I noticed an advertisement on the bottom of my starter yogurt lid this morning- for a documentary called “Food, Inc.”, due this summer. I viewed the trailer here: http://stonyfield.com/Food_inc/food_inc_organic.cfm . Looks like it would be worth watching.
If you were a supporter of “Fast Food Nation”, I think you will like this. At least it will get people thinking about their food and where it comes from.
It’s been a while since the last post- things have been busy around the budding homestead. My small sewing business, Rainy Day Designs is starting to pick up momentum. I’ve started sewing for Project Linus, a non-profit organization that distributes hand made blankets to children who have suffered serious illness or trauma. You can visit my shop at www.RainyDaySmocks1.etsy.com to check it out, or visit www.projectlinus.org to check out the organization.
I’m in the thick of trying to find employment, just like many stay at home moms right now. Self sufficiency around the home and a tiny business just doesn’t pay the bills in this economy. It gets discouraging- applying to so many jobs every day, and not much turning up. Ugh .My two year old daughter announced at my sister-in-law’s house this weekend that she was working on her resume…
The garden has taken quite a hit this summer. It has been well over two months without rain, and little hope for any in the coming weeks. Our neighbor’s teenage son decided to try his hand at graffiti- on our fence. So they were kind enough to fix the fence; making it better than before (the design is more conducive to growing vine veggies) but the garden as it was took a beating from the construction. There were however, a few small carrots and beets that we made a small feast of, and the tomatoes are hanging in there. The peas are finished this year, and were a respectable crop. I think they should be planted a few weeks earlier next year. I’m hoping for some squash and tomatoes this year, as well as the variety of herbs that are still there. Next year should bring more of the same, with strawberries and blackberries, green beans, asparagus, peppers and who knows what else!
July will be a trying month; mother is having surgery and will require several weeks of assistance while she recovers. My husband will be business traveling most of the month as well. So the kiddo and I will be nursing mom back to full strength while he works his east coast circuit. Thankfully there is family that will be coming in town to help with mom, so things won’t be as exhausting as they could be if I were alone. That’s what family is for!
Even though the last few weeks have been trying and the upcoming weeks will be more of the same, today has been a productive homestead kind of day. Submitted my resume to a few job postings, tended what is left of the garden, tended the flowers, made soap and two different kinds of yogurt. The little one was generous and took a nap after lunch, which allowed me to take care of some sewing that needed to be done.
This Friday I was part of a Going Green presentation to our local MOPS group, and it was fabulous! Everyone seemed very interested, and there were many questions afterward that I was quite happy to answer. I was thrilled to see some excitement from several ladies; our information appeared to have hit home. There has even been talk of our return next year for a more in-depth discussion on more specific topics, to allow for more explanation of why things are important. Woohoo!
I am excited to report that our ‘Old Battery Drive’ produced nearly 195 pounds of used batteries that were sent to recycling! That is the weight of a respectably built man! What is so important about collecting these old batteries and recycling them is that they will all be made into new batteries. They are not simply disposed of properly, but each one becomes a fresh, new battery without allowing the heavy metals and chemicals in them to leach into our ground and water. Go CBC MOPS!
I must confess that I was incredibly nervous about presenting in front of 60+ women! How quickly these warm-hearted Moms and friends became a daunting audience once I was behind the microphone! I think about half-way through I really got warmed up and got my groove on. I am most grateful to my three co-presenters for being so encouraging and knowledgeable; it was so much fun to spend time together and share information.
I promised to share the DIY rain-barrel instructions with a few people, and this is the link to the web instructions that we used:
My advice is to print out the instructions and photos and bring it with you to the home center- it makes finding all the parts much easier, as some of the terminology is different from the instructions to the home center.
It felt really great to share information about going green; going beyond what we do for our part in our home. I hope I have continued opportunities to share with such warm and open audiences.
So I must have some sort of compulsion with planting seeds. Two weeks ago, I added echinacea, lavender, and chamomile seeds to my flower bed. They are sprouting nicely, and will be beautiful. It’s not just how pretty or how sweet smelling these plants are, but they have fabulous uses in the kitchen and home. And in the veggie garden, where a few things did not take, I’m already feeling the itch to fill in the gaps. I know there has to be something obsessive about that. Oh yeah, and I planted green beans along our south fence. I think I simply enjoy the satisfaction of nurturing something so small and seeing it grow and produce something that will benefit my family.
My husband and I are toying with the idea of solar panels on our roof. We looked into it, and it seems like it could be a viable option. The company that seems to be our best fit is CitizenRe- they are the only company I can find that services our area, with just one certified installation tech. This is a leasing program, which makes the solar panels an option to us in the first place- there is no way we could afford the upfront cost to purchase them! But we have to be sure that the monthly savings by producing our own energy will be more than the cost to rent the panels. They also require a $500 deposit, which may be returned to us at the end of our lease, be it one, five or 25 years. That’s not bad- it’s like renting an apartment.
Another thing we had to consider was enough space. We have a large roof area that faces west, so the sun exposure will not be a problem. No large trees or neighbors in that direction either, just a golf course.
I’m very excited at the prospect of having solar panels. Hopefully we will be able to find out what the monthly rental fee will be, and be able to overcome any other road blocks that tend to arise with this kind of equipment. Sadly, solar panels are difficult for many people to consider. They are either not in a service area, do not have enough sun exposure, or cannot afford the upfront cost.
So as I said earlier, I would try making cheese, and that is what I did yesterday. A simple recipe for farmer or farmer’s cheese, it is similar to mozzarella, just not stretchy. I flavored it with ground black pepper and finely chopped rosemary from the garden- delicious! It reminded me of the vacation my husband and I took to San Francisco and Sonoma, California- we went to a farmer’s market and bought bread, cheese and strawberries then headed to a friend’s winery. Very yummy and very romantic. But back to the cheese….
To me, it’s worth making the cheese at home. The little that we consume in our house, I feel the effort improves the quality of what we do eat. There is not much difference in the cost of the amount of milk I purchased to make the cheese from the cost of a pack of pre-sliced cheese from the supermarket, and the quantity was roughly the same as well. Sorry no picture of the lovely stuff, we dug into it before I remembered to snap a photo.
Churned Butter
This week I have decided to try making butter and cheese. Yesterday I made the butter, but I’m not sure it’s any great value in time or money savings. I bought a pint of organic heavy cream for $2.69, and it made beautiful butter in about twenty minutes. I suppose this is a good thing simply for the virtue of making something yourself. The cost for what you get may make you appreciate it more, and use it less often- another good thing if you are too liberal with your use of butter. I’m still trying to decide if I’ll try it again. I’m going to make the farmers cheese tomorrow, so more to come on that.
New pomagranate bud
I am also very excited to have found the first bloom on the pomegranate tree! These red waxy buds turn into gorgeous flowers that eventually drop and what is left is a tiny pomegranate that will mature over the next month(s).
Some canning supplies
I can’t wait for this year’s berry picking season! There will be strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. I found at least two farms that are within biking distance from the ol’ homestead in the makin’. I found these local farms by visiting www.pickyourown.org. We have decided to craigslist my road bike- it hasn’t kissed the pavement in at least two and a half years- and purchase a townie and toddler seat. These will be far more practical for me and the kiddo. So this spring we can hop on the bike for a nice little ride, play in the berry patches, and have a healthy snack along the way. Exercise and healthy food? What more can you ask for?
So it looks like I need to beef up my stash of canning supplies, because there is goin’ to be a whole lotta canning goin’ on! My husband is particularly excited at the idea of more blueberry jam- he looved it last year, and we went through it fairly quickly. The strawberry went almost as quickly, as well as the spiced peaches. Yummm.
The pickyourown.org site also has fabulous canning and preserving instructions and recipes. It’s pretty much my go-to site for all my canning information.
So have fun this spring and get out in the berry patches!
I know I talked about taking pictures of the veggie garden for proof, and well, here it all is. I figured I should snap a few more pictures of other things we’ve done to be a little greener, and steps to develop our urban homestead. I’ll probably take more pictures and add them to some of my previous posts as well, just for illustrative purposes. It is so much nicer to have something to look at.
Anyway, so here we have the new veggie garden. I’m particularly proud of my row of peas in the back.
Veggie Garden
I think I mentioned before that I also have a row of tomatoes, and in the center are carrots and beets sprouting. The Anaheim and habanero peppers are peeking out as well, and the assortment of herbs planted in the front. I even found a surprise strawberry plant growing in my flower bed- a survivor from last season!
Pomegranante Tree
Our pomegranate tree gave us about a dozen juicy fruit last fall, just before Hurricane Ike blew everything away. We are hopeful that this season will be just as productive, and there might be some pomegranate jelly in our future. Yum.Oh, and sorry ’bout the photo not being rotated the right way.
Purple Morning Glory
I’m so proud of the flowers I started by seed. I was delighted this morning when I discovered the first blooms of Morning Glories. I have other fragrance flowers planted, and it’s great because this is the area where I hang the laundry out. So now that things are beginning to bloom, the laundry will smell even sweeter.
Vintage Clothes Line
I am so friggin’ proud of the vintage (I know for a fact it is older than me…) clothes line! I pilferred it from my Mom’s garage. Along with a few other set-ups in the laundry room, I only use the “real” dryer about once a week- usually for bath towels and blankets. I especially love bringing in the kitchen towels and cloth napkins- they are crisp and warm, and have been sun-bleached. There is nostalgia with the practicality- it reminds me of the summers I spent at my grandmother’s house in Ohio.
EnviroCycle
This is the spinning composter I have. It was a Christmas present from my husband two years ago. (Oh, and that is our black lab next to it. Nosy fella.) Anyway, we are about to need something bigger. But I love this one- have had no problems whatsoever with it. One of my favorite ‘weird but true’ facts I love to tell is that I put dryer lint in there, as well as anything that my hairbrush traps.
DIY Rain Barrel
Last but not least is our newest addition of the DIY rain barrel. Fancy, isn’t it? The spigot is on the other side. Forgot to turn it around. There are all kinds of instructions out there on how to make one. This only cost about $50, as opposed to the $150 to $300 range of new, already made ones on gardening sites. I’m thinking about painting it so it looks a bit artsy, rather than the gray utility of RubberMaid.
I wish I could have a few chickens for eggs. We have the space for it, but my husband is completely freaked out by our little feathered friends. He insists that they will make too much noise, and that they are dirty. Hm. Sometimes you have to pick your battles…
Just wanted to bring attention to the new tab “Worth Reading” that I created. This article really captures how Ifeel about the obligation to our earth and community. I hope it inspires you like it did me.
