REAL Renovations: Creative way to label your potted plants and herbs

I am a member of the San Antonio Herb Society and we do several outreach events each year where we work at educating people about herbs. The display we have is called Everyday Herbs and it is made up of many examples of boxed and packaged foods that you can buy in your grocery store that contain herbs. Along with those boxes and packages we have pots of each herb to show people what that herb looks like before it is added to those foods, and educating them how herbs are a part of their everyday life. We also focus on 12 basic herbs that grow well in our area.

Last year three of us worked at freshening up the display and finding more healthy and organic examples to use in our display. We used to use these neat ceramic plant marks, but they were so heavy that the 4″ potted herbs would end up falling over a lot of the time so we decided to take a normal terracotta/clay pot and use blackboard paint on them and use a white marker (to look like chalk) and write the herb on each pot. Those pots would make a nice strong and steady base to place the 4″ potted herbs in and help them remain upright throughout the day.

This is a really simple way to label your potted plants. We used two different pots shapes and sizes to give the display some variety. The blackboard (chalkboard paint) paint in permanent and the white marker we used it also. We will be using these pots over and over again, so it was important that they would hold up. You could also use regular chalk, but just remember that it would wash off in the rain.

We only did the 12 basic herbs that grow well in the San Antonio area to keep the focus on what herbs are easy for people to start with if they were interested in growing herbs. The pots turned out great and the display turned out well.

The pots have really freshened up the display. This is an ongoing display as we continue to to switch out the older boxed foods with examples of more organic and healthy options.

Do you have a creative way to label your potted plants?

Sincerely, Emily

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REAL Local: Favorite Shops

I must admit, i’m a bargain shopper and hate going to stores in person. I love Amazon, Zappos, Mod Cloth and all those lovely online storefronts. They are not exactly local, however so this week i thought i’d feature some of my favorite, LOCAL small businesses here in the Corvallis area and a few back in Austin where i hailed from prior to moving back to Oregon. In this list you’ll find farms, artisans, boutiques and supply stores, including some opportunities for shopping online AND shopping local:

Corvallis/Philomath/Willamette Valley, OR:

Stash: Knitters, spinners, crochetists  and otherwise crafty folks can find tons of supplies and inspiration at this great, new yarn shop in downtown Corvallis. Nestled in a line of other sweet shops on 3rd street, Stash is a real gem and the shop’s owner, Sonia is even shinier. Stop in and stock up on tons of stash-worthy yarns, roving, patterns and more! Stash also hosts a Stitch Night every Wednesday and a “Sit and Spin” on occasion. You can find Stash online and on Facebook.

Bellwether Wool Co: More on the fiber trend, Bellwether is MY go to supplier of batting, roving and all things fiber. The two farm company (Blakesley Creek Farm and Dayspring Farm) carries many varieties of fiber, most containing a large percentage of fiber grown by each farm, in natural to wildly dyed colors. You can find their roving at Stash and online. They’re also on Facebook.

Gathering Together Farm: Just down the road from my apartment is Gathering Together Farm. GTF has been instrumental in the local organic food movement including seed preservation and community awareness. GTF’s produce can be purchased at their farm stand, in local markets and via a CSA. If you have a chance to get your hands on their Delicata squash when it comes in season, do it! It’s the most delicious squash i’ve ever eaten. GTF is online and on Facebook.

Furniture Restoration Center of Oregon: Local craftsman, Steve Larson and his wife, Janice have been in business in downtown Philomath for 31 years. Their eye for detail and experience with wood and fine furniture has made them relied upon service providers in our small community and beyond. If you mention the FRC to anyone, they’ll immediately tell you what nice people Steve and Janice are and about how they ‘saved’ some old armoir or headboard of theirs years ago. Along with their restoration work, FRC has a small retail space with restoration supplies, hardware and even antique furniture. Stop in the next time you drive through Philomath: they’re right on Main Street at 13th St. FRC is also online and on Facebook.

Austin, TX:

Son of a Sailor: William Knopp and Jessica Tata revel in playful creation and collaboration. William is a graphic designer by trade, but has made stops along the way in the Navy, the oil fields of West Texas, and pilgrimages around the world. Jessica fancies herself a creative marketing professional with a background in art galleries and museums, photographing the world around her as she goes. Based in Austin, Texas, both continue to explore space and form through jewelry as just one of their creative outlets. Son of a Sailor is featured at Pocket Pause today as my “Friday Favorite,” read more.

Schatzelein:  Schatzelein’s mission is to bring artistically designed, thoughtfully hand-crafted, and strategically priced designer jewelry and accessories to the men and women of Austin. Owner Christine Fail personally selects designers from around the world and ensures that each piece is handcrafted by artisans in the highest quality materials, with the utmost attention to detail. Schatzelein also maintains that you do not have to sacrifice your values for affordability and always strives to have beautifully crafted pieces for every budget. You can find Schatzelein online, on Facebook and on South 1st street in Austin.

Yard Farm Austin: Do you want to grow your own food but are afraid your black thumb may foil your plans? Have Zach bring his team to your Austin area home to plan, install, plant and even maintain an edible and beautiful garden for you. Transform your yard into a yard FARM. Find Yard Farm online and on Facebook.

Along with these favorite shops, i also love Emily’s recent suggestion about using the ‘local’ search tool on Etsy. It is really great and i recently purchased some super awesome labels for my Fiber Friends from a gal just down in Oakridge. I also happen to know a swell artisanal soap maker right here in Philomath, hint hint (check out GoNudeSoap.com to buy my soap!). No shameless self promotion for me! haha.

Do you shop locally? Have a favorite shop or small business? Share your favorites with us!

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Urbs in villam

Chicago’s motto is Urbs in horto:  City in a garden.

And flowers are nice. I love the gardens that our city has shoe-horned into every nook and cranny. I love that they give away a million tulip bulbs every year after the bloom is done. I love our world-class park system.

But imagine a city that remembers that gardens do not mean flowers alone. Imagine a city that integrates food production within the existing urban fabric. Cafe lined streets on which restaurants grow the food that they serve to patrons. Homes with window boxes filled with Swiss chard and cherry tomatoes instead of petunias and ivy. Office buildings that eschew tulip beds on favor of tomato-filled planters, where employees pick their lunch, instead of picking up their lunch. Imagine city governments that rewrite codes to make it easy for unused land to be used for temporary community gardens. Imagine suburban city councils and home owners associations that see the beauty in an eggplant and let people plant them wherever the sun is, be it front yard or back.

Imagine Urbs in villam. City in a farm.

Today, people in urban areas don’t know how to grow food, but during WW2 Chicagoans started 500 community gardens & 75,000 home gardens. They harvested more than 2,000,000 POUNDS of food and led the nation in the Victory Gardens movement. What if we reached  back into our past to do it again—to make home and community gardening the norm. What if we created an attitude that could lead to edible plantings in every sunny yard, park, store window, work place, and empty lot in the city, private and public.

Urban dwellers in particular, and all Americans–urban, suburban, rural–cannot keep relying on remote, even overseas, sources for our food. It costs too much in personal, economic and planetary health. It divides us from our very DNA, which evolved for us to be farmers and gatherers. Urbs in villam has planters full of tulips down one side of the street, and planters full of tomatoes down the other. By seizing opportunities like the economic crisis that halted construction, leaving lots empty, we can integrate food production into spaces that we already have.

The key is to educate our citizens about how easy it can be to grow our own food, where we live and eat it.

What is your community doing to bring food production home?

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Goodbye Dark Days: Hello Spring

No doubt you’ve realized by my lack of posts that it’s been a really busy spring at Chiot’s Run. It would be nice if blogging was my full-time job and I could do it all day, but alas, I’ve got bills to pay just like you all do. In case you don’t read my daily blog, here’s an update: This spring has been especially busy since we’re getting the cottage and gardens ready to put them on the market. We’ve made one exploratory trip up to Maine looking at houses, we even put an offer on one, but that didn’t work out. Yep, we’re planning a move to Maine. Why? Because it seems like the right time and they have a great local food network. And WHY NOT?

Now that the Dark Days are over (was that challenge a little too long for everyone else like it was for me?), I’m excited to talk a little about non-local food. I’ve never wanted to be a 100% local eating gal, I like tropical food too much. You see I grew up in South America, right on the equator, so the foods of my youth were mangos, papayas, avocados, citrus and all things tropical. We had a banana plant in the front garden and a big papaya tree in the back. I’ll choose a mango over an apple any day, hands down! These things will always hold a special place in my diet and I will never give them up simply because I live in the North. About 95% of my diet is local, much of that homegrown, the remaining 5% is tropical. That being said, I’m not running out to my nearest grocery store to pick up a mango when I want it. I’m searching the internet to find small organic farms that sell through LocalHarvest or on their own websites.

My most recent score was a box filled with beautiful avocados and another filled with blood oranges. They were both from Trethowan Organic Farm in Rainbow, California. We’ve been enjoying avocados with every meal, even breakfast. If you’ve never have a fried egg smothered in fresh guacamole you haven’t lived! Who can resist a quick snack of a half an avocado dusted with sea salt & freshly ground pepper. It’ll keep you full until the cows come home, or at least until the dinner bell rings!

I’m also enjoying the last of the Rio Red grapefruit that I got from G & S Groves in TX. This year I joined their fruit of the month club. As a result I’ve been enjoying a grapefruit every day, some mornings I even bake them. If you’ve never had baked grapefruit you’re missing out. Here’s how I do it.

We can feed our hunger for connection by eating seasonally and also by buying directly from small farmers at the farmer’s market. Forming relationships with the people who grow our food, and taking up opportunities to visit their farms, is a healing practice. It is important for the farmers as well. The majority of small farmers are not in it for the money – farming is no longer lucrative. They do it because they have a love of independence, because they love working with the land, and often because they believe in building a food system that is based on relationship. They get immense satisfaction when their customers take an interest in their farming practices and in how and why they grow their produce.

Jessica Prentice – Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection

Even if you do enjoy things that aren’t local, I’d like to encourage you to still find them as seasonally and as sustainably as possible. Not only will you be enjoying the healthiest product you can have, you’ll be building a rich network of small farms around the country. You’ll be helping a small farm survive to provide food to it’s own immediate community.

If you had to choose one non-local fruit or vegetable as your favorite which would it be? Have you found a small sustainable source for this item?

I can also be found at Chiot’s Run where I blog daily about gardening, cooking, local eating, beekeeping and more; Eat Outside the Bag blogging about all things food & cooking; Your Day Magazine and you can follow me on Twitter and on Facebook.

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From language to law to community

There are steps to creating a sustainable life.

In our society the realities of sustainability run up against the national character. Rigid self-sufficiency and individualism are the holy grail; in the words of Maxwell Anderson, how you can tell an American is that you cannot tell him what to do, even when it’s in his own best interest. In the current political insanity, any suggestion that we try to save our common heritage–like, for instance, the air–through sensible regulation, is excoriated as “removing choice.”

Enter the idea of the commons–those things that we own together, starting with the air, but also the water, the language, the creative works of humanity.

What I’ve discovered through the creation of the Peterson Garden Project, is that for many sustainable initiatives that revolve around community action, we lack a language. The language of communal action has been removed from the dialog, or vilified as “communist” or “socialist.” But some things, even most things cannot be done alone. The old saying that ‘your right to swing your fist ends at my nose” needs to be understood again to extend to our food and our health.

A new language does exist, in the old language, through the concept of the commons. What we hold together. What we all must use, but also spare, share, and save. Where our right to swing our so-called individual rights ends at the epidemic asthma in the inner cities because of pollutants, or the loss of aquifers because private owners have drained the wetlands that used to belong to all of us. We’ve allowed private bank accounts to be the fist, but haven’t stopped their swing at our collective nose.

Last week was the annual Good Fest Festival in Chicago (formerly the Family Farmed Fest), a really wonderful trade show all about restoring local, sustainable food systems to the urban landscape.  The exhibitors are all local farmers and food makers. It’s where I first learned how to change my diet to nearly 100% local food.

This year my friend LaManda Joy of The Yarden, founder of The Peterson Garden Project, was on the panel “Growing A Good Food Community”, about building urban communities through gardening and creating gardens by building urban communities. The interesting thing was that her fellow panelists were my old high school friend Jay Walljasper and Julie Ristau of On The Commons.

The panel, moderated by Megan Larmer of Slow Food Chicago, was beautifully constructed around the steps we need to take back collective ownership, working in a very American way, through individual action.

It starts, as I say, with the language. Jay talked about first, the need to start thinking again about the commons, and also laid out a basic way to think about the commons again. As important, he talked about how language can lead this new, old way of thinking, focusing right in on the difficulties I have had getting funders in particular to understand that what we’re doing is not a farm with a single owner or board, but collective action for individual benefit.

But it cannot stop with the language; only talking only works for academics. Enter Julie Riskau, founder and former publisher of the Utne Reader and current spokeperson for On The Commons. Julie talked about turning language into policy initiatives of the sort that lead to intelligent municipal ordinances which, for instance, stop creating criminals of people who put their edible gardens in their front yards because that is where the sun is.

But policy is only effective with an army of individuals putting it to work at street level. Which is where LaManda Joy and her Pop-up Victory Gardens come in, as well as the many other community gardening, and community preserving, and farmers markets, local school councils, in fact all of the community-based efforts that will save our cities and towns.

We need to restore the language, so we can affect the law, so we can own the activities that will make our communities livable.

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I don’t agree with you, but you’re still my sister

I usually try to stay away from politically charged issues. I’m a terrible debater, and I tend to start to sympathize with every heartfelt argument I hear. But we recently lost readers on the blog because of a political position and I feel it needs to be addressed.

I’m not writing this in support of either side of any issue, and I don’t want to see polemics in the comments. Rather, I want to talk about how to get along with and listen to people whose outlooks seem wrong, even abhorrent.

Controversial issues don’t go away because someone slings mud at the other side.  You don’t convince people of either your position or your righteousness by listing facts, especially if those facts come from suspect sources, or from sources with a clear agenda. Even more so when they’re accompanied by name-calling.

Murder doesn’t stop because it’s illegal; wars don’t stop even if they never solve anything. I’m very very liberal politically, and grew up in a household that shunned organized religion. I’m about as different from the mainstream as it gets. And yet I am close to many, many people on the religious Right, and with whom I violently disagree on nearly every political issue. (Yes, I said it–some of my best friends are conservatives. sigh) I have come around to some so-called conservative viewpoints because I’m not afraid to listen, and because I simply don’t argue. Speak your piece, but don’t hit me over the head with it. I listen better when I’m conscious.

I believe in Sisterhood. Brotherhood. Community. I believe that taking sides means you stop listening. I believe that the great issues of our day–war, gun violence, epidemic disease, environmental degradation, poverty, racism–have solutions. I even think that everyone knows what the solutions are, and that we all pretty much agree.

But we allow ourselves to be co-opted into a system that rewards the people already insulated from all of these issues. We let the system define liberals as naive and conservatives as ignorant. We allow ourselves to be convinced that the “other side” is “evil” and often by the very people who are robbing us of our treasure and our freedom even as we drink the koolaid they are offering. We refuse to read what the other side says; we refuse to acknowledge that any part of what it says is valid. We even change positions if the “other side” starts finding common ground. We let a system that doesn’t exist to support, if I may, the 99%, divide us with wedge issues rather than helping us deal with root causes.

I am your sister, whatever my beliefs. We live on this earth together, and it’s the only one we have. If you’re going to fight, make sure you’re fighting with the person who wants to hold you down, and not just with the one who disagrees with you.

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Goat: The Other Red Meat

Since my husband and I decided we would switch our corgi, Pocket to a raw diet, we’ve done quite a bit of meat shopping. I’ve never been much of a meat eater, so the whole process is new to me, and much easier when i can find a local farmer who can give me advice and whom i can feel confident buying from. It’s especially nice when i get to see a flock of happy Boer goats watching me drive up the lane. We paid a visit to a local farm last week to pick up some meaty bones for Pocket, and some goat meat for us. Winn’s Livestock and Hatchery just north of Corvallis has affordable meat raised by a 4th generation farmer and his very friendly wife. April chatted back and forth with me via email to decide what was best for us to purchase, and we ended up with a freezer full of bones for Pock, a pound of ground goat meat for us plus a shoulder steak that i’ll cut up into stew meat in the next week or two.

You can read more about my delicious ‘goat chilly’ at An Austin Homestead. You may be wondering about my choice of meat. Goat isn’t overly popular here in America. But guess what: it’s the most popular meat in the rest of the WORLD. There’s great reason for that: goats are small, able to graze on non-ideal pasture (read sticks and blackerberry brambles), have a relatively high dressing percentage to their body mass, and have some of the most nutritious meat of any livestock. This article has a lot to say about the boons of eating goat meat, as does this one. What you’ll find when studying about goat meat is that it has lower calories than beef (and even elk, venison and chicken!), less fat and cholesterol, and is guaranteed not to have any growth hormones added as the USDA has not approved their use. Goats are easier on the land than their big boned beefy counterparts, and can often thrive in areas that would otherwise require massive amounts of irrigation and pastureland to grow larger protein critters. Due to its leaner meat, goat DOES have to be cooked more slowly to avoid tough texture. Read more about the fat and calorie comparisons of goat meat to many other popular meats at www.elkusa.com.

Another reason to raise goats: they’re really fun, personable and friendly. Along with my change, April came out with a 4 day old bottle baby Boer, and boy what a cutey she was! We plan on raising dairy and fiber goats, with an eye on edible breeds. Miniature Nubians have decent dressing rates, though Kinders are better. We’re only two people and a dog, so we’re less concerned with the larger amounts of meat from the bigger meat breeds. According to April some of her Boer goats can ready 300 pounds. That’s a lot of goat! Goats can be like family pets, and we can’t wait to have some around. We realize that butchering one of those cute little kids will be hard to do, but the nutritional benefits of eating homegrown and super lean meat far outweigh the sentimental drawbacks. For me at least (i’m still working on convincing the husband of that one.)

So, with more iron, potassium and thiamine together with less sodium than other ‘traditional’ meats sold her in the USA, 50% less fat than beef, 45% less fat than lamb and 15% less fat than veal…. what reason do you have not to try goat meat for your next meal? None! Find a local farmer’s market or farm and get yourself some cabrito, chevre or goat meat. It does a body/planet good!

Read more about Miranda, Pocket and their adventures in goats and cooking at An Austin Homestead.

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Here’s to longer days and the light of hope. . .

I have been feeling the weight of the short days and dark nights. Wrapping up our first whole year as farmers has been interesting. Intense moments of extreme frustration and system failures combined with those moments I live for, at the farmers market when a mother with her three children approaches our table and thanks us for growing healthy food for her family, has had me up and down, tired and exhilarated.  It is those instances of the light, strung together, that has founded this vision of our farm and is helping me figure out where it is going in the next phases of development. The solstice is beginning to have greater and greater meaning for me as I become more centered and rooted to my sense of place and service to the Earth and my community. This year we celebrated by hosting new friends and old friends for a potluck and bonfire. Standing around the flames, watching the connections growing among these people, a season worth of brush burning on a future garden site, lit me up and fueled me to move forward with my visions. A fire cleanse on the darkest day,  my passion and energy has been renewed and I am ready for the year to come.

How did you celebrate the solstice? 

I blog more about my farm ventures and feasts, inspirations and all things permaculture at Phoenix Hill Farm. 

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Spread Cheer Across the Counter

Tired of waiting in lines? Frustrated with the new cashier at your favorite grocery store? Exhausted from filling out rebate paperwork?

Don’t forget that you’re not the only person involved in holiday purchases and transactions: on the other side of the counter is a living, breathing human with feelings and frustrations. Remember your customer service representatives when spreading holiday cheer this season. If you’re like me, it will make you feel extra cheerful to spread cheer where it’s unexpected.

When i was a kid, my dad worked for the United States Postal Service. He retired a few years ago, but i continue to support the USPS with my business and with friendly hellos to my local postal workers. I ship all my personal and business parcels by USPS and generally choose their shipping when given the option for my own purchases. Living in a small town, i’ve become friendly with my local clerk. He always compliments the lavender scent of my Nude Soap parcels, so i decided to gift a few bars for him this holiday. Along with an arm load of orders, i brought along a specially wrapped gift just for him. My dad sometimes brought home tins of cookies, Christmas cards, and even holiday bonuses from his regular customers. He walked his route daily, and many of his clients knew him by name and extended  good wishes to him and our family during the holiday season. Although that mostly changed when we moved west and he lost his regular route, i always remembered how happy that made him and i try to give back to my letter carriers and clerks. I know how hard they work all year long, and especially when loaded with extra holiday parcels. They deserve a thank you, and it makes me happy to extend one.

To be honest, giving gifts is a little selfish for me: i just love seeing someone’s mood lift when they receive a kindness from a stranger. Whether it be holding the door, saying hello, helping someone make change or giving a personal gift. It brings me a lot of cheer to give, knowing i’ve brought a smile to someone’s day- when they least expected it.

So, remember the folks on the other side of the counter when you’re frustrated, tired at the end of your day, or just sick of shopping. Customer service guys and gals may be getting paid to deal with your frustration, but they don’t deserve it. Send them a little holiday cheer: it will make you feel better, too.

- Miranda R.  *An Austin Homestead

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Hello from New Hampshire!

I feel like I was just adopted into a family of the most amazing women! Each blog post I read by each author makes me feel like I have been united with my people.  Sometimes I have found that being so aware of what I consume and being extremely passionate about where my food comes from, isolates me from people. It is validating to be a part of a community that shares the same values with regards to food, family and the environment. I’m beyond excited to be a new writer here at Not Dabbling in Normal and share with you my experiences.

I am Ryan, a permaculturalist, an educator, an artist and a beginning farmer in Central New Hampshirewhere I blog regularly at Phoenix Hill Farm.For the last ten years, I’ve been on a quest to become more connected to where my stuff comes from. At first, my quest was fueled by anger and rage. I couldn’t believe (and sometimes still can’t believe) how far we have been lifted from the Earth, how much money is made from this disconnect and how much the environment, people and animals are hurt. I still have moments of extreme frustration, but since I’ve decided that the only way I can change the world, is to start with myself, I am not so angry all the time.

My path went from frustrated to empowered. Slowly, I began to change my habits, my diet and my outlook.  It was then I  began to garden, shop at farmers markets, and begin to  have visions of what I could do to change the things I was unhappy with in our world.

I also became a founding teacher at a charter high school. I started educating my students on a daily basis about our food systems, how to grow their own food, and the path of consumption. We integrated these topics in art making, discussions and by starting an organic garden at our school. Teaching was my outlet for four years. However, over time I still felt like I was still missing a major component and that was being a part of my own food cultivation. My husband and I were moving in rented apartments every year and had no solid ground. For one year we lived on a permaculture farm and this was the catalyst for developing our dream to buy our own house and start our own permaculture farm.

In the last two years, as we have embarked on the adventure of starting our farm, we have begun to get closer and closer to where our food comes from. We now raise our own pigs, poultry and cultivate gardens. Our house is 250 years old and was standing vacant and vandalized when we moved in, the 5 acres it sits on were heavily deforested ten years ago and needs lots of regeneration to be fruitful.

It has been an interesting year and a half, I have learned more in this short period of time than I have learned my entire life!   I look forward to sharing my permaculture perspective, my journey beginning a farm, learning how to live in an old, old house, my love for whole foods and cultivating a sense of place with you all.

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