Grow Local TV

Have we lost our cluck'n minds??

2010-05-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the little farm stand where I have the pleasure of buying fresh veg, eggs, sauerkraut and other nummy bits. It is a bit of a ritual and part of the reason that we bought in this corner of the world.

Last week there was a letter posted on the farm stand which was in response to a 'neighbor' who had taken issue with the fact they keep chickens, it sometimes smells a bit and that they have a boisterous rooster (also incidentally one of the reasons that we moved here and he is beautiful!). Now this 'neighbor' didn't come over for a chat like an adult, no…not even close, rather he/she wrote an anonymous complaint to the district (I don’t accept whining from my 6 year old). I honestly think the District should ignore complaints that are written by someone refusing to sign their name (unless they are under protective police custody!)

See... for my family access to things like chickens, the sounds of the roosters, owls and the other beasts that inhabit my neighborhood is precisely why we moved here. A place where our kids can be in touch with nature, meet the people that fish, raise and grow their food, see the stars at night and have a tree fort. We walk the trails at all times of the year. We see brilliant things, we smell salty ocean air and plug our nose from the reek of skunk cabbage. Sometimes we have to step around piles of scat (and deal with the smell) and sometimes a wet, muddy, stinky dog comes to give you an extra special welcome. It is wonderful, real true living here...and we love it.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO when someone makes the choice to take their ‘princess and the pea’ sensibilities and wreck access to something beautiful for the rest of us, (not even signing their name – did I mention that??) it DOES MY HEAD IN!! When some nasty old bitty (I say old as I don’t know many people that would have that kind of time... to get their ginch so tightly wound in a knot over the cock-a-doo of a rooster) tries to force me to buy eggs from big box stores (industrial farming says "fresh eggs" are up to 6 weeks after laying, not to mention the feed and living conditions issues). That just brings out my Scottish ancestry! Please SCRD…NO NAME – NO MERIT.

We apparently have a lot of work to do when a family farm (with farm status) who is feeding our community ethically, has a sale ban placed on it by SCRD bylaws. When one person’s poor use of free time prevents me from feeding my kids consciously. Time to stop paying verbiage to the ever so popular "sustainability" train and come up with some good ‘farm gate sales’ bylaws to protect the right to live near to, purchase from, grow on, raise and share nutritionally dense bounties neighbor to neighbor. Let’s create a community with resources that sustain our land, our people and our environment!
And if you don’t like it? Perhaps some real estate just slightly east of Horseshoe Bay might be more your speed!

Stacey N. Harding
yup....in your pipe and smoke it!

Food chat should be as straight up as a great esthetician!!

2010-04-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

So it occurred to me the other day when I was lying on Eva's treatment bed that it would be really refreshing if food chat, ingredients and marketing was straight up like my esthetician. You know the one person in the world you can look at and say, "Do I have a stash?" (a mustache for all you white folks out there). See thing is, not even a best friend has the kahoonas to cough up that kind of info...unless there is a great deal of wine involved.

So what is it about food? Why do we choose to ask, or not ask, the obvious questions? If you have a bunch of hair on your lip and you are of the female persuasion then yes...maybe it is time to ask Eva (you know unless you’re into that kind of accessory). But when things are less obvious - is cheese really orange? Why artificial flavoring? What is 'natural', because I ain't never seen "insert any 16 character word here" growing in the wild...you? Define free range. If sugar (sucralose, fructose etc.) is one of the first three ingredients in a product could it be bad for me? If I eat fast food 3 times a week (1000+ cows go into each one of those patties which is a bit off - and I DIG beef) but I exercise, so that makes it not a big deal right? (Sure sweetie and those jeans make you butt look great!)

OK, just saying that perhaps we need to take on a bit of responsibility - but loose the guilt (a generally destructive emotion when it comes to food). Find a good esthetician that is prepared to tell you straight up that it is time to wax. Find a food goddess who is prepared to tell you how the food you jam in your gullet is affecting the quality of your life and take back the responsibility of choosing how you eat! Educate yourself gently, think about processing and ask why one salsa has 6 ingredients and the other has 17. When was the last time you really thought about it, if something was really good for you? If there was a better option that was simple to choose?

See the thing is we vote for all of this 'fun and game' to continue each time we purchase something. Every dollar is a vote for it all to continue - or not. Sometimes there are very few options available, but other times.....

A thought...

S.

Thanks Mr. Enos http://www.clayenos.com/

Could somebody help me ova here?? (yes I know it is over...don't send me a spell check think Brando)

2010-04-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

So I was watching some trashy show two nights ago when a KFC commercial came on. Now honestly when I try and choke that food down I can feel the vomit rise. Sorry to be graphic but ooooooh I hate it. I guess it stems from a doc I saw years ago that described the 'raising' of the chicken and how many tumors could be in it before they would deem it not sellable!

Now the really funny aside to this - when me and my gals traveled to Chicago last year to see Oprah the 'giveaway' that day was KFC...so if you can take a moment to appreciate both the level of irony and the smell of the entire studio (and the store for the shopping fix after the show) entirely filled with buckets of KFC chicken well...

ANYWAY back to the commercial. It was for a new sandwich that "because men are so darn hungry that one breast of chicken no longer fills them up" has sandwiched some faux bacon and cheese between two chicken breasts and forgot about the bread...wrapped in wax paper and called it a sandwich "to go" for the hungry man in your life...OK killing me ova here!

So has anyone stopped to ask why that one breast of chicken no longer fills up the "average man"?? Now clearly your man (or your wo-man) is not average...but try this sometime, buy an organic breast of chicken (frozen they are cheaper at your choice of grocery store) and a 'superstore' variety breast. Cook them both and then eat.

Now the Food Goddess reports that her Husband (not scrawny by any description) would eat three 'super' breasts to feel full...(be good and follow the story I know I said breast) but only one organic breast (said it again!) to feel the same level of fullness. So KFC hungry man...ever stopped to think that you need two breasts because they are damn near completely void of nutrition in the first place...

To readers digest all of this...if you need less to feel as full, maybe you can afford to by better?! Eating nutrient dense food makes you need less, feel full and is less taxing on your pocket book and the environment. Just a thought.

OK...over it but word to the wise, never ask the boss about KFC...it gets her all worked up!!!!
S. xo

Oh yes...helmuts required Clay...www.clayenos.com for the photo

A bigger picture...

2010-04-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

So Monday nights have become my night to sit and reconnect myself with the world via my friend Clay (www.clayenos.com) a photographer from New York who is on a journey to connect people with life in his own unique and spectacular way. He is currently making his way from Panama to Panama, Florida atop a Vespa (see May's Sunset magazine to get a taste of his New York to Vancouver trip).

In the ‘everyday’ that life becomes for the vast majority of us, the disconnect can be simply massive. If we all had a Clay perhaps we would recognize how special and extraordinarily beautiful things we are surrounded by each and everyday are - a filthy hand, dilapidated wall, wrinkled face, a bean. Maybe this life, where we are right now, is the experience - the prize for the taking and not just the stepping stone.

Thanks Clay...

S. xo

Photo Courtesy of www.clayenos.com

Ew...Mom...whats that smell?

2010-04-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

Funny how many things that bring deep joy to my heart make my kids revolt! OK, maybe my seed starting did get a little out of control this year. See the thing is (in my defense) I went everywhere last year to find heritage tomato seedlings and it was near impossible. When at last I did finally get "one" we discovered many months later it had been staked incorrectly and it didn't look anything like it was supposed to. I suppose one could call this a hazard of gardening - and for all you random “stakers” out there...CUT IT OUT!

So I thought this year I would take matters into my own hands. I carefully selected my seeds, pulled out my peat pellets and pots and went to town! Well four kinds later (Black Krim, Pineapple, Kootani and Yellow Brandywine) my kitchen counter is home to 36 tomato plants...careful what you ask for!

Just the other morning my 6 year old sat up at the counter preparing to maw down breakfast when (in the immortal words of the K man) out came "EW....MOM what is that smell?" . Well funny enough, I had just finished inhaling deeply and thinking how clever I was. After all, how amazing were the salads and salsa going to be in the summer alongside my favorite icy cold beve!! Then as usually, wammo - blindsided by Ew!
The lesson in all of this is, despite all the whining (and trust me I am an expert in wine’ing) it is our job as parents to torture them with new smells, ideas and food. It is our opportunity to expose them to purple broccoli (which the kids at my daughters preschool eat up like chocolate chip cookies) and other unusual things, allow them to understand that chicken is actually an animal and that French fries first need to be dug up from the ground (yes at this stage it is a potato) and washed before they are deep fried!

Strap on some thick skin and rather then be worried about EW!, figure out how many times in a week you are actually able to make them say it. Maybe that is how we need to judge how well we are doing our job these days!!
S. xo

A photo of only a few (of the tomatoes on the counter) out of the many!

If we build it will it grow?

2010-04-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Your new friends at GLTV are working on creating a test garden.
A 14 x 25 foot space located on private land where we can document
(with them big fancy TV cameras) the simple process that is building and maintaining a garden. Yes...I said simple!

With support from Farmer Joe (www.farmyards.ca) and Mushroom Mark (www.funguygardens - not the mushroom guy from your university days BTW!) we are going to create a fabulous space that grows soil while it grows veg! Now how are we so amazing you ask?? Well I'm just the chick with the camera (actually technically married to the guy with the camera) but the guys and contributors, you bet your Aunt Sally they're good!

We are working to secure a few business partners to offset the start up costs (this makes the camera/editing thing feasible) and are planning to be up and makin'er happen within the next couple of weeks. We'll be discussing resources and costs, site and crop selection/rotation, irrigation, pest/predators and solutions, harvesting and the best part...EATING THE BOUNTY! We'll welcome guest Chefs & Nutritionists, plan for a winter harvest and at the end of the day; see how many families we're able to include within our space. All our success and failure will be for your viewing pleasure on YouTube...we'll be expecting your feedback so prepare to bring it!!

Take a minute to think about your diet, what you spend on veg in the course of the year and then get ready to grow and be apart of the show!!

TTFN!

S.
Photo courtsey of http://www.clayenos.com/ oh Clay...your so good!

ps...if you are sporting ideas on business partners who can assist with irrigation, excellent soil, straw, 8' 4x4 posts, deer fencing and soil we'd love to hear them!

Eye of the Tiger (I love that song!)

2010-04-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last fall at the University of Calgary I sat listening to the "Food Goddess" at one of her lectures. The class was about 25 in size and glued to her every word. As I recall the majority of the conversation revolved around pooh - one of her favorite topics I might add. Now if you were thinking gross...well yes, yes it is. However, that day I learned allot about mine; what it should look like, if it should sink or float etc. and how that related to my bodies organs, ability to absorb nutrients and other interesting things. But this isn't really where I was intending to go...

Now somewhere in that lecture the "fight or flight" reflex was mentioned. This of course stems from the time (in our genetic history) that we were running from tigers (and cave men). The body essentially diverts energy (digestive functionality) to more external functions...like ensuring your running as fast as possible. This adrenalin is helpful in the case of the tiger, but when the stress is daily hassles, bills, negotiating the monsters in the backseat en route to ballet, baseball (two different fields of course), piano, swimming and the likes...well perhaps not so helpful.
I've come to realize that the clock on the wall, in the car and on my phone is my tiger, and I believe for allot of people the tiger of the 2010's. We stuff so many things (both external and internal) to be/ complete or do in the name of being a "good" parent, friend or lover that our fight or flight reflex never shuts off - the impact on our mental state and overall physical health? Well let's just say that it could all use a trip to a small tropical island, a blender and a manservant. I'm just saying.....
Take a moment to consider your tiger...and if it carries a PGA card it might be time to slow the car down (just a bit) and dump him out!!

S.

Photo courtesy of me.

The African thing...

2010-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

So Lovelies, perhaps I need to explain the African reference a bit better from My Kermit's Cousin Blog. It is NOT a comment about African people at all...here goes!
The African Nation has clearly had its challenges for the last several decades. It is hard to watch the TV and not come across images provided by aid organizations attempting to make a difference in the lives of the impoverished. Sometimes, when the enormity of a situation is discussed (and this can be said about many chapters in history) there is a glazing over. The conversation is so overwhelming it is near impossible to figure out where to start. I've watched highly passionate and educated individuals glaze over in discussions surrounding the state of Africa, simply paralyzed by the scope of what is at hand.

This, my friends, is what I call the African auto-response. Not about the people...a reference simply to the magnitude of a problem...no disrespect. This response/reaction is also what I have experienced in chatting with people about the food they eat - the food we base the quality of our lives on. And if you don't think food dictates the quality of your life...no nutrients in the soil...no nutrients in the food...no nutrients in your body...body functions are compromised. That's just the chiz'nit baby (and you don't have to be a scientist to know that isn't going to work out well)
Anyway...
S. xo

Photo courtesy of http://www.clayenos.com/

"It ain't easy being green!" (Kermit's cousin)

2010-04-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Now perhaps for Kermit’s cousin life was hard. He did live near a swamp in Southern Florida and had to cross the interstate each morning for his breakfast. For the rest of us being green looks a bit different...but can often feel just as daunting.

Have you ever noticed that when you begin to discuss food and its production in a group of people the majority of them glaze over? It seems that the enormity of the conversation creates what I call the African auto-response. This is what happens when people are entirely overwhelmed by a situation, so rather then considering their options they choose to just ignore the whole thing. It's too complicated, expensive; there isn't enough time in the day or whatever...

Now, no disrespect intended...but could the solution be simple? Let's chat.

When you eat food...how do you feel?
Are you a calorie counter, binger or simply a lover?
What is your favorite thing to eat?
Can/does food evoke passion or sadness? Both?
If you have kids are you overwhelmed by making food choices for them?

Sound out!
S.

Photo courtesy of http://www.clayenos.com/

Hear ye, hear she!

2010-04-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

A Note from The Boss:
Well Babb’s (more on her to come) demanded that I create a TV project that would connect people to the food they eat and how really simple it can be to feel better and do better each day without upsetting the basket! Given she is my Gail King, little naive me set out to create what she was wanting: inspiring programming that network TV would actually want to buy. But alas I forgot the key rule: “Crap is King”.
Essentially this means if I wanted to create a show surrounding a obese 9 year old whos liver is in failure due to the food she has been ingesting AND her Dad is too busy to pay attention as he runs a leather free, all vegan S&M house in the middle of a small Northwest town (causing most of the viewers to want to off themselves) well then lucky me…throw in some topless dancers and wammo - I’ve got a distribution deal! But to create a smart simple dialogue surrounding how mad as a hatter the industrial food thing has become and how we can navigate our way though it with the help of a glass of wine and smile on our face….well good luck!

So no whining…this is a call to a revolution! Eighteen months, many farmers, university professors, chefs and local food groups later I am convinced that people care. Even better, I am convinced that there are fantastic characters out there that have lived lives and stories that will make your hair stand on end, cause you to laugh uncontrollably and help you eat wonderfully delicious food with passion and all out joy!
Welcome Bloggers to the launch of Grow Local TV’s Bloggspot…the purpose of this spot is to introduce you to our test project and all of its pieces prior to our web-telivision site launch. We plan to pick your brain in the coming months, show you some specially selected bits and enter into discussions about how web television needs to work for you. After all…that’s the point!
Cheers ears!

Stacey A.K.A. The Boss
Photo courtsey of http://www.clayenos.com/