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Kudos, followers

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by home, garden, life in dormant season, farmer's market, healthy food, Lifestyle, March, spring, suggested reading, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, winter

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Charlottesville, farmers markets, inspiration, suggested reading

I see from my stats that my followers are reading through the thing about challenge…great! Remember to click “older posts” too as there are about a dozen thing posts…

Now that we are on the cusp of spring, I submit another blog post regarding how to shop farmer’s markets…enjoy! Mining older posts are a good thing, right?

https://dianelasauce.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/how-to-shop-at-your-local-farmers-market/

Posted early on Sunday, or it was early before the time changed…who likes time change???

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This tulip is called Honeymoon. Pretty fabulous, yes?

 

 

how to shop your local farmer’s market…

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in environment, farmer's market, harvest, healthy food, life, suggested reading, sustainable lifestyle

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

farmers markets, informed shopper, know your farmer's markets, know your food

This title may shock you. How difficult could it be to navigate a farmer’s market, you may ask.

For the next few minutes, please allow me to give you a behind-the-scenes farmer’s market perspective and tips for becoming a well-informed farmer’s market customer.

nothing says spring more than strawberries...are they coated with fungicide?

nothing says spring more than strawberries…are they coated with fungicide? ASK then taste one to see if they are perfect…and NO SPRAY

buy local flowers and reduce the carbon footprint and pesticide use of imported flowers

buy local flowers…reduce the carbon footprint and avoid pesticides from imported flowers. Forget out of season floral arrangements…

local flower power in season

local flower power in season

how was that beef raised? Grass fed locally or from a feedlot?

how was that beef raised? Grass fed locally or from an unsustainable feedlot in the mid-west?

what kind of flower was used in this bread? Bleached or not? Bromated is a carcinogen.

what kind of flour was used in this bread? Bleached/bromated or not? Brominating is a carcinogen.

local, organic free range eggs are my choice

local, organic free range eggs are my choice

Are you  there?

are you there?

A little history: 2017 marks my seventeenth year as a vendor at my local farmer’s market. During that time vendor participation has grown from forty to over one-hundred. This explosion has created a carnivalesque atmosphere (sans live animals and trick ponies) by 9:30 AM. Saturday market reputes to attract thousands shoppers every week from April-December and is currently the largest farmer’s market in central Virginia.

The former slogan of this decades-old market was, home-baked, home-made, home-grown. In recent years, this motto has vanished from the marketing campaign (driven by city government who oversees the market), thus inviting confusion among new customers. In the past few years, the city is allowing retail storefronts and franchises into the market. This trend began three years ago and dramatically reduced the sales of tenured vendors who comply with the original slogan.

During a recent conversation with the Director, he stated that “the farmer’s market is like a car dealership—the more competition the better.” Shocked by this mechanical mentality, I scribe this post. Buyers beware.
Know the source of your food and vote with your dollars, please.
Efforts are being made in 2017 to inspect the farms of purveyors to better insure the compliance with current market standards.

fine displays are tempting, yet how are these grown??

fine displays are tempting, yet how are these grown??

Seasoned patrons of the market know who the tenured clean (sustainable) farmers are, which vendor bakes from scratch from their home inspected kitchens using whole ingredients, and those who clearly design/fabricate their crafts from molten metals or carded local wool.

Based on repeated customer comments, I deduce that new attendees presume that all the produce, baked goods, and crafts are indeed grown/baked/made by the vendors and their employees who meet a certain criteria. Ahem. Are you ready for a reality check?

buy fresh, buy local

buy fresh, buy local clean, no chemical produce

This particular farmer’s market is in the heart of an affluent, well-educated, college town of nearly one-hundred-fifty thousand.  Whether you live in a small town OR a large urban center, this blog post strives to educate those who rise early on market day seeking fresh, healthy, local foods and support their local economy. Kudos!

shoulder to shoulder shoppers

shoulder to shoulder shoppers

Reality: Just yesterday, a new customer approached my booth and asked, did you make this?
Actually, this is the right question. Such an inquiry opens dialogue and an opportunity for customer education.

So, are you ready to be a Rock Star farmer’s market shopper? Check list follows:

  • If you are looking for produce, ASK the farmer HOW, WHEN, WHERE, and BY WHOM it was grown. This is your only guarantee that you are purchasing the food of your choice and are supporting a local farmer.
  • Does the farmer use organic methods? With the high cost of being “certified organic” many farmers utilize organic/clean methods, yet cannot legally post organic signage. Look for “Organic Methods” produce or ASK the farmer.
  • IF the produce was sprayed (leafy greens, strawberries, stone fruit, apples), when was the last application?
  • When shopping for baked goods or prepared food, ASK the baker/cook about the ingredients. FYI: Last year I asked one food vendor if the chicken in her skewers was locally grown, and she answered “yes” and when I pressed, she followed that response by confessing the chicken was from a local big box store! See what I mean folks???
  • ASK and YE SHALL KNOW…
  • When is comes to crafts/artisans, make sure to support the vendors who truly craft their wares. Many bead-stringers appear in this kind of venue, and often do not reflect the time-honored craft of glass blowing or metal-smithing. Once again, ASK the origin of materials. Then decide if you want to support that crafter.
  • If you tend to eat your way through a farmer’s market, once again, ASK about food origin. Not all food is sourced equally OR sustainably…
  • Is the flour unbleached or bleached (bleached flour is often bromated, a type of carcinogen)
  • Is the meat locally sourced and raised/pastured/butchered humanely?
  • What about those prepared foods? Where are they from?
  • Market vendors may appear to chat endlessly, yet customers must remember that all market vendors rise long before dawn to arrive at market, set up their booths, and brace for five hours of intense selling. After all, these venues are businesses and customers must remember to limit their visits to brief questions and purchases.
  • Bring your own shopping bags and small dollar bills. Vendors arrive with a finite amount of change, so ask your bank for SMALL bills, not $20’s, when gearing up for a farmer’s market.  Small purchases made with large bills will swiftly wipe out a vendor’s till. Pocket change is good too, to cover any sales tax. Keep coins in circulation, and reduce the need to mine more metals.
  • And finally, please do not ask for discounts or samples. Vendors will offer discounts or specials with signage and will present obvious samples—it is their prerogative to do so. Don’t embarrass yourself and downgrade the arduous efforts of vendors by attempting to bargain hunt. Prices may appear higher than a chain store, yet when last did you grow the perfect heirloom tomato—by the bushel?
perfection and all locally grown using organic methods and humane treatment of animals

perfection and all locally grown using organic methods and humane treatment of animals

great fast food

great fast food

By now you get my points regarding the importance of supporting clean, sustainable, independent farmers, growers, and bakers who honor their trade and deliver healthy products to farmer’s markets.
If not convinced, kindly check out my other blog post regarding food and other topics at https://dianelasauce.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/the-thing-about-documentaries/

I welcome comments and questions. Bon Appetit!

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

seasonal wild bird buffet recipes ~ LaSauce style

06 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, birds, Bluebirds, DIY projects, environment, feeding wild birds, garden projects, healthy food, Lifestyle, quick recipes, spring, suggested reading, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, wild birds, winter

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

bird buffet recipe, easy recipes, feeding wild birds, how to make organic wild bird food, NON-GMO, spring, Virginia, wild bird food, wild bird food recipe, winter

Those of you who follow my blog realize how I adore hosting wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. With frequent coaching from a local naturalist and a bluebird guru, I confidently care for wild feathered visitors year round.

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This handsome Red Bellied Woodpecker dines regularly at the Yankee Seed Saver feeder. It really enjoys the LaSauce Buffet Recipe.

Being a long-time foodie, I could not resist reinventing a wild bird banquet recipe found in The Bluebird Monitor’s Guide.

I confess, I am suspicious of any food that is genetically modified (GMO) and seek organic foods for both me and my food clients, so why not for the birds???
Also an avid label reader, I find most bird foods do not list country of origin, date of production, nor GMO ingredients. Therefore, I avoid all commercially produced mixes.

Suet
(the hard fat surrounding the kidneys and loins of beef and mutton) is another concern, as I strongly suspect that its source comes from beef feedlots in the midwest US. Again, I do not condone industrial meat production. When I inspect suet block labels, nada, no information there. When asked, retailers do not know origins either. Call me a fanatic, yet until there is definitive, credible proof that GMO grains and feedlot suet are safe, I will avoid them like the plague.

nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage. Would you feed them GMO food?

nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage. Would you feed them GMO food?

LaSauce Recipe for Winter Wild Bird Buffet ~ Swallowtail Cottage

In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt:

  •  1 cup freshly ground, unsalted peanut butter (I grind this fresh at my local market where they guarantee NO-GMO)
  • 1 cup TJ’s non-GMO sunflower oil.
    When just melted remove from heat and add:
  • 4 cups stone ground cornmeal (I use a local Indian corn heirloom variety)
  • 1 cup raw rolled oats, ground to a fine powder in a food processor
  • 2 cup raw, hulled sunflower seeds, roughly chopped in food processor
  • 2 cup chopped currants
  • 1 cup raw, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped in processor
  • 1/2 cup organic egg shells, finely ground in a spice or coffee grinder (save shells from hard-cooked eggs, never raw shells.) Extra ground shells keep well in a glass jar in the freezer indefinitely. (I dry the peeled shells overnight on the kitchen counter at room temperature before grinding.)
  • Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold all ingredients together. Allow to cool before serving your feathered friends.This recipe yields a gracious plenty.
  • For this gourmet food, I serve it up in a Yankee hanging feeder where even the Red Bellied Woodpeckers feast.
  • Store unused portions in the refrigerator in a sealed tub.
  • Furthermore, I source all ingredients from my local health-conscious store’s bulk department—where prices are competitive AND I know offerings are non-GMO, and often organic.
  • After a few days, I often add additional chopped currants or sunflower seeds to the mix, depending what the birds consider most popular that batch.
  • NOTE: this is a winter food  recipe for wild birds, as the oil will melt during summer months, and the birds can forage for live insects, which is their preferred food.

Why chop/grind ingredients, you may ask? Considering birds have only one tool (mandible) to process edibles, and a few toes, so I decided to make their dining experience in my gardens a wee bit less labor intensive.

Wild birds expend tremendous energy simply surviving single-digit temperatures and deep snow during winter months. One simple human step added to the bird banquet becomes a precious energy-saving step for the birds. Furthermore, serving large, whole seed with husks leads to overall food waste, as many wild birds fly in, grab a morsel, and fly off to a twig where they pound/peck seeds into manageable sizes, often losing bits of goodness during the process. Make sense?

Other favorite bird foods:

The attached recipe is gobbled up by at least eleven overwintering species of wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. Additionally, I put millet out in a separate saucer (in the bottom of a vintage parrot cage where wild birds fly in and out) for those birds who enjoy that seed.

Mealworms are another treat for many birds, yet NEVER feed those freeze-dried worms! They too are from CHINA, and we have no idea what standards apply there. I order insects year-round from reliable Nature’s Way (1.800.318.2611) in Hamilton, Ohio.  Live mealworms are essential food/protein for bluebird nestlings and they are simple and fun to care for.

add a small water heater to your birdbath during frozen winter days

add a small water heater to your bird bath during frozen winter days

NOTE: Please keep a source of fresh water available year round during daylight hours. This is critical during winter months when creeks and streams are frozen solid. Thirsty birds could easily drink from a salt-laden or antifreeze puddle that would cause an agonizing death.  I place a small water heater (designed for this purpose) in the bird bath on days when temps do not rise above freezing.

Virginia bluebirds dine at LaSauce buffet

Virginia bluebirds dine at LaSauce buffet

So there you are fellow bird lovers…consider this winter recipe for your feathered friends. And if you want a refresher course on clean food, view the documentaries,
Food Inc. and King Korn. My case rests…

Disclaimer: thoughts published here and throughout this blog are mine and in no way do I benefit from businesses/publications mentioned within. 

Want my spring buffet recipe?

LaSauce Spring/Warm Weather Wild Bird Buffet Recipe is a combo of shelled sunflower seeds, dry currants, ground eggshells, and sunflower oil—plain and simple.
All ingredients are purchased in bulk at my local health food-minded market.
Simply whirl two cups of seeds and one-half cup of berries in a food processor until slightly chopped, about three seconds (remember this saves the birds labor and morsel loss).
Add ground organic/cooked egg shells (2 T), then toss with a tablespoon of sunflower oil to moisten. The oil helps the egg-shell powder stick to the seed, yet will not choke the birds. Portions are approximate and easy to make. Birds are not picky! If I notice one ingredient being consumed faster, I add more of that next batch.

a photo of the warm weather mix.

a photo of the warm weather mix. Wild birds flock to the feeders for this nutritious food. Happy feeding!

Happy birding!

Any questions? Just post them to the comments link located in the top right of this page.

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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Bluebirds ~ our very special relationship at Swallowtail Cottage

30 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, Blowfly, Bluebirds, environment, garden, home, life, Lifestyle, March, photography, season, suggested reading, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Albemarle County, back yard birds, blowfly, bluebird monitor, Bluebird Monitor's Guide, Bluebirds, coir, garden, home, life, nature, nesting bluebirds, Virginia

rural Albemarle County

rural Albemarle County

Bluebirds are native, timid, and endangered here in the US. In order to continue my life’s mission of sustainability and education, four years ago I became a Bluebird Monitor. During the nesting season, I observe, serve, and promote the health and survival of this wonderful species.

The following photos were just taken this morning from inside my home, so please forgive the few slightly blurred images, yet I think it is important to record and blog about the very special relationship I developed with this particular pair. They nested here last year and I welcome them back with open arms and camera in hand. They do not feed here during the winter, and I celebrate their safe return from the wild.

Virginia's wild

Virginia’s wild

Let’s return to the timid part—bluebirds frighten easily and nesting conditions must be just right for a pair to claim a box. Since I feed many other species of wild birds on my half-acre, placement of bluebird boxes is critical. Not too close, just the right size and angle, positioned on stand-alone posts just the right height off the ground, and goodness knows, plenty of predator guards.

I offer two boxes here and currently have a small feeding station set up in the Noel guard of one box—specifically for the blues. It is hidden from wrens, titmice, cardinals, and Mary Mockingbird, all of who adore the same sunflower seeds, currants and nuggets. Happily the bluebirds found this private feeder quickly, and chose the other box in which to nest. All this I learned by observation.

Another tidbit learned in recent years is, is about the nesting material. Bluebirds fancy pine needles here, yet with nearby cattle, the bluebirds are easily infested with blowfly parasites, which kill. I learned the hard way two years ago when I lost all but one nestling in an otherwise healthy brood. Blowfly apparently love pine needles, so last year I experimented with coir, a sustainable by-product of the coconut. It is cheap, clean, and nicely simulates pine.

coir nest built by moi when blowfly was detected in pine needle nest

I lined coir nest with raffia strips to prevent nestlings from tangling their nails in coir. From this nest the fledge was successful.

I lined coir nest with raffia strips to prevent nestlings from tangling their nails in coir. From this nest the fledge was successful.

In spring I stock up on a few plant basket liners, and place shredded bits near the bird box when the female shows interest. This streamlines the female’s nest-building chore as the male does not help construct—he guards the process.

Can you imagine being a nesting bird who flies around large areas in order to return with just a few threads of nesting material per flight? Hundreds of trips must be made, using precious energy. While assisting in this process I feel such joy when through the glass, I observe a connection with this wild creature as she selects the coir and hops into the nearby nest box. Now for the photos taken within the hour:

this year's scenario~notice the coir tucked into the fence post

this year’s scenario~
notice the coir tucked into the fence post

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female bluebird making the connection, yay!

P1000445

bluebird up on post ready to enter the box

P1000446

there she goes!

P1000452

male at private feeding station

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Male guards while female grabs a snack~nest building takes energy!

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Male bluebird checking out the nest-building process

Dear readers, I cannot begin to express the absolute glee—a kid in a candy store perhaps? Filled with hope, pride, and pure joy that I may share this small miracle with you.

If you host bluebirds in your gardens, please do not feed dry mealworms! Most of them are from China! Please order fresh (USA), live mealworms from Nature’s Way in Ohio. They are easy to care for (just put them in a deep tray with oat bran and a few fresh romaine leaves) where they happily reside until plucked out (I use tweezers) and feed to appreciative birds. If readers have questions, please write to me through the comments link above…

I would be honored if you would continue to learn about my bluebird adventures by typing bluebird into the search bar on this page. There you may read previous posts and see photographs of this miraculous process. If, per chance, I inspire you to become a Bluebird Monitor, please type suggested reading into my search bar to learn titles of the essential publications supporting this incredible bird. Also one of my followers a great source of information and her blog may be found at http://woolwinehousebluebirdtrail.com/
Check it out and get inspired!

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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the thing about the Pentagon Memorial

29 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by home, garden, life in loss, Pentagon Memorial, renewal, service, suggested reading

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Northern Virginia, Pentagon City Mall, Pentagon Memorial

Honoring the dead

one of the lost

reflections

tracks of tears

the youngest

so many

place of impact

fateful day

Suggested Reading http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/interactives/pentagonmemorial/victims/

Copyright © 2011-2012 by Diane LaSauce All rights reserved

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Suggested Reading

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by home, garden, life in garden, home, life, Lifestyle, suggested reading, sustainable lifestyle

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Tags

garden, garden publications, home, life, suggested reading

The following publications continue to inspire and educate me. Perhaps blog followers will also find them helpful. Disclaimer: I own or subscribe to these publications, yet do not receive monetary compensation by listing them. Photographs on this blog remain the sole property of Diane LaSauce

Handcrafted Modern: At Home with Midcentury Designers-Leslie Williamson

The Straw Bale House—Steen, Steen, & Bainbridge

Paint Magic—Jocasta Innes

Recipes for Surfaces—Mindy Drucker & Pierre Finkelstein

Caring for Your Collections—National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property

The Art and Craft of Stonescaping—David Reed

Culinary Herbs—Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record

Gardening for Fragrance—Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record

The Terracotta Gardener—Jim Keeling

the gardener’s weather bible—Sally Roth

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible—Edward C. Smith

The Virginia Gardener’s Companion—An Insider’s Guide to Low-Maintenance Gardening in Virginia—Donna Williamson

Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate~At Work in the Wild and Cultivated World—by Wendy Johnson

The Nature Gardens of Sebastian Kneipp—Hans Horst Frohlich

The Natural Garden—Ken Druse

The Inward Garden—Julie Moir Messervy, photos by Sam Abell

Infinite Spaces—Edited by Joe Earle

Outside the Not So Big House—Julie Moir Messervy & Sarah Susanka

The Herb Companion—Ogden Publications, Inc.

Field Guide to Birds—National Audubon Society

Field Guide to Butterflies—National Audubon Society

Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America—Eric R. Eaton; Kenn Kaufman

The Bluebird Monitor’s Guide—Cynthia Berger, Keith Kridler, Jack Griggs

Stokes Bird Feeder Book—Donald; Lillian Stokes

The Family Butterfly Book—Rick Mikula

The Life Cycles of Butterflies—Wayne Richards; Judy Burris

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Check out HGTV where two of my garden designs are featured…

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Essay Titles

  • Another blueberry spring
  • Spring garden projects
  • Chocolate Ginger Molasses wafers
  • Winter warmer when we pause
  • The twilight zone is real
  • Projects keep coming…
  • Feeling it
  • the journey continues
  • My food journey
  • Brownies, Keto Style
  • Keto almond crackers
  • If you are climbing the walls…
  • Three hours of sun
  • “this too shall pass”
  • there is no place like home…
  • the perfect Tiny House
  • Miracles everywhere
  • And so it goes…
  • Transform, transition, resilience
  • An Artist’s Way
  • Sunday’s monster project
  • Meanwhile
  • how fragile we are
  • what I learned about Keto
  • small steps
  • do no harm…
  • will this convince you?
  • Plastics…a soapbox tale
  • Let’s clean up our act
  • 2020…are we ready?
  • All I want for Christmas
  • Thanksgiving…remembering love
  • At last
  • Keto “potatoes”
  • When critters call
  • Keto bread revisited
  • My report on Keto
  • for the love of rock, II
  • give a gardener a cool summer day…
  • Oh July, July
  • Kale, the ultimate chip
  • gone Keto
  • she’s baaaack!
  • Perhaps missed
  • for the love of rock
  • the anatomy of a popover
  • the garden visitor
  • what blooms this week
  • porch envy
  • Summer in Virginia

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