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Hi Reader,

Whoa, it's the last day of May already! I'm really looking forward to the warm sunny days of summer - hopefully we'll get to paddle on nearby lakes often.💜

We did have our first 80 degree day last week, so I switched my vegetable garden bed cloth row covers for lighter insect netting and now it's easier to see the full beds.😀

I started covering the beds all season to protect our produce from the ground squirrels (who can decimate a bed overnight, leaving only the stems!), but it's allowed me to grow almost perfect produce with hardly any bug holes. AND I've grown brassicas under cover for years to keep it from the cabbage moths and aphids (the ONLY way to get clean broccoli, in my experience).

​This is the insect cloth I use - it's pretty heavy duty and easily lasts a number of years. It's 10' wide which fits perfectly over the hoops of my 4' wide beds (8' wouldn't be big enough).

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June Dinner Menu Ideas

​Check out the full 4-week June menu here. These are some of the menus I'll be adding to our menu this month:

​Tuscan White Bean Salad​ Great make-ahead pantry salad - it gets better with time! Mix in tuna for more protein and serve over lettuce along with artisan bread and a simple tomato bruschetta.

​Salmon Patties with Flax These are delicious, FULL of good for you omega-3 fats, and made with inexpensive canned salmon. Serve with a vinaigrette dressed green salad with garbanzos and leftover bread.

​Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichokes & Dried Tomatoes​ SO much flavor! Serve over noodles or rice and a green salad with a perfect honey mustard dressing. ​

​Blueberry Cobbler with Amazing Lemon Honey Sauce​ Celebrate the season's first blueberries with this easy, mouthwatering cobbler.💜 ​ ​

Stainless Steel Canning Supplies

In preparation for the coming preserving season, move from plastic (or the flimsy, rocking enamel canner) to all stainless steel that will make canning easier and safer! Here are my favorites:

• ​Stainless Steel Canner (21 qt. with rack and glass lid)
• ​Stainless large canning funnel (I also use this for transferring ferments into jars and for adding dry ingredients to jars for food gifts)
• ​Stainless canning ladle (though it's not special to canning - any stainless ladle will work!)
• ​Stainless colander set (please get rid of any plastic colanders - the hot water from pasta, etc. will cause them to leach microplastics...)

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What's New

​Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal - Protein Rich & Freezer Friendly​ I've been testing for months to get a delicious, basic baked oatmeal with more protein and the result was worth it! I like the individual servings, but you can simply bake it in a pan, too. ​ RECIPE HERE! ​

​Flourless Coconut Almond Bars​ An OC classic that's been updated and refreshed for you to enjoy when you need a gluten free treat. ​ RECIPE HERE! ​

A Few More Things

Last year I remember thinking as my huge peony blossoms sat on the ground that I would definitely stake them next year. Well, they started blooming a week and a half ago and I didn't have them staked! I quickly ordered this set of 12 stakes because the plants don't need to grow through them (um, too late for that 😂) and they were super easy to place around the plants - even full grown. Whew. Now we can enjoy those blooms for the whole time they flower (it keeps them away from bugs, too, that eat the petals when they're on the ground).

I can't remember if I've mentioned these simple, safe box cutters to you before, but I literally use them multiple times a week and they are SO much better than opening boxes with scissors or a knife! The blade is sharp, but it's only out when you press on the slider and it springs back as soon as you let go, so there's no chance of cutting yourself. Plus it's a small blade that won't go too deep into the package, only cutting the tape holding the box closed. They're so inexpensive and come in a pack of 4 so you can give them away (I added them to my kids stockings at Christmas, lol).

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read - you can always hit reply with any thoughts or questions - I read every email.😀

Here's to a beautiful week!

PS- Remember to tag me on Instagram so I can see what you're making!

Remember it's easy to save recipes on An Oregon Cottage! Just click the heart when browsing to save your personal favorites! TIP: when you click on the link, it will take you to my site - click the heart like you see here to the left - it will be on the bottom right on the site. A pop up form will come up for you to create an account (or sign in if you already have). You need to create a password for this account (no info is kept besides your email) and then you can save all recipes and articles to this account and access it anytime to remember what you want and choose what to make!

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