IT'S WORKING - GOING GREEN

I never thought it would work but, ha! I fooled myself!
We have gone green and still turning green! It's working for us and can work for you. Oh yes, it's work alright. We have eliminated our "trash can" as we once knew it. Deleted, gone, but not forgotten!

Our garbage goes into a compost area outside. Takes time to walk outside and empty the container (if we have any). Most of it goes to our dogs, cattle but the amount that doesn't goes to the compost area. Why not?

I no longer purchase zip loc baggies in pint or quart sizes. Instead I have purchased the right sizes for our refrigerator and freezer. Why not? Sure the work involved is hand washing and air drying. But such a small price to pay one time. Reusable and a little more time consuming, but doesn't fill up the landfill.

Plastic trash bags are no longer on my purchasing list. Don't need them any more because we don't have paper trash. Paper products are now used to help heat our home in our fireplace, or taken to the recycle center, labeled as "paper" but those trips are few and far between.

Thin aluminum from snack packages mainly, is placed in a small bag that hangs in our storage area. Snack packs are easy for us to grab when we go to work in the garden. Ah, ha, next summer we'll eliminate those by making my own snacks.

Aluminum cans stored in a container in the storage area also. And one thing that I keep separate are lids from the canning jars. Those lids will be taken to the recycle center and handed over the the specialists who will know what area they belong. The only aluminum we have is mainly from the diet cokes that my husband drinks. I haven't convenienced him yet to give up that one luxury yet. Those are recycled and we take mass amounts of those to the recycling station in Asheville, making about $120.00 with each trip. Of course, that is a whole pick up truck full. You are now wondering if my husband drinks that much. Nope, now all our drinking but instead, it's in our every thought when we go out on the town. We bend over and pick up what other people have discarded. You've seen it, maybe even done it, throw down a Coke can and stomp it. Well, we're the ones who come behind you and pick up that stomped Coke can. Why not? Money in our pockets. It could have been money if your pocket if you wouldn't have thrown it down on the ground!

At this point, you are probably wondering how in the world we cook and eat. Mostly for us, it is fresh produce during the summer months and then our own canning which we preserved ourselves. Yes, we have canned and frozen squash, green beans, tomatoes, grape juice, and corn. We purchase just enough meat for a few meals a week. We purchase large family packs and once home, change it over to serving sizes and placed in containers to freeze.

Fortunately we have enough land to raise a few chickens. For the most part, when they are laying we gather enough eggs to eat and sell. The selling part just pays for the feed for the chickens. It doesn't put a dime in our own pocket. Eggs store easily and keep for a few months so it's easy to fill up a box or one of the vegetable keepers in the refrigerator.

I need to purchase flours. I hate that thought but our little town doesn't have a flour mill. We do purchase bread because I don't have my husband sold 100% on homemade breads for the toaster. We do make a lot of biscuits, corn bread and some homemade breads for meals. Breads aren't difficult to make. Time is important and good quality yeast. I also look for a sunny day. It seems that a rainy or snowy day make a difference in my baking.

Making my own cheeses and yogurt is a pleasure. The tailgate farmers market is a great place for me to go to get goat cheese. Truthfully, I'd rather have my own goats for my own milk and cheese but our own age and physical conditions no longer permit that issue.

Thanks for reading. I truly would love to know who you are and what you are thinking about gardening and also going green. Please take a few moments to contact me. I'd love to hear what you have to say! Your opinion counts with me!