Seed Swap?

Click photo to enlarge.
We have some seeds for vegetables we do not wish to grow. They are from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.; some were packed for 2008 and some for 2009. All have been stored in a cool and dry environment in their original sealed envelopes so most of the seeds should still be viable.

Here's what I have:

• Bitter Melon:
  • Chinese Long White (2009)
  • Delica Thorn (2008)
  • Green Skin (2009)


• Parsnip:
  • Harris Model (2008)
  • Harris Model (2009)


• Rutabaga:
  • American Purple Top (2008)
  • Laurentian (2008)


• Turnip:
  • Purple Top White Globe (2008)
  • Purple Top White Globe (2009)

Would you be interested in swapping seeds with me? I am looking for lovage, Chinese celery, and dried beans: open pollinated varieties only from seed vendors such as Baker Creek, Seeds of Change, SeedSavers, or small reputable companies specializing in heirlooms and such.

The Lazy Girl's Guide to Vermiculture

1. Find out who has worms.


2. Ask if you can have some for free. Be willing to accept this gift encased in composting cow manure. Offer some homemade jam or jelly in exchange.


3. Receive your worms and transport them home, careful not to leave them in a hot car.


4. Dig down into your compost pile and dump out the worms (and cow poop).


5. Leave them alone. They will have plenty to eat in your compost pile. Do not be pokin' around in there with a sharp-edged shovel. They will be happy eating all the goodies in the compost and reproduce like crazy.


6. When you transfer your compost into a new bin to age, save some worms for the new compost pile. You will see them as you use a pitchfork to move the compost.


7. Keep feeding the new compost pile so the worms in there will be happy and want to reproduce.


8. When your old compost is done and ready to sift, carefully remove the worms to return to working compost bins. If planting in garden beds, add a few worms to keep the soil in good shape.

98% Local Wrap-up

I'm wrapping up my 98% Local challenge early due to a very busy weekend schedule and a sick sweetie. I was not entirely successful but I did eat more meals with local food than I had been previously and am inspired to keep working on choosing local over not.

However, I have learned that I am not cut out to be a hardcore locavore. I like my rice and my rice noodles. I like love my sugar and chocolate. I need soymilk and flax to make tasty vegan goodies with my local wheat. I want to use spices and seasonings from around the world. I am not willing to give up these things until there is no choice. "No choice" would happen if gas prices get much higher and transportation costs make non-local food prohibitively expensive. Obviously, at that time, I would have to eat more locally.

Until then, I plan to continue eating as I have this past week, incorporating more local ingredients into my meals but not being hard-core psycho about it. Should I feel guilty that I am unwilling to go 100% (or even 98%) local from now on? That's a matter of opinion but in mine, the answer is no. My overall impact is already considerably lower than the average Westerner's because of my choices: often biking and walking rather than driving, eating a vegan diet, having no children, participating in a CSA, growing a garden, preserving food, using natural products for personal/home/yard care over chemicals and poisons, conserving water/electricity/gas at home, and so on.

In my view, the step of going from my usual 60-75% local diet to completely local would make a fairly small difference in the big scheme of things. It would, however, make a big difference in my family's quality of life. I'd rather push myself to bike more than I am now than give up those non-local foods we enjoy.

98% Local, Day 5

Breakfast

• Last of leftover Oat Groat Pilaf - 75% local
• Two cups of New Mexico pinon coffee with sugar & soymilk – 5% local

Lunch

• Peanut butter cookies - 66% local

Peanut Butter Cookies
Local ingredients marked with an asterisk.

1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened
2 tbs applesauce*
3/4 cup peanut butter*
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbs flax egg substitute
2 tbs soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour*
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Beat Earth Balance, applesauce and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended.
Add sugars and beat until fluffy.
Add flax mixture, soymilk and vanilla; beat well.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into balls, roll in sugar, and place on baking sheet. Press with tines of fork in criss-cross pattern.
Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.


Snacks

• Carrots at CSA - 100% local

Dinner

• Himmel und Erde - 98% local

Himmel und Erde (Heaven & Earth)

I tried a recipe like this ages ago but no longer have it. This is what I put together on occasion. Local ingredients marked with an asterisk.

Red potatoes*, optional
Turnips*
Apples*
1 - 2 tbs vegan margarine
Bread crumbs*
Brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

Dice and steam, separately, equal portions of potatoes, turnips, and apples.
In a large skillet, heat margarine over medium high heat.
Add bread crumbs and saute until toasty.
Toss in about 1 tbs brown sugar per cup of steamed vegetables and fruits. Stir.
Add steamed potatoes, turnips, and apples. Stir and cook until heated through.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.

How local was the day?

Not too shabby, despite the relatively unhealthy lunch choice.

Bee Eater

In some parts of the world, a bee eater is incredibly gorgeous.
Photo credit: aaardvaark.


In my yard, the colors are less vibrant.

98% Local, Day 4

Breakfast

• Last slices Orange Bread – 88% local
• Two cups of New Mexico pinon coffee with sugar & soymilk – 5% local

Lunch

Ignored the local leftovers in the fridge to totally blow the challenge with:

• Box of vegan mac 'n cheese made with margarine & soymilk - 0% local

Dinner

• Irish Garden Soup - 99% local
• Tossed Winter Salad with dressing - 95% local
• Vegetarian "Buffalo Wings" with vegan margarine & hot pepper sauce - 0% local

• Hot cocoa - 0% local

How local was the day?

The day started out well.

I made the soup with CSA root vegetables and...


...the cabbage came from our own garden.
Only the seasonings and garlic were not local.

Then something went downhill. I spotted the box of mac 'n cheese around 11 am when I was hungry and was cooking it before anyone could say, "Hey, that ain't local!" The veg wings were an impulse buy at a grocery store when I noticed the 'discontinued' sign by them. I could have waited until the challenge was over to heat them for our dinner but they still would not have been local, so I figured we might as well eat them.

Damn my honest streak. It'd be so much easier on my ego to just lie and say I only ate good, healthy, local food this week. But....welcome to the imperfect me living in an imperfect world.

98% Local, Day 3

Remember: All ingredients that are local are marked with an asterisk.


Breakfast

• Several slices Orange Bread – 88% local
• Two cups of New Mexico pinon coffee with sweetener & soymilk – 5% local

I discovered this morning that the powdered stevia product I occasionally use to replace some sugar in my coffee makes my teeth hurt. I can't use liquid stevia products because they give me a headache. I guess stevia is just not for me.


Lunch

• Leftover Oat Groats Pilaf – 75% local

Dinner

• Baked Red Potatoes - 100% local
• Seasoned Pinto Beans - 99% local
• Tossed Winter Salad with dressing - 95% local

Seasoned Pinto Beans
* denotes local ingredient

1 1/2 cups pinto beans*
Water*
1 cup fresh mustard greens*
1/2 tsp olive oil*
I'itoi onions*, whites only - sliced
1/4 cup escabeche originally made with fresh green chiles*, onion*, garlic*, Mexican oregano*, salt & vinegar
Red chile* powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Several dashes Liquid smoke

Wash and drain beans.
Place in pressure cooker with water to cover generously. Bring up to pressure and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop gradually. Let sit for an hour. This is called speed soaking, and is an alternative to soaking the beans overnight.
Drain beans and cover with fresh water. Bring up to pressure again and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop on its own.
Meanwhile, blanch mustard greens in a pot of boiling water until barely tender. Drain and chop.
Heat oil in skillet and saute onions for a minute.
Add drained and chopped escabeche. Saute until vegetables are tender. (The escabeche can be replaced with fresh options such as a bell pepper or green chile.)
Add drained beans, greens, and seasoning. Heat through.


Tossed Winter Salad
* denotes local ingredient

Mixed winter greens* (frisee, arugula, mizuna, etc.), torn
Carrot*, shredded
Radish*, shredded (Use any radish locally available, such as red, black Spanish, or daikon)
Hakurei turnip*, shredded
2 mushrooms, sliced
Several I’itoi onions*, greens only, sliced

Prepared mustard
Maple syrup
Flavorful vinegar* (homemade peach-plum)
Salt & pepper to taste

Toss vegetables together in large bowl.
Squeeze a small amount of prepared mustard into a small bowl. Add twice as much maple syrup, stirring to mix thoroughly. Add the same amount of vinegar as syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Add fresh herbs if desired. This salad didn't need any due to the strong flavors present already.)

Let each person dress their own salad so leftovers don't get soggy.


How local was the day?

The day definitely was predominantly local.

Beverages are the difficult part for me with non-local coffee in the morning and a cup of soy hot cocoa in the evening with a splash of homemade cherry liqueur. The only way I'm going to be able to create a satisfying local hot winter drink is to grow and roast something myself. This probably limits options to things like dandelion root or barley. This still doesn't resolve the soymilk issue or preferring sugar over honey in the drinks.