The Battle of Plum Creek Park

The Kent Parks and Recreation Department, along with the City Engineer's office held a community meeting last week about what to do with the stretch of Plum Creek that runs through the parks by the same name. The Record Courier (inaccurately) covered it in this story. Basically, the culvert through which the creek passes under Mogadore Road is in poor condition, and in need of repair. There are four alternatives, ranging from doing nothing to repairing the culvert, removing the dam, and restoring the stream (Alternative 3). Alternative 3 would include minimal cost to the city both short and long term, thanks in part to stimulus money and money for the water improvement that this project would bring about. Also of note is that this dam is one of the few remaining impediments on tributaries of the Cuyahoga River, so removing the dam at this point would help to improve water quality of the Crooked River. You can see the plans in the pictures below, just click on them to see the full size.

"If this project is such a no-brainer, where's the battle?" you might ask. Well, on the other side of the creek from the park. There are a number of houses which lie across the stream from the park right now, and the homeowners have expressed concern about flooding (which will decrease with the improved stream function, but they don't see that), and trespassing on their property. One homeowner apparently has already found a pistol in his back yard, and this is before the improvements (mind you, he admitted it was never reported to the police- me thinks me smells a fish). These same residents would most likely see an increase in their home value thanks to the improved park, but I haven't heard any of them mentioning that. Restoration of the stream should also limit the number of Canada's Geese and mosquitoes there, by restoring some normalcy to the functioning of the stream- both of which are good things for aesthetics- but alas, not being mentioned by the home owners.

My son and I frequent Plum Creek Park, and you can bet we'll be there even more the next couple of weeks (gathering signatures to present to city council in support of Plum Creek Park Alternative 3 while we play, in case you're wondering). There's a great diversity of people that come to the park- all income levels, lots of different cultures, babies up to senior citizens. Not to mention the ball fields as well. If you want to see a great park made even better, and the greater city of Kent benefiting in numerous ways, might I suggest you come check us out at the park? And if you feel like doing something good, feel free to write to your city council member and let them know you support Alternative 3, or let me know and I can provide you with a pre-written letter.





Also, stop by Kitchen Stewardship and see a couple of fun prizes she's giving away.

Doing good can taste great!

OK, time for a picture post. All the foods seen in here- I grew! Well, except the pierogies. I don't have a pierogie bush, unfortunately. Or pie-tree. Or ice cream plant. I think that's probably a good thing. But all of the veggies in here are from our garden. All other ingredients are from within 30 miles. And all organic. And all delicious. It was a home-made day, entirely!

Ken enjoying pierogies and veggies.

Pierogies, zucchini, collards, turnip greens, garlic scapes, and peas. Crazy early zucchini, but small (plant and fruit). Volunteer from the compost heap.

Home made granola! Proving that I'm a hippie.

Lasagna leftovers from the other night.

Salad!

And the finishing touch- PIE A'LA MODE!

Sneak Peak at the Heritage Festival

Hopefully by now, we all know that the planet is our responsibility and it is our job as humans to do what we can to keep this planet clean- we only have one, remember.
So to that end, this little brochure was created. In case you weren’t aware, some of the food you buy in the grocer has traveled farther in its life than you will in yours. Globalization brings not only cheap toys and cheap labor, but also cheap food. For climates like Ohio, where our growing season is limited, fresh produce is now available from all over the western hemisphere. Strawberries in December. Tomatoes in February. Whatever you want, whenever you want it.
But what’s the real cost? We know that travel takes gasoline and creates carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. We’re learning about alternative transportation and driving less. But what about your food? Can you limit how far your food travels? YES!
Eating locally and in season not only lessens how far your food has to travel, but ensures fresher food, less carbon dioxide, often healthier food (fewer nutrients lost in over-ripe food), less food waste, fewer chemicals to preserve your food for shipping, and more money kept in the local economy. For items bought at a chain store like Target or Walmart, 43 cents of every dollar stays in our community. For items bought at a locally owned store, 67 cents of every dollar stays here. For food bought direct from a local company, that number is ever higher.
Take a moment to think about what impact your diet has on the planet

A note about this information

The purpose of this is to look at and compare a diet consisting of local food, and one consisting of standard fare on the basis of food miles and ecological footprint. It does not consider cost, organic or conventional, nutrition, or any other aspect- just the carbon produced transporting your food.
What I’ve done is create a fairly basic menu for one day, using all ingredients that can be obtained easily as either local or standard variations. The menu is approximately 2200 calories, so there is room to cut calories (and carbon), or indulge in a longer after-dinner walk. I took a larger daily calorie limit so I could make sure to compare the upper limits, not a low figure.
There are plenty of concerns with food, its production, distribution, and the practices of the producers- figuring food miles is just one part of the puzzle, but it is a place to start thinking about our food and discussing some of these other paradigms as well.
All food miles were calculated using simple food miles (from the point of origin of end product to point of consumption), although the weighted average ingredient method proposed by the Leopold Center for Sustainability gives a more accurate number.
All information on how these numbers were calculated, sources for statistics, or other information you might want, as well as answers to questions, can be gotten by emailing me at LKRegula@gmail.com.

The Menu
Breakfast- Granola, yogurt, tea, dried fruit, milk.

Lunch- Sandwich (meat, bread, lettuce, cheese), fruit snack, water, carrot sticks.

Dinner- Noodles with mushroom sauce, salad, asparagus, strawberry rhubarb pie, wine.

The Grocery Lists
Granola
Saxonburg, PA (MN)
Milk
Wooster (WI)
Tea
Columbus Grove (China)
Yogurt
Akron (MN)
Dried fruit
Hiram (Westley, CA)
Mushrooms
Hopedale (NC)
Noodles

A quick one for the Kentites (Kentians? Kenters?)

Go over and vote for Haymaker Farmers' Market, and help the market win $5,000 if you haven't already! Or if you have. What's that line from Boss Koss- vote early, vote often?

Joking, just vote once, but do make sure and vote for Haymaker! Check out their blog- linked over on my blogroll. We all know Kent has the best farmers' market around...

Public Service Announcements!

First, my apologies for not writing this yesterday. For the month of May, I'm going to try a little experiment. We've been into local food for a while now, but this month I'm taking it to another level. All local, for the entire month. If it's not made less than a hundred miles from me, or sold by a local store, then it doesn't come into the house. Well, not thanks to me- I can't control what Dwight does. No Target, no Starbucks, no Dunkin Donuts, no Amazon, no Ebay- none of it. I'm excited about it. There will be some gray areas that will have to be dealt with, I know. What about Netflix? Or our internet- provided by Time Warner? Do those count? I'm sure I'll come to some conclusion, but even the exercise of considering these things should prove interesting. I invite you to try it as well. Just think what it could do for your local economy. Take back control from multi-nationals and huge chain stores.

And for the locals in Kent, especially any gardeners, I want to ask you a favor. Kent Social Services and the Miller Community House are really feeling crunched right now, as are most providers of social services. Their demand is increasing, while their funding is shrinking. I'm asking you to donate any extra produce that you might have as it comes in. We're heading into the full-on growing season, and I know some of you will have planted more zucchini than you could ever try to eat. I probably did, too. Some of that delicious bounty, consider offering it to others in need. Because, really, doesn't everyone deserve fresh, nutritious, local food? Even if you're not in Kent, consider doing it for a group in your community. If you're not sure where, give me a buzz and I'll do a little charity-forensics.

And, finally another one for the locals. Blue Moon Co-Op is getting a little sparse and could use some help. If you're looking for reasonably priced, quality food, Frankferd Farms is a regional company that is a huge find. They're in Pennsylvanis, granted, but they deliver to Kent once every four weeks. Dry goods, canned foods, some produce, dairy, and meat substitutes; organic or conventional- none of it drek. Real food. Decent prices. By the individual or case. Check out their catalog at www.frankferd.com, or ask me, I've got extra hard copies. I can give you all the details on delivery and how to order. You can also call Pam at Frankferd and she'll have a real conversation with you about what they do and why they do it. My plan is to try and get things a little more organized so we can work out case sharing or social stuff for our little group as well, but that's still in the works- more info to come later.

That's all I wanted to chat about for now, and I hope some of these thoughts spark something in you and encourage you to think about what you buy and where you buy it, and who your habits help the most. Not to mention, are there any habits you can change.

Farewell, and hope you're looking forward to Haymaker's Farm Market as much as I am!