Tuesday, September 10, 2013

9/10/13 Congratulations to LEWFM




WELCOME TO 
Learning to Live Sustainably

We can do it together

Congratulations Are In Order!

L2LS would like to offer a huge congratulations to Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market (LEWFM) on being named the #1 farmers' market in Ohio and the #4 farmers' market in the USA in the American Farmland Trust's I Love My Farmers' Market Celebration!  This is an amazing accomplishment and we are proud to be a part of this exciting event.

During the September 20th market, LEWFM will be celebrating with special guests, entertainment, lots of fun, and even a food truck.  Be sure to stop by and join in the festivities. Check out their website for the latest info on the celebration, as well as all other Market news. lewfm.org


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mel Farnsley & Mary Hutten, Owners
info@learningtolivesustainably.com
513-481-1914

Visit us Fridays 3-7pm at
Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market
3820 Westwood Northern Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45211

 
*Visit our Facebook page for our current product lineup & additional info.
 

   


     
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Sunday, September 8, 2013

9/8/13 Compost Bins




WELCOME TO 
Learning to Live Sustainably

We can do it together

Mel's first adventure in composting!

 Last weekend I made black raspberry freezer jam for the first time.  This weekend I decided to finally start that compost bin I have been talking about for over a year.  I had my plans and my husband's blessing (which was important since I would be asking him to dig a hole in our backyard).  Today I just happened to be driving by the hardware store so I pulled in, asked if they sold metal trash cans, paid for two of them (I even remembered to get the lids, which are rather critical.), wrestled them into the backseat of my car, and happily drove home with my new treasures.  


Now for the fun part - drilling holes in my new metal can.  We decided to only do one today since we won't need the second on for awhile.  My husband was not impressed with my suggestion that we make the holes into a pattern of a happy face.  :)  So, 20 boring holes drilled in a circular pattern in the bottom and 20 more around the bottom third of the can later, we were ready to play in the dirt.  As Murphy's Law would dictate, there was a huge tree root right in the middle of the space we were digging.  And by "we were digging" I mean my husband was digging and I was waiting patiently to place the can in the hole.  After much root hacking and dirt throwing, the hole was finally big enough to bury half the can.  Just to add a little more fun to the project we decided to use some water from our rain barrel (whose name is "Rainy") to turn the dirt we piled around the can into mud.  
So, here is our fancy new compost bin, ready and waiting for some compost.  It looks a bit lonely right now, just surrounded by dirt (well, mud) but soon it will be joined by some fall plants.  At this point we realized I had neglected to get one crucial item at the hardware store - a bungee cord to keep critters from being able to pry the lid off and get to that tempting compost.  Oh well, it's not like I won't be driving by the hardware store on my way home from work tomorrow.  



If you want instructions on how to make your own compost bin, here is one suggestion: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/make-a-compost-bin-zmaz76soztak.aspx There are lots of sites online where you can find info on compost bins, so find the one you like best. 

So now that our compost bin is ready, we need some stuff to put in it.  You may remember that bowl of seeds (or zombie brains) from last weekend's freezer jam adventure.  Well, I saved those in a container in the freezer so I would have something to compost if I ever got around to burying that can.  Smart thinking, huh?  And we added to the container as my Mother made dinner (It's sure nice having someone else around to cook occasionally - so my husband can get a break) and as we cleaned up from the delicious meal she had prepared.  Thanks, Mom.

Now I just need a kitchen collector to keep scraps in.  There are so many to choose from that I haven't been able to decide which type to get.  I guess I need to pick one, and soon. One Scrap (I mean step) at a time, my friends, one step at a time.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mel Farnsley & Mary Hutten, Owners
info@learningtolivesustainably.com
513-481-1914

Visit us Fridays 3-7pm at
Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market
3820 Westwood Northern Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45211

 
*Visit our Facebook page for our current product lineup & additional info.
 

   


     
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Monday, September 2, 2013

9/2/13 - Black Raspberry Freezer Jam






WELCOME TO 
Learning to Live Sustainably

We can do it together

Mel's first adventure in canning!

 My mom's black raspberry bushes produced an amazing amount of fruit this year, which was extra special because after 40 years of living in her Xenia home and raising two kids there she has moved to Cincinnati to live with us.  One of the things she brought with her in the move was 4 quarts of those delicious black raspberries.  It seems she shared a lot of them with family and friends, but saved enough for us to make freezer jam.  We even had half a quart left over, but I will tell you what we did with it a bit later.  

The first thing you need to know is that I have never canned anything in my life.  And, I don't cook.  Thank God for my wonderful husband who should have been a chef.  But, I want to learn to do canning and fill my pantry with lots of delicious food for the winter.  So, now that I have black raspberries that need to be transformed into jam, a box of freezer jam jars, and a mother who is willing to help me learn, I am ready to start small and see what happens.

The 12 jars she brought with her have been washed and are drying while we (and by 'we' I mean 'I') start pushing the berries through the sieve to remove all the seeds.





  
After much work, the first batch is ready to be poured in the jars.  We had to send my son to the store to get more sugar and another box of jars because they made more than expected.  I guess that means I am a good berry masher.  :)

So, here's what we ended up with: 16 jars of freezer jam, a bowl of seeds (or zombie brains), and half a quart of berries that still need to be made into something.




We decided to make some adorable little happy face tarts (If you know me, you know I love to sneak happy faces in wherever I can.) and a cobbler.  Notice the one that seems to be drooling?  I think he may have eaten too many zombie brains.



   

When we were finished, my mother hurried downstairs to her room before I could think up something else for us to cook today.  I think I wore her out, but it was a fun day and the black raspberries made some really wonderful jam.  Tomorrow they will go in the freezer and my first jarring adventure will be complete.  Next time, maybe I will be brave enough to try something that involves the pressure cooker.  But for now, I will bask in the delicious glory of black raspberry freezer jam.  One seed (I mean step) at a time, my friends, one step at a time.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mel Farnsley & Mary Hutten, Owners
info@learningtolivesustainably.com
513-481-1914

Visit us Fridays 3-7pm at
Lettuce Eat Well Farmers' Market
3820 Westwood Northern Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH 45211

 
*Visit our Facebook page for our current product lineup & additional info.
 

   


     
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