Kitchen / Garden / Sanctuary - Urban Homesteading to Nourish Body + Spirit
Around 9 a.m. one recent morning, my dad called me at work because there seemed to be kind of a garden emergency going on in one of my raised beds. Growing on the mulch, he said, was a spongy yellow fungus that hadn’t been there the night before — and it was already the size of a dinner plate. When I talked to him a couple hours later, he reported that the fungus had gotten taller. Continue reading
While visiting the Blue Mountains in Australia a few years ago, I was introduced to the concept of Christmas in July. This “holiday” is more of just a marketing ploy (“Book your holiday brunch NOW!”), but it’s kind of neat because southern hemisphere dwellers can experience a northern-style Christmas with decorations, carols, snow, roaring fires, and eggnog. While I love all these things during the winter — and winter sounds pretty good during the oppressive scorch of mid-summer — I can’t seem get into the Christmas spirit in July. However, I have been able to choke down this eggnog ice cream — ya know, in honor of the season (*smirk*).
Click “Continue Reading” for the recipe…
Healthfood Store egg vs. Pastured/Farm-fresh egg
I’ve always eaten raw eggs, and have never gotten sick from them. And for most of my life, the eggs I ate weren’t even the good kind…just the cheap, factory-farmed grocery store brand.
My mom used to warn me about raw eggs, so maybe I was just lucky. Obviously, the deliciousness & instant gratification of eating gobs of raw cookie dough eclipsed any long-range consideration of food poisoning. Still does.
More recently, I’ve been buying eggs from the health food store, which are organic, vegetarian, & cage-free. I can’t taste any difference, so I buy them more for the sake of the chickens they come from. However, these eggs aren’t quite as wholesome as they sound, even though the chickens are treated more humanely. I guess chickens naturally eat bugs and weeds/greens, so while “Vegetarian Fed” may sound good, this means they’re fed strictly on organic grains — ie., they aren’t outside on the grass, eating their native (and carnivorous) diet of bugs, grubs, etc.
And “cage-free” usually means that although they’re not confined to tiny cages, they’re still raised in a barn (warehouse? Quonset hut?) where the living quarters might still be cramped. They probably don’t go outside, either, lest they sneak a non-vegetarian grub or two.
Welcome to The Herbangardener! Thanks for stopping by!
This site is dedicated to nourishing the body + spirit through backyard organic gardening, traditional foodways, and homesteading in the heart of the city.
I wish I could describe my own homestead as “four lovely acres in the country, with a fruit orchard, vast gardens of veggies & flowers, a flock of chickens, and a cow.” That would be my dream!
My current living situation, though, is slightly less picturesque — I live in a drafty, one-bedroom attic apartment in the middle of the city. It’s not quite my dream, but in spite of all the asphalt and traffic, it’s still my homestead.
You can create a homestead no matter where you live! I’ve discovered that it’s as much a mindset as it is a physical setting — maybe even more so.
It’s time to revolutionize our gardens, reclaim our kitchens, and re-establish simple, balanced living.
You can do this wherever you are — even if your garden is just a pot of parsley in the kitchen window!
Growing and cooking our own food no longer holds the stigma it once did. In fact, not only is it in vogue now — it’s also a wonderful way to nourish both body and spirit, especially when we’re not able to achieve the part about simple, balanced living.
At my little urban homestead (which I share with my dear & wonderful hubby), I love playing with new ideas and learning new things, which I write about on this site. I also love gardening! For years, I’ve had an organic veggie garden in my parents’ backyard (five 4’x8’ raised beds). The neat thing is, my garden gives more than just vegetables — it provides satisfaction and enjoyment, and a deep sense of peacefulness when I’m near it. I feel so proud when I’m able to nourish my family with foods that I’ve lovingly grown and prepared with my own hands!
And so I warmly invite you to join me here at The Herbangardener, as we strive to create our own homestead-sanctuaries no matter what our present living situation may be!
Welcome to The Herbangardener! This site is dedicated to nourishing the body + spirit, backyard organic gardening, traditional foodways, and homesteading in the heart of the city. Do come along and join me!
"There's nothing more pleasurable than making things by hand, and nothing more beautiful than handmade things."
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
- Theodore Roosevelt
"Only after the last tree has been cut down; only after the last fish has been caught; only after the last river has been poisoned; only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten."
- Cree Nation Tribal Prophecy
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