Simple Butta

Gotcha!

2010-04-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have been busy with gardening and the other things that I neglect when blogging. It seems one or the other. I can keep up with this or that. At this time of year there is a full day worth of work to be done outside as well as in so something is always being overlooked. Then there are the sudden occurrences that throw the whole day out of whack. Like last night when Noah had a friend over and I was making dinner and the phone rang and it was my neighbor telling me that a fox had one of my chickens in his yard. He just wanted me to know so I could lock up the rest. Of course, our first fox attack has to take place on the most gorgeous lawn on our street and right in front. Nice. David was in a meeting at work so I was on my own to deal with it. The other chickens had run home so I had the kids quickly round them up into the coop and take a head count. I went to investigate and certain enough, there she was and the fox was still running around like crazy. I was a bit sad, but mostly mad. I put a lot of work into that chicken. A ton of work actually and this fool fox was just having a grand old time. I guess I can't be too upset because this is just a part of the circle of life. But he ran off and left her there and I had to collect her and rake up the feathers. I spent this morning digging a hole and burying her beside the other chicken that we had to put down a few weeks back. I was rather proud that I handled the whole thing on my own. Sometime I surprise myself.
My good friend Aris (although everyone calls her Lollie and I always forget that is her real name) who is an unbelievable artist and mother and creator of the beautiful blog, Peekadoo, has tagged me and I am compelled to participate. I have never done one of these before, but here goes.
Seven Random Things About Me
1. For most of my self-dressing childhood I insisted on matching my underwear to my shirt.
2. My car is a filthy pit of squished crackers, kids books, loose change and barrettes.
3. I really wish I was into yoga. Something about it always call to me.
4. When I was little I used to sit on the toilet and make up stories about my imaginary older brother named Troy.
5. My grandmother was 4'9" and was blind most of my life. I used to watch cooking shows with her like Julia Childs, The Frugal Gourmet and Yan Can Cook. Since this was before the advent of the internet it was my job to write the recipes down in big, thick, Sharpy marker letter so that she could see them. One of my most vivid memories was staying with her one night when my grandfather had gone to the Red Sox game and then the power went out and we cooked dinner and did the dishes by candlelight, standing side by side on step stools.
6. I always fall asleep at the movie theater.
7. I love silence, but in order to be productive I really need to listen to something to occupy my mind.

Not sure what I make of that list. It was just what popped into my mine. So now I tag Virginia, S, Julia, Vampdaddy, Penny-Wise, I can only think of five. That will have to do. For now.

Announcing the Soap Nuts Winner!

2010-04-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to...

RunLikeAGirl!

You will receive you Soap Nuts Starter Kit in the mail. Just email me your address and you're good to go. Not a bad Earth Day surprise!

Also, stay tuned for another greener cleaning related review and giveaway!

Earth Day Wishes

2010-04-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

* A very quick note: You have until noon today to enter the Laundry Tree SoapNuts Giveaway. It takes two seconds and is so worth it!

Of all the secular holidays that there are; Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, and on & on, is there any one that can be as meaningful to all people as Earth Day? No matter your color, creed, gender, age, orientation, class or political persuasion, we all share a single home. The health of the planet affects all of us and we can all celebrate our small patch of this world and find ways to preserve and improve it. We are all environmentalists, even if we don't know it yet. It's difficult not be cynical. For some reason, my passion for the planet is the one place that skepticism has yet to infiltrate.

So today I say to you "Happy Earth Day" and "Whatcha doin'?". There are a zillion things that I would love to do today, but I am keeping it simple. I am celebrating by planting potatoes. I am terrified about this process after watching countless videos of eager gardeners dumping out their potato bins only to be saddened at a pathetic harvest. I suppose it's the newness of this experiment and if it does not go according to plan I will try again next year.
I am also going to attempt to make a chocolate cake and frost it to look like the Earth. I know it will taste good, but my cake decorating skills leave something to be desired. The cake is technically vegan, but it is really a Depression Era recipe that did not call for eggs and milk as these were often unavailable. Simplicity. It is moist and delicious and is totally no fail. I will post it in the next few days with an update on how my Earth Day cake turned out.The kids will humor me if it looks like cookie monster after a good sliming.
Looking ahead to the next year there are so many dreams that I have for our family and our venture towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Some of these hopes are far off, but I keep them in my Someday Pocket. These things could happen and I hope they do, but they are probably not on the calendar for the next year. Things like:
1. Move to a property with more acreage and less square footage. Preferably with a barn.
2. Raise at least two pigs per year for our own consumption.
3. Invest in a solar hot water system.
4. Get a solar/wood fired hot tub.
5. Take a beekeeping course and get a beginner set up.

And then there are goals that I would like to achieve in the next year. These are pretty realistic and we are already on our way with some of them.
1. Learn to grow mushrooms, preferably on logs.
2. Begin landscape our property with edibles and using permaculture techniques.
3. Build a pasture pen and raise our own meat chickens.
4. Dramatically change the amount of TV that we all watch.
5. Ride my bike more.
6. Create a storage system for root vegetables and other crops.
7. Plant some blueberry bushes.
8. Get a new tattoo. OK, this has nothing to do with greening our lifestyle, I just want to do it. I would have been working on it already (it's going to be a fairly large piece on my arm), but my sister went and got engaged and I figured it might be better to wait until after the wedding in August. I must really love her.

What are your wishes and dreams for the future? What can you do starting today? Be creative. Be courageous. Begin.

Get Growing!- Announcing the Terracycle Winners!

2010-04-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Day! I am announcing the winners of the first ever Simple Butta Giveaway! The two readers that will each receive a Terracycle Kids Vegetable Gardening Kit are...

Julia

Steph!

Congratulations!!!

I used http://www.random.org/ to generate the numbers (8 and 34) of the winning comments and then, of course, I had to count down the list of comments because I am not technically savvy enough to figure out how to get blogger to number my comments. No problem, I like old school skills like counting.

If you didn't win this giveaway, never fear. There is another one running right now through Thursday at noon (Earth Day baby!) and you could win a Laundry Tree Soap Nuts Starter Kit.

And definitely head down to Walmart to get some of the awesome Terracycle products available there through the end of the month. It is on my list for tomorrow while I am kid free for a few hours. Is it sad that when I am without my children I am buying them stuff? Maybe a cute bag for me will have to make it's way into my basket.

Giveaways! - Endings and Beginnings

2010-04-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that today is the last day to enter to win one of two Kids Vegetable Gardening Kits from Terracycle. Contest closes at midnight tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow. And don't forget to head over to your local Walmart to see the Terracycle products available only through the end of this month.
In the vein of "when one window closes, another door opens" I am pleased to announce another awesome giveaway. You may recall my recent post about my new love affair with Laundry Tree Soap Nuts and since then I have continued to use Soap Nuts in every room of the house. The solution I made from water, vinegar, and the Soap Nut Soak is my new all purpose cleaner and I love it.
Since transitioning to Soap Nuts, I have gotten more laundry done than ever and everyone in the house has noticed a difference. Plus, I feel great knowing I am sending only all natural agents into my septic system.

I won a Soap Nut Starter Kit from Easy Eco To Go and I want to pass on the love, so Laundry Tree is going to give one reader a Soap Nut Starter Kit of their own!
In celebration of Earth Day, this giveaway will begin today and close at noon on Thursday. I will announce the winner by the end of the day on Earth Day. The Starter Kit includes The LaundryTree Soapnut Starter Kit contains enough soapnuts and fragrance to wash nearly 40 loads of laundry with SoapNuts:

■-one 100 gram bag of SoapNuts

■-one 1 ounce bottle of essential oils

■-one extra washbag

■-one sample bag to share with a friend!

There are several ways to enter and

no limit to how many entries you may submit.

To enter to win:

First, go to the Laundry Tree website and tell me which essential oil scent you would try (not necessarily the one you would win) :).
Leave a comment with one Earth Day resolution. Something you would like to do or change in the coming year to live a greener life.
Follow my blog in Google Friend. Leave a comment here to tell me.
Add my blog to your blogroll. Leave a comment.
Email 3 friends about Simple Butta and the Soap Nut Giveaway and then leave a comment here to let me know you helped spread the word.
Follow me on Twitter @simplebutta and leave a comment here.
Post about and link to Simple Butta and the Laundry Tree Soap Nut Giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a comment letting me know.
Become a fan of Laundry Tree Soap Nuts on Facebook and don't forget to leave a comment here.

The contest will close at noon on April 22nd and a winner will be chosen and announced later that day! Please leave your email with your comments so I can contact the winner. If you would prefer, you can send me a direct email with your address by clicking on my profile in the left navigation bar and then selecting the email button. If you receive an email saying that you have won, you have 48 hours to email me back with your mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

I can honestly say that I love Soap Nuts and I can't wait until somebody else gets to give them a try. Of course, getting them for free makes it that much sweeter so enter away and good luck!

Yogurt Gives Back

2010-04-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yogurt is an absolute staple in our house. Being out of yogurt is like being out of milk. It means an immediate trip to the store. We always have at least a quart of vanilla, a quart of plain for the chickens and cooking purposes, and usually a quart of either strawberry of peach. We only buy yogurt in quarts so we are limited to whatever flavors are available in that size. When the kids go to Grammy's they love to raid her individual yogurt cups because they know they will never find them in my fridge. Mainly because it is a billion times cheaper, but also because I think it is a waste of packaging and, sometimes, product. If we get the quart size I can control the portions. In any event, hopefully buying yogurt will someday be a thing of the past when we have our goats giving us milk and I learn how to make my own cultures.

In the interest of transparency I must tell you that I don't often buy organic yogurt. Believe me, I know that Stoneyfield yogurt is better for us, it definitely tastes better than the store brand, and it is a NH based company and, for me, that's local. But it is twice as expensive as the store brand and that kills me. Every week I give it a longing glance, but then the Frugal Fanny in me opts to cheap out.

I am a super fan of the company and all their green initiatives, but it is one of those dilemmas that I wrestle with all the time. When does cost win out?

I may have found a new strategy though as I just joined myStoneyfield Rewards. Maybe everyone on Earth knows about this already, but I didn't. It caught my eye when I went on to enter the Farm Getaway Sweepstakes. With the Rewards program you can enter codes of the products and earn point that can be redeemed for merchandise ranging from free yogurt to cool drinking glasses. It only took me a minute or two to register. So now if I opt to spend more for the better yogurt, at least I'll feel like I am getting something extra.

It would also be worth your while to go enter the Farm Sweepstakes where you can win a trip for two to an organic dairy farm in Vermont where you will get to stay in a B&B, eat an organic breakfast and help out with farm chores. Screw the Caribbean. This is my kind of vacation!

You can find all the info, plus much more, on the Coupons & Offers page of the Stoneyfield website. There is a bunch of stuff to check out and next on my list is the "Going Greener Guidebook" that you can download for free.

I am generally not a name brand kind of a gal, but sometimes your roots call you home and your taste buds want to come along for the ride. That and the factory tour is really fun so maybe it's time for a change.

Spreading the Love - Terracycle Updates

2010-04-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

When I was at Walmart to pick up a prescription yesterday, I took a minute to check out the Terracycle display and was both saddened and pleased to see that it was slim pickings. They were out of the Kids Vegetable Gardening kits and I was bummed because I wanted one. I decided I am going to buy each of the kids something from Terracycle for Earth Day so I had them all show me which things they liked best and I will go back another day without them.
The displays actually looked great and each product was either featured beside the the packaging it was made from (Capri Sun Lunch Bags next to Capri Sun drinks, etc.) or next to other "green" items that are being featured for Earth Day. Next to where the gardening kits should have been there were lots of recycled rubber mulches and organic plant foods.
Apparently it's not just my Walmart because I got this message from one of my oldest and dearest BF's:
"Hi Heather! I am happy to report that I went to Wally World today to make my Terracycle purchase, and the racks were nearly empty. Seems they have been popular here! I bought a little Starburst bag that Libby can use as a diaper/snack bag when we go out. Not only that, but I told two different people about the products while I was in the store. Should I be getting paid for this? And finally, did you know that the products have tags on them with a card to send in and get a free gift. So it's two for one! Yay!"
The love has reached Iowa! Go mid west!
There are also lots of other blogs having giveaways this month so be sure to check out the Terracycle Facebook Page where many are being listed. I would tell you to go to the Terracycle Twitter page, but I might get you lost. Twitter has got me on the mental run.
There is an great giveaway going on at a blog I just fell in serious L-O-V-E with, Green Lifestyle Consulting. As I was reading through some of their posts, I was like "Yes. YES. YES!!!!" Just a quick scan through revealed discussions about everything from energy efficiency to greener birthday parties. They are totally speaking my language!
And of course, don't forget to enter the Simple Butta giveaway which ends Monday night. Kick your Earth Day celebrations off right!
Well, I'm off to curse the rain and daydream about planting.

Introducing....the goats!

2010-04-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

So here they are. These pictures were taken when they were about a week old. From left to right they are Edward, Bella Swan and Jacob. Yes, they are our little Twilight goats. I didn't name them. I've never even read the books. The breeder named them, but I think they are perfect so they are staying.

Since the first idea of homesteading made it's way into my psyche, I have dreamed of milk. A strange thought since I don't actually drink milk, but my family consumes mass quantities of it, in excess of 2 gallons per week, plus all the other dairy we dine on. Yogurt is a staple as is ice cream and of course, cheese. I could never be a vegan because of my obsession with cheese. So this had led me to the obvious conclusion. I need goats.

Now for the why. When I first started telling people that we were getting into Chicken Husbandry, I definitely got some mixed reactions. But, in the way that tattoos have become a societal norm, it seems that keeping chickens is all the rage now and people don't think I am so kooky anymore.

So I thought that when I told people about the goats it would trigger their loony alarms, but I have been very pleasantly surprised. People are excited and curious. Maybe in the next few years their will be a renaissance of home cheesemaking and butter churning. I myself, have yet to acquire these skills which is why we are starting out with three kids. One doe and two wethers (fixed males) to be exact. The doe will eventually be a milker and the wethers are really just for companionship. They were born in March and we will be bringing them home at the end of May once they have been weened and started on grain. The breed we chose is Nigerian Dwarfs. They are small and manageable and excellent milkers for their size. We will spend the first year or so learning the basic care and then we will obviously need to breed the doe which we will most likely do by bringing her back to the farm where we are getting them. Owning a buck is a whole other adventure that I'm not sure we're ready for. Then we will have our own kids and milk!

Besides this benefit to our nutrition and efforts at sustainability, getting goats is also an experience for the family. Raising chickens has been the best family project we have ever taken on and our children are better for it. They have received so many lessons about food, work, the environment and even life and death. Goats will allow them to have additional responsibilities and opportunities. I am particularly interested to see how Josie does with them. She thrives on having jobs to do and is, by far, my best worker. I stopped by the UNH Cooperative Extension office today to find out about starting a Cloverbuds group, which is the junior version of 4H. I am just starting to do some research on this, but it could be great fun.

Here are a few more recent pictures of our crew. Be sure that you will here much about them in the coming months. Decide for yourself if I am clever or crazy and then stay tuned. I know what you're thinking about these kids. They look just like me.

The Lazy Composter

2010-04-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

One of my goals this year is to actually use the compost that we have been creating since we moved here a few years back. Up until now we have just been piling stuff in a big heap where there was a set of three sided bins when we moved here. This is what our current compost situation looks like.

Thank goodness it's tucked away at the back of our property because not only is it useless, it's hideous to look at. It is technically "composting" but very passively. It's only help is the occasional churning by a chicken and which you may detect some tail feather in the left bin. Off tot he side is where we pile branches and bigger items, but this system makes it nearly impossible to turn it and it's location makes it inconvenient to take kitchen scraps out there.

I know even less about composting than I do about gardening so it seems like a good time to make some improvements. Last week I assembled the Soil Saver compost bin that we got recently. Incidentally, I paid half of what the website says it retails for. I picked this one because it seemed simple and inconspicuous and was made of 75% post consumer recycled plastic.

I set it up in between the garden and the chicken coop which are located off the kitchen side of the house. In other words, it's in a very easy location for loading it up. According to the directions, every six inches or so you want to put in a layer of soil or chopped leaves. I didn't want to spare the dirt, but I have a ton of chopped leaves that I raked off my garden. I wanted a place to keep the leaves until I need to put on the next layer so I built a makeshift "bin" out of some wooden stakes and leftover chicken wire. I put it right next to the Soil Saver and if I don't use all the leaves it will just keep composting and make more garden gold.

I was pretty pleased with myself for building this. It took about an hour and I got my hands somewhat scratched up, but at least it wasn't something else I added to the never ending "Honey Do" list. The disadvantage of having a super handy hubby is that you never have to build anything yourself. But right now David needs to get me ready a new chicken coop, a brooder box and a goat shed so I figured I could at least take this on.

So far so good and apparently it gets the chicken seal of approval. Go ahead, take a dump in there, it will only make for better veggies.

Some Earth Day love. A Terracycle Giveaway!

2010-04-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

You may have heard me say it before - I am not artistic and I am not crafty. When I am called upon to whip up a homemade project or party favor, I utilize the one medium that I feel truly comfortable working in - garbage. Whether it's juice lid Christmas ornaments (in the hectic holiday season that post didn't make it up) or milk carton bird feeders, if a craft project can be made out of materials that would have otherwise ended up in the trashcan, I am far more likely to give it a go.

So you can see why seeing a single episode of "Big Ideas For a Small Planet" that featured Terracycle was a transformative experience for me. Although it was several years back, I distinctly remember the thrill I got when I saw their worm poop fertilizer which was packaged in reused plastic bottles. Not recycled, reused. Better. No process needed. Feed the worms some organic waste, put the resulting liquid in old bottles. In fact, this was the world's first product "to be made from and packaged entirely in waste!". David and I were all "Why didn't we think of that?" and knew that Terracycle was on to something.
Since then, Terracycle has expanded their line to include everything from backpacks to Skunk Odor Remover and they are one of the world's fastest growing environmentally friendly companies. Masters of upcycling, they sponsor brigades where you can collect specific types of trash and earn money for your school or organization in the process. I love how they are involving the masses to transform the way we think about how products are made and where our grabage goes.

And now they are taking the next step in bringing us all together in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day so brace yourself. Terracycle and I would love for you to head down to...Walmart. OK, catch your breath. I know that folks have strong and sometimes mixed feelings about shopping at Wally World. I would like to state, here and now, that I shop at Walmart. Probably more frequently than I would like to admit to my farmers market friends, but if I am anything at all, I am a realist. In the oh so real world that I reside in, I have three young children. While our entire family loves to support local businesses, the fact is that when I am doing a weeks worth of errand with the afore mentioned kiddos, I need to work as efficiently and quickly as possible to avoid major meltdowns. We make regular trips to many local speciality stores including feed stores, restaurants, thrift stores and more, but for general "stuff" I often find myself in need of some one stop shopping. NH is a small, but fairly rural state and we don't have a huge selection of stores or any major forms of public transportation. So even if I am not always happy about it, I do end up at Walmart on a regular basis.
In recent years, I have come to feel that it isn't about whether or not we go to these big box stores, but what we do with our dollars once we get there. Purchasing a particular product is like voting. You cast your lot for what you want and businesses respond to that demand. When it became clear that customers wanted to see organic foods on the shelves, Walmart heard the call and now carries many organic lines. Few of us can completely boycott Walmart and even if we did, would there be a significant impact? Instead, if many of us who shop there do so with purpose and use our spending to send the message that we support green companies, Walmart will get that and can put their power behind it.
Now more than ever, cost also pulls us to larger department stores with low prices and that is another reason why you will frequently find me wandering the aisles at my local Walmart. Last summer, when I was feeling particularly guilty about splitting my shopping between the Farmers Market and Big W, I was standing in the checkout line and I looked up to see the girl who mans one of the CSA stands at the market buying her groceries. It felt great to know I wasn't alone.

So now, right now, is the perfect time to make a trip to Walmart and check out something unbelievably cool. Just for the month of April and in recognition of my favorite holiday (Happy 40th Earth Day!) you will find nearly 60 Terracycle products available at every Walmart in the country! Before I even knew I was going to do this Giveaway I had noticed the display and was fascinated. I thought someone had slipped something in my travel mug or that these were some kind of knockoffs, but it's the real deal. Many of the items available have never been seen before and now is our chance to tell Walmart that we want more. To add extra impact, many of the products will be displayed right next to the products which they were upcycled from. Standing beside a display of bags made from chips bags next to bags of chips is an amazing opportunity to talk to young people about our part in this cycle. I feel a field trip coming on!

I have always loved the saying "make Earth Day every day". It isn't just about going and picking up trash on the side of the road once per year, it's making greener decisions in our daily lives. Walmart is a part of that routine for many of us and we need to find ways to bring the green into it. How awesome would it be to give one of these great Terracycle bags or totes as a Earth Day Present? Happy Earth Day to you!

So here's the deal. Go to Walmart this month. Cast your vote by spending your hard earned dollars in support of these types of products. Make your voice heard. We want the corporate world to know that we are here and that this is what we want to see. This isn't just an amazing opportunity for Terracycle, it is our chance to help carry this eco message forth and to give people a chance to see what is possible. Be thoughtful and engage your money where it can make a difference.

To get you extra excited and just in time for Earth Day and prime gardening season, I am holding my first ever GIVEAWAY!!! Two winners will be chosen to win one of Terracycle's adorable Kids Vegetable Growing Kits which are upcycled from Stoneyfield Farm yogurt containers. What could be more perfect for a giveaway coming to you from NH?!?

"Teach kids about gardening and the environment at the same time with the TerraCycle Kid’s Growing Kits for Vegetables, Flowers or Herbs. The Kits use upcycled Stonyfield Yogurt Cups as planting pots and TerraCycle’s famous Worm Poop mixed with compost for the growing medium. The Kits come with growing instructions and the cardboard tray holding it all together is even embedded with the seeds needed to start the plants. Almost no part of these kits becomes waste and they come with everything you need to start growing right away. Stonyfield and TerraCycle run a free collection program that pays organizations 3 cents for every used Yogurt Cup they collect."

There are several ways to enter and there is no limit to how many entries you can submit. Each item on the list counts as one entry and you need to leave a seperate comment for each one you choose to do.

Go to the Terracycle website and check out their line of products. Leave a comment telling me which is your favorite .
Follow my blog in Google Friend. Leave a comment here to tell me.
Add my blog to your blogroll. Leave a comment.
Email 3 friends about Simple Butta and the Terracycle Giveaway and then leave a comment here to let me know you helped spread the word.
Follow me on my brand new (seriously no clue what I am doing yet) Twitter page @simplebutta and leave a comment here.
Post about and link to Simple Butta and the Terracycle Giveaway on your Facebook page and leave a comment letting me know.

The contest will close at midnight on April 19th and a winner will be chosen and announced on the 20th! Please leave your email with your comments so I can contact the winner. If you would prefer, you can send me a direct email with your address by clicking on my profile in the left navigation bar and then selecting the email button. If you receive an email saying that you have won, you have 48 hours to email me back with your mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

Good luck!

I have a garden dream

2010-04-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

I can't say it enough - I have no idea what I am doing. I am such a totally amateur gardener and there is an infinite amount to learn. I read some books, do some online research and take my best guess at what might work. This is our third season with our garden and each year I try something new, change or get rid of what didn't work previously and grow more or less of certain things. It's really just a big experiment and even the very helpful folks at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden over at Cooperative Extension say they are always learning. Some stuff works, lots of stuff doesn't, mother nature hates you or loves you and then the seasons change and it begins all over.

This year we are trying out some storage varieties to make our harvest stretch further into the winter months. I am most excited to try growing potatoes. Due to space limitations I am going to try growing them in big bags designed just for this purpose. I watched a few online tutorials and decided to give it a go. They will be kept inside the garden fence to protect them from critters and I am crossing my fingers that they do well. I would totally love myself if we could eat our own sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving.

I would also like to try some floating row covers to protect my squash and pumpkins from vine borers. These are moths that lay their eggs on the plants and then the larvae hatch and tunnel into the stems and they suck. I hate them with passion. Last year I cut them out with a knife and fed them to my chickens for revenge. They did some serious damage and I am hoping to prevent them from ever showing up this year. I am also going to try putting down some of that black plastic to warm the soil for some of my transplants like the melons and winter squash which like it hot.

I will begin planting later this week with some of the cool weather crops like beets, spinach, peas and lettuce. There is never enough time to spend out there as I would like to and now comes the season when the inside of my house starts to look seriously neglected. I would rather have my hands in dirt than dishes any day.

So here is the list of what I planning on growing. Be sure to check back and see how it's going.
.
*OG denotes organic variety

Seeds, tubers, etc. ordered from Johnny's Selected Seeds
Beets, Red Ace
Onion plants, Copra (storage)
Onion sets, Forum
Potatoes, Yukon Gold OG .
Sweet Potatoes, Beauregard
Peas (shelling), Caselode
Lima Beans, Fordhook 242
Corn (bicolor), Trinity F1
Spinach, Space
Lettuce (head), Winter Density
Lettuce (salad mix,) Encore OG
Radish, Easter Egg
Escarole, Eros OG
Bush Beans, Provider OG
Carrots, Vitana F1
Parsley, Giant of Italy
Basil, Genovese OG
Cilantro, Santo

Seedlings (OG) ordered from a local farm, Catnip Acres, to be picked up
Brussels Sprouts
Cucumber, pickling
Cucumber, slicing
Eggplant, Black Beauty
Cantaloupe, Heart of Gold
Watermelon, Sugar Baby
Pumpkin, New England Pie
Zucchini
Butternut Squash
Onion, Red Defender

Seedlings (OG) to be bought at annual plant sale for the CSA in town, Willow Pond Community Farm
Tomatoes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers

Planted Last Fall
Garlic, Russian Red OG
Garlic, German Extra Hardy OG

Perennial
Strawberries
Oregano

Soaking in Soap Nuts - A Review

2010-04-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

When I originally wrote about discovering Soap Nuts, it was purely because my curiosity was peaked. So much so that based upon Easy Eco To Go's write up, I ordered some from Laundry Tree and waited patiently for their arrival. At the same time, Easy Eco was having her Soap Nuts giveaway and since I already did a bunch of stuff needed to enter (like writing on your blog) I figured I should give that a whirl as well. Little did I know the success that would follow. Not only do I lovey, love, lover, loveness my Soap Nuts, but I won the Easy Eco giveaway. Double my pleasure!
So armed with a decent stash of Soap Nuts, I have set about transforming my cleaning of everything from underwear to windows. Here are some of my findings.
Washing:
In my opinion, the Soap Nuts did an equal, if not slightly better job of getting things clean compared to regular HE detergent. The first load I tried was on wet dishtowels and the cloth napkins and washcloths we use at the table. This is usually the stinkiest stuff in the laundry as it has been very wet and has usually wiped up food, spilled milk, etc. The Soap Nuts got these perfectly clean and funky odor free.
Stains:
I am a psycho about stain removal because there is nothing I hate more than a perfectly good piece of clothing ruined because somebody slopped chocolate down the front. I tried running a few things without applying any stain pre-treatment, but the stains remained. I pulled those items out, did my usual stain spray ritual and ran them again. The stains were gone. So I had to use a pre-treament, but I also have to use it with regular detergent. I am continuing to look for a reliable "green" alternative for stain removal. Sometimes, stains get better when the clothes are hung out in the sun to dry, but not always.
Cost:
If bought in bulk and using the number of loads that Laundry Tree estimates you can do, the cost per load is about 17 cents. This is virtually the same as my regular detergent when purchase in the 150 fl oz size. If you want to use the Soap Nuts in the traditional method by throwing them right in with the wash, you will need some of the little bags and those are two for a $1.00. This is a one time investment. Purchasing the essential oils to add a nice scent to your laundry can add an additional $5, but it will last forever and is completely optional. Obviously if you buy in smaller quantities the cost goes up. If you don't need enough for 175 loads, you might consider splitting an order with someone.

In order to wash on cold, which is the most energy efficient choice, you need to make the "Soap Nut Soak". This could not be easier. Boil water, throw in your nuts. Let it sit overnight. Fish our your nuts. Done. I think this is the way to get the maximum amount of loads out of the Soap Nuts. Even the Laundry Tree website says "If you use hot water washes, your soapnuts will quickly release all of their saponin, and they won’t be good for as many re-uses". I found that I got two to three washes when I did them on warm, but they are never as foamy as the first load. With the Soak, you know that each load is getting the same amount of soap and it eliminates the guesswork.
Ease of use:
Overall, it could not have been simpler. Throw a few nuts in the little bag and toss it in. Much less messy than my regular liquid detergent which is constantly dripping all over the place and I always feel like so much is wasted in the measuring cup and left in the bottle. The only thing that was a challenge was finding the bag in the mass of wet laundry before I threw it in the dryer. A couple of times I ended up drying it because it was caught up in something. So now I am just more careful when transferring things.
Final Laundry Results:
I have to admit I was cautiously optimistic, but I can honestly say that the laundry has smelled better (with or without the addition of the essential oil) and is MUCH softer. Even the line dried stuff is softer and doesn't have that "chemicaled to death" feel. I have also seen a difference in my darling Josie's skin. She has super sensitive areas like (she is going to kill me) her butt cheeks. They are always red. Since I have been washing with the Soap Nuts they look way better because her underwear isn't irritating them anymore. Either that or she is getting around naked more and I just haven't noticed.
Other Cleaning:
One of the things that most intrigued me was the amount of other household cleaning that the Soak can be used for. I made the window cleaner by combining a bit of the soak with water and vinegar and it worked awesome! I did my sliding glass doors and they came out great. I also took the opportunity to try something I have always been skeptical about. I used newspaper instead of paper towels and it worked just as well. Phasing out paper towels has been a struggle for me, but I may have stumbled upon a solution. Stay tuned for some love in that department!
I also used the soak to do a full kitchen cleanup and the counters got super clean. Plus, I always feel oogey about using chemicals (even the cleaners that claim to be "green") on food surfaces. Even if there was any residue from the soak it's natural so go ahead and eat right off the table kids. No need for plates anymore.
There are a bunch of other uses for the Soak and the one I still want to try is as a shampoo. I have previously mentioned my infrequent hair washing and I have been looking into the "No-Poo" method. I am thinking I will do a big experiment and try out some different things, but that will take a bit since I need to go a while between "poos" to get a true result.

So I honestly think I am sold on Soap Nuts and Laundry Tree should probably start harvesting double time because I may actually stay on top of my laundry with the added "feel good" appeal that washing now holds. Combine this with the ability to get stuff on the line on a regular basis now that's it's Spring and I may just become the Basket Master that I always wanted to be. Now if I could just teach the chickens to fold towels, I'd be in heaven.

Five super simple ways to start saving money and resources right now.

2010-04-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

1. Cut down on how often you wash your hair. Less frequent shampooing is actually better for your hair. You can still shower, less frequent personal hygiene is not necessary better for you or your social life. You can either wear a shower cap or wet your hair, but not wash it. I rinse my hair in the shower everyday and then just put on a dab of leave in conditioner and comb it out, but I only shampoo and condition about once a week. I can make a rather small bottle of shampoo last for months and I have some seriously thick hair.

2. Use a coffee carafe and travel mug. I am planning to do an entire post about "Greening Your Coffee", but the simplest place to start is by brewing at home and skipping, or cutting back on, the drivethru. As soon as a pot is done brewing, pour it into a carafe and shut the coffee maker off rather than leave the burner on. Then you will have hot coffee for the afternoon lull without having to brew a second pot. Before you leave the house, make up a cup for the road and pocket the three bucks you would have spent while keeping disposable cups out of the trash.

3. Substitute two "meat" meals per week with a vegetarian option. You don't have to go veg on moral grounds, it is also a wise financial decision. You can save big bucks by carefully utilizing eggs, veggies etc. to take center stage at the table. Check out Meatless Monday posts for some ideas.

4. When you feel the need to shop, STOP. Sometimes we can become convinced that we must have this or that, but if we paused, waited a few days and then reevaluated, sometimes we might see that the need has passed or you have found a different solution to your problem. Case in point, about ten years ago, I was doing laundry and carrying a giant load up the stairs when the handle on my basket snapped, spilling the newly washed and folded clothes all over the place. After a few choice words, I decided I MUST have a new laundry basket here and now. I went to pack up Noah, who was then just an infant, and head to Target when he promptly threw up on me. Nice. So we never made it to the store that day and then something or other came up the next day and I couldn't get out then either. While I was stuck at home I took some packing tape and wrapped the handle with it and stuck it back in place as a "temporary" fix. A decade later, I still haven't gone on that shopping trip and the tape remains!

5. Wash your plastic baggies. Ideally, we just wouldn't use the zipper sealed wonders, but a kids lunchbox only holds so much tupperware and there are times when nothing else will do. Long before I was Eco and was just Cheap, I decided that tossing out a baggie just because it had crumbs in it was incredibly wasteful. So I started making baggie washing part of dish duty and even with five people in our household I still only buy maybe 2 or 3 boxes per year. They do wear out or rip eventually, but I have some kicking around that have got to be at least five years old. The best way to wash them is to turn them inside out in your sink. Run some warm water over them and them put them on your hand and give them a good scrub with a soapy sponge. Be sure to stick your fingers all the way into the corners when the gunk likes to hide. Then give them a thorough rinsing and hang them up to dry still turned inside out. For many years, I used to put them over the spoons and spatulas in my utensil caddy. My mom did give me a baggie drying rack that has dowels with little birdhouses on them for holding the bags and you can purchase other bag dryers online, but it isn't necessary. A word of caution, don't let them back up on you. I am famous for having a towering stack of baggies sitting next to my sink and then it becomes a real chore, as does anything else if we neglect it too long. Try folding them in a neat pile and when you have four or five go ahead and wash.

So there you go. A few quickies to get you started and, most likely, you have everything you need already. If you don't have a carafe, now you know what to ask for for you birthday or, better yet, to hunt for at yard sales. If you don't have plastic baggies, good for you! If you don't have a laundry basket, I am jealous and I want to move in.

Name Game

2010-04-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

So I am thinking about changing the name of my blog before I go too much further. I had originally wanted "Ecocheapo", but that was taken, as well as a few variances of it that I checked. I like Simple Butta, but I am sure people are like "What the heck is Butta?". Well, I am. Butta was my nickname for a great many years when I attended, volunteered at and, ultimately, worked for NH Teen Institute. We were all about nametags and one time, someone wrote "Is smooth like Butta" under the "Heather" on my tag and the Butta ended up being more visible than my name and the new attendees started calling me that. It sort of caught on and sinced there were about 10 other Heather's (I think my parents thought they were being real original, but so did everyone else in the 70's) it helped to have a different title. Some old school Teen Institute folks and others from youth retreat days still call me it. I don't mind, I'm still pretty creamy.
But now I am thinking I should have a more befitting moniker for my blog. Maybe EcoFriendlyFrugal? Or Earthy&Frugal? Cheap&Green? I am open to input. So if you happen to notice that you are redirected to something other than Simple Butta, don't be alarmed, it's still me. Just with a new nametag.

Meatles Monday - Just Wanna Sprout About It!

2010-04-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

With the gorgeous weekend weather, I have good reason to believe that we have bid our final farewell to winter. Our garlic is on the grow and I am beginning to prep the garden beds for the season.

Garlic shoots *photo by Josie, age 5

Last fall we chopped leaves by running them over with the lawn mower (which David didn't think would work - It did!) and covered the raised beds with them. I read that this would help to introduce more organic matter into the soil and so far it looks to have done the job. When I raked the leaves off the strawberry bed the soil was dark and rich. I worked the remaining bits of leaves into the dirt and then put the rest in the compost pile.

It is great to get back out into the garden and get my hands dirty. My work here has taken on even greater meaning after our inspiring trip to D Acres yesterday and I can't wait to share that with you.

But for now, let's talk sprouts. Last week was my first venture into growing my own sprouts and we enjoyed them on the ride up to D Acres. Sprouts are another throwback my youth when my mother used to send me sprout sandwiches to school and kids used to moo while I ate. That's OK, I forgive them. They didn't know what they were missing.

I am using a Bioset sprout grower that I got from Johnny's Selected Seeds and I am very impressed with how easy it is and how simply I incorporated it into my daily routine. Basically, you just spread the sprouting seeds (there are special seeds for this, you can order those form Johnny's as well and they are mostly organic) in the trays. Then you stack them up and fill the top tray (white) with water while holding your finger over a small valve on the bottom. You place the watering tray on top of the stack and the water flows down through each level and is collected in the bottom which you then empty out. There are little grooves in each tray that hold onto just the right amount of moisture. I fill the tray twice per day so I probably spend about 2 minutes total on this per day.
My first batch was broccoli sprouts which are nice and spicy, just like me. The package said it would take 2-5 days. There was lots of action during this time, but I harvested them on Day 6. I now have my all time favorite sprouts in there, alfalfa. I added many more seeds this round. I only put about half as much as I could have the first time since I wasn't sure how much space they would take up once "sprouted". I should be dining on these by the end of the week.

From seed to sandwich in 6 days.

There are countless ways to enjoy sprouts. I like them on salads, but my favorite is a sprout sandwich. I love pita bread, but I also use whole wheat. I love it with some grated carrots and some cheddar cheese. For creaminess I either put a little mayo on the bread or some sliced avocado. OK, now I'm drooling. Give it a go and you'll be like "Cold cuts? I don't need no stinking cold cuts!" Try it and then give me sprout!

This Bunny Says "Cheap"

2010-04-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure when Easter turned into the second coming of Christmas, but it is ridiculous how extravagant the store displays have gotten. Although any secular gluttony seems a bit weird to me since our standard Easter goodies were typically a bookmark that said "He Is Risen" and a package of yellow Peeps. If I haven't mentioned it before, my mom is fairly religious (Episcopalian) and we didn't "do" stuff like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. We gifted and celebrated and had egg hunts, but always with the "reason for the season" in mind. I never felt jipped and although I am not nearly as dedicated to matters of faith as my mother, I try to remind my kids how these holidays came to be and that they are not merely an excuse to get stuff.

So when I am putting together Easter baskets, I am truly wearing my EcoCheapo hat and trying to assemble them using a little "new" as possible because even better than something that was made in an environmentally responsible way is something that was not "made" for this occasion at all. In the immortal words of Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, "It's already out there".

Tuesday and Thursday morning are when all three kids are at school at the same time so the opportunity to be a semi leisurely thrift store shopper is savored and I did a little more than just look for baskets stuffers. For a grand total of $16.25 I got a new pair of shoes for Josie, a hooded sweatshirt, two "cool" tee-shirts plus a dressy long sleeve shirt with the tags still on it ($30 new) for Noah, 2 hardcover cookbooks (one about bread and the other by The Frugal Gourmet), an adorable pink cardigan for the girls, a white GAP t-shirt for me, a huge gardening book, and 4 soft cover parenting books that I will only read in the bathroom and then decide the author probably doesn't even have kids.

As for finding stuff to put into a ten year old boys' Easter basket, I think I did about as well as you can-
a brand new, still rolled up Red Sox poster

5 big packages of tribal looking temporary tattoos

a small desktop CD rack
a limerick book

and a Gary Paulson paperback.

Add in the cost of the Red Sox trash can that it will be going into and we are at $3.25 I will also probably throw in an iTunes gift card which, at $10, will be more than I spent on everything else for all three kids combined (not including a bit of all natural candy).

The girls are very easy to pick up trinkets for and I always have tons of stuff on hand for them. I know this will not always be the case, but for now, I relish it and so does our bank account. Their buckets have been reused for countless years and they will be very happy with their mix of stuffed animals, small puzzles, bracelets, card games, jax, Easter pencils, etc. Yes, I even get festive,

unsharpened writing implements second hand.

So wherever this Easter brings you, I hope that peace is there to greet you. No matter where your faith lies, it is a season of reflection and growth and a time to be thankful for beginnings. I hope you will be chillin with your peeps. Some of us already are.

Wicked Cool Wednesday - The grass can be greener

2010-03-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm from New Hampsha so "wicked" is a way of life and since my photography skills are actually wicked bad, I don't feel bold enough to declare this post "Wordless".

I am quite proud of myself that I made my own Easter grass tonight. I haven't bought any in years and have just been making do with recycled tissue paper, but I wanted to shnaz it up a bit this year.
I just took white paper out of the art box where all our "still good on one side" paper goes and then painted both sides with water colors. I don't have a paper shredder, but I do have a sweet paper cutter so I just chopped it up into thin strips and then gave it a good scrunch.
I am off to the thrift store tomorrow morning to finish up my Easter shopping. The girls are all set, but I still need to get more for Noah, at ten years old he is getting a bit tougher to scrounge stuff up for. I have a cool, little Red Sox trash can that I picked up as his "basket". I may end up getting him an iTunes gift card in addition to the Newman's Own Organic Chocolate Cups and the Panda All Natural Licorice I got today.
And to celebrate this day of renewal, I think the fam and I are going to head north and go to the Open House farm tour at D Acres. D Acres is a working farm that serves as an "educational center that researches, applies and teaches skills of sustainable living and small-scale organic farming". Renewal awaits!

Meatless Monday - Dining Out Can Be Divine

2010-03-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ideally, I would make a grand and glorious meal breakfast, lunch and dinner from lovely, local, wholesome ingredients, but we all know that life is hardly ever ideal and if I didn't live in the land of reality pre kids, I sure the hell do now. Although it kills me to spend the money, there are times when it becomes necessary to grab something to eat while we are out and about. Times like when you are heading to the grocery store after picking up kids #2 & 3 from preschool and realizing that if you don't get them something to eat beforehand things are going to get very, very ugly. So what to do?
Shamefully, we occasionally have headed through the drive thru under the golden arches and being American children, they would love it if I did this in every pinch. But I can't bare it and I am compelled to seek alternatives. I am rarely impressed by dining out experiences so it is rare for me to frequent a restaurant but I am totally in love with a little spot about ten minutes from my house and Meatless Monday seemed like to perfect time to shout about it!

The Divine Cafe in Exeter, NH is just what the name says - Divine. In every way imaginable, it is my perfect eating experience. From the moment you walk in, you are soothed with it's coziness and greeted by the best and friendliest folks you can find. The Divine's motto is "Nourish The Body, Respect the Earth" and their food and atmosphere reflect that in so many ways. From their compostable To Go containers and their selection of beverages including organic chocolate milk and fair trade coffee to their massive amount of choices for vegan and vegetarian friends.
Not being a "V" of any sort, I had been eating from the meaty choices for quite sometime, until recently I decided to venture out and try "The Wrap". I was presented with a soft tortilla filled with egg, peppers, onions, cheese and avocado that made me want to reenact a particular scene from "When Harry Met Sally". This is my new breakfast favorite.
Then last week, after the Storytime that I do at the Divine on Thursdays, I had a hankering for lunch and had some time before getting the beasts so I decided to try Bonnie's Blue. I have gotten this before with beef, which is from Niman Ranch, but I decided to get it with a Divine Burger. This is their signature vegan burger that they sell as part of their menu, from the freezer for patrons to take home and to various other restaurants and establishments. I wanted to try it because my five year old has been wanting one since the last time she ordered a burger at the Divine and proceeded to pull out the meat and eat the bun with mustard, tomato and lettuce. When I told her there was another option she vowed to get it next time and I thought I should test it before shelling out the cash only to hear that it is dry or tasteless as have been all my previous experiences with veggie burgers. Little did I know the treat I was in for.
A toasted bun greeted me (always a nice touch) and in between it's halves was a ceremony of some of the culinary things that make me weep. Mushrooms! Blue Cheese! Some crazy good sauce! And the burger itself was perfectly spiced, soft, but with great texture and grilled to perfection. Can you tell I have been fantasizing about this all week? I will NEVER get the regular burger again. This was so much better!
I have yet to get a meal at the Divine that I wasn't totally impressed with. Did I mention their side salad that came with my burger? Don't even get me started. So if you find yourself in the Exeter, NH area on a Wednesday thru Staurday between 7:30am and 2:30pm or Sunday until 1pm, head over to Lincoln Street and prepare yourself for transcendent experience of a vegetarian nature. If you hail from other parts, check your local listings for vegetarian fare and start exploring.

PS
And for those of you who are the big "V" or can just appreciate it or the idea of doing something different, you should really read the book "Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon" by Jules Bass. It's a page-turning must for every child and the adults who love them.

Growth Spurt

2010-03-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

A very exciting day indeed! Today I...

...got my seed order in the mail. I didn't get off my butt to start seedlings this year so this is all my direct sow stuff. I will have a list up of everything I am going to grow, or at least planning to.

...along with the seed order came my Bioset sprout grower. I have converted the children to sprouts and got them off cold cuts for sandwiches. I have always wanted to try this.

...ordered new chicks which will arrive in May. Our current flock of New Hampshire's is near and dear to my heart, but is driving me clucky with the way they peck each other. We selected them for their status as a Heritage breed as well as their cold hardiness, egg production and because they are considered to be "dual purpose". Yes, we will be dining on these when their egg days are over. OK, maybe not Bertha. We have since found out that they are a fairly aggressive breed and we have tried everything to get them to quick eating each others feather, with no progress. It's all very high school.

So I researched other breeds and decided to try a few so we can do some comparing. I decided on three each of Delawares (white and to the right), Dominiques (the picture with two chickens), Plymouth Barred Rocks (very similar looking to the Dominiques) and Silver Laced Wyandottes (white with black edges on feathers)There is a bit of a wait since some of these are uncommon breeds, but I am very excited. This addition means that we are also going to be moving up to a bigger coop. More planning needs to be done on that front, but what to do with the old shed that is our current coop? Hmmmm. Let me think. I know...

...GOATS!!! Yes, we have just reserved a set of three sibling Nigerian Dwarf Goats and I am beside myself. I always knew I'd have more kids! These two little soon-to-be wethers (fixed males) and one little doeling girl are insanely adorable and are sure to be a new and exciting challenge for our little homestead. I am sure you will be sick of hearing goat this and goat that and I don't care! They were just born last week so we have a few months to go before they can be weaned and brought home. In the meantime, you can see a few pictures by going to the website for the wonderful little local farm where we are getting them from Meadow Sweet Blue. Check out the 2010 kids page and ours are the first ones listed. Thanks Kerrin!

Lastly, we have decided we may need to name our mini-farm-in-the-making. David suggested the name "Growth Rings". Ah, no. It makes me think of stretch marks. I think we will brainstorm a few names and then let cyberspace vote on it. Stay tuned and think manure!

From Soap To Nuts

2010-03-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize yesterday was Monday and I am, once again, a total bloser (my new name for Blog Loser) and missed Meatless Monday. I might not have even redeemed myself today with a post, but I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs when a post about laundry caught my attention and wouldn't let go.

Everyone knows that the L-Word is my least favorite household chore. I curse it on a daily basis. David likes to ask if I am going to charge the baskets rent when they have lingered in the hall a bit too long. Last weekend, I did gain some momentum when spring sprang into action and I was able to hang all the laundry out on the line without it freezing solid. I am definitely more apt to stay on top of it when I can do part of it out in the sunshine and also feel the satisfaction that comes with doing something the old fashioned way.
So when I came across Easy Eco To Go's post about a SoapNuts review and giveaway, I knew I was in for a new adventure.

I try to purchase "eco" detergent whenever possible but I always run into several problems:

My washer is HE (High Efficiency) and sometimes that cuts out certain products that may suds too much. The appliance store put the fear of God in me about this issue.
I need to buy in a fairly large quantity or I'd be buying detergent every time I turn around. Our family of five is either the dirtiest group of people on earth or that's just the way it is.
My second child, Josie, has very sensitive skin and is prone to bouts with eczema so we can't just go experimenting or cheap out.
I question how "green" some of these mass produced detergents actually are. Without significant scientific exploration I feel like I am at the mercy of the marketing machine. Plus, the mass production of most anything is, by nature, not very eco-friendly.

After reading Easy's post, I find myself intrigued and wander over to the Laundry Tree website to learn a bit more and this is what I find:

"There are a ton of amazing things about soap nuts. A partial list:

•They are simply a dried fruit — 100% totally natural.

•They are organically grown and are free of harsh chemicals, so they are incredibly gentle. (This makes them especially great for those with sensitive skin — including babies and those that suffer from allergies, eczema, and psoriasis).

•They’re totally biodegradable, so they’re better for the environment than regular detergent.

•They’re antimicrobial, so they’re even good for septic and greywater systems.

•They are low-sudsing — exactly what you need for HE (or high-efficiency) washers."

Natural and organic - Sounds good.

Gentle for sensitive skin - Bonus.

Biodegradable & Antimicrobial - Yes, thank you.

Good for septic systems - I can hear my Dad's nod of approval from heaven.

Good for HE washers - Bingo!

In addition, you can purchase all natural essential oils in tons of different scents to make your laundry smell extra sweet. I am not a user of smelly stuff on my laundry, but I sometimes secretly wish I was. Now seems like a good time to start. I do love the scent of laundry off the line so I will experiment with the oils on the loads that will go into the dryer.

The Soaput possibilities don't end in the hamper. You can also use it as a shampoo by making a batch of SoapNut Soak which you use if you are going to wash on cold (Saponin, the "soap" in the "nuts" is activated in warm water). This Soak can also be substituted for a variety of household chemicals and will certainly get a whirl on every surface in my house. I am always desperate for the inspiration to clean.

So I have just purchased the starter kit of SoapNuts and I await it's arrival with antici - pation. I am hoping it is a transformative laundry experience leading to new found joy in the textile pile that haunts my dreams. If I win the Easy Eco To Go Contest I will have an additional kit and seeing that each comes with a sample packet to share you would be wise to be extra nice to me. Maybe even offer to do some folding or just tell me how much you love my blog. Flattery will get you everywhere.

Just Gotta Poke Around

2010-03-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

I know it's Monday, well technically Tuesday since it's after midnight, and I should be throwing out a veggie wonder, but I am pooped and the foodie in me really wants to discuss the amazing egg pizza I made this weekend. I can't get it out of my mind and therefore, I don't want to talk about other recipes until I have time for that one. So there.

I do want to get some yummy thoughts out there though, and so, I decided to glean my title from "Shakedown Street" and to encourage you to keep hunting for local goodness as you go about your food shopping. March is tough times. Most of the storage items and preserved harvest from last year has run out (we are down to our last jam) and spring is taunting us with inklings of garden goodness. There is, of course, the amazing culture of the winter farmers market that seems to have exploded this year. I have been loving the apples I have been getting there. My kids were so excited to have this fresh fruit a month or so back and now when I serve them yet another apple they are like "Seriously? We want a banana woman!" and I just give them my standard reply "When you can grow a banana in NH you can have one." Is it any wonder they call me the "meanestest mother in the whole worlds!"?

But I have been pleasantly surprised to find some fairly local stuff at Hannaford as well. Potatoes and butternut squash from Maine were huge hits on our menu last week and I found them very reasonable. It takes me a bit more time, but I have now trained the kids to look for signs indicating where the produce was grown. Even in the big chains I find that most of it is labeled as "Product of Wherever". So first we rule out anything other than USA and then start to get as geographically close as possible, although I am sure there is some extra mileage in there when we take into account the crazy distribution system. For some insight into this you should take a listen to this episode of This American Life, my favorite NPR program and current addiction. And if, in your audio wanderings, you happen to catch some good Dead tunes, you'll be that much better off.

Meatless Monday - Youth Gone Wild

2010-03-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

As a child with a myriad of food allergies and a poncho wearing, draft counseling mother, I grew up eating some pretty funky stuff compared to my peers. I was completely fructose and lactose intolerant well into elementary school. I was the kid bringing sugar free jello to birthday parties having no clue why the b-day boy or girl didn't want to forgo the cake for the jiggling delight I had brought for them. The ice cream truck was never my friend and even once my stomach grew todigest the dairy and treats that the universe had to offer, I never became a sweet lovah.

I have, however, held onto many of the favorites that my mother made part of my diet including...(drum roll please)...Chick Peas!
Has doth professed thine love for these luscious legumes before? They are the fruit of the gods I tell you. My mom always put them in salads or we ate them plain as a snack. I have since discovered that chick peas can make you say "Meat, what's meat?" and not feel the loss. Don't even get me started on hummus. We'll be here till next Monday.

So it is not the least bit coincidental that this week's vegetarian wonder came from a recipe "book" written especially for kids ands featuring the Peas (cue "Boom Boom Pow"). Kids Kitchen by Fiona Bird is a collection of 40 culinary delights designed for the child chef and published by my beloved Barefoot Books. We had this collection for quite a while before I realized that there wasn't a single recipe calling for meat. Kids Kitchen divides everything into five groups: Eggs 'N' Beans, Fantastic Fruits, Milk 'N' Dairy, Spuds 'N' Grains and Vital Vegetables. We are working our way through them and I can't wait to try every one. One of the first that jumped out at me was this number that graced our plates recently.

Herby Burgers (slightly adapted - be sure to check out the original for the Kid-Friendly directions)

16 oz. can of chickpeas (washed and drained)

2-3 tbl pesto

1/3 cup wholewheat flour
Extra flour for dusting hands
1-2 tbl sunflower oil (I confess I used canola)

Mix the chickpeas, pesto and flour together in a food processor. Or put it all into a big bowl and mash it with a potato masher. With floured hands, mold 6-8 burgers and then out them in the fridge for 20 min. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry them 2-3 minutes per side until brown and crispy. Then serve them on a bun with your choice of topping.

Two out of three Ecocheapo kids gave this a thumbs up. The remainder ate it anyway. Daddy was less than enthusiastic originally, but I caught him eating it later and I sold the last patty to one of my best 4 year old pals today. I loved it so they will certainly be getting it again.

Meatless Monday After Midnight - Can You Say "Classic"

2010-02-23T01:10:00.000-08:00

Slacker. There is no other word for it. I am a Blog Flunky. Maybe more of a Disstracker since I haven't just been lounging around, but more buzzing about with the goings on of life with children and various other beasts. So here I am, in the wee hours, putting down the words that have been swimming in my brain for weeks now.
I actually can't believe that this recipe was not Week One of Meatless Monday since it is not only in the bible of vegetarian cooking, but was probably my first introduction to the V-Word. The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas is one of two cookbooks that I associate with my mother, The Joy of Cooking being the other. And the recipe for Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder is probably my all time favorite thing that my mom made. It brings back warm, winter memories of ski vacations and wool socks; of my Dad's satisfied grin and footy pajamas. The book itself is a time capsule that has made it's way into my permanent collection.
The cover is attached by the tiniest of threads and there is an inscription inside to my mother from a friend long forgotten. The bookmark for this favorite recipe is a tattered, tri-folded piece of pink letterhead from the Office of the Dean of Boston University, where my mother was a grad student, dated February 7, 1975. This has been in it's place of honor longer than I have been breathing this air and will remain so when I hand this gem off to my children. Who will become the chef and keeper of culinary traditions remains to be seen, but they are all undergoing training and showing great promise. Their delight in this recipe echoes back to my own as a child and it is a true winter classic in our home.

Corn & Cheddar Cheese Chowder* (I usually triple this as leftovers are essential)
*as with all my recipes there is some slight deviation from the original

1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 cups boiling salted water
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 Tbl butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 Tbl flour
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
kernels from 2 ears of corn or one can, drained
chopped chives and parsley
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated off the block (I use my food processor)
4 to 5 Tbl dry white wine (I use whatever is on hand)

In a large pot, add the diced potato to the boiling water with the bay leaf, sage and cumin seeds and cook until just barely tender - about15 minutes. While the potato is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and saute the onion in it until it softens, then add the flour, mix well and cook for a minute, stirring frequently. Add the cream, stirring with a whisk. Pour this sauce into the potatoes and water, adding the corn. Add the chopped herbs and the rest of the seasonings. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about ten minutes. Stir in the cheese and wine and and heat until the cheese is completely melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

If there is more comfort in food than can be found in a bowl of this, I have yet to experience it. I want my Mommy.

Upcoming Events

2010-02-16T13:31:00.000-08:00

Feb 18th - Storytime at The Divine Cafe in Exeter, NH at 10am. This is part of the new, weekly storytime where I will be reading from some of my favorite Barefoot Books. It's a natural fit with the Divine's motto of "nourish the body, respect the earth". This will run about half a hour and is a great opportunity to get out with the kids during the long winter months.
Feb 20th - Newmarket Winter Farmers Market at the Stone Church in Newmarket, NH from 9am-1pm. I will be in the cozy, corner booth and will be helping kids to make Collage Bags. Collaging is a great way to utilize bits of household materials that would normally be thrown away. Kids love to create with these items and we will be creating a community collage at the market.
Feb 25th - Storytime at The Divine.
March 4th - Storytime.

March 6th - NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) NH Winter Conference in Concord, NH. A wonderful event for farmers and those that support organic and local agriculature. Tons of amazing worksops for kids, teens, and adults. I will be presenting as part of the childrens conference and will also have a table set up in the Green Market. Hope to see you there!

More events on the way!

Meatless Monday on Wednesday

2010-02-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

I was planning to do a mind blowing post on falafel this week, but between forgetting to soak the chick peas overnight on Sunday and then realizing that I needed to get a little more in depth to sell falafel virgins on the idea, I got a little behind. But rest assured, the treat from the middle east is coming to a Monday near you ASAP.
In the meantime in between time, I have whipped up one of my favorite, but often forgotten dishes that is so much easier and yummier than you might think. This one comes from the good ole Joy of Cooking, my kitchen bible, with a few tweaks.

Barely and Mushroom "Risotto"

6 tbl butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
8 oz diced mushrooms, shitake are awesome, but others are fine
1 cup barley
2/3 white wine
1 tbl crushed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
6 cups stock, vegetable stock makes it truly meatless, but chicken stock works great too

In a large saucepan, heat the stock so it is hot, but not simmering. Put it on a low heat to keep it warm. Melt the butter in a large skillet and cook the onions until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. Reduce the heat to med/low and add the barley. Stir to coat the barley with butter. Add the wine, garlic, salt and pepper and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in 2 cups of the stock and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Then add stock 1/2 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Stir often. The barley will need 46-60 minutes to become tender and if you run out of stock just add warm water.
This is not a true risotto, because it does no contain rice, but is is creamy and delicious. It gets barley out on the soup and into a glorious spot on a plate where it belongs.

Meatless Monday- Postponed till Tuesday.

2010-02-01T16:42:00.001-08:00

Momma forgot to soak the beans overnight. It will be worth the wait.

Somebody IS Out There

2010-01-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

I received this link today from a old and dear friend. One who knew me pre-Ecocheapo. To say that it made my day would be like saying it's a bit chilly out when your snot is freezing to your face while you're still indoors.
She gets it. People are getting it. This article from The Huffington Post by Stewart Acuff is the high tech version of EcoCheapo. Good for your wallet, good for your world. We are not alone.

Meatless Monday - South for the Winter with Beans & Rice

2010-01-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

When birthdays roll around for my children, two out of three in December which was horrid planning on our part, it is tradition that the B-Day person gets to pick what they want to have for dinner. At this point, I don't even know why we bother asking because the answer is always the same - Mexican! Burritous, tacos, quessadillas and their assorted variations and sides are the all time favorite meal around here. Back in my early culinary days, I used to have only one side dish option in my repetoire which was Mexi Rice. Basically, I would cook rice and then add spaghetti sauce, taco seasoning and cheese. Nasty. It seemed good at the time, but now we know there are so many better options.
As a side or as the main event, beans and rice is staple fare that has nourished people around the world forever. I am sure there are a zillion variations, but this is the one that we use.

Simple Black Beans & Rice

1 cans (15.5 oz.) black beans, undrained
2 tbsp olive oil
half an onion, diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 package taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 tbl cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
salt & pepper to taste
4 - 5 cups cooked white rice

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and then add the onion, pepper and garlic. Saute 5-10 min over medium heat until tender. Add all other ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat a simmer about 20 minutes. This will be very saucy and that's how you want it. The juice is the best part! Ladle over the rice in large bowls.
*This recipe opens up endless possibilities for adding on. We like to sprinkle shredded cheese on the top. You can also add some diced tomatoes, corn, broken tortilla chips, etc. This also makes an excellent filling in a tortilla. Experimento!

Will Work For Local Food

2010-01-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

Are you the type of shopper who goes to the store on a mission? List in hand, meals planned out, rarely straying from the preappointed items and skipping whole aisles because you don't really need anything in them? Or maybe you're the type who has a few "must gets" and then kind of pokes around and might try something new or get inspired to create a meal around something that happens to be on sale? Or maybe you are like my mom who was notorious for making multiple trips to the store each week because she was forever buying cream cheese and no bagels or stocking up on more canned potatoes than any human should ever have to even look at, but forgetting to buy milk. I can't blame her though, she was married to a man for nearly forty years that ate a very well balanced diet from his own personal four food groups - coffee, Coke, mayo and salt. Seriously.
I would say that I am definitely a list girl, but if I see a sale on something I will definitely jump at the chance to stock up and occasionally that leads me to change my meal plan. The thing about Farmers Markets, is that they can really throw someone like me for a loop because they are very Forest Gumpy Chocolates. You never know whatcha gonna get. Last month's market was a prime example of this. I went in vowing to strike out to get more shopping done than the previous month, but my plan was thwarted by the very evil placement of the Sunflour Baking booth directly across from mine. I was starring at all their insane goodies while thumbing the predesignated spending cash in my pocket. Finally, I could fight it no longer and hopped down from my cozy corner booth and attacked a Cinnamon Beast. Selfish, but oh so worth it.
I was definitely interested in checking out the Fleur de Sel table and perused it with great interest. I am definitely a salt snob. I am also my father's daughter and, therefore, salt goes on and in everything except maybe pudding. Although if it was pistachio....hmmm. I have come to know and love Kosher salt. Oi! So good. But the price was a little steep and if I came home and said I spent the whole lot on a jar of salt I think David would have known that I have finally lost it and revoked my market privileges.

So what to get that would wow the whole fam? I was hoping for some more veggies, but I think I started shopping too late and missed out. I grabbed three heads of garlic, another ingredient which I am very high and mighty about and then continued on to the Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative table where I nearly fainted when I saw the prices. Ten pound bags of shrimp for $16.99? Should I tell these poor kids that they messed up their sign and are about to get robbed? My curiosity peeked, I approached their set up and asked if that was truly the price? Shocker! Yes! The yard saley, cheapskate in me asked "So after they are cleaned, about how much shrimp meat is that?" Half, was the answer. So we are looking at $3.39 per pound of edible shrimp. Not just edible, but local. Not the kind that looks really good in the seafood case, but makes you feel queasy when you think about the "Farm Raised" conditions they came from in Thailand.
So, much to the delight of the super helpful young guys from YFC, I plunked down the cash for the big motha bag and headed back to my table with my whole shrimp. That's right, whole. Shrimp have heads. They have eyes. They are not born on a plastic tray next to a slice of lemon and a tub of cocktail sauce. They are actually sea creatures and we were now responsible for preparing them into something delish. I had picked the brains of the Fishermen for the best way to peel them and also grabbed a handy little leaflet they had at their table. So here is where we started:

This is a small plate. They are small. This is New Hampshire, not the Gulf of Mexico. When you buy something local that you are used to getting from God Knows Where In The World, you need to change your ideas about what it should look, feel and taste like. The guys at the market had told me that these babies would be super sweet and wouldn't need cocktail sauce or anything and they were right. Our first batch, we cooked cocktail style and they were small, but super sweet and so tender you barely had to chew. We did try them with cocktail sauce, but they so did not need it and it actually overwhelmed their delicate flavor.

Back to the prep. The first step was to pull the heads off and for this job, I called in my best recruits.

You are not delusional, you are seeing two little girls greatly enjoying ripping the heads off these little animals. (Big bro was out shoveling). I was a bit daunted by the sheer volume of shrimp to process, but many, albeit, little hands make light work and we blew threw them. Can I just say how much I love that my kids were not the least bit grossed out by this task? They loved checking to see which ones had eggs on them and making sure that no one was messing up the sorting. "No Caroline, you are mixing up the heads with the bodies. We aren't going to eat the heads. Mom, are we gonna eat the eyeballs, too? Can we please eat the eyeballs?"

We did not eat the heads, but we did separate them and put them aside to be combined with the shells to make seafood stock. The bodies, still with their shells and tails, went into a big bowl of water to soak. The soaking helps to loosen the shrimp from their shells. The shelling was definitely the most tedious part and was a bit beyond the capabilities of my trusty crew. So after the shrimp had soaked for about an hour or so, I spent another hour standing at the sink, shelling them. That might sound like a nightmare, but it was actually very relaxing and gave me time to ponder the meaning behind this activity.

Food. In modern times, I feel like it has come to be something that we have elevated and yet neglected at the same time. It's almost as if food has become a novelty. In an age when we can get anything we want during any season and very much "on demand", we have forgotten that food is a need, not a want. We must have it to survive, yet the time most people devote to acquiring and preparing it has fallen in line somewhere between dropping clothes off at the dry cleaners and posting your status on Facebook. It is completely taken for granted that it will always be there.

In my youth, I used to participate in summer programs at Sturbridge Village, a living history museum in Massachusetts and one of my favorite places in the world. It depicts life in a rural New England town circa 1830. When I look back on my experiences there, I realize that the raising, harvesting, preserving and preparing of food was at the very core of everyday life then. Their routines and diets were dictated completely by the season. A housewife in 1830 didn't look at the clock, realize there is 30 minutes left until dinner time and suddenly whip up some grand meal. You don't kill a hog at 4pm and have pork chops at 5pm. If you had a hankering for corn bread in January, you would have had to have planted corn the previous spring, tended and harvested it in the summer and ground it in the fall. What you were having to eat today was predetermined months and sometimes years before. Communities came together to ensure that the necessary work was done that would provide for the survival of all. Food was not a TV network or a competition. It was a building block of life and a cherished and time honored tradition. I would highly recommend visiting Sturbridge if you have the opportunity. Open year round, each season offers a distint look into the daily live of 19th century Americans. If you are too far away or just want to check out a great and simple read, I highly recommend "The Ox Cart Man", the Caldecott Award winning children's book by Donald Hall. This is truly a depiction of how early American life moved with the seasons.

So standing at my sink with it's hot water on demand in 2010, I was left savoring the experience of having my hands in as much of the process of bringing this meal to my family as possible. I don't think I'll become a shrimping boat captain any time soon so we'll leave that part to the professionals. (How many Forest Gump references can one fit into a blog post?) I liked getting my hands dirty and then utilizing all the fruits of my labor. Once I was done shelling, I threw the heads and shells into a giant pot with some water, onions, celery and herbs and simmered it until I had beautiful smelling stock that filled the house. I strained and skimmed it and put two big containers into the freezer for future use. The rest I put aside for shrimp soup. I surveyed the treasures left once I had finished.

Those shrimp are raw and, yes, they are pink. Not grey and slimy. From this bounty I made my gigantic batch of shrimp soup, some pasta with sauteed shrimp and a bit of shrimp salad for sandwiches. Plus, the small amount we had sampled plain the night before. All told, I would say we got three dinners and four lunches for five people out of our investment, plus I gave the last of the soup to my mom and she had it for a dinner.And don't forget my stock awaiting use. For the $16.99 in cash I laid out, plus about 2-3 hours worth of work, I consider this a great investment for our stomachs, for our wallets, for the earth and, most certainly, for my soul.

Read For Relief - Show Your Support for Haiti

2010-01-19T12:33:00.000-08:00

As much as I do try to avoid the gloom of the news and to focus on the positive, there are times when we can not look away and are called to action from a world away. Such is the case with the growing crisis in Haiti and, as a mother, I am filled with sadness and compassion, particularly for the children caught in the chaos that inevitably results after a disaster of this magnitude. With stories and images of increasing violence, it is easy to become jaded and disillusioned. But in the first few days after the earthquake hit, there were countless stories of the Haitian people coming together to dig with their hands, care for the injured and carry the dead. At nearly a week out, though, desperation has begun to set in as the most basic of needs are not being met. People seem to want to attribute this to cultural differences, but I am forced to ponder what would unfold should a crisis of this magnitude befall us in this part of the world. Even in the often sheltered world of the Northeast, it is not difficult to see that when a breakdown of basic goods and services goes on for any length of time, any "every man for himself" mentality would quickly set in.
I have found and am following the blog of a American missionary couple living in Haiti with their large family. The 24 hour transition from posts detailing their adventures abroad to the quick and frightening updates post-earthquake are a jarring reality check. It is very worth checking out at http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/.
And now on to the work that we can do from here. I have done the best thing I could think of and set up an online fundraising event on my Barefoot Books website. My official title with Barefoot Books is "Ambassador" and I can think of no greater purpose for this role than to support the relief efforts in Haiti. Now through January 31st, you can make a purchase and I will donate 100% of my profits to UNICEF. In an effort to get funds there quickly, I won't wait for my commission to come from Barefoot (that's how it works for online sales). As soon as the 31st is here, I will cut a check to UNICEF. I think sometimes people need to get a little to give a little so this is a chance for folks to get a wonderful book while making a contribution. If you would like to support the role of UNICEF during the crisis in Haiti, please consider purchasing a Barefoot Book by clicking on the button below.

I am encouraging people to make a selection from the World Cultures category, but it is not necessary. There are many selections for under $10 that are beautiful books with wonderful stories. During this event, I have displayed some of my favorite Barefoot Books about other cultures in the My Favorites section. In "Tales of Wisdom & Wonder", one of the seven amazing stories is a traditional Haitian tale that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Right now, this beautiful hardcover collection is on sale for just $9.99.
If you do choose a book about another culture, please spend time reading to and talking with your children about our part in the global community. I have used this as a way to talk to each of my children about what is happening in Haiti. Even a three year old can understand the sadness and fear that would come with being lost and alone and children truly have a servants heart. They all wanted to know what we can do to help. This is it.
Please consider bringing stories from around the world into your home as you reach out to those in desperate need. If you know of others who would care to be a part of this campaign, you can forward this post or direct them to http://hbplay.barefootbook.com/ where they can scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Support This Event".
Right now, UNICEF is deploying clean water and sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter to Jacmel and Port-au-Prince. UNICEF will also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation. UNICEF was established in 1946 and is "the driving force that helps build a world where the rights of every child are realized. They have the global authority to influence decision-makers, and the variety of partners at grassroots level to turn the most innovative ideas into reality." To find out more about UNICEF's emergency aid in Haiti please visit http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/.

And now, words so wise and powerful they move me to tears:

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F. Kennedy

Peace be with you all.

Meaningful Meatless Monday: All Together in One Pot

2010-01-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

It would have been easy to forget that today I was due for my second post on meatless meals. Days off from school always throw me off my game a bit. Combine this extended weekend with a very heavy snow falling all around us and it is enough to render me lazy and disoriented. But on this King of Holidays, I find myself reflecting on the vision of MLK and how that relates to my hopes and dreams as an environmentalist. Dr. King saw a better world where people would come together and strive for a deeper understanding of one another. Where we would live in harmony and peace with our fellow man and challenge ourselves to rise above and shed the complacency that plagued our society for so many years. He dared to dream of a new way of living for future generations. We are honored and humbled by his leadership and we show a formal display of our gratitude on this day.

I can not help but think that if Dr. King were alive today, he would also be challenging us to examine our relationship to the earth and to strive for a more harmonious and peaceful existence with our planet. We can do better. We must do better. We have overcome so much and now is the time to come together and fight for something that affects the future of every man, woman and child. So today, I put forth my dream for a simpler and more sustainable relationship with our world. For a deeper understanding of our place in the environment and for a leader to emerge to will guide us into an era of change. And before we move on to the Meatless part of this Monday, a musical moment that has been a favorite of mine for many, many years. There could not be a better description of this common vision for our world. Take a listen while you ponder today's recipe possibilities.

Fried Potatoes & Cabbage - A Super Supper or Side and a One Pot Wonder

3 lbs. of potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
half of a head of green cabbage, cute away from the core and sliced very thin
2 tbl butter
2 tbl oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 cup water or broth

* Tip: Once you peel and chop you potatoes, put them in a bowl and cover with cold water until you are ready to use them. This keeps them from turning brown.

In a large fry pan over med high heat, melt the butter and then add the oil. You can also skip the butter and just use a bit more of your favorite oil. I like the flavor from the butter. Add the potatoes and onion and cook, stirring and turning gently, until they begin to brown and softened a bit, about ten minutes or so. Add all the seasonings and the cabbage and cook for about five minutes more, continuing to turn and stir gently. You don't want mush! Add the water. Sometimes I use broth if I have some to use up. Lower the heat to med/low and put a cover on it. Let cook for 5-10 minutes more and then taste. Potatoes should hold their shape, but be cooked through and cabbage should be tender. Adjust the seasoning ( add more if you think it needs it) and you are ready to serve. Not only does this make an awesome side dish or a hearty, inexpensive meal, but I would even serve it for breakfast with some scrambled eggs. Just adjust the amount you are making based upon your need. I also find that cabbage gets a bad rap and this is a great way to get people to eat it who might not normally dig in. Out of my trio of kids I have one who loves the potatoes, one who just picks out the cabbage and eats that, and one who loves the whole thing so much he cleans his sisters' plates. I just love diversity in any form and their differences in taste come together to make for full bellies and clean plates.

For the Recycling Birds

2010-01-14T00:24:00.000-08:00

If there is one thing I am truly afraid of it's birds. I know, this from a chicken farmer, but chickens are OK because they can't really fly high enough to dive bomb my face. That is what I am actually afraid of. Not that I have some traumatic childhood memory a la Hitchcock or anything. I was, however, pooped on by a seagull when I was in middle school which was particularly cruel. It may have been because I was wearing a hideous polka dotted balloon pants number and the offending avian thought it was the Drop Zone. That outfit probably deserved it.
So mortal fear aside, I do like to watch birds from the safety of my own kitchen window and so does the rest of the fam. Especially in winter, we like to fill our bird feeders and wait for the show to begin. I am no bird watching expert, but I do like chickadees in particular.

Up the ante a bit by having a bird feeder made out of recycled materials and now you've really got me. So that is the latest trash to treasure project that I have undertaken and I will be sharing it this Saturday, January 16th, at the Newmarket, NH Winter Farmers Market. After a heavenly time hosting my Barefoot Books booth at Decembers' Market, I will be back to craft, read and welcome children as part of the vital market community. If you are local, swing by the Stone Church in Newmarket between 9am and 1pm on Saturday and soak up some of the amazing Winter Market goings on.
I am mouth wateringly excited about Fleur de Sel or The Flower of Salt which will be present only at the January Market. This gourmet salt is harvested off the French Island of Isle de Re near the city of La Rochelle. This salt is appreciated for being rich in tradition, taste, iodine and mineral content. There will also be fresh native shrimp and lobster from The Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative, unbelievable baked goods from Sunflour Baking and a very surprising array of produce from local farms. Last month I got busy and didn't do nearly enough shopping so this time I vow to get my hands on some more goods.
If you live elsewhere or are going to be trapped under something heavy on Saturday and won't be able to make it, I have listed the directions for making your own Milk Carton Bird Feeders. I obtained my cartons just by calling up the local elementary school and asking to speak with the cafeteria director. She was more than happy to set some aside for me and even rinsed them out. Thanks Tammy!

How To Make Your Own Milk Carton Bird Feeders

(This one's for the little guys like my pal, the chickadee)

Materials and Equipment:

small milk carton

a scrap of string, yarn or raffia (about 18 inches or so)

a twig about 6-8 inches long

bird seed

Exacto knife

chopstick

stapler

1.Wash your bird carton well and let it dry.

2.Staple the drinking spout end closed.

3.On one of the wide sides make a vertical cut with your Exacto knife from the start if the side (where the slant meets the side) about 2/3 of the way down. You want to make sure you leave enough of a "tray" at the bottom to put your bird seed in.

4.Then make a horizontal cut across the top and bottom of the cut you just made so that you now have a set of "doors" that will open.

5.Now use your knife to make an X shaped slit a bit below your doors where you will put the twig through to make a perch. Put another slit on the opposite side of the carton where the twig will come out.

6.Next, carefully use the knife to poke a hole near the top of the carton to put your string through. You will need it to hang your feeder.

7.Take your string and, using a chopstick, poke it through the hole at the top and tie it to make the hanger.

8.Put your twig through the slits you made and have it extending a bit further on the side with the opening to make a little perch.

9.Pour birdseed in to fill the bottom and now you are ready to hang it!

10.Try to hang it in a sheltered spot where small birds will feel they have some protection. It make take a few days for them to discover it, but once they do keep it filled and they will come back!

I prepped this craft by doing Steps 1-6 in advance for my little ones. They need some assistance for the rest, but they really enjoyed it and big kids could probably do all but the Exacto cutting themselves. Give it a try. I am so not crafty and I really enjoyed this. Take some pictures and let me know how it goes. Just watch out the that Tippi Hedren isn't milling about when you go to hang it.

The Start of Meatless Monday: Tomato Cheese Pasta

2010-01-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

I am far too verbose and much too crappy of a photographer to participate in Wordless Wednesday, so I'm goin' rogue and participating in Meatless Monday. I hereby proclaim that on Mondays, I will post a meatless recipe.
You don't have to be a rank and file member of PETA to see the benefits of eating more vegetarian meals. The demand for meat production puts extreme pressure on natural resources and is quite unsustainable. According to an article by USA Today and the Society for Advancement of Education, 56,000,000 acres of U.S. land are utilized for the production of hay for livestock. Only 4,000,000 acres are used to produce vegetables for human consumption. Water, feed and fuel are also disproportionately allocated to sustain meat product. The health and wellness of livestock animals suffers from these burdens and, thus, the risk of disease is passed on to us.

As stated before, we are not vegetarians. We are, however, humanitarians, environmentalists and tightwads. Eating less meat supports all of these principles. It is well documented that the living conditions of factory raised animals are atrocious. When the time comes, our chickens may end up on the table, but they will come from an existence that could be featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Feathered. We still purchase commercial meats, but we are gradually reducing this comsumption and, when able, purchase from local farms. In the summer time, we supplement most meats with bounty from our garden, we also eat at least one egg meal per week (frittata, quiche, etc.). The economics of meatless meals are a big draw for us and are what sells Dear David on the idea. The downside, is that these meals are not always the healthiest and tend to be heavy on the carbs. But they are satisfying, nourishing, and a hell of a lot better than McDonalds.
So here is the first in my series of Meatless Monday recipes. The other benefit of this new endeavor is to assure that I give my blog a little love at least once per week. Of course, I will miss some here or there, but at least I am off and running.
The following recipe is one that I "made up" ages ago and it remains a family favorite. Add a veg on the side and you've got a decently balanced meal.
*As with most of my kitchen creations, I don't follow recipes exactly so I am winging it on the measurements here. I also need to warn you that I am cooking for a very hungry family of five. These portions may seem completely ridiculous to the average home chef.

Tomato Cheese Pasta

1 lb or more of ziti (or another similar pasta, or a combo of leftovers that need to be used)
4 tbl butter
4 tbl flour
2 cups milk
two big handfuls shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes or 1/2 large can of spaghetti sauce
6-8 slices of American cheese
1-2 handfuls of shredded mozzarella
a bit of fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Get a large pot of salted water going for your pasta. *TIP - Put the lid on the pot, it will boil much faster, saving you time and conserving energy. When the water boils, add your pasta and cook about 10 minutes or until it is neither chewy or mushy. You want al dente.
In a med. saucepan you are going to prepare your cheese sauce (I use this all the time and in a million ways so commit it to memory). Melt the butter over low heat. When it is completely melted, stir in the flour and let this cook for a few minute, stirring almost constantly, to get the floury taste out, but being careful not to burn it. This is your roux and is the base for your sauce. Next, gradually whisk in the milk until it is fully incorporated. Resist the temptation to just dump it in. Then add the cheese and some salt and pepper. Stir frequently with the whisk and make sure to scrape along the bottom of the pan. When the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is thickened, taste it and correct the seasoning. Remove from the heat.
Pour the crushed tomatoes/ sauce (I only use sauce when I am out of the crushed) into a blender or food processor, then add your cheese sauce. Blend until you have a nice light red sauce that is fully combined.
By now your pasta should be done and drained. In a large casserole dish, ladle in a bit of your sauce to cover the bottom. Then add half of your cooked pasta. Poor half of your sauce over the pasta and spread it around to cover the pasta. Divide the American cheese slices in half and then lay them over the pasta a few inches apart and in rows.
Pour the rest of the pasta over this to form a new layer. Spread the remaining sauce over the top and then sprinkle the top with the mozzarella. Grate some Parmesan over the top and then put it in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is starting to brown and the sauce is bubbly. Yum, yum, super yum.

A Crock of Hoo Ha

2010-01-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

My fruity and frugal friend, Nurse Hoo Ha, received a crock pot for Christmas and put in her request for some recipes to put in it. This fit right in line with my New Years resolution to post more of my favorite recipes. This vow is much easier to keep than some of my others since I am much more likely to be inspired to blog about food than to cut back on how much I'm putting in my mouth.
This recipe is one that I have been making for a very long time. It is adapted from a cookbook called "Sweet Aromas: A Collection of Cherished Family Recipes From the Kitchen of Audrey Brann Hamlin" written by Audreys' daughter, Tracey Hamlin-Landry. I can find no mention of it online and I am doubtful you will find a copy as it was written by a woman that my husband worked with when we first got married. In fact, it was one of my Christmas gifts our first year together. I still use it all the time and it's stained pages let you know how loved the recipes are in my kitchen. David has always been an amazing gift giver. It's kind of nauseating, actually.
The "Crock Pot Chicken" recipe in the book isn't quite the same as mine, but it was definitely my jumping off point and I surely needed it back then as a very "green" (and not in a good, environmental way) cook. This is a simple, hearty meal that will give you a very full belly on a cold winter's night.

Crock Pot Chicken over Mashed Pots

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, cut 1/2" thick
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3/4 can of water
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (like Bell's)

For Mashed Pots:
about 4-6 med. potatoes of your choice, peeled and diced
a bit of milk
1/2 stick of butter
2 big spoonfuls of sour cream
salt and pepper

Place all the cut vegetables into the crock pot and then add the salt and pepper. Put the chicken strips on top and then add the garlic powder and the poultry seasoning. Add the soup and water. Cook on high for 4 hours of 6 hours on low stirring occasionally. The low is better, but the high will work fine. I like it to be sort of soupy so when you put it over your masked potatoes it has it's own gravy.
To make your mashed pots, put the pots in a saucepan and cover with water. Put the cover on and cook on high until the water is boiling, then turn the heat down a bit and take off the cover. Cook until the pots are fork tender, then drain. Once the pots are drained, but still in the pan, add the butter and scoop some pots over it to help it melt. Wait a few minutes and then add the milk (not too much, you can always add more later), sour cream and salt and pepper. Mash using a potato masher until everything comes together, but there a still a few lumps here and there. Add more milk if it doesn't seem creamy enough. Taste and add more s&p if needed.
To serve, scoop pots onto a plate and then ladle some of the Crock Pot Chicken over it making an indent in the middle of your pots so it becomes like a bowl for the gravy. Makes awesome leftovers, too. Let me know how it turns out Hooey.

Brushetta Outta Here

2010-01-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

Confession:
I miss avocados. I miss bananas. I bought a tomato on New Years Eve and the guilt is eating me up. But, I will say that my bruschetta was worth the cheat. In case you want to try it out...

Bruschetta

1 loaf italian bread (I buy it from the Day Old markdown rack for 90 cents a loaf and throw it in my freezer)
1 jar of pesto (in season you can make this fresh and I'll tell you how when we get there)
1 large tomato, diced
fresh grated parmesan cheese (I buy the wedges and grate it myself. SO SO SO much better than what we used to call "sprunkly" cheese out of a can)
1 lemon, sliced into wedges (optional)

Preheat oven to 425. Slice the loaf open lengthwise so you have two flat surfaces to work on. Give the pesto a good stir before you use it and then spread it over each open surface of the loaf. Spread the diced tomatos out over the pesto. Sprinkle each loaf liberally with the cheese. Bake on a cookie sheet for about 10 min or until the cheese is melting and just starting to brown and the edges of the bread are a bit crispy. Let cool for a few minutes and then use a large serrated knife to slice the loaves horizontally into large pieces. Serve with the lemons on the side. Although lemons aren't essential, it is super yummy to squeeze some over when you eat it.

This is an awesome app or party food. We have it for dinner in the summer sometimes. This is a One Spoon on my Spoon Difficulty Scale. One Spoon being "do this in your sleep" going up to Four Spoons which would be "you might want to consult Martha Stewart". You won't see many Four Spoons 'round here. The Bruschetta has major impress your friends factor and in the summer can be made with ingredients you can grow yourself. Try it. Me thinks you'll like it.

* You'll get a pick next time I make it. This post was a bit impromptu.

Credit History

2010-01-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

I often find myself starting posts and then saving them because I feel they need a bit more background. That the true inspiration for many of my thrifty thoughts needs to be told before I proceed. I have known what I wanted to say for some time, but just haven't put it out there yet. So before I discuss one more idea, experience, recipe or tip, I must first give credit where credit is due.

It is without hesitation that I can say I would not be the tightwad I am today without the lifelong influence of my father. My Dad lived a life of poverty that few Americans can relate to today. A life where things like shoes and food were cherished and sometimes gone without. As a Baby Boomer and not a child of the depression, his experience was not shared by everyone of his generation and it absolutely laid a foundation for him to look at money and possessions through appreciative and conflicted eyes. My Dad lived an extraordinary life by becoming ordinary. He went on to get a college degree, become a teacher, marry an amazing woman, raise two daughters, buy a home, save for a rainy day, travel and have all the things that most people take for granted. He was, however, as I have mentioned before, the cheapest human on earth. He would never part with a dime without first considering where and why he was spending it, but he also taught me to reward myself and to make time and money for things that would bring me joy. He loved to haggle, loved to fix things, loved to learn and generally loved life. I often feel like it is unfair that he only got to spend 59 years on this earth, but then I remember that he lived all of those years to the fullest and that he went further in that time than most people ever will. That where he ended up from where he started out was a miraculous journey and I am so fortunate to be his legacy.

In our family, we have come to say "WWDD",What Would Dad Do?, when making decisions in regards to money. My sister is currently car shopping and updated her Facebook Status by saying the she was trying to channel Dad while at the dealership. We all do. We are all trying to "channel" him. Now, more than ever, in these trying financial times, I find myself longing for his input and advice and drawing upon the wisdom he imparted while he was here. So, without further ado, Thanks Dad. I pinch every penny for you.

As I stood on the edge of adulthood, another great saver, and quite often savior, came into my life. One of the very first things I ever knew about my husband was "It is all about Nana". Nana. Just speaking the word makes me feel warm and loved. When I first started dating David, he would often interrupt our visits to take a phone call from his #1 girl, his paternal grandmother. What 19 year old boy passes up time with a chic he is trying to whoo to chat it up with a 70 something year old woman? One with a grandmother like Nana. The youngest of nine children in a 100% Italian family, she was the kind of woman who valued family above all else and I was so very fortunate to become part of her inner circle. When my own grandmother passed away just eleven days after our wedding, Nana seamlessly stepped into my life and became one of the best friends I had ever known. Countless phone calls to Florida in the early days of our marriage guided me along my journey into domestic life. Nana taught me that cooking and caring for the people in your life is one of the best ways to show your love for them. She never tired of my questions on "how to" this and "what's the best way" that. She made no bones about the fact that David was her numero uno and when our son, Noah, was born he became the newest apple of her eye. She would ask when his check ups were months in advance, write them down on her calendar, and call the day of to see how much he had grown. She was a great one for sending cards and buying savings bonds. Her experience of growing up in a large, immigrant family and then raising her own two sons on an tight budget had taught her everything she needed to know about managing a household. Nana's house was the absolute best vacation spot. To say it was clean would be the understatement of the century. It was perfect, with the same knick knacks and decor it had probably had since the 1960's. To see her at her absolute best was to watch her in her kitchen. She moved slowly and purposefully. Never rushing, spilling or letting dishes pile up the way I do. She always had jello in her fridge, coffee in the pot and something simmering on the stove.

When our second child was born a girl, it was preordained that she would be Nana's namesake and when Josephine was two months old, we decided to make the long drive to Florida to make this most important of introductions. Nana (Josephine the first on the right) invited over her gal pal (also Josephine) and we got this shot of a trio of Josephine's. We did not know then how precious this moment would become. We spent the next few days letting Nana buy our baby girl outfits, play with Noah, hug David and cook a great big meal for all of her great-grandchildren. Then, the next day, she slipped away. Having done all the things she most wanted to do, she let go and left us all with the saddest of hearts and the happiest of memories. Hardly a day goes by when I don't wish I could call her to ask for zillionth time how to cook gizzards or get oil stains out of undershirts, but we have muddled through and I know she would be so proud of the home we have made. OK, so she would be appalled at how backed up on laundry I am or how infrequently I vacuum, but she would love us all the same and would probably just take care of it while I was in the shower.
So to the two people from whom I learned the most about scrimping, saving, working, loving and living this wonderful, frugal life, I tell you that I love you and miss you and thank you for giving me this

Cornbread for Yankees

2009-12-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

As a kid, my family traveled in our motor home every summer and we typically headed south to take in the weather, the character, the history, and, most importantly, the FOOD! My Dad was from the mid-west so he introduced us to delicacies like biscuits and gravy and roasted corn. In the south, we learned to love fried okra and macaroni and cheese that didn't come from a box. One of our favorite places to eat was Cracker Barrel. Probably not a big deal to those south of the Mason-Dixon Line because they are everywhere down there, but to us it was heaven. If I could only pick one item to eat from there, it would definitely be cornbread.

My mom used to make corn muffins from Jiffy box mix, but this produced a very unsavory, dust-like, yellow hunk and did not scream "Make me again!". Flash forward to adulthood and although cornbread isn't a staple at our house, whenever I make chili, I long to whip up a batch. It is one of the easiest things to throw together and produces very impressive results. Cheap and simple, I like to buy my cornmeal from the bins in the bulk food section. Even the organic stuff doesn't set you back much at all and the consistency is much less gritty than some of the shelved varieties.

Easy Corn Bread (courtesy of Quaker)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk (they say skim, I like whole)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9x13 pan will butter or margarine. Combine dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients ad mix just until everything is moistened. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake approx 20-25 min. or until golden an toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Best when served warm.

I have doubled this recipe because we love the leftovers. We cut the pan into squares and warm up the rest in the micro for breakfast with butter or jam. Redonkulously good! Last night we paired it with venison chili (we don't hunt, but we happily accepted this from someone who does) and I only wish my blog was equipped with Smell & Taste O Vision. Eat it and weep.

Winter Marketing

2009-12-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

Since using the last of my garden carrots to make Noah's birthday cake last week, my fresh produce cravings have kicked into overdrive. I have been making a strong effort to buy as little, non-local fruit and veg as possible since the end of the regular Farmers Market season and, needless to say, the well has begun to run dry.
In October, I did bid my local market a fond farewell knowing that I would hit some of the Winter Markets that are held monthly during the off season. With a surprisingly wide variety of products to choose from, I have been awaiting their arrival with a mix of excitement and desperation. I had to work all day during the November market, but that was alright because we were still enjoying the vegetables of our own labor.
Now, with winter whipping me in the face every time I step outside and a crust of ice and snow covering my
garden, I am growing fiendish in my produce desires. The eggs that I collect everyday do a good bit to satisfy the wanna be farmer in me, but when you need something other than protein and carbs, there is no way to fix an egg to fit the bill.
I had been counting down the days to the market in my regular stomping ground when I got word of another market not too far from here that I had never been to. A "rogue" Farmers Market, if you will. It is a market owned by the town and it's people and they make up their own rules and are doing things in a style that suits me to a tomato. The Newmarket Farmers Market is held at the historic Stone Church in Newmarket, NH and has items to sooth the eco soul on so many levels.

Many might wonder what you will find at a winter market in New Hampshire and here is a good summary:
"We feature the freshest locally grown vegetables, goat's milk cheese & yogurt, eggs, artisan breads and baked goods, honey, maple syrup, wine, gourmet mushrooms, pastured fed antibiotic-free turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, locally harvested oysters, soaps, art, agricultural crafts and specialty products."
This market is a feast for the eyes and imagination, as well as the stomach with unique products like pick your own radish and micro-greens (that's right, PYO indoors in December!), work by local artists and heirloom seeds. Just hearing about it got my heart aflutter and then I had an idea. A wonderful idea. The Ecocheapo got a wonderful, greeny idea. (Right color, wrong temperament). Taking my kids to the Farmers Market is always a mixed bag. They are excited for about the first ten minutes and then they start to loose it. I can usually pull them back for a few minutes with the purchase of a baked goodie, but as I browse and ogle the merch, they begin to wander and whine. There really isn't a whole lot to typically entertain the wee ones. So here came the thought ...what if I could offer something just for kids? My new venture as an Ambassador for Barefoot Books has given me new and amazing ways to connect young children to ecology and culture and my penchant for making treasure out of trash usually kicks into high gear at the holiday season. So an email to the coordinator of the Newmarket Market and an inspiring return phone call later and I was ready to set up shop.
Come this Saturday, December 19th, I will be manning a booth where I will be reading from my favorite Barefoot Books and helping kid visitors make Christmas ornaments out of 100% re-purposed materials. I will also have a special selection of books that I have chosen for market goers available as wonderful last minute Holiday gifts. Gorgeous children's books on everything from eco activities to yoga and world cultures to beekeeping. All with a a strong adherence to the Core Values of Barefoot which are near and dear to my heart.

Imagine
We offer books that are an authentic alternative to the commercialization of childhood. We encourage children to make time for make-believe, let their imaginations run wild and free, while never forgetting that childhood is a time for fun.
Explore
We help children explore other cultures, our planet, and themselves, providing them with ways to follow their imaginations on extraordinary journeys, both inner and outer.
Create
We believe that books with beautiful art and meaningful stories respect the innate wisdom of children and have the power to nourish the creative spark in everyone.
Connect
We are committed to using story to create deep and lasting connections—whether it’s a child and parent connecting over a book; a child connecting to the universal wisdom of other cultures; or a broad network of people connecting through shared values and the desire to help children become happy, engaged members of a global community.
Give Back
We support organizations that share our goals of global understanding, empowering children through art and story, and protecting and preserving the earth for future generations.

I am so grateful to Newmarket for allowing me to participate. I am hoping that I can be of service by entertaining kids so parents can peruse the tables and talk to the sellers and soak up all that this rich and community focused event has to offer. So if you are semi-local to 03833 (that's me, not Newmarket) join me this Saturday from 9-1pm and if you are from other parts seek out your local markets and see what might be growing and going on in a winter wonderland.

A Birds Eye View of Winter

2009-12-10T00:10:00.000-08:00

This morning, we awoke to our first full helping of snow. Shortly after receiving the 5:30am Snow Day Robo Call, I headed out to shovel around the coop door and check on the girls. We had a bit of a storm over the weekend, but it was very clumpy snow and ended up sticking to the aviary netting. This spared the chickens from having their run become a winter wonderland, but caused us much grief since we now know we have a bit of a design flaw. So saggy netting aside, our poultry friends had gotten off easy. Until today.

I opened the big door to find everyone quite a twitter and refusing to get off the roosts.

I tried to convince them that this white stuff was not going to attack them,

but they weren't buying what I was selling.

I finally got one brave soul to venture out.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"Oh! That's cold!"

Her voyage into the unknown lasted all of 30 seconds before she made her retreat.

Back inside the coop, my favorite lady, Bertha, was doing her best to ignore me.

"I don't see you. I am looking at this very intersting spot on the ceiling."

She really felt she had better things to do than frolic with me.

Like preening.

Things quickly escalated to the chicken equivalent

of a Sit In.

So I went about filling the waterer, freshening up the litter and collecting eggs while the ladies stayed up on their perches, pondering what had invaded them and discussing what their next move would be.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I plan to stay right here and poop."

Oh, my feathered friends, you will get used to it, as will the rest of us. It is a reminder of everything I love about New England - stillness, sweaters and seasons. Today was your Snow Day. Tomorrow it's back to work.

Ecothical Dilema #2 - Eggsploitation

2009-12-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

As our first snow of the season fell on us Saturday while watching our local Holiday Parade, I know my children's heads danced with dreams of candy canes and sleds; snowmen and Santa. My mind, however, was overwhelmed with one thought - Chickens. Being winter storm virgins, I thought that they might stay huddled in their coop until spring, that they would get agitated and start pecking one another, that I should already have put Vaseline on Bertha's floppy comb. But more than anything, I pondered my worst fear - a drop in egg production!

We have got a very good thing going on here and I am more fastidious about egg collecting and tabulation than anything else in life right now. Last month, our eight girls laid over 180 eggs. I can't even remember the last time we ate chicken, as egg dinners like quiche and fritattas have replaced it on our menu.
My chickens are less than fond of change and I thought that the arrival of frozen precipitation might make their vents clam up tighter than my wallet. But...never fear, our girls rallied and have continued cranking out yummies at their normal pace. Now that some of my eggless nightmares can be laid to rest, I can start to see that we are running an egg surplus. Even giving some away, we usually have 2 or 3 dozen in the fridge. One of my neighbors has asked a few times if we will be selling them and, if we are, she would be VERY interested in buying. I do think we can part with at least a dozen every week, but I have been suddenly overcome with some kind of farmers guilt.
I give eggs to my mom and friends here and there, but when it comes to selling them, I feel oogey. I like to give them away, but part of me knows that isn't really what sustainability is all about. We need to pay for feed and a few extra bucks a month would not completely cover that cost, but would help to offset it a bit. So if I am willing to accept the idea of beginning to retail our eggs, then I am left with two questions:
1. How much to charge? I have been thinking $3 per dozen. Thoughts?
and
2. Do I need to put a percentage away in a trust for Bertha when she grows up?

Big Boy Budget Birthday

2009-12-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hey now, Simple Butta Blog! You thought I forgot about you, right? In addition to new businessy ventures, it is also the holiday season (as if you hadn't figured that out from the incessant barrage of waste and attempts at financial ruin). That has made things extra crazy and, round these parts, December gets even hairier as two of my three progeny made their way into the world in the 12th month. Not good planning on our part, but the one kid we weren't trying for was born in June so go figure. I'm just sayin' it - December can be a crappy month for celebrating birthdays. Most people think of the financial burden, but to me it's strictly scheduling. It has taken me weeks to figure out when to hold their parties, yet it took minutes to get their gifts together. My store of choice lies in my basement where I stash all the treasures I have picked up during yard sale season and on my weekly (OK, sometimes daily) trips to the thrift store. Yes, I give my children second hand gifts and they LOVE them! They don't even notice the lack of packaging.
I wrap everything in brown bags and newspaper anyway. This is not to say that they never get "new" things. They do. Afterall, I do sell children's books and educational toys as a side gig. They usually get one new gift per holiday. Much of the stuff I pick up on the cheap is also unopened so they never know what is on it's second time around and what may have come from a "real" store. Even the balloons in this candle-blowing moment are second hand. I found two bags of 100 balloons each for a buck a piece and the thrift store. Otherwise, I skip balloons all together.

So my first-born, Noah, turned ten today and I will admit that I have been fretting for the last year about how my cheapster gift buying tactics were going to hold up under the strain of peer pressure and media blitz. I am ecstatic to report that I put to bed a very happy birthday boy this evening and this is how his loot broke down.
His one "new" gift was two tickets to see Star Wars in Concert. It was also an early one since the show was three weeks ago. The cost was $70, but I feel good about the purchase since that experience will last far longer than any toy ever would. Plus, he went with my sister's boyfriend so he felt extra cool. The rest of his presents, he opened tonight. They were:
a Star Wars novel = 25cents
two DVD's, "Godzilla" and "A Series of Unfortunate Events" = 50 cents each
an Illustrated Atlas of World History = 25 cents
a 3-D Doodle Kit (brand new) = free
classic board games book with boards, instructions, histories and game pieces in a pouch (new) = 25cents
a camouflage, quilted vest = $1.00
a way cool toy rifle (gasp), metal not plastic = $1.00
Kids Survival Handbook w/compass and camo book cover (new) = 50 cents
about a dozen Star Wars figure that he didn't already have = $1.00
Grand Total = $75.25

He couldn't have been happier and neither could we. Not one piece of new garbage was created and we got more of out of that money than most parents would ever think possible. The key is that I A) Do not wait until a month before a birthday to start acquiring things. I am always on the look out. B) I really don't ask my kids what they want. I know them. I listen. We had seen a thing about the Star Wars concert on TV and I considered that to be an awesome gift. The rest was just my knowledge of who he is and what he would enjoy. Try something out on them. They might surprise you. The two gifts I thought he would be least enthused about turned out to be big hits - the 3-D kit and the game board book (you know I'm going to be playing me some Mancala this week). And C) I don't feel guilty. I feel proud. Birthdays and other gifty holidays are special because we make them such. The b-day person gets to choose what type of homemade cake they want, what they would like for their special dinner (usually Mexican wins) and they are genuinely psyched to get their presents because we don't just buy them stuff for no reason throughout the year. We have some really nice traditions and producing low or no waste has become part of that.
It's not too late to try it out. Even if you have a dreaded teenager, I am willing to bet you could get at least half of their gifts second hand, clothes and books come to mind as well as cool picture frames and bedroom decor. Decide what is important to you and what kind of a message you would like to send out into the world with the children in your life, or the adults for that matter. My used gifting does not end with those I have birthed. Everyone is a potential recipient. If they end a special day as content as Noah did tonight, it will be well worth you effort and your world and wallet will thank you, too.

*In the interest of full disclosure, my sister and mother did get Noah an iPod which I am sure contributed to his grin. I can actually support this one, I just wasn't behind it.

Prepare Ye

2009-11-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

Since I tend to be inspired by the goings on in my day to day routine, I frequently find myself wanting to blog about things as they occur. Holiday related activities, for example. But nearly all of the materials that I use to accomplish This and That are items that I am quietly socking away throughout the year and I forget that everyone may not have a stockpile of egg cartons or corks in their cupboard. I certainly don't want anyone running out to buy anything to tackle a task they find here as that would be the very antithesis of our purpose, wouldn't it? So I am going to start dropping some suggestions for bits and pieces that you may want to hang onto so that when you see a post come up about making 100% repurposed Christmas ornaments you can head right for your juice lids and get to work.

So here are a few things that you can tuck away in a drawer or cabinet and save from the landfill so that they might find new life again.

afore mentioned juice lids (the kind from frozen juice concentrate, washed)
bits of ribbon or string that come tied on packages, etc.
broken crayons
worn out markers
shoe boxes
greeting cards, note cards, any cards
canning lids (the jar and ring can be reused for next years jam batch, the lid can not)
toilet paper rolls

That should get us started. Upcoming posts during the holiday season will put many of these to use and, in the meantime, start your wheels turning to see what uncommon uses you can find for these commonly discarded gems. Just don't end up on a future episode of Hoarders.

Lighten Your Load

2009-11-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

When Noah was about five he started asking me this question "Mom, if you could have a robot that did any job you wanted it to, what would you like it to do?" Don't ask me where this came from. It just arrived one day and has never left. Now, at nearly ten, he still asks it on a regular basis and is genuinely delighted by my answer, even though it never changes - "Laundry."
It is the bane of my existence. I teach the kids not to use the word "Hate", but this is an exception. I HATE it. I loath it. I despise it. Any evil thought you can think about something I think it about laundry. Laundry, I spit on you. I curse you to the heavens. I seeth at your very existence, and yet, you still come back for more. You have to give laundry that, it's got tenacity.

I had a brief Laundry Enlightenment this summer when we put up our first clothesline and I relished standing outside to hang it and watching it dry free from electricity and pollution. I have to admit that air-dried clothes smell so wonderful that you can forgive them their stiff and scratchy nature. I even loved the line-dried towels. I think they are excellent exfoliators. But now that the days are too cold and short to dry mass quantities of laundry outdoors, and our basement is too damp, and our attic is too cold, I am back to being a basket case about this, most dreaded, of chores. I do make use of some racks, but it's not the same. It really isn't.
This is one of those situations where you really need to look for something to feel joyful about. The one glimmer of hope I can find in this textile mess is trying to get the job done with the least of most of energy. Not my energy, but the kind that comes from my appliances. After some experimenting a few years back, I realized that I could get things dry even when I set the dryer to the "Light/Delicate" setting. As long as the load isn't too big, it gets the job done. Likewise, the various setting on my washer display the time that the load will take and I try to go for the shortest wash time. If the stain ain't out in 42 minutes, another 9 are not going to make a difference. The washer and dryer are both Energy Star rated and the washer is a top-loader, but is HE (high efficiency). In addition to dialing down on the power drain, I also use about half the detergent that is recommended (do have to use HE deterg, though) and I pass on the fabric softener and dryer sheets. So overall, I try to minimize the amount of resources that this life-sucking, plague of a job, domestic requirement uses up.

I now also set the dishwasher to "Light Load" which is nearly 30 minutes shorter than the regular cycle. Turning the dial down, unplugging when not in use, flipping the switch to off, and other small adjustments can add up to big savings on both cash and energy. It is through these simple steps that we can try to apply a tourniquet to the hemorrhaging of energy that plagues our everyday lives. The future that I look forward to, is not the Jetson's super-tech flying highway, but one in which there is more quiet and simplicity in the way we accomplish the tasks of everyday living. Although, if I could slap a solar panel on the top of Rosie, the Robo-Maids head, I would totally make her my laundry whench.

An open letter to my blog.

2009-11-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,

I am so sorry that I have been a bad blog mommy of late. It seems that every time I think "Well, once *blank* is over I'll have more time" a new *blank* arises and sends each day into some jumbled twist of the space time continuum. I wish I were Hiro Nakamura. Not only would I be irresistibly daffy, but I could freeze everyone else while I ran around and got X, Y, Z and Z's cousin done.
I had thought that once the Festival de Making Costumes was over we'd be good to go until at least Turkey Day, but I have taken on a new venture and all sorts of silliness has ensued. I had been thinking about getting a little J-O-B a while back, but could never think of something that could fit into our lives without disrupting the flow too much. Flow is very important. Never underestimate it. Just as your Java and Html need to be in order for you to function, our laundry, lunches and bedtimes also need this kind of attention and Big Momma is the one who gets this done.
But then...a series of conversations led to the development of a plan and I have now found myself as the purveyor of my own business venture and I am uncharacteristically optimistic about it. One cornerstone of this new deal is the discovery of Barefoot Books. Yes Blog, the written word has worked its magic again and I am thrilled to be an Ambassador for this publisher of Wonder-Full children's books. The best part is that they have a supa dupa commitment to the earth and its inhabitants so the fit with me is like a Size 10, pre-kids.
So now the brain cells that I used to use to daydream about posts on whole grains and used shoes have been reassigned and are on Creative Duty of a different sort. But I promise you this, you are never far from my thoughts and I am keenly aware that you need some one-on-one time, too.
I am busier than usual at the moment, but once I get my show on the road I think things will run a little smoother. Wait, didn't I just shoot that theory to hell at the top of this post? Well, look at it this way, part of my new gig will be to read inspirational tales, gaze at stunning art, and spend extra time with the kiddos test driving the goods. There have to be some good post ideas in there somewhere, right?
There are other pieces to the new puzzle, but that's enough for now. I don't want to overwhelm you. You are a good little blog and I want you to know that I love you very much. Yes, I do. I am working very hard to incorporate many eco-ideas into da biz and I have you to thank for sparking the creative flame that had gone dim for a while there. I promise to be back soon and I know that in the words of one of my greatest heroes, Mr. Rogers, "you'll have things you'll want to talk about. I. Will. Too."

Love - Me

Trick or Treat Confessional

2009-10-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in a previous post, the idea of giving out traditional Halloween fare and all it's trashy accoutrement's, makes me feel a bit icky. I did have one idea to avoid the prepackaged tickets to the dentist, but it was a miserable failure. I thought I might give out Scribble Cookies. I frequently make these as party favors and stocking stuffers. I save our broken crayon bits and, after peeling the paper, break them up into bits, fill the bottom of a muffin tin and put them in the oven on 200 degrees for about 15 minutes or so. The result, when cooled, is a little rainbow chunk suitable for little hands to make big and crazy art. So I thought I would try to make these in ghoulish shapes, but the only Halloween molds I had were plastic candy ones. Knowing this would melt at even the lowest of baking temps I decided to try the melting process in the microwave, but it went nowhere fast. Then in a moment of delusion, I thought "Maybe it would be OK in the oven." The result was a big plast-ICKY mess and the demise of my candy mold. I did find a metal baking pan with pumpkin shapes at the store, but they were way too deep and would have created freakishly large coloring treats suitable for knocking siblings unconscious. Plus, the tray was nine bucks, so I passed. So I did end up setting out a bowl of individually wrapped candy bits and goldfish crackers, but I will do penance by spending the next year searching for a viable alternative. I do, however, recommend trying the Scribble Cookies. Those are good, clean fun.
We had our trick or treat last night and I wrapped up my costume creations just in time. I procrastinated more than usual this year, which accounts for my absence on the blog this week. But we are now post-holiday and I can breath easier. So here is the trio, youngest to oldest, in all their ghouly glory.

My sweet little spider was the most challenging ensemble this year. I got this idea last spring when I was going through some of my Dad's old clothes. God bless him, the man loved his black, nylon socks. He would be quite proud that they found new life as a costume creation. I stuffed the socks with newspaper and then attached them with Velcro and thread to a piece of cardboard that I covered with felt. It turned out to be heavier than I thought, though, and David had to come to the rescue and attached more heavy duty strapping with a drill and some serious muscle. Team this up with some black, thrift store clothes and the wicked

web-ster was complete.

For some reason, this little insect escaped a decent picture, but you get the idea. I must admit, this is not my handy work. On a trip to Casa de Thrift to get two sets of plain black duds for the costume base, I decided to browse their costume selection and found this little tunic for a dollar. A DOLLAR! I couldn't even buy the fabric to make it for that price. So that took care of one bug and I just topped it off with a headband that I attached black pipe cleaners to for antennae.

Knowing that, at nine years old, the number of Halloween's that I will still be able to go homemade for my man motivated me to do something I knew he really wanted. I wasn't sure how we would do with The Joker, but I am quite pleased with the result. The key is to know what you are going to do well in advance so you can keep your eyes peeled for stuff you may need. I started picking up pieces here and there at the end of summer. The purple pants were off the dollar rack at the ubiquitous thrift store. The coat (actually a long ladies blouse, but don't tell him) and green t-shirt were also a buck a piece on a clearance rack at Wal-mart. I cut a V-shape out of the neck and just drew on buttons to make the vest. The shirt, tie, gloves and boots we already had. I did invest in the green hairspray and the make-up was leftover from a previous incarnation as a vampire. But really, would this get-up be complete without a young boys attempt to mortify his mother by channeling Heath Ledger?

Tonight we will make the annual costumed pilgrimage to Grammy's to delight her and make our way through the T or T maze of my youth. Although not the eco-ist of holidays, I did manage to get away with spending less than $15 to bring three kids their Halloween dreams-come-true and as I survey the damage of Peanut Butter Cup wrappers and lollipop sticks, I can't help but feel my Dad smiling upon me. Do you think they have Snicker Bars in heaven?

A Free Play Makeover

2009-10-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

No, it's not for me, although I could use a serious overhaul. I keep waiting for those "What Not To Wear" people (most likely contacted by my very fashionable sister) to pop out from behind some aisle in a store or ambush me at preschool pickup. I would have to kill them if they tried to throw my clothes away, though. Not because I am particularly attached to them, but I spent good dollars at the thrift store one those and I can not condone such waste. The thrift store is certainly my favorite place to acquire new duds, but it is also my go to destination for just about all my other non-food needs, as well. So when I decided that I had finally had it with the mess the kids make of a playroom that I am chronically organizing, it only took a quick trip to Chez Cheap and I was off.

Here is a "Before" of the room in question. If I don't keep on them all day it ends up looking like this...

...or this

...and this.

I was trying to think of a way to cut down on the amount of stuff and provide some new and stimulating ways to engage the kids (mainly the girls) in more productive play. I was checking up on one of my favorite blogs when I saw this on Our Yellow House. My Noah attended a Montessori preschool and kindergarten and I suddenly started thinking that all those Practical Life activities would delight the girls. So I did a little online research for inspiration and decided to go with a Montessori-ish theme. I moved all of the dolls, ponies, etc. onto higher shelves where the girls need to ask for them and filled the reachable areas with new activities that I put together for practically nothing.

A week and a half later and we are well on our way to a new way of playing and taking care of what we play with. Here are the shelves now. The top three shelves on the right and one of the ones on the top left are Noah's things and those still need to get pared down. The lowest shelf is all activities that need to be done on the floor. For these, the girls need to get one of the small rugs that is folded on the bottom left and their things must stay on that space. When they are finished, they must pick everything up and return it to the shelf before choosing something else. The next two rows up are all "works" that they will do on their table.

This used to be an end table that David had refinished, but we don't have room in our current living room configuration for it. The two little chairs were given to us for free when we stopped by our neighbors yard sale last summer.

The TV used to be here, but I moved it to the other side of the room because I hated it being the first thing I saw when I walked in. Since that move, the television has died and I couldn't be happier. We are not planning to replace it anytime soon. So now we have David's amazing dollhouse that he built for me last Christmas to greet us. The room also needed some additional lighting so I picked up this lamp at the thrift store for $5. It had a hideous black shade, but I found this funky one there for 50 cents. The rolling rack I got at another yard sale for $5 and it is awesome. The bins all slide out and I put some additional activities and books in it. Samson the itty bitty black kitty also wanted to get in on the action.

This is the new and improved Art Wall. Each child has a "clothesline" where we hang some of their recent work. There are also some projects created by the two oldest.

I moved this little corner table that I got from a free pile last year and made it part of our theme area. Right now I have out a little basket with figures from "Nightmare Before Christmas", some wooden apples and the Fall-ish books. All this was stuff we already had.

Here are the girls demonstrating one of the floor activities - stacking blocks. This can be a two person work and must stay on the rug to prevent them from getting thrown around the room.

This is an activity that helps build muscle strength and fine motor skills. Caroline uses tongs to transfer the little dinosaurs from one bowl to the other and back again. The whole thing stays on the tray and makes it easy to keep everything together and carry it to and from the table. I spent a total of 50 cents on this one.

This sorting activity can be done with any small objects, but Josie needed something a bit more challenging so here she is sorting a bowl of dried beans into a dish with three sections that I picked up for 50 cents.

The rice bin is a huge hit, but stays on a higher shelf and must be requested. It can get a little out of hand without supervision. I filled a large tub with rice and the girls dig for small plastic animals that are buried. This is a good one for them to work cooperatively on. They also like to use funnels and scoops to play with the rice. Some does get spilled, but it hasn't been too bad and after they are done I have them sweep up and they LIKE it!

Water play is always a hit, but I limit that to the kitchen. Each child has a tray, a dish of warm water and sponges cut into various sizes. They work on building muscles important to fine motor skills, like writing, by squeezing the sponges into the bowl. They also experimented with floating ad sinking. Had all the materials and just dried the sponges and put them away till the next time.

Pouring! I could write an entire post about how much kids love pouring. Here, Caroline is using a large plastic measuring cup with spout to pour into the funnel and fill a small glass vase. I put a drop of green food coloring into the water so she could see it better. This is all on a tray and a plastic place mat. Cost was 75 cents for a few things we didn't have a spare of.

Every day I think of more things to add and the beauty is that it all comes from right around me. The few things we didn't have I got second hand so there is not a single "new" item in the mix. The kids are loving it and I can't wait to incorporate some big kid activities for Noah. They are learning to work more peacefully and cooperatively. As I write this, they are ALL at the table behind me doing a puzzle together. And no one is SCREAMING. Miracles do happen. So take a look around, ask Barbie to scoot over and see what your kid can get their hands into.

Reader Tip - Save your butta wrappers

2009-10-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

My pal and true warrior mom, Vampmommy, emailed me when she saw my granola bar post to say that I could use my butter wrappers in place of wax paper when I press the mix into the pan. Genius! I have used the wrappers to grease pans instead of grabbing a paper towel, but they worked perfectly when I made a batch the other day as a handy, pre-greased piece of wax paper.
People may have been calling me "Butta" since I was 15, but this is a new use for the smooth stuff and I am super grateful.

This Weeks Thrift Store Haul

2009-10-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am on a mission when I go to the thrift store only to come up completely dry. I love deals, but I won't just buy anything. It has to be the right thing. Sometimes I go and just peruse and maybe pick up a gift to tuck away or a great pair of shoes. This week though, I went armed with a mental list that included:

a few backup pairs of mittens or gloves for the girls
a new hat for Caroline who is blessed/cursed with my hair which is ridiculously thick and makes hat wearing a challenge
something to organize the barrettes and ponytail holders that are taking over
materials to undertake a complete Montessori-ish playroom makeover

After spending $19.50 I walked out with the following:

2 cute hats
3 pairs of gloves
2 metal lap traps with the folding legs in great shape and with identical girly design
a small three drawer organizer (for the accessory explosion)
1 laundry basket
3 medium storage totes
2 plastic stackable storage drawers
1 very nice plain wooden truck in perfect condition
1 wooden tray
2 basket trays
3 sectioned plastic trays
2 plastic sink size bins
small plastic storage box
small wooden handled brush, never used
a brand new dust pan
a huge vinyl placemat, brand new
brand new set of measuring cups and spoons
2 small ladles
1 pair of tongs
1 small spreading knife
and my best find of the day, a totally cool three wheel scooter which Josie has been asking for as a birthday or Christmas gift, in great shape and only $1

Everything except the outwear, the hair nightmare holder, the lap trays (Christmas gifts for the ladies) and the scooter will be combined with things I already have to organize the playroom and create works and activities for the kids. I am only loosely using some of the ideas that I witnessed when Noah attended Montessori preschool and kindergarten. I want the girls to begin to keep their materials in a confined space, to finish what they start, to put away something before they take out another activity and to just up the ante a bit in terms of their home education. I am chronically feeling guilty because I spent so much time working with Noah on anything and everything and the girls have never gotten that type of attention. There will be a few new things out for Noah as well, but he is generally pretty neat about his things and has a high level of natural curiosity that leads him to explore in his own way.
So that is my room redo plus extras for less than 20 bucks. I will post some before and afters once it is completed and, in the meantime, I am preparing to arrive before the doors open at a super mega Rummage Sale on Friday. I hope to walk out with my Christmas and birthday shopping for the coming year done. I may get buck wild so I'm bringing $40.00.

One Morning Near Maine

2009-10-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

To be clear - I am NOT a photographer. It is one of those skills I do hope to gain,

but here are some images from my 7am October world.

I never knew a warm egg could be the best thing I touch all day. I slip them into my pocket

and then hold them while I wait for the dogs to "get busy". When I come inside and lay them in the carton beside their brethren, I count each one and say a silent thank you.

Meet Inferior Chicken. Don't worry, she isn't about to do anything. She just takes a look around and then goes about her day, pooping and eating. She is the only hen without a developed comb and her vent (that's butt hole to non-chicken folks) is puckered up tighter than a cheapskates wallet.

The chard and baby spinach look so sad at this frosty hour, but these greens are remarkably

resilient and by noon they will spring back to life and will be inviting me to come clip them

and turn them into something delicious.

This thin and curvy birch is my favorite tree on our property. It is dead or dying.

I do not know which. The time will come when it will fall or need to be taken down and I am already dreaming about what its new life will be.

When I am tired and weary from the daily chores that I have put upon myself by choosing this not-so-simple life, it is these moments that bring me back to the knowing that this is progress. These things are real and tangible connections to how we survive and, with a little luck, thrive.

Reader Tip - Pumpkin for Pooches

2009-10-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend and Reader Nurse Hoo-Ha has shared another handy use for canned pumpkin, reinforcing the need to have this pretty puree in your pantry.

"1/2 can of pumpkin puree can cure a beloved pet's digestive troubles- ie loose stools.
I always have one on hand."

I have also heard this, but thankfully, have YET to need it. With that said, I am sure Dog 1 or Puppy 2 shall develop a case of the trots in the AM.

Thanks Hoo!

Vindication

2009-10-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a bit guilty that I spent $43.00 at Apple Annie's the other day. This fruity expenditure included 37 lbs. of end of season, Pick Your Own Cortlands that I only managed to get because I am 5'9". The entire time I was picking I was thinking of my grandmother saying to twelve-year-old me "Some day you'll appreciate being tall." and I would be all "Yeah, right.". I never believed her, especially since she was never taller than 4'10".
The rest of my purchase was 27 lbs. of what they call "sauce" apples. They are like seconds, small and maybe a bit imperfect. These are sold for .50 cents per lb and the PYO are .80 cents. So with my 64 lbs. of apples I am planning to make sauce, apple butter, misc. fall yummies like crisp and fried apples and also attempt to dry a significant amount for use during the winter when seasonal fruit does not exist in New England. I am going to try two drying methods. First I will see how it goes with a food dehydrator. At the bus stop one day, I noticed that my neighbor had one out with her trash. It was still in the box and she asked if I wanted it. Took it home and discovered it had never even been opened. Score! I will also string some up the old fashioned way and hang them above my newly drying jalapenos.
I wondered if I was crazy to lay out so much cash for apples, but on an emergency run to the dreaded Walmart tonight I saw the towering display of red, fall fruit by the door and the price was .79 cents per lb. When you average out the price of all my global goodies you get .64 cents per lb. Kiss my local, low spray ass Walmart!

Make breakfast an oat meal

2009-10-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that there is many a morning when I just slap a bowl of cereal in front of my kids and hope they finish it in time to catch the bus. I, myself, am not a cereal fan as I grew up lactose intolerant and with a mother who only deemed two boxes nutritious enough to put in her cabinet - plain Cheerios (not even Honey Nut) and Quaker 100% Natural (which is delicious even if I always thought it was for old ladies). We pretty much always have store brand Cheerios (the honey nuttyish) that I buy in the big bags and also use as snacks and in trail mix. The other weekday morning choices are usually english muffin or toast with either peanut butter or our homemade jam or apple butter. Weekends are when I go all out and do pancakes, eggs, waffles and the like.
But once temperatures begin to dip into the 50's and the grass is crunchy when I step outside at 6:30am I begin to dream of oatmeal mornings. For some reason, oatmeal seems to have been marginalized to a packety powdery status or viewed as a bit of a hassle. Those little flavored oat pouches are sure convenient, but just about every bit of nutrition has been ground out of it and the excess wrapping triggers my gag reflex. Plus, the portions are ridiculous. It takes about three of them to make a decent adult sized meal. Hmmm...I wonder if they do that on purpose so you'll have to buy more? No, corporations can't be that manipulative. They always have the consumers best interest at heart. *Insert sarcasm here*

I was on a kick with steel cut oats for a while. If you've never had them, you should definitely give it a try. They have a chewier and coarser texture than rolled oats and are derived from the inner portion of the oat kernel, but have only been cut into two or three pieces. The only drawback is that the cooking time can be be nearly double that of rolled oats and on weekday mornings it is tough to get it done. Some people do prepare them the night before in their crock pot, but if I'm being realistic, I know that getting the oats ready as I am stumbling through my nightly chores is about as likely to happen as me hopping into the nesting box and laying an egg. In addition, the kids are not huge fans and so these nutty little oat gems only make an occasional appearance in our breakfast bowls.
That brings us back around to traditional rolled oats. Everybody has some, but they are often relegated to the shelf of Seldom Used Baking Ingredients. My love for these grains in apparent in my Homemade Chewy Granola Bar recipe and there are many more delicious treats that these come in handy for, but they can also be amazing when they fly solo. Additionally, they fall into both the eco and cheapo categories. I purchase the 100% Whole Grain Old Fashioned Oats in the huge 42 oz. canisters. Not only does this cut down on excess packaging, but these containers can be reused for a multitude of storage purposes. The store brand oats in this size cost me $2.28. I find the serving size on the package to be about right for us. The girls eat a little less than one portion and the rest of us a bit more so it evens out. There are 30 servings per container so that works out to less than .08 cents per serving. Consider ten minutes total prep time and I am compelled to quote Grey's Anatomy and say "Seriously."

As for flavoring these grainy goodies, I like to keep it fairly traditional. My hubby enjoys consuming them al natural (gross), but the rest of us like a little more sweet lovin'. I typically go with either maple syrup/brown sugar/raisins or brown sugar/cinnamon/chopped apples with a little milk to cool it and add creaminess. Tomorrow I will be drying some of the apples that I just picked to utilize in oatmeal this winter as we try to ween ourselves off of foreign fruit. So let's say these add ins even double the cost per bowl, that's still only .16 cents per person and I'd like to see a sugar laden, packaging nightmare, crappy toy promoting box of cereal top that. So dig into the back of your cupboard or glance to the right or left of your normal breakfast aisle purchase and discover the warm and frugal goodness of a hearty bowl of oats.

Halloween History

2009-10-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Let's just put it out there right now - my mother is amazing. Not in a baking cookies-cleaning your room for you-white glove test- kind of way, but in a stay up all night to help you finish a project and still go to work the next day- Girls Scout leader/Sunday School teacher- teach you to love others as you would love yourself- "I am so proud of you"- should be canonized- sort of way. She was and is the best and although she wasn't super crafty, one of the things I will never forget is that she ALWAYS made our Halloween costumes. Even if it was out of poster board or assembled from old clothes, we never had a store-bought get up. So when I became a mother and had no vision of what kind of a parent I would become, I at least knew that I wanted to carry on this tradition. One of the most special things about doing this was that when my son was born, my Dad had already retired and since he was the only one in the family who could operate a sewing machine, we worked together on many of Noah's costumes. These have become the most cherished of memories as my Dad passed away over 4 years ago. Although my girls did not know him, when they don one of the costumes that he helped to create, we can talk about how wonderful he was and we all feel him close to us once again.
Even though Dad is not with us to help sew buttons or cut fabric, we are still carrying on with our commitment to do Halloween Homemade and now I try to give it an ecological twist, as well, by repurposing things we have and purchasing as much as possible from the thrift store. This year, I am making a Joker (a la Batman) for Noah, a ladybug for Josie and a spider for Ms. Caroline. These are a work in progress and as soon as I am done I will detail how they came together and, of course, add photos.
Until then though, I decided I would post some of our earlier costume creations and possibly get some folks unstuck if they are still trying to figure out what they can put together and are feeling the pull of the plastic guises on the rack at Walmart. I am missing a few years that were pre-digital camera, but let's see what we've got.

AHA! Noah as a musketeer at age 4. Not a single stitch in this thing. Just printed out a fleur de lis, traced it, cut out felt and glued it together in the form of a smock. Add an eyeliner mustache, David spray painted a dowel and made it into a foil and all the clothes were pulled right from his drawer or dress up box.

He wanted to be a vampire so I pulled this cape out of the dress up box and just put the rest together from things around the house. Did have to buy the fake teeth and some black hair spray. We also invested in a cheapo makeup kit that year. It is still going strong and noone's face has fallen off yet. Josie spent her first Halloween as his bat which is made mostly out of a hooded sweatsuit and was transformed from Noah's baby costume as a black cat. I ditched the tail and made wings out of cardboard covered with felt.

Stop! You're under arrest for continuing to crank out kids! After two babies in 18 months I did break down and buy the police hat and night stick. Again, the rest of his outfit is from clothes we had. I took white sweatsuits that I had for the girls along with baby hats and drew the lines with fabric marker. My favorite part was the ball and chain that each girl had. Painted a Styrofoam ball and made a pipe cleaner chain. Noah was six here and that was the last time I could con him into the group get up.

The gender neutral costumes were making their rounds this year with Josie wearing the Elmo costume my Dad and I made for Noah (he sewed, I dictated and made eyeballs). Caroline revived the bat and Noah went as a Highland Bagpiper. We are Scottish and that was my grandmother's kilt. He had the hat already and I made the sporin (that pouch thingy) out of a men's shaving case, some faux fur scraps, and a ladies chain belt I found for 50 cents. This was his idea and was one of our favorites!

And here is the crew last year. Poor Caroline is the eternal recipient of the hand me down and is sporting Elmo (no choice given here). Noah wanted to be someone from Star Wars and my limited crafting and sewing skills led us to compromise on being Luke Skywalker as a Jedi knight. All the black clothes came from the thrift store, those are my black boots and he pulled the saber out of his toy box. Josie as the bag of jelly beans has got to be one of my all time favorite creations and was certainly the easiest. Two clear plastic trash bags (which I later reused) a bunch of colored balloons (not so ecofriendly, but they had a ball with them later) and the headpiece top of the bag was made out of a paper plate that I wrapped with cellophane and tied with ribbon. I then velcroed the plate to an old hat and attached a ribbon that I tied under her chin to keep it straight. Paint a few jelly beans on those cheeks and we had Halloween heaven.

*The one disclaimer I should put out there is that my kids are not allowed to just pick any costume. It has to be something I can actually figure out how to make. Noah started off wanting to be Batman this year, but after some discussion we decided that the Joker was more doable. I gave each of the girls a choice between two different bugs that I knew I could pull off and let them choose. To get a closer look at any of the costumes just click on the thumbnail to see a larger image.

I put together this photo retrospective for two reasons - to show that someone who can't sew, knit, paint or craft at all and really does not have any artistic inclination whatsoever can get a little creative juice flowing and find a way to put something together AND to further show that costumes can be gleaned from things you already have and second hand sources and need not cost more than a few dollars. Sure, there is a time investment, but trust me, it pays in spades. I know that when my kids are 30- somethings, these are the things they will look back upon and remember that their mom did it because she loved them. I know this because every Halloween I am reminded that my mom was the greatest and that the memories of her creations have lasted far longer and are sweeter than any cookie she could have ever baked.

Ecothical Dilema #1 - Halloween Candy

2009-10-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am struggling. Struggling to find the balance between adhering to my environmental preferences and not making my children the Halloween outcasts of the neighborhood. In recent years, I have been growing increasingly uncomfortable with the large bowl of garbage wrapped goodies that I put out for Trick or Treat. Aside from my aversion to candy on the whole (we use individual M&M's for behavioral rewards if that tells you how rare candy is in my house). In fact, at this moment we have no candy in the house outside of the super mega 4 lb. bag of the afore mentioned melt-in-your-mouths that is out of kid reach.

I tried a search of ecofriendly Halloween candy and came up with lots of Fair Trade and organic options that, while better on the whole, made the blood pressure of my inner tightwad start to rise and didn't solve my packaging problem. I also searched for Trick or Treat alternatives and got many good suggestions for needless junk that would ultimately create even more trash and cost more, as well. The one idea that fit my bill was to give out change, but I had flashbacks to birthday parties when my mom would give out pennies for the game prizes and I tried to envision how much the disappointment of child faces in 1984 would rise in the year 2009. Maybe not.
Of course, I would love to put out a big plate of homemade baked goods or even some of the Halloween molded chocolates that the kids and I always make, but I hear the voices of my youth saying things like "razor blades" and "cocaine" and it makes me wonder if anyone would let their kids take them. In reality, the treats should be individually wrapped to keep things sanitary. Could I get away with wrapping up my new little Pumpkin Whoopie Pie gems? Although this would be some waste, at least I would feel better about what was wrapped inside. I may take a bus stop survey and see what people think. I don't mind being different and I think a lot of kids would appreciate the change, but you never know. Maybe a move like that would finally put me in the "crazy lady" category. I could live with that. I'm not so sure about my kids, though. I'll have to pitch it.

Falling In Love

2009-10-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

John Travolta and Olivia Newton John can keep summer lovin'. For me, it's all about Fall. Although I have grown more fond of the dog days since I became a gardener, I remain an Autumn girl at heart. It is fairly easy to appreciate Fall when you are from New England. It is a season that touches all of your senses. A description of fall reads like some wine label; full-bodied, a wonderful aroma. It has notes of the upcoming Holidays with just a hint of the waning days of August. It also gets better with age. Now that I am an adult, and even more so a mother, I have a new appreciation for "back to school". Fall has the promise of quiet moments and routines and strict bedtimes. Fall is a mothers best friend.
More than anything, I love Fall food. You can fire up the oven without thinking about the sweat pooling in your bra. You can make heavy, comforting meals that are simple and satisfying. Things are still coming in from the garden, but you don't have the hassle of rapid weed growth and insect control and scorching sun. The onset of Autumn always motivates me in the kitchen and I bust out some of my best recipes. I have four words for you. Pumpkin. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. Wipe your drool and get out your mixing bowl. You may have to run to the store for a can of pumpkin, but it will be so worth it.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies*

2 cups sugar                            2 eggs
4 cups flour                             1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
4 tsp baking powder               1 cup veg. oil
2 tsp baking soda                    2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp cinnamon                        2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp salt                                 12 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients then mix in the wet, adding the chocolate chips last. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased cooking sheets a few inches apart. Bake about 10-12 min. They will look a bit soft and undercooked at first. Wait a minute or two then remove them to a cooling rack. These are a very cakey and filling cookie, but they will get gobbled right up.

*This recipe was given to me many years ago by one of the women I can credit with my Domestic Goddess Transformation. Margie "Gorgeous" Brennan is an amazing mother of seven who, among other things, really turned me on to the essential nature of homemaking skills in the quest for a frugal life. Cue "Wind Beneath My Wings".

Canned pumpkin is on my seasonal pantry list, but I always manage to have some leftover from winter. As soon as September hits, the little cans of pumpkin mush start calling to me, "Use me. Love me. EAT ME." This year I only was able to get one smallish pumpkin to grow in my garden and it was not of the edible variety. Next year I will absolutely be pursuing pie pumpkins in the hopes of making these delightful treats even more satisfying. In the meantime, I am continuing to expand my pumpkin recipe repertoire and decided to try Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. I mean, who doesn't love whoopie pies. First off all, any excuse to throw the word "whoopie" into polite conversation must be taken advantage of and "pie" is always a good time. So put that together with some pumpkin and you have the potential for a frenzy of Fall fun. I checked out a ton of recipes online and finally decided to try the one posted on Martha Stewarts website. I wanted to do one with a cream cheese based filling rather than the Fluff I typically use. I usually find Martha's recipes overly complicated, but this one was pretty straightforward. I linked it rather than post it because I will need to do a bit more experimentation before I decide if it's the one for me. However, I can report that 5 out of 5 Ecocheapo family members ate more than one tonight and already have dibs on some for tomorrow. I may have just found my new Autumn lovah.

Good to the last pop

2009-10-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the rest of the country, but for New Englanders, this was not a banner garden year. Summer didn't even get started until July and was over by mid-August. The deluge of rain that was the month of June caused my tomatoes to get a fungus, my strawberries to drown and, in general, got everything off to a soggy start. So what successes I did have, I really tried to savor. By far, one of my best crops this year was jalapeno peppers.

In our first garden season, I grew one small, hot pepper plant. I can't recall the variety and I put it in quite late to replace something I had to pull so I only got a few fruits before it quit on me. This year, I decided to put in six jalapeno plants and see how they would do. Little did I know that every one of those would take off and begin to shower me with lovely, green goodies. Supposedly, if you leave them on the plant they will turn red and continue to get hotter, but ours never made it that long and since we are feeding three youngsters with these, we didn't want to trip the oral fire alarm.
Yesterday, I had to finally admit that it is too cold and getting too dark for my spicy babies to produce much more so I harvested the remaining peppers and set about making my last batch of Homemade Jalapeno Poppers. We are huge popper fans and now that we have grown and consumed our own we have sworn off the frozen turds we used to pick up at Sam's Club.
Now that it is October, you may not have access to a quantity of fresh jalapenos that hasn't traveled many miles to get here, but maybe this will wet your appetite and get you thinking about cultivating your own hot beauty patch next year.

* A recipe disclaimer - With the exception of baked goods, I rarely follow a recipe exactly. I usually look at one or two recipes for something and then tweak it to suit my culinary style and limitations. So in the case of the poppers, this is just a guide. Experiment and see what works for you.

Jalapeno Poppers

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
two handfuls shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp cilantro (fresh chopped is awesome, but dried works fine too)
1 cup flour
5 eggs
a squirt of lime juice
2 cups bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
approx 15 -20 fresh jalapenos
vegetable oil for frying
ranch dressing or salsa and sour cream mixed together for dipping

Start by prepping your peppers. Slice of the top and then scoop out the guts. I use a small corer that looks a bit like a peeler. A paring knife would work too. BE CAREFUL not to touch your eyes, pick your nose, etc. until you have washed your hands thoroughly Those pepper innards are hot! After cleaning them, rinse them inside and out to get out even more seeds. A few remaining is fine and will spice it up a bit more.
Next, get your filling ready. Combine the cream cheese, cheddar, cumin and cilantro and mix well.
Now prep your breading station. You'll need three bowls. In the first put the flour. Then beat the eggs and the lime juice together in the second one. Lastly combine the bread crumbs and salt and pepper.
To fill the poppers, slice them in half length wise and then use a knife (I like a small butter knife) to smear filling into each side. Put the halves back together and give them a little press. Go around with your knife and wipe off any filling that has squeezed out. Resist the temptation to cut all the peppers first. I did that and then had a heck of a time matching the halves back up.
Once all the peppers have been filled, you can begin breading. The following process should give you a nice coating that will hold up during frying.
Step 1 Flour
Step 2 Egg
Step 3 Bread crumbs
Step 4 Egg
Step 5 Bread crumbs
Heat about 1-2 inches of oil in a deep sided pan until a few drops of water sprinkled in the oil start to sizzle. Carefully place the poppers into the pan and cook 3-4 minutes or until browned and then turn them over. I like to turn the heat down a bit to give the peppers more time to soften without burning the outside. Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula onto a paper towel to drain. Once all the poppers are cooked, remove them to a plate, serve with dip of your choice and prepare for the WOW factor.

I will really miss these over the winter months. But every successful meal that I produce using the bounty from my garden only makes me want to plan more ways to bring my favorite ingredients to life in my own backyard. Whether you have acres or inches, there is something that you can grow. In patches or pots, maybe jalapenos will be "popping" up for you in the not so distant future.

Gave me the boot

2009-10-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post contains information regarding an unbelievably handy spouse. Don't be mad. I can lend him out for a small fee.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; the only negative about raising chickens is the unavoidable poop problems. It is everywhere and it is squishy. Did you know that every tenth chicken poop is liquidy? I know you can finally rest easy now that you have that little image in your head. This Power of Ten Juice shoots out and furthers the mess in the run. I guess I shouldn't complain too much because it does make for killer compost.
So the golden chicken rule at our house is that you can NOT go into the chicken run with shoes on that will ever step into my house. For poop wading we all have wellies and they stay outside or in the garage. Well, the garage is located on the opposite side of the house from the coop so we just take our boots off and leave them on the deck before we come in. It's a convenient place to get them on and off, except when it rains. Then you go to throw on your boots and get that extra little love of having your footwear be nasty inside and out.

So after watching me make a hideous face as I put my piggy toes into rainfilled shitboots for the umpteenth time the other day, David decided to take action. That night he brought home the best gift an ecocheapo woman could ever receive - an upside down boot holder made entirely out of repurposed materials! I know, you can't believe how lucky I am. I am getting choked up again.

So this little creative beauty has solved our problem. We had some PVC lying around from when we had to move the coop across the yard like ancient Egyptians rolling stones. The wood is all scrap left over from other projects. It took David's creative spark to put them together in order to conquer the wet boot crisis.

The thing that gets me, though, is that just a few, short years ago he would probably not have even kept these materials and he sure as hell wouldn't have been into getting chickens. I am rubbing off on him. I am molding him into a Repsycholer like myself. My evil plan is coming together. After 11 years of marriage, it's about damn time.

So I love Love LOVE my new boot rack. I am running around yelling at everyone who doesn't immediately put their boots on it. I don't even mind that every morning when I go to get chicken shoes on, I am smiled up at by a big squishy poop footprint.

A Quick Eco Oxymoron

2009-10-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Why are the organic bananas the ones that have to come wrapped in nasty plastic? So you want me to pay twice as much AND create more garbage? No thank you. Nature gave them their own little wrappers for a reason. I feel myself becoming more willing to phase these little tropical gems out of our diet altogether.

You might be an ecocheapo...

2009-10-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

...if you wouldn't even consider calling a bottle of something "used up" until it has spent two weeks turned upside down to get every last drop.
...if one of your child's first words was "rip-off".
...if you hoard frozen juice lids and egg cartons and occasionally find a use for them.
...if you have bought underwear at a yard sale.
...if you give someone a second hand gift and proudly tell them how little you paid for it.
...if you have ever hung your washed plastic baggies out to dry on your clothesline.
...if you even have a clothesline.
...if you wash your plastic baggies.
...if you have ever gone to a party, noticed their was no recycling bin, and offered to take all the cans and bottles home.
...if you have given someone something in a zip loc bag and asked "If you aren't going to reuse that can you give it back?"
...if you consider the word "disposable" to be offensive.
...if you have ever stood in a grocery aisle and engaged a four year old in a discussion about unit pricing.
...if your kids announce that you won't buy Cheese Sticks because "she can just cut the cheese!" to everyone within earshot.
...if you find any of the above only moderately embarrassing or unreasonable because your wallet and your world are worth it!

The Sharing Place

2009-10-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Use the comment option below to pass on ecocheapo ideas, recipes, tips, etc. This is a learning and growing forum and your input is so valuable to all of us. One humans daily routine is another's epiphany. I may also be featuring your shared stuff in the Idea Exchange or you may inspire a particular post. By submitting a comment here you acknowledge that your idea may be publicly viewed and may be used on this site. If used in the Idea Exchange I will give credit for the submission. Thanks for sharing!

What the cluck?

2009-10-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

There are typically two reactions that we get when we tell people that we have chickens - 1) "Oh that is so cool! I have always wanted chickens." or 2)"Why???". The second is accompanied by a bewildered look of disgust. Those people will usually listen politely while we explain our poultry endeavor, but will never quite get why we would go to all this trouble when there are perfectly good eggs in the case at the supermarket. If you are a #1 then I hope that chronicling my eggventures may give you some Inspiraction (a phrase I coined many moons ago which means to inspire to action ) towards starting your own backyard flock. If you are a #2 I invite you to watch in semi-horror as we discuss some fowl things and who knows, you might just find yourself in the mood for a good cluck.

We first began to think about getting chickens last winter. We went and visited our neighbors flock, did a ton of research, daydreamed, planned and waited. When springtime came I was raring to go and David realized he was not getting out of this. So I became the researcher and David was to build the coop. He is VERY handy like that so I do have an advantage there. We brought home our eight, day old, New Hampshire (that's the breed) chicks at the end of April and we were off. They started out in a plastic bin in Davids' office which they quickly outgrew and were moved to an old dog crate and ultimately into the garage in a refrigerator box. The most invaluable resource to us throughout all the chicken phases has been http://www.backyardchickens.com/ (BYC). Even if you don't want chickens, go there. You will learn some awesome stuff. They have a zillion examples of coops from tiny city dwellings to full scale barns. In fact, our coop won an Honorable Mention in the Summer Coop Design Contest. You can view our page here. The BYC Message Board has information on any poultry topic imaginable and if you can't find what you are looking for you can post a question and someone knowledgeable will give you info. So if you are even toying with the idea of getting chickens, start there. I also took a class on Chicken Husbandry from Yellow House Farm. That gave me a great overview and an up close look at a professional farm operation.

So all went well as the chicks were growing and we eventually decided to turn an old shed from our property into the coop. It now resides next to the garden and is a fixture of our everyday lives. Getting eggs is only one of the reasons why we chose to raise chickens. This is one instance where cost cutting was not a primary objective. These chickens would have to be dropping golden eggs to offset the cost of setting them up and keeping them fed. Our main motivation was to further our efforts at a sustainable lifestyle and to continue to connect our children with the origins of our food. Much like our garden, it gives us and them an opportunity to be involved in every stage of our food life. It is a chance to take on responsibility and to care for another living thing. The kids assist in almost all of the chicken chores, their favorite being egg collecting. Somehow I always get stuck with the poop jobs. This you should know - they don't have a phrase called "chicken shit" for nothing. These babies are poop MACHINES. They poop anywhere and everywhere and it is just part of life with chickens. However, it does not smell terribly and there are lots of ways to keep it under control. Just know that at some point you will come into contact with fowl feces. That's all I'm sayin'.

Other than the poo, I can't think of a downside. It is really easier than I thought it would be and chickens are great therapy. There's a way to save money. Skip the shrink and just get chickens. I don't care how good your psychiatrist is, he ain't gonna drop breakfast out his bum.

We are now nearly six months into this little project and about half our chickens are laying. We get three or four eggs per day and, hopefully, the others will start soon. If not, those will go the way of the crock pot next spring to make room for some more. Yes (gasp of horror), we are planning to eat our chickens at some point. We are not vegetarians and thus it is part of our life to eat animals. We have bought chicken from local farms, but unfortunately we can not afford to do this for 100% of our meat meals right now. In the not so distant future we would like to raise our own meat birds. In the meantime, the reality is that when our chickens stop laying we will humanely kill them and they will feed us in a different way. These birds live a seriously sweet existence compared to their factory cousins so when it is time for lights out, I will know that they have had a great life. If you are going to consume meat then you need to accept that it comes from an animal. Our culture has been separated from this fact for far too long. Chicken keeping is making a comeback all over the country. Maybe it will make its way into your backyard.

You down wit DMP?

2009-10-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

On our first night in our first apartment some 12 years ago, future hubby and I went to prepare dinner and it became clear that neither of us had a clue how to do anything related to running a household. My mother had bought us some groceries to get us started and among those was a boxed rice mix. I read the directions and, to my horror, they wanted me to let this mix simmer. "What the hell does simmer mean?" I called to the other end of the apartment ten feet away. David came up short so I called my mother and posed the question. She knew, but let us just say right now, and I will preface it by saying "I love you, Mom. You are perfect and amazing.", but my mother is NOT a domestic diva. She cooked, but didn't particularly like to. She cleaned, but it was not her forte. She was a lovah not a Martha. So I did not grow up under the tutelage of a culinary master. I had zero SKILLZ.
I did however, have the benefit of a cheapskate for a father. Seriously, a tried and true, argue over a 10 cent overcharge, return a hamburger to McDonalds, price haggling, use it till it wears out, no name brand EVER (think Joan Crawford sans hanger), tightwad. So this is the foundation for all my learning. This was the bag into which I would put all my tricks. That is where I am coming from and is where I will introduce one of the backbones of our household success - Domestic Management Policies (henceforth known as DMP). I'm a sucker for a good acronym. I'm cool like that. But really I use strategies rather than a strict set of rules to guide my routines and decisions. So I will, from time to time, post things under this category that go into some of these techniques and discoveries.
The first one I would like to do a post on is Keeping It Stocked. In my cupboards are things that will ALWAYS be there. As soon as I am running low or out it goes on the list. I keep backups of some of these things. These are the items from which I know I can make a plethora of meals without thinking about whether or not I have the right ingredients. When deciding if I want to try a new recipe, I really won't consider it if it needs more than one item that is not on the regular Stock list. So I will be working to get this inventory together which will include spices and perishables, as well as dry and canned goods. It will also be a reference so that when I post recipes they can be cross-referenced to see if all the ingredients are in the pantry.
We'll see how it goes. I have been wanting to compile this list for a long time. I am putting it out into the virtual world now so that I will feel compelled to get it done. Like Salt 'n Pepa, I work best under pressure. Stay tuned.

Good Night Eggplant

2009-10-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those exhaustingly satisfying days where you feel like you did everything you were supposed to do. I started the day by getting up early (for a Sunday) and then fixed a supa dupa breakfast. On the menu was waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, scrambled eggs (from our hens with several double yolkers in the mix), sausage, hashbrowns and fried apples from the ones we picked a few weeks ago. After we had sufficiently stuffed ourselves, I posed the question "Imagine how much we could get done if we didn't turn the TV on all day?" oh, and "How about we all work outside all day and then this afternoon we will come in and watch a movie together?" Well, shocker, they all agreed. Hallelujah. Obviously some sort of body snatchers were here in the night, but I am not complaining.

So we got our acts together and headed outside. I hung laundry on the line while David finished up his last few punch list items on the chicken coop - got the timer on the light, buried the electrical line and put in some more vents. This meant that the chickens got let out to free range early since they are not happy ladies when Big Daddy is messing around in their house. I think they feel he is a bear. I might too if I were them. They couldn't have been too upset though because we still got 4 eggs today and hopefully the light will get the rest of their fowl butts in gear. I want to be drowning in eggs. I want to have egg nightmares and start saying "Dear God, make them stop!" David also mentioned that he wants to build another coop next spring and get more chickens. Maybe some meat birds. He may have just been trying to sweet talk me, but it's workin'.

On to the garden where we finally got all the dead tomato plants and the stakes taken out. We harvested my lone pumpkin, of which I am very proud, and cut back the strawberry bed. We also cut down the corn stalks and made them into a decorative bunch for the mailbox post, took out some of the eggplants and peppers that seem to be kaput, thinned some more carrots, tied up the peas a bit more and generally cleaned up all the beds. So now what we still have growing is:

carrots

green peppers

peas

yellow peppers

beets

jalapeno peppers

swiss chard

sage

spinach

oregano

bush beans

onions

radishes

Once everything is in I will take stock and give my summary on what worked and what didn't and what we would like to do for next year. Considering this is only our second season with the garden and it is HUGE and we have no clue what we are doing, I think we have fared pretty well. We have kept ourselves flush with produce all season and learned so much. Plus, we are so happy we decided to put in some fall crops this year. Our first season was long over by now so still having plenty to harvest is really exciting.

Even though I have a bit of a purple thumb (not black, but certainly not green) I love the garden. I love getting my hands in the dirt. I love seeing things progress. I LOVE like a crazy loon how into it the kids get. They loved picking up all the bad tomatoes today and squishing them. They will eat anything if I say it's from the garden. Here's a piece of dog doo. It's from the garden. Yummy! You're the best mom!

So after all the garden action was over, we set out the pallets to begin stacking our cord wood this week. We did a bit more tidying up around the yard and then David played some wiffle ball with the kids. Jesus, Josie kicks some serious butt. I felt bad because Noah only managed to make contact with a few and Jo hit every one. Caroline didn't quite get the concept of swinging the bat BEFORE the ball has passed you by and now rolled into the poopy mud in the chicken coop (swear to God it happened three times before we smartened up and shut the door to the run). Even though we have always told them that everyone has their strengths and challenges and all that, I could tell Noah was a bit distressed. I don't think it really makes a difference to him that when he was Josie's age he could read and she is just starting to learn the letter sounds. Someday it will make sense to him, though. What his purpose is; what his gifts are; what all of us are here to do and why things are the way they are. I suppose none of us knows that. I guess I don't know entirely what path I am on. But I know that when I am traveling on the one from my door to my garden I feel a sense of rightness and truth and connection and pride and that is what keeps me growing.

PS
The movie that everyone agreed upon as a reward for our hard work was "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". TV, yes, but A) It's about a kid waiting in a garden and B) it's a throwback to simpler times and genuine human interaction; a rarity nowadays. Good grief.

Lowish Guilt Movie Run

2009-10-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

It seems that three is the age when all of my children have been interested in going to a movie in the theater and also the age when I thought they would be ready to sit through one without being one of those kids. So today it is our youngest Carolines' turn and so the first time that I will be taking all three to catch a flick. What occurred to me last night is that this also ups the cost on such an outing. Of course, the movie that was acceptable to all parties is Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs in IMAX 3D so it is an even pricier venture. I almost toyed with the idea of saying "Bag it. We can watch a movie for free here." But going to any movie is a pretty rare treat around here and a First Movie is a milestone.

Since I can't renegotiate the ticket price and matinee discounts of any significance seem to have gone the way of the Drive In, I am definitely smuggling in snacks and drinks. Sometimes I have neglected this step and been sorry when we got there and paid more for food than admission. And let's all just admit it now - movie popcorn sucks nowadays. The only thing worth anything is Non-Pareils. Even the soda tastes nasty to me. Maybe it's that bitter rip-off flavor.

To have an acceptably fun snack substitution I busted out the air popper and filled four, lunch size, brown bags. I know what you are thinking. Those paper bags are now going to be trash since they will be all popcorny on the inside and, therefore, unrecyclable. Is that even a word? Hold on. Let me check... It is! It even has its' own symbol. Who knew?

I am OK with this waste since paper bags are ultimately biodegradable and I have been working out of the same package for well over five years now. I also figure we offset this minimal trashiness because we only buy popcorn kernels and never microwaveable. I decided to add some butter flavored sprinkles this time after some grumbling about how our popcorn doesn't taste like the stuff at the theater. OK success, but I think I might just stick with salt. Butter in spray or powder form skeeves me out. I also packed a small baggies of M & M's for everyone. I buy the 4 lb. bags of those little chocolate pills for purposes of child treats and bribery. I will wash all those baggies later. I am a hardcore baggy washer and you will get a brain full of it soon. Stay tuned for that one. It's one of my specialties. Throw in a few water bottles and my oversize purse and we are ready for stealth snacking.

So I think I've got the cost down as much as possible. Now if I can just stay awake through the move I'll really get my monies worth. Ooh, this just in...the boy wonder has scored Red Sox tickets via Dad and will be making the pilgrimage to Boston with Grammy the Psycho Sox Fan. This outing is getting cheaper by the minute.

Shnack Day

2009-10-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

Whether you dread it, tolerate it or live for it, Snack Day is a preschool rite of passage. At least around here anyway where we pay more than good money for this privilage. I have now discovered from friends who live elsewhere that some places have public preK. What??? NH is the last state in the country to get public kindergarten so by the time an idea as novel as free preschool takes hold it will probably be my grandkids who reap the benefits. So for now, we have two of our three kids in preschool which means that the Blessed Festival of Trying to Find Food Other People's Kids Will Eat comes twice as often. Sweet!
I am so not bragging, people seem to think it's some kind of miracle, but my kids will eat almost anything. And tons of it. I don't know if I am just lucky or what, but once when I was on a kindergarten field trip with Noah the hiking guide opened a can of sardines and offered them (I think for a laugh) to the kids and who is the one little guy who steps up and eats one? Mine. And he loved it. The other parents didn't know whether to applaud or puke. But I digress.
Back to the snackipoos. It so happened that this week, both girls came home with the snack basket and we had SD back to back. My goal with snack day is to come up with something cheap, nutritious and with zero waste. I do NOT do squeezy yogurt or fruit snacks or juice boxes. I really don't buy anything individually wrapped. I do, however, bake. So I often do minimuffins with whatever needs using up, like bananas. My all time favorite snack day treat though, is Homemade Chewy Granola Bars. They are like little sticks of heaven. What I really love is that most people have never seen a granola bar that didn't come wrapped in its' own little piece of garbage.
So here is the recipe and I do hope you'll try it.

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup honey or agave
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 packed brown sugar
1 cup add ins (raisins, dried fruit, choc. chips, etc.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients except add ins. I usually end up mixing it by hand. A little messy but does the best job. Then mix in the add ins of your choice. Press the mixture very firmly into a greased 9 x 13 pan. I do sometimes use a small piece of wax paper to press the mixture in and that is trash, but I have also had good success with a small greased roller or even my hands. Bake 20-25 min. Let cool completely then cut into bars. This makes about 16 good sized bars. Remove them carefully from the pan and store in an airtight container.

So the next time you are attacked by snack, give it a try. Let me know how it turns out. Once you have this snack, you'll never go back.

Give me $5 and call me Santa

2009-09-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday's Noah has Coyote Club which is sort of a kids nature group that meets at a local park. He loves it and I am quite keen on the activity since I am a much bigger fan of trees than sports. What this means for me is that I need to find a way to occupy the girls for and hour and a half since it isn't really worth it to drive home, nor is it enough time to do any serious errand running like grocery shopping. So today we took a quick trip to Agway to pick up chicken supplies, stopped in at the vets to pick up medicine for George, the hot mess puppy bulldog, and then went to our most coveted place - the thrift store. Ah, those two little words set my heart a flutter. My affinity for thrift stores and their many Eco (logical and nomic) benefits will be the subject of many a post here, but for today I will sum up my $5 score.
After scanning my usual hot spots, shoes for Noah and me and pants for the boy giant, I let the girls hit the Toy Room and I went over to check CD's and books. No "new" music of interest. I think I hit my high in that department when I found a copy of "Ill Communication" to replace my scratched one. Who the hell gives away a Beastie Boys CD? Hello, inheritance? On to books. I quickly found a hardcover for me that looks completely untouched. Then one that screamed "Buy me for Mom". Then one for my sister. All in beautiful condition. When I had finished scanning the shelves and surveyed my pile I had a total of eight - four gifts and four for me. Prices? 50cents for hardcover and 25cents for soft. Total = $3.00.
Back to the toy room to pick up the girls and I discover two very girly cases filled with never-used art supplies. A buck a piece. I am always on the hunt for two-of-something to avoid "She won't SHARE it with me!!!". So that's a couple things that will balance out Christmas a bit. I checkout with a total of six future Christmas presents, plus four new reads for me. Not that I will get through them anytime soon, but most of them are reference anyway.
So some might say that I did not need to spend that five dollars. But come December when everyone else is frantically throwing their money at anything that looks like something they can pawn off as a thoughtful gift, I will be at home making wrapping paper out of brown bags and bragging to David about how cheaply I acquired this bounty and resting in the knowledge that my generosity is recycled and still full of love. See you next week Thrift Store!

Think Groucho Stork

2009-09-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

So apparently my pickles are a hit. Yes, the verdict is now in from individuals who are not dependant upon me for all their food needs and I am guilty of good pickling. A definite improvement over last year. The casualties of that war are still sitting on the shelf in the basement. They are like organs in a lab. Discolored and useless, yet oddly fascinating. They were mushy and nasty and now I don't know what to do with them. Do I throw them in the compost and risk bad pickly vibes being passed on to next years crop? I screwed those up since it was both my first time gardening and pickling. You really must pace yourself with these things.
First, you have got to use pickling cucumbers. Then you can not give in to the temptation to let them grow until they are all phallic. Smaller ones remain firmer. I have been saying THAT for years. Then you have to get a good recipe. This year, I opted for a refrigerator pickling process. Upside, I didn't have to fire up the water bath canner which I think might have helped make last years' batch so very raw-hot-dogesque. Downside, the majority of my fridge is taken up by quarts of pickles and I am beginning to feel like I live at Katz' s Deli. Every time I go to get the milk I expect to find some guy in an apron asking me if I want rye or pumpernickel.
You don't have to know how to can to make these. So if you can get your hands on some little cukes you might want to give it a whirl. I use quart canning jars, but you could use any size container and adjust the recipe accordingly.

Refrigerator Pickles (Dill)

In each jar:

2 sprigs of fresh dill

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tbl. mixed pickling spices (found in the spice aisle)
1 bay leaf

Combine in saucepan:
1 cup white vinegar
8 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt (usually near canning supplies or spices)

pickling cucumbers

Put the dill, garlic, pickling spices and bay leaf in the bottom of each jar. Fill the remaining space with cucumbers. Leave small ones whole and cut larger ones into spears.
Combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and cool.
Pour the liquid mixture into each jar so that the cucumbers are covered. If you run out of liquid just mix up another batch or half-batch. Put a cover on each jar and refrigerate for about three days before eating. Flavor will get stronger over time. Pickles should last about 3-4 weeks. Keep refrigerated.
I have now pawned off enough picks to get a good read and I think I'm in business. Next year I'll grow the dill and garlic and then I can get really freaky with it. Like some people have a whole extra fridge for beer, maybe I'll have one for pickles. Sweet! No seriously they are dill, though. Sweet pickles are an abomination. But that's another post.

This is what I do

2009-09-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

I procrastinate. I throw up road blocks. I agonize. I watch TV. I research. I ruminate. Eat something. Try again. Complain to David. Delete. Look up stuff. Stare at the laundry pile. Take the dog out. Check my email. Check Facebook. Pledge to try again. Do this instead of dishes. Look at the clock in horror. Realized I did it. I started. I'm here. Quit while I'm ahead. Don't do it. Don't even proof it. Leave it. Go!