quercus

Anxiety levels are on the rise worldwide, especially among our youth. Many factors contribute to this trend. We are constantly “on”, striving to ensure we are scheduling for every moment. But in doing so, we are potentially depriving our brains and bodies of the downtime they need to reset and recharge.

We need to embrace the pause. It is a space where creativity can prosper, emotions can be regulated, and the nervous system can reset.

Using friendship-based community organizing and principles of permaculture, gift economy, and mutual aid, Food Not Lawns has been turning yards into gardens and neighborhoods into communities since 1999, when we were conceived by the Food Not Bombs family in Eugene, Oregon. For more than twenty years small, self-organized groups of grassroots gardeners have been organizing local seed swaps, joining together for garden work parties, and making lots of friends while learning more about the simple act of growing food can radically improve your home, your community, and your life.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/23574741

re:wild your campus co-directors Mackenzie Feldman and Sheina Crystal discuss their amazing initiative across college campuses, suggest pesticide free options for your lawn, and answer some of your questions about pesticides!

re:wild your campus co-directors Mackenzie Feldman and Sheina Crystal discuss their amazing initiative across college campuses, suggest pesticide free options for your lawn, and answer some of your questions about pesticides!

Over 12 expert-led weekly challenges, transform your lawn into a vibrant ecosystem teeming with life. Discover simple techniques to create habitat that butterflies, birds, and beneficial insects can't resist. Ready to turn your patch of earth into something extraordinary?

Live Kickoff on May 1st @ 12 pm est / 9 am pst

Featuring Doug Tallamy
Renowned Ecologist,
Founder of Homegrown National Park

• Weekly Challenges
• Expert Speakers
• Free Land Assessment
• Prizes & Badges

Sign up for this free challenge at lesslawnmorelife.com

Started working on this area underneath a tree last spring. Common blue violet, eastern columbine and wild geranium make up the groundcover.

I planted Virginia spiderwort too, but the cottontails feasted on them 🐇

And an update on my violet post from last year. They're filling in this area nicely under the elderberry:

Authors: Chris P. Kale, Len Tilbürger
Topics: #anarchism #animalliberation #animalrights #FoodNotBombs #hardcore #intersectionality #music #punk #UnitedKingdom #Vegan
Date: 2014

This zine examines the frequent overlap between punk culture and animal rights^[1]^ activism/vegan consumption habits. It is argued that this relationship is most strongly and consistently expressed, and most sensibly understood, in connection with anarchism.

Examining this relationship is important in several ways. Firstly, it is under-researched and overlooked – as environmental journalist Will Potter argues, given the importance that punk plays in the political development of individual activists, it is surprising that ‘there is a shortage of research into punk’s impact on animal rights and environmental activism.’^[2]^ This zine, which brings together material from numerous bands, zines, patches, leaflets, and newly researched interview material, addresses this absence by considering the relationship between animal rights/veganism and punk. Secondly, the themes raised in this zine resonate far beyond the punk scenes from which material is collected: diversity and difference within activist communities, how these differences are managed (even ‘policed’), the prioritisation of certain forms of activism over others, and the role of culture are all issues which cut right to the heart of contemporary activist and community organising. Thirdly, the topic is of personal importance to the authors, both of whom are writing the zine from the impetus of their own life experiences.

In the first part of the zine the ways in which punk culture and veganism/animal rights coincide will be laid out, to stress the connection’s existence and to explore the different ways in which this connection is expressed. Next, the theme of politicisation will be raised, examining the link between people’s exposure to animal rights/veganism through punk, and the adoption of vegan consumption habits or involvement in animal rights activism. Thirdly, the tension between individual choice and subcultural expectation will be explored, followed by an examination of the supposed dichotomy between consumption and activist politics in animal rights. The zine will conclude by examining how anarchist perspectives cut across and inform these debates in an intersectional manner.^[3]^

Currently resisting the spring cleaning urge! The grass in the front yard is starting to grow, so it won't be too much longer.

The first on my list is thinning out the orange coneflower to make beds in the backyard. The second is grouping up the late boneset that sprouted in random places.

Is the Easter Bunny pagan? Probably not. It seems to have been invented by German-speaking Protestants sometime in the 1600s.

Bibliography:

Stephen Winick, "Ostara and the Hare: Not Ancient, but Not As Modern As Some Skeptics Think," Library of Congress Blogs, April 28, 2016.

Stephen Winick, On the Bunny Trail: In Search of the Easter Bunny, Library of Congress Blogs, March 22, 2016

Nonagenarian cook and great grandmother, Clara, recounts her childhood during the Great Depression as she prepares meals from the era. Learn how to make simple yet delicious dishes while listening to stories from the Great Depression.

Guidance for safe foraging

Chrissa Carlson, the former Garden and Nutrition Educator at Baltimore's Hampstead Hill Academy, shows us the steps needed to start a school garden and explains the different components of her school garden that not only makes it an effective space for growing plants, but also an engaging classroom.

If you don't have a lawn of your own to convert, this could be a great project for your neighborhood! Retirement communities or houses of worship are some other possible options.

More about the Baltimore Curriculum Project's Food For Life Program can be found here.

Peels were from ripe bananas. I cleaned them, cut off the ends, removed the peel, and ate the fruit for a quick snack lol. I used a spoon to scrape the inside of the peels to remove the stringy bits. Using a fork, I shredded them into strips then cut the strips into thirds.

I cooked up some onions and garlic in oil. Once they were ready, I threw in the shredded peels, covered with a mix of water and soy sauce, added some spices, and let simmer for 20 minutes. The serving in the picture is from one banana.

They remind me of green beans, not the flavor but the texture. Surprisingly, the flavor is pretty neutral. I wouldn't know it was banana peels if I didn't cook them myself.

I can't believe I got this close to 40 not knowing they were edible 🤯