Not a whole lot to show you with our garden at this time! We’ve had a few freezing nights over the last week or two, and the local fruit growers were worried about all the tree blossoms that were at risk. Bert is already cutting the grass, but we’ve still had to stoke the wood stove in the basement to keep the electric heat from coming on!
My radishes and lettuce that I planted two weeks ago (on a warm sunny day!) are doing fine. With the radishes, I make a point to put just one seed in each hole so I don’t have to thin the plants. If one doesn’t sprout, I don’t worry about it. The lettuce seeds are so VERY tiny that I can never put one seed at a time in the ground. At least I space out the holes so I’ll have to thin just a few tiny plants.
Radishes
Lettuce
We planted Sugar Snap peas in the beds with fences by the patio. They finally came up enough so I could actually take a picture of them.
And then, there is my poor Asparagus! Last summer we transplanted roots from our daughter’s garden. A few stalks came up but we left them alone. I was so sure we’d have at least one meal this spring. It’s hard to tell, but there were 3 large roots spaced out in this bed!
Asparagus
Not much happening in the fenced garden on the hill…
…but the Echinacea at the far end is bursting with energy!
Luckily, Bert has the Tomato plants safe in the shop under grow lights for another month!
He just started Petunia seeds today…they’ll be red, white and blue…and we’ll plant them in the boxes on the patio.
Nothing too exciting…yet! I’m certainly glad some of the local farmers use greenhouses and tunnels to protect their plants. Pennsylvania weather in April and May is certainly unpredictable!
If you have comments or questions, please contact me directly at maryjkisner@gmail.com.
I posted about making ANZAC biscuits last August, 2025 (see https://marykisner.com/making-anzac-biscuits/). I recently saw a note on my paper calendar that reminded me of this national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. It’s close enough to our Memorial Day festivities that I thought I’d revisit that blog entry from last year. Of course, it’s a reminder just in time in case I want to make these cookies for the Auxiliary Bake Sale next week. Enjoy!
Here’s a repost of that story!
Making ANZAC Biscuits
What in the world is an ANZAC biscuit? These cookies (or “biscuits” as they are called in the UK and Australia/New Zealand) are considered a traditional cookie to honor ANZAC day in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga.
Several sources online suggest wives and mothers would mail these cookies to their soldiers in ANZAC, because without eggs and being quite sturdy, they traveled and kept well. Other sources said, “Contrary to legend, Anzac biscuits weren’t sent to our troops serving overseas in WWI. However, they were commonly sold at church fetes and galas to raise funds for the war effort. They didn’t get their name until peacetime, with the first Anzac recipe appearing in about 1919.”
You can see, the history of the ANZAC biscuits has been around for over 100 years! Whether they were popular in Australia and New Zealand because they traveled well, or they made a good baked item to raise funds, I might have to bake some to sell at our Boalsburg Fire Company Auxiliary Yard Sale in a few weeks. If I include the recipe and a little history, they might generate some interest and sales!
Because they were popular in Australia, they are called biscuits…like cookies are called in the UK. However, they are basically a simple Oatmeal Coconut Cookie. They are sturdy and could travel well in the mail.
Here’s the recipe I followed. I added vanilla and cinnamon to my recipe just because!
The ingredient list is pretty simple. After making 2-3 batches and reading several variations of the recipe at various sources, already I can see a few simple changes.
Making the ANZAC Biscuits:
Assemble the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
(This is when I added cinnamon…to the dry ingredients.)
2. Melt 1 stick of butter and add 2 tbsp of honey and mix well. (This is when I added the vanilla.)
3. Put the baking soda in a small cup and add 2 Tbsp. boiling water. This was a real pain in the neck…next time I’ll add the baking soda and water to the melted butter and just mix it up.
4. Combine the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients to make a moist batter. Scoop about a tablespoon or two into your hand and form into a ball. Place on cookie sheet and flatten gently with your hand. They will spread and flatten as they cook.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes (to make firm chewy cookies) or about 18 minutes to make them a little crunchy. Rotate trays as needed midway.
This made 14-16 cookies…each 3-4 inches across! They can be made smaller and the recipe can be doubled. Might be the perfect cookie to sell at our bake sale! Enjoy!
Over the last 5 years of writing this blog, I’ve tried to focus on the things I’ve made or learned how to make. My personal story continues around me while I’m making stuff, of course. I’d like to share my challenges with Type 2 Diabetes and how biofeedback is helping me meet those challenges. Currently, I’m taking three different meds to try to control my blood sugar. Decisions needed to be made about whether it was time to consider insulin to control things. Let me say…I was terrified I’d be stuck with daily shots for the rest of my life! Maybe that’s what it took for me to face things. While I was waiting for an appointment with a pharmacist/specialist to discuss all this, I started a very restricted low-carb diet. I also increased my blood sugar testing to 4x/day. Eating only protein and vegetables was tough but pricking my fingers 4x/day was very tough!
With that as the background, I had my appointment with the specialist. Discussion focused on my choices for the future. Luckily, before insulin, I was going to try a new med (new to me) called Glipizide XL. I was to continue eating the protein/vegetable diet and wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor called Dexcom G7. Here is the box:
With Bert’s help, the monitor was stuck to my arm and covered with a patch. The device has a little needle in my arm that checks my blood sugar every 5 minutes! No pain! Amazing! Then I started the new meds. It took a day or two for the new meds to get in my system. I could watch how my body reacted to the foods I ate…in real time! What an eye-opening experience! The best part was I didn’t have to prick my fingers 4x/day! Made my fingers very happy. Here is what the read-out looks like on my phone:
Then, I can switch to another chart and see my average glucose # and the GMI…I think that’s equivalent to the A1c…maybe? Maybe the health professionals in my family can send me info about that (smile). Luckily, the specialist can also read my charts from his office so he knows how things are going.
Reading these numbers certainly keep me focused on what I’m eating every day and how my blood sugar responds overnight when I’m not eating at all.
This monitor lasts for 15 days. Since I’m not on insulin, my insurance will not pay for this device. However, with a prescription I can pay for it myself…about $40 each. I may consider wearing one for another 15 days, just to make sure the meds have stabilized and I can continue to keep track! Especially, since in the next 3 weeks I have major baking to do for the Auxiliary Bake Sale! I think the monitor will help keep me honest!
This whole experience has reinforced what I’ve read about biofeedback. The research shows when you’re tracking physiological functions like blood sugar, heart rate or pain perception, biofeedback can be used to improve health in conjunction with changes to thoughts, emotions and behavior. This experience has shown me how powerful biofeedback can be.
So, while I’m watching my charts and sticking to my diet I’m finding I really need to stay busy! Luckily, I’ve got lots of fleece and have been cranking out coats for my beloved greyhounds! Here are some I just finished!
Now I just have to continue monitoring when I start my marathon baking! Wish me luck!
Please email me directly if you have questions, comments or advice at maryjkisner@gmail.com.
Spring has sprung! It may not look like much gardening is going on in our backyard…yet. Without fanfare, Bert started tomato seeds under grow lights in the shop a week or two ago and with daily watering and constant light they’ve already popped up!
Last week the forsythia was just getting started…and now the color is beautiful!
With all the rain we’ve been having it seems like Bert should get the rain barrels ready, but he reminded me that until it doesn’t freeze at night, the barrels are at risk of freezing and cracking if they have water in them. Makes sense and we certainly don’t need the water yet…nothing can be planted in the garden so far!
When I checked the Echinacea bed this morning, I thought it looked pretty dismal until I got up close. Check out the new growth!
Then I wandered down the hill to check on the asparagus and look what I found! The first stalk! We transplanted these roots last year and probably should not cut very much this year but it’s still exciting that it has begun!
I’ll be posting Garden Updates by date, so you should be able to follow along as things grow. So much more to come. We don’t have the biggest garden in the neighborhood but it’s just right for us…two senior citizens who enjoy watching things grow that we can eat! Enjoy!
Please email me directly if you have comments or questions at maryjkisner@gmail.com.
