Fox Valley Farmgirls

There is a fantastic magazine called MaryJanesFarm that embraces the life of organic gardening, sewing, cooking, canning etc. I bought my first copy at Woodmans and my second copy at Pages and Pipes. Inspirational stories of women who are making a difference, in their families and in their communities make this a perfect way to connect, and reconnect, to things that really matter, organic food, living lightly on the earth, recycling, reducing waste and being in touch.
Mary Jane Butter, founder of the magazine and who farms organically for a living, encourages people to get together (a henhouse!) and help promote this way of life.
We are starting a free membership of like minded individuals to share topics, inspiration, recipes, etc, and the upcoming meeting is planned for Oct 13 at 6:30 here at Kindred Spirits Organics, 10 College Avenue, Appleton. You can either call here at 920-882-2123 for more information or contact Cheryl at 920-882-7760.
Also, feel free to check out online, www.maryjanesfarm.org to learn a bit more!!

mustard recipes

Here are some quick and easy recipes to make gourmet flavored mustards, with a minimum of fuss or ingredients. The class last night enjoyed these, the chili jalapeno is a bit spicy for me but I confess to being a wimp.
Chili Mustard
2 tbsp diced pickled jalapenos
1/2 cup mustard (brown mustard is great, yellow is very good as well)
Combine, refrigerate. Its that easy.
Lemon mustard
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mustard. I used yellow last night.
Combine, refrigerate. This is good on fish or chicken
Peppercorn Mustard (my favorite)
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
1 minced shallot
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup mustard, yellow or Dijon style
Combine, refrigerate
Awesome with pretzels!

Fall is in the air...

Definitely a nip in the air this morning....
I love hearing the geese flying overhead, seeing the leaves drift down, smelling the crisp air (sometimes with the hint of smoke from a neighbors fireplace) picking bright red sweet apples, pumpkins and gourds decorating steps and patios, watching squirrels scurry to hide nuts...the harvest season, time of abundance.

political choices

Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Reduce, reuse, recycle

These are scary times for lots of people, worried about losing their homes, their jobs, the retirement they have been working towards. I'm no economics major, but it seems to me if we go back to "simpler times" and reuse more, and reduce costs, we can find our way back to better times plus help the planet at the same time. The little things I am doing now (line dry, recycle everything, garden) have made an impact, and I am going to keep searching for more ways to work towards lower impact, lower stress (monetary, environmental) and a simpler lifestyle that has substance, not fluff.

Nike the cat, and his catnip

We have a sweet two year old cat named Nike who adores the fresh organic catnip we grow for him. We give him a few sprigs once every couple of weeks as I don't want him to overdo. He rubs himself all over the leaves, arches his back, rubs his face as though he is trying to inhale it and just acts silly. He will walk away for a moment or two and come racing back to the bruised leaves and stems to roll in it some more. My task is to gather up some leaves to dry for the winter to see if he will like them. Its funny, he definitely loves the fresh stuff and will ignore catnip we have purchased in the past so its possible he just wants the freshest possible. Smart kitty, just like us, he knows fresh is best!

mustard class, basic mustard recipe

Tonight I am teaching a homemade gourmet mustard class to 6 people. Its going to be fun, tasting different blends and showing how easy it is to create your own signature mustard. They make perfect gifts too. Here is an easy way to make your own mustard, from scratch.
1/4 cup mustard powder (ground up mustard seeds)
2-3 tbsp boiling water
1 -2 tbsp olive oil
dash of honey (about 1/4 tsp)
Blend everything together till smooth and then refrigerate.
To customize, you can add chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (hot!!!)
or a minced shallot and freshly ground pepper, or some grated lemon rind and freshly squeezed lemon juice. The best part is experimenting and making it uniquely your own.