During our recent travels abroad, I noticed myself embarrassed to be an American. There are reasons I have felt this way earlier in my life, when I spent time abroad in the early 2000’s, but this past year, with the US under the Trump administration, the feeling was way more pronounced. When walking in the…
Author: Carla Seidl
In Search of Bulk Yogurt
While living in a large town in Azerbaijan in 2007-2008, I remember going to purchase yogurt from women at a street stall (this was the only place, outside of a home, it could be found). I had to be taught that I couldn’t come empty-handed; I had to bring my own large glass jar, known…
Baking Local
A few years ago, I wrote an article and created a radio piece about the women millers at Carolina Ground, a flour mill here in Asheville. During the interviews and research, I was appalled to learn that, in the interest of shelf life, your standard, industrially produced flour has almost all of its nutrients taken…
Adventures in Plant Milk Making
Last year around this time I started experimenting with making almond milk at home. I was surprised at how easy it was: you basically just soak almonds, put them in a blender with water, and then strain through a cheese cloth or other fabric. I liked how empowering this felt, to be able to whip…
Bathtime Serenade
I haven’t been playing a lot of music these days, but the one time I always do get out my guitar is during my daughter’s baths. I remember how my mom would always sit on the toilet seat with her guitar and serenade me while I was in the tub, and I feel called to…
Pasta Sauce in Glass or Plastic: Which to Choose?
The pasta sauce selection is pretty big in most American supermarkets. While I don’t often go looking for this item, preferring to make my own sauces when I can, there are times when the convenience of that jar of tomato sauce to put over my ravioli or spaghetti beckons. I first look to the ingredients…
Veggies First
It used to be that when thinking of what to have for dinner, I would think first about what protein, or what grain or bread product, to prepare. I know that for many Americans, the tendency is to think about what meat—as in, “What’s for dinner?” “Pork chops.” Or, “We’re having hamburgers for dinner.” But…
Why Unschooling?
Our new lifestyle of homeschooling (and under that official umbrella, unschooling) is in some ways influenced by my own school experiences, which were fairly competitive and intense. With the exception of music, foreign languages, and sometimes math and science, I did not enjoy any of my classes in high school. And yet, nearly all of…
Linking Thermostat and Weather
On a cold day like today, I am reminded of something that I’ve been thinking of on and off — a practice that seems intuitive to me, but I think is not widely used: adjusting one’s thermostat based on outside temperature. Now, clearly people do this to some extent, for instance, in the fall, waiting…
Wearing Something Out
I love the feeling of getting every last bit out of a jar, or a toothpaste tube, or of wearing a piece of clothing out. In that moment, I honor the life of the thing that is expiring, appreciating the gift of utility it has granted me. I feel that I, too, have been useful,…