Winter time is soup time, and I'm getting ready with a giant batch of chicken stock. Making chicken stock is super easy, saves money, and is a good way to reduce packaging in the kitchen.
I used to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts (wrapped in plastic & styrofoam) and chicken stock (in an aluminum can), and that was very convenient. These days, I buy a whole chicken and use it to make several meals. Night one: roast chicken, potatoes, green beans, rolls...yum! After dinner, I remove as much meat as I can & put the carcass (ew, horrible word!) in a big stock pot, add a couple carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, whole peppercorns, a couple bay leaves and some thyme, then fill up the pot with water and bring it to a boil. I then let it simmer at least a couple hours, but usually overnight. Obviously this is a fire hazard. So if you try it and bad things happen, don't sue me. When I think the stock has boiled long enough, I strain it into quart mason jars and freeze. Last night I cooked up two gallons of liquid gold.
But wait! That chicken is not through, because a couple of cups of meat are sitting in the fridge, waiting to be used. For my family, after night one of roast chicken I still have enough meat to make two meals. There's the soup category: chicken and noodles, chicken and dumplings, chicken noodle soup, chicken and rice soup...fried shrimp, shrimp stir-fry, shrimp gumbo...hehee! Tonight we had chicken and rice soup--it only took about half an hour to make, hurrah! Besides soups and stews, I like to use cooked chicken for Tex-Mex stuff like tacos, enchiladas, and burritos...chicken salad...curries...BBQ...and plain old sandwiches, better than deli meat in so many ways! If I'm not going to use it all within a few days, I freeze the meat. Frozen cooked chicken is pretty convenient to have on hand.
Using a whole chicken to make two or three meals plus a load of stock makes it much easier to afford buying quality, local, pastured chicken. Besides the financial cost, making efficient use of meat products is much, much easier on the earth since raising animals uses a great deal of resources.
And that, my friends, is an Eco-Habit: one small action which, performed again and again over a lifetime, makes a giant impact. Take good care.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
It's 64 degrees here this afternoon, and the sky is cloudy and gloomy. Fall is here! Honestly, I love this kind of day. It inspires me to stay inside and bake or do crafty-type projects. However, I have class in an hour, and my sewing area is a shambles thanks to the armoire/entertainment center I am attempting to reassemble to hold my fabric stash and other goodness. I'm sure of many chilly, crafty days to come, though...
This year's garden is in its final stages. I still have time for some lettuce and radishes, spinach, and other such fall things. I'm really hoping to have the space again next year--I have so many ideas for improvements. Mulch, for one. But for now, arugula will do. I have an evening garden/picnic date with Jimmy later on...true romance, egg salad and watermelon among the tomato beds. Now that is my kind of life.
This year's garden is in its final stages. I still have time for some lettuce and radishes, spinach, and other such fall things. I'm really hoping to have the space again next year--I have so many ideas for improvements. Mulch, for one. But for now, arugula will do. I have an evening garden/picnic date with Jimmy later on...true romance, egg salad and watermelon among the tomato beds. Now that is my kind of life.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Eco Despair
Eco-despair hit me hard tonight, on the eve of beginning my official Environmental Science studies. I think that anyone who is concerned about what is happening to our earth and its inhabitants at times struggles with the hopelessness of our efforts to "save the world." Modern-day human society is by nature incompatible with, er, nature, is it not? After all, even if we tossed all our iPods and inflatable mattresses in the local landfill and went to live in cabins in the dwindling forests, we would be hard pressed to find the agricultural space to feed ourselves, the fuel to keep ourselves warm...there are just too damn many of us, no?
Depressing. This topic came up many times during my Master Naturalist classes last fall. Oddly, the hopelessness of it all was rather less overwhelming for that little while. Why? Action. I was taking action, weekly.
Stephen Covey's first habit from his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People comes to mind. Covey delineates two realms: Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence. According to his reasoning many, many problems fall within our Circle of Concern, while relatively few are in our Circle of Influence. Focus our efforts on those within our Circle of Influence, and get something of value done. Over time, our Circle of Influence grows and we can do more.
In my experience this is true. For me, action is the antidote to despair. When I'm feeling way too overwhelmed by the problems facing our planet, my options are 1. give up or 2. identify something I can do. It may not be the perfect thing, it won't fix all problems, but it's something. It helps. So that's what I do.
Depressing. This topic came up many times during my Master Naturalist classes last fall. Oddly, the hopelessness of it all was rather less overwhelming for that little while. Why? Action. I was taking action, weekly.
Stephen Covey's first habit from his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People comes to mind. Covey delineates two realms: Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence. According to his reasoning many, many problems fall within our Circle of Concern, while relatively few are in our Circle of Influence. Focus our efforts on those within our Circle of Influence, and get something of value done. Over time, our Circle of Influence grows and we can do more.
In my experience this is true. For me, action is the antidote to despair. When I'm feeling way too overwhelmed by the problems facing our planet, my options are 1. give up or 2. identify something I can do. It may not be the perfect thing, it won't fix all problems, but it's something. It helps. So that's what I do.
Eco-Habits
Wow, what a life-altering last semester I had! Yes, I stopped blogging two months ago. (Not that I had a stellar posting history, anyway.) Mid-November, I realized I had spent three long months breathing nothing but Organic Chemistry and Cell Biology, and eating way too much fast food. It was time to drop everything except family, home, and school--in that order. It felt really great to neglect the stuff that isn't all that important to me anyway.
In the process, I realized that my study of biology had gone far, far past my point of interest and it was time for a change. My updated major? Environmental Science. This has been a long time coming, beginning with my (unfortunately thwarted) attempts to initiate a paper-recycling program in my sophomore year of high school and continuing with my never-ending quest to find a better, better, no really better alternative for all the stuff I do around my house. Like cooking. Reading. Spending money. More on this topic to come. And note my new title: Eco-Habits.
Coming soon: Eco-Habits.com. So watch out.
In the process, I realized that my study of biology had gone far, far past my point of interest and it was time for a change. My updated major? Environmental Science. This has been a long time coming, beginning with my (unfortunately thwarted) attempts to initiate a paper-recycling program in my sophomore year of high school and continuing with my never-ending quest to find a better, better, no really better alternative for all the stuff I do around my house. Like cooking. Reading. Spending money. More on this topic to come. And note my new title: Eco-Habits.
Coming soon: Eco-Habits.com. So watch out.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A New Year
I love the new year!
At the year's end, I feel a gentle--make that fierce--pull toward reflection. After the end of another semester, another holiday season, another trip around the sun, my mind turns toward an honest evaluation of my life, goals, values, and how they all match up. Maybe it's the connection I feel with thousands of others looking ahead, but this time seems to lend a special power to change.
Looking toward the future comes naturally to me, and I relish the opportunity to crystallize my goals.
As part of this process, I spent a lot of time this holiday season thinking about the meaning of all our celebrations. As I came to a realization of what Christmas means to me, I felt the pressure, mostly self-imposed anyway, ebb away. This year, I was not worried about holiday shopping. I waited until after my last final on December 18th to start, and then as I shopped for the many people on my list, I immersed myself in thoughts of each person, allowing my heart to guide my choices. This was especially important any time I felt the pressure mounting. As I practiced this mindful approach to gifting, it occurred to me that I did not have to find the perfect gift. The important thing was the time I was spending thinking about those I love, appreciating them in all their uniqueness. Is this what is meant by "it's the thought that counts"? Perhaps.
At the year's end, I feel a gentle--make that fierce--pull toward reflection. After the end of another semester, another holiday season, another trip around the sun, my mind turns toward an honest evaluation of my life, goals, values, and how they all match up. Maybe it's the connection I feel with thousands of others looking ahead, but this time seems to lend a special power to change.
Looking toward the future comes naturally to me, and I relish the opportunity to crystallize my goals.
As part of this process, I spent a lot of time this holiday season thinking about the meaning of all our celebrations. As I came to a realization of what Christmas means to me, I felt the pressure, mostly self-imposed anyway, ebb away. This year, I was not worried about holiday shopping. I waited until after my last final on December 18th to start, and then as I shopped for the many people on my list, I immersed myself in thoughts of each person, allowing my heart to guide my choices. This was especially important any time I felt the pressure mounting. As I practiced this mindful approach to gifting, it occurred to me that I did not have to find the perfect gift. The important thing was the time I was spending thinking about those I love, appreciating them in all their uniqueness. Is this what is meant by "it's the thought that counts"? Perhaps.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
This Too Shall Pass
Mommying has to be the most painfully delicious thing ever done. A little boy looking for a cuddle only stays a short while. Soon he's moved on, because children's movement forward is inexorable. This is so hard to understand when a little one is so very little...but really, little is on the way to big. And big is on the way to college, marriage, life on his own...
When I got up at 6 a.m. today, I came downstairs and sat next to my big one on the couch. I remembered once upon a time, when early morning was prime time for snuggles, and it hit me that our cuddle days are completely over. They're gone. Never coming back. So I listened to him talk about his biology test, and ate Lucky Charms with him. And when he asked me to retrieve his school ID from the bathroom upstairs, I said, "Sure, hon." Because I so miss my little cuddler, but love now has be more unobtrusive, so as not to block the path forward. And I am so proud.
When I got up at 6 a.m. today, I came downstairs and sat next to my big one on the couch. I remembered once upon a time, when early morning was prime time for snuggles, and it hit me that our cuddle days are completely over. They're gone. Never coming back. So I listened to him talk about his biology test, and ate Lucky Charms with him. And when he asked me to retrieve his school ID from the bathroom upstairs, I said, "Sure, hon." Because I so miss my little cuddler, but love now has be more unobtrusive, so as not to block the path forward. And I am so proud.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Topsy-Turvy
The Topsy-Turvy wreaks havoc with my sense of efficiency and reason. Will someone please explain the logic behind this device? I promise I will listen. Maybe disagree and even argue, and also listen.
My issues with Topsy-Turvy tomato (or whatever) growing:
Phototropism. As a result of a complex series of chemical reactions, the shoots (stuff aboveground) of plants grow toward the light, i.e. upward. Of course, this kind of growth costs the plant in terms of energy. Energy that the plant could use in growth or reproduction (and therefore fruiting, which we like) is instead used in orienting itself toward the light, which is necessary in order for the plant to obtain more energy.
Gravitropism. Similarly to phototropism, plants' roots grow toward gravitational force, or downward. Since plants absorb water through their roots, this downward mobility benefits the plant by providing it with easier access to water, which also moves toward the earth. At the same time, gravitropism results in the shoot's growth away from gravitational force: again, upward.
Combined, these two phenomena assist the plant to make efficient use of its two most important resources, light and water. When grown upside-down, as in a Topsy-Turvy, the plant is not capable of "turning off" these mechanisms. It continues to grow the way it has evolved to grow, in a world with gravity always at the root and light always at the shoot--until we, tinkering humans that we are, decided to defy the marvelous systems plants have spent millenia refining. Why is it necessary or more efficient to require plants to perform bizarre acrobatics in order to fulfill their basic needs, when they have the ability to acquire what they need so gracefully?
According to the Topsy-Turvy folks at their website, the Topsy-Turvy induces greater growth because "...water and nutrients pour directly from the roots to the fruit...." Wha...? In reality, water and nutrients must travel up the roots and back down the shoot in order to reach the fruit. Incidentally, water no more pours through a plant's vascular system than my blood pours to my head during a (wall-assisted!) handstand. This is a good thing.
My issues with Topsy-Turvy tomato (or whatever) growing:
Phototropism. As a result of a complex series of chemical reactions, the shoots (stuff aboveground) of plants grow toward the light, i.e. upward. Of course, this kind of growth costs the plant in terms of energy. Energy that the plant could use in growth or reproduction (and therefore fruiting, which we like) is instead used in orienting itself toward the light, which is necessary in order for the plant to obtain more energy.
Gravitropism. Similarly to phototropism, plants' roots grow toward gravitational force, or downward. Since plants absorb water through their roots, this downward mobility benefits the plant by providing it with easier access to water, which also moves toward the earth. At the same time, gravitropism results in the shoot's growth away from gravitational force: again, upward.
Combined, these two phenomena assist the plant to make efficient use of its two most important resources, light and water. When grown upside-down, as in a Topsy-Turvy, the plant is not capable of "turning off" these mechanisms. It continues to grow the way it has evolved to grow, in a world with gravity always at the root and light always at the shoot--until we, tinkering humans that we are, decided to defy the marvelous systems plants have spent millenia refining. Why is it necessary or more efficient to require plants to perform bizarre acrobatics in order to fulfill their basic needs, when they have the ability to acquire what they need so gracefully?
According to the Topsy-Turvy folks at their website, the Topsy-Turvy induces greater growth because "...water and nutrients pour directly from the roots to the fruit...." Wha...? In reality, water and nutrients must travel up the roots and back down the shoot in order to reach the fruit. Incidentally, water no more pours through a plant's vascular system than my blood pours to my head during a (wall-assisted!) handstand. This is a good thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)