Making Some Gingersnap Cookies. 4.20.22

 After my mom's cousin Pearl died, my mom gave me the cookbook that she had inherited from Pearl.

It's mostly just sat in my baking cabinet.  Thanks to the pandemic, I've been baking more and got it out.  With feelings of nostalgia, I bought a Sunbeam stand mixer.  I didn't want a mixer made in "that" country. Plus I could have bought a Kitchen Aid, which ate certainly high quality, solid made-in-USA machines.  However, the big Kitchen-Aid mixers are too big and heavy for me, and the mini model still cost more than double what the Sunbeam cost.  Plus nostalgia, my mom had a Sunbeam.  This one is remarkably like hers.  More plastic, not as heavy, but it still reminds me of her.

So I used her recipe book to make a batch of gingersnaps.  I've never made them before, but it was pretty easy.  I love molasses, so these were right up my alley.

I wasn't able to spend a lot of time with my mom in her later years, but sometimes she sent me cookies.  I can look at these as a gift from her.

Edit:  I looked at the label on the bottom of the mixer.  Made in China.  Well, I will keep it but won't buy another from them if this one breaks.  I don't mind buying imported goods, but I think we should have the ability to determine where something is made before we buy it.

Planting Some Soraya Midseason Potatoes in Potato Bag. 4.20.22

 It was raining and I am feeling the effects of a shot from yesterday.  I was able to plant the potato growing bag that I made yesterday with five chitted starts.

Here is how they looked before I covered them.

Sewing a Potato-Growing Bag from Landscape Fabric. 4.17.22

I read in a book that potato-growing bags can be made from weed suppressing fabric ("Growing Potatoes" by Dion Rosser). But no pattern was provided. We have a roll of landscaping fabric so I decided to try. I measured the diameter of a half-barrel planted and went with that.

I'm making a second one with more precision so will give details when I post that. This one is roughly 2 feet in diameter, with sides that can unfold to 2 feet tall. The top and bottom are reinforced, and the bottom has about a dozen one inch holes cut for drainage, with button-hole type reinforcement around the drainage holes. The sides and bottom ate double layer of landscape fabric. I used denim-weight polyester thread so the seams wouldn't deteriorate with soil contact and moisture. 

 Here is the final result. I planted it with five Kennebec seed potato chunks. The sides are folded down and will be unfolded upwards as needed as I fill in more soil during growth.

This was so much easier than planting in the ground. Incredibly easier. Now the important test is to see how they grow and produce.

Kitchen Garden. 4.16.22

I'm pretty happy with the vegetable half. The fruit half will need a lot more tidying up this Spring.

First Apple Blossoms. 4.16.22

It's interesting, Gravenstein isn't the first to bloom. Scarlet Sentinel is the most prolific in bloom at the moment. It's by itself, with no apple trees blooming nearby. It will be interesting to see if it sets fruit. It usually does. A good, late pie apple that keeps well.

Others starting to bloom. Zestar got hit by the sleet and snow. Still lots of buds to open.

Summerred is also blooming. There are lots more to bloom over the next month.