12 foods with greater pesticide residue

Thanks to Sayward of Bonzai Aphrodite for bringing this article to my attention.  It’s a list of fruits and vegetables that absorb more pesticide than others and the article suggests that the organic versions of these are better candidates than their non-organic counterparts for your grocery cart.

Unfortunately for me, there are many on that list I happen to love, especially strawberries, bell peppers, potatoes, and spinach.   But if I simply must eat organic strawberries, I suppose I will do what is necessary.   😉

Posted in consumer issues, farms, food, gardening, organic | 1 Comment

Climate change, greener living, energy, and controversy

This post will be slightly more political than what you have come to expect from Green In Oak Park.  Fair warning.

How many changes have we seen in the mainstream environmental movement since the 1970s, which is when it first entered the public consciousness? Does anyone remember Woodsy the Owl?

Woodsy the Owl was created for the first Earth Day in 1970. Back in the 70s, we saw Woodsy on television, and we saw public service announcements reminding us not to litter, but we were still driving cars running on leaded gasoline and in general not paying much attention to our energy usage until the speed limit was temporarily lowered to 55 mph. In the 80s, the most prominent environmental issue that I remember was acid rain, in large part caused by manufacturing and motor vehicle emissions. Does anyone remember this episode of Diff’rent Strokes when Kimberly washed her hair with rainwater and it turned green?

Certainly not the most cerebral treatment of the subject, but not bad for an 80s kids’ show.

So these days the prominent issue of the day is climate change.

The issue has become highly politicized.  On one side we have true believers who think we need to stop and reverse climate change right now, and the other side believes it’s a bunch of hooey.  In a more or less wide swath in the middle, we have the undecided, and I’m including those who lean one way or the other but have not fully made up their minds in that group.

In the interests of full disclosure, I’ll tell you that I side with those who believe in climate change.  Just like everyone else who pays attention to the news, I know about Climategate, but for many reasons I don’t think the investigation into it demonstrated any data manipulation and an independent UK Panel cleared the researchers as well.  As far as I can tell, the evidence for man-made climate change far outweighs the evidence for the opposite conclusion.

Other than legislators who write laws to affect climate change and CEOs of companies that emit greenhouse gases, do I need to convince anyone that climate change is real?  What about the everyday person?  I don’t believe I need to convince that person, and The Frugal Girl – who herself is not convinced of climate change – agrees with me.  Her skepticism isn’t changing her family’s habits, and as she notes, there are plenty of other reasons to live green.  Those reasons happen, in most cases, to align with the goals and reasons of those who live a greener life because of climate change anyway.  Reducing energy usage, finding cleaner alternative sources of energy, and protecting our land, water, and air are all worthy goals just the same.  I assume my readers agree, or else they wouldn’t bother reading.

My ultimate point is that you can live a greener life and have some skepticism about climate change or even not believe in climate change at all.  Those are not inconsistent or contradictory viewpoints.

Finding alternative sources of energy is timely right now not only because Earth Day has just passed, but also because of a more serious situation we have going on right now.  I’m talking about the April 21 oil rig explosion that has caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf.  Eleven people are have been missing since and are presumed dead, stopping the leak could take weeks, the impact on wildlife cannot be overstated, and already economically-depressed regions in the South will take a very large financial hit.

In short, the severity of this disaster – ecologically, environmentally, and financially – is difficult to exaggerate.

If the United States, the country that uses the most oil by far including taking per capita data into account cannot manage an about-face and start using alternative energy sources right now, our level of usage will necessitate future offshore drilling to keep up.  Is this the price we pay?  I believe, especially given that we have other sources of energy, this price is too high.

You also don’t have to believe in climate change to see the situation in the Gulf as the horror that it is.

Posted in alternative energy, conservation, current events, meta, philosophy | 1 Comment

Breakfast burritos from The Simple Dollar

What’s this?

It’s a breakfast burrito made with the recipe at The Simple Dollar. Mine have scrambled eggs, some hot sauce, black beans, green and red peppers, spices, salsa, and salt and pepper. I soaked and cooked my own dried bulk black beans to save a bit of money, and I omitted the optional cheese. Like Trent of The Simple Dollar, I use whole wheat tortillas as well. There are now about 30 in freezer bags in my freezer.

For greener options, I would suggest using plastic bags that can be reused, such as Ziplocs you wash out. They don’t get that dirty if the burritos are wrapped well. Or, if you have the required freezer space, you could freeze them on a cookie sheet and put them directly in a freezer bag or reusable container instead of wrapping them in plastic wrap first. Also, while I haven’t yet tried it, I wonder if cheesecloth that can be washed would work in place of paper towels. Other suggestions for reusable paper towel substitutes in the comments are more than welcome.

So if you were wondering if these are good, they are. They’re tasty and have plenty of protein. At our house, they’re not usually a breakfast food – they’re an “I’m too tired/lazy to cook” anytime food.

What bulk foods do you freeze?

Posted in food, food storage, frugal | Leave a comment

What easy changes have you made?

I tend bring my breakfast and my lunch to work and eat them at my desk out of Pyrex bowls, whether I microwave my lunch or eat it cold. I drink my coffee out of my coffee mug instead of pouring it into a styrofoam cup. I have inexpensive flatware I use, and I brought a sponge and dish soap to work so I can wash all of these dishes daily. When I do, I try to use as little water as I can to get them clean, and I bring home anything I can compost.

All these reusable items are good, as they mean much less material used and a lot less thrown out. But I noticed that I was consistently using the paper towels at work to dry my dishes and to dry my hands after washing them. This was easy to fix – I have several dish towels I got from freecycle months ago, and I brought one in. I’ll take it home once in a while and toss it in the laundry, but actually it stays pretty clean because I spread it out to dry every day and it doesn’t dry anything more than clean dishes and clean hands anyway.

And speaking of sponges and cleaning, if you have a dishwasher, it’s easy enough to put a sponge in it to clean and sanitize it. I’m thinking about switching to reusable dish cloths, and those can be thrown in the laundry.

In the years before reusable grocery bags became widely available, I also used to bring my lunch to work in a plastic grocery bag, but now I don’t have that option. It forces me to find a greener solution, and I use an insulated lunch bag now.

Some changes are difficult, and some aren’t. These are simple changes, mostly free, and they don’t affect my quality of life at all. What are some simple, easy changes you’ve made? What changes are you considering?

Posted in conservation, reducing waste, reusing | Leave a comment

Frugal compost bin and Bokashi beginnings

Want to compost, but don’t want to shell out $100-$300 for a compost bin?  Short on space?  Check out You Grow Girl’s guide to Urban Composting and learn to make a compost bin out of a large Rubbermaid container.

Meanwhile, my Bokashi bin arrived.

It’s under the kitchen sink currently and has only the first layer of actual Bokashi in it. No food scraps yet.  The smell of the actual Bokashi is pretty strong, I will say. It’s not foul, but it’s sweet and smells like fermentation.  I’ll update as I go along., and I’m really hoping this works well to eliminate food in the garbage.

Posted in bokashi, composting, small spaces | Leave a comment

Frugal strawberry freezer jam, while supplies last

Did you know there’s currently a glut of strawberries on the market in the United States?  Florida’s strawberry crop was delayed by cold and it has produced not only an overabundance of crop, but this year it also coincided with California’s peak.  This means strawberry farmers have lots to sell at at a lower price per unit than usual.  Strawberries are rarely cheap, but they’re cheaper than usual right now.  This isn’t local produce for most of us, but these farmers do need to sell their crops, and I for one am happy to help them do just that.

Of course, unless you preserve them in some way, you can’t eat them year-round, and while it seems impossible for those of us who love strawberries to have too much, it is possible.

An easy way to preserve strawberries is with freezer jam.  What’s freezer jam and how do you make it?  Freezer jam is regular fruit jam that you store in the freezer rather than can and put on a shelf.  It also couldn’t be much easier to make.

What you’ll need (and change proportions as necessary):

– 4 cups of mashed strawberries (measure after you mash)
– 2-3 cups of sugar, or use the proportionate amount of sugar substitute such as honey if you prefer
– 3/4 cup water
– about 1oz low sugar pectin

Mash the strawberries.  I used a potato masher. Behold the strawberry carnage:

My apologies to younger and/or more sensitive viewers.

Add the sugar to the strawberries, stir for a few minutes, then let them sit for 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring your water to a boil, mix in the pectin, and let it boil for 1-2 minutes.  Pour the water mixture into the bowl with the strawberries and stir with a whisk until it starts to form a gel.  It won’t be as thick as regular cooked jam, by the way.  Place it in glass jars or other containers that are freezer-ready:

I planned to use some jars from relish as those were what I had, but even after a cycle in the dishwasher, the caps at least still smelled like relish.  Next time I have less stinky jars, I’ll use those. For now, however, I used canning jars.

Then, leave them out for 24 hours and store what you’re using right away in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.  It should keep for a year in the freezer and for about a week in the fridge.  You can use this as topping for ice cream, on toast or muffins, or as a substitute for syrup on pancakes.

This recipe was based on the Sure-Jell pectin package instructions, but if you buy a different kind, I recommend using their instructions instead.  Also, I’m going to remove some of the jam from these so that the level is below the shoulder.  I don’t have small straight jars, and Ball recommends that you not use ones with “shoulders”, as they can crack when the liquid inside expands as it freezes.

What else can you do with strawberries, besides eat them straight?  You can make one of my favorite treats.

These are strawberries with balsamic vinegar from Oak Park’s farmer’s market, black pepper, and homemade whipped cream.  If you’ve never eaten strawberries this way, I’m sure putting balsamic vinegar and pepper on them sounds really odd, but trust me when I say it’s delicious.  The acidity of the vinegar truly brings out the sweetness and flavor of the strawberries, and as a bonus, balsamic vinegar keeps almost forever.  For a less sweet version, you can substitute crème fraiche.

How do you make homemade whipped cream?  That’s even easier than freezer jam.

What you’ll need (and as always, change amounts but keep proportions as necessary):

– 2 cups of whipping cream, which is about what you get out of a half-pint
– 3 tablespoons of sugar
– 1 tsp of vanilla extract

You can do this one of two ways. You can beat the cream on high with an electric mixer until it thickens and then mix in the sugar and vanilla, or you can add everything to the bowl at once and mix with the mixer on high. I make it with the latter method and it still turns out delicious. It doesn’t keep very long in the fridge, probably 3 days at the maximum, so be sure to use it quickly.

Happy eating, everyone.

Posted in food, frugal | 2 Comments

A funny thing happened on the way to Oak Park Earth Fest

As I walked to Oak Park Earth Fest yesterday morning, I met a beautiful rain barrel.

It didn’t say anything – which would have caused me to question what was in my morning coffee – and isn’t in the traditional spot, i.e., under a gutter downspout.  I’m guessing it’s there to promote awareness.

Is this your rain barrel?  Let me know in the comments if so.

Anyway, once I was there, I met lots of people who did talk, including Jason LaFleur of EcoAchievers.

Thanks for letting me get a photo, Jason.  He and I talked for a while and he told me about the first LEED certified home in Oak Park.  We actually have one, which is exciting.  It replaced a home that was in very bad shape, it’s built stylistically to blend in with the neighborhood and Oak Park, and similar homes are slowly but surely popping up all over.  To learn more about LEED, I suggest reading their intro page, but suffice it to say that it’s an actual measurable way to build green with standards and a point system.  It’s one thing to go for the green option when building, but it’s another  to base it on sound science, and LEED does just that. 

I also talked with Dave of the Green Block 300 S Humphrey (no website yet).  They started with a green block party and are making incremental changes from there.  I’d like to chat more with them in the near future.

Urban Sprout Gardens is a new local business that designs and installs edible gardens, and I hope to talk to them some more soon as well. I love growing my own food, so this is right in line with my own ideals.

Jennifer Murtoff of Home To Roost provides consultations on keeping chickens in an urban area. Her next event is the Urban Chicken Check-Up at the Animal Care League where she will teach you to do an external exam on your chicken(s).  Given that we don’t have too many vets around who provide care to chickens, this is a valuable skill to have.  The class is at the Animal Care League at 1013 Garfield from 3-4pm today.  Cost is $20 per person but you can bring a friend for free. Call 708-524-5038 to register.

 Aaron Adams of Chicago Solar Architects  talked with me a bit about their company’s services. Looking to do solar panels, rain water management, harnessing wind for energy, that kind of thing?  They look like the place to go and they’re right here in Oak Park.  I suspect that green energy will become more commonplace and more affordable in the near future.

I tried to get some more pictures, but oddly enough my camera occasionally decides that it doesn’t like rechargeable batteries.  None of my spares worked either.  I went to an event celebrating Earth Day and my camera rejects my rechargeable batteries – no need for more irony this week, as I’ve had my fill.  Among other photos, I wanted to get pictures of the worm compost bin on display at the Green Home Experts, which is not as gross as you may be thinking, by the way.  I tried twice, in fact, but no joy.  Ah well.  Still, it was a great day and I can’t wait to see where we are as a community next year.

Posted in events, local businesses, Oak Park | Leave a comment

Install a retro dual-flush kit for about $30

Here is an article on hubpages.com about installing a dual-flush kit for your toilet for about $30 rather than the usual $300 it costs to buy a new dual-flush toilet.

Posted in conservation, diy | Leave a comment

Catherine Mohr on the science of green building

Catherine Mohr is a robotics scientist and she spoke at TED recently about what makes the bigger difference and what doesn’t.

She makes good points.  I’ll follow up by saying this:  we all have an impact on the earth and a footprint.  If we’re going to do something, like building a house, it’s better that we maximize energy efficiency and use sustainably-produced materials as responsibly as possible.  But we’re not going to achieve perfection. You have no negative impact only if you are a plant, and if you want to count water usage, you could argue that even that’s not true.  So while we ought to base our decisions on actual measurable goals and back up those decisions with sound science, I don’t believe we ought to let the perfect become the enemy of the good.  It’s preferable to do better and to improve than to scrap it all because we’ll never be perfectly green.

By the way, a short presentation such as the one at TED allows only for a simplified version of events. To see more about the process of building Catherine and Paul Mohr’s house, check out their blog at 301monroe.com.

Posted in green building, meta, philosophy | Leave a comment

Build your own vegetable trellis

From thevegetablegardener.com – DIY A-Frame Veggie Trellis

Good for gardening in small spaces.  If I did this, I’d probably weather stain the wood with greener alternatives to keep it going longer and if I didn’t have scrap wood that was going to be wasted, I’d try to use FSC-certified wood.

Posted in diy, gardening, small spaces | Leave a comment