Saturday, January 8, 2011

New Years Resolutions

Happy New Year 2011!

I can hardly believe another year has gone by. With a new year, I feel new excitement for the possibilities ahead to do more with local food, to get to know my community better, and to live a more sustainable life for the planet, for my pocket book, and for my well being. I find it a daily challenge that I meet with eager motivation. In the past several months, I've been reading a Barbara Kingsolver book called, Animal Vegetable Miracle. It is about a woman and her family who try and grow their own food for one whole year and their adventures along the way. As I read, most of the time I am pleasantly envious of their return-to-the-land experience. They garden, raise chickens and turkeys, make cheese, and can and preserve their food. Their evenings are spend as a family making dinner or during the day they are active and outside. Their connection to the land leaves me wondering how I can have that feeling in a city? It is possible. So here I begin with a renewal in the new year to find my way toward this way of life. Here are a few ways I plan on creating this urban homestead experience throughout the year.

  • Cook meals (so I eat out less)
  • Buy food, when possible, from local sources (farmers market, produce stands, etc).
  • Buy local, seasonal foods in bulk and preserve (so local food can be eaten throughout the year).
  • Start a garden.
  • Visit local farms.
  • Go berry picking.
  • Get involved in community groups.
  • Start potlucks with friends or neighbors.
  • Budget money (so I spend less and save more).
  • Buy staple foods in bulk (rice, beans, pasta, grains, etc) so pantry is home cooking ready.
  • Learn how to make cheese and bread.
  • Ride my bike more
  • Buy more clothes at thrift stores
  • Make my own beauty and cleaning products
  • Learn local flora and fauna
  • Go urban foraging
  • Listen to food and farming podcasts
  • Read more
  • Have canning parties
  • Compost food scraps

If any of these interest you too, take the journey with me. Cheers!

3 comments:

  1. Great resolutions! I can't wait to hear about your successes throughout the year. You go girl!

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  2. These are all great ideas, Erica. I started canning and preserving last year and I'm hoping to do a bit more next summer as we now have our garden built and ready for planting. I need to start planning that as Spring is coming soon. Yikes!

    Another idea I had is to trade extra garden goodies with neighbors/friends and/or to split large boxes with others. Last Summer I bought a giant box of peaches at the W. Seattle Farmer's Market, and I wished I had someone to share it with as I ended up wasting some of it.

    Canning classes and local food and supporting the small businesses in the neighborhood are all things I'm focusing on this year too. And, hoping to do even more than last year. I look forward to getting more ideas from your blog.

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