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Quote of the Day: Joe Eck & Wayne Winterrowd

February 19th, 2012

Part of the satisfaction of sugaring is of course the flavor of the maple syrup, which has no substitute and which cannot be convincingly reproduced synthetically (“imitation maple syrup” is an oxymoron). But another part is its connection to the past, it forms a continuous link back to the first settlers, and to the Native Americans before them from whom they learned the art.

Joe Eck & Wayne Winterrowd in Living Seasonally: The Kitchen Garden and the Table at North Hill

It’s been a busy week of sugaring. In fact, after spending the last 2 days gathering sap, straining it and boiling it down I was ready to settle in with a cup of tea and good book to relax until I realized I hadn’t written this blog post. Luckily, Friday night I spent some time outside documenting why we love sugaring so much. There’s definitely a calendar image in the lot for next year!




Sugaring really is about so much more than making your own syrup. When you buy a bottle of syrup at the store you miss out the entire process, the hope you feel when you tap the trees, the joy of the first drip of sap, the healthy movement from collecting gallons and gallons of sap and walking many miles, the relaxation provided by tending the fire, and the wonder that comes when you taste your first sweet reward.


One of the things we love most about sugaring is that it gets us out of the house during that time of year when we might not otherwise. It’s wonderful to bundle up and be outside during that magic hour when the sun sets. Sugaring is probably one of my favorite activities of the entire year, each year I eagerly anticipate it’s arrival and am very sad when it’s gone. Perhaps it comes at just the right time.

What activities are you especially appreciative of at this time?

If you want to read up on maple sugaring I’d highly recommend these books:

Q & A – Non-Toxic Cleaning

February 18th, 2012

I get a ton of questions about a wide variety of topics, instead of answering the same questions over and over again via e-mail, I thought adding a Q & A section to the blog would benefit everyone and save me a bit of time (there’s also a Q & A section at Eat Outside the Blog for your food/cooking related questions).

This winter I’ve been getting a lot of questions about non-toxic cleaning, it seems everyone is starting to think about switching to healthier, safer, and cheaper alternatives. I’ve been cleaning with a few simple products like baking soda, vinegar, peroxide and castile soap for years and have developed a few methods and a few recipes that some of you might find handy.

Before I get too far into writing all the posts for this series I figured I’d open the floor to you, that way I can make sure I focus on the areas that you’re searching for answers in. Any questions that aren’t answered directly through the posts in the series, I’ll answer in a separate Q & A post at the end.

What questions do you have about non-toxic cleaning? DIY cleaning products?

Friday Favorites: Finding Secondhand Items

February 17th, 2012

After many requests to start them back up again,
Friday Favorites are back!

This past Sunday I showed you what our closet looked like after we installed a new organization system. In that post, I mentioned that I despise plastic items; Daisy commented that I needed wooden hangers so I could do away with the plastic ones. The funny thing is, I’ve been looking at them on-line but couldn’t bring myself to spend the money to replace the ones I had which were still OK (though they’re starting to break in increasing numbers). When it comes to purchasing items, I prefer to find them used because they’re cheaper and usually things made even 10 years ago are higher quality than those made today.

Luckily, I received an email from my local outdoor outfitter store that they were having a sale on wooden hangers. 50 cents each, 5 for $2.25 or 50 for $20. WHAT A GREAT DEAL.

The only thing is, they’re branded, which is quite funny if you know me and know how much I dislike branding. We grabbed a box full and spent some time removing all the old plastic hangers from my closet yesterday. Thankfully, I don’t have many clothes so for $25 I got 60 hangers and I have plenty for all our hanging clothes, coats and other items. I even have 23 empty ones for future expansion (though we try to get rid of items when we buy new so we probably won’t need these).

Another reason I like to buy secondhand is because it’s kind of like a game. It’s no fun to simply run out and buy what you want whenever you want it. I have a list in the back of my mind of things I’d like to have if ever find them for a good price. Mr Chiots and I like to stop at little antique & second hand stores while we’re traveling and we’ve found some wonderful things this way. It’s even better when you can find an item you’ve been searching for in a small store while driving through Virginia on our way to Monticello. Stumbling across something you’ve been wanting to buy for a couple years in a random little shop is such a joy!

Do you like to buy used items? Found any great used items recently that you’ve been patiently waiting for?

New in the Garden for 2012

February 16th, 2012

Each year I try a few new things that I’ve never grown before. Usually they’re vegetables that I’ve purchased at the farmer’s market and liked. When I saw what new things Renee’s Garden was introducing this year I decided to try a few of them out. Here’s what’s new in the garden for the 2012 growing season:



I can’t wait to see how the Pak Choi and Napa cabbage grows. We’re big fans of kimchi here at Chiot’s Run, eating through a half gallon a week when I make it. As a result I’m hoping to grow lots of napa cabbage and some peppers too. I’m also pretty excited about the container zucchini which should be nice since it won’t take up much space. Since my edible gardening space is a bit limited, smaller varieties of plants help maximize that space and since I can’t seem to grow a zucchini to save my life, the less space I give it the better.

What new and exciting things have you added to your edible garden for the 2012 season?

The Urban Farm Handbook Giveaway

February 15th, 2012

When my friend Annette Cottrell from Sustainable Eats asked me to read through her new book Urban Farm Handbook: City Slicker Resources for Growing, Raising, Sourcing, Trading, and Preparing What You Eat I gladly accepted. There’s nothing I love more than giving my friends a hand, especially when it means that I get a free copy of the book to give away to one of you!

I expected this book to be like most of the other homesteading books that abound these days. It seems everyone wants to relearn some of the skills that have been lost throughout the last couple generations, so homesteading books are flooding the market. Thankfully, this book is different. Anette’s personal style brings the information to life, unlike many other books of this genre that I’ve read. She’s passionate about why she does what she does and it comes through. Her directions/explanations are in depth enough but still simple. You won’t be overwhelmed with information and feel like it’s unattainable for you to incorporate these changes into your current lifestyle.

The book covers everything from keeping chickens and grinding grain, to growing your own vegetables and making cheese. She makes these tasks seem achievable by anyone who sets their mind to it and takes away some of the mystique that surrounds them. If you’ve ever considered dabbling in keeping goats, chickens, making your own cheese, grinding grains, growing your own vegetables and all other kinds of self-sufficient things, this will be a fabulous reference guide to keep on your bookshelf.

Annette’s book is a great resource for the newbie, especially those of you that live in the Pacific Northwest. She lives in that area provides many resources that she knows about first hand. Reading about all the wonderful groups she’s a part of made me wish I had something similar here in NE Ohio.

If you’d like to win a copy of this book for your library, comment below. I’ll choose a winner next week.

What is one area of homesteading that you’d like to learn a bit more about and possibly incorporate into your life this year?

We have a winner – Congrats to Andres from Stell Homestead.

Anette is having a year long Urban Farm Handbook Challenge on her blog if you’re interested in joining. Each month a different area is featured, it’s the perfect way to work on incorporating changes into your life slowly without feeling overwhelmed.

In case you missed it, the winner for the Victory Garden Poster winner is Chicago Mike.

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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