RE-lapse in time.

So folks, sorry about the lack of updates on our blog. But no worries, we are still kicking. 

Lesson of the past couple weeks: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. RETHINK everything you do.

Tips for Reducing:

Avoid packaging! Why do you need a new grocery bag every time you go to the store? Why does your toothpaste need two packages? Why have we tricked ourselves into thinking that NEW = BETTER? 

Listen to this: you can reduce trash, pollution, and the money we spend on plastic bags by bringing your own tote bag to the store (any store, not just groceries!).  Avoid buying things with excess packaging! Use your consumer power for something good!  Buy used stuff.  It's more eco-friendly, and its cheaper too! Not to mention the hipster status you get from thrifting...And borrow things from your friends.  You probably have plenty of friends with similar needs, tastes, and interests, so if you really need or want something, you can find a friend to help you out!

Tips for Reusing:

IF possible, reuse. It's awesome. Keep cans/containers/bottles to store things. Buy whatever food you can in bulk, and reuse containers for that (Integral Yoga and Wholefoods are great places to buy in bulk). Give clothes to Goodwill or our local favorite SPCA Rummage. Use creativity and reduce trash impact. If we make a conscious effort to watch what we throw away, we will find that we are throwing away things that could be reused, or recycled for that matter. 

UVA recycling has some super good tips and events: 

http://utilities.fm.virginia.edu/recycling/guide.aspx

and for Charlottesville:

http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=566

Tips for Recycling:

Just do it. Please. Our house has gone from two large trash-cans a week to one small one by using the reducing/recycling/ composting magic formula!!! How cool is that?

Since Sarah is 21 now...21 things you didn't know you could recycle found here: http://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/greenamerican/articles/21Things.cfm

We'd like to add aluminum foil to the list. Just clean it off if food is on it. Just think about how much aluminum foil we through away? It's the same as the cans we so love to recycle! And aluminum is one of the easiest materials to recycle (less downcycling, more recycling!) So next time, think about recycling your aluminum foil.

Tips for Composting:

"Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. It's easy to learn how to compost." http://www.howtocompost.org/

In short: Keep a bin under the sink or somewhere in the kitchen where you can keep all natural trash from fresh foods. All fruits and vegetables/seeds/greens/eggshells/paper-towels/anything biodegradable. Do NOT put meat or cheese...or you will have some problems. Every couple of days, throw it in a pile where you put the old on top and the new compost on the bottom to let it break down into good nutrient dense soil.

We hope you found these helpful and challenging!

Peace love and everything local.

Trash Talk

Next, we're focusing on recycling and composting.  To get things started, we thought we'd go back to the beginning [where trash comes from].  Check out this neat video on our consumption patterns here in the US-it's part of Annie Leonard's project "The Story of Stuff".  She presents some compelling insight into our systems and mindsets about the "stuff" we make, buy, use, and throw away.  She focuses on trash in the last few minutes of the clip, so pay special attention there!  She did such a great job, we thought we'd let her do the talking.  Enjoy!

http://www.storyofstuff.com

Food for Thought

So the concentration on blogging about eating local food has come to an end. And since we like to talk about feelings, well here they are.

Sarah: Today I ate a locally grown concord grape. Alright I ate more than one. They are divine. I don't think people know how grapes can taste until you have one. It brought me right back to being at my grandparent's farm picking grapes off the vine in the hot sunshine and pretending that's all I had to live off of as a self-proclaimed explorer of the land. One of my many imagination-filled adventures in this humble and beautiful property. Honestly,  I was most nervous about eating only local food when it came to the idea of the Indian Summer. And to be frank, I'm very much appeased on the matter. Seriously, it really isn't that hard. You spend the extra time preparing yourself by buying fresh food and making it. And it just feels right. I  was scared I was going to be hungry all the time, or wouldn't be able to live without chocolate or cereal or sugar, etc. But I'm not.  I'm sure as time goes by, there might be some small problems, but I think we can handle it. We eat exactly what we buy. We don't waste anything that's for sure. And no junk food. I feel better. I just feel like it is real food. From the earth. Everything is so much more tasty. And I'm even learning to cook things I didn't know how to prepare! Arley's the real cook, but I'm learning. And I'm learning more and more about how eating locally is just so much better for the world and for yourself. Like our previous post on the theory of this practice mentions, I feel better about putting local food in my body for health, energy saving,  and so many more reasons. Being involved with the UVA garden also brings me to form a physical close relationship with the earth. And I love it. Seeing how small a seed is brings a sense of mysterious wonder to my thoughts on the magic of growing and creation. And the cost of it all? Well yes it's more expensive, but if there's one thing to spend money on, shouldn't be what is going into your body rather than on top of it or on whatever we spend high dollar amounts on?

Arley: COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE. I've been drinking coffee, to varying degrees but definitely regularly, since I was 11 or so. No good for my body.  And I'll be completely honest--not drinking coffee all of a sudden is very hard.  Its one of those things that I could justify--what's wrong with getting fair-trade, locally roasted coffee from Shenandoah Joe's? Nothing, really.  But the Indian Summer is all about cutting excess out of our lives, and getting down to the basics. And basically, my body doesn't need coffee. I just made it think that it does.  I don't want to "justify" all the little things I sometimes want to do--borrow milk from our other roommates, use another roommate's left over cheese; I'm just excited to explore what it means to really live radically-even if it's just for 80 days.  Echoing what Sarah said, eating locally really is great.  I'm pretty sure we make our roommates jealous over our dinners pretty regularly.  My favorite dish to cook is homemade pasta + noodles! It's just a classic, and absolutely delicious when everything is so fresh.  And it's way more filling too! My favorite times are when people say, "Wait. Where did you get that?".  Another awesome thing is how helpful people in Charlottesville are.  Its amazing the time and effort people are willing to offer us, even when they know they won't get anything in return. In places like Albemarle Baking and Integral Yoga, even after it was pretty clear that I would necessarily be able to buy their products (like with flour), managers were still willing to talk to me for a good 10 or 15 minutes on where I should go to find things I need for our diet.  That has probably been the most awesome thing for me--getting to connect with different people around town who are selflessly interested in supporting us.


So there you have it. Feelings. Share yours. Maybe go to the market and prepare yourself a gourmet tasty fresh meal. Invite friends. We guarantee you'll enjoy it.

next topic: recycling and composting and trying not to make trash. pretty interesting stuff. check it out in the days to come.

Amuse Bouche

We bet (or at least we hope) you are wondering how you can make a difference.
Here are some tips, tricks, and places (in Charlottesville) for eating local.

TIPS:
-Cooking fresh food can be time consuming, but if you make double the amount for dinner, then voila you have a quick tasty lunch for the next day.
-Buy only what you need for about a week, because it will go bad.
-Baking with honey is the bomb. In baking, you use about half the amount of honey that the recipe calls for sugar. And reduce all other liquid ingredients by about a quarter of a cup each.
-WADE'S MILL has local grain aka FLOUR, which apparently everyone knows about because it's always out of stock. But if you find it, it's worth it!
-Yogurt making is fun. You basically heat up milk and add a tablespoon of live-culture yogurt. You can find recipes all over the internet. Don't use skim milk. It's chalky. Or spend way less time by buying it for pretty cheap at C-ville Market.


Which brings us to PLACES:
- THE city farmer's market- everything is there. pretty obvious right? some things available here that you can't necessarily get in local food grocers.
- Integral Yoga- people are nice and helpful. nice selection of local produce.
- UVA student garden- we love them. we shall be involved. learning. food. yum.
- Rebecca's- random local products, maple syrup, salsa, and some meat, etc.
- Main Street Market- it's a cool place. check it out. Feast, local butcher, local flower shop Hedge.
- C-ville Market- really inexpensive local foods. we love.
- The Virginia Store- nuts, wine, jams, etc.
- Whole Foods- good place for people who live in the north part of town.
- Kroger- voted by Arsdale as best place to buy local milk and butter, believe it or not.

RESTAURANTS:
- Brookville Restaurant
- The Local
- Fine Arts Cafe
- Feast


As always, try to bring your own reusable grocery bag when you go grocery shopping. If you have any other tips and favorite places, please share in comment section. We love sharing.


Peace, Love, and Everything Local!

Arley+Sarah