The Week That Was 17th April 2022

Time gets away from me, especially if I don't add to my list as things are done.

One reason I've not posted is I've been busy! Strange that, considering it is the busy time of year, with the garden and preserving happening.

This week:

Stale bread was dried to make breadcrumbs.

Oranges and lemons were sliced and dehydrated for winter.

Dehydrated pizza sauce.

Dehydrated pasta sauce.

Laundry was dried on the clothesline on sunny days.

All our meals were cooked using ingredients in the pantry.

I finished a couple of dishcloths for the gift box, and two hanging kitchen towels that will be a gift.

I set AJ the challenge of researching printers. My printer stopped working and while I don't print a lot, when I need to, well I need to. I did price getting printing done but boy is it expensive so I'm hoping he'll find one, otherwise I wait until the EOFY sales and see what pops up.

I dropped my car at the panel beaters, they'll have it for three weeks. After waiting over three months, another three weeks is nothing.

Fed the fruit trees with worm tea.

The first Pink Lady apple on this tree and it's a beauty!

 Little oranges on the trees fed with worm tea this week

Put the veggie peelings into the compost.

Saved the cardboard from some parcels for the garden.

Planted up three limes and a lemon tree that Hannah bought me on clearance.

Ate fresh raspberries, straight off the canes, for my breakfast every morning.

Replanted peas, parsnips and mini turnips that were eaten by something.
Squashed a snail - at the very top of the orange tree! This particular tree is in a pot, on raised bricks and it's about 130cm tall. I can honestly say I have never had snails at the top of my fruit trees before, or at least I've never found them.

Made a triple batch of focaccia filling. We had some for lunch on Saturday and I bagged up the rest. Hannah took some home, and the other packets are in the freezer. Used capsicums, zucchini and eggplant from the garden and garlic, onion and mushrooms from the preserves pantry. Only bought ingredient was tinned tomatoes, bought in bulk and cost 40c. Total cost for 8 meals for two: $1.40 (everything other than tomatoes were grown in our garden, from seed).

The eggplant were very slow this summer, but they are making up for it now. I'm picking 5 - 6 every day, good thing we like it.

Worked on Home Among the Gum Trees.

Bought a half leg of lamb from Aldi ($11.99/kg) for Easter Sunday dinner. Wayne is cooking it on the barbecue as I type, and the veggies are ready to go into the oven. The bones will be used to make soup for the coming week - it's going to be cool.

Planted a little wooden wheelbarrow with lavender grown from slips. The wheelbarrow is made from scrap pine, and I whitewashed it to take away the bright yellow-ish colour of the pine. Embellished it with a little wooden birdhouse I painted and distressed. We are thinking of adding both the wheelbarrows and the bird houses to Home Among the Gum Trees - what do you think?

Labelled Lacey's water bucket so everyone knows it is her drinking water.

What have you done to save money, time and energy this week?