October is National Seafood Month. And that means oysters! Growing up, we were always told that you should only eat oysters in the months of 'er' – September, October, November, and December.
The reason to indulge in oysters this October is they are a sustainable seafood. With overfishing threatening our oceans and consumption jeopardizing species to the point of near extinction, the issue of eating sustainable seafood is on the table.
You eat local. You eat what’s in season. You choose to eat sustainably. But what about your yard? Do you practice sustainable landscaping?
Traditional landscaping poses a concern when it comes to a healthy eco-system. Straining our natural resources and contributing to pollution, it is time to re-asses these practices and consider sustainable landscaping.
As winter approaches there is a lot of work that has to be done in order to prepare. I usually start with the garden.
There is a myth surrounding acorns that states Acorns are poisonous and can’t be eaten! Acorns can be eaten, but you wouldn’t want to just pick one up and eat it. There’s a leaching process that must be done in order to make the acorns edible.
In some states, it’s illegal. In other states, it’s as common as turning on the faucet. What is it I’m talking about? Harvesting rainwater. Deterring the flow of rain runoff into a giant barrel can have its perks when it comes to saving water. But is it eco-friendly? The outlawing of rainwater collection would leave one to believe it is not. I imagine hoarding water that would naturally provide a source of water for plants would not be beneficial. Yet, what if that same rainwater were instead collected from roof runoff?
One of my favorite parts about living on a farm or off of the grid is getting to work with the animals. Chickens are usually the first animal people get on a farm – or sometimes even in a backyard.
There are literally hundreds of chicken breeds out there. You could look at pictures and decide which ones you want to raise according to looks but I recommend looking into some things. Important factors to consider when choosing a chicken:
The Autumn Equinox is one of my favorite seasonal transitions to experience. Don’t get me wrong – I love all of the seasons and I appreciate the changes, but Autumn is just the bee’s knees.
Living off the grid provided me with several encounters with nature in many forms – whether it was the weather, creature critters or the growing forest. Some of my favorite encounters were with animals and I love them all. I was far enough out in the woods that spotting wildlife was as easy as finding a game on ESPN. I have so many experiences but today I will share with you a few of my favorites.
The Big Bear
No matter the lifestyle you are living, there are bound to be certain worries that come along with it. I lived “on the grid” for most of my life. In 2012 my little family and I decided to plunge ourselves into the woods and off of the grid. As I studied, practiced, and prepared for this transitional tidal wave of a shift, I realized that my worries and concerns would now be different in many ways. It was interesting then, and still is today, to sit back and compare the differences.
Reducing waste and damage to the surrounding are is something that we've been talking about a lot recently here at Basmati.com, and something that is becoming increasingly important. In order to minimize my environmental impact, I've started to use some alternatives to the everyday household cleaners we use that are safe for the environment.