Earth Day

Source

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd share an update of the post I did here where I shared some of the ways I try to live lightly and sustainably on the earth.

Energy

• heat with wood using dead wood from the farm and wood given to us from tree trimming
• turn down the heat at night to save wood
• use flannel sheets in the winter; smooth cotton in the summer
• turn off lights when not in a room
• turn on lights only when necessary
• set thermostat to 81 degrees in summer
• use ceiling fans in summer
• transitioned to compact fluorescent lights for the lights we use regularly
• unplug energy vampires
• plan errands to save on gas
• don't use unnecessary appliances (e.g. electric can opener)

Shopping

• plan/group errands to save on gas
• use own shopping bags
• shop for groceries at Aldi when I can't buy in bulk because shoppers are expected to use their own bags (or pay for them if you don't) and because I like the corporate ethic
• don't buy frivolous items or engage in recreational shopping
• buy used items when possible
• buy paper products made from recycled paper

Pets

• our current cat doesn't use a litter box and goes outside to do his business
• don't use flea preparations unless absolutely necessary
• only get necessary vaccinations for pets
• make dog food from venison and vegetables from farm, supplemented with brown rice and oatmeal
• plan to make dog shampoo using soapnuts, essential oils, and neem oil to deter fleas

Laundry

• have been using 7th Generation powdered detergent that comes in cardboard boxes (need to return to using soap nuts and essential oils)
• use an environmentally-friendly stain remover
• hang most of our laundry to dry by hanging clothes on new outdoor clothesline, hangers in laundry room, and laundry rack set up in bathtub
• wash/dry full loads
• wear jeans and sweaters more than once
• compost dryer lint
• recycle any containers
• still plan to make own laundry soap for heavily soiled clothes

Bathroom

• make my own cleaners
• use rags for cleaning (made from worn out t-shirts, sheets, and towels)
• use toilet paper made from recycled paper

Personal Care

• use bar soap, shampoo, and conditioner (the soap and shampoo are packaged in paper; I need to find a source that packages conditioner bars in paper)
• tried locally made bar soap on my hair with no negative results so I might eliminate the bar shampoo
• might try the "no poo" shampoo method that uses baking soda and apple cider vinegar, although if plain soap becomes a good substitute for the bar shampoo, I might just try the vinegar rinse to replace the conditioner bar
• use carrier oils to moisturize my face and body (I'm using the last of my almond oil and will find a more environmentally friendly oil to replace it)
• make makeup remover
• make deodorant
• make toothpaste
• plan to try olive oil based soap a recommended by Ariana Schwartz in Paris to Go
• make own liquid hand soap
• buy natural mascara
• use other cosmetics sparingly and buy organic when possible
• let hair air dry
• use paper-based cotton swabs
• have embraced my graying hair
• still plan to switch to bar soap for hands in the master bathroom
• Bill uses a safety razor, shaving soap, mug, and brush
• bought a vintage Lady Gillette and use it with regular double-edged razor blades
• shave with bar soap

Kitchen

• grow much of our own food using chemical-free methods, of course
• Bill hunts, fishes, and raises his own animals for meat
• compost
• cook from scratch
• need to return to making rice milk once my replacement part for my blender arrives
• bake bread and do it in bulk to conserve energy
• make croutons from homemade bread
• grow micro-greens and sprouts inside
• make salad dressing
• make vanilla extract
• need to return to making vegetable stock
• brew iced tea from organic, fair trade, loose tea leaves using green and black teas, plus rooibos
• plan to make my own hot tea blends (I bought bulk herbs to do this and did a swap of excess with a friend)
• need to return to buying milk in glass bottles from Virginia dairy
• buy in bulk using own containers
• buy online when it makes sense to save the gas and wear on vehicle, and instead to let the regular UPS truck deliver the goods
• use cloth napkins
• avoid use of paper/plastic cups, plates, utensils when we entertain a crowd
• make my own cleaners
• use rags
• use paper towels made from recycled paper when necessary
• store leftovers in reusable, lidded containers
• wash and reuse ziplock bags when possible
• wash and reuse aluminum foil
• use dried beans most of the time, purchased in bulk when possible
• use kitchen cloths rather than synthetic sponges
• use copper scrubbers that can be recycled when worn out (this I learned from reading Bea Johnson's Zero Waste Home)
• use produce netting (such as from onions) as scrubbers when the copper is too harsh
• use dishwasher to wash full loads of dishes

Office

• buy printer paper made from recycled paper
• use printer only when necessary
• recycle ink cartridges
• print in greyscale/draft mode whenever possible
• use scrap paper
• print 2-sided when possible
• turn off printer when not in use
• turn off laptop at night
• receive paperless statements for credit cards
• pay bills online when possible
• use refillable mechanical pencil
• I've tried using electronic sources for my various lists and calendar but it doesn't work for me; I need to see it on paper

General

• recycle whenever possible
• reduce packaging (especially plastic) whenever possible
• compost whenever possible
• use various used plastic bags to line trashcans
• drive only when necessary and plan trips to take care of several errands at one time
• limit spending to necessities plus an occasional treat
• buy energy efficient appliances and electronics when old ones need replacing
• buy used electronics when possible (just replaced my e-reader with one I bought on Ebay)
• keep vehicles as long as possible by doing routine maintenance
• use library resources, including ebooks and online magazines
• have some living plants in the house to clean the air

Any tips or suggestions?

Monday Morning Amusement

This commercial made me smile:

Quote for the Day

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

~Aldo Leopold

Farm Update

Friday got away from me so I didn't do a "Farm Friday." I spent the morning and part of the afternoon making deliveries. When I got home, I had a late lunch and then, unfortunately, got ready to go to the funeral of an acquaintance. So here's a quick rundown of random event and thoughts from the past week:

It's morel mushroom season here and Bill and I have risked tick bites in our quest to find them. We searched one of our pastures a few times and went into the woods near our chicken house. No luck so far. We've never found morels and are determined to find some of those illusive mushrooms this year. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this is what morels look like:

Source

I finished reading Dirty Chick:  Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer by Antonia Murphy. Although she has somewhat of a potty mouth, which can be off putting at times, she had me at the first sentence in the book:  "As I watched my goat eat her placenta, I was mostly impressed." I knew she was someone who was really living the life.

We got our potatoes planted, although had to miss hearing Joshua DuBois, author of The President's Devotional: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama, speak in order to get everything in the ground before the rain came. The rain ended up washing away some of our work - but not all.

We finally got the place where we get our GMO-free animal feed to deliver to our farm. We combined orders with two other nearby farms in order to meet the minimum order. It sure beats driving 2 1/2 hours each way plus having to worry about slowing traffic, a truck breakdown, and weather issues.

We're encouraged by the number of small sustainable farms that are springing up in our community. Unfortunately, we are a threat to some of more powerful interests and they're doing all they can to expand industrial farming and quash the local ones (the vertical integrated poultry processing facility and associated poultry houses that they're pushing in our community is one example). I read with interest David Korten's analysis of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that could make it illegal for governments (national and local) to support local agriculture and other local businesses. Did we not learn from NAFTA that these agreements are bad? They move jobs to other countries where the workers there are essentially slaves, destroy local agriculture as the farmers cannot compete with the cheap imported food, and they turn our natural resources into commodities. I envision it as a giant monster truck, with no rear view mirrors, that has a Pacman-type apparatus on the front, barreling along eating everything in its path. Is this what we want for our world?

I've been working around the farm house, weeding the flower beds and planting some gladiola bulbs. I finally got two azalea bushes in the ground - they had been neglected in pots forever - and one is blooming! I'm going to plant some annuals around the flower beds, as well. My sage died so I bought a couple of new plants to get a jump on the season. I'm also growing some from seed, along with a few other herbs and flowers. We're going to install two more raised beds at the farm house that will be used as a demonstration at our open house next Saturday

The asparagus is coming up and our customers are so excited that we sold out the first week. Chilly, rainy weather slowed the growth but it has started picking up again today now that the weather is nice.

I've been experimenting with my iced tea, trying to make it healthier. In the past I combined a little green tea with the black tea. This week I combined 1/3 green tea, 1/3 black tea, and 1/3 rooibos (all fair trade, of course) for a delicious and more healthy beverage. Soon I'll be working on hot tea combinations since I now have a number of dried herbs to work with.

Have a great week!

Taste of Tuesday

I has been a while since I've done a "Taste of Tuesday" post, but one of my readers asked about my bread recipes so I thought I'd share them. I make two kinds of bread - a nice crusty one and a standard sandwich-type bread. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Once upon a time ago, I was afraid of bread - yeast bread, that is. Years ago I had attempted it and ended up with a brick, so I stuck with quick breads. But then I got brave and purchased a used bread machine at a thrift shop. I was excited when I turned out my first loaf. However, it still wasn't exactly what I wanted. Then I started reading about an easy-to-make crusty bread (I believe Mark Bittman started it). I read that anyone could make this kind of bread. I thought that I fell into the anyone category so I gave it a try. I was so excited when it turned out the way it was supposed to that I took a photo of it

Then I decided to try a different, more traditional kind of bread, the kind that works best in the summer for tomato sandwiches. I've been so happy with the results that I have only bought about 2 loaves of bread in the last year (or maybe longer). I'm far from an expert on bread, though. I'm not sure of the science behind it. I do know that different kinds of flour require different amounts of water. My bread never seems to come out the same each time; but no matter the result, I find it far superior in taste to anything you can get at the grocery store - and much cheaper. Below are my two favorite recipes right now.

My first loaf of rustic bread

Rustic Artisan Bread (No Knead)

3 cups flour (you can experiment with different types)

¼ teaspoon yeast

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ¾ - 2  cups water (enough to make dough shaggy)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover, and set aside for about 15 hours. Knead it briefly, cover, and let sit another 1 to 2 hours. Heat a covered baking dish (either a Pyrex-style or enameled cast iron pan with a lid and large enough to hold the dough) in a 450° F oven for 30 minutes. Carefully remove hot pan from oven, remove lid, sprinkle some flour in the bottom, add dough, cover, and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then turn bread onto cooling rack.

My first loaf of sandwich-style bread

One Hour Homemade Bread

5 1/4 cups white bread flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 rounded tablespoons instant yeast

1 1/2 tablespoons oil

2 cups warm water (somewhere between 100 and 115° F)

Mix dry ingredients.  Add oil and water.  Mix for 1 minute and then check the consistency of the dough.  The dough should be very sticky.  If it is too dry, add more water. Mix for 5 minutes.  (Do not add any more flour after the dough has finished mixing.) Lightly oil kneading surface and turn dough out onto surface.  Briefly knead dough until it is smooth. Divide dough into two pieces and place in greased loaf pans.  Cover with a large dish towel, place in warm spot, and let rise for 25 minutes. Just before loaves finish rising, preheat oven to 350° F. Bake loaves for 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Bon appetit!

Monday Morning Amusement

Fortunately, I missed a few of these fads:

Quote for the Day

"The gross national product [now GDP] includes air pollution and for cigarettes and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors, and jails for the people who break them....It does not allow for the health of our families, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play."

~Robert Kennedy