Aug
19
Researchers at Cornell University released a study that confirms what we already knew: eating local is better for the planet and better for our health. The study found that the United States food production industry uses almost as much fossil fuels as our entire fleet of automobiles. This seems impossible until you consider that it …
Aug
15
OK, the AP didn’t quite phrase it like that (read the full story on Salon.com), but when I first started canning almost ten years ago in my early twenties, I felt like the only person of my generation who was even interested. I learned much of what I know today about canning from the older …
Aug
12
This past winter, I tried hard to limit our grocery store fruit purchases to US fruit. That meant a lot of citrus from Texas and a lot of apples from Washington, which overall, was fine with us. Then, it happened. An insidious interloper appeared on the grocery store shelves. Something so seemingly-wonderful, and yet so …
Aug
07
There is nothing sweeter than home-made jam. And that’s not because it has more sugar. It’s because the fruit is fresher, the jam is less processed, and, well, because making it yourself always makes it taste better! If you are new to canning, please review Part 1 in this series, Home Canning for all the …
Aug
03
A couple of folks have asked me for a quick how-to on making jam. I realized I couldn’t jump straight into recipes & tips until I covered some basics on canning itself. What is home canning and how does it work? What do you need to get started? Do you really need to take a …
Aug
02
How can it possibly be August already? That leaves us less than 30 days to go to prepare for our year of eating locally. Granted, September is still harvest season here in Colorado, so it’s not like I have to have everything put by before the end of August, but still, the pressure is on! …
Jul
29
We get a gallon of raw milk each week from Windsor Dairy and this week, due to our camping trip, we had a little extra. So last night, I made a little over a half-gallon of milk into ricotta cheese. I keep trying to make mozzarella, and just wasn’t up to it because of the …
Jul
25
Last night, we picked up our first share of a local organic food co-op run by LoveLandLocal (and thanks to Nature Deva for telling us about it!). For a mere $120, we picked up: 10 lbs green beans 8 lbs organic peas 1 lb basil 10 lbs organic brown rice 10 lbs unbleached white flour …
Jul
03
This week, kohlrabi, the strange cabbage-cousin once again made its way into my CSA box. At first, I intended to make a slaw similar to the Kohlrabi Slaw I made last summer, but when I stopped and read my CSA’s weekly newsletter, I decided to give their Kohlrabi Salad a try. Man, am I glad …
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