August 16, 2010

Pay It Forward Book Exchange & IDC Update

A couple of IDC updates ago, I mentioned that my summer read is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver.  Benita (Basically Benita)  was the first person to suggest this book to me, and in fact she provided me with a copy to read. Thank you Benita!

Have any of you read this book? If not, and you have any interest in homesteading, farming, gardening, or food, it will be of great interest to you. It's the account of a family who vows to eat only locally produced food, for a year. This includes not only what they can grow and raise for themselves, and but also whatever they can find produced in their part of the country.

This book isn't simply a narrative however. Each chapter focuses on at least one food related topic: how to grow asparagus or potatoes for example, what to do with overly productive squash, poultry processing, cheesemaking, turkey sex, farming in Italy (how is that local? Read the book to find out), the hidden cost of industrialized food production, recipes, and more.

When I asked Benita how quickly she needed the book back, she suggested that I do a "Pay It Forward," either with this book, or with another. Well, since I'm still reading this one and DH wants to read it next, I decided to offer another book to pay it forward with,
Saving Seeds: The Gardener's Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds by Marc Rogers. I mentioned this book last year, when I showed you how it taught me to save cucumber seeds (that post here).  For some reason I have two copies.  It's too good not share, so it's the perfect candidate for my Pay It Forward book exchange offering.

If you're interested in participating and possibly winning Saving Seeds, here's what to do. Leave a comment telling me that you want to join in the fun, making sure I have a way to contact you. Next Saturday (Aug. 21st), I'll randomly select one comment as the winner.  On Sunday, the 22nd, I'll announce the winner. That person receives this book from me, but in turn must host their own book giveaway, offering either this or another book to "pay it forward" to someone else. Since this is a homesteading blog, I suggest we keep the books within that area of interest.

And of course, my Independence Days Challenge update for the past week:

1. Plant Something
  • broccoli (Waltham 29 - a new variety for me)
  • carrots (Scarlet Nantes - another new variety)
2.  Harvest Something
  • okra
  • eggs
  • blueberries
  • figs
  • dill weed
  • dill seed
  • cucumbers
  • strawberries
  • rosemary
  • dried black turtle beans
  • watermelon
  • buttercup winter squash
  • yellow summer squash
  • sage
  • thyme
  • onions (just a few while preparing the carrot bed)
3. Preserve Something
4.  Waste Not - the usual

5.  Want Not
  • started planting the fall garden
  • seed saving
6.  Build Community Food Systems
  • blogging about it
  • giving away extra watermelons
  • offering a "Pay It Forward" book giveway!
7.  Eat The Food - Proudly announcing our first 100% homestead raised meal:

  • Chicken - cooked in slo-cooker
  • Roasted potatoes, turnips, and okra
  • Tomato and cucumber salad
  • Dessert was fig cake, not 100% homestead raised but we did use our own figs and eggs.  
For more Independence Days, click here.

12 comments:

Razzberry Corner said...

The 100% homestead raised meal looks great! Way to go! You are always such an encouragement!

Mama Pea said...

Yes, I would indeed like to enter the Pay It Forward book exchange . . . most especially for the book you're offering! I'm woefully ignorant in the art of seed saving but it's something I KNOW I need to learn. (I have an acquaintance whose garden each year is planted with about 90% of her own home-grown and saved seeds. That just knocks the socks off me. Talk about self-sufficiency!)

Benita said...

I'm not in the running for the book (I bought it when you suggested it a while back), but I want to say I am happy about this Pay-It-Forward idea. I hope it grows and grows!

And congrats on the homestead meal. It looks sinply delicious!!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on the homestead meal - looks delicious!
Don't need the book as I have access to a copy - great idea though!

DEEP END OF THE LOOM said...

Congratulations on the 100% homegrown meal looks delish! I bet it tasted even better knowing you grew it on your own place.

Evey said...

Yes, I definitly want to enter the Pay It Forward Book Exchange. I have a funny homesteading book to offer.
Evey

Leigh said...

Lynn, it was great, if I do say so myself!

Mama Pea, seed saving is a real science but oh it is so wonderful to not have to buy seeds every year. Or at least all of them. My goal is to eventually save all my own seed.

Benita, thanks! I hope it grows too.

Evelyn, access is as good as having. I'm that way about several books I can get at the library. Great resource!

Bety, it was so rewarding and humbling as well. I felt very grateful.

Evey, I'm delighted you want to join in! I do need contact info for you though, as that is how I will notify the winner.

Cathy said...

Susan (Walking Nature Home)and I discussed the book when I mentioned this blog to her... and I love it that you read it!

Isn't homegrown wonderful?

I must admit I do miss my farm raised TX Longhorn beef - but we won't go there!!

Leigh said...

Oh Cathy, I would miss that Longhorn beef too. We do occasionally see a Longhorn herd around here, but I have no idea where they sell their beef. Of course, it wouldn't be "Texas" beef I don't suppose, would it!

Madness, Trouble, Squish and Milkbone said...

I just read today's post about the rooster problem and then I saw this plate of food with "chicken" and could not help thinking about those roosters! Just reminded me why I'm a vegetarian. I grew up on a sheep farm in Africa and killed many a chicken and sheep in my day, so this is not in any way a criticism. I have great respect for people who kill what they eat themselves. Just not something I can do - and I refuse to let somebody else do it for me, so therefor the vegetarianism. I really love this blog. Very interesting.

Leigh said...

I appreciate the compliment! To be honest, I would be a vegetarian too, if DH wasn't willing to do the butchering. Not that he enjoys it, but if we're going to eat meat, we figure it's better to eat animals that have been well fed; well cared for; given plenty of fresh air, fresh food, and sunshine; given plenty of room to run around in; and lived good lives. And with that comes slaughtering humanely, something I doubt happens in the commercial meat producing world.

Ozarkhomesteader said...

Oh, I wish I'd seen this sooner, not so much for the books (although they are fabulous prizes!) but for the wonderful concept.