October 7, 2011 {Friday Five}

Friday Five ButtonThings I'm loving right now:

1. Early autumn is my favorite part of my favorite season and save for sad apples, this one has been lovely so far.

2. I recently downloaded the free CardioTrainer app on my outdated android phone. It tracks workout distance, route, time, steps, etc. in a very easy to use and reliable interface. Lil and I are having fun seeing how far we walk and I'm sneaking in some math lessons when we compare distance and speed.

3. Did you watch Ken Burn's Prohibition? I learned so much and was entertained to boot. Watch for free through PBS, linked above.

merrell body glove4. My walks are made a thousand times better by the Merrell Women's Barefoot Pure Glove. I have arches and insteps as high a campus student at 4:20 and struggle to find shoes that fit. These are basically like socks with soles and I love the weightless protection. I don't understand why they cost $90, but that's a matter to discuss another day.

5. We are leaving in a few hours to go backpacking in Hocking Hills. The area is beautiful in all weather but today's forecast sunshine and mild temperatures is perfect. Tomorrow, Athen's Farmer's Market!

Bites October 2011

Dig in with your knife and fork - early October serves up a full plate of Columbus food news! local is growing 20111. Local Foods Week starts Friday with a happy hour at restaurants around the city benefiting Local Matters. Festivities continue October 1 - 8 with events as diverse as an urban farming forum at the Wex to local drink tasting at House Wine to the culminating Harvest Dinner and Ball and Market to Market ride. Head over to the Eat Local Ohio site to find the activities that match your calendar and budget.

2. Local radio station WCBE turned 55 on Monday. Happy Birthday 90.5! A documentary about their history will be screened on Monday October 10 from 5:30-8:30 at Shadowbox. Notable for promoting local music and events, WCBE is also host to Foodcast, a radio show about all things edible in Columbus. Tune in at 2:01 on Saturdays or listen to archives and read notes on the Foodcast website.

3. Carole at ChopSizzlePop is seeking interview questions for her newest blog feature, "Ask the Chef". The first "chef" (who claims he is just a home cook) is Cleveland native Michael Ruhlman. I submitted my question; head over to the ChopSizzlePop page to ask yours.

4. Columbus Underground celebrates their 10th anniversary of being the go-to source for independent online news this October. Walker and company have scheduled a slew of celebratory events including new flavor launches from Sugardaddy's and Vienna Ice Cafe listed on the 10th anniversary messageboard thread. Huge kudos to the CU team for featuring the best of Columbus every day!

5. Franklin Park's Hungry Planet exhibition and events continue in October with a Live-fire demo October 2, food truck court on October 9 and Wednesday 'Food for Thought' lecture series.

6. The latest art exhibition at Brother's Drake is Yummy! an explosion of food and art. The opening reception is this Saturday, October 1 from 7-11 pm featuring nosh from local and independent folks and a raffle benefiting Mid Ohio Food Bank. The exhibit will continue through October 23.

7. Celebrate Local, a pop-up holiday shop featuring Ohio produced foods and gifts, opens Saturday. The non-profit store will be located in the former Harry and David store at Easton. Tomorrow, I'll post a preview of the Celebrate Local.

I must apologize in advance for light posting over the next week. I am teaching four classes in the next seven days and will celebrate my own birthday on the 9th. You can see me in person at the Family Pasta and Sauce class this Sunday or the Applicious Culinary class on Thursday October 6. Contact me to register for either.

Why We Walk Alleys {Friday Five}

rainy clintonville neighborhood alleyNow that the 90 degree days are past, we are getting back into our routine of daily walks. After dinner, or sometimes during the day, we grab the hounds' leashes and take off. Unless we have somewhere particular to go, we walk in the alleys between each block of our neighborhood. blue berries in alleyWe love alley walking because:

1) there are fewer other dogs and people for our dogs to bark at. 1a) Most families keep large trash cans in the alleys for easy poop bag disposal.

2) peering over fences allows us to enjoy the backyard gardens many neighbors tend. We love divining inspiration and comparing homegrown veggies.

3) we find treasures. There is a South Clintonville tradition of leaving useful but unwanted items in the alley for walkers and pickers to discover. Most recently we claimed a wooden crate for the chicken coop redesign.

4) there isn't much traffic on alleys, so they are safer for Lil and the dogs.

5) we see cool things, like this week when we spied crazy blue berries (a friend on Google plus identified them as the invasive porcelain berry) and a yellow buckeye tree. Who knew these things existed, and just around the corner from us?

Johnny Appleseed Museum Urbana, Ohio {Profile}

As we were driving out of Urbana after our walk at Cedar Bog and trip to Freshwater Farm, the city pulled us in again. My apple-loving self spied a sign for the Johnny Appleseed Museum and had to follow it. playing games around apple shaped tableThe one room museum is nestled in Bailey Hall at Urbana University. Bailey Hall is the first building on the right on top of the hill as you enter Urbana University, a fact I wish I'd known as we circled around the tiny campus several time before locating it.

Stepping into the small museum, I expected we might stay 15 minutes, maybe 20. Thanks to recent renovations that include interactive displays and games, tired Lil, Anna and I stayed about an hour.

We chatted with other guests, watched the classic Disney short on Appleseed, played apple games on their awesome apple tables (I want!) and read well illustrated signs about Chapman's work as an apple grower and Swedenborg missionary. (There is a Swedenborg bent, as the University is affiliated with the Swedenborg movement and the church helped fund the museum renovation.) We also enjoyed the displays of Johnny Appleseed memorabilia.

johnny chapman diplay at urbana museumI learned that Appleseed was an herbalist who advised early settlers about plants that can heal. I read about where Chapman visited Ohio and enjoyed the pictures of Appleseed trees, including several on the Urbana University campus. I did not take time to page through the wall of additional texts and resource binders available to researchers and teachers.

What I appreciated most about the Urbana Johnny Appleseed Museum was the way in which the legend and truth were presented side by side to let visitors discover what was embellishment and fact.

If you go:

  • Visit Tues-Fri, from 10 to 2pm; Sat, noon to 4pm or by appointment.
  • Study up about Appleseed before your visit.
  • Be ready to browse their small but well curated gift and book shop.
  • Consider bringing a cash donation to support the museum.

Johnny Appleseed Museum on Urbana University Campus Bailey Hall 579 College Way, Urbana, OH Urbana, Ohio 43078

Phone: 937-484-1303

 Read about our whole day in Urbana, Ohio.

Family Wellness {Sponsored}

Thanks to Walgreens for sponsoring my writing. Help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote.

chamomile flowers soaking in honey natural cough syrupThe last year has been one of the worst for my personal health, with a slew of sinus infections and most recently an allergy diagnosis. Lil had her share of colds and Alex spent a good amount of time at the doctor dealing with his log splitting accident this year too. It wasn't a great one for our family who aspires to live naturally.

That's why as we head into the fall, we are making some changes to better our family wellness.

We are working on the preventative side by exercising as a family more often. We're taking long walks with the dogs as often as possible and having dance parties or doing floor exercises when the weather is poor. Lil and I checked out the Worthington Rec Center indoor pool last week based on the review by Cbus Mom. We'll definitely return when temperatures drop.

Lil and I made a chart to track how many days each family member eats five servings of fruits and vegetables. We are a slightly competitive family; charting our healthy food intake will certainly result in better eating.

We are also taking steps to prevent illness by ridding our home of allergenic carpet and soft furniture. A new linen washing routine will remove even more allergens. And we all have our minds on safety when Alex picks up the axe (his fancy new Wetterlings axe) these days.

On the reactive angle, we are stocking up on natural remedies for common winter concerns like sore throats and sniffles. We dried homegrown mint and chamomile for soothing teas. Some of our garden's chamomile flowers are soaking in raw honey for an all-natural cough syrup that actually works - honey has scientifically documented curative properties.

Only time will tell if our new efforts lead to better overall wellness. In the meantime, I'm curious: How do you maintain family health?

 

Don't forget to help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.