Eco-friendly gift ideas

Looking for some ethical, fair-trade, eco-friendly and stupendous gift ideas? We have a few for you to check out.

Heartbeats, a ministry of the Sisters of Humility of Mary, offers a sizable catalog of fair-trade religious gifts. Many items are handmade in third world countries, though some domestic items are offered as well. Each purchase helps create dignified work that gives a fair wage to women worldwide. Go to www.heartbeatscatalog.org.

Green America’s (formerly Co-op America) Green Pages is a great resource to find dozens of fair-trade and eco-friendly gift ideas. Browse featured vendors or use a search engine to look for a specific item. Go to www.greenpages.org.

Heifer International is dedicated to providing indigenous people with animals that can be used for milk, fiber, meat, eggs or labor. Animal donations help indigent communities become more self-sustaining by meeting their own nutritional needs as well as making a small income. Partial or full shares are available and make wonderful gifts. Go to www.heifer.org.

The following companies have some great coffee and chocolate gift sets if you’re pressed for time and don’t want to assemble your own: www.equalexchange.com, www.dagobachocolate.com, and www.ancoracoffee.com.

Can I cook now?

As the associate director of the White Violet Center, it may not surprise you to find out that I am interested in food issues. WVC is dedicated to food in many ways—its sustainable production, its importance to family and community, its place in our spirituality. So really, I had better be interested in food issues, hadn’t I?

What might surprise you is how very much I am interested in food issues. I suspect that a great deal of my personal, professional, and volunteering life choices stem directly from trying to find more excuses to cook, share and eat good food. So, for my first post on the WVC blog, I thought I would say a quick (ahem) word about teaching cooking classes.

I’ve taught people to make everything from mozzarella to eclairs to lentil soup. Teaching people how to cook food, and seeing their amazement at how easy it really is to do wonderful things with raw ingredients, is so fulfilling. I love that when I show people how to cook, what I am doing is showing them a new way to care for people. When I cook for my family, the food that I prepare is a real, physical manifestation of my love for them. This is work that comes from my heart and my hands, and goes directly into their bodies. It’s work that sustains them, and warms them, and gives them fond memories of times sitting around the dinner table talking to each other. Having the opportunity to help others discover this joy is a blessing.

So you say you can’t cook, or you don’t know how? Let us teach you! Even if you think you don’t like to cook, it can be a lot more fun once you learn a few basic dishes that you can make from scratch. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, and it doesn’t have to be Beef Wellington—spaghetti and meatballs will be just fine. But cook something, and serve it to people you care about.

No recipe you find in glossy food magazines ever comes out the way the professional pictures look. The dish will taste wonderful and make everyone happy, not because it was coiffed by professional food stylists, but because you love your family and friends, and they can taste the love in your food (I swear it’s my favorite ingredient). Sure, maybe my favorite thing to do is something that involves the word “flambé”, but my kids love me most when I make them pancakes or mac n’ cheese. My youngest son’s favorite meal, hands down, is biscuits & gravy. Haute cuisine this ain’t. It’s just good, simple food, made with love. And in my house, at least occasionally, it’s also food made with an 8-year-old giving me constant (somewhat distracting) hugs because he found out he’s getting pancakes for dinner. Would I trade that in for the “convenience” of a restaurant? Not on a bet.

Advisory board member spotlight

Dennis Evers, of Terre Haute, is a member of the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice advisory board. Dennis has 40 years experience as a public health engineer, biochemist in waste water treatment and is a microbiologist with special interest and field experience in optimizing resource recovery from waste.

He invented the Viable Organic Waste (VOW) process, a total recovery and zero waste treatment system, based on bioaugmentation, that yields energy as biogas (methane) and organic fertilizer, single cell protein for aquaculture and animal feed, and recyclable water.

He owns Everstech Consulting and VOW Resources Pty., Ltd.  VOW has current projects in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia, Greece, Egypt, United Kingdom and United States.

We thank Dennis and all advisory board members for sharing their time and talents with us.

Alpaca show ring

White Violet Farm Alpacas (WVFA), along with more than 100 other alpaca farms representing 13 states, attended the 9th Annual Northern Illinois Alpaca Extravaganza at Libertyville, Ill., Oct. 23-24.
Sister Ruth Johnson, left, talks with Jubilee while working on her felted art projects at our booth as Sister PB Bounk prepares to show him in the medium fawn class. Sister Ruth sold 4 or 5 of her wall hangings and several packs of her alpaca notecards during the show.

Sister PB Bounk leads Pere Michel into the show ring as the judge takes his first look.

Sister PB Bounk listens to the judge give his remarks at the end of the showing of Pere's class. Tracy Wilson and her alpaca, Deringer, are at left. Pere received 6th-place and Deringer got 4th-place. Deringer is the son of Providence Chelsea and Providence Velvet.

Sister PB Bounk and Jubilee, center, in the show ring after placing 4th in the medium fawn class. Jubilee received 4th-place.

New events calendar

We're excited this week to announce our new calendar of events. We've been meeting and talking with presenters and instructors for months and now we're rolling out the dates.

Everything from cooking classes, basic alpaca ownership and fiber workshops to a Christmas open house, retreats, a medical herbalism course and more.

The cooking classes will be at Clabber Girl in Terre Haute. The first one is Nov. 13 on ratio cooking with our own Robyn Morton. Then Sister Ann Sullivan, founding director of White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, will present a class on Christmas Delicacies on Dec. 11 you won't want to miss.

We'll have Michael Morwood back Jan. 7-8 for a Shaping Christian Imagination in the 21st Century retreat and Jan Novotka presenting a Wilderness Fast June 2-5.

We have a chance of a lifetime event for those with interests in herbs. A medical herbalism course with author, lecturer and practicing herbalist Matthew Wood is June 17-19.

In addition to our annual favorite Fiber Frolic Jan. 28-20 and beginning and advanced spinning and weaving workshops, we're offering a new felted slippers workshop Feb. 19 and others later in 2011.

Please take a moment to look at our online events calendar at www.WhiteViolet.org to see what interests you and note the registration deadlines. We look forward to sharing our events and programs and hearing any ideas you have for new offerings.

Check back to our online calendar occasionally to see what new events we've added.

Show ring bound

We’re headed to the big city this weekend. White Violet Farm Alpacas staff members will be attending the 3rd Annual Heartland Classic alpaca show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis Oct. 2-3. It’s sponsored by the Indiana Alpaca Association.

We won’t be showing alpacas at this one, but we’ll have a booth where we’ll be sharing information about our farm and selling our handmade alpaca items such as yarn, hats and scarves. We’ve been participating in alpaca shows for many years and it’s always a good time to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Stop in and see us this weekend if you’re in that area.

The competition begins at 8 a.m. both days and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. There will be two show rings (one for females and one for males), a silent auction, short seminars and lots of alpacas to admire. The photo is of Linden when he brought home a blue ribbon from this show a couple years ago.

Then on Oct. 23-24 we’ll be in Grayslake, Ill., for the 9th Annual Northern Illinois Alpaca Extravaganza at the Lake County Fairgrounds. We’ll be showing three alpacas at that show.

The staff always looks forward to opportunities like these to learn, share our workshop and alpaca sales opportunities and spread the word about this ministry of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

Alpacas looking forward to your visit

The weather forecast is good and we’re all geared up for our National Alpaca Farm Days open house this Sunday afternoon. It’s 1-3 p.m. at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind.

You won’t want to miss seeing our newest cria, Providence Vincennes, or “Vinnie,” running around the pasture.

We’ll have fiber demonstrations and alpaca items for sale. Look for the small tent set up near the female alpaca pasture/barn, which is close to Owens Hall.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve visited Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., or you’ve never visited and need directions click here. Plugging this address into your GPS will get you to the north entrance: 3850 U.S. 150, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN 47876. Here are the GPS coordinates for near the alpaca barn: N 39º 27’ 58.5” W087º 27’ 09.5”

White Violet Farm Alpacas has 63 alpacas at this time with Samantha due to give birth around Oct. 12.

Attend our open house AND two other local alpaca farms, Aris Farm Alpacas (4 miles south of Clinton) and Lookout Farm Alpacas (just north of Terre Haute) this weekend and get your name entered in a drawing for a basket of alpaca socks, gloves, yarn and alpaca manure (Alpaca Gold).

Aris Farm Alpacas is down the road from us at 129 West 1800 South, Clinton, Ind., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25-26.

Lookout Farm Alpacas is at 5665 E. Rosehill Ave., Terre Haute, Ind. Their open house is 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26.

U.N. International Day of Peace Sept. 21

A Million Minutes for Peace
At noon on Tuesday, Sept. 21 there will be a multi-faith movement...mobilizing the power of prayer.

People of different faiths from all over the world will stop at noon and pray for peace for one minute — each in their own way — the U.N. International Day of Peace.

Sign the pledge:
"On Sept. 21, I will pause at noon and, in my own way, pray for peace.
May my one minute, magnified a million times, begin to change our future."

A Million Minutes for Peace is an initiative of Odyssey Networks, a service of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc., established in 1987.

Wabash Valley Going Local Food Fair 2010

If you were unable to attend the Going Local Food Fair at the Vigo County Fairgrounds on Sept. 9 (or didn’t know about it) hopefully you’ll find this post full of useful info.

White Violet Center for Eco-Justice participated by having a table and talking with folks about our CSA, participation in the Terre Haute farmers market, and answering questions about organic gardening, our farm, and such. We also had our handmade alpaca fiber items for sale. (Pictured: Candace Minster, left, talks about our ministry with two women.)

L&A Family Farms and CSA of Paris, Ill., had a table and was promoting their pasture raised meats, eggs and produce. Learn more about them at www.lafamilyfarms.com

Marta Shelton’s and Amelia Vallely-Compton’s Harvest Bakery, llc, of South 34th Street, Terre Haute, sold their homemade goods. They offer artisan breads, specialty pastries, special occasion cakes and delicious cookies. Give them a call at 812-235-7515.

Life of Riley Honey Farm had a corner full of soaps, lotions, candles, and honey. Perry and Beverly Riley are at 13239 S. Sullivan Place in Terre Haute. Email them at riley.honey.farm@gmail.com and check out their blog at rileyhoneyfarm.blogspot.com.

Swiss Connection’s cooler truck of meat and dairy was popular. The Yegerlehner’s family farm is in Clay City. Their cows are 100 percent grass-fed…absolutely no grain supplementation. All the milk cows are moved to fresh grass twice a day. Find them at www.swissconnectioncheese.com or give them a call at 812-939-2813.

Terre Foods Cooperative Market had a table and spoke with people about the progress of what will be the first food cooperative in Terre Haute and becoming a member. Terre Foods needs 800 members to secure a store location. Membership is at 354 now. See their website for more info at www.terrefoods.org.

Appleseed Farm, of Fairbanks, Ind., participated in the Food Fair by selling their jars of Pour-A-Pie and other yummy things. They can be found at the Terre Haute Downtown Farmers Market (as can many of the others who participated in this event) every Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, in the Clabber Girl parking lot at Ninth and Cherry Streets. Call Charlotte and Jennifer at 812-382-9189 or find them on Facebook at appleseed farm.

Deanna Franklin and Jim Luzar of the Vigo County Purdue Extension office were there with information about planting, growing and cooking autumn produce. They had a big pile of pumpkins and were giving tastes of pumpkin soup and pumpkin bars. Click here for extension office info.

Thank you to Jim Luzar for pulling the event together. Hopefully it will become an annual gathering of sharing information and products.

It's a boy!

A new alpaca cria was born at White Violet Farm Alpacas today. Providence Vincennes, "Vinnie," was born this morning to Providence Providentia, "Tia." He was up walking and nursing by noon.

Vinnie is light fawn in color and was 13 1/2 pounds at birth.

The Sisters of Providence have had a ministerial connection with Vincennes since the Congregation's founding years dating back to 1840 and the time of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, the Congregation's foundress.

More than 60 alpacas have been born at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods since the herd was introduced in 1998.

He sure is a cutie!