Well the last of the margaine was used up this morning, and it will not be replaced. I used to have a nice butter dish, but i think it got broken a few years ago..... we'll see when we get unpacked at the new place if it was hiding in a box somewhere.
So the reason for abandoning margarines and heading towards butter is that fact that most margarines are made using canola oil, which has a very good chance of being a GMO. Also, in the case of the Becel label I read this morning, it included Soy Lectin, which in another crop that has a very high chance of being a GMO. Ideally I would buy local butter direct from a farmer if possible, or perhaps buy cream directly from a farmer and make my own butter once a week with the KitchenAid. We'll have to see what our options are once we get down there.
Next on the list of things not getting replaced once they are used up is Canola Oil. the Canola Oil will be replaced with Olive Oil or Grapeseed Oil.
cheers
Nick
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Microwave is gone......
I got rid of the microwave yesterday. I tried selling it on the local facebook buy/sell page but there were no buyers.
I would have tried a little harder to sell the dang thing, as it worked just fine, but I found the coffee maker in the storage locker. And since there is NO counter space in this house, it was turf the microwave, or no coffee maker. It was an easy decision. The microwave was dropped off at the thrift store, and the coffee maker picked up from the storage locker.
I must say that I am enjoying having this coffee maker, as it is WAY less effort to make coffee, and it stays warm in its insulated caraf for hours.
I did miss the microwave when I had to heat my lunch (leftovers) in the oven, but i am sure i'll get the timing down eventually!
Here is the spot where the microwave used to live, but now houses the coffee maker.
Nick
I would have tried a little harder to sell the dang thing, as it worked just fine, but I found the coffee maker in the storage locker. And since there is NO counter space in this house, it was turf the microwave, or no coffee maker. It was an easy decision. The microwave was dropped off at the thrift store, and the coffee maker picked up from the storage locker.
I must say that I am enjoying having this coffee maker, as it is WAY less effort to make coffee, and it stays warm in its insulated caraf for hours.
I did miss the microwave when I had to heat my lunch (leftovers) in the oven, but i am sure i'll get the timing down eventually!
Here is the spot where the microwave used to live, but now houses the coffee maker.
Nick
Friday, March 9, 2012
Since I know which soap is BAD......
...... and I really dont feel like paying the sometimes exorbitant price that clean, organic soaps and cleaners go for, I have decided to make my own.
Now this is not some passing fancy. You may think, "Sure thing Nick, lets see you do that", but I assure you this is something i have wanted to do for a long long time. The reason it has not happened before now is threefold.
1) Wife said no lye in the house while she is pregnant
2) No place to put soapmaking supplies
3) No where to get the oils and lye needed
These limits on my abilty to make soap have all been resolved. Kate is no longer pregnant and we are moving into a new house, in a city that will have access to everything I need. I will also be much closer to Old City Organics where I can purchase all sorts of good wholesome organic ingredients for my future soaping endeavors.
So recently I have been researching recipes for different types of soaps. My friend Elizabeth at Humblebee Farm provided a great recipe for cheap laundry soap. I also found a new love for bar shampoo after i opened a bar of Burts Bee's Shampoo Bar but aparently they dont sell it at their Canadian online store, so I had to go and look for recipes myself. I have found a few that I like, but not one that I love yet. I was hoping to keep the more exotic oils to a minimum so I was think tallow, castor and olive oils, and some bee's wax. I'll be sure to post the exact recipe I end up using and the results.
The nice thing I have leant while reading ingredients is that almost all comericial soaps are nasty, but that it is quite easy to make your own. I stumbled upon a baby soap recipe as well as a dish soap recipe that both look promising. I promise to give them both a try as soon as we are settled into the new house!
Nick
P.s. kate gives me a hard time on my punctuation and grammer so please forgive me... I am used to SPELL CHECK!
EDIT!: My friend Jessica reminded me that I forgot to dishwashing detergent!
Now this is not some passing fancy. You may think, "Sure thing Nick, lets see you do that", but I assure you this is something i have wanted to do for a long long time. The reason it has not happened before now is threefold.
1) Wife said no lye in the house while she is pregnant
2) No place to put soapmaking supplies
3) No where to get the oils and lye needed
These limits on my abilty to make soap have all been resolved. Kate is no longer pregnant and we are moving into a new house, in a city that will have access to everything I need. I will also be much closer to Old City Organics where I can purchase all sorts of good wholesome organic ingredients for my future soaping endeavors.
So recently I have been researching recipes for different types of soaps. My friend Elizabeth at Humblebee Farm provided a great recipe for cheap laundry soap. I also found a new love for bar shampoo after i opened a bar of Burts Bee's Shampoo Bar but aparently they dont sell it at their Canadian online store, so I had to go and look for recipes myself. I have found a few that I like, but not one that I love yet. I was hoping to keep the more exotic oils to a minimum so I was think tallow, castor and olive oils, and some bee's wax. I'll be sure to post the exact recipe I end up using and the results.
The nice thing I have leant while reading ingredients is that almost all comericial soaps are nasty, but that it is quite easy to make your own. I stumbled upon a baby soap recipe as well as a dish soap recipe that both look promising. I promise to give them both a try as soon as we are settled into the new house!
Nick
P.s. kate gives me a hard time on my punctuation and grammer so please forgive me... I am used to SPELL CHECK!
EDIT!: My friend Jessica reminded me that I forgot to dishwashing detergent!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Johnson's Head-To-Toe Baby Wash
This entry was originally called "chemicals I want out of my house!" but the topic kind of developed into something different. It was originally a rant on the chemical Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
Sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) is a chemical added to many cosmetic products due it being a cheap foaming agent.
What that means is that they use it to simulate soap in products. It is found in shampoo's, toothpaste, cleaning products, facial cleansers, etc. basically it is used in anything you want to foam.
The main problem with SLES is that, depending on the manufacturing process, is that it may be contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1, 4-dioxane and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer ethylene oxide as a known human carcinogen and 1, 4-dioxane as a possible human carcinogen.
Now what bothers me is that SLES is the main ingredient in the bubble bath I recently bought for my daughter, and it is the also the main ingredient in Johnson's "head to toe" baby wash. Upon reading the ingredients of body wash I could not find any actual some in it. If you read the back it says "milder than any soap" and calls the product an "ultra mild cleanser". It's kind of funny that no where is it actually called soap!
I'd like to take a break here to actually go through the actual ingredients of the Johnson's Head-To-Toe Baby Wash.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine:a synthetic surfactant derived from coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine
PEG-80 SORBITAN LAURATE:Fragrance Ingredient; Surfactant - Cleansing Agent; Surfactant - Solubilizing Agent; EMULSIFYING
Sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES:SLES is an inexpensive and very effective foaming agent. It is also is a detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products.
PEG-150 Distearate:effective thickener for surfactant-containing products
Tetrasodium EDTA is a preservative that’s made from the known carcinogen, formaldehyde and sodium cyanide
Sodium Chloride:table salt
Polyquaternium-10:Thickening quat conditioner of the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt of hydroyethly-cellulose
Parfume:also know as "fragrance" basically its just a bunch of chemicials to simulate a scent.
Quaternium-15: a quaternary ammonium salt used as a preservative in many cosmetics and industrial substances. It acts as a formaldehyde releaser. It can cause contact dermatitis, a symptom of an allergic reaction, especially in those with sensitive skin, on an infant's skin, or on sensitive areas such as the genitals.
So after reading and researching for this blog entry, there is no way I want this stuff touching my kid’s skin any more than it absolutely has to. I am having a hard time convincing Kate that we need to just throw the stuff out and get something nicer, but she's not having it because "we already paid for it!" hopefully after reading this entry she might change her mind.
cheers
Nick
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Ideology
The name of our blog, "Urban Agrarian' is paradoxical as the
definition of 'Agrarianism' is;
"(A philosophy) which
values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as
superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape
the ideal social values. It stresses the superiority of a simpler rural life as
opposed to the complexity of city life, with its banks and factories."
Quoted from Wikipedia.
I think our intended philosophy, and ideology, is that we want to
simplify our lives. To slow down, live in less of a rush, be less dependent on
others and in turn be more self-sufficient. To prove that self-sufficiency
inside an urban area is not only possible but it can be accomplished without
breaking the bank. That giving up this life of total convenience is better for our children than the alternative. We perceive this as a harmful reliance on fossil fuels, GMO vegetables and chemicals used in the preservation of food and cleaning products.
Hold the presses! I sound like a hippie!
That said, I like to live in an urban centre where my children have access
to the amenities that are available, including but not limited to; the swimming
pool, recreation centres, movie theatres, museums etc. We want to embrace the
multi culturalism that 'big city' life denotes, to embrace our neighbours and
learn from one another.
We embrace 'globalization' in the sense that the world has become an
amazing global network of ideas and cultures; wonderful melting pot where
traditional 'roles' and ideas are shattered and transformed.
What we cannot and do not embrace is the 'globalization' of a society which
trucks in carrots from 500 or more
miles, away!
Our goal is to ensure that our children don't experience the severe
disconnect with food sources which tends to go along with 'big city' life.
Carrots are grown in the ground, not in plastic bags. Steaks are living,
breathing creatures called cows, bacon is a living breathing creature called a
pig, and drumsticks are actually chickens. All of who need to be taken care of
while living and slaughtered humanely and safely.
And by 'taken care of while living,' I mean fed appropriate non chemically
altered food, allowed to live a natural and appropriate life span before being
slaughtered.
Yes please be aware that at one time the meat on your plate had eyes and
breathed air.
This is a big challenge, long term, time consuming and not without cost.
But I think in the long term the benefits will be more than we can (right now)
possibly imagine.
What I hope to gain;
Knowledge, understanding and appreciation for the farmers of the world
Healthier, non GMO, nutrient rich food
Less reliance on the fossil fuels which transport our food from afar
Perhaps (eventually) financial benefit
Weight loss
And finally pride
All we can do is try! And have fun while doing it!
Cheers,
Kate
Monday, March 5, 2012
Bye Bye Cancer Machine
Well we have decided that we are not bringing our microwave with us when we move. There are a few different reasons for this , what some would call crazy, move to a life of LESS convenience.
Here are a few of the reasons:
- We read what afterwards turned out to be a microwave myth.
-We recently spents 9 weeks living in my in-laws empty basement suite which did not have a microwave, and we did not particulary miss it.
-It draws parasitic power when not in use.
-We dont use it all that often (reheating my coffee is the biggest use, and warming baby food the other)
-We dont like the idea of feeding our children food and drink that has been irradiated.
So for this reason we decided that we are going to leave our microwave at home.
We have been trying a dry run for the last couple of days, and find we are doing great at not using the mircowave. Since we are not using the coffee maker at the moment because we put it away to de-clutter the house for home viewings, and can't find it in the storage locker, we have been using an improvised "french press" method. What that means is that we boil water, stir in coffee grounds, and pour it thought a filter into an lexan measuring cup. The measuring cup then lives in the "warming plate" of the stove. So my new method is tp just stick my mug next to the measuring cup. We are using the same "warming plate" on the stove to warm the dish that we put Eli's baby food into (not plastic i remind you!).
On the same basis of trying to move away from that extra convenience lifestyle, we will not be hooking up the coffee maker when we move into the new house (assuimg we can find the dang thing). Instead, we will be purchasing a french press and will be using that instead.
Thats it for todays rant! I'll try and come back and insert a photo of our funny coffee setup!
Here are a few of the reasons:
- We read what afterwards turned out to be a microwave myth.
-We recently spents 9 weeks living in my in-laws empty basement suite which did not have a microwave, and we did not particulary miss it.
-It draws parasitic power when not in use.
-We dont use it all that often (reheating my coffee is the biggest use, and warming baby food the other)
-We dont like the idea of feeding our children food and drink that has been irradiated.
So for this reason we decided that we are going to leave our microwave at home.
We have been trying a dry run for the last couple of days, and find we are doing great at not using the mircowave. Since we are not using the coffee maker at the moment because we put it away to de-clutter the house for home viewings, and can't find it in the storage locker, we have been using an improvised "french press" method. What that means is that we boil water, stir in coffee grounds, and pour it thought a filter into an lexan measuring cup. The measuring cup then lives in the "warming plate" of the stove. So my new method is tp just stick my mug next to the measuring cup. We are using the same "warming plate" on the stove to warm the dish that we put Eli's baby food into (not plastic i remind you!).
On the same basis of trying to move away from that extra convenience lifestyle, we will not be hooking up the coffee maker when we move into the new house (assuimg we can find the dang thing). Instead, we will be purchasing a french press and will be using that instead.
Thats it for todays rant! I'll try and come back and insert a photo of our funny coffee setup!
Some History
So as Nick said in his previous posts this all started with a general interest in web surfing... a few years, and several hundred dollars worth of self sufficiency books later; we are now on the verge of starting a new life in a new city. Along with that comes the desire to start fresh (ignore the pun!)
There are 4 in our little family, aka 'the Brady Bunch.' Ruby our daughter is 2 and Elias is 6 months old.
After 6 years in Northern Vancouver Island Nick's position with the Canadian Coast Guard has been transfered (thank goodness) to the Comox Valley in central Vancouver Island. Eight long months of despair, but our house finally sold and we were able to purchase a home further south! So exciting!
We are embarking on this new adventure with the hope that we can change our life style. The Comox Valley has it's own micro climate and as such has a small but stable agricultural community.
We have bought a house in an urban area but have plans to create an 'edible landscape;' essentially we hope to become largely self sufficient eating both fruit and veggies grown on our own property throughout the year.
We would LOVE to be followers of the '100 mile diet,' but alas with half our family afflicted with Celiac Disease (a wheat/gluten intolerance) we are unable to do so. Our diet depends largely on rice, quinoa, and other types of flours, which couldn't possibly be sustained within only 100 miles.
Please keep in mind that we are the 'uber-est' of 'newbs!' With little to NO experience in gardening let alone any type of self sufficient agro-culture mumbo jumbo.
But as the title of this blog suggests we are committed to achieving a life style that is free of dependency on high fructose corn syrup, modified soy bean oil, GMO products and as much as we can petroleum.
Stay tuned for more blogs and info!
There are 4 in our little family, aka 'the Brady Bunch.' Ruby our daughter is 2 and Elias is 6 months old.
After 6 years in Northern Vancouver Island Nick's position with the Canadian Coast Guard has been transfered (thank goodness) to the Comox Valley in central Vancouver Island. Eight long months of despair, but our house finally sold and we were able to purchase a home further south! So exciting!
We are embarking on this new adventure with the hope that we can change our life style. The Comox Valley has it's own micro climate and as such has a small but stable agricultural community.
We have bought a house in an urban area but have plans to create an 'edible landscape;' essentially we hope to become largely self sufficient eating both fruit and veggies grown on our own property throughout the year.
We would LOVE to be followers of the '100 mile diet,' but alas with half our family afflicted with Celiac Disease (a wheat/gluten intolerance) we are unable to do so. Our diet depends largely on rice, quinoa, and other types of flours, which couldn't possibly be sustained within only 100 miles.
Please keep in mind that we are the 'uber-est' of 'newbs!' With little to NO experience in gardening let alone any type of self sufficient agro-culture mumbo jumbo.
But as the title of this blog suggests we are committed to achieving a life style that is free of dependency on high fructose corn syrup, modified soy bean oil, GMO products and as much as we can petroleum.
Stay tuned for more blogs and info!
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