On Saturday, June 14, I hosted a grazing party and potluck at my home in Cranston, RI. It featured samplings from New England Grass Fed‘s top quality beef and talks with proprietor Patrick Beck about his animals and his methods. Also up for sampling were products from local food producers Rachael Bakes and The Local Catch,…
Tara’s: a real Irish family pub in Southern RI
I’ve only been there twice, but I’m a little smitten with Tara’s Tipperary Tavern right now. Before I get started, I want to warn you that this isn’t a place you can keep paleo (unless you order the obligatory salad). That’s not what this is about. There are things that sometimes trump food choices. Traditional Irish…
Amateur Gardening in Rhode Island Report #5 (Plus a Bit of Urban Foraging)
I’ve been a very bad blogger lately. I haven’t been the greatest gardener, either. This summer’s been crazy, partly because I got a “regular” job… which is great in a lot of ways but a total bummer in others. So this gardening update is long overdue. What else was overdue was supporting my tomato plants…
Amateur Gardening in Rhode Island Report #4
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
A Visit with New England Grass Fed
I recently visited with self-identified “meat geek” Patrick Beck from New England Grass Fed. NEGF is a group of local farms devoted to raising animals with respect and gratitude. He told us about his farming methods and brought us around to tend the rabbits. I first met Pat at the South Kingstown Farmers Market in southern Rhode Island….
Stir-Fried Squid Recipe
On a whim I got some squid from The Local Catch at the South Kingstown, RI winter farmers market. A small amount, because I’d never cooked it before. I have several go-to web sites for my paleo-leaning predilections, Mark’s Daily Apple being the a main one. There, I found a recipe for Salt and Pepper…
I Love Libraries
Like I said, I love libraries. They have always have been an important part of my life. Growing up, they were places that a fanciful introvert like me could get away from my drab surroundings and encompass myself in countless worlds. As an adult who continues to be a media-hound, the library is still my watering…
Parenting For Free: Baby/Toddler Stuff Swap
After the birth of my son, I began to host swaps for baby and toddler stuff at a local library. The swaps became successful, so I created Parenting for Free to spreads the word about local free family events and other alternative parenting ventures. Parenting for Free encourages developing a community of families as an…
Paleo Soda by Green Bee
Comrades, it is finally here: paleo soda (if your definition of paleo/primal/whatever involves honey, which mine does)! Green Bee Soda from Brunswick, Maine (semi-local to me, an added bonus (if your definition of local is under 200 miles)) makes soda using honey as the only sweetener. That’s right—not honey… and sugar. Not honey… and organic…