Earth Day 2011

I'd like to tell the tale of our Earth day this year...as a family.  I promise it won't be preachy...or make you feel like you should have done more.  Everything has to have a beginning.  We certainly don't plant forests every year, but after this year...why don't we do it?  It was a great gathering!  What our family experienced was not a usual event, but I certainly hope it becomes one.  It was one of those things that make you feel great on all levels and it happened to be really fun to boot!

Our family drove 3 hours away (there's irony...we burned a lotta gas to get there...but a movement has to start somewhere) to our friends Doug and Traces.  I've known Traces since public school.  


The farmhouse at 6:30am...ready for the day to begin

 They live in Omemee, Ontario.  That's where they operate their business Green Side Up Environmental Services. 

Doug was a guest on this blog recently in the attached link.  Doug recently got a grant from the government to reforest his farm land.  I find it all pretty amazing since not a short while back in Canadian history, our lives depended on clearing such land as fast as humanly possible...by hand.  Times change and here we are putting the trees back in...by hand.  On the eve of Earth Day 2011, we're all excited to get doing the work.   I'm sitting by the fire with good friends in the fresh country night air. 




The nighttime shot had way more beer bottles in it....so I opted for the PG image

 The following morning was a rush of preparing the trees for planting. 


My husband (right) Ches being such a good sport.


Digging out the seedlings and getting them in pots on the trailer.  1500 seedlings to be exact.  They had a ways to go before they would get to their permanent home in the back 55. 

Signs were made and spare rubber boots, gloves and shovels were gathered for the unprepared.  I took turns taking different groups of people to the planting area.  We had several local politicians drop in for the event too.  Two different riders for the Green Party and a local Liberal representative joined in.  We were so fortunate that everyone didn't arrive all at once...as the earlier folks got tired, a new flock of helpers showed up to take up the slack!


Tall and small...all came to help in the field!

 After lunchtime, when most of us had thought we had planted enough...a new bunch showed up and it started all over again.  Everyone planted more trees than Doug could have hoped for and still the volunteers kept coming out of the woodwork!




future xmas trees

 It was an exhausting day of wonderful fulfillment.  Everyone had grins on their faces for what we had accomplished.


Noah and Ches personally planted 75 trees

 The smaller kids were lucky to get all the way back to the planting zone...and for the wee ones, there was still lots to take part in.  My boys were keen to check on the chicken coop.  Noah would come running out with a fresh egg every few hours.  Owen just loved chasing the rooster around the coop...silly boy.



What a handsome fella!

 For those kids who STILL had too much energy...there was a huge trampoline.  Kids of all ages gave it a whirl.



Owen gets some airtime.



Traces had boiled a few dozen eggs and early afternoon the kids got into painting them.  Another friend set up a face painting station!  Owen was an easter bunny...tee hee.  Of course the kitchen was a buzz of coffee and snacks all day long.  The kids spent almost the whole day unplugged and taking in the fresh air.  Burning off calories the old fashioned way. 

All in all, it was one fantastic day.  Mother Earth was kind to us weather-wise.  The kids all pitched in.  The adults really gave it their all.  Now next year....there better be a prize for he who plants the MOST seedlings!

What did you do for Earth Day?  Tell me all about it! 

Potato Update! and introducing...Rhubarb!

So its been a few weeks since we started our potato experiment...and I thought it was time for an update.



check out those roots!

As you can see, the root systems have grown significantly and the potato sprouted a plant like appendage from the base of the plant!  I was under the impression the potato plant grew out of the top of the original potato....hmmm....the learning continues...

It seems as if spring just exploded here.  The slightly warmer days have made our grass mostly green.  The trees look like their buds are starting to get bigger.

In fact, one of the things that tell me that spring is officially here are the first signs of rhubarb!  We planted rhubarb on a dark side of our house...which hasn't served it well in the past.  Its biggest enemy is the dinosaur spiders that call that corner their home.  Doesn't seem to matter how many of their offspring i sweep away, those spiders refuse to give up that corner.  Eventually they desimate the poor rhubarb. 

Until that time, we do get a decent haul.  This will be the rhubarb's 3rd summer at our house. 



First peak at the rhubarb

Asparagus and rhubarb are two sure signs of owning property.  They take commintment and a lengthy stay to see them at  their glorious full potential.  We rented for so many years that those two plants are real symbols of "growing roots" in a home.  You could never grow those plants while living a transient or nomadic lifestyle.

There are many more to follow...but here is just a small sample of the variety of things you can do with rhubarb:

5 cups of cleaned, chopped rhubarb
1 big clean pot
a few table spoons of white sugar

heat rhubarb on stove with wooden spoon until mushy.  Add sugar and stir.  when rhubarb forms a runny paste...spoon over vanilla bean ice cream or soy alternative...

Sigh....

Enjoy every minute of the spring....it is full of life and growth. 

Revel in the newness of EVERYTHING!

100 mile Challenge vs the 100 ft Challenge

You hear a lot of talk these days about the 100 mile Challenge.  Someone told me a few years back about it (since we haven't had cable or satellite in years), they had seen it on the Food Network.  By purchasing items that were produced within a 100 mile radius, we would gloablly reduce carbon emissions by a drastic amount!  I was intrigued. 

I checked out the Food Network's website on the matter.  I've included the link for anyone one else who is curious about this global phenomenon.  It is quite a cool site!  It includes a list of what food are seasonally available.  There is also a meal planner and recipes too!  Their community is wide and varied...as showcased in their blog.  Also, it seems the idea has spun into a show too...there are episodes you can view of the families who have volunteered for the challenge.   

For the past few year,  I have consciously sought out local (or at least closer) items.  Its challenging in itself...as some labels are misleading.  Some say "packaged for distribution in Ontario", which is vague and doesn't tell you where it was actually grown.  I especially like it when the label includes the address of the producers.  The March issue of Harrowsmith Country Life had a large article about Food Fraud.  What that means is that people have been latching on to this closer-to-home phenomenon and taking advantage of gullible consumers.  Big food stores say they purchase from local producers...but then define local as anywhere in Canada.  (anyone who's ever driven from Nova Scotia to BC knows thats not really local in the generic sense of the word)  It takes a bit more effort and time to make those informed decisions, but its well worth it.  The more we buy stuff from off shore, the less we'll see those farms along country roads.  Its that simple. 

I like my cheese from Wilton cheese factory (a 20 min drive from the factory) or Ivanhoe in a pinch.  Luckily both are sold in several Verona stores.  The Ivanhoe factory is in Belleville, a 40 kms drive.  My milk is from Reids dairy, also a Belleville commodity.  My meat comes from either the famer's market here in Verona or the Local Family Farms store (also in Verona).  An important connection you should try to foster is between you and the person responsible for your food.  I'm working on getting a local egg supplier...but my husband still says we should just house our own chickens.     

I think that the 100 mile Challenge is also a contributing factory as to why I garden so whole-heartedly.  Its the closest I can do my grocery shopping!  Why pay big store prices when you can step out of your back (or front) door? 

Honestly, do you want your food to come from the other side of the world, and packaged in an environment like the one shown below?



Food production in China

Call me crazy, but I prefer the environment shown below:


Food production in my backyard

I understand that gas prices are not going down any time soon...so that means prices on everything we use and need will be much more in the future.  I would much rather learn to provide for myself, than depend on weather conditions in Mexico for my sustinance.  On a primal level, it just seems absurd. 

The more I learn, the more I grow.  The more I grow, the more I cook.  The more I cook, the more I learn.  Its cyclical!

I urge everyone to try the 100 mile challenge...or better yet, the 100 foot challenge!

I recently took a poll of my Facebook friends...and so far around 23 folks have said they plan to grow something this year.  People from all walks of life, urban or rural, house or apartment are growing!

I urge you all to try and grow something....or if you can't grow (that's called a black thumb)...make friends with a relative or neighbour who does....chances are, they will grow too much of something and you can partake in the goodness!



  

The Sugar Shack

When we found out our neighbour's son had never been to a sugar shack...we HAD to go.  Not like we weren't going to go on March Break anyway...that just increased the imperative!  We MUST go!

I always enjoy a good stroll through the sugar bush.  Its something so uniquely Canadian.  Its something so seasonal.  I had read all about the settler's experience with the sugar bush in Suzanna Moody's book "Roughing it in the Bush".  It was in the 1830's when settlers were shown the wonders of the sweet water that flowed in the early spring from certain maples.  It was the Irish immigrant workforce that had the patience to try this task at home.  A grueling few cold nights spent stoking the fire and stirring, stirring, always stirring for fear it would smoke out the landowners home in sulphury clouds.  It was a labour of love, for each person to try a piece of maple sugar or real maple syrup...are rarely ever the same after.  This was before mass production and super markets full of ready to eat items.  Maple syrup was a treat only enjoyed once a year...and I try to impart that on my kids today.  Its the only time I indulge in maple sugar and the sugar shack syrup always tastes better after a cool hike in the woods.



A beautiful day in the woods...the kids always let their spring fever loose!

We hike to the sugar shack at the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation area in Kingston through a winding trail...happy to be outdoors after what feels like a lifetime of freezing cold windy days.  The boys enjoy a nice reprieve from winter's friend, cabin fever. 


On cold sunny days, the sap runs fast!



Owen is introduced to the sweet water....big brother Noah makes sure the whole arm doesn't go in.....

A history lesson in nature with a tasty ending....what more could you ask for??? 

Can you imagine the time and effort this stuff used to take???

Now a days, the sugar shack is a bit more industrialized...





Hundreds of pancakes served up each minute...they had it down to a fine science...a well-oiled machine!



Served up with equal amounts of whipped local butter



And a look of satisfaction that no store-bought toy, video game device or mass produced food item could provide...mmmmm...

PS.  all four boys (ranging in age of 4 yrs to 13 yrs) were very quiet on the drive home...almost too much fresh air...

If you haven't had the chance...or never thought about taking a trip to the nearest sugar bush...what are you waiting for???

Enjoy some good old Canadian culture, some history and some fresh air...you really will not gain a single calorie from eating fresh pancakes after all the activities to be had.  The Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation area also offered horse drawn wagon rides to the sugar bush!  Nothing signals spring's return like a touch of maple madness.  Oh yeah, that and the robin's sweet song!  

If you need more reasons to indulge in some maple syrup, check out my previous post (original post on December 5, 2010) called "Maple Syrup and the Winter Blues".  It has a scrumptious recipe for protein-packed Quinoa Pancakes as well as a whole bunch of nutritional information about maple syrup as a natural sweetner!

Dig in!