FARMcurious Blog

Tricked into making something that is not Kirschwasser

My secret organic produce-wielding friend showed up at my house a couple of weeks ago with a lovely little surprise - a little bag of morello cherries. Morellos are the tiny sour cherries that are traditionally used to make kirschwasser, the german cherry liqueur (literally translated it means "cherry water"). I have to admit that, though I love the idea of cocktails with their sexy names, their vibrant colors and their seasonal variations, not to mention the adorable glasses they're served in, it's not actually what I prefer to drink.

Waste not, want not?

We’ve all heard the phrase but I can’t really tell you that I’ve ever sat down to truly ponder what it meant.  I haven’t had to truly want something since I was a kid; in fact, I’ve lived quite comfortably within my means for years with a well-paying job, few obligations and no debt.  It’s not necessarily that all that has changed now, but some significant changes have gotten me thinking about what it means to really tighten our proverbial belt.

FARMcurious Pop-Up Launch Party at Pot + Pantry - July 24th

July 24, 2011 11am-3pm - What's more fun than sipping summery cocktail infusions while learning to make your own cheese, and sampling tasty bean-to-bar chocolate? Doing it all in a store that sells new and gently used cookware! On July 24th from 11am-3pm  FARMcurious and Pot + Pantry join forces to throw one of the hottest foodie parties of the summer to celebrate the launch of FARMcurious' pop-up store in the Pot + Pantry space.

When the farmer's away, the marsupials will play...?

One of the biggest dilemmas for an urban farmer is how to properly care for your garden and animals when the demands of an urban lifestyle inevitably present themselves.  I’ve heard more than a few farmers, urban and rural alike, lament that they couldn’t take a proper vacation because no one else could possibly figure out  how to coax their persnickety goat into being milked, water their plants properly, perfectly lock up their various strangely rigged animal enclosures and the list goes on. Part of if must come from our feeling that this monstrous responsibility of caring for plants and animals is our own self-imposed duty and no one else’s; and part of it could stem from the fact that we make the best of what we have and that isn’t always a perfect system. 

Out of failure, a feast

In January, my super duper produce procuring friend showed up on my doorstep with twenty-five pounds of fresh, sweet and delectable blood oranges. Now, I'm the type of girl who a) loves free stuff; b) loves free food even more; and c) welcomes a challenge.  We'd been talking about waiting for blood oranges to come into season to make some marmalade.  I had made a small batch already from the few meyer lemons off my little dwarf tree and was gearing up to teach a canning class at 18 Reasons where we'd be making marmalade and the time had come!  What better way to really learn the ins and outs of a process than by overdoing it by about 20 pounds, right?

Upcoming Events and Classes:

Here are some great upcoming classes!

Lessons in what to preserve

Each year I've put away harvest for the winter I've learned something new. Sometimes I learn a better technique or process that makes the job easier, quicker or creates a more attractive end product.

Reaction from the Institute of Urban Homesteading

Below is the letter that The Institute of Urban Homesteading sent out to their students and supporters yesterday after receiving  the Dervaes' "informational" letter and having their Facebook page taken down: Dear IUH Students and Supporters, I apologize for this rare mid-month posting to the newsletter list. A recent and unexpected issue has come up that I want to share with you and hopefully garner your support. The Dervaes Family of LA (pathtofreedom.org) gained Trademark rights to the terms Urban Homestead and Urban Homesteading in October of 2010 and have recently started to exercise these rights. Several days ago The Institute received an "informational letter" from them informing us how to properly credit them when using the terms and also telling us that it would be "proper" if not using the terms to identify their products or services to "replace the registered trademark with more generic terms, such as 'modern' homesteading."

UPDATED: Trademarks, Copyrights & Thieves, OH MY!

Can you trademark a term like "Urban Homesteading"?? The Dervaes Family of Pasadena, California claim to have done so and they're trying to get all of us to stop using THEIR WORD!

Path to Freedom's Cease and Desist