There. I said it. It is now written on the internet, so it must be true. At least until the internet goes down, and when that happens buying bread will probably be one of the more minor things to worry about. Why am I pledging to never buy bread again? At a heritage like…
Category: Eating
An Amateur’s Guide to Killing Your Rooster
Au’revoir, Devon – or in French, Off With His Head! It’s interesting (but coincidental) that I haven’t written a blog post since I killed my rooster, Devon. It’s also interesting (but coincidental) that the first time I write a blog in a while is the day my new chicks hatched (another post, another story). Devon…
Curing Sweet Potatoes in a Tent!
Sweet potatoes must be one of my most favourite vegetables. This was the first year I’d had a chance to grow them; Sow True Seed kindly provided a selection of slips – All Purple Organic, O’Henry and Beauregard. The vines quickly took over the garden, sending out runners like Triffads. I didn’t realise until late on…
If sunflowers had teeth…
…then this one could have bitten my head off! I’ve read Day of the Triffids by John Wyndam and watched the BBC adaptation and it’s enough to know that I’m glad plants can’t walk (notable exception: walking onion!) and most of them are not carnivorous. Sunflowers may be one of the most anthropomorphized plants out there, a…
How To Eat Mushrooms Without Dying
I’ve just finished reading The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. It is a terrifying post-apocalypse book that made me cry on a plane before I was even half way through. It’s all the horrific tension of Cormac McCarthy’s, The Road, but with real, raw emotion. It made me dream of superflu pandemics and quarantine areas,…
How I Came To Witness The Amazing Pink Mushroom
Being a Community Relations Manager for EarthFare, Belle gets to hear about things… Belle: there’s a mushroom cultivation workshop happening. Me: when? Belle: today. Me: how much? Belle: donations. Me: you want to go? Belle: working. Me: interesting. The workshop was run by Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain and was excellent. I think most people at…
Wild Mushroom
While cycling in the woods today, Belle asked me: do you think we could survive in the woods. I said: no, we’d starve. I thought, maybe someone like Alan Muskat, the Mushroom Man, could. But I would either poison myself or, more likely, just fail to find enough edible calories. That was before I found…
Sow True Seed
I have a lot to say about this seed company, but for now, just let me give you a glimpse of the future of food: I have some digging to do…
Backyard Pesto
Some awesome post-Apocalypse skills went into this little jar of green, nutritious delight. First, allow me to rebuff the pesto purists (and Apple Mac’s internal dictionary) by telling you that pesto does not require basil and pine nuts. This is a lie told to you by capitalist grey squirrels who pay red squirrels peanuts to…
Bumper Harvest at Furman Farm
See Saved by Community Supported Agriculture
My Feta Will Last Forever
A few days ago I froze parsley, but I was concerned that it will melt, wither and die when the electricity fails. Fortunately, my feta will last forever. Forever Feta is really very easy: Into a jar, layer feta cheese, any herbs you think will taste good, pepper and chilli (if you think the post-Apocalypse…
Getting to know ‘Hen of the Woods’
I recently attended a Wild Foods Workshop at Meanwhile Back in Saluda. When Alan Muskat (popularly know as The Mushroom Man) told us we were going to have lots of conversations with the plants, I knew we’d get along. Me: hey pretty plant. Plant: hi there. Me: Chris, Chris Smith. When you say it fast…
Greens for Green Scheme
I was frustrated that the sustainability centre at Furman Farm used plastic bags to give out the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) food. Speaking to the Farm Manager revealed that it’s consumer driven. So the problem is: how to get people to bring their own bags? In England most supermarkets will now charge you for a…
Saved by Community Supported Agriculture
Buy local. Buy organic. Buy seasonal. Take a bank loan too? You’ll need one. This was my dilema when I moved to Greenville, SC. I wanted to eat the good stuff but it was a struggle to afford it. You say: Grow your own? I say: Yes, yes. I know! In time I’ll have the…