Go Green Charleston • Your Local Guide for Sustainable Living, Environmental News, Community Action » Food

Awesome Local Seasonal Foods Calender

Chad Norman — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:48:47 +0000

Like a lot of you, we try to buy local seasonal food as often as possible. Sometimes when cruising the Farmers Market or Whole Foods, it’s hard to tell what is actually seasonal AND local. And then there’s the problem of what to do with certain items, as any participant in the Ambrose CSA will tell you (I’m from Indiana – collards are what again?)

Thank goodness Cameron over at Cottage Industrialist has the same problem AND enough gumption to do something about it. Check out this amazing local seasonal food calender that you can print out and enjoy for free! It features produce that is seasonally available locally for each month, but also gives you recipe ideas and encouragement (Only two more months of Winter!) Be sure to check it out and get cooking!

Composting Update :: Pumpkins Make a Pile Smile

Chad Norman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:41:11 +0000

November is a great time for composting – the sudden influx of pumpkins and leaves will make your backyard pile a happy place. If you’ve been wanting to start a compost pile, now is definitely the time.

It’s like you can actually take Fall and stuff it in your pile! Take those pumpkins, break them up, and fold them in. Rake your yard before you mow, and toss all that goodness in. Edge your yard and gardens, and toss the trimmings in. Clean the Summer out of your garden, and throw it on. If you’re going big, ask some neighbors for their pumpkins and leaves. Our pile was looking very happy after Halloween. Happy composting!

Learn more about composting:

Compost Update :: Root of the Problem

Chad Norman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:15:26 +0000

Even though we haven’t used a ton of our black gold bounty, we continue to add more and more organic waste to the family compost pile. We’ve been at it for many moons now, and it’s so much a part of our routine that I can’t imagine throwing our excess food into the garbage.

One thing to keep in mind: If you have a compost pile near palmetto trees, watch out for their crawling roots. I went a little too long without turning our pile, and it looks like nearby palm roots have infiltrated the bottom 12 inches, robbing the pile of some of the oldest and best compost. I’m wondering if I should have put a barrier at the bottom of the pile to keep the roots out – any reader advice is welcome.

Here are some other compost notes:

If you have river birches or other trees that drop leaves early, be sure to collect them for your pile. August always brings our birch leaves down in droves, so this is a great source of brown for our pile – I always rake before I mow.
Turn your pile! For many reasons, you must do this regularly. Two strange reasons I do: to keep the palm roots from eating from the bottom up, and to keep the fiddler crabs from eating from the top down.
Look for bugs…you want bugs. If you see worms, that’s good. If you see termites, that’s bad.
During peek fruit fly season (now), you might need to make more trips to the backyard pile. Our kitchen composter it too tempting for fruit flies, so we take our scraps out right away.

That’s all for now. Here are some previous compost updates:

The Lonely Jalapeno

Jennifer Norman — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:01:24 +0000

Thank goodness for the wonderful stores and markets where I am able to conveniently purchase food for myself and my family. I am being sincere. Thank you Whole Foods, thank you Harris Teeter, thank you Mt. Pleasant Farmer’s Market, thank you CSA, the Norman’s really need you. Without you, we would starve, as my bleak garden, thus far, has yielded one lonely jalapeno.

How is your garden? Go on, brag! Please! Inspire me to spend the time in my backyard garden by sharing your garden’s story. My story is one, unfortunately this summer, of invasion and neglect. The deer continually eat the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. That mystery fungus, or maybe it’s a mold, swallowed the bell peppers. Of course, the basil and rosemary are thriving, and one little lonely pepper. Certainly no recipe from the backyard garden will be gracing our dinner table soon.

Perhaps next spring, I will be outside without a baby riding along in the Bjorn, and I will be able to play in the soil more. Until then, I will begin researching seeds and local nurseries. Abide-A-While is currently the most convenient to my home. Where do you purchase your gardening supplies?

I hope to read about your garden, its defeats and victories. My boys, one of whom remembers last summer’s harvest, has inquired as to why the garden is empty. I have only promised to spend a little more time on our garden, as I do believe a functioning garden belongs in the yard. But I won’t promise to make a concerted effort to keep out the deer. I still enjoy the sight of them, but I do wish their tummies were full after eating all the flowers from the perennial gardens!

Meeting Jacki Baer from Fields to Families

Jennifer Norman — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:47:54 +0000

Zoe and I had the absolute pleasure of volunteering a few hours of our time for Fields to Families. I was introduced to this non-profit through two of Chad’s coworkers, who are on the board, and I instantly wanted to help. After looking at my schedule and capabilities, I decided helping at a booth at the Mt Pleasant Farmer’s Market would fit.

Jacki Baer is the founder – I wouldn’t guess her age, but I would guess she has the energy of a woman in her thirties. Jacki is passionate and meticulous. Zoe and I loved getting to know her and her organization. To witness her informing inquiring patrons that Fields for Families delivered over 80,000 pounds of fresh produce to the needy was truly inspiring.

There are many volunteer opportunities available, from gleaning the fields with your kids, to chatting about their cause with friends. This Tuesday, June 30, Whole Foods is donating 5% of their total sales for that day to Fields to Families. Stop by the booths at local farmer’s markets too, check their blog often, and take notice of this non-profit, I hope it grows (I couldn’t resist.)

Hope to see you in the fields!

Whole Foods and The Sustainability Institute Partner for 5% Day

Chad Norman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:59:45 +0000

The Sustainability Institute has been chosen as the Whole Foods Market 5% nonprofit recipient for Tuesday, March 31st. The Whole Foods 5% Day project is part of the company’s community giving program, and does a great job supporting local nonprofits around the country.

If you want to support The Sustainability Instititute, be sure to stop by the Mount Pleasant Whole Foods on March 31st. Whether you’re buying lunch, or food for the week, 5% of your purchase will help fund The Sustainability Institute and and all their amazing programs.

Buy Local Week Starts Today!

Chad Norman — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:37:16 +0000

Buy Local Week is upon us, and Lowcountry Local First is on the case! They are sponsoring several events this week to raise awareness around local businesses, growers, and manufacturers located here in the Lowcountry. Supporting the local community is a huge part of going green, as it reduces the carbon footprint of our purchased goods when they come from down the street.

There are several events associated with Buy Local Week, so get out and do what you can to support this great initiative.

Tuesday, December 2: Give Local Holiday Bazaar
Wednesday, December 3: Eat Local Night
Thursday, December 4: Screening of “Independent America”
Sunday, December 7: Buy Local, Be Local Bash

That all sounds very exciting! Get out and buy some local stuff this week, particularly locally grown food. Here are a few businesses and growers who are offering locally grown food (see list below).

Here are some places to get locally grown food:

Composting Update :: Tis the Season!

Chad Norman — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:28:02 +0000

If you’re already composting, then you know this is the most bountiful time of year for your pile – the greens and browns are everywhere, especially if you carved pumpkins. If you don’t have a compost pile, then think about starting one – this is the best time!

Composting is all about managing the balance between your browns (leaves, kindling, and other dead stuff) and greens (food scraps, produce, and other wet stuff). With the leaves starting to fall in the Lowcountry and leftover pumpkins rotting all around us, these are the salad says for compost piles. I can’t wait to go full circle and use our composted veggies to grow new garden veggies…so cool. Check out my notes after the jump.

Here’s an update on our pile:

Over a year in, thing are going well. We have several hundred pounds of rich, dark, odor-free compost ready for next Spring.
I’m still avoiding putting sticks in the pile, as it just complicated sifting.
Speaking of sifting, I am already working on plans to build my own tumbler for next Spring.
I plan on giving bags of compost to a couple neighbors who contributed. What kind of bags should I use? Maybe I’ll reuse something old like an old bucket or paint can.
There seems to be shrinkage in the pile, so I wonder if I’m “losing” any goodness. I think it’s just part of the process.

Buy Local Week Starts December 1st

Chad Norman — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:41:53 +0000

As most of you know, buying local food is one of the best things you can do to lead a more sustainable life. Fresh food travels an average of 2000 miles to reach our plates, which means eating locally grown food can really make an impact.

To bring awareness to local businesses and growers, Lowcountry Local First is launching a Buy Local Week campaign. The week-long even begins December 1st, and includes many ways to participate:

Locally this holiday campaign will include a Give Local Holiday Bazaar, viewing of the documentary film Independent America at the Terrace Theater, Eat Local Night and a Local Hero contest. The week will end with the BUY LOCAL, BE LOCAL BASH on December 7th at beautiful Lowndes Grove!

That all sounds very exciting! We’ll have more info coming as Buy Local Week approaches, so until then feel free to support some of the business and growers who are offering locally grown food (see list below).

Here are some places to get locally grown food:

College of Charleston Greens Up Their Mess Hall

Chad Norman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:10:43 +0000

The College of Charleston is a not only a huge asset to the city, but a big influence on local trends and culture. That’s why I’m excited to see this video roundup of steps they’ve taken to provide a more sustainable dining experience to students. They eliminated trays that needed washing, switched to biodegradable food containers, and began providing reusable bags for a modest price. Check it out: