Showing posts with label Indiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indiana. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Black Market Produce


... An Anarchists' Answer to Capitalized Food.



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Over the years I have struggled to understand why we need more and more government when it comes to the things we eat. Over the last year I have been building a small urban farm that is growing hard to find foods. I grow Gia Lan and other oriental vegetables that are far to costly or impossible to find here in Indiana. And now it seems that government and the people who run it are making it impossible to sell those products.
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That is why I'm starting a "Black Market" for my produce. I'm simply just skipping the miles of red tape and the socialist style leadership of the local Farmers' Markets. In simple terms I'm just going to sell the produce to the consumer without government permission.
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You don't pay taxes when you buy your produce at the local supermarkets here. You don't need to ask the local Marsh if they have a permit to sell edible goods. You aren't required to see the local Meijer's insurance information to purchase your cabbage.
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That is why I'm inviting those here, north of Indianapolis, to inquire about the produce I grow. Without the need to pay local governments' insurance I can lower my prices. Without the need to pay nearly five times the worth of my crop out in fines and fees I can lower my prices. Simply put, cutting out the government and their minions, I have lower prices.
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Note, the cartoon above is not mine nor did I purchase it from its original owner... just to add to the seemingly illegal activities of the day.
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On a different note I should explain what an Urban Farm is. Its based on making a simple garden into a much more productive and much more expansive practice. In doing this I grow more than any family could consume in a given season (instead of four or five tomato plants I use sixty). This produce is then harvested not simply as needed but in much the same manner as a small farm, on set days that are put in place for days of sale.
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Every inch of unused space is used for growing edible plants (herbs, vegetables, and fruit). Every plant I raise comes from seed or root starts. And most importantly, I do not use chemicals in any way. No herbicides, pesticides, or artificial fertilizer.
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Plant foods used are all based upon decomposed plant matter or worm castings. This decreases the plants need for more and more artificial food sources which compose the mass produced chemical fertilizers. It also grows stronger and better plants while keeping the soil clean and healthy.
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I collect rain water and thus do not need to water my plants from city water sources. This practice is complemented by the practice of irrigation that mimics or reproduces the methods that have been used for centuries. Trenching and mounding is complemented even more by using old coke bottles buried in the soil where rain water goes directly to the plants' roots.
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Other methods of "organic" style farming are implemented to break up the pest insects' life spans. This keeps me from needed to use chemicals to kill the pest. I then build ecosystems that foster the growth of beneficial insects and animals. This adds to the inhospitable environment for the destructive insect populations.
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Sound like a practice you can support? Don't worry, it isn't totally illegal. It is just not the method of selling produce that the government has manufactured around here. And the produce I am growing is much healthier than anything you will find in the supermarkets.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Al Basha Middle Eastern Restaurant and Grocery


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I'm not exactly sure on how I found this place but I'm sure happy I did. The food there is amazing. And the Hookah I purchased from them has saved me money by not having to go down to Broad Ripple whenever I want to smoke one.
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Every time I have gone there I have almost always gotten their falafel sandwich. And I have to say that their falafels are the best I have ever eaten. And their grape leaf wraps are far better than anything you can get at the big box grocery stores.
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My wife on the other hand enjoys their gyros sandwiches. So much so that every chance we get, and many we make up just because, we stop on in at Al Basha. After all, you can't beat their prices.
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Plus if you are a foodie like me you can't beat the selection of new and exciting foods they have available in their grocery area. Anise cookies have been a recent favorite of mine. And their tahini, the same exact product Miejer had, was far cheaper... thus my wife can make homemade hummus.
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So if you are in the area and would like to find a new place to eat I would suggest you stop in at Al Basha.
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11321 Village Square Lane, Fishers, IN 46038-4554
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It is right behind the tire place and the strip where Cigar Haven is.
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Fishers Indiana.

Cheese And Hoosiers


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It is hard to imagine living so close to Wisconsin and never having known that there is more to cheese than Cheddar for so long. Swiss, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar, and Colby are all rather boring to me. Especially if the word Kraft is on the package. And if what you call Parmesan is already grated and in a tube... you don't know what Parmesan is.
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As of late I have been able to get more and more people to try more and more bizarre foods (The TV show by that name is a major inspiration of mine). We have had cows head roasted in a pit over night, pigs feet in a kimchi that was mildly spicy, and escargot backed in squash blossoms.
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The reaction to these has always seemed to be far less outrageous with the addition of cheese. And that is where Manchego comes in. A cheese that I like to imagine that God himself would eat every day.
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Now you can get Manchego in a few different varieties around Indy. There is the usual three month Manchego that is a little softer and easier to cut if you want to eat it raw (which I personally suggest). Next there is the six month Manchego that is better suited for cooking and is in my opinion the best for macaroni and cheese. Or there is the stuff that should rain down from Heaven itself, twelve month aged Manchego.
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Mahon cheese is a good one too... but that isn't the point.
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If you are lucky enough to find the twelve month Manchego I would suggest using it in any way you would usually use other grating cheeses. It makes absolutely the best backed macaroni and cheese. And it is rather useful as a cutting cheese if you want a nice snack... you will need a good cheese knife for this one.
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So far I have been able to find the three month Manchego at places like Marsh, Meijer, and some Kroger grocery stores. Fresh Market carries a nice selection of this cheese and sometimes has six month Manchego available too. However, the best place to go for cheese up here north of Indy has to be Whole Foods.
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Whole Foods has almost every type of Manchego you can think of. They carry the 12 month Manchego, the best type available in Indiana. And they have other forms of Spanish cheeses to choose from... some you probably never have even heard of too.