Going Green

Going Green With My Dishwasher

2009-09-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

I admit I love my dishwasher. There are those who say that the newer ones are greener to use than washing dishes by hand, although I have a hard time believing that. Still, I indulge in the convenience provided by my Frigidaire.I do, however, have a compromise. I don't use the "dry" feature - instead I air dry my dishes. As in, I have a dish rack by the sink (for the items that are not dry yet

Flatten Juice Boxes

2009-08-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

I used to just crumple our used juice boxes and toss them in a plastic bag. We'd have a bulky, sticky mess that my husband hated to recycle.Then a friend of mine said to me "Really? You don't flatten them?". Me: "Flatten them? Seriously? What a good idea. I never thought of that." (I'm bright, but we all have our dull moments.) Now this is what I do. I unfold all the corners and flatten them. I

Greener Lunch Containers

2009-08-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

School is just around the corner, and now I'll be sending two packed lunches every day instead of one!Last year my daughter, who was then five, had trouble opening plastic containers (and these were the Disney Princess ones, made for kids!!). I was forced to send zip loc bags for a few days until I was able to shop around for other containers with tabs on the lids that she could grip more

Getting Rid Of Fruit Flies

2009-07-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

I have blogged about this before, but the tip is worth sharing again:I compost, so I keep a plastic container in my sink which I empty daily into a larger containter on my balcony, which I transfer weekly to the compost pile in my garden. Occassionally fruit flies find their way into the kitchen and to my sink, and do their best to DRIVE ME NUTS.That is until I discovered this nifty fruit fly

Growing Bigger Zucchini

2009-07-25T10:46:00.001-07:00

Wow!! Much bigger zucchinis this year! (Last year my largest one was smaller than the fork in the picture). The difference, I think, is because I moved my planting location.I did this primarily because the plants grow so huge that they take over my garden bed, so I wanted them to have their own location away from the other plants. Their new spot is a sunnier one, so that may be the reason for the

Growing Bigger Carrots

2009-07-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

This may seem like a no brainer for the experienced gardeners out there, but I am just seeing the benefits of carrot mounds myself, so bear with me.In previous years, my row of carrots was planted on a small mound of earth, no higher than any other veggie mound in my garden. I thought I'd try elevating the carrots a little this year though, and the results have been much better.I have no photos

Planting Strawberry Runners

2009-07-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

I have six strawberry plants, only two of which are producing fruit. The others have been producing runners, which I decided to plant today. It was totally spur of the moment, without any research first. Basically what I did was snip them from the mother plants, dig small holes in the ground, and plant them. I thought this would work because the runners naturally seek out the ground to root

Turning Household Recycling Into A Garden Gadget

2009-07-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a trick I tried today that I thought I'd pass on. I have some cherry tomato plants that are now producing fruit that isn't quite ready to be picked. I forget the name of the strain of plant, but they grow low to the ground. I'm out of string and was looking for another way to prop them up so they don't sag to the ground.I took some plastic forks and removed the middle two tines, and presto

Bike Lane On Burrard Bridge

2009-07-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

On July 13th, the Burrard Bridge will undergo a reconfiguration of sorts - bike lanes will be designated on both sides and pedestrians will all be moved to one side.I am very much in favour of this. I do simpathize with the motorists who simply can't bike and need effective roadways, but realistically, there are folks out there who drive who could walk or bike, with a few simple changes to their

Garden Progress

2009-07-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm optimistic about my zucchini this year - last year I got a few, and this year the plant is bigger with more flowers. I can't wait to start harvesting :)Our cherry tree has already provided BUCKETS of fabulous fruit (no exaggeration!). There's so much more to pick, too - this has been the best year for that tree since we've been living here.I'm also seeing some green tomatoes - cherries and

Ask Me How Much I Love Vinegar

2009-06-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

I found yet another use for my fave salad topping today - cleaning away battery contact corrosion.Let me stress that this corrosion was not on a battery, but on a removable metal contact in a battery operated toy. I tried cleaning the corrosion off with a paper towel to no avail, and then discovered that the contact plate was removable, and therefor available to other cleaning methods.Hmmm. What

Using My Compost

2009-06-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

So I have TWO piles of compost now... the first pile that I started a couple of seasons ago, and the "current pile" where I now put all the fresh kitchen veggie scraps. I've been focusing on simply turning the soil of the old compost pile, without adding any new scraps to it (with the hopes of using it soon). Today I actually did that - I dug through the original pile with a shovel, filled a

Minimizing Weeds With Water Trenches

2009-06-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

I wrote a post awhile back about how I use water trenches and hand waterto minimize weed growth, and today I snapped a few quick photos to demonstrate (spinach, carrots, and brussel sprouts). They're not perfectly tidy and may not be the best examples, but you get the idea... I love doing this because the amount of weeding is absolutely minimal as a result :)Return to Fine Grind

Harvesting Spinach

2009-06-12T13:22:00.001-07:00

That was quick! I've never grown spinach before - previously just lettuce. It's ready pretty quickly - as soon as the leaves are large enough to pick. This, and the little strawberries, are the first things to come out of my garden this year.Return to Fine Grind

Pharmasave's Greener Plastic

2009-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest in my "green plastic photo gallery" ...this one is from Pharmasave:Return to Fine Grind

Changing My Ways

2009-06-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

I've just been browsing through old posts on this blog, and found this one: Three New Green Habits. I'm happy to report that I've kept them long term. 1) I'm more consistent with keeping the kitchen lights off both when it's sunny out and there's enough natural light coming in the window, and if I'm going to be away from the room for more than 15 minutes or so.2) I always unplug phone chargers

How On Earth Do I Get Them Any Bigger?

2009-06-10T22:43:00.000-07:00

Tasty, but OMG. (Maybe Mother Nature is trying to help with my diet ;)Return to Fine Grind

Let's Just Say We Can't Stop Buying Food Yet...

2009-06-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

What a tease!! I plucked the first strawberry of the season from one of the plants on my balcony, and it was absolutely delicious - all 1/4 bite of it! Yup, it was pretty small. Below is a photo I took before I gobbled it down. I take some consolation in the fact that I got to it before the birds did...Return to Fine Grind

As I Rave Even More About Cleaning With Vinegar....

2009-06-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

If anyone has a stubborn cat pee cleaning issue and has never tried vinegar and baking soda, to say that I HIGHLY recommend it is an understatement.My cat's latest exploit was to pee in my daughter's room. Arrrgh... and EWWW, how (insert the expected expletives here) gross and nasty. Anyhoo.I managed to rescue her pee drenched stuff by soaking them in vinegar and baking soda before running them

Happy Clean Air Day!

2009-06-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

Return to Fine Grind

As I Vent About The Kamikaze Cyclists

2009-05-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

While walking with my two kids today, on a side walk next to a busy road, I heard a shout of "passing on your left!" only to be nearly plowed down by a cyclist going fast enough to move my hair with the breeze he created.Kudos to him for using green transportation, and for trying to warn me of his approach. And you know what? If there is no bike lane (which there should be everywhere) I really

Gardening Time :)

2009-04-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

Yay sunshine!! I usually do all of my garden planting at once, but today my son didn't want to stay outside long enough. I don't blame him, because I think he may have been too warm. I had him dressed in long sleeves and long pants, out of habit because of our endless winter. I had no idea it was actually shorts weather today.Still, I managed to turn the soil, and plant zucchini, cucumber, and

Plastic Egg Carton

2009-04-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

In my bid to pay tribute to all things green, here's another "smart packaging" pic. DH bought eggs from Superstore yesterday, and I noticed that they didn't come in styrofoam :)Return to Fine Grind

Time To Get Gardening?

2009-04-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

I don't know if it's safe to start planting anything yet... I'm still not ready to put away the snow shovel, ha ha. But I was outside today, and inspired by these signs of spring... a strawberry plant starting to sprout and garlic shoots standing up...Return to Fine Grind

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

Earth Hour 2009 is tonight, from 8:30-9:30 local time. At this point I'm planning to participate in some ways... like I'll turn down more lights than I would normally.I have a 6 yr old who is not fully comfortable falling asleep in the dark, so out of respect for her I'll more than likely leave the hall light on by her room. Chances are, DH will be on the couch watching TV, so I can easily turn