Waste Not

One of the things I enjoy about raising chickens and goats is their role as instant-composters.  We have a small compost pile, but I use it only for moldy food and manure.  Almost all of our food waste is used to supplement our animal feed.  Though we try to eat what we grow and buy from local sources, there are definitely some exceptions that we make, like bananas and avocados.  So, in addtion to any leftover greens, our goats LOVE to eat our banana and avocado peels, along with tamale husks.  The chickens eat all grain-based leftovers, cheese, potatoes, legumes and cooked veggies.  We give them leftover cooked eggs and crushed eggshells, and if I ever drop an egg in the coop, they rush over to devour it because it is full of nutrition.

As for any meat scraps, the dogs and cats are happy to take care of those.  Whenever I cook a chicken (purchased from Barnyard Gardens in Shelton, WA www.barnyardgardens.com) I usually use the white meat as a main dish the first night, the dark meat incorporated into a dish the second night, then I boil the rest to make broth and peel every bit of the yucky meat from the bones as treats for our indoor pets.

When we tend the garden, we toss the weeds over the fence to the goats and chickens to munch on.  By the time they finish processing all of this waste, it is well on it's way to nutrient-rich compost.  We cut down on feed costs, the animals enjoy a yummier, more nutritious diet, and we don't send any of it to the dump.

New Project

Last week, I received a call to let me know that I had been chosen as one of two artists creating projects for a Senior Center/Food Bank. I've been applying for public art projects for a couple of years now, and have become accustomed to rejection. This opportunity is very exciting for me. Although the project is small, it feels like a step in the right direction, and it promises to be especially fun.

Today, I drove north to meet with part of the committee to discuss timeline, contract, size, function and placement. The Senior Center has been busy each time I've visited, filled with people who seem very happy to congregate, play games, and have coffee together. Most impressive is their one-year-old community garden, which is outstanding. There is an arched entry, walkways, raised beds, compost bins, and today there was a group of people building a shed. It has all been built entirely by volunteers, and they tell me that they are able to distribute free organic produce to many needy people during the summer. They are now in progress on a food bank, and have received small grants to add some artwork to the space.

So far, working with this group has been great. The seniors using the center are so friendly, sweet, and excited about the artwork! I am hoping to incorporate a mosaic workshop so that they feel more personally engaged with the panel that will be mounted in front of the center this spring. I don't begin work on this until March, but I am really looking forward to it.

PS: The image is from a previous intallation. I just wanted to add visual interest.