Note to self .. March 1st edition

Just a couple note to self's this week. 

• Remember to update blog more than once a week.  You had a goal remember? 
• Dairy is NOT your friend.  It sucks, move on.  And stop consuming any dairy please.. Thanks ..your guts ;)
• Seed planting starts tomorrow.  March 2nd.  I'll have leeks, and a few tomato seedlings
• Gluten Free Goddess's bread recipe is the one to keep.  It actually holds up after 3 days.  And freezes.  So remember to always have on hand: millet, teff/buckwheat, and almond flour
• Sticking up for your child may not be the popular vote around the playground ie: you may get the stink eye, but you are doing the right thing and you know you don't over-react ever so it must have been important to go all mama bear!
• We are almost completely out of factory farmed meat.  I couldn't just throw it out - that would have been even more of a travisty.  So get on the ordering..
• Your family goes through 4 loaves of bread every 10 days as of March 1st, 2012

I think those are all the points of the week.  How did your weeks shape up?

Trials and Tribulations

So many of you know that I have pretty much given up the grocery store.  It's just too junk food intensive and I'm weak.  So I prefer to shop at the market for real foods.  I also am in the corner of now that I know how those egg laying hens, cows, pigs etc are treated I can't (or won't) buy from the grocery store.  It's a personal choice. 

Now that we are in it, we are finding somethings out that I didn't quite realize before.  One of which we go through A LOT of eggs.  Like 2 dozen a week.  These aren't normally eaten just as eggs, but in muffins, pancakes and all those other things.  We like eggs.  They are a pretty awesome super food.  But it really sucks when you are out of eggs and the market doesn't open for another day.  So now I have to readjust my eating plans for the day.  And because if I "slip" just a little I know I could possibly buy that bag of chips or that whatever so here I sit and think well tomorrow is another day, a day for the Kingsland Farmers Market  and then I can make this bread which I really kinda want.. Gluten free Spotted Dog Bread from the Gluten Free Goddess. 

So tomorrow, I'll buy 3 dozen eggs and see if that works.  I'm thinking we need to figure out a way to get rid of at least a dozen eggs but making from scratch leads to lots of eggs..

Going green .. thumb..

I am reading a book right now about seasonality and food.  It's a really great book, that I have to say when I saw the title I thought oh crap a hippy book. And it is, sort of, but really it's just a book by a family of 4 who moved from Tuscon Arizona to a rural area in southern Appalachian and began a year long adventure in eating only local, home grown sustatainable food - sound familiar?!  Animal Vegetable, Miracle is is a really great read if you are on the fence about eating locally and in season. Sound familiar?  It's a movement I tell ya. 

Anyways I've just ordered my seeds for the year.  I will probably get some more from the garden center but for now I'm happy with my order.  I'll have about 6-7 types of tomatoes, some zucchini, beans, lots of lettuce and the like.  I ordered from Salt Spring Seed company if you are interested!!  I know I'm late in the game but hopefully they will be here in a few days and boom, I'll have a mini greenhouse factory going in my house..  The girls are very excited about the ramped up production we will be having! I'm just happy we will be growing our food in conjunction with a CSA.. :)

Happy weekend!

Eating locally?!

45 days ago, I decided along with Sal (albeit not as gladly) that we would try to be more sustainable.  Try to eat as locally and as in season as possible.  Keep in mind it was January in ALBERTA so this was a pretty far fetched idea but no one has ever called me sane so here we go.  We went into it with a few rules.  It could be from some far reaching place that luckily grows oranges but it couldn't be a tomato from chilie.. So nothing out of season.  This was a lot trickier than I thought.  But that's ok.  I just did it.

Luckily here in Calgary we do have two great farmers market that support local farmers (to a point) but they are tricky.  We are so ingrained to have a pepper in January, even if it isn't in season or local that farmers markets actually had to provide that service (and believe me I have wanted to get that pepper) so it is hard to get local.  And again we are talking local first.  So guess what is on our menu A LOT.  Parsnips, carrots, potatoes and repeat.  Oh don't forget the stuff we did preserve or freeze .. we do have a lot of tomatoes, green beans and peaches.  So it hasn't been that awful.. Is it getting old, yup it is.. But I am determined.  I know that just around the bend, ok 2-3 months, we will have asparagus and brocolli.  I never in my wildest dream thought I'd be excited about brocoli season.  EVER. But that's going to be the fun part.  Eating locally, tasting actual food that hasn't been shipped from who knows, with crazy weird chemicals.

But this is the solution and the problem all in one.  Because I didn't plan ahead, save for a few vegi's that I froze or canned last year we didn't have much in the cupboards.  Now for this year we have signed up with a CSA and will be canning and preserving up a storm to get through the lean winter months.  And eating locally all year long!  We, and by we I do mean I (for the time being) are pretty excited about this challenge..Just think, we are so close to being free from the grocery store or at least 85% free of the grocery store.. Exciting times in this household. 

Have you went to the local train?  How have you done it?