Open for Business!

We opened one jar of bread and butter pickles today. Almost ate the entire jar. Crispy, tangy and crunchy, just the way we like 'em. I haven't made pickles before in my entire life and even though I'm giving myself a pat on the back... Dang! I can make some great pickles!

Needless to say, I'm guessing the floodgates have opened and we will be munching and crunching our way through our basement shelves now!!

So, What Now?

I don't know what to eat. Or if I should eat. I mean, I worked all summer slaving to put up food for the winter, but now... Should I eat it? It's funny, really. There's a light blanket of snow on the ground. It's 27 degrees right now and even colder with the wind chill. Still... Is it time?

I haven't made a pie with all the peaches that almost brought me to tears, there were so many.

Not a single muffin has been made with the tens of pounds of blueberries picked by hand by my boys.

Carrots are frozen, waiting for soup and stew.

Pickles have been canned in their tangy bread and butter brine, but they sit on a shelf in my basement gathering dust.

Row after row of crushed tomatoes are soldiered together on the shelf below, waiting to weather the lasagna brigade sure to come.

Save for a few cupfuls of corn tossed into the soup I made on Sunday and the single can of blueberry cherry sauce I cracked open to serve with crepes during a brunch I was hosting, I haven't touched a thing.

What is wrong with me? Am I hoarding food? Squirreling it away like the furry critters still racing around my backyard furiously trying to hide just one more nut?

I think it's knowing all of that hard work, the precious hours, the late nights and the memory of the farmer's markets will be gone in an instant. I like looking at the rows of shiny jars, the perfectly stacked freezer storage bags labeled so neatly in my deep freezer and the funny root cellar contraption I cobbled together in my garage holding my boxed apples, potatoes and onions. I feel well stocked, ready and prepared.

So, what now? Is it time? When do we eat?

The Celebrity Chef

Budgetary constraints mean we are eating in more. A lot more. Like never eat out unless we are traveling, have a gift card or there just isn't any way carry out will do in a pinch. However, that doesn't mean we're eating lower quality food because, I hate to say it, I'm sort of a food snob.

That doesn't mean I only eat lobster and truffles with a side of caviar or anything. Actually, I prefer hearty, home cooked comfort foods over fancy dining any day. Beside, my boys would totally freak out and threaten to strike if fish eggs were on the menu... For that matter, me too.

What I mean is that I prefer my local raw organic cheese, which isn't cheap. I love my fair trade, freshly roasted organic coffee from my food club, but it's certainly more expensive than Folgers. I can't live with the mental anguish that comes with buying meats from factory farms. So, by cutting out the eating out we can still afford these little necessities / luxuries.

Still, I'm back to a full time working mom status and that means that I don't have as much time to prepare all these home cooked, comfort food meals. That said, I've started a new tradition in the Eco Burban household... Sunday cram-session cooking. Cram in as many meals (using similar ingredients) and prep them, or fully cook them so they can be quickly reheated and do it all in one afternoon. This way I can stretch my food dollar and my precious time with my kids.

Today I whipped around my kitchen like one of those crabby celebrity chefs, muttered swear words and all, and managed to bang out the following meals in under three hours:

One humanely and locally raised chicken in the slow cooker gave me:

1 cheesy chicken noodle casserole
1 extra large pot adobo chile, chicken, bean & corn tortilla soup
7 cups of chicken stock reserved in the freezer for another meal

I also prepped a 2.5 lb. tangy BBQ turkey meatloaf and cream cheese smashed potatoes

18 freshly baked chocolate cupcakes perfect for hungry boy's lunchboxes (organic and local mix courtesy of our local mill)

These three meals will provide not only meals possibly not one, but two nights these week. They will also provide leftover lunches for me to take to the office all week.

That is, of course. depending on hungry boys... Last week in a single sitting we put down 2.5 pounds of chicken, 2 pounds of potatoes and 12 bread sticks.

In. One. Meal. Scary, ain't it? Now you know why I have to stretch my food dollar!

I Have an Apple Crisis! Help!

No, not APLS, but there's another topic that I have been lagging behind on. Whew, between kids, jobs and being sick I am really behind! Anyway, make sure to check out the APLS blog to find out more about our local Great Lakes APLS. I plan a quick post later today welcoming everyone back to our region for fall. And, I need some local answers for THIS:

What do I do with all these apples? See, I was hoodwinked. Tricked. Scammed. By my own sister! My mother, yes the one of peaches fame, was kind enough to bring us a couple of bushels of apples from Northern Michigan. My sister was supposed to take half for her family. Does that look like my half to you? I didn't think so. I think she took five apples out of the bag and sent the rest to me!

I will can applesauce, I will freeze apple pie fixin's but how in the heck am I going to store the rest? I don't have a root cellar, we unplugged our extra refrigerator over a year ago and I don't really want to plug it back in just for apples. Help me create a root cellar or rent me a storage space somewhere! I am drowning in apples. Thanks, sis.

Mom Down! Mom Down!

I'm sick. I should have seen it coming. Two of the eco 'burban boys were hit with a nasty case of bronchitis and sinusitis last week, requiring mom to dispense medicines, get up in the middle of the night and prepare special meals for the sick ones. Guess who's got it now...??



Two boxes of tissues, countless tea bags and lots of TV watching and I'm still not feeling any better. What have I noticed about being sick? It's not green. Not even a little bit green. This morning I am still single-handedly destroying trees and forests with my tissue usage, styrofoam take-out containers litter the fridge (eco 'burban dad was in charge of feeding the restless natives...) and cardboard bagel buckets reside in my recycling bin. Ugh.


Well, you win some and you lose some. I'm off to toast my leftover bagel in the office kitchen. However, it will be spread with my own homemade jam and some local butter. I guess I'm on the mend!

Maybe...

Actual proof that maybe the world is coming around. Just when I thought I was too tired, too stressed out, stretched too thin. A sunny afternoon, a circus show, kid's crafts and low and behold - recycling, water bottle refilling stations, local food and drink and an afternoon spent with a 4-year old. Maybe I won't give up the fight today.

Don't Look a Gift Peach in the..

...uhhhh, pit? I don't know. Anyway, my story goes like this:

My phone rings while I am in the airport on my way to LA. (Sorry, Arduous, I was only there for a whole 19 hours, not enough time to swing by to pick up that futon!) I look at my cell and see it's my mother.

Hi Mom.

Hey hon, I know you were bummed that you didn't get any peaches while you were up north visiting us, so guess what? I am bringing you some, I'm on my way home now! And, next weekend? I am buying a bushel to share with you and your sister! Doesn't that sound just yummy?

Oh geez, how do I tell my mother I spend my entire Saturday last weekend elbow deep in peach juice, peach pits, peach skins and peaches? And, I can't stand to look at another peach at this moment? Well, it's my mother, so if you knew her you would understand that you just don't. Like I said, you don't look a gift peach in the pit. All peaches are good peaches, yummy peaches and will be delicious this winter, regardless of the fact I will probably experience a little peach RAGE while making peach jam this weekend.

Even though I am on my way to the other side of the country, I call my husband to give him "peach storage and ripening" instructions and a warning that the mom-tornado is blowing through town. More peaches, he says? What are you going to do with them? I don't know I say, but for the love of god, don't say a WORD to my mother that I already am sick of peaches, you don't want to hurt her feelings! OK, he says gamely, I will take care of the peaches.

I arrived home last night (this morning?!?) about 2:00 a.m. to the smell of ripening peaches on my kitchen counter. And, you know what? They actually smelled delicious!

The Endless Bushel Box

I was hoodwinked into buying a bushel box of peaches this morning. The big box filled with ripe, ready to eat today Red Havens with it's special price tag of only $20 was too much to resist. To make matters even worse, I had brought the wagon to the Market, so there was no excuse not to tote the entire box right on home.

The heavy box sat staring at me on the kitchen table. I took about 4 quarts of peaches right out and stashed them in the fridge for eating. When I looked back at the box, it looked like it hadn't been touched.

I started the big soup pot full of water for blanching and prepared my freezing ingredients and tools. One gallon in the freezer. Two gallons in the freezer. The box still looked rather full-ish.

I decided to make a pie to take to a neighbor's party tonight. 7 cups of peaches later, the box is still greater than half full.

Sigh. I'm getting tired of peaches.

I crank up the blanching pot again. Three gallons in the freezer and still I can't see the bottom of the box!! It's hot, I'm sweating. I've been on my feet for hours blanching, peeling, tossing, filling cookie sheets and stuffing freezer bags. I'm throwing in the towel.

I grab a leftover 1/2 peck bag from the closet and stuff it full with peaches and dash out the door headed for the neighbors house, hoping to foist some peaches on her. She's thrilled, she will make a pie for her out-of-state company! Thank god, I say, I can't look at another peach.

As I come back through the kitchen door, I see the box, still sitting on the table. 23 peaches remain. What am I going to do with MORE freakin' peaches? The water from the blanching pot is still hot, I turn the stove back on and keep on truckin' through the peaches.

Two quarts of peach sauce safely stowed in the fridge, perfect for topping pancakes.

I throw a glance back and the box, just to double check. Yep, no more peaches. I wash down the kitchen, finding peach juice on the floors, on cabinet doors and on every handle and counter top within a 5-mile radius. Finally, I'm done.

Tonight, as I serve the pie with a cold scoop of ice cream, relaxing in the company of friends, I will remember that peaches are my favorite fruit. Until next year when I find that bushel box in my kitchen again!

One Chicken - Many Meals

Let me just start out by saying my family isn't vegetarian. I know a lot of you out there are, but living in a house with 5 men means big meals, big servings and lots of protein. And, I know, I know you can get lots of protein from eggs, beans, legumes and a variety of other foods, but my picky eaters think lentils were sent here from outer space.

We don't eat meat every meal or even every day. We eat a lot of pancakes for dinner, pasta, omelets and sandwiches. We love cereal, oatmeal, salads and could pretty much make a meal out of plain 'ol potatoes. Once in awhile we eat meat. Not regular, out of the Costco cold case meat, but locally raised, ethically farmed and pastured organic meat. And, not to worry, with the prices they charge - and rightly so - that pretty much guarantees our meat consumption stays in check.

So, as part of my challenge to practice discretionary eating, I took on the all-mighty chicken. When I got home from work I chopped a few fresh onions, grabbed a handful of herbs from my porch and some random carrot tops, greens and veggie scraps and threw it all into my stock pot with a whole chicken and some water.

A couple of hours later I have enough chicken to make two chicken and noodle casseroles - one to eat this weekend, one to freeze for a busy workday. I also ended up with 13 cups of homemade stock to use for at least two more big batches of soup. Not bad for one little chicken (OK, so that organic bird was HUGE) and a couple hours of time. One chicken can feed my family for many meals and, around here, that's a big compliment!

In Search of Food Preservation

For all my whining about the lack of fresh produce and local food, I am paying the price now. It's not sprinkling beans, tomatoes and potatoes, we've got a right good downpour going on right now. Which leads me to yet another dilemma - how to preserve and store all of this food. I have been freezing as much as I can, but like Heather, my little chest freezer is filling up quickly.

I decided, based on a comment from Green Bean during my berry crisis, to scout out a dehydrator. I looked high and I looked low. I visited three different thrift stores in my local area, no dice. I responded to two ads on Craigslist - neither of which had the courtesy to either reply back or just take the dumb ad down off the site. I was reading Causabon's Book and Sharon had a great review of dehydrators, just my luck! She had a great recommendation for a solar one which isn't quite in my time or money budget at the moment. And, I really liked her idea of an Excaliber, but again, not in my price range.
Then I decided to cave and visit a big box retailer - Target. I needed to pick up an prescription, so I thought if I can find a decent one in my price range, I image it will be worth it's weight in gold. Imagining all of the delicious dried fruits and veggies I would make and preserve with my new purchase, I set out for Target with high hopes.

Those hopes were dashed, rather quickly I must say. Up and down the aisles I went looking for the display of food preservation items. I saw them online, so they must be here I think to myself. I pass a cotton candy maker. I pass a sno cone machine. I pass a crepe maker. I pass an egg and toaster oven?!?!? Not sure what that was. Sandwich squisher, smoothie maker, bread maker. What in the hell is going on here? I just want a dehydrator and don't tell me that if you have room on the shelves for a freakin' cotton candy maker, there isn't room for food preservation items.

Not a single dehydrator in the store. Not a single canner. I did find a Food Saver, which would be great if I had space left in my freezer. And, of course, if it wasn't $100. So, we ended up eating ALL of the strawberries with the exception of a couple squished, moldy ones. Which wasn't all bad, we had strawberry shakes, pancakes and heaps of fresh cut ones for breakfast.

Now that strawberry season has passed - for the second time - I don't have an immediate, pressing need for a dehydrator. I am still on the hunt for a good, cheap one before cherry season unless I can find a neighbor as nice as Green Bean and I can borrow one. That is, if my neighbor might actually have purchased one instead of a sno cone machine.

Which makes me wonder... What will our country do if we are faced with a true food crisis? Will families all over town be breaking out the cotton candy maker to feed their families or opening bags of dried cherries and popping open jars of beans? Or will they be consulting Chile to find out where the closest food bank or soup kitchen might be? It worries me, really, where our priorities about food are in this country - sno cones or dehydrated strawberries anyone?

Chile's series of posts on hunger not only made me reflect on how lucky I am to be able to choose healthy and nutritious foods on a regular basis for my family, but also how that all could change with simple crisis or stock market crash. Am I prepared? Not well enough I'm afraid. Now, who wants to lend me their dehydrator?

Simple Shopping by the Numbers

What $19.50 buys you at the local Wednesday Farmer's Market:
Green beans, tomatoes, shell peas, carrots, green onions, red and yellow potatoes - all picked fresh! Now, will someone please tell me what to do with all those carrot tops?!?

What $17.00 buys you at the local thrift store located across the street from the market:

8 items, 3 brand new with tags, almost all brand name. What a great way to get in a little early back to school shopping without driving anywhere.

Total shopping cost? $36.50 Crazy, isn't it?? The same shopping trip for the same items at a major retail venue? Probably more than $150 - if you catch some sales. Even if you aren't shopping this way to be green for the environment, how could you argue with saving this much green in your wallet?

Strawberry season is over here in the lower parts of Michigan. Not so for the northern regions where my parents spend most of their summer on Lake Michigan. They are typically about 10 degrees colder and breezier due to lake winds and wacky weather.

If you recall, I managed to deal with 12 quarts of strawberries picked by my boys a couple weeks back, we ate the remainders from my freezing marathon and then thought our strawberry days were over. Not so, my boys, not so. My father just brought us about 4 quarts of the reddest, freshest, just-picked-today berries I think I have ever seen.

Sure, we have eaten strawberry sundaes, shortcake, shakes, syrup, whole, cut and preserved, but we are gearing up to do it all again. While everyone else here is long past enjoying fresh berries, or dining on Chilean substitutes, we are once again elbow deep in red berry goodness. We know that in a few months, the taste of fresh berries will be long gone from our palettes and we will wish for the day the U-pick opens or Grandpa rolls up with a carton of berries, picked just that morning and loving carted from 4 hours north. You must appreciate the fresh, organic and local produce when it's in season, no matter how long it lasts. The season seems so short during the cold, dark days of December!

Drool on, my fellow bloggers. I still have berries, berries and more berries. Alas, I still don't know how to make quick berry, quack berry jam, but I will muster through. Somehow. Strawberry shakes it is then, delicious strawberry shakes all around!

An Apple A Day

My husband and I were grocery shopping together over the weekend which is an odd sight. With so many boys and so many commitments, I usually handle food, clothing and supply purchases for the household while he is in charge of other chores. He needed to make a stop at a store near the Trader Joes, so to combine trips and save gas we jumped in the minivan together with the littlest eco'burban boy.

While I had my back turned in the cheese section my husband was perusing the apples and produce. He mentioned he wanted apples. I matter-of-factly said that apples weren't in season, but the early ones would be in here in Michigan in a month or so. He smiles and gamely holds up a bag of apples and says, "These look good". When we talked later he said I physically cringed while looking at the apples. "But, they're from Santiago, Chile! And not even organic, they are dirty, dirty apples! How about a different kind of produce?"

And, here's the rub. My husband is trying to eat healthier, get back on his diet and lose some of the weight that has crept back on. So, who am I to deny him the apples? He really does eat a lot of apples and they are a much better choice than organic potato chips, homemade cookies or local beer. If apples are in the fridge, he will happily munch down two or three throughout the day when he's hungry and that replaces the handfuls of chips or other foods that might not be the best choice.

The moral of the story? I bought the apples. Is an apple from Chile the best choice? No. Is it a better choice than junk food? Yes. Will I spend this fall loading up on the best types of local, organic apples that will keep well through the winter? You betcha! If he hadn't been with me at at the store that day, I wouldn't have bought the apples. Would that have caused him to eat more organic blue corn chips? Maybe. Will I still run out of apples by July? Probably.

So, from time to time a bag of apples from Chile might not be so bad after all? Are the limitations on food and the changes that I have made over the last year a little too stringent? I don't know the answer here or the correct balance between healthy food choices and responsible food choices. I know I am personally willing to forgo the apples until August and eat strawberries today and cherries tomorrow. Though neither of which are as quick to grab and easy to eat as an apple. These might not be the most responsible of food choices for my husband, when an apple might be a smarter direction.

I always say shopping with my husband (or kids!) causes my cart to fill up faster, costs me more money and I end up buying things I hadn't planned. Maybe I should do it more often?

Pick Your Own

Scenes from a local U-Pick strawberry farm with 4 boys...

Man, white strawberries are sour.

Dude, white strawberries are really hard.

Sick, the really dark reddy brown ones are rotten.

Stop, I think that strawberry hit my EYE.

Wait, if you throw another one I will catch it with my mouth.

Boys! Is anyone picking strawberries? Let me tell ya, come December, strawberry sundaes will be for PICKERS, not LOAFERS!

Smack! Dude, QUIT throwing strawberries. Seriously!

I don't whike strawberries.... (whiny voice)

Ugh, I feel sick, I ate like about like 50 strawberries like already.

How many strawberries do you have? I have more. I have lots more. See? I'm BEATING you.

Hey, watch. I can throw a curve ball with this one.

Stop it, you hit me again! Jerk! Moooom, he got strawberry guts on my shirt!

Boys! If you don't stop throwing strawberries you are going to sit in the VAN! No wait, YOU are going to pick another 4 quarts of strawberries while I SIT IN THE VAN! .

Holy Crap! Look at that bug. Sick. I think it's dead. Mom, do you want me to pick this strawberry with the dead bug on it?

Mom? Hey! Mom? Can we make strawberry sundaes tonight? Can you make us strawberry sauce for pancakes tomorrow? What else can we make with strawberries? Oh, yeah! I want some of the yogurt with strawberries like a parfait. And, can you put some in the Popsicle molds? That would be good too. I'm hungry. What's for dinner?

Best line of the whole day: Wow, that strawberry tasted like NATURE.

Our haul? 12 quarts of strawberries - yes, the picture is the real deal. Side splitting humor? Endless. Boys will be boys.

One Local Summer - Week 2

I thought this week was going to be a total bust... We were without power for half the week, thanks to some wicked storms. I had a business trip to Chicago - during that power outage - and add to that my kids home from school for their first week of summer break. Meh... who had time to cook or even think about shopping?!? Not I! So, today after baseball games and errands to run, I finally had a moment to think about creating a completely local meal. Most of our day to day ingredients are local - peanut butter, eggs, milk and so on. However, really thinking about each and every ingredient can be challenging!

So, I present to you, after getting really hungry looking at the Green Bean's local graduation platter of sandwiches.... drumroll... Egg salad sandwich on pita with a local brewery beer. Hey, don't knock the beer folks! It's local, less than 30 miles from here and I have 4 boys and it's their playoff season in baseball - some things just go without saying!

My ingredients:

Eggs - East River Organic, Snover, MI

Mustard - Cherry Republic Cherry Mustard, Traverse City, MI

Relish - McClure's Pickles, Royal Oak, MI

Salt - Sea Salt - ???

Lettuce - Local farmer's market, Walled Lake, MI

Pita - Steve's Backroom, Harper Woods, MI

Pilsner - Atwater Brewery, Detroit, MI

Going Local This Summer!

I am getting excited! I joined One Local Summer, and I feel so confident that this challenge is something I can totally knock out of the ball park.

About a month ago I joined a local food club and I have been slowly emptying my non-local reserves (into our bellies of course, I'm not throwing perfectly good food away!) and replacing them with all-local, organic and fair trade goods. Here's what's rockin' in my pantry:

1. My beef, chicken, pork and eggs are all from certified organic local farms practicing all natural, free grazing methods.


2. My coffee comes from the only source in Michigan roasting 100% organic, fair trade coffees - which they will deliver by bike, even in the winter - if you live in their area!


3. My butter, cream and chocolate milk all come from a local dairy in reusable glass bottles.


4. My maple syrup, peanut butter, bread, pancake mix, pickles, beans, popcorn, brownie mix and cinnamon rolls are all local, organic and completely high fructose corn syrup free!


5. Veggies and fruits are trickling into the farmer's markets and starting this week I am off the California-grown produce and sticking with what is seasonably available - Barbara Kingsolver Style!

Now, if I can't make one meal a week out of the bounty in my pantry and fridge, well, then I am a more pathetic cook than I even give myself credit for. Hey - this meal might be pancakes and bacon, but it will be all local! Remember, I am feeding 4 hungry boys, so some flapjacks and sizzlin' pork goes a long, long way in their book!

Cream in glass bottles = Cute!

As part of my eat local challenge one of the changes I tackled is the milk / cream / dairy consumption. When you live in a house with 4 growing boys milk is a rapidly disappearing natural resource straight from the refrigerator. And, the organic stuff is more expensive per gallon than the other natural resource that making the news headlines every day!

We have been drinking the organic version for more than 4 years, so I thought I was over the sticker shock. Until I decided to switch to glass bottles that is... So, we are taking it one dairy product at a time. The delivery service for the local foods I am using does make this switch super-easy. Along with the flour, eggs and whatnot she delivers milk in perfect glass bottles and picks up the empties that get returned to the dairy for reuse. Last week we tried the chocolate milk and of course the kids are in loooove and want to make sure we get that treat every week! This week I added the half and half for the coffee to the list and when I opened my delivery box there was this cute little glass jar of nostalgia.

My first thought when I opened the box wasn't, ooooh less plastic, this is WAY better for the environment - it was a rush of "look at the cute little glass jar, isn't it sweet"?!? I immediately took the jar into the other room to show my husband it's round, glassy cuteness. I can certainly say not a single cardboard carton or plastic bottle of half and half lugged home from the Kroger made the cuteness list - organic or otherwise! So, what is it about milk in glass bottles delivered to your doorstep or a trip to the farm that brings a rush of nostalgia or this feeling of going back to a "simpler time"? Does it evoke memories of a grandmother or childhood? Or is it just contentment and a feeling of achieving 'June Cleaver' status with a humming refrigerator full of rows of glass jars, paper wrapped butter and homemade goodies?

So, I'm shelling out the big bucks for the chocolate milk and cream in the cute glass jars. Next week probably the skim milk too. And, what am I getting in return? Healthier kids, a healthier planet and a nice healthy dose of nostalgia. I'm buying it and loving it... every last drop!

Birthday = Local, Homemade Cake

This weekend is the big 4-0 birthday bash for the Eco 'Burban Dad. Not quite a big bash, but a small get together anyways. So, in honor of the big day and the fact that he is such a super, duper sport in all of my challenges and green escapades, I am making a homemade, all local birthday cake. (See how I'm still squeezing my challenges in on his birthday?!? Poor guy...) Don't worry, his favorite birthday beverage of choice, Corona, is a completely un-local splurge for the occasion. See, I'm not a total greenie-meanie!

But, considering I used to be the kind of suburbanite to rush out to Costco, because I was just soooo busy, and buy one of those huge, frosted cakes the size of a smart car (most of which ended up in the garbage), the art of a homemade cake is truly an act of love. Oh, please, you know I am still getting some help with this ordeal - I managed to find an organic cake mix from a local mill that is supposed to be fabulous. After I add the eggs, milk and a few fancy flavors and whip up my own frosting, it still totally counts as homemade. I haven't made a cake with actual layers since like 7th grade Home Ec... I will post a picture (lopsided and decorated by the 4-year old!) next week, but for today... Happy "Fabulous at 40" Birthday to the Eco 'Burban Dad!

Bookworm Challenge = Farmer's Market Woes!

We had one of the snowiest winters on record here in Michigan, so I really don't know why I am surprised... I went to the second week of the local Farmer's Market here and still, not a veggie to be found. There are a few hardy souls there, selling seedlings, flowers, honey and bread, but I am desperate for some produce for my local challenge. I have broken down and bought some organic apples, red potatoes and some peas from Trader Joe's. I didn't even want to look at the back of the package to find out how far they traveled, but some apples for the kid's lunch and some red potatoes with onion and peas on the grill for dinner were a lifesaver.


In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Barbara Kingsolver relies on her Farmer's Market for early produce like rhubarb, salad greens and maybe a few early peas. I guess this is feasible in Virginia or Kentucky - but what about serious, Northern cold weather states? I am feeling a little stuck today, so I am guessing it will be the famous "breakfast for dinner" routine again with local bacon and pancakes made from the buckwheat mix from the local mill. I have been inspired by all of the recipes and meal plans in the book, but Kingsolver's May meal plan is more like my mid-June meal plan! Maybe next week I will find a bunch of greens or a few early peas? If anyone has any ideas, I sure would be glad to hear them!

What I have done so far...

I am not quite halfway through the month of the local food challenge for both Mrs. Crunchtastic the Blue Collar. After a rainy, yet leisurely Mother's Day, I thought today might be a day to pat myself on the back for the changes we have made.

We have kicknamed my husband the "barrista" because he makes the best darned iced tea and coffee this side of Starbucks. We have banished the countless glass jars and bottles of store bought iced tea and now rely on our refillables each day. It's always a treat to try a new flavor and of course the tea is fair trade and the sugar organic. Our coffee - from a Florida company - is also made at home and toted in our stainless mugs to work each day.

Two local bakeries in our area now supply our family with freshly made loaves of wheat, multi-grain and even a yummy cinnamon swirl for a treat. And... the occasional cannoli! I had forgotten how good a slice of whole wheat toast with a little organic butter and jam can be for breakfast!

I found La Vida Local, a local business that sources locally produced food, dairy and beauty supplies from community farms, dairies and mills. I now rely on the wonderful Julie for my eggs, chocolate milk, butter, cheese, bacon, pancake & cake fixin's as well as beans, oats and a variety of other organic and / or locally made items. We are having a ball trying new things and making meals from scratch. Hey - I didn't know I could MAKE potato salad from scratch, OK!

In short, this challenge and my bookworm challenge for the wonderful Bean - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - have almost changed my life. I cook more, but have more time. I spend more on a loaf of bread, but have more money in the bank. I learned that those big-box retail stores actually needed me more than I needed them!