#ecofriendly

Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese Ditch the dairy with this vegan Mac and No-Cheese Recipe! Try this creamy cashew-cheese alternative to that dairy stuff, that will leave you satisfied in your decision to leave the cows alone.

Ditch the dairy with this vegan Mac and No-Cheese Recipe! Try this creamy cashew-cheese alternative to that dairy stuff, that will leave you satisfied in your decision to leave the cows alone. I’m pretty sure we all have our stories with that boxed Mac & Cheese; this is not that kind. After a lot of trial and error, with the potatoes-carrots combo and even a tofu-based cheese, I came up with this…

View On WordPress

Happy Monday everyone! Originally this was going to be a “Monthly Favorites” post, I got the idea about two months ago and I wanted this to be a monthly thing. But recently (by this I mean today), I decided to be honest with myself considering my schedule and realized that a “Monthly Favorites” can be kind of impossible for me. So, I’ll be doing “Current Favorites” every once in awhile, whenever…

View On WordPress

Reusable Produce Bags

Materials:

Total Costs:

Materials $44.47

Per Bag $3.14

Most of these materials take 2-4 weeks to arrive, but include free shipping.  Due to the fact that materials can take upwards of a month to arrive, I would order a larger amount since I have an ample amount of storage space, and would not want to run out of supplies.

The peak demand times of the year are summer and early fall as most produce is in season and harvested during these months.  Making sure there is enough inventory is definitely an important subject to address.

I will be working with my mom to create these bags and we will be manufacturing them between the hours of 7-9 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  In two hours, we can produce 6 bags, or 18 bags per week together (6x3=18 bags per week). I will also manufacture bags from 12-4 Saturdays producing a total of 12 bags per week.  This equals 30 bags per weekcombined.

The selling will initially take place online on local buy and sell sites, therefor licences and permits are not required.  There are also no fees associated with selling on local buy and sell sites.

My vision is to sell these bags at the local farmers market (Mill Market) to target my key demographic.  This is a busy market that “connects Northern Ontario farmer to local consumers strengthening the local food economy and nurturing healthy communities.” Their fee is:

Saturday Day Vendor: $50 + HST

Total: $60.50

This is over the budgeted start-up amount for this venture.

An advantage to selling at the local farmers market is the lack of competition. Currently there are no vendors that are selling reusable produce bags. By entering this market with my complementary product, I feel my business venture will be successful and a great addition to the local marketplace.

Reusable Produce Bags

urban-homesteading:

How to create a bee-friendly backyard or garden

Select plants that are compatible with your zone

The first rule to develop a bee-friendly backyard is to plant varieties of flowering plants that will thrive in your growing zone. However, in every backyard, front yard, garden, or homestead there are also microclimates, and it’s important to keep those in mind. Microclimates are very small areas that have a different climate from the surrounding areas.

Your property also has microclimates and you may, too, be surprised by what you can grow once you figure those out. Just look for areas that have more/less shade, slope, exposure, and wind. One clue to look for is any native vegetation that might be growing where it’s not “supposed” to. Are those areas drier? Wetter? Shady? Those answers can help you know what other plants to try, outside those specified for your zone.

Bees are attracted to certain colors

Just as you have favorite colors, bees do too. They cannot see colors in the red end of the color spectrum, so good color choices are yellow, white, purple, orange, pink, and blue. There are so many gorgeous blooms and colors to choose from and doing a bit of research online helps before you venture out to the nearest nursery.

A few flowers to consider for your own bee-friendly backyard are:

Basil

Coneflower

Fennel

Goldenrod

Lantana

Lavender

Lobelia

Lupine

Mint

Oregano

Rosemary

Salvia

Sunflowers

Sweet alyssum

Yarrow

It’s best to plant flowers that grow in clumps, rather than single blossoms on long stems and then to plant them close together. Bees are more attracted to clumps of blossoms and having them close together makes it easier for them to do their pollinating job.

There are many other colorful plants, but as you can see, both flowering herbs and food-producing plants make bees quite happy and it’s a win-win if you’re trying to grow your own food.

Think year-round, if possible

Your backyard or garden can provide pollination opportunities for bees year-round since bees need pollen and nectar throughout the year. As you begin to narrow down the types of plants that do best in your growing zone, select ones with bee-attracting colors, also check to see when they will flower. Ideally, you’ll want to have plants that flower in the spring and summer, along with those who produce blossoms in the fall and winter. Daylilies and the Lile of the Nile are both perennials and will be ready to produce blossoms again next year.

Re-think insecticides

Along with helpful insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs, there are also mosquitoes and other insects that we definitely do not like! However, the over-use of insecticides will also poison bees. Before reaching for an insecticide, do some research and try a natural remedy first.

Add a simple water-feature

During long, dry seasons, beekeepers have to make sure there is plenty of water in the form of a pond, fountain, pool, bird bath, or other water feature. Even bowls or jars of water are better than nothing for helping keep bees hydrated.  Since bees can drown in water, add stones and pebbles to shallow dishes to prevent them from falling in water and being unable to get out.  

What have you done to reduce your carbon footprint in the last 10 months?

I’ve reduced the amount of takeaway coffee cups I use (but with COVID some coffee shops stopped accepting keepcups so that was difficult).

I’ve stopped buying prepacked lunches from Tesco and make my own lunch to bring with me to work in a lunchbox.

I’ve left my job that involved a commute so I can walk/cycle to work easily, saving the planet and my bank account! Was spending easily €100 on transport a month…

I’ve been bringing my own bags to supermarkets to do my shopping. My housemates still buy bags but I’ll reuse them and give out to them haha

I don’t think I’ve bought a plastic water bottle in over two years now, I bring my reusable water bottle everywhere, even on holidays.

Get yourself a cute little infuser!