Backyard Garden – Chapter 1

Since the intent of this blog is to comment on and research how to eat local in Saint John, why not talk about my garden?

Hubby & I have committed to a backyard garden.  We talked about it… more specifically: I talked about my desire for one and he didn’t argue.  And this past weekend, we committed.  We dug a hole!

We live in the south end.  We have a very small backyard.  The periphery of our backyard is overrun with invasive flowers that haven’t been tended to since 2 homeowners ago!  So on that beautiful sunny Sunday we just had, we bought some tools (hard to come by this time of year) and we pulled out everything in the back corner of the yard/garden within a 1 x 2m plot.  We turned over all the soil, which was full of worms (apparently a good sign), and plan to turn in some great fertiliser before the ground freezes and make it a raised garden in the spring.

Now the question is, do we build the wall around it now or wait until the spring?  Garden bricks are cheap now, but we are already maxing out our reno budget this month.  Ah the dilemmas…

WAIT!  More important question… what shall we plant?  I definitely want potatoes and cucumber.  I have heard that the South End is too cold for tomatoes… so I am sure squash & zucchini will thrive, and maybe carrots & peas?  I am open to suggestions!

I now eagerly await spring (for more than the obvious reasons)!  I mean, what is more local than your very own garden?

D.I.Y. Green Cleaning Products!

Ok, so this isn’t about food…  but it is about “greening” your life!

I was doing a little research on making your own household cleaning products.  I have been buying “green” cleaning products by Method and Ecolife (the ‘no name’ alternative) and they are great, but now that I have a wide variety of spray bottles & containers, I can’t seem to justify buying more.  Dumping empty bottles, even in the recycling, seems counter productive!

SO… I wanted to take a look at how I could make my own cleaning products and use the bottles I currently have.  This is what I have found so far:

Recipes courtesy of Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine:

 Lemon-scented all-purpose cleaner
1 tbsp borax
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup hot water

Mix ingredients in spray bottle (the lemon scent lingers). Use for cleaning bathroom and kitchen surfaces, as well as other water-safe surfaces. Discard any remaining cleaner and make afresh batch next time.

Toilet bowl cleaner
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda

Pour the vinegar directly into the toilet bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Sprinkle baking soda onto toilet brush and scour.  To keep bowl fresh, pour 1 cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl once a month and let stand overnight. Alternatively, pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet bowl before going to bed. In the morning, scrub and flush.

Furniture polish
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice

Mix in spray bottle. Spray liberally on wood surfaces and wipe dry.

Drain Opener
1-1/2 cups vinegar
2 tbsp baking soda

Pour the ingredients into the clogged drain. Wait 5 min, and turn on the hot water. Repeat if necessary

Polishing silver
Line a glass pan or pot with tinfoil. Add a tablespoon or two of baking soda and salt. Pour in boiling water. Leave silverware to soak. Polish with toothpaste and rinse.

Glass Cleaner
1 part vinegar
1 part alcohol
1 part water

Mix in a spray bottle and use to clean windows or any other glass, chrome and stainless steel surfaces, and tile.

Pretty easy eh?  and it is all done with stuff you already (most likely) have.  Inexpensive, and you know exactly what you are putting on your surfaces and down your drain!  Clean green. 

9 Tips to get us started…

My first foray into the online web of information on local eating lead me to a great resource: www.ecohuddle.com!  This site has a Wiki page (an online collection of articles that all users can contribute to) FULL of information on eating and cooking “green.” 

The first article I stumbled upon seemed like a fantastic place to start.  You can find the full article here http://www.ecohuddle.com/wiki/how-to-eat-local, but I thought I would post the list here for everyone to enjoy:

1. Don’t be afraid to ask where your food comes from. As much as you can, pick things that aren’t grown half way around the world.
    
2. Go to your local farmers market. Find foods like fruit and vegetables, eggs, fish, and meat!  Not only will you cut down the transportation emissions associated with your foodies, you’ll also get stuff that usually is riper AND tastes better.
    
3. Try smaller, local co-ops or ask about local food at Whole Foods.
4. Eat in season. A lot of times, we forget that every food (well, almost every food) has a season. Instead of opting for strawberries in November (assuming it’s fall for you), try an apple!
    
5. Have some fun at a you-pick farm. Many of these farms offer different berries, peaches, pumpkins, and other good stuff.
    
6. If you live on the coast, it’s likely that there are active fishers in your area. Look into either buying local, sustainably caught fish directly from fishers or from a fish market.
   
7. If you’re a meat eater, look into grass-fed (and local) options with the help of Eat Wild.
    
8. Check out Local Harvest for information on farmers market, CSAs (community supported agriculture), farms, grocery stores, and restaurants that offer local and organic food in your area.
    
9. Check out Food Routes for local food info and where to find local farms, UPick areas, fruit stands and more.

My research/experiments now have a direction!  In the next few months, I plan to tackle every item on this list and will update you on my successes (she says hopefully).  Happy eating!

I have a dream…

…and that dream is to find ways to reduce the distance it takes for my food to reach my table, to eat locally grown and produced products, and to educate others on what they can do to be more aware of what we have and make environmentally conscious choices with regards to their food.

Join me on my journey to fill my cupboards with a community conscience.