LLLLUCKY MEEEE!

I am so excitedly tore up!  After several attempts and help from others, I have finally found my own Morel Mushrooms!!!!!!!  I have combed these woods on our farm for weeks, not constantly.. geez I have to work, looking for mushrooms and finally today it paid off in a big way!

Last Sunday, we went down to our friend's farm to mushroom hunt.  They already knew of a couple of patches of mushrooms and so nicely showed them to me so that I would know what exactly I was looking for and what type of environment you can find them in.  I think it's sort of luck of the draw on the area to find them because one of the patches that they had was by a creek and the other on a hill.  I had heard and read already that they can most likely be found in the woods (of course), close to water, around rotten stumps, poking up through the leaves. 

Today, I got off work early and totally meant to spend at least an hour on the Christmas Corner of our attic, but when I got home and heard the attic fans on which come on automatically when the temp in the attic reaches 100 degrees, I decided to find something else to do.  I woke Miss Pepper up from her nap, got my rain boots on (cause I can tromp anywhere in them), put my bug spray on and headed into the woods.  For a long time we didn't find much except for a box turtle that Pepper tried to become friends with.  Then after a while Pepper headed back up to the house and I kept traipsing down a different path. 

I was mid talking-to-the-woods, pleading for it to show me where they were hiding.  "Just one!"  I said out loud.  Then to the right of my path I spotted a mushroom.  I thought I was imagining.  I blinked my eyes real fast like it was going to run or disappear. I seriously could not believe my eyes.  I reached down, after snapping a few camera shots, gently broke the stem and put the mushroom in my bag.  This was a hot spot because right after I found that one I looked around the same area and wound up finding eight Morel mushrooms.  One of them was right on the trail by a big tree.  Nothing hiding it at all.

After Shaun came down to check out the mushroom hot spot, we hunted mushrooms for about another hour in different areas but wound up coming out of the woods with the eight mushrooms that I had found there. 

Another lucky thing for me was that Sally's Mom had shown me how to fry the mushrooms on Sunday so after soaking and rinsing them for a while I fried them up like a pro.  They were wonderful and I got to share them with Shaun, Jody and Stevie.  It's always nice to get to share something special.  It makes for an extra lucky day!

Easter Eggs... Hollow Style

I love colored Easter Eggs as everyone should but for some reason hate to waste the inside of the egg.  Something about just what that hen went through to create it.  Anyway, instead of hard boiling my eggs to color I poke holes and blow out the insides into a bowl and make omelets, use them in cake batter, make a quiche for cryin out loud... I just don't like to waste them. 

I saw a documentary of a single lady once that said you can freeze eggs.  Not while still in their shells, but as yolk and white.  She also said that you could half an egg.  By cracking the egg into a bowl, mixing it up and dividing it in two.  There's a good hint for the single cook when the recipe calls for one egg. 

So to get the insides out of the egg, you gently and I mean gently poke a hole in the top of the egg using a straight pin.  Just push the pin into the shell ever so slightly and it will go. 

Next put your fore finger over that hole and turn the egg over to have bottoms up and poke three small holes like a triangle and then break out the center.  This hole needs to be bigger than the top hole and poking three right together makes it a lot easier to get this one the right size. 

Put your thumb and finger over both hole and give it a good shake to break the yolk.

Stop laughing right now so you can do this step!
Over a bowl, put your lips on the top of the egg and blow the insides out into the bowl.  If they don't come out very easily, take your pin and either make the bottom hole a little bit bigger or use the pin to mix up the egg.  Shake it some more and blow again.  Come on... puff those cheeks up! 

Run water into the bigger hole to wash any excess yolk out of the egg.  We don't want no stankin eggs!

When you color these eggs you have to hold them under the color water obviously because they are empty and not heavy like boiled eggs.  They will also retain a little water so drain them well.

To color my eggs I used a coffee cup half full of boiling water, 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar and 5 or 6 drops of food coloring.  You don't have to have that store bought stuff. 

Waalaa... empty Easter Eggs and no egg guts wasted!

Oh No It broke... Paint it!

Saturday, while potting flowers and making a dirt mess of my potting station which is what it's for, I discovered that one of my small clay pots was broken.  I admit I don't use clay pots much for planting.  They are beautiful and have wonderful qualities but if I use them for plants that need to be watered often, I have to water even more often because the clay obsorbes so much of the water.  My aloe veras love clay pots.  They don't even require water hardly ever. 

I didn't let the loss of a pot slow me down.  I picked up the pieces and thought... chalk board paint!  Then I could write messages on the pieces and place them on top of the dirt in my potted plants.  I felt brill!  Plus it was yet another use for the paint that I feel like I have a ton of when in fact I only have a quart because that is the only size the hardware store had so I think I'll be using it for a very long time.

I ran upstairs, got the paint brushes and paint and headed back down and amidst the pots, dirt, mulch and plants I started painting pieces.  It was super duper easy and looks cute in the pots with messages written in chalk like Smile :) , Pink Petunia, and Hens & Chicks.  Plus I didn't have to throw away my teeny broken pot.  I wound up painting the other two small clay pots and putting seperated hens and chickens in them.  Fun on top of fun :)!  I almost couldn't handle it all by myself.

Now, if I could only find chalk that you can sharpen!  I always have trouble writing small with a regular piece of chalk. 

Pretty Pots to Plant In

I just cannot be normal.  I refuse to purchase normal pots from WalMart to put my summer beauties in.  Well, unless they are on serious clearance and big enough to repot an inside plant in.  Instead I am like a scavenger when thrifting and at yard sales trying to find items large enough to put plants in. 

At my Thrift Store, I call it mine because it's the one I frequent, two weeks ago I looked up to the top of a long clothing rack where they display kitchen glassware at one and and pots and pans at the other, and spotted a big pot.  I darted, and I mean darted, towards it, picked it up and immediately admired it's size, age, nice wooden handle and it's price wasn't bad either at six dollars.  Six dollars is a tad high but it is a good sized pot that a lovely summer geranium would soon call home.

This spring and summer I ask you to venture out.  To break out and find something unusual to plant something wonderful in.  Take the kitchen outside, take the laundry room outside, take the bathroom outside (ok not like that!)  I am going to show you how to take an old stock pot and turn it in to a planter and also give you more ideas of things you can look for to plant in from the last couple of years. 

First select the pot to plant in. 

If it has no possible way to drain water you're going to have to make this happen.

If the pot is thin enough, or has rust holes already, simply use a hammer and nail to make the hole.  Sometimes you have to use a drill and drill bit. 

Line the bottom of your pot with gravel or rocks then top it with potting soil.

It helps to insert the pot your plant comes in into the dirt to get the correct size hole.  Then easily remove the plant, dirt and all, from the pot and insert it into the hole that you made. 

Fill all around the plant with potting soil and top with mini chunk mulch to help keep the soil moist. 

Give your new plant in it's new pot a good drink of water and a smooch of good luck!

Here are some other items I have found are fun to plant in.

Old chip can.  Used the lid on a bird feeder.

Large, enamel bowl.  It already had thin rusty spots so it was easy to knock holes in.  The chair... came with no seat.  I did spray it pink.  When you're single you can paint anything island pink.  Shaun doesn't go for pink so much :)

Yes, it's a hospital pee pot.  And I did clean it first :) (enamel pot planted in in the background)

This lovely Pyrex nesting bowl I bought at a yard sale and luckily it already had a hole in the bottom.  Who the heck would get rid of this?

This, I thought, was a good idea.  I did have a bit of trouble cutting the matting  to line it with but it finally worked and did great all summer.  Not bad for a twenty five cent old kitchen basket at a garage sale!

Good luck and send me picks of things that you find to plant in!  I'd love to see the great ideas!