Matt’s latest chalkboard art:
They listened!
Soon we will have little romaines!
We are still waiting on the other plants
Karen visited her friend Mary over the weekend, who has a huge farm and garden. She came home with a huge adult head of lettuce for us!
I turned it into a big lunch salad to be consumed among green relatives
Featuring local eggs
Plus Dakota and cheddar cheese cubes. I cooked the eggs by flipping them halfway and got that oh-so-attractive brown coloring on them. A little smoked paprika livened them back up.
I dressed the lettuce only in honey and a drizzle of olive oil plus some pink sea salt. Lettuce is too sweet to cover with vinegar!
Does anyone have any idea what this is? Some type of fungus I think? Yesterday it was BRIGHT YELLOW – like someone spilled a pile of lego pieces – and today it’s brown and mushroom-y!?
After lunch I feasted on one of Lil’s Lite Bytes from the City Market! Lemon Poppyseed is my fav!
The article underneath is about the history of Mason jars that my grandmother sent to me. Mason jars were patented in 1858 by John Landis Mason and they changed the landscape of food preservation. The signature two-part lids and see-through container made canning everything from apricots to green beans much easier for households. Apparently original Mason jars are prized collectables – cobalt blue ones are worth $10,000-15,000!!
Too bad the article didn’t say teal jars are valuable!
Makes me wonder if my cobalt Noxzema jar collection is worth anything…
Happy Afternoon!
Allie@LiveLaughEat says
Looks like Pumpkin was fed one too many human snacks!
KathEats says
It took me about 20 minutes to figure out what you meant. HA!
Catalina @ Cake with Love says
There is nothing better than a fresh salad topped with an egg!!! I love this combo, and it never gets old!!
Jessica says
One of the joy’s of working with a horticulture guru is that I can answer question. The icky brown stuff that used to be bright yellow is called slime mold. It’s (supposedly) harmless. It’s all over the place at my house but I’ve never seen it growing on a deck/porch. It likes the mulch under the trees in my neighborhood. Slime mold disappears after a few days but it’s pretty gross looking…and that’s my random piece of knowledge for the day!
KathEats says
Thanks!! I knew someone would have an answer 🙂 You guys are so widely educated! Glad it’s not harmless (or in my house!)
Lindzjane115 says
Wow, those blue bottles are gorgeous!!
I’ve been wanting to buy Mason Jars for a while now… What size(s) do you recommend, and where do you suggest finding them?
Thanks!
KathEats says
They are kind of hard to fine, and are most widely available in the summer during canning season. We found ours at Lowes in July/August. The wide mouth quart jars are the best for storage and the 12 ouncers are fun for smaller storage and eating
Lindzjane115 says
Okay…I’ll keep searching as it turns from Spring to Summer. Do you use 12oz. for overnight oats when you make them in a jar?
KathEats says
Yup! Or just an empty nut butter jar
Ciely says
Jars, jars, jars….and then some!
http://www.jarstore.com/Jelly-Mason-Salsa-_c_41.html
Elisabeth says
I live in northwest Ohio & most of our grocery stores carry Ball jars (we always call them that vs. Mason jars 😉 ) all the time.
ashlynn says
I’ve found mason jars at craft stores year round like Michaels. I have even found them in my grocery store near the food storage items like plastic bags and rubbermaid containers.
ashlynn says
Also, I’ve lived in fairly rural areas where canning and fresh food storage is common – central PA and north-central Florida. So, maybe they are harder to find in more urban areas?
Katie @ Happy Figs says
Surprisingly I always see them in our local price busters or $2 store. The other place that has them a lot is the drug store and also our local ben franklins always has mason jars. Hardware stores also seems to sell them as well. They normally sell them in sets of 6 or 8 shrunk wrapped together.
Nikki says
I always imagined that Wallace Stevens was talking about an old-school mason jar:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/anecdote-of-the-jar/
KathEats says
🙂 Cute!
Angela @ Health Happiness & Harmony says
I never thought of topping a salad with eggs! Great idea, thanks! 🙂
Stephanie @ Legally Blinde says
Wow, your garden beds are looking great!! And Matt is a good artist – that chalkboard drawing is so cute! I wish I could doodle like that. Stick figures are as far as I can go, haha.
Andrea @ Onion in My Hair says
Kath – We had the same looking foam growing in our front flower area…and it was wasps!
I tried to Google it for ya to give you a better idea of what it is/how to remove but came up empty handed. Basically we dessicated it with the hose and then raked the remnants away.
Be careful in case that is what it is!
KathEats says
Ahhhh really!? Maybe the yellow things were eggs? GROSS!! I’ll have Matt hose it down tonight.
Claritza says
“Desiccated” with a hose? Desiccate means “to dry out.” For example, the little packs of silica gel found in packaging are called desiccant. Maybe you were thinking of “decimated.”
Sana says
Omg, ew that brown stuff looks gross. But it’s prolly nothing 🙂
mary @ minutespermile says
Romaine eh? What’s your go-to lettuce? I always opt for spring mix because I feel like it’s healthier than iceberg or romaine, but I’m not 100% sure that’s even true. Some days I even go for baby kale or arugula if I’m feeling really herb-y.
KathEats says
Romaine is just as healthy! My go to is often spring mix or baby spinach too – just because it’s easier, but I love heads of lettuce in the summer.
Annette @FitnessPerks says
I need some Mason jars!!!
Love the idea of a huge salad–that lettuce looks amazing. YUMM!
Katie @ Peace Love and Oats says
I love cooking my eggs that way, just a little brown!
Earthy Nicole says
Me too! I feel like if there’s not a little bit of brown, it’s not done yet!
Cait's Plate says
The garden is looking awesome!!
Salad looks delicious – it won’t be long until you’re using your own romaine right in it 🙂
Susan H. @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
I can only imagine how sweet and delicious that Romaine from the garden and fresh farm eggs would be…oh how I envy you all with your gardens already on the go!
Lauren says
We had a problem with stinkhorn fungus, which is disgusting, so I was interested in your issue. It doesn’t look like wasps and according to this article if you spray it down it could spread. Just fyi
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/june99.html
Leslie says
I love using mason jars to drink out of, store dry goods, and even for holding leftovers. I started using them even more after I found plastic lids for both wide and regular mouth jars.
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Oh I think you need to take your stuff to an appraiser…or find out if the Antiques Roadshow is going to be in your area! 🙂
Deva @ Deva by Definition says
I love mason jars for storage. We keep rice in one, and I keep my coffee beans in one in the cabinet. I’m debating taking up canning – we’re planting our veggie garden tonight and I want to be able to can my tomatoes!
Andrea says
You should ask Country Living what your collection is worth! I love reading the “What’s it Worth” section in my mom’s country living magazines 🙂 and I can picture that collection being featured in there!
KathEats says
Oh yeah – I love reading their articles!
Lindsay @ Fuel My Family says
can;t wait for my lettuce to be ready! I am in NC too, but on the coast and my lettuce doesnt grow too well. Maybe its too sandy…
Tina says
You should get a soil test kit. Lettuce likes soil that is more alkaline and if your soil is sandy, it’s likely to be more on the acidic side. There are different fertilizers that you can buy to remedy the issue.
Lindsay @ Fuel My Family says
ah thank you, I did not know lettuce preferred non sandy soil. I will definitely have to look into a special fertilizer!
Heidi Bundles Of Hugs says
Homegrown and local food is the best, looks so good! No clue what that mushroom-y stuff is weird.
Amy Q says
Gosh, your porch always looks so relaxing and inviting! 🙂
Jodi @ Jodi, Fat or Not says
I’ve been putting eggs on EVERYTHING! I love the brighter color of local eggs, and in my head I think they taste yummier. I can’t wait until I’m in a place where I would have space for a garden, although I’m not sure how green my thumb is.
Amanda Cowan says
We’ve been making our own cat food and the teeny 8oz mason jars are SUPER perfect for the portioning on them. They stack well in the freezer and are so easy to fill and whatnot. Plus, I stole your way of using them for storing grains and such. I just love the way they look!
KathEats says
Homemade cat food! So cool!
Mom says
Lillian would love homemade cat food. I’ll have to consider it. Thanks for the idea!
Amanda Cowan says
http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood There is some basic info, and of course there are message boards all over. Talk to your vet as well. UC Davis also apparently has a great veterinary department that will give you a phone consult and provide you with a recipe customized for your cats nutritional needs.
We just started because we recently lost our 12 year old tabby to congestive heart failure, after learning he also had diabetes. It was then that we decided to do a little more for our other cats’ health (and the two new kittens we have too, super full house over here).
So far they LOVE it and have really thrived. Coats are beautiful and the litter box is a piece of cake. Since they’re only getting the super rich nutrition and none of the carb-fillers of commercially produced cat food, there is practically no waste (gross I know, but cat-owners know what I’m talking about).
It’s definitely worth looking into. We make it once a month, takes about 2 hours (my hubby and I both do it) and so far the cost has been roughly 50-80 cents per day. So, definitely worth the time.
Rhapsody says
One of our cats only eats on kind of dry cat food — no wet, no treats, no meat. Pickiest eater ever!
Amanda Cowan says
That was the case with our oldest.. despite having tried to change his diet in the last couple years.. he was pretty “kibble addicted”.. Luckily our other cat is much younger and was much easier to get off the dry stuff. But it still took about a month to just to get her all the way to a canned food.
Mom says
Thanks for the info and the site. I’m going to send this on to some cat owning friends, too. Amazing about the kitty litter too. Makes sense with way less filler.
Amanda Cowan says
I should state that the cost above is for chicken/turkey that I find that is no hormones, antibiotics, etc but is NOT organic. Here in Az, organic chicken is $6-8/lb and just not an option for us for cat food. But as with our own diets, obviously organic, etc would be the most ideal for our pets.
Mom says
I forwarded it to some cat friends, who forwarded it to some more. I bet it tastes so much better than store brand!
Emily @ Life on Food says
That was the most delicious looking salad ever. Just how I like it, a little cold and a little warm. Yum!
Stacy says
Kath, My granny has thousands (literally!) of cobalt bottles – all types, including Noxema. I’ll try to remember to bring you some next time we go home to visit. 🙂
KathEats says
Oh fun! Look for Mason jars… Don’t want to give those away!
j3nn says
Gah! I douse my salads in vinegar; about a 1/4 cup! Honey us a great salad addition, though. 😀
janiek @ a non-perfect girl says
That salad looks absolutely delicious!
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count says
Hmm…I have quite a collection of old mason jars, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen cobalt. I have a lot of the aqua color. I love them. Great to store my grains.
Angel7 says
We have local eggs in our fridge, and I like them a lot more than store-bought eggs.
I love the teal jars–teal is one of my fave colors–but really like the blue ones!
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