I was running out of "cloth toilet paper" so I decided I'd use the Wonder Clean to wash them. And so I did. I must say, it worked very well, considering I didn't even use hot water. The science behind the Wonder Clean (or Wonder Washer) is that heat creates pressure inside the cannister, and forces the soap in and through the clothes. It works much like a pressure canner. Since I don't want to use hot water (until I have my solar water heater set up), I use cold, and crank it around a few extra times to mimic the agitation of a regular machine. It still got things nice and clean, so I can't complain. And I wasn't soaked to the bone when I was finished either!
Now all I have to do is set up a laundry area that makes it easy to run through a load quickly and easily. For now, that will be outside at the picnic table, so I can mount the wringer on the picnic table for use. In the winter, I'll have to either make a stand or buy the dynajet stand to mount the wringer on. Then I'll be able to do my laundry quickly and easily right in the kitchen.
But that wasn't the wasted part of the day.
Today the weather was BEAUTIFUL. I decided today would be THE day to go blueberry picking. I had done all my price research, and looked around at the "pick your own" farms. I even called a more local farm to find out if they had blueberries, and they do....but not enough for what I need. However, the owner did mention that I should check with The Country Store to see how much theirs were. That should have been my first clue. But I had already done a lot of pricing and figured that with the price hikes of this year, The Country Store would probably still be more expensive than a "pyo" farm.
There is only one "Pick your own" farm that grows blueberries. Its all the way in York. Since I was hoping to get a total of about 50lbs of blueberries, I figured the gas would be worth it. If I picked 60lbs of blueberries and spent $10 on gas, that would be $1.60/lb.
Now I know those who are experienced at this are probably already laughing.
I drove all the way over there and discovered it took 15 minutes less time than mapquest said it did. So far so good. And I had no trouble finding the place. Again, so far so good. Its an honor system of payment, which appealed to me, and they provided the buckets to pick with...even lined them with bags. GREAT! I grabbed 5 buckets in hopes that I could fill them all, or at least 2 or 3 of them anyway.
So I get out to this nice big blueberry field and discover that although there are TONS of blueberries, most of them are not ripe yet. And the ones that WERE ripe, are already picked (as evidenced by the stems hanging with no berries).
Apparently when I first started picking I must have hit upon a good patch because when I was done with that patch and moved on, it was obvious from the stems hanging there that someone else had beat me to the majority of the other berries. As I wondered around the field, it didn't seem as big anymore.
Don't get me wrong. This blueberry farm is wonderful. Although I missed it, apparently there were two baby fawns in the field right near me. (One of the other pickers told me later). What an incredible place. While I was picking I could hear.....quiet. Birds singing, grasshoppers flying, and children running through the blueberry field with their moms. It really is a beautiful place. And if I lived closer, I'd be there every week (if not every day) to check on the progress of the berries and pick some, or maybe just to sit in the shade and relax. But not when its a half hour's drive or more away and gas costs $4/gallon.
I decided to cut my losses and take the two pounds I had in hand, and go home. On my way home I discovered a connection to Rt. 83 that was easier to use than the one I had used on the way there. And I was happily on my way. Except I got OFF at the wrong "Market St" exit and ended up lost in downtown York. Anyone who knows me knows I can't navigate worth crap. My oldest daughter has always been my copilot for that reason. But not today.
In any case, I finally made it out of York and was on my way home, thinking about The Country Store, and remembering that I had bought a case of blueberries there before a few years ago, and that they *were* priced very reasonably. I decided to stop at that roadside stand again to see if they had green beans in yet. They did, at $30/bushel, but since I hadn't picked my own from my garden yet, I wasn't ready to buy just yet.
Anyway, we got to talking about blueberries, and the woman at the roadside stand said I should check out....you guessed it....The Country Store. By now its almost 5:30pm and the whole way home I was thinking I should call them, but I figured they were closed by now. Not so. The woman at the roadside stand calls The Country Store for me and proceeds to find out that they are selling their blueberries in 20lb boxes for *$32*. Guess how much that works out to be?? $1.60/lb. Exactly what I paid in York AND its a whole lot closer AND they are already RIPE...AND they are already PICKED.
I could just KICK myself. Instead of driving all the way to York and sweating in the sun hunting for ripe berries that were nowhere to be found, all I had to do was drive 20 minutes, pick up a couple of boxes, pay, and leave.
Guess what I'm doing tomorrow!!
When I got home, in order to not completely waste the day, I *did* pick all my green beans in the garden. When they were all cleaned and cut, I ended up with about 3qts worth. Thats not so bad considering the green beans were an "after thought" crop. We've never planted green beans before, or at least not for several years. So now we know to plant a lot more next year. In the meantime, I'm going to buy some while they're in season and when I have enough I'll can them all at once, probably this weekend so that the ones I got from our garden for FREE don't go to waste!
Oh well, you live and learn I guess.
No comments:
Post a Comment