Pests, Pools, and Potato Soup. Random enough for ya?
Holding hands at the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum
I really miss writing in a paper diary. It has been years since I have written in my own personal diary, apart from random notes to self on loose leaf paper, but that doesn't feel the same, and a blog does not cut it either. I thoroughly enjoy reading through old diary entries, and being reminded of the little things that once were a big deal. (Speaking of big, this post is long.. Scroll to the bottom for a soup recipe!!)
It has been quite awhile since I have even logged into this steemit account. I know, crazy, especially after being accepted into #TribeSteemUp!!! I am slacking, and I KNOW I am, because a couple friends have been asking me what the heck is going on, and I totally appreciate the push to continue!!
🤪
I have lots of excuses piled up for my absence, but the most honest one is that I've become addicted to this gasp TV show called "The Vampire Diaries." Don't laugh! It is really corny and full of high school drama (at first…), but for some reason I became glued to the TV. My husband gives me a hard time about it, and my 4 year old says, "no vampires!" if we sit down together to watch something. HA… My whole family hates the show. One night my husband had a friend over, and they suspected I was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. They returned to the kitchen to see if I needed help, but instead found me eating the last slice of chocolate cake and watching my beloved TV show. Hey, I AM pregnant, ya know, and yes, I did lick the icing off the cake tray too.
Baby Number 3 on the way! Photo taken around 17 weeks.
Apart from my lame addiction to the TV recently, I have been super busy promoting my home-based businesses selling hemp products, CBD and essential oils, celebrating birthdays and other holidays, attending weddings, getting ready for Doah Fest (a family-friendly music festival) and other camping trips, driving to and from drum lessons, reuniting with middle school best friends, and (the biggest job of all) caring for my outdoor garden and indoor hydroponic units. The AeroGarden yields great results, yet once I harden the plants and get them into the soil, bugs destroy the majority of my beautiful bounty before it has a chance to thrive. An auntie of mine heard my complaints and recommended Neem Oil, and seeing as she is a believer in organic everything as I am, I promptly purchased a bottle and put it to the test. It works amazingly, as long as I remember to reapply every 7 days, or after rainfall. I am curious if I can use the Neem oil on the hydroponic plants, because for some reason, I am having a terrible time with bugs inside as well. I keep finding larvae in the seed pods. I inspect them many times a day, and remove the larvae with a toothpick as I come across them, which has reduced the amount of flying bugs considerably, but has not solved the problem by any means. These little guys are friggin' smart too. I have to be real quiet and move slowly and try not to breathe on the seed starting tray or else the larvae notice me and hide! I set out a trap with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap, but it has only attracted one or two bugs so far. I am not positive what kind of bug I am dealing with, and think this Neem oil can't possibly harm the hydro plants. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.
Hydroponic Unit 1 with Bug Trap
Crazy how fast plants grow! Only 11 days after planting!
Larvae in pod
Larvae on paper towel
A little back history on my outdoor garden… We reside in a heavily wooded suburban area that we share with many critters like deer, rabbits, fox, mice, opossums, raccoons, et cetera, so my husband and I built an enclosed garden on a retaining wall. This area had been just dirt and weeds for many, many years, and we were determined to make use of it. We used chicken wire to keep out the big animals, but our gate isn't flush with the rest of the fence so there are small cracks a mouse could sneak through. Since I have been applying the Neem oil things are looking better out there, and the biggest job now is to pull thorny weeds, which grow rapidly in our clay soil. Hopefully, I have enough mulch to lay down to help tame the job. I would love to use my compost, but not sure how to go about that just yet. I've been adding to it regularly for 2 years now, so I'm sure the compost is in great condition. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Garden Entrance
Large gaps that need work. Thinking about digging down and putting chicken wire below dirt to deter small animals from crawling underneath gate.
Butterfly house, which has, so far, only housed spiders. 😭
Evening Primrose, eaten by deer, but still thriving.
Sage
Jalapeño devastated by bugs. 🌶 The only plant in the garden bought elsewhere instead of started in the hydro unit.
Broccoli 🥦 is still holding on despite only having one leaf. It looked so beautiful before going in the soil! I have more broccoli in the hydro unit so all is not lost, but still a sad sight.
Beefsteak Tomato 🍅 holding on to dear life.
Sweetie tomato! This plant has had it easy compared to the rest.
Blueberry.🍇 Apparently, blueberry plants need a partner for the best results. Also, it is in the fenced garden to deter birds from stealing berries, though it probably won't produce fruit until next year or even the year after. I'm fairly new to this plant. I had one in Oregon, but was forced to move abruptly. The landlord probably ripped out my beautiful garden. My poor babies! 😭
Eggplant! This is used in my moussaka recipe (which you will read about soon!) There are more eggplant seedlings in the hydro unit. Soon I will be able to harden and then add to these beauties! 🍆
Elacampagne is a medicinal herb. This is my first time growing it. Definitely looks like something I'd call a weed, but I am excited to see the results. C'mon bugs, let me educate myself!
This basil, along with at least 9 other plants, were lost to the bugs. They were so pretty. The others I can remember now are Flax, another type of Basil, calendula, other types of tomatoes, another broccoli, strawberries, and blackberry. Sad, but a learning experience. I wish I had known about Neem oil beforehand!
An onion from the pantry that didn't want to be cooked an eaten! So, I covered it in dirt and am hoping for the best! This is a first for me too.
By the front door: English Ivy, Persian Shield (eaten by deer, but is making a comeback), and Rabbits Foot Fern (which somehow toppled over in a storm or by some animal, the dirt and plant fell out, the pot cracked almost completely in half, but is still looking okay.)
On the top deck, starting from the left then from top down: Holy Basil (can't remember the proper name, but it smells so sweet), limequat (a tropical that must come inside during our winters), Wandering Jew, some succulent, a cactus, pineapple🍍, fern, and an indoor Jasmine (outdoor during the summer).
Compost built behind the shed.
Compost close up
I have many things I'd love to share with you, and they're pretty unrelated, so if you bear with me I'll get it all off my chest in one post rather than a few. I want to share all the OTHER things I have been up to other than working in the garden and watching my shows (let's face it, "The Vampire Diaries" is basically modern day soap opera, which I swore I'd never watch, ha!).
The most exciting of all is our new collapsible pool, which already has a hole in it. I suppose I should write to the company and ask for a replacement or refund, because I highly doubt I was the cause of it. My husband and I were thinking about using super glue, or maybe a hot glue gun, not sure if either idea would work, but I suppose if the company won't honor a refund or exchange what's the worst that could happen? The pool came with patches, but the water spits out with too much pressure for it to do any good. It's such a small hole and I only spent $40 on it that I'm not too highly motivated, though for that price it is pretty badass! My whole family can fit in the pool comfortably and it is pretty deep. It came with 3D goggles for underwater exploration of the pool floor which is decorated with fish, turtles, and other sea creatures. The pool has definitely been a blessing on these super hot and humid Virginia days.
Not filled up completely, but enough to cool us down! Don't mind the boobs....🤰 they are all over the place these days. 🤣
Here is the hole.
For the Fourth of July, we stayed home and enjoyed the AC during the day. Normally, we would be marching in a local parade, but I opted out this year due to my pregnancy and not wanting to burn in the sun, or pulling the wagon with my two heavy boys inside! It is only a mile long, but then we have to walk back to the car another mile, and it's just too much hassle. So, the boys threw some poppers just before it got dark out and then we watched the Macy's fireworks display on TV. The boys were wild about it! Next year we will definitely do something more exciting since babe will be around 8 months old by then.
Speaking of babe, my health insurance application finally was accepted and we will soon be able to peek at babe and find out what babe really is, a "Viera Viola", or a "Sebastian Rutledge." We've had these names picked out for a LONG time now, way before finding out we were expecting. In preparation for babe, I've been wanting to make a special stuffed animal, but so far have only made 3 organic pillows, one for my baby belly and the other two for each of the boys. The idea was for a toy that won't make me cringe when the toy heads for her mouth! When I originally found out the dangers of plastic I went through a mad rampage and threw out LOTS of plastic: everything in the kitchen, most of the chewable toys, and all of our clothing made of polyester or other synthetic fabrics, except for my wedding dress which unfortunately is made of rayon.
pillows
The final thing I wanted to share was FOOOOOOD!!! I've been craving all kinds of food lately, and after a stint of eating out A LOT, I have finally returned to my roots and cook most of our meals again. We sure wasted a large chunk of our tax return on eating out… it is nice to get a break from the kitchen, but it's also unnerving not knowing what is in the food. For example, we drove to Michigan with my folks to attend a wedding. My parents eat McDonald's and other fast food places regularly, but MY family has boycotted them for over 2 years now. Well, with Dad driving and making all the decisions, I experienced the WORST kinds of stomachaches that I usually don't encounter unless my lactose intolerance returns. My husband was the smart one on that road trip, he simply went hungry instead of subjecting his body to that crap. Anyway, my two favorite meals right now are Moussaka and Potato Soup!
Moussaka straight out of the oven.
Moussaka about to be devoured.
The Moussaka recipe is one I found on allrecipes.com, but made subtle changes to (gotta add your own flair, ya?), and the Potato Soup is a creation of my own. Yay, finally I can say it is MINE! Also, I made some chicken stock and used my ice cube trays to store it in. WOW! It has come in handy like crazy.
Straight out of the tray.
How I use the cubes, normally two at a time. This was a bechamel used for a basic pasta I made recently.
Before the trays, I would store the stock in mason jars in the fridge and sometimes wouldn't use all of it before it went bad. The trays allow me to pop the stock right into the freezer after dunking the pot in an ice bath. The whole process is much easier and less messy. WIN-WIN and I totally recommend everyone do this! Makes it easy to pop the stock cube out and add to any recipe, without needing those yucky chemical-laden bouillon cubes, oh yaa.
Potato soup, not as thick as I prefer, but still tasted delicious! Like I said, only one serving was leftover!
Goodie goodie soup spoon.
I'd like to share my potato soup recipe here:
BRUTLEDGE'S POTATO SOUP
Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups diced potatoes (peel if you must, but the skin has all the lovely nutrients)
1/2 cup celery (diced or sliced, it only matters if you have super picky eaters)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 jalapeno, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, or more if you like
1 pound ground sausage
3-1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons Better-Than-Bouillon chicken (I used 1 tablespoon of the bouillon & 2 cubes homemade stock)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Directions:
- Put potatoes in a large stockpot and add just enough cold water to cover. Salt the water. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, salt, and pepper.
- Cook sausage in a cast-iron skillet (preferably), on medium heat. Remove meat with a slotted spoon, leaving grease in pan. Add the cooked sausage to the pot with the tender potatoes.
- Cook the onions, jalapeno, garlic, and celery in the sausage drippings until soft, adding oil or butter if necessary. Add these veggies to the stockpot with the sausage and potatoes. Remember to stir occasionally!
- In the same skillet, make a roux: melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until browned and thickened. Slowly pour in milk, whisking frequently (almost constantly) to avoid burning the milk. Whisk until thick. DO NOT BOIL, though a low simmer is okay. Add this cream sauce to the stockpot with the potatoes, allowing to heat through, BUT AGAIN, DO NOT BOIL!!
The last time I made this soup I doubled it and we were left with only one serving! I highly recommend doubling, or even tripling, the recipe if making for a family of 4. I completely forgot to double the roux and it still turned out fine, just not quite as thick. So depending on how thick you like it, you may be able to half the roux if making as is. Also, the soup tastes fine when using a pound of sausage in the doubled recipe too, instead of 2 pounds, though 2 would be more hearty and tasty.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you made it to the end of this post! 🤯 Definitely try the soup and moussaka, and please share how it turned out! Thanks and much love to you. I will try to keep this blog up and running, though it does take a lot out of me. I probably spent a good few hours getting this all together, which is totally fine, but it is time taken out of my day that I'd rather spend with my family or being outside. I am halfway between wanting to share ABSOLUTELY everything with the world and just hiding under a rock, going completely off the grid. My personality waivers each day. Maybe we are all Gemini's (two sides to every face), but really I'm a Cancer, through and through. I don't think I need to explain that. Toodles!