Tag Archives: it’s not easy being green

>Holiday shopping the thrift-y way

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>I admit it. I’ve been growing greener every year with my holiday buying. Wrapping, too, but that’s another story.

Two years ago I gave reusable shopping bags to everyone on my list.
Last year most extended family members received anti-static dryer balls.
This year: I’m not sure. Cloth napkins? That would work for a few of the folks, but not all. Gifts in a jar? That would be a good start; I usually give these to the people who work closely with me at school. Homemade jams? If I have enough, that could work.
Think. Think. Think. Thank Winnie-the-Pooh for this inspirational thought. Think. Think. Think. While I’m pondering the options and considering keeping my pocketbook and philosophies loaded with green, take a look around the blogosphere for others with thrifty gift ideas.
The Elegant Thrifter has authored and published The Find; The Housing works book of decorating with thrift shop treasures, flea market objects, and vintage details. Check out the blog for ideas and techniques and frugal fun.
The Thrifty Chicks update infrequently, but when they do, it’s worth reading.
Leah at Suddenly Frugal champions all things lean and green. Recently she gave advice on maximizing the value of your holiday spending and how the US Postal Service keeps the season green.
Sonya at Dime Store Thrift posts great finds and creative ideas and even has her own Etsy shop for selling her thrifty creations.
If you’re more bargain cyber-shopper than thrifter, go to WantNot.net. Her tag line “Having it all with less” accurately reflects her personal philosophy and her posts are full of bargains and humor.
Meanwhile, I continue to think, think, think. I don’t have a green theme gift yet; maybe this is the year I won’t find one that works for all. While I ponder the possibilities, I’ll slice up last year’s holiday and birthday cards for reuse as gift tags. At least I’ll feel useful that way.

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>And another salsa!

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>Every day a few more tomatoes ripen in the kitchen. I didn’t have enough to make the canned salsa from last summer (don’t even suggest I buy those wimpy grocery store tomatoes to fill in), but I did have enough for a basic refrigerated salsa. When Chuck and Amigo woke up Sunday morning, they smelled chili in the slow cooker and salsa cooling on the stove. They almost (not quite) wanted some for breakfast.

Tomato Salsa Dip

1 small to medium onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
4 ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled, and diced (mine were small, so I used 7)
1 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes
5 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 Tablespoons water
Directions:
1. Warm the onion, peppers, tomatoes, tomato juice, hot pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar in a saucepan.
2. Mix the cornstarch and the water and add to the simmering salsa.
3. Stir until thickened. Then remove from heat and allow to cool.
At first glance, this salsa looked watery and overly chunky. I considered taking one third or even one half of the batch and putting it through the food processor for a little thicker, more blended texture. Chuck, however, objected. He thought it looked just right the way it was. So… since he and La Petite are the major consumers of salsa in our home, I decided to let it be. I can always blend it up a bit later if they change their minds.
Based on a recipe found on http://www.food.com/ by following terarecipes on Twitter. When it comes to cooking, the Internet is a great resource.

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>The mint that took over the world

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>I enjoy my mums. They are such tough little flowers; they keep on going into November most years.

I’m not nearly as fond of the mint that grows like wildfire next to the mums. It tries to infiltrate the mums. It spreads in between the lilies and the daffodils. It smells good, but it is a very aggressive bully of a plant!

Enter the resourceful Daisy. Dirty cardboard, big bags from bunny litter, large pieces of thick non-recyclable cardboard and layered paper.
Next: convince Chuck to help. Dig out as much mint as possible. Cover area with paper layers and cardboard. Toss a layer of gravel on top to weigh it down. Later, when there’s time, I’ll bring up a wheelbarrow load of compost and/or dirt to cover the paper and gravel. Next spring there may be a few sprigs of mint coming up, but I can handle those.
That’s what mojitos are for, right?

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>Putting the garden to bed for the winter

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It looked like this at first. Deceptive, really; the air was quite cold.

Then I pulled out all the stops, er, stakes and supports and put them in a safe and sheltered place next to the garage. The rain barrel is already off the cinder blocks.

Without their supports, the tomato plants looked like this — sprawled across the ground, no strength left.

Don’t worry; I picked as many tomatoes as I could before this. A few random and hardy zucchini, too. We’ll be eating fresh for a while longer.

It’s a bittersweet time, putting the garden to bed for the winter. It’s the final end of one season and the beginning of another, and the waiting begins until we can plant again in spring.
Goodnight, tomatoes. Goodnight, zucchini. Goodnight, peppers. Goodnight — oh, all right, I’m done.
Cross posted from Green Spot-On, where I am a regular guest on Mondays.

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>Filtrete Water Pitcher; can it break the bottle habit?

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I volunteered to test the Filtrete Water Pitcher in the hopes that it might break or at least reduce our family’s bottled water habit. I understand that Chuck grabs a water bottle for the convenience of it on the road. But do La Petite and I really need to drink water from these ridiculous bottles around the house? I have a new BPA-free water bottle and an extra that La Petite can claim as her own, and now that I have a Filtrete pitcher we can simply refill the good quality water bottles with filtered tap water.

The big question: will we do it?

The first thing we noticed was the awkward shape and size of the pitcher. It’s a little top heavy, making it tough to fit on the refrigerator shelf without moving several items. It doesn’t fit in the door. Chuck (yes, he’s giving it a good try!) mentioned the top-heavy shape made it a little uncomfortable for pouring.

The filtered

pitcher is definitely more economical than buying bottles. I can replace the filter every three months (there’s a little button on the top that will remind me when it’s getting old), and the pitcher itself will last for years. I wish I had tried this out in the summertime when I was weeding and pruning outside, a water bottle by my side. But wishes aside, I really like the concept that I can get cold, tasty water without spending a bundle and using piles of plastic with limited recycling capabilities.


So, you ask, is it working? So far, so good. Chuck still grabs a plastic bottle or two on his way to work, but I have a new BPA-free bottle on my bedside table filled with filtered water. If I don’t drink it all, I water the plants. I’m actually drinking more water now that it’s so convenient; reaching for a glass and filling it takes no time at all. The downside is still the size and shape of the pitcher; only time will tell if the convenience, pennywise nature, and the eco-consciousness of it will overrule the refrigerator space issue.


Need more information? You can follow Filtrete on Twitter (@FiltreteWater) or “like” them on Facebook. Filtrete also has an email newsletter to which you can subscribe. Just check out their web site.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Filtrete and received the water pitcher to facilitate my candid review. The review is up today, but the pitcher will stay in my refrigerator for a long, long time.

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>Green in the City

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I do a lot with my small city yard. Small city, small yard, and it’s just right for our needs.

We live in an older neighborhood not far from downtown: old Victorian homes, narrow streets, parks, big trees – lovely, really. Neighborhoods near us are similar, but many don’t have yards. We are lucky. Most homes near our downtown were built in an era when garages weren’t necessary and yards were just work. Only one block away from mine, large houses overlook a gorgeous ravine, but have no place to shelter the cars. My block doesn’t have a prestigious address, but it offers great neighbors, 2-car garages, and room to grow tomatoes.
I feel very lucky to have the space we do. True big city dwellers might have a balcony if they’re lucky, and it may or may not get sun. With a little square foot style gardening and a small section of rhubarb, we get a remarkable yield from our downtown piece of land.
In my own little corner, in my own little yard, we compost, use rain barrel water, grow tomatoes, herbs, and more. I always feel a little down in the fall as I bring the pots inside and start piling leaves on top of the garden plot. It’s a bittersweet time: lovely, colorful trees surrounding dying tomato plants and zucchini vines, picking tiny beans that never got enough warmth to fully mature.
This is the time I begin looking ahead. If my ankle heals sufficiently, I’ll spread compost on the new plot to help prepare it for spring. I’ll pull the boards that make the walkways and set them aside. Eventually I’ll drain both rain barrels and turn them upside down to avoid freezing and cracking.
Yes, small city and small yard, it’s a good place for growing. We do a lot on our small plot. Winter’s coming, but I still feel that life is good.

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>Raspberry Applesauce

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>This is a real recipe, not a pantry raid, not a garbage recipe. I’d picked up apples at the Farmers’ Market – Macs to cook & Honeycrisp for my workday lunches – and we had 2 pints of raspberries, the last of the season. The raspberries were heading past their prime, and we needed to use them up.

It’s a great problem to face, to have fresh fruit that must be used up ASAP! I turned to my stash of cookbooks and found this raspberry applesauce in Food to Live By: the Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook.

Ingredients
4 medium sized sweet-tart apples (I used MacIntosh), peeled and diced
1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (mine were fresh and getting softer by the minute)
1/2 cup sugar or more to taste (we found 1/2 cup to be just right)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
…and (you guessed it, I never perform exactly by the script) I added 1 teaspoon frozen orange zest just because I still had some in the freezer.
Directions
1. Place the apples and 1 1/2 cup water in a large, non-reactive saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the raspberries and sugar (and orange zest, if you live in my kitchen) and cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are soft, about 5 minutes. Break up any remaining chunks of apple with the back of a wooden spoon. The applesauce should be thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly. Add the lemon juice. Taste the applesauce and add more sugar if necessary. If you are not planning to serve it immediately, transfer to a clean container and cover it. Serve warm, room temperature, or cool.
I realize there are a few potentially confusing redundancies in the directions. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to a simmer? I brought the apples to a light boil and then immediately turned the heat down to a simmer.
We also have the “simmer until apples are soft” followed by a second “cook…until the apples are soft.” Use your own judgement, of course. I considered the first step done when I could pull out the peelings, the second when the chunks were almost gone.
I did not peel my apples immediately, either; I cored and quartered them before cooking, then pulled out the peelings with a fork. (Hint, hint family, a food mill is on my wish list for Christmas or birthday! It would make chores like this easier. I might even share the resulting goodies.)
This sauce is delicious. Even with end-of-season raspberries, it beats the heck out of any store-bought flavored applesauce. I predict this applesauce will become a regular on our table every August and September.

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>Distracted on Market Day

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It was an easy day at the Farmers’ Market. We didn’t buy much this time because we still had a lot in the kitchen and we were going to be busy for several days. The greenish pint containers were full; the berries were already in colanders in the sink when I took the picture. Do you notice something else, though – something that doesn’t usually come home from the Farmers’ Market?

No, I didn’t mean the apple pie. That’s a special treat, but I meant the plastic bags.
Yes. The bags. I was so distracted with the start of school that I forgot the bags. Here they are, right where I left them, waiting patiently to do their job.

Where has my head been lately? Never mind. I know.

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>Back to school, thrift style

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>Back to School sales: blessing or curse? Both, really. Reading the ads carefully and taking inventory of supplies already on hand can save a bundle. Buying on impulse when in the store “Ooh, look at that cute notebook with the Glee cast on it for only $1.79!” can add up and overcome the best of budget planning.

We’ve learned to spend a little more on quality and a good warranty when buying big items such as backpacks. The backpacks in our home are all name-brand and all more than two years old. If you know how hard we are on backpacks, that’s a strong statement. I use a Lands’ End backpack on wheels in place of a messenger bag or briefcase. Amigo uses a Jansport model that’s big enough and strong enough to handle his Braille books.
Second-hand shops and thrift stores are a great source for school clothes, whether student or teacher. Amigo often wears second hand jeans and shorts; they’re worn-in, comfortable, and easy to button and zip. I choose wisely, looking for jeans without rips or tears or holes so they’ll last a while. I’ve bought brand-name jackets at thrift stores, raising the quality of my wardrobe and saving me money. The last time I bought khaki pants for him, I got one pair free thanks to a coupon in the local paper. One Old Navy, one Cherokee brand (Target), both in good shape and a good fit for him.
Books, books, books! An elementary teacher can never have too many books. Even buying thrift, I have a bad habit of piling my cart too full of books. I’ve learned to look for the right color tag (many thrift stores have a color code that is on sale on any given day) and look for specific titles, authors, series, and genres. I won’t buy junkie books, even at sale prices.
Today I’m working at home; finishing laundry, updating my class schedule in Excel so I can post it and provide it to parents, cutting out laminating for my room, and more laundry. Tomorrow: Open House. Where did summer go? Pass the coffee!
Don’t forget; I post at Green Spot-On on Mondays. Go on over to see the latest in Volunteer Oregano. Yes, Oregano.

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>Zucchini Cookies!

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>Yes, it’s that time again! It’s August, the only month when small town folk lock their car doors for fear they’ll come out of the grocery store or a church service and find a stack of zucchini in the back seat. Never fear, people. There are ways to hide zucchini in something that actually tastes good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup grated zucchini, drained
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, beat the margarine, sugar, egg, and vanilla together until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together. Beat into the butter-sugar mixture just enough to blend. Fold in the rolled oats, zucchini, and the nuts and raisins (if using).
Drop by teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.
How good are these? I put a batch in the staff lounge last fall and they were gone before lunch.

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