It’s been a quiet week everywhere around the interwebs as far as conversation goes, and for me, that may continue another week or so. It is the very busiest time for me in my studio, making papery creations (tree-free, of course) and trying to get them in my shop as soon as possible. As soon as my shop is filled, I will have more mind space and bodily energy to devote here. I’d like to start sharing ideas around a Make Do & Mend the Earth Holiday…share more making-do ways on Instagram…and perhaps get to some deeper ways. Until then…
It is the third week of our film club and we are watching…
Wartime Kitchen & Garden-episode three
Thankfully, I had the thought this morning to watch (mostly listen) to these in my studio, while I work. Since I’ve watched them before, this will work well for me for awhile. I was so pleased to come across the bit in the first video showing the moat around The Tower of London planted densely with vegetables…wonderful. That put me in mind of the Obama’s kitchen garden, planted in 2009 and I did some research to see if it was still growing. It seems to be, taken care of by the Park Service, tho’ it is unclear who uses the veggies now. Before this garden, the last kitchen garden ever to be at the White House was a project of Eleanor Roosevelt’s, beginning in 1942.
By the way, I had an idea for to help with the decisions we need to make about where we spend our money and our time. Gracie’s comment in our last post was the kernel for my thought. If we live our days “pretending” we live in a village, with what a village offers, it greatly simplifies our decision-making. For instance, I used to tire myself out and end up supporting anything but local and ethical when I needed a supplement or herb. Now, in the main, I get what I can at stores in Williamsburg, where I shop every week or ten days or so. Williamsburg is my “village.” Before even taking that step, I do a bit of research in my books to see if there is a better way to get what I need with my food or drink.
I do use herbal infusions (of nettle and oatstraw and red clover) for my foundational minerals and some vitamins. As I am just running out of the bulk I bought last year, and no one locally carries herbs in bulk, I will be placing an online order at least one more time…but I also grew a patch of nettle from seed this year and am hoping that will flourish and spread. Oatstraw will be on the garden list for next year, and red clover gathering, if our hayfields offer us more…or I will continue to buy it until I can provide for myself. This Making Do is a journey and we all just do our best…
“The smallest effort is not lost,
Each wavelet on the ocean tossed
Aids in the ebb-tide or the flow…”
~Charles Mackay
Laurie A November 4, 2019 at 10:25 am
I’m glad to know the White House garden survived. I also like the village idea, and can see how that will be helpful.
Gracie November 4, 2019 at 9:00 pm
Lesley, thank you for this. “Pretend you live in a village” – a perfect, useful paradigm. If only I could ride a bicycle into the village!
Lesley November 15, 2019 at 8:01 am
That would be a dream come true, wouldn’t it?
Anna November 6, 2019 at 12:28 am
Wartime Kitchen and Garden:
I’ve been slowly transitioning to a more local diet and one of the main challenges (after sourcing the ingredients) is finding recipes that are seasonally appropriate. We just picked up ~225 pounds of veggies from our nearby organic community farm to use over the autumn and winter. I was planning what we should eat up first when I realized that some of the most urgent items (potatoes, onions, cabbage) were the ingredients in colcannon, traditionally eaten all year round in Ireland (according to Wikipedia), but I had heard of it as especially eaten at Halloween. Now I’m tempted to write up an informal book of seasonal recipes using local ingredients. I have yet to find a seasonal cookbook I like, as they often have more fancy ingredients and too much reliance on meat. Another favorite for this time of year is potato and spinach (or other green, I like sweet potato greens) gnocchi, served with sage butter and parmesan. This episode made me realize how wonderful a podcast of seasonal recipes would be! I may have to try that chocolate pudding recipe with carrot…
I’ve been trying to save seeds for a couple years, but squashes and some brassicas are quite tricky! I started with beans, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and coriander/cilantro. I am overwintering leeks and hardy bunching onions for seed next year. To make things even easier, I am trying to grow more perennial foods like asparagus, rhubarb, sorrel, chives and garlic chives, walking onion, hardy bunching onion (which live through our Boston area winters and naturally form clumps), fennel, and every fruit bush/shrub/tree and nut tree I have space for. I’ve also heard that garlic slowly acclimates to your garden if you replant it. In my long list of possible community building activities I would love to start a super-local seed library where people can share what varieties work well and also give each other cuttings of easily propagated plants like raspberry, blackberry, elderberry, and grape.
Sugar is so tough! I have quite a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate. I’ve been trying to eat more maple syrup and honey instead of sugar, but I really need to convert my favorite sweet recipes for baking.