07.30.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:31 am by trueepicure
Eating locally is going to be a challenge for me. At the moment, I am focusing on finding out as much as I can about what is in season in Arizona in August (anything????) and where I can find it. This morning I spent some time looking for local produce markets that are open during the summer. Unfortunately, August being the worst time of year for being outdoors here, there are a number of farmer’s markets that are closed.
Jen has asked that we answer the following questions for the challenge:
1. What’s your definition of local for this challenge?
My definition of local for this challenge will be the state of Arizona. I plan to focus on organic or naturally grown food that is grown in Arizona. We are lucky to have three different climatic zones here, so I should be able to find local food all year ’round. I suspect however, that I will have to supplement my local food with non-local food, but I plan to buy organic as much as possible
2. What exemptions will you claim?
Cheese and meat to begin with. I should be able to find organic, so I will focus on eating meat that is organic.
Seasonings will be an exception as well, though, I will attempt to focus on cooking with local herbs as much as possible. I may have to make more exceptions as I go, just based on what I learn.
3. What is your personal goal for the month?
I can’t boil it down to just one goal. I have a few. I plan to:
learn more about the food where I live
eat a healthier, more diverse range of foods
learn new things about where I live
I see this challenge as a beginning to a new, healthier way of living. I try to purchase from local vendors as much as possible in other aspects of my life, so it only makes sense to make the extension to food. I already support several local restaurants, and I hope to support more, different food producers.
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07.22.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:16 pm by trueepicure
My friend Jami put up a really nice letter on Mom’s Halo a while ago, about my 3-Day Walk. Mom’s halo is a website dedicated to helping men and women who have lost a mother. Jami lost her mother to breast cancer about 24 years ago. I’m touched that Jami would do this for me.
I think about my cousin’s children a lot these days. I lost my dad 4 1/2 years ago, and it is still painful sometimes. I, at least, had my dad around for 26 years. S and K lost their mom so young, and it breaks my heart.
I guess the reason that I am writing this is to thank Jami, all of my friends, my family, the people who barely know me, and the people who don’t know me at all, who have donated to my fundraising effort. It means a lot to me that you all are so generous.
Thank you!
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Posted in Uncategorized at 9:06 pm by trueepicure
Okay, I realize that stores are trying to keep meth heads from buying up large quantities of pseudophedrine, which is a good thing. But to have to travel to 3 stores… no… 4, to find one with a pharmacy open so that I could buy one stinkin’ box of the only medicine that makes my head stop thumping during monsoon season, is RIDICULOUS! There has to be a better way.
I know, I should have gone to Walgreens first, where they don’t keep the Sudafed behind the pharmacy counter, but I just didn’t think of it. Gah! Now I’m going to take some drugs and lie down.
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07.19.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:28 am by trueepicure
I’ve decided to join Life Begins at 30 and Locavores for a month of eating locally. Celebrate Your Foodshed, August 2005 is an effort to focus on food produced within 100 miles of San Francisco.
Now, of course, I don’t live in SF, but Life Begins at 30 is hosting an eat-along for anyone to join. You don’t even have to have a blog! There are people from all over the US and two people from Brazil participating so far.
I have to decide on what my criteria are (there are provisions for people who are unable to get local produce) and how I plan to eat all month. I’m bummed because my CSA won’t be able to provide veggies during most of August because of a problem with their irrigation system this spring. I will, however, be searching for other outlets.
I will be posting about this effort periodically over the next month and a half, so stay tuned!
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Posted in Uncategorized at 9:39 am by trueepicure
A Jewish friend of mine donated $18 to my 3-Day Walk account this weekend. I thought it was kind of an odd number, but who am I to question a donation! Then I received her email, which explained everything.
My friend explained that the number 18 is very significant because it is the numerical value of the Hebrew word Chai, meaning life. Donations to charities are often made in denominations of 18 for that reason.
It was a very appropriate gift, I think, since the whole purpose of this walk is to save lives and celebrate life. L’Chaim!
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07.18.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:15 pm by trueepicure
I found this through Sockbug. I can’t read German, but I have determined from Sockbug’s post, and the Knitty Board reference, that there really isn’t a pattern.
*$%@, I wasn’t going to do granny squares any more!
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Posted in Uncategorized at 9:22 am by trueepicure
I love storms. I love how the wind sounds around the house, and I love watching the trees dance. I love the smell of a storm, even if it doesn’t actually rain. The smell of moisture in the desert is truly a sweet one.
I didn’t realize how much of an effect the storm had on vegetation last night. I saw two trees that had been pulled up by their roots on my way to work this morning. Part of that was probably because Mesquite trees do not do well in lawn situations and the lawn watering doesn’t allow for deep root structure. One of these trees was very large (at least two stories high) and could have really hurt someone. But it didn’t, apparently.
And still, for the destruction that the wind caused, I still love storms. Give me some lightening and rain, and I am a VERY happy camper!
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07.14.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:34 am by trueepicure
I have to stop reading The Food Section. It’s too tempting!
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07.12.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:32 am by trueepicure
I made these muffins last night. YUM! I used frozen raspberries though, no use wasting fresh ones on baking. 
I’m always amazed at the quality of frozen raspberries. I got the organic ones from Whole Foods, which were pretty inexpensive, and they taste great. I also left out the cacao nib topping because I don’t particularly care for chocolate on muffins. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate, I just think there is a time and a place.
I got twelve muffins out of the recipe, and I used a muffin tin without liners. I guess liners would make them look more finished, but when you take the paper off, you lose muffin! Besides, it’s just more paper in the landfill (unless you compost the liner).
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07.11.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:30 am by trueepicure
Canna are amazing plants. I’d purchased about a bazillion Canna rhizomes in January (or thereabouts) and gave some to friends, planted some, and apparently forgot about three bags in the garage. I finally rescued them about a month and a half ago - they were in really rough shape. The rhizomes were completely dried out, and a couple had some mold growing on them. Ewwww!!
I had read somewhere, probably on GardenWeb, that Canna rhizomes are really tough, and they take all kinds of neglect. Well, I’d pretty much neglected them as much as a person probably can. I decided to plant them anyway, and see what happened. I planted them about a month or so ago, in pots under the orange tree. Look what happened!
Two varieties out of three have sprouted (’Richard Wallace’ and ‘Brandywine’) and are on their way to being moved from the pots they are in. You can see the ‘Brandywine’ in the far background of the picture in the white planter. I have some yellow Canna of an unknown variety in the midground.
Other varieties in my yard:
‘Red King Humbert’
‘Gaiety’
‘Yellow King Humbert’ (the third of the neglected rhizomes, the one that hasn’t sprouted yet)
‘King City Gold’
‘Tropicana’
‘Lucifer’
Canna are really wonderful plants with great foliage. They do reasonably well here in the Phoenix area, but you have to be willing to put up with a bit of leaf burn in the summer. They do best with regular water, but even in pots, they are fairly drought tolerant.
I feel another addiction coming on!
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