Posts Tagged ‘Local Food’
Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms
Picking up where FRESH and FOOD, INC. left off, FARMAGEDDON explores why Americans’ right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack and answers the question: “Why is local food pricey and hard to find?”
This hard hitting documentary by filmmaker Kristin Canty will answer that question and make the viewer think about who owns their body and what kind of terror do America’s food polices inflict on heritage food providers?
farmageddon-small © by quantumbutterfly
Farmageddon highlights the urgency of food freedom, encouraging farmers and consumers alike to take action to preserve individuals’ rights to access food of their choice and farmers’ rights to produce these foods safely and free from unreasonably burdensome regulations. The film serves to put policymakers and regulators on notice that there is a growing movement of people aware that their freedom to choose the foods they want is in danger, a movement that is taking action with its dollars and its voting power to protect and preserve the dwindling number of family farms that are struggling to survive.
Creative Ways to Save Big on Your Grocery Bill
We’re all trying to save on food these days and homesteaders are no different. While most folks we talked to admit that cooking from scratch and growing their own food are a good place to start, some haven’t made the jump to a garden that provides all their food needs. They do admit that buying in bulk, canning and planning meals around “in season” produce is a good way to go, and offer these helpful hints for saving on your next grocery bill.
- Share a CSA with another single person or couple and split the cost.
- Ask neighbors who have over loaded fruit trees if you can pick unwanted fruit from their trees.
- Glean fields for Second Harvest or other local food banks who work with local growers to reclaim un-harvested produce and reward volunteers with part of what they pick.
- Trade with a local hunter – your canned, frozen or baked specialties for wild game or fish.
- Ask a local butcher who processes wild game for bones and odds-and-ends that can be made into stock or broth.
- Start a “micro-coop” with family or friends, buying large qualities of staple items like flour, sugar, rice, beans, coffee and wine and splitting them with everyone.
- Consider volunteering for a vendor at your local farmer’s market in exchange for leftover produce. There may even be enough to can.
- If you live in an area with wild game, consider contacting the local police department or game warden to have your name put on the list of “takers” for animals that have been killed by vehicles. You may have a short time in which to react, but the venison, elk or other wild meat could be worth the effort.
- If you live in maple syrup or honey bee country, ask a local farmer if you can help with the harvest and processing for a gallon or so of the good stuff. The hands-on education would also be sweet.
- Many grocery store chains will give away “past prime” produce for livestock uses if asked. Many times this produce is not past eatable, just past sellable, and can be made into a variety of dishes or baked goods; canned or frozen for later use. What isn’t useable can then be given to chickens and pigs, or cooked down to supplement dog or cat food.
Other creative ways to stretch food into nutritious meals can also mean stretching every dollar.
- Toss together all kinds of veggie and meat odds-and-ends into fabulous stir-fries or satisfying soups.
- Use “filler” ingredients like rice, celery, onions and potatoes to add bulk and flavor to dishes.
- When recipes call for filler type ingredients try using oats, barley, brown rice or potatoes for added variety.
- Many dishes can use beans or legumes as the prime ingredient instead of meat.
- Cut down on the quantity of meat in your meal and load up on “in season” veggies, greens and fruit. Meat servings of 3 to 4 ounces should be sufficient if there are plenty of side dishes to go along with it.
- Get every last bit of meat off “bone-in” cuts of meat, chicken, turkey or rabbit carcasses. No matter how much you think you’ve pulled off the bone there’s usually enough, when cooked, to make a small pot of soup, a casserole, a stew or a pot pie when mixed with vegetables. The broth can also be frozen and used later.
- Go Meatless! One or two days a week. Or, substitute protein packed eggs for a meal that would normally include meat. Omelets, frittatas or egg scrambles with potatoes and fruit can be just as satisfying as a tradition dinner entrée.
- Use up all the food you buy. If produce is passing its peak plan a meal around them so they can be used. Don’t pass up the chance to use spent veggies in baked goods either. Zucchini and carrots make great quick breads, bananas are fabulous in pancakes and corn can be added to muffins for sweet, yummy, nutritious treats.
- If you can’t use “past-prime” veggies right away toss them in the freezer for later use.
- Instead of sipping on that pricey designer wine check out the two-buck-Chuck selection at Trader Joe’s. He may just be the only man that won’t let you down!
Armed with these grocery saving tips you are now armed to go forth and SAVE!
If you’re looking for people in your area to share or split bulk items with, check out www.splitstuff.com. Or, if your area is not listed consider starting your own split group with neighbors, family and friends.
photo credit: Yuya Tamai
Peak Oil
I never intended this site to talk about militia tactics, conspiracy theories or post-oil survivalist ways, but it is becoming increasingly impossible to be involved in homesteading and the local food culture and not be at least aware of, if not affected by, the topic of Peak Oil.
I take solace though that the more I read and learn about energy issues the more content I feel that I have chickens who give us eggs, lambs who provide us with meat, a garden, berry patch and fruit orchard that supplies us with fresh produce and the where with all to combine those ingredients into a satisfying meal for my family.
If this topic is new to you or you’ve never heard about it before you may want to ask yourself these simple questions. What is Peak Oil? Do you think Peak Oil is fact or fiction? Do you or your family base decisions based on the future of oil?
Do you think the current boom in small farming and homesteading is the result of worries about peak oil, the food supply or energy issues in general, or is it just a fad? I’m sure our readers would be curious to know what you all think.
The Peak Oil clip above is a quick 3 minute video visually explaining Peak Oil, what oil is used for, and what the future may hold with regards to Peak Oil.
To learn more about Peak Oil check out this YouTube video by VideoNation, or simply plug Peak Oil into your browser window for more videos and articles.
Homesteader Resolutions for a New Year
The first week of 2010 is almost over. The decorations are boxed and put away. The tree is at the curb. Relatives have returned to their respective states or homes. The dizzying speed of the merry-go-round has stopped and life seems like might – just might – get back to some semblance of normalcy.
It’s a time for reflection on the past 12 months, our accomplishments and our not so perfect moments. We shoulder our disappointments and look toward the New Year with hope and bright light. We’re determined to do things differently, to be different, think different.
There are a lot of people living in suburban environments who would love to bring a little more homegrown goodness into their lives, but don’t think that it’s possible. Whether limited space or lack of experience is holding you back, not to worry, there’s plenty you can do to step off that merry-go-round. Every day people are bringing the simple life to places that have more area codes than barns, and while their efforts do start out small, they are still able to grow some of their own food, tend some small livestock, and bake bread in their own ovens. Small simple actions like these help keep food closer to home and it’s also giving back the basic responsibility of feeding ourselves in a world where no one seems to really know how to do that anymore.
So, if 2010 seems like the right time to start adding some sustainability, self-reliance and local food to your suburban lot – here are some simple first steps to get all you eager suburban homesteaders started, right in your own backyard.
Start the New Year with these simple resolutions and you’ll be on the path to a homesteading life.
Reduce your trash impact. Find a dedicated trashcan or reuse large shopping bags for recyclables. Set recycling containers near your normal kitchen trash keeps recycling in the forefront of your mind. Plus it’s close at hand.
Build your own soil. While you’re busy shopping those post holiday sales be on the look out for a stainless steel compost bucket that can sit on your kitchen counter. (I saw one on clearance at TJMaxx for $7.00). Saving scraps and peelings of fruits and veggies will become a positive start to building your own soil. Augment kitchen waste with dried leaves, grass clippings and prunings. Check with your city to see if they offer low cost compost bins and set it up near your garden area.
Plant one new veggie or plant an extra row of your favorite veggie, then freeze or can the harvest. If you’re new to homesteading, plant one or two edibles to get your feet wet. Many veggies, herbs and even fruit can be grown in containers.
Resolve to take a five minute shower or bath for a week. Use a simple kitchen timer to keep you on track. You’ll be surprised how quick showering goes when you get down to business. And the savings on water ain’t bad either.
Decide this is the year to start shopping with reusable bags, refusing store bags when you only have a few items and carrying a reusable bag in your purse, backpack or tote.
Determine to change the way you shop, to buy locally, both food and non-food items and help bolster your community’s economy.
You may not have been raised in a barn, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to raise livestock. Resolve to find out if chickens are allowed in your area. If they are, think about how you could simply and inexpensively add them to your suburban homestead. If you can’t, decide to buy eggs and chickens through local sources, preferable grower direct.
Resolve to think seriously about each new purchase. Ask yourself if they are needed or just useless crap you’ll have to figure out how to get rid of in a few months.
Drink for free rather than buying bottled water. Carry re-useable sports bottles with your beverage of choice.
Save on your electrical use by loading electronics onto a power strip that can be turned off when you’re away from home. Use less energy by lowering your thermostat just one degree this winter and raising the air conditioner one degree this summer.
Make this the year you use fewer paper products or stop using them all together, opting for washable, reusable cloth instead.
Save money and reduce waste by making coffee at home and taking it to work in a thermos. Same goes for you tea drinkers too.
Cut back on eating out – eat one extra meal at home week or take lunch to work, make it fresh and make it locally grown.
Use up and reuse what you already have before you go out and buy more.
Take one weekend and make fresh baked bread using our post on 5-minute bread making.
Pick one resolution or a few to incorporate into your life each month and by the end of 2010 you’ll be on your way to becoming more self-reliant and self-sufficient.
Focus on small meaningful steps.
And remember – a thousand miles are traveled one step at a time.
Happy New Year and Happy Homesteading!
photo credit: Carlos Andrés Restrepo
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