Food for Thought Newsletter - Issue 006

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Embracing Imperfection
• Practical Food Preservation for Alaskans
• Can we speak freely?

Embracing Imperfection

I know we usually dig deep in this newsletter about current events or skills that need to be discussed, but today I wanted to take a little different spin on it. (I asked the boss, and she said it was okay - Ha!)

 

((yes, that’s me, I’m the boss - made the argument easy))

 

I’ve seen several posts on Facebook of folks asking how to do different aspects of food preservation - most of them have very little experience with food preservation. I wanted to take a minute to talk to anyone who is trying something new.

 

Like the famous sneaker slogan says: Just do it!

 

I wanted to share a bit of a story. As you all know, we’re always trying new stuff. Planting new varieties, learning to propagate plants, putting on expos, a great Alaskan farm tour, and even building a brand-new academy - I clearly have way too many ideas!

 

Note: this is NOT an advertisement for the academy but a lesson in imperfection - I can’t figure out how to tell the story without it seeming like an ad, so I just thought I’d awkwardly explain ahead of time so you don’t have to get your “don’t sell to me” hackles up like I do when I’m reading a sales pitch.

 

My awkward but true and hopefully inspiring story.

 

When we started this academy, I set into it with three goals: 

• Put out HIGH QUALITY teaching for Alaskans - in-depth, reliable, trustworthy, and easy to understand with both video and ebooks & magazines. 
• Build a community so we can all learn from one another, share goals, and even barter and sell things without having to speak in code. 
• Build an app to make it easy to communicate and learn from without having to deal with the “powers that be” of social media. 

I was told there was no way to do it without tens of thousands of dollars and at least a year, but I just KNEW there had to be a way!

 

(I’m getting to the point of imperfection, I promise.)

 

Super long story short, with some tremendous help, a ton of grace, and a little luck, we did launch the academy and the app will be ready in a month or so. It kinda feels like a dream, to be honest.

 

However, it hasn’t been perfect.

 

And here’s the imperfection part - I had to learn how to talk and teach in front of a camera.

 

So - that’s fun … ((not really, I'm a writer - I have a face (and hair) for writing!))

 

But - it’s part of the gig. (so says my boss - she drives a hard bargain)

 

Here’s where I hope this story gets inspiring and not just weird.

 

Friend, We have a TON of footage that we’ve thrown away from filming for the academy. Like, we are on take about a bazillion in most of our videos.

 

My videographer is incredible… she’s super patient, and she just nods knowingly and smiles when I say, “You know that salmon canning class we recorded yesterday? Yeah, let’s find some more salmon and reshoot that.”

 

“And you know that fermented drink course we also shot? That one needs redone, too. I left out some super important details.”

 

That girl has the patience of a saint - ((so much more patient than my boss))

 

And because of that, I feel pretty good about the videos we’re putting out - but they are FAR from perfect. I could likely do take one bazillion and one and not like it any better than take one thousand.

 

SO, I did have to stop making revisions and just start publishing. Imperfections and all. Because otherwise, all of the folks who are joining the academy will stare at the same three videos for months on end waiting for me to get things perfect, when there’s really no such thing as perfect!

 

Oh, and I had to learn to create a new LLC, get a developer license for our app from Apple, create completely new styles of graphics, and learn how to make a magazine!

 

None of it is perfect - but it’s getting my WHOLE heart and mind, and I do believe it’s very good.

 

So, if you’re trying to start something new - remember that your first (or your thousandth or bazillionth) try doesn’t have to be perfect, but you’re DOING IT!

 

Whether it’s learning to:

Can peaches

Dehydrate onion tops

Make salves

Grow and butcher chickens

Build fence

Milk a cow

or record educational videos…

…whatever the skill is.

 

You’re learning the new thing! And soon you’ll be sharing with others this really cool new skill you have!

 

OR, you can just ignore it.

 

Before you decide to do that, I want you to ask yourself. In a year, will you regret NOT learning or doing the thing? Or will you regret trying and learning a new skill?

 

The answer is clear - GO DO IT!

 

Leave a comment and tell us all about it if you want to - I’d LOVE to cheer you on!

 

Practical Food Preservation for Alaskans

This was supposed to be the main subject for this newsletter, but instead it had to sit in the passenger seat for a minute, so I could give you all (and myself) a pep talk. However, I have some super fun food preservation ideas that I want to share, so here goes!

 

1) Cabbage

Cabbage grows like mad here - but what’s a person supposed to do with cabbage to store it long-term? I found myself asking this exact question when I started gardening up here. I had no idea that my dozen cabbages were going to be enough to feed an army for the winter!?!?

 

Over the years, I’ve learned some really neat ways to preserve cabbage.

 

1. Freeze it. I lightly sauté cabbage, celery, onion, and garlic (and sometimes even carrots) together and freeze it in containers. It makes an excellent side dish, but it also is a super and quick addition to soup. You can also sauté it with burger, add some cooked noodles and cheese, and you have a quick meal that’s nutritious! One more idea, sauté it with some mushrooms and steak strips - serve with a baked potato, and you have a dinner of champions!
2. Lacto-ferment it. Soon I’ll have my own tutorial, but for now, you can follow Carolyn - she also knows a thing or two about homesteading. 🙂 Because this is so incredibly good for you - I recommend learning all about lacto fermentation and utilizing it because it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies - and it’s (to my knowledge) the HEALTHIEST way to preserve veggies. 

2) Carrots

Carrots are similar to cabbage in that you can freeze them and ferment them. Actually, if you choose to ferment them, put some dill and garlic in with them and try them in about 6 weeks.

 

I like them BETTER than dill pickles!

 

3) Onions

Onions are crazy versatile, so I’ll give you lots of options here. One thing I’m trying really hard to do this year is not waste one crumb from my garden. I’ve gotten a bit more creative and it’s been fun!

 

My onion tops are all being dehydrated and turned into onion powder. It’s not the usual white onion powder, but I don’t mind a bit! Some I am just crumbling to toss in soups just for texture. I also add gobs of onion to my ferments, add them to canned soups, and I add them also to canned meats.

 

I love love love canned salmon with onion in it - just slice it up small and cram it in all the nooks and crannies before you can. SO yummy! I also add bell peppers to salmon with the onion sometimes. So good! I also add onion to my canned beef and chicken sometimes. Warm it up and serve it over fresh toast with some raw cheddar cheese sprinkled on top - fast food that’s crazy nutritious - and delicious!

 

4) Tomatoes

Tomatoes are some of my favorite to preserve because they are so versatile!

 

One hint: (this is worth every penny you paid for this newsletter 😀)

 

Core your tomatoes and freeze them flat in gallon freezer bags until you’re ready to deal with them. They always come on when you’re trying to preserve so many other things, and it can get super stressful! Just toss them in the freezer until you’re ready. This works WONDERS for later preparation. When you’re ready to process your tomatoes, just thaw them in the sink (so they don’t drip all over your counter and floors - ask me how I know they can do this), the skins slip right off, and toss the tomatoes in jars. I then dehydrate the skin and turn that into powder to use in all tomato dishes - AND I either freeze or can the juice leftover in the bags and use that for boiling pasta or rice in for extra tomato flavor and nutrients. We also love salsa and I like to ferment a few gallons of tomatoes as well.

 

5) Green Beans

One of the last things I wanted to talk about today is green beans.

 

I used to can green beans until the cows come home (which is a LOT of green beans, since we don’t even have cows - yet). But then I decided to start getting creative.

 

Now, I can quarts of beans - half green beans and half shell beans (bird egg is what I use, but you could also use pinto beans). I am also trying to do leather britches (dehydrating beans) and dilly beans this year for something different. I add green beans to our ferments, too.

 

I hope this inspires you.

 

Do you have any food preservation hacks or recipes that you’d like to share?

 

Leave a Comment: I’d LOVE to hear them!

 

Can I speak Freely?

We had something happen on our FB page this week that was super strange - and it heavily resonates with why we want to get the app going so we can speak freely without the “powers that be” telling us what we can and can’t say.

 

I posted a video that is a parody about raw milk (using the song white lightening - it’s super funny). Someone left several comments (most of which I deleted or hid) talking about the dangers of raw milk. I don’t mind that he shared - I believe this person is genuinely scared about raw milk - and, although he’s misguided and misinformed, he means well.

 

Here’s what bothers me:

He reported us to FB and the post was shadowbanned (although surprisingly not pulled). Very few people saw it after that. Not because they weren’t looking. Our engagement is very good on our page, typically. But because it wasn’t shown to people because of the possibility that it is sharing bad info.

 

It was a stupid song - a parody - but it counts as a strike against our account now. We’re no longer under the radar.

 

Which is why this app is so important.

 

I want you to be able to talk freely about best practices for humanely butchering chickens - without worrying about someone telling you it’s cruel.

 

I want to participate in conversations about predator control, hunting, food preservation, and raw milk without worrying about censorship because everything we do is “bad”.

 

(On that quick note: If you are getting raw milk shares, PLEASE make sure you’re getting your milk from someone who is clean, has a healthy herd, and is reputable. Here are a couple of resources we have for you to help make sure you stay healthy while drinking raw milk:

 

Articles:
https://commongroundalaska.com/bird-flu-from-raw-milk-july-2024/

https://commongroundalaska.com/is-the-sale-of-raw-milk-really-being-legalized-in-alaska/

 

Videos:

https://youtu.be/KJ1qS9GQff8

https://youtu.be/5BnDA-gGxHE

https://youtu.be/dNmmpDFdVRI