The 3 Hour Challenge

posted by Melissa
I Have Worms!

Worms and worm poop.

"So, when your worms reproduce and you have too many, do you just go to your friends and say, I have worms?"

This was one of the questions Amy asked at our worm bin workshop we attended last night.  It got quite a few laughs.  The other good one was when Tallulah asked if she could have the green plastic piece that popped out of the bin after drilling.  I think people were expecting some cute little kid question about worms.

Just drillin' in the park.

It was a great workshop, and Amy gave all the details on her last post.  She was the first to volunteer when the drill was offered up to make the drain holes in the bottom of the top bin.  They do this so you can collect worm tea, which is a liquid (basically liquid worm poop, Tallulah loved that) densely packed with nutrients for your plants.  The Seattle Tilth volunteer said you can mix 1 tablespoon of the worm tea with 1 gallon of water and use it to spray your plants, indoors and outside.

The only bummer about the class was the timing, and only because as a new homesteader (I want to scream, "Faker!  I am a faker!") I am not used to the amount of planning that is required.  If you take on a challenge like this, it would behoove you to be organized and prepared for each day.  So, the class was at dinner time, and I had not planned a dinner.  I was originally hoping to try my hand at pasta making again.  Now, I wouldn't be home to do so.

The Oddity of Food Choices
I texted Jamie, who was with the older kids at soccer practice.  "There is no dinner, get something to eat for you and the kids."

I figured I would just make due with what was on hand, maybe some lettuce and a little quinoa from lunch.  I stopped by Big Mario's to get Tallulah a slice.  That was hard, standing in front of all that pizza, smelling it, almost tasting it.  Then watching her eat it, NOT finish it and leave it lying there, tempting me for the rest of the evening.

Taking some control over my situation, I made my own pizza.  I used the bread I made that morning, got a tomato from out back in Amy's garden, some basil from the front garden and some cheese from dinner the other night.  I have to admit, it was pretty good, and looking at them side by side, mine "looked" better and healthier, more fresh.  But I still longed to have the slice from Big Mario's instead.  WHY?  What the hell is wrong with me?

What would be your choice?  Do you also crave "junk" food?  Do you find that the more you eat it, the more you crave it?  That reminds me of that movie, Supersize Me.  And believe me, if I don't get a handle on this, I will be supersizing myself in no time.

Choice #1

Choice #2

Jamie got home with the other two kids with a family meal from Ezell's fried chicken for dinner, and promptly announced, "I won't be going to yoga, I am eating chicken instead."  Really?  Are you kidding me?  I don't know why, but I wanted it all, the whole bucket of chicken, the fake mashed potatoes, the bad coleslaw.  I think that sometimes when I go to one extreme (no processed foods), I desperately want to swing back to the other.

Perhaps another thing to throw out of my-life-is-junk drawer?  Wait, I thought I dealt with this the other day at lunch?  OK, starting again, healthy food choices, actually homesteading and less screen time...for the next three hours. 

Is there something you want to change? A behavior, a thought pattern?  Could you do it for three hours?  Let me know...share your ideas or commitments on our Facebook page.

-Melissa

Rules of Engagement

posted be Melissa


Everyday Homesteading in Apartment #1

Whipping up sugar, butter and eggs.

1. No Processed Food.   Everything that I eat or make for my family will be "from scratch."  There are lines to be drawn, of course.  I will buy flour, which is pre-ground, but I will only buy it from bulk at the Co-op.  I will use things I already have in my cupboards.  I did buy soy sauce today for the marinade recipe for the Korean short ribs (Kalbi) I am grilling tonight.  So, there is going to be some give and take on this one.
2. Compost.  Every food scrap and waste will, I repeat, will go into the compost bin out back.  I have become lazy about this, and given the fruit fly situation of 2010, I had completely given up.  So far this month, I keep a big pot on the counter and toss everything into it.  It goes out every night.  Anything usable goes into a bag in the freezer for making soup stock.
3. Re-use and create less trash.  I have also become lazy on this aspect of my home.  Admittedly, sometimes if a container has something super nasty in it, I throw the whole thing away.  Plastic, glass, whatever...right in the trash.  I feel horrible about it.  So, that it going to change.  Absolutely nothing recyclable in the trash, and if at all possible, I will re-use it.  
4. Limit screen time.  This is going to be really challenging.  As Levi said today, "Why don't we all spend the day like we always do?  Tallulah can play with her babies, Lily can go up to Mary's, me and Papa can go to work, and Mama can sit in front of the computer all day."  Yes, this is a challenge.  The commitment here is to limit non-essential computer use.
5. Turn off the lights.  I have a habit of leaving lights on.  I sometimes turn a lamp on in the daytime, just because I like to see the glow.  For this month, no amber glow in the corner, just the sun or lack there of during the day.  Except in the kitchen and bathroom, we need those.  



Compost.

6. No TV.  Another challenge.  I love Project Runway.  I love to watch movies at night after the kids go to bed.  Last night everyone went to bed, and I was all alone, with no TV.  I sat for an hour and finished unravelling that jumbled ball of yarn.  Luckily, I had some tequila nearby.

Bigger Picture Homesteading

Getting everything together for the Blackberry cake.

1. Learn how to Can foods.  I was going to start this one right after we went berry picking, but as of today, have decided to wait.  Amy and I are going to a class at the Co-op (Madison Market) up the street on this Thursday that teaches the basics of canning.  I'll wait until then to can on my own.  And to use the blackberries, I am making a Blackberry Buttermilk Cake.  
2. Make Cheese at Home.  I did this yesterday!  I made mozzarella cheese for the first time.  It turned out a little harder than the fresh mozzarella you buy at the store, but nonetheless, I felt pretty proud. I plan on doing more of this, and branching out into different kinds of cheese.
3. Learn how to Ferment Foods.  I am doing this today!  I saved the whey form cheese making, well, just because it was something that I said I would do in my everyday homesteading rules.  I got on the computer (essential blog research) and looked up, "what to do with whey?"  Turns out you can ferment foods with it!  Lucky me.  Tonight my Mom and I are going to start a batch of kimchi via lacto-fermentaion.
4. Make Bread Regularly.  I am thinking at least three times a week, I will bake bread.  Yesterday I made focaccia with rosemary and olives.  My young neighbor Mary had some this morning and she said it was her favorite bread ever!  Wow.
5. Get Bulk Shopping Ready.  You know how I said that I am going to re-use things?  Well, that is going to create another job for me, to organize my kitchen so I have a designated space for bulk shopping supplies.  Jars and containers to use at the market, so I am not using all those plastic bags.  Which bring me to....
6. Organize and Simplify.  Last August I spent the month simplifying my home.  I need to revisit that and get things back in order.  I can use what I have more efficiently if there is order.  So Virgo.  Maybe that is why this month fell in September, it is all so earthy and Virgo-esque.
7. Get a Shelf in the Basement for Canned Food.  I am hoping to find a used shelf to keep in the basement of our apartment building to keep all the canned goods we make.  A space for shared food as well for my lovely neighbors in the building.  
8. Find Ways to Make the Boathouse More Sustainable.   I want to look into getting rain barrels, Amy mentioned a worm bin,  and perhaps expanding the gardening here at our building to include herbs for medicine making.  There are lots of ideas I have here, and I am pretty sure that our neighbors will be on board.

Whey, cheese making by-product, to make kimchi.

That's it for now.  I know there are more things, and I look forward to any ideas that you all have.  Also, if you want to join us in some way along our homesteading path, let us know on our Facebook page.  I know we already have one person that has made the pledge to make at least one change in their month to be more self-reliant.  Thanks, Jen!

Onto lacto-fermentation....

Melissa