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5 Ways to Make Back to School Fun

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Anticipation, fear, excitement, dread, relief, joy: There are few things in this world that can match the great mixture of feelings that are evoked with the time of year notoriously known as “back to school.” For parents, teachers, and students everywhere, the late summer season means shedding swim suits in favor of starched shirts, and sunglasses in favor of study time. But year after year, there is one aspect of back to school that makes it merry. That, of course, is back to school shopping! Here at aHa! Modern Living, we have a great selection of items to make back to school fun.

(1) The Popoutz Seed and Peanut Feeders

These eco-friendly and 100% recyclable bird feeders make a wonderful first day of school gift for any teacher. The Popoutz Seed Feeder holds small varieties of bird food such as sunflower seeds and dried mealworms, while the Popoutz Peanut Feeder holds larger types of feed such as suet pellets and peanuts. Both varieties come in an array of colors, so you can choose them to match your son or daughter’s school colors.  And at just $3.50 each, you can afford to select several! These fun little feeders are great for kids and adults alike, as well as a terrific way to keep hungry birds fed when food becomes more scarce in the fall and winter.

(2) The Plant Nanny and Petal Drops

If there is one thing we know for sure, it’s that back to school is a super busy time of year for every parent. It’s time for school open houses, PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and the transformation of your Chevy to a kiddie shuttle bus. And because of this, we know that every little thing you can do to help simplify your hectic schedule is a good thing. Plant Nanny and Petal Drops make it a snap to ensure that your indoor and outdoor plants are adequately watered every day. Just allow the Petal Drops to collect rain water in your yard into a recycled water or soda bottle, then turn the plastic bottle onto your Plant Nanny. Simple.

(3) Cacao and Spice Hand Wash

Back to school time also means sniffle and cough time. What is the best line of defense against these late summer sniffles? Plenty of hand-washing, of course. Keep a bottle of Daub and Bauble Cacao and Spice Hand Wash by each sink in your home. The delicious chocolatey cinnamon scent guarantees that they won’t forget to lather up before their after-school snack. Plus, Vitamin E and Aloe will leave their hands feeling soft and luxurious, not stripped of moisture. Daub and Bauble Hand Washes also come in 3 other yummy scents too, so you can select different ones for each sink in your house.

(4) Felt Wine Sleeve and Roost Menagerie Bottle Openers

If you are a first year college student, stop and take a moment to think about all the things you have to thank mom and dad for right now. They helped you pack up your bedroom at home, and haul all your boxes up 3 flights of stairs into your new dorm room. Dad helped you figure out how to screw together your bunk beds, while mom organized your sock drawer and stretched your new extra-long twin sized sheets onto your mattress. This is all on top of the hefty check they wrote for your first year of tuition. Wow, mom and dad are major champs, and it’s time to pick out a nice thank you gift for them.

Check our Gifts by Recipient section, where you can choose the perfect thank you gift based on mom and dad’s interests, whether they are bird lovers, entertainers, or gardeners. Two of our favorites are the Felt Wine Sleeve and the Roost Menagerie Bottle Openers. You can slip a pretty bottle of sparkling french lemonade into the felt sleeve, and let them pop it open with a fun wooden sculptured bottle opener. (The apple shaped bottle opener is definitely appropriate for back to school.) What a sweet and refreshing way to say “thanks.”

(5) Sprouts

As a parent, of course you care deeply about making sure that your child receives adequate nutrition during the school year. Plenty of studies have shown that when kids eat well and avoid junky processed foods, it enables them to be attentive in class and do their best in school. Sprouts are a bonafide super food that will help to keep your kid fueled throughout the school day, as well as help boost his or her immune system.

Try mixing a little bit of alfalfa sprout juice in with your child’s apple or orange juice at breakfast. The sprout juice is mild and practically tasteless, so it mixes easily. Or, toss a few sprouts onto a ham and cheese sandwich and pack it up for lunch. Their unique crunchy texture makes them fun for kids to eat. For little kids, get them interested by giving the stringy strands a goofy name, like baby spaghetti.

Alfalfa sprouts are one of the highest sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in nature. Plus, they, along with other types of sprouts, can easily be grown on a counter top at any time of year. Check out our Sprouting section for a selection of sprouts, including mungbean sprouts and broccoli sprouts. All of our Botanical Interests seeds are now 25% OFF, so it is a great time to start sprouting!

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What is a CSA, and Why Does It Matter?

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Fresh, local produce

We have a dream here at aHa! Modern Living. Our dream is that all of the produce we consume will be fresh, organic, and locally grown. If we don’t grow it ourselves, we want to know exactly where it comes from. Ideally, we’d even like to have a relationship with the farmer, and the opportunity to visit his or her land. Sound like a far off and starry-eyed hope? Well, by participating in CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, it can be a reality rather than a distant dream.

Becoming a member of a CSA is an excellent way to ensure that you will have a steady supply of fresh produce, as well as to support a local farm. Therefore, it is a great way for you to maintain a healthy diet, try new foods, avoid giving your money to large farming corporations, and bolster your local economy all in one.

When you become a member of a CSA, you make a financial contribution to a local farm, therefore becoming a member or shareholder. In return, you are supplied with a season’s supply of fresh food from the farm, (with a season typically running from late spring through early fall.) Check out this video to learn more about how CSAs are formed, and why they matter:

To find out if you have a CSA in your area, you can visit the Local Harvest website and type in your zip code in the space on the right side of the screen. CSAs have gained popularity in recent years, so it is likely that you can find one near you. While in 1990 there existed only approximately 100 CSAs in the United States, today that number has grown to over 1,000.

7 Questions to Ask When Joining Community Supported Agriculture:

  1. What does the farm grow? Ask for a harvest schedule and a list of crops. Make sure to consider that you may also find farms that offer meat, eggs, dairy, herbs, and/or flowers.
  2. What is the farm’s season? Most farms do not harvest during the winter. But depending on where you live, you may find one that does.
  3. Is the farm organic? Some farms practice organic farming, yet do not undergo the costly process to receive legal organic certification. Decide ahead of time what your standards are in regards to organic farming, and find a farm that meets your standards.
  4. Does the farm offer delivery? Most farms deliver produce on a weekly basis to their shareholders. Find out if you will receive home delivery, or if you will need to pick up your food at a local headquarters, such as a Co-op. Make sure that delivery dates, places, and times fit your schedule.
  5. How big is a standard share? Will you be receiving one pound of produce per week, or five pounds, or ten?
  6. How are payments made?Most farms require the season to be paid for up front. However, some will accept weekly or monthly payments.
  7. What happens when you go on vacation? You don’t want your lovely fresh produce to be delivered to an empty house.

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10 Ways To Become a Locavore

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

What is a locavore, you ask? The term was first coined in 2005 by four women in San Francisco who proposed that people try to eat only food that has been raised, grown, or produced within a 100-mile radius of their hometown. So if it makes it easier to remember, you can think of “local-vore” instead. To be a locavore means to eat locally.

Over the past 5 years, the locavore movement has picked up steam. In 2007, the New Oxford American Dictionary made the term itself their word of the year, which helped to garner some support and attention to the movement. Many people are discovering that eating locally has numerous benefits: food is more nutritious and tastes better, the conservation of fuel is promoted by avoiding supermarket fare that has been trucked hundreds of miles to get there. The locavore way of life is both nutritionally and ecologically sound.

When preparing to become a locavore yourself, you may find yourself wondering, what is the most logical first step? The first step to the locavore way of life is to embrace the fact that no effort you make is too small. Any step you take to support farmers in your area, protect your family’s health, and save the environment is a worthy step.

Here are ten ways to become a locavore:

(1) Shop at a farmers’ market. Farmers’ markets are a wonderful way to support local businesses because you buy directly from the farmers; the middle man is eliminated. While many people assume that a market will contain only produce, we would encourage you to attend one in your area- we think you will find that much, much more is available. You can often find local meats, cheeses, and even handmade beauty products such as lotions and soaps. One of our aHa! contributors shops her local farmer’s market in North Carolina for everything from local honey to goat cheese. So bring your own canvas shopping bags and prepare to stock up. To find a farmers’ market in your area, you can search the USDA’s guide to farmers’ markets.
(2) Closely examine your supermarket. Some grocery stores have recently made a concerted effort to carry local products. If you are not able to clearly identify where your meat, dairy, and produce come from, ask your supermarket manager. Inquire as to where your favorite products come from. Grocery stores do have the ability to change their purchasing practices. So make sure you voice your opinion, and encourage others to do the same. You can affect a change if you lobby!
(3) Choose 3 foods per week that you can swap out for local products. It is not practical to throw away every item in your pantry and fridge all at once and replace it with all local products. Instead, make an effort to select 3 to 5 different local foods that you can stock your fridge and pantry with each week. Make a gradual, slow transition. Overall, this may take a few years. That’s okay.
(4) Find your local Community Supported Agriculture. A Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a program that allows you to be directly affiliated with a local farm. You invest in the farm in exchange for a weekly supply of its products. Being a member of a CSA is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to various types of fresh local produce that may not otherwise find their way into your cart. It also gives you the opportunity to eat ultra-fresh and nutritious produce, and develop a relationship with a local farmer. To find a CSA in your area, visit this website and type your zip code in the box on the right hand side.
(5) Learn to preserve local foods. Eating locally means that depending on where you live, you may have a lack of fresh fruits and veggies during the winter. So take the time now, when summer veggies are delicious and plentiful, to pickle, freeze, dry, and can them. Come winter, you’ll have a great supply of yummy, local fruits and veggies available to you. Chutneys, sauerkrauts, jams, jellies- you have many different options.
(6) Frequent restaurants in your area that support local farmers. Most restaurants have websites now, so do your homework! Look for the restaurants in your area that use local produce, meats, fish, and cheeses. Depending on where you live, you may be surprised by what you find. There are hundreds of seafood restarants in coastal areas, but many of these restaurants serve imported, rather than local, seafood. Don’t make assumptions based on location.
(7) Host a 100-Mile Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated with a feast of all locally caught, hunted, and harvested foods. So this year, host a Thanksgiving celebration in which you ask all of your friends and family members to bring a dish that was made only from foods that have come from a 100-mile radius of their homes. And while you’re at it, why wait til Thanksgiving? Try hosting a local dinner party or brunch.
(8) Buy from local vendors. While the local coffee house down the road from you may not have grown their own coffee beans, you are still helping to support your local economy by buying your beans from them. There is a difference between “locally grown” and “locally produced.” You can support your economy and the locavore way of life either way.
(9) Keep a journal of the instant and long-term health benefits of eating locally. A locavorian diet is not a weight-loss plan, but it does stand to improve your health in many ways. Be aware of how good and energized you feel; this will help you stay motivated to continue to make the effort to eat locally. One drastic change that you will notice right away is that you will eliminate nearly all (if not all) processed foods from your diet. And unless you live on the corn-belt or near a factory that produces corn-derived food additives, you’ll find that you will eliminate corn syrup from your diet.
(10) Prioritize your expenses. Local, organic milk may be more expensive than the cheap stuff at the grocery store. But if you cut out just one cup of espresso per week, it makes up for the added expense. When making a transition to the locavore way, accept that there will be a few start-up costs. Your first year of being a locavore will require the most time, effort, and monetary expenditure. You must research the best sources for local products, and be willing to spend time picking up and preserving certain foods that may be available for only a brief period of time each season. However, remember that when you buy a tomato locally, you are paying for just the tomato. You are not paying for the gas that was used to truck the tomato hundreds of miles across the country.

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Grilling Vegetables from Your Garden

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Right up there with apple pie and baseball, cookouts are definitely one of America’s favorite summer pastimes. We think it’s not just the scrumptious fare that makes cookouts so great; it’s the smell of lit charcoal and lighter fluid, the carefree attitude of cooking out in the open air, and the simple joy of washing your barbecue-sauce smeared hands in a hose rather than in a kitchen sink. All of these things make summer grilling, in a word, awesome.

Now despite all the many joys of outdoor grilling, of course we are not going to deny that devouring the food is the very best part. And grilling is a wonderful opportunity to use some of the fresh veggies and fruits from your garden. Fresh home-grown veggies are wonderful straight from the garden, but when you grill them over an open flame, their flavor is magnified, and suddenly some simple garden fresh produce becomes a true treat.

Basic guidelines for grilling vegetables from your garden

  • Onions- Cut them into 1/2 inch slices, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
  • Bell Peppers- Cut them into halves or quarters, and grill them for 6-8 minutes.
  • Eggplant- Cut them into 1/2 inch slices, and cook them for 8-10 minutes.
  • Asparagus- Leave them whole, and cook them for 6-8 minutes.
  • Corn-Peel back the husks to remove the corn silk, then replace the husks. Pre-soak them in water for one hour to prevent them from charring. Cook them for 20-25 minutes.
  • Summer Squash and Zucchini- Cut into 1/2 inch slices, and cook them for 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Cherry Tomatoes- Pierce the skins and cook them whole for 2-4 minutes.

We know what you’re thinking right now. Despite the fact that you have all of these wonderful grilled veggies straight from your home garden, you still have a friend/spouse/child who will insist on reaching for a brat or hamburger. You’ll need to entice this person a bit in order to get him or her to reach for something fresher and healthier instead. No problem! We’ve got a terrific marinade recipe that will pump up the flavor of your veggies and make anyone’s mouth water.

Lemon and Thyme Vegetable Grilling Sauce:

Whisk together 1/4 cup of melted margarine or butter, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 finely chopped shallots, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel,  and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh thyme. You can add salt and pepper to taste. Brush both sides of your veggies with this marinade before grilling them. Keep any of the remaining sauce warm in order to serve it with your veggies.  If you’d like, you can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in a sealed container in your fridge.

Hints for Grilling Veggies:

  • If you would like to try grilling vegetables that are too small to sit on your grill, try using either a grill basket, or a foil packet. For a simple foil packet recipe, try cutting up Brussels sprouts, pearl onions, carrots, green beans, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes. Place them all on a large piece of foil and season them with salt and pepper. Lift the edges and add one tablespoon of water, or one large ice cube. Bring the sides of the foil up so that they meet, and fold them over twice. (The sealed packet will look kind of like an envelope.) Grill this on the hottest part of the grill for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  • Full-size tomatoes are great for grilling, too. Just cut them in half and cook them directly on your grill.
  • Any time you place a fruit or veggie directly on your grill rack, first brush them with a little bit of olive oil or spray them with cooking spray to keep them from sticking.

Image source: Fresh From Florida

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Get Creative When Gardening in Small Spaces

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Photo source: chron.com

For a moment, close your eyes and use your imagination. What do you see when we ask you to picture your ideal vegetable garden? Perhaps you see a vast, open space buzzing with bees and teaming with veggies, fruits, and blooms in countless varieties and colors. Or, maybe you are envisioning a beautiful wooden pergola, crawling with sweet peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Now when you open your eyes and see that your reality is actually a small 15′ by 15′ square of turf, or perhaps even just a tiny cement balcony, it’s easy to be disheartened. We’d like to remind you to make the most of what you have! For millions of people, urban dwelling makes a sprawling country garden an impossibility. It can be discouraging when this is all you see in gardening magazines and manuals. This doesn’t mean that you can’t plant a garden that you will love. And it definitely doesn’t mean that you can’t grow your own food!

The Benefits of Gardening in a Small Space

Yup, that’s right. You read that correctly. Gardening in a small space totally does have its benefits. And here are just a few of them:

  1. In a huge space, it takes an awful lot of plants to create a dramatic effect. In a small space, it is just the opposite. Your small garden can really pack a visual punch.
  2. In a mini garden, it is easier to detect and remove any plants that may be unhealthy or infested by bugs.
  3. Planting a small garden is friendly on both your budget and your time constraints.
  4. Designing a small garden is an easier task because you are able to take in “the big picture” and consider the whole space at once.
  5. A small garden is more likely to look lush and full, not spotty. Just make sure you leave about a 16 inch wide path to walk through and tend to your plants.

Container Gardening

Nearly any fruit or vegetable can be grown in a container. So if your garden space consists of a balcony or patio, this is an excellent option for you. The most important things to consider for your container garden are the plants’ water and sunlight needs. You’ll also want to select containers that drain well, and make sure you use a good quality organic potting soil to nourish your plants.

For everything you need to start your own container garden, check out the Modern Container Garden Kit. It’s totally perfect for starting your own fabulous garden on a porch or front door step. Once you receive your Modern Container Garden Kit, all you have left to do is choose your seeds. Some vegetables that are ideally suited for container growing are tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beans, lettuce, squash, and parsley.

And don’t think you need to use ceramic flower pots for your container garden. You can garden in whatever you want! Try a plastic garbage can, a clay pot, a large bushel basket, or even an old boot! (Reused and recycled containers are awesome.) Just make sure you choose containers that will allow for a depth of one foot of soil for your plants. If you want to plant root crops, such as beets, carrots, or potatoes, you’ll need a soil depth of 2 feet.

Vertical Gardening

Photo source: Apartment Therapy

If you’ve ever been to the city of Tokyo, you’ve witnessed just exactly how humankind has mastered the art of utilizing vertical space. The city is so crowded that its architects all build upwards instead of outwards. If your garden space has a super small perimeter, you should definitely consider employing this tactic.

There are many vegetables that will climb, climb, climb if you let them. Here at aHa! we’ve given seeds for climbing veggies their own home in the Vertical Garden section. Check it out- you may be surprised by the variety!

Another good thing to keep in mind is that things that grow upwards vertically will also grow downwards. So, this means that your vertical garden may consist of hanging planters. Small varieties of tomatoes really flourish in hanging planters.

Succession Planting

Photo source: A Sonoma Garden

Succession planting is a great technique for any garden, large or small. But when it comes to mini gardens, this is an excellent way to maximize a small space because the space is really put to its most efficient use. With this method, there is never an unplanted area in the vegetable plot. As soon as one crop is harvested, the space is immediately replanted with a different crop.

One method of succession planting is to plant the same vegetable, but to space out the plantings to every 2 to 4 weeks. Bush beans, for example, can be planted every 2 weeks from mid-May to the beginning of August. So, rather than planting your entire row of beans all at once, you can plant part of the row at the beginning of the season, harvest, and then plant more in about 2-4 weeks. This is a great way to have a new crop of beans continually coming in.

Another method of succession planting is to plant different vegetables in succession. For example, some plants have a short growing season, and can be replaced with a different crop after they have been harvested.

Vegetable Recommendations for Succession Planting

  • Spinach in the spring, bush beans in the summer, kale in the fall.
  • Mesclun greens in the spring, cucumbers in the summer, lettuce in the fall.
  • Peas in the spring, sweet corn in the summer, collard greens in the fall.
  • Radishes in the spring, eggplant in the summer, Chinese cabbage in the fall.

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What is Integrated Pest Management?

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a responsible, effective, and environmentally friendly way to manage insects in your garden. To understand how IPM works compared to using chemical pesticides, think about the comparison of an antibiotic on the human body.

Antibiotics are commonly taken in order to kill a bacterial infection or illness within the human body. But did you know that there is no such thing as a “smart” antibiotic? They kill all of the good bacteria in your body along with the bad. This is why, when you take antibiotics, you may experience a secondary infection, or nasty side effects such as digestive ailments. A chemical pesticide is essentially an antibiotic in your garden. It will kill off the nasty pest that you want to get rid of, but it will kill all of the beneficial insects, too, therefore upsetting the natural balance of your garden.

Why do people use IPM?

Because antibiotics upset the natural balance of the body, many people instead opt to treat bacterial infections with homeopathic remedies and probiotics, which encourage the growth of positive bacteria. This is the equivalent to using IPM in your garden. It will take a bit more time and patience, but in the long run you will be creating an environmentally friendly way to manage bugs in your garden instead of wiping them all out with one nasty chemical. Broadcast spraying of a pesticide, whether it is natural or chemical, is an absolute last resort when using IPM. Therefore, IPM is successfully used by many organic farmers.

How do I practice IPM?

There is not just one quick step when it comes to beginning IPM. Practicing IPM is instead a process or a system that is made up of 4 main steps. You can think of these steps as an investment in your health, your garden’s health, and the health of the environment. In other words, the time it takes is totally worth it! The 4 steps of Integrated Pest Management are:

(1) Set an Action Threshold

Setting an action threshold means that you will have a predetermined point at which you will take action against the pests in your garden. Just because you spot one bug munching away at your tomato plants does not mean you need to control these pests. Your action threshold may be that if you see one or two aphids, you simply pluck it off with a gloved hand. If you see three to ten aphids, you will spray them with Safer 3-in-1 garden Spray, an organic insecticide that’s made from sulfur and plant oils. If you see eleven or more aphids, you will purchase and release ladybugs in your garden so that they will eat the aphids.

(2) Monitor and Identify Pests

Not all bugs are bad! Insects such as green lacewings, ladybugs, praying mantis, and spined soldier bugs are all beneficial for your garden because they eat harmful bugs. Other bugs may not necessarily be beneficial, but they may just be hanging out and not hurting anything. If you see a bug, don’t just assume that it’s bad.

If you do have a swarm of harmful insects, make sure to properly identify them so that you can determine the best course of action to get rid of them. Remember, you don’t want to use something that will wipe out everything in your garden- you specifically want to treat the problem. Spraying isolated areas is used only when truly necessary in IPM.

(3) Prevent

As we like to say, “prevention is better than an ounce of Roundup.” The very first line of pest control in IPM is prevention. It is important to work to prevent pests from becoming a problem in the first place. This may mean using agricultural methods such as crop rotation. For example, a recent infestation of rice pests in Thailand called brown plant hoppers was exacerbated because farmers planted continuously in the same fields.

Another integral part of prevention is maintaining healthy soil and watering practices. Check out Annie Haven’s Compost Tea, which is a totally natural way to nourish your soil, therefore increasing flower bloom and crop yield. Adding nutrients from manure tea is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your indoor and outdoor plants. The tea naturally breaks down the soil, which allows your plants root systems to more readily absorb needed nutrients and strengthen their own defense systems. (It’s kind of like the effect of green tea on the human body- super nutritious!)

(4) Control

Once your action threshold has indicated that action is required, you will need to determine what type of pest control you wish to employ. It is a very important part of IPM that you use the least risky and least invasive method of control possible. For example, trapping may be a good solution, or using pheromones to disrupt mating patterns.

If you have fruit flies buzzing around your indoor potted plants, veggies from your garden, or the produce you bought yesterday at the farmer’s market, try using a Glass Fruit Fly Trap in your home. The trap uses an environmentally safe bait to lure in the fruit flies, and you can hang it anywhere in your house because it just looks like a pretty, colorful glass lantern. For an awesome natural and biodegradable insecticide, fungicide, and insect anti-feedant, try Dyna-Gro Neem Oil. It can be applied to indoor or outdoor plants, and will not harm beneficial insects such as ladybugs, bees, and spiders.

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Top 5 Uses for Your Roost Mortar and Pestle

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

If you have checked out our selection of Home Accessories, you have undoubtedly noticed the cool design of the Roost Mortar and Pestle. Unlike the traditional design, the rounded pestle nestles right down into the mortar, making it an updated version of a kitchen classic. It’s eye catching enough that it even recently caught the attention of the good folks at Herb Companion Magazine in their List of Likes feature.

Why do I need a Roost Mortar & Pestle?

Although the Mexicans originated the idea of the mortar and pestle somewhere around 5,000 years ago, there is nothing archaic about this versatile kitchen tool. You can think of your mortar and pestle as a manual food processor. But here’s the super great thing: because it is a manual tool, none of the delicate flavors or aromas are burnt off the way that they are in an electric appliance. Plus, because the mortar and pestle is a hand operated tool, it gives you complete control. Your touch can be as heavy or as light as you need it to be. The design of the Roost Mortar and Pestle gives you exceptional control with its ergonomic design. So the rounded pestle is not just pretty, it’s practical too.

What can I use my Roost Mortar & Pestle for?

A mortar and pestle has quite an array of uses – you’ll find that you discover more and more reasons to pick it up in your kitchen. The Roost Mortar and Pestle comes in two different materials, so that you can select the one that best suits your needs. The wooden design is best for dry ingredients, such as spices and coffee beans. The marble design in best for wet ingredients, such as berries and garlic. You can also use a mortar and pestle to pulverize pills and other chemical items. However, we would suggest that you buy a separate one specifically for this use. You don’t want to cross medicinal use with culinary use.

Top 5 Uses for Your Roost Mortar and Pestle:

  1. Grinding spices, such as whole peppercorns and cardamom. Spices are most fragrant, tasty, and pure when they are freshly crushed. Try grinding your own spices for this wonderful Morrocan Coucous recipe. Your whole home will be filled with splendid aromas. (Not to menti0n, it’s super delicious.)
  2. Smashing olives for tapenade. This is a terrific, easy way to please guests when you entertain. Serve fresh olive tapenade on bite-size pieces of baguette or crostini. Here’s a quick and easy kalamata olive tapenade recipe that you will love. Olives are heart healthy, too!
  3. Pounding garlic for aioli. We’ll bet you’re used to chopping or mincing your garlic, right? Well, all garlic lovers really must release the clove’s true flavor with the pestle. Try using your pounded garlic in this recipe for garlic aioli from Recipe Zaar. You’ll love it, (even if your partner doesn’t love your breath.)
  4. Crushing basil for fresh pesto. Is there anything more fragrant and lovely than basil fresh from the garden on a warm summer day? We think not! Plus, basil tends to grow rather abundantly, and pesto is a terrific way to use it while it’s fresh. As this recipe in Reluctant Gourmet states, the traditional and best way to make basil pesto is with a mortar and pestle. The flavor will astound you.
  5. Mashing avocado meat for guacamole. We prefer our guac with some nice chunks of avocado, not totally pulverized. This is where the control you have with a mortar and pestle really comes in handy. You can make your guac as chunky or smooth as you prefer. And speaking of heart healthy, avocados rank pretty darn high when it comes to foods that will keep your ticker goin’. Try this terrific recipe for Mortar and Pestle Guacamole, courtesy of culinary guru Dorie Greenspan.

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Gardening is a Lifestyle, not a Hobby

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Gardening is about nourishing the body, mind, and spirit. It is about adding color and vibrancy to both your outdoor and indoor spaces. A garden is your own personal statement, and it can say absolutely anything you want it to.  May Sarton, a 20th century poet and novelist once wrote:

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”

What we love about May’s philosophy is that she, like us, understood gardening to be much more than just a hobby. One of the greatest things about a gardening  lifestyle is that you’ll reap what you sow. Whatever you put into your garden, you’ll most certainly get back from it.

Now if you’re like us, you can recall your very first gardening experience as a child. We remember plucking ripe red tomatoes right off the plant in the backyard and popping them straight into our mouths. They were still slightly warm from the summer sun, and left our fingers scented with the earthy fragrance of tomato leaves. Each gardening memory is filled with sights, sounds, and scents, engaging all of our senses. It comes as no surprise, though, that our favorite gardening experience is all about taste. There’s nothing like the fresh flavor that comes straight out of a garden.

It’s all about the flavor

You’ll find that herbs, vegetables, and fruits are simply more flavorful when they’re home or locally grown. Oftentimes major chain grocery stores use a chemical gas on their produce to quicken ripening. This gas leaves produce looking pretty, but often robs it of its naturally luscious flavor. On top of that, you’ll also find that this gas causes your grocery store produce to rot very quickly once you get it home. Gross.

The best way to avoid yucky chemical gases, insecticides, and pesticides on your food? Grow your own, or buy local organic produce. You’ll discover a whole new world of flavors that have been hidden by conventional farming procedures. Local or homegrown produce is best when prepared in simple recipes. Don’t fuss over complicated dishes; when you use fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruits, the flavors have the power to speak for themselves. Check out Amy Cotler’s book The Locavore Way for simple, tasty recipe ideas.

Savor fresh produce with simple recipes

For starters, try making this easy and absolutely delicious flat bread next time you entertain. We found this recipe in a recent addition of Real Simple magazine, and totally fell in love with it. It’s easy to make, and we love it every time we get to use fresh herbs from our herb garden. If butternut squash is not in season, try experimenting with what you can use from your garden, such as zucchini or tomatoes.

Butternut Squash Flat Bread with Cheddar and Pine Nuts:

1 pound of prepared pizza dough (We found pre-made whole wheat pizza dough in the prepared food section of our local cooperative food market. You could also make your own.)

1 pound of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces

1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon of oilve oil

1 and 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix together the butternut squash, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, red onion, and thyme. Next, prepare a pizza pan or cookie sheet for the crust by lightly spraying it with non-stick cooking spray, then sprinkling on a handful or yellow cornmeal. Press the pizza dough into the pan until it is the desired thickness. (We used a full size cookie sheet and ended up with a nice, thin crust.) Scatter the butternut squash mixture over the crust. Sprinkle on the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Slice it up and serve!

Not only is this dish completely yummy, but it is wonderfully fragrant, too. It will scent your whole home with the terrific smell of fresh thyme. Try cutting this up into narrow slices at your next cocktail party. Or, serve it with a fresh fruit salad for a delicious brunch. You’ll never want to go back to flavorless prepared foods again.

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Keep Your Backyard Safe From Bird Disease

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

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If you are a Bird Lover, you have certainly by now discovered the joys of attracting these lovely little creatures to your home with a bird feeder. Birds add life and color to our backyards, and fill them with song. But did you know that how you care for your bird feeder is just as important as what feed you use? You can use a variety of different foods to attract birds to your backyard. But regardless of with what you fill your feeders, make sure to follow these safety tips to keep your bird feeders clean, and your backyard free from avian illness.

Step 1: Remove Old or Rotten Seed

Bird seed gets spread around where birds congregate. So make sure to check the ground beneath your feeders. Remove any old, damp, or rotten bird food that you see. If the ground is contaminated with bird droppings, make sure to do some cleanup. This may mean re-mulching or re-graveling the area.

Step 2: Soak Your Feeders

Perch! Bird Feeder

Perch! Bird Feeder

You must clean your bird feeders at least once per month order to keep them free from bacteria, mold, and other contaminants. Glass and ceramic feeders, such as the gorgeous Perch! Bird Feeder, may be soaked with one part bleach to nine parts hot water. After soaking the feeder, rinse it with clean water for at least 10 seconds to remove any chemical residue.

Step 3: Use Proper Equipment to Give a Good Scrub

A stiff wire brush is a good tool to have for this task. Since we are big proponents of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra, we think that an old toothbrush works just as well for this task. Just make sure that you clean the toothbrush itself after using it on your bird feeder, and don’t use it for any other cleanup jobs around the house.

Step 4: Clean All Parts of the Feeder

Make sure to thoroughly clean all parts of your bird feeder. This means that if you have a feeder that is driven into the ground, such as the Glass Bird Feeding Table, you will need to clean the steel rod upon which it rests. Don’t worry, cleaning the rod is an easy task. Just fill a spray bottle with the bleach solution previously mentioned. Or, to protect grass beneath your bird feeder, fill a spray bottle with a mild solution of unscented dish detergent instead.

Eva Solo's Glass Bird Feeding Table

Eva Solo's Glass Bird Feeding Table

Step 5: Protect Yourself

Always wear rubber gloves when cleaning your bird feeders! This is very important because certain bird illnesses, such as West Nile Virus and Salmonella, can spread to humans. Wash your hands thoroughly after you remove your rubber gloves.

Step 6: Keep a Watchful Eye

Sick birds do not always exhibit outward symptoms. In the case that illness is manifesting itself symptomatically, you may notice birds with swollen eyes or membranes, poor reaction to human presence, trouble breathing, or erratic behavior. All birders will occasionally find a dead bird at or near the feeder. However, if you find more than one bird in a short period of time, or if you find several birds of the same species that have been affected, contact your local wildlife services office. Do not bring a sick or dead bird into your home under any circumstances.

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Decrease Your Cold Weather Carbon Footprint

Monday, February 15th, 2010
Winter Footprint

Photo source: collegian.com

No doubt you’ve heard the term “carbon footprint” floating around lately. But what exactly does this term mean? Well, it is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases that are released into the environment as a result of human activities. It is referred to as a “carbon footprint” because it is measured in units of carbon dioxide.

As you may suspect, people tend to create a larger carbon footprint during the winter time, when thermostats are cranked up, and we spend much greater amount of time indoors. But there are a few simple steps we can all take in order to lessen our carbon footprint during the winter months.  If you’re a person who likes to visualize your environmental impact, calculate your baseline using The Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Footprint Calculator, then check back after a few months once you’ve implemented our suggestions to see your improvement.

Unplug:

img110Appliances such as your coffee maker can continue to draw up to 25% off their electricity usage when they are switched off. To kill this extra energy consumption, make sure to unplug appliances when they are not in use. In the winter, this definitely goes for your space heater, as well as your electric tea kettle.

Lighting Alternatives:

Modern Solar Lanterns

Modern Solar Lanterns

When it gets dark at 5:00 pm, we all feel inclined to turn on all of the lights in our homes. If you are flicking on incandescent bulbs, you are using a known energy gobbler. Try switching out your bulbs to fluorescent ones, which are an efficient alternative. For ambient lighting, turn off the bulbs and instead go for some fragrant flickering candles. And for outdoor lighting, you’ve got to try the Modern Solar Lanterns. These lanterns soak up energy into solar panels during the day, then automatically light up at night. All it takes to power them is a single rechargable AAA battery. So efficient!

Adjust Your Thermostat:

6a00d83451dceb69e200e55133e0cc8833-800wiTry to keep your thermostat under 68 degrees. Each degree set below 68°F (20°C) during colder weather uses 3 to 5 percent less heating energy than each degree set above 68°F. How can you keep your house warm without cranking up the heat? Change out your breezy linen curtains for heavier draperies, and make sure to seal up all the cracks around your doors and windows. It will also help to make sure your attic is well insulated. Hot air rises, and cold air drops, so if the space above you isn’t well insulated, this cold is descending right down on you.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

gogreen-general

You’ve probably been hearing this maxim for years, but do you know how to effectively apply it? In order to truly adopt a green lifestyle, we must all apply not one, not two, but all three of these principles into our daily lives. If you’re feeling a little intimidated and aren’t sure where to start to make a positive change, Nancy H. Taylor has written a super helpful book for you. It’s called Go Green, and it presents simple solutions that any person can adapt to fit his or her lifestyle.

Carpool:

yellow-car_lg

Blustery weather may prevent you from waiting at the bus stop, walking, and riding your bike. If this is the case, consider carpooling. This is a really practical way to conserve energy, and it can mean major monetary savings, too. Try sticking a memo up in the breakroom at work. You are sure to find other people who are interested in carpooling and saving money as well.

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