Sage Pals

 

revolution from the Heart of Nature

Fortunately there are people out there looking not just toward the future, but looking out for the future as well.

Bioneers congregates and shares the visionary voices, ideas and progress for a sustainable future at all levels of life.

The annual conference is held in San Rafael, CA.  SPOKANE amazingly is one of only 18 locations in the country that shares the conference without having to leave home.  Via satellite downlink, residents of the Inland NW can enjoy the same high caliber speakers as in CA.  Heck, we can’t usually even get a well-known author to come speak and do a book-signing here, and now we’re able to enjoy LIVE the presentations of some 15-20 cutting-edge speakers the mornings of 10/17-19, and get up to speed on what’s happening in our own area through some local/regional workshops in the afternoon 10/17 & 10/18.

See the line-up at www.sustainspokane.org.  AND attend at least one day if you can – you’ll be surprised how energized you can get here by just sitting and listening!

Through my own nationwide work over the years with Chefs Collaborative, Slow Food and Bon Appetit, I’ve had the privilege to meet some incredible intellectuals, who at the same stroke are passionate, compassionate, generous individuals.  Several of them are speaking this year at Bioneers in CA, and since I can’t be there personally, I want to support them in their efforts and willingness to contribute for all of our benefit.

local food systems – http://www.bioneers.org/node/2614/#foodsheds

sustainable investing - http://www.bioneers.org/node/2614/#slowmoney

chefs on the go - http://www.bioneers.org/node/2614/#cookingup

One I’m particularly excited to hear… http://www.bioneers.org/node/2643.  I’ve always had a weak spot for the hidden problems in the depths of our waters and all the creatures and habitat living there.  However, I don’t scuba.

For my own plug, come on Saturday and stay all day, to catch the Main Market Co-op presentation at 4:30pm!

Cleaning Machine

I’ve always leaned more toward the elbow-grease method of cleaning as a way to be more enviro-friendly, but with a little greater confidence now from a thorough analysis of recommended products, I got a Kitchen Cupboard.  I love it!  And, highly promote everyone taking advantage of this amazing evaluation and package pricing (though you can get single products too). 

clean green!

It’s a little project I’ve been lucky enough to help on a bit that I’m super proud and excited to share with you.  Another Spokane ‘green’ business dynamo… GreenCupboards!

What’s that?!  It’s the wise concept of one Josh Neblett… from a student project at GU… now he’s got the backing of some (who knew there were super nice ones?) venture capitalists, and some crackerjack consultants like a green chemist, a creative marketing firm and others.  They recently launched the web site that helps you and me make best choices from existing brands when choosing green cleaning products… starting with a ‘kitchen cupboard’ and a ‘bathroom cupboard’… soon expanding to a laundry cupboard and talk of a lawn care cupboard.

My house was cleaner for a recent get-together I hosted than it has been in quite some time:>  And most folks claim they think my house is usually pretty clean!

Get to www.greencupboards.com and get busy with your ‘now we’re stuck inside with this cold weather’ cleaning campaign!  Spokanites can avoid the mail-order fee and go pick it up!

My favorite new product… Parsley Plus, all-purpose cleaner.

Splish, Splash

I have to say, each time Sarah said “McCain-Palin Administration” last night, my breathing became more and more labored.  She’s made it publicly, even proudly clear she’s not familiar with what a VP does, so I’m quite sure she’s not up on Agriculture policy… not on her radar “up there” in AK.  In fact, she nearly single-handedly created an overnight flip-flop on a late August vote to continue development of Pebble Mine, which will surely annihilate the largest remaining wild salmon runs in the world.  All for gold and uranium… “precious” ores.

I’ll continue my work in the face of, well I just choke on it, the possibility of a MP administration, and recognize the impact of the work I can do to preserve my more immediate Nation… Salmon Nation… there’s nothing I’d enjoy more than helping return AK residents to their commitment to the Red Gold that has made the state one of the most prosperous and most delicious… wild salmon.  The ores will run dry; respected and protected, wild salmon haven’t run dry for thousands of years.  It’s selfish, ignorant, short-sighted people who have compromised their place here with us… unfortunately there seem to by plenty of those folks.

Some of you may tire of hearing about it, but that’s too bad.  Until we can make a significant demonstration in support of wild salmon, I’ll continue to urge the point and wildly promote the work of Save Our Wild Salmon and others dedicated to be the voice of our fin friends.  Remove a dam, say no to Pebble Mine, close down poorly sited farmed salmon operations that threaten wild populations… do something for what Spokane Tribe member Bill Matt Sr. shared at our recent Slow Food dinner, is the blood that ran through (his) people… “we were fish people.”  

Please, if you can, write your congressional representatives.  Let them know that gold and uranium could not possibly be more important than wild salmon and the lives and cultures they support in return.  What do gold and uranium give back?  Nothing.  Claims say they’ll add jobs and a more vital economy.  Several years maybe, but seriously, it’s a multi-national conglomerate… even the financial benefits to AK would be a speck of dust compared to the few corporate honchos that stand to reap billions.  Sound familiar?  Ah yes, this recent banking collapse.  A few greedy, unconscionably irresponsible souls amassing personal wealth at the expense of the real world… under 8yrs of the blind leadership (?) of the Bush administration.

Sarah Palin has a stake in the struggle between wild salmon and open-pit mining.  Hearing just the contrast in the words, it doesn’t even sound like a choice to me, yet devastation of our natural resources will advance HER.  Seems second nature to her anyway.  I just can’t accept that in a person, much less vice president of our entire Nation.

The banking crisis as a gift from our current administration will be difficult, painful and clearly affect many individuals, but it won’t kill us.  A crisis with our food will.  Show your support of a food supply that is good, clean & fair by signing the newly prepared Declaration for Healthy Food & Agriculture, led by Roots of Change.

And please on November 4th, vote with your Fork.

Black Republican, Cherry That Is!

the original, they say, from 1904

I don’t want to forget to mention the cherry tree I bought a couple weeks ago.  Why, you ask?  Jenn’s not a big cherry fan.  Well, it was one of the 13 Ark of Taste items boarded this August, and darn was it tasty!

As an item important to the northwest / Salmon Nation, and me having a spot in my back yard where I need a couple trees, I called up one of the nurseries listed in my handy Renewing America’s Food Traditions, Salmon Nation version and voila, should arrive next April!

Booked Up!

Between the Slow Food Spokane River emails, my own, work for gosh sakes, this blog and NOW faceBOOK, I swear, I cannot keep up!  So, this arsenal of updates on my blog, mostly cuz I miss it (though I am taken with the Scrabble game I was invited to play on Facebook:)

To bring folks up to speed…  

Best Slow Food Nation Display…

When I got home from San Fran, I had a couple days to relax before work. Unfortunately Eric had his ideal backpacking getaway interrupted in an altercation with a tent pole that left his eye severely scratched and earned us another visit to the Deaconess ER – pretty scary really.

I did get to end the weekend with one of my Spokane Secrets favorites, the Labor Day Symphony concert at Comstock, followed by mixer at Kennedy’s.

 

My own injury actually occurred just before Labor Day, and one day before having to board the plane to Slow Nation.  Crazy Lewis bolted after a squirrel, who got away just fine.  My finger took a beating, twisted at the time in the leash.

As if one mark wasn’t enough right now, I went in for another.  My friend Sam & I inked the deal we made in turning 40 this year… she got a really cool mayfly on her back!

We’re religious around here about birthdays, so finger injury or not, my Lewis turning 3 deserves lots of attention, so we had a party this week!  Lots of great friends and neighbors celebrated with us – thank you!

 

And, we begin with a canning photo and tis the season, end with one… just tonight, I transformed some rhubarb.  Hoping I can beat Dry Soda at their game, or at least my wallet:)

before

after

Coming soon… I speak this coming week at the ELP conference  in NC on a panel called “Kitchen Revolutionaries.”  I like it.

Sanity soothes me in the form of Elktoberfest when I can get to it on 9/28 (though it runs the weekend), a well-deserved break it will be!  That & Book Club same day!  Have you seen www.goenzo.com?  Enzo is a pretty awesome canine… his creator/author visits Auntie’s from what I hear on 10/1!

Eat it to Save It!

Ark, Ark, Ark, Ark!  No, that’s no seal call.  It’s the Slow Food Ark of Taste, and I’m one proud fork-carrying member.

Why so fun?  Well, I get to hang out with incredibly talented and fun to eat with folks like this who care considerably about the future of our food and how it gets to our plate, and that it’s delicious too.

Arkers

And, together with members of various convivia around the country, we get to discover, taste, recognize and re-establish foods at risk of disappearing from our tablescape!  Now that’s important business – both from a flavor standpoint and the vitality and resilience of our food supply.  As part of the activities leading up to Slow Food Nation, the Ark-Presidia Committee held our annual meeting, reviewed and tasted nominations, and ended up boarding 13 new items/methods to the Ark.  Some examples…

       

It is a fantastic feeling to have one of my recent nominations included in that group.  Maybe you remember my entry on Lummi Island Wild and reef net fishing?  Now the Native fishing method is on the National Ark!

And, we’re lucky enough to share some incredible Lummi Island Wild sockeye with Spokane folks ready to “head for the Hill’s.”  Slow Food Spokane River is co-hosting a fabulous Wheat, Wine & Wild Salmon Dinner at Hill’s Restaurant & Lounge on Wednesday, 9/24 at 6:30pm.  Join us!

I’d send you to Hill’s web site, but unlike my pals who just say they don’t have one, the Hill’s folks… they really don’t!  A minor flaw in their deal, but to make up for it, chef Dave planted a rooftop garden this year!

Bliss

Not much to say… close to perfect, and I never realized how fond I am of the color pink.  This little lunch repast at Zuni, a must stop in SanFran.

years I could live on this, years

A New Cone Claimed My Heart

No snow cone.

No ice cream cone.

No cone head.

Yes, salumi cone!  Meet Boccalone.  The newest treat at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Marketplace.  Any time of day, I’d be pleased to say… YES to tasty salted pig parts!  So much so, I bought the t-shirt on the spot!

no toppings necessary!

For the record, anyone who can think up proPIGanda is a hero of mine.

Fresh & Local

Slow Food Spokane River at the Market

 

We hosted an information booth at the Downtown Farmers’ Market a couple weeks ago.  Jane did an awesome job of getting it all set up and hangin’ tough through the heat! 

 

Since I work downtown now and so frequent Wednesdays more, I haven’t been on a Saturday for a while, so it was impressive to see the new small vendors and all their great stuff!  I highly recommend a visit soon to 2nd & Division, Sat. & Wed. from 8am- 1pm.  September is eat local month for Spokane!

Gold in them thar hills!

Me Next

Yup, golden, sweet HONEY!

It’s been a while since the bee chronicles have been featured, so read up!  This is a photo from a rare AM venture down to the hives.  Lot’s of switching stuff around, and the kids were all stirred up.  For some reason, that early, Jim and I were bobbling around, nearly throwing supers and frames at one another… not the most bee-friendly vibe. 

 

We had a new gal, Haley, come check out the hives.  What a natural she was!  Helped right off the bat.  Jim and I had a list of maintenance things to do to keep the homes in good order and Haley just popped right into the system, gear and all!

So, where are we with all this?  Well, we started with 2 hives, had a run away hive, found ‘em out, reincorporated them and had a hive expand enough and an extra queen to start a new condo, and now we have 4 full hives!  Many of them have frames just like you see here, loaded with honey – I gotta tell ya, it’s pretty darn good!

As I head to Slow Nation on Tuesday to share things about our chapter and nominate the reefnet fishing for salmon to the Ark of Taste, I’m pleased to be able to share some hands-on moments with my food and the people that make it available.  I long ago had a dream to marry a rancher.  Not unlike any other gal who really just wants to ride horses all day long.  Now that I know a grassfed cattle rancher who actually doesn’t like horses and doesn’t have any, I’m glad to have avoided that raw deal.  Still, I’m grateful to have a deep connection with a good deal of my food.  And thrilled to feel a part of others building the same.

I look forward to San Francisco and Slow Nation mainly for the people.  I treasure the work I’m able to do through Slow Food, but a Bay area event can’t escape a bit of pretention.  The people though that I know through my long work with food – they’re beyond cool, and satisfy my appetite for company, intellectual exchange and accomplishment.  If nothing else, I’m glad for the collection of several of them in one place… check out my pals… they’ve lots to do and say:)

Poppy Tooker

Woody Tasch

Fedele Bauccio

Sara Roahen

Ben Watson

Arie McFarlen

Leah Caplan

Sam Mace

Riley Starks

Deboarah Kane

and I hope a few others that I’m just flat-out lucky to see!