Green Living Thursday

With the recent cold weather, wind and snow, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss some ideas about what to do in the kitchen during a blackout. It is inevitable that sooner or later our electricity is going to go out. We all remember last winter when it was out for several days. When that happens, fixing food can present a problem. Here are some tips to help you get around in the kitchen when the electricty is out.


The key to getting through a power outage is to be prepared. Preparing ahead for possible blackouts will make it easier to get through them if they do occur. One way of preparing is to stock your refrigerator and pantry with foods that let you fix a decent meal without electricity. Canned items such as tuna are an excellent thing to stock in the pantry for emergency situations. When cooking any dish that will reheat well or can find a second life in a salad, make extra. If you have leftover cooked pasta and a few fixings - olive oil, oil-packed sundried tomatoes, olives, canned tuna - it's a cinch to throw together a satisfying salad. Or you could reheat that pasta in ready-made sauce from the pantry in a chafing or fondue dish or over a camp stove.

If you have a few hard-boiled eggs stashed away, all the better. Extra blanched or roasted vegetables are good with a vinaigrette, served at room temperature. Leftover meatloaf or any roasted meat can anchor a supper, as can ratatouille or chile.

Barbecues and outdoor gas grills can save the day and the dinner, but if you don't own such gear, there are simpler solutions. Just think outside the box - or maybe take something out of its box. The camp stove you haven't used since your trip to Yosemite can heat up all manner of leftover home-cooked or canned food, and so can that chafing dish you got as a wedding present more years ago than you care to admit.

Heating leftovers or canned foods or making something really quick like pasta in store-bought sauce; an omelet, or warmed tortillas piled with whatever is around.

Checklist

-- Learn the art of planned overage, but use extras in your meals within a few days even if there hasn't been a blackout. Replenish your standby supply as you go along.

-- Check what non-electric cooking options you have. Make sure they are in working order and you have the needed fuel - charcoal for the grill, portable gas cylinders, Sterno or denatured alcohol, even small candles for those buffet warming dishes.

However, do NOT under any circumstances use gadgets and fuels designed for outdoor use in a closed space like your kitchen. Carbon monoxide-filled fumes can quickly turn that blackout meal into your last supper.

With a little planning, it is possible to make it through a power outage and still manage to eat well. Don't forget to check on your neighbors during times when we are experiencing situations such as power losses or severe weather.

Stitch says...

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas

Greening your Holidays II

Packing Peanuts, what are they good for? Well that depends. They can be the bain of our existence at times. However, there are some things you can do with them. In the past few years, some strides have been made in the packing peanut industry, such as peanuts made out of corn starch or wheat. Some biodegrade quickly and can be put into your compost pile and others dissolve in water. Also, traditional packing peanuts are made out of polystyrene and are now color coded to indicate the origin of the material they contain. Polystyrene takes hundreds of years to decompose in nature, so recycling it is key. Green colored packing peanuts are made from at least 70% recycled material, while white and pink colored peanuts are composed of at least 70% raw (i.e. non-recycled) materials. Additionally, pink peanuts have been treated with chemicals to prevent static cling.

One alternative to using shipping peanuts is to use popcorn. If you have an air popper, this works perfectly. Just be sure your popcorn is plain with not butters, oils or seasonings on it. Plain, dry popcorn works wonderfully well as a packing material and can then be put outside for the birds to enjoy.

But if you do find yourself afloat in a seat of shipping peanuts, here are some things you can do with them.

REUSE THEM: Store packing peanuts in an old pair of pantyhose to keep them from over taking your house until you are ready to ship them off to someone else. Cut a hole in the toe and tie it off with a twisty seal for easy peanut dispensing.

REFUSE THEM: If you detest packing peanuts, ask mail order companies if they use them before you agree to place an order and encourage them to use the new biodegradable variety. Sometimes companies, particularly smaller outifits, will agree to ship your order with shredded newspapers or some other more eco-friendly substitute instead.

RECYCLE THEM: More and more recycling programs are accepting packing peanuts, but make sure you put them in a bag or box so they don't escape and invade the neighborhood. Also, shipping services like Mailboxes, Etc. will often accept peanut donations, as will many stores and businesses that do a lot of shipping. If nothing else, list them on Freecycle since someone in your area is bound to be moving or shipping something.

RE-PURPOSE THEM: Packing peanuts make great stuffing. No, not for your turkey, but for things like pet beds and draft dodgers. Simply sew up your project and then use the packing peanuts for the stuffing.

So with a little imagination, we can turn an annoying item like packing peanuts into something useful.

Greening your Holidays I

As the holidays quickly approach, it is good to keep in mind how to have a Green Christmas. One tip is to be organized and do any ordering and shipping you have to do early enough so you can avoid overnight shipping. Using ground transportion means less fuel use and pollution. In our harried society, it is easy to forget a birthday, anniversary or wait until the last minute to do your holiday shopping. Overnight shipping burns the most fossil fuels per item, while ground shipping tends to be six time more energy efficient than air. Because airplanes release their greenhouse gases way up in the atmosphere, they tend to do more damage than gases emitted at ground level, at least as far as global warming is concerned.

Using ground shipping instead of overnight shipping, will also green your wallet, since most companies charge a heft price for the service. Consider making it your New Year's Resolution to organize your purchasing and bill paying so that you give yourself enough time and can avoid using overnight services. You will not only be helping the environment, but yourself as well.

December bills

It is that time again. Water meters were read last week and the bills were sent out on Dec. 7th. They will be due on Dec. 28th. Paying on time assures you won't be charged a $15.00 late fee. We bill every other month, so the next bill will go out around Feb. 1. Thank you.

Snow, snow and more snow!

Wow, that was quite a storm on Monday. Snow, wind and rain sure made for an interesting day. We hope you are all warm, dry and safe. With the holidays quickly approaching, some of you may be leaving your mountain home. Or perhaps you will be heading out for warmer weather. Please remember that if you leave your mountain home, turn your water off at your customer valve. This is located in a box next to your water meter. Should you have a frozen pipe and it bursts, having your water shut off will save you from having all sorts of damage or a large water bill. All water that goes through your meter is your responsibility, even if it is due to a leak or a pipe breaking. So please, it is better to be safe than sorry. Turn you water off if you leave.

First Snow!!!

Last Saturday morning brought a big surprise. Snow! What a refreshing way to start the morning. This is a timely reminder to get your winterizing done NOW, as it seems Old Man Winter isn't going to wait until it is winter on the calendar to make himself known. Since we need all the moisture we can get, it is better to be prepared for the weather than to be scurrying around at the last minute in the cold and snow. Remember to turn your water off if you leave your mountain home. Unhook all outside hoses and cover any exposed faucets. It is like the old saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.