As the year comes to a close and the holidays approach, we here at Ike & Eli's Organic Farm believe it's time to start saving. Saving more resources via zero-waste methods, and saving our fellow humans by outreaching to them and letting them know they're loved. We created a challenge to keep these thoughts fresh in your mind daily, and it includes ways to save, ways to give, and ways to help others. To participate is simple! Take a picture of yourself collecting canned goods, cleaning your closet for donations, or doing something that makes you happy with friends or family. On days where you'll buy coffee or lunch for a stranger, take a picture of the receipt. Hashtag #zerowastehuman on all
This year I broke a bad habit in my urban farming: the incessant desire to pluck every little flower off each stem of basil, tarragon, oregano, sage, thyme, cilantro, and mint. Why was I obsessed with doing this before 2016? The flower produced by the plant stunts its growth, as the energy shifts to the flower instead of production...and boy, did I want to produce a hearty harvest! Selfish, I know. By clipping the flowers off the herbs and veggies, I was inadvertently starving the bees that had come to Ike & Eli's for a nice treat. (#permaculturistshame) Maybe you've heard some recent news regarding the shortage of bees and the impact on our food supply. Or maybe you've heard the retraction
Mr. Man and I took an amazing trip last week to the Ouachita National Park in Oklahoma. There are plenty of cabins to choose from in Broken Bow, OK, and we wanted to make sure we selected a spot with exactly what we needed: access to off-grid living which aligns with our zero-waste lifestyle. We hit the jackpot! The first thing we noticed (aside from the amazing views) were 3 giant trash containers. Two in the kitchen, one on the deck, and a small wastebasket in the bathroom. "Is this how people live for a week?" we thought, forgetting that we once filled a city trash bin to the brim every week. We had a new goal: proving to ourselves that we can not only live without WI-Fi, phone access, te
