Independence Days - week 2
Written by Kate Petersen on June 7, 2008 – 8:54 am -Sharon Astyk’s original post, the inspiration for this series.
I haven’t accomplished much in this regard this week. Hopefully next week… Read about what I did manage after the break.
1. Plant something. Not a chance.
2. Harvest something. Didn’t happen.
3. Preserve something. Aha! Third one’s the charm. I found some lovely red peppers on sale this week. Cored, seeded, julienned, and froze them.
4. Prep something. Basics this week because it’s in between big shopping weeks.
I ordered a case of lids (432 lids) for my canning jars. A month or so ago I bought 14 dozen canning jars from an older lady who was moving and didn’t have room to store them. They’re old but in perfect condition, and I will be happy to use them. Home-canned veggies this winter!
Got some low-sugar pectin to make jelly, jam, and fruit preserves this summer. DH is diabetic but absolutely must have his fruit. I bought a huge pail of fresh, almost-too-ripe local strawberries on Monday intending to make jam, but he ate them all before I had a chance. 
Also, this is going to sound a little doomer, but bear with me. I got six dozen candle wicks to make candles. I have about 25 pounds of mixed beeswax and paraffin left over from my days teaching batik on fabric. (Soy wax is infinitely better as a resist and easier to remove after the batik is done.) Rather than toss it, it occurred to me to make some emergency-type container candles. Summer storm season is here and we always manage to lose power several times a year.
I also ordered a new, larger hard drive for my laptop, but I don’t really think that counts.
5. Cook something. Of course! The spinach and orzo thing I made last week was wonderful, and I’ll post the recipe later. I’m also investigating spelt as an alternative to wheat, and I’ll have much to write about that later.
6. Manage your reserves. Well… I cleaned out the fridge and composted a huge lot of stuff that had gone wonky, which (ahem) doesn’t really count as managing, since the goal is to do useful things with it instead of throwing it away. However, it will feed the worms. And now I have room in the fridge and know I don’t have science experiments growing back there behind the lettuce.
7. Work on local food systems. Didn’t do that either. :: Hangs head ::
So that was my Independence Week, in between work and taking the husband who can’t drive here and there and everywhere for medical appointments. One step at a time…
Posted in Farming & Homesteading, Food, Independence Days, The Politics of Food |
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Well. Despite it all, I did manage to:
1. Manage my reserves through a large coop purchase - lots of bulk;
2. Purchase local onions and okra - oh yea, and buffalo, which is also local - I’ll be purchasing pecans after I move - also local;
3. And that’s about it.
This project/challenge has been an inspiration to me all week long. I have to remind myself that the transition from city dweller to urban farmer is, as we say in the software-implementation business, “an iterative process.”
So: Plant something - I poppsed a few more beans into the ground, and three chiles of some sort.
Harvest something: this one is going to continue being a blank for most of the season because of my dearth of activity in item 1.
Preserve something: Okay, I found out about a canning class that a much more experienced urban farmer is offering, and signed up for it.
Prep something: Right now, I’m viewing my steep learning curve in the cooking arena as “prep.” After all, how ready will I be if I don’t know how to make what I grow into edible food?
Cook something: this one I accomplish at least five days of the week.
Manage reserves: yep, I composted some more fridge-science. But wait! I also finished off several borderline bento-box items and didn’t let some veggies go to waste.
Work on local food systems: Does it count that I bought all my produce this week at the farmers market?
I’ll try and get ms AAF to participate in this as I’m up to the walls with my workload, so I’m not doing much around the house, or in the kitchen. But rest assured that I’m spreading the word with my food writing!
You are indeed!
I was telling my sis about this effort a few minutes ago. With two jobs and three kids at home, she’s as committed to sustainable living and food independence as circumstances allow. She built some front-yard raised beds for a client a few weeks ago, and wondered if she could be building more.
I commented that people passing the client’s house would see the good-looking raised beds (with vegetables growing in them) and see that urban farming need not be ugly.
In short, I believe that “spreading the word” in various forms is an important part of this effort.