What are your SS goals for 2009?

[Dace]

Dace

tell me a little more about your cooking class business. I think that is a fab idea vs. the heavy work of gardening. COOL

let me know what you plan....are you close to starting or what??

Well a friend and I attended a few cooking classes just for fun and I thought, I could so easily do this. I have a great kitchen with plenty of room. I would teach 6-8 people at once, once a week for 4-5 weeks, with a theme for each session...ethnic, comfort foods, cooking on a budget whatever people seem to want. Everyone gets the recipes and then divide up into groups and prepare the food. Each group has an item...bread/salad/appetizer...main course....side...dessert (if 8 people) everyone prepares their dishes while I oversee and explain certain parts of the processes to the whole group so that while they are only hands on with one recipe they see and learn how each of the other recipes come together...then we all eat the prepared food and discuss it and possible variations etc. Super easy and right up my alley. The cost of the class includes the food expense and then some.
I figure that while people are cutting back frivolous spending, there are a lot of folks for whom that means less eating out but they may not really have the skills to comfortably and inexpensively eat at home....so my hope is that I can find enough people to do 3 of these per week. In my area it shouldn't be too hard!

What do you think? Any suggestions?

 

[MorelCabin]

Hey Dace--Can you tell us more about this tomato trellising system? That's my forever goal for each year--to find a better way to support my tomatoes

Bee will have to come a long. and explain properly....i think she posted a pic somewhere last year, easy garden perhaps. Basically it is a free standing lean to....poles and a lot of string. The plants grow up the string but because the thing leans back, you are not fighting to keep the heavy plant up. I need to get further instruction but I have the basic idea in my head! Sorry this is not very clear at all!

I usually plant mine against the garden fence so I can just tie it off as it grows. Works for me:>)

 

[FarmerChick]

That is a great idea!!!!!
The building is paid for (no outside rent or anything using your own kitchen!)
The cost of class covers food costs and DON'T FORGET to include a little more for your utility, power, lights, etc.....then be sure you charge for your time in there.

BUT other than that.....you are smart to have the people COME TO YOU! And they pay you to come. very good idea Dace!

and to do it in food theme courses is smart. I like the concept very much and they get to eat it or take it home and eat it.

ANOTHER THING
BEFORE you start....be sure your whole food courses are worked out. each and every meal planned in advance for the class.

THEN you can shop sales and get good prices on what you are cooking.

AND YOU CAN then type up a complete guide booklet/cookbook type folder and SELL them it for a very small price.

Like----here is every menu we cooked over our 6 week course. It is (?)$10 for the folder of all recipes.....added value to gain money. Alot of people would like a full page instructions on their whole course and EITHER off it free (and add more charge to the initial course to cover and make profit) or just charge extra for it.


maybe sell an apron too????


I think you have a geat idea Dace! You sure can run with this!
best of luck and let me know how you proceed

when are you going to kinda start this?

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

My 2009 goal is to get our gardens bigger and cut down further on the electric bill.

 

[captchris]

i plan to build a chicken coop and get some chickens my wife is going to start a garden. i am also going to keep coming here for ideas

 

[pdsavage]

To teach my hubby that he doesnt need the light on to watch tv or be on the computer...

 

[Sherrynboo]

My husband needs to have every light in the house on. I constantly go behind him turning off lights, tv, etc. Right now the tv is blaring and he is upstairs on the computer. The man doesn't have a frugal bone in his body. I have given up on trying to get the electric bill down. Oh well, if that is his only fault then I am in pretty good shape

Sherry

 

[me&thegals]

*Try growing meat birds.

*Further reduce the electric usage.

*Try to keep the house temp down to not waste wood.

*Increase income from my gardens in my CSA and farmer's markets.

*Research beekeeping and look into finding someone to possibly share some of the equipment with (my friend might be starting, too).

*Declutter and continue/increase purchase of used instead of new clothing, equipment, materials.

*Keep getting great ideas here!

 

[sylvie]

I knew I shouldn't have read this thread! Now I have more great ideas for my already burgeoning list.

Root cellar. Didn't realize it was a must have until today!

Sauna. If we can build a coop for nearly nothing we can build a sauna. We feel so empowered!

More persimmon trees. It tickles me that I can pick fresh sweet fruit off the tree in January here in the snowbelt.

More carrots. Less weeds. We need to create a virgin bed without weed seeds. Tried the landscape cloth and got burrowing critters that ate lots of the carrots.

Get off the property tax rollercoaster and go agricultural.

Make those pop can solar heaters.

Build a solar dehydrator. I dried cherries and strawberries with the plug in but why pay for electricity when the sun can do it for free?

Sell our Amish made wood burning hot water heater or incorporate it into the sauna as a steam bath component. Boy, that would feel good about now!

 

[enjoy the ride]

Sylvie "More carrots. Less weeds. We need to create a virgin bed without weed seeds. Tried the landscape cloth and got burrowing critters that ate lots of the carrots"

You might have already tried this but I mix radish seeds with the carrots when I plant- the radish seeds sprout really fast and tend to crowd out weed seeds -the carrots then have a chance to get started and grow as the radishes are pulled.
The only other thing I can think of is to cover you furture carrot bed with clear plastic after a watering and let every thing sprount and be burned off under the plastic. Then the carrots can be seeded without much distrubing of the soil - hopefull most of the weeds will have sprout thinking wowie spring only to get fried off.