Sauage Stuffing

We've created many, many sausages over the last two weeks. Those collagen casings are pretty cool. Very easy to work with, as are the Kitchen Aid grinding/stuffing attachments. Ironically, after all my lusty sausage talk from a previous post, I have no appetite for them. I've eaten half of one. I'm blaming it on the pregnancy and my overall aversion to digesting meat other than a few bites of chicken breast once or twice a week.
Fortunately, G and the kids love the sausages and have eaten plenty of them.

It's hard for me to get the herbs right. I haven't really liked any of the blends we've either tweaked ourselves or found from recipes. I like sage, but a little goes a long way, and too much just makes me nauseous. I'll keep working on it, and what I don't eat, I'm sure G and the kids will. And at worst, we're surrounded by neighboring dogs who would probably love to eat good quality sausage!

Yesterday I tooled around with yard measurements and graph paper to map out the vegetable gardens. As usual, my heart pounded with the realization that there are a LOT of things we like to grow and eat and just WHERE will we find the room?!
Well, this year we plan on using the front yard as well as the back. My husband is fairly pessimistic (perhaps realistic), that in our town, which is a fair mix of stable residents and transient students, a front vegetable garden will be vandalized. I however, tend to be optimistic with loads of faith in humanity. I'm hoping that no one will trash it, but they can certainly take from it if they plan to eat what they take. Who knows? There are various community garden plots around town in fairly public places that aren't messed with. And G was certain that the one year we bought a community garden plot, it would be trashed. However, it never was.

And heck, even in our fairly private back yard, we've had people jump the back fence to steal tomatoes from us. Fine by me. I'd prefer it if they asked, but so it goes.

I'm really struggling with whether or not I should take the plunge and buy that small hoop house to extend our growing season. I don't really have the extra money for it now, but the thought of having greens a lot longer than usual sounds absolutely dreamy. And to start stuff earlier! Luxury!

There are other things I want and need. We need to buy the supplies for the chicken roosts and the chicken run. We need to buy a huge length of rope so that our hops can grow as tall as they would like to. We need to buy dirt and good compost for the front yard beds. I want a lovely, cedar archway for the front yard. Sigh. All in good time. I saw them at Downtown Home and Garden and they cost around $375. I told G he could make us one out of cheap pine, or better yet, some crazy pieces from Reuse Recycle, but he's not that type of guy. If he builds something, he has to use the best materials, which I technically appreciate, it's just that I'm such a freakin' tightwad at heart.

All in good time.