What a Day for a New Year

It's almost that time when so many of us create New Year's resolutions.  I just had a conversation about it the other night, in fact.  There's always the good-ol' stand-by: lose weight/get in shape/eat better.  I myself have a similar goal: get my arms to look like Michelle Obama's.  Those of you who know what her arms look like know what I'm talking about...

Arms and weight are not the point of this, though.  But food, and the bellies the food goes into, ARE the point of this.  I've been reading a lot about food recently.  More and more people in my age group are turning to farming as a means to connect with their food, create a "living" in a way that is meaningful to them, or live a life that is separated from the corporate world that we have grown up and dissatisfied with.  Also, I like Civil Eats a lot.  I've been reminded of why I avoid lots of soy, as well as inspired me to continue to look into avenues to work with young people to create healthy, tangible change that is beneficial to all.  Cool new things that are happening all over the place, things that big parts of me really want to be involved in...like with my hands, digging and planting and watering and caring and harvesting.  Maybe one day I'll be able to participate in that form.  For now I am making a New Year's resolution list of my own that specifically focuses on food.  It will be interesting, though, because I am on a new very very VERY limited budget so that I may free myself in more ways from the ties that connect me to Big Banks and all they represent.  That, though, is another topic for another time.  My point is this: that I have a very limited budget that can be spent on food, I live somewhat out of the way of any major grocery store, and while I do have the option to eat food for free I know is not the kind of food I want to, or can without consequence, eat for the long term.

So, on to the list of revolutions, I mean, resolutions for my food and my eating for the coming year:

1. Eat food that nourishes me, and that has nourished the land.  I will make sure that the food I buy has been sustainably farmed and that the farms where it comes from take care of, and even protect, the land that it is on.

2. Eat lower on the food chain - much lower.  I am a shameful lover of many meat products.  While I very sincerely believe that animals are an inherent part of farms, they themselves should not be farmed.  If I eat meat only once in a blue moon I will enable myself to buy the good stuff.  That is, meat that comes from animals that have lived and frolicked in the sunshine, eaten foods that are natural for them to consume, and have never been given any sort of growth hormone or antibiotics.  In addition, these meats will come from local producers.  Thankfully where I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains this will not be difficult, nor will it be when I am in the Sacramento area visiting my parents.

3. Cook with intention; eat with intention.  My goal is that the prepared food that I eat is the culmination of an enjoyable cooking process.  Hopefully some of my meals will help create or foster community, which is just as an important piece of the food puzzle as the food itself.  Next step: eat with intention.  Scarfing down food needs to be a thing of the past for me.  I want my food to satisfy my soul AND my appetite!

4. Connect with growers.  There are more small farms in a 15 mile radius of me than I have fingers...and maybe even toes.  I want to try and visit these to speak with the growers and care takers and see the magic that they work.

5. Stay in my budget while not compromising my food quality.  I have read that Americans spend only 6.9% of their total income on food.  That seems like a shockingly low percent to me.  What kind of food does that buy?  Most likely cheap, overly processed food that has traveled a long ways to get to the table.  I'm not perfect by any means, but I am learning and realizing how to do things "better."

6. Learn more and be able to share what I learn, while at the same time not becoming self-righteous about the topic.  We all know someone who has gone on some learning quest, and while it's great for them we are not on that same path with them but somehow feel obligated to agree with everything they're saying.  I'm going to do what's right for me.  If someone can find something of use or importance, great.  If not, that's cool too.

We can not survive without food.  But we, as a human species, also can not survive with the way most things (food included) have been manufactured and produced in the last century.  I know there is a better way, and I am seeking it out!  Have a healthy, historic, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Happy 2012!!!

Soul Food

On the Winter Solstice I try to make a point of looking back on the previous year and reflecting on all that has happened, what I have done, and who has made an impact on my life.  I moved again, left a home that I loved dearly, had Maise come into my life and save me from some dark times, and started a new adventure and life in the Redwoods.  Here are some of my ups and downs from this year, and I could not have done it without all of you.  Thank you so much for giving me 2011!

After the last December solstice, trust was shaken, but not irreparable.  Thankful the pieces had finally come together.  What a day for a new year...

Cheers, 2011!

No boy New Year's.  Food.  Drinks.  Drinks.  Girl talk in the kitchen.  Champagne.  Naps on the couch all the next day.

Her first night being my dog :)

On January 23, 2011, my life was forever changed.  Maise and I found each other (with many thanks to Marie), and our adventures together started.  Having her gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and in her accepting, trusting, playful dog face I found unconditional love that has made my heart melt thousands of times over.  Some days I really don't know where I'd be without her.

Kath at Hurricane Ridge

February brought a visit from Kath, snow days and more winter fun at 124 W 5th Street.  I loved showing my Washington life to my sis, and just getting time to hang out with her.  A snowy jaunt up to Hurricane Ridge, a sunny and warm lunch at Sirens with delicious beer, and a little time in Seattle, too.  Later in the month, kitchen experiments with gallons of water that ended in Megan's phone dying.  Oops!

Me and Mom and my favorite WA beach

March was a blur!  So much going on!  Mom came just in time to hang out for the Potlatch!  Way cool :)  Got to show her my PA routine as well; later, some Seattle time and then home ... just to go back for my final Teach for America interview a couple days later.  Celebrated Megan's birthday.  Spring Break, and my trip to California, were mere moments away!  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Cookin' at Kalaloch

April brought a return to California!  Britt and I traveled down, then up, I-5.  I was so happy to be back in the land of burritos and diversity!  April also brought news that I was not selected to be a Teach for America, and with that a sense of relief.  I enjoyed my time Spring Break, and set my sights on finding a job in California after my term with AmeriCorps was done.  Also in April: Paige's birthday, Kalaloch clean up, and Earth Day.  Fun times!

124 celebrating Seis de Mayo

In May I got the news that I got a job in California, the Redwoods to be exact.  I was super stoked!!!  Spent lots of time on the Olympic Discovery Trail with Maise, Marie, and Chase.  Celebrated Marie's birthday (only 25 more years til we get to celebrate our 50th birthdays together!!!  Haha!).  During Memorial Day weekend the Juan de Fuca Arts Festival brought much needed live music to my life.  Four days of fantastic bands, and great companionship.  I was a happy dancer :)

sunshine smiles

June: Trip to Victoria and put in charge of three 5th grade boys.  Wow.  Tubal Cane mine hike.  End of school.  Good bye to my kids.  Wishing for warm weather.  Enjoying the sun we did have.  More time on the ODT with Marie and the dogs.  Start of volunteering.  Lots of Redbox rentals.  Lots of wine.  Long days.  Summer solstice.  25th birthday in Seattle with Marie.  Less than one month left in Washington.  Eeek!

Shi Shi Beach

July was like three years combined into one month.  Volunteering.  Shi Shi Beach.  Midnight Harry Potter.  Relaxation.  More Redbox.  More wine. Packing.  Cleaning.  Packing.  Last minute carpet cleaning.  Tattoos to remember that when it comes down to it, anything really is possible.  Picked up my parents at SeaTac and took the ferry for the last time...well, last time as a Washington resident...for now... Tears of frustration, sadness, laughter, happiness, and love poured from me.  Good bye Port Angeles life; thanks for welcoming me back, California!

And then came my favorite month, August!  It always treats me well :)  Hanging in Mountain View with Maise and Argos, didn't have to see another person if I didn't want to.  Little respite was just what the doctor ordered.  Tried not to miss PA too much!  Started running.  Santa Cruz.  Moon hanging over the hills.  Meeting new people.  Yuba day in the sun.  Camping with the dogs.  Rubicon Tuesday.  Sorority sisters!  Moving to the Redwoods...!

SJOE training - harsh working conditions

September was training and then work over my head.  Moved into The Cave and started a new life in a new community. Finding banana slugs, learning which trees and plants were which, and getting paid to tidepool!  Night hiking with the crew to party in a different set of Redwoods.  Sick for Kath's birthday :(  Finally spending a weekend at my new home.  September had a lot of driving.  Glad for a break from being in the car.

Me and my snow loving dog!

At the beginning of October, after a run and several mugs of coffee, I felt like I had an epiphany.  I finally knew what I wanted to do in life - open, or work at, a charter school that is based in a traditionally underserved area and that focuses education of all subjects through outdoor and environmental education.  I had a path to follow and work towards.  Time to start researching where to go to school next year so that I can see my dream through!  More weekends at the cave.  An early snow meant hiking in the snow with the dogs.  FAKESGIVING!!! Mom's birthday!  And then the car trouble started...

November brought lots of changes for me.  My car was broken, then "fixed," had more issues, and eventually died on a very scary, smokey ride home.  Kath and Laura came to visit, we celebrated 11/11/11 at 11:11 pm; fun!  Also fun: telephone pictionary with them and most of SJOE.  Thanksgiving break could not come soon enough.  I needed to be home, and to see my SF, Marie!  Zelda, my new car, was found one day into the break.  Yay!  Then Marie got here and we had girl talk sleepovers, went wine tasting, had Oscar's and Rubicon.  I was a happy camper with my SF here.  Small Thanksgiving and then back to work.

Last day of work for 2011 -
I love Winter sunlight

December.  How has it been a whole calendar year already?  How has it only been a year?  So much has happened!  I started the year thinking I'd permanently be in Washington.  California called me back, but who knows for how long.  Through it all I have been so lucky to have the support and love from those close to me.  I've been able to put myself out there, try new things (I think I will forever say it in the SJOE accent...some of you know what that means!), take risks and be joyful in the life I am living ONLY BECAUSE I have a great support network.  I could not be more grateful.  I do not know where I will be come next December Solstice and my yearly reflection.  I can only hope to continue to live with purpose, joy, and love, and that I will still be so lucky to have amazing people in my life.  Happy First Day of Winter.  May you stay warm inside and out, and have sunlight in all parts of your life always.

I'm Hungry!

I recently finished a book entitled The Town That Food Saved by Ben Hewitt.  As you might guess, the book is about food and the part that food plays in a town, specifically the town of Hardwick, Vermont.  More than that though, this book explores how we as a nation, as a people, are connected to food, how we perceive it, why and how those perceptions are created, and what implications those perceptions lead to.  While Hardwick and the culture and “agrepreneurs” are the main focus, Hewitt goes on to question how these lessons, ideas, and dreams can be of use in other places in our country.  Food systems that are local are intertwined, interdependent, and (Hewitt argues) can be a catalyst for resilience and strength in communities.  I have long believed that food, and our connection (or disconnect) with it, is a part of life that has been over looked and forgotten. How many meals have been scarfed down in the car, in our rush to get to the next place, next deadline, next place marker in our life?  How often do we really get to create meals and community by sharing ingredients and time and knowledge with one another?  I know my answer to the first question: too many.  And my answer to the second as well: not enough. 

For a few years now I have done my best to eat locally, to vote with my dollars by buying food from either the farmers market or a locally owned grocery store.  For a time it was easy.  I had a fantastic market year-round every Sunday; there was a great local co-op that I could get what I couldn’t at the farmers market; I had people who I lived with and near that wanted to create community (or maybe just some yummy food); and I was in a place financially where the seemingly higher prices were affordable for my budget.  While I lived in the Sacramento area I couldn’t turn a corner without coming across locally grown and produced food.  While living on the Olympic Peninsula (and relying on food stamps) local food was a treat, something that was not as easily found but worth it when it was available.  Now living in a rural area where the farmers market just closed for the season, and 40 minutes away from the next closest town where both a farmers market and locally owned grocery store that carries mainly locally produced produce and other foods, the challenge feels even greater than when living in Washington.  I live and work at a place where I could potentially eat 100% of my meals Monday through Friday for free.  However, this food is shipped many miles and I sometimes wonder about the contents that are included.  I am grateful that having food given to me is an option, although I am curious about what I am really getting when I eat it.  The gas that I use when I do venture to the grocery store is a non-renewable resource that I consume the least amount that I can for a multitude of reasons.  Any time I do drive anywhere, especially along the coast, I am reminded that I live in a bread basket and do have abundant local foods all around me, and I have to believe that there are easily accessible, and financially sound, ways to access these resources. 

How do I become involved?  How do I find these resources?  How do I figure out a way to be a Ben Hewitt in the Northern-Central Coast of California?  When I originally wrote this I was sipping a beer brewed and bottled one county over.  I’d like to think that’s a start!  But really, my investigation is just beginning.  I was spurred to figure things out by reading someone else’s investigation into his surroundings.  I know I won’t be the first (or last) to delve into my surroundings to try to figure out a way to use what I have on hand in an attempt to live the type of life I believe in, to walk my talk, to ultimately try to make the world a better place.  Maybe as I learn, you will too, and together we can combine our collective ingredients to make delicious meals, harbor community and realize our dreams of what a slice of a better world tastes like.