Even apartment dwellers can grow a pot of chard and the beauty of a pot of chard is that it will provide food for months.
Photo: Aranami
Even apartment dwellers can grow a pot of chard and the beauty of a pot of chard is that it will provide food for months.
Author Jennifer Margulis talks about her new book The Business of Baby and offers up some sustainable alternatives to all that baby paraphernalia.
In The Great Mother's Day Giveaway the participating bloggers have assembled a great gift package that includes a diverse assortment of books, DVDs, jewelry, and a very cool gift certificate.
Changing how we do things - even just a little bit - can make a huge impact on our environment and the sustainability of this planet.
I am by no means a Doomsday Prepper. While there’s always the risk of a disaster that could test our preparedness – and I do try to be prepared for that – I’m more concerned about filling our pantry with healthy food while it’s in season, providing for ourselves instead of depending upon others to do so, and living in a more environmentally sound manner. (Once upon a time it was considered common sense to maintain a pantry that would take a family through winter; now it’s considered “prepping!”) It might seem a little odd that I’m fascinated with apocalyptic tales, but I find the “what ifs” that are presented in these fictional stories to be compelling. Much like stories of pioneers making their way west or depression-era survival stories, I find the fictional situations in a post-modern world to be educational in a sense. Instead of looking back to a time when nobody thought twice about cooking over a wood fire, these apocalyptic tales guess at what might happen when a world accustomed to electricity and internet suddenly finds itself in a permanent blackout. How different it would be! Here, then, are a few apocalyptic tales I’ve enjoyed lately....
Inspired by Frugal Kiwi’s quest for health* I’m working to include more vegetables in my diet. A couple of years ago a lovely woman named Pua introduced me to a kale salad that I fell in love with – and I don’t love kale. She shared the recipe with me in a “little of this, little of that” kind of way. I made a big batch of it today and noted the measurements so that I could share, but I totally recommend that you just eyeball it. The finished salad has a lovely earthy flavor and I find that I crave it. If I have it made in the fridge I keep going back for “just a bit more.” But there’s nothing wrong with snacking on kale all day, right? Kale Salad a dozen curly kale leaves 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos 1/2 very ripe avocado 1/4 cup each: sunflower seeds, pepitos, dried cranberries 1-2 tablespoons feta cheese Remove the stem from the kale leaves. Thoroughly wash and dry the leaves, then tear them into bite sized pieces. Place leaves in a big bowl along with the olive oil. Lomi – or...
If you haven’t already heard, Google has announced that they’re retiring Google Reader on July 1, 2013. But don’t panic! There are other rss feed options – a lot of people are switching to Feedly – or you can get posts via email. To do that, simply put your email address in the form at right, hit subscribe, and wait for the confirmation email. You’ll get a message whenever anything new is posted to the site. But no spam. Ever.
By far, the most viewed post here at Attainable Sustainable has been the oatmeal in a jar method that appeared on Lifehacker. It’s fast, it’s warm, it’s tasty. (Seriously, have you tried it?) Next time you near the end of a jar of your favorite homemade jelly, instead of clanging around the inside to get the last of the sweet and tangy goodness, whip out the oats and make your morning breakfast right in that jar. Heck, add a spoonful of peanut or almond butter if you like, to put you in mind of your favorite sandwich. Zero waste. Great flavor. Note: This works well with canning jars – they’re meant to handle the heat. Don’t try it with jars of store-bought jelly. Glass jars might break; plastic jars can leach.
Even though we are diligently trying to eat a healthier diet in this household, I couldn’t help myself. I ordered a copy of Casey Barber’s Classic Snacks Made from Scratch. My husband picked up the book and said, ” Why did you get this? We don’t eat this stuff. Ooooh, Funyuns.” That’s why I got the book. Also: Hostess Cupcakes (chocolate and orange), Nacho Cheese Doritos, Tater Tots, and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. Cinnamon Pop-Tarts! This book is chock full of recipes to replicate your favorite junk food. It may not be health food, but the homemade versions certainly have fewer ingredients than the store bought versions (and none that I can’t pronounce) and making them at home eliminates the packaging. I decided to try out the BBQ Potato Chips recipe from Barber’s book when my eldest son, home from college, requested hamburgers for dinner. My youngest sliced the potatoes (using the food processor) and mixed up the spices. I did the frying. I don’t do much deep frying; I was surprised at how little splattering and popping there was – unlike frying bacon. The resulting chips were slightly saltier than I liked, but they had the classic BBQ chip flavor...
Raise your hand if you turn on the hose to water your garden when it’s thirsty. I suspect that most of us do at least some of the time, but that may not be the best way to hydrate your plants. For years, municipalities have been adding chlorine to water supplies to make it safe for drinking. At a recent community event I learned that our municipal water provider has switched over to something called chloramine, and other municipalities are embracing chloramine as well. The difference is this: the chlorine in water will dissipate if you leave a container of water uncovered for a few hours. Chloramine cannot be removed from water by boiling, distilling, or by standing uncovered. Both of these treatments kill bacteria and microorganisms in our household water, making it safe for use. Here’s the rub: Good healthy soil is home to lots of living bacteria and microorganisms. It stands to reason that water that’s been treated to kill off bacteria in our drinking water might also kill off the good bacteria in our soil, making it harder and harder to maintain healthy soil. What to do? You’ll need to determine if you feel the chemicals in the water are...
