Wanna-Be-Granola-Girl

I am a city girl at heart. I love my car, hair products, nice clothes, nail polish, central air, convenient foods and convenient life. I do not come naturally to all-things-green! But secretly I'm a Wanna-Be-Granola-Girl. There. I said it. Cat's out of the bag. So short of quitting my job and moving to a hobby farm to live the kind of sustainable life that I haven't a clue about, what's a city girl to do?

Well, I'll tell you! For starters here's what's on my plate for the next few months:

1. Join a CSA. For you other not-yet-so-green-city-dwellers that's short for Community Supported Agriculture. You sign up with a local farm to have farm fresh goodies delivered to a spot near you, usually weekly. I joined Harmony Valley Farm and will get organic veggies every other week, organic fruit on the opposite weeks, and once-a-month organic cheese. Yummy! (I think!?) Last week we got our first box of goodies and I have to confess I had never even heard of some of the items it contained: Parsnips, Chives, Salad Greens, Sorrel, Arugula, Ramps, Sunchokes, Black Radishes, Spinach, and Asparagus. Our cheese share contained organic cheddar, mozzarella and blue cheese.

2. Start composting - I'm attending my first how-to workshop next week hosted by our local recycling center. I'll bring home my first compost bin (deeply discounted through the recycling center) and let ya know how it goes!

3. Beef up my gardening skills to grow more of my own food. Sure I've done the usual tomatoes, peppers, and herbs, but I'm a pretty new gardener and not that adventurous. I'm just starting to put in my first "square foot gardens" and hope that this method is really as easy as it sounds! I've bought tomatoes, chives, leeks, onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, several varieties of lettuce, and several herbs to plant.

4. Bike Commuting. I'm not sure how many miles it is from my home in Saint Paul to downtown Minneaoplis where I work, but within the next few weeks I'll start bike commuting. My four-year-old's preschool is close to home so I don't anticipate any logistics problems. And the exercise will be amazingly good for me! I've got a biker friend who will help me get outfitted and plan my route.

5. Cloth Diapering, the ultimate adventure for a city-girl-gone-mommy!! My partner and I are expecting identical twin boys at the end of the summer and are already signed up for the one and only cloth diaper service in town. Just thinking of the cost of disposables for two makes me more than willing to give cloth a try. I'll be sure to keep you posted on this one when we get there!

Is that enough for ya? It is for me, for now at least! Check back for more posts as I embark on my green adventures. Next up will be recipes from my CSA adventure!