homesteading

twin cities yarn

2010-09-16T20:36:00.002-05:00

I have not fully explored the LYS's of the Twin Cities, and I often find myself falling in love via the internet. But as a person who professes to love the brick-and-mortar, I need to find my very own LYS. Or two.

I travel to the Twin Cities for classes, both to teach and take, every day in the week, and my journeys weave me into St Paul for weekly yoga, Minneapolis for graduate school, and on.

Where do you buy your yarn? Where have you heard is good in the area? It's time for me to go and touch.

I also want to invest in a swift... This last ball and I were not getting along to start. I had such trouble finding the beginning that I finally broke a strand and began from there.

EGG|PLANT Urban Farm Supply

2010-09-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

In St Paul -

Home - EGG|PLANT Urban Farm Supply

Tales of Hoffman: A Picnic Operetta

2010-08-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

This summer Mixed Precipitation (MP) has brought back their hugely popular Picnic Operetta tour in community gardens throughout the metro area. Last year MP performed Orpheus and Eurydice, and this year they return with a modern take on the classic opera Tales of Hoffman. Music director Eric Pearson has arranged the score based on Jacque Offenbach's work (with a little '80s pop thrown in for good measure). Artistic director Scotty Reynolds has said that the first location of the tour, Eat Street Community Gardens, holds special meaning because that's where he and his collaborator, chef Nick Schneider, came up with the concept (they were both living at the Omega House, which owns the property where the garden is located). The two collaborators wanted to create a project that integrated food with a theatrical experience. So while enjoying the show, theater goers can expect a multi-course experience of gourmet delights prepared la tavola fresca style—literally "the fresh table," or food that is freshly picked from the garden.

Survey asks how you preserve food at home

2010-07-24T00:15:00.000-05:00

From old fashioned canning to bagging and freezing, many people preserve their food for later use. How do you do it?

The Food Preservation Network, in partnership with the Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support, is exploring ways to develop community-infrastructure that supports residents’ efforts to preserve locally grown foods. As part of this effort, the network is conducting a survey to better understand residents' interests and needs regarding food preservation.

Your responses will help the Food Preservation Network develop a pilot food preservation project that will be implemented in September and October. This survey is completely voluntary and anonymous.

The goal is to increase community capacity to preserve locally grown foods in order to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables and build a stronger, healthier community. This project is part of Homegrown Minneapolis, an initiative to increase the production, distribution, and processing of locally grown foods and is funded by the Statewide Health Improvement Program.

Tree Porn

2010-07-20T00:55:00.002-05:00

Sigh... the blonde or the redhead? Or maybe the brunette?

These trees are certainly easy on the eyes, but ultimately we need to choose something that can grow well here. Maybe a cluster of dwarf fruit trees is the most practical (and tasty) way to go?

I could look at tree porn all day!

Chicken Coops & Ice Cream

2010-07-19T19:43:00.000-05:00

Both Chris and I

took the chicken processing class

at Callister Farm on Sunday.

My initial write-up is online now.

on you tube

2010-07-14T12:15:00.001-05:00

Hungry Hungry Caterpillar

2010-07-11T20:06:00.002-05:00

One of the latest specimens from the Louderhorn Inn:

We think he was knocked out of the tree from this afternoon's rainstorm. Shawn found him all plump and porky lounging on the sidewalk. After a photo session he was returned to the tree.

Naturally Grown

2010-07-01T23:44:00.011-05:00

I posted here when I had meant to post on the CSA blog and after deleting it I thought... why not share some pictures from my trip back East? Give homesteading some attention too?

My grandmother owns a 240 acre farm in Eastern Connecticut. I am the oldest grandchild of 14.

It used to be a dairy farm, but she and my grandfather went on subsidy when I was still a child during a dairy surplus. I have vivid memories about milking and the cows and write from these a lot. The year that I lived on the farm (when I was 4 and should have been in preschool, but didn't realize that or that my parents' marriage was falling apart) was infused with wonder and independent play.

Now the fields are rented out to growers of feed corn and my grandmother keeps a garden. My grandfather has passed away. After his death Shawn and I moved onto the farm for a year to help out, but I'm not sure how much we accomplished. Family property/businesses are really difficult, and I left determined to live in the city for the rest of my life.

We've always had horses, though now they aren't ridden often enough to be reliable. I miss riding. I have a cousin in vo-ag who raises some animals too.

These are "beef animals" as opposed to "dairy cows." As a child I noticed these kinds of distinctions, how the less specific noun "animal" feels more comfortable than "cow" when being raised for meat. After slaughter the word will move farther away from "cow" and "animal" and become just "beef" --a food item.

So yes, I'm a vegan who grew up on a dairy farm. There are conflicted and precious pieces of my identity tied to this land. While it's been really important to me to make a home that is not there, I don't feel like people truly know me until they've seen my grandmother's farm. And so here it is.

Fruits of the City

2010-06-30T13:17:00.000-05:00

Fruits of the City

To learn more about getting involved, please register to join us for a …

Fruits of the City kick-off party

July 11th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm
Beard’s Plaisance on Lake Harriet

Come to see what Fruits of the City is all about, while enjoying the beautiful weather, free appetizers, and speakers!

Please register online for this free event.

Callister Farm Processing Classes

2010-06-21T12:46:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try to keep my eyes out for their next class offering. I know that I'm one of a small number of meat eaters on this blog, but if anyone else is interested, let me know.

I won't even comment on the lady in the Strib video... jeez.

Callister Farm - LocalHarvest:

"PROCESSING CLASSES Our processing classes on June 8th & June 13th. were well attended. Everyone learned a lot about how much work is involved in butchering and packaging a chicken. We look forward to offering more classes in the future. Watch for the dates and times to be listed here."

ira + social responsibility

2010-06-17T14:50:00.001-05:00

Ryan and I went in to our insurance agent to talk life insurance and wise financial planning. Due to my exacerbated restless legs syndrome during pregnancy, I only got four hours of sleep, and throughout this one-and-a-half hour meeting, my husband asked if you could select a mutual fund that was "socially responsible" (after all, you could pick large corps, small businesses, European ones, etc.). No, not at this time. But my husband did send me this link, to anyone who is considering an IRA: "My IRA now socially responsible." Something to look into!

A Vegan Meal: The Platonic Version

2010-06-11T00:08:00.008-05:00

Some days a vegan meal is a glass of beer and a plate of french fries at a bar. That can happen during finals week. Some days a vegan meal is a pint of soy ice cream that I eat in a single sitting. Wait, did I just admit that on the internet? That can happen when I'm sad.

On those days I make sure to take my supplement. I should emphasize that those days are rare. Usually I do better and I really do like to cook. But often a meal falls short of my best intentions for it. Although occasionally--when the fridge is stocked and I have a guest coming and I feel inspired--I get there. I got there tonight.

These are the essential components of my ideal vegan meal:

1. Dark Leafy Vegetables

For calcium and iron. Common forms: a salad, broccoli, greens (spinach, kale, collards, and swiss chard are my favorites), sea vegetables.

Tonight: spinach and broccoli

2. At Least Three/Four OTHER Vegetables

Chosen for variety of color, texture, and taste. Combinations are important and I have certain groupings that I like. A salad always needs at least one soft thing (like tomatoes) and one crunchy thing (like purple cabbage). If it is a spinach salad it needs something sweet.

Tonight: kohlrabi, carrots, red bell peppers, summer squash, asparagus

3. Fruit

For sweetness and pleasure. Also maybe raw enzymes.

Tonight: pear and pineapple

4. Carbohydrates

This is the part of the meal that fills me up and keeps me full. Therefore it's easy to neglect the first three numbers in favor of meals that over-emphasize carbs (ex: a plate of pasta). I think the quality of a meal can be measured directly by how small the portion of carbs is in its makeup. Yet I would never want to eat a meal that didn't include any (I'd be hungry again in an hour!) And since carbs are usually the part of the meal that takes the longest to cook, I often begin there when I'm planning things out. If I'm making pasta I'll reach for asparagus and salad greens. I like mashed potatoes served with collard greens. Brown rice with okra and tomatoes and black beans. Wild rice with mushrooms. Quinoa with eggplant.

Tonight: white rice

5. Protein

I hardly ever eat fake meat products. They are mostly made out of garbadge... combinations of wheat gluten and soy protein isolate. I get grossed out just thinking about it. But they are still a nice treat--something different--when we go to Chinese restaurants. We sometimes buy veggie burgers made mostly out of vegetables for quick meals.

I like to cook with tofu and tempeh but I don't often do it because I try for my diet not to consist of too much soy. It's hard on the digestive system. And I have plenty of soy milk and... ahem--soy icecream--in the mix already. In general I aim for forms of protein that contain little or no processing.

So the source of protein in most of my meals is either beans or seeds/nuts. I love dry roasted nuts sprinkled on the top of a salad or veggie dish, crunchy and delicious. Cashews, sunflower seeds, walnuts, peanuts, pepitas and almonds are our staples. With beans its commonly garbanzo, black, pink, kidney. Edamame, black eyed peas and coconut on occasion.

Tonight: coconut milk and coconut flakes

6. Plant Oils

Since the vegan diet is free of saturated fat I give myself liberal portions of plant oils. My waistline often wonders if I should cut back on the earth balance. But I love it so. In all seriousness I don't want to eat food that's not smothered in a highly flavorful oil. It feels like a waste. Rich and fruity olive oil and toasted sesame oil are staples. I also like coconut and peanut. If a healthy diet needs fat I get plenty of it through oil.

Tonight: toasted sesame oil and coconut oil

Now the trick is to eat this way more often!

2010-05-18T12:10:00.001-05:00

I recently watched a few older episodes of Top Chef, and Blue Hill Farm was featured. Of course I fell in love, how could I not?

Does anyone know of a farm similar to this in Minnesota?

I keep remembering that this summer, I want to visit the pizza farm, which is nearby. There are vegan options too, Meryl. I'll need to settle in and schedule something.

Nasty Grubs

2010-05-16T16:52:00.002-05:00

Finally got time for a little gardening today! I planted sunflower seeds, though I don't know if they'll get enough sun to come up. A spider with an egg sac kept shadowing me and giving me the willies. We've been gradually exposing our seedlings to the outdoors and will plant them once they seem hardy enough. I long to start eating more vegetables and taking care of myself in new ways now that school stresses are over. It's nice to see dirt in my fingernails.

The Pleasures of Eating - Wendell Berry

2010-05-12T18:23:00.000-05:00

Ran across a reference to this essay in the latest Edible Twin Cities. It's a good read -

The Pleasures of Eating - Wendell Berry | Center for Ecoliteracy

A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one's accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes. The pleasure of eating, then, may be the best available standard of our health.

Flower Pounding

2010-04-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

Not for wearing, but they would make a great wall hanging.
Flower Pounding

Flowers that work particularly well for this include phlox florets, single roses or rose petals, single impatiens, pansies with as much of the back removed as possible without destroying the flower (this takes some practice), hardy geraniums, St. Johns Wort, Forget-me-nots, any flower that can be flattened without losing the integrity of the bloom. The best time to pick the flowers is after the dew has dried, but before the heat of the day. New blooms have more color than older. You can also use leaves, and newer leaves pound much better than older, although as they age, you get the veins and edgr. es and that can be interesting.

I Say Tomato...

2010-04-18T16:38:00.004-05:00

We didn't have wild success with our seedlings by the windows, but many are holding strong. Next year, lights. Also nice to see some bulbs and perennials returning outside. Not sure exactly how we'll combine the veggies with these other plants, but I know it's going to be fun.

Home Brews Now Legal to Sell in Minnesota

2010-04-05T15:41:00.002-05:00

Can you believe I'm linking to a fox news article? It was the best online source I could find... though I heard the story originally on MPR. Did you know about this Angie?

Taters

2010-03-29T12:22:00.001-05:00

I've gone back and forth on the planting potatoes thing. I really was not planning on putting any in my garden (or yard) this year. That being said, I do have 2 gorgeous sprouted potato plants in my kitchen window. They were grown from forgotten taters in the crawl space. One basic baking tater, one fingerling - both from the co-op. They were not seed potatoes.

Has anyone grown potatoes? I'm tempted to mound them up and put them in the yard when it warms up. At least one of them, possibly. The vines I currently have growing in the kitchen are about ~2 feet long each (and each potato has 2 vines).

I started the vines since I had read that they make pretty greenery. And they do!

eco-friendly ... between the sheets

2010-03-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

Here's a little article on being eco-friendly in the bedroom!

If an ecologically sustainable life between the sheets hasn't crossed your mind, you're still a "total environmental neophyte," according to author Stefanie Iris Weiss.

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Going+green+between+sheets/2736523/story.html#ixzz0jTzBvOE5

(found on Twitter)

Spring's first thunder may foretell first frost

2010-03-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

"On March 11, the Twin Cities had its first thunderstorm of the season."

Spring's first thunder may foretell first frost | StarTribune.com

"Folk wisdom has it that six months from the first thunderstorm of spring comes the first frost of the fall. State climatological data from years past generally support this notion. That would give us frost in the middle of September [in Minnesota]."

Magic Fungi?

2010-03-21T20:51:00.003-05:00

Shawn had an interesting client last week who swears by mycorrhizal fungi. Scroll down this link for the poppy testimonial. Apparently Spencer reproduced the experiment himself and got similar results. Needless to say, a shipment is on its way to our house... I guess we'll see!

We just got the last of our needs-to-start-indoors type of seeds in planters by the windows. I think next year we'll try a better set up like Angie, in the basement with lights. Planted a few extra tomatoes, bell peppers, and flowers... maybe we can do some plant-swapping if they turn out?

Little Wormies

2010-03-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

I think we need some pictures of worms here....

Life Skills in School

2010-03-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

Are we cheating our children by not teaching them life skills in school?

That all got me thinking and I wondered if we are losing a key to our country's success in the past, we aren't all the same, we are a country built on immigrants with talents all over the spectrum. We are so afraid our schools, our children will fail at the No Child Left Behind Act but, in doing that, I think we are creating a country that will soon be left behind! We aren't producing creative outlets for our students, we aren't creating our future artists or chefs. We aren't giving our children the tools they need to be able to be self-sufficient in a society of ever increasing waistlines and shrinking wallets.

Neighborhood Sustainabililty Conference

2010-03-14T09:05:00.001-05:00

I attended most of the conference that was held yesterday. I did skip out on the afternoon session to enjoy the weather and do some normal Saturday-type things.

The keynote speaker was Mark Lakeman, the founder of City Repair in Portland, most known for their placemaking efforts through painting the pavement. He was an incredible speaker. If you get the chance to hear him, I highly recommend it.

It was interesting to hear how Portland is actively painting intersections in every neighborhood and yet the feedback I received from my interest in the idea in our neighborhood was on both sides of the fence. I guess it goes to show the difference in attitudes and art appreciation. Just to add, Lane and I spent a week in Portland a few years ago and loved it! That was before we moved to Minneapolis (and boy is it funny to re-read those posts now). I think it would be interesting to go back and see it with new eyes, eyes that are adjusted to city living.

After the keynote I chose the session on Complete Streets in Minnesota. The policy focuses on:

safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders
bicycle and pedestrian ways in urbanized areas except where bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited by law, where costs would be excessively disproportionate, and where there is no need for bicycle and pedestrian ways
paved shoulders on rural roads;
safe pedestrian travel, including for people with disabilities, on sidewalks and street crossings
utilization of the latest and best design standards; and
consistency of complete streets plan with community context.

The last session I attended was very intriguing, even if it was cut short and condensed. It was a Block Repair Design Workshop. Mark Lakeman handed out general step by step directions to follow (with his blessing to pass on the information) his method in order to work with your block club to make your neighborhood more of a community permaculture.

For the session, they had members of an actual city block in the Seward neighborhood working through the steps. They started with a grid drawing of their block, including the street, alley, and any large structures. From there they layered on all of the information they knew about everyone on the block (I only got to see the first 2 steps of the analysis).

Analysis: "What we have"

Social Inventory (each person's view) - names, strengths, skills, relational dynamics, allies, any economy?
Spaces and Places, Paths and Edges - grid lines, streets, fences, porches, trees, gardens, paths, block entry/gates, existing social areas, diagonals and intersections, all existing features
Natural & Living Context, Light and Views - light shafts, slopes, water areas, soil erosion, bird habitat, views, air/wind, significant flora
Existing Systems - relationships, communication, trade sources of stuff, energy/electric, transportation, recycling, composting, political power, water, food, gas/oil

Design: "Opportunities"

Social and Political = Creative Power - immediate allies, closest potential partners, juicey challenges to transform, mentorship, safety and security
Geography: Spaces and Places - public and private, connections via gateways, paths, shared places/commons (courtyards, offices, kitchens, tree houses), material storage, hybrid edges (porches, uses of setbacks), vertical design, pet spaces
Water Systems - Earth drinking/retention, catchment designs, uses, reuses, greywater, living machines, gardens and ponds, bioswales (even aquariums)
Food and Gardens - gardens, flowers/lawns, food forests, public space food zones, vertical design, trombe walls/greenhouses, aquatic production, chickens/other animals

Overall, it was a good experience. I would love to see more of the Block Repair process in action. I'm going to spend some time on the Giving Tree Garden's site and see what they have. Russ played mediator during the workshop and he seemed to be a great resource.

If nothing else, it has kicked me into gear and I really want to start getting out there and talking to my neighbors about activating a block club, no matter how small it starts.

Salmonella prompts processed-food recall

2010-03-08T11:24:00.000-06:00

Ick. Glad we don't eat any of that junk -
Salmonella prompts processed-food recall - washingtonpost.com

Sewing Progress

2010-03-07T15:56:00.000-06:00

Here are the 2 main panels from the tote bag I'm making in my Sewing class. Amazingly, I think I'm the furthest along of everyone in our class. I think we start on the lining next week (that's the black paisley fabric folded above). It was interesting picking out colors with such a mish-mash of fabric choices. I'm tempted to go back and change the binding fabric and maybe the handle fabric I had originally picked out to make it match a bit more (even if it meant having to buy some fabric). My original plan was to make it so that both the black inner side and the colorful outside would work with the handles so I'd have a reversible bag.

We'll see how it goes. We still have 2 weeks left in the class.

ACT TODAY! Or Kiss Your Organics Goodbye!

2010-03-02T18:50:00.000-06:00

ACT TODAY! Or Kiss Your Organics Goodbye!

There's a petition on Food Democracy:

"After years of bureaucratic wrangling, a recent USDA environmental review may finally approve Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa. If approved, GMO alfalfa will fundamentally undermine the entire organic industry overnight. In addition, the USDA says Americans consumers don't care about the contamination of organics. ACT TODAY: comments are due by close of business Wednesday, March 3rd.

Please join us in calling on Secretary Vilsack to stand up for organic family farmers and reject approval of Monsanto's GMO alfalfa by signing this petition. You may add further comments in the comment box below."

Veggie Love

2010-02-26T16:53:00.006-06:00

Since my own garden beds are covered in snow, here's Mt. Fuji from the bullet train with some delicious looking leafy green rows in the foreground.

Angie: is mother earth garden the place you mentioned last night?

I may need to make a visit... It's time to kick the garden planning into high gear! I'm thinking about the timelines for starting seeds indoors and buying in person vs. ordering from a catalog seems speedier, plus there will be less extra seeds.

We've been cold composting since we moved here, but I'm wondering about incorporating some hot composting in addition for faster results. This means more efforts to balance green and brown, which I have to decide if I'm up for. Molly: how is your tumbler working out?

Alliance for Sustainability

2010-02-13T08:02:00.000-06:00

If you are in the Minneapolis area, check this out next month - Alliance for Sustainability.

Topic Workshops on community gardening, traffic calming, complete streets, energy conservation, renewable energy, composting, rain gardens, tree planting, the emerald ash borer, transition towns, alternative currencies, and permaculture extreme makeovers for a block club, neighborhood and congregation.

Keynote speaker - Mark Lakeman from the City Repair Project, Portland Oregon Placemaking – speaking on how neighborhood volunteers can calm traffic and build community through street painting and greening projects.

Her garden became his inspiration

2010-02-12T13:21:00.000-06:00

I love looking at the gardens they showcase in the newspaper. They are always so impressive. And this one is really close to us and a realistic sized lot!!! Not some monster thing in the 'burbs.

Makes me think of de-grassing our front yard some more...

Her garden became his inspiration | StarTribune.com:

"Gardening has deepened his appreciation of their home, he said. 'Before, I don't think I spent a lot of time out here. I mowed the lawn and that was about it. I walked from the car to the house. Now I feel connected to the property."

Upholstery Fabric

2010-02-11T17:18:00.000-06:00

I had my first Sewing 101 class last night with Community Ed. I think it's going to be just what I need, starting from the basics. Over 6 weeks we're making a medium sized tote bag... hmmm... Probably not the pattern I would have chosen personally, but it'll do for a first project. (I don't count the curtains I've done). We don't even bring our machines until week 3.

All of their fabric had been donated by an upholstery store and other places (boxes and boxes of it). A fellow classmate mentioned how much picking out fabric is like picking out stained glass. Exactly!!! So many options, so many color schemes to choose from.

I'll post pictures as soon as I make progress.

In other Community Ed news, my homemade shampoo class got rescheduled for next month. Maybe after that, we should plan a gathering to share recipes and goodies like that (as discussed at Rock Bottom).

Bagging It

2010-02-06T13:55:00.003-06:00

Hello All!

For me the best part about large writing conferences and bookfairs (which I find noisy and exhausting) is the quality totebags given out as swag. I now have a sizable collection, and no excuses whatsoever for using paper bags at the grocery store. The problem is that Minneapolis insists that we separate our recycling with... paper bags. What do you all do?

While I've adjusted to using canvas bags for groceries, I haven't yet carried the habit over into other types of stores, especially for more "fashionable" kinds of shopping like clothing. I feel bashful. Maybe I need to buy prettier tote bags for classier settings? Or just stop being such a wimp!

And I'm not fully weaned off the plastic veggie bags. Especially for wet things, like a bunch of greens or lettuce, I end up reaching for them. And also when I'm buying green beans, okra, or anything comprised of little pieces that need to weighed together. Do any of you bring small bags to the store for those types of things?

I have other eco sins I want to confess here, but bags feel like a good beginning. I'm really excited to have a place I can go for advice and motivation to mend my naughty ways!

XO,

Meryl

2010-01-29T00:27:00.003-06:00

Hello ladies of homesteading:

In the interest of spicing things up, and community connection, particularly of the CSA sort, but others as well, I've invited Meryl and Emily to join the blog. Meryl has graciously accepted, and I want her to know that there is no pressure with posting--it's a leisurely space--and part of the impetus for current invitation is, of course, that conversation we've been having about meat-eating and being a "compassionate OMNIvore" and how one of us may have just returned to the fold of vegetarianism.

I want to add that I do not judge anyone for eating meat, do not disrespect that choice in the least. But I also believe I would be more comfortable with eating meat if I could be assured that each meat-filled meal were like our Thanks giving meal, the one with the free-range organically-fed turkey, but I can't, and it's more exhausting to do that than to simply divert myself to the vegetarian option. That, and it forces me to choose a much healthier option when eating out. No more greasy cheeseburgers for me.

And I tell you, those images from Food Inc have really been haunting me--the chickens that cannot stand up because their breasts are too large and the cows who cannot walk but are cruelly forced to the slaughterhouse on hocks--I believe No Impact Man mentioned something about bulldozers and other frightful methods of getting the cows into the slaughterhouse, as a cow who cannot move on its own volition to the slaughter cannot be used for its meat, for fear of mad cow disease.

I mean zero disrespect to people like the farmers at our first CSA, who also had a meat CSA, focusing on chicken and turkey. Those turkeys were truly free-range; I had to drive up that dirt road with serious caution.

But I just can't anymore. I can't trap mice in the winter and I can't eat meat. I'm happily surprised at how the shift has occurred--I wanted it for some time, but, like relationships, it seems it happens when I'm looking away. I fell in love with the man who became my husband nearly eleven years ago when I desperately did not want to be in a relationship, and I've stopped eating meat when I threw in the towel and decided I wasn't ready yet. It's only been--what--something like three days--but like I keep saying, it feels permanent. As permanent as eight years can be, anyway. Maybe as permanent as more. Maybe as permanent as, well, permanent.

Conscious carnivores

2010-01-27T20:48:00.000-06:00

Culinate always makes me want to live in Portland.

Conscious carnivores, ethical butchers are changing food culture | FOODday - OregonLive.com

no more meat?

2010-01-24T19:26:00.002-06:00

I was vegetarian for something like eight years, right when I met the man who would become my husband. And that was how I was, and it was perfectly natural for me to be a little difficult dining company when meal preparation was concerned, but it was me, who I was, where I was.

Now I'm in a program where two of my closest friends are vegan, and being vegetarian is not strange or even unique. Those eating habits remind me of what I forgot when I saw those chicken leftovers from the previous night's Chinese take-out: what made me start eating meat again was the waste, my husband's eschewing of leftovers, and what's leading me back to not eating meat again: the waste. I can't really blame my husband: we're both products of our upbringing, and I come from a paternal grandmother who would rinse paper plates to save them and stretch wilted lettuce into several meals, a family where the father is a leftover machine, and these are natural, exactly comfortable in that interaction with food. The philosophy Ryan comes from, I believe, is also good: he does not have to eat what he despises, what is distasteful, and this kind of consumption doesn't become a beastly chore. Dinner time is family time; he comes from a family that sits down at the dinner table together and shares. We have to adjust to our own comfort levels, decide what our values are, and push to those.

Tonight, my husband peeled open four hamburger patties and plopped them into a skillet. As I was pushing the meat around, the fat beginning to pool, I realized I had no appetite for this. I pulled out some flat noodles and made a little fettuccine for myself. We're back to two-skillet meals.

Is this permanent? I feel guilty at being so wishy washy, toying with the idea, threatening, backing off. But inside my mind, it does feel like I stepped across something tonight. I may have already accomplished my fifth goal of my homesteading top ten already. Hmm.

I've decided to test it for a week--to purposefully go veggie for a week--and assess, evaluate, decide how it feels--right or not.

2010-01-18T18:26:00.000-06:00

New York Times: "Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes"

Battle of the Brushes

2010-01-12T21:27:00.000-06:00

I sometimes feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle when it comes to greening our kitchen. (Molly, I know you are in the same situation.)

DISHES:
For Christmas, I got a bunch of really great biodegradable sponges and scrubbies, in addition to some nice dish brushes. I even ordered a ceramic dish soap dispenser from Etsy to keep by the sink. After sticking the new tools next to the sink, I put the empty plastic dish scrubber (that holds the soap in it) under the sink and out of sight.

= no more plastic for washing dishes!

Or so I thought...

I'm getting used to squirting a pump of soap on the dish and using either a washcloth or scrubbie to wash it with. Turns out, this process doesn't work well for Lane. He prefers the convenience of having the soap in the brush. For crying out loud! I had to sigh and look away when he pulled out the old plastic brush and filled it with soap tonight. The old plastic brush that is so used that the bristles are totally smashed and in need of being replaced.

= the reason I wanted to migrate to something more eco-conscious, so we don't have to keep throwing away the brushes after they are used up (even if it does take us months to get to that point).

PAPER TOWELS:
I've conceded to having 1 roll of recycled paper ones under the sink. Only one roll at a time, always recycled. Depending on what they're used for, I try to compost them. I'd much rather get rid of them completely.

TISSUES:

Facial tissues are a whole other matter, for another post, at another time.

new year's status update #1

2010-01-11T14:56:00.004-06:00

A few thoughts on my top ten:

7. To revive my vermicomposting bin. Right now, there are five hard-working worms. They feel so very lonely.

That's the worm poo I harvested this autumn, pictured right up there. It's awfully rich; I can't wait to see how well it improves things in our humble plot.

I ordered another batch of worms and they are on their way. I have to stay especially close to the door during mail-drop time as the temperatures are below-freezing in our parts on a regular basis. No one wants a batch of dead worms, even if they are easily compostable. Ryan reminded me of how un-thrilled he is to have a bin of worms in the dining room, but he remains tolerant. I picked up a book called Mike McGrath's Book of Composting, and I still have the vermicomposting book Chris passed along.

8. To have another successful garden. To order from a seed catalog. To learn more about heirloom varieties.

I've recently subscribed to Organic Gardening, which, admittedly, you can get online as well (but then how do I financially support the endeavor?), and I've been thinking a lot about what I want to plant this summer.

So far, I'm thinking: we have the raspberry bush and the zestar apple tree, both of which are improving each year exponentially. I'd also like to get a good crop of asparagus and strawberries, but I have a bit to learn there. For the rest, I'd like to try hops, and I'd also like to return to: summer squash, zucchini, carrots, brussels sprouts, lettuce, onions, beans, peppers, and eggplant. Those are the vegetables that have been most successful and consumed the most. There are years when I overwhelm myself with a long list of what has gone into the ground and not enough survives. This time, I want to focus, to spend a little time each day in that dirt, perhaps even experiment with containers (which is how I started gardening, and I had some decent success) for more delicate plants, etc. I also feel abashed to admit this, but we usually would get our seeds from the corrals at Menard's. This time, I want to be more mindful with the seeds, and I certainly want to learn more about heirloom and how to be more sustainable. It would be wonderful if I could get to the point where I could do a seed swap with my friends.

PS: I love that the number-one bestseller at Powell's is Michael Pollan's new book. :)

oliver h kelley farm

2010-01-06T15:42:00.002-06:00

Has anyone heard of Oliver H Kelley Farm?

Here's their Flickr photo pool.

The blurb about it states:

Step onto a working 1860s farm near Elk River, Minnesota. Pick heirloom vegetables from the garden, visit the farmhands and animals at the barn, or churn butter and see what's cooking in the farmhouse. Costumed guides work the fields with oxen and horses. At different times throughout the season, you'll see plowing with oxen, horse-powered threshing, haymaking and other harvest activities. The gardens and fields are filled with many of the same plants the Kelley farm grew over 130 years ago. Animals similar to those raised by pioneer families fill the barn and outbuildings. In the house, try your hand at domestic crafts like making straw hats and soap.

This farm is a Minnesota Historic Site. (And on a personal note, it's only a wee bit away from my dearest friend.)

There's an events page, and coming up: candlemaking, seasonal looks at the farm, day camps, and on.

I sense a field trip this summer. Anyone else?

Molly's top ten

2010-01-04T15:37:00.004-06:00

These are my top ten homesteading goals for 2010:

1. To join a CSA and take part in One Local Summer once again. To visit CSA farm at least once, hopefully with girl friends taking part in CSA shares. To share recipes and experiences.
2. To gradually replace household cleaners and whatnot with more eco-friendly alternatives.
3. To knit a hat or sweater or anything that diverges from the square-shape greatly.
4. To take a sewing course and learn how to not be frightened of the bobbin.
5. To go vegetarian again. To let it stick.
6. To go maple syruping. To consider honey.
7. To revive my vermicomposting bin. Right now, there are five hard-working worms. They feel so very lonely.
8. To have another successful garden. To order from a seed catalog. To learn more about heirloom varieties.
9. To bone up on my green literature.
10. To be more openly curious about the world outdoors. To make those quests an adventure. And to share those curiosities with others. To learn and to learn some more.

I also want to camp at least (at least!) three times this summer, I want to learn to snowshoe, and I want to write more that reflects my relationship with the outdoors (and establish a better relationship with the outdoors, negative temperatures or no).

By the way, if any of you might know what's going on with this winter curiosity, please feel free to leave your two cents on that post. I might have to take another journey up the bluff! xo

Smooth Like Butta'

2010-01-04T14:00:00.000-06:00

To make butter, my simplified directions, originally from Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It:

Pour 1 cup of room temperature whole cream in a pint jar
Shake like crazy for 10-15 minutes
When the butter starts to separate (like the pic below), pour off the buttermilk

Repeat shaking and pouring off the buttermilk until no more is created (about 3-4 times)

Then just cover the butter with tap water and shake some more
Pour the cloudy water down the drain
Repeat adding water, shaking & pouring out until water is clear (about 3-4 times)
Final product = butter
Mix in 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt if you want to the final product
Refrigerate for 30 minutes

YUM.

the irresistible fleet of bicycles

2010-01-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

Fun reading -
the irresistible fleet of bicycles

This is the official blog for The Greenhorns, a documentary film about young farmers generating an agricultural revival. The fleet is a metaphor to describe how irresistible the revival is. Get some wheels and join us.

Card Carrying Member

2010-01-02T14:25:00.000-06:00

Got one of these for Christmas - so damn excited to use it!
Local Food Lover Card | Simple, Good and Tasty

Participating Partners:

Birchwood Cafe
Brasa Premium Rotisserie
Clancey's Meat & Fish
Common Roots Café
Cooks of Crocus Hill
Craftsman Restaurant
Fireroast Mountain Café
Galactic Pizza
Golden's Deli
Grassroots Gourmet
Linden Hills Co-op
Local D’lish
Midtown Produce Exchange
Mississippi Market Co-op
Peace Coffee
Pumphouse Creamery
Restaurant Alma
Salty Tart
Sen Yai Sen Lek
Spoonriver
Sweet Cheeks Baby Food
Tastebud Catering

fyi

2010-01-01T23:44:00.003-06:00

SUBMISSIONS EDITION 10 * OPEN

Our Impact' | Edition #10
Jan >March 2010 | Submissions close Jan 15 2010

Frame Lines asks the big question: How are you affecting your environment, and how is your environment affecting you? This is your chance to tell us about projects you’re involved in that have a positive impact. Maybe you’re an environmental reporter or activist, maybe you work in conservation, urban planning, fundraising or sustainable development – show us the impact you’re making.

We’ll be showcasing artists that make art from of their environment, and those that create environments out of their art. Tell us your ideas for a society that can live at one with its environment. Step outside and see our impact - write about it, paint on it, create from it and most of all, protect it!

----

(On a side note, I promise a more personal post very soon. I especially owe one to you, Ang! I think a goals of 2010 is in order.)

Toby Hemenway Public Lecture

2009-12-31T15:34:00.000-06:00

Anyone interested in joining me? I'm thinking of checking this out next week.

Toby Hemenway Public Lecture | Permaculture Research Institute - Cold Climate

When: 7-9pm on Thursday, January 7, 2010

Where:
Theater room, St Paul Student Center building
University of Minnesota
2017 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN
(see map)

Cost: $10 per person suggested donation at the door

Angie's 2010 List

2009-12-27T18:43:00.001-06:00

I'm happy to say that I've read 56 books so far this year. I just finished No Impact Man and am now working on my copy of Retrieved From the Future by John Seymour. It seems to be similar to others I have read, but interesting nonetheless. How the world repairs itself after the CRASH with no oil, etc...

It got me back to thinking about when we started this blog, almost a year ago. I know things have dwindled off as far as content goes. I figured summer would be our boom time, gardening, and all that good outdoor stuff. I guess not. Seems as if we do better while we're shut up inside and our minds can go wild (in addition to our hands, for some of us).

I pulled down my sewing machine and plan on trying to use it this week. I got it for Christmas last year and it has yet to make anything. How sad. I still want to make some simple napkins as well as sew up some longer curtains for the basement. I still have grand plans of getting 'good' and making some basic clothes and my Winona t-shirt quilt.

Here at our place, we've been making dents in our canned food for the year. I'm proud to report that we used canned green beans & corn (from our CSA) and garden garlic for our Christmas dinner. In fact, I spent time today canning black and white beans for the first time ever. I would have done more, but I didn't have enough lids. There is a quart jar and a tupperware in the fridge for use later this week.

My list of things I want to do in 2010:

I would like to become a bike owner again.
I want to start swapping out our tupperware (and reused plastic) for glass containers. I'm not sure how fast this will happen seeing as though I find it hard to toss them when they're usable, but still not nice enough to donate.
Obviously sew. I would say 'sew more', but I'd have to do it at least a little in order to do it more!
Maybe pick up crocheting again or try my hand at knitting again. I only have scarves to my name and I really need to learn how to make dish clothes since I love the ones from Molly.
Even though we will have another garden and be hosting a CSA drop site at our house, I want to become a weekly regular at the farmer's market. We did pretty good in 2009, going about every 2-3 weeks on average, but I want to improve upon that.
Go to the neighborhood association meetings and the graffiti task force meetings when they are back in session.

Now that the new year is almost upon us - what have you accomplished in 2009 that you want to share? What did you not quite get around to? 2010 wish lists? Please share.

event: (i'm in love with this cover)

2009-12-16T13:30:00.002-06:00

Tuesday, January 19, 7:30pm - Magers And Quinn Booksellers (map)

Ellen Sandbeck discusses Green Barbarians: Live Bravely on Your Home Planet. This event is co-sponsored by Twin Cities Green.

These days, we worry about everything: pandemic flu, global warming, contaminated toys, the purity of our foods and other products. The abundance of contradictory information out there can make you crazy. In Green Barbarians (available December 29, 2009), Ellen Sandbeck delivers necessary knowledge and sounds a clarion call to arms, urging us to step forward and make informed decisions in order to live happier, safer, and more environmentally responsible lives. The author has said, "I decided that it would be really fun to research ancient and modern ways to do things in order to avoid buying in to the propaganda of Big Business/pharmo/industrial/agrochemical complex. It was really fun, but it was also infuriating, scary and exhausting."

Hatched during a simple family picnic, Green Barbarians urges a return to a more primitive, uncivilized, enjoyable way of life. With extensive research to support her convincing arguments, Ellen shows how many modern conveniences--even some that profess to be “green” or “organic”--are actually harmful to our health and our planet. Did you know, for example, that the hormones in many natural products like makeup, shampoo and even soybeans, can lead to impotence and sterility in men and could even cause autism in young children? That Antibiotic soap is making us sicker? And that home air fresheners cause asthma?

Ellen’s common sense, no-holds-barred approach will appeal to anyone who feels confused or inundated by the contradictory information about organic and green products now dominating our marketplace. Green Barbarians shows that by mustering a bit of courage, arming ourselves with information, and rejecting the notion that antibacterial hand wipes, organic food, color-preserving laundry detergent and countless other modern day conveniences are always best, we can live happier, safer, more ecologically and economically responsible lives.

Ellen Sandbeck is an organic landscaper, worm wrangler, writer, and graphic artist who lives with (and experiments on) her husband and an assortment of younger creatures--which includes two mostly grown children, a couple of dogs, a small flock of laying hens, and many thousands of composting worms--in Duluth, Minnesota. She is the author of Green Housekeeping, Slug Bread & Beheaded Thistles, and Eat More Dirt. You can learn more about her and her work at www.lavermesworms.com.

This event is co-sponsored by Twin Cities Green (2405 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis; 612/374-4581). At TC Green, you'll find a diverse collection items--recycled, reclaimed, natural, organic, sustainable--for your home and life, all deeply researched to provide you with the best guilt-free green products at the most affordable prices. Visit the store at 2405 Hennepin Avenue S, Minneapolis, or shop online at www.twincitiesgreen.com.

Tiny Planet Produce

2009-12-14T19:02:00.000-06:00

Been forever... haven't been cross posting or keeping up on this side of the world for a while.

Newest news - a new CSA option - at our house! So excited.

The Giving Season

2009-12-01T20:50:00.000-06:00

When we lived in Winona, each December we could go to the library and pick names off of the Giving Tree. We typically grabbed 2-3 names and spent between $25-$40 on each one. We never took people who wanted iPods or some luxury item. We mostly grabbed the people who were asking for pants and socks and necessities.

Does anyone know of a place in the Cities that does that? I did a quick Google search but couldn't come up with any current listings. I assume churches worldwide do it, but since we don't go to church, we miss out on that option. I found the Salvation Army's Angel adoptions, but that's not quite what I want to do.

Any ideas?

2009-11-13T13:42:00.002-06:00

This early afternoon, I watched Food, Inc. Have any of you seen it? I cried at least twice--once when looking at the beginnings of chicken production--chicks in crates and dropped through shoots, and the second time with E Coli and a two year old. And I did get to see the Polyface Farm focused on in The Omnivore's Dilemma, and it was just as I imagined. Exactly.

I teach composition at the University of Minnesota, and for their projects, I asked them to follow an issue that would reflect their passions in life. I have two students studying organic food, another studying green housing, two or three more looking at obesity and fast food. I'm grateful to them, this cross-section of the university, who are choosing to look into better lifestyles. This, and I will learn a great deal, I hope, from them.

I read The Green Kitchen Handbook, which was really good for someone who is still in the early stages of transitioning. As many of you already know, I'm returning to vegetarianism after eating meet for about three or four years (and was vegetarian for about seven or eight). My husband will still eat meat, but I think we should probably start purchasing it all from the local health food store, where it focuses on local and organic and free range options. I don't want to say that becoming vegetarian is the answer to the growing food disaster; rather, it would probably be better to put my money into celebrating family farms who are focused on sustainability and mindfulness.

One of the things I need to learn much, much more about is cooking with seasonal recipes. This is what I took the most away from The Green Kitchen Handbook, that and my strong desire to eventually learn how to can my own food. I'm so spoiled with all that's available in the grocery stores, the aisles of tomatoes and lettuce and whatnot. I know I need to take it a little bit at a time to make the change permanent.

Does anyone have any good advice on this? How do you make sure you eat seasonally? Any tips for someone living in a small town south of the cities? Perhaps I need to do more shopping at the Wedge and Seward while I'm in town for classes.

xo

John Seymour

2009-10-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

Anyone one to take a trip to Ireland?

Another good one page article from my Organic Gardening magazine lead me on a multi-tabbed ascent into the world of self sufficiency through John Seymour's eyes. Many books have been marked to read in Goodreads, possibly one will get bookshelved as to buy for X-mas.

Does Anyone Castille?

2009-10-22T20:04:00.000-05:00

Anyone have any pointers on how they use castille soap? I already have some and will start using it obsessively asap, but I'm curious how others use it.

I just realized that it would have made sense to cross post most of my No Impact entries here... eh', feel free to check them out.

another ny times article on no impact man

2009-10-17T23:16:00.004-05:00

So very timely. Check out the book review here.

event: Talk of the Stacks: Andrew Zimmern Date/Time:Tue., October 20, 7:00pm Price: free

2009-10-15T15:32:00.003-05:00

Venue

Minneapolis Central Library

300 Nicollet Mall

Minneapolis, MN

612.630.6000

http://mplib.org

Andrew Zimmern

Jessica Armbruster

He's drunk blood while in Uganda, he's consumed a roasted bat, and he's even had an Incan witch doctor beat him with a live guinea pig. No, Andrew Zimmern is not a vampire or a guy with a strange animal fetish. He's a dude who eats weird stuff for a living. This Tuesday, the St. Paul resident, who received rave reviews while working as a chef at Un Deux Trois in the '90s, will discusses his latest book, The Bizarre Truth: How I Walked Out the Door Mouth First...and Came Back Shaking My Head (Broadway). The author, columnist, and television personality is probably best known as the host of Bizarre Foods, which appeals to a 13-year-old-boy demographic by having him sample some of the world's strangest culinary delights, from local grub to high-end treats. But the show is worthwhile for adults, too, as it goes beyond gross-out antics and into anthropological musings on how local markets can be one of the most revealing things about a culture, and how finding authentic, local food is becoming increasingly difficult in our era of globalization. This evening's talk should be food for thought as well as entertaining. (Photo by Travel Channel)

Look What the Flashlight Beam Found

2009-10-14T20:16:00.000-05:00

Peanut butter goodness = 1
Mouse = 0

We just recently started putting some of our 'storage' veggies in our crawlspace. I realize it's still a bit too warm down there to be called a root cellar, but it's no warmer than the kitchen, where they were stored previously (and will get much colder).

I have a old crate down there that is holdling a bunch of things - garlic, red and yellow onions, shallots, & a different types of potatoes. So far so good. Nothing has taken to eating anything. A few days ago, we put some mouse traps down there, just in case. This spring when we were re-doing the insulation we found a few dead mice. We had no way of knowing how long they had been there, so the traps were a safety net.

It would appear they were a good decision on our part. The used trap has been reset and placed back in it's spot.

Guess that grow-foam insulation didn't do much to keep the little rascals out of those holes we found earlier. For those that don't know us, we have 3 cats. We have never had a mouse issue in the livable portion of our house to date. I'm sure one of our felines would be more than happy to share their kill with us, if they were to find one scampering around.

The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes

2009-10-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

how did your garden grow?

2009-10-07T19:51:00.004-05:00

If you leave your broccoli to go beyond edibility, it begins to look like this in the waning evening light.

Rumor is we'll have snow this Saturday, which frightens me as I am playing chauffeur to visiting poet Adam Zagajewski who is reading at the Twin Cities Book Festival. I do know I am grateful to my husband, who greeted me upon my return from this weekend's retreat with an old butter container full of raspberries, which happened to be our most successful crop. He told me Zephyr was helping him; when Z saw we were pulling berries from the bush, he chomped away at the lower branches. Silly dog loves carrots too. Well, anything edible. And a lot of things not entirely edible as well.

Also coming in are our Brussels sprouts, which we had last year. This year, they are bigger, much closer to normal size, as opposed to the little peas we plucked and ate raw in salads. We have a green something growing on a vine--a pumpkin, perhaps? This is so revealing of my haphazard gardening style. I'm sure community gardeners are cringing at our weed-invested plot. It's a kind of Darwinian system, to see which plant is heartiest. We had green peppers, and we have another one again, as well as plenty of sweet tomatoes and hot peppers. Last year we had carrots, and I think I'd like to do that again next year. And better strawberry planning.

I'm looking forward to autumn--it is the best time of year for home baked bread (I need to break out that book Angie gave me--thank you, Angie!) and chowders. Mmm, warm chai and muffins. Wool sweaters. Knitting. Hello, autumn. Hello, beautiful windy days.

Saving Tomato Seeds

2009-10-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

Good article on how to extract the seeds from maters, for posterity (or next year, however you look at it). I subscribed to Organic Gardening this past spring and honestly, I'm going to let the subscription run out. A lot of their content is online for reference and the magazine itself was a bit too small and infrequent to keep my interest for the cost. The best thing I got out of it was their email list!

Cover Them ‘maters

2009-09-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

Cover Them ‘maters - The Heavy Table

Fall has finally kicked in, here in Minnesota.

Twin Cities get Growing Power

2009-09-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

Twin Cities get Growing Power | StarTribune.com

Women's Environmental Institute
Will Allen Loves Worms | Daily Planet
An Urban Farmer Spreads Some Dirt in Minneapolis | MPR

"The average person only has about a day and a half of food in their refrigerator," Allen said.

How much food do you have in your house?

an email i got from a fellow mfa

2009-09-02T20:11:00.001-05:00

*What:* An Eat-In <http://eat-ins.org/> -- basically, a community
potluck, bringing
people together to share a meal and show their support for a cause. Eat-Ins
give us a reason to get cooking, to sit down and get to know our neighbors,
and to enjoy being part of a community that values real food.

*The Cause:* Getting real food into schools. This Labor Day, Slow Food is
organizing almost 300 Eat-Ins across the country as part of their Time for
Lunch campaign -- a day of action sending a message of support for efforts
to bring good, local food to school lunches. One goal of the �Eat Ins� is to
remind Congress that we need a better Child Nutrition act to support real
food in school lunches. More info below, or see Slow Food's web
site<http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/>,
or read my post<http://civileats.com/2009/07/09/why-a-twenty-something-should-care-about-school-lunch/>for
the blog Civil Eats.

*When:* Monday, September 7th (Labor Day), from 12-3

*Where: *Shepherd's Way Farms <http://www.shepherdswayfarms.com/>, in
Nerstrand -- about an hour to 1 1/2 hours away...I know it's a little far,
but consider it a nice little pastoral field trip. The farm is beautiful,
and there will be tours of the milking and cheesemaking facilities!
*
Cost: *FREE! But please do bring a homemade dish to share. If you're not
culinarily-inclined, popular options include cookies or other dessert, a big
salad, salami or other cold-cuts of meat, fruit, veggies with dip...etc.

*What else to bring:* Besides homemade food to share, please bring your own
dish, cup, and silverware.
*
How to RSVP: *Please register with the farm by email (
farmfriends@earthlink.net) or phone (507-663-9040). Please include your
name, address, contact information, and number of people attending.

Also, let me know if you'd like to come -- I have room for 4 in my car, and
if there's more interest I will try to arrange carpools.

Please forward widely, and I hope to see you on Monday!

Best,
Claire

*Some Background:*

*What is real food?* Real food is good at every link in the chain. It tastes
good, it�s good for us, it�s good for the people who grow it, it�s good for
our country and it�s good for the planet.

*Why do you care about this? *
*The Children.* You have (or want to have or know others who want to have)
kids. You want kids to have healthful, good food at lunch because it's their
right � their right to develop healthy eating habits and their right to have
well-fed brains that help them learn and succeed. Low-income families and
minority families are overwhemingly and disproportionately denied this
right.
*The Costs.* Feeding children bad food costs everyone. Poorly fed children
become unhealthy adults that create huge healthcare costs (one in three
children born after 2000 will have diabetes). Growing bad food costs our
planet.

*What is the Time for Lunch campaign?* *Time for Lunch* is a project of Slow
Food USA that is asking parents, teachers and every responsible citizen to
speak up and tell our nation's leaders that change can�t wait: It's time to
provide our children with REAL FOOD at school. The federal Child Nutrition
Act, which includes the National School Lunch Program that provides lunch to
30 million children every day, is up for reauthorization this fall and we're
calling for Congress to pass a bill that gives schools the resources to
serve real food for lunch and protect against food that puts children at
risk. Read more:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/the_platform/
*
Other Ways to Help:*

*Sign the petition* at http://www.slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch

*Call or send a letter* to your members of Congress at
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/timeforlunch

Acquisitions by the largest 30 Organic Food Processors in North America

2009-08-31T22:05:00.000-05:00

Acquisitions by the largest 30 Organic Food Processors in North America

"Few companies identify these ownership ties on product labels."

A frustrated resident speaks out

2009-08-28T20:02:00.000-05:00

Good read -
A frustrated resident speaks out | Sow What?: On food and farming | Grist

Apple Picking!

2009-08-26T18:03:00.002-05:00

Below is an email from the MN Project, where I signed up to help with volunteer fruit gleaning around the cities. Volunteers help pick fruit from unharvested trees (whose owners have offered up the fruits) and the fruit gets donated to local food shelves, while the volunteers get to keep some. It turns out that I'm not really sure how much I'll be able to volunteer with this, just because of my busy schedule, but I'm hoping to make it to at least one picking event this year.

There was a project like this when I lived in Berkeley and I always thought it was such a wonderful idea. I'm so happy to see it happening here too! Anyways, there is a picking event at an orchard this Saturday (which I can't make it to). I'm pretty sure they'd welcome any volunteers- but maybe email them if you're interested in attending.

---------------------------------------------
Dear Volunteers,
I want to alert you to a terrific fruit-picking opportunity next weekend. On Saturday, August 29, The Minnesota Project is teaming up with Second Harvest Heartland to harvest the fruit from a 400-tree apple orchard one hour north of the Twin Cities. It’s not exactly backyard gleaning, but when the orchard owner called us and offered to donate all of his fruit – at approximately 100 pounds per tree, we could harvest up to 40,000 pounds of apples in a single day for distribution to food shelves across the metro area – we knew we couldn’t turn him down.

We visited the orchard yesterday, and the apples were red, beautiful, and plentiful, not to mention delicious. We hope you’ll join us in what will surely be our biggest gleaning event of the season. Bring your family – it’ll be a lot of fun!

WHEN: Saturday, August 29, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

WHERE: Rush City, MN, about an hour north of Minneapolis-St. Paul and only a few miles off I-35

Second Harvest Heartland will be providing volunteers with a free lunch, so we would appreciate it if you could RSVP to let us know how many people to expect.

If you can’t make the Saturday event, we are also planning to hold a normal backyard gleaning day on Sunday, August 30. Many trees on our list are getting ready to be picked, especially in the western suburbs. Let us know if you think you could make it then.

Thanks!

Ben Hellerstein
Local Foods Intern, The Minnesota Project
1885 University Ave W, Suite 315; St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 789-3320 http://www.mnproject.org

knitting and reading event

2009-08-26T16:16:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, September 8, 5:30 PM

Raking Through Books

Happy Hour Book Club—Knitting Books

Kieran’s Irish Pub

Free

Knitting Books
Let the cocooning begin! Local knitting gurus talk about their favorite knitting books. This Raking Through Books expects an audience of knitters (and crocheters, tatters, needlepointers, and…) to kibbitz and nosh as they delve into the best books and stitches.

Raking Through Books is a happy hour book club that takes place on the second Tuesday of most months of the year. The book club connects readers and writers in a casual setting with plenty of time for questions, comments, profundity, and laughter. Cosponsored by The Loft Literary Center, Secrets of the City, Kieran’s Irish Pub, U of M Bookstores, and KFAI. At Kieran’s Irish Pub, 330 2nd Avenue South, Minneapolis. Refreshments. Free.

The Heavy Table - Fresh Food on Film

2009-08-26T15:12:00.000-05:00

The Heavy Table: "Fresh Food on Film"

Gardening Matters and the Midtown Farmers Market are hosting a two-part film event called “Celebrating Local Food, Creating Permanent Community Spaces.” “The Garden” will be shown Sept. 9 and “Food Fight” will be screened on Sept. 16. Both films start at 7pm, at The Riverview Theater (3800 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis). $10 at the door, no advance sales. Doors open at 6:30pm."

End of August, Garden Report, Year 1

2009-08-25T21:06:00.003-05:00

Cucumbers are going crazy. We lucked out and got 2 plants for the price of one. Luckily we planted the cukes by the onions, which are mostly out of the ground by now. We've probably pulled about 5-7 off already.
Red onions, about half have been harvested and enjoyed.
Garlic is in the basement drying and could most likely be used anytime.
Leeks - we need to start digging. Some of those suckers are huge
Green bean overload. Didn't help that when they came due, we were in Colorado. We enjoyed a smaller harvest before they started to get woody. We've been letting the rest go to seed but just noticed that a whole new crop of flowers have appeared. Need to read up on when to pick them for the beans/seeds and then enjoy the second harvest.
Oregano drying everywhere. We don't even use it!! But it does look pretty hanging in the kitchen
Basil, we haven't used nearly enough of it. 2 plants were too much for us, in addition to the stuff we get from the CSA. Made some pesto, froze some.
Cilantro - total lost cause
Garlic chives just haven't gotten used. Now they are making pretty flowers and I'm letting them.
Jalapenos aren't doing as good as they could be. Picked 3 just the other day but haven't used them yet.
Bell peppers have been picked but I'm sad to say none have been enjoyed yet. There are more to pick so we need to get on with it!
Cherry maters still don't make it inside. 1 plant is perfect for me to snack on.
Plum tomatoes are doing great in the ground, not so hot in the pots. The sole plant in the ground is about to go 'TIMBER'. Trying my hardest to keep it upright and off the ground. We've picked 4 maters so far off of it, and there are probably 30+ green ones still waiting.
Hops have taken a beating this year due to our new roof, but there is still one surviving cone, after having lost more than half of the bines. We can do hops.
Strawberries didn't do so hot but I realized after the fact that I really wanted to plant Junebearing, not Everbearing.

Actually, we can do most things we've tried so far. Not so much cilantro, but that's okay.

TODAY!! Parade of Community Gardens!

2009-08-22T07:45:00.003-05:00

Hey all, sorry for my absence here. And for the late notice on this. But if you're around the cities today from 10am-2pm, check out the parade of community gardens! The complete list of participating gardens can be found at gardening matters and I'll be at my garden, Columbus Community Garden at 33rd and Columbus Avenue S. Check out and support your local community garden!

What's in Minnesota's landfills?

2009-08-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

What's in Minnesota's landfills? About $300 million dollars

Bread Loaf = nature magic

2009-08-19T22:34:00.003-05:00

Hi all: for the past week, and the next half-week, I'm at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. I'm in love with this place and and don't want to leave: looking out the windows of the classrooms, the dorm, the readings and seeing trees--it's all so very magical. There are rivers north and south of us, and we're tucked into foggy mountains. Robert Frost immortalized some of these places, and the Middlebury professor and scholar John Elder (did you know him, Julia?) has given lectures and I went on his guided hike. I see why this place is so ideal for poets and prose writers--the inn and buildings and grounds were donated for the Bread Loaf School of English (the writing conference came not long after) with the stipulation that it not be developed, so everything is wonderfully old and creaky.

Also good: the two meal options are vegetarian or not-vegetarian (with easy adaptations to vegan) and the have milk available whenever the dining hall is open, including local chocolate milk. It's so evilly good.

If you are interested in the craft side of things, I'm blogging about it at independent study. If you are reading this long after the conference, you can do a search for "Bread Loaf" and since I'm labeling all posts "Bread Loaf, [whatever the post is about]," they should be easy to find.

I'm joining Chris and Angie in their corn canning this coming Wednesday, so you can be there will be canning photographs on the horizon.

homesteading, self reliance, self sufficiency, country living, how-to, alternative energy

2009-08-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Stumbled onto this site while looking for guidelines on how long to process pesto in a pressure canner. Some articles are a bit out there for me, but some are great (of the few that I've read).

homesteading, self reliance, self sufficiency, country living, how-to, alternative energy

Pressure Canning

2009-08-06T21:28:00.003-05:00

The goal for this weekend is to break in the new pressure canner with some corn on the cob (a la farmer's market). I really hope that our CSA offers bulk corn in a week or two since we have never had corn as good as we can get from them!

Then next Wednesday, I'm planning to pickup a wholesale order from our CSA for 25 lbs of mixed yellow and green beans and 1 lb of basil - to share with Chris. If all goes well, I might venture into onions and get 25 lbs of onions the next Wednesday. We'll see. That's a shit-ton of onions to make preserves with (since they are not storage onions). I figure, we love the pepper and onion relish from Harry and David and I've found some copycat recipes for it. And it would make great X-mas gifts.

Probably need to buy more jars, huh?

Blueberry Cinnamon Soda

2009-08-06T10:59:00.001-05:00

I'd really like to try this one. If someone gets to it before me, let me know how it is!
Recipe: Easy Blueberry Cinnamon Soda :: Culinate

Minnesota's Governor Tim Pawlenty Eats Local Food

2009-08-04T13:12:00.001-05:00

Go Featherstone!

Minnesota's Governor Tim Pawlenty Eats Local Food | Simple, Good and Tasty

...Amanda consulted the First Lady (and her food budget) before settling on a weekly farmshare from Featherstone Farm (in Rushford Village, MN), one of the state’s largest and most consistent CSA providers.

My Birthday Gift

2009-07-27T09:33:00.002-05:00

Here, Lane was acting like he didn't get me much of anything for my birthday. That wonderful husband of mine got me a monster, heavy duty pressure canner! Holy crap is the thing a solid mass of metal. I told him it could be our floor safe in the off season. :)

He even told me he was going to get the cheaper one, but it was made in China. Mine is made in Wisconsin!

My mind is reeling with everything I can now can. The size of our freezer no longer matters.

Speaking of local things, we tallied up our trip out west and only ate at 2 chain restaurants the whole time. One stop at Chipotle for something fast and one lunch at Old Chicago while driving. 2 nights in Super 8s too, but that's it folks. The rest was camping, an awesome renovated hotel, and either campground cooked or home style meals in little/family owned/local places.

Public Cranberry Harvest Day

2009-07-26T20:13:00.002-05:00

I just read a write-up on the Wetherby Cranberry Company on Heavy Table. In linking to their site, I saw that they have a public harvest day - the first Saturday in October. Might be worth a trip to Wisconsin!

Hexane?

2009-07-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

Just a Drop of Gasoline

Food Toxins 101: An Intro to Hexane

At seven cents per pound, hexane is currently the dominant extraction solvent for soy products. Whether you're eating Boca burgers, firm tofu, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, granola crumbs for texture, or Silk soy milk, hexane likely played a role in the extraction process. Hexane was formerly used as a cleaning agent for removing grease in the printing industry as well as a solvent for rubber cement, but now it's showing up in many so-called "natural" and even "made with organic" soy foods.

composting

2009-07-23T13:56:00.002-05:00

I'm interested to hear about others' experiences with composting. This is our first full summer of doing it, and I know I would love some tips to reign me in.

- I'm vermicomposting. My little wormies are outside now, in a bin, and it smells. I'm assuming that's because things are not so very balanced, so I've added a good deal of shredded paper to the mix. Before that, it was awfully pasty in there. At the close of summer, I'm planning to go through and pull out the worms, spread the compost on my garden, clean out the tub, and start a new batch indoors. If any of that sounds wrong to you, please let me know! (Conversely, if it sounds right, let me know too.)
- I think I'd like to pick up a ComposTumbler for our patio. Right now, we just have a compost heap not far from the insane raspberry bush by the side of our house, and not too long ago, our sweet puppy got awfully sick, which we suspect came from rooting around in the compost heap. Ryan keeps holding off on ordering it, saying to wait until his next paycheck. I'm lazy and want a bin that has a barrel.

I also found this on twitter: 30 Things You Should Never Compost or Recycle. Definitely handy for the clueless, which is a very kind word to describe the way I go about things around here sometimes. :)

moving beyond the square

2009-07-16T16:45:00.002-05:00

My mother taught me to knit long ago, and since then, I've done so in odd spurts--a series of washcloths for friends, a scarf, a hair wrap. I attempted a baby sweater, but didn't swatch and found I knit too tight for even a newborn to wear the 2T sweater and gave up before I made the sleeves.

I'm in another phase of frenzied knitting and have been working on too many things with edges--washcloths and the above, a matching dish towel for someone I cannot mention as it's a present though I doubt said person checks this blog. Just in case.

I'm looking for a good beginner sweater. I was thinking about making one for my husband for Christmas.

This one looks promising. I also thought this one from Closely Knit looked not-too-complicated either. I thought, perhaps, I could work on one as a Christmas present for my husband.

Anyone have any good suggestions? I'm not worried about a repetitive pattern; I don't mind being "bored" just yet. Something that a beginner can manage, with a little help from, say, her mother.

Monsanto, Dole to Collaborate

2009-07-10T18:38:00.000-05:00

Gives me a whole new view of Dole fruits and veggies.
Monsanto, Dole to collaborate on veggies | Science | Reuters

Monsanto Co and Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc are formalizing a partnership to breed vegetables that are more attractive to consumers.

Local Workshop:: Superabundant Small Gardens

2009-07-02T14:31:00.002-05:00

{Sadly, we'll be out of town for this one, but it looks great--I'd love to go!}

Superabundant Small Gardens

It’s not too late to start! Plant now for Fall Harvest!

Get more into – and out of – your vegetable garden! Learn some tested tips for growing more food in a small space, saving money and eating well.Yes, you can grow over $1000 worth of produce in a community garden!Take home seeds and a planting schedule for growing a fall garden of hardy vegetables.

Thursday, July 9, 6:30-8:30 pm

Waite House Neighborhood Center: 2529 13th Ave S., Minneapolis

Cost: $10/person due at workshop. Scholarships available

Max class size: 30 people

To register: email kirsten@gardeningmatters.org with subject header: Superabundant Small Gardens and say how many people will attend. No email? Then call: 612-492-8964 and clearly state your name, phone number, and how many adults will attend.

YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND! Questions? email or call Kirsten

When it's just not worth it

2009-06-30T17:47:00.005-05:00

This past weekend I decided I'd better get busy on the preserving front before I miss out on some of the spring/early summer produce. I headed over to my farmer's market and loaded up on strawberries, rhubarb, and spinach.

See, the past two summers, all of the preserving I've done has pretty much been jam, or some relative thereof. Which, come December I'm really happy about, since it means that I pretty much don't have to worry about holiday gifts. This year, I really want to do more preserving of food that we're actually going to eat throughout the year.

So I had this great idea to buy a whole bunch of spinach and blanch it and freeze it. Seems like a good idea, right? So I spent $10 on 2lbs of spinach. It took me (going pretty slowly, admittedly) almost two hours to wash, hull, and blanch all that spinach. And what did I end up with? Two small bags of frozen spinach.

Ummm. Not worth it? I can most definitely buy 2 bags of frozen spinach for way less than $10. I could probably find some cheaper spinach somewhere, but still. I'm not sure if this is a cost- (or time-) effective project. I know that homesteading takes more time, which I'm 100% okay with, but when it costs more (and not just in sense of spending more now and saving over the long run), is it still worth it? Thoughts?

{PS: read about some successful preserving endeavors of my weekend here and here}

Harvesting Rain

2009-06-29T15:10:00.003-05:00

Oh playmate, Come out and play with me And bring your dollies three Climb up my apple tree

Shout down my rain barrel
Slide down my cellar door
And we'll be jolly friends
Forever more more more more more

Do any of you have a rain barrel? Ryan was the one who actually suggested we start (and I must admit, I'm always excited when he wants to implement eco-friendly choices in our home, not out of a saving-money motivator, which is how we barely use the air conditioner, but out of a desire to make our home, here and wider, more green), and our dear friend Mike has two rain barrels, that happen to be old water softeners (one from his house and one from his parents' house) he adjusted for his garden.

Our own garden, by the way, is a bit of a disaster. I just spent two weeks in New Jersey helping out with my sister-in-law, who was returning to work while her husband was finishing up his teaching year, and there was a three week overlap. Her parents took the first week and I took the second two weeks (see Jimmy and Jack! they're so sweet), and Ryan didn't know which was a weed and which was a plant, so he left them be. The strawberries were buried, and I've only gotten that far in weeding. It seems cool out, so I'll probably spend a few hours at the end of the day working on that too.

Anyway, what drew my attention was this, which was surprising:

It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado

By KIRK JOHNSON

Published: June 29, 2009

New laws allow residents to begin rainwater harvesting, a practice that water rights laws once prohibited.

urban farming

2009-06-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

This article from the New York Times makes me feel a little bit less authentic when I say I'm an urban farmer. Having grown up in NYC, I never would have considered Minneapolis a city- people have houses and yards, that just doesn't exist anywhere in Manhattan- and to me that was part of the definition of a city. But now I see that there are just many different types of cities. And this is the kind I prefer. Though now I kind of wish I had a flat roof and could have a garden up there too!

It's super inspiring to read about how people adapt to their surroundings and just make do with what they have. Living in a high rise doesn't mean you can't grow your own food in your backyard, it just changes the definition of what a backyard is!

Heat: Got It. Rain: Not So Much.

2009-06-23T21:38:00.003-05:00

My first garden is doing surprisingly well. Things I've noticed:

I managed to get 2 cucumber plants for the price of one (2 stalks)
My garlic has started to yellow so I'm trying to not water it
Some of my red onions are getting big, the stalks are falling over already
My sole cherry tomato plant is huge - seriously about 4' tall
I will never try to grow cilantro again, bolts too fast, at least the early planting does
Snipped 2 garlic scapes and had them on a salad 2 minutes later - awesome
While weeding tonight, I was amazed at the aroma of the basil plants
Lane's hops are super-fun to watch, they grow inches a day
Disappointed in my strawberry production thus far, learned to get a variety next year

On top of all that goodness - I managed to leave my soaker hose on all day today while I was at work. Damn. Double damn. I'm tempted to wind it up in a trash can & turn it on for an hour to calculate how much water it throws out. Anyone have any ideas? I don't remember there being any indication on the packaging.

Up From the Ground

2009-06-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

A guide to basic organic vegetable, flower, and herb gardening for new gardeners

the 108 page PDF garden manual

gardening in the community

2009-06-12T14:46:00.008-05:00

These photos are all from the plots of other members of my community garden (for my update of my own garden, go here). This summer is my third year gardening in a community garden. I was lucky to move into an apartment whose landladies were also two of the founders of the garden that is just across the street, so I feel like participating in the garden was just built into our living situation.

As a brand new gardener three years ago (literally knowing nothing, except what I read in this book) it was so great to be surrounded by a whole bunch of different gardeners who all grow different things and use different styles. Everyone is so friendly, and is always willing to give advice or answer my (sometimes insanely dumb) questions (like when I was convinced that a weed was really my broccoli that had totally already died weeks earlier).

One of my favorite things to do when I'm in the garden (besides work on my plot!) is just walk around and look at the other gardeners' plots. I like to see what they're growing, and how they're growing it. I like comparing the different styles of trellises and layouts of the plots. Some people dig deep rows, some people mulch, some people have very neat rows, some people (like me!) just sort of plant things in clusters all willy nilly. Some people grow a ton of one thing and others (like me!) have a vast variety. I've learned so much from gardening in a community.

On top of the learning, gardening in your neighborhood (especially when it is in your immediate neighborhood) is a great way to get to know your neighbors. Not only the other gardeners, but also you just see more people when you're in the garden. Lots of people will stop and talk to me through the fence while I'm gardening. They ask questions about what I'm growing, compliment the garden, or ask how they can get a plot. Our garden has been in existence for over ten years, and was started with much of its mission to be to prevent violence in the neighborhood by creating a positive space in the community where neighbors come together. We have an empty lot right next to the garden (which was just sold at auction this morning so we don't know the future of this space!) where we've held events like puppet shows (which we're doing again on June 24!) and National Night Out events that are open to gardeners as well as everyone else in the community.

In the Twin Cities, there is very strong community garden network, which I feel very privileged to be a part of. Gardening Matters is a wonderful resource if you're looking for a garden, or want to start one, or have a garden but need help with something. They also host a very informative and resource-rich listserv that you can subscribe to. This morning I just read about yards to gardens, a new project that tries to connect people looking for a space to garden with homeowners with space that needs to be gardened. Obviously this is different than a formal community garden, but it still works towards connecting people around gardening and creating more garden space in the city. Also, our garden will be participating in the Annual Parade of Community Gardens on August 22, so if you're local, do stop by (and this is a great chance to check out all the participating gardens in the Twin Cities).

All in all, I would highly recommend getting involved in a community garden, if you have one available. And if you have a good space (and a whole bunch of time!) I would highly recommend starting one! The possibility of leaving this garden the next time we move makes me really sad. I'm determined to find a house in our same neighborhood, but if we can't, I know I'll find (or start a new) community garden in our new neighborhood.

2009-06-08T02:36:00.000-05:00

Selvedge's boycott of the tumble drier, found via one perfect thing.

Stuff to make with milk

2009-06-03T16:41:00.003-05:00

Long time no post. That will continue, but I saw this recommended by Angry Chicken who wrote Bend the Rules Sewing. Fun book, fun blog, fun things to do with raw milk. All the more reason to get a goat. :)

Bryant Lake Bowl - FRESH: New thinking about what we're eating

2009-06-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

Anyone up for this tomorrow night? I have never been to BLB before.

Bryant Lake Bowl - Cabaret Theater Calendar - FRESH: New thinking about what we're eating

Dinner on the Farm

2009-05-30T11:01:00.002-05:00

Join one of the area's most talented chefs, JD Fratzke, on the first stop of the Twin Cities' Moveable Feast, Dinner On The Farm. Dave and Flo Minar will open the gates and welcome all to Cedar Summit Farm on Saturday, June 27th for a farm tour, five-course gourmet meal, local wine and beer and live music. Ticket price also includes transportation to and from the farm from central locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Slow Food, a non-profit organization celebrating good, clean and fair food.

2009-05-27T15:04:00.002-05:00

Next homesteading get together: jam making?

I know Angie can, and I'm assuming Julia can too, but I haven't done it before, and I'd love to make a batch with you all. I'm happy to host here, but if you don't want to take the field trip, I'm happy to come up to one of your lovely homes.

xo

doing it by hand

2009-05-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not exactly sure why, but I wanted to write a post about doing things by hand. It seemed relevant to the whole homesteading philosophy. You know, living off the grid, being independent, doing it yourself...I have two examples of things that we do by hand (meaning, without the use of any electricity or battery power).
The first, and most important, is making coffee. We drink a lot of coffee. I'll admit that before I met Jared I was using your regular, run of the mill, cheap drip coffee maker, and had absolutely no problem with it. I had never used a french press or ground my own coffee (even with one of those incredibly annoying high-pitched electric grinders) And, to be fair, we probably do this one by hand more because Jared is a bit of a coffee snob, than because we're trying to follow a homesteading philosophy. But it goes both ways. We use a french press and a hand-powered coffee grinder. The french press that you see in this photo is stainless steel and not glass (what most people are more accustomed to seeing) because I broke four glass ones in less than a year. We needed something stronger. For those that don't know how a french press works (which I didn't until a few years ago)- you boil the water, grind the coffee, pour both into the thermos, stir, then let it sit and brew for about four minutes, then press the mesh plunger down, which pushes all of the ground coffee to the bottom and holds it there while you drink the brewed coffee.

We chose this hand-grinder (purchased here, though it looks like they no longer sell our exact model-they also have one that fits between your knees if you're sitting down- which might be more comfortable and easy to use for many people) mostly because you can more accurately set the grind depending on kind of coffee you're making. And, since it's hand-powered it's less likely to break, or at least be repair-able if it does since there are no electric parts. Also, it doesn't have that annoying high-pitched noise. Both the french press and the grinder were expensive. But, like I said, we drink a lot of coffee, and since they are good quality and well-made, we're hoping they'll both last a long time before needing to be replaced.
The second example is mowing the lawn. We have a push mower. Well, our landlords have a push mower. Until last summer, I had never mowed a lawn before (I know, I didn't grow up with one, okay?). Having the push mower actually seemed easier to me. Even though it's more work, it's easier to control. Also, it doesn't smell bad like those gasoline powered ones. We should probably get the blades sharpened (I hear there's a guy in South Minneapolis who does that for $25- probably worth it), but just haven't gotten around to it. A coworker of mine is planning to get one of the new electric-powered mowers, which would solve the problem of emitting greenhouse gases, but still relies on some form of energy other than our own (where does that electricity come from?!).

I heard a story on NPR sometime in the last couple of years (a quick search produced no links to the story- sorry!) about a town (I think in Italy, though it might have been somewhere in Asia) where the residents lived unusually long lives. Researchers attributed this to their physically demanding lifestyle. I think the town was pretty rural and had few modern amenities, meaning that the residents washed all their clothes by hand, grew their own food, built their own houses, hauled water, walked, etc. Pretty much- they didn't "exercise," but their lifestyle was so physically rigorous that they were constantly in a state of physical exertion. The researchers concluded that this was a much healthier way to live, rather than sitting in a chair for eight hours a day, and then going to the gym for an hour (or something like that). Of course, I do sit in a chair all day, but when I'm not, I try to do as much by hand (or by my own power) to keep up an overall physical lifestyle. Not that I'm necessarily trying to live forever, but it just feels good.

PS: check out this article from the New York Times, I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I'm super excited to do even more preserving this summer and it's great to see that this homesteading thing is catching on more and more in the mainstream!

DIY - organic pesticide

2009-05-25T13:29:00.000-05:00

I might try this. I'm wondering how it would work without the added soap. So far (this is me crossing my fingers), the garlic, onions, and leeks in our garden have been spared any rodent snacking.

Make an all purpose organic pesticide from vegetables

Anyone try something like this in the past?

rhubarb soda:: made

2009-05-19T18:19:00.006-05:00

Thanks ~~Molly~~ Angie (sorry!) for posting this recipe! I had my first harvest of the season (rhubarb, what else?) on May 10 and after two days of letting the stalks sit around in my kitchen I knew I had to do something with them. I didn't have time to bake, so I chopped them up and threw them in a pot with some water and sugar. About 20 minutes later, I had rhubarb syrup. Mix it up with some sparkling water and you're all set. I'm thinking this will make a pretty yummy summer cocktail with some vodka and a few mint springs as well...I'll have to report back on that later on. Also, I think the syrup would be really delicious on vanilla ice cream. Now I'm wondering why we have no ice cream in the house right now...

Gardening season has officially begun, I've got about 85% of my garden planted and going strong so a proper report is most definitely in order soon. I'm hoping to purchase the rest of my plants this weekend at the Farmer's Market and get them in the ground by this time next week. I did not start any seeds early this year, just too much going on and I decided to leave it to the pros, a decision that I'm really happy about right now. Angie, how are your little seedlings doing?

Local Event

2009-05-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, May 19th at 7 pm
In Defense of Food at Barnes & Noble - Galleria, Edina MN

Recipe: Rhubarb Soda

2009-05-06T14:24:00.000-05:00

This made me think of the ginger ale Julia brought to our cheese making day -
Recipe: Rhubarb Soda :: Carrie Floyd :: Culinate

Yoga

2009-04-28T15:46:00.002-05:00

OK, yoga isn't technically a homesteading act--it's not sustainable practice in the kitchen or getting your hands dirty outside. But it is a part of a healthy lifestyle shift I'm trying to make (with some moderate level of success).

As some of you know, I'm living with PCOS, and the best way to "cure" oneself of PCOS is to lose the weight that is so easily gained by someone with the syndrome. A bit of an ironic battle.

I've begun to drink much more water; I'm trying to eliminate diet soda and drastically reduce my alcohol intake. Being sick with the flu made that awfully easy, but now that I'm "healthy" again, I need to keep making the right choices--fruits, vegetables, water intake, getting out of doors, balance.

So I happily announce I'm going to start beginning yoga classes once the spring semester concludes (the beginning course meets on Thursday nights in the same time slot as my poetry seminar). I know Julia is also involved in yoga, and I know that Angie would be more interested in a class that might involve kicking the crap out of someone rather than the stillness of yoga, and I know Chris loves to bike, but I'm interested in learning more about those ways we keep our bodies healthy? We're interested in sustainable living, and so much of that is related to the continued health of our selves.