I did an experiment this year and planted onions in my raised bed. They grew well. The instructions said to expect three inch bulbs, but that didn't happen. Instead, I may have gotten one bulb that was almost three inches, but the rest were around two-and-a-half inches. Some were small and under and inch.
I think the difference in size had to do with water. The water may not have saturated the dirt as it should have. I'll need to be careful in the future when watering the raised bed.
Today, I planted garlic in the raised bed. This is another experiment. They should be ready for harvest in about four months. If they do well, I will plant garlic to winter in the raised bed to see how they grow in the spring.
It has been such a long time since I have done any type of crafting. I am trying to rekindle the spirit and keep my mind busy. So I bought some cotton yarn and crocheted a small afghan for the cats.
Sorry, I didn't pick the best background color for this. I wasn't really thinking. It is the "granny square" pattern except for the last two rows where I switched to the "shell" pattern.
I placed it in the current sacrificial box (the one the cats use until it is scratched to pieces), but before I retrieved my camera, Lathandar made himself comfortable. Cat approved! My job was a success.
This is a favorite recipe for special occasions. I could not find my candy molds which would have shaped them into pretty roses. So I used a fork to press lines into the top.
Ingredients:
8 oz of cream cheese at room temperature (Do not use low fat or fat free. The candies won't hold their shape.)
6 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of peppermint
Food coloring (follow directions on package)
Granulated sugar
Candy molds (optional)
Directions:
Mix cream cheese, peppermint, food coloring and 3 cups of the powdered sugar. Then add the rest of the powdered sugar one cup at a time until you have a dough like consistency. You may not need all 6 cups of powdered sugar. It may be easier to use a food processor than a mixer.
Use a measuring teaspoon to scoop out candy dough and then roll into a ball. Cover in granulated white sugar and then press into molds. If you do not have candy molds then press to flatten the ball on a baking tray and then make criss cross patterns with a fork.
If you have smaller molds, then use the appropriate size measuring spoon for that candy mold. If you prefer smaller candies, then use 1/2 tsp for each ball.
Allow to dry on the counter until the outside becomes firm and looses its tackiness. Then store in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer until ready for use. Do use an airtight container to prevent them from picking up flavors from the fridge or freezer.
Makes over 100 teaspoon sized candies or 200 half-teaspoon sized candies.
