Kitchen Stories

Self-care in the New Year

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  The title of this post may sound suspiciously like it's leading up to a New Year's Resolution, but it's not. Also known as, "The main things I plan to change next year but am not going to," resolutions are made to be broken. All my self-made promises of regimented workout routines, valiant housekeeping practices, and inspired money management programs were lovely suggestions that passed on by like dry leaves caught in the wind. Instead, I like to make a New Year's plan, and that... Continue reading

What do you get when you cross eggshells and coffee grounds with a banana peel?

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  Fertilizer! One of my favorite ways to divert kitchen refuse from the landfill is by making homemade liquid fertilizer. We boiled eggs for breakfast one morning. I peeled the shells, returned them to the water I'd boiled them in, and poured the whole thing into the blender. To this, I added the morning's spent coffee grounds and the chopped-up peel of the banana we'd shared. The eggshells provide calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The banana peels contribute potassium, and the coffee... Continue reading

Garden Bones and Chicken Broth

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  Inspiration A soft footprint is not what I'm after. I don't want the planet to diminish because of me. My goal is to leave it better. I want nature to start singing the Hallelujah Chorus because I showed up. To that end, I am following the lead of the indigenous people of this continent, the original citizens of North America, in showing appreciation and using my resources without waste. It's not only good for me; it's good for the planet. Here's an idea, and it's pretty simple.... Continue reading

The Kitchen Garden – 2021 in review

Posted on by Jean Campbell

Kitchen Garden is the new Secret Garden Originally an unexceptional collection of grass and shrubs, The Secret Garden was a fenced area just outside my back door intended to provide quick access to herbs and salad veggies. A year of observation proved my plan needed modification and the space earned a new name, The Kitchen Garden. January 2021 - Sheet mulching the grass away Goal number one - grass, the bane of our planet's existence, had to go. In lieu of renting a tiller or... Continue reading