What Will We Do With Thursday?

Beautiful blue skies and sunshine greets the morning of Thursday. Today is my day to talk about sustainable living practices, and I guess I do have something to chat about on this subject. Of course, it goes back to gardening, which has been the spotlight of sustainability for us for a few months now.
This week, we've been starting seeds for the late summer planting schedule. Corn, sunflowers, mixing greens & lettuce seeds for a nice patch of yumminess-is that really a word? Radishes, carrots, onions and such will go directly in at the time they need to. Oh, and I started cabbage seeds, too. Late peas will go directly in as well. So far, our garden has given us herbs, a few radishes, peas (shell & sugar snap), and bush beans. Waiting on the rest to bring forth the fruit of the season. August will also be the month I start my canning; I didn't make strawberry jam this year, as we've still so much of it from last year. Right now is peak season for raspberries and blueberries but still not sure if we will take part in this seasonal ritual of harvesting for our food stores. We'll see what the next couple of weeks brings. If too late, we can always plan for next year and still be good.
Flipping through "Sleeping with a Sunflower," and looking over the activities for August. Companion planting, time frames for planting in August, canning and preserving, how to fish by the moon cycles. Good stuff, old stuff. Then, there's a piece on using foods for natural dyes. I've used red cabbage, red onions, yellow onions, spinach, and beets for dyes on Easter eggs; I've not once bought a conventional egg dyeing kit, as I've not found one that is chemical free. The natural dyes can also be used for dying wool fiber for those colorful items known as sweaters, hats, and mittens. Scarves are in there, too. I've yet to do that, and I think it would be fun. The chapter ends on the note about eating puffballs for breakfast. Now, for those who know what puffballs are, I gotta tell ya, I didn't know you could eat these. Of course, it helps when you harvest them when they're still waxy and fresh. Once they go to dry and ready to spread spores, let them alone. Of course, who can resist stepping on them and watching the "smoke" rise off the ground? Those are tiny spores, millions of them to take off and make more puffballs. I remember actually getting a chance to eat a slice of one that was the size of a basketball; imagine this giant mushroom but there's no catapillar, Alice. It was actually really good.
So, sleeping with a sunflower and eating puffballs for breakfast can be food for thought today. How many natural resources do you rely upon? Do you grow your own food? Questions to ponder today as you walk along the path to your destination. Enjoy! ~Momma