The end of an experiment

Yesterday marked the end of our experiment of not purchasing new things. We set out to make it a year but quickly decided that that might be too long so shortened it down to 6 months. It was a fun experiment, we tried new things, and even broke our own rule on occasion.

What we really liked about it - aside from not spending much money - was not spending our weekends in box stores. They are depressing, seem to drain the day away, and they have no personality. We hadn't been in a box store in 6 months and we didn't miss them one bit! We also learned you do need new things (not a lot of things but a few things). There are just some things you can't get used (or really don't want used).

So when did we break our rule in the last 6 months? Well our biggest new purchase was probably gasoline. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much we could to about this though of course we drive as infrequently as possible.

On a smaller scale, Courtney joined a soccer team and needed soccer socks and shin guards. We found the shin guards used but couldn't find the socks, so we bought one new pair. But we didn't buy new soccer shoes, it is indoor soccer and running shoes worked just fine. We also broke our back windshield wiper. Those don't come used but instead of buying a whole new one we ordered just the rubber part that was broken and installed it ourselves. Some times the new conveniences of today are really not that convenient and just create more waste.

So what did we do to celebrate our new ability to purchase new things? The first stop was the Salvation Army. We found a couple of good finds for the kitchen and headed to the Reuse Center. I know, I know, those are both used stores but they are our favorites and we can't help it! The next stop was Office Depot. We were out of printer paper and envelopes so we thought we would stop in. 2 seconds in the store and we remembered why we hate these stores. They had neither product we wanted (100% recycled paper), they only sold paper that was 30% recycled so we left empty handed and Office Depot ended up with a e-mail from an unhappy past costumer. Last stop, the place we missed the most, REI. We both walked out happy costumers of one new clothing item each.

Despite the fact that we can go shopping in normal places again I think the thrift stores will stay on the top of our list of our favorite places to go. From now on, when we want something we ask: 1. Do we really need it? 2. If so, can we get it used? 3. If not, what is the best (durable, environmentally friendly, socially responsible) product available to fill our need?

Food Information

Over the last few months we have been posting more about food; what we eat, what we cook, where we shop for food, and interesting things about food. That is partly becuase we are interested in food issues but also becuase food is such a huge part of our lives. We are lucky enough to eat three+ meals a day. So between shopping for food, preparing food, and eating food it takes up a few hours of every day. So we thought we might post some of our favorite resources in case other people were interested.

If you are interested in food issues (or curious about what you are eating each day) then watch Food Inc and you will quickly realize why we are interested in what we eat. (It is on instant on Netflix right now for those who are dying to see it)

Food Inc's website also has a good education page that has quick information on all the major food issues.

Mrs. Q's is a teacher in the Chicago area that has vowed to eat the school lunches for a year. She blogs each day about the food and posts a picture of the lovely meal. Check out what passes as food in America's schools theses days.

To find a local farmers market check out Local Harvest Local Harvest also has many other resources including lists of restaurants that serve local food, and CSAs (community supported agriculture) in your area.

Edible Communities is a magazine that is put out in different locations around the country (South East Michigan's is Edible Wow) that profiles local farmers, restaurants that use local ingredients, and recipes for foods that are in seasons. Many Whole Foods Markets give them away for free or check out their website of some of their content (or support they by subscribing!).

For those of you in the Ann Arbor area another blog The Farmer's Marketer has been posting a good list of all the CSAs in the Ann Arbor area.

If you want to get to know more about where the food comes from in the farmer's market check out Corrina Borden's series, Farm to Fork, in Ann Arbor.com where she visits local farms and tells you what she sees.

And what are we doing? We made our own granola this weekend. It is pretty good (despite being a little burned) and tastes great on the local yogurt we got at the farmers market this weekend. We are also trying to meet the new challenge put out by the HomeGrown Local Foot Summit two weekends ago to purchase 10% of your food locally. Any suggestions on how to meet the challenge let us know!

Is This Food?

In our quest to eat more real food we come across some things that we have to wonder if it really deserves the title of food. Maybe a chemistry experiment gone wrong would be a better title. Grist has kindly put together a slide show of some top offenders.


Click on the picture to see more pictures of these chemistry experiments now for sale in your local grocery.

SELMA

We posted in January about our new years resolution, eat more food. So we thought we might post an update. One of the things we have gotten involved in Ann Arbor is SELMA Cafe. It is a Friday morning community breakfast hosted by Jeff and Lisa in their home. Every Friday morning about 100-150 people from Ann Arbor show up at their house for some breakfast cooked by a different volunteer chef each week and served by volunteers. The breakfast is made is mostly local food and the proceeds (a suggested donation of $10-15) goes to support the local farmers. Arthur and I have been volunteer servers about one morning a month. We volunteer from 6:00 am to 10:00 am serving food, helping cook, making coffee, hanging out, eating good food, and meeting new people. It is a great way to start the morning and it is an awesome community event. Every Thursday night another group of volunteers goes to Jeff and Lisa's house to help prep the food. From 6:00-9:00 you help clean, chop, stir, and create the feast for the next morning. Then everyone sits down to dinner together. Last night Arthur and I helped prep for the first time. In honor of St. Patty's day we helped make:

Starters of scones and soda bread with fresh home-made butter and preserves will greet you at the table. In addition, you will be able to enjoy your choice of:

· Potato cakes with rashers (I think that is Irish-speak for bacon y’all) and a bit of hoop greens, of course

·Pinhead oatmeal porridge served with local honey, cream and cinnamon applesauce

If you are ever in Ann Arbor join us for breakfast on Friday morning and help us with our New Years Resolution to eat more food.

For more pictures of SELMA click here.

Photos by Myra Klarman

Seattle

For Arthur's spring break we went out to Seattle for 4 days. We got to see Sabine, Bebeth, Mark and Seattle! In case you ever wondered why I love Seattle check out some of the photos from our trip.

Seattle March 2010

On Friday we went for a walk from Bebeth's house to a local park. It was a beautiful walk through the woods to the beach and stunning views of the mountains. All with in a 10 minutes walk of their home! Do they have anything like that in Michigan?

On Saturday we went for a killer hike. We hiked Mailbox peak. It was 4000 feet up in 3 miles. Yes that is straight up for 3 miles. Even the stair master was no training for this. But the views from the top was amazing! Mountains in ever directions, crystal clear sky, and 60 degrees out. Bebeth carried Sabine all the way up. I was barely able to carry myself all the way up! We barely made it down in one piece but it was worth it.

As always 4 days flew by and it is time to say good bye to The Bine, Bebeth, and the mountains.