Change of the Week: Independence Days
I have decided to Join Sharon’s “Independence Days” challenge. What is the Independence Days Challenge? In Sharon’s own words:
I challenge myself and all of you to work on creating food Independence Days this year – that all of us try to do one thing every day to create Food Independence. That means in each day or week, we would try to:
1. Plant something. …the idea that you should plant all week and all year is a good reminder to those of us who sometimes don’t get our fall gardens or our succession plantings done regularly…Independence is the bounty of a single seed that creates an abundance of zucchini, and enough seeds to plant your own garden and your neighbor’s.
2. Harvest something. …harvest something from the garden or the wild every day you can…Independence is really appreciating and using the bounty that we have.
3. Preserve something. Sometimes this will be a big project, but it doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t take long to slice a couple of tomatoes and set them on a screen in the sun, or to hang up a bunch of sage for winter. And it adds up fast. The time you spend now is time you don’t have to spend hauling to the store and cooking later. Independence is eating our own, and cutting the ties we have to agribusiness.
4. Prep something. Hit a yard sale and pick up an extra blanket. Purchase some extra legumes and oatmeal. Sort out and inventory your pantry. Make a list of tools you need. Find a way to give what you don’t need to someone who does. Fix your bike…Clean, mend, declutter, learn a new skill. Independence is being ready for whatever comes.
5. Cook something. Try and new recipe, or an old one with a new ingredient. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with all that stuff you are growing or making. So experiment now… Independence is being able to eat and enjoy what is given to us.
6. Manage your reserves. Check those apples and take out the ones starting to go bad and make sauce with it. Label those cans. Clean out the freezer. Ration the pickles, so you’ll have enough to last to next season. Use up those lentils before you take the next ones out of the bag. Find some use for that can of whatever it is that’s been in the pantry forever. Sort out what you can donate, and give it to the food pantry. Make sure the squash are holding out. Independence means not wasting the bounty we have.
7. Work on local food systems. This could be as simple as buying something you don’t grow or make from a local grower, or finding a new local source. It could be as complex as starting a coop or a farmer’s market, creating a CSA or a bulk store. You might give seeds or plants or divisions to a neighbor, or solicit donations for your food pantry…Maybe you’ll invite people over to your garden, or your neighbors in for a homegrown meal, or sing the praises of your local CSA…Independence days come when our neighbors and the people we love are food secure too.
Each week I’ll post my updates on the blog. I hope that this challenge will inspire me to live even more locally, seasonally, and sustainably. It will also be a nice way for me to keep track of my progress over time, since I cannot, for the life of me, seem to keep track things in my pretty, but neglected, gardening journal. This week’s update:
1. Plant something:
- Parsnips
2. Harvest something:
- Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Carrots, Parsley, Strawberries, Raspberries (from our garden)
- 80 lbs of Apples! (from a local organic u-pick)
3. Preserve something:
- Applesauce (7 pints)
4. Prep something:
- Started a list of “things to purchase/acquire” that might not always be readily available (e.g., canning supplies)
5. Cook something new:
- I’ve been working on it for awhile but have finally perfected the right cooking technique for cooking dried beans.
6. Manage your reserves:
- Added canned mandrin oranges to our food storage (a new favorite of Thomas’)
7. Work on local food systems:
- Invited everyone we know for the local apple picking. A few friends were able to join us.