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…
Tag: food
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…
Herbs for Healthy Hens
One morning, whilst feeding the chickens their breakfast, Lacy pooped by my feet and the poop was wriggling and writhing. I’m not a scatologist, but I knew this wasn’t normal. Worms = nasty! But free ranging chickens get worms, so this isn’t the most interesting part of my story. Interesting Part of My Story: I…
Bumper Harvest at Furman Farm
See Saved by Community Supported Agriculture
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…
Homemade Refilling Egg Rack
It took our hens a long time to start laying. Lucy was the first and the event was celebrated for days. We cleared a whole shelf in the fridge just for her ‘jumbo’ egg. There was certainly no question of which egg was laid when. A few weeks later and Spacey and Lacy have caught…
Lucy’s Egg vs. Organic Free Range Supermarket Egg
Our first egg from our chickens – how does it compare to the supermarket free range eggs in the fridge? The yolk tasted as good as it looked. Very rich. I think this is because Belle keeps sneaking out and feeding the hens either grapes, apples or bananas. They love…
Garden Mushrooms
My back garden is host to a panoply of mushrooms: I wonder if any of them are edible? In all likelihood they are more dangerous than the black widow that lives on my bean planter:
Worms – Drowned. Mint – Perished. Spring Onions – Droopy. Chickens – Escaped.
I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m relying on Google and brief conversations with my worms. So in a way, I suppose this disastrous day was inevitable. I should’ve paid more attention when my parents made me water the garden at home. In no particular order: 1) My entire worm population attempted mass suicide by drowning….
How To Make Your Own Green Sprouter
I say: Every body should be growing something edible. You say: But… [insert appropriate excuse about the size/location/inconvenience of your place of residence]. I say: You should start with sprouts – anybody can do it anywhere. You say: I’m a convict in a maximum security prison. I say: Not even a small window sill? You…
Broccoli in a Wooded Raised Bed
I’m a big fan of the brassica family – the plants look awesome. In England my mum had a whole patch of purple sprouting broccoli, cabbage, sprouts and standard broccoli. It was a jungle of leaves that made you want to bite them. In fact this is exactly what happened – the pigeons ate…
Rotating Compost Bin
Belle said I can’t keep buying bags of compost. So I asked the worms, ‘What’s up with the compost production?’ Worms said, in a thousand tiny but synchronised voices, ‘Who the hell do you think we are? Some hybrid monster sandworms from Arrakis?’ ‘Jeez,’ I said. ‘Just asking.’ ‘Well,’ they said. ‘You need to lower…