Salad Update

5 week update on the lettuce, mesculn mix, and beets I started from seed:

I also applied a third dose of fish emulsion today.  Last one was about 3 weeks ago, first was with initial planting.  

The kale has not fared well.  I had it in peat pots outside since the weather was so nice.  Looks like a squirrel got into it and ripped them to shreds.  I’ll probably give it another crack next weekend.

Picked up some chard at Wabash yesterday.  It looked so colorful, I couldn’t pass it up.  Plus I really like chard, it’s like a sweeter spinach.  Anyway, planted that today as well:

One thing that may be obvious from the pictures of the lettuce and mesculn is that I’m experimenting with denser plantings and less mulching.  Not sure how that will work especially since this is the height of weed season.

Another Idea for Stale Bread

I wrote previously about making croutons, but this morning reminded me of another use for stale bread, French Toast.  The French call it Pain Perdu which means lost bread.

To make, crack a couple eggs into a bowl.  Mix with about a cup of milk and about 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon.  Dredge your stale bread slices through the mix and cook on a hot griddle.

I only had buttermilk in the house this morning, and it worked well with the French Toast.  Added a little tang to it.

Welcome to the Houston Heights Homesteader

Jumping on the band-wagon of Inspired by the intersection of recent mainstream interest in home gardening, frugality, and enviromental conservation, I’ve recently started gardening again, am seeking to reduce my dependence on the mainstream economy, and am hoping to reduce my environmental impact.  In short, I joyfully embrace the concept of modern urban homesteading.

As much as I beleive that concentious individuals have a responsibility to reduce their impact, I like the challenge of getting more for less and the simple satisfaction that comes from DIY.

I haven’t found a ton of online resources for the particular challenges of homesteading in urban Houston.  I’m hoping this site will be a forum for similarly minded people to share ideas and experiences so we can create that kind of resource.

Thanks for reading and contributing!