Could It Be Better?*
Written by Scotia48 on July 22, 2008 – 5:00 pm -Preface to the First Edition:
“But for life the universe were nothing: and all that life has requires nourishment.” Read more »
Tags: Cookbooks, Food, Frugality, Recipes
Posted in Diaries, Food, Frugality, Recipes, The Politics of Food | 6 Comments »
Food Prices Will Remain High
Written by Kate Petersen on July 21, 2008 – 7:31 pm -July 21, 2008 5:58 PM
ABC News’ Charles Herman reports: Don’t expect lower prices in the grocery aisles any time soon.
Food prices are expected to rise 4.5 percent to 5 percent this year and then another 4 percent to 5 percent in 2009, according to a government forecast to be released this week from the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.
Egg prices will crack double-digit price increases of at least 13 percent this year. Baked goods and cereals will rise more than 9 percent. And food items, like peanut butter, salad dressing, butter and cooking oils will go up by as much as 12.5 percent, largely due to higher soy prices.
Higher prices for corn and soy and other crops, along with higher energy prices, are to blame.
Time to get the canner and dehydrator going. If you don’t have a garden, patronize your local farmer’s market.
Posted in Stocking Up 101, The Politics of Food | 1 Comment »
Stocking Up 101: Stuff {Storage, Part II}
Written by biscuit on July 19, 2008 – 10:05 am -Part I can be found here.
Okay, I should be at the farmers market this very moment, but I’m leaving town for a few days tomorrow evening, and I don’t see the point of buying food I don’t have the time, room or means to handle before and during my absence. And my plans to run over to the peach festival and get a bushel or two? Good gawd almighty, what was I thinking?
Oh sure, I could just go for it and hope for the best. But I have a tiny refrigerator (for the purposes of energy conservation — yes, it does make a difference), and I’ve been keeping the air conditioning set at 80-85. Combine those two facts with a mess of ripe produce? You do the math! Besides, I’m working on a big coop order and need to be putting my energy into storing all those dry goods when they get here.
This time next year, I’ll have all this figured out — maybe.
Posted in Economy, Food, Frugality, Stocking Up 101, TEOTWAWKI | 12 Comments »
The Gardener’s Medicine Cabinet: Authenticity as a Core Principle
Written by biscuit on July 18, 2008 – 5:24 pm -I finally got my ginger and lemon grass plants over here. The ginger plants are looking wan, which is to be expected — they’ve received almost no care in months. Now, however, they’re occupying the prize spot on the back porch: smack dab in the middle of the table. I’m drenching them in water and singing lullabyes to them and shooshing the houndie grrl whenever she gets the notion to jump up and gnaw on them. Ain’t gonna happen, houndie grrl, not on my watch.
I’ve got so much more work to do, but it’s the small things like this that are keeping my head from spinning off into the stratosphere. This, and the profoundly, unbelievably generous offer of a friend to give me a sofa and a bed with a rattan headboard. zomg, I can have people over to stay up late watching bad movies, spend the night, eat dinner, whatever!
You see, I don’t have any chairs right now. My sofa and comfy chair and ottoman all fell victim to the houndie grrl. I haven’t gotten my computer chair over here yet, or my other chairs, which are old high seated metal art school chairs that I painted a brilliant blue.
Of course, in a shed at the old place, there’s all the folding chairs from the old volunteer fire department. But they have smoke damage from when the fire department burned down. They were another gift to me, but I never quite figured out what to do with them. So I left them to the mud-dobbers and carpenter bees.
Posted in Economy, Frugality | 12 Comments »
Simple Foods - root vegetables
Written by Kate Petersen on July 16, 2008 – 7:33 am -As part of my “get simple and get ready for adversity” plan, I’m doing my best to practice cooking foods that I could do from storage. I’m fairly good with whole grains and beans and lentils, but I don’t do much with root vegetables and hope you all can help out.
So, Kate, why don’t you cook root vegetables?
Posted in Food, Frugality | 8 Comments »
Sunday Solar Fiesta: Passive Solar Heater Links Galore
Written by biscuit on July 13, 2008 – 9:35 am -Note: Stocking Up 101 will return next weekend.
And, boy oh boy, is there ever a wealth of information on passive solar heaters.
In my less busy days, I bought the plans for this: Mother’s Heat Grabber. Unfortunately, though, I never got around to making it, in part because my neighbors had made me so self-conscious about doing anything. Long story, but …
Posted in Alternative Energy, Economy, Environment, Frugality | 4 Comments »
Sunday Solar Fiesta: Solar Ovens
Written by biscuit on July 13, 2008 – 9:10 am -Note: Stocking Up 101 will return next weekend. Blame the mowing!
I love my solar oven. I’ve had it since 2003 and have cooked countless meals in it. True, it’s a bit glitchy — I planned to use it today to to roast a nice buffalo chuck roast, but storms moved in last night and it’s too cloudy now. And it does require moving every few hours so that it catches the best rays.
Still, it does the trick, all the while saving on electricity and helping to keep the house cool on 95 degree days.
Posted in Alternative Energy, Economy, Food, Frugality | 9 Comments »
The CSA Media Hype… Think Localer…
Written by Monkeyfister on July 11, 2008 – 8:51 pm -YES! CSAs are a wonderful and necessary step toward a more sustainable way of life that we all must embrace. Yes! But, they are getting shoehorned into a model, and getting suddenly and sorely pressured.
There are just not enough of them of scale (Centennial Farm sized) right now, and all the media push toward them is going to hurt the whole excellent idea by overwhelming it.
This will be corporatized soon, I fear. I see “Whole Foods Own Exclusive CSA Produce Bundles– Variety Priced Right!” CSA.com bubble here we come, so it is good to bring the CSA radius closest to home. I hate to sound like the Concern Troll, but, the push is pretty severe, especially right now.
PSSSSST!!! I’ve got a hot little secret for you– CSA is short for “Community Supported Agriculture,” and dig this– you can do it on a neighborhood level. Read more »
Posted in Current Events, Economy, Farming and Homesteading, Food, Frugality, Urban Gardening | 5 Comments »
Book Review: The Urban Homestead
Written by Kate Petersen on July 9, 2008 – 9:35 am -
The Urban Homestead: your guide to self-sufficient living in the heart of the city
by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen
$11.53 from Amazon
I can’t recall where I first saw mention of this book, but the subtitle convinced me to check it out. Then I saw that they included a chapter on stealth backyard chickens, so how could I not buy it?
I hadn’t had a chance to read it until yesterday, which was spent chauffeuring to yet more doctor appointments and the associated waiting in various rooms for medical personnel to do their thing. I also carried a C J Sansom novel in case this one was too dry or uninteresting, but I needn’t have bothered.
Posted in Alternative Energy, Farming and Homesteading, Frugality, Urban Gardening | 8 Comments »
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Written by Scotia48 on July 5, 2008 – 6:59 pm -This is our last week of the lovely strawberries that grow up here and are succulent and sweet. I made 6 nice 4 oz jars of strawberry freezer jam with them. Freezer jams are fresher tasting and a brighter color than processed jam. I like it alot. I’ve had a strawberry/raspberry combination that was really spectactular.
3/4 C sugar
1/2 pkg of the Ball Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
stir together and add
2 cups smashed strawberries rinsed and hulled
1 1/2 tsp fresh strained lemon juice
Mix all ingredients for 3 minutes
Spoon into the sterilized jars and add a small basil leaf to each jar. Wipe off the rims of the jars with a clean,warm,wet cloth. Cap and let sit for 30 minutes. Either refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or keep in freezer for up to a year.
Many combinations can be tried. I’ m trying a peach blueberry rosemary jam next!
Think about :
strawberry/rhubarb
peach/blueberry
apricot/pear
blackberry/raspberry
apple/pear
fig/lemon
add any herbs you wish….give me some suggestions!
Any room in a freezer is a place for a jar or two of a lovely jam. Small batches are a plus!
Posted in Diaries, Farming and Homesteading, Food, Frugality, Recipes | 4 Comments »