The Library

I passed a billboard yesterday that said, " Read to your children for 15 minutes each day." CRAP!! I sure hope I haven't done any serious harm! I usually read to my kids for at least an hour a day. Oh well, they won't like it, but I guess we will have to cut back. I always do what billboards tell me to...

Anyway, we own an enormous number of books but after a million readings, they do get a little stale. I could never buy enough books to keep any of us happy, so we go to the library regularly.

The library is a great resource for more than just books. We also borrow stories on CD for those long trips and books & cartridges for Lydia's Leap Pad. Our library also loans music CDs, videos and DVDs.

Here are a couple of tips to make the most of your trip to the library:

Check out the maximum # of items each time. You may be surprised at what a high number it is! In our area it is 50 per library card.

Keep borrowed items for maximum number of days. This will cut down on the number of trips you make and the amount of gas you use! If you check out the max. # of items, you will have plenty to last. Here the lending period is 21 days. Check with your local library to see what yours is.

Electronic Reminders. Visit your library's website to see if they offer automatic reminders for return dates. Our library sends out a reminder 3 days before materials are due. So far, this has helped us avoid all late charges, yay!

Designated spot for library books. Keep your library books in one spot! We have a basket under a table. Any books that don't fit in the basket can be kept neatly behind it. This saves a lot of time a stress when the time comes to return them.

Keep your receipt. I keep the receipt for the books we have borrowed at the bottom of the basket. If one goes missing, it is much easier to take inventory then ask the kids specifically for a book than to search willy-nilly for the illusive #50.

Pretty & Responsible!

My sister-in-law Veronica, sent me this press release (link at the bottom) from the company she works for, Burnes Home Accents. Here is what she had to say.

"Our company is moving forward with an Eco/Sustainable line of frames. Pretty cool! AND, we have partnered with the Save The Earth Foundation, and some proceeds of our Eco line of frames goes to the foundation. Their logo and statements will be on all our minimized packaging for these frames. Very cool! We even have a "sustainable- go green" department now. "

http://www.prweb.com/releases/sustainability/social_consciousness/prweb1227134.htm

The Perils of Gardening

I hope I don't scare folks off with back-to-back days of precautionary tales, but I have to tell it like it is.

Behold, the Tomato Hornworm. This fellow was found yesterday, devouring the cherry tomato plant given to me by my grandparents. I had vague memories of such beasts in my grandparents garden when I was a kid (their dog, Muff, liked to eat them), but I wasn't sure if this was the same thing. So I snapped a picture and sent it off to my parents to take a look. Dad did some quick internet research for me and confirmed that it was indeed a Tomato Hornworm.

Lydia made a thorough search of our tomato pots, but found no other critters. With only 3 plants, I guess we are not a high-traffic garden!

So what to do with it? Dad said I had to kill it, but if you know me at all, you know I could do no such thing. No one in the house would touch it, and I didn't want to introduce pesticides into our garden. The only alternative I could think of was catch and release. I used my shears to clip off a small branch of the plant, and we put him in the front yard. This morning, he was gone. Maybe a bird found a juicy meal, maybe the Hornworm found greener pastures. Dad says I will find him right back in my garden. If so, I might just let him have it! That would be some impressive dedication!

For more info and some gruesome pictures check out this link. http://www.gardengrapevine.com/TomatoWorm.html

The Perils of Conservation

Yesterday morning as I was hanging my laundry to dry, I was swarmed by bees! Okay, maybe swarmed is a bit overly-dramatic. Two of the little suckers landed in my laundry basket. They seemed to be using their proboscides to search for the moisture in the laundry. Every time I pulled laundry out from under them, they flew at me. I waved them away as carefully as possible considering their value as pollinators, but they just kept coming back. It took me quite a while to hang the laundry and the job was not up to my usual standards

Once I was done, I went inside for the camera. When I got back outside, I counted 7 honey bees hovering around the rack. Unfortunately, my camera is really slow, so this is the only picture I got.

Check out this link to learn more about the honey bee and the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder that has been destroying colonies for the past few years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee

Vielen Dank

Wow, I didn't even realize some of you were reading my blog! Thanks for all the comments. With that response, I guess I can't quit.

Matt - Love the idea! I will combine it with Sandy's and ask him to be my first guest writer!
Sandy - Does that mean you are volunteering? When you learn how to sew, I want wipes too!
Mom - I am proud of you! Can't wait to see you using your bags!
Dad - You are exempt from the Family Wipes. We will call them "People-who-live-in-my-house-and-pee-sitting-down Wipes".
Melissa - If I write about my kids, what will I have to talk about on the phone? What pictures would I have to post on Superpooh? :)

That said, I will be out of town for a week. Come back next Thursday and I will have something for you.

Bored

Okay, so I have to admit that I am bored with this blogging thing already. I intended for it to be a way to push myself to conserve more and buy less. I have found I really don't need it.

I still haven't bought a loaf of bread, I am still hanging my laundry, we take reusable servingware to the park, Homeschool Conference, wherever. I am seriously considering Family Wipes(http://living.wallypop.net/wipes.html) and will let you know when I make the leap. We are buying organic bulk items from the bins in the grocery store. I just don't have time to write about it.

Yesterday I made watermelon fruit leather, a huge stash of frozen hashbrowns & hummus. I also prepped 2 different kinds of fruit leather to finish today. I ALSO started some watermelon rind pickles. (It is a 2 day process.)

Yes, I am tired! This baby-thing is really draining me. I am super tired & having trouble sleeping (except for on the couch in the middle of the day). Go figure! I am writing this at 4am after not falling asleep until midnight. Sigh....maybe it's twins?! (I've already gained weight and some of my clothes are uncomfortable. What the heck?)

Fruit Leather

My next idea for all those grapes was fruit leather. My Grandma always used a dehydrator, so I thought I might have to buy one. Happily, I was wrong. A quick search of the internet ensured me that all I needed was the oven and a lot of time.

Since the drying process takes 8-10 hours in the oven, I prepared the grapes one day then dried the next. Once again, the longest part of the preparation process was to wash and de-stem the grapes. I started with about 10 cups of grapes which turned into 8 cups once pureed. After pureeing, I put the grapes into the fridge and left overnight.

First thing the next morning, I preheated the oven. Most recipes suggest 150 degrees, but my oven only goes as low as 170. Then I added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a bit of lemon juice and stirred.

I poured the mixture onto plastic (microwavable Saran Wrap) lined cookie sheets. (Wet the cookie sheets to help plastic stick.) Each cookie sheet held 4 cups of the grape mixture.

I put the trays into the oven on the middle racks, making sure the plastic did not touch the racks or cover the fruit.

My fruit leather took 8 1/2 hours to dry.

I rolled the leather as one piece using the plastic wrap on the cookie sheet, then cut it into individually sized portions.

It is super, duper sweet and all natural.

Recycled Bread

I have to thank my friend Blake for this idea. He made yummy croutons for our dinner salad the last time he was kind enough to have my family over. Until then, I had been saving our odds and ends of leftover bread for the ducks in Elk Grove Park. After being chased once too many by a greedy goose, this idea was quite welcome.

I keep bag in the freezer for leftover bread. The 6th hoagie roll that my family of 5 just can't eat, the last homemade hamburger bun, heels of bread, you get the idea. After thawing, I cut all the bread into cubes. I then used my hands to toss the bread with some crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper. I put the mixture into a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the cubes were nice and crunchy.
(I would suggest making the croutons in smaller batches than shown above to decrease cooking time and ensure even cooking.)

This idea is yummy, easy and cuts down on waste. You can't beat that.

Yummy Pasta Salad

With all the yummy fresh food in my house, this seems to be turning in to a food blog.

This is a bruschetta inspired, cold pasta salad. (I made it up all by myself!)


Ingredients

Mixed Vegetable Pasta (embarrassingly named Wacky Mac)
Tomatoes (Grandma & Grandpa's garden)
Fresh Basil (My garden)
Homemade Ricotta (see August 6, 2008)
Fresh Green Onion (Grandma & Grandpa)
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(Amount of each item should be determined by your own tastes. For example, I went light on the tomatoes because my husband does not like them. Next time I make it I will add much more.)

Start by mixing the ricotta & green onions, then refrigerate.
Boil pasta to desired firmness. Add cold water to chill. Set aside.
Cut tomatoes into medium-sized pieces.
Cut basil into strips.
Mix chilled pasta, tomatoes and basil in a bowl.
Remove cheese and onion mixture from fridge. Use 2 small spoons to form nice looking clumps of cheese.
Lay cheese on top of pasta.
Drizzle the whole bowl with balsamic and oil.
Serve!

The next time I make this dish will be for a dinner at the homeschool conference. To enable it to travel more easily, I plan to use cubed mozzarella instead of the ricotta.

To rejuvenate the leftovers, add a little more extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mmmm.

Grape Juice

If you paid any attention to yesterday's picture, you know I have a ton of grapes. So what to do with them? I started with grape juice.

After searching the internet, I decided on a recipe from Simply Recipes. (See below for the link to the full recipe.) The site has beautiful pictures, yummy recipes, but long-winded directions.

Here is my simple description of what I did.

The first and longest step is to wash and de-stem the grapes. I'm talking hours here. As I de-stemmed, I put the grapes in a colander. When it was full, I gave them a rinse and put them into my biggest pot. I then used a potato masher to mash the grapes. I repeated this process until all the grapes were mashed and in the pot.

The second step is to slowly heat the grapes and juice until it simmers. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Mash 1/2 way through simmer to get any grapes that have been hiding.

Next, use some sort of strainer to separate skin & seeds from the juice. I started out using my regular colander lined with coffee filters. After a few minutes I realized the seeds were too big to go through the holes in the colander, so I removed the filters. I let that sit for a while, going back occasionally to stir & mash with a ladle.

I skipped the 2nd straining and put the juice straight into a pitcher in the fridge. There is a bit of sediment on the bottom, but I don't mind it. If the girls don't like the way it looks, I can strain it at a later time. The juice is soooo yummy and sweet! I can't wait for them to try it.

I am not sure exactly how many pounds of grapes I used. I would guess about 10 lbs. I ended up with the amount shown, which is in a 2.26 quart pitcher. It was a lot of work, but I am glad I tried it. The yummy, organic juice is totally worth it.

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000107making_grape_juice.php

Bountiful Harvest

My Grandparents are amazing! Grandma Judy & Grandpa Floyd raised a family of 1 girl and 4 boys on just one income. They planted a garden every year and raised chickens. I remember helping in the garden as a kid, picking and watering the fruits & veggies. I remember watching Grandma can vegetables and how neat the shed outside looked all lined with jars. Grandma always baked the best wheat bread with all kinds of nuts in it. She also made fruit leather and jerky that we got each year as Xmas presents. Both my Grandparents hunted yearly for deer. I remember my Grandpa skinning a buck as it hung from the rafters of their garage. Venison sausage was a great Xmas morning treat along with the homemade waffles and blackberry syrup they made for us.

Even though all their kids are grown and they just have the two of them to feed, they still plant a garden every year. Saturday I got to take my pick of all the ripe fruits & vegetables and ended up with an impressive amount of grapes, tomatoes, several kinds of peppers, green onions and cucumbers. I can't wait to add all these great organic ingredients to some new recipes!

More than anything, I think this trip to harvest home-grown food has solidified what I have been feeling for a while. I would love to someday have a home with enough land for a big garden, chickens and a goat. Maybe even a pig! It would be great to be able to trade or buy our meat, milk, honey and any produce we couldn't grow ourselves from local independent sources (like neighbors).

Anyway, thank you Grandma & Grandpa for all the fruits and veggies as well as the memories they bring back for me. You will be hearing about the experiments I try with them!

Laurel's Kitchen - A Vegetarian Cookbook

This is my 'new' favorite cookbook. I got it for free at a park day here in Sacto. It is actually far from new, being first published in 1976. My particular copy is a 1986 reprint. It spent many happy years in the Sacramento Public Library system (I say happy because it is in great shape!) before being sold. I am sure it had many fabulous adventures before it made its way to me just a few short months ago.

We have been having great fun together! Wave made Homemade Ketchup (that story coming soon), I made mayo. The Carrot Salad was a huge success.

I am most excited about the section on condiments and sauces. The salad dressing recipes absolutely make my mouth water!

This is not just a cookbook. It begins by describing the inspiration and mission behind the making of the book. Then there are 283 pages of recipes interlaced with descriptions of different ingredients and tecniques used. There are a few pages of suggested menus, then 150 pages about nutrition.

This book covers it all and despite it's age is not dated. All the nutritional information is based on practical, common sense ideas. There are no fad diets or extreme ideas.

I recommend you pick up a copy of this book! Especially if you see it at a thrift store or yard sale. Even if you are not a vegetarian, you will find many yummy recipes.

Use this Amazon link to see inside the book http://www.amazon.com/New-Laurels-Kitchen-Vegetarian-Nutrition/dp/089815166X/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Reusable Bags

I have bags. Lots and lots of bags. I love my bags. It is hard for me to pass up buying any cute reusable bag. I already know which one I will buy next. Trader Joe's has a new small-sized bag made entirely of recycled plastic bottles!

I use them almost daily for grocery shopping, travel, trips to the river & park. I take them to the library to fill with kids books. I use them to clean out the car. Right this second, Lydia is dragging Rowan around in the big, blue Ikea bag. The possibilities are, literally, endless.

Despite the plethora of bags in my house, we have not been able to completely exclude plastic. My husband refuses to carry bags to the store if he is alone. I can only guess he thinks he will be mistaken for carrying a purse. Whenever I ask him he says we need the plastic for cat litter. I would much rather use paper for this. Plastic is bad for our environment!

My biggest motivator for using anything other that plastic is the giant island of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. Here is an excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle, "The enormous stew of trash - which consists of 80 percent plastics and weighs some 3.5 million tons, say oceanographers - floats where few people ever travel, in a no-man's land between San Francisco and Hawaii." Read the whole article here. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/19/SS6JS8RH0.DTL&hw=pacific+patch&sn=001&sc=1000

I also encourage you to read "Junk" one of the blogs on my blog list. These guys are really trying to raise awareness of the problem! And, please, invest in some reusable bags!

BOIL DAMMIT!!! (or, more calmly) Trying to make cheese.

Perhaps I should have not attempted to make cheese for the first time on a day when I am exceptionally tired and grumpy. Maybe the takes "...an hour or two" should have warned me off. I guess I should have thought twice when I noticed that the good folks at Sunset Magazine included NO MEASUREMENTS in their recipe. Whatever the reason, this project cannot go in the success category.

Here I am at the beginning of the process. Happily taking a photo of 1 gallon of whole milk in my pot. Heating slowly...oh so slowly. Sunset told me this part would take 3o minutes, so I gathered up some cheese-making reading material and posted myself in front of the stove to stir.

At 40 minutes, I discovered foam fishies!

Can you say "boredom"?

Finally, after one full hour of stirring, the milk came to a boil. I removed the pot from the heat and squeezed my lemon into it like a mad woman.

Then I stepped back to witness the "Fat, white curds...form immediately, floating in a greenish whey." as Sunset promised they would.

This was an underwhelming experience. A few chunks floated around on the top of the milk. I put them in the strainer hopefully thinking, "Maybe there are more curds just below the surface." No such luck. I strained the whole pot through cheese cloth, squeezed out the excess moisture, let it dry for a while and ended up with this.

Less than a cup of ricotta-like cheese. Wow! It does taste good, though. Lydia has been begging to eat it all since she had her first taste.

I had planned to save the leftover whey, but did not expect to have so much of it. When I poured it back into the gallon jug it started in, it almost filled it back up. According to what I've read, it is a good substitute for milk or water in recipes. It can even be used to boil pasta. Heck, it looks just like milk to me! Maybe the kids won't notice...

So I guess the score is cheese 1, jen 0. I will return though! With more knowledge and a better recipe, I will return!

Watson House Bread

It has been almost one month since I bought a loaf of sliced bread. In that time, I have made too many loaves to count! It is amazing how simple it is to keep fresh, homemade bread in the house.

I use a bread machine. It allows me to start a loaf and then go about my day. No worrying about rising time or kneading. No heating up the oven (and house). No under or over cooked bread.

There are a couple of drawbacks to the bread machine, though. You do have to pay attention to the initial kneading cycle. Very often I have to add more liquid or scrape down the sides to ensure all the dry ingredients are properly mixed. The other issue I have is the hole left by the blade. It leaves a couple of slices in the middle of the loaf misshapen.

All-in-all, the bread machine makes my life a whole lot easier.

Our "house" bread is All-American Beer Bread. The recipe is from a Better Homes & Gardens cook book. It works great for sandwiches, toast or even as dinner bread.

All-American Beer Bread

(1 1/2 lb. loaf)

1 cup + 2 tablespoons beer (It's fun to experiment with different types!)

1 tablespoon butter

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup bread flour

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer.

For my machine, it is liquids first, then dry, then yeast on top in a shallow hole.

I use the wheat setting, medium dark.

I let the bread cool uncovered, then store in a plastic bag. 1 loaf lasts us about 2 days.

Time - about 4 hours

Cost - Less than $2. (Depends on type of beer used.)

Yay San Francisco!

Hooray for San Francisco. Although the city already composts or recycles 70% of all waste, they are upping their game again.

Check out the link below. I hope more cities (I'm talking to you, Sacramento)will follow the lead on this one.

http://www.examiner.com/a-1514238~Trash_a_bottle__face_a_fine.html

Cloth Napkins

We switched over to cloth napkins a couple of years ago.They can be a little pricey, so I am always keeping an eye out for anything on clearance. Now we have quite the collection. As you can see they actually match! That was just luck. I'd buy any napkins at a good price!

I like to use napkin rings (also a great clearance aisle find),but napkins could be folded and kept in a nice basket. We are currently on the look out for anything that could be reused to make unique napkin
rings.

If you use a serger, you can pick out any fabric you like and easily make your own napkins. To be even more eco-friendly, use old clothes or linens.

This was an easy change for us. We all have our favorite napkins and napkin rings. They hold up much better than paper for those extra messy foods like ribs & spaghetti. The big size allows them to be tucked into kids' shirts to protect their clothes. It is an easy job to wash the few we use each day. The girls help by keeping the basket on the table full and folding the extras.

By my estimation, my family has avoided using at least 7300 paper napkins in the last 2 years. This adds up to a savings of at least $120 (based on the price of $3.32for 200 store brand paper napkins), not to mention all those trees!

Homemade Creamed Corn

This has been my most successful experiment to date! Everyone in my family had a taste before I added it to the mix for Mexican Corn Bread. It is entirely different from the stuff that comes in a can. There is absolutely no liquid in the end product. It is sweet and crunchy. I made it after buying too much fresh corn. I also threw in half an ear that got cooked, but not eaten the night before. The darker colors you see in the photo are kernels of red corn. The recipe is from Southern Living with some modifications from me. Give it a try! I promise you will be pleasantly surprised.

Creamed Corn

1/4 cup butter or margerine
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in corn kernels & milk. Sprinkle with cornstarch, sugar & salt; stir well.

Bring mixture to a boil, stiring constantly. Reduce heat & simmer, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes. (Great arm workout!) Serve immediately.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Cost varies. Mine was about $2.50

Time 20-25 minutes

Laundry

I LOVE hanging out my laundry to dry. I wash it first thing every morning then hang it as soon as I get a few minutes to myself. I love the quiet, meditative state it puts me in. I enjoy the challenge of placing each item in the perfect spot to maximize my space and keep it off the ground. It's like a puzzle and a ritual all in one.

I am also very proud to say we are down to drying only one load per week in the dryer. Sheets, blankets and jeans are all that get dried electrically. Jeans just don't fit right with out the heat. Sheets & blankets either blow off in the Delta Breeze or turn the whole rack into a kite.

The rack I use is yet another great find of Sandy's. Ikea. Around $20. It holds a load of laundry quite easily. The picture is of a full load of towels, washcloths and the like. I use large office paperclips to hold down things like little socks that might otherwise be blown away.

The only complaint I have heard about outdoor drying is the stiffness of the towels. I kind of like the way the moisture from my body melts away the crispness of the towel as I dry off. Oh well, you can't please everyone...

Check out the link below. It has lots of information about saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions by line drying.

http://laundrylist.org/

"I only buy the things I can't make."

My dear friend Sandy recently made the statement in the title of this post to me. Such a simple idea, but it really had an effect on me. I have been conscious of all the little things we each can do to help out Mother Earth for a long time. I have nagged plenty of my family and friends about recycling, composting & turning off lights. This idea really struck a chord with me because it is one more thing I can do.

So, I have begun my journey towards a more independent existence. I hope you will enjoy hearing about it as much as I am enjoying living it.

Homemade Mayonnaise

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup oil

Put egg, salt, mustard & vinegar in blender with 1/4 cup of the oil. Blend on low, uncover and slowly but steadily pour in the remaining oil.

Makes 1 1/4 cups

Costs less than $1

Takes about 5 minutes to make