Donating produce to the food bank

After feeling pretty overwhelmed this weekend (and really the last few weeks) with our plentiful tomato harvest, I decided to quit moping about what I couldn't do, and do something I've always wanted to do. Share our garden with people who need fresh produce.

Last year, we intended to give the contents of one entire raised bed to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank through its Community Harvest Program. Well, nature got the best of us and we basically had nothing to donate because nothing did well enough.

Not this year!

These two boxes are full of ripe and almost ripe tomatoes, complete with notes about the types included, ready to go to our local food pantry yesterday. 

It was simple. I visited the GPCFB's Community Harvest page, and looked at the donation options. Because of other commitments, I couldn't get to a Saturday drop-off, and I can't make it to the actual food bank during their open hours because I'm at work the entire time and it's too far to go during lunch.

So I looked up my neighborhood's local pantry through their online tool and made a simple phone call. Within 15 minutes, I got a call back that they'd love to take them! I also contacted a friend who does a lot of work with a local women's shelter, and they are willing to take the next batch.

I don't tell you this because I'm an awesome person for donating tomatoes to a food pantry. But because if you've already preserved all you can and the alternative is for the produce to go bad, consider making a donation through Community Harvest. All it took for me was 5 minutes on the phone and a two second trip, basically across the street, to drop off the boxes. If you're not in the greater Pittsburgh area, call your local food bank. You never know what resources they'd have to help you get the produce to people who need it.

I hope next year to plan a little better when it comes to the produce donation so we can make this happen more regularly, instead of waiting until I'm about ready to rip my hair out with frustration. Maybe that dream of the Community Harvest bed will be a reality!

columbus marathon training update - 20 miles and an ugly cry

As of today, there are 55 days left until the Columbus Marathon. I am in week 17 of my extended 24 week training plan, I believe. To be honest, these are the dog days of training, and it's only because of my type A, meticulous spreadsheet habit that I even have any idea what's going on right now.

Last weekend was a big one for fitness at Next Gen House. Not only did Mark become a triathlete, but I had my first 20 mile run. The illusive 20 miles that everyone says is where the "wall" resides. I had always thought I'd run into walls running before, and I had somehow managed to Kool-Aid man through them and push. 

But I think those previous walls were only piles of rocks to step over, because for the first time this weekend, I ran straight into a concrete wall that knocked me over and made me ugly cry for the first time in the two years I've considered myself a runner. 

So that's what a wall feels like.

I actually considered waiting to write my next training update until after I completed another 20(+) miler, you know, to make it seem easier than it actually is. But that's not real. It doesn't let you know how hard this is. Sometimes I like to think that if something is possible, it's not really hard. I am admitting to myself that this marathon is an Everest for me. 

The run was from the North Side to the Waterfront and back. It was just a dream last year - it seemed like the impossible journey - so many miles. But we did it. First 10 miles were great. Miles 10-12 sucked all available energy out of me, and from that point on it was, well, awful. I was fighting tears for 12-14, desperately trying to talk myself out of a panic that would make my asthmatic lungs clench up. At 15, I asked my friend to please talk to me, if she had any available breath, because I couldn't pull my mind out of its self-destruct sequence. (And to her eternal credit she did.) The voice that says "I can't breathe, I can't do this, I have come so far and am about to fail, 26.2 is impossible, I am a joke."

For the last few successful long runs, I've been doing a 60 second walk break at each 2 mile increment. It's done wonders for my heart rate. On this run, by mile 16 I had to go down to one-mile increments, and I finished 18 and 19 by walking at half-mile increments. 

When my GPS read 20, I slowed to a staggering walk and started weeping. Not just a few tears, but that ugly cry with noises that you didn't know you could make. I don't even really know why I was crying in particular. It was a huge release, probably of tension I had been holding in for, literally, hours. Probably days. Probably this whole training cycle.

I read a lot of articles and essays about bad runs - like the ones that make you physically drained or pukey. But I rarely hear about people who just weep when they are done with a bad run.

But after a few days have passed, I am ready to rise up and get those shoes back on and hit the miles this week. I actually have two step-back weeks in a row, each 13 miles, one with the Montour Half Marathon, which was my first half marathon ever last year. I have two more 20(+) milers to get that confidence back that I was flying on after a really good 18 miler. 

After all, one does not simply stroll up Everest (or Mordor). I've finally realized that it's okay that this is really hard for me - the hardest thing physically I've ever done, and probably with the exception of grieving, the hardest mentally as well. While I watch a lot of really inspirational runners chasing their 8:30 or 9:30 averages for the Columbus Marathon, I'm chasing a 13:00 average. Yes, a lot slower, but it also means that I'm giving the run the best I can do for 4+ hours. I'll be happy to finish Columbus in 6 hours - to finish at all. And that's okay. 

This summer, I've run farther than I've ever run before, all over my beautiful, wonderful city. I'm wearing out shoes and burning through rolls of K-tape. I'm pushing my body and my mind and I know it will be worth it if I stick with it. The hard things always are.

banner makeover: fox bear designs

If you're reading this on the actual Next Gen House site, you might have noticed the updated banner at the top.  

The animal members of Next Gen House are now accurately represented, having lost our cat Maggie in December and our first chicken in March, and adding our cats Stormageddon (February) and Vader (April).

The original banner and its update were created by Jessica Wysocki, a local graphic designer and artist and friend. Jess runs fox bear designs, her independent design business outside of her 40 hour a week day job. She's incredibly talented and I personally have great respect for her as someone who spends time cultivating her own skills and talents in her free time, even while working and commuting full time. I know first-hand how hard that is. 

Jess has two shops that showcase her designs, at Etsy and Society 6. 

Her Etsy store features not just prints, but those designs on jewelry like earrings and brooches and temporary tattoos. I particularly love this chives tattoo. 

In the Society 6 shop, you can get her designs on a million products. This mushroom mug is adorable.

And then there's this floral sketch, which also would make a cute tote bag or duvet cover (yes, you can order duvet covers! so cool!).

Right now, her Society 6 shop is offering free worldwide shipping + $10 off duvet covers when you use this promo link. You can always access her main site by the graphic on the right sidebar of the blog, too. 

Thanks for giving Next Gen House a facelift, Jess! 

saving the rail trails

There's a group based out of D.C. called the Rails to Trails Conservancy. They work on converting old rail lines to trails across the country, and also help to maintain those trails and raise interest in their use and protection.

Here in the Pittsburgh area, we're blessed with an abundance of these type of trails - Montour, Panhandle, and Three Rivers Heritage just to name a few. The Heritage trail (left) is used as a commuting route for many people. I run on that trail at least twice a week and have done so for over a year now. Mark uses the Panhandle frequently, and we both have used the Montour before. I even had my first half marathon there. Those are just three that are within the metro area. Go out a little further and they are everywhere.

Which makes it even more ironic that recently, it was Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania who proposed an amendment to the Preserving America's Transit and Highways Act that would eliminate funding for the Transit Alternatives Program (TAP). TAP is the largest dedicated funding source for walking and biking infrastructure, and it would seriously jeopardize the trail system in this country that many rely on for recreation and fitness.

Thankfully, the Rails to Trails Conservancy rallied ordinary citizens as well as civic groups in PA to lobby the senator to withdraw his amendment. And he did. TAP funding is safe - for now.

This is yet another example that community activism and calling your representatives can work. (I wish I would have known about this before he withdrew the amendment or I would have added it to my list of letters to write this year!) I'd venture to guess as a Pennsylvanian, he's probably been on a converted rail trail before, for one thing or another. Many races and community events are tied to the trails - there are too few parks in the city to accommodate them and the trails help to do that. 

These trails are really important, especially in a city center like ours where there wouldn't be many places to run, walk and bike outside of traffic. While we do often mix up our routes with combinations of trails and city on the weekends, it's nice to have dedicated places to go where no matter what's going on traffic-wise, you can just GO. It encourages people to walk, run and bike when they know they can do it safely. 

And while any scenery gets boring when you're running 16 miles, our trails are quite lovely, too. Not a lot of areas of the country where you can mix city scapes, riverfronts and forested areas. The trails conserve and expose people to nature, as well, serving as an oasis from the urban sprawl.

To find rails to trails near you, visit Trail Link, a service of the Rails to Trails Conservancy. It's also a handy tool if you're on vacation or camping and need to find a place to fit that run in! But if you live in Pittsburgh and haven't made use of the trails, do it. Start with the riverfront near the stadiums and you'll get hooked on the view. (And if you see a short brunette huffing and puffing by you in the early morning, that's me. Say hi and offer me water. :) ) 

Photos from the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and Panhandle Trail in Pittsburgh and the W&OD Trail in Virginia.

Real Life CSA: week 8

This week a new pantry item, and some of my favorite colors of spring.

We are still loving the variety of foods we get with Penn's Corner. Even the items we get regularly don't seem like overkill, and we like stocking up on staples like the maple syrup, even if we don't use it every day. 

Pretty excited about the apple butter - a Penn's Corner value added item that we haven't had yet. I'm only slightly nervous about it because one of the ingredients is allspice, and I usually shy away from anything seasoned with allspice because of my nightmare dental surgery/cloves experience that has permanently given me a gag reflex for that taste. But I'm brave when it comes to food, and we've so much enjoyed all of their products so far that I'm going to give it a whirl. At least Mark will enjoy it!

Tonight Mark is roasting a chicken with rhubarb for dinner, which is a new recipe. Follow me on Instagram to see how it turns out. I think we'll have enough rhubarb that I should probably bake something else with it. Speaking of rhubarb, the Pittsburgh Canning Exchange is hosting an event called the Rhubarb Social at Marty's Market in the Strip on June 14, with Marisa McClellan, who writes the Food in Jars blog and has a new canning cookbook out. We're going, and you should too! More details here.

Lettuce is our weekly salad base, and this red butterhead lettuce is particularly lovely. A friend asked recently how we store our lettuce, especially when you're overcome with salad greens in a CSA. We combine the pre-cut lettuce and the heads of lettuce that we cut up and store it in ziploc bags in the fridge with a dry paper towel in the bag to absorb the moisture. It actually keeps the lettuce crisp really well and we've had success making the lettuce last longer that way.

Not sure what we'll use the dill for this week. I'm thinking maybe a roasted potato or roasted carrot side dish, since we don't need the fresh dill to pickle anything yet.

Last but not least is my favorite item this time - swiss chard. I adore chard for its rich flavor, especially prepared the way Mark does it in garlic and broth. But look at the vibrant color of these stems. I think we get so used to seeing green in the garden that we forget about the rainbow of colors represented. Between this lovely chard and the rhubarb, plus the lettuces, it's pink and purple week!

How have you been using your CSA items?

western PA CSA roundup

I'm a little late to the party when it comes to talking about CSAs in western PA for this season, especially considering that we've been getting our share now for 7 weeks. But I'm feeling late to the party on a lot of homesteading stuff this season, considering my schedule and life outside of the home. Better late than never, right?

If you've found this blog because of my CSA posts, you might be interested in the idea but haven't made the leap yet. If you're still on the fence, check out this post on why you should make that leap. 

If you're ready, but haven't actually signed up yet, the most comprehensive resource for CSAs in western PA is probably Edible Allegheny's 2014 CSA Guide (co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture).

But I want to list out a few that we subscribe to now, in the past or might in the future - the ones I follow more closely and on social media. These farms and co-ops often share a wealth of information on produce and farming practices, as well as special events or programs in the area - even recipes! Many of them still have sign-ups available, so check their sites and social media for more details as well as pick-up locations.

Penn's Corner Farm Alliance

• Various CSA options (watch Thursday Next Gen House posts this season for what we've received so far)
• Online farm stand (if you want CSA items without the commitment of a share), including meat, eggs and dairy
• Combination of organic, certified naturally grown and natural/sustainable 
• Facebook 
• Twitter: @pennscorner

Clarion River Organics 

• Various CSA options, including meat shares (see Next Gen House posts tagged CSA and meat for details on what we received last year)
• All USDA-certified organic
• Facebook
• Twitter: @ClarRvrOrganics

Edible Earth Farm

• Various CSA options, all USDA-certified organic
• Farmer's Market CSA option, with the ability to purchase credits for the farmer's market
• Twitter: @edibleearthfarm
• Facebook
• Instagram: @edibleearthfarm

Kretschmann Family Organic Farm

• Various CSA options, all USDA-certified organic
• Agriculture Supported Community program for low-income families

Conover Organic Farm

• Unique partnership with Bocktown Beer and Grill restaurants
• Various CSA options, all USDA-certified organic (definitely sold out for 2014, but keep them on your list)
• Facebook
• Twitter: @conoverfarm

If you have more to add to the list that you have experience with, please leave a comment - I'm always excited to learn about new ones!

5 reasons to go local

I have this t-shirt that says "Buy Local" on the back. You hear and see that phrase a lot now. Small businesses use it, and so do businesses like Wal-mart and Whole Foods, which hype their willingness to carry foods from local providers. But if everyone's using it, what does it mean? And has it become a useless marketing term?

"Local" isn't defined in any official capacity by the government or some other body. And it can't really be defined by state lines, since where we live in Pittsburgh, we're closer to Ohio and West Virginia than our state capital. It's also hard to define it by miles - do you count a day's drive as local or a certain number of miles from your home? I've seen products labeled as "local" in grocery stores where a quick google reveals that I'd have to drive 8 hours to get to the place it was sourced. That doesn't really feel local.

For my purposes, I'd casually define local as sourced from within my own economic region - the greater metropolitan area of Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania. I'd extend that to sourcing items within a radius I'd be willing to drive to pick up the item itself or to co-ops with drop-off locations throughout that same area. 

By why buy local? Here are my 5 reasons.

• Simplification. It can be really complicated balancing different priorities with food purchases - organics v. conventional, natural, sustainable farming practices, humane animal treatment. When I buy locally grown and produced food, especially directly from the source, I have more confidence. There is little marketing hype, and I am more confident that the farmer across the table from me at the farmers' market is not handing me food that's laced with poison or destroying the viability of the land. He or she has a vested interest in taking care of the land and producing a healthy crop - because it's his or her family eating that food too and living on that land. It just feels simple.
• Economics. When you buy something from a local producer, whether that be food or another item, that money stays in the local economy instead of flowing outward to nameless, faceless companies for their exorbitant profit margins. Instead the money is put back into the community through taxes and the costs of running a business, plus supporting the employment of local people. Local producers who also source their raw materials from local sources help keep that cycle going. (e.g. Local distilleries and breweries who source their grain from local farms.)
• Expertise. While there are certainly people working in traditional chain stores who know their stuff, it is really fulfilling to patronize a local business and benefit from the expertise of the people who run it. I am often willing to pay more for a product or service from a local business simply because there is value added in the customer service that often isn't there at other stores. 
• Quality. When it comes to food, I've never once been disappointed with a local purchase. It's also nice that it typically lasts longer, since it's had less time from the field to my table and spent less time on the highway (or sky) in a refrigerated truck (or plane). I think when a local producer sells you something, there's a bit of a subconscious awareness that they might see you around town. They take pride in the quality of their products, knowing that it's one of the best ways they compete with big business. 
• Because I love my community. I'm proud to live in this area and proud of the great things that people are innovating and creating and growing here. It's rich in history and legacy, and I want to support businesses that continue that and are helping to make Pittsburgh the most liveable city that it is. 

a small, local victory for bluefin

I think it's easy to feel sometimes like one person doesn't make much of a difference. We spend time and energy sharing our passions, not knowing what type of return we are going to get. Will anything change as a result of our efforts? 

Recently, I noticed through Instagram that a local Pittsburgh restaurant - an icon, really - was featuring bluefin tuna as a special. 

Bluefin tuna are apex predators - top of the food chain. They help maintain balance in the ecosystem and are amazing, fierce and fast creatures. And a single fish can bring in more than $1 million at market, its flesh highly prized, especially for sushi and sashimi. So it's vastly overfished and considered an endangered species by the World Wildlife Federation as well as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.

Not only are bluefin endangered, but the way they are caught includes high levels of bycatch, so it contributes even more to declining populations of other fish.

So I politely contacted the restaurant about their choice of entree. I stated first how much I loved their restaurant and that's true. I then briefly pointed out bluefin's status as endangered, with links to back up my claims. I requested that they take bluefin off their menu permanently, since their menu is already so delicious and strong. I also mentioned, as the ad above suggests, that if we looked at seafood like we look at other endangered mammals, we wouldn't eat them. Customers would balk at panda on a menu, but bluefin is still considered a delicacy. 

And you know what? They responded. They said they were experimenting with potential summer specials, but in the light of this information, they wouldn't serve bluefin tuna again on their menu. And they thanked me for my feedback and encouraged me to visit the restaurant again. I sure will.

So it's a small victory - one restaurant in one state in one country not serving bluefin tuna. But it's something, and it was as easy as sending an email. These little acts of activism can make a difference. And it's a win for them, too, because they're made me a customer for life by showing exemplary customer service and caring about something other than the bottom line.

For more info on responsible seafood practices, check out these posts and resources.

Image: WWF France ad campaign
Source: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/wwf_bluefin_tuna_overfishing_panda

pittsburgh half marathon recap

My alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday and I shot out of bed with the excitement of a kid at Christmas. I had 45 minutes to fuel and hydrate before we had to be out the door to catch a T into the city for the Pittsburgh Marathon.

When I did my first half marathon last fall, I had an entire spring and summer of training behind it. This year, with a really rough winter, my training was spotty and included zero hills. It definitely wasn't what it should have been, so while I probably wasn't in peak physical condition, mentally I was so excited I could barely stand it.

There's just something about the Pittsburgh Marathon for me that's hard to put into words. The energy is like a wave. Standing in the start corrals for 35 minutes until my group got close to the start line was cold, rainy and exhilarating. I was trying not to jump up and down from just sheer excess energy - not even nervous, just excited from head to toe. Once we were off, I settled into my music and mouthed the words at some parts, heading through downtown to the Strip District.

I knew my friends and family cheering section was waiting on the North Side, just around mile 6. All I could do was think about getting to them during the first 6 miles. I was moving at a really fast clip and had to sometimes stop myself from getting too excited - my heart was racing and I was smiling like a crazy person. I was getting swept up in the energy. Even the hills on the North Side felt like nothing. 

I spotted my cheerers on the other side of the road from where I was running and I darted across to slap their hands. That moment for me when I saw them cheering and screaming my name and waving signs - it's indescribable. Maybe it's because I was never an athlete growing up and the activities I participated in didn't really warrant "cheering sections." But I felt like I was soaring and lifted up. So much so that I choked up as I passed them and almost burst into tears right there on Western Ave.

It was with that burst that I crossed the West End Bridge and entered the West End. And hills. And I realized I was way too hyped up and tried to slow my pace again. But by mile 9 around Station Square, I knew the wheels were going to fall off the wagon. My calves started cramping - not even just being sore, but twisting in pain. And my IT band? Yikes. I could barely muster the strength to finish those last few miles. I kept going and managed to only take two small walk breaks for 30 seconds, but I knew the PR was gone. I had used up all my gas in the first 7 miles and was going to run on fumes at the end.

At mile 12 I knew I was going to see my cheerers again during the last stretch, so I really pushed my legs and let that drive me forward. Mark took a few photos of me running by and my face pretty much shows how rough it was. I got to mile 13 and only had a tenth of a mile to go, and one of the medics flanking the end of the route looked directly at me, saw my name on my bib and yelled "You GOT this JOANNA! Just 100 yards to go! You can do it!" and I had to choke down tears again as I basically hurtled myself across the line and walked with jello legs forward to collect my medal and some fuel and a spaceman blanket. And some ice. And meet up with my friends.

I feel like I learn something new about the way I experience running in every race. And this race? I realized how much I just love good races and the thrill of running in general. I still want to push myself to complete a 26.2 this year, and I know how much commitment to training that will take, as well as rehabilitation for my IT band. (I start physical therapy today for an injury I've had since last year but never really addressed.) 

But I also realized that for me, PRs are not something to strive for. I'm not fast and I never will be. Completion is the goal, because if I keep pushing at faster and faster times, I end up having a great first half of a race and a punishing second half. I would rather coast along and enjoy myself and the thrill of being out there and watching my cheerers. During this race I was off of my PR ultimately by 7 minutes, which is only thanks to how fast I ran the first 7 miles. 

I do this for health and because I love it, not because I'm ever going to win anything, and I want to stop trying to win against myself. I will remember the first half of this race in my mind as one of the best runs I've ever had. And the only thing I'm going to chase this summer is that feeling. 

I can't forget to mention probably the most important part of this whole thing. Through Run for a Reason and the generosity of my family and friends, I raised $710 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. My original goal was to raise $350 and I doubled that. Correction - YOU doubled that. I am comforted by the fact that something very good came out of this effort and that there are bellies being filled in our area by the money the Food Bank team managed to raise.

I won't be writing about running much unless I race during the next few months, so if you're interested, you can follow me on Instagram and watch for the hashtag #yearofthemarathon to see thoughts and photos on training. So now it's on to physical therapy and training with some races peppered in here and there - the Columbus Marathon in October being the ultimate goal. Columbus, here I come!

book review: silent spring by rachel carson

In my nearly 9 years of living in Pittsburgh, I have crossed the Rachel Carson Bridge many times - on foot and in my car. I'll cross it this weekend during the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I've always vaguely associated Rachel Carson's name with Pittsburgh and with environmental stuff. There are outdoor programs and nature trails named after her, so it's hard to live here and not know her name.

But it struck me recently in doing some reading about pesticides, that I had never read the book that really started it all when it comes to raising public awareness of the risks of pesticides. So I picked up Silent Spring in audio format and got acquainted with Rachel Carson.

(I should note that I would not recommend the audio version that I used. The narrator had a highly obnoxious voice that made it hard to concentrate. I think I would have enjoyed this book even more had I read it in hard copy.)

The book is credited with starting the environmental movement, which still continues to this day, more than 50 years after the publication of the book. Carson's arguments are centered around the idea that the use of pesticides and insecticides is detrimental to the environment and all things that are a part of it. Actually, Carson calls the pesticides and insecticides that she details "biocides," since they affect more than just their intended targets. 

Nature doesn't operate in separate compartments - everything is interrelated. When one piece of the ecosystem is threatened, it threatens the balance and health of everything. This also holds true for water, which while in itself not a living thing is a vital part of all life on earth. As Carson points out, pollution of water somewhere is pollution of water everywhere, since we have a limited supply of fresh water on earth. Along those lines, poison at any part of the food chain travels up and down, affecting predator and prey. This simple summary doesn't do justice to Carson's extensive research or her talent with prose (which can be hard to come by in books about science).

Silent Spring is heavy on details, which while that makes it dry at times, is a good thing when it comes to the validity of her arguments. I'd imagine if I had a hard copy there would be footnotes a plenty. It's also important to keep in mind that it was written in 1962, so some of the particular details of what she talks about aren't accurate anymore - things like particular chemicals that are no longer in use in agriculture (most notably DDT). But sadly, even the parts that aren't factually accurate anymore are still relevant, since chemicals that have since been banned have been replaced by others. 

While this book won't be up your alley unless you're really interested in pesticides and their impact on ecosystems, it's worth knowing about this book in the broad sense and what it has done to impact where we are currently with these issues. For more on how Silent Spring jumpstarted the environmental movement, check out this piece in the New York Times from the 50th anniversary of the book's release. 

Pittsburgh can be really proud that one of its natives was an environmental pioneer and a fascinating person in general. (I'd actually love to read more about her life and the years before Silent Spring, since she died just two years after its publication.)

carnegie VFD 5K recap

Saturday marked my third Carnegie 5K, benefiting my little borough's volunteer fire department. For a small borough, the race is always well attended. It's even becoming a sort of tradition among my friends to do it together, since it's a well organized race with a low entry fee and a nice course through the ever more revitalized downtown Carnegie area. 

It threatened to rain all morning, and we had a few drops at the beginning of the race, but not enough to really make a difference. Ironically the weather turned beautiful just an hour or so after it was all over, but I'm glad it didn't get rained out. (You can tell it was cold from this group photo, since we're all hunkered down just a little bit. And yes, my legs were freezing. Good choice for the actual run, but standing around waiting for door prizes afterward, not so much.)

I was pretty proud of my performance, with it being the first short race of the year. I came in at 28:55, 41 seconds off of my PR of 28:14 that I set at the Armed Forces 5K in Erie last July. But realistically, none of my PRs have ever come early in the racing season, since I'm coming off of winter laziness. I'm also trying to train myself to run to my heart rate, not a particular pace. My shoes are just about ready to give out, which I started to feel more acutely this weekend. Just one more week until they are retired!

It was nice to have a low pressure, casual race before this weekend's Pittsburgh Half where I want to push for that personal record. Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I've made it over the $600 mark for my Run for a Reason fund. Less than one week left, but there's still time to donate! 

boston trail half marathon recap

First race of the season is complete - the Boston Trail Half Marathon. 

I am rarely out in the McKeesport/Elizabeth Township area - I think I might have been there once in the over 8 years I've lived here. So I really knew nothing about this section of the Mon/Yough Trail, which is a link in the Great Allegheny Passage. (If I had kept on running, I would have made it all the way to DC!) 

This was an absolutely beautiful trail and perfect weather conditions for a run. Not too much wind, except for a little bit coming back, lots of sun, and relatively cool temperatures for how sunny it was.

Now, me? I wasn't really in peak condition for a run, let alone a race. Having been out the evening before, getting less sleep and more food and beverage than I would typically consume the night before a race, I knew going into this there would be no PR. 

Instead, it was about like this:

• Mile 1: Holy cow it's beautiful out today.
• Mile 2-3: Wall. Help me. Why did I do this? Last night's dinner is in my mouth. Why did I do this? I have double digits left. Why did I do this?
• Miles 4-9: Well this isn't so bad. Feeling pretty good. Need more water stations. But this is enjoyable. Yes, I will mouth along the words to my music. Look at me go! I'm a runner! I passed the 2:30 pacer! Holy cow, will I actually PR in this?
• Mile 10: I need more water. Thirsty and face feels like salt monster from Star Trek's "The Man Trap."
• Miles 11-12: My legs. Oh my legs. Oh hi, Wall. Nice to see you again.
• Mile 13: Complete autopilot. No recollection of this mile whatsoever except for running by an 8 year old and yelling "you're doing awesome!"

Turns out, the 2:30 pacer didn't actually keep to a 2:30 pace. So, while that was some good fake motivation for awhile, I ended up really slowing down those last few miles and came in at 2:36:51. (My PR was at last year's Montour Trail Half Marathon - 2:28:18.) Also I didn't bring my own water and was relying on the water stations, which wasn't enough for me.

It was also my first race where I was entirely alone. No fellow runners and no cheerleaders. It worked out that way because it wasn't really a shining race moment, but it was also an accomplishment in that I pushed through poor prep the night before and finished. 

I really am looking forward to the Pittsburgh Half in less than two weeks and hope to prep properly and break that PR. Carnegie 5K next weekend, too. So stay tuned!

(Also, remember that there's still time to donate to my Race for a Reason fund benefiting the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. I'm just $5 away from $600 and I know I can break that mark in the next two weeks. If you haven't already donated, please consider getting me over that hump! Donate by clicking here, or read more about why I'm doing this from this post, here.)

Jarosinski Farm Project needs our help, Pittsburgh!

Early this year, Pittsburgh came together in an awesome way to support a Kickstarter project for Superior Motors, a restaurant/culinary school/urban garden in Braddock. It was not only fully funded, but became the largest funded restaurant project on Kickstarter. And only a few days before the deadline, it looked like it wasn't going to make it.

And now we have another local Kickstarter that needs your help. This one is only for $5,000, but it's five grand that will go a long way to help a local, first-generation farmer.

Kevin Jarosinski is a farmer in the Butler area, north of Pittsburgh. He is dedicated to sustainability and to humane animal husbandry, and produces pastured poultry, pork and grass-fed beef. We already have suppliers of meat that we use regularly, as well as the three ladies producing eggs in our backyard. But I've heard great things about Jarosinski Farms and what he's trying to do, from the ground up.

The Kickstarter project is to build a springhouse that will allow him to utilize the fresh water spring on his property and be in compliance with all regulations concerning that water usage. The extra money from the project would go toward building more mobile chicken pens, to help him rotate the flock.

I think it's important for communities to support their farmers in ways beyond just buying their products. Farming can be resource and infrastructure intense - having the proper equipment and set-up is expensive, and farms are always susceptible to elements outside their control, like weather, pests or disease. So when I can, I try to do things like supporting their projects or writing my legislators in support of legislation that protects and supports them.

It also bugs me that so many subsidies and tax breaks are available for large agribusiness, when the same benefits aren't necessarily available to small farmers and local producers. And it can often be difficult to get traditional funding. So when they need community-sourced funds, the community that benefits from their environmental stewardship and quality products should step up.

So, Pittsburgh. Work your magic. Support Kevin Jarosinski's Farm Project with me. 6 more days and he's only just over halfway there. We can push that number up!

run for a reason: one month to go!

In exactly one month, I'll be getting into a corral in downtown Pittsburgh to run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon for the first time. It won't be my first half marathon, but the first one that feels like it matters in more ways than a personal record. 

Part of it is that the race is probably my favorite of the year, simply because of the energy and fun along the course. I run the core of city all the time on the trails in my training, but to get to run on the actual roads that I travel on my commute is pretty cool. And being part of a swarm of runners is pretty awesome. I'll even get to retire my shoes after the race - my old faithfuls over to the left that carried me through the first real racing season of my life last year and will carry me into this year's. 

And the cheering during this race? Awesome. Last year I ran the fourth leg of the marathon relay, so this year I'll basically be running most of the first three legs. So I'll get to see sections I didn't get to see last year. And if the cheering was strong after the half marathon turn-off in the part that I ran, I know it will be strong from the start. 

But besides the fact that the Pittsburgh Marathon gives good swag, has a good expo and gives finisher medals that say "Runner of Steel" on them, this race is important to me because of the Run for a Reason program. Runners know that one of the great pleasures of racing is that the night before you get to carb up on pasta without guilt. And right after the race, when you've hauled your body for over 13 miles, a banana and a half of a bagel never tasted so good. But there are people who don't have the luxury of eating a banana and a half of a bagel for breakfast on a regular day.

I've been raising money for the last few months for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and just yesterday made it over the $500 mark. Which is pretty amazing, considering that it will provide about $2500 worth of food for families who need it. 

That's a lot of food. But I don't want to stop. I've still got a month to go until the race, and I know that $545 doesn't have to be where I stop. 

There are many great charities that people run for, usually ones that serve people or animals in need, whether groups that provide support for individuals with a particular disease or animals that need to be rescued. I've supported other runners in their causes too. And I know how many solicitations people get for charity on a routine basis. To me, there's something different about a charity that works to meet people's basic needs. 

Before anything else but water, food is a necessity for human life. There are people who need it - who go to bed hungry or have to send their children to bed hungry because there isn't enough. That's quite simply why this matters to me so much. I can't support sustainable agriculture and just food legislation and eat at restaurants that use local and sustainable ingredients (and are often high-end for that reason) without also having a deep understanding of the fact that some people don't have enough food to sustain themselves each day, let alone locally grown, organic food. It's a privilege to choose what I eat for breakfast every morning and in this country, it's actually a privilege to eat it at all.

Consider donating even a dollar to support my Run for a Reason fund. Often people feel they have to make a larger donation for it to matter, but I'd love to see my fund fill up with a dollar here, five dollars there. Every little bit matters and every dollar turns into five when combined with the GPCFB resources. So if you really want to give $50 and can't just give $10!

You can visit my donation page by clicking here. Please share it at will. I'm planning on trying to PR at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, and I'd love to blow past my fundraising goal and leave it in the dust with the old PR as well. Thanks for helping me to make that happen! 

why Superior Motors is so important - and not just for Pittsburgh

This past week a Kickstarter campaign started by a local chef, Kevin Sousa, was not only fully funded, but became the most successful Kickstarter campaign for a restaurant in that site's history. The campaign was for a community restaurant concept called Superior Motors, named as such after the Chevy dealership formerly located in that space. Also notable about the space? It's located in Braddock, a Pittsburgh neighborhood devastated by the loss of the steel industry, with a 90% population loss. It doesn't even have a McDonald's, let alone a restaurant with dinner service. (View the videos describing the project here.)

Mark generously contributed to the campaign as a birthday gift to me. For awhile it looked like they weren't going to meet their goal. Which would have meant the end for the concept, since though Mr. Sousa is a James Beard semi-finalist chef with a loyal following, banks are not interested in investments in such an economically distressed area.

But in the eleventh hour, a dramatic surge of support pushed the campaign way over the top and it was fully funded. 124% funded, to be exact. 

From Kickstarter campaign website

Superior Motors will be an accessible restaurant for Braddock's residents, and will help to educate Braddock youth with free professional culinary instruction. A greenhouse on the roof, with room for raised beds, a hostel next door with free housing for workers, a nearby apiary and flock of hens, plus the Grow Pittsburgh Braddock farms nearby, providing the majority of the produce for the restaurant are just some of the layers to this ambitious concept. The Kickstarter information indicates that a core principle will be that no Braddock resident will be excluded from partaking based upon household income. (Visit the page and read more about the details of this project. It's fascinating.)

And that right there is what makes this concept revolutionary. Yes, the success of the campaign should be looked at as an example of what can happen when Pittsburgh comes together. It truly is an amazing place to live and even when I'm shaking my fist in my car at the traffic approaching the Fort Pitt Tunnel, I am blessed to live and work here. But this goes beyond Pittsburgh.

Fine dining is virtually inaccessible to anyone below a certain economic threshold. And because of that, it's often thought of as elitist. The same holds true for many issues around health and food. People validly argue that only focusing on issues like organic agriculture and GMO labeling obscures the fact that thousands of Americans don't have enough FOOD, let alone healthy food.

I am so moved by this concept because it holds at its core the value that good, fresh, quality food belongs to everyone - even communities that have been largely abandoned by society. The idea of Superior Motors embodies the word 'community' by feeding, nourishing and sustaining not just the people, but the land and the place and history. It places value there and encourages others to follow. Other communities across the country will look to this project as well, and hopefully attempt to rally around similar investments in their own areas.  

I am so excited to see Superior Motors develop and can't wait to go eat there someday. It's going to be worth braving the tunnel traffic, that's for sure.    

Mother Earth News Fair recap

For the third year in a row, we headed to Seven Springs for the Mother Earth News Fair (MENF). The best way I can describe it is a giant convention and vendor fair for sustainable living. Vendors showcase everything from farming equipment to handmade soaps and workshops are offered for just about all things under the sun - from classes about livestock to home fermentation.

We have found something new to learn and discover each year, and the fair gets bigger and bigger. This year, I went to workshops on chickens in gardens (and how they can peacefully co-exist), home fermentation, building a real foods pantry and foraging for wild foods. A wicked storm moved in on Saturday and when we were soaked and freezing, we skipped an afternoon of workshops to get dry and warm. But otherwise? Awesome.

In particular, the class on lactofermentation inspired me to finally get off my duff and get my kombucha (fermented tea) going at home. Mark had given me all the tools to get started for a gift one year - including a SCOBY - so I don't know what's been holding me back from starting. Someone at one of the workshops mentioned that you can't be afraid to be a beginner. I think it's given me enough push to get started!

Mark and I laugh that we both leave the MENF each year and want to quit our jobs and move off grid into a cabin in the woods and raise some goats. While that's not in our immediate future, it's nice to come away refreshed and with new ideas on how to live more sustainably.

One of my favorite parts of the fair is the presence of all manner of animals. If you follow me on Instagram (@nextgenhouse), you might have seen these guys.

Seven Springs doesn't offer much in the way of good food options for this fair, which is the only down-side. Particularly at a conference about sustainability, I don't want to eat commercially raised meat or rock-hard, out of season vegetables. Thankfully there were a few vendors that had some good snack options - and one local food truck in particular that had good meal options - Randita's Grill.

It's no secret that we aren't vegans by any stretch of the imagination, so I was a bit hesitant to try out a vegan food truck. I guess in my head I was expecting creepy textured vegetable protein, but I ended up having a great chili and a fantastic salad that was fresh and delicious (with figs! so yum!), a sharp contrast to the processed commercial offerings at the main food area. (The main food area had a mashed potato martini bar. I mean, seriously. Ew.) I was impressed by the food from Randita's - and also how the people in the truck kept their cool despite a ridiculously long line and pouring rain. I'm adding their restaurant in Saxonburg to my list of places to try!

Really, we actually end up learning a lot from the vendors we meet. Here are some of my favorites:

Snack Taxi - I bought two reusable snack bags for my lunch and thus far they've been working out fantastically. I am working on reducing consumption of plastic bags, so my two Snack Taxi bags have already saved me almost 20 bags! Plus it looks cute too.

St. Lynn's Press - Pittsburgh publisher of some great gardening books, including some by local authors. We picked up Good Bug, Bad Bug to help us with pest ID. They'll be publishing The Steel City Garden: creating a one-of-a-kind garden in black and gold by Doug Oster in the fall, which looks to be awesomely Burghy! Might be an idea for our front yard flower area. 

Gourmet Grassfed - I had my first ever beef jerky from Gourmet Grassfed and holy cow (no pun intended), was I surprised at how delicious it was. We bought some jerky and beef sticks - they'll be perfect for Mark to take out in the woods when he's hunting all day.

Farm Fromage - Fantastic raw milk cheese from PA farms. I had a mushroom and leek jack cheese which was amazingly bizarre but delicious.

CeCe Caldwell's Paints - non-toxic, eco-friendly paints, including one called Pittsburgh Gray, which is highly appropriate

Singer Farm Naturals - producer of some delicious cherry juice concentrate. We picked some up to mix with soda water as a yummy drink, but I'm also interested in its use as a recovery drink for running after seeing a blurb about it in an issue of Runners World.

Next Gen House at Edible Allegheny's Online Dish

Edible Allegheny is a local magazine that, as their tagline says, "celebrates local food, farms and cuisine - season by season." I actually started reading the magazine several years ago, when a free copy was included in a delivery of produce I got through a program at my old job. That was around the time I was becoming a food person anyway, and the recipes and stories were inspiring and educational. I can honestly say that Edible Allegheny is responsible for Mark and I finding a ton of great restaurants and food events in the area. They are a great resource for all things local food - truly covering everything from the farm to the table.

I'm really excited to be one of the featured blogs in the Online Dish column this issue, along with two other great local sites: food blog Life and Kitchen and agricultural blog Write to Farm.

The fine avian ladies of Next Gen House even made the column header, hanging out in our compost area, as you can see from this screen shot. (And check out that pumpkin pie on the cover of the magazine to the left. If that doesn't scream fall, I don't know what does.)

 
Head over to this month's column to read about this blog and its roots, as well as the other great local links - the website is a wealth of information and the Online Dish archives can lead you to some great local blogs as well!



I wasn't paid or perked to promote Edible Allegheny - they are just a great magazine.
 

Next Gen House gets a makeover

Next Gen House is about more than eggs and chickens, though my previous design wouldn't have made that clear. In need of a facelift, I hired my friend Jessica Wysocki Valesky, the artist behind Fox Bear Designs. 

I asked her to draw me a header that included our house, cat, chickens, and Star Trek. A tall and ridiculous order. Which is how the lovely header above came to be - Maggie watching over the flock outside of our house. Delta shields on canning jars. I'm dying of happiness.

Jess has an Etsy shop where she features her illustrations on various media, including prints, greeting cards, magnets and perhaps most creatively, brooches and earrings.

Particularly fitting for this blog are her illustrations of various herbs. 

I particularly love the borage (starflower) design.

Don't they make you want to garnish a dish? Or muddle some mint for a mojito?

If you're looking for a unique gift idea or just a print for your wall at home, check out Jess's shop and her website.

Thanks for drawing our brood and our humble but adored abode, Jess!


I was not paid or perked to promote Fox Bear Designs. Jess is a talented small business owner here in Pittsburgh that I am proud to support! 

Real Life CSA: month 1, meat and poultry

I've discussed before why we subscribe to CSAs at Next Gen House, and there I mentioned that we decided to join a meat/poultry CSA this year through Clarion River Organics. We've always been big fans of their stands at local farmers markets and the Pittsburgh Public Market. After reading Peter Singer's book The Way We Eat, I wanted to commit even more to sourcing meat carefully and with an eye to morality. While we haven't purchased "regular" meat from a grocery store in almost two years, we still would purchase a lot of our meat through Whole Foods (what we didn't get from our bulk purchases of meat from Weatherbury Farm).

While I definitely support purchasing meat at Whole Foods, with its Animal Welfare rating system and the fact that they don't even carry meat or poultry without a minimum standard (no hormones, antibiotics, cages or gestation crates, etc.), I felt like we could do better. I wanted to get closer to the farm for all of the meat/poultry we purchase - for the welfare of the animals, the stewardship of the land, the quality, health and taste of the meat we consume, and the economic value to our community. Even if meat from Whole Foods takes into account the first three factors, I am a believer in sourcing food as locally as possible, to reduce the length of the food chain from farm to consumer and also to put my money behind sustaining these local resources.

Enter Clarion River Organics. We attended a local food conference this year on a whim, and while we were touring the vendor booths, I noticed a sign that said Meat CSAs. We learned that Clarion River offers different shares for pork, beef and chicken, as well as a combination of those if you would like multiples. We definitely wanted to get full shares for each. We get a share once a month from June through November, at one of many pick-up locations. You can find more details here.

We picked up our first share last week, and this is what we got.
 

Beef: steaks, ground beef, stew meat and short ribs (~ 8 lbs. total)
 

Pork: ground pork, handmade parsley parmesan sausage, ham steak, pork chops (~ 8 lbs. total)

Chicken: 3 whole chickens (two 4+lb. roasters, 1 2+lb. stewing chicken)

(Stewing chickens were formally laying hens - their muscle tissue is flavorful, but different from chickens raised for meat. We're looking forward to using it for soup or stew, or braising it.)

This will last our family of two through the month until our next share, definitely. Everything is well marked and packed so as to last a long time in the freezer. I'm already planning some bolognese sauce for next week! (I'll pass along my recipe when I make it!)

I also have to note what most impressed me about this share. When we received our update email telling us the first share was ready to be picked up, it also told us that some of the pigs were not fed entirely organic grain because they ran out at one point and had to be fed conventional grain (still non-GMO) in the winter for awhile. I appreciate so much this transparency on their part. It is the mark of a business that has nothing to hide and that engenders trust and respect between the provider and the consumer. 

I'm proud to be a customer of theirs, not only because of the quality of their products but because of the way they run their business. We are very blessed in our area to have trusted options to choose from for sourcing ethically raised, nutritious meats.

Thanks, Clarion River (@ClarRvrOrganics)! Can't wait for next month!