Buying Local: Week 24

It’s our last CSA box this week. I am kind of sad, but am also kind of happy. We have an unreal amount of apples for the size of our fridge (which is not even full size). I have to play Tetris to get them all to fit in the drawer.

That means I am going to have to do some baking or giving away. Anyone want some apples?!

Next week I will be reviewing our entire CSA experience. So look out for that!

What We Bought:

• Bread from Local Foods
• Sausages from Local Foods
• Eggs from Local Foods
• Mustard from Local Foods
• Spinach
• Delicata Squash
• Brussels Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Assorted apples
• Leek
• Russian Blue potatoes
• Sweet peppers
• Green Beans

What We Learned:

• Look out next week for when I review our whole local foods/CSA experience!

 

So go enjoy the season, but do it wisely!

It is finally starting to feel like fall.

Finally.

It has been a bit too warm for a bit too long (climate change cough cough).

Now that there is a chill in the air, I can finally fully embrace it.

When the stores become inundated with “Happy Fall Ya’ll” pillows and pumpkin spice candles in August, it can be hard not to go overboard.

I have been trying to keep decorations to a minimum and keep them secondhand, handmade, or natural.

Both of these pumpkins came from garage sales.

Last year I knit this fall themed banner with leftover yarn.

Halloween can also be celebrated without having to purchase a brand new costume each year. In college, I went as a Jedi solely from stuff I found at Goodwill.

 

Buying Local: Week 22

Thank goodness apples keep for a long time because we are overflowing over here. I already gave some away to friends on Saturday and am even considering bringing some in for people at work.

This week is the end of the sweetcorn, which I am kind of happy about because I am corned out. Too much. And we still have some in the freezer…

What We Bought:

• Green Beans
• Broccoli
• Empire and honey crisp apples
• Arugula
• Red mustard
• Yukon Potatoes
• Kalettes  (Kale sprouts)
• Sweetcorn
• Spaghetti Squash
• Apple cider
• pumpkins (for decorating, not eating)

What We Learned:

• K pickled his first batch of green beans, we shall see how they taste
• I think I said this before, but omelets are great ways to use up some produce, paired with some homemade home fries

 

DIY: Knit Bunting

I am a sub-par knitter.

I have made probably 10 scarves and 5 sets of baby booties, but I have not ventured much beyond that.

First pom poms

First cable-knit scarf

Two years ago, I took the leap to try knitting socks using double pointed needles and I failed miserably.

Anyway, since I had some orange yarn, I wanted to do some crafting and knit these cute little pumpkins to put on my kitchen table. All the patterns I looked at called for DPNs. So I pulled out my DPNs that still had the 3 inches of poorly knitted sock attached. Once I slide that off, I attempted the evil needles again.

As per the last time, it was a mess. No amount of YouTube videos could save me. At that point, I decided to just knit something I knew how to do.

After perusing Pinterest for a bit, I came up with the idea to create a bunting banner. I was going to knit 6 triangles in 3 different colors. As I started knitting, the project evolved further. I started to envision felt leaves stitched onto each triangle. Then I thought of the button box my mom has of a million old buttons. Those would be accents sewn on.

First, I knit all 6 triangles using this pattern in yellow, orange, and gray. Second I needed to trace the leaves. Since I do not have a printer, I decided to just freehand the leaves and trace onto the felt from there. After I traced each leave twice, I carefully cut them out.

I played with color combinations before choosing which leaf would go where and then started to stitch them on.

Once the buttons were finished being attached in little clusters of three, I wove a piece of jute string through each triangle with my darning needle to be able to hang it up.

My weirdly planned project ended up turning out really well! It is a nice addition for homemade fall decorations. I loved it so much, I may start working on a Christmas version!

What do you think about it? Would you want one of these in your house to celebrate the changing of the seasons?