My "Building a Better World" 30-Day Challenge

So urban in my mind means foraging weeds. The trick is to find places that you feel confident haven't been exposed to too much nasty stuff. So you're looking for back-yards (to avoid traffic fumes), or walking paths that don't look too manicured, as examples. You're also considering the density of dogs that might be peeing on things or pooping on them.

So one of the easiest weeds to forage in my ecosystem is the lowly dandelion. And believe it or not, I was just reading a book that has a nice dandelion salad in it. Alas, it also calls for chickweed, so you'd need to find both.

Another common one in my ecosystem is Dock (Rumex crispus). The author included a "Creamed Dock" recipe.

In many ways this is a *really* good challenge to have set yourself. Getting to know what might be edible around you growing without human interference, could be very useful, and could be a valuable source of micronutrients that our industrial food system often lacks. Learning ways to prepare and eat those "hidden in plain sight" foods, could help you out if money gets tight or some panic empties store shelves. I think even Kudzu is edible - are you in its territory?

It would be good to get on with this task - if you find a plant but aren't sure, posting pictures here might get you both a confirmed identity and some tried and true recipes!

Rachel Lindsay wrote:Day 23: Create a brush pile near the garden for wildlife habitat.

I started this today, but I do not think I will continue. If I leave it in the front yard of my property, it will be an eyesore. If I remove it to the back yard, it will be nowhere near the garden, and will be unattractive unless I hide it behind the shed, where there is already a bunch of weird stuff.

And if I do this at my mother's property, the garden is already in 20 acres of woods, and thankfully wildlife abounds, eating some of our plants and spreading lots of seeds around.

Not one of my better ideas, but I will keep having them, and trying for better ones!

How about an insect hotel? - these can look quite attractive (and are fun to make!)

Day 24: Cook 2nd new dish.

I'm afraid it wasn't adventurous at all...but I made a new recipe for an Oat-Brown Sugar Shortbread for the first time today. I figure it will go well with the ice cream from the local Scratch'n'Dent we've been collecting, now that summer is upon us here.

I am travelling and will be gone for the next few days, so we will see what's left that I can jam in to these last few days of May!  

Rachel Lindsay wrote:

Rachel Lindsay wrote:Starts May 1st!

Based on many of the important things in Paul's book, made bite-sized, and very relevant to my current priorities and (urban) situation, I have made a list of 30 things for a 30-Day challenge:
10. forage a food
11. prepare dish one using foraged food
12. prepare second dish using forged food  

Man, I'm starting to worry about these that are left over. Especially since apparently I'm going to have to go to a forge to help me out with one of them...

Second dish of "Forged Food"? Time to throw those plaster lobsters and hams on a plate and call it dinner! (I am concerned about someone going Hunca Munca/ Tom Thumb on your forged ham and pears and oranges and throwing them into a paper fire and pitching a fit so maybe best to go light on the forged foods)

Day 25: Implement a way to better use rainwater today.
(This is for yesterday, our first day back from vacation.)

We put a bucket under one of our downspouts, discreetly tucked away by the garage. (I feel extremely apologetic that my attempts are far, far from spectacular, as I had hoped they would be...but at least I did something, which (doing things!), as y'all know, is not a strong point of mine.)

I know enough about things to know I shouldn't be using the roof-harvested water on my edibles, but I will put it on the landscaping plants, and the non-edibles. If this is a drought year, it will keep the shrubs looking much nicer than they have in years past!

I did try foraging yarrow for today, but it was a ill-planned situation involving a hungry 7 y o  past supper time walking through briars in sandals, so the foraging trip ended super early this evening. I will see what I can do tomorrow. Last day of May, I will see how much I can fit in in one last day!

Rachel Lindsay wrote:I feel extremely apologetic that my attempts are far, far from spectacular, as I had hoped they would be...but at least I did something,

This!
Doing something (anything) to step in the right direction is infinitely better than doing nothing and keeping the status quo. The fact that you posted your efforts here to (hopefully) inspire others to take a little step too makes it better still.

There's always next month! :)

I feel that the most important lesson of "Building a Better World" is that we actually can do something. It starts with little things, but then you feel empowered and try more and more stuff. This challenge is great, and eye opening. And it's just a beginning.
I would gladly have watched this experience in a documentary.

A few years ago, I watched a documentary about a couple with a baby that challenged themselves to live without plastic for a month. At the end, they used plastics again, but in a very much conscious manner. They cut plastic consumption to where it matters most. And this inspired me to reduce it as much as possible, as much as I was comfortable with. Cause, you know, we receive constantly messages that using plastics is baaad, but then there are not easy solutions, so we end up feeling bad and doing nothing about it. And this is where big corporations want us to be, so they can sell us canned solutions and ready to buy their lattest gizmo.

Start doing something is the hardest thing in this process. There's a mental barrier to break.

I think you've done great, Rachel! And it's not just the changes you've made this month, it's the changes you'll carry forward and keep doing and the changes you've got readers like me thinking about making. Compound interest on your efforts!

Last day of the month!

Day 26:

Prepare dish one using foraged food.
It was today that I made the foraged yarrow tea. And...it will take some getting used to! The book said it's styptic and my mouth said "No joke."

Day 27:

Put up sales page on website with new PDF.
I started learning what it would take to do this, and it would require me laying out a couple hundred dollars to WordPress to get a business account with them, and now is not the time for that!

(Other win of the day: Today I made, from scratch, fried rice and Orange Sesame Beef in my pressure cooker! Just as good as something I could have ordered, flavor-wise, and quality of organic ingredients made it much better than anything I could have afforded to order! Rave reviews from husband and daughter; I love that device now, forever!)

Wow, I am so glad I set myself this challenge, because I would not have begun doing any of the things I did just waiting for inspiration to happen. I am going to cook more with cast iron, with the pressure cooker, try other yarrow cooking ideas, and more, building in future on what I did in May. I am so grateful for all the advice, ideas, and encouragement on this thread. That's exactly why I wanted to do it here--y'all are the best!

Here's to an amazing June for everybody!