Perfect Soup Stock

soup is pretty much my most favourite thing in the world and making stock from scratch is super easy and basically free. take your bones/carcass (you can even save and freeze them and then make it when you have time!) put bones/carcass in a large heavy bottom pot with onions cut in half (skins on) and carrots cut in large pieces (skins on). drizzle with olive oil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. put the pot on the stove top, add pepper corns, bay leaf, salt (if necessary) and fill the pot with water. bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. simmer for a few hours. put the stock through a strainer. pick any meat off the carcass and put aside to use in soup. let stock cool overnight and skim fat off. make soup as usual or freeze for later use.

Ruminations

Every week in the Everdale newsletter "Gifts from the Field" a different apprentice writes a reflection. they asked me to do one this week even though I'm not an intern. here's what a wrote:

When I arrived here at the beginning of July I never expected to be sitting here over 2 months later. My name is Liz Charles and I am one of the many volunteers that have made their way to Everdale this season. Unlike the others I never left. I decided to come to Everdale for 2 reasons. Firstly, because I had finished my degree in Environmental Studies and spent 4 years talking about organic farming and food without having any practical knowledge. My second reason is that I am striving to live a sustainable life and to be as self sufficient as possible. The hands on education in organic farming as well as sustainable living that Everdale offers to its interns and volunteers seemed like the perfect match. My time at Everdale has helped me connect with my food, the environment, and my community. Being able to see food go from seed to table is so amazing and makes every bite even more delicious because of all the hard work that went into it. I am truly grateful for every meal. Being able to see how a farm can give back to the environment and enrich the soil and water rather than devastate it is also a wonderful thing to witness. Most importantly I’ve found a group of people here, with the staff, interns and volunteers at Everdale, that are truly committed to sustainable living and are not only inspiring me but are also amazing friends and co-workers. If someone a few months ago had told me that the happiest day in my life I would be covered in mud, fish emulsion, baking in the hot sun after 10 hours of work I never would have believed them. Thanks to my time here I am so excited about my future, knowing that sustainable living is not only better for the planet, but also makes me unbelievably happy. ~Farmer Liz

The Farmer in the Grocery Store

Yesterday a bunch of us went into Georgetown and had to run into the grocery store to get some bitters so we could make Manhattan's (hey farmers like fancy drinks too!). Anyway it was my first time being in a really huge obnoxious grocery store in months. We started looking at the produce, the conventional produce was all shipped in from the states even though it was mostly in season here, and the produce was so ugly. The beets were cracked and dry and shriveled, the garlic wasn't processed properly and was all split at the top (probably due to mechanization), our organic produce was even comparable in price with a lot of the conventional produce. The organic produce looked better but ours was still cheaper. Thats because we don't sell to a distributer, we retail our own food and skip the middle man. I hope next season to find a CSA near Ottawa so i can get local, organic, well priced food and that i can support my local farmer. it would even be better if I could find a CSA that would allow me to work a day a week in exchange for a share. I'm also hoping to get a community garden plot in Ottawa to start growing my own. This winter I will begin planning my bio-intensive garden and probably making many tripped to Lee Valley!

Winter Food

following my recent post about meat, some of the interns and i at everdale, were talking about winter eating in ontario and we came up with a pretty achievable, nutritionally rounded, totally local, winter pantry.

storage fruit + veg (to be stored in root cellar, cool basement, or spare room without much heat/light):
-beets
-carrots
-parsnips
-potatoes
-squash
-cabbage
-apples
-dehydrated fruit + veg (everdale has a solar dehydrater, super easy to build. i hope to have one eventually)

green vegetables:
-kale and spinach can be havested until early december if you are lucky
- sprouts, sprouts and more sprouts!
-brussel sprouts

grain + legumes:
-basically all grain can be stored. wheat, rye, etc
-stored dried beans and peas
-most of these can also be sprouted to get some green into your diet

fat and protien:
-butter
-milk
-cheese
-eggs
-meat especially cured meat which is suited for storage

other:
-pickles and preserves

the really exciting thing about this is that a fridge is almost unnecessary. i think i could manage quite well with a small, energy efficent, bar fridge. this is the place that i hope to be at in 5 years. free from the grocery stores, self sufficient even when its -40 below.