Lettuce Lettuce Everywhere

I have cracked the code for consistent lettuce production. I’ve got a row in the big garden that is producing, a couple of beds in the herb garden that will be ready in another week or two, and I seeded a row where the arugula was. (It bolted.) That should give us lettuce well into the fall, and when I can no longer grow lettuce outside, I’ll restart the system in the basement.

I’ve been indulging in my favorite salad every day this week:

Lettuce with a light vinaigrette of walnut oil and white wine vinegar, liberally sprinkled with walnuts, dried cranberries, and bleu cheese. So good. The lettuce variety is Ruby. I found it at Victory Seeds over a decade ago and I plant it every year. It is dark red and green, a bit frilly, easy to wash, and the taste is amazing—not bitter even when the leaves get big. This is also the variety I grow in the basement system over the winter. Last year, the husband said that our homegrown lettuce has spoiled him for anything that comes from the store—like most foods.

[Kalispell peeps, we still have a couple of pigs left if anyone is looking for pastured pork. They go to the processor the first week of September, with delivery at the end of the month.]

I also cut some of the collard greens and blanched and froze them. I gave up on spinach years ago because there was a five-minute window between “too small” and “oops, we bolted.” Blanched and frozen collard greens work just as well—or better—in soups, and collards don’t bolt. I’ll continue to cut and freeze some every week until they give up.

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The chicks have made it their goal to catalogue every single means of escape from the chicken yard. They are finding ways to get out that never occurred to me. I had to put them back in three times yesterday. Each time, I scolded them, their mother scolded them, and even Dave put in his $0.02 worth. The chicks are fat and sassy. The husband got more chicken wire out of the shed last night and will make another attempt to toddler-proof the yard.

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I worked on homestead foundation stuff and the craft co-op website until lunchtime yesterday. I’m making progress. I try not to get frustrated about it, but sometimes it feels like rowing upstream. I chair a fundraising committee for the foundation comprised of dedicated volunteers who meet monthly. Our fundraising goal last year was $15,000. We ended the year having made almost $20K, so this year, we set a goal of $25K. I think we can do it because we are more than two-thirds of the way there. The problem is getting board members to attend meetings so we can decide how to spend the money. Last month, we didn’t even have a quorum. And when I hear the “Well, I’m busy” excuse, I just want to scream. It’s not like I am sitting at home wondering what to do with all my free time.

We have a board meeting Monday night and I am afraid I might not be able to keep my opinions to myself. 🫤

I sewed all afternoon. I knocked out a few more zipper pouches and worked on another project that has been sitting on the cutting table. My moth-themed bonded nylon arrived from Wonderground Fabrics and I am dreaming about what to make with that.