Attitude of Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoy your day!

Here are a couple of simple tips to help make this Thanksgiving a green one.

If possible try choosing organic and locally grown or produced items for your meal tomorrow!

Try an Organic Turkey from a Local Farm. If you haven't picked one up yet and you're in the Madison area, Willy Street Coop has fresh, all natural, free range turkeys from Bell & Evans
http://www.bellandevans.com/index.cfm?act=about_us
and frozen organic birds from Organic Prairie
http://www.organicprairie.com/?gclid=CLmBjp3xuaUCFQNrKgodpWzHZg.

Plus you don't need to pre-order so even if you haven't planned ahead you can swing by and pick up your bird for tomorrow!

Make a Homemade Pie with local ingredients! It should be easy to find some local pumpkins and apples. My mom is making our homemade pumpkin pie today. I'm so grateful!
Here's a simple recipe to try!
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/real-homemade-pumpkin-pie/Detail.aspx

As always if you can, get your vegetables local and organic. I'll be making my creole roasted yams tomorrow with organic olive oil and yams!

If possible, visit your local bakery today to grab some locally made items like rolls and bread for stuffing!

Save your leftovers! I don't eat turkey but I can still remember how much I loved cold turkey sandwiches the days following Thanksgiving.
Pack your leftovers in your empty containers (your #5 plastics that you've been saving to drop off at Whole Foods perhaps) and send them away with family and friends.

If you are throwing away leftovers, try to pitch them in the compost bin instead of the garbage. According to the EPA, food scraps, yard trimmings and wood waster are the largest component of our trash and make up over two-thirds of the solid waste that ends up in landfills.


Got plans for the day after Thanksgiving? How about celebrating Buy Nothing Day! According to the BuyNothingDay website, the Friday after Thanksgiving is your special day to unshop, unspend and unwind. Relax and do nothing for the economy and yourself, at least for a day!

http://www.buynothingday.org/buynothing.html

Buy Nothing Day, is an international day to protest consumerism. The first organized celebration was in 1992.
Take some time for yourself, stop, breath, and examine your consumption. I plan on taking a yoga class and cleaning my house on Friday. My sister has planned a day to decorate the house for the holidays with her kids (ages 2 and 4)
She has prepped herself with some good music and champagne for a morning mimosa. Sounds divine!

Plastic State of Mind - Love this!

Seriously

I just wrote Mike an email that began: "Hey Mike, Hope your day is going well! It was nice biking into work with you today...even though it was really cold and windy and otherwise unpleasant."


It is not nice outside. Truth.
November 19th and we are still biking into work. Styling the gloves, warm wind-breakers, skiing socks and on some days the long underwear (long-johns).
In my opinion Gore Bike Wear carries some of the best biking gear available.
http://www.gorebikewear.com/remote/Satellite/HomePage

If you're not looking to shell out a lot of cash, Bike Nashbar is a great websites for deals.

Bike Nashbar: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/TopCategories_10053_10052_-1?cm_mmc=Google-_-Non%20Brand-_-G_Nashbar_Official_Site-_-BikeNashbar


Today I was lucky enough to ride in with Mike since we were leaving for work at the same time. He is stronger than I am and the cold doesn't seem to faze him as much as it does me.

As we biked along he said, "your biking fast." I laughed and replied, "because it's cold out!" After another minute or so he said, "do you think it's in the the 40s?" And I exclaimed, "It's 32 degrees!".

I'm not sure how long I'm going to make it!

_______________________________________________________

My office building is very bike friendly and we have numerous options for bike parking. I choose to park my bike at the designated bike racks in the parking garage. It's so nice to know that if it's raining outside my bike is protected. Today as I was heading towards the door from the parking garage to the building I could smell cigarette smoke. Someone was smoking in the parking garage, and not just in the garage but right next to the door.

I was asking myself who would smoke right next to the door like that..and why?! Probably because it's too cold to smoke outside.

Seriously...If people can bike to work when it's 32 degrees, work outside when it's 32 degrees, and the unfortunate homeless population in town can sleep outside when it's 32 degrees, than one would think people should be able walk 25 feet away from the building and stand there for 2 minutes to enjoy their cigarette. I know and love several people who smoke, so I'm not judging this personal choice ..however, have some respect people!

I was fortunate enough to ride the elevator up with the perpetrator and had my face not been completely frozen I might have said something to her directly.
Though, I've never been good at confrontation and I probably wouldn't have said anything. So instead I will post my dissatisfaction here today and maybe later I'll file a complaint.

Co-op Grocery Stores

It is common today to walk into a standard grocery store or super-market and find vegetarian, vegan, natural, local and organic options. Thirty years ago things were a little different and thus Food Cooperatives were established to help make natural and organic options more affordable to members. A Co-op can purchase larger quantities of these goods and supply them at a discount.

I've grown up a co-op member. As a child, my mother would frequent both Willy Street Co-op and Mifflin Street Co-op with my sister and I in tow.

Willy Street Co-op, http://www.willystreet.coop/, affectionately and simply referred to as Willy Street or just The Co-op by many has been a landmark on Williamson (Willy) Street in Madison since the 1970s. It has changed locations several times in the last 30+ years but has always remained on Willy Street and has grown into probably the most successful business in the neighborhood. My mother would take us to The Co-op when it was located at 1202 Williamson Street (currently the Social Justice Center). The aisles were narrow but the space was bright and lively. I remember being excited to help pick snacks from the bulk bins...sesame sticks were my favorite. I wonder if perhaps this was a favorite snack of mine because I associated them with Oscar and my other friends on Sesame Street. Even at this smaller location the Coop offered a corner for children to play while their parents wondered the aisles.

The Mifflin Co-op opened in 1969 as a grassroots way of taking back the food supply. And though it was a neighborhood gem for decades in Madison it unfortunately closed 5 years ago due to financial struggles. I have fond memories of this Co-op as well...it was cozier than Willy Street and offered different items, like candy. I remember one trip in particular. I was begging my mom to buy me some chocolates that were wrapped in colorful aluminum foil. The chocolates looked like shiny coins in pink, yellow and purple! Oh my my! Now, I wasn't the type of child to throw a fit, but I desperately wanted to enjoy some of these fabulous shiny chocolates. My mother didn't buy us traditional sweets, so I knew that if we were going to get some candy it would be some "healthy" candy from the co-op. After begging and pleading my case my mother had to finally explain to me that the object of my 10 year old desire, these shiny coins were not chocolate candies but shiny condoms. I'm sure I argued, surely this was candy and my mom was trying to pull a fast-one on me. She was clearly making this up. After that episode and the conversation to follow, my sister and I stared in awe at those shiny coins every time we went into the Mifflin Street Co-op.

...That was then and this is now.

Mike and I currently belong to the Willy Street Co-op and the Regent Street Co-op, http://www.regentmarketcoop.org/?page_id=30. The Regent Street Co-op was founded in 1998, but the store has been a grocer since 1924. I love this neighborhood co-op. It does carry a lot of organic and natural items, but not specifically. You can still find Heinz ketchup and Lays Potato Chips if these are items you enjoy. The Regent Street Co-op's strength is definitely in its deli. The deli offers fabulous meat and fish options and if you stop by on a Saturday morning you may be able to see one of the oldest butchers in town. Stop by, say hi and grab one of his wife's homemade brownies before they're all gone! This is still truly a neighborhood grocery store!

Willy Street Co-op, has just opened its second location in Middleton!
I'm very excited for the new Willy Street location. It is located at 6825 University Ave. at the corner of Park and University, in Middleton. Hopefully the new location will help ease traffic and parking concerns at the original location and gain even more members on the West side! Our home is right in between the two Willy co-ops, so we'll have options now! Willy Street's strength is definitely its bulk section and I'm driven to start buying more in bulk to help drive down our waste (cans, jars, bags) and help drive up our percentage of local and organic groceries.


From sesame sticks to shiny condoms, I have a soft spot in my heart for co-op grocery stores and I always will.

Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index | Video on TED.com

Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index | Video on TED.com

Eating Local

What a nice weekend! The weather in Madison has been absolutely unbelievable. It has been in or near the 60 degree range for the past 4 days. I could get accustomed to this kind of weather in November.

Last weekend was REAP's Pie Palooza.
I had a wonderful time volunteering and met up with friends after my volunteer shift to try some pie for myself! I tried a delicious slice of spinach quiche and a fabulous slice of sweet potato pie. Our two pieces came with salad, beverages and an added bonus...Sassy Cow Creamery Ice Cream! http://www.sassycowcreamery.com/Index.htm

Mike and I also went to a dinner party this past weekend where we were fortunate enough to eat a wonderful Mexican meal made with local ingredients. Our friends grilled local venison meat and we had home-made salsa from locally grown tomatillos, peppers and tomatoes. What a treat indeed!

In Wisconsin we are getting ready for a long and cold winter (though recent temperatures don't show it). As the temperatures dip and the days get shorter the growing season ends.
So what can we do to ensure that we keep eating local?

1. CSA Winter Shares. I just realized that some CSA farms have a winter option that extends your CSA season into December. Winter shares typically include cold-hardy crops like spinach, broccoli, and kale, as well as storage crops like carrots, potatoes, squash, onions and garlic. I will definitely be looking into a winter share next year!

2. Indoor Farmers Markets. Many farmers markets move indoors in the colder months. It may take some research to find out what is available in the area, but it is well worth it!
In Madison, the Dane County Farmers Market moves indoors this weekend to the Monona Terrace. Some items that are likely to be found are;

Fruits (Apples Cider, Jams, jellies, and preserves; Pears; Pear and apple butters; Raspberry products), Stored Vegetables (Carrots, Garlic, Potatoes, Shallots, Turnips), Fresh Vegetables (Chard, Greens, Kale, Lettuce, Micro-greens, Radish, Spinach, Tomatoes), Meats Beef, Bison, Brats and sausage, Chicken), Cheeses (Flavored cheeses, Goat cheese, World-class aged cheeses, Fresh cheese curds) and Baked Goods (Biscotti, Cheesecake, Pastries, Cinnamon rolls, Breads) Specialty Items (Mushrooms, Maple syrup, Wool products, Candles, Honey, Pesto, Vinaigrettes, Eggs, Hot sauces, Flavored sea salt, Goat milk soap, Salsa, Yarn, Sheepskins, Hides and leather, Soups, Pasta sauce, Fresh-ground whole wheat flour, Herbal vinegar)

3. Preserving: Canning/Pickling/Freezing/Drying. If the proper equipment is available preserving is a wonderful way to extend the use of local vegetables and fruits. Meats, fish, and berries can be easily stored in the freezer. Herbs, mushrooms and some vegetables can be dried using a dehydrator. Fruits and Vegetables can be canned and cucumbers, carrots and beans can be pickled. I'm not a "canner" but here is a link to helpful tips. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

4. Think beyond locally grown. Don't forget to focus on locally produced and supplied items in the winter. Even though our growing season is limited, there are plenty of companies that produce breads, sauces, salsas, pastas, milk,(etc.) all year long!


The challenge to eat local will increase in the next 6 months but I'm excited to see what kind of things Mike and I can come up with to keep our local/organic percentage as high as possible.

REAP's Pie Palooza Brunch

This Sunday - November 7th, REAP (research, education, action and policy on food group) is holding their annual Pie Palooza at the Goodman Community Center in Madison!





I've never been to this event, but this year I'll be volunteering and hope to sit down for brunch after my shift.

Local chefs and bakers create recipes for pies that range from very savory to very sweet! Some of the local chefs and bakers come from my favorite Madison restaurants. Hubbard Avenue Diner, Monty's Blue Plate, Crema Cafe and Lombardino's are all on the list of contributors! From the pie varieties on the REAP website, I'm hoping I can try the Autumn Harvest Quiche (w/ squash, onion, parsnips, spinach, and sweet potatotes) and the Pumpkin Pie (with hickory nuts and caramel)!

http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/Programs-Events/pie-palooza.html

Tickets are $16.00 and can be purchased online. Pie is served in three separate seatings; 9:30-10:30am, 10:30-11:30am, and 11:30-12:30pm.

All proceeds support REAP programs in Southern Wisconsin. REAP is a local non-profit organization that supports sustainable agriculture. Their local programs help bring fresh local produce to classrooms and link farmers with business owners to get local produce into our restaurants. Events like this one help our community build a sustainable food system!

Sounds like a perfect way to warm up on a chilly Autumn morning!