Smoothies

Smoothies are awesome!

Use fruits and vegetables in a blender to make a smooth healthy drink.

Any fruits or veggies with milk, yogurt, or ice-cream all not over 3/4 full in a blender.

Blend. Put in pitcher container and refrigerate.

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Waiting on the Chickens

It was late afternoon, the time of day I make my 2nd trip down to the chicken pen to feed my three birds a 2nd time. It had been raining, torrentially, off and on all day, but I decided to get my attitude straight as I put on my long German cloak and rubber boots. Those things, along with my large pale blue umbrella, kept my clothes perfectly dry, and I was happy to feel the wind and mist against my face. Breathing deeply of the purest air, there was nothing going to bring me down on my afternoon jaunt to the chickens.

Opening the door of the coop, there they were, all wet and happy. It surprised me when I first observed years ago that chickens like to stay out in the rain, scratching in the mud to find that last little worm or bug. They some tough ladies ! As soon as I opened the door, they scooted out into their yard thinking I would be throwing the sunflower seeds and cracked corn out there in the puddles. However, today my new plan on this rainy day was to keep the food in the coop. So I poured it clanging against the side of the metal feeder, hoping they would hear the noise and come running back in to eat. That way I could then close their little hatchway door and they would be in for the night, earlier than usual. Unfortunately, chickens are just like children. They don’t want to come inside until it is nearly dark, and trying to force them in is practically impossible without a lot of squawking.

Patiently I leaned against the door jam, and waited. One came in, Ma Belle, but she didn’t stay long. Darn, I thought, it is pouring out there, the food is in here, and still they play. I did not fancy having to come back down again by dark, in the rain, putting all my stuff back on again so as not to get wet, being more chicken than my chickens ! And so I waited, calling to them in a high pitched, chicken-like voice, but they refused to walk up their little plank and into the nice dry coop.

Then it struck me. I was waiting on the chickens, in more ways than one, and I do this everyday, twice a day ! I am their dedicated waitress. I bring them leftovers from breakfast , lunch and dinner, things like cold oatmeal, apple cores, rice and beans, greens, chicken bones from the rotisserie, just about everything their little hearts desire…except the brussels sprouts. The other day I put several little cooked brussels into a hollowed out cantaloupe half, and all they ate was the cantaloupe, leaving a very thin rind. Somehow I didn’t think they would care for the b.s. any more than most people, but this was only an experiment, so I was not surprised or upset. Most children don’t like brussels sprouts anyway. I eat them because they are good for me and I am one of those rare individuals who actually likes them. Children and chickens, on the other hand, are not so easily convinced !

Back to waiting on the chickens. I had the revelation about my servitude position while waiting for the chickens to come in out of the rain, but then I grew tired of waiting. Going out into the yard with them, I nonchalantly and very slowly, went around behind them and gently shooed them in the direction of the ramp. Happily it did not turn into a fiasco, with no success, as it frequently has in the past. Likely they were considering going in anyway. Or perhaps it registered in their little brains that there was no food in the yard, so it must be inside the coop.

Whatever they were thinking, or not thinking as the case may be, they all ran quickly, squawking as they ran, up the tiny ramp. Quickly, I closed the little door, saying “gotcha ! “ Whew, that was easy, I thought. Thank God, as it was beginning to pour down rain again, and I was getting hungry. All wet and happy, the three little imps began to discover the food in the dispenser, and I was happy too. I said “Goodnight girls, thank you so much girls for your eggs.” (I always thank them) and then “see you tomorrow”, as I closed the main door.

Whoever said captive birds aren’t happy ? They are no more imprisoned than I am. We might as well be happy together. I don’t mind waiting on the chickens. I serve then and they serve me. Their large brown eggs are the best, and their manure helps my organic gardens to flourish. Plus, everyday they give me a reason to get outside one more time, rain or shine, and take a walk down the hill, sometimes wading through wet grasses with the feel of mist on my face. I might even have a little adventure besides.

Who could ask for more?!

– Christine Schoene Maccabee of Mystic Meadows

SCOD Food Cooperative Concept

SCOD Food Cooperative ideas by JF & JT based on our post-bubble recession economic reality and independent personal finances:

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“I have been exploring the idea of a virtual cooperative for the trade of services, labor, skills, and instruction similar to a cross between Ebay, Bit-Coin, and Linked-in with maybe a little bit of a D&D style.

I’m thinking it would work something like this:

A merchant would setup a standard merchant style account showcasing their skills, wares etc… in an online profile where they could search other merchant profiles. This account can be further refined as membership evolves to the trade guild level. Services or wares can be brokered directly or they can go into a bidding pool.Services or offering could be bid upon by others to determine a fair market exchange for labor, goods, and services as well as establishing a found for a virtual economic system.

Every account starts out with 100 ‘trust point’ credits to purchase the service, etc… from another merchant offering a different service and some other desirable arrangement. Once the transaction is completed by the service provider, the receipt of the service transfers a previously agreed upon amount of credits to the service providers account. Problems or disagreements will be mediated by guild leaders.

The virtual cooperative only works if people continuously participate to retain credits in their account.No money ever changes hands and credit cannot be bought directly through the web application. Every member is initially set up in the ‘commons’ until they have acquired enough proficiency to join a guild. Prospectus must be invited and approved by members of the guild they are seeking membership from. Guilds will be broken down into the various subtypes Artisan, Teacher, etc…”

 – JF

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“We aren’t really left with any options. It’s at the point if we want health in our lives, we have to work for it. What we need to do is sit down and figure out the dietary needs of everyone who wants to be involved, plot out who will be in charge of what, and figure out an effective timeline that will keep everyone fed through the winter months. I’ll set up a wiki and link it to the SCOD group.

I’ll be hunting a fair bit this season. I can work to provide deer and turkey at the least. I’m good for beans and corn as well. the more the merrier. I’m going to create this as a private wiki, so I just need email addresses for those to be added.

So who (around here) would like to buckle down with me in a cooperative to feed all our families on organic, home-grown, locally raised, or locally hunted food? We’ll need to cover all areas – protein (meat and non-meat sources), eggs, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Mushroom growers are also welcome!”

– JT

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(see modern economic theory article – Post-Bubble Recession Economics)

Drogo’s Chili Soup

Drogo’s Chili for a Large Pot:

3 cans of beans, 1 can tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, 1 soup spoon of Garlic, 1 soup spoon of Chili powder, 1 soup spoon of veggie oil, 1 soup spoon of Oregano or other herb, and a bit of beer.

No straining, no worries. All organic of course. Simple because it is mostly beans, tomatoes, and spices.  Cook to boil, then simmer 20 minutes.

Plant Strong Summary

I have reviewed evidence about one’s nutrition and dietary choices and have come this conclusion: The best diet is a whole food, plant based, diet without meat, dairy or eggs. It also must be as free as possible from processing and artificiality and without any added oils.

In my view this applies in all cases, however it is limited by certain factors (such as climate, location, culture, governmental restrictions, etc) which can make it difficult to apply these dietary principles.

The reasons for making a change to this way of eating to me come down to four broad reasons with growing scientific data to support each one. They are:

1. Better for the environment.

2. It is more humane.

3. It is healthier for your body and helps fight off disease.

4. Improves and refines your sense of taste.

Each of these reasons is packed with a multitude of different sub-issues, good reasons, and evidence to support it. Evidence to the contrary I have found to have roots in propaganda supported by big business who have more interest in making profit by promoting their products and squashing any real data that will make a difference in helping humanity.

     –    Sir Jeffy of SCOD

Wok Cooking (Stir-Fry)

Stir-frying in a large Wok or Frying Pan

This shows the variety of colors, before all the large green leaves are added.

Here is how I divided the amounts of veggies before adding them to the tofu I first cooked on olive oil at the bottom of the pan.

I filled the Wok entirely with these items, and they mostly steamed without burning, due to their internal juices. I cooked them with olive oil, butter, and seasonings.

Then served this on plates of Rice.

 

 

 

30 Million Tons of Free Food!!! Want Not, Waste Not America

Americans waste an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption (according to a government study). Unopened food waste happens at supermarkets, restaurants, cafeterias and home kitchens. For every citizen of modern America a pound of perfectly edible food is thrown out every day. That means 30 million tons of food is wasted each year (according to the EPA). Donating excess food to Civic Cooperatives is SCOD, because it may sustain civilization in your area a bit longer against hordes of starving ex-consumer victims of the perpetual Recession/Terror-War!

Frederick City Soup Kitchen

Feeding Those In Need

Free Food in Frederick, Maryland

Frederick Community Action Agency
100 South Market Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701
301-600-1506

Food Donations:

Frederick Soup Kitchen accepts FOOD donations (including bread): The building is open Monday-Friday 8-4 and Monday and Wednesday evenings 6-9pm; but 24/7 drop off on loading dock.

Soup Kitchen Operation:

The Soup Kitchen Program provides a full evening meal, seven nights a week from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to anyone in need of a hot, nutritious meal. Most of the men, women and children using the Soup Kitchen are homeless, but some are very low-income renters (including senior citizens) who come to the FCAA for a free meal in order to help make ends meet. The Soup Kitchen Program has been in continuous operation by the Frederick Community Action Agency (FCAA) since 1984. Volunteers are needed Monday through Friday from approximately 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. to set-up and serve meals (we have a paid cook during the week) and then to clean up the dishes and kitchen area after the meal is finished. Groups of volunteers (e.g., religious institutions, civic groups, companies, and other organizations) are used to staff the Community Kitchen on weekends (Saturdays and Sunday) and on major holidays. Groups are responsible for cooking, serving and cleaning-up after the evening meal.

Directions:

Route 355 (Market Street); bear left onto Market Street and turn right at the fourth traffic light onto East All Saints Street. The Frederick Community Action Agency is located at the corner of East All Saints and South Market Streets. one block before Carroll Creek intersects Market Str.

Just pull into the parking lot and the loading dock is on the right.

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Additionally:

Foodbank Program

The Foodbank Program operated by the Frederick Community Action Agency (FCAA) provides a 3- to 5-day supply of food to families and individuals who are facing an economic crisis and cannot afford to buy their groceries. The FCAA Foodbank serves between 300 to 400 households each month ranging from very low-income families who use the foodbank on a regular basis to moderate-income families who are facing a financial crisis and need food assistance. Volunteers are needed to: 1) sort food and re-stock the foodbank shelves; 2) hand-out groceries to families using the foodbank; 3) perform data entry on the computer system to track the number of families using the foodbank; and 4) perform light maintenance around the foodbank (e.g., wiping down shelves, recycling cardboard boxes, etc.).

 

* information from website and email from Coordinator Sarah McAleavy