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By eliza_cross, on January 25th, 2012%
 Glass canning jars can be used again and again - photo by GoodNCrazy “In a recession, people are inclined to keep things, but I feel the opposite. The less I have, the richer I feel. Stuff weighs you down.” ~Béa Johnson
Last year I read the most inspiring article in Sunset Magazine, about the Johnson family in Mill Valley, California. The Johnsons have pared down their possessions and live a wonderfully simple life. The family members are so careful about not consuming wasteful packaging, they generate almost zero garbage.
The Johnsons are big on composting, and this is one way we love to reduce waste. I just love the idea of reusing the kitchen scraps in a way that benefits the garden and keeps stuff out of landfill.
What about recycling? Homeowner Béa Johnson says, “So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that, too.” They are diligent about taking reusable containers to the store for food and eliminating junk mail, and their tidy pantry and closets would inspire anyone to minimize and simplify!
How much trash does your family generate in an average week? If you got everyone in the household on board, could you reduce it by 50 or 75 per cent? Or 80 or 90 per cent? We’re down to about half a can per week, but the recycling bin is full every two weeks when it gets picked up — so we have a long way to go. The Johnsons have motivated me to try harder to reduce our recycling and trash. If they can do it, why can’t we?
For more inspiration, you might enjoy the Johnson family’s blog, The Zero Waste Home.
P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!
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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket
In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.
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By eliza_cross, on July 10th, 2011%
This month I’m giving away a brand-new copy of a terrific book, The City Homesteader. Written by Scott Meyer, this 272-page book has tons of great ideas for people who live in urban areas yet long to be more self sufficient and live more sustainably.
Meyer was formerly on staff at Organic Gardening, and accordingly, the book has plenty of advice and tips for growing your own fruits and vegetables – including a growing guide at the back of the book. Meyer also delves into other home food sources, from building a bee house to raising goats. Plus, he provides excellent information for preserving all that wonderful food, from canning your own homemade pickles to making homemade fruit leather.
To enter the drawing, simply comment below about the one homesteading skill you’d like to try someday – whether you live in a city skyscraper or a rural farm. The deadline to enter is midnight MST on July 18, 2011. On July 19 I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner and announce it here. Good luck, and I can’t wait to hear your responses.
By eliza_cross, on January 16th, 2010%
 Juddie's garden in Melbourne, Australia  Another view from Juddie's garden Today, we’re very fortunate to have Juddie from Flightless Boyds in Melbourne, Australia guest posting about gardening. Her blog is one of my favorites; whenever I visit, I feel like I’m on a mini-vacation. The fact that we’re in different hemispheres is vastly interesting; it can be -10° and freezing here in Colorado, and I’ll click on Juddie’s blog and learn that she’s dealing with a heat wave and it’s 44° C (111° F) in Melbourne. Along with her generous gardening photos and musings, she posts about vintage illustration, design, food, and whatever strikes her fancy. You must visit. But first, read about her garden dreams…
Where the wild things are
How wonderful to be asked to write about my dreams for a spring garden! I’m a horticulturalist who dreams about gardens every day, sometimes planning additions to my own small inner-city plot, at other times wistfully imagining the landscapes I could create in vastly different conditions of climate, scale, and circumstance….
I live in Melbourne, in south-eastern Australia. Our climate is warm and dry, sometimes likened to that of California or the Mediterranean coast. We’ve had to adapt to the devastating effects of more than 10 years of drought; water is increasingly scarce, and gardeners preparing for spring planting must do all they can to ensure the survival of garden plants and wildlife through the searing heat of long, arid summers. Temperatures in summer in Melbourne will often exceed 40 deg. Celsius; dry northern winds blow like a furnace across the landscape for days on end, and the watering of gardens using the municipal water supply is forbidden by law*.
Despite the difficulties presented by our climate, Continue reading Garden Dreaming – Part II
By eliza_cross, on January 15th, 2010%
“One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.” ~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show
Here in Colorado the days are short and the ground is frozen, but that doesn’t stop us from planning and daydreaming about this summer’s garden. In fact, January is the perfect month to gaze out at the snowy ground and imagine the possibilities. If you’re on the January Money Diet, perusing seed catalogs and making notes and lists can nicely offset the urge to shop. Later, a carefully planned garden can provide a significant source of food for your family.
I invite you to visit our new Gardening page, where you’ll find an ongoing list of information and sources — as well as photos of our own gardening trials and errors.
One gardening blog we follow and enjoy is Viggie’s Veggies. Lynn posts generously about her experiments and successes, and inspires us to try many of the techniques she’s using. We admire her cold frames, the vegetables she grows in containers, and her impressive zucchini plants:
Lynn graciously agreed to share some thoughts about the coming year’s garden:
“I’m at a very exciting turning point in my life, so the vision I have for my garden is nothing short of monumental,” she writes. ”It’s a dream of a lush vegetable beds expanding to cover the whole yard, keeping me fed with ultra fresh produce during the summer, and producing enough to preserve for winter. That’s going to be a lot of learning and hard work for a second year gardener! I see it helping me eat healthier, cook better, keep more active, and providing a calming retreat from the day to day grind.”
“My garden plans are more of a lifestyle change and a wild leap into urban homesteading and I couldn’t be more excited. In fact, I’ve been a bit obsessive about it. I’ve been spending the winter months plotting out the beds, picking fruits to add, choosing all heirloom vegetables, making a spreadsheet to keep me on track for seed starting, researching herbs and edible flowers, and even ordering half of my 54 packets of seeds already.”
The girl has already ordered 54 packets of seeds, folks! That’s the true sign of a garden dreamer. By the way, Lynn recommends Baker Creek and Seed Savers for top-quality seeds.
For more gardening know-how, join us again tomorrow when Juddie at Flightless Boyds guest posts. She’s in Melbourne, Australia where it’s currently summertime, and she’ll share some great information about her own garden as well as her future plans and favorite gardening books.
What are your gardening dreams and plans? We’d all love to hear about your ideas in the comments section.
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Win a Deluxe Urban Homesteader Gift Basket
In honor of the first annual January Money Diet, the Urban Homesteader is giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies, including a bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Cleaner, 100 wildflower seeds, soup mix from the Women’s Bean Project and a personally inscribed copy of my book, “Family Home of the New West.” On January 31, 2010, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences.
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