OK.
I've been inspired recently to make this blog rad.
Expect different sections and lots more information.
Today I am going gleaning.
Gleaning is when a property owner has an excess of fruit on their fruit trees and invites the community to harvest it. We divvy up the goods....1/3 for us, 1/3 for the property owner, and 1/3 for the local food bank/food program. Today I am also going over to my good friend Stephen's house to pick figs. There might be a fig product making video coming shortly.
This is a good time to start getting involved in this whole sustainability/yummy food/earth connection thing.
The glory of harvest season is upon us and it's busy busy busy - which is why teamwork helps!
Teamwork makes things like canning, pickling, and preserving a lot easier. I have found teams of two and three to be the best for activities like canning projects. So so so so tasty!
Products I INTEND to make this year....apple butter, apple cider, apple rings, blackberry wine, blackberry jam, fig something, pickles, chutney/salsa.
It's time to gorge ourselves with fresh food from farm, garden, sea, and valley, and then preserve it to eat and be inspired for the start of next year's growing season....
wait a minute.
Who ever said that you need to wait until next year?
This is a good time to start thinking about....winter gardens!
Annnd you can grow lots of fresh herbs and spinach in window boxes.
In Newfoundland my friend grows food and starts for spring in very economic space...you don't need much - just some ingenuity, make-do attitude, recycled materials. Very cheap to do with a little creativity!
Also, bean sprouts, garlic sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, can all be grown year-round with minimal effort.
And then there is the wine, beer, boozy berries
Don't worry, my friends! I will be doing this right alongside you and posting my various success (and mistakes, ha!). It seems daunting sometimes...seriously, I (anyone?) can do this?
Well, we can.
Women in British Columbia back in the pioneer days would get broken glass bottles from the bars, sand them smooth, and use those for jam jars. Old bottles, scraps of cheesecloth, wax, and little woodsy kitchens to boot..and they were pros! Today well, we have a little less time on our hands with all of our obligations to everything but ourselves. But we have technology and with a little cooperation and organization we could all be eating better and living better together.
For now, here is a kick-ass site I found today.
