Photo by Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea
I was immediately drawn to Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea’s arresting, eye-popping packaging, but then they had to go and make a reference to Kurt Vonnegut and my heart was all aflutter. Note: The Dragonwell green tea is certified-organic.
Witchbaby is gearing up for Earth Hour tonight. Are you?
Is this an excuse to post more pictures of the Most Adorable Kid on the Planet? (Don’t you just want to NOM those cheeks?) Yeah, okay, you got me.
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Pledge to eat one meatless meal a week and get a free Tofurky Tuesdays Care Package of Tofurky coupons and vegetarian magazines (1) #
Photo by kaytethinks, under a Creative Commons license
Happy Halloween, the most frightful night of the year! (Of course, with the state the world is in, who needs extra chills and thrills? I’m already petrified with fear.) Coincidentally, it’s also the third anniversary of the day I first registered The Worsted Witch; I didn’t pick Halloween intentionally but perhaps my subconscious latched onto the significance before I did.
Fall days just cry out for pumpkin pie or soup, and I have two organic sugar pumpkins ready to sacrifice themselves for the cause. The challenge now is finding a good-size pot, since we donated the last of our Teflon-coated nastiness to Goodwill last week—I couldn’t cope with nightmares about PFOA and “Teflon toxicosis” anymore—and we haven’t had time to stock up on stainless steel just yet, so I’m down to one cast-iron pan and a ceramic-coated skillet.
» From Real Simple: “6 No-Fuss Slow Cooker Meals.” Slow cookers are wonderfully energy efficient. I wish I had a slow cooker—or, you know, room for a slow cooker. When we move, it’s going to be one of the first things I’m buying, but not one of the new digital plastic doohickies available on the market today. I think my mom has had the same ceramic crock pot for the past 30 years. eBay, here I come. (0) #
» Korea loves its dog meat, but Peru has a CAT-EATING FESTIVAL. It’s called Festival Gastronomico del Gato. Am I being a “western cultural imperialist,” as the author of article says, for thinking that cows are okay to eat but not fluffy kittens? Perhaps, although it’s worth noting that until my pregnancy, I was a devoted vegetarian who found the consumption of any kind of meat inhumane, and I only eat meat once or twice a week these days anyway, after MUCH badgering from my mother. (Also, I still don’t eat cows. Or pigs. Or sheep.) The story also notes: “Much of the outrage about dog and cat meat in parts of Asia arises because of the shockingly brutal way many of these animals are kept and killed. It’s not hypocritical to eat pigs that have been slaughtered to British animal welfare standards at the same time as being appalled by the fact that some cats and dogs are beaten to death or boiled alive before being served at the table in countries with no animal welfare legislation at all.” (0) #
Photo by Sick Lumpy, under a Creative Commons license
Because I’ve become more of a health nut in my dotage, I rarely deep-fry anything when I cook anymore. (That doesn’t stop me from indulging in the occasional tempura, however; I am large, I contain multitudes.) I remember leftover oil being problematic, though. Pouring used cooking oil down the sink is the worst thing you can do for your plumbing because it can congeal and clog up your pipes, and the general wisdom has been to allow it to cool and then disposing of it with your household trash—something I’ve always found wasteful.
My mother has a savvier, more frugal method: To save your cooking oil for the next time you fire up your stove, strain it through a mesh (to get rid of crunchy bits) into a reusable glass or ceramic container you can cover with a lid. Keep the container on your kitchen counter so that it’s at arm’s reach the next time you decide to don your chef’s hat.
» From Slate’s Green Lantern, “What’s the greenest way to drink coffee in your office?” In other words, that old disposables versus reusable cup argument, a question I wonder why people continue to struggle with. It’s a no-brainer for me. True, making a Styrofoam or paper cup takes less energy than making a ceramic one, and they don’t need to be washed, but they’re still use-and-toss propositions that will take up room in our landfills—which release methane, a greenhouse gas about 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. (Also, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t already own a mug, so that argument’s moot in most cases.) Then there’s the health issue: Polystyrene has been known to leach styrene, a possible carcinogen linked to increased risk of breast cancer. Here’s one Slate reader’s comment that makes a succinct case for reusables, after all the math’s been said and done. (0) #
A green tea cupcake I happily noshed on last month outside Beechwood Cafe in Jersey City, a simple indulgence that brought me more pleasure than any expensive designer tote can. What was your most recent inexpensive (or better yet, free) source of pleasure?
» More tips on creating waste-free lunches and why single-serving packaged foods are a complete rip-off. (2) #
Photo by Steve Bailey, under a Creative Commons license
I love this quote from Susan Rubin, co-producer of the film Two Angry Moms and founder of the advocacy group Better School Food, from an article excerpted by CalorieLab:
You get angry when your boundary has been violated, and the food industry has violated our boundaries with what they are offering out kids. I’m just trying to protect my cubs.
I think every penny is worth it. To me, food is health care. You can pay the farmer or the doctor.
(Emphasis is mine.)
I can really attest to that—since I started cutting back on processed junk for mostly local, organic food two years ago, I haven’t been sick once. (Well, other than my regular migraines, for which no earthly balm can abate.) My friend Felicia trumps me with THREE.
This post is part of One Local Summer: Week 7
I’m madly trying to keep up with my CSA’s vegetable bounty. This scrumptious carrot, ginger, and beet soup, adapted from a recipe in Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons, can be savored hot or chilled—and is perfect for helping pare down beet and carrot inventories in fridges everywhere.
Local: Organic beets, organic onions, organic carrots, organic garlic, organic parsley
Non-local: salt, vegetable bouillon cube, canola oil
Unknown: Organic ginger
Carrot, Ginger, and Beet Soup
Serves 4
1. Heat oil, saute onions.
2. Add carrots, ginger, and garlic—cook for 5 mins.
3. Add beets, then water or stock.
4. Simmer covered for 50 mins.
5. Puree soup in batches in food processor or blender.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
» Foodies unite!: Baking and Books is raising money for Hazon’s 2007 Jewish Environmental Bike Ride. Each raffle ticket is $5 and a TON of cookbooks will be given away as prizes. [via Green LA Girl] (0) #
Photo by Paul Goyette, under a Creative Commons license
Fresh-pesto lovers with an abundance of basil from their farmer or gardens can take a tip from chef Jacques Pepin, author of Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook, who freezes basil puree into ice cubes for future pesto-making machinations. Here’s his method:
1. Submerge basil leaves in boiling water and cook until soft, about one minute.
2. Drain in a colander and cool with cold water.
3. Drain again and press gently to remove excess water.
4. Place in a food processor with a dash of salt and some olive oil.
5. Process until pureed and freeze in small packages.
You can also choose to make the pesto beforehand and then freeze it in its entirety in an ice-cube tray. This trick works just as well with leftover wine, which you could then use for cooking at a future date, you lush, you.
[via Care2]
This post is part of One Local Summer: Week 6
Potato-and-pesto croquettes with yogurt-cucumber sauce; a side of roasted wax beans and caramelized onions
Local: organic potatoes, organic basil, organic yogurt, organic cucumber, organic wax beans, organic onions, organic garlic
Non-local: breadcrumbs, organic olive oil, organic cumin, salt, pepper
The recipes were adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, a massive tome I borrowed from the library but am considering purchasing. I can’t recommend this cookbook enough, even though it skimps on accompanying photographs. The best part is the section on commonly used vegetables, which Madison lists alphabetically, along with information about differentiating among varieties, storage, and preparation—terribly useful when you find yourself faced with bag of greens from your CSA (kohlrabi, anyone?), with no clue what to do with them.
The yogurt-cucumber sauce, which you keep refrigerated, is wonderfully cooling and the perfect companion for fritters and croquettes. Here’s my modified recipe:
Yogurt Sauce with Cucumber and Cumin
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Stir all ingredients in a bowl and let stand at least 15 mins for the flavors to develop.
» Quick honey ginger iced tea recipe: steep 4-5 teaspoons of loose black organic, fair-trade tea in a large teapot for 5 minutes, then remove tea-leaf strainer. Pour tea into a large pitcher, stir in 1/3 cup of organic honey, and add 1-2 tsp grated ginger. Top pitcher with water, let mixture cool to room temperature, and then slide into the fridge. Serve with ice and sprig of mint (optional). Tip: Freeze some of the iced tea in an ice-cube tray beforehand, if you don’t want your tea to be diluted by melting ice. (Compost tea leaves and leftover mint sprigs and voila! zero waste.) (1) #
A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherezade Goldsmith (Ed.)
Novices taking their first toddling steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle should look elsewhere for a reassuring hand and the soft coo of encouragement. A Slice of Organic Life, edited by Sheherezade Goldsmith, dives headlong into the often baffling business of eco-friendly living by rattling off a series of instructions, without framing them in any kind of context that might make sense to a greenie-to-be.
A foreword by acclaimed chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters is followed by an introduction by Goldsmith. But just when you think you’re on solid, navigable terrain, the ground suddenly opens up below your feet and you find yourself inexplicably rushing past an edict to “Grow Salad Leaves in a Window Box.” Immediately after, you’re asked to “Save Energy the Easy Way,” and then to “Shop Ethically,” as if you were flipping through a stack of flash cards, each bearing little relation to its neighbors.
It would be unfair, however, to say that no effort at organization has been made—the book is ostensibly split into three sections based on your living situation: 1. No Need for a Yard, 2. Roof Terrace, Patio, or Tiny Yard, and 3. Yard, Community Garden, or Field. It might be easier to think of Slice as a collection of homesteading projects, from making and freezing baby foods to—I kid you not—raising a couple of young pigs.
The large type, vibrant and generously laid-out photographs are certainly appealing, and so this is the kind of glossy picture book you could strategically place on your coffee table to pique the curiosity of non-environmentally inclined guests. Slice makes for an easy, non-threatening read—and you really do emerge from its pages believing that yes! you could grow sweet peas on a teepee or become a bee keeper—but the book also tries to toss too many balls in the air at the same time, and keeping track of all them can leave you feeling dizzy. ($25, cloth)
Want to snag my free copy of the book? Comment below about something you never thought you’d DIY, but you did. I’ll pick a winner at random on August 1.
This review refers to a first American hardcover edition, courtesy of DK Publishing. A Slice of Organic Life can be found in stores now.
The Essential Bordertown (Borderlands) by Terri Windling, Delia Sherman
