On my garden shop we with have step by step instructions of how to grow tomatoes from seed, grow then indoors, out side in the vegetable patch, in a greenhouse or even using hydroponic systems or by using hydroponic systems.

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Carrot Yellowstone

Carrot Yellowstone F1

Yellowstone Carrot – Daucus Carota var. sativus

Yellowstone has a wide-shouldered with 6 in. (15cm) or longer roots. They have a crisp, clean, consistently mild flavour which great raw or cooked. This variety of carrot has been selected for its uniform shape with big shoulders, pointed tips and large tops.

Sowing Instructions: Sow March-July

As soon as the soil can be worked, sow seeds 1/2 inch deep, 3 seeds to the inch.  Thin to 4 to 6 plants per foot.  Plant every 2 weeks for a continuous supply from July to December.

Early/Late Sowing  – Try sowing yellowstone carrot seeds in deep pots in greenhouse or under cloches  in January/February for early crop or September for fresh carrots during the winter.

Squarefoot gardening try 4 rows by 4 columns (12 carrot roots per square foot).

Maturity: (10-20 weeks maturity.)

Growing Instructions:

Thin seedlings when large enough to handle to 5cm (2in) apart to reduce risk from carrot root fly.

Grow Spring Onion White Lisbon next to carrots as the smell helps deter Carrot Fly.

Aftercare:

Prefers well drained, moist, rich, cool conditions

Harvesting: July to December

Lift roots when required or store maincrop carrot roots in dry sand or soil.

Stores well in the ground for winter harvest.

Height/Size: Approximate root length 15- 20cms (6 to 8 inches).

Health Benefits:

Carrots are a high in Vitamin A, C, beta carotene and rich in antioxidants.

Carrots make a healthy, nutritious addition to your daily diet.

Yellow carrots contain xanthophylls which may help develop healthy eyes and possibly prevent lung and other cancers

A good choice to get kids eating vegetables.

Culinary Tips:

Available nutrients actually increase with cooking – as long as not over-cooked.

Yellow Stone Carrot is excellent for salads and gourmet dishes.

Add colour to your favourite dish by growing different colour carrots

Delicious and unusual carrots like yellowstone are preferred by gourmets and chefs who are looking for something special to present to dinners.

Compare UK yellowstone carrot seed prices.

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What You Need:

1 lb ground chuck
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained
1 (26 oz) jar pasta sauce
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 t Italian seasoning
1 lb spaghetti, broken into small pieces
3/4 Cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (5 oz) pkg sliced pepperoni
1 and 1/2 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Freezer Wrap

How to Make It:

Place a large pot of water over high heat.
Bring to a rapid boil.
Boil spaghetti as directed on the package.
Drain and rinse.
Place ground chuck in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms.
Cook until meat is browned being sure to crumble the meat.
Drain.
Add the pasta sauce, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.
Stir until well combined.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Place the eggs and milk in a large bowl and blend.
Place the spaghetti in the egg mixture and toss to cover.
Lightly spray a large baking dish with a non stick cooking spray.
Place half of the spaghetti mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Place half of the meat sauce over the top of the spaghetti.
Repeat for another layer.
Put the casserole in the refrigerator to cool.
Once cooled, wrap with the freezer wrap.
Freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat thaw the casserole overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
Bake 45 minutes.
Uncover and top the casserole with the pepperoni and 2 cheeses.
Continue to bake another 15 minutes or until cheese has completely melted.

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What You Need:

2 Cup sifted all purpose flour
1 tea spoon salt
3/4 Cup shortening
4 to 5 Table spoon ice water
Wax paper
Freezer wrap

How to Make It:

Place the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture become crumbly.
Add 1 T of the ice water at a time.
After each addition, toss with a fork.
Push moistened ingredients to the side.
Only add ice water to dry ingredients.
Continue adding the ice water 1 T at a time until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Dough should be moist enough to hold together but not sticky.
Divide dough in half.
Roll each half into a ball.
Wrap each ball with wax paper.
Wrap tightly in the freezer wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
When ready to use bring to room temperature and roll out as desired.

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1. Have a piece of casserole. It takes time to cook eggs and bacon for breakfast. No one wants to ruin their clothes with the mess it can create. On Sunday night, get breakfast done early. Put together a casserole using your favorite ingredients. Fewer eggs are needed in a casserole than when frying or scrambling them for breakfast each morning. Depending on the size of your family, the casserole may last two to three mornings.

2. Yogurt. Yogurt is a healthy and economical breakfast choice. When you are eating on the run, grab a container of yogurt and some dried or fresh fruit. Cutting up fruit on top of the yogurt adds carbohydrates to fuel you for the morning in addition to the calcium and protein in the yogurt itself.

3. Breakfast shake. This is even quicker and can be ingested while driving without taking your eyes off the road or both hands off the wheel. Put together some frozen fruit favorites, ice cubes, frozen yogurt, and unsweetened juice in a blender. Pour into Styrofoam cups to keep it cold. Everyone can grab a cup on the way out the door. The nutritional effect is about the same as yogurt, but without the spoon.

4. Pigs in a blanket. This is the homemade version. Whip up a batch of pancakes and freeze them in short stacks of three. A package or two of frozen link sausage is needed to create this quick and economical meal idea. Thaw out a stack of pancakes. Heat up three sausages in the microwave. Wrap a pancake around each sausage. Voila! You’ve got an instant pig in a blanket. Eat it as you watch the last of your favorite morning show or as you walk to the bus stop. It can be eaten in the car without too much fuss or mess. For a sweeter taste and less mess, add a little maple syrup or honey to the batter when making the pancakes.

5. Breakfast sandwiches. In the evening, while you are getting things ready for the next day, grill up a few breakfast sandwiches. Choose whatever you like: turkey slices, ham slices, cheese, tomato, bacon, etc. When the sandwich cools, cut it into bite size pieces and put it in a container. In the morning, just grab a container; pop it into the microwave for fifteen or twenty seconds and breakfast is served.

These breakfast ideas are time saving and money-saving too. They make use of items you buy normally and also whatever you have around the house to create delicious fare for a morning rush. No more excuses for skipping breakfast or swinging into the fast food restaurant every morning.

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1 pt boxes of fresh strawberries, washed, drained and hulls removed
2 1/2 C of fresh pineapple, peeled and finely chopped
7 C sugar
2 pkgs (1 3/4 oz) powdered pectin
1 C cold water
4 pt freezer containers with lids

How to Make It:

Place strawberries in a large mixing bowl.
Crush the strawberries with a potato masher.
Measure out 2 1/2 C strawberries and place in a separate bowl.
Add the pineapple to the strawberries.
Slowly add the sugar and stir until well combined.
Place the cold water in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the pectin.
Stir continuously until water begins to boil.
Boil 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Pour the water mixture into with the fruit.
Stir well to combine.
Continue stirring 4 minutes.
Pour into the pt freezer containers and cover.
Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
Freeze after 24 hours.
Jam will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To use, remove from freezer and allow to come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

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1. Take your lunch. This goes for parents as well as kids. We are tempted to eat out with the group everyday, too. That adds up after awhile. Those cute insulated lunch bags make it easier to carry hot and cold items. We can throw even throw out the brown bags in favor of reusable options which are more environmentally friendly. When you pack your own lunch, you know what is in it so it is easier to avoid a lot of unhealthy fats and junk food.

2. Make a sandwich. I’m not talking about just any sandwich. This can be a wrap, pita, crust less bread, or bun sandwich. Varying the bread each day will help you decide what ingredients to put on it. You may want turkey with alfalfa sprouts, tomato, and onion on a pita or chicken strips with barbecue sauce, lettuce, and shredded cheese in a tortilla wrap. Many kids like bread without crust for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This makes lunch fun and your kids are more likely to eat it if they have a creative variety. Invest in single packs of condiments. They can be used in lunches as opposed to putting them on the sandwich and saturating the bread before lunchtime rolls around.

3. Bottled water and drink crystals. Water has never been the same since they came out with those handy packs of flavorings. You can find them everywhere. Best of all they have five calories or less. You can turn a bottle of water into a drink that is better than soda. Kids love them too.

4. Dessert courtesy of home. Stop! Put down that candy bar and walk away from the vending machine. Instead, choose a better option. Homemade granola can be shaped into bars and used as an after lunch snack. How about dried fruit pieces? They are sweeter than candy bars and won’t spike your blood sugar. It’s okay to have a naughty treat every now and then, but even at those times you can choose a healthier option than chips or candy. Make a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies and pack a few in your lunch.

5. Ice packs. These nifty items will keep lunch from spoiling. The perfect complement to an insulated bag, they allow you to take yogurt or a sandwich with meat and not have to worry about it getting warm before it’s time to eat.

6. Veggie sticks. Eat them with your sandwich and add some Ranch dressing for dipping.

Lunch doesn’t have to come from the school cafeteria or the fast food joint around the corner to be good. Coming from home, it can be healthier, taste better and cost less. Now that’s a combination you can’t beat.

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1. Clip coupons. They put those in the newspaper for a reason. If there are new items you want to try, use a coupon to get it at a discount. If you like it, you have saved some money. On the other hand, if you don’t take a liking to it, you didn’t pay full price. For me, coupons save an average of ten or more dollars per visit. That’s money in my pocket that I can put towards gas for the car.

2. Buy more staples than prepared foods. It is easier to buy a box of macaroni and cheese, but is it more economical? A large box of macaroni and a block of cheese will make more servings for your family than one box of prepared macaroni and cheese. The next time you go shopping and pick up a box or bag of an already prepared item, ask yourself if you can make that at home for less. If you can, then put that item back in favor of less expensive staples.

3. Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. Cereals, meats, vegetables, condiments, juices, and paper products can be bought in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money.

4. Don’t shop when you are hungry. This is a definite no-no. Shopping on an empty stomach means that you will pick up more things than you need. You are more likely to pick up that bag of chocolate chip cookies or that box of donuts when the growling gets underway.

5. Take a grocery list with you. This is another protection against picking up things that are too costly. Check your cabinets and the fridge to see what you need and write them down. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible.

6. Shop at the same stores. This is more of a frustration reliever. In a new store, you spend most of your time looking for things and walking up and down every aisle, which oftentimes leads to forgetting an item or two. Going to the same store each time makes you more familiar with the prices so you can estimate your bill as you write your grocery list.

Rising prices don’t have to mean a lean dinner table. There are ways to make your housekeeping go further and if you take the time to implement the ideas listed above as well as others of your own, you’ll see savings each and every time you shop.

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Dried fruits can serve as a healthy alternative to candy. Instead of reaching for chocolate or a piece of hard candy, the kids will reach for a dried pineapple or apple slices. The sweetness of the fruit is concentrated when it is dried and bursts forth with every bite.

Learning to dry fruit is a fairly easy process. You don’t need to buy any fancy equipment. Investing in a few sealing jars would be nice so that storing the fruit will be easier, but it isn’t a necessity. Sealing jars can be found fairly inexpensive at many supermarkets.

To start, gather all of the fruits you want to dry. Most fruits make good choices. Some of the more common ones are: pineapples, apples, plums, grapes, apricots, and tomatoes (yes they are a fruit!). If you favour lemons, limes, or other citrus fruits, you will be drying the peels and not the fruit itself.

All fruit and equipment need to be clean and thoroughly dried before beginning. Drying racks are needed if you plan on air drying outside or using an oven. Some pieces may be done before others so rotating the trays in the oven gives you a chance to remove any fruit that is already dried and replace with another.

Slice the fruit into small pieces. Apples need to be cored and peeled before slicing. Tomatoes can be cut into slices or quarters and salted before drying. Grapes and plums are okay as is because the skin doesn’t affect their taste.

If you prefer to use the microwave to dry your fruit, place small batches in the microwave on the turntable tray. Fruit pieces should be evenly spaced to allow for air circulation while drying. Set the microwave to the defrost setting in order to dry the fruit. It will take about thirty to forty-five minutes. Check after thirty minutes and gradually add time as needed. It is not recommended that tomatoes be dried via the microwave because they should be dried at approximately 120 degrees for about twenty-four hours.

You can eat some of these tasty treats as soon as they are dried or you can save some for later. If storing for later, let the fruit cool before placing in sealing jars or plastic bags. Dried fruits will keep for up to two weeks in a cool dark place. However, these fruit treats are so scrumptious they may not even last for that long.

Dried fruit has a multitude of uses. It can be eaten as is or as a flavorful addition to ice cream, salads, pizzas, and more. Drying your fruits will save you money because it makes the fruit last longer than normal, avoid spoilage and gives you a reason to eat more of it.

Weekend Cooking Frenzy

Busy days can lead to frustration when it comes to making dinner. Who has time to fix a meal when they don’t get home until 6pm or later? Better yet, who feels like cooking a meal after a hard day’s work? So, what’s a girl to do in order to avoid frozen dinners or worse yet, fast food? Use your weekends off to prepare all your meals for the upcoming week.

We’ve all been there at least once and if you’re like me, more times than we wish to admit. We go to the grocery store and spend a ton of money so that there will be food in the house. We then make a promise to cook each and every night since the food is already there and ready to be consumed.

But, guess what happens? I come home from work late and I am tired. Everyone else is tired from work and school and no one wants to cook. It falls on me to cook so I suggest that we order take-out food. We spend twenty or thirty dollars on food for one meal when we have a freezer full of food. Have you been there, too? Not a very good choice when we’re trying hard to save money, right?

One way I’ve found to stop this endless cycle is to pick one day on the weekend and have a cooking party. Yes, you read that right – a cooking party. I make a menu for the week and thaw out the food on Friday. Then, on Saturday morning I get to work. The kids can help me if they choose and when they do, they get a say in what we will be eating.

For your weekend cooking party, decide on the menu early. This ensures that everything needed is present and accounted for. Start with the meats. They will take the longest to cook so get that going and try to have a variety so you’re not bored with the same meats all week long.

Side dishes should be prepared, too. It seems like such a small thing to cook the main part of the meal and save the rest for later. What usually happens is no one feels like cooking anything. Avoid the drama by cooking everything at the same time.

Cooking that much food for later requires containers to hold it all. There are two ways this can be done. One way is to use containers that are large enough for each side dish and the main meat courses. Each day, take a meat and two sides out of the fridge and heat it up for dinner.

The second way gives the family a little more of a choice each day of what they want to eat. When the food cools (everything needs to cool before placing it in containers), have each person scoop what they want to eat into a serving container. Have one meat and two sides per container. In the absence of the family you can do it yourself. Label each with what is inside. During the week, everyone can pick from a variety of dinner combinations.

Each works, but it is up to you to decide which is better for your family. Cooking on the weekend saves time and money because you’ll be less tempted to go out when you’re tired from working all day. Not to mention, for once you’re sure to use the leftovers!

If your food makes more meals than you could eat in a week, freeze several of them for another time. Simply thaw each meal the day you plan to serve it. Yes, you will have to make an investment in dinner size containers, but it pays off the more you use them. Once you see how much stress you relieve and healthier your family is eating it will be well worth the initial cost.

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Learn to slice a whole chicken. Slicing one properly makes it easier to remove the rest of the meat from the bone. The skeleton can be used to create broth. Boil it in some water until the rest of the meat falls off.

You can season the broth with herbs and spices. After it cools, pour it into jars for storage. You’ll be able to keep the broth for a few weeks. Use it to flavor soups and casseroles.

Do your kids carry their lunches to school? Instead of buying lunch meat, slice leftover chicken breast for sandwiches. It will be a nice change from the usual lunch fare.

On the weekends, instead of ordering a pizza or going to McDonald’s, use that chicken. Cube a few pieces to toss on top of a salad with some cheese and croutons. Combine with peppers and onions in a skillet to make filling for fajitas or soft tacos.

Does your family like chicken pot pie? Add some of that chicken, along with vegetables (canned or frozen) and a can of creamed soup to a pie crust and you’ve got an instant dinner that takes less than an hour to prepare. It is a quick meal idea perfect for busy families. A salad on the side will make a complete and healthy dinner.

Chicken based casseroles can be made and frozen for future meals. The family may be all “chickened out” for the week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of the chicken you have left for future weeks.

Do you still have more chicken? Well let’s keep going with more ideas. Hey, our mothers and grandmothers learned to use chicken in many ways and so can we. What tastes the best when you have a cold and are feeling under the weather? Why, chicken noodle soup of course.

Don’t settle for canned soup with small noodles. Make your own soup with juicy chicken pieces and wide egg noodles. That broth you jarred up will serve as a nice base and best of all it is already seasoned.

Add wide egg noodles and sliced vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions to your soup. When the noodles are tender, add the chicken. Since it is already cooked it just needs to warn up. Ladle up a bowl for the sick and the healthy as a light weekend lunch.

What are you doing with your chicken after dinner tonight? Try some of these ideas to make that chicken do double and triple duty to save on your family’s grocery bill. The best part is that the new meals are just as tasty as the original dish.

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