rudderless

Best Of

This week I need to do a best of 2009. Perhaps a theme will keep me going.

Here are some of my highlights:

5-Minute Artisan Bread. I think I first made this in 2008 but by now we’ve perfected it into something we MUST consume often. Fresh bread with a good dash of butter, or jam, or pesto. You just can’t beat it. Next on the list are the whole-grain recipes that came in the most recent Mother Earth News.

Canning. I think I got my confidence from reading Cafemama and Dig This Chick (links on right), but the real mother of all goodness is Barbara Kingsolver. Her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle totally changed my life. All three of these ladies are committed to a local, seasonal way of eating. They inspired me to try canning and wow, I will never be happy with store-bought apple butter or strawberry jam again. We’ve canned chutney and pesto, jams and fruit butters. It’s stupid easy and SO darn good, especially with a pressure cooker. On the food front, we’ve tried our darndest to prioritize buying organic potatoes, onions, tree fruits, and the rest of the “dirty dozen.” We look for local and refuse the cheap imports. My girls were beyond thrilled when we found the first of the Florida strawberry harvest on sale last week. We ate two pints of them on Christmas morning. I can’t wait for Maine farmer’s markets, the local farm cheese. It will be serious food heaven. We’ve also had some fun at our local organic farm this year. The tomato plant we bought two weeks ago is starting to bear her first fruits, which makes me happy. Working on the way we eat is an ongoing affair, but I find that it’s a fulfilling and tasty mission- one I’m happy to accept.

My bike has been a big part of things this year. I get a lot of questions about it and hope I can inspire just a few people driving by me to think about what they could do to get around a little slower, cleaner, simpler. The girls have never once complained about a bike ride (ok, just once). I’m not a gym-going type, so it is truly my outlet for exercise. I wrote a post on biking earlier this year and am proud to say I was Sarah’s first customer for a “Mamabikeorama” sticker. I imagine I’ll have to retire the trailer as the girls get bigger (it’s not made for Maine hills), but look forward to many years of hauling girls and stuff in inventive, gas-free ways.

Speaking of gas, the outboard on our dinghy is our only gas engine these days. The car has been a big deal. We were fortunate to be in a position to get a fuel-efficient vehicle and I’m SO glad we took the plunge. The TDI has been one more piece in our lesser-impact puzzle. My goal for 2009 was to continue to consider our choices as they impact our health, our planet, and our kids. I think we’ve continued to grow in the green hippie department. We wash our diapers, we recycle crazy amounts of junk, we made nearly everything we gave for the holidays this year. We have more work to do, for sure. And the biggest piece of the puzzle- the BOAT!- is about to come. It’s an ongoing mission which frankly defines our lives. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.