Independence Days Challenge - Week 9

1. Plant Something.

Peas and potatoes!

Peas!

2. Harvest Something.

Nothing this week. Everything has been held back by the cold weather, but it is still early in the year... and things are starting to sprout!

Garlic!!

Radishes

Turnips!!

3. Preserve Something.

Nothing.

4. Waste Not.

Again, just adding scraps to the stash.

5. Want Not.

I didn't add anything to the stash this week.

6. Eat the Food.

Not much from storage this week - granola or oats for breakfast, odds and ends for lunches and I made a potato, leek and blue cheese soup with biscuits for supper. I did use dried chives in the biscuits - yum!

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Nothing this week.

8. Skill Up.

Nothing this week.

Bulls-eye Challenge Report:


I mainly ate food that was already in the house (even perishables like milk and the leeks - I bought them last week, before the challenge started). For shopping this week:

FAIL!

Already! My locally sourced beef won't be available until fall, so I have the choice of either not eating beef until then, driving far, far away to find "organic" meat (which is not a guarantee of being humanely raised or local), or caving in and buying meat from the grocery store.

Yes, I'm a horrible person. Prime rib (Ontario? The slaughter house was in Ontario, but that doesn't mean the meat was. I'll use Canada for this one) was on sale, so I picked up two. I *am* getting better at sourcing humanely raised meat. Not there yet, but getting better :)

I also needed potatoes (Ontario) and ricotta cheese (Ontario) for something I'm working on, and celery for general cooking (USA - everywhere else). And while I was at the store, I got seduced by the half-price bread cart (Canada) and the fact that brie was on sale for half price (Canada).

These first few reports are going to be full of food that I either didn't grow myself or couldn't source locally, but I'm still reporting this, simply to be able to track my journey.

As for the budget:  (hahahhhahahaa!!)

Weekly budget: $10 for perishables, $10 for adding food to the stash.

$16.07 for perishables, but that includes the ricotta and potatoes, which are going to be used to make something that will go into the stash, so... hrmm. Let's say 25%/75% for this on those two - I'll eat 25% of the recipe this week, and 75% will get frozen, so...

$8.57 for perishables, and $7.50 for the ricotta and potatoes, plus the beef ($39.14  - I know, I know) for the stash.

This brings up an interesting point. I'm not sure this is the best way of doing this. Let's look at one beef roast - $19.30. If I roast it this week, and get four meals out of it, then use the scraps from the bones for another four meals of hash, and the remaining meat from the roast goes to a pot pie for another four meals and beef soup for yet another four meals, then the bones go into the stock pot....

I can't put the entire $19.30 under "perishables" for this week. But how do I divide it up? Same as the potatoes and ricotta.

So I think I'm going to change this already :) I think I'll stick to my $20 a week (on average), and maybe do a Local/Regional/National/Everywhere else division by price? So, for this week:

$55.21 (-35.21) total, 18% province, 78% national, 4% everywhere else.

Sigh.

Independence Days Challenge - Week 8

1. Plant Something.

Tomato and pepper seeds. Nothing outside this week - it's either been too cold or too wet or both :( Then again, it IS still March!


2. Harvest Something.

The first harvest of chives and the tops from my walking onions. Yes, I know it's March, and that is insane. I should have harvested the largest of the asparagus as well (even though it was still small) since the biggest spears didn't survive the cold weather, despite the straw mulch :(

So pretty...

...but the straw mulch didn't work :(

 3. Preserve Something.

Dehydrated the chives and walking onion tops - and wow, quick! I'm used to drying fruit that takes forever - the 3-4 hours that these took seemed like nothing!

Walking onions and chives!

4. Waste Not.

More veggies scraps and some bones in the freezer, for eventual stock making.

5. Want Not.

 Some good sales on this week, so I stocked up on butter, sugar and oatmeal.

6. Eat the Food. 

 Just normal eating, mostly from the stash.

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Went to a workshop at Linda's farm - it was a great time, and nice to see so many people interested in growing their own food! Tiffany from Eating Niagara was there, and you can read more about the event on her blog. It was a good event for me, because it was the reminder I needed that most people don't have a background in this sort of thing (either through their childhood, education or training), and that we really do need to start from square one when talking about sustainable food systems - let's figure out how to get everyone planting seeds first, before we talk about crop breeding and seed saving.

8. Skill Up.


Other than the colcannon, I made Irish soda bread and home-made mac and cheese for the first time ever.  Yay!!

Independence Days Challenge - Week 7

Not much going on this week, except garden clean-up! The weeds took over the garden this winter!!

1. Plant Something.

Lettuce, chard, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards, radishes, turnip, rutabaga, cauliflower - all in the garden. In March. Yes, I know I could lose everything, but to me, it's worth the risk, since the weather this year has been SO warm!

2. Harvest Something.

Nothing.

3. Preserve Something.


Nothing.


4. Waste Not.

Other than adding odds and ends to the stock stash in the freezer, nothing.

5. Want Not.

Nothing.

6. Eat the Food.

I finally roasted on of my $30 chickens - and wow, was it good!! The bones are in the freezer, waiting to be made into stock.

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Nothing.

8. Skill Up.

Nothing.

Independence Days Challenge - Week 6

Not much to report this week - we've been working a lot on the living room drywall, and after I clean up, eat supper and get clean myself, I just don't have any energy left most nights.

1. Plant Something.

Nothing.

2. Harvest Something.

Nothing.

3. Preserve Something.

I've heard a lot recently about "Cowboy Candy" - basically pickled jalapenos, and thought I'd try a small batch now - that way, if I like them, I know to plant more this year in the garden. So, I cut the recipe in thirds, which made exactly one pint with a bit of syrup left over. I'm going to let them sit for a week or two before trying them, but I'll let you know how they turn out.

And since I had the canner out... I made 12 half pints of cranberry sauce. Yeah, I know - so NOT the season for it! But I'm roasting a chicken this coming week, and really wanted cranberry sauce to go with it. So instead of buying a can, I bought some frozen berries and made my own. Of course, like usual, I over did it a it. Note to self: buy only ONE bag next time, not three!

Let me tell you - cranberry sauce is about the easiest thing you can make. Add 1-2 inches of water to the bottom of a large, non-reactive pot, bring to boil, chuck in the clean, picked-through berries and cook until most of the berries have popped. Add sugar to taste (and maybe some other bits - lemon zest might be good, or apples, or grated ginger...), bring back to boil, then either use as is or can for later use (1/2 " head space, 15 minutes for pints).

4. Waste Not.

Other than adding odds and ends to the stock stash in the freezer, nothing.

5. Want Not.

Cranberry sauce added to the stash.

6. Eat the Food.

I made another batch of chili, all from food storage.

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Nothing.

8. Skill Up.

Do drywall seams count?

Independence Days Challenge - Week 5

1. Plant Something.

I started three herbs from seed bought from Richters this year: basil, leaf celery and common comfrey. I also bought borage and calendula, but those will be direct sown.

2. Harvest Something.

YES!  I got tired of saying no to this category, and so in desperation, went into the garden and harvested a few tops from the perennial onions. I realize this is not a "real" harvest, but, hey, we northerners gotta take what we can!

3. Preserve Something.

Marmalade! Three recipes, four batches, resulting in 26 half pints and 8 quarter pints.

4. Waste Not.

I finally got around to making both beef and veggie stock this week, from the freezer scraps and some cheap-ish beef bones from the grocery store. And... wait for it... I pressure canned it!!!

Vegetable (left) and beef (right) stock

5. Want Not.

15 pints of marmalade, 2 quarts of vegetable stock, 2 quarts of beef stock added to the stash.

6. Eat the Food.

In addition to eating a lot of marmalade, I made a Mexican "lasagna" with ground beef from the freezer, canned beans (store bought, but from the stash), canned salsa (made from garden veggies), canned tomato sauce and home-made corn tortillas, topped with cheddar cheese and the chopped onion tops from the garden.

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Nothing this week.

8. Skill Up.

First attempt at jam making with the marmalade, first beef stock, first use of the pressure canner, and...

I made corn tortillas!  Amazingly enough, I found the masa harina in my local grocery store and decided to finally use it. And wow - EASY! Just corn flour and water, mix, rest, roll out and cook. I've since read some people add salt and/or lime juice, and both of those would be good additions. And yes, I have to work on my "roll out into a circle" technique :)

One last thing, even though this doesn't really fit here:  I hung sheets out to dry this week. In March. In Canada*. Do you have any idea how happy this made me?

___________________________________________________
*Yes, I do know some people hang laundry out year round, and that is how I grew up. I have some "great" memories of my hands freezing as I took frozen laundry off the line, and so I tend not to use the line during the winter. Bad me.

Independence Days Challenge - Week 4

1. Plant Something.

I started all the brassica seeds, except the Brussel sprouts. With so much going into the garden this year, and the fact that I can take them or leave them, well, they just didn't make the cut. I also started the celeriac, which I apparently missed last week :)

2. Harvest Something.

Nada. It's still February March! But I noticed the other day there are green things starting to show in the garden....

3. Preserve Something.

Nothing this week. But I did make another batch of my homemade hot chocolate mix.

4. Waste Not.

I made pulled pork again last week (at the request of family members who were helping with drywall - I guess they liked it?), and really didn't want to throw away the bone, which still had a good amount of meat still on it. So, I chucked it in a pot, added water to just cover and some diced onions, carrots and celery, and simmered it until the meat fell off the bones. I added some rice, canned beans, diced jalapenos and some spices - my first ever bean soup! I wasn't too keen on it when it first came off the stove, but the next day, re-heated for lunch?  YUM!! And so cheap!

5. Want Not.

I bought some cheddar cheese that was on sale, to add to the stash. I grate it before I freeze it, and can use it for making cheddar-jalapeno biscuits, topping meals like chili, and even to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

6. Eat the Food.

Leftover veggie soup from last week, leftover pulled pork, leftover chili from the family meal... I love leftovers. And they were all so much better accompanied by the buns from the canning swap - I REALLY have to learn to make bread!

And since I was cleaning and chopping veggies anyway for the bean soup, I made a pot of pasta sauce with homemade sausage, the tomatoes from the canning swap, and, of course, diced onions, celery and carrots.

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Attended "Niagara in Jars", the first local canning swap meet.

8. Skill Up.

I really have to stop using this challenge as justification for buying books :) But, after hearing about this book from two different sources in the same week, and then seeing it at the bookstore I went to after the canning swap, I figured it was fate!

Independence Days Challenge - Week 3

1. Plant Something.

Yes - four varieties of onions, leeks and celery!

2. Harvest Something.

Nada. It's still February!

3. Preserve Something.

Nothing this week.

4. Waste Not.

Just adding more scraps to the stock pot (ha!).

5. Want Not.

Nothing. The sales haven't been good enough for me to buy anything, and I don't really need much of anything (other than perishables, of course).

6. Eat the Food.

I made a big batch of vegetable soup, mostly from pantry or freezer items, this week. I ate more than that, of course, but for the life of me, I can't remember what. I think maybe I need to start tracking my meals, so I can assess how well I am at eating local foods?

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Nothing this week.

8. Skill Up.

Again with the books!

My local used book store is a treasure trove of old books. The "Putting Food By" is the 1975 edition, and I know I'll have to double check processing times, but the recipes and instructions were worth the $10 price tag, at least to me. And the sausage book - written in 1969, by an apparent comedian (quote: "When wurst comes to wurst"), it is a fantastic glimpse into the past as far as sausages go. It has both recipes for making different types of sausage and for cooking with sausage. The sausage making recipes are a bit vague, but the others are great, and at $3.50, it's the cheapest cookbook I've ever bought!

I've added a page with a list of other blogs participating in the challenge, so please, go check them out as well, and if I've missed any, please let me know!

Independence Days Challenge - Week 2

1. Plant Something.

Not yet, but I did place two out of three of my remaining seed orders, and gathered up my seed starting stuff (tray and pots and soil, oh my!) to see what I had and what I needed to order - and placed that order as well.

2. Harvest Something.

Nada. It's still February!

3. Preserve Something.

Once again, it's only freezing, but I put a big batch of corn chowder in the freezer (see #6).

4. Waste Not.

I had a craving for pizza yesterday. I also had some bread that was going stale. So, instead of doing what I would normal do (which is pick up the phone and order pizza), I made something that resembled pizza from food I already had in the house. I brushed some slices of the stale bread with oil, and set them under the broiler to brown. I thinned down some tomato paste, and cooked it along with some oregano, basil and onion powder, then spread it on the bread, topped with some shredded mozzarella, and put it back under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese.

Was it pizza? No. But it satisfied my craving, was the perfect supper (I had a late lunch and wasn't that hungry), and saved me money. And it used up the stale bread. I know you can use stale bread for bread crumbs and croutons, but I don't tend to use either of those items a lot, so I end up with a freezer full of odd and ends of loaves, which then get tossed when I clean out the freezer.

I also added more scraps to the stock stash, and have almost filled the bag already!

5. Want Not.

Still mostly in the organizing phase.

6. Eat the Food.

I used 2/3 of the remaining garden potatoes to make a double batch of potato soup. Half fed Dad and I for lunches for two days (with some still leftover for my lunch today), and half I used to make corn chowder by adding frozen corn, finely diced jalapeno peppers, and a bit of cumin and chili powder. One lunch this week was grilled cheese sandwiches, with chili sauce and bread and butter pickles on the side. Yum!

7. Build Community Food Systems.

Attended Seedy Saturday! And shared some local resources with someone new to the area. And arranged with my sister to start some tomatoes and peppers for her (she's going to help my with drywall seams, so I get the better end of the deal, imo) so my seed doesn't go to waste and she doesn't have to buy transplants.

8. Skill Up.

Deflated Dutch baby

The only thing I did here was try a new recipe: Dutch baby. It's basically a baked pancake, and works really well in a cast iron skillet. There are a ton of recipes on the net, but most call for a 10" skillet - which I don't have. So I halved the recipe and used my 8" skillet, and it's perfect - just enough for a big breakfast. I know it's not the healthiest breakfast, but it's a nice treat once a week, and it's easier than making pancakes. I also realized I need to start writing these things down - not just recipes, but my modifications of them, so I started a book which will contain the original recipe and my modifications. I think I'll limit this one to bread (and other bread-like foods), and start another for savory dishes. That way, I'm not dependent on either my memory or the internet - both of which are liable to fail at the worst possible time ;)

Bread book, with Katy's head. Because it is all about the dogs, of course.

Independence Days Challenge - Week 1

1. Plant Something.

I didn't get anything planted, but I did finalize my seed order, and placed one order. The other orders will be placed next week. I also got this:

This will make seed starting and plant over-wintering SO much easier! No, I didn't buy it new - it was Dad's, but he didn't want it anymore, so I bought it from him. And, since he's a good guy, he delivered it and helped set it up too :)


2. Harvest Something.


Nada. It's February!

3. Preserve Something.

Not in the traditional sense, but I did make a huge batch of not-quite-beef-stroganoff, and put half in the freezer for a future meal.

4. Waste Not.


Started my veggie stock stash!

5. Want Not.

I didn't add anything to my food stash, but I started something equally as important: sorting through what I already have. I realize most people may not understand this, but remember - I live in a half-renovated house. With a VERY limited kitchen area. So a lot of my food (that which doesn't live in the fridge or freezer) is in a series of bags, boxes and totes, and I've found myself re-buying something simply because I can't find it in the mess. 


6. Eat the Food. 


I used the last of the garden onions (sad face) in the not-quite-beef-stroganoff. There were still some onion-like things left, but they had morphed into something I wasn't willing to eat ;) Which is actually interesting (to me, at least) - the onions and potatoes lasted this long, at room temperature, with no protection or specialized storage at all. I simply left them in the baskets, and put them on the floor in the back addition. And they lasted 5 months. Not bad!


I also made a quick veggie soup from storage: onions, canned tomatoes, store-bought beef stock, barley and frozen veggies. This was lunch for Dad and I yesterday, and today. And there is probably enough for Dad's lunch if he comes over tomorrow as well. Good, cheap food - have I mentioned before how much I love soup?

7. Build Community Food Systems.


Nothing to report.

8. Skill Up.

I bought this:

 Okay, I know that simply buying a book doesn't actually do anything, but...

This is the first River Cottage book I've bought, and I like it - it's small, but filled with a lot of information. It covers all aspects of bread making, including non-yeast breads (but misses out on baking-power biscuit - what?!?! Life isn't worth living without biscuits!) in enough detail to make my inner-geek quite happy. And I love the fact that, while the author points out options and why certain ones are better in his opinion, he doesn't belabor the point that one must always use only hand-picked, stone-ground-at-a-mill-powered-by-fairy-dust, heirloom-wheat-found-in-an-Egyptian-tomb wheat that is only sold at one store, open Tuesdays to Friday and alternate Saturdays.

Okay, I'll try to tone back the sarcasm, but nothing makes me NOT want to try something as much as the insane limitations certain authors self-righteously put on their recipes. This books makes bread baking accessible to everyone - even me ;)

Independence Days Challenge!

It's back!

And for the first time, I'm in.  

So what is the Independence Days Challenge?   You can read more about it here, but it is basically a way of thinking about food, broken down into a manageable number of steps.

I think a lot of people are concerned about their local food systems, food safety and quality, and other food issues, but get bogged down in the complexity of it all.

And it is complex.  There are so many factors to consider, and everyone has their own priorities, skills and limitations. One reason I like this challenge is that it isn't a set of "rules" about what to eat, what not to eat, how much money to spend, etc.  It's simply a number of items to try to accomplish, in your own way, on a weekly basis. 

And just what are those items?

1. Plant Something. Obviously, those of us in the north aren't going to be out planting seeds in our garden in February, but this also can include garden planning, seed starting, etc.

2. Harvest Something. Again, unless you have a way of growing year round (and there are cheap ways of doing this), most of us won't be harvesting in the winter, but it can include things like sprouting and microgreens - which also count under "plant something".

3. Preserve Something. This is something I need to get better at.  Many of us do the big canning sessions during the harvest season, but preserving is something that can happen year round.  It obviously includes traditional winter preserves such as marmalade, but can also include making applesauce out of those apples that aren't storing well, freezing the last of the winter squash that are staring to soften, pressure canning the stock you made from Sunday's roast, etc.

4. Waste Not. This is one that I REALLY need to address.  I'm embarrassed at the amount of food I waste, and it needs to stop.  One big step: I need to get better at saving scraps for stock.

5. Want Not. This is about building up your food stash for emergencies and long-term needs.  And no, it's NOT hoarding ;)

6. Eat the Food. Yes, this is important. It covers such things as rotating your food storage, and eating out of that storage. It also covers trying new recipes - and for me, it covers giving myself permission to eat my preserved food.

7. Build Community Food Systems.  This is one I think I'll have the biggest problem with, given my hermit-loner proclivities, but it is important. It addresses improving your local food systems, but I think, for me, it will be more about hunting out local resources. I think this is one that really depends on where you are on your journey - if you know all your local producers, you can work more on sharing that information. But you have to know your local producers first :)

8. Skill Up.  This is new this year, and it addresses learning new skills that may come in useful in the coming years. I'm choosing not to limit this to food, but to include any new skill I want to learn - from seed storage to soap making, and everything in between! 

I choose to do this challenge according to my own resources and priorities, and so for now, items 7 & 8 will be monthly items, while I hope to report on the other six weekly.

So, how about it? Are you in? And even if you aren't completely in, try to at least keep these steps in mind and think about where your food comes from, and how resilient your local food system is. And how resilient you are when it comes to feeding yourself and your families.

And really, it will be FUN!  Really.  :)


Side note: Sharon Astyk is an incredible resource and I cannot recommend both her blog and her books enough. I have her first three books, and re-read them often for both information and inspiration. And I'll be first in line to buy her fourth when it is published this year.