Keep Flies Off Veggies

I despise the flies!

There are many harvest days with a garden... and you can't do all the canning in one day. If veggies are left on the counter, even draped in a towel, the fruit flies WILL find them.... and multiply. Here is a quick solution for keeping your veggies FLY FREE. Tested. Works great!

Veggies in the Closet!

Purchase or find an inexpensive plastic shelf (36"wide). The one we have can be disassembled and stored when not in use... AND has shelves with a lip. (This comes in handy! I'll explain later.)

Purchase or find a portable/temporary Clothes Closet and use the COVER only. This one is 36"w x19.5"d x 63"h.  Find another use for the clothes hanger contraption. (BONUS: It is very handy next to the dryer in the laundry room.)

 

Assemble the shelf. Insert shelf inside the clothes closet cover (remember, we are just using the cover, not the clothes hanger contraption). 

 

Make sure veggies are dirt/bug free (wash veggies & allow to dry if necessary). Place them on the shelves inside the 'closet' and zip it shut. This keeps the flies OUT.

 

 

This closet has a 'window' on the top. VERY handy! You don't have to unzip it to see if the veggies are ripening.

 

 

If you find a shelf with a lip, this is excellent! Why? Because if you have some veggies go bad, sometimes they leak.... the lip will keep any liquid from running off the shelf.

 



The Pro's

• Very useful to store veggies that have to ripen more
• Keeps your kitchen counter a workspace vs veggie storage area
• Great waiting room for veggies during the canning season when you can't get to all of them on the same day/week
• Keeps flies off the veggies
• Closet and shelf can be disassembled after harvest season and stored in a small area

The Con's

• The closet material doesn't fit the shelf exactly - so I tucked the excess material behind the shelf. It is frumpy. A minor thing. That's it.

 [Extra notes: I was going to enclose the shelf using bulk replacement window screen and use Velcro around the top & bottom of the shelf to attach it  - that option was too expensive. The Velcro alone was over $20. The shelf was older and not in use, and the closet was about $14-$16.]

Grilled Pizza - YUM!

Grilled Chicken Pesto Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza 

Ingredients are approximate. Add as much sauce, veggies, and cheese as you like.

Prepare the pizza for grilling greatness!

• 1 package quick pizza dough (or home made/frozen dough)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup prepared pesto
• 1 can medium artichoke hearts (or asparagus) - rinsed*
• 1 small bottle roasted red peppers - rinsed*
• 1 chicken breast (boneless, cooked, diced)
• 1/4 cup onion - diced
• 1-2 TBS olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups cheese (shredded)
• salt/pepper to taste

Yes, our grill is very 'seasoned' :)

Directions:

Preheat gas grill to medium heat.

Saute boneless chicken, onions in olive oil.
Cool and dice chicken into bite-size pieces.
Prepare crust according to directions.
Press into a disposable pizza pan (if grilling, the bottom will get sooty).
Spread pesto on dough.
Sprinkle diced chicken evenly.
Rinse, pat dry, and slice 2 or 3 artichoke hearts and place evenly around pizza.
Rinse, pat dry, 2 or 3 roasted red peppers and place evenly around pizza.
Sprinkle cheese
Salt & Pepper

Place on center rack of grill.
Cook for 15 minutes and check (all grills heat differently). I cooked our pizza 30 minutes on medium until the cheese was melted and the crust started turning brown.
 

Rotate 1/3 turn once every 10 minutes if your grill heat is uneven.
ENJOY!

* Rinse canned artichoke hearts, asparagus, and roasted red peppers, or the pizza gets to be too salty tasting.
 

Spare Tumblers and PVC

Q: What do you get when you have spare plastic tumblers and PVC connectors?
A: A great place to put your hair dryer and flat irons!

Large plastic tumbler (left) PVC connector (right)
Pre-drill and attach to inside cabinet door with wood screws.

Perfect fit with a convenient place for the cord.

Mini flat iron also fits nicely inside large tumblers.
Easy to organize inside cabinet or a great place to cool
without the cord laying all over the counter.

"Quick Organization"

"Quick Organization" might sound like an oxy-moron, but sometimes this method of organization tides us over until we find a better solution.

The Good:
We recycle plastic shopping bags and use them in our small garbage cans, mainly in the bathrooms.

The Bad:
Storing them... we crammed multiple bags into one bag and put them under the sink.

The Ugly:
This ended up being a bulky object crammed under the sink. Hard to move around. Hard to find anything that was under it.

QUICK ORGANIZATION SOLUTION 

Use an empty tissue box and smush the bags inside. It stacks easily inside the cabinet. When it is full, recycle the remaining bags -- back to the store.