So one of my goals for this year is to get off corporate food. Like ENTIRELY. Actually, my goal is to get off everything corporate.
I know. I've sort of lost it, right?
I am just SO OVER IT, this greedy big business capitalism thing. It's started to stink, and I can't ignore it any more.

Anyway, I'm focusing mainly on food because it's doable and lots more practical and immediate than, say, not buying gas or electricity or that kind of thing.
And in pursuit of this goal, I've had to find alternatives to the major label organic canned and dairy foods I have been used to buying. We eat little to no processed food which definitely makes things easier, but still. I shall not name names, here, but did you know that by far MOST of the most popular organic brands are owned by just a few corporate food giants? Now I'm not sure how that sits with you and I'll spare you my rant about the many reasons why I find it objectionable. Let's just say that what it really boils down to for me, I think, is that I have a problem with with the intentions of these companies.

So my problem has become finding smaller, non-corporate label organics to replace the things I use regularly like canned tomato products, yogurt, canned beans and the like. They're out there but in my case, harder to get by being farther away which, realistically for my life, is not something I want to commit to chasing down every week. Plus there's less to choose from as far as varieties in these brands.

My solution to this, ironically, has been to decide to make even more work for myself, and all of this also happens to coincide with me deciding that this is the year I need to get on the vegetable gardening bus, like for real. So I have a grand and abundant garden plotted and in the works, the plan being to grow and can/freeze enough of the staple items to last a year.

In my head, that is.
And have I mentioned I've never canned anything before much less had the opportunity to vegetable garden on a non-space restricted scale?

bwaaaaahhhhhaaaa


Here's the extent of "the garden" so far:

and a first foray into the great outdoors, making good use of my new (at long last) patio furniture:

Turns out seeds do work as advertised, and if I can keep them away from the punkass M-Ah muncher long enough to get them established outside, I'll be cheering, because there have already been a few casualities. What is it with cats and grassy young plants?

Incidentally, the facts above about corporate food also apply to seeds which is exponentially more scary. If you're a gardener, take a chance to read up on it and choose your suppliers accordingly.

Here's how I've solved the yogurt procurement dilemma:

I'm calling that my yogurt baby. It's my first. I hope it grows up to be healthy.