ontheroadtogreenness

Meatless Monday: Powering Up with Chia

2013-06-17T12:20:00.001-04:00

I am not a runner, so I have arrived late to the chia craze. And, once again, I have to thank my friend K for a good tip.

For centuries chia seeds have been a staple in Meso-American diets. They became popularized as a super food among runners after the publication in 2009 of Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, an exploration of the life and habits of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon.

The word chia means “strength” in the Mayan language, and ancient warriors and athletes relied on the tiny seeds to enhance their endurance.

And, yes, they are the very same seeds that sprout into fur for those Chia Pets that have appeared in holiday infomercials since the late 1970s.

Bob Moore, of Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukee, was one of the first to introduce Chia seeds to the health food market, including them in his Grains-of-Discovery line. Bob himself appears in this short YouTube video promoting chia.

One tablespoon of chia seeds contain 5 grams of fiber, as well as 3 grams of protein, significant amounts of calcium and iron, and a whopping 3382 mg of Omega 3, and 753 mg of Omega 6!

Chia Nutrition, according to Bob's Red Mill

Many people like to start their day with a chia energy boost, sprinkling the seeds on top of morning yogurt or cereal, or adding a tablespoon to a smoothie.

One caveat. Chia seeds gel when left in liquid. This means that if you want crunch, you should down your chia without delay. However, this property does open up the opportunity for creating highly nutritious, no-cook “puddings.”

I found a host of chia “pudding” recipes online. Some were designed to be high-powered breakfast porridges. [I have one of these gelling in the fridge and will report on it next week.]

Others purported to be desserts. I gave a chocolate pudding a try. Here is the recipe I used. It appeared on the ohmyveggies site:

Mexican Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Two Servings

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Chia Seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of cayenne (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth.

Put into serving dishes and chill slightly.

My result:

The verdict?

The “pudding” looked even better than this photo shows — just like a chocolate mousse.

And here, I think was my problem. The chia pudding looked like something it was not, and I was disappointed.

One tablespoon of sweetener was not nearly enough.

I saved the day by topping with some honey vanilla Greek yogurt. [Whipped cream would also have done the trick.]

I am on the hunt for a easy and nutritious dessert that will please everyone — vegans, Paelo Dieters, and omnivores with a sweet tooth. A dairy product topping does not fit the bill.

I haven’t given up on this recipe. Next time I plan to use 3 tablespoons of syrup, still keeping a topping on hand just in case.

One more thing — I’ll be using 4 serving dishes. Chia is touted as a diet food because the chia gel makes you feel full. This dish of “pudding” after my dinner left me feeling stuffed.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Have a great week. Happy eating.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: Grapefruit at My Door

2013-06-10T20:08:00.001-04:00

Just before Memorial Day, I received an email that sounded too good to be true.

The Orange Shop in Citra, Florida was offering me a full bushel of grapefruit, plucked fresh from the tree, for the price of 1/2 a bushel — with free shipping!

The Orange Shop is a family farm I had located through LocalHarvest, founded in 1998 by activist and software engineer Guillermo Payet, in Santa Cruz, CA. According to information on the organization’s website, “LocalHarvest is now the number one informational resource for the Buy Local movement and the top place on the Internet where people find information on direct marketing family farms. We now have more than 20000 members, and are growing by about 20 new members every day. Through our servers, our website and those of our partners, we serve about three and a half million page views per month to the public interested in buying food from family farms.” Fruit, honey, wool items, soaps, and pies are just a few of the items you will find at LocalHarvest.

I ordered some Page oranges from the Orange Shop in December, 2011 for an older couple who love fresh fruit but don’t have the chance to enjoy it every day. They found the fruit delicious but “too juicy.” [Ah, well. Perhaps that will be me in the distant future.] The price was fair, delivery speedy, and the fruit well packed.

I stayed on the Orange Shop mailing list.

When the May email arrived, I was craving fresh fruit, so rare and pricey in New England in spring. I fondly recalled a sack of Indian River grapefruit my son had once brought back from a road trip, and I started to do some calculations. There are approximately 40 grapefruit in a bushel… Each grapefruit would cost about $1.00. [I had seen them in the local market for $1.49.]… My refrigerator produce bins were pretty empty and available.

I placed an order on Memorial Day.

A heat wave came along and I began to worry. On Saturday a FedEx man showed up at the door with a 40 lb box. The grapefruit (4 trays with a total of 44 pieces!) arrived in perfect condition, unaffected by the heat.

They may not be the most beautiful grapefruits you’ve ever seen. But they are sweet, juicy and delicious. Who cares about beauty? This shipment is just what I needed to tide me over until the CT berries and peaches come along.

I’m so happy! [8 down, 3 dozen to go…]

Have a great week.

Saturday Short Subjects: Boxes for Babies

2013-06-07T19:11:00.000-04:00

During a particularly bad public relations week for the US government, the BBC published a heart-warming tale about how good government can improve people’s lives.

I was at the BBC site to read an article about the diet of our human ancestors. When finished with that I clicked on the link to the curiously titled “Why Finnish Babies Sleep in Cardboard Boxes,” which appeared under “Most Popular.”

For 75 years, expectant mothers in Finland have been eligible for a gift from the state – an infant-sized cardboard box filled with all the essentials a newborn needs, including a mattress designed to fit in the bottom of the box, and cloth for the sides, which allows the mother to turn the box into a child's first bed.

The box does not arrive automatically. But all an expectant mother needs to do to receive the gift is visit a doctor or clinic before the 4th month of her pregnancy. Those who do not wish to receive the box (some 5%) can opt for a cash grant, but according to the BBC article, the box is worth much more.

The contents are itemized in the “Dressing Your Baby” section of the document “Having Children in Finland,” which appears on the Finnish Ministry of Labour website.

“The Finnish state provides each new family with a box containing layette for your baby. It is called a maternity box. … You will find the following items in the box: shirts, rompers, stretch suits, headgear, pants, gauze nappies, socks, sleeping bag-quilt, zip-suit sleeping bag, a towel, sheet, quilt cover, quilt or blanket…You will find a changing mat, a cotton towel with plastic cover, cotton wool, moisturising cream, sanitary towels, a packet of condoms, a hairbrush, nail scissors, bath thermometer, a toy and a book in the maternity box…”

In 1938, when the box was first introduced, only low income mothers were entitled to receive it. The infant mortality in Finland at the time was 65 deaths for every 1000 births.

The infant mortality rate in Finland has been falling steadily ever since 1949 when means testing was dropped and all mothers were eligible to receive the free box, if they obtained early pre-natal care.

According to the CIA, in 2013, Finland’s infant mortality rate was 3.38/1000 (rank 213 of 224 countries, with a higher number being better), while the US was 5.90 (174). The lowest infant mortality rate was Monaco (224) at 1.81.

The contents of the box has changed slightly over time. Fabric for making clothing was included in the early boxes, but now the clothes are ready-made. In 1969 disposable diapers were introduced; cloth diapers were re-introduced in 2006, the same year the baby bottle was eliminated to encourage breast-feeding. The baby clothes come in bright unisex colors and are updated each year.

Rich or poor, each child gets the same box, if the mother commits to giving the child a healthy start.

Finnish Dad Mark Bosworth, interviewed by the BBC stated about the box they received for their daughter Annika, “This felt to me like evidence that someone cared, someone wanted our baby to have a good start in life. And now when I visit friends with young children it's nice to see we share some common things. It strengthens that feeling that we are all in this together.”

So much good from such a simple thing…

Happy weekend! Hope you are doing something special.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: A Salad for Every Diet

2013-06-03T12:35:00.002-04:00

Last week I promised everyone I would post a recipe rather than a rant this week, and I always do my best to keep my promises. So here goes…

The heat is rising, and outdoor festivities are filling up the calendar — two great reasons to try out this easy, make-ahead recipe, inspired by a serving suggestion on the back of a bag of Trader Joe’s Organic Red Quinoa.

Black Bean, Roasted Corn & Avocado Salad on a Bed of Quinoa

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Red Quinoa
1- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups corn kernels, toasted by sautéing in a lightly-greased cast iron pan
1 large avocado, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves
1 small red onion, finely diced
juice of 1 large lime
olive oil
salt
pepper
a bunch of your favorite salad greens

PREPARATION

Prepare the quinoa.

Rinse the quinoa with cold water and drain. [This is a very important first step. Quinoa that is not rinsed first will have a bitter taste.] Place the quinoa, along with 2 cups of broth or water into a 1-1/2 to 2 cup saucepan. [I added one Not-Chick’n vegetable bouillon cube to 2 cups of cold water.] Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the salad.

Combine the beans and vegetables in a large bowl.
Make a dressing by combining lime juice with olive oil in a ration of 1:3. [Adjust to your taste.]
Pour over the vegetables. Stir gently until all the ingredients are moistened.
Wash and spin dry your favorite greens. Tear and place into salad bowl(s) as the base.
Spoon quinoa onto the greens.
Top with the mixed vegetables.

Colorful. Delicious. Nutritious. A complete summer meal or a hearty potluck dish in under an hour. When served atop greens, the salad makes six very generous servings.

Vegetarians and vegans will love that this dish is high in protein without meat. Vegans will appreciate that it is dairy-free. Paleo dieters should be happy that high-protein, low-carb quinoa is the salad base rather than rice or pasta. Quinoa is also gluten free. A dish for almost everyone, and certainly appropriate for a summer Meatless Monday!

FYI I was happy to discover that Trader Joes' Red Quinoa was not in conflict with any of my Buycott campaigns. Read about Buycott here.

And now for an update on the CT GMO labeling bill that had me ranting last week: In a surprise turn of events, GMO labeling supporters are now celebrating. On Saturday, the CT Senate voted unanimously to support a compromise bill, supported by House leadership, the governor, AND GMO labeling advocates!

CT is likely to become the first state in the country to pass a GMO labeling law.

The new bill has a more reasonable trigger clause, but more importantly NO LONGER INCLUDES the exemption for farmers grossing less than 1.5 million dollars. You can read the new bill here. The protest previously called for today has become a party to thank the legislators! Congratulations, Tara Littman-Cook and GMO Free CT.

Good eats! Good news!

Have a great week.

Saturday Short Subjects: A New App for the Ethical Shopper

2013-06-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

Do you use a Smartphone?

Do you care passionately about GMO labeling, or Gay Rights, or the Environment, or …?

If you can answer “yes” to both questions, I have just the app for you!

Buycott is a recently-released, free app developed over a period of 16 months by Ivan Pardo, a 26-year-old, free-lance programmer working in Los Angeles. It is available as a download for both Android and iPhone.

Buycott’s home page states, “A buycott is the opposite of a boycott. Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so that it reflects your principles.”

Here is how it works.

One you have installed the app, enroll in at least one of the user-created campaigns listed in the app by description and number of members.

Then, scan the barcode of any product you have in your cupboard or are considering purchasing in a store. Buycott will try to determine what the product is and what company owns it. If it is in the system, Buycott will trace the product’s ownership and immediately tell you whether or not this product is in conflict with any of the campaigns you have joined.

I joined the Demand GMO Labeling campaign with 59,100+ members (currently the top campaign). A number of companies have been pumping massive amounts of money to fighting GMO labeling legislation; this campaign starts with a list of all companies that donated more than $150,000 to oppose California’s Prop 37, which, if enacted, would have required labeling of GMO food in that state.

By scanning their barcodes, I learned that two of the three cereal brands in my house – Kashi and Cascadian Farms were in conflict, while the third, Nature’s Path, was not. I was happy to discover that Annie’s Mac & Cheese, my quick-fix guilty pleasure, was also conflict-free.

“Family Tree” illustrates the corporate lineage of your scanned product all the way up to its parent company. With this tool, I learned that Cascadian Farms is a subsidiary of Small Planet Food, which is in turn owned by General Mills, and that General Mills donated $1,135,300 to the “No on Prop 37 Campaign.” That is why buying my favorite Cascadian Farms granola now poses an ethical dilemma for me.

Buycott is an awesome app. For each of the companies whose barcodes are in the database, crowdsourced contact info (phone number, URL, corporate Facebook page, and Twitter handle), Wikipedia entry, and location map are listed, making it easy for you to let your voice heard. By simply hitting the Share button, you can tell all your friends what you have found out.

Your timeline stores your campaigns and any barcodes you have scanned.

This is a participatory app. Users are asked to submit the names of products the app does not recognize. Any user who cannot find a campaign to suit her interests is encouraged to start her own.

Developer Pardo was quoted in Forbes, “I don’t want to push any single point of view with the app,” said Pardo. “For me, it was critical to allow users to create campaigns because I don’t think it’s Buycott’s role to tell people what to buy. We simply want to provide a platform that empowers consumers to make well-informed purchasing decisions.”

Buycott is an exciting tool for the socially-responsible consumer who wants to vote with her wallet. And, it's free.

Meatless Monday: May 2013 CT Food News

2013-05-27T10:34:00.000-04:00

I was prepared to write a simple post with a nice recipe in honor of today’s holiday. Instead, I have chosen to write about a couple of topics that have “my knickers in a twist,” as they say in the British comedies.

TOPIC Number 1:

Last week Connecticut came very close to being the first state in the nation to pass legislation requiring GMO labeling. Products containing Genetically Modified (GMO) ingredients would have been required to be labeled as such for sale in CT supermarkets.

It didn’t happen. Why it did not is a complicated tale. Here’s the short version.

Two bills, HB 6519, An Act Concerning the Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food, and HB 6527, An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Baby Food, were overwhelmingly approved by four legislative committees.

The Speaker of the House refused to call these bills for a vote.

Two state senators amended a bill concerning eggs, SB 802, with the GMO labeling language. The CT Senate passed SB 802 overwhelmingly with a vote of 35-1.

Speaker Sharkey insisted on a series of restrictive amendments before allowing the House to vote on the bill. Eventually the House passed and sent to the Senate a much weaker bill. Required labeling would only go into effect AFTER GMO labeling legislation is passed in five other states with an aggregate population of 25 million. AND, two of the states must include New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island.

If you think this sounds restrictive, read this analysis from CT Environmental Headlines for more details and other loopholes.

GMO Free CT is calling for a vote of "NO" on this new bill.

TOPIC Number 2:

On May 21, Stanley Lubman, a blogger for the Wall Street Journal, wrote a post titled, “Why Americans Should Worry About China’s Food Safety Problems.” The author made reference to the dominance of Chinese imports in some food categories, — 80% of tilapia, 27% of garlic, and 16% of frozen spinach consumed in the U.S. in 2011. He also reminded us of the numerous recent reports of the serious violations of food safety in China, and pointed out what a tiny percentage of Chinese imports are actually inspected by the FDA.

It was the frozen spinach statistic that sent me running to inspect my freezer. In general I am a careful reader of labels, especially since I discovered in September 2011 that my Nature’s Promise green beans had come from China! This discovery had prompted me to start a Change.org petition demanding that Stop & Shop start sourcing their organic green beans in the US. You would think I’d learned my lesson.

Imagine my dismay when I discovered that the frozen organic spinach in my freezer, packaged by Providence, RI company Woodstock Farms, and sold in my local co-op, was grown in China! I’ve already registered my protest.

All I can say is, “Read those labels carefully.” Things aren’t always as they seem.

Happy Monday. Look for a recipe next time.

Have a great week.

Saturday Short Subjects: The Growing Threat of EAB

2013-05-25T13:04:00.000-04:00

Since 2006, Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Awareness Week has been held the week before Memorial Day, with the goal of educating as many people as possible about the destructive powers of this tiny invasive pest and the ways they can help to prevent its spread.

The beautiful, destructive adult EAB

Why this particular week? The Memorial Day weekend marks the start of Summer vacation season — when Americans are on the move — camping out, spending time in their weekend cabins, and building campfires. One of the main messages of EAB Awareness Week is : DO NOT MOVE FIREWOOD.

Although the mature EAB Agrilus planipennis beetle can fly, moving firewood has accelerated its spread. EAB’s natural range is Russia, northern China, Japan, and North Korea. It was first discovered in North America near Detroit in 2002, most likely arriving in this country in packing material. EAB has since been detected in two Canadian provinces and 19 states in the northeastern US.

In Asia, the EAB is kept in check by its native predators, three species of non-stinging parasitoid wasps. In North America it has no enemies.

One would not think that such a beautiful and minute creature could wreak such destruction. It only targets ash Fraxinus trees. EAB is a killer in its larval stage when it feeds internally in the ash’s cambium and phloem layers, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, and leaving telltale galleries. All ashes are at risk, although green ash is the favorite. Trees under stress are the most susceptible. EAB is responsible for the loss of tens of millions of trees in SE Michigan alone, and tens of millions of others elsewhere.

On Monday of this week, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection released the news that the Emerald Ash Borer had been detected in Hamden, a town bordering on the City of New Haven. A homeowner submitted a report and photos of EAB galleries in a dying ash to the office of the state Entomologist who then confirmed the findings. First detected in Connecticut last summer by a CT master gardener, EAB has now been found in nine towns in New Haven County.

A quarantine regulating the movement of ash nursery stock and ash materials from within New Haven has been in effect since then. Regulations are also in effect regulating the movement of firewood from out-of-state into Connecticut.

I can’t say this enough. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD.

The states and provinces where EAB has been detected have joined forces to create and maintain a website, www.emeralashborer.info, with the latest information about this pest.

What else can a concerned citizen do to stop the spread of this pest?

First, learn and watch for the signs of EAB infestation.

Report it.

If you are a homeowner with prized ashes on your property, learn about the options for protecting them. There are a variety of systemic insecticidal treatments available, but they currently require a commitment to annual application.

Non-stinging wasps from Asia are now being raised and released in a controlled program in the hope that they will help control EAB, but it is far too early to tell.

The most important action remains. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD. Pass it on.

Meatless Monday: The Mighty Avocado

2013-05-20T17:38:00.001-04:00

The avocado appears on many Superfood Lists, for good reason. A heart-healthy fruit, it is rich in both polyunsaturated fats and mono-saturated fats, which help to lower cholesterol. Avocados are an excellent source of vitamins B6, C, E, and K, as well as folate, lutein, magnesium, and potassium. They are high in fiber and have been shown to boost the absorbency of fat-soluble nutrients in foods with which they are eaten.

Check out these healthy facts about avocados (and a salad recipe) at WebMD.

Thanks to a Member Appreciation Day at the Elm City Market a while back, when the giveaway was an avocado, a lime, and a head of garlic, I discovered that making your own guacamole is a snap. With a ripe avocado or two on hand, and a lime in the refrigerator, you can whip up a batch in no time.

When you make your own, the color is a lovely bright green, the taste is incredibly fresh, and you can make it is garlicky or as salty as you wish.

Make Your Own Guacamole

INGREDIENTS

2 large avocados, slightly soft when squeezed

1 large lime

3 large cloves of garlic crushed (more or less to taste)

a pinch of salt

In a large bowl, mash the avocados with a fork (or a potato masher if you have one).

Add the juice from the lime.

(An old-fashioned two-part glass juicer works really well.)

Add the crushed garlic.

Add a tiny bit of salt to taste.

This recipe couldn’t be much easier. I think you will agree that DIY fresh guacamole is the best you’ve ever tasted. Give it a try!

Guacamole is great on chips, but is also delicious in a bean/rice bowl, on a salad, or as a sandwich or burger topping. You can even enjoy it on its own, right out of the bowl.

Enjoy!

Have a great week.

Saturday Short Subjects: Viewing the Earth Over Time

2013-05-18T21:18:00.001-04:00

Earlier in the month it seemed we had reached an ominous milestone. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that on May 9 the daily average of atmospheric CO2 recorded at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii reached 400 parts per million for the first time. That number has since been revised downwards to 399.89. [Not quite 400, but nothing to celebrate.]

Environmental activists have long been calling for immediate action to reduce atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm, what many experts believe to be the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. You can learn more about the science behind this number here.

Just about the time the Mauna Loa story broke, the Google | Official blog unveiled “A picture of Earth through time.” Google worked with the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, and TIME to compile more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken from space and turn them into an interactive time-lapse experience. It’s pretty difficult to deny global warming after witnessing the remarkable images of the Columbia Glacier Retreat in Alaska between 1984 and 2011.

There are many other featured sites including the Growth of Las Vegas, the Drying of the Aral Sea, Dubai Coast Expansion, and Amazon Deforestation.

Prepare to be amazed and saddened. The next time you meet a climate denier, you will know just where to send him or her.

Meatless Monday: Claire’s Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

2013-05-13T19:18:00.001-04:00

Claire’s Moroccan Sweet Potatoes has been a favorite in our house for longer than there have been “Meatless Mondays.” We first enjoyed it at my cousin’s house during her New Haven years. She lives in Denmark now, but I think of her every time I make it.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes is Claire Criscuolo’s unique vegetarian take on a traditional Moroccan meat dish. In Claire’s version, chickpeas and walnuts supply the protein, making it a complete meal and a perfect Meatless Monday dish. It is also excellent when served on a grain — a good way to stretch the dish when serving a crowd.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes

Preheat your oven to 400°F

INGREDIENTS

6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 medium carrots, peeled, and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices

1 large yellow onion, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch rings

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup golden raisins

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/3 cup of water

One 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained.

1/4 chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, oil, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, raisins, and salt and pepper. Toss well.
Pour the water into a 9’ x 13” glass baking dish.
Turn the sweet potato mixture into the dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for one hour.
Remove the foil and stir in the chickpeas and walnuts.
Continue cooking, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

This delicious dish takes a bit longer to prepare than last week’s tofu stir fry, but it is worth the time and effort. This one-dish meal is excellent when heated as a leftover, if you should be so lucky.

Moroccan Sweet Potatoes is one of many delicious recipes in Claire’s Corner Copia Cookbook.Published in 1994, it is New Haven restaurateur Claire Criscuolo’s first (and still my favorite) collection of recipes. If you can get your hands on a copy, check out Claire’s photo on the back cover. Such a kid! But I guess we all were back then. We love you, Claire — always have, always will!

Have a great week.

Saturday Short Subjects: Rock to Rock Overachieves!

2013-05-11T18:00:00.000-04:00

The final tally is in. Earlier this week, Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride 2013 organizers announced the final statistics for this year’s event, the 5th annual ride.

The fundraising goal was $150,000.

The 1,100 riders in Rock to Rock 2013 recruited 2,388 donors, who contributed more than $152,000 — surpassing the fundraising goal by over $2,000!

FYI, on April 20, Rock to Rock participants collectively biked more than 16,000 miles (over halfway around the globe) for the benefit of 23 different environmental organizations in New Haven!

Chris Randall, who took the photos of these two happy riders, was out and about documenting the day’s events.

For more images from Rock to Rock 2013, check out this page at the website IloveNewHaven.org.

And, save the date of April 26, 2014 for next year’s ride!

Meatless Monday: Tofu to the Rescue

2013-05-06T08:53:00.000-04:00

Tofu is a regular item on my grocery list. High in protein, a good source of calcium, and relatively low in calories, it is an excellent meat alternative in stir-fries, and can be turned into a delicious faux egg salad.

As great as tofu is, however, I will admit it is not without a few challenges:

The tastiest stir-fries are the ones in which the tofu has been marinated in advance. Some people may be fond of the taste of bare naked tofu. I prefer my chunks of tofu when they have soaked up all the delicious flavors of a homemade sauce.
Fresh tofu has a relatively short life span. Despite my best intentions, I have more than once discovered that the package of tofu in my fridge is past its expiration date.
I care about GMOs, and it has become hard to find organic tofu, and even harder to find organic tofu made in the USA.

I recently discovered the answer in the Elm City Market. The perfect product comes in a Tetra Brik® box and can be found on the shelf in the ethnic food aisle —Morinaga Silken Tofu. Silken tofu is available in a variety of textures, is non-GMO, is made in the USA, requires no refrigeration until it is opened, and has a shelf life of several months.

AND, the solution to the last-minute problem was printed on the box! A delicious dinner in under an hour:

Morinaga Tofu Stir Fry

Preheat your oven to 400°F

Stir the following ingredients together:

6 tbsp. light soy sauce
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger [2 tsp. dry ginger if you don’t have fresh on-hand]
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Lightly oil a baking dish.

Cube the tofu and place it in the dish in one layer.

Pour half the sauce over the tofu and bake for 30 minutes.

While the tofu is baking, slice a bunch of green onions.

Prepare additional vegetables of your choice for the stir-fry

(about 6 cups).

[If you are in a pinch, you can use veggies from your freezer.]

When the tofu is done, sauté the onions in oil for 1 minute.

Add the remaining vegetables with the remaining sauce, cooking until crisp tender.

Gently stir in the tofu.

Serve with some rice, pasta, quinoa, or other grain.

Voilá! One delicious dish in almost no time!

Have a great week.

Saturday Shorts: Hope

2013-05-04T15:15:00.000-04:00

We lost a beloved spruce last fall in the snowstorm that followed Hurricane Sandy. We had planted it the year we got married, cared for it, watched it grow, and used it as a backdrop for photographs of many happy events – a new baby coming home, family visits, graduations… Not to mention that the spruce had provided shelter for countless winged residents and passers-through. You get the idea. It was an important tree.

Conditions in the back yard have changed. It is shadier than it was years ago. We have changed, too. We decided to take all we’d recently learned about the importance of native plants to heart and embarked on a search for a native tree that would thrive in our little shady urban plot, a tree that would be “easy on the eyes,” resistant to disease, and an attraction for native wildlife.

After much research we chose the American Hornbeam or “Musclewood” (Carpinus caroliniana), a member of the Birch family, and native to much of eastern North America. The smooth gray bark and fluted trunk of a mature specimen suggests a strongly-muscled limb (to me, an animal leg), hence its nickname. In fact the trunk is one of the tree’s most attractive features, particularly during winter when its limbs are bare.

You may not see it now, but in a few years this tree will be buff!

The tree is slow-growing, to a height of 30 feet with a spread about the same. The American Hornbeam is not considered a particularly showy tree. In spring it has flowering catkins. In fall its leaves turn yellow to orange-red, and it bears small nutlets. Songbirds in particular are attracted to this tree for its fruit and the shelter it offers.

Yesterday this American Hornbeam was planted in our yard, not far from where the spruce once stood. It has been watered well. Its leaves are starting to unfurl.

My husband had just wondered out loud how long it would take the birds to notice the new addition when the mockingbird, who has been claiming our yard as part of his territory for the last few weeks, landed in the tree and then used it as a diving board for a plunge into the adjacent bird bath.

Much like deciding to have a child, planting a tree takes a leap of faith. You hope it will thrive. You hope it will be a benefit to the world around it. You hope you will see it to maturity. [In this case, we hope it will be a backdrop in many happy photographs.] We hope…

I hear the mockingbird singing.

A Mystery No More…

2013-04-30T01:08:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, what they contained was a mystery.

Now we know.

On Monday morning, a team of experts, guided by high-tech imaging devices, successfully opened the Lincoln Oak’s twin time capsules. Some of the treasures they contained were on display at an afternoon press conference in City Hall. Connecticut State Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni gave a detailed listing of the capsules’ contents. Quinnipiac University Professor Jerry Conlogue and his student assistants Katelyn Dallova and Nini Shingleton were on hand to explain the technology they used to ensure that none of the items were damaged as the capsules were opened. The procedure was no easy feat and took four hours of painstaking work to complete. The cement contained bluestone, and was particularly durable.

It took a bit of work to pry the capsules open.

Bellantoni was clearly overjoyed with the results. He explained that he had been sent on many “wild goose chases” in his 26 years as an archaeologist, none of which had yielded a time capsule — until this one.

CT State Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni

The copper capsules were 10” long and 4” in diameter.

Capsule One contained articles relating to February 12 and 13, 1909, the actual 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. These items included a program from a centennial observance at Center Church; a copy of a speech delivered on that occasion; six different newspapers published in New Haven on those dates; some papers tied in a string that were a gift of ex-mayor Hendrick; two Lincoln commemorative coins, 1” and 2” in size; and a small cannon ball and a deformed musket ball, both of which came from the battlefield at Gettysburg.

The deformed musket ball and the small cannon ball

Capsule Two contained items relating to New Haven in 1909 including: an elaborate medal with an eagle, flag and star from the Grand Army of the Republic; military rosters pertaining to Admiral Foote; a 1907 Lady Liberty quarter, a dime, and an Indian head penny; and business cards of the makers of the plaque and the capsules. [Note: There was no Lincoln penny; that coin was first minted in August, 1909.]

Too early for a Lincoln penny

It would have been too cold to plant the tree on the actual anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. Bellantoni stated that the date of April 9, 1909 was chosen because it commemorated the 44th anniversary of the surrender at Appomattox.

Drew Days, one of the Proprietors of the New Haven Green, thanked a number of people for their roles in this fine adventure. Foremost among them was Robert Greenberg, the one who first suspected that time capsules might be embedded in the concrete at the base of the tree’s plaque. It was largely due to his persistence that the footing was first examined by the New Haven bomb squad.

Eventually these items will all be on display at the New Haven Museum on Whitney Avenue.

It is interesting to reflect that had the Lincoln Oak not been upended by Hurricane Sandy, we would be unaware of the existence of these treasures from the past.

New Haven Celebrates 375 Years…

2013-04-27T21:25:00.000-04:00

And plants a tree.

The historic New Haven Green was abuzz with activity on this impossibly gorgeous spring afternoon, all to commemorate the City’s 375th birthday.

What brought us out was the opportunity to participate in a bit of history — the planting of a Pin Oak tree in the exact spot on the Upper Green where the Lincoln Oak had stood.

The Lincoln Oak was planted by the City of New Haven in 1909 to commemorate the birth of Abraham Lincoln 100 years before. It was uprooted last October during Hurricane Sandy.

Many people helped to plant the new Pin Oak Quercus palustris

The tree was standing upright in the ground, well in advance of the 1:30 ceremony. URI and its newest GreenSkills workers did much of the heavy work.

Note the donut hole, required for proper planting.

Associate Director Chris Ozyck shared his wisdom

with the workers and curious bystanders.

After the lesson, everyone jumped into action.

The public was invited to take part in this historic event.

The dignitaries arrived.

They threw their dirt into the donut hole, having missed the lesson.

All’s well that ends well.

Planted to just the right depth, and properly mulched and watered, the
New Haven Green’s newest resident looks stately in its new home.

For those of you interested in history, here is some more about the 1909 Lincoln Oak.

This tree and the City made the news when human skeletal remains were discovered entangled in the trees upended roots.

Those who know the Green and its history were only mildly surprised by the discovery. The New Haven Green was once the City’s burying ground. Historian and artist Rob Greenberg reminded us of that fact today with his display of rubbings from gravestones that stood on the Upper Green until they were moved to the Grove Street Cemetery, established in 1797, after the burial ground on the Green became too crowded.

The skeletons are still being studied. Drew Days, one of the Proprietors of the New Haven Green, announced today that there will be a re-internment of the remains on the Green once the investigation is over. He speculates that there is still much to be learned from the bones.

Rob Greenberg has been doing research on the tree every since last October. He recently discovered a newspaper article indicating that this same tree had suffered a close call in 1961 during Hurricane Esther. The newspaper headline read: “Bones of Man, Child Unicoverd On Green By Surprised Workers.” On that occasion, the tree was only partially uprooted, and workers were able to get it back into the ground where it survived for 5 more decades.

The Lincoln Oak was marked with a plaque, anchored into the ground by a cement footing.

Partly due to Greenberg’s persistence, the footing was examined and x-rayed by the New Haven bomb squad, studied by the State Archaeologist and several Quinnipiac University (QU) professors, and then taken to the digital imaging lab at QU. The scans revealed two time capsules. On the Green today the Parks Department was soliciting guesses about what mystery items they contain.

No time capsule was buried during the tree planting ceremony today. That, too, may come later.

For now, that’s all I’ve got.

Happy Birthday, New Haven!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.22.13

2013-04-22T14:31:00.003-04:00

Earth Day is here!

Welcome to Day 13 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: CELEBRATE THE EARTH TODAY

You might start with Google’s interactive Earth Day doodle. This year Google published a “sightseeing checklist” so you don’t miss any of the doodle’s features. Once you are done controlling the weather and the seasons, be sure to click on the magnifying glass. Doing this will take you to the latest news for Earth Day 2013.

There are some fun things,

like this celebration of “Nature’s Engineers,” also from Google.

And some beautiful things.

Unfortunately, all the news is not good.

The focus piece in today’s Christian Science Monitor reminds us that “planetary carbon dioxide concentrations are the highest they’ve been in the past 800,000 years.” On the plus side, this piece also points out how much progress has been made since the first Earth Day in 1970, the year Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River caught fire.

Today is the last day to comment

on the KXL Tar Sands Pipeline Project.

Natural Resources Defense Council president Frances Beinecke has a special Earth Day message on the subject. If you are inspired to take action, you can send a comment to President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry here.

Don’t spend all of Earth Day on the computer.

Get outside if you can.

Perhaps it’s is a good day for a picnic…

Or at least for a walk or bike ride…

And for noticing the beauty all around you — the tiny spring flowers, the sweet bird songs, and the lush green colors bursting forth all over…

Tiny, vibrant “windflowers” come up each year in my backyard.

The Nature Conservancy has prepared a great Nature Treasure Hunt activity sheet for kids of all ages.

When you are back inside, take a moment to reflect on how fragile our planet is, and on how much work there is to do to if we are to preserve it for future generations.

Make a promise to love your mother (Earth) today and every day.

The Earth Day Network site has many suggestions for ways to make a difference. You might want to add your image to their Face of Climate Change Photo Mosaic.

Every day is Earth Day. Pass it on.

Thanks for joining me on my countdown to Earth Day. I hope you will visit often as I continue on my “road to greenness.”

Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.21.13

2013-04-21T18:52:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Day 12 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: BECOME A CITIZEN SCIENTIST

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s OK.

There is currently no official definition of “citizen scientist.” Most would agree that “citizen science” involves a collaboration between scientists and volunteers, often involving data collection. I like this working definition of citizen science I found on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: “Projects in which volunteers partner with scientists to answer real-world questions.”

Perhaps the most well-known citizen science project to date is SETI@home in which volunteers help scientists search for extraterrestrial life by downloading a special program that analyzes radio telescope data which runs on a home computer when it is not otherwise in use.

The National Wildlife Federation has compiled a lengthy list of projects suitable for a broad range of ages and interests, with alliterative names such as: Fun with Frogs, Fabulous Firefly Festivities, and Monarch Mayhem.

Cornell University offers several different projects involving birds, one of which is tailored for urban dwellers. This is a great resource for teachers. There are even opportunities to apply for mini-grants for community events.

While many of the opportunities involve outdoor activities, there are a number of projects for those who like being indoors or have impaired mobility. One of these is Old Weather, a project in which volunteers transcribe weather data found in logbooks from ships sailing with the East India Company from the 1780s to the 1830s in order to “improve understanding of all forms of weather variability in the past and so improve our ability to predict weather and climate in the future.”

Here is one for all you gardeners out there — Become a First Detector through training offered through the National Plant Diagnostic Network. The question posed on this website is: “Are you interested in protecting U.S. agricultural and natural areas for exotic, invasive species?” If your answer is “yes,” you are invited to enroll in an online training course, with a number of short instructional modules on monitoring for high risk pests and diagnosing and reporting plant problems. If you pass all the units successfully, you will receive a certificate and an invitation to sign up for periodic updates in order to stay current on all the latest news on alien invaders. “First Detectors” are often just that, the first ones to detect that an alien species has arrived in a new area. It was a master gardener in the wasp watcher program who first detected the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer in CT last summer.

I have only just scratched the surface. There are all sorts of projects that could use your help. Check some more out here and here.

On Earth Day last year the National Science Foundation sang the praises of citizen scientists: “Earth Day invariably triggers discussions about the enormously complex state of the planet and begs the equally daunting question, ‘How can one person make a difference?’… But just one person can indeed chip in as a citizen scientist, who helps the scientific community unravel the mysteries of where Mother Nature is today and where she is headed. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds groups of these concerned volunteers who collect data and share their observations and insights on a scale that full-time scientists simply cannot accomplish.”

See, one person really can help to change the world.

Come back tomorrow for a new tip in celebration of Earth Day!

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.20.13

2013-04-20T19:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 11 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge. I hope you didn’t give up on me. I’ve been very busy. We rode in New Haven’s 5th Annual Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride. The weather cooperated, and nearly 1000 riders raised over $135,000 in donations for environmental groups in New Haven. And then one of my brothers and his wife showed up in town on a whirlwind art gallery tour and asked us to join them for pizza. Quite a day! Now — finally — tip number #11!

Today’s Tip: CHECK OUT THE OLD BEFORE BUYING SOMETHING NEW

I can't recall why exactly these items were ever stashed away. Now they are out of the box in the attic, and off the top closet shelf, and out is where they will stay.

Two fine purses, one denim jacket,
one flannel nightshirt, and a pair of very warm sox

Sometimes old is better than new.

As I examined these re-discovered blasts from the past, I admired their quality — the tiny stitches, the minute buttons and bits of lace on the nightgown, the hidden pockets and the details on the leather purse. Originally purchased as moderately-priced items, they are extraordinarily well made.

30 years ago the rules of fashion were less forgiving than they are today. There were strict dress codes for business and pleasure, even for going to the corner store. Styles changed drastically from season to season and it was a faux pas not to stay current, particularly for females. Vintage? Unheard of unless it was Halloween.

Vintage is cool now. With tights and leggings a person of a certain age can even transform a found mini into a tunic suitable for some settings.

Will everything work? Can all found objects be worn everywhere? Of course not!

Just recruit a trusted advisor so you never cross the fashion no-no line.

Happy hunting!

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.19.13

2013-04-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 10 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: CONSIDER THE FISH

The menhaden is not a fish most people would eat,
but it is an important part of the food chain.

The distance fish travels to get to your plate is not as important as other factors including:

How was it caught?
Is it a fish whose population is endangered?
If it is a farmed fish, what are the conditions under which it was raised?

The Monterey Bay Aquarium believes that “through better practices, we can create healthy, abundant oceans for everyone.” Through its Seafood WATCH® program the Aquarium has been working since 1999 to make this vision a reality. Consumers play an important role in the conservation of ocean resources when they choose to purchase ocean-friendly seafood.

The Seafood WATCH® program provides consumers with tools to make the right choices — national and regional guides in which seafood is rated as “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives,” and “Avoid.” The 2013 Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood WATCH® guides are available for download here and are also available for mobile devices.

The guides are updated periodically. As farming techniques improve, ratings can go up. This happened recently when tilapia from Ecuador moved from "Good Alternative" to “Best Choice.” You can learn about the process Seafood WATCH® uses to make recommendations here.

Is it a GMO fish?

Yes, soon you may have to ask this question as well. “Frankenfish” could appear on the market in the very near future. The US Food and Drug Administration may soon approve the sale of AquaBounty Technologies’ Salmon, genetically engineered to reach market size more rapidly than other farmed salmon.

If approved, AquaBounty salmon would become the first genetically engineered animal to enter the food supply. More than 33,000 people have submitted comments to the FDA. The commenting period ends April 26. PCC Natural Markets, Trader Joe’s, Aldi’s and Whole Foods that they will not carry the salmon if it is approved for sale.

Gone are the days when local seafood was in plentiful supply in every coastal town and the only questions the consumer might ask were: How fresh is it? or How much does it cost per pound?

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.18.13

2013-04-18T16:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 9 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: LEAVE YOUR CAR HOME ONE DAY A WEEK (or more)

WHY?

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “Transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States. It caused over half of the carbon monoxide, over a third of the nitrogen oxides, and almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons in our atmosphere in 2006.”

This does not mean you have to stay home.

If I don’t drive, how do I get there?

Did you know that Google Maps allows you to get directions for walking, biking, and public transportation as well as driving?
Many cities, Chicago, for example, have tools for planning a trip using their public transportation system.
Let this page, composed for the City of New Haven as part of the New Haven/Léon Sister City Project’s WalkBikeTransit Campaign, serve as inspiration, wherever you happen to live.
The City of New Haven's Smart Cycling Handbook spells out the bicyclist's rules of the road, tips for bike safety, and some of the many reasons why cycling is good for you and the planet. The information is pretty universal.
Finally, if you are lucky enough to be a relatively short distance from where you need to go, discover the many benefits of walking, from bone strengthening to mood lifting.

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.17.13

2013-04-17T09:34:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 8 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: GET YOUR OLD READING MATTER BACK IN CIRCULATION

Your unwanted books or magazines could become someone else’s treasure.

Take your old magazines (a few at a time)…

to the gym and put them out on the reading table. Be sensible about this. If you go to a university gym, the alumni magazine won’t be too popular. Ditto for anything too nerdy. People, on the other hand, will be most appreciated.
or to a nursery school. Primary school teachers appreciate magazines and catalogues with colorful photos (think travel and gardening magazines) that they can use in art projects.

Donate your gently use books to a community book bank.

The Book Bank at New Haven Reads gladly accepts all donations EXCEPT encyclopedias and magazines. The Book Bank is in particular need of children’s picture books.

Find a home for your National Geographic magazine collection.

This is a tough one. I consulted a dealer who told me that no matter how good the condition, unless they are VERY old, these magazines are very hard to sell. We couldn’t bear the thought of our beloved collection being cut into little pieces. We looked far and wide for someone to appreciate them as we had over the years. We settled on donating a full car trunk load to the Traveler Restaurant in Union, CT near the Massachusetts border. The restaurant’s claim to fame is that each diner gets to select 3 free books to take home. Approximately 100,000 books are given away each year! The restaurant was happy to accept our magazines — as a donation. I expect they were bundled by year and sold in the retail shop, where the best books are available for sale. It was a nice drive. on a gorgeous spring day We enjoyed a tasty lunch. We restrained ourselves and picked out just one free book each. We ended up a few bucks in the hole, and we made a bit of a carbon footprint, but we had found our National Geographics a good home.

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.16.13

2013-04-16T13:21:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Day 7 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: SWAP OUT YOUR INCANDESCENT BULBS

Thomas Edison’s light bulb is on its way out. The Energy Independence and Security Act (ERISA) of 2007 set its demise in motion—for good reason. The 134-year-old incandescent light bulb converts only 5 -10% of the electricity it uses into light; the rest is given off as heat. An excellent article in Popular Mechanics explains the details of ERISA, sometimes called the “Lightbulb Law.” The act did not ban any specific type of lightbulb. Rather, it mandated that by the end of 2012 most household bulbs (with some exceptions) NEWLY STOCKED IN STORES must use 30% less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. Big government is not going to check out your light fixtures to see if you have made the switch.

Once you realize how much energy (and money) you can save by swapping out your old- school bulbs, my guess is that you will want to make the switch NOW.

There are a number of alternatives to the incandescent lightbulb, each of which offers significant energy savings. Each choice has pros and cons. How is a consumer to decide? It can all seem a little daunting.

Consumer choices fall into three categories:

Halogens (Energy-Saving Incandescents) estimated to have a 25% savings
CFLs (Compact Fluorescents) estimated to have 75% energy savings
LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) estimated to have 75-80% savings

Not all bulbs in each category are created equal. And different categories of bulbs are pricier than others. Consumer Reports has an online guide to help you decide which bulb is best for each application in and around your home.

One easy tip is to purchase bulbs that have earned the ENERGY STAR rating, particularly in the case of LEDs, with their higher price tag.

LEDs offer the highest energy savings, but also have the highest price tag. However, their price has begun to fall dramatically, and thus, so has their payback time. One recently introduced product, Cree’s new home LED bulb, sold at Home Depot, has broken the $10 per bulb price barrier AND received rave reviews from both The Verge and David Pogue of the New York Times.

Don’t wait to change your way of light. It’s good for the planet AND your wallet.

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Meatless Monday: Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.15.13

2013-04-15T12:26:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 6 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge.

Today’s Tip: CUT DOWN ON YOUR FOOD WASTE

In his book American Wasteland, author Jonathan Bloom states that America wastes nearly half of its food. The problem begins in the fields where some crops are left to rot because their appearance does not meet the standards for sale. More food is lost in transport, when it does not sell at the market, or when uneaten food is discarded at a restaurant. Food scraps make up about 19 percent of the waste dumped in landfills, where it ends up rotting and producing methane, a greenhouse gas.

Here is where we come into the picture. Bloom also estimates that Americans waste an astounding 25% of the food they bring home.

What can the consumer do?

Here are some easy steps you can take to help both the planet and your wallet:

PLAN AHEAD. Love Food, Hate Waste, a British site with the tagline “making the most of the food we buy,” offers: many ideas for reducing food waste, suggested weekly menus, and tools to help you discover recipes you can make from ingredients you have on hand. See a post of mine from last fall for more on this site and mobile app.

MAKE A GROCERY LIST and try to stick to it. This will work best if you remember my time-tested rule: Never go to the store hungry.

PUT YOUR FREEZER TO GOOD USE. Yes, I’ve also blogged about this before. Promptly freeze leftovers from your dinner out if you know you won’t get to them in the next day or two. Freeze some of the delicious soup you made over the weekend, or a dozen cookies from that large batch you baked. You don’t need a fancy container; zip-lock freezer bags work well. Just be sure to label the package with the contents and the date before stashing it away. Did you know that you can freeze a partially used carton of milk or juice? Remember that when you are heading out of town.

KNOW WHAT YOU OWN. Check out the contents of your refrigerator and freezer BEFORE going to the store. You never know what treasures you might find there. Maybe you can take a night off from cooking…

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Have a great week.

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.14.13

2013-04-14T14:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day 5 of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge in which I continue the theme of growing things, with a suggestion for anyone with a backyard, or with planting privileges in a garden or community green space.

Today’s Tip: When you plant, GO NATIVE!

It was in Master Gardening Class that I first encountered Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, by Douglas W. Tallamy. I am not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the most important books I have ever read.

[Sidebar: What is a Native Plant? A native (or indigenous) plant occurs naturally in a particular region, state, ecosystem, and habitat without direct or indirect human actions.]

Tallamy, a scientist and gardener, introduces the premise that “all plants are not created equal, particularly in their ability to support wildlife. Most of our native plant-eaters are not able to eat alien plants, and we are replacing native plants with alien species at an alarming rate…” The central message of Tallamy’s book is that we must restore native plants in order to maintain the ecosystems on which we ourselves depend. Read this book.

Even better, use it as an inspiration for your next landscaping project. Appendix One is a regional guide of native trees, herbaceous perennials, grasses, ferns and vines and their attributes. Appendix B addresses the decline in the Lepidoptera population, listing the host plants for scores of butterflies and moths.

A more recent guide for plants that will repopulate your yard with pollinators is The Non-Stop Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Plant Choices and Four-Season Designs, by Stephanie Cohen and Jennifer Benner. I had an opportunity to hear Jennifer speak at the recent CT Master Gardeners’ Symposium. Her book is on my wish list, but I confess I have not read it yet.

There is an added bonus for the gardener who decides to Go Native. As Tallamy states in his book, “Native plants are well adapted to their particular ecological niche and are often far less difficult to grow than species from other altitudes, latitudes, and habitats.”

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!

Counting Down to Earth Day 2013: 4.13.13

2013-04-13T21:11:00.001-04:00

This is the fourth day of my Counting Down to Earth Day 2013 challenge. Yes, I realize that it's late in the day, but it’s still April 13!

As I continue with the theme of growing things, my fourth tip is a little more specific.

Today’s Tip: PLANT A TREE

Trees are valuable for many reasons.

The Arbor Foundation, founded in 1972, the centennial of the first observance of Arbor Day, is a nonprofit dedicated to the planting of trees. The Foundation has compiled statistics from all kinds of sources about why trees are good for the planet, wildlife, and real estate values!

Here are just a few:

“The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.” —U.S. Department of Agriculture

“Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property’s value.” —USDA Forest Service

“The planting of trees means improved water quality, resulting in less runoff and erosion. This allows more recharging of the ground water supply. Wooded areas help prevent the transport of sediment and chemicals into streams.” —USDA Forest Service

“In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.” —Dr. Roger S. Ulrich Texas A&M University

“There are about 60– to 200-million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO² every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.” —National Wildlife Federation

New Haven, Connecticut, where I live, appreciates the importance of trees. The City has undertaken an ambitious program — TreeHaven | 10 K — with the goal of planting 10,000 trees in 5 years. The trees are being planted by Urban Resources Institute (URI), the group I am supporting in next Saturday’s Rock to Rock Ride.

If you live in New Haven, you can request a tree, to be planted by URI, at no cost to you. But first you must sign a pledge that you will care for your new tree. Newly planted trees require 25 gallons of water per week during the growing seasons (from bud-break to leaf-drop) for the first three years.

If you decide to plant a tree, please think carefully before you buy one. Think of your site. How much sun do you have? What is your zone? What is your soil like? How much space do you have? Talk to an arborist or a reputable nursery before making your final decision.

To start you off, here is a slideshow of trees you should NEVER plant.

Come back tomorrow for a new tip as we count down to Earth Day on April 22.

Love Your Mother (Earth). Pass it on. Together we can make a difference. Yes, we can!