Making Organic Affordable

picklewart.blogspot.com

Organic meat, eggs, cheeses, and produce is a wonderful thing. It's better for you and for the environment too. But it's not always better for your wallet. The struggle is trying to make healthier choices for your family while not doubling the grocery bill! How to make it all fit into your budget?

I found some recommendations on what produce is more "susceptible" to pesticides and what produce is a little safer to purchase without it being organic.

Here's the summary of recommendations from the Environmental Working Group and the Organic Center's dietary risk-index scores. The research bases the ratings on residual pesticides as well as the level toxicity of that pesticide.
The produce is listed in descending order of risk

Buy Organic As Often As You Can:

Cranberries
Peaches
Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Imported Grapes
Carrots
Pears
Cantaloupe

The Cleaner Options:

Onions
Avocado
Corn
Pineapple
Mangos
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwifruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
*Tomatoes
Sweet Potatoes

*I guess I have my own opinion on this though... the tomatoes. I feel like the thinness of the skin and the level of pesticides used in our particular area lends itself to make it worth it to buy tomatoes organic if possible.

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Easy Sweet Freezer Pickles!

picklewart.blogspot.com

OK, so I'll admit it. I'm not a canner... at least not yet.
So, in the meantime, I have had to find a way to not only USE all these cucumbers my garden is producing but also how to STORE all these cucumbers.
Thank goodness for Cucumber-Cream soup and now, Sweet Freezer Pickles!

So, here's how you make these UBER SIMPLE Sweet Freezer Pickles:

In a large saucepan, heat to boil:
2 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 TBsp salt
2 TBsp mustard powder

Stir and set aside to cool slightly.
Thinly slice 8 medium sized cumbers and 2 medium onions.
In a very large bowl, cover cucumbers and onions with the liquid mixture.
Spoon vegetables and sauce into containers or zip bags and store in the freezer!

Yep, it's really that easy.
Now that's my kind of cookin'!

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Where have all the eggs gone?

picklewart.blogspot.com

Woe is me... the chicken egg counts have been down - way down... for WEEKS. I just figured it was the heat, the stress from recent fox attacks, whatever...

Nope. We may have found the culprit in all our missing eggs.

Does it disturb anyone else how Courtney PROUDLY holds this gigant-o snake? ...and how he brought it in my kitchen!?

He found it in the north nest box curled up with a broody hen. I'm surprised she hadn't pecked his eyes out!

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My Baby Boy is ONE!

picklewart.blogspot.com

My baby boy is now officially ONE YEAR OLD. It's the end of a "baby era" here at the Goff house. At least, we believe it's the end of an era!
Garrett had his first birthday party here at the house with lots of friends and family! We indulged in cake (my first attempt at home-made marshmallow fondant) and ice cream, had fun with presents and playing, and then went off for naps so that everyone could return that evening for grilling out and some firework festivities!!

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