding it to the chili. I do this to make sure all the excess fat is rinsed off the meat. You can use chicken, turkey or sausage if you don’t like beef or just go vegetarian. Now for the spices. I add chili powder, salt and garlic a half teaspoon at a time, tasting as I go. Once you add it to the pot you can take it out so take your time and add spices slowly and carefully.



Lastly I add some Masa Flour. You can find organic Masa in white, blue or yellow. Again, add this slowly to thicken your chili.

Now it’s time to serve. A little cheese, some sour cream and cilantro and we are ready to eat. Plain yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream and the cheese and cilantro are optional. Cook from your heart and not by the book and you’ll end up with a great meal.

Stickers on Fruit and Vegetables- What do they mean?

Ever wonder what the codes on the stickers that adorn your fruit really mean?
I went to snopes.com to find out.  Here is what I’ve learned.

PLU is the name of the code which means “Price Look Up”. The codes are meant for suppliers and grocers and not really for the public.

Codes that begin with 4 and have 4 numerals in the code means that they were conventionally grown. This means that pesticides and fertilizers were used to produce a higher yield and bigger fruit.

Codes that begin with 8 and have 5 numerals in the code means that they are a genetically modified organism (GMO).

Codes starting with number 9 and have 5 numerals means they were organically grown.

You can go to: http://plucodes.com/search_wizard.aspx?s=1

Once there you can enter the code on your fruit to have it identified. Not all produce is labeled - especially the GMO kind. These labels are not mandatory so this may not give you enough information or the information you are looking for.

So the best number to look for starts with a 9 and means it’s been organically grown.  The ones to stay away from start with an 8 because these are GMO products.

No one knows the long term effects of GMO products. It’s estimated that 40 to 70 percent of all food products (fresh and packaged) contain some GMO products.  

Here is a good website that will help you avoid GMOs.

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com

You can get this as an iPhone app at ShopNoGMO and the price is free.
A great reason to give growing your own fruits and vegetables a try. Happy Eating-

To Front Load or Not- That is the question.

Now I know this has nothing to do with gardening other than washing your work clothes and gloves but when I find out new things I just have to tell you about it.
I got my front load washer and dryer because they were pretty, the latest thing and I thought that it might be easier to take clothes in and out of. I bought my special “he” (high efficiency) detergent and I was on my way.

I have a maintenance contract on my front loaders and when the service guy arrived he let me in on some of the monthly maintenance chores involved.
Before we get to that, you must know that you should keep the front door open when it’s not in use and not only that but you should keep the detergent door open as well. It’s really best to take the whole drawer out. This helps keep everything dry and free of moldy smells.  See the thumb print at the top of the drawer? Press that and it will release the drawer.

So now I have the door open and the drawer out.  Not so pretty!
Next are the monthly chores. You have to go to the bottom compartment where the drainage hose and catch is located.  First unstop the hose and drain the water out into a pan or bucket.  This will take a few minutes.  Next, unscrew the catch and remove anything that has gotten caught. I had a trash bag twist tie and a couple of pieces of pine straw in mine.

Now you buy some “washer cleaner.”  If you use the powder kind you’ll have to put it directly into the barrel of the machine otherwise it will just gunk up in the detergent drawer and you’ll have to run it a second time. I got this liquid cleaner from the Sears scratch and dent store for around $10.
I have a tub cleaner setting on my washer so I set it to that and filled my detergent tray up to maximum with the cleaner. If you don’t have a tub clean setting just use a quick wash cycle. I let it run on tub clean for about a minute then paused the washer and opened the door.

Next I took a clean cloth and using the soapy water in the barrel I wiped the rubber seal around the door and on the inside of the window.  I also took my finger and cleaned around the crevasses in the gasket. Do this very carefully because you could break the seal and then you’ll have to have the thing replaced. I started the machine up again and let it run its course. The best way to keep the tub smelling fresh every week is to put a couple of drops of lemon essential oil into it and let it run a short wash. You can buy high quality essential oil by emailing me at https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/growit


I was also told that around the third year of owning my dryer it would be wise to have a technician come out take the top and front off the dryer and vacuum off the coils. This would eliminate the build up of lint and prevent a possible fire.
So am I happy with the front load washer? Well, I can see that during the wash cycle the clothes inside are brought up to the top and kind of folded over.  Because of this I keep my loads small. You just can beat that swishy agitation of a top load washer and front loaders don't have that. For the maintenance and having to leave everything open - I wouldn’t buy another front load washer.

I’d love your opinion. How do you get along with your front load washer?

To find out how you can get Purify Essential Oil to add to your washing machine email me at https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/growit

Just add 3 drops of Purify to the load before you wash.

Fall Plants- Compact Strawberry Bush, Snow N Jasmine, Encore Azaleas and more.

I thought I’d show you my fall plantings. We planted all around the property fence line.

First up is the Snow N Summer Jasmine. It’s a ground-cover, is an evergreen and flowers white. It grows about 5 inches tall and spreads about 3 feet out. I’m told it has a nice fragrance so I'm excited about that.

Further down in it's own little corner we planted an Emerald Blueberry. This is supposed to get 18 to 24 inches high and should bear fruit next July. Again, I’ll let you know.

Next is an Orange Rocket Barberry. I quickly found out that this plant has thorns when I grabbed the first one and pulled it out of the pot! It’s deciduous (the leaves fall off the plant in the winter) and will grow about 4 feet tall. This is perfect because I don’t want the holly plants which are behind the Barberry to be hidden from view. It will give a nice step effect. The leaves start out coral orange in the spring, turn green in the summer and ruby red in autumn. These are deer resistant plants so if you have problems with deer you may want to try planting it.

Encore azaleas in red and white are planted in front of the others along the driveway. I think we planted 8 of these.

Purple Diamond Compact Loropetalum. These are evergreen and are deer resistant as well. This shrub gets pretty pink flowers in the spring and the deep purple foliage lasts all season long.

Lastly and the most exciting plant for me is this Compact Strawberry Bush. Starts out with white flowers followed by red and yellow strawberry like fruit. (If you look closely you can see the berries starting to form). This is a drought tolerant plant and can be used as a single plant like this one or as a hedge. It’s an evergreen. It will attract hummingbirds and butterflies. This blooms fall through late winter. And, if your dogs like berries as much as mine do, they aren't poisonous. That was my number one concern.


That’s it for the fall. I can’t wait to see all this grow up and fill out. What have you planted lately?