Perennials are Growing and Seeds are Sprouting!

When we planted all of our annuals last year, we hoped that everything would survive the winter and come back now, in spring. With the wicked winter and the several feet of snow that covered our (sticks) fruit trees, I wondered how they would do. Most everything looks dead in winter and it's hard to tell what is happening.

It all worked!

Grape vines, kiwi vines, the fruit trees (one apple is flowering already). Jostaberry, Currents, Blueberries and Strawberries all have flowers and are starting fruit. Sea Kale, Sorrel, and Turkish Rocket, Ramps, Horseradish, Mint root and 3 different mints - all are thriving.

Turkish Rocket

Sorrel

Dwarf Comfrey

In our beds, the planted radishes, carrots, potatoes and arugula are already up and growing. In my flower pots, cutting flowers and poppies mixed with marigolds and kale - all coming up. Even the moon flowers and morning glories in a planter are sprouting.

Volunteers? A lone sunflower already 6 inches tall, a random potato in the back corner, and a bed full of what looks like cherry tomatoes and amaranth - where they grew last year. 

We have already found a couple of critters in the garden: a sighting of the first little toad - who may, or may not be living under the dill plant...and a chipmunk in the wood pile. An unusual sight in the city, but welcome because I know each of them serve a purpose in this garden.

Spiders are weaving webs and we work at finishing our plantings. In a couple of weeks, the tomatoes will go into their beds and we are rotating arugula and radishes to keep them growing all summer. Then there is the Corn, Squash and drying bean bed - and I still need to find where I will put the Mammoth Sunflowers this year. These are the kind of decisions I love to make!

We made a change as far as our diet and started buying almost all of our meat and some greens from Mass Local Food. They also offer some plants, so we bought a Raspberry and added it to the garden.

All remains to be seen, but so far, I feel like I am coming alive with each of the plants I find growing of its own accord, and each I plant. Nature is a miraculous system that only needs the right conditions and will thrive endlessly!

Food Intolerance and a Glimpse of My Future...

I am four weeks into this experiment of no wheat (gluten) and no dairy (lactose). The changes were immediately noticeable. The puffiness of my face and hands is gone, I have lost almost 10 lbs., the headaches are gone, my mind is not clouded and I can think more clearly, I have more energy, and most importantly, I have less general pain. The future is looking good!

If you are saying at this point that you would never be able to give up bread or ice cream, believe me, I have said this too, fought against it for years, and finally decided it is not worth the hassle. When I have even a little dairy or wheat, it causes what is probably best described as spasms in my legs, arms and back. It wakes me up at night, and bothers me all day. It makes me weak, it irritates my feet and makes me off balance, and to put it nicely: cranky. There is sensitivity to light and sound, with headaches and at the very worst of it, it causes pain to wear clothing or shoes. Also, at this point, I should say that I did not make the connection until this month: some food = pain. I never talked about it with people, but I am wondering how many suffer unnecessarily with this? My doctor has been an amazingly patient with me and after systematically going through all of the tests and options, suggested just cutting out lactose, but I already knew that wheat bothered me, so I cut that out too. I would suggest that if you have trouble that can't be explained - talk with your doctor about cutting out gluten and lactose and just give it a try.

With the numerous products that are just as delicious as wheat and milk – for instance coconut or rice milk, buckwheat flour, rice crackers, hummus, goat cheeses, fruit, greens, vegetables, meats, etc.  I don’t feel deprived, I feel empowered that I can live a different life, and it is based on my decisions. I can educate myself and choose combinations of food and drink and test them to see if they work as fuel and have no negative side effects. I can also go out and have a couple of drinks and be sure that there will be no negative reaction.

Here are some guidelines I set for myself - these aren’t rules, and except for the first one, I will change them as needed:

Change my relationship with food: Food is fuel, I need fuel to live. If something isn’t going to be useful fuel, I’m not going to consume it. This is really all that matters. It may take a little more effort to prepare or think through a menu, but food intolerances and everything that goes with it is not going to define who I am, food is not a reward for some behavior, food is not the only way to enjoy spending time with people and it can be adapted for special meals and holidays. Food is not an escape from my problems.

With few exceptions, I will not be eating out. I’m giving this at least 6 months because I had lunch out Friday and was sick all weekend again with pain and headaches. I’m tired of wasting my time like that, in bed with a migraine. Not the quality of life I’m looking for, especially when I have seen the difference of having no headaches and less pain.

Packaged food is not an option. For the most part there are too many additives and coloring in packaged food anyway, and very few are without corn syrup, soy, gluten, or lactose.

Eat as much local and fresh food as possible. I’m not doing the raw food thing, and I will never be a vegetarian. I am unapologetic about my love of lamb and bacon. I have noticed that I feel better eating fresh food that is as close to its original form as possible. I can’t wait to start growing greens and veggies and am looking into a way to grow arugula and lettuce year round indoors. We are changing our shopping to be sure all of our meat and eggs are locally raised and purchased from the Mass Local Food Coop

Smaller portions and more variety:  I have never really had an “allergy” to anything – just sensitivities. That’s what puts me out of commission for days. I’ve had every test: celiac, lupus, etc. etc. and everything is negative. I have Fibromyalgia, I’ve had vitamin deficiency tests and my Vitamin D level is now up to normal. “Nothing” is ever wrong with me, so why do I never feel well and am sick every time I eat? So, to prevent myself from developing reactions to food, I have very small portions of a variety of things – spread out in smaller meals/snacks every couple of hours during the day, and then have a regular (but much smaller portion) of dinner with my family at night.

This is what my day looks like:

     6:00        Juice, vitamins, 1 coffee, and an egg (protein is crucial for my morning)

     

     9:00        coffee, diced fruit (variety of apple, pear, blueberry) and 1-2 Tablespoons of goat cheese. I never knew there were delicious goat cheeses like salt and pepper or orange-cranberry. I use the peppery one for savory (vegetables and salads) and orange-cranberry with fruit.

   

   11:00       rice crackers and hummus – vegetables and hummus

   

   12:30       vegetables roasted or steamed with ½ cup rice or sweet/red potato, salad with fruit, seeds, veggies, or leftovers of dinners, but two days after, not the next day. It seems that if I have leftovers the next day of something  that doesn’t bother me, it is too much, so I skip a day  or two.

     

     3:00       2 rice cakes with fruit spread (whole fruit/no sugar or corn syrup) and Tea

     

     6:00       Dinner is stir-fry, stew, curry, salad. We do a lot of stir-fry and stew substituting potato flakes for thickening and balsamic and spices for soy sauce. Of course, my favorite food is lamb Rogan Josh and that still stands as a great choice, as well as other curries. We cook turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, but use meat as a smaller part of the dish and vegetables as primary part. 

                 

                   With dinner or in the evening, a glass of wine or port.

I am looking forward to trying more baking with buckwheat - with coconut as my go to for milk. Also, I found a pizza dough recipe and can imagine a delicious pizza crust with sauce, veggies and goat cheese. Although tomato may be a once a week thing for awhile…I’m still working on this one.

It takes a little imagination and a lot of patience, but it’s so worth the quality of life that I can have in exchange for a little work.

Finding Our Way Out of Food Insecurity...

I remember the first time I heard the phrase "food desert". A friend I work with used it and I remember the image it created in my mind and I wanted to find out more about it. Because I have not experienced this, it was a surprise for me to find out that places exist where people don't have access to a grocery store, but just small markets or corner stores and much of the food can be packaged or "junk" food. To get to someplace with fresh fruit or vegetables would take traveling a great distance. This was shocking to me. What I learned today is that this isn't an accurate description. There isn't a desert - this creates an image of nothing. There are so many people that live in these areas and do not have access to quality food. This is not their doing, but it greatly effects the quality of their lives.

What used to be just an inner city problem of not having access to food is larger than we realize. Packaged "fresh" fruit that I have bought for years, now says the same things it always said with an added little "product of China" printed at the bottom. Fresh fruit / Product of China really doesn't gel in my mind. It creates a conflict. I am also sick most of the time from food, so this quest has become urgent for me. No dairy, no wheat, minimal corn and soy? I can barely shop at a regular store with this list. So where do I go? It has to be local. But what does local mean?

I thought I had access to food that was good for me (the oranges are from Africa? organic food from China?) and I thought I was not one of the people at risk for eating contaminated food, but that is changing daily across the country as breakout after breakout of illness and death happens because of contaminated food. It isn't a third world problem, it is a world problem.

Why can't we have access to quality food? Without pesticides, and without food colorings and chemicals? We can. We ordered our food this month (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) from the Mass Local Food Coop. All local from local farms. But this creates another conflict for me. Why can't everyone have this? We are also starting our second growing season of fruit trees, nuts, perennial vegetables and annual beds. We can have local access, but it's going to take work.

Now I need to act. I am researching the Regional Environmental Council (REC) in Worcester, and their next orientation for volunteers is on May 16th. So that's a start. They are already doing it - gardening and Farmer's Markets, reaching out to the community and education. I can find out about volunteering and learn there. I can also support them by shopping at the Farmer's Markets when they open.  I need to learn more to know where I fit in this process.

Today I went to Worcester State University to hear Karen Washington speak about food insecurity. (Not knowing where your next meal will come from)  She is truly an amazing woman. I first heard her speak at the NOFA conference in January and when I saw that she was returning to Worcester to speak again, I took the day off from work for an adventure. She's doing it, and has been for years: urban gardening in the Bronx, giving people in those places that are at risk access to fresh fruit and vegetables. Encouraging people to vote for people who care about food issues, educating youth about food, growing food and contributing to her neighborhood.

One of the things that really made an impression on me was that anyone who went to their Farmer's Market left with food - whether they had money to pay or not. They planted enough to give away to the  people who most needed it.

I have a lot to consider and don't know how I will be involved. I know where to start:

     Buy local, quality food. Check and recheck labels and where my food is coming from.
     Grow as much food as I possibly can.
     Get involved in what is already working and needs my support.

In the forefront of my mind are the ideas of Permaculture. Setting up a system that is partially annual planting, but the bulk of which will be perennial and not require any work except harvesting, saving seeds, canning and storing.

I keep hearing that the best way to "beat the system" is to know the system and learn how to change it. But, what if the best way to beat the system is to just not need it anymore?

Along with the ideas of needing and requiring less, developing quality relationships and having more adventures in my life, I think the best place to start is just outside my door...

Living Sustainably in the City: Our Story

I was super encouraged when I opened the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Countryside Magazine and found that the story I wrote about our first year striving to live sustainably in the city had been published. If you are interested in any of these topics, this is a great magazine that I have been reading for years. You can read the current issue online, but not the submitted stories, so here is what I wrote. I am so looking forward to the Spring and the new year and new adventures!

_______________

Dear Countryside,

I have been reading Countryside for many years. Long before I married, or owned a house, or even understood what sustainability is. I learned many, many tings about off-grid living, canning, homesteading, housekeeping, etc. before I ever did any project of my own. The information has been invaluable and I return to those back issues now, more than ever as our life gets more involved in gardening and sustainability. It has been in my heart and mind the whole time, and as November approaches, I will take out the November/December magazines from the past and read all of the ideas for this time of year. Starting with the newest, which I read cover to cover, I then scan through past issues to mark stories that I would like to read again.  

When I first started reading Countryside, what I remember is the feeling in my gut, that instinctive knowing that I was supposed to be working in a garden somehow and that the sustainable lifestyle was something I wanted to live. Growing food, digging in the ground, chopping kindling, whatever it meant, I knew I would one day have a way to garden. I had the desire to move toward a simpler life, but I still had the impression that I would have to move to Vermont or somewhere similar to have the space to do many of the things that homesteading and off-grid living requires.

We decided to live sustainably in the city instead of moving. We started by asking ourselves what was attractive about living in a place like Vermont? It is a slower paced life - we can do that here by making better choices with our time. I want to be able to heat and cook with a wood stove - so we installed the Elmira wood stove. I want to grow our fruits and vegetables - we can do that in the city also, with a little creativity and patience. We want our commute and work day to be as simple as possible, so we bought a house near our jobs and can walk if needed, but currently take public buses and carpool to commute. My ideal would be to stay home and put my full day of effort into working in the garden, cooking, writing, and crafting and I am working toward that by paying off personal debt and saving.

I once thought that we would need a lot of space, but that simply is not true. We live in Worcester, Massachusetts - one of the biggest cities in New England and the lot we live on is only 100x50. Many people, when seeing our home, had the first response of "what a great starter home". However, the first time we walked through, I knew it was a perfect, workable size for a family of four and there was a big enough space to spend time in the yard, and have a garden one day. When we moved in, there was extra space, and as we lived, we accumulated more and more stuff, to the point of needing a dumpster every year to cear out enough to use the house again. It isn't dirty or verge on hoarding, but a small space filled up quickly with two growing teens at the time, and with a creative family. We simply had too much, but didn't understand that we were participating in a consumer-based lifestyle at that time.

We started our journey of learning to be sustainable by taking care of structural and foundational work: first we replaced the roof, then we fenced in the yard. We added garden beds, fruit and nut trees last year, along with rain barrels. We also installed an Elmira Cooktop Stove, so we could heat and cook with wood. I learned about the stove in Countryside and we found a local stove place to do the ordering and installation. We stopped using the air conditioners and had the extra appliances taken away. We bought a new, energy efficient and smaller refrigerator and a new washer that is energy efficient and easier on our clothes.

It sounds like so much in a list like this, but really, we did one project at a time and then paid it off. This year we took a big leap and got energy efficient windows. Last night was only 40 degrees outside and it was still 65 inside. I am looking forward to the Winter with the new windows and the wood heat. If the house holds heat like it seems to right now. we will not use all of the wood we have stacked in the yard.

Our garden this year was an experiment in planting as many different things as we could to see what would grow best here. We were able to can potatoes, corn and carrots. We had a small amount of sweet potatoes. We also grew amaranth, peas, cucumbers, pumpkins, butternut squash, sunchokes, sunflower seeds, peppers, beans for drying and several herbs. Oh, and lots of cherry tomatoes, a few each day that we enjoyed with dinner. We learned a lot from our experiments! We will plant fewer things next year and only what we will definitely eat, with a goal of having extra to share with family and friends.

We also planted 5 different apple trees, 3 pear trees, an almond, 2 hazelnut, grapevines, kiwi vines, and several different berry bushes. They all grew quite a bit this year, but we have to be patient to see what they will do next year or the year after.

I am sharing this because I believe that we can all do something to be a little more sustainable and contribute. Rather than taking and using resources, how great it would be if we each could do just a little bit for ourselves! With each of the changes we have made, our energy usage has dropped and although it has created more work for us physically to copy wood, gather kindling, and care for the garden, the work is so rewarding.

Our city is currently working toward allowing chickens in the backyard here again REC Worcester is working for getting the approval in place. At the same time the Mass local food movement is growing. There are so many amazing pieces of conservation land that offer hiking, etc. One small place is near our home, so we became volunteer Rangers and help out that way by preserving the habitats near us. This gives us that experience of the open spaces of Vermont, while we tay right in our own neighborhood and city.

I don't believe that my backyard garden will change very much on any big scale of food growing or consumption, but I know what it has done for my mental well-being and the encouragement of our family. It is so exciting to see wild life in our yard (toads, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, possums, many different birds, butterflies, bats, etc.) It has changed our world to be able to walk into the back yard and pick a tomato that we planted. If everyone could do just one little thing like that, I do believe that individual lives would be greatly changed. And if enough individuals are changed, then who knows what the outcome and effect could be in the world?

I am very interested in the Tiny House movement (imagine the smile on my face when I realized that I already live in a small home). I am also reading a lot about Minimalism and Simplifying my life, and at the ocre of it, for me, is the necessity to need less and have fewer requirements. I still have and use the technology that I enjoy and am currently donating extra clothing, household items, etc. to three different organizations that will get it to families that are really in need.

For me, I see that less things to care for gives me more time to spend with family and friends, more time to meet neighbors and be involved in the community and more time to garden.

I would love to talk with anyone who is interested in urban farming, sustainability, living simply and returning to the simpler way of life. Our story is here adventureonplanetearth.blogspot.com

and I am here: 

Michele Couture

34 Pilgrim Ave.

Worcester, MA  01604

Thank you!

How do you eat? A driving lesson...

We don't have a car.
I have never had my license.
I have no desire to drive.
Rob has his license.
Rob has never lost his license.
There is no secret story behind this decision.
Rob can drive, and does when we need to. (rental)
Mostly we walk.  We don't like driving.

We do like hiking, walking, meeting new people, saving money, etc.

We walk or take the bus to work and because we don't have a car payment, insurance, and gas to pay for we have extra money to pay someone else for their time (and gas).

I know it has been difficult for people to see the reasons, but lately, it seems more and more people understand our choice and they are choosing to sell their cars and opt for public transportation instead.  Undriving is one of these groups.

I have also been reading about Minimalism here: The Minimalists and Becoming Minimalist  and living with less - and I see now that we will never own a car. It's okay. We live within walking distance of our jobs and near bus routes. When we need to get somewhere - we pay someone who already drives (for their job) and support the local economy by hiring them.

"How do you eat?" is my favorite question from someone who found out we didn't have a car. We have our food delivered through Peapod right now. It is quite amazing how much money you can save when you don't get to the store to be marketed to. In the future, I would like to be part of the Massachusetts food co-op and get what can't be grown in our garden from them.

This is all a great adventure and the best thing about it - we can be creative! Today all of this works and tomorrow it may not, but we will find another way if that happens. Why reinvent the wheel when so many people work so hard at providing access to quality, local food? I don't need to make cheese and butcher my own meats - we have so many great farms in this state that we can support for the things we cannot do for ourselves.

Each day is a step forward and a change for the better. However, better (for us), does not include more. In fact, even though I am just at the beginning of this gardening, sustainable, paring down life...the value is so clear...

Without a lot of stuff, without a car, without a huge house...I can sit quite happily in my garden and watch things grow...this is one thing that I know for sure speaks to my soul.

What speaks to your soul?

Mammoth Sunflower

Northeast Organic Farmers Association Conference!

On Saturday, January 14^th, we attended an all day conference for NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) at Worcester State University. This is the first time either of us have attended anything like this and it was such a great experience!

There were many workshops scheduled at 3 different times during the day, a presentation by keynote speaker John Jeavens, an organic lunch and many, many vendor booths to visit.

In the morning we went to a class about raising chickens. There is a proposal in Worcester to allow families to have 4 chickens as long as they are properly cared for and in a coop that has been inspected. We are waiting for the approval and plan to have chickens as soon as possible after it is passed. So the class was a great source of information and I learned a lot from the presenters.

We went to hear the keynote speaker John Jeavons talk about Biointensive Gardening. I am always interested in listening to the innovative ways that people are growing food in small spaces.

There was a great organic lunch of beef stew or a vegetarian soup, salad and bread and dessert – all provided by organic farms in the Northeast.

After lunch we went to a workshop presented by Jonathan Bates of the Permaculture Nursery in Holyoke MA. It was a great presentation on how to grow a lot of different food in a small area – and his personal experience of planting a dirt lot and creating a garden out of it using Permaculture methods. He does a lot of planting and experimenting with different plants, and also sells those that do well in our area. We have already ordered several different berries, kiwi and grape vines, and some other plants to add to our collection for the Spring.

After the workshop – we went to the vendors and looked at what types of organics are available in our area and signed up to be contacted by the Massachusetts Local Food Coop – they do monthly orders for farms in the state and we can have access through them to some things that are not available to us otherwise.

What I took away from the workshop, is the encouragement that so many young people are actively seeking information about gardening, farming and organics, and are concerned about the future and providing quality for their lives.

I am sure that we can use our yard and grow enough fruits, vegetables, etc. to supplement the bulk of our groceries and get our meat from the food coop.

What I am most encouraged about is how many fruits and vegetables – plants, vines and trees – are perennial and will only need to be planted once, but will continue to grow for years; And that there is a wealth of information on-line to read and study to make our garden a success. I am especially interested in the Permaculture information: restoring the balance of an ecosystem so plants and people thrive. Abundance.

I know what it is like to put my hands in the dirt and what it feels like to work the earth creatively. It’s like waking up and everything else becomes clearer. The petty things of life fade away and what is left is the essence of who I am as a human being.

My connection to nature is a peaceful, healing experience and I had been away from it far too long….

Beautiful Birch trees at Crow Hill