We’ve been harvesting chard from this pot for a month or two.

Okay, this is what I want you to do: go get some Swiss chard seeds. And a pot. It doesn’t have to be a fancy pot, or a very big one. (Mine is about 12″ in diameter and came from a garage sale.) Fill the pot with soil. Bury five or six Swiss chard seeds – spaced equally – under half an inch of soil. Sprinkle with water daily. The first sprouts should appear within a week. When leaves reach about 4-6″ tall, you can start harvesting what farmers market growers call “baby chard.” You’ll do so by cutting off just a few leaves, allowing the plant to continue producing. As the plants get more robust, you can harvest more leaves – just make sure to always leave at least several leaves growing on each plant.

It’s a hardy plant, Swiss chard. It’s less finicky in the garden than spinach and milder in flavor than kale. Even apartment dwellers can grow a pot of chard and that pot of chard will provide food for months. In past years, I’ve harvested chard from one planting for an entire summer season. (If the chard goes to seed, you’ll want to start fresh.) You’ll likely need to water the pot daily, depending upon your weather. It couldn’t be easier.

What to do with your chard: 

• Saute the greens as you would spinach.
• Chiffonade and stir several leaves into an egg scramble or frittata.
• Cook the stems like asparagus. Or bake them with parmesan cheese.
• Add to fresh green salads. 
• Make a black-eyed pea and Swiss chard stew.
• Add a few leaves to your morning fruit smoothie.
• Make Swiss chard chips (move over kale!).
• Chop the chard finely and add to soups or marinara sauce.
• Dice the raw stalks and add to tuna salad instead of celery.

Even novice gardeners can handle growing Swiss chard. Go on now. Get your hands dirty!

The post Grow: Swiss Chard appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

When I heard about The Business of Baby, written by my colleague Jennifer Margulis, I immediately thought of all those aunties who, when confronted with the idea of buying a bassinet for a new baby, balked and pshawed about an empty dresser drawer working just fine for their babies. And isn’t that the truth? Back in the days before advertising and corporate conglomerates parents did just fine with a limited amount of baby-centric paraphernalia – or none at all. Though I am well beyond my baby years, I’m thoroughly fascinated by Jennifer’s new book and have a copy on order. Meanwhile Jennifer is doing some myth busting right here on Attainable Sustainable. Read on for Jennifer’s take on things new parents and their babies don’t need, along with a greener option.

Here she is: 

As anyone who works in corporate sales already knows, people are more open to changing brands, trying new things, and spending more money when they are at a “life change point”: going off to college, getting married, buying a first home, having a baby.

“You suddenly have new needs that you’ve never had before, and in those moments you’re more likely to change your behavior,” Leslie Becknell Marx, who spent two years working in sales at Proctor and Gamble and is now a Unitarian minister, explained to me when I interviewed her for a chapter of my book.

Companies, not surprisingly, capitalize on this human receptiveness to change by marketing their products to pregnant women and new moms as aggressively as they can.

Ka-ching.

The problem with this tried and true capitalist method is that parents often get duped into believing they need things—lots of things—for themselves and their kids. As I told a reporter for U.S. News this week, when you have a new baby, the things that you need the most are not things that money can buy. Parents need support with housework, help with meals, a sympathetic shoulder to cry on (those postpartum hormones can get you), and time to do nothing more than sit on the couch and gaze lovingly in a newborn’s myopic eyes.

Author Jennifer Margulis

Here are five things that parents and children especially don’t need, with alternatives that are cheaper—and often easier—but that don’t pull in corporate profits

1. Parents Don’t Need Paper Towels: If you’re a long time reader of Attainable Sustainable you know this already and you stopped using them eons ago. That slim mom in the Bounty commercial looks great but there is no reason to buy paper towels of any kind at any time in your life. If you’re in the habit, go cold turkey. That’s what we did when our oldest was an infant and we were desperate to save money. My mother-in-law is at a loss at our house (she can use an entire roll while cleaning up the kitchen) but we never looked back.

The Attainable Sustainable Alternative to Paper Towels: Buy dishtowels at a secondhand store for less than $1.00 a piece. Get more than you think you need so you don’t ever run out. They work for everything, including draining bacon after frying. Throw in the washer on cold. Extra credit and extra savings if you make your own laundry detergent.

2. Kids Don’t Need Toys: With our first baby our house looked like a department store, it was filled with so many toys and games. But babies don’t need plastic toys made in China and it’s a well-kept secret that most toys for kids of any age are a waste of money and end up gathering dust in the corner. Despite outrageous claims by manufacturers, educational toys will not and cannot make your baby brainer (breastfeeding and human interaction, especially when you and your baby take turns talking, are what best promote brain development.)

The Attainable Sustainable Alternative to Toys: Let your teething baby gum your keys, let your toddler play with a potato (the heft and weight is particularly interesting to this age group), make goop for your preschooler out of cornstarch and water, shoo older kids outdoors and nature becomes their playroom.

3. Babies Don’t Need Diapers: Plastic diaper companies have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars funding “science” that purports that the environmental impact of plastic is equal to the environmental impact of cloth. While this is blatantly false (though I don’t have space here to argue this point, you can read my 5000-word article first published in Mothering on this subject), both plastic diapers and cloth diapers have some negative environmental impact.

The Attainable Sustainable Alternative to Diapers: There is a perfect alternative that is used to great effect by parents all over the world (besides not having kids): let your baby go diaper free. I was too close-minded to try this with three of my four. But my youngest daughter got the benefit to being diaper free and I was delighted by how much fun it was. Read about how the Vietnamese use whistling instead of diapers!

4. You Also Don’t Need Baby Wipes: Why wipe a baby with perfumed chemical-laden “disposable” wipes that are kept in plastic containers and that end up clogging the landfill? The “natural” versions are more expensive and still get thrown out (only, like all human trash, they don’t actually go anywhere).

The Attainable Sustainable Alternative to Baby Wipes: Use warm water and a washcloth on your baby’s sensitive bottom. You can make your own wash cloths/wipes by simply cutting pre-fold cloth diapers into quarters. Sew the edges if you’re crafty (I’m not.) Keep a stack where you change your baby and a stack in your bag for outings.

5. Families Don’t Need to Drive so Much: Traffic accidents cause over 30,000 deaths a year in the United States. Driving is one of the most polluting activities we do as individuals. A recent study by researchers in Denmark showed that kids who walk or bike to school have better concentration for up to four hours than kids who are driven or take public transport. Yet even in my walk and bike-friendly town in southern Oregon that only covers three square miles, the vast majority of parents drive their children to school and after-school activities.

The Attainable Sustainable Alternative to Driving: Scooter, bike, or walk anywhere that is less than two miles away. Take public transportation. Use driving as a last resort instead of the default option. If you really have to drive, park half a mile from your destination and walk the rest of the way. You’ll save money on gas, save wear and tear on your car, and get more exercise. An added benefit: kids tend to share their secrets when you are walking somewhere together.

But what will you do with all the money you save from not buying things you don’t need? Put it in a college fund for your kid (and ask well-meaning relatives for savings bonds in lieu of gifts). Education is sustainable.

Read more about how to be gentle to the environment, your pocketbook, and your baby in THE BUSINESS OF BABY: WHAT DOCTORS DON’T TELL YOU, WHAT CORPORATIONS TRY TO SELL YOU, AND HOW TO PUT YOUR PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, AND BABY BEFORE THEIR BOTTOM LINE and join Jennifer online at the Business of Baby Facebook page.

The post Things You Don’t Need (that Corporations Want to Convince You to Buy Anyway) appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

When author Brette Sember invited me to participate in The Great Mother’s Day Giveaway, I accepted. The participating bloggers have assembled a great gift package that includes a diverse assortment of books, DVDs, jewelry, and a very cool gift certificate. What mom wouldn’t love to have this collection? 

Here’s the short version of the rules: To enter, leave a comment on this post. For more chances, leave a comment on the other blogs listed below. Enter by midnight ET on May 12, 2013. Detailed rules at the bottom of this post.

Now take a look at the prizes:

From MyKidsEatSquid:

One $25 Gift Certificate for King Arthur Flour, from My KidsEatSquid.com, which offers cooking tips, tricks, and recipes to tempt your family’s taste buds. Founded in 1790 (yes, you read that right), King Arthur Flour is a really cool business where baking and social responsibility go hand in hand. (King Arthur strives to be a GMO-free company, but due to sources, can’t guarantee it.)

From author Christine Gross-Loh:

One signed copy of Parenting without Borders:  Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us, hitting shelves just in time for Mother’s Day. Parenting expert Christine Gross-Loh, a mother of four, takes readers on a multicultural tour of the world’s best parenting practices — from Finland, Sweden, and Germany to France, Japan, China, Italy, and beyond to examine how international parents successfully foster creativity, discipline, independence, resilience and academic excellence in their children. Revealing the surprising ways in which culture shapes accepted practices, Gross-Loh offers objective, science-based insight into what strategies are best for children — and why — in a book that is sure to spark new conversations among parents.  Ultimately, “Parenting Without Borders” is both a call to action and an international handbook on how to build our own global village — one that will raise all of our children well.

From Putting It All on the Table:

One signed copy of The Muffin Tin Cookbook: 200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies, Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets, Veggie Cakes, and More! by Brette Sember. Moms love muffin tin cooking because one cup equals one portion (no fooling yourself that you’ll have “just another bite”) and because kids automatically think anything made in a muffin cup is delicious and are willing to try new foods made this way.

One copy of Cookie: A Love Story: Fun Facts, Delicious Stories, Fascinating History, Tasty Recipes, and More by Brette Sember, a glorious celebration of America’s favorite treat, a gleeful look at its history, impact, meaning, and deliciousness, filled with mouth-watering anecdotes and stories that will satisfy in a way no other book can. Special recipes, anecdotes, and everything you ever wanted to know about cookies are in its pages.

From author Jennifer Margulis:

An autographed hard cover copy of The Business of Baby, by Jennifer Margulis, an explosive new book uncovering how corporations and for-profit medicine harm new moms and their babies. Award-winning midwife Ina May Gaskin calls the book, “a must-read for expectant mothers,” and Library Journal has said it’s “not just for parents to ponder.” Join the Facebook community and check out the trailer:

From Attainable Sustainable:

One copy of  Off the Shelf: Homemade alternatives to the condiments, toppings, and snacks you love from Kris Bordessa, who shares a collection of recipes that take your favorite condiments and pantry staples off the grocery store shelves and puts them right in your (very capable) hands. Make hummus, pesto, fresh salsa, and a Caesar ranch dressing that will knock your socks off. Whip up a batch of hot fudge sauce or chocolate pudding to indulge your sweet tooth. If you can chop, dice, and stir, you (or your kids, mom!) can make any of these recipes and more right at home.

From Project: Happily Ever After:

One copy of “Project: Happily Ever After,” by Alisa Bowman, a memoir of how the author saved her marriage. Partly tragic and partly humorous, the book will help you feel normal, give you helpful tools to try at home, and leave you with a pervading sense that you are not alone.

From Belle Jewelry Designs:

One Bead Kit and Pattern to Make Dainty Daisies Bracelet by Claudine Jalajas. “Every year my children give me flowers for the garden for Mother’s Day,” she says. “It’s one of my favorite gifts. This bracelet reminds me of Mother’s Day for that reason.” She adds that this pattern and bead kit will provide you with everything you need to create this lovely bracelet. The design is created using a cross-weave technique which is great for anyone from never-touched-a-needle-thread-before to advanced weaver. Most people can create the bracelet in an hour. It is woven using 4mm and 6mm genuine Swarovski crystallized pearls for the flowers, TOHO seed beads for vines, and potato pearls to simulate leaves. The clasp is a lobster clasp. This design also makes a gorgeous anklet — just increase the size. Claudine’s bracelet design book, Wearable Art,  featuring more than 25 bracelet designs, will be released in the Fall of 2014 by Running Press.

From ReelLifewithJane:

6 DVDs. Every mom needs a distraction from life, whether it’s Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts on a scooter, Edie Falco as a wayward nurse, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman as old friends who might be parents, the classic boy from Neverland, Anna Wintour’s glitzy life, or America’s bully crisis. That’s why Reel Life With Jane’s entry in The Great Mother’s Day Giveaway is a DVD/blu-ray six-pack extravaganza: Larry Crowne, Nurse Jackie Season 4, The Switch, Peter Pan Diamond Edition, The September Issue, and Bully. For more great giveaways, entertainment news, celebrity interviews and reviews, visit Reel Life With Jane and follow them on Twitter.

Check out the trailer for “Bully”…

From MyItchyTravelFeet:

One copy of 65 Things to Do When You Retire. A total of 10,000 people turn 65 each day — and many of them who retire want to make the most of travel opportunities. “65 Things to Do When You Retire: Travel” offers practical, inspiring advice about how to have the time of your life, whether traveling with a group, with a spouse or partner, or on your own. More than 65 intrepid writers and travel experts reveal their own personal adventures and describe glorious getaways for retirees, including such exciting travel opportunities as international house-sitting, going to Italy for a writing workshop, volunteering to help communities in developing countries, doing archaeological digs, taking a retirement “gap year,” and chucking it all to see the world.

From: The Friendship Blog:

One copy of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup With Your Best Friend by psychologist Irene S. Levine. On a recent appearance on “CBS Sunday Morning,” Rita Braver called Irene the “Dear Abby of Friendship.” Close friendships, which are essential to our well-being, can be challenged by motherhood. Having children often drains time and emotion from other relationships, and can create distance between mothers and child-free friends. Give yourself the gift of focusing on your female friendships this Mother’s Day.

RULES:

• One winner will win the ENTIRE package of prizes!
• Enter by leaving a comment on this post.
• For more chances to win, enter once at each blog listed in the giveaway below. One entry per person per blog.
• You must enter by midnight ET on Sunday, May 12, 2013 (Mother’s Day).
• Each blog participating in the giveaway will randomly select one semifinalist from those who have entered on that blog.  One winner will then be randomly selected from those names and will win ALL the prizes.
• Offer limited to U.S. addresses only; entrants age 18 and up.
• Winner will be notified by the email given when entering; not responsible for email transmission problems or postal delivery problems or failures.
• You are responsible for notifying us of your correct mailing address if you are selected as a winner.
• Contest closes at midnight Eastern Time on May 12, 2013. Prize is nontransferable and may not be redeemed for cash.
• We reserve the right to announce the name of the winner on the blogs.
• Each participating blog will be responsible for sending its own prize.

The post Great Mother’s Day Giveaway! appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

I’ve updated this post and I’m sharing it again, just in time for Earth Day.

There are so many small things that can collectively make a difference in our footprint on the earth. Will you try to add one or more of these to your list of changes for the new year? Will you share this list with your family and friends or on your social networks? Even people who are reluctant to step out of their comfort zone will find something here that they can embrace with relatively little effort – we just need to convince them that it needs to be done, and that making small steps truly is not painful.

Kitchen:

• Stop buying fruits and vegetables that have been imported from another country, for so many reasons.
• Buy real food. If you can’t trace its origin, it shouldn’t go into your body (ahem, IMHO) and it’s surely not doing our environment any good.
• Quit relying on takeout food. If you succumb, find a restaurant that uses compostable packaging and say no to plastic straws.
• Learn to cook some really simple, really fast meals so you won’t be tempted by fast food.
• Find a local butcher that uses butcher paper instead of buying your meat cuts on Styrofoam.
• Find a source for local meat and eggs.
• Turn up the temperature on your refrigerator, just a touch.
• In the wintertime, put fire bricks in the oven to hold heat and keep the room warm.
• Switch to glass storage containers instead of plastic.
• Get rid of your Teflon coated pots and pans.
• Use a dish cloth instead of a sponge.
• Bring fewer containers into your home. Be sure to recycle those that you can’t reuse.
• Compost your food waste.
• Make your own salad dressing, mustard, mayonnaise, and other condiments. It’s not that hard. My e-book, Off the Shelf, features an assortment of recipes to help you learn to make your own staples at home.
• Cook double batches. Eat one lasagna tonight, freeze one for the crazy busy day that’s tempting you to turn to fast food.
• Switch to bulk teas that can be made with a tea strainer. No bags, no packaging, and no risk of ingesting plastic.

Bathroom:

• Nix the chemical cleaners.
• Take shorter showers. Less hot water used, less energy used.
• Switch to less chemically laden soaps and shampoos, or try your hand at making your own.
• Still using disposable razors? (Stores are still stocking them; somebody must be using them!) Switch to one with a replaceable blade.
• Use your bath towel more than once.
• Try a fabric shower curtain instead of a plastic one.

Home office or at the office:

• Switch to padded envelopes that don’t have a plastic bubble liner.
• Stop junk mail before it gets to your house.
• Consider online banking. You’ll eliminate the envelope as well as the use of much fuel to get your payment where it needs to go.
• Opt to receive your monthly statements via email. Again, you’ll eliminate paper waste as well as fuel usage.
• Use public transportation. Not an option? Find someone to carpool with.
• Transform the water cooler at work: request paper rather than plastic cups. Better yet, encourage fellow employees to bring a cup from home.
• Refill your ink cartridges instead of buying a new one when you’re out.
• Not using your computer? Turn it off or put it to sleep.

Laundry room:

• Wash only full loads of clothes.
• Switch to a more eco-friendly laundry detergent. Or make your own.
• Get clothes out of the dryer as soon as they’re dry, so you’re not tempted to “give them a little fluff.”
• Better yet, set up a clothesline and hang your clothes to dry some of the time.
• Install a timer on your hot water heater.

The rest of the house:

• Find out where your power comes from. Is it generated by diesel? Coal? Wind? Knowing that your energy usage is tied directly to environmentally unfriendly sources might make it easier to cut your energy use (good for the planet and your bank account).
  
• Say no to products that come in plastic clamshells.
• Keep a blanket on the sofa.
• Turn down the thermostat on your heater, just a touch (with that blanket, you won’t notice).
• Next time you need to buy linens and blankets, skip the man-made materials.
• Turn off the TV if you’re not watching it.
• Install window blinds to help keep the house cool in the summertime and warm in winter.
• Shop second hand.
• Wash your windows with newspaper instead of paper towels.

Outside:

• If you have an arbor, plant a deciduous vine that will shade you in the summertime and allow sunlight and warmth in during the cold winter.
• Grow your own food. If you’ve never done so, start small. Plant radishes. Or lettuce.
• If you’re a gardening veteran, consider sharing your knowledge with amateurs.
• Plant an extra row for the food bank.
• Collect some of your rainwater and use it to water the garden during dry spells.
• Stop using chemicals on your lawn.
• If you regularly forget to turn off your porch or garage light, set it up on a timer.
• Deal with pests and weeds without chemicals.
• Mulch. It will help hold moisture in, and mean less water used. It will also help keep the weeds in check.
• Compost your kitchen waste. No space? Get worms to do the dirty work with a worm composter. (You can make your own for less than $5.)

Around town:

• Stop accepting the bags that stores offer (plastic OR paper) and bring your own.
• Switch from plastic to glass bottles when buying goods at the grocery store. If it’s only available in plastic, skip it (bonus points for writing to the manufacturer to complain).
• Choose fruits and vegetables that are sold loose. There’s absolutely no reason for peas, peppers, or tomatoes to be wrapped in plastic or strapped to Styrofoam.
• Seek out local produce at the supermarket or (better yet) farmers market.
• Eliminate excess baggage in your car. If you don’t need to carry it around, don’t. You’ll use less gas.
• Take your own insulated mug for your coffee stops.
• Combine errands so that you use less fuel.
• Live near town? Walk, sometimes!
• Seek out one wild food source in your area. Maybe it’s dandelion greens. Or maybe you’ve got a source for wild asparagus or blackberries.
• Go meet your neighbors. Having a friendly community means a chance to share equipment rather than everyone owning the same snow blower or tractor.
• Those same neighbors? May share their garden surplus or help you tackle all of those excess zucchini.
• Think about needs versus wants. We’ve become a society of shoppers. Do you really need that new pair of shoes?
• Choose to live with less stuff.

Photo: Flickr user by woodleywonderworks

Got another simple change to add? Please share it in the comments! And, hey. If you’re on Facebook, come join us there. We’re always tossing new ideas around!

The post 66 Small Changes to Make a Big Difference appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

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. Perhaps you will, too?

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is an apocalyptic tale that’s got just the right amount of fearfulness for a young adult book, without getting too gruesome. In this modern day survivalist story we meet Miranda Evans and her family just as the world is anticipating a show in the night sky. An asteroid on a collision course with the moon has everyone all abuzz – until the asteroid makes impact and sends the moon off its axis and much closer to the earth. Sensing imminent danger, Miranda’s mother makes common sense preparations to keep her family warm and fed as their small Pennsylvania town faces power outages, food shortages, outbreaks of disease, and death. I was fascinated with the foresight shown by Miranda’s mom; as the tragedy unfolds she stocks up on food and batteries, thinks ahead to a cold winter without electricity, and insists that her boys chop copious amounts of firewood. I like to think that in a similar situation I’d be able to be so level headed, but I have to admit, the idea of spending a winter snowed in and stuck in one room of the house with my entire family gives me pause. A companion book, The Dead and The Gone, gives readers an entirely different view of the same event, this story is set in New York City where Alex Morales struggles to keep his two sisters alive in the mysterious absence of his parents. As the city decays around them, Alex must barter for food and make tough decisions about what’s best for his sisters. The third book, This World We Live In, brings the Evans and Morales families together a year after the asteroid hit the moon. With food supplies dangerously dwindling and more mouths to feed, the families turn to scavenging what they can from abandoned homes. The three book series – known collectively as The Last Survivors - introduces some tough questions about surviving in a harsh environment without the comforts we’re used to. Without electricity, heat, and running water, the characters are forced to learn once-common skills.

Every season it seems there’s talk of a possible flu pandemic. In The Things That Keep Us Here author Carla Buckley introduces readers to one family who puts themselves under voluntary lockdown in order to avoid contamination. With a 50% survival rate, exposure to the virus is incredibly dangerous and something to be avoided at all costs. But circumstances don’t always make that possible: Food and water is scarce, heat is hard to come by, and power is out. The family is forced to make some tough decisions as neighbors die around them and as circumstances get more dire.

Set in a post-apocalyptic America in which 2/3 of the population has been decimated by war and pandemic, The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch is another novel for young adults. Roaming the barren landscape with his father and grandfather, Stephen is a salvager who roams the country in search of material to trade. It’s a life he has become accustomed to – one with bandits and slavers who would have no qualms about killing or enslaving the small family. While the idea of staying in one place and settling down to raise food crops is appealing, it’s not very feasible. That is, until they discover Settler’s Landing. There, Stephen gets a taste of living in a community that resembles life before the apocalypse. It was interesting to see what resources the community had on hand and depended on, from medical supplies to the simplicity of a collection of books.

Cormac McCarthy’s The Road won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and deservedly so. This is a beautifully written, tragic book. My teenage son and I both read it and we discussed it for days – he’s added this to his list of “best books ever.” The world has been decimated by some unnamed catastrophe, leaving behind a landscape that is washed out and grey. A father and his young son travel by foot, always moving toward someplace better. As they travel, readers get a glimpse of a burned out world and how difficult it is for the travelers – other survivors are threatening, there’s little in the way of food, and often no shelter. There were a couple of decisions made by the father that I still wonder about, but I won’t give the story away. 

In One Second After author William R. Forstchen introduces readers to the very real concept of an electro magnetic pulse (EMP). An EMP is the by-product of a nuclear blast detonated above the Earth’s atmosphere – a blast that would render all electronic equipment in a certain radius useless. The chaos that occurs when modern vehicles come to a halt on the freeway is just the beginning for retired army colonel John Matherson. While there’s plenty to worry about – phones are out, people are dying, and his small North Carolina town is isolated from any deliveries – his initial concern is for his type-one diabetic daughter who needs medication to survive. As the crisis continues, he takes on a leadership role, contending with scarce food supplies, societal breakdown, and roving gangs. Probably the most gruesome of the books I’ve included here, there’s more violence in this one than I’m generally comfortable with, but it’s a compelling story. This book was cited on the floor of Congress as something that all Americans should read, as an EMP is considered to be a very real possibility. 

If you’re a fan of apocalyptic novels, will you recommend your favorites in the comment section below? I’m always looking for more titles to add to my stack of reading materials!

 This post includes affiliate links.

The post Lessons from an Apocalypse appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

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?

This bowl started out overflowing with kale. Massaging it reduces the mass by about half and makes the raw kale much less chewy.

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 massage – the kale leaves. Don’t be afraid to really go at it – kale tends to be a bit tough when raw and massaging the leaves makes them much more palatable. Add the lemon juice and Bragg’s; lomi some more. Add the avocado; lomi more. The avocado will add a bit of creaminess to the salad. Toss in the remaining ingredients.

The add-ins are totally flexible. Try various nuts, different dried fruit, a bit of nutritional yeast.

*Are you following Frugal Kiwi’s success with the Wahls Protocol? Her results have been pretty impressive. Author Ruth Pennebaker, however, has already thrown in the towel. You should read her hilarious post about trying to switch from a beige diet to a green one.

The post Recipe: Kale Salad appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

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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. 

The post Hacking the World’s Easiest Breakfast to be even BETTER appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

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.

Photo: Ulysses Press

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 that we love. Everyone around the table was impressed with the results.

BBQ Potato Chips

• 2 pounds (about 4 medium) Yukon Gold or russet potatoes>
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• canola or vegetable oil for frying

Prepare the potatoes:

Bring a 4- quart stockpot filled with water to boil over high heat. Line a baking sheet with a kitchen towel. While water is coming to a boil, rinse and peel the potatoes as thinly as possible. Transfer half of the slices to the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Don’t overcook them; this is just jump-starting the cooking process. Using a slotted spoon or skimmer, transfer the slices to the kitchen towel, patting them dry. Repeat with second batch of potato slices.

Prepare the spice mix:

Place all of the spices into a zip-top bag and shake to mix.

Fry and season the chips:

Heat at least 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in an electric deep fryer or a large, high-sided pot. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and a wire cooling rack. Fry the potato slices in batches until golden brown. Remove the cooked chips with a metal skimmer and drain on the prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool for one minute, then place the chips in the zip-top bag and shake lightly to distribute the spices. Remove chips from the bag and repeat with remaining slices.

These chips are best eaten the day they’re fried. 

Our notes or alterations to the recipe:

• This is a condensed version of the recipe found in Classic Snacks Made From Scratch and is shared with the author’s permission. In the book, the author goes into more detail about frying methods.
• We are one of those households that saves bacon grease. We fried the chips in a blend of bacon grease and peanut oil.
• I found that tossing the chips with the spices after just one minute coated them too heavily for my taste, so I waited closer to five minutes.
• The thinner the slices, the crispier the chip.
• You can visit the author – and see more of her recipes – at Good. Food. Stories.

Like the idea of making your own versions of some of your store-bought favorites? Take a peek at my e-book, Off the Shelf: Homemade alternatives to the condiments, toppings, and snacks you love.

The post Recipe: Homemade BBQ Chips appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.

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 compromising your soil’s health. If at all possible, consider rainwater collection. If you live in an area that gets rain throughout the growing season, you can probably get by with a couple of small barrels to supplement during dry spells. Residents of arid locations will have a tougher time of it and need a bigger system. If catchment just isn’t an option, you’ll need to call your water department to determine what product they’re using to treat your water.

If it’s chlorine, consider adding a barrel or two to your garden area that you can fill with municipal water and let sit, allowing the chlorine to dissipate before you use it to water.

If it’s chloramine give some thought to creating a filtration system. This site has some good information on creating a water filter from a recycled fuel drum (your choice of receptacle might vary); perhaps a project you can tackle while you’re anxiously awaiting planting time?

My own soil’s health is so bad, I’m doing everything I can to bring it back to a living, teeming collection of microorganisms. I use collected rainwater a fair bit, but I was pretty disgruntled to realize that when I must use municipal water, letting it sit so that the chemicals dissipate is no longer a viable option.

What do you use for watering your garden? Have you had success addressing this issue?

The post Considering Water in the Garden appeared first on Attainable Sustainable.