Keepers and changers

Keepers
potluck
giving up fast food
blog

Changers
buying organic
trying to completely eliminate corn

Group Reflection

Put your initials beside your response

Keepers:
-like the blog and the sharing of resources through the blog- sb
-like the individual action and sharing of progress this allowed for lots of actions to be covered under our topic-sb
-great celebration potluck-sb, jc

Changers:
-it would have been nice to get together and start a herb garden as a group but each take away their own!
- comment on each other's blog posts more - jc
- strategy to promote the blog -jc


Any other thoughts:
- Great group, worked well together, communicated well! Thanks everyone for all of the effort and support- sb
- I really enjoyed learning from others! It is nice to work with others towards a common goal. - jc

Love Food Hate Waste

Here is an awesome resource that I found while going through YouTube videos. It is a website that allows you to plan portions, find recipes that will help you use your left-overs, learn more about food waste, and how to store your food for optimal freshness.

Food Waste

I really liked this video because it offers ways that people can make changes regarding their wasteful food habits. It also gives statistics throughout the video to demonstrate the severity of the issue

Potluck

My original plan was to bring coffee and then a snack as well but since my group doesn't drink coffee i opted for apple crisp instead, it's super easy to make and I had everything at home already which worked great for my buy nothing week!
All you need its apples, cinnamon, oats, flour, margarine and I added real Canadian maple syrup from Quebec for my own personal touch!

Self Reflection on Eating Locally

My original goals for the project
• Learn how to preserve food that is locally available
• Learn where my food comes from and find local sources
• For food that can only be imported, find local alternatives to replace them in my diet
• Plan for spring where I will assist my mom in her garden
• Start an indoor herb garden
• When I cannot control my food options, eat the healthiest option
• For foods I am not allergic to, exclude them from my diet if a local source is not available
• For foods that I am allergic to, if a local source is not available eat only once a week.

I thought spending the Thanksgiving weekend at my grandparents’ farm would be the perfect opportunity to learn about how to eat more locally. I was a little discouraged because it seemed like only the “old timers” are the ones who eat locally. My cousins and friends who are around my age buy most of their groceries. They are busy with work, family and children and there never seems to be enough time. I felt like I was trying to take on too much with my prairie diet. It feels like if you don’t have the money to buy more locally produced food (which is usually more expensive) you need the time, effort and land to produce your own. It all seemed so overwhelming. I am so busy with school and I was worried that I am doing too much for the Action Learning Project. I needed to rethink things my short term goals. My refined goals for the project
• Learn how to preserve food that is locally available
• Learn where my food comes from and find local sources
• Plan for spring where I will assist my mom in her garden
• Start an indoor herb garden
• When I cannot control my food options, eat the healthiest option
• For foods I am not allergic to, exclude them from my diet if a local source is not available

I decided I needed to be a more proactive and less frozen in fear about starting to eat more locally. I cannot start a garden this time of year but I can certainly plan for one. During our class camping trip, I started reading the book Carrots Love Tomatoes to start planning my future garden. I found out from my mother that due to some neighbouring trees there is not a lot that will grow in the garden. Currently my goal for next year is for our family to become self-sufficient with carrots and potatoes. A garden with more variety will have to wait until I have my own place.

In the meantime, I started growing a little indoor garden. I realize that seeds are not in great demand this time of year but I was able to find seeds for Summer Savory, Thai Basil, Chervil and Sage. I really wanted mint but there was none.

I got the bright idea to buy some peppers to harvest the seeds to grow my own. It is a small start but at least I’m heading in the right direction. The herbs have started to sprout but the peppers have yet to do anything. I might have to wait until spring and buy some pepper plants to grow inside.

In addition to starting an indoor garden, I also learned some cooking methods that would help me to eat more locally. I bought peppers so I could plant the seeds but then learned how to pickle the peppers. It was interesting to learn but I felt like it was such a waste of water to pickle such a small amount of food (lesson learned). I’d like to try canning again next fall but I’ll wait until I have a larger amount of food to preserve.

Both Brooklyn and Michelle had done some research about food waste that opened my eyes to the issue. I came across a new report that the US could save the energy equivalent of about 350 million barrels of oil a year — without spending a penny or putting a ding in the quality of life: Just stop wasting food [Wasted Food, Wasted Energy: The Embedded Energy in Food Waste in the United States, Amanda D. Cuellar, Michael E. Webber, Environmental Science & Technology 2010 44 (16), 6464-6469]. I try not to let food go to waste but I felt I needed to do more. It always bothered me that my family did not compost in the wintertime. I persuaded my parents to let me start a vermi-compost for we can compost year-round. The vermi-compost will serve two purposes: less household waste and fertilizer for my indoor plants.

Some of the food facts that Jenny and Sophie had shared with us had our entire group reading our food labels more. I had always been bothered by how much packaging is needed to keep cheese fresh. Once in class, our instructor Peta had mentioned “cheese isn’t naturally orange”. This made me start to look at the ingredients of a food I always deemed healthy. I found it a little off-putting that rennet, an enzyme used to separate the curds and whey, is usually made from the stomachs of calves. [Rennet. (2010, November 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:45, November 23, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rennet&oldid=396994098]

I was recently watching a chef on TV make ricotta cheese from scratch and thought it looked pretty easy. I found a recipe for Farmer’s Cheese seemed simple and had readily available ingredients. Following the directions, it turned out more dry than expected but it still tastes good. Next time I try to make it I will use some comments from the website where I got the recipe so it has a more spreadable consistency.

The Skills I Learned for Eating Locally

My peppers have started to sprout!

I was convinced that my peppers were never going to sprout and then they started to pop up today!

CSA

A CSA is community supported agriculture. The farmer sells shares to customers and they receive produce once a week in return. The farmer gets a boost of money in the spring from the customers when they really need it. The benefits for the customer are they get locally grown food and they form a relationship with their food and the farmer. It is cheaper than going to the grocery store and it offers food security. My friend Jessica introduced me to CSA's. She gets her box of produce and a chicken once a month. She got me thinking of joining her CSA and I will suggest it to my mom. This is a great idea and it allows the consumer to have more control.

Reasoning for scones and chokecherry jelly

I choose to make chokecherry jelly because it is delicious and it is a preserve that will last at least a year. I made the jelly in September with the help of my sister. We picked the berries at White Butte trails and sorted through them. It takes a little time but for the first time I tried it turned out okay. Scones taste good with the jelly and they are easy to make. It is possible to get some of the ingredients locally but I did not. You can also make chokecherry syrup which is also fairly simple but this year we did not pick enough berries.

Scones

ingredients
-2 cups of flour
-1\2 tsp. salt
-2 tbsp. baking powder
-2 eggs
-1\2 tsp. baking soda
-2 tbsp. shortening
-2\3 cup milk
-2 tbsp. sugar

directions
-mix together ingredients
-put large tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet
-bake at 350 degrees F. and lightly browned in about 15 min.

Chokecherry Jelly

ingredients
-1 ice cream pail of chokecherries
-need 4 cups of juice
-1 box of certo
-5.5 cups of sugar

directions
-cover berries with water: until can see the water
- boil berries
-take juice, certo and boil
-add sugar and bring to a boil
-boil for 1 min.
-put into hot sterilized jars, lids and seal

Farmer's Cheese

Even though I know that Dairyland produces cheese within Saskatchewan, I wanted to try my hand at Farmer's cheese.


First I heated whole milk to almost simmering

I next added buttermilk and some vinegar so it would separate into curds and whey (this was the part that felt like a science experiment)

After turning off the heat, I let the curds and whey sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. I then separated the curds from the whey using a strainer, 2 layers of cheese cloth and a stock pot.

I bundled and let the curds dry for about a half hour.

I've never seen Farmer's Cheese before but it is very similar to a ricotta cheese.

For my class presentation on Wednesday, I'll be sharing with my group cheese that I've made and some bread from a local organic bakery. I want the cheese to be a little more spreadable do I'll have to do a little more research on what I can do differently.

Source: Fresh Farmer's Cheese Recipe, John Mitzewich, About.com Guide, http://americanfood.about.com/od/appetizersandsoups/r/farmercheese.htm

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 quarts whole milk (use pasteurized, instead of ultra-pasteurized, if available) 

2 cup buttermilk 

1 tablespoon white vinegar 

1 1/2 tsp salt 

cheesecloth, rinsed 

Preparation:

In a heavy-bottomed pot, over low heat, slowly heat the milk up, stirring often, until it is just about to simmer (about 180 degrees F). Stir in the buttermilk, and then the vinegar, and turn off the heat. Very slowly stir until you see the milk separating into curds (the solids) and whey (the liquid). Leave undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Line a large strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth, and place over a stockpot to catch the whey. After the 10 minutes, ladle the curds into the cheesecloth, and allow the whey to drain for 10 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth, and tie a string around the top to form bundle. Tie the string to a wooden spoon or dowel, and hang the cheese curds over the stockpot and continue draining for 30 minutes.

After draining, remove the cheese from the cloth, and transfer into a container. Stir in the salt and refrigerate. This fresh cheese can be used for up to 5 days. Use as a spread, or as you would use cream cheese, or cottage cheese.

Biodynamic Farming

I happened to be watching an episode of The Nature of Things from Nov 18, 2008 called The Suzuki Files (click the link to view the episode if you are in Canada). David Suzuki and his daughter Sarika take a road trip to Europe to seek out sustainable options.

One of part of their trip they were in Loire Valley, France visiting a biodynamic farm. The philosophy behind biodynamic farming is that each plant and animal is treated as a living organism and you cannot isolate that organism from its surroundings, where it lives and what it eats. Humans are not in charge but rather part of a bigger eco-system. It is much more than organic farming which just excludes the use of chemicals. Nature abhors monoculture so biodynamics is a way of working with nature instead of against it. The show emphasized how "bigger is not better" when it comes to agriculture. We've discarded a lot of the traditional ways of farming all for the sake of "progress".

How does your garden grow...

As I mentioned in my post about pickling peppers, I planned to make a indoor garden. Unfortunately this is a bad time of year to buy seeds but I was able to find Sage, Thai basil, Summer Savory and Chervil. Before I pickled the peppers, I harvested the seeds from a Yellow chili, a Green chili, a Serrano chili and a Jalapeno. I planted them last week.

I checked on the plants today and the sage, chervil and basil are starting to sprout!

This is a picture of the Thai Basil. Since the plants are so small, it was difficult for me to get a decent picture of the Chervil and the Sage. I'm a little worried that the peppers will not sprout since they need to be keep at 25-30C in order to grow. They are supposed to take a little longer to sprout so I'll just have to wait to see.

I really wanted a mint plant but couldn't find any seeds locally. I found out a friend has a mint plant and he is willing to exchange part of his plant for some of my left over seeds.

Self-Reflection

Since I started this journey I have tried to incorporate the findings of my group members. I have given up pop, reduced waste by starting a compost, stopped eating fast food, and eating local. I am planning to start a herb garden and maybe try and grow tomatoes. These are some of the small changes that this project has inspired. I know that there is a lot more I can do, and hopefully I continue changing, and not slide back into old habits. It helps that my family has taken up the challenge as well. Withtout their support I do not know if I could have made these changes in my life. It was difficult at first to work with a group but in the end their support was essential. I could not have made changes without the research they provided. I am armed with this knowledge to change my life and those around me.

Click here for North Central Community Gardens website. It is a great project in North Central to provide fresh produce for the residences. They are communal gardens so anybody can take from them.

Here is a video that I made using xtranormal. It is my reflection on my action project. Let me know what you think. I am planning on presenting it to class as well during our project presentation next week. http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7700209

Action Project Reflection

    This action project has been a great experience for me, as I have never realized or thought about where are food comes from or what goes into it. While researching about the issue around corn it made me realize how bad we treat our bodies from what we put in it. We also treat the animals and the people who risk their lives and don’t get paid very much to bring us the food that we eat. Not only did I learn from my research but also from my other group members. Food consumerism is a large issue with many aspects and each is equally important. I took some of what my group members researched and what I found to create action that would benefit me. I came up with trying to reduce the amount of high-fructose corn I eat. This was really hard and I found that the big thing that I eliminated was junk food and pop. I wasn’t able to eliminate everything but I became more conscious and read labels every time I went shopping. I also ate meat that came only from my farm, as I knew that the animals were treated with respect and I helped take care of the animal so I was more appreciating of the food. I also made an effort not to waste food, I only bought and made what I could eat. The problem that I faced with this action was that it is hard to put all these things into action when they are expensive and I have no money. This was more of an exploration period, seeing what I could and could not do. Maybe when I am done being a student and have income coming in it will be easier. With that said I will still be conscious of what I put in my body. Just by doing the little things that I did I feel better.

There is a reflection that I did using an xtranormal video coming soon.

Equal Exchange

Products from here support small farmers that use sustainable methods.

Our Guiding Principles

• Trade directly with democratically organized small farmer cooperatives.
• Facilitate access to credit for producer organizations.
• Pay producers a guaranteed minimum price that provides a stable source of income as well as improved social services.
• Provide high quality food products.
• Support sustainable farming practices.
• Build a democratically-run cooperative workplace.
• Develop more environmentally-sound business practices.

Products include: Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Chocolate, Nuts and Berries and Bananas. Look for the Equal Exchange sticker on products.

http://www.equalexchange.coop/index.php

The Regina Farmer's Market has a great website where you can look for vendors in the area. It also has events and links. Buying locally turns out not to be so hard!

http://www.reginafarmersmarket.ca/

Kicking Horse Coffee

Kicking Horse Coffee is Canada's number one organic fair trade coffee (not to mention is shade grown and roasted in Canada) and offer tons of different roasts. They also sell organic tea and chocolate.
I have found this coffee at all of the grocery stores, Sobeys, Safeway, Superstore and at a reasonable price.
http://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/en


Husky is the only retail gas station to brew Kicking Horse Coffee for their customers, a perfect way to get coffee on the go while still supporting fair trade growers.
http://www.myhusky.ca/you/in-store/kicking_horse_coffee.html

A zillion uses for corn

Here is a site that I found called A Zillion Uses for Corn which gives you a list of products that contain corn as well as a list of ways that corn is used in some products. This is sure to blow your mind, as you might not think of some of these things using corn. This is not just a list of food but of things like toothpaste, cosmetics, and batteries just to name a few.

List of food that contains high-fructose corn syrup

I found this blog called Change Your World which contains a list of foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup. This is just a small sample as there are many other products out there that contain high-fructose corn syrup.

List of food with no high fructose corn syrup

While doing some research on my topic around corn I found this site that provides you with a list of foods that do not contain high-fructose corn syrup. You can find this list at http://highfructosehigh.com/no-hfcs/

San Francisco bans Happy Meals with toys

In a move to combat childhood obesity, the City of San Fransico has banned toys being sold in kids meals that do not meet certain minimal nutritional requirements:

Under the law, McDonald's and other restaurants will have until December 2011 to improve their meals' nutrition by adding fruits and vegetables -- if the chains want to keep offering toys, including those promoting the latest films.

The food and beverages will have to contain fewer than 600 calories, and less than 35 percent of total calories will come from fat. The meal must contain half a cup of fruit and three-fourths cup of vegetables, and offer less than 640 milligrams of sodium and less than 0.5 milligrams of trans fat. Breakfast will have the option of offering half cups of fruit or vegetables.

City officials said they expect a legal challenge from McDonald's, which declined to comment on possible legal action. 

Source: San Francisco bans Happy Meals with toys, Michael Martinez, CNN, November 9, 2010 7:45 p.m. EST

Food waste has environmental impact

This article is by CBC. It highlights the extent of food wasted primarily Toronto and Britain.

A New Generation of Canadians are Bringing Root Cellars Back

Very interesting article on why so many Canadians are putting root cellars in their homes.  The article also has links to  many related "How to" articles and videos.

The food storage secret our grandparents knew, SARAH ELTON, Globe and Mail, Published Tuesday, Nov. 02, 2010 3:53PM EDT, Last updated Wednesday, Nov. 03, 2010 11:43AM EDT