Green As You Can Be

In our latest video Ford Hall owner of Heirloom Timber Framing, Inc. in Brasstown, NC demonstrates how to put together a timber frame home. Also Jackie gives us an update on the “greening” of her home. Click on “Watch Our Videos” in the sidebar.

We will be taping new shows at the end of the month. If anyone has any ideas or wants to be on a show, (and you live in the TN, NC,GA corner of the world) please let me know. Let the world know that you are being as “Green As You Can Be !!!!

Check out www.blindpigandtheacorn.com on August 10. She’s going to be making homemade pickles and we can make them along with her. I’m going to try. I have my crock and all the ingredients except the cucumbers. I’m off to the flea market this morning to buy them. I’ll keep you up to date on the pickles.

Someone gave me a bag of ugly apples. I’m going to make applesauce from them. If I get 2 quarts of applesauce, I’m going to make apple butter out of that. One of my favorite childhood memories was watching my Pa stir the big witches cauldron of apple butter. My grandma would add the “secret ingredient” (red hot candies). Granny would makes several loaves of bread and we would all sit around eating the fresh apple butter. Yummy.

Finally I’m putting up some food for the winter. (I could starve if we depended on this) My family used to raise and put away all our food for the year.  I would like to be able to do the same.

Jax

Hopefully you have all watched Sue White’s video about her little “farmstead”. I ran into her husband, Graham at an art show in Hayesville, NC several weeks ago and he actually had some of their eggs for sale.  There is nothing better than a fresh egg.

You can catch a video of Graham and his woodturning on www.carolinacrafting.com

Jax

We have a new video uploaded and ready for viewing:

Jackie tours Sue White’s home garden which sustains her family with a little left over for friends. Completely organic, Sue shows off her chickens and how they recycle old wood into beautiful art. (Also see Graham White’s show on Carolina Crafting.) Check out “watch our videos” in the sidebar.

Jackie tours Candy Mountain Farms with owner Frances Juhlin as she explains how their produce is organically grown. Also how they get such a big yield from small acreage by the use of greenhouses and year-round planting. Click on “Watch Our Videos” in the sidebar to watch.

I had such a great time at our Earth Day Celebration back in April.  Hope you enjoy the video.

Jax

I am always on the look-out for green markets in our area. I had heard about the Varda Market thru our local Chamber of Commerce.  I drove out last Sunday to check it out. This market is just starting out for this year and I know it will grow. Robert, the market manager, has great plans. His motto is “if you grow it or make it” you’re welcome. Set up is free. You can call him at: 828.389.6396 or email: vardamarket@gmail.com. I know I’m setting up this weekend. Lane’s End Homestead Organic Produce will be there this weekend as well as mu favorite herb lady, Susan.  The market is open noon to 4pm each Sunday. It’s located at 590 Tusquittee Rd.

Come on out and support our local artists and local growers.

Jax

I have been having a personal debate as to leaving my computer on all day or shutting it down unless I’m using it. My first concern was the amount of time I waste on it. I LOVE playing games. I can spend hours just playing Spider. My other vice is reading blogs. I can travel all over the world sitting in my study. People are leading wonderful lives..everywhere. But my number one concern is the amount of energy I waste every day.

“The average computer left on all day uses nearly 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, producing more than a ton of carbon emissions. So turn off your computer anytime you’re not on it, and eliminate the screen saver function, which uses more energy than the sleep mode.”

I found the above quote this morning while traveling around green sites.  Now my mind has been made up. It’s off during the day. I’ll only use it in the AM to check for emails, surf a little and check out my friends on Facebook. I’ll keep it off until evening when I can go out into cyberspace and see how the rest of the world is doing. Now if I could just break my TV habit.

I’ll let you know how this goes !!!

Jax

Sorry about not adding to my “green” space. I have been occupied with getting my husband well. He is the builder of my green things, the force behind the great ideas I have.  His bypass surgery went well and he is on the mend. As sad as this seems, his one goal before the surgery was to have my craft studio finished, just in case.  How sad/sweet is that?  He finished it and left me a sweet note to find later. Both I treasure.

My studio is a room built in the middle of a large metal workshop. We used everything we could find to build this space. The total cost was $150. We had windows we found under our house, I had a stained glass window just sitting around. There was leftover paint, loads of cabinets and even some lumber that came with the house.  All we had to buy was some 2×4′s, some floor paint and some insulation. I still need to make curtains for the windows (free fabric I got from a samples company moving out of the area) and the moving in process will take forever. I can see I will need more space. I own too much stuff.

Right now it looks empty….just give me a little time. I’ll fill it up. I’ll post more pictures, too.

Coming soon will be some great videos we shot in April. We visit an organic farm, a family that lives off of their land (less than an acre), a community garden and Earth Day at Brasstown. I’ll let you know when the posting dates are as soon as I can.

Remember to be “as green as you can be”

Jax