Howdy Sizzling Hot Sassies!
Let’s take some advice from the wisdom-filled words of The Beatles: “Help! I need somebody!”. In this weekly vlog installment I talk about asking for help and I drop the f-bomb, so mothers cover your children’s ears! I love you, you’re worth it, now stop whining and ask for help!
I’ll go first. What the heck do you want me to munch on, muse over and yackety-yack about next week?
Peace & shoulders to lean on,
Kris
By Lisa Borden
Shopping at the farmers market is better for the environment, better for our economy and better for your wallet. It’s also fun, healthy and the food tastes better. Once you eat fresh, recently harvested produce, you’ll realize the stuff from the supermarket (organic or not) is just not the same thing. Being connected to your food will change your entire life!
As with anything new, it takes time to figure it all out, so here are some helpful hints for hitting the farmers market.
1. Don’t forget your bags, baskets and containers. Invest in good reusables (I couldn’t live without my washable, square-bottomed RuMe bags). Be warned, no one goes to market and forgets their bags! A basket can also be very handy especially during berry season. There are no plastic clamshell containers at the market, so stacking is not an option. Expert tip: take your own produce bags, bread bags and containers; they all come in handy.
2. Bring cash and plenty of small change. It’ll be faster and easier for everyone. Trust me, it doesn’t feel good to pass a $50 dollar bill to a farmer selling you $3 worth of spinach!
3. Bring your family and friends. It’s more fun to share the market with others. Consider meeting at the market for a meal or drink (extra points for bringing a reusable mug!). It’s also a place to involve everyone in food choices. We need our children to understand where our food comes from; just ask Jamie Oliver!
4. Do a full walk-through. There are no returns. Who has the best tomatoes? Would you have preferred the peaches instead of the pears? Walk the whole market first to see what’s available and compare prices and product–although if you have a favorite farmer with limited crops, you’ll want to go directly there first. Also, later in the season, the produce seems to get heavier. Melons and squash are always my last purchases, so that I don’t have to carry them around the entire time. Once you become a regular, you will know your favorites, and your shopping routine will become second nature.
5. Don’t get sold a fake. Just because it’s the farmers market doesn’t mean the food is automatically healthy. Some markets have vendors selling donuts made from white flour and fried in conventional oil. No, I have no idea how they were allowed in. Happily, a few stalls away will be someone selling lovingly-made stuffed French toast made with the finest ingredients. Choose wisely, and choose real.
6. Go early and get first pickings. You cannot imagine the excitement the regular market shoppers have for the season’s first strawberries, asparagus, ramps, and…if you don’t “get it” now, you will next year at this time. If you want to take part to the fullest, don’t sleep in. Go late if you are looking for deals and are not picky. Vendors will generally be happy not to haul anything back with them; they worked hard to get it to market in the first place.
7. Ask questions. You’ll get real answers. If you want to know when something was picked, or how to best choose a particular item, just ask. You’ll get great answers. Make sure what you are buying is organic by asking. And, although sometimes the farmer will not have paid for certification, they are as stringent (or more) in their fields and operations. Also feel free to ask what something is, or try things that you would not necessarily see at the store. Farmers know all about what they grow (sometimes they will share great recipes too–that’s not happening at the supermarket!).
8. Speak to other marketers. I have generally found people to be quite friendly at markets. It’s amazing not only what advice I’ve given, but what I’ve learned. I’ve received great recommendations for restaurants, family events, and products nearby or just outside of the city.
9. Don’t buy ingredients for a meal; make a meal based on the best ingredients you buy. Don’t just go to the market to cross things off your grocery list. Buy what’s best and in season, and try new things. When you buy fresh and simple, the dishes you prepare can be also. Sometimes we just enjoy a “market meal”—a help-yourself-to-all-of-the-goodness-we-just-got-meal. You can obviously make a list, but keep an open mind. Take advantage of seasonal inspiration.
10. Cook together. By cooking with your children, as opposed to for them, you have the opportunity to teach them so much (and have a great time together). “Give a person a fish; you have fed them for today. Teach a person to fish, and you have fed them for a lifetime.” Before you decide that this is an impossible task with your hectic schedule, consider making this a weekly event. Even toddlers can help. Picking leaves off of basil, or putting berries into the bowl is enough to sustain at least 5 minutes of kitchen time together! Make a concerted effort to be connected to your food, your family and your friends. Mealtime will change forever.
As always, keep in mind, your money is your voice. With every dollar you spend, you are asking for more of the same. Shopping at our local markets will change your life personally and benefit the whole community.
It’s not local vs. organic, it’s local AND organic from the farmers market. Enjoy the season. Share the experience with others, and enjoy some great food while you’re at it!
Lisa Borden is an eco-advocate and mother of three, whose full-service marketing firm, Borden Communications + Design Inc., is a direct reflection of her commitment to better, more responsible living. She is a dedicated workaholic, admitting that it takes a lot of time and effort to change the world, especially in her non-preachy, fun, engaging and inspiring ways.
When most people think of compost, they think of a huge heap of rotting food, dirt, flies and an accompanying horrible smell, which is why they won’t even think of composting in their homes or apartments.
Well, that is not totally true. Yes, compost is made of rotting food and dirt, but if it’s maintained properly, the flies and dirt can be kept under control, and the end result will be a resource that can help to feed and strengthen your plants and home garden.
And, by using your food scraps, you’ll also be diverting them from the landfill. One of the misconceptions about food in landfills is that it will properly decompose. However, as this waste breaks down, it winds up producing harmful CO2 and methane gases.
According to the New York City Compost Project, “The average New York City household discards two pounds of organic waste each day—adding up to more than one million tons of organic material a year.” So why toss away these things that you already have on hand that can help your home garden to thrive?
There are two ways that you can start to compost at home. One is aerobic composting, which is the kind of composting that most people think of when composting is mentioned. It’s pretty much the pile of food scraps and dirt. The reason that it’s called aerobic is because it needs oxygen to help break it down, so it must be turned so that air can circulate throughout it.
Indoor worm composting is another method. This one people tend to get squeamish about. Red wigglers are the most common worms used for this process. At a high level, the worms help to aerate the soil, breakdown the food, and their castings are great for your plants.
Here is more information on the different methods, so you can start yours at home today.
Aerobic Composting:
Find a Location For Your Compost
You can put your compost bin next to your regular garbage can, under your sink or in the corner of your kitchen. Where you put it is up to you. Location will determine the size of your compost bin.
What to Compost
Compost is made up of two parts—browns and greens. The easiest way to think of it is that browns are the dry items and greens are the wet ones. You’ll want a balance of the two. If anything, you’ll want more browns than greens.
Here is a simple, but not comprehensive list of things you can compost and likely have available:
Browns
· Fall leaves
· Shredded black and white newspaper
· Shredded cardboard packaging
· Old soil
· Stale spices
Greens
· Leftover fruit and vegetable scraps such as kale stems, celery leaves and bottoms, apple cores, banana peels
· Coffee grinds
· Tea bags minus the string and staples
The Compost Bin:Your options here are to buy one that suits your needs or to make one yourself. To make a compost bin with a 10-gallon metal garbage can, you’ll need the following:
Tools
· Drill with 1/4? bit
Materials
· 10 gallon metal garbage can
· Black and white newspaper
· Rubber mat
· Organic potting mix
· Composted organic manure
· Something to prop the can about 1-2″ off the ground to let air circulate. I used old furniture legs.
· Food scraps
Instruction
· Drill holes in the bottom of the garbage can. This allows for aeration and helps the compost do its thing.
· Shred the newspapers.
· Set up mat and rest garbage can on the furniture legs.
· Put in first layer of newspapers and some of the potting mix.
· Added a layer of the food scraps.
· Sprinkle some of the composted manure.
· Cover with layer of newspaper and potting mix.
· Food layer, then another layer of newspaper and soil.
· Close up and done.
One or two times a week, you’ll have to turn the compost pile to get the air circulating and speed up the decomposition. It will take about 2-3 months for the pile to decompose and become usable compost. While you are waiting, just set it off to the side.
Advice
When you throw full pieces of food into your compost pile, it takes longer to break down and decompose. By putting your scraps in the food processor or blender first, you will help to speed up the decomposition process. Only do this with items that are soft and easily blended down.
When starting your compost bin, it’s easy to add too many food scraps. This is something that you definitely want to avoid. If you add too many greens, the compost will become too wet and produce a horrific odor. You need to maintain a balance of the browns and greens. As a general rule of thumb, you don’t want any one thing in your compost to comprise more than 10% of the total.
Composting With Worms
Composting with worms is something that I was hesitant to start in my apartment for reasons that I’m sure some of you share as well. Eventually I broke down and started to experiment with them.
Much like with the aerobic composting bins, you can either buy or make your own worm composting bin. I haven’t had much success with making my own worm composting bin, so I’ve been using a store-bought Worm Factory 360. It’s been working out much better for me and the worms are thriving. The bin is tucked away in the corner of the kitchen and people don’t even notice it.
By worm composting you can get rid of more food scraps, because a pound of worms can go through three times their weight or more in a week. They also produce compost much faster than the aerobic method.
Regardless of the method you choose, it can be scaled up or down to suit your home and comfort levels. Both methods will help keep food from ending up in a landfill and help your garden to thrive. Now that you’re equipped with the basics of composting at home, when are you going to get started.
Read MoreHowdy Wellness Warrior!
Today kicks off the first in a series of short, fun and sass-o-matic vlogs. I’ve missed connecting with you so much, but I’m back in the crazy sexy saddle and ready to share my wellness tips and adventures once again. Lots of people ask me how I start my day. To be honest, it’s never the same, which is why it’s so exciting! Here’s a sneak peek of one of my current sources of inspiration, Cheryl Richardson‘s Self-Care Cards. I have many decks to choose from but these days Cheryl’s are speaking to me LOUD and clear. As my mental and emotional space changes and grows, I shift my morning spiritual practice to meet my soul needs. I hope the wisdom helps you as much as it helps me. Who doesn’t love a dose of self-care, self-love, how-to? I sure do.
Hey, I’d love for ya’ll to help me get my vlog groove going, so if you have any requests about certain topics you’d like to hear me cover let me know! Leave a comment and I’ll respond over the weekend. Speaking of the weekend, have a lovely restful few days. I simply adore you!
Peace and vlogging,
Kris
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