Use What You Have, insulated lunch bag

A friend of mine handed me an insulated grocery bag and whispered, "Let's talk."

Her daughter needed a lunch bag to bring to preschool.  The mom had an insulated grocery bag with a top that didn't latch anymore.  She asked if I could help her, and could it please involve purple fabric.

Yes!

So we found a style that she liked and fit into my ability level.  Then I spent a sunny winter afternoon with my sewing machine.

The result:

 

Because the insulated bag is from Ikea, this just might be considered an Ikea-hack!

Skill-share, Mystery Wellness Foods

What do you get when you cross a Girls Night In with wanting to learn something new with a feisty cold/flu season?

You get a room full of cheerful ladies with ideas, samples, and skills to share.  You get yogurt, kefir, vanilla extract, sprouts, kombucha, and lots of snacks.

My favorite thing about all of the living foods that we talked about is that, aside from a bit of attention at the beginning and the end, these foods pretty much prepare themselves.  And they are so much cheaper and fresher than their supermarket counterparts.  And, because so many of them are loaded with healthy bacteria, they prevent against sickness. Which is so much smarter than a trip to the doctor's or a bottle of medicine.  Sign me up!

Here is SL explaining her experiences with the Stove Top Method and the Crock Pot method of making yogurt, and her uses of the resulting whey.

She brought homemade vanilla yogurt samples.  She also brought some homemade vanilla extract, xylitol mouthwash, and peppermint mouthwash.  Overachieve much, SL?

Here is AMH sharing her mother-in-law's kefir grains (curds?).  She whipped up some delightful kefir/spinach/orange smoothies and won us all over.

I passed around jars of sprouted wheat berries and some legumes.

Garden in a jar, anyone?

I referred to this diagram, sent to me by TC, for inspiration.

What can you do with sprouts?  Well, they sure do jazz up a grilled cheese sandwich!

The highlight of the whole night, for me anyway, (no, it wasn't the after-hours reenactment of childbirth, although that was a close second) was the kombucha demonstration by LE.

Phrases like fermented tea, distilled water, scoby hotel, and continuous brew now have a little more meaning.  And the kombucha was oh-so-tasty!  As soon as my house stays about 70 degrees, I'll get my first batch started.

As far as the non-mysterious snacks that we enjoyed, there was the all-famous Chunky Salsa, the Chocolate Marble Bread with Ganache, an impromptu potato frittata, and some Curried Nuts.

As an FYI, for the Curried Nuts, you just toss into a crockpot 28 oz of almonds/cashews/walnuts/pecans, 1/4 cup oil, 3 T butter, 1.5 t ground ginger, 1.5 t curry powder, 1 t salt, 1 t sugar.  Cook on Low for 2.5 hours, stirring several times throughout.

For my first project, though, I think I'll start another batch of yogurt and expand from there!

So this is Christmas!

There's been a flurry of activity in our family, both exciting and sweet.  Here a few of those moments.

Wishing you and yours much merriness!

Ah, Lunasa.

You gotta love Lunasa.  This online farmers' market is such a creative idea for connecting food producers with local customers in a warm, festive way.  In fact, I first connected with Lunasa during their December Open House Market one year ago.

This past Friday was their first of two December Open House Markets, so anyone (members and non-members alike) are welcome to come.  It's housed in a vacant barn at the Washtenaw Food Hub, so that's always fun!

There was a host of beautiful and delicious items.  There were regular farmers' market goods like eggs, meats, jams, breads, and produce.

Then, just for the yule of it, there were vendors who brought their jewelry, yarn, cutting boards, and teepee tents.

Intrigued?  See for yourself at the next Open House Market on December 21st!

Last stop for this crazy train

Percolating in the back of my head for the last three weeks was the probably the largest, riskiest, most creative scheme I've had yet.  So large, risky, and creative, that to most people (including myself, immediate family, and strangers on the street) it seemed borderline crazy.

The facts: an abandoned property with a condemned home was being auctioned off by the county treasurer's office this past weekend.  The property's backyard is adjacent to our own backyard.  The lot is 0.43 acres, is just 1 mile south of a state university, is just a couple of blocks west of our city's pedestrian friendly downtown, is around the corner from a forward-thinking gardening non-profit.  The home's listing claims it is 2500 square feet, with 7 bedrooms.

Right away I think: total green rehab (solar panels by SolarYpsi, geothermal heating/cooling, local tradesmen to do the work), Bed & Breakfast, Retreat Center offering sustainability skill-sharing events (breadmaking, knitting, spinning, couples retreats, gardening, canning, etc, etc, etc), with a couple of friendly alpaca decorating the backyard.

This idea lived on and gained momentum in my head while I talked it up to anyone who would listen, including a handful of city officials.  The conversation's purpose was to work out the details, gauge public reaction, and gather ideas for funding.  All of those things were successful!  Ah, but, another bidder, with a more concrete plan (and hopefully fewer city ordinances to amend), is now the owner of this property.

I was surprised and disappointed, but a little bit relieved when the auction ended with the word "Sold!" next to the listing.  I hope the new owners are alpaca-friendly!

Thanks to all of you who rode this crazy train with me, smiling and nodding politely while I unfolded this idea out before you!

KindleFest, 2012

I'm happy to report that my first outdoor night market was lots of fun.  While I'm not exactly sure what the word KindleFest means in German (Kristy, wanna help me out?), for me it meant 'best market ever'!

The booths were so beautiful, colorful, fragrant, creative.  The vendors were cheerful and welcoming.  And the customers were curious and generous.

Here are some visuals:

warming station

sweet wooden dollhouse

soap, not fudge!

fairy houses

wooden cars and trucks

what's a night market without a lantern parade?

wooden spoons

beeswax candles

skinny santas

here's my booth, notice the fun mobiles of the vendor next door!

Next market, Lunasa, Friday 4 - 7pm, Washtenaw Food Hub!

Looking for some refreshing ideas for your Christmas experience?

Every year I need to rally and gear up for Christmas.  My normal inclination is to retreat from the overspending, over-consuming, and over-everything as I manage to do the rest of the year.  But our culture's way of celebrating this holiday puts a bit of added pressure to buy, eat, and socialize.  Lucky for me, each year there is more and more awareness of wise, sustainable, meaningful choices for celebrating this beautiful season.

I thought I'd compile a list of resources if you, like me, are trying to rise above the landfill this season.  (Studies show that Americans put an extra one million tons of trash into landfills each week during December, most of it is packaging.  I asked my local garbage collector his take on this, and his response: "so true!")

1) Shop local.  Check out your local mom-n-pop stores.  Here are a few in the Ypsi/Ann Arbor area.
Mix
The Rocket
Nicola's Books.  Here is my older daughter enjoying a free afternoon at her favorite bookstore.

And here is my children's book on the same display as the gardening book written by our First Lady!

2) Meet the producers.  Instead of mass produced items from outsourced labor, visit a farmer's market or artisan event and meet the people making your goods.  Here are a few coming up in the next few weeks.  (This is a shameless plug, as I'll be at these events with my trash-free alternatives as The Eventual Farmer!)

Friday, November 30, 6 - 10pm, KindleFest, outdoor holiday market, Kerrytown

Fridays, December 7th and 21st, Lunasa Open House Markets, Washtenaw Food Hub, local food producers and artisans

3) Think globally.  Consider purchasing a item made by women who are overcoming hardship.  Here is one source for unique and worthwhile gifts.

4) Look outside yourself and your own family by participating in a charitable event.  Make a family trip to give blood.  Pack a shoebox of toiletries for an impoverished child.

Buy a herd of livestock for a hungry family.

5) Attend a religious service.  Even consider visiting a church of a different style, just to have a different experience.

Special thanks to the Sunday Small Group who helped to generate some of these ideas!

Do you have any more creative ways for celebrating the season in meaningful ways?