Green Urban Living 12 Week Challenge

I'm taking part in a 12 week challenge set up by Janet over at Green Urban Living.  From 1st March to 24th May there are a variety of weekly challenges from going chemical free, to carless days, going foraging and recycling. Participants are encouraged to take part in as many of the challenges as you like, and interact on the websites forum and/or Facebook page.  There are a number of judges including Wendyl Nissen from Wendyl's Green Goddess , Lynda Hallinan from NZ Gardener, NZ Eco Chick, and Malcolm Rands from Ecostore, who will give out prizes to some of the lucky participants.

Week One was to Ditch the Chemicals.  I already use Baking Soda and White Vinegar for a lot of things - cleaning the toilet, Vinegar as Rinse aid in Dishwasher, Fabric softener in washing machine etc.
I cleaned the dishwasher with some vinegar in the top rack and some Baking Soda sprinkled in the bottom.  Seems to have come up a treat and I think the dishes are getting cleaner too.

I have also made some Dishwasher powder too using Citric Acid, Washing soda and Baking Soda.  I'm yet to try that as finishing the previous "green" one I bought.

A couple of years ago I invested in a second hand steam mop and love the result on the kitchen lino.  The ultimate no chemical clean using just water.

We are using cloth wipes with bubs and after using up my bottle of Wendyl Nissen's wipe solution, I filled the bottle with water and added a few drops of both tea tree and lavender essential oil. It has worked really well, with no ill effects and it has saved me trying to track down affordable rosewater and witch hazel extracts that were in Wendyl's mix.

Week 2 of the Challenge was to shop local and source as many locally produced foods as you could.  I have been using some of my own vegetables and fruit, and was also given some apples from my Mother-in-law.  Buying local is one of those hard ones as everyone's idea of local will differ.  For one Canadian couple the magic distance was 100 miles.

A few years ago, when Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon learned that the average food in a North American meal travels 1,500 miles from the farm to the plate, they decided to launch an experiment to reconnect with the people and places that produced what they ate.  The 100 Mile Diet was born and they documented their journey in a really easy to read book.  They discovered the story that went with the production of the food, and the disturbing trend of  food that has travelled half way round the world.  I enjoyed reading this book, and know that the connection with the growers and producers  one of the reasons why local farmers markets have become so popular in recent years.

Next weeks challenge is to go foraging.  I know there are quite a few roadside fruit trees in the neighbourhood so might have to take bubs for a walk in the buggy and load it up!  I'm always a little wary of trying some foraged things so I am looking forward to other peoples ideas of food that is safe to collect in the wild.

What foods do you like to collect in the wild?  I've always like paddock mushrooms and I loved picking wild blackberries when I was holidaying in the UK.  There is something ultra satisfying collecting food that nature has provided for you without you having direct input.

Garden Share Collective - March

This is my first post as part of the Garden Share Collective, an initiative where like-minded bloggers join together and share the happenings in their gardens.  It's a great way to share ideas, get motivation and encouragement as we endeavour to provide produce for our families.  If you are interested in joining contact Lizzie from Strayed from the Table.  Her blog is well worth a look, and also has links to the other members blogs too.

February brought with it 58mm of very welcome rain, and the promise of a bumper crop of Black Boy peaches. They have swelled noticeably since the first rain earlier in the month. The Golden Queen Peach is bare, and the Peasgood Nonsuch Apple and the pear have been attacked by some very hungry birds.  I have hung some old Cd's in the trees in the hope that will scare the birds....

Oops seem to be a bit lopsided!

I have spent more time in the vege patch in February, taming the wild jungle that had taken over in the months prior to the birth of our son in November. 

Currently growing in the garden are silverbeet, kale, brussel sprouts, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots, and beetroot.  In the glasshouse I have tomatoes, and a cucumber.

Kale, Brussel Sprouts and Broccoli protected from the chooks.

The Damson Plums have finished and I managed to get a little over 5kg of fruit.  This was turned into Damson Plum jam, vodka liqueur, cordial and a bottle of Damson gin for my Mum.

This month will see me

1. Resting the bed that had the Broad beans.  I'm layering various compostable materials and will let that sit over winter.
2. Digging up potatoes.  These were planted in a 'no dig' fashion with seed potatoes put on bare soil, then covered with layers of pea straw.  I am planning to plant my broad beans in this area in April.
3. Harvesting Tomatoes that are starting to ripen .  We have Sweet 100, Money Maker, Black Krim and an unknown variety from my Mum's neighbour.
4. Starting a new compost heap.  I have got coffee grinds for this as well as for snail/slug protection as I mentioned in a previous post.
5. Pruning currants/raspberries/blackberry, and taking some cuttings for more plants.
6. Clear space for a new berry garden.
7. Sow some more carrots.
8. Remove suckers from Hazelnuts.

I am hoping that by writing down these it will motivate me to get things done.  It can be a challenge in between caring for bubs, taking Miss 6 here, there and everywhere, looking after the animals on our 7 acres, and everything else an "Undomestic Goddess" does!  I'll update my progress throughout the month.

 

What's cooking?

While reinventing my blog I have taken the time to do some research.  AKA reading lots of blogs.  As I love cooking, a lot of the blogs I have come across discuss food, and more increasingly 'diets'. 

I don't really like using the "D" word as I always think it implies an end date.  For me I try to strike a balance by not really classifying foods as bad or good.  Rather I aim to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, mostly home kill meat, and breads/cereals.  We do not have any food allergies or intolerances in our family so no foods are banned on this basis.  I guess I just try to eat most food in it's most natural state, but have to say I find it hard to give up potato chips!

I love baking but there is so much talk these days about the detrimental effect of sugar, I have been looking at sugar free options.  I'm ok with honey as an alternative and have used this successfully to make bread.  However, it has become increasingly clear to me a lot of these 'sugar free" recipes are just that.  Free of sugar, but still contain a sugar like substance.  As I would prefer to eat food as nature intended I steer clear of artificial sweeteners like aspartame and it's various cousins.  I'm also wary of "syrups". How is corn or rice syrup created?  It reminds me of a comment I read regarding rice milk.  It was written by a raw milk advocate and they asked what a rice cow looked like.  Ok so not everyone uses cows milk for a variety of reasons but the point they were trying to make was more about the over processing of our foods and the impact that can have, particularly the rise of obesity and diabetes.

That brings me to the Paleo diet, or cave man diet as some refer to it.  As it is the 21st century I'm not sure why we want to eat like cave men, but I think the basic premise is that we eat less processed and more "as nature intended it" foods, and avoiding grains, legumes and some dairy products.  Sad face.  I loooooove dairy products especially cheese so don't think it's for me.

Paleo is a lot like the dietary guidelines from the Weston A Price Foundation (WAPF).  I have a copy of Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon which discusses a diet of saturated fats, fermented foods, soaked grains and fresh organic produce.  I think this one is more me, although as busy Mum I find it hard not to look for convenience at times.  I don't think my sweet tooth will allow me to completely eliminate any 'sugars' but certainly reducing them, or finding less refined options can't be a bad thing!



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My light bulb moment

It is coming up 2 years since we moved to our 7 acres of paradise, so it seems like a good time to reflect on our journey thus far. 

Reading Linda Cockburn's book Living the Good Life really started me on the journey I am on today. We were living on a quarter acre section in an urban area with dreams of a lifestyle block. The house wouldn't sell, I was dealing with Post Natal Depression and life didn't seem so great. And then the light came on.
 

Reading Living the Good Life I realised I was putting my life on hold waiting for the dream property and then I would live a more self sufficient life. I had things round the wrong way. So I started living the way I wanted to, even if it was on a smaller scale. I got the vege garden well established, filled the glasshouse, learned how to preserve fruit, made jam, and did lots of research (and testing) of making things from scratch.  We even got some hens!  Somehow they made it all seem more real. 

 

 

 

We did eventually sell our house, and pack up and move to 7 acres 10 minutes drive from the town we had been living in.  We certainly have no regrets about the move, but there are always jobs to be done so it is no walk in the park.  It is however, more that worth the effort when you sit down exhausted at the end of a busy day and know you have done an honest days work.

 

 

We have learnt some lessons too in the short two years we have been on "the block".

• Where there are livestock there are dead stock.
• Never trust a goat.  They can leap over fences as tall as me and love nothing more than to eat my fruit trees!  I wouldn't be without them though.
• Hens really do have a pecking order and if the top hen "exits stage left" it really unsettles the rest of the hens for a few days until another hen assumes the throne.
• When it rains lots over 3 consecutive weeks, water can appear to be coming up from the ground in the strangest places.
• Having a torch which works is really important because when you have animals to look after, going for midnight walks with your husband can be a regular occurence.
• A 5 minute job will always take 60 minutes longer than that!
• Goats can jump really high.  Especially if there is a fence to the orchard in the way.

We have also learned a lot about ourselves too.

• Chickens REALLY are good for the soul.
• I missed living in the country.
• Our daughter can sing incredibly loud.
• When we need to we can work pretty well as a team.

And finally

Baling twine really is the farmers duct tape.
I love baling twine and all it's various uses.
My husband does not like baling twine.
My husband is a perfectionist.  I am a "it'll be ok for now" fixer.  The two do not always work that well together.....