Laundry by Hand

Everyone's done it at one time or another - washed some item of clothing by hand. Maybe it was on vacation when you didn't have enough dirty clothes to warrant a trip to the laundromat. Maybe your delicates always have to be hand-washed. Maybe it was your sister's shirt that you don't want her to know you borrowed and wore to that party last night. Or maybe your washing machine broke down for a few weeks.

Would you be willing, or able, to wash your clothes by hand during a power outage? Or would you simply hope you didn't run out of clean clothes before the power came back on? That might work for a little while, but what about during an extended power outage? Or if you really want to reduce your energy dependence?

Anybody can hand wash clothing for a little while. All you need is a container, water, and cleaning agent. Let the clothes soak for at least half an hour, agitate them, rinse until all the soap is gone, wring the water out, and hang up to dry. The sink works for a few items, buckets or washtubs will handle more, and the bathtub works for a full load. Cold water works fine, especially with longer soaking. How do you agitate clothes in the bathtub? Pretend you are on vacation in France and are stomping on freshly harvested grapes!

Over the summer, I tried this a few times. I used buckets outside during the nice warm weather, just using hose water with a little laundry soap. It worked fine and I was able to dump the used water right on the trees. The buckets were narrow, though, and not particularly practical for doing large loads. When using my front-loading washing machine, I sometimes used the buckets to drain the rinse water and haul it out to the trees. This method was not only labor-intensive, it also chained me to the wash cycle lest I leave the room, forget about the upcoming rinse, and come back to find a flooded floor.

We've thought about the laundry issue in the past, considering ways to save energy and water. Eventually, we hope to convert a used wringer washer to pedal power. We've even looked at plans for a pedal-powered wringer. Before moving, however, we don't want to acquire any additional large appliances. For now, I'd resigned myself, once again, to putting our green plans on hold until we move.


Last month, however, the Princess of Pink blogged about selling her washer and dryer, and doing her laundry manually. I was inspired to get a similar set-up and try my hand at this. I ordered a laundry agitator aka Rapid Washer from Lehman's, along with a glass washboard for stains. The agitator is simply a plunger-type tool to push soapy water through the clothes during the wash and clean water through them during the rinse. (But this plunger's never been used in a dirty toilet.)

There was still the problem of wringing out the water, though. I've got a bum wrist and it simply doesn't tolerate wringing out wet clothes, especially heavy jeans. With the hard water in this area, letting sopping wet clothes drip dry leaves stains and extreme crunchiness. Luckily, she suggested an easy solution: a spin dryer.



For you purists out there, the spin dryer may not seem to make sense since it does draw electricity. That's true, but the electricity used to extract the water from wet laundry is far less than the electricity required to run the washing machine for a complete cycle. The spin dryer is compact, very efficient, and quiet.

How efficient is it? Well, I tested it the first time by putting in clothes that had been washed in the front-loading washing machine. My washer has a "max extract" setting that removes more water from the clothes than most machines. The spin dryer extracted an additional five cups of water from the clothes! Interestingly, too, the line-dried clothes were softer than usual as a result.

But, back to doing the laundry by hand. I needed containers that would take little space when not in use (and when moving) but allow me to do a full load of laundry at a time. The most practical option was 18 gallon plastic totes. I priced metal washtubs and decided the plastic totes were a better deal in the long run. Once we are moved, I want a utility tub/sink set-up. At that time, the totes can be used for storage instead of laundry.

Here is my set-up and process for doing laundry by hand.


Soak clothes with a little laundry soap for at least an hour. I use cold water from the hose.


Cloth wipes and pads are the only items soaked in hot water. They are washed and rinsed separately in buckets recycled from a friend. (I don't have cats.)



Rub out any stains with the washboard. Agitate clothes with the Rapid Washer for about 5 minutes. This is a good workout, although I advise against doing 5 pairs of adult jeans at one time!

Put clothes in basket with holes to drain (see basket in picture above). Rinse in clean water. Drain and rinse again (in a new tote). Spin dry and hang up on the clothesline.


To reduce overall water used for laundry, multiple loads can be soaked and washed in the same water, although clean water will be needed for the final rinse. It works best to do whites first since colors may bleed.

I've been hand washing laundry for a couple of weeks now. This is not a difficult task although a pre-existing issue with my shoulder and neck may preclude me from continuing for a short while. It takes more time than putting clothes in the washing machine and walking away, but almost anything done manually takes longer than its mechanized alternative.

There are some advantages to washing by hand. I can easily wash the cloth wipes anytime now, instead of waiting until I have a full load of darks to run through the machine. I'm using less water and every bit of it is being re-used on our trees. I'm also looking forward to seeing a reduction in our electricity bill. I'm getting a good workout.

Maybe we should reconsider that Amish farm property we saw for sale...

Retained Heat Cooking

A couple of days ago, Krista left a comment on a post on my other (food) blog about cooking food off the stove in an insulated pillow. Curious, I did a quick search on "retained heat cooking" and found this informative page complete with wonderful pictures. I tried this, in a half-assed sort of way, a year ago or so without much success.

Months later, I picked up a Le Creuset pot at a yard sale with the intention of using our old potato growing set-up as a hay box for retained heat cooking. (Photos here.) I never got around to that.

Well, after seeing the photos on the page linked above, I wanted to try again. The only appropriate basket I had was pretty small: 12" diameter at the top and 12" high. I have one tall narrow pot that I thought might work. Here's what I did.


Step 1: Lined the inside of the basket with foil. (Foil kept from burritos purchased at Chipotle's Mexican Grill...)

Step 2: Created insulation. I used 3 heavy towels, putting them in at crossed angles to get the best coverage. For more insulation, I decided to wrap the whole thing in a blanket.


Step 3: Prepared something to "cook." I boiled some brown rice and water in a covered pot for 5 minutes and then tucked it into my basket.


Step 4: Wrapped it up nice and tight.


Step 5: Reflected the heat even more. For optimum heat retention, I wrapped foil-lined bubblewrap insulation around the blanket-covered basket and tucked a blanket in the top opening.


Step 6: Waited. I checked on the rice several hours later and it was cooked. The bottom of the rice pan was still quite hot to the touch.

The only downside is that the rice came out somewhat mushy. I'm thinking it might work in soup, rice burgers, or perhaps to make rice milk. (Any other suggestions welcome!) Update: Aha! I just went back and reread the information page. Somehow, yesterday I missed the part about reducing the amount of water for cooking grains by one quarter. That would helped with the mushy rice problem.

This is definitely a viable way of cooking food with very low energy inputs. I'd like to try beans in it. I also think anything that would work in a slow cooker would work in this set-up.

Spending Freeze

Yesterday afternoon I finally got around to totalling up last year's expenses and income. We've been careful lately about spending money. The economy's getting tighter, we're searching for a new home, and my sweetie's workplace may be considering salary cuts. With our recent frugality in mind, it was a bit of a shock to see how much money we spent last year.

As I showed my sweetie the spreadsheet, I expressed frustration that we had spent more money than I realized. He calmly reminded me that it had been intentional. When the dollar was looking so grim last year, we decided to stock up on a few things and buy some equipment that we wanted. Our thinking was that these goods would hold their value better than the dollar.

Oh yeah. Now I remember.

In the kitchen and pantry, we looked at ways to increase our food security. I bought some vodka and made tasty liqueurs. I took advantage of a sale on dehydrated food for our emergency supplies. I bought enough coffee substitutes to last me until 2012, just so that I could do a thorough comparison of them for the blog. I picked up more canning jars and lids, and got a pressure canner. I got the Tulsi solar oven, which I enjoyed cooking with through the summer and fall.

Our transportation expenses increased, partly unexpectedly. My sweetie built the frame for my new Xtracycle but we still had to pay for the Xtracycle kit itself. We drove out of town more often to support my mother-in-law through her mother's final days and death, and then to prepare the house for sale.

Our medical expenses were pretty high for good and bad reasons. My sweetie and I both took classes on First Aid, and then put together First Aid kits for home and vehicle. I started treatment for TMJ, including a fairly expensive custom mouth guard to wear at night. Angel needed a small malignant growth removed.

Turns out it was a year with unusual expenses, most of which will hopefully not be necessary again. Now it's time for a Spending Freeze!

Because we are now looking at moving out of the immediate area, we have essentially stopped shopping. I'm trying to use up all of the food in the freezer as well as the various condiments and preserved vegetables in the refrigerator. We get fresh produce weekly at the CSA, along with occasional dried beans and grains. Cleaning myself and the house is done with simple supplies such as baking soda and vinegar, so there's no need to buy cleaning supplies or toiletries. I'm working hard to get rid of stuff now rather than buy anything new.

However, there is one problem with this plan...

This is my 500th Blog Post!

Don't you think that deserves something a little special? Surely I can go shopping to celebrate. Well, actually I can and I can do it without breaking the spending freeze. You see, Rob was nice enough to hold a drawing for a $25 Sears gift card and guess who won. I'm off to Sears today to look for an electric blanket. We've decided that preheating the bed, and then turning the blanket off, will allow us to turn the thermostat down further at night. It should reduce our total energy use. Thanks, Rob!

Why Bother?

Arduous posted this morning that she's encountered some feelings of hopelessness* and needed cheering up. She knows better than to expect that from cynical me, but I did share something with her that crossed my mind last night. Here is part of my comment to her:

I do think that humans are in deep, deep trouble. However, that does not mean we should give up on the changes we are trying to make.

Why? When they won't necessarily solve the huge problems we face? Because they change individual lives. Our lives, as individuals, are usually better for the "green changes" we make. The lives of those around us improve.

Example: Sure, I could go buy all my produce cheaper at WalMart. But, by being a part of a CSA, I support a local organic farmer who loves farming. I support his staff who get a decent pay and health insurance. I volunteer and help other people learn to embrace new vegetables and learn to cook better.

My actions may not save the world, but they do make a difference. Your actions also may not save the world, but they do make a difference!

Do you ever feel like we are doomed, that the damage we have wreaked on this planet will be our undoing? If so, why do you continue on a green path? What motivates you and moves you to make small, and large, changes in your life?

*This new study may have been the source of her doom & gloom. I know it doesn't cheer me up! It appears we cannot stop some planetary changes; we will have to learn to live in a new world.

Stand by for Technical Difficulties *FIXED*

For some odd reason, all my challenge logos have gone kaput, as have half my award logos in the sidebar. If you still have one of my challenge logos on your blog's sidebar, it is probably not showing up right now. I'll reload all of these tomorrow if the problem has not resolved itself. This means you'll need to come fetch the new logo.

Sorry for the inconvenience to you. I don't know why this happened and just can't stare at the computer screen tonight to fix it. I'm counting on the vertigo, headache, and nausea to be gone by tomorrow.

UPDATE I checked Blogger's Help Group and this does not seem to be an isolated problem. I've also noticed other's profile pictures are not showing up in comments. At this time, I'm waiting to see what Blogger has to say before reloading all the pics. If you have a logo up on your page, note that the link is still there. Hopefully this will be fixed soon!

UPDATE #2: Well, my brilliant sweetie suggested that before logging into my blog, I should look at it and then force a complete refresh. This involves holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the Refresh button at the top of the browser. All my pictures are back and they are back on your blogs, too. Thank goodness it was an easy fix!

Butchering Song Lyrics

My apologies to Simon & Garfunkel... and to readers with weak stomachs.

Hello vertigo, my old friend
You've come to mess with me again
Because the nausea softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the dizzy that was planted in my brain
Still remains within the sound of puking

In restless dreams I stumbled lone
Narrow halls of tiled stone
’Neath the dim glow of a night lamp
I turned my jammies to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash
Of a bathroom light that split the night
And touched the sound of puking

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand visions maybe more
Visions dancing without moving
Visions blurring without focusing
Visions showing things that my eyes never see
And none would dare disturb the sound of puking

Fools said I, you do not know
Dizzy makes the nausea grow
Hold my hair that I might keep clean
Brace my arms that I might not lean
But my bile like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of porcelain

And the visions danced and swayed
To the noises that they made
And the abs flashed out their warning
At the spasms they were forming
And the signs said
The worst of the vertigo is destined
To ruin this whole day, just like yesterday
And it lives in the sound of puking

A Waste of Good Beet Blood

When defrosting your delicious locally-grown organic roasted beet puree, remember to put the bag in a bowl.

Need I say more?

Sweating, Canning, & Growing

I spent most of yesterday in the kitchen doing some canning. In a way, I wished it had been a colder day so I'd have appreciated heating the house with the boiling canning water. We're having unusually warm weather this winter. It was 58 degrees at 6:00 this morning on our walk, with light spring-like rain. I tossed off half the covers last night because it was too warm. I almost feel guilty for wearing t-shirts while other parts of the country are locked in an icy winter storm. If I could send you some of our heat, I'd do so!



We've gotten Jerusalem artichokes, also called sunchokes, in our CSA share for the past two weeks. I'd never had them before but really enjoy the flavor. We've tried boiling and roast them. Since I'd bought an extra CSA share this past week, and also traded a couple of items for additional Jerusalem artichokes, I had enough to try pickling some. They are supposed to sit around and season for 3-6 weeks but I had a partial jar in the refrigerator so I could sample them. Yum!



Next in the canning queue were lemons. My walking friend and I picked the high lemons off her neighbor's tree recently. We donated about 10 times what is shown in this photo to the Food Bank and I'll be taking more to the CSA tomorrow. This basket is destined for preserved lemon pickles today. I've read that the flesh can be eaten as well as the rind, so I won't have as much waste as last year.



Some lemons were turned into two kinds of lemon jelly syrup yesterday. The ones on the left have honey as the sweetener and the ones on the right have sugar. I sometimes have trouble getting jellies to set up because I can only use dry pectin. Liquid pectin, called for in many jelly recipes, contains sodium benzoate, a preservative that gives me a pounding headache. I forgot yesterday that it typically takes two of the dry pectin packages in a recipe that calls for one liquid pectin pouch and neither recipe jelled.



I will probably reprocess the sugar lemon jelly but not the honey one. I'm thinking honey-lemon syrup would be a great addition to hot water or tea during the winter months, especially if we get sick. Before juicing the lemons for the jelly, I zested them all. After a night in the dehydrator, I've got two spice jars of chunky dried lemon peel now.


In gardening news, the citrus trees have had mixed yields. In 2007, I put a lot of effort into regular fertilizing and careful watering. In 2008, to be honest, we did not expect to be in this house by the time the harvest was ready so I slacked off. The tangerine and rough lemon trees got plenty of water from rainwater collected from the roof and directed to them, but the grapefruit did not get as much. They were rarely fertilized.



The result was a measly half dozen grapefruits on the tree that had 3 dozen last year. I haven't tried one yet so I don't know if they are tasty.



The tangerine has about half to two-thirds as many fruit as last year, probably because I accidentally knocked off blossoms while harvesting the remaining fruit last season. They are almost ready according to my sweetie. (I don't care for tangerines, not even the smell. My sweetie's lucky I was nice enough to make him some marmalade last year.)



The rough lemon, though, is absolutely loaded. This is surprising considering there was some wind damage to the tree from a big storm last year and I had to prune several large branches. Unfortunately, the flavor is not good so these are really wasted.




Due to our hopes of being moved before now, we didn't do much gardening. However, my sweetie wanted some color in the yard, so he planted chard, broccoli, and something else (I keep forgetting what). The broccoli is not showing any signs of producing anything but I may try harvesting some chard soon.



Several months ago, a CSA member brought bulbs from her I'itoi onions in to share. I'itoi onions are a local variety of clumping onions, originally harvested wild in the Tucson area on Baboquivari, or I'itoi, Mountain. Botanically, they appear to have been brought over by Jesuit missionaries over 300 years ago. In any case, they are available from Native Seeds/SEARCH here in Tucson (or by mail-order). For a look at the harvested onions, check out the photo on the Slow Food USA site. They look like green onions with purple skins but have a sharper flavor.



I brought some home, my sweetie planted them outside, but they didn't do much. Click to enlarge photo to see if you can pick out the three plants...



A few weeks ago, my sweetie planted a couple of bulbs in a pot inside. And they took off! These babies show visible growth on a daily basis. I encouraged him to plant more in some long pots we picked up at a yard sale.



He planted these pots this past holiday weekend. Can you believe the growth already?! Neither could this little lizard...

Crow: It's What's For Dinner

Crunchy Chicken posted about her new Food Waste Reduction Challenge on Sunday. I smugly posted this comment:

I already do this so don't sign me up. Seriously, you show me one other lunatic in this country, and maybe the world, who made pomegranate liqueur with the chunky sifting remains of ground dehydrated pomegranate seeds that had already been cooked and juiced to make jelly, and I'll admit I might be wasting food.

And I make frugal soup aka stone soup on a regular basis with any leftover bits and pieces. I take home veggies from the CSA pulled out because they have bad spots. A little trimming and I have usable food. Heck, I used to pick up the produce discards from the grocery store and sort it into 3 piles: Us, Chickens, and Compost. 10-25% of it, destined for the trash at the store, went into our bellies.

Good on you for bringing attention to the wasteful habits of humans, though!

You know what's coming, don't you? No, I really don't think you do. Even the most cynical of you could not imagine the depths to which the mighty have fallen.

On Sunday night (the same day I posted the above comment), I found a container of rice in the back of the fridge, behind some sadly neglected lemons. Neither of us had any idea when that rice had been tucked back in there. Although it smelled fine, I wasn't willing to take the risk of food poisoning. This caution derives from an experience a number of years ago when I inadvertently fed my dog overly aged rice and she spent the entire day throwing up. I'm much more cautious now.

So, the rice went in the compost. Two servings of rice. Was I going to come here and admit that? No way!

The lemons, which I got from the Food Bank some weeks ago, were pretty soft and squishy but not rotten. The peels were not salvageable but I juiced them Monday morning and made a batch of the bleach/brightener substitute that Young Snowbird mentioned a while back in my comments. She got the recipe originally from here. So, the lemons were not really wasted but they were not used as food.

That evening (still Sunday), I needed something from my canned goods closet. While searching for the blueberry-cherry preserves, I stumbled across not one, but six jars with lids that had lost their seal. I'm careful about proper canning procedures so I'm not sure what happened* and don't feel I can be held personally responsible for this wasted food. However, it is wasted food.

*My canning guru tells me that the heat and dryness here in the desert can lead to rubber seal failure. She checks her jars weekly, a habit I'd best get into.

Ok, so thus far, I've wasted some rice due to negligence, repurposed some lemon juice, and accidentally lost a total of 3 pints of canned goods. Still, I did not feel compelled to confess. I go further than most people I know to avoid food waste - seriously, have you heard of anyone going through what I did with the pomegranate seeds? Steps 1, 2, 3, 4 - so I remained on my lofty little post.

Until this morning. It was time to use up the last of the bananas I'd frozen from my great find last summer. I've been making banana bread every week for my sweetie to take as a mid-afternoon snack at work. One ingredient in the recipe is maple syrup. Now I don't buy maple syrup due to the cost; I make a fake version with 2 parts sugar to 1 part water boiled for a few minutes. I like to use brown sugar for a richer taste.

I only needed a little this morning for the recipe so I measured out 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of water, and put the saucepan over low heat. Then, I left the kitchen. Stupid, stupid, stupid! I know better. I've burnt toast multiple times going to "quickly check e-mail." A pot of simmering red cabbage boiled out all its water and burned badly a couple of years ago. The smell was awful! Cleaning the pan took hours. (Thank goodness for stainless steel, though.)

So I'm sitting at the computer and I smell something. I suddenly remember the syrup and think, "Oh Shit!" While running to the kitchen, the smell turned dark and I knew I was too late. Smoke was billowing from the pan of bubbling dark brew. I flipped on the exhaust fan, grabbed the pan, and headed outside.

Hoping to salvage the pan, I dumped the bubbling mess out onto the ground. Too bad it had flattened out before I got back out with the camera. It sat as a frothing mound for a few seconds! The pan, unfortunately, is ruined. In my efforts to clean it, I scratched the nonstick coating. Oh well, everyone has been pushing to eliminate non-stick cookware from their kitchens anyway. I'll stick to the stainless steel pan that can survive burned foods.

Unfortunately, it turns out that I do waste food after all. I'm still not signing up for the one month challenge because I always strive to minimize the food that is wasted in my kitchen. I will, however, keep my big mouth shut next time instead of leaving such an arrogant comment!

What's Wrong with Leftovers?

Not a damn thing!

Whenever I hear people say they don't like leftovers, I wonder just how much food they throw out. It's a rare meal around here that doesn't result in leftovers. Sometimes there's enough for lunch and dinner the next day, and sometimes there's just a bite or two left over. In neither case will the leftovers go to waste.

Our budget wouldn't permit such extravagance and I wouldn't permit such a waste of resources. That food took time, energy, and resources to grow, harvest, and ship. It took me time, energy, and resources to pick it up, bring it home, and store it in the refrigerator or the pantry. It took me more time, energy, and resources to prepare it for a meal. And you want me to throw out what I didn't eat? That's insanity!

If you simply can't bear to eat the same food two meals or two days in a row, you have some choices:

1. Get over it! The same food won't kill you. It won't kill your kids. Toughen up and eat it.


2. Freeze your leftovers in meal-size portions. Pull them out on the day you got home from work late and really don't feel like cooking dinner.


3. Make something new with the leftovers. There are cookbooks that specialize in how to create new dishes from leftovers or you could *gasp* use your imagination.

Yeah, I'm kinda mean. Get over it.

Today has been a leftovers kind of day. For breakfast, I had leftover jasmine rice topped with leftover pineapple salsa. For lunch, I grilled eggplant and onion slices, steamed spinach, cut some roasted red peppers (and garlic clove from the jar), and removed the pit from some of my home-cured olives to eat with leftover whole wheat rolls I got two weeks ago and tossed in the freezer.



I was already planning to make frugal soup (aka Stone soup) tonight. After cooking the rice last night, we put clean water in the rice cooker to soak. There is always rice stuck on the bottom; it can be easily removed after soaking and added to soup. We looked at the leftovers from lunch and decided we didn't want to have that for dinner. So, I chopped everything up and put it in with the watery rice bits. To this, I also added the water used to steam the spinach. I've already got a tasty mini-soup started...

I cut up the rest of the rolls, tossed them with a tiny bit of olive oil (scraped from the top of the cured olives after it hardened in the refrigerator) and spices. Those are outside right now toasting in the Tulsi solar oven. I also saved the crumbs from slicing the rolls to use for another recipe. Bread crumbs can be stored in the freezer until enough are saved up for a recipe. If you don't like the heels from your bread, let them dry and crumble them up for bread crumb recipes, too.

If we don't finish off the soup tonight, and don't want soup tomorrow, I may throw it in the blender or food processor. Pureed soup makes a nice base for a sauce. It can be added to a casserole or pasta dish...both of which would be great with toasted bread crumbs on top.

Food waste is a huge problem so there really is no excuse for throwing out leftovers. Want to read more about how to avoid wasting food? Check out what I've written (especially this post), check out Crunchy Chicken's new challenge, and check out Jonathon's blog on the subject.

I Want to Seep into your Brain

Danielle left me a comment that she'd given me an award so I popped on over to her Touch the Farm blog to check it out. As the screen came up, I saw an adorable logo with a happy dog holding a big heart with the caption "Best Blog 2008." I thought to myself, "Oh wow, how sweet. She thinks my blog is really good."

And then I scrolled down and saw my name was not on the list for that award. It, of course, included Crunchy Chicken and Sharon who are both pretty hot blog writers. Oh well, I thought, let's scroll down and see what I got. I really can't complain since Danielle gave me the Excellent Blog award and says I always have something to think about. (Even if it is as silly as whether pimping out my dog for belly rub therapy is a viable post-carbon job opportunity.)

This is the third time I've received this particular award. Out of curiosity, I went back and read what I wrote before. A year ago, I was fairly eloquent in accepting it and passed it on to ten other bloggers as recommended. A week later, I was less eloquent and broke the award rules. Anyone who has read my blog for long knows that I do that with awards and memes (if I even 'accept' the meme. Sometimes I just cover my ears and sing, "Lalalalala, I can't heeeeaaaar you.")

Wait, where was I? Oh, yeah, what the heck does this have to do with the post title?

Well, while I was pouting about Sharon and Crunchy being "Best Blogs" and me being merely "Excellent", I thought about the difference between our blogs. Sharon is an educator and motivator. She writes about what she sees going on now and where her research into others' writings tells her we, humans that is, are going. Her frank style and scary news push people into action to secure their, and their community's, future. Crunchy Chicken does not go in for the 10,000 words posts, instead opting for shorter thought-provoking snippets geared to create discussion. (Or provoke dissension - she's a trouble-maker, that one.) Her broad subjects catch a large cross-section of the blogosphere making her popular among mommy bloggers as well as the green bloggers.

I've talked about how I gravitate towards blogs with concrete solutions to problems, no matter what size. That's how my brain works. I see problems (not dead people) and my brain starts chomping away for a fix. Sometimes this leads to research and I post a nice long how-to post such as the going vegan series, food security series, or first aid stuff. Much of the time, however, I'm just posting about whatever I'm doing in my own life, trying to keep it interesting for you but also hoping information will seep into your brain and cause you to change your behavior. This is why I often post about what I'm doing to avoid food waste.

Educational posts have value, teaching people how to make changes. Melinda is outstanding at encouraging gardening and community-building. Peak Oil Hausfrau writes about how to tackle issues in your area, as well as encouraging everyone to explore solar cooking. Rob's Do-It-Yourself blog will make you feel more capable than you ever have before. Leslie will teach you how to draw, while keeping you entertained with stories of her hippie days. The Peak Shrink will try to help keep you from curling up into a tiny little ball when you read about the latest bad oil news.

These are all excellent blogs, deserving of the Excellent Award. But, the folks that just post about how they live their lives, hoping to pass on information and motivation to others are just as important. Sometimes we need to see what ordinary people are doing on a day-by-day basis.

Frugal Veggie Mama continues to amaze me with her energy and creative projects. How does she do it with such a full house? JennConspiracy provides a tasty parade of local goodies, encouraging all to head out to their garden or Farmer's Market so they can follow suit. Princess of Pink's tales (Corgi tails?) of her adventures with living lighter always inspire me, even though I don't live in the snowy north or do any fiber crafts. Heather's healthy local meals often put mine to shame and she's been a constant source of encouragement as I struggle to get back to healthier eating myself. Riana shows that slowing down does not mean giving up anything; it means gaining everything.

All of these blogs inspire me. Look for blogs that inspire you, blogs that seep into your brain and influence you to make better choices every day.

Comment Moderation is now Off.

The comments have slowed down to a trickled for the relocation information request so I have turned off comment moderation. I hate comment moderation personally, but it's an effective way to let people leave e-mail addresses privately. That's why I periodically turn it on, but then I feel like I have to make sure ya'll know when I turn it back off.

Today's house inspection went fine and it's really nice to have a very clean and orderly house. If anyone wants to come visit, do it soon. Entropy will take its natural course and the house will be disorderly again in no time. I was shocked to hear that the property manager has had to report several properties for health and safety violations. Apparently there are some folks who let their small children crawl around in absolute filth. My house may get messy and a little dusty, but it doesn't get filthy!

Edited to Add: just because I turned off comment moderation does not mean I will suddenly allow advertising in my comments. If you leave a comment that I perceive is an ad for your product, blog which exists solely to sell something, etc., it will be deleted. So, don't bother leaving it in the first place.

Updates

Thank you all for the tremendous response to my request for information about good places to move. It'd be great if I could announce the search is over, but it's really just been refined. My sweetie is the one doing the bulk of the relocation research and has taken note of all the suggestions. We'll keep you posted on our progress and final decision.

Some folks asked why I didn't mention jobs. To retain our privacy, I don't discuss my sweetie's work, but he is researching that aspect of the equation as well. We do have a back-up plan... If all else fails, we'll start charging people to rub Angel's belly. It's a great stress reliever.


Wouldn't you pay to rub this belly?


We'd call it Pimpin' out the Angel.


Work it, baby, work it!


"No more treats? Forget the cute poses, Mom."

In decluttering news, I rearranged my office to eliminate too much weight on the top shelf of our computer hutch. In the process, we went through our video collection, eliminating 24 VHS movies and 30 movies on DVD. The bookshelves also got a quick glance over resulting in half a dozen books getting the boot. Our local used bookstore only took about a third of these items so I'll consider posting the rest as a lot sale on craigslist.

Almost all of the clutter in the house is picked up and put away, leaving me one more day for a big cleaning push before the dreaded inspection. Once that is over, I'll be working on decluttering in the office filing cabinets. I truly do not need to move all the paper that is lurking in them.

PS: for any dog-lovers out there ready to cry foul on her elbow callouses, believe me, they are much improved from when we got her as a rescue dog over a year ago. We suspect she was left most of time on concrete, either inside or out. I love that we saved her from the pound but regret that we really don't know her history. We can only make sure she has a good future.

Could I be your neighbor?

I’ve mentioned a few times that we are struggling to figure out where we want to spend the rest of our lives. Life as we know it is changing. Depending on your point of view, and your news sources, it is changing slowly or quite rapidly.

I think everyone would agree the economy is in trouble and not just in the U.S. The quibbling begins over how bad it is, how bad it will get, and how long it may last. I really don’t want to quibble over those details here, but I’m in the “it’s really not looking too good” camp.

Most people would probably agree that yes, climate change will affect the planet, but I doubt many have really done much research on what it might mean for them personally or for their region and the way of life there. I know that a turning point for me was when I heard that European vineyards are changing the type of grapes they grow or moving northward already due to climate change.

And, finally, there are the long-term impacts of peak oil. I know that many folks have breathed a sigh of relief. The low gas prices must mean all the peak oil theorists were wrong. We’re safe! No, I don’t think so. Oil has still peaked and the price will climb in time. Transportation by more efficient methods than our current gas guzzling vehicles will be important in the long run, whether it’s a super-efficient motorized vehicle, mass transit, bicycle, or feet. (No horses for me, unfortunately – I’m allergic.)

So, long preface short, we need to find a place to live where we can hook into a local economy, survive climate change, and minimize our oil needs. And by we, I mean all of us, but mostly right now I’m talking about myself, my sweetie, and my dog. (The fish is moving to a local schoolroom tomorrow.)

I need your input in finding a place for us to move. I welcome anything you want to share, whether in a long comment or by e-mail. Comments will be moderated* so you can leave your e-mail address without it being made public. (Moderating comments means they are not published until I’ve looked at them. So, I can get a private message from you in the comment section and then delete it rather than publish it. Please let me know if you do not want it out there for everyone to see.) UPDATE: Comment moderation is now turned OFF so all comments will publish immediately. Do not include your e-mail address if you don't want it out there for the world to see.

So, here’s what we are looking for and what we want to avoid. Please offer opinions on whether your area fits somewhat or completely. Also, let me know if you’d like me for a neighbor.

Photo from Jen SFO-BCN

What we want

• Community


• Population no larger than 100,000


• Relatively safe without excessive crime


• Culture open to outsiders


• Community resources such as library, community center classes, etc.


• Farmer’s market and/or CSA


• Average IQ over 75 please


• Place where you won’t get shot for having an Obama bumpersticker or one that says, “Got soymilk?”


• Weather


• Minimum 20” annual rainfall, but not all at once (Please note if flooding is an issue in your area.)


• Gardening Zone 6 or higher (Average minimum temperature no colder than –10° F.)


• Occasional snow that melts off in less than a week. We’re desert rats and really couldn’t deal with many feet of snow or snow that lingers for months. If owning a snowmobile is mandatory in your area, we’re not interested!


• Enough sunshine to use solar oven regularly, at least in spring and summer. (Need 4-6 hours uninterrupted sun during the day.)


• Some regular sunshine in the winter. We’re both prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder.


• No hurricanes.


• Preferably no tornadoes, but you can try to convince me if they aren’t too bad or too frequent. Having never lived in tornado country, I don’t have a clue other than the destruction I see reported.


• Region


• Arable land


• Clean groundwater


• Cheap houses/property


• Not on top of a fault zone


• Not on top of significant coal deposits


• Not surrounded by GMO crops


• Not mountainous


• No coastal areas


• No nearby EPA Superfund sites

So, are we dreaming? Does such a place exist? Do you live in a wonderful area and does the farmer up the road want to sell his nice little house to someone who promises not to tear down it and put up an ugly McMansion?

Where's Chile?

I rarely go so many days without a post on this blog, but rest assured, I haven't been absent from the blogosphere. After recommending that The Blogging Bookworm support the Science Book Challenge, I also recommended they do something about cleaning up their unwieldy sidebar list of books and reviews. Before I knew it, I was typing an offer to do the work myself.

That blog is not run by dummies and they graciously jumped on my offer of free labor. We talked about this being a slow and gradual transition with me working on it as I had time. But, I'm an all-or-nothing kinda gal (and I had cleaning to avoid) so I just spent the last couple of days pulling all of the information, and adding more, from their sidebar into one gigantic index.

Looking for a good ecologically relevant book to read? Check out this list. See what other bloggers have to say about some of the books and send them a review if you read something on the list. Many of these titles would be appropriate for the Science Book Challenge as well.

Happy Reading!

Engage Your Brain

Read a book. Not just any book, but a book that makes you think. Yes, this means nonfiction, boys and girls. And not just any random nonfiction, but a book about science. Oh, quit your whining. It'll be good for you. You might even learn something new and fascinating!

Check out the Ars Hermeneutica website, sign up for the Science-Book Challenge, and increase your science literacy. It's really easy. All you have to do is read three science books this year and share your opinion of each to help encourage other readers to check out the books (or avoid them if they stink).

Their definition of a "science book" is nice and broad:

something to do with science, scientists, how science operates, or science's relationship with its surrounding culture. Your books might be popularizations of science, they might be histories, they might be biographies, they might be anthologies; they can be recent titles or older books.

I've signed up but haven't decided what I want to read yet. When I do, I'll review them here as well as submit a "short note" about them on the challenge website. The Blogging Bookworm is also promoting the challenge and I noticed several folks signed up already.

Join the fun. You don't have to have a blog to do it. All you have to do is engage your brain.

But I Don't Feel Like Cleaning...

I have rented apartments and homes off and on for years, and every place always includes the stipulation in their lease that they can enter and inspect the property as long as they give the legally-required advance notice. However, other than drive-bys to check on yard maintenance in one rental house, I have never had to deal with such inspections except upon moving out. Until this house.

The property manager for the house we have been renting for almost five years does annual inspections whether needed or not. It’s been fairly clear that they are not needed or useful in our case. They are always fine with everything and, although they ask if we want anything taken care of, nothing ever comes of these requests. We occasionally run into the owner of the house at green events in town and she always says that she appreciates how well we take care of her property. Yet, the administrative “To Do” list at the property manager continues to include the inspections.

This year’s is coming up in just over a week. The house is a bit more of a mess than it has been in the past. In the process of stocking up and trying to avoid waste, the house has begun to look cluttered despite my continual efforts to declutter the place. We are limited in closet space so things are stacked out in plain view. Totes with the material stash are piled up next to the treadle sewing machine. A stack of canning jars is covered with a big piece of material but it still looks odd. Pumpkins and cushaw squash sit in the office because it’s the coldest room in the house so they will store better. There is a tower o' TP, hidden behind a blanket, in the bedroom since we still haven’t given it up entirely and I buy it when it's on sale.

The inspection is supposed to be about the condition of the house and yard, but, of course, judgments are made based on how well one keeps house in general. I’ve been working for the last several days to reorganize some of my stuff so that I can begin deep cleaning. It’s the beginning of the year, though, and what I really want to do is dive into projects like processing lemons picked from a friend's neighbor's tree, reading, learning some new skills, really working on my fitness, cleaning out the computer files, and so on. But, I must remain focused on the cleaning priority for the next week or so.

In the meantime, though, I noticed a few articles on decluttering that might help you out. They are not particularly in-depth but they will get you started, or re-motivated, to work on cleaning out the stuff in your life that isn’t working for you.

• Zen Mind: How to Declutter - guide to getting started


• How to Declutter Your Life - suggests starting with decluttering your mind


• Flylady’s How to Declutter - the no nonsense approach. Note #6 on what to declutter.


• De-clutter Your Life - note the section on how to approach deciding what to do with your stuff


• Create a Relaxing Clutter Free Home - note #6 on the emotional aspects of clutter


• Declutter/Simplify - lot of links to more detailed articles on how to declutter specific areas

And what kind of progress have I made lately on Operation Clean-Out?

1. Put away recently emptied canning jars and re-organized them to be less spread out.


2. Recycled some of the old jars from purchased condiments. I re-use a lot of these but there are only so many that one can use. I'm making more and more of my own condiments, so, in time, there will be less waste since I can re-use the canning jars.


3. After selling the little freezer, we missed the surface space created by its top. I moved two storage totes to its old location and set up a monitor stand on top to create space for our battery recharging supplies and radio. This makes the radio more accessible so I remember to use it more often. (Since we sold our stereo system last year, I've listened to the radio less because this little one doesn't have the stations preset and it was hard to get to it to manually tune it.)

The "Tote Table" - classy furniture? I think not. Functional? Yes.

Somewhat backtracking - I have brought more stuff into the house, but it's useful stuff.

1. 3 bags of lemons. I also donated 3 bags of lemons from the friend's neighbors' tree to the Food Bank as the couple decided it was better for us to clean off the top branches than just let the fruit rot.


2. "Lot" of kitchen stuff from craigslist. I bought it specifically for the kitchen scale since I dropped and broke the casing on mine. I didn't realize my sweetie had glued mine back together when I made this deal. I'll still keep the new scale since it will work better for postal items. Also keeping a metal pot-drainer, toothpick dispenser, and, for now, the little electric hand mixer. From the lot, I'll be donating a large serving spoon, pickle grabber, doodad, oil and vinegar cruets, small pitcher, kinfe sharpener, and second kitchen scale to a charity thrift store. So, does that count as decluttering?


3. Returned one Christmas gift to Sears because it was a duplicate of kitchenware I already own. Used the credit towards an Oster blender (on sale). This is the model needed for my sweetie to make me a pedal-powered blender. It also has a food processor attachment. If that part works well, I'll sell my old Cuisinart.

How are you doing with your clean-out projects?

Local Laughs

There's a quilting show on the PBS channel, Create, right now and the North Carolina host just mentioned the Conquistadors as part of southwestern history. What made me laugh was her pronunciation of Conquistadors. She said kwee for the second syllable instead of the Spanish way without the w. Try saying it yourself without cracking up.

This reminded me of how we locals get our chuckles when the winter visitors pour in and have no idea how to pronounce the Spanish and Indian words that surround us here. They don't know the double ll in Spanish words becomes a y when spoken. So our poor cholla plants are called choh-luhs instead of choy-uhs, and tasty tor-tee-yuhs are ordered as tor-till-uhs.

Servers in a restaurant can spot an out-of-towner as soon as they open their mouth. A j in a word with Spanish influence is usually pronounced as an h. If you want fajita vegetables with your tortilla, don't ask for fadge-i-tas. Tell the server to just bring you the fuh-heet-uhs and they won't blink an eye....until you order your your beer (cerveza). It's ser-vay-suh, not ser-vee-zuh.

Even funnier is watching someone new to the West try to figure out what to do with a cactus like saguaro. Sag-ee-or-oh is common, although I can't imagine why they think a u would turn into a long e. Some think of the guava fruit or guacamole and pronounce it suh-gwah-roh but that still misses the mark. If you are coming here to visit, practice before you come: suh-whar-oh.

And if you're heading further south to the Huachuca Mountains, ask a local how to say the name before you get there. Don't make us laugh at you.

When we lived in Oregon, we overheard some folks on the trail next to the Willamette River having a very similar conversation. Folks evidently butcher that name as well. With regional and ethnic influence on local names and language, this is bound to happen everywhere. What do the out-of-towners in your area say to make you laugh?

Mexican Enchiladas with Homemade Corn Tortillas

Homemade enchiladas, entirely from scratch, are well worth the effort. This post will cover how to make corn tortillas from scratch, how to make a wonderful enchilada sauce (you'll never buy canned again), how to roast green chiles, how to make a (soy) chorizo-potato filling, and, of course, how to put the enchiladas together.

Most people will assume the most difficult part of this dish is making the corn tortillas from scratch. In actuality, this is not difficult; it is merely time-consuming. It goes fastest with two people working together, although one person can certainly do it by themself. We generally double the recipe so that we have enough extra tortillas to freeze for use another time.


Homemade Corn Tortillas
(More information about making tortillas from scratch may be found in this previous post.)

2 cups masa flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups tepid water


Be sure to purchase masa flour for this recipe. Do not substitute plain corn flour or cornmeal. Masa is the fine flour from corn that has been dried and then cooked with slaked lime (to make hominy), ground up, and dried again. Masa is used for making corn tortillas and tamales, among other traditional Mexican foods.

Now, back to the recipe. Mix the salt into the flour. Most recipes do not call for salt but we think it improves the taste.


Slowly add the water, mixing until the dough is moist and holds together. Cover and let sit for half an hour.

Roll into balls about the size of a golfball. If necessary, add a little more water. You want to ball to hold together without cracking but not be overly moist. Keep the dough covered as you are working so it doesn't dry out.


Place the ball between two sheets of plastic. I find the liners from a box of cereal are just the right weight for this.


You can purchase a tortilla press if you want, but I just press down on the balls with a cutting board to flatten them into tortillas.


If the tortilla is too thick, you can use a rolling pin to roll it out a little thinner. Carefully peel off the plastic from the top and bottom. Note: if the dough is too moist or the tortilla too thin, the plastic may stick.


Carefully lay the tortillas in a preheated skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly toasted on both sides. This doesn't take long, so if you are working alone, keep a sharp eye on them.


Place cooked tortillas on a plate covered by a dish towel to keep them warm. Try not to eat so many fresh out of the pan that you don't have enough left for the meal.


Enchilada Sauce
This is an old family recipe that I've slightly modified over the years.


1 large onion, chopped
½ c fire-roasted green chiles, diced*
1 c diced fresh tomatoes (or substitute 15 oz can diced tomatoes)
3 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ¼ tsp chile powder (plain ground red chile powder, not a blend of spices)
¾ tsp cumin powder
Pinch oregano
1 tbs packed brown sugar
2 tbs white vinegar

In a large nonstick pan, saute the onion until limp.
Add remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed:
· For more heat, add more diced roasted green chiles, or chile powder & cumin.
· For more of a tangy bite, add more vinegar.
· To tame the heat, add more tomato sauce or brown sugar.
If you want a thicker sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon masa and 3 tablespoons water. Stir into sauce and simmer 3 minutes to thicken, stirring frequently.


How to Roast Green Chiles

*Freshly roasted green chiles taste far superior to the canned product available in the grocery store. In the Southwest, stores often set up chile roasters outside during late summer chile season and sell 20 pound bags of fresh green chiles inside. You take the bag outside where the fellows running the roaster dump it inside the perforated barrel (see photo link), fire up the propane burners, and turn the barrel until the pepper skins are nicely charred. You take home a garbage bag filled with hot, steaming chiles. Once cooled, you peel off the charred skin, remove the seeds, and have wonderful fire-roasted green chiles that you can use immediately or freeze for later.

To roast your own fresh green chiles, lay them in a single layer on a hot BBQ grill or under your oven's broiler. Cover the grill or close the oven and listen for popping sounds to know when to turn them over. Steam builds up inside the chiles and splits the skin on top. Keep turning the chiles until the skin on all sides are blackened. Place in a bowl and cover until cool enough to handle. Wearing kitchen gloves, peel off the skin and remove the seeds and stem. Avoid the temptation to dunk the chiles in water. It does speed up the cleaning process but it also washes away some of the wonderful flavor. The chiles will keep in the refrigerator for only a few days, so freeze in small portions for use as needed.

If you forget to wear gloves, as I frequently do, make sure you do not rub your eyes or any other sensitive tissues for at least 24 hours. If you are a female using a Keeper or Diva cup, it is vital to your well-being to remember to wear the gloves. Trust me on this one. You do not want the capsaicin in the peppers on your fingers at this time of month!


(Soy) Chorizo-Potato Enchilada Filling


6 medium red potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
6 oz soy chorizo (I buy it at Trader Joe's)

Cook red potatoes in a pressure cooker or pan of water until just tender.
Heat a skillet on high heat and saute the onion until golden. (This can be started immediately following cooking the corn tortillas in the same hot pan.)
Add the soy chorizo* and stir for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the potatoes. Mix thoroughly and cook until heated through.

*If using real chorizo, be sure to cook the pork thoroughly. If not using soy or real chorizo, add 1 - 2 tablespoons chorizo spice mix to the onions and potatoes for flavor.


Chorizo Spice Mix

3 tbs chili powder
2 tbs paprika
1 tsp each coarsely ground pepper and garlic powder
½ tsp each cinnamon and cloves
¼ tsp each ginger, nutmeg and ground coriander
1 tsp each oregano, cumin and thyme
6 bay leaves, crumbled

Mix and store tightly covered in a jar.
Use approximately 2 tablespoons for each 1/2 pound meat substitute.


Enchilada Assembly

Enchiladas may be assembled in different ways. They can be simple stacks of corn tortillas with sauce and maybe a sprinkling of cheese, or in my case, a drizzle of vegan cheesy sauce courtesy of Jo Stepaniak's Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. Or, they can be more complicated with a tasty filling layered between corn tortillas, covered in sauce, and baked. After getting our most recent gas bill, I opted for stacked enchiladas, with filling, but not baked. All of the ingredients were hot and there was no need to burn more natural gas baking it in a pan. If I had been taking the dish to a potluck, the baked version would be more appropriate.


Layered as follows: Dip tortilla in sauce and place on plate. Add a layer of filling. Repeat. Finish with another tortillas and top with extra sauce and a little cheesy sauce.

Starting in on 2009

I did not make a list of resolutions for this year. I always break them and end up feeling disappointed with myself. So, my goal this year is simply to strive to make better choices every day.

Last week I called a friend and suggested we make a weekly walking date to give us a chance to visit regularly and get some exercise. We were set to start today, but she called and had to cancel due to the need to clean up after rowdy teenagers vandalized her neighborhood last night. When I chatted with her later, it sounded like it was turning into an opportunity for neighbors to visit and bond; all of them were taking the toilet paper (clean, of course) to her neighbor's compost pile.

Not wanting to be derailed on my new weekly walking date, I drug my sweetie and dog out instead. It was a beautiful morning to enjoy the multi-use path along the river (dry, of course - this is a desert) and Angel got to bump noses with a few other pooches. I'll see my friend this weekend when we harvest her neighbor's lemons.

I intend to eat better this year, but did not turn this goal into a hard and fast resolution. If I had, I would have had to beat myself up for the dessert I had this evening and thrown in the towel - already - for the entire year. We didn't get around to having the tasty, homemade, decadent dessert last night as planned so I serve it tonight instead. I don't want to make you drool, but it was composed of leftover whole wheat waffles, homemade cherry-almond (soy) ice cream, and topped with homemade chocolate sauce.

I will be continuing with some clean-out efforts for at least a while yet. Is there still any interest in Operation Clean-Out? I know I'm not posting much new about it, but I've covered so much already with decluttering that I feel there is little new I can add. What I plan to do, however, is add a little update at the bottom of each post if I manage to get anything cleaned out. That way, the blog won't just be filled with decluttering posts but you'll know that I'm still working on it. And, for those of you signed up, I expect you to keep working on it too...unless you comment that you want out.

Operation Clean-Out Update

• Continued efforts to reorganize and streamline bookmarks.


• Combined partial packages of MaltoMeal and wheat farina together with a little brown sugar for easy breakfast fixin's.


• Used up the last of the red wine left in the fridge in a tasty dinner of shells with sauteed onion, mushrooms, and soy chorizo. (Wine works great for deglazing a pan after sauteing veggies.)


• Cleaned out and recycled outdated coupons and last year's calendar.


• Wrote in important dates on this year's calendar.