A short tour...

I was sitting here and just realized that I haven't posted any pictures of our new place. So I decided to share a few images from around the place. We haven't been here long so there is still lots to do, but we are going to get there. Come mid-May things will be looking very different here! Yet, even in its raw state, the place is beautiful and tranquil.

Here chicky, chicky - Urban Ag and Chickens

So we are pushing forward and expanding beyond the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. We recently added some feathered friends to the mix out here on our small farm, six Rhode Island Reds. We are starting off small and looking to eventually expand and perhaps add a rooster to the mix. But even a small addition of meat and eggs is a big aspect of the whole self-sufficiency initiative here.





In addition to these cute little chicks, I'm still interested in pushing things to the next level, to include milk and cheese. Cows or goats would be a nice, but as we have found out, even raising chickens requires a lot of attention, patience and persistence. So for now, our hands are full, but I suspect we'll get the hang of it, and do more.

For the love of good food

Even though the garden isn't planted yet I figure there is no reason I still shouldn't be cooking great food. In a way, I'm still honing my culinary skills, picking up new cook books and experimenting with different ingredients and tastes.

Last night was an adventure in preparing a green mole with pork shoulder, chayote squash and fresh green beans. Then mixed with a fennel, parsely and cilantro puree. The theme for the night was definitely green!!! And this stuff was hot! My son and I love the hot food, but the girls, not so much. So this is a warning, only cook this if you enjoy spicy Oaxacan foods.







As you can see I love food, I love taking pictures of food, cooking, growing, and of course, I love to eat! It is this love for cooking and eating good food that has inspired the direction of the garden. In general, my plan is to grow the foods me and my family love to eat. Crystal is French/Italian, and I lived in Italy for a few years so we must have a the Mediteranean garden covered, but I'm a Texas boy. Nothing has inspired my culinary curiosity more than Mexican food. I love it all!

So the goal is to establish a Mexi-Mediterranean Garden up here in the Northwest. I understand that some items will not grow well up here in the Northwest, but we are going to try anyway. It will definitely be an interesting, if not difficult, but rewarding experience to be sure.

I can't wait!!!

Changing Direction: From Peppers to Self-Reliance

So I started this blog to record my experiences cooking and growing peppers. Obviously I have posted a damn thing since I started the blog!!! But, I think this project is going to expand in a significant way. As fate would have it, my family and I are moving out of the Pullman area, and going back to the West Side of the Cascades, Everett, WA to be exact. The kicker is we found a 30 acre place to rent. We are able to have animals, fish, grow food, etc. Not to mention there is a farmers market about 10 minutes from where we will be living.

We will be taking over the property as of this coming Saturday, and this will mark the beginning of an experiment where a couple of city folk and their children will embark on a quest to increase our own self-reliance off the land.

I will still stay true to my pepper fetish, but that is only a part. And somewhere in there I will find time to finish up my dissertation, but I plan for us to grow as much as possible the things we need, preserve excess, and take the remainder to local farmer's market.

Of course, it isn't like we are completely clueless about what we are getting ourselves into. I have been farming here on the Palouse with the WSU Organic CSA farm for the past few years, I have helped to manage the local farmer's market. So yes, this isn't just a whim. I'm doing a PhD on urban agriculture and sustainability. Yet, my research doesn't address anything that touches upon the experience of being a part time farmer in the city.

I want to know, intimately what it is to feed my family and myself.

Certainly, there is a lot of stuff out there on the web on how we need to change our food habits, where we purchase our food, what we purchase, and when we purchase. Michael Pollan has even gone so far as to suggest that a sustainable food system will require a mass exodus of people to take up life back on the land. He argues that we need to promote and incentivize the creation of a new agricultural revolution where farmers and consumers are closer together. Where consumers are bound by the land and seasons for their food, and where farmers can make a living from growing and selling food within in the local community or region.

Others have suggested that we not only need this sort of reconfiguration, but we need to ramp up urban agricultural production, or at least urban expansion should consider and support urban agriculture. I am a big proponent of urban agriculture. You know, the whole "Food Not Lawns" idea. While urban ag is a huge component of the food system in developing countries, in the US it is still in its nascent form. With my little project I hope to change that...

Anyway, I will be making more posts about this journey, probably sprinkled with some of my research ideas, projects, and of course, all the wonderful food creations I come up with. In fact, I'm thinking I ought to start listing all the recipes that I can't live without. Perhaps that would be a good starting point for thinking about the things to grow; consider the recipe for my favorite foods, and grow the ingredients!