Salad Days (A quick tip for an easy summer)

As I was preparing tea last night I thought it would be good to share my super easy salad days tip……….a perpetual salad bar!

We are big salad eater’s in summer so I keep a constant salad bar going in my fridge over summer.

I have a set of stacking boxes that fit in my fridge and a couple of other plastic boxes, during the summer I keep a constant supply of salad options in these boxes. The secret to this system I have found is to do small quantities on a regular basis, so the boxes all have smaller boxes and dishes inside them with.   For me/us this system is a boost as all I need to do is get the boxes out and my crew can help themselves to most of their meal, it also means that there is a selection of sandwich additions ready to hand at any time. Some of our staples are chopped celery with mandarin oranges (from a tin, without the juice) and a scattering of sultanas, grated carrot, sliced peppers and sliced red onions another favourite is jellied beetroot……for this I buy ready cooked vacuum packed beetroot, then make up a raspberry jelly with a generous half of boiled water and a skinny half of cider vinegar, chop the beetroot and put it in a dish, pour over the jelly and leave to set (this is great for parties by the way), I also buy bags of grated cheese, or gate my own, put a small portion in a tub and either refrigerate the rest or often just stick it in the freezer in a tub!!

It’s as easy as that…………….come home from work, take the chicken etc out of the slow cooker, open the boxes and voila, tea in a jiffy!

Cutting it Fine (Or at least that’s the plan!!!)

As always I am striving to have a beautiful life on the cheap, so I am going to attempt to grow as many flowers to cut for the house as possible this year.   I am lucky in that we already have a well-established garden that provides some flowers and usually enough foliage to get me through, however an act of generosity, has presented me with further opportunity, friends of ours have offered us a large strip of their land to garden and grow what we want. Win, win for all concerned as they are advancing in years and finding it difficult to do it all.   I thought documenting my efforts might prove useful to likeminded people.   I have made a start in our own small produce plot at home, the new “allotment” has meant that we have been able to plant our potatoes elsewhere so I have sown a couple of rows of Larkspur  2 weeks apart, to hopefully give me a few good pickings.   I also have 60 Gladioli bulbs that I plan to get in the ground this weekend, again I might stagger the planting though it is getting a little late to get them in this year.   Seed shopping is on the agenda for this week, Scabiosa tall double mixed (reputed to have a 7 to 10 day vase life) Cosmos Purity, Cerinthe major, multi head sunflowers and Bells of Ireland are on the list.

I will be keeping an eager out in the charity shops for suitable arranging vases/pots etc. I already have a few nice things that I have collected and keep in my shed but hey there is always room for more!!

I have made a start this week, by chance I was looking for my hubby in the garden and found him cutting all the seed heads off our Hellebores, they looked so lovely laying on the grass in a big bunch, that I have snaffled them and instead of being in the compost bin, they are now adorning our hall table, I should have taken the photo before putting them in place as the hall is a little dark……….but you get the idea!! (The cream jugs, you will be pleased to note are both from charity shops, so all in all a cheap display)