Green Weekend

We had a fantastically green weekend. Saturday morning, Alex and I went to the local Farmer's Market and bought some fresh fruits and veggies. I have already had one of the mouth-watering peaches. We also picked up bell peppers for stuffed bell peppers for dinner one night, a cucumber for my lunch, and red potatoes for fresh, cool potato salad. Find a local Farmers Market by clicking here.

Also, we finished our rain barrels. The pictures to the left show the one in the front yard (our sycamore tree must be watered every other day this first summer) and the one in the back yard, which we'll mostly use for watering my herbs. Rain barrels are a great way to catch rainwater and reuse it for your own purposes before it goes back into the earth.

You can buy rain barrels from somewhere like Home Depot or on the Internet, or you can make your own. Alex made these for us. We bought the barrels from Lebanon Chemical Company for only $15 each. They used to hold bleach, so we rinsed them out really well before using them. If you buy a pre-made rain barrel, it will cost more, but it will be easier to set up. Alex had to cut several holes in these—one for a spigot, one for the water to pour in and one for overflow. Also, a pre-made rain barrel would probably blend in a little better than the bright blue one we have.

I wanted to give you an update on our herb garden. The mint on the right has gone crazy. We knew it would. I have made mint lemonade, and it was delicious. We plan to make mojitos for our Fourth of July party—yum! We're also enjoying our oregano (middle) and chives (left). Next year, we're already planning a much bigger herb garden with cilantro, and whatever else we can think of. If you have had success with some herbs that are particularly useful in the kitchen, let me know. I'd also like to put a tomato plant in there. "Dad" will have to give me some pointers!

Here is a picture of me beside the tree we planted back in April. It's a sycamore, and it is growing very nicely. The rain barrels should cut down on our water bill since the tree needs watering every other day.

This weekend we also finally got our clothesline up! I've already put a few loads up there to dry, mostly towels and bathing suits. I bought a retractable clothesline at Lowe's for less than $15.

So, overall, I'm very pleased with the green steps we've taken this weekend. Let me know what you're doing to go green!