the importance of local

buy localWhy is local so important?   Locavorism, buying and eating from local sources in season, is very much in the headlines these days.  But localism is important on many levels, not just food and agriculture.

When things become global they also become abstract, and with that they become profit oriented as opposed to quality-of-life oriented.  As an example, we currently have a Malaysian-based casino operator vying to build a huge casino in the midst of our protected woods.  Since the operators live and work in far away Malaysia and not right here they have no vested interest in the environmental and quality-of-life implications.  Their interest is strictly financial and that means that environment and quality-of-life will suffer. 

By being involved on a local level you have a say, you have influence in local matters, you participate in something tangible that has a direct implication on your quality of life.  Your voice counts.locals only

When you buy from local sources, from farmers, from gift shops that sell local artists's works, from second hand clothing stores, from services (massage therapy, sports studios, hair salons) you put money right back into our local community (see an earlier blog post on local food relationships).   Getting involved in local politics, organizations or initiatives allows you to contribute directly to the quality of life of where you live.    It gives you a vote, a bit of control, and lets you be a part of what's going on where you live.

There are initiatives out there that promote localism on a global level.  One of them is the Transition Movement (they are about reducing our fossil-fuel dependence through going local).  Another one is the International Alliance for Localization.

But you don't really need an organization.  Just think about what matters to you.  Is it how your food is grown?  Is it how the land in your community gets used?  Are you passionate about the environment and preserving it in good condition for future generations?  Relationships with people in your community?  Cultural events? What the schools in your community are doing?  It's easy to donate $50 over the internet to some abstract cause that sounds good.   Instead, get involved locally.  It makes a bigger difference than you think.

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feeling fall

I just love the fall! I love to feel it, hear it, smell it, see it, taste it and think about it. I love to feel the different temperatures. The nights are already cool, and the air feels crisp and dry on the skin, so invigorating.  We have had summer warmth during the days when we could catch the last of the t-shirt weather. And on rainy days I love to feel the cool humidity on my face.

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I love to hear the wind wooshing through the tall trees, the crispy leaves rustling under my feet, the rain drumming on the roof and against the windows, or the crackling of a fall fire in the yard.

I love the smell of decaying leaves, especially on rainy days. I love the smell of pumpkin spices. I love the smell of candles. I love the smell of wood fires in the air as people begin to light their wood burning stoves again.

I love the sights of fall. Early fall is a feast for the eyes - incredibly blue sky, deep orange, yellow and red leaves, bright sunshine, gray rainy days, piles of orange pumpkins and bumpy gourds, shiny red apples peeking out among the green apple tree leaves, triangular formations of birds in the sky flying south, and of course Halloweeny costumes.

I love the tastes of fall. Pumpkin is THE fall taste, although it's the spices that make the tasteless pumpkin taste like pumpkin, the nutmeg-cinnamon-allspice combination. But other tastes come to mind as well, like mulled cider, hearty stews (chili is the dish I make for Halloween), apple pie, or chestnuts.

And then I love to sense fall's significance.  A cycle slowly coming to an end, a slight melancholy in the air, a slowing down.

Feel the fall.

 

a stack of magazines

DSC00848Ron Lieber recently wrote about enjoying such simple pleasures as going to the library and losing yourself in a stack of magazines. I mostly read non-fiction, whether newspaper, non-fiction or creative non-fiction books about my favorite subjects, although I'll read a rare novel here and there (the DaVinci Code is on my list). Total unwinding for me is sitting down in a quiet room with a stack of magazines and endless time with no scheduled events on the horizon, and perhaps a cup of tea or a glass of wine. Every few months, and before we go on vacation, I go to the library to get a big stack of magazines. And then I'll hole up in bed or on the couch and disappear relishing my (somewhat) brainless browsing through pretty pictures and snipets and tidbits of text.

It gives me great visual pleasure to leaf through the aesthetically pleasing Martha Stewart magazines and oohhh and aahh at the beautiful photographs of clever ideas and sumptuous spreads, as unpractical and time consuming as the making of all these beautiful crafts, decors and dishes may in reality be. And reading about people instead of ideas is relaxing to the mind as well.

Entertainment and relaxation don't always have to cost an arm and a leg.  What simple pleasures do you enjoy?

 

a bit of formality

The other day my son expressed his confusion over the seeming contradiction between my liberal convictions on the one hand, and my slight formality on the other. I like a bit of flourish, a bit of ritual, some social conventions, respect for the elderly.   And it's probably because of my European background. sneakers For example, I have a thing about going to school in flip flops, tank tops or spaghetti straps (which, I think, all belong to the beach), just like I wouldn't go to the office in such attire. I wouldn't go to the supermarket in flip flops, I don't walk around town in shorts, and I feel a bit underdressed and self-conscious when I walk through town in yoga pants on my way to a class. And I never wear sneakers.

DSC00560I like a nicely set dinner table (with forks and knives in their proper places, and plates and glasses neatly aligned across from each other), and we dress up for special holidays like Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or Easter. I like a bit of ceremony when we have people over for dinner. I plan and choreograph the evening so things run smoothly, so people feel taken care of and don't have to go looking around for water or a fork, so the table looks nice, and so I also have some time to spend with our guests.

Almost every morning, save for some Sundays, I put lipstick and a bit of eye-make-up on and accessorize my outfit, even though I work from home. The other day my daughter said to me "you look a little tired." That was before I had put my eye make-up on, and that is exactly what I always used to say to my own mother when I'd see her without eye make-up.  I'd rather look awake and ready for the day.

Whether it's the European background or my particular family, we were taught proper table manners (using your cutlery from the outside in during a many-course meal, how to place fork and knife when finished vs. when you are still eating, which glass is for which beverage - white/red/water -, serving the oldest woman first and the youngest boy last, and such.

We were also taught proper social conventions by example (holding the door open for the person right behind you, writing thank-you notes for presents received - emailed is better than none -, rsvping on time so the host can plan ahead, and eating what's being served without argument or lengthy explanations of special dietary requirements - just leave aside what you don't want).

All these little conventions, which we could call formal or rigid or dusty, do have some meaning. I enjoy walking past someone nicely dressed at the supermarket, I appreciate when the person in front hands me the door instead of slamming it thoughtlessly into my face, I like being called "Mrs. Fitzsimmons" by a kindergartner instead of "Susanne." These little things become effortless, and let you be more aware of others.  They smooth over the rough edges of life, and make living with others more pleasant.  It's about being thoughtful and respectful, and shows others that you care.

a tale of soft boiled eggs

DSC00447I love a soft boiled egg for breakfast. It is such a simple comfort food, deeply nourishing, warm, and creamy. When my husband was little he used to get soft boiled eggs only when he was sick. His mother would bring it to him in bed with buttered toast strips she called "soldiers." In Germany soft boiled eggs are standard breakfast fare and served in every hotel.

When I was small we would have soft boiled eggs for week-end breakfasts with some buttered toast (no strips) and sweet & sour Swedish herring we called "Piepfisch" or "beep fish"(don't ask me why - a question for my parents). My sister and I would only get the little egg white hat, the "Hütchen," which my dad would slice off with one swift chop of his knife. I never knew why we didn't get a whole egg then. Was it about not eating too much protein, or was it to save money? Another question for my parents. But when I was finally allowed to have a whole soft boiled egg all for myself I knew I was a big girl.

When my children were small they would share an egg, because my son only liked the yolk, while my daughter only liked the white. In my attempt to vary our breakfasts (such as yoghurt/kefir/milk with cereal; bread/toast with stuff on it; French toast; croissants on Saturdays, pancakes or eggs on Sundays) I make soft boiled eggs about once a week, and definitely on days my children have tests - as a good brain food and protein base.

I bought our egg cups in Germany because I couldn't find the kind I wanted over here.   They sit solidly on the table and have a rim around the egg holder to rest your spoon and place your egg shells. I also bought the special little plastic spoons over there - horn spoons are fancier, and silver spoons alter the taste of the egg and oxidize the spoon.   I cook my eggs, which come from a friend or a local farm, for five minutes. That cooks the egg white just enough to become firm, but leaves the deep yellow yolk nice and runny and almost hot. I am more timid and don't slash the "hat" off with my knife. Instead, I peel the top, then lop the hat off with my egg spoon. And I do dunk buttered toast "soldiers" into the yolk. Mmmmh....

local food relationships

8-african-market-6In other parts of the world, whether Europe, Asia, South America or Africa, farmers' markets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables, but also meat, dairy, bread, spices and condiments (and kitchen utensils, clothing, and what not) year round, are nothing unusual.  Our local market in Paris, where I grew up, was held three times a week, as is Union Square Market in Manhattan.  Here in the US farmers' markets are relatively new, as is the entire foodie movement in general, and markets are mostly held once a week during the growing season.  Yet, the whole food movement has taken root quickly and with a vengeance.  People now love to know where their food comes from.Unknown Beyond the farmer's market a CSA (community supported agriculture), basically a subscription to a portion of the farmer's harvest, is a great way to get to know your local farmers, invest into their crop for the season and reap the benefits.  While produce CSAs are the most common, some CSAs also offer flowers, fruit, honey, eggs, even meat.  A few farms in the immediate area that do CSAs are Rogowski Farm, High Breeze Farm and Bialas Farms, to mention just a few.

348sI buy as much as I can locally.  Many of our eggs come from a friend who has chickens and sells her surplus during the warm season, but also from High Breeze Farm (although they run out of eggs so quickly I can't get there fast enough much of the time).  Honey I buy in 5lb jars from a local potato and onion farmer who is also a beekeeper.  Some of my meat comes from a young professional couple who started raising their own chickens and hogs at their farm Hickory Field a few years ago to assure high quality meat, and who dream of making a living at it in the future.  I get beef, some pork, as well as maple syrup from High Breeze Farm, and raw milk from Freedom Hill Farm.  And until recently we even had our very own cheese maker in the area, Bobolink Dairy, who unfortunately moved away.

Then there are farm-to-table restaurants, which are either farms that also run a restaurant (in our direct area Rogowski's once-a-month Field to Fork Gourmet Supper Club comes to mind), or a restaurant that grows its own produce, and even its own meat, such as the Stone Barns research center in Tarrytown, NY with its fabulous Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant.

And if all of that does not get you in touch intimately enough with your local farmers now there are entire communities built and centered around a working farm, called agrihoods, as the NY Times reported.

Of course there is still your local seasonal farm stand for spur-of-the moment drive-by buying if you don't want to commit to a CSA for the season.  But if you would like to try a CSA now, in early spring, is the perfect time to scout out your local farms and find out who offers what.warwick_valley_market_large

 

glorious color

I love color.  Color in food, color in clothing, color on my walls, color out in nature.  Color makes life sparkle.  Many years ago I tried that architect-designer look wearing lots of black.  But that's stark.  When my son was little the clothing choices for boys in the mainstream stores were pretty much limited to grey, blue and brown - how drab. Screen Shot 2014-02-25 at 11.20.36 AMOf course, color exists only in contrast to black/white, so we need the drabness, the starkness, the dullness to appreciate color all the more.  I think that's why people in cold climates expand in their beingness and start to breathe again when spring comes around, when all that brown-grey-white drabness explodes into greens and pinks and yellows.  It is so joyful.

DSC00184The other day we got blue potatoes from our food coop.  Besides all the added antioxidants compared to white potatoes (although I simply bought them for variety), they looked so pretty on the table.  Children often like the safe beige-brown diet (bread, noodles, potatoes, meat).  I say I want color on my table.

I also want color in my wardrobe.  While red is my favorite color of all, I also love all greens (from Kermit green to a light limy green), all jewel tones (purple, burgundy, burnt yellow, orange, olive green), and creamy yellows. DSC00192

Live a little, make a splash, bring some color in your life, it makes life more cheerful.

 

beautiful gift wrap

japanese gift wrappingA relative of mine wasn't much into gift wrapping. As a matter of fact, sometimes she'd come with a bag full of Christmas presents and ask me to wrap them for her because she knew I enjoyed doing it. furoshikiWhy bother with wrapping a present? The short answer is to make magic. The long answer goes something like this. Although we suppress our childlike enthusiasm later in life too often we love surprises (that's for the recipient) and we like to play (that's for the giver who gets to wrap), and we also enjoy watching the look of joy and surprise on the recipient's face.  Besides, most of us enjoy beautiful things.

gift wrapI think a beautifully wrapped present increases in its inherent value manyfold. A little trinket can become downright precious with the right wrapping. I guess I shouldn't say this too loudly - but I oftentimes buy relatively inexpensive presents (quality of course, no junk! perhaps something on sale, perhaps something small, perhaps a homemade food item) and make it look really special and precious with creative gift wrapping. It's the thought and the intent behind the gift that counts more than what the item's price tag is.

The Japanese - who have a very well developed sense of aesthetics - have perfected the art of gift wrapping. One way is to wrap presents in cloth, that art is called furoshiki. They also have a special way with paper, called tsutsumi.

photo courtesy tipjunkie.com

When Christmas comes around and I need to wrap lots and lots of presents I make a special event out of it for myself; some Christmas music, all of the paper, ribbons, gift tags and accessories spread on the floor and table, a cup of tea or a glass of wine - and then I create and wrap. I get to play and make it all look beautiful, and the recipient gets eye candy.  It's another quality of life idea.  Enjoyment all around.