Independence Day #6

This is actually a scheduled post as I've been away for much of this week (I get home sometime today!) That means I haven't done as much as I might otherwise.
1. Plant Something: nope! I haven't been around to tend to planting this week ... hoping to get some overwintering crops into the allotment soon.
2. Harvest Something: Fairly successful on this front ... we have a bunch of winter veggies in good shape & have been sharing them too.
2 lbs Spring Greens (Value £1.40)
12 oz Turnips (Value 56p)
lbs Potatoes (Value £)
4 oz baby carrots (Value 85p)
Herbs for cooking (Value £1.50)
Total value this week: £4.36
3. Preserve something: I have been a bit slack on this front. I haven't dried any herbs and as we started late in the year, there wasn't an abundance for freezing - next year will be a totally different story.
4. Prep Something (clean, mend, declutter, organise, learn new skills - be ready for what might come): Ongoing decluttering ... &, hardly a green issue but, I have started organising Christmas preparations: gifts that need making, cards etc. I'll be donating a bunch of handmade stuff to DS4's Christmas Fayre too (the deets will be on my craft blog starting early November!)
5. Cook Something (experiment for variation!) Not much experimenting goes on around here but I have cooked the odd meal. I baked apples (yummy!) made a few pasta dishes, made a huge stew.
6. Manage Reserves (don't waste bounty). Not much going on here. We are doubling quantities for much of our cooking ... stuff like white sauces, which we make from scratch & storing the rest in the fridge (it keeps well for a week ... never lasts longer than that! LOL). This week I didn't buy many veggies as the boys don't cook them when I'm away - but the ones I did have to go with a roast; there were too many, so I cooked them all & made a veggie bake (for me) with the leftover veggies & some white sauce from the fridge. Added a bit of grated cheese to the top ~& my next day's dinner was ready to bake in five minutes flat! I had some bruised cooking apples that needed using ... stewed apples anyone?
7. Work on local food systems (buy local, promote green, give away seeds or plants, start local initiatives): My dad came over on a flying visit (he lives in Bulgaria now) & will be sending me some seeds early spring. I gave some excess veggies to my mum (spring greens) & took some up to the in laws with me (more greens, mixed salad leaves).
8. Reduce Waste: I've flat-packed & stored some large cardboard boxes (they usually end up in the recycling) to cover the prepped ground on the allotment ... keeps the soil warmer & the weeds down. The ongoing re-purposing of glass jars, beer bottles, toilet roll tubes, bread bags & veg/meat trays continues ... as does my campaign against carrier bags!