Revolution Day 10 and Major Website Overhaul

My latest adventure in local living was signing up for a CSA Share. My first. I signed up with Wolf Pine Farm in Alfred, Maine. I chose this CSA because they consolidate products with several other Maine farms to produce a share with a great variety of veggies and other farm produce. If you aren't ready to start growing your own veg, or if you don't have the time, space or skill set yet to produce all the veg you need, consider taking part in a CSA. This helps to support local farms and puts fresh healthy food on your table. 

The chickens got into the neighbor's yard and I spent a cold half hour rounding them up and getting them corralled in the back yard away from the property line. Hubby spent most of the day installing new insulated garage doors. Once we add insulation to the ceiling over the top floor and take care of a few cosmetic issues we'll be ready to but those great recycled banquet tables in and get down to a real king sized potluck with friends and neighbors. That's one great way to do local entertainment!

Other than that not a lot to report today saving a major overhaul on the website Sustainable Me. I added many new links and gave the site a new fresher look and flow. Check out Places We Shop and Today's New Links. You'll find new links to permaculture principles and more. 

I hope you like the new updates. Keep coming back as I have a lot of new content ready to post in the next few days. And stay tuned here for more adventures in local living. 

Day 5: Local Photo Shoot

Well folks, it has been another very long day. 9 hours at the office and an hour of commuting followed by dinner and housework and yet more apple peeling. I'm exhausted. No energy for a lengthy post tonight, but I will share with you some photos of our recent activities that haven't made it onto the blog yet. I hope you will find them in turns amusing and inspiring. So, without further ado, on with the photo shoot!

I only wish you could smell this! These spices came home yesterday whole from the bulk bin at the local health food store.

Hubby ground them up this evening and made them into a most delicious chai which I am drinking even as I type this. 

The inside of the nutmeg. I thought it was just gorgeous on top of smelling heavenly

Step One: spiced apple and pumpkin wine 

Nora nibbling on some greens in the garden while we were putting it to bed and planting the winter rye. She snacked on her fair share of seed as well. Gladys and Mama Cass got in on the action as well

We don't begrudge them their few treats, as they provide us with these delicious eggs.

Just one of many dozen's of apples we peeled. The pies and sauces we'll enjoy this winter will be ample reward.

A happy apple. Yes it has a few spots but it has never been exposed to pesticides or chemical fertilizers, that makes it happy and makes me happy too.

After looking at these photos, I bet you can see why I said yesterday that my general happiness level has improved already. Well that's it for my photo shoot.  Perhaps tomorrow I'll be able to get up that post on "what is local" that I've been promising myself and you that I would get in here. 

Lucky in Where I Live

When it comes to living locally, it doesn't get much better than this little corner of southern Maine. I've been impressed by just how lucky I am since I woke this morning. We have local goat's milk soap and even a factory that makes all-natural toiletries less then 30 miles from our home. We have one of the greatest little breakfast restaurants that serves the freshest gourmet breakfast at prices comparable to the big franchised places and we have great neighbors. Today just for crossing the street and asking we were blessed with the opportunity to pick our own apples for free. They are some of the sweetest most delicious apples I have ever tasted and they are completely organic. 

Here is my darling husband picking apples.

Here are those beautiful apples

And  here they are being prepared for a tasty pie that will be served at our fabulous banquet table. Actually there are two. The first obtained from the local Habitat for Humanity store (proceeds from sales go to support the work of HFH), the second came from the free-cycle shop at our local transfer station. They are a matched set! 

Yes we are truly fortunate in where we live. The great thing is that we can all be this lucky. It takes some effort and some time, but the rewards are more than worth the work and the sacrifice. The steps you take will vary depending on where you live, but the end result will be the same. You will never feel more fulfilled than when you are able to provide for the needs of yourself  and your family right in your own back yard and your community without spending a great deal of money and while meeting interesting new people, making new friends, reconnecting with old friends, and learning new skills. 

This has honestly been one of the most wonderful and blessed weekends I have spent in a long time. I'm looking forward to the new discoveries this coming week holds in store. 

Revolution Day 2: Bit of a Ramble

It is a beautiful day and I am happy to be alive and living local. Last evening we had some wonderful friends and neighbors over for dinner and enjoyed just sharing food and conversation. There are some big plans afoot in our town, things you don't read about in the newspapers, if there are still any newspapers in your area. It was good to learn about the things that we should be concerned about as a community and about opportunities to get involved and help our community evolve. Some interesting topics that came up that I will explore further in another post: How do you define what's Local? What criteria do you use when evaluating products to determine if they align with your principals? What resources  do we have as a group that we can mobilize to benefit our entire community. It was a great evening and the food was fabulous. I think I'm becoming one of those people...You know who I mean. Because I just can't resist....

sharing this picture of the glorious roasted squash and vegetables that one of our guests brought to share. It was fabulous! And today has been just as amazing. We started out by dropping by the popup art show put together by the Berwick Art Association and picked up a wonderful piece of art by local artist Erin Duquette. It was then on to Spruce Creek Farm in Eliot to pick up our locally farm raised turkey for our Thanksgiving feast. A stop at King Tut's Apple Cider Mill on the way home netted us some fresh cider and Macoun apples for the mince pie. 

A tasty lunch of leftovers from last-night's feast rounded off the afternoon and now it's out to the garden to finish putting it to bed for the winter. Then I plan to settle down for the evening, put on my toasty warm alpaca slippers crochet with wool from the friendly alpaca down the road and do something creative or just finish that pair of socks I started last week. 

Tomorrow I think there will be apple picking and turning the rest of those beautiful left-over veggies and rabbit into a pot-pie for dinner. Life truly doesn't get any better than this.