Eating Local, Organic, Cheaply
I am well aware of the accusations against we “locavores” as being elitist food snobs. All chevre and belgian endive aside, let’s talk about some practical ways to stretch your food budget and maximize nutrition while embracing the ideals of local and organic.
Food Roots: Resources for Planning a Winter Garden
This week it has been over 100 degrees for the past several days and it’s been too hot to even have my hot laptop on my lap, so I’ve retreated into “paper blogging” and have been doing lots of reading. Thank goodness for our public library; I’ve been putting all kinds of gardening books on hold and just reading them constantly. I feel like I’m in grad school again!
Zucchini Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
One of the things we miss most being grain-free is good old spaghetti. Being of Italian origin, this depravation really hits home. Fortunately, I’ve found some frugal, low-carb, nutrient-dense ways of enjoying all of my favorite Italian-themed pasta meals without all of the starchy, carby, low-nutrient pasta! Read the rest of this entry »
Kids and corn grow fast. Thankfully, the corn grows faster. I snapped this pick of my dear daughter standing next to the corn she planted with her own hands about 6 weeks ago. She’s so proud of her corn, and so excited that it’s getting taller than she is!
Suburban Backyard Farming
What could be more Organic & Thrifty than growing your own food??!?!? It doesn’t get much fresher than stepping outside and harvesting dinner! Gardening has so many levels of fulfillment, and anyone can do it! From roof gardens to containers to community plots, the opportunities abound for local, organic food to grow.
Sharon Astyk, (author of Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Homefront) says of the future of suburbia:
“…without the arable farmland we turned into suburbs transformed into gardens, forests, and food producing areas, our kids and grandkids will starve. So we must find some way to make suburbia sustainable” (pg. 147)
Well, here it is, folks. The model we will have no choice but to adopt in the coming years as the cost of oil will soon drive up the costs of shipping food up from California or flying it in from Chile:
I’d love to hear from folks who have already ripped up their laws to farm their suburban plot. How is it working? Are the trade-offs worth it? If you haven’t, what’s prevented you from doing so? And would you be open to allowing someone else come in and farm your front/back yard? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Perrenial Vegetable Gardens
Over the years I’ve been increasingly interested in not only growing my own food, but looking at the perrenial edible plants that grow naturally in the Northwest. No doubt I love my my home-grown basil and tomatoes, but let’s get real: Portland ain’t the Mediterranean. Over the years all this talk about local and sustainable has got me asking myself: “What would natives to my region would have eaten?”
Real-Fast-Nourishing: Miso Soup
There is nothing more deliciously sublime than a bowl of real, MSG-free miso soup. Thanks to recent commenter, Jen, who urged me to share this recipe that has become a staple in our weekly menu.
Menu Plan Monday
It’s time for another menu plan! I was so excited that I actually had everything completed Saturday, but due to an unexpected “date night” (thanks to my sister-in-law) Saturday night and a full day Sunday, I didn’t get a chance to get my post up. This week I’m excited to try a cuple of new recipes utilizing the delicious, fresh bounty of summer. I’ve really been enjoying cooking fresh veggies from the garden and our CSA alongside a little bit of meat. That’s how our meals go these days; a little meat and a lot of veggies; sometimes cheese, eggs, and coconut flour. I guess you could call it “paleo with dairy” since (thankfully) we all tolerate it well! Read the rest of this entry »
Thrifty Sauteed Cabbage with Pork Jowl Bacon
This week, Kimi, over at The Nourishing Gourmet (a beautiful blog, so inspirational!) is hosting her weekly Pennywise Platter Round-Up and I’m excited to jump in and share a thrifty recipe that is nourishing and “paleo”. So often, we think of “beans and rice” when we consider frugal foods, but does thrifty necessarily mean high-carbs? My mission, here at Organic and Thrifty, is to prove otherwise!!!!
This week’s Menu: Leftover Recycling
This week I’m hoping to use what I have on hand to make a delicious, thrifty week of menus. I stocked up on a lot from Trader Joe’s and Grocery outlet last week, and along with our CSA and a few odds and ends we used coupons for, we have a pretty full fridge!
