Friday, August 28, 2009

Day 57.....really.....I could have sworn this has been going on for nearly a year. This may be my least enthusiastic post since the return to 'food with fresh dirt' on it after buffeting every night in Denmark has me feeling a little bitter and full of 'rationalizing' temptation. It's like breaking up with chickpeas all over again....only this time cold-turkey.

The first few days were probably somewhere around the 65% mark. Arriving home to my parents house where 'vegan' is a stretch (although my mom tries dearly) the closest to local was the reminisce of Denmark apple on the bottom of my shoe. Just as I was stocking up again we headed camping for the weekend and I probably spent most of the next 4 days at 75%-80% local. Now I'm back at home in Waterloo and just reunited with St.Jacob's yesterday and am getting back into the groove of the challenge.

For anyone who still has yet to make a camping trip this summer here are a few recipes for the fire. When you camp with me EVERYTHING eaten must be made over the fire.

Bannock (Translation: Bun ball on a stick)
Right up there with the butter tart when it comes to native Canadian cooking ;)
4 cups of flour
1 tbsp of sweetener (syrup/applesauce - not really necessary if don't have any)
1 tsp salt
3 cups of water
Mix all the dry ingredients and then slowly add water until a little more moist then regular dough. Find a clean stick, make a ball, shove it on and roast like a marshmallow until cooked through. They taste great with jelly if you have some on hand or make some yummy buns to go with your veggie pockets and add some thyme or basil.

Veggie Pocket
Take a piece of tin foil and mold it to your fist to make a small bowl
Drizzle a small amount of sunflower oil inside
Fill with your favourite local veggies
Add fresh dill, thyme and a pinch of salt
Place in coals of the fire

Pancakes
(you will need a grate and pan for this)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup soy milk (if you've discovered how to make your own) I just used water
1/4 cup applesauce
Pour oil in a pan, let heat up and then add batter.

Corn
Wrap in foil, throw it in the pit :)

As a final thought, while I too was pulling on a sweater this afternoon with the cold and damp weather we had today I couldn't help but feel a little stir down deep inside that Fall was in the air. Every change in season so far has only made this challenge more bountiful and I can't wait to adventure out into the crisp air and sharp smell of fall as I go skipping through apple fields and pumpkin patches.

Sweet corn and ripe peaches to all!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Greetings from Denmark!!!

First I'd like to say thank you to Praetzel for the link on my last blog concerning protein consumption. After being vegan for so many years I am still learning new things all the time. :)

Second, I did not travel to Denmark on some fly-by-night trip to try and scavenge unusual and exotic foods to spruce up this diet......laugh if you like but the climate and food production here couldn't look any closer to South Western Ontario's. I'm right at home :)

Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) my budget is tight and I've had to give in to the homemade cooking I've been presented with for the most part. I won't go into too much detail as I'm sure it will make a few of you boil but should I whisper falafel, hummus,rice and avocado! Ok...no avocado but a girl can dream and oh how I dream.

Why am I blogging about breaking rules left, right and center? Well to bring your attention to some important information of course that I am highly confident you will be interested in as my fellow planet loving brothers and sisters. The reason for my Denmark embarkment is the attendance at the International Peoples College in Helsingor where I've been living on an Idealistic Island with some of the most passionate, beautiful and earth cherishing people from around the globe (if only I had known them before I would have asked them to bring their local delicacies so I could bring us all back something to gorge on). Here we have been living for the week sharing the challenges, injustices and guilts that climate change has laid on us all and have been working to develop a mandate of promises to present to the governments of the world in the upcoming Copenhagen Conference in December. As you have most likely come here for alternative reasons I will just leave you with a variety of thought provoking interesting and somewhat entertaining clips pertaining to the issues and activities we have been working on.

Bjorn Lomborg on where we should direct our energy and $ (AIDS? Global Warming?)
Helsinki Complaint Choir (we are creating one of our own related to the environment)

The following is a list of promises our immediate group has committed to which I hope will serve as some reflection and find some place in your own lives:

1. Through EDUCATION of ourselves and our communities we will bring AWARENESS to the issues the environment faces due to climate change.
2. We shall lead by EXAMPLE in our HOMES AND WORKPLACES by the use of green practices like recycling and saving energy.
3. We promise to CONSUME not more than we really NEED (e.g. eating less meat, using less water, sharing products – carpooling,...)
4. We will use and promote CLEAN TRANSPORT AND RENEWABLE ENERGY.
5. We will pressure our POLITICIANS to make climate change issues a top priority and integrate them into development policies (hunger, diseases, poverty, conflict, gender,...)
6. We will learn from NATURE and build upon INDIGENOUS knowledge and practices.
7. We will live HARMONIOUSLY with nature, RESPECT the Planet and never lose HOPE!

I am off to cycle through cobble streets lined with apple and apricot trees. Until we meet again much love and comforting wishes!

Jenna