Gardening Classes

This summer I want to start a garden. I have already planted several blackberry and raspberry bushes thanks to Gordon and Gerri...THANK YOU!!! Here is a gardening workshop schedule for the Kansas City area. I for sure will be at several of these classes and can't wait. Thanks for the info Diana!

2009 Workshop Schedule

All workshops are held at Kansas City Community Gardens from 12Noon until 1:30 p.m. unless otherwise specified. Please call for reservations.
6917 Kensington
Kansas City , MO 64132
(816) 931-3877
contact@kccg.org

February 13 (Friday)

Starting Sweet Potato Plants

Sweet potatoes are easy to grow and are extremely nutritious. Learn how to start your own sweet potato slips (plants) to plant in your garden and how to grow and harvest a great sweet potato crop. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

February 27 (Friday)

Vegetable Garden Basics

This workshop is perfect for first-time vegetable gardeners and intermediate gardeners! Learn all about growing a great vegetable garden including preparing, planting, maintaining and harvesting. Presented by Ben Sharda, KCCG Executive Director

March 6 (Friday)

Growing Berries in Your Garden

Berry bushes fit easily into the backyard landscape and are easier to grow than tree fruits. Learn how to select, plant and grow berry bushes. Presented by Ben Sharda, KCCG Executive Director

March 7 (Saturday) 10:30 – Noon

“ Schoolyard Gardens ” – How to Make Your School’s Garden a Success

If your school already has a vegetable garden or is considering one, come and learn how to make it a success. You’ll also learn about KCCG’s “ Schoolyard Gardens ” program and the resources, tips and tools it can provide, Presented by Andrea Mathew, Schoolyard Gardens Coordinator and Ben Sharda, Executive Director.

March 13 (Friday)

Planting seeds, Mulching, & Fertilizing

We get many, many questions about these three important areas of garden culture. Come and learn when and how to plant seeds, mulch and fertilize your garden. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

March 20 (Friday)

Growing Home Grown Tomatoes

Everyone wants to have great tomatoes and now you can! Learn how to have success with tomatoes and learn the differences between hybrid tomatoes and heirloom varieties. Timing, cultural practices and variety selection are some of the keys to tomato success. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

March 25 (Wednesday)

Rain Barrel Workshop

Create your own rain barrel to take home with you at the end of the class. Put it at the bottom of one of your downspouts, add a garden hose and you can water your vegetable garden from the rainwater you catch! All materials and instruction provided in this class. $45 fee for materials. We must have 20 participants for this class to be held. Presented by Beau Baker from Bridging the Gap. For Frequently Asked Questions about this project, go to www.bridgingthegap.org.

April 10 (Friday)

Raised Bed Gardening

Raised bed gardens have lots of advantages including: 1. more production 2. better drainage and 3. easier garden maintenance. Learn how to build, plant and maintain your raised bed garden. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

April 17 (Friday)

Growing Winter Squash

Winter Squash are nutritious and versatile but are challenging to grow. Learn how to grow winter squash and how to deal with their inevitable insect problems. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

April 24 (Friday)

Vegetable Garden Basics

This workshop is perfect for first-time vegetable gardeners and intermediate gardeners! Learn all about growing a great vegetable garden including preparing, planting, maintaining and harvesting. Presented by Ben Sharda, KCCG Executive Director

June 5 (Friday)

Storing your Harvest.

Learn how to store your fruits and vegetables to keep them in good shape and tasting fresh. This workshop will also provide information regarding the pros and cons of canning, freezing and drying to preserve your produce. Presented by Susan Mills-Gray, University of Missouri Extension Service

June 12 (Friday)

Watering Your Garden

Proper watering is extremely important to having a good garden. Learn when (and when not) to water your vegetable garden, as well as how much water your vegetable garden needs. Presented by Ben Sharda, KCCG Executive Director

June 26 (Friday)

Insects in the Garden

Some insects can ruin your garden harvest and some will help your garden grow. Learn how to identify garden pests and beneficial insects. Learn how to safely control problem insects. Presented by Mary Roduner, Children’s Garden Coordinator

July 11 (Saturday) 10:00am

Herb Walk

Basic garden herbs are easy to grow. Take a stroll through our Beanstalk Children’s Garden and get tips on how to grow, harvest and use herbs. Learn how to preserve herbs by freezing and drying. Presented by Mary Roduner, Children’s Garden Coordinator

July 24 (Friday)

Fall Vegetable Gardening

You can plant cool season vegetables in July and August for a great fall vegetable harvest, but timing and planting techniques are tricky. This workshop will discuss what vegetables to plant for fall and how and when to plant them. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

August 14 (Friday)

Extending the Garden Season

If you have ever wanted to plant earlier in the spring and have your garden last longer in the fall, come and learn how about useful techniques and materials/equipment to extend your vegetable gardening season. Presented by Ben Sharda, KCCG Executive Director

October 9 (Friday)

Composting and Putting your Garden to Bed for the Winter

Every garden needs more organic matter to enrich the soil. Learn how to change your yard and garden waste into useful compost. Discussion will also include information on how to prepare your vegetable garden bed for winter. Presented by John Williams, KCCG Program Director

Lack of Grocery Deals

I just want to apologize for not doing my weekly grocery/coupon deals. I have been a bit under the weather and have wanted nothing to do with the grocery store. Hopefully this will pass soon, but until then maybe you can email me with great grocery deals you have found and I will post them. You can email me at preparedinkansas@gmail.com. Thanks.

Kid Eat Free

In keeping with my theme of eating out, I thought I would find out where in Kansas City you can take your kids and have them eat for free. I don't know about everybody else, but my kids are extremely picky eaters. Because of this, my husband and I never go out to eat with them because we hate spending money on their food when they are likely to not eat one bite of it. So, check out this link for a list of where kids can eat free...or nearly free. If you don't live in Kansas City, then just do a google search, "Kids eat free in ______________" and see what you find. Make sure you call the restaurant first to make sure the kids eat free deal still applies. Have fun!

Shutterfly Free 8x8 photo album

Shutterfly is offering a free 20 page, 8x8 photo album...but you do pay shipping.

To enjoy your special offer:

• Visit www.ck.shutterfly.com/inspire
• Sign up for your free Shutterfly account (or sign in if you’re already a member)
• Upload your photos
• Create an 8x8 photo book
• Enter promotion code CK47-3T9F-5KDN-MCBMT6 at checkout to redeem your FREE* photo book offer

*Offer expires February 28, 2009. Free 8x8 photo book includes initial set of 20 pages. Offer good on all Shutterfly 8x8 photo books with photo cover. All incremental pages will be charged on a per page rate. Premium licensed photo books (including Martha Stewart Photo Books & Adventure Photo Books), as well as leather and padded photo books are not included in this offer. Taxes, shipping and handling charges will apply.

Restaurant.com

Last month I was totally obsessed with coupons and this month I seem to be a bit obsessed with eating out?!?! Anyway, my husband and I have recently found the joys of restaurant.com. Right now they have an 80% off of gift certificates deal with the code DINE available. The $25 gift certificates are normally $10, but are $2 with the code. They also sell $10 certificates for select restaurants for $3, making them 60 cents each with the code. When you buy these gift certificates it is usually works like this: You buy it for $2 and then get a gift card good for $25 off of a $30-$50 purchase. So, you could spend $7 and get a $30 meal. Go to the website and enter your zipcode to see what restaurants they offer in your area.

Ruby Tuesday Deal

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite restaurants is Ruby Tuesday...their salad bar is seriously delish. Here is a link for a buy one entree get one free. I'm totally going!

Using Food Storage Apples

Apple Brown Betty

Pour 2 c boiling water over 4 cups dried apples. Let stand at least 5 minutes.

Topping: Mix the following ingredients well:
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c oatmeal
1/4 c brown sugar
Then cut in 1/4 c butter

Place the apples and liquid remaining in a greased 9 x 9 pan. Sprinkle the topping over the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.


I doubled the recipe for the topping mix as I really really like the crunchy stuff. You could also add some chopped nuts to the topping mix if you like.

Valentine's Day Grocery Deals

Hy Vee: (2/13 only)

*Fresh Sliced Pork Steaks .99 lbs
*80% lean ground hamburger 4.77 for a 3lbs roll (1.59 lbs)
*Pilgrim's Pride 3 lbs bag frozen chicken 4.99 (1.67 lbs)
*HyVee butter 1.48
*Top Ramen .13 each

Hen House: (2/13-2/14)

*Hen House gallon of milk 2.49 (Cheaper than Costco!)
*Wonder Bread 1.38
*Eggland's Best doz eggs 1.38
*Kellog's Fruit Snacks 4/5 or 1.25 each
*Red Delicious apples .49 lbs

TGI Fridays Coupon

I found a coupon for a buy one entree and get one free from TGI Fridays. It expires March 1st and is not valid on Valentines Day. It has been a long time since I've eaten at TGI Fridays, but I may have to go give it another try.

Free Pass at Sam's Club

Here is a coupon for a free day pass to Sam's Club...and they will waive the 10% fee they normally charge for this type of coupon. I can't wait to go and stock up on the things that Sam's has but Costco does not. I'll keep you posted as to what I find there!

Free Madagascar Movie

CVS this week is having a great deal...at least if you have kids. If your purchase $20 of P&G products listed in their circular then you can get the movie Madagascar 2 for only $5. AND to make it an even better deal, I found a coupon online for $5 off of this movie making the movie FREE!!! Oh how I love that word! So, I now know what I am getting my kids for Valentine's Day. :) There was also a P&G coupon booklet in this past Sunday paper so look in there for some coupons to use to get even more bang for your buck.

It's Bread Making Time

I am out of bread at my house. Normally this would mean a trip to the grocery store. Instead however, I am going to use this opportunity to learn how to make my own bread. Crazy I know, especially since I am not a natural bread maker. I have however learned one trick of the trade: I use my bread machine (that I bought at Good Will for $6) for the dough cycle. It makes REALLY great dough. I have already tried two recipes that turned out really great (and will be even better with more practice on my part!):

Dinner Rolls

1 1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup oil
5 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Put these ingredients into your bread machine in the order listed above. When the dough is finished, turn onto a lightly floured surface and form into rolls. (for a tutorial on how to do this, click here.) Put into a 9x13 greased dish, cover and let rise about an hour. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 2 doz rolls.

Italian Bread Using a Bread Machine

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons cornmeal

Place flour, brown sugar, warm water, salt, olive oil and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into two loaves. Place the loaves seam side down on a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise, until doubled in volume about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a small bowl, beat together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the risen loaves with egg mixture. Make a single long, quick cut down the center of the loaves with a sharp knife, or make 3 diagonal lines down the loaf (like you see at restaurants).

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.


I will post more good recipes as I find them. Happy bread making!

Weekly Grocery Deals

Hen House:

*Progresso Soups .99 + internet coupon, $1 off 2 or $2 off 4
*Prego Spaghetti Sauce 1.77
*Sargento Shredded Cheese 1.47 + internet coupon $1 off 2
*Bird's Eye Frozen Veggies .88 + internet coupon $1 off 2
*Sargento Salad Finishers 2.99 + internet coupon $1 off 1, Sunday paper coupon too
*Quaker Instant Oatmeal packets 1.88 (see other postings for coupons)
*Wonder Bread 1.88

Hy Vee:

*Strawberries 1.88
*85% ground hamburger 1.79 lbs
*Roma Tomatoes .77 lbs
*Betty Crocker Cake Mix .88

Join the CVS Bandwagon!

Who wants to shop at CVS for free? I do! I do! I have already found the wonder of CVS Extra Care Bucks, but I have just realized that I have not been using them to their fullest potential. Shame on me. I found this website today and love it!!! This is a woman who knows how to work the system to her advantage and I just have to share. Her website is called Centsible Savings and she goes through step-by-step how to save your pennies at CVS. Along with her website, she recommends using another website called Money Saving Mom to truly stretch your dollars.

If anyone wants to do this with me then let me know! The great thing about CVS, is that it is the same in Kansas as it is in other states in the country...at least I think it is, so we can all be one big happy family as we shop with our "free" money.

Deal Alert!

I just got back from the Walmart on K-7 and 135th and found a really great deal. They have their Arm & Hammer Essentials cleaning solutions rolled back to $2 a bottle. If you look on the bottles, they have a buy one get one free coupon on them. When I got home, I did a google search for any coupons there might be out there and found a $1 off coupon from the Arm and Hammer website. So, I will be going back and getting my two bottles of cleaning solution for .50 a piece. I guess this means I have no excuse now for a dirty house?!?!