I thought I'd give you an update on how much progress I've made in my Craft Challenge - where you were supposed to pick one of your unfinished craft projects and pledge to finish it by the end of September.
What started as a huge pile of cut out pieces for Emma's quilt has turned into completed top and bottom quilt pieces. I pinned the batting and the layers together last night and will begin the actual quilting of it this weekend. Once I, uh, figure out how to do it and whatnot.
Did I mention that I hand sewed everything? I have two sewing machines, but I'm finding that if I have to set up the machine and sit down at it, it never happens. The cool thing about hand sewing the quilt is that I can do it anywhere. On the couch, upstairs, downstairs, in bed (my husband makes a great pin-cushion!). In any case, it's very convenient and probably why I have made so much progress.
Emma has been very inspired by all the sewing I'm doing so I cut out pieces from the extra fabric to make a matching pillow for her stuffed critters. I got her started on sewing it together and she got somewhat far before she poked herself one too many times and gave it up. I need to get her a sewing set with a little less poke in it.
My craft challenge was to finish something by the end of September and I'm hoping I can make that happen. I also stated that I had to finish one thing before I bought anything for a new craft, but dang it! Those Halloween fabrics were too nice to pass up. And I'm planning on making some napkins out of them. Just maybe not until October :)
How is this informal Craft Challenge going for you? Are you making any progress?
Here's a quickie post, but hopefully it will get a lot of comments for people to learn from. Aside from just not buying stuff you don't need, what's your favorite money-saving tips?
My favorites are:
• Reducing energy and water usage
• Refinancing mortgage
• Replacing items with more energy efficient things (when they are ready to be replaced)
If you need some advice of your own, check out this list from The Simple Dollar.
I was going to do a wrap-up for Pioneer Week, but I guess there isn't much more to be said than I've already mentioned in previous posts. We didn't drive much, ate almost all homemade food, did a lot of foraging for blackberries, camped out back, line dried clothes, used minimal water and energy and, overall, had a super fun, relaxing week.
One person did ask for the recipe for the raspberry syrup I made so here it is (from Cook's Country):
Raspberry Lime Rickey
Ingredients:
3 cups frozen raspberries
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 cup juice from 4 limes
Directions
Heat raspberries, sugar, and water in saucepan over medium heat until raspberries begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes. Mash with potato masher until berries break down, then stir in lime zest and juice. Simmer until mixture is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Pour raspberry mixture through fine mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing on solids to extract liquid (you should have about 2 1/2 cups). Discard berry solids. Refrigerate syrup until completely cool, at least 30 minutes or up to one week.
To serve
Combine 2 tablespoons syrup in tall, ice filled glass, adding sparkling water to fill. Stir and enjoy.
I haven't done my full Pioneer Week wrap-up yet, but I did want to mention one thing that has come out of it. My habit for hanging laundry has been re-established and, since I'm not using an exclusive outdoor rack or laundry line, I can move the whole thing in willy-nilly depending on our rainy Seattle weather. The other fun thing is that I can move it around the yard to chase the sun for maximum drying action.
Ever since we had to get rid of the laundry line in our backyard and I moved the indoor laundry line, I haven't been able to do a full load air-dried and it's been driving me a little crazy. It's been a year since I've been able to line dry clothes.
What am I using? A folding steel indoor/outdoor drying rack that, by it's lonesome, will hold an entire huge load of laundry from our GE Neptune HE front-loading washer. That's 25 linear feet.
In any case, I'm (re)hooked. I don't care how long it takes to hang the laundry since I get a huge thrill out of the energy savings. I'm planning on getting a second rack so that when I'm exclusively drying clothes inside (which will be shortly given the fact that we are already having rainy fall weather in August), I can hang two loads so that it has ample time to dry.
My visiting brother-in-law, who thinks I'm certifiably mad, asked me, as we were sitting out in the backyard last week and looking at the rack, how much energy I used in ironing the clothes to get rid of the wrinkles. Since we don't mind wearing wrinkly stuff and, more importantly, most of the clothes we have are wash and wear, the energy use is non-existent. I still do a little short fluff dry on some clothes to finish drying and remove wrinkles, but the energy costs are arbitrary.
Anyway, what about you? What's your excuse for not line drying your clothes?
The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran the article, Radical homemakers reclaim the simple life, describing how women are stepping off the professional track and going back to homemaking. But, not in a 1950s way. More like an 1850s way which include subsistence farming, food preservation, bartering and frugal living.
These women are staying home to raise not only their children, but chickens, and grow gardens, can food and make their own soap. In other words, "shunning consumer culture in favor of a life of complete and utter domesticity." You know, the stuff many of us have been doing for years. With or without a job in the formal economy.
However, is it really radical? I would consider many of these activities to be non-mainstream (albeit popularity is on the rise), but not exactly radical. For many, I think they see doing these things more like a hobby. I'm sure the same could be claimed for men who are interested in cooking (a la the Food Network) or DIY automotive work (a la MOTORZ.tv). But, that's not considered radical.
First of all, do you need to quit your job to be a homemaker? Particularly in light of the fact that the women featured in this article all had some other source of income either through writing, their farm business, soap business or, in one case, a full-time teaching gig?
And, furthermore, is there anything radical about what we do?
Photo credit: Robin Johnson Simpson making soap in her kitchen, courtesy of The Chronicle.
Since it's Pioneer Week, I've been making our dinners from scratch. Some meals have been easier than others, but I've been making a lot of homemade food. So, I thought I'd share what I've been up to.
Sunday night we had grilled wild salmon, roasted fennel and green beans (from our CSA box that I picked up on Sunday) and potatoes from the back yard. For dessert, we had the chocolate cake my husband made and the mint chocolate ice cream he made from fresh mint. Monday was leftovers.
Tuesday night I made pizzas using the pizza sauce I made over the weekend. The yeast must have been loving the warmer weather because, although I didn't do anything different, it turned into the pizza that almost ate Seattle. At least we have leftovers for Thursday. Accompanying the pizza was a salad of cucumbers, onions, green pepper, and tomatoes from our CSA box.
Yesterday, I made some raspberry syrup for drinks for dinner (just add two tablespoons of syrup to sparkling water).
Last night I made the most amazing Swiss Chard. And I'm not generally a huge fan of it since it, inevitably ends up tasting like, well, Swiss Chard. But this recipe is different. This went really well with pasta and the arugula pesto I made Sunday (the arugula from the CSA box).
To round it all out I also made some Speedy No Knead Bread that is super easy to make and comes out perfect every time.
Tomorrow night is leftover pizza and sugar snap pea salad from our garden and the CSA box.
And, I must admit that I was happy to put away the tent. Two nights sleeping on the ground with the cold and moisture was enough for me. Particularly, the raccoon visit at 4:30 am.
I have to tell you, I'm pretty excited after yesterday's meeting with a doctor of environmental medicine who specializes in environmental toxins. After talking with him (and three interns), we are designing a rather broad panel of body burden tests for me to undergo as part of the research and study that I'm doing for my book.
Right now they are arranging with multiple labs for blood, urine, hair and, possibly, fat tissue samples to test for an array of toxins that I have lurking in my body. Once we've identified which profiles I want to do, they'll order the test kits and we'll go to town. I am really interested to see what the results are.
I'll also be working with this doctor to help design therapies in the next phase of my book project to rid myself of toxins, mostly targeting heavy metals, chlorinated insecticides and PCBs. I already have preliminary information on how to do this, but will wait to get started until after I do all the testing.
Most importantly, this doctor is very excited about the project and is extremely interested in the outcomes, particularly how I've designed it. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on what's going on with that as it moves forward!
Since I'm off this week, but my husband is working, I figured I'd squeeze in some camping (plus I'm sure you're sick of hearing about Pioneer Week). However, since my husband's going to be joining us tonight, we're going to be camping in the backyard.
I spent yesterday wrestling with our behemoth tent since it's been 4 years since I last unravelled it and the instructions for which poles go where are a little sketchy. Anyway, after a lot of sweat and rejiggering of poles, it's up. And we'll be enjoying some two bedroom camping in our Cougar Tent. It comfortably sleeps 8 and more than comfortably sleeps 4:
Needless to say, I'll be getting a lot of reading done by lantern. Have you ever stooped to backyard camping?
The winner of Opie & Dixie's organic, sustainable pet care products is:
"OOOOh, pick me Mr. Kotter!!! Jenny K. ;)"
Jenny - email (or Facebook) me your contact info and I'll pass it along so you can collect your winnings!
Yes, I'm still using my computer this week, but only because I have other work to do. In any case, I think it's going to be hard to keep the lights off around here. I'm still using the washing machine, but forgoing the dryer today.
We're well on our way to making meals from scratch (although the hubs is focusing - yet again - on cakes and ice cream). I pick up our CSA basket tomorrow and we have a ton of greens growing in the backyard.
The kids spent the morning playing with a huge lego box filled with water, but that went into the rain barrel, so I don't consider it much of a waste. I'll be taking a navy shower here soon and trying to keep the waterworks at a minimum in the rest of the house.
I'm making some serious headway on Emma's quilt, but it will be a struggle to keep the kids from wanting to watch a movie or some sort of entertainment so we'll see how long that lasts.
How are things looking for you?
There's more to being a locavore than just food energy costs and miles travelled.
Yet, the author of the op-ed piece, Math Lessons for Locavores, in the NY Times argues that:
The local food movement now threatens to devolve into another one of those self-indulgent — and self-defeating — do-gooder dogmas. Arbitrary rules, without any real scientific basis, are repeated as gospel by "locavores," celebrity chefs and mainstream environmental organizations. Words like "sustainability" and "food-miles" are thrown around without any clear understanding of the larger picture of energy and land use...
The statistics brandished by local-food advocates to support such doctrinaire assertions are always selective, usually misleading and often bogus.
I would argue the author is using the same math legerdemain to support his case. He's ignoring the "buy fresh" part of the equation. I'd like to see where he's getting his numbers and how his calculations compare to food grown in season, that don't require excess energy inputs (e.g. a hothouse, etc.). You know, the kind of food that locavores generally choose. Yes, growing tomatoes in a hothouse in NY is going to take a tremendous amount of energy inputs, but again, that's not what being a locavore is about.
Being a locavore has a lot to do with supporting local economies, creating a stronger local food security net in addition to eating foods in season. Not just avoiding trucked in tomatoes in the middle of winter.
What do you think? Is being a locavore just about food miles or is it a lot more than that?
Oh, holy cow! I just picked up my first half gallon of local, Grade A 100% grass fed cow's milk from Pure Eire Dairy. The container claims that they have certified organic cows and pastures. They are one of the few "grass only" dairies in the United States.
Here are some stats from their website for you to drool over:
- 100% Grass-Fed
- The herd has been hand-selected to be free of A1 positive cows
- Antibiotic and Hormone Free
- Free of chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides
- Their milk is not combined with milk from any other dairy
- All jersey herd for better grazing and a rich, creamy milk
- Minimally processed milk utilizing vat pasteurization and no homogenization
Who cares if the cows are grass fed?
When cows eat grass, they ingest Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which is a beneficial fatty acid that has been shown to have cancer-fighting properties and helps to inhibit the formation of body fat and helps to reduce food allergies. When the cows eat the CLA, they pass that along in their milk to you, the drinker. If a cow is grass-fed (rather than grain fed) she has 3 to 5 times as much CLA in her milk, and (more importantly) doesn't suffer from eating grain she isn't evolved to digest.
Americans mainly get CLA from dairy and beef fat, with milk being our primary source, since we can't produce it ourselves. Since CLA is a fat, you need to get products with fat in them - in other words, non-fat milk won't provide this. And CLA is not affected by pasteurization or storage.
Does it taste different?
In true Napoleon Dynamite style, we did a taste testing.
How does it compare to our other local dairy, Fresh Breeze, (the cows are pastured in season, April to October, weather permitting) that sells organic, vat pasteurized, but homogenized milk? Well, for starters, the color of the 100% grass fed milk is a lot different - it's more yellow, probably from the additional CLA. So, if you expect your milk to be bright white, don't freak out if you buy grass fed milk.
As for the taste, I wasn't suspecting that I'd be able to taste too much of a difference since the Fresh Breeze cows are fed grass 6 months of the year and grass silage, long-stem hay, and a small amount of grain throughout the off season. It was hard to do a comparison because of the difference in mouth feel from the lack of homogenization. My husband and I both decided we prefer homogenized milk. I don't like my milk to have chunks in it.
Otherwise, the grass fed milk had a little more flavor to it, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the Fresh Breeze tasted "brighter". Is it worth the extra $2 per half gallon? No, not since we can get an almost equivalent product from Fresh Breeze.
Pure Aire also sells raw milk and heavy cream for those in the Washington area who are interested. I, for one, would love to try to make some butter from their non-homogenized cream. Yum!
After reading this book, I have rather mixed feelings. On one hand, I had high hopes that the author of this book would take a different tack in his approach in Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America.
Instead of focusing on how the people he interviewed in this book worked out the nitty gritty of living off the grid, the author, Nick Rosen, spent a lot of time going over the politics and in-fighting of the groups involved. It makes for a somewhat fascinating read, but you don't really learn much besides the author's biases.
One big bone I have to pick is how he really, rather cruelly, treats his subjects. I'm assuming Mr. Rosen does so in order to make this otherwise potentially dry subject more exciting, but it starts to get a little old as he rakes each of his interviewees over the coals. Many are portrayed as crazy or mean or both and disregards their motivations.
I guess I'm not the only one left with this impression. From Publisher's Weekly:
Fed up with "the hyper-consumption of the past thirty years, the pointless acquisitions, the hopeless materialism, and the obsession with celebrity trivia," British journalist and filmmaker Rosen sets out across the U.S. to find the perfect off-the-grid community "beyond the reach of the power cables and water lines that intersect the modern world."
His journey brings him into contact with a colorful collection of rebels and outcasts--aging hippies, anarchist kids, a middle-aged couple with an "off-the-grid McMansion" in Colorado--and he sprinkles his tale with the sorts of practical tips likely to appeal to anyone considering a similar adventure: the Clivus Multrum is "the Hummer of composting toilets."
What Rosen lacks is a knack for storytelling; he would have done well to step back and let his subjects speak for themselves. Instead, he constantly inserts himself into the frame and insists on passing humorless judgment on nearly everyone he meets (and a fair number of people he doesn't), and even whole cities are roundly dismissed (Boulder is "the smuggest town in America"). His curmudgeonly asides are off-putting, and it's disappointing to see the book's idealism and noble reach devolve into grousing.
Maybe I was expecting the book to be closer to David Black's, Living off the Grid: A Simple Guide to Creating and Maintaining a Self-reliant Supply of Energy, Water, Shelter and More which is a lot more "how-to" and less "how stupid!"
Overall, I disagreed with his treatment of several of the people he profiles in his book, his opinion on peak oil, climate change and a number of other issues. That said, I did learn about these groups and individuals that were interviewed, and for that I appreciated the book. I otherwise would not know they exist and what these folks are up to. Although I'm not exactly giving this a sparkling review, it is worth reading for that alone.
Now, I generally don't like doing two giveaways at the same time but, ah, what the hell. If you are interested in throwing you name in the hat for a copy of this book, please enter your name in the comments of this post by midnight Saturday, August 21st, 2010 PST.
I recently received an email about Opie & Dixie's new line of organic, sustainable pet care products and, even though I currently don't have any fuzzy critters in the house, I thought they would make for a great giveaway for those of you who do. All of their products incorporate herbs, oils, and essential nutrients designed with the help of veterinarians.
Debbie Guardian, the owner of this line of pet products, wanted to create products that do not contain any ingredient that she wouldn't use herself. All the products are organic, eco-friendly and sustainable, from the ingredients to the non-BPA packaging to product labels that are printed on recycled paper and made with a 100% wind-powered manufacturing process. In addition, a percentage of all retail sales go to a local dog rescue organization.
This giveaway includes:
• Organic Ear Wash made with spring water, peppermint, and eucalyptus
• Oatmeal Almond Shampoo for silky coats and skin health
• Botanical Créme Rinse and Conditioner for hydrating skin and coat
If you would like to pamper your pooch, all you need to do to enter this giveaway is leave your name in the comments of this post and tell me about your furry best friend!
You have until midnight, Friday, August 20th, PST to enter. Winner will be chosen randomly.
For those of you who are interested in doing Pioneer Week next week, I thought I'd repost some of the "rules" of the week for you to follow along.
I'll be off from work next week and so I'll have a lot more latitude to livin' like a pioneer. For my part, I'll be planning on making all our food from scratch, so that will include a ton of baking and eating out of the garden.
I will be using minimal electricity and line drying all of our clothes next week. Since we don't have alternative sources to cook from (in other words, a wood stove), I'll still be sticking to our range, but maybe I'll try to grill more stuff just to simulate cooking over fire.
As for transportation, I will try not to use the car all week. Since I'll have the kids with me, this will be more difficult, but maybe we'll take the bus or walk if we need anything. And this will give me an excuse to use my new cargo bike.
It will be harder keeping the kids entertained without transportation or electronics, but that just means that we'll be doing a lot of reading and games and probably going on hikes nearby, playing with neighborhood friends and working out in the yard.
Pioneer Living Rules
1. Food: During Pioneer Week, you must make all your meals from scratch. This isn't really as hard as it sounds particularly if you start now. That's right, I'm letting you prepare meals ahead of time to freeze if you won't have time during the work week. But, anything prepared ahead of time must be made from scratch.
2. Energy usage: Keep your energy usage low by keeping the A/C (or heat if you live in the other hemisphere) low or off, use only one light in the house at a time (or at least turn off the lights when you are not using them) and line dry your clothes. Since you'll be doing a lot of cooking at home, try to coordinate when you are using the oven to take advantage of baking and/or roasting items at the same time. I don't expect you to unplug your fridge or freezer, so don't worry about that.
3. Conserve water: Since we don't all lug our water from the stream for home use, we'll have to do a few things to help conserve water. Besides taking shorter showers (5 minutes or less or take a military style shower) and flushing less often, you can create a great reminder about water usage by turning the water off on most of your sinks so when you go to use them nothing comes out.
4. Transportation: Walk or bike as much as possible. This will force you to support more local stores if you can't drive across town. If this isn't feasible, then drive or take public transportation. Most importantly, try to combine trips and if you really don't need to go out, stay home!
5. Rethink your entertainment: Instead of spending the week passively watching television or movies, try to engage more with the people you live with or neighbors within walking distance. Get the family back into playing games, music or just sitting around talking and telling stories. If you aren't in the mood for socializing try picking up that long lost craft hobby or start a new one.
6. Watch your wallet: Think of this as a Buy Nothing Week. Since you'll be pretty much eating at home all week, you don't really need to buy anything, now do you?
Finally, remember this isn't all or nothing! If you can only work on one area for the week, that's totally fine. And, if you haven't already signed up and are interested in Pioneer Week, leave your name in the comments!
I thought I'd give you an update on how much progress I've made in my Craft Challenge - where you were supposed to pick one of your unfinished craft projects and pledge to finish it by the end of September.
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