Beginning the Spring Garden

Most of my garden-savvy friends have already started their spring gardens, but I’ve only just started seedlings the last week or so.  I’m doing well this year to have even started seedlings before the last frost date, though, which is in line with my 2009 gardening goals.  So this is how exciting everything looks so far:

 

 

That tray has four sets each of green bell peppers, red bell peppers, Marconi sweet peppers, Roma tomatoes, eggplant, sweet basil, sage, and something else that I can’t remember because I lost the diagram.  Cayenne pepper, maybe?  I’m sure I’ll figure it out when/if it decides to grow.

 

There are still many seeds to start, and some will be direct-seeded when the days are consistently warmer.  These are some of the seeds I still have laying around:

 

Zucchini (2 varieties)

Lettuce (Lolla Rossa and a mix)

Cucumber (one variety for eating, the other for pickling)

Golden California Wonder Bell Pepper

Watermelon

Honeydew

Various beans, peppers, tomatoes, and herbs

 

I also planted five bare-root raspberry bushes, but I’m not sure if the conditions are just right.  They’re supposed to be in well-drained soil, so I put them in raised mounds at the highest point on my property.  If one survives, I’ll be happy!

 

I’ve chosen these particular fruits and vegetables because they can be pricey when buying the organic versions.  I’m also hoping to can lots of tomatoey things so I don’t have to buy them in cans lined with BPA.  Most of all, it’s exciting to eat food that was grown a few steps away from my house. 

 

Hopefully I’ll have some seedling pictures to share soon.  What are you planting this year?

Electronics Recycling at Best Buy

I tend toward skepticism when big business tries to wave the green flag, but electronics retailer Best Buy offers free recycling on a variety of items.  There are a few items (small televisions, computer monitors) they charge $10 to recycle, but they offset that with a $10 gift card.  It’s clearly a way to get people to come in and buy stuff, but it doesn’t seem so bad since recycling is part of the deal!

 

More details here.

 

P.S. Does anyone know how to check up on their accountability – like do they really recycle this stuff, and how?

What Do You Think of the NAIS?

Have you heard about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS)?  Basically, the government wants to put RFID tags on all domestic livestock and poultry so they’re in a database that will aid tracking down the source of any disease or foodborne pathogens.  This sounds great in light of all the salmonella and e. coli scares we see on the news, right?

 

If you buy feedlot beef and factory farm chicken, then I’m sure NAIS will be of benefit to you.  After all, these are the kind of animals that get sick in the first place. 

 

But what if you buy meat from a small farm?  A whole chicken at a farm near my house costs $15, but adding RFID tags to each chicken would add $2-$3 dollars to that.  It would hurt my budget to pay more for the chicken, but I imagine the wonderful family who owns the farm would be hurt even worse – after all, they would be legally required to put tags on all the chickens, even those they don’t end up selling. 

 

Why wouldn’t they end up selling them?  Because $15 is a hefty price to pay already, and adding more money on top of that would cause some people to buy their meat elsewhere. 

 

Or the farm family could just absorb the price of the tags and not pass them onto their customers – either way, it hurts their bottom line.  This particular family, however, is getting by solely on their farm earnings.  Dad is a contractor by trade, and this is a miserable economy for contractors.

 

If you want to protect small farmers, and if you don’t want your tax money funding this kind of government intervention, let your state representatives know.  I’m still doing more research on all of this, but I really don’t think this would be beneficial unless it was on a voluntary basis.  That way, small farmers could just choose to opt out.

What do you think?

Are You Picky About Meat?

I really wish I had time for this to be a testimonial on why I eat meat after years of vegetarianism, but I don’t.  Instead, I wanted to share this article at Slashfood about how Bill Niman, founder of Niman Ranch (a pioneer in sustainable, humanely-raised meat) sold his share in the company and will no longer eat their meat.  Sounds like people think he’s being a bit of a cranky old man, but I really think it’s just more evidence of the equivocality of Big Organic.  All of these fancy labels adorned with idyllic farm scenes want you to make the connection between that illustration and how the animals were actually raised, but the more Michael Pollan (or Barbara Kingsolver, Eric Schlosser, etc) you read, the more you see through all of it.

 

To help wade through the world of responsible meat-eating, Sustainable Table offers this guide that explains the terminology on the labels at the grocery store.  Even better, look for a local (preferably, family-run) farm that aims for transparency and will show you around.  We currently have a source for raw milk and pastured chicken and eggs, but nothing else, so hopefully this doesn’t come across as preachy!  Especially because we love red meat most of all.  J

Sustainable Saturday: Compost Halfway House

Not much to report on new sustainable efforts…but I did finally start using my old trash can as a compost halfway house.  It is outside my kitchen door, so I can conveniently dispose of produce scraps until I can make the trek outdoors to my compost pile.  The compost pile that has not been added to in almost six months.  But it has been warm enough this weekend that I could work outside again.  I can’t wait for spring!

Sustainable Saturday: Homemade Laundry Detergent, Part 1?

So far, this is a total bust for me.  I’ve seen so many other bloggers making their own laundry detergent, though, that I just had to try it.  They all have the same ingredients – Borax, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and either Dr. Bronner’s or Fels-Naptha bar soap.  I already had the Fels-Naptha on hand – it’s great for spot-treating stains – and I found the other ingredients at a local grocery store.  This is a more sustainable option than the big plastic bottle of Ecos I buy at Costco because the homemade detergent requires no plastic packaging – all three of the ingredients are wrapped in cardboard or paper.

 

If I hadn’t tried to grate the bar soap by hand, I would’ve been more excited about this.  Vegetable peelers hate me, and so do my achy joints, so the two conspired against me to cause my numb/sore fingers to slip toward the end of the peeling and slice a finger.  That was Tuesday, and I’ve held a grudge against them ever since.

 

I finally went out and bought some detergent today – a cardboard box of regular Arm & Hammer laundry detergent – since we’ve been out of detergent all week and there are no clean clothes.  I used this detergent regularly until about two years ago, and I’m not sure why I stopped.  Perhaps I’ll find out after these first couple loads of clothes are finished?

 

Now it’s Saturday, and my sliced finger is healing, so I’m starting to warm up to the idea of trying this again this week.  The hardest part is done, so I really only need to put it together.  If it works, then I’ll use something else to grate the soap next time.

Sustainable Saturday: Reusing Mesh Produce Bags

I’m not entirely sure that this is a feat of sustainability so much as MacGyvering, but I thought I’d share it anyway.  After all, I’ve got to keep up with my 2009 Sustainability Goals!

 

Earlier this week (Tuesday?  Wednesday? who knows), I toasted some bread in my toaster (which is actually a combination toaster and toaster oven) without realizing that I hadn’t cleaned the toaster oven tray the last time I used it.  It became apparent that this was the case, however, when I smelled smoke coming from the appliance and saw a large black spot on the tray.  The last thing I cooked in there had probably been oily, which explained the shape and texture of the black spot.  I put the tray in queue next to the sink, awaiting some future time for cleaning.  I knew it would have to be scrubbed, and there’s nothing I hate more than scrubbing.  Husband, thankfully, usually does all the scrubbing tasks around here.

 

Well, I’m thinking Husband didn’t attack this one because he couldn’t find a scrubber anywhere in the kitchen.  I hate wasting my precious grocery money on disposable items like scrubbing sponges when food keeps getting more expensive, plus I rarely ever need anything abrasive for kitchen cleaning – most stuff gets cleaned up pretty quickly.  The same bathroom scrubbers have been in use for quite awhile, and whenever my mom visits, she usually buys new ones because she hates using old ones.  Not that we’d use a used bathroom scrubber in the kitchen anyway.

 

So tonight, while cleaning up from our meal of burgers and roasted Brussels sprouts, I noticed this bag that the sprouts came in…

 

 

…which looks kind of like some of the scrubbers out there.  So I tried it on this

 

 

with some Biokleen Kitchen & Bath Soy Cream Cleaner that I bought for 75% off on Manager’s Special at Kroger (Ralph’s for the Cali people).  I scrubbed until I realized that I didn’t want to spend my children’s sleeping time doing mundane cleaning tasks (which, needless to say, was not for long), and made the tray look like this:

 

 

Not bad, considering that the tray never looks perfectly silvery – the reddish-colored gunk is the residual build-up that I can never fully remove, so the black is what’s left from earlier this week.  I think I’ll let it soak in more Biokleen and let Husband finish up tomorrow.

 

And as for the plastic mesh bag: it will be my kitchen scrubber until it becomes smelly or otherwise dies!

Sustainable Saturday: Changing Trash Habits

In an effort to keep up with my 2009 sustainability goals, I’m going to post once a week about my progress.  Any relevant feedback is appreciated, since we’re really all in this together!

 

For reasons unrelated to sustainability, I’ve wanted to replace my kitchen trash can for a long time.

 

 

The shape is just all wrong (wide items don’t fit, there’s not a bag that fits it the right way), it won’t fit underneath the sink because it’s too tall, and it’s really hard to keep clean.

 

We’ve been throwing away a lot of items that could be recycled simply because our county doesn’t have the facilities, but also because we’re lazy and don’t have curbside recycling, which means we have to drive somewhere with our recyclables.  I’m hoping to absolve myself of my eco-sins the following ways:

 

-         Sorting and saving the things we can recycle. (Most of the usual recyclables, except we can only recycle plastics #1 and #2. I’m trying to at least find a place that recycles #5).

 

-         Reducing the need to recycle the evil plastics by avoiding them.  The more I think about plastics, the more they seem like that playground bully you just can’t seem to hide from.  So I’m just going to do my best to purchase responsibly, choosing cardboard or glass packaging, for instance, instead of plastic.  This makes me think at every purchase: how will I dispose of this trash?  Will this naturally biodegrade, or will I have to find a way to repurpose or recycle it?

 

-         Finding creative reuses for the plastic I do have.  We’ll see how this pans out – I usually end up using plastic bags for dirty diapers (yes, I use disposables) and plastic containers from food for storage.  The diapers will never end, but one can only have so many storage containers!

 

-         Discontinuing plastic bag use in the trashcans.  I’ve already done this in all of the other household rubbish bins, but I’ve held out on doing this in the kitchen trash can, mainly because I don’t want some trash getting stuck in the middle that I have to dig out with my hands.  (Often, I have to carefully remove the bag to avoid ripping it because something is lodged in the middle.)  So I found the only trash can in the house that would fit underneath the kitchen sink (it came from my laundry room), and that will be the replacement.

 

 

By sorting out recyclables, we’ll reduce the amount of stuff that ends up as trash, and since it’s such a small container, we’ll just carry the whole thing out once per day.  That sounds like it would be annoying, but it actually plays into something else I’ve been trying to avoid: smelly trash cans!  If we’re forced to empty it more often, the bad smells won’t accumulate.

 

I hope we can keep up with the recycling and taking out the trash.  Nothing ever works out according to plan, but I feel like this is a move in the right direction.

 

What are you doing with your trash?

Goals 2009: Sustainability

This is the last in my series on New Years Resolutions.  It was so much fun making them, so let’s hope I have as much fun following through with them.  I left sustainability until the end since this is the one that ties a lot of them together.

 

·        Continue to seek out local food sources to reduce my ecological footprint and enhance my family’s nutrition.

 

This last year, I’ve discovered that even though I live in a place worlds different from where I grew up (Southern California, born and raised!), I have the benefit of many great local farms.  No more than ten minutes from my house, I can get pastured eggs, pastured chicken, raw honey, raw jersey milk and yogurt, raw goat milk and chevre, and a decent variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs from June to September.  Note to self: remember to talk about local farms when spring harvests get underway!  I have three possible leads for beef, though, which I have yet to pursue (one of them is the family of one of Husband’s students), and a semi-local source for just about every other meat.  They’re even featuring a meat CSA!  It would love to resolve to get all of my meat locally, but for this year I’m just aiming for the chicken and beef.  The chicken part is accomplished, so the goal really involves beef.  And getting a chest freezer.  I think this is manageable!

 

I also want to grow more of my own food – how’s that for local? J  My 4×4 garden of the last two years is being phased out in favor of two large tracts totaling 300 square feet.  It will all get planted, but then I must (organically) arm myself for the impending pest warfare.  Wish me luck!

 

·        Reduce plastic consumption.

 

If you’ve never visited Fake Plastic Fish, then stop reading my resolutions and go over there right now!  I could delineate all the reasons the production and consumption of plastic is toxic to all living things, but she does a way better job.  To do my part, I’m going to try to find one new way every week to cut off ties to plastic.   I will try to detail my progress on this, as well!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my resolutions.  Let me know if you can commiserate!  And don’t forget to bring your canvas bag with you to the grocery store.

Merry Christmas To Me

I’ve been eyeing Klean Kanteens forever, but I didn’t want to shell out $15 for a water bottle.  Instead, I leave the house with a glass — yes, an actual glass — of water whenever I go places.  This is unwieldy, not to mention unsafe (considering there are usually kids in the car).  My thoughtful husband, however, picked up this aluminum knock-off at Home Goods for $6.99:

 

 

What a great stocking stuffer!  I also got some raw milk cheese, a Dagoba dark chocolate bar, and some McVities’ Digestives (the English biscuits).  So pardon me while I mop up the drool puddle in my lap…