Baking Food from Scratch

Baking from scratch has slowly become one of my favorite things to do. Dan and I agree that the food  from scratch tastes so much better than the products from the store. The food is fresh, doesn't have preservatives or extra chemicals, and I'll admit I feel an internal pride after making a recipe. I feel amazed every time my product is finished. I always think, "Wow! I just made that!" I will also admit that not everything looks perfect the first time I make it. Or even the second time. But it takes practice to learn everything. I'm happy as long as it tastes good!

I've regularly started making the following foods: various types of bread, bagels, tortillas, pizza dough, any baked treats like cookies and brownies, granola bars, and Alfredo sauce. I also don't find any of these foods that timely to make. Bread seems like it would take a long time to make, but in reality you actually spend more time waiting for the bread to rise than you do prepping it. You can mix in other chores or activities during rise or baking times. That's what I like to do.

I have an ever-growing list of foods I want to start making from scratch. I need to start writing these items down because I'm always forgetting the next thing I want to try.  Just a few things I want to try are salsa, ricotta cheese, butter, and pasta. I'll be posting some cooking and baking posts in the future.

By the way, another incentive to make things at home is how great your house smells! I'm always so anxious waiting for the foods to finish cooking or baking. I want to taste everything as soon as possible!

Gardening Books

We've spent lots of time this winter learning as much as we can about vegetable gardening. The internet has always been our main resource for learning new things.  (We enjoy do-it-yourself projects and spend time reading about what other people have done before attempting anything ourselves).

We quickly realized that many websites didn't seem as easy to navigate as books. (Or maybe we just haven't found a website that we really like yet). I think that since we are starting from the beginning, we need information organized in different manner. It's so easy to get distracted and jump ahead on a webpage. A book is organized so you can very easily navigate through the whole process and find where you were if do happen to jump ahead.

So far we've been using two main books to guide us through our planning and research.

1. Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy, written by Ed Hume

This book has been really helpful since the focus is on the region we live in. We're learning what plants might not grow as well here, which plants should grow well, when to plant everything and various other tips. We haven't read this book cover to cover. Whenever we have a question we just flip through to find the answer. (Although, then we usually end up reading extra sections because we think of new questions). This seems to work the best for us right now - it makes the learning process less overwhelming.

2. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Region, written by Edward C. Smith 

As you can see on the front cover to the left, Ed Smith's W-O-R-D system is an acronym for Wide Rows, Organic Methods, Raised Beds, and Deep Soil. We have noticed that his recommendations for spacing between plants is larger than some of Ed Hume's recommendation or those that we find online. We usually take the average of all the recommendations. It isn't often that the sources recommend the same. We've really enjoyed this book. It's helping us learn the whole process of planning, organizing, and growing a vegetable garden. Information is very easy to find.

Over the weekend we went to a bookstore to browse other gardening books. Here's a small list of the things we like to see in books:

-  Chapters organized in a logical manner (ie, the process of gardening from beginning to end).

-  Pictures. I feel like a child wanting a picture book but I think it's really helpful for the beginning gardener.

-  The average yield from each plant. This is probably the information that has been the most difficult to find! A lot of books recommend X amount of feet of plants per person, but we want to know how much to expect off each of those plants. We plan on keeping track of our yield this year. 

-  Key information boxes for each plant. These boxes allow for the reader to quickly find answers to their questions and are a way to keep important information organized. This box often contains information such as companion planting, spacing between plants, and the required hours of sunlight. 

-  A long-term source. Some of the books were so simplistic we don't think it would be useful after a year or two. While we do admit we're beginners, we also want a book that we can grow with as we gain experience. We don't want to have to purchase a new book every few years. 

What gardening resources do you use? Do you have a website you love? Are there any books you recommend (especially for beginners!)?

Lunchskins - 3 Green Moms

    We're always looking for ways to reduce one time use items, such as cheap plastic baggies or paper towels. We bought a reusable sandwich bag about a year ago and we love it. It has held up very well and the material is not like the heavy plastic ones you see. It is made from a food safe fabric instead of plastic, and is free of the chemicals that should be avoided: lead, BPA and phthalate. It fits a full size sandwich without cramming it in and does well with snacks like cut apples or carrots. Check them out at Lunchskins.com.

Planning our 2010 Vegetable Garden

This is the first year we'll be planting a vegetable garden. Our garden is growing larger every day. We don't expect everything we grow to be successful, but it would be a bonus if it is! We're dreaming of a great summer and fall harvest, where we'll be able to eat most of the food we eat directly from our garden. 

As we read more about gardening, we realize there are more steps than we originally thought. Every time we figure something out, it leads to new questions.

Things we have to think about and plan so far:

1. Starting seeds indoors

   - Just a few of the questions we've had to ask ourselves are: Where are we going to do this? How much space do we need? How much do we plant? What is the cost of the supplies? How do we stay organized? How do we make sure the plants get enough light?

2. Placement of garden outdoors

   - When we bought our house, there was already a vegetable garden in place. It was fenced in and approximately 25 feet by 20 feet. We thought we'd just use that space for our garden. But we realized we need more space for the size of the garden we are planning. So far we've had to think about how much sunlight the area receives, if any trees will be blocking that sunlight, how to keep animals out, the cost of making the garden bigger and how we will arrange the garden beds in this space. 

3. Cost of gardening supplies

   - Our plan is to build garden beds because it will help us get a better harvest. We also like how organized everything looks in raised beds. But this also an additional cost. We have to buy lumber for 9 beds and soil to put in the beds. Thankfully, we're not building this garden as a way to save money. We do think the costs will balance out someday but not the first year. 

4. Placement of plants in the beds

   - We're having to ask ourselves how much food we're wanting to yield from our plants. How many rows of each vegetable/fruit do we want to plant? Every plant has good and bad companions to consider. Does the plant grow tall and will it block the light if there are plants behind it? How much spacing is required between each seed? It the plant okay with some partial shade? Does the plant tend to "takeover" the bed, so should it just have it's own bed?

5. Transfer of plants indoors to the garden beds

    - What is the last frost date for our area? How do we transfer the plants to the outdoors? When do the plants need to be transferred?

6. Pests and diseases
   - What are common pests and diseases in our area? What do we look for to know if our plants are  infected? What natural remedies are there to prevent or get rid of the pests or disease?

One conclusion we've come to is that organization is key! A special gardening calendar and spreadsheets will be our friends while we figure everything out.

Author: Cheryl

Building a Rain Barrel

 

We built our first two rain barrels to see how they work for us and if we like them. It rained the day after we built them and we filled two 55 gallon wine barrels in about 5 hours of constant rain. As soon as we saw they were full, we both got excited about how much rain we could harvest and everything we can do with it. With a new vegetable garden we'll be able to water our plants without worrying about a high water bill. 

We chose used wine barrels for a few reasons. We think they look better than large plastic barrels, especially the blue ones. It's reusing the barrels after they can no longer be used for wine, and the price is reasonable. The barrels costs $60 each, the hardware and fittings are about $10.

We re-routed our down spout to the top of the barrel. There is a 3" hole in the top, with a screen mesh covering it to keep out large debris. The mesh was a piece of screen from a screen door. Next we drilled a 3/4" hole near the bottom and installed the water valve with a rubber washer behind it. There are two screws holding it to the barrel. On the side of the barrel, there is a 90 degree elbow and clear tube attached to measure the level of the water inside the barrel. The final step that is not in the photo is an overflow pipe connected to the top of the barrel on the side and it runs back to the old downspout drain pipe. 

In the future, I'd like to add a "first flush" to the down spout. This allows the water from the first rain of the season to bypass the barrel. This water is usually the dirtiest water and this will divert this water. We as found it is better to use metal fittings when screwing into the wood barrel instead of plastic fittings.

IMPORTANT: Do not connect the overflow tube to the end of the level tube. Once the barrel fills up it will siphon the water out of the level tube and drain about half of the barrel. First I thought it was a leaking barrel, but both barrels were exactly the same.

Author: Dan

Super Size Me

Super Size Me was released in 2004 and was directed by Morgan Spurlock. The basic idea was that he would eat McDonald's for 30 days and see what changes occurred to his physical and psychological health. There were additional rules he followed like agreeing to "supersize" the meal if the cashier asked and he did not partake in any physical exercise. The final results were quite surprising, especially for those who know little about nutrition. In one month he managed to gain 24.5 pounds. His psychological health changed as he experienced mood swings. His physical health also suffered.

We first watched Super Size Me when it was released on DVD. I clearly remember after watching the movie that we both felt the need to take a walk. We walked around for about an hour discussing the movie and what we thought about it. We believe this movie is one of the first light-bulbs that went off in our heads, and made us more conscious about what we ate.

We both agree Spurlock was aiming for the shock factor. The idea also seems extreme. Who eats McDonald's for every meal? But if you think about it, many people eat convenience food all day long. How many people do you know that pick up a coffee and pastry in the morning for breakfast? Lunch is usually a fast food restaurant with coworkers because they only have a set amount of time. Dinner might not be picked up from a fast food restaurant but rather frozen pizzas and lasagnas to serve their families at night. It happens every day. People are busy and turning to the most convenient alternatives.

Have you seen this movie? What did you think of it?

Author: Cheryl

5 Reasons We Compost

1. Reduce garbage waste

    - We started composting about 3 weeks ago. Since then we have filled our kitchen garbage bag about   half what we used to. We didn't realize how many scraps we were throwing away, such as apple cores, egg shells, coffee grounds, and other small vegetable pieces leftover from preparing meals.

2. Create organic fertilizer for the garden

    - We're planning on building a rather large vegetable garden this year. The compost will provide nutrients and improve the soil quality, without using chemical products.

3. Reuse yard waste

   - The dead leaves and grass clippings are reused to create compost. Many people throw them away in plastic bags and put them on the curbside for the garbage truck to pick it up. Instead, we chose to compost so we can reuse the waste to our benefit.

4. Save money

    - We did spend money to build our compost bin but it will last a long time. We will save money by not having to buy fertilizer for our garden and other plants around our yard. Also, since we've noticed such a big reduction in our weekly garbage waste, we are considering changing our garbage pickup to once a month. This will be a cheaper service than having weekly pickup. 

5. Only the cool kids compost!

    - Thanks to the to trend of "Going Green," composting is becoming a cool thing to do. Everyone is being encouraged to do it and major cities like Seattle and San Francisco are either making it mandatory or making it an option. People are learning it isn't that difficult to put scraps in a different bin every day.

Author: Cheryl

Transitioning to More Local Foods

Our grocery shopping habits have changed tremendously over the past few years. A few years ago we were primarily budget-oriented. We shopped at Target, Trader Joe's, and Safeway for our weekly groceries. The ingredients and origin of our food never crossed our minds. But then overtime we started thinking about the nutrition behind the products we were buying. We realized the food we were buying from Target was mostly processed, brand-name products that weren't a necessity. So even though they were cheap, it wasn't food we wanted to eat anymore. Trader Joe's sells food at good prices, but the food (even the snacks) isn't as processed so we still like to shop there. 

Safeway was always our go-to store for products that Target and Trader Joe's didn't carry. About 6 months ago, we started shopping at a local co-op grocery store. It is fantastic! The first time we went to the store, we walked around for almost an hour looking at all the products. After visiting the store, we made the decision to start shopping at this store, even though most of products cost more than we were used to paying. We realized it was important to us that our products were as fresh as possible. Fresh food is important, but so is the fact that the transportation of the food has a smaller impact on the environment. Even though the grapes look good in January, we don't need to eat food that has been imported from South America. We can survive a few months out of the year without strawberries, grapes, and other fruit associated with the summer. Another benefit is that we are supporting local companies.

Since this is a new concept for us, we have decided local means within our country. If there is the option between something grown in our state and something grown 1000 miles away, we will buy the more locally grown food. Maybe someday we'll eat food only within a 100 mile radius. For now we're concentrating on making small changes, little by little.

One last thought - we live in a smaller community so Farmers Markets are not year-round here. We think they are a great option and are looking forward to visiting our local one during the spring and summer months.

Author: Cheryl