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I harvested some of the Cherokee Trail of Tears be

I harvested some of the Cherokee Trail of Tears beans this morning. The pods start out green, turn reddish-purple before drying out and finally transform to purplish-beige. I popped the dry pods open to remove the beautiful, shiny, smooth and plump black beans inside.

The beans' name comes from the Cherokee people who carried these black beans in their pockets as the Federal Government marched them from the South to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears in 1838-1839, during which thousands of Indigenous people died. I received a small packet of the beans (6 or 8 beans...I forget exactly...) at a garden share last November, thanks to generations of seed saving and sharing.

You can enjoy these beans green but I held out for dry black beans to plant and cook. I didn't grow or harvest a huge amount but I now have more than enough to plant many beans this month for a fall crop. These are very easy to grow but they do need some sort of trellis. Our tallest grew about 8 feet in height.

After I harvest the rest of my beans in the next couple of weeks, I might make a small batch of Not-Too-Spicy Black Beans with them. You'll find that recipe in my recipe index.
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#trailoftears #blackbeans #seedsaving #communitygarden #urbangardener #urbangardens #gardeningtips #selfreliance #foodsecurity #grownwithlove #foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #wastefreeliving #plasticfreeliving #plasticpollutes #breakfreefromplastic #lowwaste #intentionalliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowasteliving #zerowastechef #climatecrisis #thereisnoplanetb

Our gigantic avocado tree doesn't usually produce

Our gigantic avocado tree doesn't usually produce quite so many avocados but last year we had it trimmed. That sure seemed to help! The squirrels get most of the avocados—and have beautiful, lustrous coats. Like me, they must be eyeing these and biding their time.

We very rarely water this well-established, very old tree. (Younger fruit trees require more water.) Even the minimal rain we had this winter has kept it happy.

How should I prepare these? I’ll make a follow-up of an avocado recipe.

I let some kale flower and go to seed (thank you b

I let some kale flower and go to seed (thank you bees 🐝). I harvested those seeds and planted some in a paper-pulp egg carton. I’ll continue to spray these with water until they sprout and grow a bit, after which I’ll cut the cartons and plant directly in the soil and hopefully have a couple to share. Kale is very easy to grow. Thank you @thegreenspatula for my initial kale seeds!

This comment made my day! "Not gonna lie, that zer

This comment made my day! "Not gonna lie, that zero waste chef lady might help me conquer my fear that I’ll make myself sick by fermenting my own fruit beverages." Thank you Emily W @rubrchick 😄

Are you also worried that you'll accidentally poison your family if you ferment your own drinks (or vegetables or sourdough or other concoctions)? Fermentation is very safe. The good bacteria take over and create an acidic environment in which the bad bacteria can't survive.

Go to the beverage section of my recipe index for several fermented drinks. Cheers! 🥂
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#foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #fermenteddrinks #fermentedfoods #fermentation #fermenting #fermented #wildfermentation #selfsufficient #selfreliant #plasticfreejuly #plasticfreeliving #plasticisfossilfuel #keepitintheground #plasticpollutes #breakfreefromplastic #sustainablelifestyle #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowasteliving #zerowastechef #thereisnoplanetb #climatecrisis #respectyourmother #loveyourmother

The trick to shaping the very wet dough of sourdou

The trick to shaping the very wet dough of sourdough is to wet your hands before you start and as needed while shaping. I also wet my bench scraper. Sprinkling flour on the dough or work surface will prevent the dough from sticking to itself and forming a nice, snug loaf.

So, skip the flour and with your wet hands, form a square, fold one edge toward the center and repeat with the other side. You will have formed something of a log. Roll that up, dust the top with flour and place the dough, floured side down, into the floured banneton basket or floured towel placed inside a bowl.

Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday's free sourdough starter workshop. I scheduled another one for Thursday, September 22nd, 7pm PT for all of you who live in time zones way ahead of mine and haven't been able to attend one of these. See my events page @zerowastechef to register.

Child of the Corn This is my daughter Charlotte s

Child of the Corn

This is my daughter Charlotte showing off a freshly picked and shucked cob of corn from the backyard.

Charlotte was a taste tester for the Kernel-to-Cob Corn Chowder recipe in my cookbook. I thickened the corn cob broth with puréed cashews and added jalapeños, lime juice and cilantro to the chowder for flavor. Charlotte and I both really like this one.
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#cornchowder #corncob #urbangardener #broth #easyveganrecipe #foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #zerofoodwaste #savefood #fightfoodwaste #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #wastefreeliving #plasticpollutes #breakfreefromplastic #lesswaste #lowwaste #lowwasteliving #intentionalliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowasteliving #zerowastekitchen #zerowastechef #climatecrisis #thereisnoplanetb

Green onions I had regrown from white ends went to

Green onions I had regrown from white ends went to seed in the spring. I replanted these and a month and a half later, I have lots more green onions! I'll trim the green parts off as I need them in the kitchen, they'll grow back, and next year, they'll again go to seed.

"What people think of you is none of your business

"What people think of you is none of your business." I found this saying so liberating the first time I heard it.

Think you need the latest gadget, fashion, phone, car, thneed or other item to impress someone? Letting go of what others think of you will benefit you and the environment. You'll buy less stuff to keep up appearances.
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#frugal #thriftlife #solarpowered #secondhandfirst #secondhandclothing #secondhandfashion #makedo #buyless #selfreliance #selfreliant #sustainablelifestyle #simpleliving #wastefreeliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #breakfreefromplastic #plasticfreejuly #plasticpollutes #microplastics #foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowastetips #foodmatters #zerowastechef #thereisnoplanetb

Pastry reduces food waste. You can fill it with al

Pastry reduces food waste. You can fill it with all kinds of food, both sweet and savory, that you need to eat pronto. Or fill it with wonky produce. Or fill it with wonky produce you need to eat soon!

I filled the bottom galette with "not-so-pretty" apples from the farmers' market. They cost almost two-thirds less than their so-called "perfect" counterparts. (Food, like people, comes in all shapes and sizes, all is perfect and "flaws" are a marketing gimmick to sell us costly stuff.) My sewing bee friends I fed this to on the weekend loved it—wonky produce tastes just as delicious. (I filled the top galette with rhubarb.)

Galettes are just one example of how pastry reduces wasted food. Drape a sheet of pastry over a pot pie that contains all the things. Make mini-quiches with some of your zucchini bounty if you grew any this year. Or make hand pies with leftover baked potatoes, caramelized onions and a bit of cheese.

For best results, chill the pastry before rolling it out. I plan on making a couple of shells today and keeping them in the refrigerator for later this week. Having dough ready to go will speed up dinner (or dessert).

The pastry recipe is in my recipe index.
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#pastrygram #pastrylover #pastry #galette #galettes #rhubarb #rhubarbseason #foodwaste #wastedfood #lovefoodhatewaste #zerofoodwaste #savefood #fightfoodwaste #climatecrisis #noplanetb #sustainablelifestyle #wastefreeliving #plasticfreejuly #plasticpollutes #breakfreefromplastic #intentionalliving #slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowasteliving #zerowastekitchen #zerowastechef

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! Thank you to all for entering.

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! Thank you to all for entering. @geaux_kz is the winner!

Did you attempt @plasticfreejuly this month? Inspiring books filled with stories and practical tips will help keep the momentum going. I have a copy of one such resource to give away, @robjgreenfield’s wonderful new book, Be the Change, Rob Greenfield's Call to Kids: Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World.

@robjgreenfield is an environmentalist, activist, adventurer and all-around wonderful human. You may follow him here (and if you don't, I encourage you to do so!) or have read about him in headlines: exposing the problem of wasted food by dumpster diving across the US for massive amounts of perfectly edible food and then distributing it; growing or foraging for all of his food for an entire year; or walking around NYC or LA wearing all of his accumulated trash while eating and consuming like an average American for a month.

Rob's book covers not just the issues of waste, but also delves into the food system, water, energy, transportation, money and more. Each section on these topics explains the associated environmental issues, outlines how Rob—and others—have addressed these problems and provides tips, examples and inspiration for what we can do to make a difference. Rob's positivity and can-do attitude will inspire young readers (and adults!). I wish I had had this book when I was 12 years old!

To enter (Canadian and US addresses only):
- like this post
- tag friends below (each comment is an entry)

Bonus entries:
- share this post in stories and tag @zerowastechef and @robjgreenfield

Fine print: Giveaway closes at 11:59pm PST on August 2rd, 2022. One winner will be selected at random shortly after and contacted via Instagram by me, @zerowastechef. Please ignore prize-related messages from other accounts. This giveaway is not associated with Instagram or Facebook.

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