Sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, rain. A tough week for humidity, but lots of good light. Plenty of rain most nights. And that means one thing. Growth! Peppers, June 23 (left) and June 28 (right): Tomato plants, June 23 (left) and June 28 (right): Kale is coming along quite nicely. Herb garden is also chugging […]
Quotes on gastronomy from Luís Fernando Veríssimo
One of my favorite novels is incidentally about food—specifically, gastronomy (the art of eating). It is The Club of Angels, by Brazilian writer Luís Fernando Veríssimo. It is one of two of his books translated into English. I highly recommend this and the other one, Borges and the Eternal Orangutans. Here are some the best foodie passages […]
Amateur Gardening in Rhode Island Report #3
Well my friends, here in New England we have just experienced—with possibly more to come—off-and-on days of rain of nearly Arkian proportions. Things are greener and greener, though we haven’t had quite enough sun yet to see the massive growth spurts I’m sure we will. My garden’s still a little wind-blown and haggard, but I […]
Imbibed in May
im•bibe. verb. 1.) to consume, to drink; 2.) to absorb, to soak up; 3.) to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like. IMBIBED is monthly link love. It features links to posts by blogging comrades that I dig. It’s categorized based on my own blog’s categories. Food & Recipes Five […]
Amateur Gardening in Rhode Island Report #2
I haven’t done a gardening update in a while, because a lot didn’t really happen for a while. My egg-carton seedlings grew for a while then faltered, which is just what happened last year. Once the true leaves emerged, I fed them plant food—which I’d neglected to do last year—and it actually seemed to kill […]
Tips for Cooking Steak
A friend of mine, Rachael McCaskill (from Rachael Bakes, the Providence Alternative Market, and the Providence chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation), posed this question in the Primally RI Facebook group: “Going to make my first steak tonight. A sirloin from Windmist Farm. I feel nourished when I eat grass-fed beef and have only […]
VGN New England: Shindig in Northampton
On Sunday, May 19, three of us New Englanders from the Village Green Network met up in Northampton, Mass. It was me, Lori Elliott of Our Heritage of Health, and Craig Fear of Fearless Eating. Northampton (Craig’s home) is a great city for nerds folks like us: a lot of good locally/sustainably/ethically-sourced real food, thriving local farms and businesses, […]
What Paleo Means to Me (a non-dogmatic view)
Paleo? You may be asking… Do you live on bacon and kale and CrossFitting* in your Vibram Five Fingers**? Paleo has been blowing up lately and as a result there’s a lot of weird ideas about what it is, and a lot of people getting really dogmatic about it. For me, this sums it up well […]
Imbibed in April
im•bibe. verb. 1.) to consume, to drink; 2.) to absorb, to soak up; 3.) to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like. IMBIBED is monthly link love. It features links to posts by blogging comrades that I dig. It’s categorized based on my own blog’s categories. Food & Recipes Butter […]
Cold-Brewed Lavender Lemonade with Raw Honey Recipe
I’ve been experimenting with making lavender lemonade since I heard about it pretty recently. It’s such a yummy combination, and perfect for what will no doubt be a stiflingly humid New England summer. In addition to being delicious, the health benefits of this drink are pretty sweet (NPI): Lavender is a great soother; it helps […]
Homemade Tooth Powder and Mouthwash
Check out my guest post over at Healthy Roots, Happy Soul for recipes for tooth powder, mouthwash, and a toothache remedy.
Cold-Brewed Coffee Recipe and Cold-Brewed Tea Recipe
We recently had our first cookout* of the season. It was a good turnout. Lots of families and kids and friends. Many more to come! *I was asked, by a West Coast transplant, if “cookout” was an East Coast term. I assume it is. Maybe even just a northeast term, since I think of “barbecue” […]
Light Springy White Fish Stew Recipe
One of the sad things about the coming of spring is a decrease in soups. But here in New England, we’re still having some chilly days. Here’s a light fish stew that’s great for the changing of the season: warm enough to take the chill out, light enough to not weigh you down. Ingredients a […]
Welcome to the new face of this blog!
I am excited to announce that… Unchained Sunday is now: They Call Me Oystergirl. Unchained Sunday focused on living freely and unconventionally in an uncompromising, imprisoning, status-quo-driven society, with regards to lifestyle and wellness and FOOD. It has been evolving; food is what I’ve come to love writing about the most. My posts about food […]
Amateur Gardening in Rhode Island Report #1
This is my second year seriously trying to grow food. I give new meaning to the term “amateur.” I volunteered on an organic CSA farm (Heartbeat Community Farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio) a few years ago, but the only thing I got any good at was harvesting. It’s everything that happens beforehand that I’m hoping […]
Imbibed in March
im•bibe. verb. 1.) to consume, to drink; 2.) to absorb, to soak up; 3.) to take or receive into the mind, as knowledge, ideas, or the like. IMBIBED is a monthly link-love post. It will feature links to articles blogging-comrades of mine have written, and all will be topics of the like you’ll find covered […]
My Interview for the Knowing Birth Series
Megan Alton over at Waking Up Happy has been conducting interviews as part of her Knowing Birth series. I am honored to have my interview featured. Where did you choose to have your birth and why?… …It was only when I was pregnant that I learned about Ina May Gaskin. I found out that the […]
Homemade Dried Cajun Spice Mix Recipe
Cajun food is comfort food for me; I’ve been eating it since I was a kid. There’s nothing like a good crawfish boil, a bowl of jambalaya, and some fried gator-on-a-stick. Several years ago, I tried my hand at Cajun-style cooking. I’m no pro, and not really authentic—not actually being Cajun, and not learning from […]
Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe
I used to make a hot-cocoa mix to be made and served at my college cafe. I called it Vee’s Magical Hot Cocoa. And magical it is. Not only will it kick the buns of any hot cocoa you’ve ever had (let alone made yourself), its variations are nearly infinite, to fit any dietary restriction […]
Irish Colcannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage) Recipe
I originally learned how to make colcannon from Irish movies. “Learned” is a strong word. Basically, I found out there was an Irish dish that consisted of mashed potatoes and cabbage. When I made it, people would say, “Why is this so good?? What’s in this?” I would tell them the ingredients, which they hardly […]