Vancouver Area Relocalisation Network

If you read my previous post, you know I like cooking and crafting my own foods from scratch. I recently participated in a fermentation workshop led by a guy calling himself Sandor-Kraut (not sure if he came up with the name or if others thought it fit him). I later checked out his website and came across this article, which discusses small-scale economies with relation to a couple lacto-fermented food products that the author likes to experiment with, root beer and ginger soda. In it, he explains why he refuses to scale his production up and make a commercial venture out of the product, as friends and family have suggested. I completely agree with his view on the value of small-scale production and thought the use of an actual product or business idea as an example helped explain the economic side of things really well. Check out www.wildfermentation.com for more on fermentation in general.

If you like DIY projects and getting your hands dirty in the garden, if you let Laura Ingalls Wilder take you away to a magical place as a kid, here's a website you should definitely check out: www.homegrownevolution.com. Mr. and Mrs. Homegrown Evolution, as they refer to themselves, are a couple of "urban homesteaders," gleaning as much sustenance from the land that an average residential plot in Los Angeles will allow. I'm hooked! I can't wait to see if Mrs. Homegrown Evolution gets the fermentation of wild grape leaves just right!