Home garden=kids eat more veggies!

We have had a home vegetable garden for maybe five or six years now. We don't have a big yard; our front yard is mostly paved driveway with trees and plants along the fence, and the backyard is mostly an aggregate patio with some dirt areas near the back fence. There was a large metal storage shed in the corner of our backyard when we bought our home. It added no interest to our yard and was a place to collect junk that we'd forget was in there as soon as we put it inside. So, several years back, we got rid of the shed and Nate built pretty raised planter beds on the concrete slab that had been beneath the shed. Last summer, Nate built a three-tiered planter along the fence near the first garden. It's not a huge space by any means, but I love it!

Having a vegetable garden is so great for kids and encourages the whole family to value and enjoy eating fresh produce. My kids love to go to our local nursery and pick out plants for our garden. Helping to do the planting of the veggies is an especially wonderful experience for them. Kids get to see firsthand how plants, and vegetables, grow and change. They get to pick food right from the plant and, often, just pop it into their mouth, as they do with the little tomatoes in our garden. I think that seeing how the food grows and is "harvested" in our own little garden can help children connect to the bigger agricultural picture and begin to imagine where other fruits and vegetables come from.

I've also noticed that my kids will try, and grow to enjoy, foods they might not have been interested in. I remember last summer when I would take care of my, then 1 1/2 year old, niece, Caitlyn, three days a week. We had a good crop of cherry tomatoes growing along our driveway, right next to where I'd park my minivan. Before our tomatoes began to ripen, Caitlyn would not eat tomatoes in salads, on their own, or in any manner. As the first weeks of tomato season began to pass and Caitlyn saw my kids and I grab a couple of tomatoes from the plant while we entered and exited the car, she became curious and finally tried one. Soon, she was wiping out my supply of tomatoes!

My kids love to have the contents of the garden at their fingertips. This summer they spent hours playing in the backyard, picking tomatoes and washing them with the garden hose. Last week they borrowed a plastic knife and some bowls from the kitchen and cut a bunch of tomatoes in half for them to eat. Braeden likes to make "cilantro sandwiches," as he calls them, consisting of a lettuce leaf rolled up with cilantro inside. It's exciting for them to eat the food from the garden, especially if they get to pick it themselves. It's also a great element for them to incorporate into their pretend play.

This summer we have many times consumed a delectable sandwich that has now become Kaylee's favorite sandwich. We take pieces of whole grain bread and spread one piece with Wildwood Garlic Aoili and a little mustard. Then we spread avocado on the other slice. The beauty of this sandwich is the fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes and lettuce that we put on the sandwich. Yum! Top the veggies with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and viola, you have a wonderful summertime sandwich. (Braeden and I like to sprinkle a little cayenne on ours as well.) Kaylee is quite excited when I make this sandwich for her school lunch in the fall when the tomatoes are still plentiful. (I make sure to keep the lettuce and tomato separate from the bread and let her assemble it herself in order to keep the bread from getting soggy.) I think I may make this sandwich for lunch now that I've been thinking about it!



Kaylee and Braeden enjoying our garden fresh sandwiches!
See our gorgeous tomatoes?

So, even if you have a small space to work with, try planting a garden with your children! It's economical, earth-friendly, educational and delicious...and your kids just might eat more veggies!

xo
tami

The vegan sukkah Nazi

I get to use the word Nazi 'cause I'm a Jew... : ) 

And Jews build sukkahs. Without going into a lot of detail, we celebrate Sukkot, which is a holiday best described as a Jewish Thanksgiving. The sukkah is a structure we build in the yard to commemorate the 40 years the Jews spent wandering in the desert, and we decorate it with fruit and palm leaves to celebrate the season's harvest. The best part is that we eat and sleep in it for a week! Eating in the sukkah is very important, and eating good food always jives well with veganism! 


Our sukkah is still in progress of being decorated, but here is the structure: 

We are SUPER lucky to have a group of amazing volunteers come out each year to help us build ours. These volunteers come through a Jewish network and it's everyone's first time meeting. The first year, the organization offered to provide bagels and cream cheese. I wrote back thanking them, explaining that we are vegan and that I would be happy to supply tofutti vegan cream cheese and bagels. The coordinator was super sweet, said they would supply the nosh, which they did... in addition to cow cream cheese. 


Each year since, there has been non-vegan food brought into the sukkah by the volunteers. I appreciate their help so much, it is difficult to ask them not to eat in it, especially since it is such a special part of building a sukkah (and, many times there are young toddlers eating in it). But I can't shake the feeling that it's been "contaminated"! Am I being overly dramatic? Yeah, probably. But would any of them bring non-kosher food into a kosher sukkah? I bet not! Plus, as I've written before, the kids really dislike being around non-veg foods, so it makes me feel like I'm not ensuring their own home is a "safe zone" if I stay quiet. 


So what to do? Endanger the virginity of the veg sukkah, or play the vegan sukkah Nazi? Because as I've found countless times over, it's easy for people to ignore veg requests and "forget". Meaning, I would be paranoid and guarding the structure rather than enjoying it, and really, who wants that? At the same time, there are very few vegan sanctuaries in our lives, and I'd like to keep this as one. 


I think next year I will the organization to forward a nicely worded email to the volunteers from me, hoping that will ward off the issue... and if not, suck it up and deal with it. Another way to teach the kids tolerance.... 


If you're familiar with Judaism, you're aware that many Jews keep kosher - meaning, there is no mixing of dairy and meat, and that all foods are labeled "meat", "dairy", or "parve". This means TOTAL SEPARATION of meat and milk - different dishes, sinks, refrigerators, counter tops and  those food items at all meals (yep, cheeseburgers are OUT!)  Yes, it's a TON of work! And beyond me why they aren't all just vegan - let me tell you, it makes it WAY easier! : ) 


So when the Rabbi's sons asked why my kids couldn't have the snacks they brought, I tried explaining veganism. They were young, so I just said "we don't eat any meat or dairy", knowing they would be very familiar with both terms. He looked completely perplexed until I said, "oh, we only eat parve foods without eggs or fish". He smiled and said, "oh, I get it!"


xo,
Sarah 

Tami has returned to the blog!

Please let me apologize for my long absence from the blog! First, I was quite busy with the three plus (neighbors, cousins, niece) little ones at the start of summer and so neglected the blog, then when I was feeling like I had a little more free time to write, my laptop died! My husband did his best to fix it, but he just couldn't revive the poor thing. Next, I got an itch for an iPad and after MUCH discussion with my husband, he agreed I could buy one. I was quite excited to see all that the iPad was capable of and how well it could replace a computer. Alas, I discovered the iPad is cool, but can't do everything, including write this blog!

So, then I was left without any means to attend to the blog. Months had passed since I had a convenient way to type, and I felt pretty bad to aks my husband (he does bring home the veggie bacon, after all) for another expensive gadget. But, I finally did and he eventually succumbed to my demand. So, Wednesday night, he came home with a new laptop for me! Go Nate! Now I can write to my heart's content...well, as long as housework, grocery shopping and the children allow me to!

Some of my planned entries may be a little dated now, so bear with me. And thanks for hanging around. =)

Dandies are here!!

We were picked for the contest!!  Now, to come up with a fun, unique, YUMMY project with them! Stay tuned.....

http://www.dandiescandies.com/

Horse Soccer and Slaughterhouses

My poor, poor readers. I fear I have abandoned you due to craziness of a new school year! My apologies, love, and undying devotion :-)


What's new in Vegan Land? Not much! Which is really saying something, as veganism tends to feel a demanding and dominating portion of parenting at times.

We recently went on vacation with my omni  aunt, uncle and veggie cousin. They love us and are very accepting (notice I didn't use the word 'understanding') of the vegan thing, but they don't really get it. My aunt firmly feels that it's okay to eat animals and my uncle is an avid fisherman. So, I often have to remember that acceptance and tolerance is a two-way street.

Anyways, so we're up in the mountains and my aunt has been keeping a secret surprise for us - we're going to the ranch to  watch horses playing soccer and give hay rides!

Oh, shit. My guess is that she was thinking "oh, they'll love this since they love animals so much!" Super sweet thought, and I so much appreciate the sentiment, but, umm..... no. But what's one to do? They are always so accommodating and thoughtful towards us and our lifestyle choices, and I just couldn't bring myself to turn her down. And I thought about what kind of statement it would make. Would it matter at all if I didn't attend? Besides a protest against my family, would our protest be so silent it wouldn't even matter to the animals? The answer was simple; no one would care and I would hurt others feelings.  Should I have declined? Debatable, but honestly, the guilt I feel over participating is worth the guilt I would have felt over telling my family, yet again, that they got it wrong.

So we went, and had fun. There were games and watermelon eating contests and a fun country community atmosphere. When it came time to ride the wagons, I politely declined. Since we were already there, I decided the most I could do was to help my kids - and others - realize that this was a living, breathing, feeling being. As we were waiting around, I asked if the same horse had been used all morning.... he had. The kids and I asked if we could feel him carrots and water (he was tethered and had no water!!) and the staff welcomed it. I pointed out how uncomfortable he looked with the bit in his mouth. My son decided not to ride, but my daughter did.... and liked it. She's 8, so I'm not surprised (though was a little sad). We then watched the horses play soccer (with riders on). This was hard for me, and really, I hated it. I hated that I wanted to yell at my kids and they were laughing and smiling and cheering on their favorites. I hated that I couldn't breath, waiting for one of the horses to trip over the ball. I hated watching the horses try to stay clear of the giant ball while their riders pulled and urges them towards it. I hated that the animals were being used for entertainment, and that I was allowing my kids to enjoy it.

But I guess that is okay. I think it's important that they see these things, to understand why I don;t agree with t\hem. It's vital they develop their own thoughts, opinions, and ideas around animal and human interactions. Like any other parent, I will pass down my values to them, but in the end, it is their choice.

Later, when we were driving home, I pointed out the things that made me concerned for the animals safety. I pointed out that the animals didn't seem very happy. Any my beautifully strong willed eight year old disagreed - she doesn't think the horses would play if they didn't want to and she thought they did look pretty happy.

Does this mean there are burgers in her future? Sigh... only after our field trip to the slaughter house!

xo,
Sarah

Ringling Protest

"It is better to light one single candle than to curse the darkness." 

Tonight, I hope we can say that we helped light the bulb in one person's mind to think about the suffering animals endure for their entertainment. It was an amazing feeling, to be surrounded by people - veg, non-veg, all compassionate - working to help protect future generations of animals from the suffering the ones enslaved by Ringling Brothers (or, as Dylan is now calling them, the Ding-a-ling Brothers) currently are living with. 

It's only our second protest, and I did have some reservations about bringing the kids (and thoughts of what the HELL am I doing? This is gonna cost me in therapy sessions for sure), but I am SO glad I did.  Kids are gigantically more persuasive than adults are, especially with other kids. It was fabulous to see people taking the pamphlets, reading our signs, and hopefully, considering their actions. In the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." 

Not to say advocacy is without repercussions. Some people, frankly, just suck. Dylan, my amazing, outspoken, righteous child had comments such as "damn, too bad I forgot my ivory knife at home" and "do NOT get in between me and my children" aimed at him.  Passionate as he is, he just said "Mom, that's okay, maybe the next one will listen". We were called "sharks", made teens cry, and parents hold their children close like we were Nazi's coming to kill them. And I reminded my children to smile, say please and thank you, and watched them like a hawk. We ran into friends, acquaintances, and school mates. 

Okay, honesty time. The first time I saw a parent from the school, I turned around to my mom and said, "Crap! (okay, maybe it was a different 4-letter word) Hide me!" I couldn't help feeling like one of those Jesus freaks standing on the corner shouting "G*d hates gays!" Then I realized that my children were watching me (do they always have to do that?!!). And I had an amazing opportunity to show them how to be strong, live by your convictions, and be kind. I took a breath, turned around, smiled, and said "well, guess we're on opposite sides of the fence!" She smiled (kinda), we exchanged niceties, and she said "so, why aren't you going to the circus?" And I had a fantastic opening to educate - both her and my kids. 

My daughter is much shyer than her brother, and she sat quietly most of the time. I checked in with her often to make sure she was comfortable with the situation we were in, and she was, but chose not to participate. And that's okay, too. It was a hard thing for me to do - much harder when you are 8 and looking at everybody's knees : ) 

I think if you're considering taking your own kids to a protest/demonstration/advocacy event, it's important to talk to them about it. I explained why I was going to the kids, showed them pictures and videos of the abuse the animals suffer (I viewed everything first to make sure it wasn't too graphic). I explained to them how I thought we could help, and I gave them the choice to come with me. Yes, I urged them to. I also explained why some people might not want us there, say mean things, and maybe even hurt our feelings. And they handled the little bit of adversity we had thrown at us well,  because they were prepared. 

We ended the night on a fabulous note; going to our favorite veg restaurant! What more can we ask for?? And yes, my kids and Mom DO rock! 

 

 

xo,

Sarah 

Save the Elles!

Boooo!! We didn't make it to the Ringling protest last week, but we're set and ready for the San Jose protest! If you're in the area, please join us:

What: Opening-night demonstration against Ringling cruelty 
When: Wednesday, August 18, 6 p.m.
Where: HP Pavilion at San Jose, 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose (Please meet at the corner of Autumn and Santa Clara streets; see this map.)

Materials will be provided. Please bring a friend along to join you. For any questions or to RSVP, contact me at 323-351-0188 or EricD@peta.org. Please use the subject line of this e-mail when responding. Please also get in touch with me if you're interested in receiving information on leafleting and protesting at other shows while Ringling is in town!

The kids and I will for sure be there! A friend of mine who owns a shirt making business is making us some fantastic, kid-created shirts and I found elephant hats at in the dollar section at Michael's Craft store! (Yes, I have high delusions that I can get my little activists to actually wear them!) 

We're also working on two other projects: 

Chicago Soydairy, awesome amazing creators of the holy grails of vegan foods, keepers of the Dandies  vegan marshmallows, is having a contest (yahoooooo!) They're looking for creative ideas on how to use Dandies.... I submitted my ideas, but honestly, I'm no Isa Chandra  so I'm not sure how tempting they were! Stay tuned, cause if we get picked they'll be some sticky sweet treats coming your way.....!!

Dylan biting into a vegan s'more! 

         

Peta2 is also having a "Chain Yourself" photo contest! I'm still trying to tap into the super woman creative artistic photographer portion of my brain, but I do plan on entering. How about you? 

xo,

Sarah