Kool Way to Grow Green Onions

Sister Grayson sent me this from Old School.  I do not have the link but here is the post:
I gotta try this!

green onions–a continual, free supply Posted: 29 Mar 2012 01:50 PM PDT Green onions! Mmmm! The Damsel loves them. They have that great onion flavor, but somehow fresher tasting, and usually not harsh or bitter. They cook fast. They’re cute. What’s not to love? Well, they don’t store as well as grown-up onions. But what if you could grow your own, easily, quickly, and–free? The Damsel currently sees no downside. Buy a bunch of green onions, feeling happy that this will be the last time for a very long time that you will need to do so. They don’t need to be this bulbous kind. They can be the more typical straight ones, and everything will be all right. Cut the little root end off, as you normally do. (now use the green onion as you wish. The Damsel recommends a loaded baked potato. Worth every minute on the Stair-Master that it may cause.) Put some potting soil in a flower pot or other container. Bonus if it looks nice on your kitchen windowsill, where you can keep an eye on it and then, later, other more wonderful things that have to do with kitchens and green onions. Poke a shallow hole with your finger and plant the little cut off piece, root side down, of course. The Damsel was shocked how soon this was going on. Only a few days. This was only a week or so later. Good grief. Now, you can take your handy kitchen shears and trim off green onion at will, whenever the need arises or a baked potato occurs. And yes, they will GROW BACK. Over and over. And all you used was that little bit that you were going to throw away anyway. Just to be clear, you are trimming the tops, not uprooting the onions. WHY HAS NO ONE EVER TOLD THE DAMSEL ABOUT THIS BEFORE????

Preparedness Week Seven

Well, all of my little seeds are still shooting up.  My kids and I are so excited to watch this process.  I am so glad I decided to grow my garden from seeds instead of buying plants, this time.  I have picked a space in my back yard, bought the wood to create the box for my square foot garden (My friend from work, Sarah, brought me a book to go by), and I have the layout for the plants.  I need to get my ground tilled up, add my nutrients, set up my strings, and plant the garden.  Boy, that sure sounds easy but I bet it is going to be a little time consuming.  Lucky for me I am a lady of leisure,  (ha ha)

My tip for this week will be for anyone.  I looked up some information on Vinegar.  I know that there are books written about this little wonder.  There are so many uses for Vinegar other than cooking.  This week I would like to just touch on a few concerning the outdoors.  I found them on a website called www.vinegartips.com Please feel free to comment and add your favorite uses for vinegar.  I will post other uses for vinegar on other blogs later on.

Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them. This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.
Give acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and gardenias a little help by watering them with a white distilled vinegar solution now and again. A cup of white distilled vinegar to a gallon of tap water is a good mixture.
Stop ants from congregating by pouring white distilled vinegar on the area.
Discourage cats from getting into the kids’ sandbox with white distilled vinegar.
Preserve cut flowers and liven droopy ones by adding 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water in a vase.
Get rid of the water line in a flower vase by filling it with a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar, or by soaking a paper towel in white distilled vinegar and stuffing it into the vase so that it is in contact with the water line.
Clean out stains and white mineral crusts in clay, glazed and plastic pots by soaking them for an hour or longer in a sink filled with a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar.
Remove crusty rim deposits on house planters or attached saucers by soaking them for several hours in an inch of full-strength white distilled vinegar.
Clean a birdbath by scrubbing it often with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Rinse well.
Get rid of rust on spigots, tools, screws or bolts by soaking the items overnight or for several days in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
Neutralize garden lime by adding white distilled vinegar to the area.
Avoid skin problems after working in the garden by rinsing your hands in white distilled vinegar.
Increase the acidity of soil by adding white distilled vinegar to your watering can.
Eliminate anthills by pouring in white distilled vinegar.
Cure a cement pond before adding fish and plants by adding one gallon of white distilled vinegar to every 200 gallons of water. Let sit three days. Empty and rinse thoroughly.
Sanitize outdoor furniture and picnic tables with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar.
Kill slugs by spraying them with a mixture of 1 part water and 1 part white distilled vinegar.
To catch moths use a mixture of 2 parts white distilled vinegar and 1 part molasses. Place mixture in tin can and hang in a tree.
Keep rabbits from eating your plants. Put cotton balls soaked in white distilled vinegar in a 35mm film container. Poke a hole in the top and place in the garden.
Remove berry stains on your hands by rubbing them with white distilled vinegar.
Clean plastic patio furniture with a solution of 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar to 1 gallon of water.
Wash fresh vegetables with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar in 1 ½ quarts of water.
When cleaning an outdoor fountain, soak the pump in white distilled vinegar to remove any mineral deposits.
Clean a hummingbird feeder with white distilled vinegar—soap or detergent can leave behind harmful residue

April Calendar for Relief Society

Welcome to Relief Society

"We greet each of you, our sisters, with love.  The work of Relief Society has never been more important than it is now.  We know that as each of you participate in this work by building personal testimony, feeling blessed and valued as an individual, developing and excising charity, strengthening yourself and your family, and enjoying a unified sisterhood, your life will be enriched.  The Relief Society General Presidency, The Mission of the Relief Society, January 1991

E

aster is such a great time to reflect on the greatest event that ever occurred in the history of the world, the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for his atoning sacrifice for us. What a majestic blessing this is for us.  His sacrifice provides a way for us to be forgiven for our sins and all we have to do is ask for forgiveness and follow his commandments.  “May this be an Easter season of meditation, reflection, and appreciation. May we resolve to be obedient to prophetic invitations from those who hold the keys of the kingdom.” Reflections of Easter, Andrew W. Peterson, April 1995

APril Birthdays

4- Jennifer Wicklund       

5- Vera Earl                     

18 - Loretha Alexander    
19 - Janie Hart
21 - Lillie Moore
25 - Kim Johnston

Need to Contact your Relief Society Presidency? President-Brandy Smith 237-0754  markbrandysmith@att.net 1st Counselor-Monica Mock 381-4342 chuckmon@bellsouth.net   2nd Counselor-Sena Clark 282-9399 Sena.clark@yahoo.com

Pot luck will be the 3^rd Sunday. (April 15)   Please bring your favorite main dish, side dish, dessert, bread or whatever is easiest for you to bring.  Just come and enjoy good food & fellowship.

Lesson Schedule                                   Upcoming Events

1– General Conference 11:00 & 3:00             7 –  Easter Egg Hunt

8-“The Immortality of the Soul” P.67-80       15-  Pot Luck  

15-“Temple Blessings for Ourselves and our Ancestors” P. 81-92

22-“A Time to Prepare” Elder Ian S. Arden                               

29- Combined with Priesthood                   

^{Upcoming Events:}

^{4/1 182nd General Conference}

^{4/7 Easter Egg Hunt at the Church at 11:00a.m.
4/15 Pot Luck}

Why Do We Need Prophets?10483_000_003

Because Heavenly Father loves His children, He has not left them to walk through this mortal life without direction and guidance. The teachings of our Heavenly Father are not the ordinary, predictable, run-of-the-mill kind you can pick up in paperback at the local bookstore. They are the wisdom of an all-powerful, all-knowing celestial Being who loves His children. Encompassed in His words is the secret of the ages—the key to happiness in this life and in the world to come.  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Fundraiser for Young Women

Fundraiser for Girls Camp 2012

Caramel Chocolate Pretzels!

$2.00 each

The Girls are so excited to go to Girls Camp this year.  They will be camping in cabins at D’Arbonne State Park.  (this will be a treat to not be in tents)  To help with the cost for the camp the girls will be making Carmel Chocolate Pretzels.  Please help support the Young Women in their fundraiser.   We will be passing around a sheet in Relief Society or you can e-mail me at chuckmon@bellsouth.net or mmock@mulhearncorp.com

You can customize your order:

Carmel or plain

Pick a chocolate (White, Milk, or Dark)

Pick a topping (Coconut, Toffee, Mini M&M’s, Reeses Pieces, Sugar Sprinkles)

I have had quite a few of these pretzels and I can personally tell you that they are delicious!!

The cost will be $2.00 each

Relief Society Birthday Service Project

Well, I thought that the Relief Society Birthday Party was a true success.  We made 150 little baby props for the LSU Monroe hospital newborn babies, had a lot of good food, the cake was beautiful and delicious, and as always, I enjoyed getting to chat with everyone.  I am posting just a few of the pictures.  I am sure that if anyone would want to give of their time and talents, that Sister Baggett would let them help her make a few more.  Thanks for your support!

A BIG "Thank you" to the Stake Relief Society Presidency for all of your time and thought that you put into making this such a success!! 

Preparedness Week 6

Well I am so excited!  I finally got to plant some seeds. Even though my Mom, (Who I have never seen plant a garden) said that it was too late for me get my garden started from seeds.  Well my little seeds have already started popping up from the soil.  Wow, these little okra seeds grow fast.  I watched a video on youtube before that showed a seed growing, you know they took pictures of it every few hours and played them very fast so it looked like it was growing before your eyes.  Well I planted this okra on Tuesday and it is doing great.  I am surprised.  You know I am not very good with plants.  I have got to get my garden spot marked off and tilled up.  I just have so many things to do in my yard right now, I just go from one thing to the next.(kind of like my rambeling on in this blog) Oh, well.  You know that you can join the blog and leave comments.  This way I will know that more than just Denise and I are playing on here.  This is really fun.  When I am posting possible things for you to do, it makes me do them too.

Well my Preparedness tip for this week is let's get out those 72 hour kits and go through them.  I know that the clothes that I put in there for the kids 3 years ago will be way too small, not to mention that some of the food, etc... may be expired.  I have attached a sample of some ideas of what your 72 hour kit may need to inclued.

72 Hour Emergency Kit

By Rachel Woods, About LDS Guide, http://lds.about.com

Notes:

Update your kit every six months (put a note in your calendar/planner) to make sure

that: all food, water, and medication are fresh (not expired), clothing fits, personal

documents and credit cards are up to date, and batteries are charged.

Small toys/games are important too as they will provide some comfort and

entertainment during a stressful time.

Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes too.

You can include any other items you feel are necessary for your family's survival.

 

Some items and/or flavors might leak, melt, “flavor” other items, or break open.

Dividing groups of items into individual Ziploc bags might help prevent this.

Food and Water

(3 day supply of food & water per person

when no refrigeration/cooking is available)

Protein/Granola Bars

Trail Mix/Dried Fruit

Crackers/Cereals (for munching)

Canned Tuna, Beans, Meat, Vienna

Sausages, etc (“pop-top” cans might leak/

explode & Jerky can “flavor” other items)

Canned Juice

Candy/Gum (Jolly ranchers can melt &

mint gum might “flavor” other items)

Water (1 Gallon/4 Liters per person)

Bedding and Clothing

Change of Clothing (short and long

sleeve shirts, pants, socks, jackets, etc.)

Undergarments

Rain Coat /Poncho

Blankets and Emergency Heat Blankets

Cloth Sheet

Plastic Sheet

Fuel & Light

Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps)

Extra Batteries

Flares

Candles

Lighter

Water-Proof Matches

Miscellaneous

Bag or Bags to put 72 hour kit items in

(such as duffel bags or hiking back packs,

which work great)

Infant Needs (if applicable)

Equipment

Can Opener

Dishes/Utensils

Shovel

Radio (with batteries!)

Pen and Paper

Axe

Pocket Knife

Rope

Duct Tape

Personal Supplies & Medication

First Aid Supplies

Toiletries (roll of toilet paper—remove

center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock

bag, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc)

Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer,

soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. Warning:

Scented soap might “flavor” food items.)

Immunizations Up-to Date

Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen,

children’s medication, etc.)

Prescription Medication (for 3 days)

Personal Documents and Money

(Place these items in a water-proof container!)

Scriptures (miniature ones are lighter)

Genealogy Records

Patriarchal Blessing

Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage

Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts)

Vaccination Papers

Insurance Policies

Cash

Credit Card

Pre-Paid Phone Cards

Please feel free to leave a comment as to what else you think the 72 hour kits need.

Hay Bale Gardening

Brandy had someone share this with her so we wanted to pass it along.  I have looked on the internet and several people swear by it.

Method for growing tomatoes:

All of this is placed on top of the ground in a pretty sunny place. Ours got the morning sun and noon sun and a little shade in the late afternoon.

For each square bale of hay:

Cover with 1/2 sack of cow manure (I got all my stuff at Wal-Mart except the hay)

Water twice a day for 7 days

Next:

Cover the manure with 1/2 sack of Lime (pellets or granulated)

Water this twice a day for 7 days

Next:

Cover all this with 1/2 sack of 13-13-13 fertilizer

Water this twice a day for 7 days

After this 21 days, plant two tomato plants per bale. Just dig a hole in the mixture and hay to insert a plant.

We used a soaker hose and a timer to make the water come on early in the morning and late in the afternoon and continued

that every day after we planted. Water about 30
minutes twice a day.

Preparedness Week 5

Well, if everyone is keeping up, we should have our spot for the garden picked out, decided what we would like to plant, and have reviewed what types of soil we will need for our garden.  I have bought me some seeds and some seed starter soil.  I am going to try to start my seeds in an egg carton and then plant the seedling in the "garden".  Denise has already planted her garden, so we need to get busy to keep up with her.  I just love looking at all of the sites on the internet.  Again this week, I have been checking out the seven years of plenty blogspot.  ( www.sevenyearsofplenty.blogspot.com )  She has a post in here to help us decied what we should plant.  Of course, now we should go with the warn weather crops.  She also offers advice on fertilizer, insect control, water, and specific tomato plant advice. 

If you are not planning on planting a garden, scroll down past the information on planting for this week's preparedness tip.

Warm Weather Crops

Planting Schedule

Warm weather crops will be hurt by

frost, and must be planted after the last frost.

Beans

Celery

Corn

Cucumber

Eggplant

Okra

Squash

Tomatoes

Peppers

Pumpkin

Sunflower

Sweet Potato

Swiss Chard

Some crops take so long to grow, it is best to transplant them. Examples of these are tomatoes, cabbage, and peppers.

7 WEEKS TO LAST FROST

Start seeds of tomatoes, hot peppers, and early basil indoors.

4 WEEKS TO LAST FROST

Plant potato eyes

1-2 WEEKS AFTER FROST

Plant sweet potato slips

Seeds

If your seeds are stored properly, they can last for up to 5 years.

Ideal Storage is a cool, dark place. The refrigerator in a jar keeps the seeds fresh.

The older the seeds get, the germination rate goes down.

Insect Control

Insects can be very damaging to your garden.

Remove insects by hand, wash them off, or kill them with insecticide.

If you use an insecticide, you must wash the food before eating it.

Dawn Dish Detergent mixed with water in a spray bottle is an great bug spray.

Fertilizer and Compost

Mel’s Mix:

(Square Foot Gardening Expert)

1/3 vermiculite

1/3 peat moss

1/3 compost

Water

Plants can absorb nutrients in soil faster and grow better

when soil and water are at a warm temperature.

Tomatoes

Farmer’s Advice

Pick the leaves on the stem of the tomato once the tomato starts growing.

This will give the tomato nutrients instead of the leaves.

Tomatoes need nitrogen and calcium in the fertilizer. An excellent way of achieving this is digging a two foot hole next to the plant and bury a raw fish head in it.

If the bottom of your tomatoes is black, this means it means your plant is calcium deficient. Be consistent with watering to make sure the plant is getting consistent nutrition. It is good to give the tomato more fertilizer every three weeks.

Non gardening preparedness tip:

Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person. Store a minimum of one gallon of water per person per day (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for food preparation and sanitation). Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles. (I personally love my big 55 gallon plastic drums.  I got these at Sam's club in 1999.  I wish I could find some more unused drums like these.)  A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments and strenuous activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers, and people who are sick will also need more.  You will need to keep this written down in your notebook.  This water in these containers will need to be changed out periodically.  Keep plain "Clorox" on hand.  Adding 1/8 of a teaspoon (8 drops) of fresh liquid household chlorine bleach (5-6% sodium hypochlorite) to every gallon (4 liters) of water will kill most microorganisms.  Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.  The use of bleach does not address toxic contamination.  
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site provides additional information about water purification.

President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Now I think the time is coming when there will be more distresses, when there may be more tornadoes and more floods, … more earthquakes. … I think they will be increasing probably as we come nearer to the end, and so we must be prepared for this” (Conference Apr. 1974).

He also said: “Should evil times come, many might wish they had filled all their fruit bottles and cultivated a garden in their backyards and planted a few fruit trees and berry bushes and provided for their own commodity needs...And should the trucks fail to fill the shelves of the stores, many would go hungry” ( Conference Oct. 1974).

Wow, he said this in 1974. 

I think he may have been

talking to us?