Virtual Love and Hugs on VDay

Vday is an international organization dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. The organization, which was founded by author and activist, Eve Ensler, just announced the opening of The City of Joy in the Congo, a much-needed community of hope for female Congolese survivors of gender violence. On this day of love, visit Vday's website and join the nonviolent movement that matters to us all.

Get a Deal and Do Something Good

Many of you might already be familiar with websites like Groupon and Living Social that send out a daily deal for everything from discounted bar grub to two-for-one music lessons in your city or town. But what if you could get a deal and contribute to a worthy, local cause at the same time? 

Thanks to the Ideal Network, you can. It works the same way as Groupon or Living Social (you spend $15 or $20 bucks and get a voucher worth twice as much on the daily deal) with one notable exception; 20-25% of the money you spend goes toward a worthy cause in your area. So check it out, nab a deal, and do some good.

Seasonal Cooking and Harvesting Hope

My new favorite blog, Harvesting Hope, also happens to be written by Ten Ways world changer, Anne DeMelle.

Anne is an amazing cook, and many of her posts center around her cooking ventures. Like me, she strives to eat healthy, seasonal food, and this recent meal got rave reviews. Last night, after checking my fridge for the requisite greens (these recipes called for spinach and escarole, but I substituted kale and baby bok choy), I gave these recipes a try. A lot of the ingredients from this recipe came from local sources, including the farro, bok choy, and kale that I picked up at the farmers market.



 On Anne's advice, I added blue cheese to the farro, and the results were delicious. I plan on continuing to read her blog for more cooking and gardening tips. She's also in the process of becoming a master gardener, and she is going to guest blog on Weekly Way about some of those experiences too. Look for Anne's posts in the coming weeks, and check out her blog for more seasonal, delicious recipe ideas.

MLK Day of Service

Monday is the 25th anniversary of the holiday, and it is also a national day of service. Visit the MLK Day of Service website to find a volunteering project near you. Working on Monday or heading out of town for the long weekend? No worries; this website has resources to help you find a service project to participate in throughout the year.

What You Can Do to Prevent Another Oil Drilling Disaster

On Tuesday, the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling released its full report. Many recommendations were made with regard to restoration and safety in the Gulf. It is now up to the government to implement these recommendations. 

The Gulf Restoration Network has started a petition to send to the White House and Congress, which encourages them to take action on these important findings. Please join me in asking our leaders to take steps to restore the Gulf and implement safety measures that will help to prevent a disaster like this from ever taking place again.

Gratitude.

With a new year of adventures to look forward to, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all of the Ten Ways and Weekly Way readers, to all those who comment and share on the Ten Ways Facebook page, to all of my fellow Party with a Purpose planners, to all of the supportive students and teachers at the MFA program at Antioch University, to all of my incredible, adventurous friends, and to all of the inspiring students I've encountered while speaking at colleges and universities everywhere from Kansas to New York to California.

First Official High Five of 2011

Your energy, ideas, and results are constant reminders that all of our efforts to make the world a better place are making a difference. From eating locally to volunteering to supporting your favorite local or far-flung nonprofit, there are millions of ways for all of us to change the world.

Here's to using our energy, creativity, and compassion to find more innovative and effective ways to change the world in 2011.

Can Do, Part Two!

Some of my more loyal readers may know that this year marks both my two-year friendiversary and my two-year canniversary with my friend, Anne. She's one of my heroes when it comes to  sustainable living, and our first friend date two summers ago was a marathon canning session that yielded inedible blackberry jam, very edible frozen blackberries, and somewhat edible canned tomatoes.



Early attempts to pickle using magic were unsuccessful

However, not ones to be easily deterred, we decided to embark on another canning adventure this year. After all, preserving food is one of the best ways to supply yourself with a diverse, local diet year-round. This time, we decided to learn from our mistakes and tried not to tackle more than we could handle. We headed to a local farm a few days before the canning date to pick green beans, cucumbers, and dill for our dilly beans and fridge pickles. In a clutch division of labor (and if successful, bounty) decision, we also invited a few friends over to help.


This time we were extra dill-igent in our measurements

Anne had gathered a few books since our last canning adventure, and she'd found recipes for "Fresh Pack Refrigerator Dill Pickles" in The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Constenbader and one for "Dilly Beans" in Putting Food ByPutting Food By: Fifth Edition by Ruth Hertzberg, Janet Greene, and Beatrice Vaughan.

Beanpole cuts string bean... I love you Nick!

Armed with recipes and reinforcements, we chose a Sunday afternoon for our adventure. We sterilized jars, followed directions, and just a few short hours later, had several jars of dilly beans and pickles to take home. We had to wait a few weeks to eat our pickles (best breaded, fried, and dipped in buttermilk dressing) and our dilly beans (best straight from the jar or as garnish in a Bloody Mary), but both were totally edible! However, a word of warning...the pickles were only supposed to last a few weeks, and we all learned the hard way that this was true. Enjoy them when ready to eat!

This summer has also brought a bounty of FoodSavers to our lives (thanks mom-in-law!), making it easy to preserve fruit. My freezer is currently filled with raspberries, blueberries, cherries, rhubarbs, and peaches, all of which I'll be grateful for during the dark months of winter! I'm excited to break out my first batch batch of frozen fruit at Thanksgiving.

Who knows what follies next year's canning endeavors will hold, but I promise to keep you posted. Please post your favorite canning tips, disasters, and recipes for all of the Weekly Way readers to enjoy!

 

New assistants! New products! Modestly new results!