Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Challenge: I Dare You!

You may know that I am a huge fan of Joel Salatin, author, organic farmer,etc. I first learned of Salatin when reading Time magazine and the link to the article can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the page to the Links I Love section. That article and the follow-up research I did, inspired me to stop being a couch environmentalist and get up!
Recently I have been reading Folks, This Ain't Normal and You Can Farm  (yes I am reading both at the same time), both of which were written by, you guessed it, Joel Salatin. Last night I came across a challenge list in Folks, This Ain't Normal that I would like to share with you. These are tasks that I believe we would all do well to attempt. Each one brings us closer to the lifestyle that was "normal" in the recent past, and which Salatin argues makes more sense. He makes a good argument, too. Choose one or more items from the challenge list and let me know how it goes. I dare you!
This is the list exactly as it appears in the book:

  1. Find and patronize local farmers, in whatever venue you desire, and then ask them if you can help solve their salvage or abundance problem. What is extra that you can acquire, perhaps at a discount in volume, to reduce throwaways?
  2. Preserve food yourself: dehydrating, canning, lacto-fermenting, parching, freezing, processing. A host of books exist to get you started. Ask your grandmother how she did it. commit to preserve one thing so it's not daunting.
  3. Take a fast food sabbatical - just one week, for starters. Fix a meal but make plenty so you have leftovers for lunches.
  4. Turn off the TV and read to the kids for two hours one night. I'll bet they'll want more and you might trun it into a couple of nights a week. You might actually be more lovable than when you're harried and hurried, bustling them off to some extraneous entertainment event. And reading together doesn't take any energy. 
  5. Postpone the vacation trip and discover your local farm treasures.
  6. Buy a big freezer so you can buy meat in bulk and lay by. Get the money by selling your big flat-screen TV and canceling your Netflix account. 
  7. Start a domestic hobby: woodworking, candle making, quilting, knitting, carving, repairing anything (furniture, appliances, electronics). These are the skills and crafts that have undergirded civilizations for centuries.
  8. Begin limiting your video game use. I saw a news report recently that measured average video game use by American men between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five: twenty hours per week. Do you mean the flower of America's masculinity can't think of anything more important to do with twenty hours a week than sit in front of a video screen? Folks, this ain't normal. Can't we unplug already?
  9. If you have any land at all, grow something. Anything edible.



14 comments:

  1. I'm going to pick #9, that is somthing I've been wanting to do! This is a great list of things to do.

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    1. Glad you made it by! #9 is a great one! I am growing my biggest garden ever this year and I am super excited! Cherry tomatoes are on the plants already!

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  2. would love for you to join our FB group, now following your blog http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mama-to-4-Blessings-Blog/161039090666923#!/groups/332751676752439/

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    1. Thanks for the follow! I went over to your fb group and requested to join :) I appreciate the invite!

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  3. You are doing a great job! (you probably know this, but sometimes it is nice to hear, right?)
    I love the topics you are writing about.
    I want to see more!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog as well:)
    ~Michelle

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    1. Thanks Michelle! It is definately nice to hear! I know I enjoy reading my posts, but it's good to hear affirmation that others enjoy them too! haha!

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  4. Congratulations, "Greener Mommy! Thanks for the invite to read your blog. Excellent information and fun to read. Proud of you!

    Uncle Bill

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    1. Well, thanks Uncle Bill! That means a lot! Hope you keep stopping by. Hope all is well "In the Pickle Barrel"!

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  5. Great post. SO many fantastic tips in there!

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  6. Sensible ideas from a young mom. I'll make use of my garden for more sensible and edible growths. Thanks for sharing. Dropping by from UBP.

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    1. Glad you could come by Miss Maui! I will come on over to check out yours. Loving UBP!

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  7. Wow, I already do a lot of these things...no flat screen here and it seems like I have no time to watch tv. I need to pick up a domestic hobby though!

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