Girl on Bike

End of week 2 at the farm in photos

2011-12-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

"Farm Day"

Pulling Weeds

Dan cutting Comfrey

The Kitchen & The Clubhouse

One of 8 resident cats on the property

Paths lined with papaya trees

Jungle Huts

Our outdoor shower

Cacao pod

Soursop - taste like sour candy

Where we grow our veggies

Thimble Berry

Christmas Eve at the beach

"Red Sands"

Hiding in a cave while the rain passed by

Christmas morning treats

Last night of Hanukkah Latke prep

Latkes with guacamole

End of week one on the "farm"

2011-12-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

The past few days I have been taking tons of pictures documenting our time here. Then...I realized the memory card wasn't in the camera :( wah wah

We finally made it out to the beach. The BEACH! In DECEMBER! The sun was out & the water was so warm. Somehow we magically didn't get burned. It was pretty great playing in the water. One of those "feel like a kid again" moments that lasted for quite a few moments. Ocean water that is warm enough to get right in to without cringing is so indescribably wonderful. I can't wait to make it out to the beach again.

I REALLY wish I had a bike out here. It is not very fun having to rely on hitchhiking to get around. Some people seem to have great luck with us but Dan and I don't seem to be those people. With all the moisture in the air apparently bikes (and everything else) break down pretty quickly. Our computer, ebook reader, and cell phone all have a bit of trouble as well. Sometimes they freak out a bit or wont even turn on. This causes some delays in updates but I'll keep at it.

My job on the farm is mainly baking. The farm has a farm stand where they sell various fruits, coffee, breads, candies, jams, & hot sauces almost all made here on the farm. Sometimes I help make the other products, work the farm stand, or help clean up as well. It's nice to mix it up a bit.

Being a punctual girl, "Island Time" is a bit hard for me to grasp. There have been a few times where someone has told me something like "we will be leaving in about 20 minuets". I now know this actually means an hour and a half. This, I don't much like. I have noticed myself slowing down a bit though. I walk slower, take more naps, take longer to clean up, and just move a little slower in general. I think its just because I actually have the time to do these things.

The food situation is interesting. The kitchen here is stocked better than our kitchen at home. There are regular items they buy every week and we are allowed to make special requests as well. All these things that Dan and I consider special occasion or every now and then foods are always in stock here. I have to make sure to resist the urge to have cream cheese on my bagels every morning. We have been chowing down on all the fruits our little hearts desire. Smoothies, fruit & veggie juices (we have a juicer here) , fresh fruits, it's wonderful! The other residents here are really good cooks too. We have many communal dinners. I am loving the break from cooking and getting to taste other peoples creations. Some amazing things have filled our plates since we've been here.

Alright, I've got the memory card in my camera. I promise more pictures next post.

WWOOF-ing in Hawaii

2011-12-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

I'm in Hawaii!
Maui to be a bit more specific. Dan and I have decided to skip winter this year and head for the tropics. We will be WWOOF-ing for the next three months at a small farm in Maui. Today is day 4 and I think we made the right choice when we choose this particular farm. I am very excited for the months ahead.

Our first night in Maui we were lucky enough to stay with friends of friends. They were so amazing and we are so grateful for their help. We really didn't want to attempt hitching the Hana Highway at night. They picked us up from the airport, cooked us dinner & breakfast, & gave us a comfortable room & bed to sleep in. So much more than we would have ever expected.

The second day we had some breakfast, picked some fruit, then started hitchhiking. It took 3 hours but someone finally picked us up. We had a lot of locals drive past us holding up their thumb & index finger (like when you are saying "a little bit"). After about the 4th time we worked out that they were telling us they were only going a short distance and that it must be a well known symbol around these parts.

Dan with our Hana sign

The ride to the farm was winding, long, & rainy but we arrived in one piece. Everyone at the farm has made us feel welcome. Our work/trade hours are minimal and we have plenty of time to explore. In exchange for our hours we get free room & board which includes a nicely stocked kitchen & all the tropical fruit we can eat.

Our cabin at the farm

Ocean view from our cabin

The mosquitoes have gone nuts feasting on my poor arms & legs but I expected no different. I knew what I was getting in to and have gone in to town today for some anti itch cream. Dan is getting bitten pretty bad as well though hes attempting the" stay covered up at all times" tactic. It's hot and I love to feel the breeze so I am choosing to endure the bites. Everyone here on the farm is telling me your body gets used to it after a few weeks and the bites stop itching and swelling nearly as much. It's so awesome here I'm willing to wait out the discomfort & slather on my anti itch cream for now.

Just a fraction of my mosquito bites

I'll try to get on every few days with pictures & updates. Have a good winter everyone, I know I will :)

Leafs, bikes, & explosions

2011-11-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about riding my bike in Autumn, is the leaves in the streets & pathways.

I like to pretend they are targets and my bike is armed with a laser. As I run over them, the crunch of the leaf is the explosion of my laser hitting the target.

Sign the petition to help pass Cottage Food Laws in California

2011-11-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

I got this email from one of the folks over at SELC and wanted to pass it on to all of you. Currently 23 states have Cottage Food Laws. The most recent states to enact these laws are Arizona, Arkansas, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, & Florida. Help make the cottage food laws a reality in California.

"The Sustainable Economies Law Center is launching the Cottage Food for California campaign!

As part of a growing movement to localize food systems and stimulate small-scale food production, we are proposing that the California State Legislature allow for the sale of certain home-made food products, namely: baked goods (but with no cream or meat fillings), jams and jellies, candy, granola and other dry cereal, popcorn, waffle cones and pizzelles, nut mixes, chocolate covered non-perishables (such as nuts and dried fruit), roasted coffee, dry baking mixes, herb blends, and dried tea.

To sign the petition, go to
http://www.theselc.org/cottage-food-laws/

They need support to make this happen!"

Feeling Fall

2011-10-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've really been feeling fall these past few days. I'm getting excited for my small ways of celebrating Samhain (like decorating my mantel with dried leafs, sticks, & spent seed pods).

Of course, I've also been focusing on preserving my fall harvest in jams, sauces, ferments, etc. I have herbs hung all around the laundry room and have started gathering containers to store everything in.

And the swaps, OH THE SWAPS! Last weekend two big fall swaps were scheduled: Fall Plant Swap, & Fall Homemade Food Swap. Unfortunately, I am in the middle of a flu that has pulled me right back to childhood with its intensity. I was forced to miss both of my highly anticipated swaps. :(

I hope you all are enjoying fall, what ever that looks like in your neck of the woods.

Putting Up My Fall Harvest - Canning Tomato Sauce

2011-10-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much experience with canning. My mother is a "Master Food Preserver" so I haven't had to learn how to do it myself. I just pick up a bag full of jams, pickles, & sauces every time I go for a visit. But she lives far and I decided it was time to stop being lazy and get a little bit deeper in to practicing what I preach.

Those lovely jars of pasta sauce up there. That's all me! I got a bunch of tomatoes at the crop swap last weekend so I did a harvest of my own and joined them with the ones for the swap. I was SURE it would be enough for 4 or 5 jars of pasta sauce. Obviously I had never made pasta sauce for canning before. Those 2 jars are all my millions of tomatoes gave me, but I'm sure they are two amazingly delicious jars of sauce. Hopefully I'll get my hands on some more tomatoes soon and make another batch.

Traditionally, you remove the seeds & skin when making pasta sauce. I think that is a huge waste of both time and nutrients. Instead, I just ran all my tomatoes through a blender, skin, seeds, & all. I then sauteed up some onions & garlic in olive oil, added rosemary, the tomato puree, basil, & parsley. A pinch or two of salt and let the whole thing simmer till it was the thickness I desired.

I'm no expert, so I don't want to give any instructions for canning but there is a TON of information online. A quick search will turn up more info then you could ever look through.

My Backyard Crop Swap Haul

2011-10-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today was the second of our newly started Backyard Crop Swaps that happen at the Phat Beets N. Oakland Satruday Market. These swaps happen the FIRST Saturday of every month. Last month was our first one and I came home with an impressive spread of fruits & veggies. This time was even better with more people showing up and a wider range of items.
I brought a bunch of mullein (for teas), culinary sage, Vietnamese cilantro, tree collards, & baskets of garden huckleberries.

I came home with all this:

From the top:
Large bag of dried stinging nettle
oyster mushrooms
summer squash
curly parsley
figs
tomatoes
large zucchinis
eggs
mint
Jerusalem artichokes
hot peppers
peppino melon
purple potatoes
and green beans.

And I didn't have to spend a dime!
Eating well and healthy is totally possible when you can get your community together to share their resources. With events like these swaps everyone who participates benefits. Like me, you can turn your bumper crop (even if it's just herbs you grow in pots on your porch) in to wide variety of produce.
I'm off to turn all those tomatoes in to some pasta sauce. More on that later :)

Getting Hyper Local This Weekend

2011-09-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Come out to the N. Oakland Farmers Market Saturday Sept. 24th for an afternoon of fresh local produce and handmade goods.

East Bay Arts Collective will be setting up a group show with some amazing vendors selling locally made goods including: bags, clothing, jewelry, homegoods, kids items, fine art, accessories, homemade snacks, and more.

Phat Beets farmers market has a wonderful selection of pesticide free produce vendors with a focus on affordability. $1.50lb peaches anyone?

Come shop for some great local produce then browse the EBAC Craft Fair and support some amazing local artists and crafters.

Phat Beets Farmers Market

5717 Market St.

Oakland, CA

Facebook Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161854123897066

Healthier Homemade Cheese Crackers

2011-09-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for a camping trip, so the day today was spent preparing food to take with us. We will have to hike in all our food which means lots of dehydrator action to save some weight. Currently I have 8 trays going full of lentil stew with garden veggies, peanut butter kix snack bars, blackberry apple peach fruit leather, and fruit chunks for oatmeal breakfasts. I only made one thing today that caught some oven time... Homemade Cheese Crackers!
Dan and I love cheese crackers and they make the perfect savory snack for camping trips. I decided this time around to health them up a bit so I threw in some whole wheat flour and ground flax seeds. These bad boys still have a good amount of butter, and of course cheese so they are not the healthiest snack. But, they are made with whole wheat flour and flax, so you can feel just a little bit better about that extra handful.

Healthier Homemade Cheese Crackers
1 cup Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice
1/2 cup butter cold, cut into cubes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
fresh or dried herbs of your choice (thyme, marjoram, basil, rosemary, etc.)
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well incorporated. Slowly add cold water one tablespoon at a time till dough comes together. Separate dough in to two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take out one ball of dough and roll out to about 1/8 inch. Use a small cookie/garnish cutter or cut in to roughly 1 inch squares. Repeat with the other ball of dough. Bake for 15 min. Let cool, then enjoy!

Locally Made Finds & Food Trucks...August 19th

2011-08-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I will be at this tomorrow!

Check out the event page on Facebook!

The East Bay Arts Collective will be getting together a select group of artists for a Trunk Show & Open Studio in Temescal.

This event will be going on during the same time and just a block away from Bites off Broadway http://www.bitesoffbroadway.com/ so you can spend your Friday night eating some of the Bay Area's best food truck fare while browsing some amazing handmade utilitarian artwork by east bay artists.

Shop home-wares, jewelry, accessories, paper products, and gifts.
All handmade right here in the East Bay!

Featured artists:
By Lee Design
http://www.etsy.com/shop/byleedesign

Meta Light
http://www.etsy.com/shop/metalight?ref=pr_shop_more

Dawn Kathryn Studio
http://www.etsy.com/shop/DawnKathrynstudio

Girl on Bike
http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlonbike

Mayene
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mayene

Enchanting Stamps
http://www.etsy.com/shop/EnchantingStamps

Misfit Yarns
http://ladylazarusplath.etsy.com/

Mangosteen Jewelry
http://mangosteenjewelry.etsy.com/

Kalika Designs
http://www.etsy.com/shop/kalikadesigns

Healing Acne With Simplicity

2011-08-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

As each year passes I move more and more down the path to simplicity. Each step seems to ease a small load off my back and clear just a little bit of my mind. I document some of my steps here but most I choose not to. This next one wasn't going to be one I shared, but the results have been great and I'd love to pass this on in case it could help anyone else out there.

I have acne. I'm 27 and it still plagues my face. The second puberty hit the little beasts arrived, and they haven't gone away since. Until recently there hasn't been much that has offered any relief either. I have religiously washed my face every morning, and every night for just about as long as I could remember. I've even had friends comment on their amazement of my ability to make it a priority even after a night of drinking and staying out late (something which is no longer part of my life). Instead of crashing right to bed and passing out, I always made sure to wash my face and drink as much water as I could stomach first.

It never occurred to me that all this washing could be part of the problem. Though the years I moved from nasty paraben filled toxic concoctions to more "healthy" brands of cleaners. My first breakthrough came when I thought "maybe my skin is just sensitive" so I started trying ultra calming soothing cleansers and moisturizers. I saw a slight improvement and thought I was on to something. Then I went to visit my sister. She lives states and an expensive plane flight away so I rarely get to see her. While visiting her she casually mentioned during one of my face washing fits that she never washed her face. It struck me as amazing! He face is a beautiful porcelain, seemingly perfect. I just assumed other factors were at play...she got the "good" genes, her body chemistry changed after giving birth, she had found the perfect combo of foods that works just right for her body.
I filed this knowledge away and continued washing my face. Slowly I started meeting more and more people who simply never wash their faces. "I just throw a little water on my face every now and then" or "I only wash when I shower...which is about once a week". Once a week??? I had been washing mine 14 times a week!

Finally my curiosity got to me and I decided to give it a shot. With very little confidence and bracing myself for it to "get worse before it gets better", I began simply wiping my face with a wet washcloth (cold water) every morning and night. If needed, I still added moisturizer. Even if I had put on makeup that day, all my face received was a cold washcloth wipe down. Once or twice a week, when I showered I would wash with an ultra gentle cleanser. You know what happened??? My face NEVER "got worse before it got better", it just got better!

This is an ongoing process of course, but at this point I'm no longer washing, even in the shower. No cleansers touch my face, just water. I've even moved from store bought moisturizers to an amazing homemade one using coconut oil infused with calendula (grown right here in my front yard).

This small act alone has made my skin smoother than I ever thought possible, dramatically improved my acne problem, dropped two expensive items from my shopping list, stopped a trail of energy use and waste, saved me a little time everyday, and given me just a few less things to worry about. I really wish I would have tried this sooner!

I'm not going to show you before and after photos. It would be impossible to give an accurate representation of something that is constantly in flux. And I don't want to give the impression that my face is magically cured and will never have a pimple again. They still show up, but a lot less often and they seem to heal a lot quicker now too (I think that's due to the calendula). I just wanted to share this and let people know there are other options. Other things you can try beyond just buying more products and hoping that the next one will work. As time passes I grow more and more convinced that letting everything in life go as naturally as possible seems to give the best results.

New Grips

2011-08-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to give in and actually purchase new grips. (some of my previously homemade grips: HERE)

Fun with Nasturtiums

2011-07-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Nasturtiums pretty much grow like weeds here in California. Most people know these edible flowers have a nice spicy flavor that make a great addition to salads. But there are other things you can do with them as well. The whole plant is edible: flowers, young seeds, leafs and stalks. Here are a couple of other options for putting nasturtiums to use in your kitchen.:

I headed out around my neighborhood with bags in hand and collected both flowers and young seed pods.

Wild overgrown bush of nasturtiums

These flowers grow everywhere. I wondered around and collected from about 5 different patches in my neighbors front yards.

Young seed pods

The seed pods grow in clusters of 3. You want to pick them when they are still green. As soon as they start to get tiny red spots or turn yellow its too late. They will be be woody and not very palatable.

I ended up with a full bag of flowers and just enough seed pods to fill a small jar.

The first thing I made was "Poor Mans Capers". Real capers are the seed pod of the caper bush, however, nasturtium seed pods taste remarkably similar when pickled. I used the lacto-fermentation method of pickling for these.

Poor Man's Capers (lacto-fermented)
Young Nasturtium Seed Pods (enough to fill your jar with 1/2 inch space at the top)
zest from one lemon
1 small onion cut in to slices
clove of garlic cut in to 2-4 pieces
bay leaf ripped in half
3 or 4 small sprigs of thyme
about 6 pepper corns
1tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients (minus the salt) together in a bowl then empty in to your jar. The goal is to have the flavorings spread out somewhat evenly. Sprinkle in the salt then fill with water up to the top. Put cap on jar then shake well to dissolve the salt. Uncap the jar, place inside a dish (to catch any liquid that might spill over), then top with a plastic bag filled with just enough water to seal off the entire opening of the jar. Make sure all organic material is under water and not touching air. Let sit to lacto-ferment for 6 days. You should see a good amount of bubbles forming and the liquid should smell sour.
You can use these capers the same way you can use the real deal. The only difference is these ones will cost you next to nothing, be hyper local, handmade, and great for your digestion.

The next thing I made was a quick tasty dressing/sauce using the nasturtium flowers.

Nasturtium Flower Dressing/Sauce

6 cups of loose nasturtium flowers (or one produce bag full)

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup apple-cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

1/4 cup water

Place all ingredients in blender and process till smooth.

This is a super basic recipe. Feel free to play with the ingredients. Add herbs from your garden, try a different type of oil/vinegar, or add other edible flowers. Each new ingredient will change the flavor just a little bit. Mess around till you find your perfect combo.

I used this sauce as a flavoring for a vegetable quinoa dish I made (below). I love the bright orange color and could imagine using this as a salad dressing, sauce on meat, or dip.

Quinoa with garden vegetables and Nasturtium dressing

GoB Earrings won East Bay Express Best of the Bay for 2011

2011-07-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

My Recycled Bike Tube Earrings won the 2011 East Bay Express award for
"Best Recycled Products Made Locally."
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/readers-poll-winners-goods-and-services/BestOf?oid=2928576&keywords

It was such a wonderful surprise to get that email last night. Thanks so much to everyone who voted for me.

I've been working on some new styles that are heading out to stores now. I hope you love them!

If you are interested in getting a pair, my online shop has free shipping to everyone in the United States no matter how many you purchase!

Experiments in Lacto-Fermentation

2011-07-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I've been unconsciously adding more and more fermented & living foods in to my diet lately. It started with Kombucha, added Milk Kefir, and now I'm experimenting with Lacto-Fermented foods.

I first learned about lacto-fermentation sometime last fall. My local farmers market hosts free workshops every Saturday. This particular Saturday they were doing a marathon of workshops on all types of fermenting. I had never heard of lacto-fermentation before and was intrigued. It took a while before I actually tried it though.

The process is simple, uses basically no energy, and creates a raw, living, food with some very nice digestive benefits.

Lacto-fermentation in process. Pickling my garden veggies.

Here's what you do:
Gather the vegetables you would like to pickle. In the picture here I used runner beans, carrots, and summer squash. You can use anything you would normally pickle (cucumbers, beets, cauliflower, etc.) Cut everything up to fit the size of the jar you are using.
Gather flavoring items for your pickles (pepper corns, dill, garlic, celery seed, thyme, oregano, etc)
Pack everything in to your jar as tightly as possible. The goal is to have it so tight that nothing can move or float up.
Pour a mix of salt and water over everything till the jar fills. You want it to be approx. 1 tbsp salt for each cup of water.
The most important part is to make sure none of your organic matter is touching air. The water level needs to be above all the veggies & flavorings and you need to have something to weigh everything down so it won't float up and touch the air. Some people use actual weights, I use a plastic bag with water in it. Just put enough water in so the bag/water will sit inside the lip of the jar sealing off the jar from any air.

Your pickles should be ready in about 6-7 days. If you use a little of the juice from a previous batch it will be ready even sooner (about 4 days). Look for the bubbles, you know it working right when you see lots of happy bubbles forming.

***If you would like your pickles to be extra crunchy put your veggies in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for a few hours before starting the fermentation process. You can also put a grape leaf in the jar with your pickles while fermenting to help keep everything crunchy.

For more info check out these links:
http://www.simplebites.net/lacto-fermentation-an-easier-healthier-and-more-sustainable-way-to-preserve/
http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-lacto-fermented-vegetables/
http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com/2009/03/lacto-fermented-foods-for-kids-15-tips.html

The Grey Areas Of Made At Home Food Laws.

2011-07-05T22:25:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I attended a small meeting of local food activists put on by the Sustainable Economies Law Center. We discussed the state of food laws regarding the legality of sharing, trading, & selling homemade foods, as well as what laws we would like to see pass here in California. The SELC really has their stuff together. They have been doing research for months on laws that have passed in other states and have worked hard to come up with a plan of attack.

Legal Intern Kelly Densmore and Co-Director Janelle Orsi from the Sustainable Economies Law Center’s wrote this great article for Shareable.net that I wanted to share with you all.

http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-shareable-food-movement-meets-the-law

"“The Underground Food Movement” has become a thing lately. It’s a foodie’s utopia in Oakland these days...But this movement goes deeper than its sheer yumminess. We thrive on food. When we share in efforts to grow, process, prepare, and serve food, we greatly enhance our abilities to eat well, provide for ourselves, and build livelihoods around food. Sharing food is particularly important during hard economic times and many small food projects develop out of unemployment.

The realm of shareable food is flourishing with community meal sharing, potlucks, gift-economy restaurants, community food growing projects, food swap events, pop-up stores, stone soup gatherings, food-buying cooperatives, goat-sharing, chicken cooperatives, events like The Big Lunch, and so on...

Now picture all of this food sharing activity on a spectrum. At the private and personal end, we eat a homemade meal with our family. At the public and commercial end, we get chicken nuggets from the drive-thru window at a chain restaurant. Somewhere in between is a point at which our society has decided to impose protections and regulations."

Read the full article here: http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-shareable-food-movement-meets-the-law

Using egg shells in the garden

2011-06-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

We have 3 chickens. We also have 6 people who live in our collective household, so we tend to go through a fair amount of eggs every week. Whole or cracked egg shells generally do not compost well. When we harvest our worm bin we often notice a few things like egg shells, seeds/pits, & avocado skins still in tact. We've tried to start seeds in egg shells but the plants always seem to get root bound way too quickly so I don't recommend doing it. Always looking for diy hacks, Dan & I did a little research and found some great ways to use up those egg shells and actually get some benefit from it as well.

Here are a few tricks for using egg shells to help improve your garden:

-Deter slugs, snails, and cutworms. Loosely crush up egg shells in to small pieces (like in the img to the right). Sprinkle these pieces in a thick ring around the base of young tender plants to deter harmful pests like slugs, snails, & cutworms. These guys don't like crawling their tender bodies over the sharp shells.

-Add ground shells to the bottom of planting holes for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. This gives the plans a nice dose of calcium which helps stop the blossom end rot that can commonly affect these crops.

-Give your chickens the extra calcium they need to make their own strong egg shells. Add a small amount of ground up egg shells to your chickens food about once a week to help them produce stronger shells on their eggs. This is especially helpful during the summer months when chickens are laying at their peak.

- Put lightly broken egg shells (roughly half pieces) in the bottom of plant pots instead of rocks for drainage. The egg shells are lighter than rocks and allow for more air flow in the soil. They will also very slowly break down and give your plant some nutrients over time.

-Add finely crushed sells directly in your compost bin. Make sure you crush them up very well or grind them in to a powder. This will help add calcium in to the soil you will use in your garden next year.

* To grind up my eggs I use an old coffee grinder I got at a thrift store. This grinder is dedicated specifically to grinding spices, oats, nuts, etc. When I grind the egg shells in it I always make sure to clean it out very well, though a little egg shell powder won't hurt you.

Tiny Garden Treasures

2011-06-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Trades! How I've been feeding myself with almost no money.

2011-06-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been doing a lot of trades. Most specifically, food items for food items, though not strictly.

GF Corn Bread w/green chili

I'm sure you all know about my swap events by now (if not check out the tabs above). These trades are a little different. They are one on one trades that I set up though various websites with other food lovers and frugals like myself.
My latest trade for example: I received gluten free cornbread for some kefir grains.

It can be tricky at first, I mean, what value does something handmade actually have? What is a fair trade? Their are lots of things to consider and you can really get in to creating a "price" for your items. But truthfully, it all comes down to comfort. What are you comfortable trading your items for? Is the other person comfortable as well? If so, then, Hey! You've got yourself a trade. Don't be afraid to counter offer as well. If you think you really should get one more jar of jam for that truckload of kale then say so.

As for venues for seeking out trades...I have a few tricks up my sleeve and use them all.

Peach Ginger Jam

*First, I use this Bay Area specific website dedicated to people who love growing, raising, foraging, and cooking their own food. http://www.foundfruit.com/
This site has various groups you can join (or create). One of these groups is a backyard fruit/veggie exchange group. I have gotten some great trades from this group including a large bottle of apricot wine in exchange for a small Nanking Cherry plant! It also has some great event listings (you can even add your own) for food, health, and sustainability related events in the Bay Area. It's a fun site to explore.

*Next, craigslist! Craigslist has a barter section. As with everything else you do on craigslist, for some reason it seems to produce a lot of flakes. Every now and then people come through though and you can get some great trades on craigslist.

*Facebook. A friend of mine (and one of my favorite people to swap with) started a trade group on facebook and added all her friends. In turn, everyone interested added all their friends who they thought might be interested in trades. The group has about 120 people currently and I've gotten some great trades from it. My major sweet tooth was sated with a trade of 2 pairs of my bike tube earrings for 5 dozen amazing organic, healthy, & tasty cookies. Another trade, I got two jars of pickled veggies, and a jar of peach ginger jam for some of my kombucha, chard, lambs quarters, and a kefir grain.

*Local Food Swap Network. I started a once a season food swap event which has been a huge hit. It has also hooked me up with hundreds of food minded people in the bay area. Every now and then I reach out to these people for trades outside of the once a season large events for smaller more personal trades.

The trick to all this is that you need to have something people want. Either an item, service, or skill people are actually looking for or would enjoy having. If you are not a gardener or baker think about your other talents. What do you do for a living? Is it something people would be interested in trading for? Do you make things? Know how to give massages? Build websites? Sew? Can you give guitar lessons? It can be almost anything.

Here is an example of my current "I have to swap" list:
*Peach Ginger Kombucha
*Kombucha scoby
*Milk Kefir Grains
*Lambs quarters (similar to spinach)
*Chard
*Fava Beans (shelled & frozen)
*Succulent Cuttings (various)
*veggie & herb starts (Yarrow, Butter lettuce, stupice, green zebra, & yellow pear tomato, Broage, Marigolds, Russian tarragon, Cilantro, Tree collards)
*Recycled Bike Tube Earrings (http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlonbike)
*Homemade deodorant (Tea Tree or Rose scented)
*Worms (for making vermicompost)

Start looking around your house & compile a list of things you have to trade. You might be surprised at what gets offered up to you. You might also be lucky enough to meet some really nice like minded folks.

Tomato based Italian style pickles

Young Boys Speech After Learning How To Ride A Bike...AMAZING!

2011-06-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

This is so cute I had to share. This little boy just got his first taste of freedom & self empowerment.

White Chocolate, Coconut, & Fig Cookies

2011-05-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful little collective household has two new members currently in the process of moving in. These two lovely girls brought with them some tasty additions to our "shared food" cabinet which inspired me to get baking. Always a sucker for sweets, I immediately scooped up the white chocolate chips they brought and came up with an amazing new cookie recipe to share with the house.

I took my Lighter Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and made it even healthier by dropping some of the fat and sugar. This meant I needed to adjust the cook time and temp a bit as well.

White Chocolate, Coconut, & Fig Cookies

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup oats

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp stevia

1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup dried coconut

1/2 cup chopped or ground dried figs (I coarsely ground mine)

Preheat oven to 350
Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in another bowl or food processor (if you use a bowl make sure your coconut oil is liquid). Pour wet mix over dry and mix well. Form in to balls then press flat on to a greased pan. Bake for 10-12 min. Let cool and enjoy!

Front Yard Makeover Progression Pics

2011-05-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

We have slowly but surly been working on the front yard. When we first moved in there was more cement than we would have liked, a giant Camellia bush/tree and a whole lotta grass. Here are some pictures of our progression so far:

Here is a not so great picture of what our front yard looked like when we first moved in.

First we tore out the strip of cement on the right. Then planted some fruit trees & artichokes

Then Dan built some awesome raised beds & trellises out of redwood we got for free on craigslist. We planted more!

The large camellia came out and we put in a sign for Bike Man Dan, Peach & Mulberry Trees & PLANTED MORE!

Huckleberries, Marigolds, Onions...

Scarlet Runner Beans

Porch O'Pots

Succulents from the Plant Swap

Bike Month Cycling Cap Giveaway WINNER!

2011-05-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

The winner of my Bike Month Cycling Cap Give Away is......DIESEL!

His response:
"This is all new to me. I've never rode bikes (with a passion) until yesterday. But this has been a year of firsts for me (beat cancer,changing careers, planning a move west). I've always been active, but due to a recent knee injury that required surgery, running is now out of the question. I fell in love with the soothing rhythm of pedaling this winter in physical therapy which I completed last week. So yesterday, armed with my new jones I marched into our local grass roots bike shop and rode about 20 bikes of all styles and shapes. I ended up buying a very simple one speed bike that spoke to me because of it's purity of purpose, which incidentally I realized this morning, works as a perfect metaphor for me in this new chapter of my life. So what does that have to do with bike month and the super cool hat your kindly offering up? Well, as May will be my first month with my new bike, and my new love of bikes it seemed fitting and I promise to pass on this new love I have to people in this very bike unfriendly midwest city. But truth be told, the real reason is: I have a head of hair that after 40 years of good service has finally begun to call it quits and that hat is SO stinking cool."

That last line won me over :) I am glad to see you have have come through such trying times and have found a new love in cycling.

Diesel, email me (about me page) with your address and I'll get that hat sent right over.
(if I don't hear from Diesel by June 25th I will select a new winner)