A Yummy Recipe from Aymi

Moroccan Couscous in an Aromatic Sauce

Homesteading/Homemaking & Privilege

In this video, iremythpurr goes on a bit of a tangent about radical homemakers. Snooty delivery and vast assumptive strokes aside, she does raise some good points.

Many folks do not have the means to be stay-at-home parents nor self-sufficient homesteaders. That is where I agree with her. Her claims that the lot of us are all middle {or higher} class white women, individualistic, and pro-capitalism are just a tad much though.

Now I don't identify as a 'radical homemaker', but I think that similar characterizations have certainly been aimed at many homesteaders, and quite frankly it appears that she is taking a swipe at anyone who lives this way. To this I take offense.

Most of the folks that I know who are homesteaders have low incomes, are community oriented/involved, and are anti-capitalists; my better half and I included for all three things.

My partner does work full time for money, and I work for a different currency {barter and trade}, which gets us discounted rent, fresh organic produce, and sometimes the other odd necessity or luxury. We are involved in our communities and activism. And we would not shed a tear over the downfall of this unsustainable and unjust system that we currently have in place.

There must be others like us outside of the sphere of those we communicate with.

She goes on to knock women who make the choice to stay home {as a feminist 'house wife' I grit my teeth anytime one of my feminist peers do this}, state that this way of life is not 'radical' {right, because this is mainstream and doesn't go against the grain at all!}, and piss and moan about folks who are not activists {perhaps she forgot that many folks who are poor and/or homeless aren't even privileged with enough time or resources to actively participate in community organizing!}.

Anyhoo, apologies for the rantiness. Those of us who do get to homestead are indeed lucky...I just wish that folks would not assume that we were born with silver spoons in our mouths or horseshoes up our arses.

Sláinte!

Laurel

Luverly of the Week: Hare Print from Chasing the Crayon

Hare print from Chasing the Crayon

There are a whole bunch of luverly works of art over at the Chasing the Crayon Etsy shop. Here are a few more of my favourites:

Bear & Woodland Creatures

Portrait of a Girl in a Red Dress

Bird & a Tree in Cup

My Puter's Kaput

Cute kitteh from here.

My computer is pretty much FUBAR, so it will be set out in the retirement pasture and I will need to get a new one. This will be extra slow around here 'til then.

Sláinte!

Laurel

A Recipe & Some Garden Updates

Howdy folks! The older veggie patch isn't much to look at right now because we have planted a bunch of cold weather crops for an Autumn harvest {peas, beets, radish, chard, and other greens}, but out new bed is pretty lively right now.

The corn has been a bit of a disappointment so far, but I do think we will get a small harvest out of the deal. The pumpkins and squash on the other hand have been doing really well.The sunflowers should be blooming soon, and the pole beans have been fruitful.

As always there are plenty of critters around. I almost plucked a up preying mantis while harvesting beans. Needless to say I will be paying more attention from now on. {!!!}


We've been making all sorts of meals that include pumpkin and squash flowers lately, and you can find recipes for those online. I thought I would share a concoction that I made last night. I am not sure what one would call it...perhaps a warm salad? I didn't write down the measurements I used, I just kind of used whatever I had leftover in the fridge and harvested from the garden that day. I hope that you folks give it a try and share variations of it. :)

Pumpkin flowers
Mustard greens
Swiss chard
Green beans
Zucchini

Sauteed in butter {beans first, then zucchini, then greens, then pumpkin flowers at the very end}. Drizzle on Honey garlic sauce and salt and pepper to taste {I used a really yummy honey garlic sauce from Soul Sisters, a really neat local shop who also makes preserves and sauces}.

Sláinte!

Laurel