Saving by Gardening Update

Well, we're not even one week in to eating food from the garden, and we're already saving money. Our Black-Seeded Simpson Lettuce and Danvers Spinach (both heirloom varieties) seeds cost $1.35 a packet, so we estimate that we paid about $3 for seeds and shipping. This week, we ate our first meal from the garden - we used spinach in an egg and cheese pie. We've also had delicious salads at dinner two other nights. I know it's not a completely scientific experiment (when there's food from the garden, we plan our meals around what's available rather than planning meals then shopping for ingredients at the store), but this week, we would have paid $2.49 a bag for organic lettuce, and another $2.49 for organic spinach. Plus, the only transport costs for our garden food are the steps out to the garden and back! Good (and yummy) deal!

What we've been up to...

Well, we've been so busy chasing Brendan around the house that we've hardly had time to think about posting! On Monday, for example, Brendan helped us unpack groceries by standing next to one of the Trader Joe's bags and pounding on the contents (fortunately this was not the bag with the produce...). After a few minutes of that, he decided to let go of the bag and boxes and stand by himself!

It seems like we're having those moments at a breakneck pace these days. Brendan is moving everywhere. He's climbing stairs and the kitchen step stool with regularity, and enjoys pushing just about anything (walking toy, chairs, boxes) across as much of the living and dining rooms as he can. He's cruising quite well with something to hang onto, and has even taken some steps when holding on to our fingers. After three months with his bottom two teeth, three top ones emerged at once earlier this week. Fortunately our easygoing fellow hasn't been too fussy! Waving, clapping, peek-a-boo and giggling are more of the many things that keep us smiling at our baby.

We became members of the Zoo in April, and have enjoyed sunny afternoons checking out the animals. Prairie dogs and giraffes are Brendan's current favorites, and he enjoys the tunnel in the arctic habitat.


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In other outdoor news, we've decided this year to try and keep track of the benefits of growing our own food the year. We'll note what we plant, what we eat, and try to track how much it would have cost to buy similar organic produce at the farmers' market or store. We (well, Nick mostly - Brendan and I watched) planted lettuce and spinach at the beginning of April and carrots and beets April 12. We have Jenny Lind melons (an heirloom version of cantaloupe) started in the house, and potatoes should go in later this week. We're hoping to eat our first lettuce and spinach by the middle of next week.