Walden5

I’ve been reading Bill McKibben’s book Deep Economy and was inspired by his experiment of trying to eat only foods that came from near where he lives for an entire winter. In contemplating whether or not I could survive on foods produced only in northeastern Connecticut, Rachel, Milo and I set out on a recent Sunday to explore local food production.

I was feeling doubtful that we could realistically satisfy a balanced diet, but was pleasantly surprised to return with a decent bounty. Our best discovery was the Meadow Stone Farm in Brooklyn, CT. They produce raw goats’ milk, cheese and various skincare products. Annemarie lured us in with an array of cheeses to taste. We washed this down with fresh cider and a taste of the milk they produce. I was expecting it to be kind of earthy and, well, goaty. But the milk was some of the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. Smooth and sweet but without being overly rich. I hadn’t known this but goats’ milk is also popular with mothers as a supplement to breastfeeding. We wound up buying some milk, goat cheese and some awesome Wasabi Chevre.

From the goat farm Annemarie directed us to Lapsley Orchard where we bought Macoun and Macintosh apples, winter squash, corn, fingerling potatoes and cider.

So we have access to dairy - goat milk and goat cheese. We’ve also been buying eggs from a local self-service farm stand. I’m going to contact the owners to see if they’ll still be providing fresh eggs through the winter. There seems to be a steady supply of winter vegetables and we could stock up on apples, cider and local preserves to cover our fruit needs. There are some local vineyards that we can explore soon.

I think our next challenge will be to see if we can find someone who grows and mills grains locally. Some beer would also be nice.

So after a fun day we came home and cooked a great semi-local dinner of fried fingerling potatoes with rosemary and lemon, fresh corn and veggie burgers from Trader Joe’s.

Milo and I built a quick and dirty composting bin for our kitchen waste. Living in Brooklyn, NY it is difficult to compost kitchen scraps. This kills me because kitchen waste accounts for so much of our overall waste stream. Even though we encounter have cockroaches from time to time, there are ways to do urban composting indoors or in small outdoor spaces. I honestly (and guiltily) just haven’t found the energy.

Anyway, we’re lucky enough to be living in a small house in rural Connecticut for the next few months and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to build a compost bin. Just trying to incrementally find ways to live more intelligently.

Steps for building an easy composting bin:

1. Dig a hole. The hole should be about half as deep as your bin (15-20 inches in our case). Ideally you’ll want to site your hole in an area with good drainage, close enough to your house for easy access and in an area with good sunlight. If done correctly, the compost bin shouldn’t smell, but you may want to choose a site a little ways from your home in case it attracts animals.

1. Drill some holes. I drilled 3/8 inch holes all over the bottom and lower third of a galvanized metal can which I purchased from a local farming collective for about $30. In total about 20 holes on the bottom and 20 more holes on sides.

(Optional, test out the percussive qualities of your bin)

1. Plant your bin. Next we stuck the can in our hole and pushed the soil back in around the sides. We even transplanted a couple of small ground coverings to make it look nicer.

(If desired, re-test the percussive qualities of the bin)

1. Start composting. I put down a layer of “browns” (brown leaves, shredded paper/cardboard) to get things going. I also tossed in a couple of worms that we had dug up. This step isn’t necessary as worms will find their way in through the holes. We collect our kitchen scraps in a container and about once a day we add this material to the food digester. Don’t forget to secure the lid tightly to keep animals out.

Composting recipe

The general rule of thumb is to alternate layers of browns (carbon rich) and greens (nitrogen rich). There is some debate about the exact proportions of browns to greens. Chopping up larger pieces of material helps to speed up the process. Mixing the bin every couple of weeks introduces air which builds heat in the bin and increases the rate of decomposition. The pile should be moist, but not wet (think brownies). The rate of compost depends on a lot of factors but should take between 6-12 months depending on the temperature of your pile and how quickly you add material.

Compostable materials

Browns (carbon rich)

• brown leaves
• straw
• shredded paper, paper towels, napkins
• shredded cardboad, egg cartons
• small twigs
• grass clippings, weeds
• hair and lint

Greens (nitrogen rich)

• vegetable scraps
• fruit, peels, rinds
• coffee grounds, filters, tea bags
• grains, pastas, and breads
• eggshells

Do not composte!

These materials will create odors and attract rodents

• meat, fish, poultry
• cheese and dairy products
• oily foods, cooking oil
• butter
• any animal products
• pet/human waste

Also, try to avoid items that might introduce toxins into your compost like treated woods or other materials with strong preservatives.