don't use it

I just watched a documentary (available on netflix.com) called "Bag It."  It spoke to me about NOT using things, such as plastic bags.  I've come a long way on that particular topic, but I've still got a long way to go.  Things I am currently doing well: #1 Mason jars for storage of many different types.  Mason jars are readily available from several sources, have interchangeable lids so you can dispose of ones that get nasty and still replace them easily.  They are made of glass, which is one of the least reactive substances on earth.  Whatever you store in a Mason jar does not influence the next thing you choose to store in the same jar.  #2 Compost of all food items and many other items.  Before I throw/recycle anything I first ask myself if I can compost it.  Hair from haircuts, natural fiber clothing, paper bags, and, of course, food waste of all sorts.  If it is compost-able it goes in the future garden plot (otherwise known as the compost pile).  I even have a humanure toilet, which no one in the house uses, except me, but it is a viable compost item.  My latest adventure in composting is grey water.  I'm diverting dish water and laundry water into the compost pile and that prevents water from going down the drain.  #3 I liberally use the thrift store.  That in and of itself is a huge packaging savings (saves money, too).  #4 I am a member of a CSA and support my local farmer, which cuts down on packaging in a multitude of ways and gives me much healthier food in the process.  #5 I garden.  Last year wasn't that great, but this year I'll have a beginner garden and hopefully next year a fabulous one.  #6 I buy from the farmer's market, which cuts down on packaging.  #7 I cook.  This is huge.  Because I enjoy cooking I forget what a difference it makes.  I don't buy MUCH of what is sold in the grocery stores as a result of my willingness to cook meals from scratch.  #8  I make our own cleaning products and beauty products (disclaimer-- I'm the only one using the homemade shampoo and body oils, but everyone likes the soap and the lip balm).   This frees up the amount of plastic and chemicals we have in our house.  Things I NEED to work on-- #1 I use too many plastic bags.  You'd think I would have this one down pat.  I've managed to lose most of the grocery totes I had and I just need to replace them.  #2 Buy less packaged stuff.  Even though I've cut back I still buy too much.  I like my morning breakfast cereal.  That's a hard habit to break.

Over all I need to look at what I am using that comes packaged and decide if there is a way to cut back on the packaging.  "Bag It"  It's an interesting documentary.

graduates

My daughter Rebecca and my son-in-law Binod graduated from college.  Happy times!  It was a joy to see my college kids.  Especially a joy to be with my daughter Missy when she went to the temple for the first time.  On the way back home a rest stop in North Dakota was filled with bison.  Best rest stop ever!

mason jars

I found another use for mason jars-- lactofermentaion. I use mason jars for basic food storage, long term food storage and for organizing my spice cupboard. Plastic absorbs flavor and grease, glass is always easy to clean and mason jars are cheaply available all the time. I love mason jars. ANYWAY, onto lactofermentation. The easiest way to explain it is sauerkraut, or kimchee. That is what lactofermentation is. It's basically some food (cabbage is an easy one) salted down and allowed to ferment. To encourage the type of fermentation you want, add a few spoonfuls of whey (the watery stuff on the yogurt). I packed all this into a mason jar, weighted down the cabbage, so it was under the juices, and one week later I have sauerkraut. It's peasant food. Seems like a lot of peasant food is insanely easy to make. Bread, cheese, stew, etc. Now I can add lactofermented foods to the list. Another thing I made was pineapple vinegar using the outside peel of a fresh pineapple. It's basically the same steps, but no salt. I did add some distilled water to the mix. I like the taste of it. I understand pineapple vinegar is really common in Mexico. It sure is easy to make. Slice the outside skin and the core off a fresh pineapple (and eat the fruit!) cut it up, put it in a mason jar, add a few spoonfuls of whey, fill it to the top with distilled water, weigh it down so the solids are underneath the liquids and wait a week. Mason jars, the answer to so many questions I didn't realize I needed to ask.

March updates

The weather this year has been oddly warm. Most of my MN friends are hesitant to plant anything because they can't believe spring is already here. The trees and grass have given up on winter and are putting on their spring outfits. I did put some peas and radishes (that sort of thing) into the garden. I just got finished with putting in a new compost/garden bed and planting seeds. I'm really not very good at starting plants from seed, so we'll see how that works. I've got apple trees arriving next month and lots of other plants to put in the ground, put it seems a bit early for MN.

rendering out the lard

I did something today I've never done before-- I rendered out lard. It was really simple and I feel very frugal. The local grocery store sells the fatty bits of pork for really cheap. I cut the meaty bits off and ground them up into sausage. The fatty bits I put through the grinder and then dumped them all in the crockpot. I left the crockpot on low for a few hours and the fat melted out. It was really easy and now I have both lard and sausage meat in the freezer, all ready to use. I love finding another thing I can do myself.

broke my foot

Well, I guess I needed a new adventure. On an icy day I fell down an embankment and landed on my left foot. It's broke in two places. I am now wearing a huge boot and depending on the kindness of family. It's a straight forward break and should heal right up in six weeks. This makes exercising much more difficult. This makes everything I try to do more difficult, but not impossible. I am very blessed to have a removeable cast, which means I can still shower and I don't need to wear it when I laying in bed. That makes the healing more comfortable. I remember, a long time ago, when they were still putting plaster casts on everyone, I watched a TV program that discussed native African healers NOT putting casts on broken bones, just splinting them and letting the people remove the splints when they wanted to and those people healed much quicker. The idea was presented as native/westernized medicine. I still remember that program, it made sense to me. The people without plaster casts were much happier with how their healing was going. Nowadays the doctors seem to use boots and splints,instead of plaster casts, whenever they can. I'm just glad I'm one of the people who had a simple enough injury that I could use a boot.

winter garden dreaming

It's winter. That means time to plan the garden! We now live in zone 4. In Missouri we could, almost, get two seasons of growing in. Here it is one season, period. And you better be pretty choosy as to which varieties you grow. Every garden is a new chance to learn. I wish my summer gardens would grow half as wonderfully as the gardens I grow in my dreams in the winter.