Independence Days Check In, Week #1

In a previous post, I spoke about Sharon Astyk's Independence Days Challenge. The ID Challenge is about learning and doing things that will help make your household more self-sufficient, as well as help educate neighbors and friends. There's a weekly check in, on Mondays, at Sharon's blog. I'll post here as well as there. Here goes the first week, with a refresher on the weekly goals:

1. Plant something
2. Harvest something
3. Preserve something
4. Reduce waste
5. Preparation and Storage
6. Build Community Food Systems
7. Eat the Food

Plant something: Nada.

Harvest something: First blackberries of the season, woo-hoo!

Preserve something: Purchased meat in bulk, portioned and vacuum-sealed for freezer. Froze extra goose eggs (raw, scrambled).

Reduce waste: See Preserve - bulk purchase of meats, vacuum-sealed to protect against freezer burn. Blew out too-old-to-eat goose eggs for a friend’s pysanky crafting. Took cans, bottles, cardboard and paper to recycling center.

Preparation & Storage: Purchased pharmacy-regulated cold medicines (Sudafed, etc.). Ditto batteries and a case of soy milk. Inventoried freezer items (meats, cheeses, veggies, etc.)

Build Community Food Systems: Sold eggs through our local co-op. Gave some goose eggs as gift. Agreed to take part in the co-op membership drive event; took flyers for the co-op event to give to neighbors and posted co-op flyer graphic on blog.

Eat the Food: Ate home-preserved sauerkraut, and ate a friend’s Flying Dragon orange marmalade.

[Pic: our gal Frau]