Finding food a little closer to home

It's Prince Henry in the movie Ever After who tells Danielle,

I used to think that if I cared about anything, I would have to care about everything, and I'll go stark raving mad. But, now I have found a purpose.

There are times on this journey of ours when I share his sentiment. Admittedly, I still find myself laughing at some of the people I meet or hear about - the extremists, or perhaps the ones who are simply further on the journey than I am, the ones who are so committed to their quest for health and well-being that they are seemingly in another world.

I think I felt this way as I read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and considered her family's commitment to only eat local produce and food for a year. The thought of rhubarb being the only fruit for a period of time in one's diet seemed ludicrous (especially with toddlers!). Yet, as I considered her challenge and thought more, it started to make sense, until I tried to figure out what it would look like in my own family and I headed towards the "stark raving mad" end of the spectrum.

What I'm learning in this process is to glean bits and pieces from each of these journeys that work for our family, as best as I can, utilizing the resources I have, or the ones available to me. But, as I crawl further down this proverbial rabbit hole, I am realizing just how far our society, and myself along with it, has fallen to convenience.

In our attempt to find food closer to our home, I have been doing the following:

• growing a LARGE garden with a friend. Hard work (weeding!) is always easier with a friend.  We each have two toddlers, so finding the time to spend in the garden is not always easy with the four of them racing about - our onions are looking a little sorry thanks to their trampling efforts. But we are working with it, and some times even recruit our husbands to play with the kids while we work our garden. That being said, the time spent together has been good and the yield has been satisfying and fun - so far we have enjoyed peas, lettuce, tomatoes beans, potatoes, carrots, onions and rhubarb. We have planted some berry bushes too, which will hopefully yield fruit in future years.

Garden pano from earlier in the season. I'm standing in the potatoes.

Garden pumpkin - harvested early because of the threat of frost!

• asking friends who have fruit trees and bushes in their gardens if they're using them or not. We scored a tub of apples (for pies and smoothies) and these plum/cherry (there's a bit of a debate able what they are!) that we are  going to can. The girls inhaled these as we were washing and de-stemming them!

Mysterious plum/cherry. The debate rages on!

• shopping our local farmer's market - this is hard as I need to still form relationships and figure out exactly what I am buying, as at one of the booths I spied the same MANGOES that I bought from the store the other day. Um, not local farmers. Our market also sustains itself with "home party" type goods, so we're working on it.... Meat seems to be our must successful thus far, but we're slowly adding other food, as we are also trying to build relationships with others in the area - unpasteurized honey from a friend I was in Bible study with a few years ago, a local producer who grows tomatoes and peppers without pesticides (especially since those are on the Dirty Dozen List), having sourced chicken from some family friends; we "grow" our own steers in the pasture, and we are very fortunate because my husband is able to hunt and fish which provides us with wild game and fish. 

12 eggs from this week's market - for $3.00! I love the different sizes & colours!

• and finally, checking out options such as The Green Pantry who deliver to our area. I might have some more success in finding what I'm looking for through them - though some of their items still travel a LONG distance because we're rural and in a northern climate. But, I really appreciate that they have a link on their site called Our Producers where I can read about who is growing/making the food and where it is coming from before it hits our table.

Starry-eyed

This is a gorgeous photo.

I must admit, night-time photos give me a special thrill. More than most. I think it's because there is something mysterious and beautiful and elusive about the night sky. Whether it is the northern lights, the moon, the milky way... or some of the International Space Station.  But as with all things worthwhile, these images require learning, patience and practice. Ah yes, patience and practice :)

MEC mail

These arrived this week!

I was SO excited to get this package in the mail from MEC - I was pretty pumped to try these items on too.

Since I'm pregnant for the third time in as many years, and the last few days have been HOT (plus 30C, and at many points, without a breeze) ... I was looking for some new options and some cooler options since I fear I'm sweating from every part of my body.... I was lucky my last two pregnancies have been in an air conditioned house, and I strangely don't remember feeling so hot ;) 

So here's what arrived:

MEC AMANITA SHORTS (WOMEN'S) - in dark slate

• These were my most expensive purchase - $29.99 for some SHORT SHORTS ... but, it was the reviews that sold them on them, and so far they are living up to them (I'm wearing them as I write this review). They are stretchy and comfy, and seem to breathe well.  I'll update this on another super hot day, but for now, I am very happy with my new shorts! I usually fit a size 6 for jeans, but ordered a size 8 for the shorts, and they fit me while I'm pregnant. They have a stretchy waist-band and a draw-string, so I think this helps. Based on the fabric, etc, I think they'll fit fine once I'm no longer sporting a baby bump.

MEC NIKKI TANK TOP (WOMEN'S) - in both starfish/sleet and black/starfish

• I'm updating my tank top collection as I wear one daily, often under other shirts to ensure appropriate length and cover, and sometimes simply because the fabric of other shirts feels too thin. They fulfill both purposes well. These are both racer-back style tanks, so I will have to wear the appropriate underwear with them, however for the same price as other tank tops I've purchased in the past (they were on clearance), I am very happy with the quality - the fabric seems nice and thick, yet still breathable. I ordered size SMALL, and they fit, but still have room.

MEC SHORT-SLEEVE TEE SHIRT (WOMEN'S) - in dark plum-arbutus stripe

• Probably not the colour I would usually go for, but it fits beautifully. I'm looking forward to wearing a new shirt for a change as my pregnancy wardrobe hasn't had a lot of updating....  This shirt is stretchy enough that it should double as a nursing-top too when the time comes. I ordered size MEDIUM, and it covers up nicely. 

I am thrilled with my purchases' - both their quality and sizing. 

While the labels list "made in India" and "made in China", based upon my research of MEC and their policies, I am feeling confident that they have taken efforts to ensure those who were involved in the manufacturing process were treated fairly and paid accordingly.  It also made my day to spy this little tag attached to my new t-shirt:

I paid a little more for this purchase than I would have in the past, but as I we are working towards a goal here, I think the end goal of a more ethical wardrobe is achievable. That being said, it will likely be a capsule wardrobe in order to afford the new pieces... but, I think that fits well with my goals this year.

**I paid for my clothing and have NOT received compensation from MEC in any form for this post. 

Buycott vs. Boycott

This year has been a journey.

Since reading Notes from a Blue Bike back in January, I can't help but shake the ideas that Tsh presents. It has shaped my year in so many ways - which will hopefully become more and more evident on my blog about intentionality.

Check out her website!

One of the many ideas I keep returning to is that "the beautiful thing about living a slower, richer life is that you can impact others in the most surprising ways" (212).  I've struggled with inferiority in this sense - thinking that there's no way I can "change the world".  In recent months, I'm realizing that I can, just not how I once thought...

Ann Voskamp takes some of these ideas in a very personal direction in the prologue, "to realize that the real hidden cost of everything you buy--is how much life it cost you to get it" (xx).  I've mulled these ideas over and over this year - realizing that it costs ME something. It costs my FAMILY something. But beyond ourselves, it costs OTHERS something - in the supply chain that gets goods to my house: from the fields to production to delivery (we live in a rural area), and many other points in between. No matter how much of a "good deal" I can score, somewhere, somehow, it has cost something and perhaps even scarier, it might just have cost someone. 

As a result of all of these new ideas, I have been looking for options for our family that are more ethical. I'm searching for ways to bring at least some of our purchasing closer to home to support our local farmers and producers. I've been researching ways to live life with more intentionality, instead of simply getting the biggest and best deal I can find. Some of those areas include:

• healthier food options, grown as close to home as possible (Thanks Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - Barbara Kingsolver!) - but we still eat bananas,
• "cleaner" skin care products, and 
• ethical clothing and other goods (toys, etc)

It was while searching for ethical clothing options in Canada that I happened upon MEC's site, and I learned the term "Buycott" -

We favour the "buycott" method of social reform over the traditional boycott method. The latter closes communication, builds fences, and in reality does little to advance human rights. Workers receive no support from the companies who boycott Chinese factories. Instead, the more effective "buycott" uses the supply chain and larger orders to reward suppliers who practice good human rights. By sourcing in China we're able to monitor factories, empower workers, and share our views with their management. -Why Do You Source from China?

I have long been a fan of MEC and their products (check out my "Travelling with Baby K" series) - but now I have some more reasons to love them, thanks to their stance on Ethical Sourcing.

And while yes, we are only one family, we "do life" with many other families. I have this blog. We do in fact have voices within this world - perhaps voices that carry a little further than I once realized. We can use our buying decisions to BUYCOTT instead of BOYCOTT, and hopefully encourage those around us to do the same. 

You've Got Mail

Does anyone else still get excited to receive ACTUAL mail these days?  With most "mail" these days being bills and flyers (yay for being a grown-up!) a letter, or postcard, or package most definitely cause me to break out into a happy dance best only seen by my family.

I'm anxiously awaiting packages in the mail ... and according to tracking one of them should be here TODAY! Cue awkward dance moves (think Elaine from Seinfeld)....

Inspiration

As an INFP (more on this later), I find myself dreaming all the time... and when I come across posts like this, I lose myself for a long-while:

This is How Photoshop Artist Erik Johansson Creates His Mind-Bending Images

I think I could get lost in his "Endless Stories" image for the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation over and over again. Stunning.

H/T MCP Actions

Babies & Milk-Protein Intolerances

Being a new mom terrified me. As a type-A perfectionist, I had an almost paralyzing fear that I would "get it wrong". (I'm happy to say I'm now the mom of 2 happy and thriving daughters - I might have gotten a lot of things wrong, I'm trusting God to help me get the important stuff right!)

It was only a few weeks in with my first that I was in tears every night. My some times smiley baby would spends hours and hours screaming. The only way it seemed to calm her was to nurse her, and the crying would stop for about 20 minutes. I had no idea what was wrong or why I couldn't console her. In my sleep-deprived stupor I would try rocking her and rocking her... And nothing would work.

photo credit: marcstolz via photopin cc

What I didn't realize at the time is that she was suffering from abdominal cramps due to her gas, caused by the milk products in my diet, and more specifically the milk proteins in milk products.

My mom, thankfully, helped me realize it was gas causing the issue, and then I began the process of eliminating various foods from my diet to figure out what was causing the gas. Unfortunately when I was researching, I tried some of the usual suspects - broccoli, garlic, onions, and other veggies. 

photo credit: Philocrites via photopin cc

It was on some obscure website that I read that milk frequently causes gas in newborns, and more specifically, milk proteins (so "lactose free" products were still problematic). I went off milk and the difference was night and day. I realized very quickly that I consume a LOT of dairy products in a day - from yogurt to cheese to ice-cream to chocolate to lattes.... All culprits and all reasons I would get minimal sleep at night.

photo credit: zaveqna via photopin cc

Thus my milk-free diet began. At the time I feared it would go on forever (at least until I weened her... Though that feels like forever away when it stands between myself and chocolate!) I began taking calcium to replace what my diet was lacking (there are some green leafy veggies that can do this, however they can cause gas from time to time too).

I was fortunate, she wasn't soy intolerant, a common additional one, so I was able to use soy cheese in some of my cooking. I avoided soy milk as I found the taste quite awful compared to the real deal, unless it was in a latte. Beware with switching to soy, however, as soy contains hormones and long-term exposure is not so good. 

Over time, I learned to make (and enjoy!) brownies without chocolate chips. Meals became a bit more creative. Instead of cheesy sauces, I made a lot more tomato sauce based pastas and Chinese food.

Cheese:
-soy based cheese
-there are other options out there, but our tiny town stores don't stock them yet

Chocolate: (stash the good stuff until you can eat it again!)
-Brownies (replaced butter with margarine and no chocolate chips)
-Mix-in-a-Pan chocolate cake

Hot beverages:
-apple cider
-herbal teas
-Soy chai lattes or London Fogs (for a special treat!)

Ice-cream:
-sherbet
-sorbets (watch the label!)
-frozen banana substitutes

Meals:
-lasagna (remove my portion of noddles & meat before adding cheeses)
-pizza (sprinkle soy on my portion or individual size)
-homemade dough to make buns and cinnamon buns (their recipes often call for milk!), and also pizza crust and bread
-tomato soup with water (and toast with dried basil sprinkled on instead of cheese!)

Things to be careful of:
-pastry (often made with butter!)
-icing (butter/milk)
-"cream of"soups (often in casseroles)