tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018953091836473162024-03-14T01:29:36.023-07:00Striving Toward SustainableEfforts in food security, living lightly, and being content.Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689599462816183488noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-41065520430115381662012-10-25T04:24:00.001-07:002012-10-25T04:24:55.153-07:00Minimalism, Simplicity, and St*ff
The first part of this post was originally posted as a comment on this blog post at Becoming Peculiar (I've made a few minor edits so it will make sense here, by itself). The second part is in response to a more recent post of Kathleen's revisiting the idea of minimalism, specifically food storage. I started to reply on her blog again, but it was getting long, so I'm putting it here.
PartLilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689599462816183488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-47050809216607253642012-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:002012-05-25T06:00:09.140-07:00Independence Day Challenge and Homestead Updates for May
This month has completely gotten away from me. It's the kind of month that makes me wonder why the hell we are doing this.
[Maybe "doing" is the wrong word. It implies some level of success. We're hobbling. Or maybe I'm just hobbling. Bri has a much higher tolerance level for the mess that makes me feel like I'm failing. And also makes me feel crazy. I hate feeling crazy. Moving on.]
WeLilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689599462816183488noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-49869841775436278642012-04-28T20:00:00.000-07:002012-04-29T02:56:02.489-07:00Independence Days Challenge for the Last Week of April
Moonglow tomato, from an over-wintered plant. I love this variety.
Independence Days Challenge
Plant something: nothing, but I also didn't kill any of my starts either, so that's a plus.
Harvest something: strawberries, eggs, lettuce, kale, swiss chard, lemons, tangelos, grapefruit, tomatoes
Preserve something: strawberry jam, chicken stock (from frozen bones and feet)
Waste not: Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689599462816183488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-26615055994808479092012-04-20T02:36:00.009-07:002012-04-20T05:09:07.598-07:00Mental Hurdles of Urban HomesteadingOne of the biggest challenges in gardening for food and not just fun, is ironically, the food. Or at least I am finding that to be the case for me. I grew up with small gardens, and have grown something no matter where I lived as an adult. But it is only in the last year that we have really started growing FOOD. Enough that it has made a substantial difference in my shopping cart. And that has Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689599462816183488noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-90472130042079757652012-03-18T05:35:00.008-07:002012-03-20T07:41:43.587-07:00A Plea for Critical ThinkingI am in the middle of a Master Food Preserver (MFP) course through the County Extension office (actually, through one county over from mine, since mine does not offer this course at this time). I have been looking forward to this course for well over a year. I think my expectations were a bit too high, given that I have been using, dabbling in, and reading about most of the techniques covered Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689599462816183488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-56188187242329108242011-09-17T00:40:00.000-07:002011-09-17T00:44:25.147-07:00Another Post Prompted by EricaI am realizing that all of my recent posts have been prompted by other bloggers, and 3 out of 4 of those, including this one, by Northwest Edible Life. (So I think the message is I need to blog more? Duly noted.) I swear I only stalk her a little.
Erica wrote a post entitled Wifery, Money And Not-Work, and this is my response (because the comment I started writing got long to the point of “get Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-14379565601777961202011-08-01T06:00:00.000-07:002011-08-01T06:00:03.871-07:00Frolicking Through the Garden: A Tour of Growing ThingsYou might want to get yourself a cuppa. And maybe a cushy spot to sit. This is going to be a little… lengthy. I’m going to begin with a few pictures of what we started with, the building of the garden beds, and our first garden in the space, so that you have a sense of scale and progress (and because, frankly, it reminds me how far we’ve already come; a reminder I often need when staring at our Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-2717029065499914242011-06-10T23:05:00.000-07:002011-06-10T23:05:41.380-07:00On My Mind...
Bri noticed yesterday that the satellite view of our home on Google maps recently changed. Previously, it showed our home just before we moved in. When I remember the last view I can see how much we have done in the year and a half we've been here. Ours is the one with the green roof in the near middle of the picture. You can see the circles of mulch around the trees in the orchard in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-42265104426790362262011-05-03T05:25:00.000-07:002011-05-03T05:25:48.619-07:00Dear Chickens...Here's the deal.
I don't know what you've heard, but we are not running a chicken sanctuary. You serve several purposes on our little suburban homestead.
1 - weed and bug abatement.
2 - fertilizer factory
3 - EGGS
4 - entertainment
We expect that you will preform all these duties on a regular basis. Failure to preform said duties will be dealt with accordingly. As you Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-22151354577048205602011-05-02T03:04:00.000-07:002011-05-02T03:04:00.598-07:00Prepping the GardenIt occurs to me that I should mention that we tied the knot. We were married on the 5 year anniversary of our first date, in February. Sentimental and one less date for Bri to forget remember - win-win.
And now back to what the title implies this post is about - growing things (or at least endeavors in such):
Fantastic friends of ours were in town visiting family for a week last month. They Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-81718706486517794142011-04-20T21:54:00.000-07:002011-04-20T21:54:44.916-07:00Growing ThingsWhile I have direct-sowed a number of crops in the garden for the past couple years, this is the first time I've grown plants from seed that need to be started before being put in the garden. I'm excited, as starting from seed will allow me to grow a much greater variety of plants. I'm also hoping to use this to method to allow me to succession sow more intensively.
A Few Starts GreensUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-47945331530188023272011-03-26T20:07:00.000-07:002011-03-27T13:13:09.621-07:00Fruity Fun
Almond in bloom
Clearly the new year’s resolution to blog more often is going swimmingly...
So instead of agonizing over where to start I thought I would just hop right into the middle and work my way out. We’ve done a lot around the house in the year and a half since we bought it. Today, inspired by a post on Northwest Edible Life, I’m going to share with you what we are doing in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-55769559074326496272011-01-01T23:28:00.000-08:002011-03-26T20:31:51.056-07:002010 in Pictures and Words 2010 was a roller coaster of a year.
- B and I barely made it.
- I withdrew from my Ph.D. program. I realized that original research is not my passion, and that is what a Ph.D. program is designed to create - a researcher. One who happens to teach, yes, but a researcher first.
- I went back to work full time (praise Jesus that I was able to move from part-time to full-time very quickly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-88433994374220306612010-01-09T15:42:00.000-08:002011-03-26T20:31:51.058-07:00Getting Back in the Groove: The Weekly MenuIn an effort to get back to both blogging and menu planning, I give you our menu for next week. I need to be using my pantry items more consistently and I find menu planning to be essential in meeting that goal. Actually, for this menu I will only need cabbage (in season, and on sale!) and we'll need to restock the green smoothie ingredients mid-week, but other than that I have everything I need.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-75064944560336035972009-12-24T12:48:00.000-08:002011-03-26T20:31:51.060-07:00Merry ChristmasI apologize for the lack of posting, it has been a rough month for me. Plus I've been fighting with Blogger about including and formatting pictures in my posts. I'm sure it is mostly my ineptness with this new-fangled technology :o) but it is frustrating nonetheless.
I wish you all very happy, healthy, and safe holidays, we'll catch up soon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-64252683709144453132009-11-25T02:56:00.000-08:002011-03-26T20:31:51.062-07:00Giving ThanksSo what are you making on this day of thangsgiving? I am making what I made last year. My mouth is watering already for the green beans...
Drooling concluded, moving on. If you should find yourself with leftover squash, may I suggest this? I was craving a creamy squash soup, but not the curry that typically flavors such things. This hit the spot. It's also a great way to use up extra squash (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-11302511252010189912009-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.064-07:00A Reccomendation, a Discussion, and a ChangeFirst thing first. If you have not yet seen Food, Inc. go. If you balk at paying $15 for a movie (and really, who doesn't?) plan on hosting a viewing party the minute it comes out on video. Those of you who are dyed-in-the-faux-wool vegans may argue that the film does not encourage people to go outright vegan and is therefore not helpful. However, the film talks about more than just animal Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-53531337410507991232009-08-11T08:35:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.066-07:00Goings OnA photo journal of my little neck of suburbia over the last few weeks. Nearly open sunflower in my mom's garden.My first time growing okra. I was blown away by how lovely the flowers are. This is a Red Burgundy Okra from Seed Savers Exchange. A summer supper: CSA coleslaw (cabbage, turnips, carrots) and homemade chili covered baked potato (with homegrown tomatoes).Biscotti for a crowd. Recipe Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-34373320773920366102009-07-27T17:35:00.001-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.068-07:00It's Ours...We are officially homeowners!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-67942556821490795862009-07-13T14:02:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.070-07:00Weird...I made us a smoothie this morning, as usual, and when I tasted it my mouth said "chocolate!" and my brain said "huh?". B said the same thing when I asked him later; he had thought I'd made the a chocolaty smoothie I sometimes make for a treat. But I hadn't put a lick of chocolate in the thing! Weird. It does turn out light brown in color, so maybe you can fake out your kids :o)The Unchocolate Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-71629503529229486732009-07-05T07:27:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.072-07:00Fiery Roasted SalsaIn an effort to use up some of the tomatoes we harvested I canned up a batch of salsa this weekend. I combined two recipes to come up with this and doubled the batch. (If you are new to canning please stick to a tested recipe, especially if you are using low acid foods as proper acidity is critical to the safety of your final product if you are using a water bath canner.) I made sure I used Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-75183057780958349982009-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.074-07:00Take 20 Minutes......and watch this, if you haven't already; it's important. http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html I will have more to say about it later, right now I'm too tired to articulate my thoughts, and I need some time to mull it over.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-47904351500582579332009-07-01T18:31:00.001-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.075-07:00CrazinessI just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't abandoned this blog! This has been a crazy couple of weeks. B and I were back from Hawaii 5 whole days before we left for Chicago for a week, then we had to move out of our house by yesterday, which means we moved into PODs since we don't actually have a house to move in to (my parents are very generous to put up with us for a month so we won't beUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-6611207703557089072009-06-15T23:36:00.001-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.079-07:00Offically OfficalWe are officially in escrow. This is our new home! We've had the inspection, aside from some TLC that is to be expected on any 75 year old home, it is in pretty good shape, nothing needs to be done immediately except paint the interior. As long as the appraisal goes well and the paperwork goes smoothly we should close escrow late July. It was built in 1936. The wood floors are original and it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-501895309183647316.post-66852062615810190102009-06-09T19:46:00.000-07:002011-03-26T20:31:51.081-07:00Otherwise OccupiedOahuWest Shore - Ko OlinaExtremely busy relaxing. Be back next week. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1