Why I Will Soon be Making My Own Pet Food

So why on earth would I make my own pet food? I want to reduce my reliance on outside inputs and my impact on the planet. I think the time and effort required to make food for my pets will be well worth it. Making my own pet food would allow me to utilize certain kitchen scraps which are currently going to waste because they are not good candidates for composting in a cold compost pile. It would also allow me to control what is going into my pets' food, which is important to me. I don't like the idea of my cat eating ground up baby chicks that were tossed live into a grinder simply because they were the wrong sex, or filler provided by GMO corn meal.  And who knows what's in the poor pup's food? When you come right down to it, it would reduce the overall footprint of my pets' diet by reducing production and transportation inputs and it would reduce demand for a product whose manufacturing methods and ingredients I find reprehensible. So yes, I will probably start making my own pet food very soon. I will keep you posted and will share photos and recipes!

They are certainly worth it!

Building Community and Local Food Networks

I truly believe that, given the chance, most people would prefer to eat fruits and vegetables that grew in their neighborhood or at least their own town or state, as opposed to produce that was trucked in from somewhere half way across the country or around the world. There is a lot of great local food out there, but how do you find it? Frequently produce in stores may only say product of USA. You may not know if it was grown in Maine or California. You can start with your grocer. Tell them that it is important to you to know where your food comes from. Ask them to clearly indicate where produce is from. It doesn't have to be difficult for them and they will likely see their sales increase. 

Here's an example. This evening on my way home from a Meetup event (more on that later) I stopped at my local grocer in South Berwick. Hubby pointed out to me that there was a little placard clipped to the front of one of the displays. It was the size of a name tag and was simply hand printed "Locally Grown" and then had the name of the farm and the town in which it was located. This was brilliant and I certainly would have bought a couple of bags of those cranberries if I hadn't already stocked the larder with my needed supply for Thanksgiving. But now as I'm sitting here thinking about it.... Why not pick up a couple more bags on the way home tomorrow and I can can a big batch of cranberry sauce and have enough to last all winter. It is truly lovely as a relish and its bright color and tangy bite definitely brighten the cold dark months. 

Nature's Way Market also has a sign posted over the cash register that reminds us "we are what we eat". 

There is another in the deli that identifies the various local vendors and where they are from. I'm sure that you can recognize the shape of the great state of Maine on several of these placards. Nature's Way is located in the south west corner of the state just across the border from Rollingsford, NH, so you'll see a few New Hampshire outlines there as well. I think this is a great way to let folks know where their food is coming from. These are simply printed on a standard office printer and slipped into inexpensive sheet protectors before being hung on the wall. I've also noticed a couple of restaurants and another small market in the area taking up the practice. 

Another great source of local food would be local farm stands. Many of them are open from Memorial Day through Halloween selling everything from seedlings to pumpkins and corn stocks. A few even hold out through Christmas and offer trees, wreaths and other natural and local decorations. Local farmers markets and CSA's and co-ops are also great sources of local foods. Most of these are pretty traditional, but there are some less common sources, some that take advantage of the age of social media in order to bring local foodies together. 

And now we've come back to  the meetup group that I mentioned earlier. This evening the Seacoast Permaculture Meetup had its annual swap and share. Members all got together and brought their excess. 

Just a very small selection of the wonderful assortment of foods to share.

For this late fall meetup we focused on preserved foods and other items that could be stored over the winter; canned foods, dried foods, root vegetables and the like. It works roughly like this: There are times when your garden suddenly, for no apparent reason, produces six bushels of green peppers and your entire freezer is full of froze green pepper strips, or you canned half a dozen more jars of salsa than you can ever possibly get through before the tomatoes are in full swing again next year. So you've got all these peppers and salsa, but no pears, or apples, or grain or dried beans. You bring your peppers and salsa and any other items you have that you know is just more than your family is going to consume over the next 3 months and pray for someone to bring the sweet fruits and other things you are looking for. All the stuff is laid out on big tables and everyone takes turns explaining what they brought and then we barter with other members to trade for the stuff we would like to bring home. Hubby and I brought several jars of salsa, both green and red, some herbal vinegar, a large canning jar of apples and some green tomato relish. We scored some hand made tea tree soap, fresh pears, canned peaches, pesto, mustard seed, chives, black walnuts..... I think there might have been a couple more items as well. We had a great time sharing ideas with like minded people and met some new folks as well. We learned, laughed and share healthy food. No-one spent a penny and everyone left happy. All in all a great experience and a good way to get your hands on some rocking local food. 

If there isn't a Meetup like this in your area, start one. Go to the Meetups website and you're on your way.  You could also use this tool to set up a neighborhood or area food shed project. We are only limited by the scope of our imagination. Until next time, enjoy your local food search adventures. 

Local Arts and Crafts in North Berwick Maine

The town of North Berwick, Maine is a hive of art and craft activity this weekend. This was our entertainment of the day, local art and craft fair hopping. We took a break from putting away our summer tools and mulching and I picked up some delicious smelling hand made soap. The fun continues through the weekend. So if you are in the neighborhood of North Berwick tomorrow (Nov 17),  you can work your way through town starting at the Open Studio of artists Kim Bernard & Christos Calivas.

Then it's on to Varney Crossing Nursing Home 47 Elm Street for the Holiday Craft Fair. 

A short trip downtown to 41 Main Street and you will find a pair of treasures as Lori takes up the space  next to Annie and Meme's for her annual craft fair. 

Be sure to stop in at Annie and Meme's for great vintage items at fabulous prices. 

Now it's back out to Wells Street (ME 9 East). Just at the edge of town you will come to a big gray barn that once each year houses the fantastic work of 9 Women and Their Goods. They will be happy to greet you with warm smiles and snacks and a dazzling array of crafts and art works.

I'm certain you'll enjoy yourself and feel good picking up a few Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers that will be the joy of their recipients and your purchase will support a local artist. Keep the local economy going! 

Best Permaculture & Homesteading Books: The Ultimate Reading List for Sustainable Living

Totally off topic, but I love the way this little garden looks as it is beginning to go to sleep.

This list was originally shared by Permaculture Media Blog. I give them full credit and I think the best way to share it is to give you the link directly to The Ultimate Reading List on their blog. I can tell you that I personally own several of these books, have checked several others out of the library and have just added several more to my own personal reading list and wish list. If you are a sustainability junkie, a localizer or a permaculture activist, you will be like a kid in a candy store when you get to this blog. They promise "The best free sustainable living & educational media on the web. Over 2000 videos, eBooks, podcasts and documentaries". I've already checked out a few of the links. I can tell already that the knowledge sponge in me is going to be very busy over the next few day soaking up on this new information, but I will still make time to search the local shops for great local foods and I'll continue to share my finds here with you. 

Also watch for a new "Local Recipe of the Day" page that I hope to get up and running very soon. Feel free to share a recipe. Please be sure to tell us where you live and where you get your great local produce. Please focus on recipes that feature your local, in season goods and provide links to the suppliers wherever possible. I would love to be able to build a matrix of great local suppliers that users can navigate by state and locality. Photos are also welcome and encouraged. We want folks to see just how delicious these beautiful recipes are going to taste. 

So, you have your assignments. My assignment is to get the recipes page up and running and ready for your submissions and to update the website with all the great new links I've dug up this week. 

Until next time. Walk lightly.

A New Look at an Old Saw

We've all heard the phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle". It has been posted on billboards, recycling bins and bumper stickers. We instantly recognize the symbol of three bent arrows forming a triangle as indicating that a material is recyclable or that the designated container is a receptacle for recyclable materials. This symbol has become a ubiquitous tool of the recycling movement. But how often do we really think about the phrase, the entire phrase? It doesn't start with the word recycle and there is a very good reason for that. Because recycling, while it is good and helps to reduce the need for mining new feed stocks from the planet, is still an energy intensive process that does require additional inputs of finite resources. 

Reuse comes before recycle because by reusing and repurposing items we are keeping them out of the waste stream. We are conserving resources required at the front end of the production cycle by reducing the need for new goods and also putting off the need for using resources at the end of the item's useful life when it is recycled.  By repairing an item or passing it on to someone else, or by repurposing it into another useful or beautiful object we are reducing our impact on the planet. For some items this may be only a fractional amount, but add up all those fractions for all those items and you are starting to have a noticeable impact.

Reduce heads the list. I'm not just talking about packaging here folks, while that is important. I've heard stories of people going to the department store and buying a new TV, taking it out of the package, leaving the packaging at the store and telling the management that they are insulted by the excess packaging. But did they ever consider not buying the new TV? It's very likely that they have a perfectly functional TV at home, maybe even more than one. What is this one for? Perhaps the picture quality is marginally better? Perhaps it is a bit larger. Perhaps they are getting a new 32 inch TV for the family room so they can put the 27 inch in the kid's room. But did they stop to think that maybe the children don't need a TV in their room? That maybe if they had fewer TVs they could spend less time at work and more time with their family? In the 1950's the average American family lived in a house only 1/2 to 2/3rds the size of today's homes. They might have one television. They did not have cell phones and iPads and all the other things that we seem to think are necessary. Yet studies show that people where happier then than they are now. Do you wonder why? I think it's time we all stop to ask ourselves that question. 

An older phrase along the same line was "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without". There was a different motivation behind this phrase, but they do share a similar goal. The goal of both is to teach us to conserve the finite resources of our planet and to do so first and foremost by reducing out level of consumption.

What is success?

We live in a world of rampant consumerism where doing the right thing, be it ethical treatment of other people, animals or the environment are weighed against their impact on economic growth and return on investment. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't we be asking ourselves "what will be the impact of my economic activity on my fellow human beings and the planet we all call home?" How did we come to this place where it is OK to tear the earth open and leave her bleeding all so that people are provided  with cheap power, and someone's pockets are lined a bit in the bargain? How did it become normal to poison and deplete soil and water in order to produce excesses of corn, beef, pork and soybeans? All of them, by the way, foods that have been linked to cancer and obesity. 

I believe one of the fundamental problems is that over time we have developed a deeply flawed definition of success. Today success is measured by how much you have; how much stuff, how much influence and of course... how much money you have to buy it all. 

If we could redefine success, perhaps we would stand a chance of coming to some agreement on issues such as climate change, fair and equitable distribution of the worlds resources, alternative energy and a host of other issues that plague our people and our planet. What might that definition look like? I think Ralph Waldo Emerson had a pretty good idea. This is how he defined success:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To give of one's self; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - This is to have succeeded.

I couldn't have said it better myself. So I will say no more (for now).

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.