Garbage

Remember back when there was one garbage can in the kitchen and one big can in the garage that Dad or Brother would haul to the curb for weekly pickup? Or, perhaps you remember a weekly trip to the dump where household trash could be left for scroungers before the dump crew burned the pit? Maybe you even remember your own family having a burn pit for the occasional odd items considered garbage.

Nowadays, most households have many garbage containers: one for recyclable paper, one for recyclable aluminum, one for recyclable glass, one for wishcyclable plastics, one for compostable food waste, and one for "garbage" (the stuff that doesn't fit into any of these categories). Of course, there is "Spring Cleanup" for pharmaceuticals, cleaning solvents, old paint, electronics, etc.

WE HAVE SO MUCH GARBAGE!

On the farm, I am happy to say that garbage management is a bit less cumbersome than in the city in terms of quantity, but a bit of rigamarole in terms of practice.

First off, if I don't consume too much processed packaged foods, I see a sharp decrease in my plastics or otherwise recyclable garbage. Second, food waste of all varieties can either be composted or just chucked out the door for one of the critters to enjoy. There is NEVER food waste on the farm. Third, all paper (and this is a decreasing item) that comes to the farm is used either for firestarter in the wood stove or burned in the barrel out back. Anything metal gets saved and hauled to one of the metal recycling outfits. (In the city I never knew of this, but William's metal recycling has proven to be a nice addition to his farm income here and there.) A couple times a year I drop basic recycling like aluminum and glass in the township bins on my way to town. Every couple of weeks if I have a small bag of plastic and garbage, I drop it in a receptacle at the gas station or grocery store.

I don't have garbage service, no bins to chase after in the wind or heave out of a snowplowed berm, and I'd say garbage management is pretty manageable here on the farm...and kind of fun to play the game with myself, "How can I have as little garbage as possible?"

Farm Store

We have some new items: seed potatoes, maple syrup, cookies, ice cream...and a whole lot of our other treasures. The store smells like an exotic spice shop with two blends of Iranian seasonings that taste great on roasted veggies, added to stews or sprinkled on any roasted meat. I'm always looking for world flavors to make our offerings a bit out of the ordinary for Western Wisconsin.

Happy Spring!

Sending love from the farm,

Sarah