Giving Thanks

It might be a little bit early for a post about Thanksgiving, but I had a Thanksgiving-themed pot luck last night, so I'm in the mood. One of the things that I love about Thanksgiving is that it brings people together around food. Sharing a meal helps us bond with the others at the table. Eating relaxes us, it breaks down barriers, and it establishes important social norms. My favorite part, though, is the food.

Since I started patronizing farmers markets a few years ago I have begun to appreciate the food at Thanksgiving even more. Because I know many of my farmers, I feel even more thankful for the food on the table. These farmers spend every day putting their heart and soul into growing food for our tables. They are proud of what they do, and they love sharing it with us. This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to get as much of your meal from local sources as possible. Below are 2 lists, 1 of produce that is available around this time of year (with some recipe suggestions!) and another of resources to find local food in your area. Give thanks, eat food, and enjoy the fall colors!

Fall Produce*

• Beets (Beet Hummus)
• Carrots (Roasted Root Vegetables, my recipe)
• Turnips (See link above)
• Rutabagas (See link above)
• Potatoes (See link above)
• Sweet potatoes (Sweet Potato Biscuits, my recipe, coming soon!)
• Squash: acorn, butternut, spaghetti, pumpkin, etc (West Indian Pumpkin Soup)
• Mushrooms (Mushroom Gravy, my recipe)
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach
• Greens: mustard, beet, collards, turnip, etc (Balsamic Greens, my recipe)
• Apples
• Persimmons
• Figs
• Pomegranates

*These depend on your area, check your local farmers market for exact availabilities.

Find a Farmers Market

• Local Harvest: A great resource of farmers markets by area. Also has information about getting turkeys.
• USDA Farmers Market Search
• Triangle Farmers Markets: A Google map of farmers markets in the Triangle area
• The Davidson Farmers Market*: A young, thriving market that will always hold a special place in my heart

*Full disclosure: I used to be on the Board of Directors of the Davidson Farmers Market. I included the specific link because I have readers in the Davidson area.

Balsamic Greens

This is one of my favorite ways to serve greens, and it is a great recipe for those new to cooking with greens. I usually use collard greens, but you can use any variety (mustard or beet greens, kale, swiss chard, etc).

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans
1 lb collards or other greens
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c raisins or dried cranberries
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Remove stems and cores of greens and coarsely chop.
2. Heat olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add nuts and let cook for 2 minutes
5. Stir in greens, lower heat to medium, and cover. Cook until greens are wilted.
6. Stir in balsamic vinegar and raisins/cranberries. Taste and add salt and/or pepper, as desired.
7. Serve immediately.

Roasted Vegetables

It's that time of year again! The weather is getting chilly, leaves are changing, and root vegetables abound. Here is a recipe I use to celebrate the season.

Ingredients
2 pounds root vegetables*
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Optional: 1 pound other veggies**
2 T olive oil
2-4 T fresh herbs***
Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Prepare root vegetables accordingly. Most will need to be washed, peeled, and cut into cubes. Do your best to cut them into similarly sized pieces so they cook evenly.
3. Prepare other vegetables, if necessary. Snap ends off green beans, cut larger mushrooms in half, and halve brussels sprouts. Okra is best roasted whole.
4. Combine root vegetables, other vegetables, onion, and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan.
5. Toss vegetables with oil, herbs, salt, and pepper.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring once, until root vegetables are fork-tender.

*Root vegetables include carrots, turnips, rutabagas, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips. Use any combination that you like. If you've never worked with one of those vegetables, this is a great way to try them out!

**"Other veggies" that I have used include green beans, okra, mushrooms, or brussels sprouts.

***I like sage, rosemary, and marjoram, but oregano, thyme, chives, and tarragon are also wonderful in this dish. As in other recipes, you can use any combination of herbs that you like or have on hand. If using dried, use closer to 2 T than 4T.

Mushroom Gravy

This is my go-to gravy recipe for any occasion. It makes a flavorful, savory sauce that is great on stuffing, tofu, potatoes, chicken, turkey, and more!

Ingredients

1/4-1/3 pound mushrooms*

3 T butter, divided

2 T flour

1 c vegetable broth/stock

2 T fresh herbs**

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in frying pan over medium-high heat. 
2. Slice mushrooms as thinly as possible. If you want a smooth gravy you can mince them. Add mushrooms to pan and cook until quite tender. 
3. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. 
4. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until just combined. 
5. Add the vegetable broth and whisk until smooth. 
6. Stir in herbs. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened. 
7. As it thickens, stir occasionally, taste, and adjust spices accordingly. DO NOT add salt unless you have tasted it and truly feel it needs it. Typically vegetable stock is salty enough.
8. Serve warm.
9. Optional: Put the gravy in the blender and pulse for a few seconds to make it smooth. I usually need to add 1/4-1/2 cup of extra stock to thin it when I do this.

*A note on mushrooms. You can certainly use white button mushrooms, but to me they're a little plain-Jane. I like shiitakes or criminis (baby portobellos) for this recipe, but any type of mushroom will work.

**I typically use a combination of sage, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, but you can use whatever you have on hand. It works well to use the same spices in the gravy as you're using in other recipes being served. Fresh is always preferred to dried. If you do use dried, start with 1 Tablespoon and add more to taste.

5 Essential Kitchen Items

Check out this great article from one of my favorite blogs, Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest.

5 Indispensable Entertaining Items Built to Last

I may be biased, given that I do, in fact, have all of those items, but I think that is a great list. You can truly do a lot with each of those items. If you are new to entertaining or new to having your own kitchen, knowing what to buy can be a daunting task. Kitchen equipment can add up quickly, so you need to be selective about what you spend your money on.

My advice is to seek out as many of these five items as you can afford. Go for top quality. You might spend more, but in the end these pieces will last for your lifetime. When you're 80 years old and teaching your grandchildren to cook with the cast iron pan you've been using for 60 years, you will not regret these purchases. And don't forget about the holidays coming up! Parents love buying their young adult children practical gifts, especially if you make them a fabulous meal with your gifts.

The only comment I would add to the article is to point out that you should not only look for high quality, but also seek out multi-taskers. Le Creuset and other cast iron is great because it can be used on the stove top or in the oven. So that cast iron skillet can make your favorite stir fry or sauteed vegetable dish, and baked goods like corn bread and cakes. My salad bowl is also oven-safe (it's Pyrex), so I can serve cold dishes in it, but also stick it in the oven to warm up a side dish or bake a cobbler.

Thanks, Apartment Therapy, for such a great list!

Social Marketing

Many of my peers are surprised to find out that I have a blog. They want to know why I have one, what I write about, and who reads it. For those who are curious, this is it.

Why?

There are a lot of reasons, from having fun to improving my writing. Mainly though, I want to control the information about me that people can readily access on the Internet. With a unique name like mine, a Google search for my name returns pages of results that are, in fact, about me. Showing up on Google is great, until something pops up that you don't like. What can you do about that? Not much. But as ecotoxicologists are fond of saying, dilution is the solution to pollution. If there is information out there about me that I don't want people to see, it's on the 6th or 7th page of results because of the web presence I'm developing.

What do you write about?

Whatever strikes my fancy, really. My broad area of interest is sustainability, and I try to keep topics related to personal sustainable living practices, sustainable food, and energy. The last is my professional interest, which I have just added to my list of blogging topics. Potential employers will Google me. They will find my blog. When they get there, I want them to see that I am actively engaged in the conversation about energy. That is just one more thing that might set me apart from other applicants.

Who reads it?

At the moment, my blog is in its infancy. Sometimes I don't think anyone reads it. I have a little analytical program set up to track visitor-ship, and it tells me more and more people are looking at my blog. This is good, but I've got a ways to go before I can truly call myself a "blogger".

Want more information?

Always thought about starting a blog but don't know how?
A friend of mine happens to be an expert at this. Not just a friend, but a former work study student that worked for me. Yeah, that's right, she's younger than me and I'm referring to her as an "expert". Basically, she saw the job she wanted, set out on a grand social marketing journey, got the job, and blogged all along the way. In the process she has developed quite the following, and a business. Check her out:

http://marianlibrarian.com/

Why Raising Chickens Isn't Crazy

If you've been reading this blog lately, you've read a lot about how my roommates and I have decided to raise chickens. So far it's mostly been the "how" of this equation, and I figure it's about time for the "why".

The girls in the run section of their chicken tractor, 8 weeks of age.

First let me say that my roommates (C & R) and I are pretty conscious eaters. We are all vegetarians, and we buy as much of our food at the farmers market as we can, especially eggs. The three of us have already been sold on the health and environmental benefits of eggs from sustainable farms in our area. That made raising chickens kind of a no-brainer for us, so we just went ahead and did it.

However, as was the case with me becoming a vegetarian, we have since learned about many other benefits to raising chickens in your backyard. They actually are good for your yard (when your dog doesn't turn the area around the coop into a muddy racetrack). With the chicken tractor, which gets moved every week, the waste is spread around the yard relatively evenly, so it acts as a fertilizer. Also, the chickens peck and scratch the yard, which promotes grass growth. Given our recent dry spell, our yard could use a little help. Additionally, chickens eat bugs like ticks and spiders (but not so many as to disturb the overall system).

Another slightly less quantitative benefit is the sheer joy I get out of having them around. Their chirps are delightful, and there is something mesmerizing about watching them peck and scratch at the ground. It is becoming habit to have my breakfast on the back deck, watching the chickens. I never expected to get so much out of my new feathered friends!

Oil, Gas, and the Nation's Energy Future

I spent last weekend in Houston, TX, learning about the oil and gas industry with a group of my classmates, a PhD student, and the head of the Energy and Environment concentration. Why Houston? Well, it's the hub of hydrocarbons in the US. Why oil and gas? Because our current and future energy systems are and will be based on oil and gas.

You might be surprised that I would say that, given my obvious environmental bent. However, what I learned last weekend makes it clear that oil and gas (o & g) will be with us for a long time, and I'm going to have to learn to live with that. In fact, I'm going to have to learn to work with that to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in spite of our dependence on o & g.

What did I learn this weekend? It can be summed up in 3 lessons, which I will address in brief below.

1. Climate change legislation will not happen during the current administration.

There was much excitement over the summer about the climate legislation that reached the Senate. However, the bill fell flat on its face (for many reasons, not the least of which is that climate change has become a partisan issue instead of a scientific one). With elections coming up next month, we are likely to see a shift in the House and Senate that will not work in the planet's favor. Sadly, it looks like we'll need to wait until the next administration.

2. The price of oil and gas largely determines the feasibility of renewable energy.

This seems obvious, but it became even more evident during my time in Houston. People want to pursue the alternatives. Texas has high potential wind capacity, but no one is willing to build wind farms in West Texas because there is no infrastructure to get the power to the populated areas that need it. Of course, no one is willing to put in the necessary infrastructure because there are no wind farms to connect to. Until the price of oil is high enough to offer monetary incentive to seek out alternatives, we won't do renewable. We just won't.

3. Natural gas could be an appropriate, lower-carbon substitute for coal.

This is the idea I found most interesting about the weekend. We spent a lot of time talking about natural gas, both conventional and unconventional forms. The price of gas has dropped significantly, in part due to technology that has increased domestic production. While this does not give us any reason to move towards renewable energy, it could make a compelling case to move away from coal. Coal has traditionally been an inexpensive, easy material with which to generate electricity. However, if the price of natural gas stays low enough, it would offer a pretty attractive alternative to coal, at least environmentally speaking--it emits about 50% less greenhouse gases than coal. It's not perfect, but it's a start.

Crazy Stunts Don't Help the Environment

If you've seen the news today, I'm sure you've gotten wind of the situation at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. Evidently a man named James Lee has a major beef with Discovery Channel for promoting the propagation of the human race. Lee is convinced that the best and perhaps the only way to save the planet is to cease human reproduction entirely and halt modern civilization until nature takes over.

Right.

To get his point across, Lee has taken hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters and is evidently making demands. The police won't release specific information about the demands, but many are guessing that it has something to do with a document Lee posted on a website earlier today.

You see, Lee is so dedicated to his cause that he has written a manifesto. It's an interesting read, to say the least. To save you a little time, I'll summarize his points below. *Note: Lee organizes his thoughts into 11 numbered items and some disorganized rambling. However, upon closer reading, I realized he has only a few things to say...

Humans are ruining the planet, therefore we should not only cease population growth, but stop having children all together. Sterilization and infertility are the answer. Obviously. To go along with that, war (and peace movements for that matter, which are all fakes and lies) promote population growth, so we have to stop them, too. Also, no more using fossil fuels or growing crops. Both of these promote reproduction. Stop producing food, stop producing humans. It's as simple as that. 


The best way to accomplish these goals would be through TV shows on the Discovery Channel and its affiliates. Game show formatting would work particularly well for these topics. Just keep beating society over the head with this stuff until they change their ways and destroy themselves. It's your civic duty.


Oh, and once you're done destroying modern civilization, please find solutions for unemployment and homelessness, too. Thanks.

We're all entitled to our own opinions, but this little stunt isn't going to do anything for the planet. The only thing these attention-seeking actions do is make the rest of the country think that all environmentalists are crazy tree huggers who share the same beliefs as the folks on TV calling for sterilization and other nonsense. For those of us trying to make an actual difference, people like this make our job a hundred times harder.

So, to all you crazy environmentalists out there who are thinking about taking hostages, ramming whaling ships, burning down buildings, or any number of other equally idiotic and counter-productive activities: please, for the planet's sake, just stay home.

Extending the Harvest: Drying Hot Peppers

In the late spring, summer, and early fall you will find your local farmers market full of fresh, seasonal produce. This is the time to savor these fresh flavors and celebrate the season. But what about in January when you're craving a fresh peach and buying produce at the grocery store makes you cringe. If you're interested in supporting local farms (or helping the environment, or food safety, or health, or any number of the other benefits of local food), you should seriously consider preserving the season's finest in some way. There are numerous options, from simple to complex, most of which are pretty inexpensive. For example, drying/dehydrating can be done with just a few simple household items and a little bit of patience.


My farmers market has had a ton of gorgeous hot peppers lately, so today's impulse buy was a handful of cayenne and tiburon peppers (also known as a poblano, or ancho when dried). The process is pretty simple, and after a few weeks I'll have dried peppers which can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for a year or more. If you dry a lot of peppers at once and don't have space to store them whole, you can grind them up in food processor, blender, spice grinder, or coffee grinder. This will make flakes or a powder, depending on how long you process them for, and it can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry. I prefer to keep them whole and grind them as I need them. The flavor stays stronger when left whole, and I also have the option of rehydrating them and using them whole in soups, stews, and sauces.


Drying Hot Peppers

Materials
Hot peppers, whole, any variety
Strong thread
Needle
Pushpins/tacks
Window, preferably one that gets good sunlight






Method

1. Cut a length of thread 8-10" longer than the width of the window you are going to use. Fold the thread over a little bit on one end and tie a knot, making a loop. Thread the free end of thread through the needle.
2. Gently poke the needle through the lower part of the stem of each pepper and slide the pepper onto the thread. Continue until all the peppers are on the thread (or as many will fit on that piece of thread). Space peppers at least 1" apart.
3. Remove the needle, and fold over that end of the thread and tie a knot, to make another loop.
4. Put a pushpin or tack on either side of the window frame. Hang the thread from the pushpins by the loops at each end.
5. Multiple rows of peppers may be hung, as long as there is at least 1" between the bottom of the longest pepper and the top of the row below it.
6. Let peppers hang like this until thoroughly dried, at least 3 weeks, longer if you live in a humid climate.
7. Store in an airtight container whole or ground for up to 1 year.

Chicken Coop, Part I

My roommates and I journeyed to the Habitat ReStore and Home Depot today to collect supplies to build a coop for our new baby chicks. A the ReStore we found the following:

5 2x3s, each 16 ft long ($2 each)
1 2x2, 12 ft long ($1 each)
Shingles, 16 sets of 2 ($0.10 each)
Total spent: ~ $13

We headed to Home Depot for the rest of it, since the ReStore didn't quite have everything we needed. We got 2 sheets of plywood, 25 ft of chicken wire, hinges, hasps, locks, and door pulls, for a total of about $95 (ouch).

Tomorrow we're getting together with a friend who has a saw and some carpentry knowledge to help us build our coop. I based the design off of a very popular style, the A-frame chicken tractor. A chicken tractor is a coop that is attached to a run and is movable. This way the chickens are fully-enclosed so that they will be safe from predators, but we can move them around the yard periodically to spread the love (ie: fabulously nutrient-rich chicken poop).

Once we're finished building the coop/tractor I'll post photos, detailed instructions, and the plans that I made. If you're thinking about building a coop or tractor, my plans will be for a very simple design that will work in a variety of areas. Until then, check out the Backyard Chickens website, it is a wealth of information!

The chicks have arrived!

This morning I got the not-so-long-awaited phone call from the nice man who sold us the chicks. They hatched yesterday (8/21/10), and he felt he had observed them long enough to know that they are all healthy little chicks. R & I drove out to his house, which is just south of Raleigh, and picked out our chicks.

Now originally we wanted 3 chicks. On the phone the other day this guy convinced me to get 4. By the time we had picked out our 4 chicks and were getting ready to pay (a whopping $1 per chick), he had decided we needed at least 5, so he tossed in a 5th chick for free. These are our little ladies in their brooder, which we set up yesterday with the materials we had acquired (see previous post).

Settling in to their new home!

L-R: Theodora, aka Theo (Silkie); Suzie (Araucana); Lucy (Araucana); nameless, for now (Barred Rock); Napoleon, aka Nappy (Silkie)

The Silkies are a Bantam breed, which means they'll be quite small--only 1.5-2 pounds when fully-grown. The others are standard breeds, so they'll be around 5 pounds fully-grown. Right now the Araucanas and the Barred Rock are just 1 day old, and the Silkies are 2-2.5 weeks old. The farmer suggested that we get Silkies that are a little bit older, so the standard ones don't trample the bantams.

The girls are adjusting pretty well, and the dogs don't seem too curious about them yet. Here are a few photos of the newest members of our household in wine glasses. (Don't call PETA on me, they were only in there for a minute or two.) I think it turned out pretty darn cute...

Theodora, aka Theo, 2.5 weeks, Silkie

As yet unnamed, 1 day, Barred Rock

Lucy, 1 day, Araucana

Suzie, 1 day, Araucana

Napoleon, aka Nappy, 2 weeks, Silkie

All 5 chicks in a row! Lucy, no-name, Theo, Nappy, Suzie

Chickens!

So, it's been a while since I've posted because I've been traveling, moving, and getting settled. However, this is a pretty exciting post--my roommates and I are getting chickens! Laying hens, to be exact, and we're pretty excited about it.

For those of you who know me, you are probably not surprised that I want to have laying hens, but you might be wondering about the logistics of this proposition given my current pets--2 Border Collie/Cattle Dog mixes who love nothing more than chasing birds (ok, maybe chasing squirrels, but birds are a close second). Well, our lovely little laying hens are going to live in their own fully-enclosed "chicken tractor", which will have a roost, laying boxes, and a run. The exact design is yet to be determined, but I do know that it's going to be on wheels so that we can move it around the yard every week or so. The tractor will keep the dogs out, as well as other predators, like hawks and foxes.

With the help of Craigslist we found a farmer just outside of Raleigh who has chicks for sale. He has a group that will be hatching tomorrow or Monday, so we'll be driving down there Monday or Tuesday to pick out our four little babies. He has several varieties, but we're planning on getting at least one Ameraucana (also known as an Easter Egger, since it lays blue/green eggs) and at least one Bantam (a small breed that lays eggs 1/3-1/2 the size of an average egg). Beyond that we're going to talk to the farmer and just see what he has.

So far our purchases for the new arrivals have been the following:

-Chick Feed (un-medicated), 5 pound bag, $6
-Chick Waterer, 1 quart size, $2.50
-18 Gallon Plastic Container (this will serve as our "brooder", home for the chicks for the first 6-8 weeks), $6

Things we had at home were:

-Lamp suitable for keeping the chicks warm (my Ikea drafting-table-style lamp, which has a shiny metal shade to amplify the heat from the bulb)
-Incandescent light bulb (gasp!)
-Food dish (ie, a small plate)
-A shelf high enough to keep the chicks away from the dogs
-Newspaper (bedding)

Once we get the chicks in place I'll post some photos. I'll also be sure to post photos of the chicken tractor as we build it.

And now we wait with bated breath for a phone call from the farmer with good news!

Crazy Green Lady Goes to Russia, II

So, we've boarded the luxurious Volga Dream river cruise ship, and we are having a lovely and relaxing time taking in the countryside and listening to lectures by our hosts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Harvard Alumni Association, the Wellesley Alumni Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. I can't post pictures because the ship's internet does not support Macs, but I will add them when we get home.

Yesterday we had a private tour of the Kremlin that started an hour and a half before the museum opened. We toured the armory with no one else in it! The armory was full of coronation gowns, carriages, Faberge eggs, gifts to the czars, and the crowned jewels. The coronation gowns were fantastic--hand sewn with fabric made of silver! Sadly the silver has tarnished with age, and it is too delicate to clean, so they didn't shine like they did on the coronation days. Also interesting were the crowns, which had fur on the bottom.

We also walked around the Kremlin grounds, which has 5 churches. Following that we drove to the convent where Peter the Great locked up his sister Sophia, to keep her from stealing the crown from him. Finally, we visited the National Cemetery, which has graves of many famous Russians, as designated by the Russian presidents.

The evening ended on the ship, where they greeted us with an ice cold shot of the best vodka I've ever had and a piece of a welcoming bread. Our ship is delightful, and offers a reprieve from the heat in Moscow (it reached 100 degrees F our last day in the city!). There is a lounge with a live pianist in the evenings, 4 decks, a library, a dining room, a snack bar, a gift shop, and 2 bars. Our rooms are small, but feel quite roomy.

This morning we went through a lock (after going through several overnight, which I slept through), and it was really fun to watch the water level drop before the gate opened. The countryside is very beautiful, and is dotted with summer homes. Evidently about 50% of Moscovites have a country home, and we are passing by a lot of them over the next few days.

Later this afternoon we will visit the village of Uglich, which is known for it's souvenirs. Shopping here I come!

Crazy Green Lady Goes to Russia!

Let me preface this by saying that there is nothing particularly sustainable about this trip. What can I say? We all have our indulgences.

And what an indulgence this trip has been so far! Yesterday I celebrated my birthday, which was absolutely wonderful. We started the day with a walk around Red Square, where we saw St. Basil’s Cathedral. The colors and shapes of this traditional church are fabulously whimsical, as you can see. 

Following that, we visited the Ostakino Palace, which was built by the Sheremetev Family in the 1700s to serve as a theatre and entertainment palace. Much of the palace has been restored to its original glory, including the theatre itself. It was fabulous!

At lunch I was surprised by a HUGE poppy seed birthday cake, made especially for me by the hotel’s pastry chef. It was filled and covered with a chocolate whipped cream, which was topped with glazed mixed fruit. It was fantastically messy and enjoyed by the whole group. After lunch we opted for the subway tour, where we got to see 3 very different stations, each elaborately decorated. We even got to rub the nose of the lucky German Shepherd Dog statue.

           

The highlight of the day was a behind the scenes tour of the Old Moscow Circus. Technically this tour was meant for the 18 and under crowd, but they had a few extra spots and let the birthday girl join them. It was by far the coolest tour I’ve ever been on. We got to stand in the ring, pet the animals (not the tigers), see dressing rooms, and meet some performers. The end of the tour was spent with a clown and a hoola-hoop acrobat getting a circus lesson. I hoola-hooped like a pro, and even managed to “juggle” 2 clubs. Dima (Dimitri) the clown was very patient with all of us, as we sent clubs, rings, and balls flying around the room. Photos will come later, they are on my mom’s camera…

After the tour, we joined the rest of our group to watch the Old Moscow Circus’ (in)famous performance, which was absolutely spectacular. There were clowns, dancers, tumblers, acrobats, a strong man, dogs, seals, ferrets, a fox, and tigers.

We finished the evening at a very nice restaurant, Barashka, where we were served by a waiter that I would like to put in my suitcase and bring home with me. He speaks (some) English, and Mom even approved! :)

Needless to say, it was the absolute best birthday I have ever had, and certainly one I will not forget. What a start to this trip!

 

PS: When we returned to the room today there was a gift from the hotel staff on the table—fresh fruit, a box of chocolates, and a bottle of champagne! It’s a day late but not a dollar short. 

Greening Your Move

Moving is hard. It is stressful. It is exhausting. It is not sustainable.

However, there are several things you can do to have less of an impact as you cart your material belongings across the country, across the county, or across the street. The best news about this? It will probably save you some money, too.

• Rent boxes. Yes, you can rent boxes for your move, and return them when you're done to be used by the next person. Check out Rent A Green Box, who rents plastic tubs made out of recycled materials. They have other moving supplies made out of recycled materials, too, like zip ties, paper, and other fillers. (Full disclosure: I have never tried this)
• Re-use boxes. You can get gently used boxes from liquor stores, big box stores, and websites like Freecycle and the free section of Craigslist. Reinforce the tape and you're all set.
• Use your paper recycling bin to pack your stuff. I find myself with copious amounts of paper to be recycled as I prepare for a move. Use this paper to layer between plates, wrap picture frames, and ball up to fill space in boxes. Not enough? Ask your neighbors if you can go through their recycling bins, too. Also, check your local coffee shop an hour or two before closing. They often have stacks of newspaper from the day that they will give to you.
• Hire a green cleaning service. Your home will be full of dust, bits of packing paper, and who knows what else. Hire a cleaning service that uses green cleaning agents. Not sure what they use? Just ask. Look/listen for key words and phrases like "non-toxic", "chlorine-free", "Green Seal Certified", and "Green Clean Institute Certified".
• Get a one-way moving truck rental. Even if your move is between neighboring cities, a one-way truck rental can save a lot of gasoline.
• Buy offsets for your travel. Several websites offer carbon offsets for travel of all types. Try Carbon Fund or Terra Pass.
• Don't trash your boxes. After your move, put your boxes on Freecycle or the free section of Craigslist. Someone will come pick them up and use them for their move. Your boxes aren't in good enough shape to reuse? Gardeners often use cardboard to start new planting beds. You can also recycle them in most cities.

The Last Supper

I recently read a post on a blog that I love, The Kitchn (part of the Apartment Therapy family of blogs, which are all awesome), about what to have for your first meal in your new house. Most of what the commenters came up with was takeout, but there were some fun ideas in there, too. Admittedly, I will probably get takeout on my first night in my new place. However, this is one of my last nights in my old place, and I feel the need to say a proper goodbye to my kitchen.

The problem with the last meal in a soon-to-be former home, of course, is that you've emptied the contents of your kitchen cabinets into boxes. My kitchen is currently in the back of my Outback, save 2 plates, 2 forks, 1 knife, 1 travel mug, and 1 non-stick frying pan. It is with these limited resources that I made a surprisingly delicious dinner out of what was left in my pantry and refrigerator.

What did I have left?

The remains of my pantry in an empty kitchen.

1 frozen ostrich burger patty, defrosted (Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch)
1/3 French baguette, baked from frozen (Chef Charles Catering)
1 tablespoon garlic scape pesto*
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tomatoes, grown in my front yard
1 apricot
Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt (a family favorite and a must in my pantry)
Olive oil

I put a little Jane's on the ostrich burger and heated about a tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Ostrich is extremely lean (40% less fat than beef!) and thus needs a little lubricant in the pan. When the pan was hot, I added the burger patty, let it cook for about 2 minutes, and then reduced the heat to medium.

While the burger continued to cook, I sliced the baguette and spread one side with the pesto. I sliced both tomatoes, and put one of them on the baguette. The other tomato I fanned out on the plate and sprinkled with Jane's. I cut the apricot in half and removed the pit.

When the burger was nicely browned on one side, I gently loosened it from the pan before flipping it. I topped the burger with the Parmesan cheese, and let it cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. I like my burgers medium or medium rare, and this is important with ostrich. Because it is so lean, it is very red, almost purple. If you wait until it is just pink in the middle (or worse, no pink at all) before you take it out of the pan, you'll have a lovely hockey puck, but not much in the way of dinner. If you are nervous, use a meat thermometer. Once you get to 160 degrees F, you're done; be sure not to exceed 165 degrees F.

Finally, I sliced the burger into thirds, laid it out on the baguette, and sat down to enjoy a scrumptious last supper with my little house. I'll miss you kitchen, it's been fun!

The Last Supper

*What is garlic scape pesto? It's a homemade pesto that I love to make in the late spring and early summer with garlic scapes in place of basil. Garlic scapes are the stalks of the garlic plant before the garlic head forms. They are a verdant green coil of delightful garlic flavor. Simply cut off the bulb end and cut into 1 inch sections to use. My "recipe" for garlic scape pesto is a handful of this and a handful of that, but it's similar to this recipe that I found at Food.com (but ignore the part about artichokes and pasta...). Make up a batch and store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It is great on sandwiches, pasta, mixed into hummus, and anywhere else you would use a basil pesto.

Uncluttering Update

As my move approaches, I am nearly packed. I have a few kitchen items left, and a dresser full of canning and preserving equipment that need to be dealt with. Other than that, everything is in boxes and bags, ready to be loaded into my car. I have a lot of stuff, but certainly not nearly as much as I had about a week ago. By my best estimates, I have reduced my belongings by about 1/3. How?

Uncluttering, Part I

This step is based on getting rid of what is easy to part with. I am committed to living more simply, so it was not very difficult for me to identify what items I do not use, and get rid of them.

I went through each space in my home and culled out all the items that I don't use. This was relatively easy. I tried on all the clothing I owned and made a sizable pile of what I either don't wear or doesn't fit. I put everything in my kitchen onto the counter and picked out duplicates and items that I've never (or rarely) used. I did this for the entire house. Then I put some ads on Craigslist and in the local paper, emptied these items onto my front lawn, and had a yard sale. At the end, the remaining items--an entire Subaru Outback's worth--went straight to charity.

Uncluttering, Part II

This step is motivated by the fact that I have to move all of my belongings to a new house this weekend. The more I get rid of, the less I have to move.

As I packed, I asked myself whether I really needed the item I was about to put into a box. I was not as ruthless here as I probably ought to have been, but it resulted in another 1/2 car load of items going to charity this morning.

Uncluttering, Part III

This will be done in a few weeks, when I actually unpack my stuff at my new house. As I have gone through this process, I have been slowly loosening the grip of consumerism. I have been conditioned to think that I need stuff in order to be happy. I am now to the point that the amount of stuff I have is disturbing. This is a step in the right direction, but I'm not done yet.

I am pleased with the progress I have made, but there is more to be done. Thankfully, I have a 2 week vacation to reward myself for my hard work and restore my energy. When I return I will complete Part III, and hopefully be in a good position to start my new, uncluttered life.

The Simple Life

No, not the trashy TV show with Paris Hilton and her brainless side kick. Simple living is a trend that has been reinvigorated as of late. Basically, those who choose to live simply renounce consumerism (mostly) and survive on less--often much less--than the average American.

Why? Consumerism is the new American Dream. Material things have become a part of our identity. We think that in order to be happy we need stuff--and lots of it. Not only is this stuff bad for the planet, it's bad for us. The more we buy into consumerism, the more we become dissatisfied with what we have, leading us to consume more (which, by the way, is the goal of many companies who have a product to sell). This process detaches us from our human and natural surroundings, which has been shown to decrease happiness. So, folks have started to buck the consumerist lifestyle and replace it with one focused more on people, the planet, and doing what they love.

I've recently decided to give this lifestyle change a shot. I've become increasingly stressed out about how much stuff I have, to the point that it is getting in the way of my life. So it's time to focus on what is important. I'll be using several blogs as inspiration, which you should check out, when you have a chance. Here are a few I like so far:

Unclutterer
Re-Nest (by Apartment Therapy)
Zen Habits (but particularly the Simple Living Manifesto)

I'll post more links to websites that help me along my way. But first, the Simple Living Manifesto suggests making a list of 4-5 things that are the most important to you. The things you do and the way that you live should relate to the things on this list. If they don't, you should take pause and seriously consider what that activity or lifestyle choice is doing for you, and whether it is even necessary. So, here's a first blush at that list...

1. Family & friends
2. My dogs, Pip & Sam
3. Cooking & baking
4. Sustainable living

From here, I'm going to start getting rid of stuff that doesn't fit within that list. Luckily, I'm moving in a month, which gives me great motivation. Whatever I get rid of I don't have to move!

Strawberry Perserves...er...Sauce

It's strawberry season! The Farmers Market has gallon upon gallon of big, red, juicy strawberries every week, so last weekend I set out to make some strawberry preserves. They were a big hit last year as gifts, and I really enjoyed having the sweet reminder of summer in the dead of winter (okay, the "dead of winter" in central North Carolina isn't so bad, but still).

My preference is for the old fashioned style of preserves for two reasons, 1) preserves do not gel, which makes them more versatile than jam or jelly, because they can also be poured over ice cream, pound cake, yogurt and granola, etc., and 2) I don't have to mess with pectin (which I never get right anyway).

With 2 gallons of strawberries on hand, I set to work washing, hulling, and quartering the strawberries. I wound up with 16 cups of strawberries! It took my biggest bowl and more than half a bag of sugar to macerate these guys, but boy was it worth it. I put them on the stove to cook and went about some other business. And then...

Catastrophe #1! The sweet syrupy mixture boiled over, covering my stove with a big sticky mess. Bummer.

I managed to salvage most of the batch, moved it to another burner and a bigger pot, and set to cleaning my stove. Once the preserves looked about as thick as I remember them looking last year, I got out my canning equipment and canned 10 jars (both pint and half pint) of strawberry preserves. The next day, I went to inspect my preserves, and...

Catastrophe #2! The preserves turned out to be more like sauce. Alas, it would appear that I had not cooked them long enough. I guess I'll just have to put them on ice cream.

Below is the recipe, based on the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Strawberry Preserves

1 gallon strawberries (about 8 cups)
4 cups white sugar

• Wash, hull, and quarter strawberries. Pieces should be as close to the same size as possible--halve smaller berries and cut larger ones into more pieces.
• In a large bowl, mix berries with sugar. Let sit for at least four hours, or overnight.
• Pour mixture into large stockpot--the pot should be no more than half full. If it is more than half full, use a bigger pot or cook the preserves in batches.
• Cook over medium-high heat until boiling, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved, then stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to maintain a steady boil (about medium heat), stirring occasionally. Cook until sauce has thickened, about 1 hour.
• If canning, turn heat to low while preparing jars and boiling water bath.*
• If refrigerating, remove from heat and let cool for several hours. Ladle into container, seal with an air-tight lid, and refrigerate. Use within 3 weeks.

*Canning and preserving with a boiling water bath can be dangerous if not done properly. Consult a book about home canning and preserving before attempting (NOT the Internet--you never know who is posting and how experienced or qualified they are). I recommend the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, available at most book stores.