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November, 2008:

Surviving Holiday Entertaining Without A Second Mortgage

Nov 30th, 2008
by htwollin.
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We’re back in the kitchen (because that is seemingly where Aunt Toby lives – check out the sleeping bag under the dining room table) because…sigh, it’s the holiday season.

(Cue scary music; big organ sounds and the deep-voiced actor we all know and love: “It’s the holiday season; the time when friends and family…..” screech as the needle goes over the record.)

If you are like me, “holiday entertaining” are two words that rank up there with other two-word favorites: “root canal” and “emergency hysterectomy.” (more…)

The Return of the Urban Chicken

Nov 19th, 2008
by htwollin.
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chickenOK, we’ve talked about starting a garden and even gardening on the deck of apartments. I mentioned raising a little bit of protein – but also cautioned that people need to check out their local ordinances.

It seems that I am a bit “behind-hand” (as my mom used to say) in terms of urban farming. Apparently, raising chickens in the urban setting has become, like knitting, “the new yoga”:

This past year alone, grass-roots organizations in Missoula, Mont.; South Portland, Maine; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Ft. Collins, Colo., have successfully lobbied to overturn city ordinances outlawing backyard poultry farming, defined in these cities as egg farming, not slaughter. Ann Arbor now allows residents to own up to four chickens (with neighbors’ consent), while the other three cities have six-chicken limits, subject to various spacing and nuisance regulations….

In New York, where chickens (but not roosters, whose loud crowing can disturb neighbors) are allowed in limitless quantities, there are at least 30 community gardens raising them for eggs, and a City Chicken Project run by a local nonprofit that aims to educate the community about their benefits…

(Poultry Politics, urban chickens)

For those interested in getting together with other egg-fanciers, here are a few sites to help you find one another, check out your local ordinances, and so on.

TheCityChicken.com
UrbanChickens.org
MadCityChickens.com
BackyardChickens.com

(originally published at Oxdown Gazette)

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, or, Some Really Important Stuff To Know In Today’s Economy

Nov 17th, 2008
by htwollin.
1 comment

OK, folks, so we are back in the kitchen with Aunt Toby (sing that to the tune of “Strummin’ on the Old Banjo”), which of course is my very favorite place in the world because all sorts of important and useful stuff goes on there. And today’s assignment (you knew that I’d have one of those for you, didn’t you?) is an exercise in what is termed in the biz as “contact management.”

You will need: Paper, pencil, and however you keep your contacts going: Roladex, PDA, address book, file cards, the old scraps of paper on the refrigerator with the grease stains on them, etc. (more…)

The Grasshopper or the Ant: Who’s Going to Survive What Will Be Coming?

Nov 14th, 2008
by htwollin.
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For those of us who are of the less optimistic bent, the economic future looks a little dark. There are others who insist on referring to what is happening as “not as bad as the Great Depression.”

I’m here to point out something that tells me that it’s actually going to be worse for a lot of people. (more…)

What’s It Worth To You?

Nov 1st, 2008
by htwollin.
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meaticonOK, kids; it’s back to the kitchen with Aunt Toby. Let’s talk today about the real value of the food that we are eating. I’m not going to talk today about ‘carbon footprint’, ‘distance to the table’, ‘eating local’ and so on (although those are additional costs to definitely take into consideration).

What we are going to look at is: bang for your buck in the protein department. (more…)