Nanoose Bay Community Cupboard

Well the first meeting went really well for our local food bank. There were lots of good ideas and information on how we can access resources from Parksville through the Salvation Army and also ideas of how to run our program. I think it will be a case of seeing what the needs are and then meeting them as best we can as a community.

Speaking of needs, I heard a very young couple are in need of a crib. If anyone has one to donate, please e-mail me and let me know. I'll pick up between Victoria and Courtenay. They also need baby clothes and supplies I imagine. Let me know what you've got. And accept my thanks in advance!

Hey, I got those second hand diapers today and I'm stripping them (diaper mom term for "removing soap build-up") but they look to be in really great shape considering their age and price. I got 20 Motherease one-size plus 10 liners for $50, including shipping! WOW! Love them! I'm going to finish making liners out of those old towels I got from the SOS thrift store for $1. I think a hotel donated them, but they're still in better shape than half my own towels! :)

So Spring Break begins tomorrow. The kids are excited, I'm wondering how to keep them busy and fed for the next 2 weeks. They still have a little funding so I'm looking at a spring break day camp if there's room.

In The Coop

We had more chicks hatch today and I'm telling you, no two look the same. It's really fun to see them all sun tanning under the heat lamp or scratching around for food. They're quite entertaining and lively. There may be a couple more hatch tomorrow if we're lucky. The bigger chicks downstairs are growing like weeds and eating like teenagers. Outside in the coop all is quiet.

In The Kitchen

Oatmeal or cereal for breakfast. Lunch was cheese on toast and pistachio pudding. Dinner was liver and onions with gravy, mashed potatoes and peas. The liver is just the regular beef liver (not the expensive calves liver) cooked in a frying pan. I fry the onions first, then move them to a serving plate while I cook the liver. It only takes a couple of minutes per side until done and then just place it on the bed of onions. This is a meal we serve with lots of gravy! The liver is not overcooked so it is tender, not like the shoe leather I've eaten before. Mashed potatoes and green veggies are always good to round out this meal. Total cost was $8 and served 6 generously.

Tomorrow the kids are having a baking lesson so we're going to make biscuits and bread. I might teach them something like bannock so they can make it in a pan while camping. It's easy, filling, hot, and everything tastes so good when you're camping anyway that bannock and beans with wieners is almost a gourmet meal!

In The Garden

Still snow, though it's going gradually. I did treat myself to a pack of strawberry plants at the feed store today...Sshhh...dont' tell Steve. They just got them in and were unpacking them. I bought a pack of everbearing and I'll pick up some June bearing when they come in. Not too many though as I'll pinch out the flowers of half the plants so they produce runners (baby strawberry plants) and not berries. Then I'll be able to take more plants with me when I move.

Strawberries do surprisingly well in pots so that's always another option. If you can't afford one of those expensive barrels for berries, you can just cut holes in a big 11.4l bucket, staggering them in layers, and plant them in that. First make a tube out of some left over chicken wire or something and place it in the bucket after you cut some drainage holes the size of a nickel at least. Fill the tube with gravel. This helps with drainage. Next you fill the soil to the first layer of holes, plant your strawberries, and fill in the soil over the roots that are inside the bucket. The crown and leaves stick out through the hole of course, which needs to be about 2 1/2 to 3 inches across. You just continue planting and filling the holes all the way up until 6 inches or so from the top. On top you plant your last 4 plants so they grow upwards and this helps shade the soil to conserve moisture and looks attractive. Tips are basically these: Use good soil made for a planter box as it has extra water holding capability. Mix a little slow release fertilizer into the soil before planting. Have good drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket. And keep this watered. The tube of gravel will help keep it from getting waterlogged but in hot dry weather all planter boxes can dry out very quickly and take a while to become fully saturated again when you water them, so it's best to check them once a day and water slowly in the evening or earlier in the morning before it gets too warm. Also, similarly to hanging baskets and pots, don't just water them with the hose until the water runs out the bottom because that often doesn't water the entire depth of soil but just runs off. Soil that is very dry shrinks and pulls away from the sides of a pot so when you water is effectively runs down the sides and out the drainage holes. Give some water, move on to another pot and come back again once the first lot of water has had a chance to be absorbed. Better yet, avoid this by not letting the pots get too dry in the first place (yes I know, easier said than done)!

Oh, gotta run! I think my sister is having her baby! YAY!

Best Wishes!

Elizabeth