Getting Rid of Your Junk

Nathanael and I will be moving soon, and even though we tried to only carry things that we really wanted into the apartment in the first place, there are some things that we really should eliminate from our lives instead of carting down into a new climate zone. I am glad to say that most of the things that we will get rid of are things we no longer want because they are seriously worn out (like shoes, toothbrushes, and clothing), but we would still feel really wasteful throwing some of those things away. My old shoes may hurt my knees, but they have so much good rubber on them!
Just in time for moving season I have come across a list of good places to recycle various things that you need to get rid of (In the United States), but would rather not see in the garbage truck. I found most of these websites in the book This Green House by Joshua Piven, which has some fun how to ideas including building a plunger washing machine, making a sink on the back of your toilet, building a bat house, and converting a normal home roof into a growing space.

FURNITURE and building components such as Windows and Flooring
Second Change Inc. will pick up donations anywhere in the Baltimore, Philidelphia or Washington D.C. areas, and even has building deconstruction services so that as little as possible will be put to waste.

COMPUTERS and other Tech items
Depending on where you live, there may be electronic donation bins at goodwill, office supply stores, and some grocery stores; where companies such as Dell or Motorola will collect and re-use components, or refurbish items for schools, libraries or low income families. These items shouldn’t be disposed with household garbage since most contain heavy metals, and honestly, many usable parts which should not just build up in landfills.
Reconnect also has drop boxes around the country which have no limitations concerning brand of hardware, and you can search for locations on their website.

DISKS and TAPES and PRINTER CARTRIDGES
Most people have probably attempted to refill their own printer cartridges, and most people probably gave up and have a small collection of empty ones somewhere. I on the other hand have a collection of new cartridges from printers that broke before I used my purchased ink. Whatever your situation check out Green Disk, where they will accept all kinds of things that you have to admit to yourself are useless to you now that technology has moved on. (Some office supply stores also accept these type things, and will even give you coupons for new items in exchange.)

CLOTHING
Most of us are pretty aware of Salvation Army and Goodwill, which will both take virtually any clean clothing donations, in addition to many household and furniture items. Since all of the money from selling those items is used to assist struggling families, you have the option of receiving a receipt for tax deduction purposes. Also, if your clothing is very current in style and only gently worn you may want to search out a thrift store in your area; you may be able to make a good amount of money reselling your items. (I made around $80 one year reselling hand-me-downs I acquired from other people.)
If you have growing children who aren’t too hard on their clothing you might check out Thred Up, where you can swap boxes of kids clothes with other families around the country.
If you have unused girls formal wear you may also want to check out Donate My Dress, The Glass Slipper Project or Enchanted Closet. All three provide prom and formal dance attire for girls who need a little assistance.

SHOES
I always have the hardest time throwing shoes away. I always try to think of something I could make out of the leather, plastic and rubber, but I have yet to come up with anything. My shoes never fit into the lightly worn category, but if yours do check out Shoe4Africa, which ships your shoes to happy recipients in Kenya, who earn them by winning footraces. If your shoes are like mine consider Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe, which turns any brand of old sports shoes into rubber playing surfaces for sport fields and playgrounds.

BOOKS
If you’re in a hurry, donating your unwanted books to a thrift store or library is the quickest option, but if you have a little time and half.com is a little too much hassle, check out Paperback Swap or Book Mooch both places allow you to simply enter the ISBN of your books and post them for others to request. If someone chooses your book you ship it and receive a point, allowing you to request any book available. It’s a very straightforward process it gets your books to the people that want them. Nathanael and I have been using our acquired points to order books by George MacDonald and other classic authors.

OTHER
If you have other things hanging around, check out Earth911, which has tips on how to recycle unconventional items, as well as some other interesting articles on ecomyths, home efficiency and current events. I used this website to find a nearby location where I could drop off used batteries for proper disposal.

The Dessert Vegetable

In early summer there are very few vegetables ready to eat; peas and lettuce are plentiful, but not much else is far enough along. The rhubarb plant, however, is a wonderful spring vegetable requiring no work other than being harvested. It comes back each year without any coaxing, thinning, weeding or transplanting; and what is best of all, you eat it for dessert! In the grocery store rhubarb can cost up to $4 a pound, but if you live near gardens it is likely that even a stranger would be willing to share rhubarb with you because the plants are such prolific producers.
Even if you don’t own any pans to cook in you have to appreciate the beauty of rhubarb stalks. In which other plant can you observe such a splendid shade of crimson without visiting an equatorial climate? And if you do bake, or someone will make a rhubarb concoction for you, doesn’t each bite make you think to yourself, “Rhubarb is sweet and tart and splendid. If I had been in charge of inventing vegetables I never would have thought of this!”
While I hope that you have the opportunity to experience strawberry rhubarb pie—no other pie can measure up to it. I am not sharing that recipe here. (Ok, ok, 2 ½ cups each of strawberries and rhubarb, 1 cup of sugar, 2 Tbs of flour, mix it together, let it sit for 10 minutes, put a homemade pie crust below and above it and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Go!) For I would like you to taste for yourself that rhubarb need not be limited to use with strawberries. The two of them do make a wonderful pair, but strawberries are usually fairly expensive while rhubarb is just about falling from the sky. I was skeptical of the rhubarb alone concept when I was little (especially after tasting it raw; it’s very strange and tastes like plastic), but my Mom gave me a piece of this bread and I am fairly certain I ate half of the loaf myself as a picky 6 year old child. Really. You’re going to love this.
If you haven’t baked with rhubarb before or don’t have buttermilk on hand see my notes at the bottom.




My Mom’s Rhubarb Bread (Or muffins!)
Yeild: 2 loaves or 24 muffins

In a large bowl mix:
1 egg
1 ½ cups of brown sugar
2/3 cup of oil (I use canola)
1 cup of buttermilk*

In a separate bowl sift:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 ½ cups unbleached flour

Sprinkle the flour mixture onto the wet ingredients about ½ cup at a time and stir to combine.
Fold in:
1 ½ cups of diced rhubarb**
1 ½ tsp vanilla
½ cup of chopped walnuts (you could skip these, but they add a really nice texture, so even if you are not a fan of nuts I would encourage you to add them anyway).

Pour into two greased bread pans or 24 muffin tins. Optional topping: Mix ½ cup sugar with 1 Tbs of butter, divide into two portions and sprinkle each over one of the breads before baking. Bake one hour at 325F or until a toothpick inserted to the centers comes out clean.


*Cultured buttermilk can be found along side other dairy products in the grocery store, but can be easily substituted for by adding 1 Tbs of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. The milk will thicken and curdle slightly, which is perfect for most baking recipes because the beneficial cultures in purchased buttermilk would be killed during baking anyway. In this recipe yogurt or sour cream are also good substitutes.

**Rhubarb is related to celery and has very similar thick vertical strings, which will not be noticeable once baked. Rhubarb is best cut into 1 cm wide pieces (across the stalk in the narrow direction) with a good sharp knife. I usually cut a few long stalks into thirds and line them up to chop a bunch at once. The whole stalk can be used, though I usually cut off the bottom, which is white and a little tougher, as well as any dried out or insect eaten spots.

Green Barbarians

One wonderful advantage to libraries is that they enable you to stumble upon and flip through books that you might not have found otherwise. The Green Barbarians is a book that I found in just this way and it is brand new, published in 2010; the author has actually not even added it to her list of books she's written on her website yet. Now, while I am completely interested in current scientific and homegrown knowledge concerning the environment and conservation I typically have a hard time reading shiny new books dealing with these issues. First, many of them read like a novel which is an allegory of the worlds troubles and you don't discover any fun and interesting facts until three or four chapters into the book. I do not get enough sleep to read books of this variety. I usually end up reading one paragraph a night until I realize I could be reading junior fiction instead. Second, many environmentally minded books say the same things. And by this I mean they say the same thing as other such books, and they also say the same thing over and over in every chapter, just in case you slept through all of the pages previous to the one you are reading (which may be true, but I can flip back on my own).

The Green Barbarians by Ellen Sandbeck stood out to me in the library because it is divided into eight chapters focused on different portions of daily life (food, body care, etc.), and each chapter bumbles through interesting historical information in that category and then points out various areas where current typical practices are driven more by consumerism than actual science. The concept driving the book is that the western world has been conditioned to be afraid of dirt, bugs, bacteria and fungus, while it trusts most products and practices pushed by advertisers. However, dirt is nothing to fear, and regular exposure to normal bacteria is just what our immune systems need throughout our body, including our digestive systems, skin, and even our lungs.

Reading The Green Barbarians is more like looking through a magazine, every short section is interesting and individual so you may read all (as I did) or just the few which catch your attention.
As with any book, the viewpoint taken by the author might not be the perspective that I would have chosen for every topic (I don't agree with her take on genetically engineered crops for example); nonetheless the book is filled with research and personal stories which will certainly enrich anyone's knowledge of their home environment.


Here are a few fun facts from The Green Barbarians:

* The bacteria that make your feet smell are the same ones that produce the odor in many cheeses, such as Limburger and Muenster.

* The Food and Drug Administration has banned nine chemical ingredients from use in cosmetics and body care products sold in the United States, while the European Union has banned over a thousand ingredients.

* A person who eats moderate amounts of free range meat has a lower land use requirement (i.e. it takes less space to produce that person's food) than a vegetarian.
Yay goats and bison and game meats!

* Washing your hands with water only and then rubbing them on a towel or your pants gets rid of more bacteria than using antibacterial soap. (Though using plain soap gets rid of the most.)

* Swedish scientists have shown that the vibrations from humming, particularly low notes, can clear sinuses and reduce the symptoms of colds and allergies. I've always loved humming, but this is a great excuse for when I am around less-music-loving people.

Brighten your plate, begin with your windowsill.

I have frequently mentioned the produce that Nathanael and I have grown together in our garden, most notably the pumpkins, but I know that many of you do not foresee gardening in your path this summer. For most of you it is lack of land or frequent change in living arrangements that prevent you from producing some of your own food, even though the concept is enticing. For those of you with this problem I would like to recommend a website I recently stumbled upon within the bbc network of websites. Whether you have a little backyard patch, a balcony, or just a windowsill in your apartment or office, the slideshows and articles at DIG IN will explain the best vegetables to grow in small spaces, how to plant and care for them, and provide links for cooking them if you are interested. Pumpkins are not on the list, but I encourage you to try growing some beans or carrots, which have so much more flavor when they are from the garden and not the grocery store.
Another fun thing to remember is that you don't need to purchase conventional pots at the garden store if you'd rather not. Be creative and recycle plastic containers, chipped dishware, and other household objects as long as you are able to punch holes to provide the appropriate drainage for your chosen crops.
If you have a hard time deciding on your plants, I vote purple carrots.

Getting Vitamin A

 Nathanael and I are in the midst of planting our garden. Yesterday we spent the afternoon cleaning out our garden plot, and marking new rows in the sun and warm breezes. The space is pretty large, but I am still impressed by how many things we are planning to grow. The seeds that will go directly into the ground (which is most of them) have not been started yet, but 44 pots of more fragile seedlings are beginning to sprout on our windowsill. Some of the more unique things we will be growing this year include purple carrots and yellow carrots. Last year Nathanael grew three varieties of orange carrots and I have just finished the last batch of them from the freezer using this recipe.

Fennel Seed Traditions

Last week my younger sister, Megan, visited Nathanael and I for spring break. While she was here my Mom sent us a package which included my belated birthday present as well as our Saint Patrick’s Day present: a big batch of green frosted fennel seed cookies. Mom used to make these cookies for us all of the time, partially since they are Italian breakfast cookies and are fantastically delicious without being too sweet. Also because she got the recipe from her grandmother who came to the US as a young woman and, rumor has it, a fantastic cook.
I own at least 6 recipe cards with this recipe on it, but I call my Mom to ask her for it at least twice a year because I am either cooking at someone else’s house or can’t remember any of the 6 locations where the recipes are stored.
During highschool my older sister, Melissa, and I would bake cookies most Saturday evenings, but this was one recipe that we just couldn’t master. The first time it was because I forgot to add the butter, but after that there was no excuse for why they didn’t turn out like Mom’s, we just couldn’t figure it out. During college I attempted to make them a few times and they got better, but still were not right. Then during Megan’s freshman year she made them for a class project and frosted them to tell the creation story (crazy I know), and hers were spectacular. I talked to my Mom on the phone afterward and tried to figure out what she and Megan had that Melissa and I didn’t, but looking at her recipe card she didn’t see any differences. Finally, when I called her for the recipe during graduate school she told me she had figured it out. After all of the ingredients are mixed into a ball of dough you need to let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Mom and Megan apparently multitask during cooking just a bit more than Melissa and I do. After she told me that my cookies have turned out perfectly, and I hope that even if you are not a brave baker you will try these cookies. Have a taste of Europe, and a cookie that packs some protein. Stock up on eggs though; if you make a double batch you will use a whole dozen eggs. For an extra wonderful dessert, ice these cookies with almond frosting.
If you do they will also maintain their perfect moisture and store nearly indefinitely…really; I sent a Christmas package of these to someone once and it was lost in the mail for about a month and a half and she said they were still fabulous when they arrived.


The secret recipe:

Italian Fennel Seed Cookies
1 1/2c sugar
6 large eggs
1 c butter (2 sticks)
5 c flour
1 ½ tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs crushed fennel seeds (or anise seeds for a whole new flavor)


1. Wisk together eggs and sugar.




2. Add softened butter.




3. Sift together dry ingredients, and crush the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestal.



4. Add ground seeds and dry ingredients to the wet mixture.



5. Stir until combined (or mix with your hands if necessary) and then let the dough rest for 5 minutes.



6. After the dough rests, atempt to knead it, and knead for about 5 minutes, if necessary knead in ½ to 1 cup of flour so that dough can be rolled smoothly into a 3/8 inch sheet for cookie cutters.



7. Alternately, the dough may be rolled into 1 inch balls.



8. Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown.


*Edit*
Confectioner's Sugar Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar (sifted if possible)
1/2 tsp pure almond extract (or vanilla if you must, but almond is better)
10 tsp milk (2% or whole)

Place sugar in a bowl and add flavoring. Measure the first 5 tsp of milk into the bowl and then stir the mixture into a paste (this reduces lumps). Slowly add the remaining milk, one teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition. You will probably use all 10 tsp, but it may depend upon your sugar. The frosting should be thin enough to dip the cookies into, but thick enough to stick in a thin white layer with only a little dripping. Dunk the cookies completely and place on a wire rack over a cookie sheet until frosting is completely hardened. Store in an airtight container, or just eat them.

An Amber Colored Cheesecake

Cheesecake is an interesting dessert in that most people you attempt to serve it to will either be outspokenly a fan of any cheesecake that crosses their path, or a vocal cheesecake despiser. Most desert foods don't seem to evoke such feelings, sugar cookies for example seem to receive a medium response from nearly all people. I have always liked cheesecake, but I'm pretty sure it is more reflective of my general love of dairy products than anything else. Yogurt or cheesecake; I would be pretty happy with either.
Last year, while I lived with my roommate Lucy, we baked five cheesecakes...in six months (we didn't mention this to our doctors). The two of us enjoyed sampling cheesecakes that had some extra pizazz, so I think we ended up making one of each Grapefruit, Lemon, Bailey's Irish Cream, Apple, and Ginger.
Since Monday was the six month anniversary of Nathanael and my marriage I decided to make us a special cheesecake using the re-occurring ingredient which is the mascot of our gardening bounty: pumpkin. I came across this recipe the cookbook, "Simply in Season" by Mary Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert, but I altered it just a bit to suit my ingredients. I also concocted the chocolate coconut crust listed below, because we don't really have gram crackers just running around the house. Using coconut instead of crumbs makes this a good celiac alternative, but since coconut is even more widely disliked than cheesecake, feel free to substitute crumbs on the crust recipe and reduce the sugar/cocoa.





Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Coconut Crust
For the crust:
2 cups of flaked coconut
1 cup wheat bran (or more coconut for celiacs)
3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
4 Tablespoons of baking cocoa
4-6 Tablespoons of softened butter (or oil), depending on the absorbency of your coconut.
Mix crust ingredients using a fork or your hands. Combine with a little bit of water and press onto the bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes, then let the crust cool until you are ready to fill it.


For the cake:
A. 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese (don't use non-fat, and if you don't have a food processor or blender substitute with low fat sour cream)
20 oz cream cheese, softened (use low or full fat to your discretion, I used some of each)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Puree cottage cheese in blender or food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into a bowl.

B. 2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix in. Remove 1 1/2 cups batter and set aside

C. 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, cooked and pureed
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add to the remaining batter

D. 1/3 baking cocoa
1 cup chocolate chips, melted
Add to the reserved batter. Stir until thoroughly blended.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into crust lined pan, then spoon chocolate mixture on top in small rounds; swirl together with a knife. Bake in a preheated oven at 325, in a pan of water (1-2 inches deep) if possible until edge of filling is set, 60-65 minutes. Let cheesecake stand in oven with door closed for 30 minutes. Remove and cool on rack to room temperature, about 3 hours. cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serves 12-16.