Local Eats - Sunchokes with Crimini Mushrooms

It's winter, and the veggies at the store seem to be coming from California more and more often.  Living in northwest Oregon, I prefer to buy foods grown in Oregon and Washington.  Enter in the sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes) and mushrooms!

As a kid, when my mom made artichokes, I remember digging through the leaves with great anticipation for the best part of the artichoke: the heart.  What does that have to do with sunchokes?  Sunchokes taste a whole lot like the heart of an artichoke.  YUM.

I more or less used this recipe when cooking yesterday.  I only used olive oil, sunchokes, and crimini mushrooms though, and it was really good.

If you like artichoke hearts, you should really give it a try!  It's easy and delicious!

A Cactus Christmas

I've been gone for awhile because Matthew and I were in Arizona this year to celebrate Christmas with my family. We're back now, and I will share a few pictures with you for fun.

Another quilt!

Here's the quilt that I just finished for Matthew's first cousin once removed!  It's fun!  It's pink! :)

I link to the instructions in this post.

snapshot of a winter day

There's no time like winter to sew a quilt!  When finished, this quilt is going to go to a very lovely three-year-old on Matthew's side of the family.  I am hoping that she will get years of snuggles and cuddles under this colorful blanket.  It is really special, too, because the fabric for the blocks came from some of her old clothing that her mom saved.

This has been a cold, dry winter so far.  We have had no rain this month so far, but we have had an abundance of winter sunshine.  While most of our apartment does not get any direct sunlight this time of year, between 2pm and 3pm, if I open the blinds in the bedroom, I can see a patch of sunlight on the wall.  I love seeing light on walls.  During last summer, I would lie on the bed and lazily watch the shadows of the maple leaves dancing on our bedroom wall.  While there was no dancing on the wall today, I still welcome the light.

A partly cloudy winter day lends itself well to a spectacular winter sunset.  The photos speak for themselves!

The Obsession with "New"

In my experience, when there is a drive for toys, clothes, etc. to help families, there is often a mandate that donations be new items.  I understand that it is not as sacrificial or desirable to give someone else your worn out clothing or half-broken toys.  I also understand that people are requiring this out of a good heart because they feel like since they don't give used gifts to their own families and friends, why should other families have to get used gifts?

It's just that I think the question should be, "Why shouldn't I give already-been-loved gifts to my family and friends?"  The answer in our household is, "No reason.  Do it."

For this reason, it actually becomes a very odd experience to want to give items to people in need and to be told that I have to buy new items.  Here are some thoughts that end up going through my head:

"I rarely buy anything new... period."

"We can't always all have new things.  There is so much stuff already floating around needing a good home to use it up.  By always demanding new, we are effectively taking away at least some of ability for future generations to have the resources and ability to make their own new products."

"If I am buying something new, I feel led to research my item to buy something that was made in a way that tried to avoid harming the environment and did not exploit human workers."

"New things cost a lot.  If a family needs hand towels, why can't I buy a few adorable, gently-used towels at a thrift shop for way less money?  Then I can use the rest of the money to do more to help people out."

I love that people want to meet others' real needs, and if you have ever done so then awesome!  If done out of compassion and generosity, then your good heart is admirable.  I'm just saying: Here's for creating a culture that views used goods as valuable and equally awesome instead of "cheap" and of poor taste.  After all, I'm not too good for something someone else no longer wanted/needed... Are you?

Solar Lighting

While solar lighting doesn't make a lot of sense to me right now as I look outside at a gray, cloudy day, it does make all kinds of sense to people in sub-Saharan Africa.  This post talks about how much sense it makes when compared to the alternative -- often kerosene.  It also make sense because it can free up a significant portion of a person's income!

In case the term "solar light" is new to you, the light is simply a lamp that contains a rechargeable battery and is charged by a photovoltaic panel (like those you see on roofs, only little).

After considering the list of projects, Matthew and I found Solar Sister to be the one that most caught our attention (although there are a lot of other wonderful projects...)  What appealed to us was the fact that a donation would provide the means for a woman to gain income through the sales of these solar lights.  It reminded us of Kiva.  (Speaking of which, have you set up an account at www.kiva.org yet?  Because it's awesome.  Seriously.)

Legislation-palooza

Today when I got on the computer, I was immediately bombarded with news of some bills that made me go, "Cool!"  Now, maybe these bills aren't perfect, but they are all things I personally have been hoping that congress would do something about.

Here is a description of a bill that would protect farmers from the current ramifications of genetically engineered (GE) seed technology.  In short, patents have made it so that certain big corporations (*cough* Monsanto *cough*) have been able to commit what I consider heinous crimes against farmers.  For example, farmers who did not plant Monsanto's GE seeds can get sued for exorbitant amounts if some of that seed ends up in their supply when they save their seed at the end of the season.  (This happens when other farmers in the area have GE crops.  Cross-pollination occurs.)  Small farmers have been going bankrupt as a result.  I've been hoping for legislation to stop this.

Here is a description of a bill that would mandate that GE foods are labelled in stores.  Americans polled have said they'd like to know, and there are also health safety issues when people eat GE foods. For example, if you are allergic to a food, and you eat another food that has been given genes from the food you're allergic to, you might possibly have an allergic reaction to a food you'd normally be OK with.

Next is a bill that would help to prevent plants the have been engineered to produce substances (human or veterinary drugs, biologic, industrial, or research chemicals, or enzymes) from being able to let loose this new DNA into other crops or the wild.

Finally, here is a proposed constitutional amendment that would deny personhood to corporations.

Will any of these things pass? I have no clue. I do expect that they will be lobbied against with full force. They all involve corporations losing power and, consequentially, possibly money. However, what is good for corporations isn't necessarily what's good for the people of the US, and the government is supposed to do what's good and right for the people.

If you are interested in any of these issues, feel free to look up more about them and then maybe consider writing to your representatives in congress.

Bike excitement

Remember my grand adventure last month that involved me hauling a bazillion pounds of groceries on my back and handlebars?  I promised that I'd set up a rear cargo rack, and I did!  Well, Matthew and I did.  He helped.

This was a learning experience for me, too.  At first I went to Fred Meyer to raid their biking section, and the only rear cargo rack that they had was this.  I naively assumed that since it was all they had, it must be decent.  No. False.  Bad.  It was a piece of garbage that only held value in being a great device to whack against your head after you realize what a stupid purchase it was.  While it does not say so, it doesn't fit all bikes, and even if it did fit mine, it would have been mostly hidden under the seat.  Fortunately, I returned it, and no great harm was done.

Next I used the powers of Amazon.com to find a good rear bike rack.  This is the one.  The reviews were super helpful, and it sounded perfect for me.  And it is.  The one thing I had to take care of was procuring little pieces of hardware because I don't have eyelets on my seat stays (gosh, I sound so knowledgeable).  I ended up going to a bike shop, explaining my problem, and they handed me what I needed (minus a few nuts that Matthew easily picked up at his work).  In retrospect, I probably could have asked them to help me find a cargo rack, but I still am happy that Amazon helped me know what I was getting through all of the good reviews.  Sometimes you just need to know something is good.

As you can see, the cargo rack was needed so that I could attach an egg crate to it.  I found this green crate at Goodwill for $2 (woo!), and then we bought some bungee cords to do some ninja stabilization moves.  And now it is stable.  And holding a heavy bag of groceries.  And my back doesn't hurt.

So there you have it.  Bike excitement.

What I'm thankful for...

Thanksgiving came and went, but I have really been feeling like a "thanksgiving" post would be good.  I give thanks because I'm grateful to God, and I give thanks because it is through finding pleasure in my life that I find contentment that helps me to not needlessly and tirelessly strive for more.


I am thankful for Matthew and I both finishing our Master's degrees last June.  What an exciting time!

I am thankful that Matthew got a job only a few months after graduation.  In fact, it was really a blessing to have a final summer break together even if it was spent somewhat in anticipation.

I am grateful that Matthew got a job in the Pacific Northwest, and even in Oregon.  We could have had to go much farther.

I am thankful that I lived in a place (Corvallis) that I loved enough to still sorely miss even after I have been away from it for almost three months.  I miss my friends there, but I also sincerely miss the town itself.  The streets, the parks, the co-op, the trees... everything.

I am grateful that I have had a chance to explore a new area.  It is pretty out here (once you ignore all the cars...), and it is truly a lovely place for being a suburb of a large city.  I think that since we live near a bunch of marshy areas we get a lot of wildlife that we didn't see in Corvallis.  I love seeing an occasional heron and huge flocks of ducks and geese.  I also really like the treefrogs that make their ridiculous croaking sounds outside of our windows.

I am thankful that I will be teaching at Portland Community College next term.  While I admittedly have the inward anxiety that I for some reason will not be able to handle things or do a "good enough" job, I mostly am excited to work with two classes of math students.

I am also grateful for all of the experiences that I have had that have helped prepare me to teach!

I am thankful that I got to see my parents and brother a fair amount last summer, and I am happy that we get to spend Christmas together this year.

I am thankful for always having more than enough of what I need.

I am thankful that God has given me a chance to experience more freedom and love as I continue to learn to be less selfish and to love others more.

I am grateful for public libraries and the Internet because I have had a chance to read so many interesting things and learn so much now that I'm not doing homework and studying all of the time.

I am thankful that our new apartment has big windows and more of them than a typical one-bedroom apartment... I love the natural light...

I am thankful for Facebook because it is taking time for me to meet people and get a support group up here, and I feel like I am blessed to have some support through that medium while I work and wait to see what friendships are waiting for me up here.

I am of course thankful for my dear husband who is a rock of support for me.  He celebrates for and with me, he loves me even (and maybe especially) when I'm being crazy or silly, he has been my biggest supporter as I change the very way we live as I work to live sustainably, he has learned that I can't talk when I'm crying, and he patiently waits until I can talk again... even when he's painfully unsure about why in the world I'm crying again.  While he has his own quirks and faults, he is the most patient, loving, and supportive man that I can imagine, and I'm grateful that every day he chooses to continue loving me.

Finally, I am thankful to God for blessing me more than I deserve, patiently dealing with me as I doubt and question and work to figure things out, and loving me with a love that I can't even really understand.

What's going on out there...

I've been reading and listening to some interesting things this week, so I thought I'd share some of them here.

First up is an article about how large multinational corporations are marketing their junk food products to new people... the poor and malnourished around the world.  It really does bother me that corporations are willing to grow at the expense of the health and well-being of people.  Want to know what you can do to help?  My personal method is to do my best to avoid products from large companies unless I figure out that they're a good company.  Every time I spend money, I view it as a vote in my mostly capitalistic economy.  If you want something else to do, I think that it might also be good to write to corporations to let them know how you feel and why you will not buy their product.

The next article discusses the future of global warming and some geoengineering ideas of how to combat it.  It really scares me to have humans try to play with the atmosphere, clouds, etc to try to affect our climate.  I totally understand why they are considering these ideas, and I respect them for acknowledging that this would be a last ditch attempt to buy more time for humanity to stop destroying our home (you know, Earth), but I think that such a large-scale action that cannot really be tested in advance could also be devastating.  The idea of temperatures rising 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 90 years is overwhelming, too.  I know I will only be around so long, but I'd really like for my children and grandchildren to be able to live a peaceful life and enjoy our beautiful planet.  (To Christians who believe that Jesus will return and make it all better before any of this happens, I must say this:  You don't know that.  We have no guarantee that we won't destroy much of our population in the years to come.  God loves us, but He certainly is not obligated to miraculously save us from our own selfish actions, right?)  Want to know what you can do?  Take some time to learn about what's going on.  Be willing to change yourself.  Be willing to speak out at the political level.  Again, vote with your money.  Learn to live differently, and pray that your life will positively affect others.

Up next is a video of a young man speaking about how he was raised by a lesbian couple.  When I was adamantly against the legalization of gay marriage, I was asked why it mattered if a homosexual couple had the same legal rights as a heterosexual couple.  The reason that I was taught to give was that adopted babies wouldn't be given as good of a home to live in.  Now I just don't think this argument is fair, and I don't think it should be used.  I do think that children should having loving relationships with both men and women (opinion, not fact), but I think that a homosexual couple could ensure that this happens through extended family, church family, and other groups.  I know that not everybody out there agrees with me, and I think that everybody has the right to their own opinion, and they should vote for what they believe is right.  I just encourage people to think about their decision and be open to listening to God even if it might mean changing.  At this point in my life, I feel strongly that I need to support homosexual couples in their endeavor to be accepted in society.  I tend to believe that in 100 (or fewer) years, people will look back and view the efforts to prevent gay marriage similarly to how most of us view the efforts to prevent interracial marriage (which was also justified using the Bible).

Speaking of interracial marriage... Here we have an example of a church who still struggles to accept that it is truly alright.  If this isn't a humbling example of why we should keep our heart open to change, I don't know what is.  What comes to mind is: Live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God...  (Micah 6:8 for those of you who are amazed that I'd come up with something so lovely on my own... I didn't!)

I will leave you with a really neat story about a man who, to me, seemed to follow the teachings and show the love of Jesus.  I have no clue whether or not the man was intending to do so, but my heart tells me that God was in the details.