Busy Bees

 

It's so awesome to watch the bees working in the garden. Many plants that produce fruit rely on bees for pollination. So we want them around! Many pesticides kill bees, and this is just one of the many reasons we choose to not use any pesticides in our garden. Or anywhere on our property, for that matter. Here, I got a few good shots showing some bees in action.  

In the above pictures, you can see the pollen sacs on it's legs filling up with pollen, as it collects from corn anthers.

Sriracha Popcorn

Sriracha popcorn is our favorite late night snack. Even our two daughters love this spicy popcorn, and request it frequently. 

We got a popcorn popper a few years ago and we have been popping our own popcorn every since. Totally worth the $20. It's much healthier and cheaper than buying microwave popcorn from the store (If you're interested, here's just one article that discusses why you should avoid microwave popcorn). Also, it probably takes the same amount of time to make so it's not really any more of a burden.You can also make popcorn on the stove top, but this is just easier for us.

Anyway, some friends of ours shared this popcorn recipe with us sometime last year and I cannot even tell you how many times we have made it since. It's a real game changer for popcorn, in my opinion. So addicting. So give it a try!

Sriracha Popcorn
(Makes approx. 16 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup popcorn seeds
• 1 (+/-) tablespoon Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons butter (or coconut oil)
• Sprinkle of sea salt 

 Directions:

• Pop the popcorn seeds, using your desired popping method.
• Melt the butter and quickly mix in the Sriracha sauce.
• Pour over popcorn, stirring as your pour to ensure even distribution. 
• Sprinkle with sea salt and stir one more time. 
• Enjoy! 

 

  

Sometimes we use coconut oil instead of the butter, but I really think butter just tastes better with the hot sauce. Experiment and see what you like best.

I never measure, I just eyeball it and squirt in whatever looks good.

 

Mix the Sriracha and butter together and quickly pour over the popcorn. It will separate if it sits too long. 

 

Pour the sauce mixture over the popcorn. I find that stirring as I'm pouring helps get a more even coat.

 

Sprinkle with sea salt.

Give the bowl one last good stir.

 

Enjoy.

DIY Brown Sugar

Making your own brown sugar is so easy and only requires two ingredients. The result is a much softer and fluffier brown sugar than what you buy in the store, and it's cheaper! It's also great because you can control how dark or light you want your sugar to be by simply adjusting the amount of molasses added. Give it a try and I doubt you'll go back!

DIY Brown Sugar

Ingredients:

• 4 cups granulated sugar 
• 6 tablespoons unsulphured molasses

Directions:

1. Combine the sugar and molasses in a stand mixer (or a bowl if you're using a hand mixer).
2. Mix until completely incorporated and no clumps of molasses remain. 
3. Store in an airtight container.

Combine in a medium bowl and mix well, until there are no clumps of molasses remaining. I just turn my KitchenAid on low and walk away for about 5-10 minutes.

That's it! Now you have fluffy and fresh brown sugar! Store in an airtight container or a plastic bag with the air pressed out. So easy!

Controlling Garden Pests: Aphids

 

Aphids are a very common garden pest. We get them a lot on our sunflowers, and it's usually easy to spot an infestation because there will also be a lot of ants.

Ants are attracted to aphids because of a sticky, sweet substance they produce when feeding, called honeydew. Honeydew isn't the sole food source for ants, but when an aphid colony is in the area, the ants can harvest this nutrient-rich substance continually with less labor than what is required to constantly locate new food sources. Because of this, ants protect aphid colonies, warding off pests and parasites, as well as helping the immobile aphids multiply by spreading them out on infested sunflowers. Here is a good article explaining the relationship between ants and aphids.

Anyway, it's important to get rid of these pests before they get too out of control. A few aphids may not cause noticeable damage, but as populations build, leaves may yellow, twist, discolor or drop off after drying up.

We have found the easiest, most effective way to control the aphid population is by spraying they leaves with a diluted dish soap mixture. We use the blue original Dawn dish soap for this, as it seems to be the safest and is great for lots of different uses around the house.

• Simply fill a spray bottle with water, add a small squirt of the dish soap, and give it a good shake. We don't measure, but I'm guessing it's probably about 1 teaspoon of soap in the 32 oz. spray bottle we use. 

• Spray the affected plant's leaves on both sides with the soapy mixture. Be sure to coat the underside of the leaves with the mixture, as this is where you'll find the highest concentration of aphids.

• Spray the soapy mixture directly onto any aphids you notice falling from the leaves.

• I would suggest rinsing away the soapy residue after one to two hours. Allowing the soap to remain on the leaves for longer than a few hours can cause damage and burning. Use a garden hose or spray bottle filled with plain water to remove the residue. 

Here's a leaf that was sprayed with the soapy mixture and not rinsed after.
The aphids are dead and the ants are gone, but the leaf is not looking too hot.

• Reapply the mixture every few days, or as necessary, to keep the aphid infestation under control.