More Produce, Less Plastic

Trader Joe's provides such a more enjoyable experience than most grocery stores, it inspires me to buy as many staples there as I can.  My willingness to choose them for fresh produce, however, has been limited not just to items unavailable at the local farmers' market, but also to items not ridiculously over -packaged in plastic.   Until recently, that left only a few offerings.

Over the last year or so, the stores in my area (always a qualifier, as stores vary by region, with localized offerings for some items - New England dairies on the East Coast, for instance) have transitioned to more and more un-packaged produce.  Where once were stacks of clear plastic containers holding six apples like a half-dozen red eggs, now there are apple bins.  Where once only bagged avocados or red peppers on a shrink-wrapped foam tray like a cut of meat, now these items two have bins.

TJ's really likes efficiency; and a key reason for the old presentation of produce was its choice to not slow check-out down by weighing any item.  In the new system, anything not sold in a bag or carton (such as pre-washed spinach or pre-cut fresh veggies) has a per-item price.  Each apple or banana or loose orange pepper costs the same as any other of its type, even if they vary a bit in size or weight.  As far as I can tell, this feature has not deterred the loyal shoppers.  It certainly has not me.

Spa Water

Like many good ideas, the 'new' way to encourage people to drink tap water is a culinary innovation dating back centuries. At a work training recently, attendees were pleasantly surprised to find pitchers of water with cucumber slices, in lieu of bottled water (complying with the ever-more-common bans on spending local government money on unneeded single-serving beverage containers). Just that small touch somehow made the plain drink seem more refreshing, a treat rather than an austerity measure.

Trader Joe's coffee samples are the first stop for many shoppers at their groceries; and typically there is also a spigoted jug of one of the many juice varieties for sale. Over the summer, our local store also experimented with a range of spa waters, in place of the juice option. They added cucumber, strawberries, citrus slices - more or less any one fruit or combination the staff wanted to try. Most worked beautifully (my favorite being strawberry).

At the Atlantis Resort Hotel in Reno, the spa provides elegant jugs of water with therapeutically-oriented enhancements. The appealing flavors help make sure that guests stay well hydrated while moving between steam rooms, hot tubs, and other amenities. But they also advertise (on menu cards by each pitcher) specific health benefits, including:
Citrus - high in vitamin C, to strengthen the immune system, retain healthy levels of calcium, and lower bad cholestrol
Pineapple and mint - helps recovery of muscles and acts as an anti-inflammatory
Kiwi with cinammon and honey - all three for respiratory healing

Whatever you put in them, spa waters offer an elegant alternative to the plastic bottles of plain or flavored water that American culture has come to think of as necessary for health and convenience. And they can change throughout the year, incorporating the fruits, vegetables and herbs in season locally.

Homemade Yogurt

After making 30-minute mozzarella last summer, I was sure that Ricki Carroll's Home Cheesemaking could lead me through any dairy magic I dared. All the hard cheeses still seem a bit too involved for my liking; but yogurt was so obvious I couldn't ignore it.

At least once a week, I bring home a quart of non-fat plain yogurt, in a plastic quart container. These are very handy for storage; but now I have a life-time supply. Sure, they are recyclable; but do I have to keep generating more?

My first attempt at yogurt gave me enough anxiety that I consulted the book and bought a commercial starter (YoGourmet packets, from the grocery store). The instructions didn't match exactly, but were close enough to let me know where the wiggle room lies. In short:

• Heat a quart of milk on the stove to 180 degree Fahrenheit.


• Let it cool to between 105 - 115 degrees.


• Mix in the starter.


• Pour into a Pyrex quart measuring cup.


• Keep warm (incubate at about 110 degrees), covered, for 4 - 6 hours.


• Chill, covered, in the fridge.

Notes:
You can use a couple tablespoons yogurt as your starter, instead of buying it.
My milk thermometer is a little espresso temp stick; any thermometer for liquids will do.
On my first batch, I incubated in the oven, which over-heated the yogurt. Tasted great - don't know if the heat killed the active cultures, though.
On the second batch, I wrapped the container in towels and kept in an unheated microwave. Maintained about 100 degrees, and tasted great. Set up fine, not quite so firm.
My whole milk batch was really rich, creamy and high-calorie.
My 2% fat milk batch was tangier, and a little thinner.
I used Pyrex for heat resistance and insulation. Other materials are probably fine, too.
* Good, fresh milk really helps. I use Clover, because it is local to me and humane-certified. Never, ever use ultra-high pasteurized - everything good has been cooked out.

Keep the Cat off the Solar Oven

. . . and other solar cooking tips.

My initial forays into using solar energy to cook dishes on my deck have met with some mixed success. Seems that learning to use a solar cooker to its best advantage is like learning to use any new cooking equipment (a wok, a propane grill, a blender. . .).

Rather than make my own cooker, I started by borrowing one, a commercial Sun Oven. Like most models, it offers its own variation on the basic design - dark box with glass lid and reflectors. My first try, a strawberry rhubarb crisp, came out so well I tried it a second time. Even better!

In contrast, my first try at baking ratatouille flopped. I started too late in the day; and temps in the box were enough to warm the dish but not cook it well.

Reading the handy guide and excellent cookbook, Cooking with Sunshine , is getting me over the learning curve. The recipes are tailored for the way solar cookers work; and the tips must be followed for reliable results. Already the time-of-day rule and the tight-cover-to-keep-steam-in rule have shown themselves to be true. And, fortunately, the cat is not interested in napping anyplace that hot and shiny.

No More Crude in my Food

Today I watched the documentary Crude Awakening. It did a good job of instilling a sense of urgency about how unprepared we are to deal with life "after the peak," when the little bit of oil still available becomes very, very expensive. Along with all the things we take for granted, like car travel and food. Food?!

The film did not spend time letting individuals know what they could do to gain greater self-sufficiency through a low-carbon lifestyle now (the lovely footage of Amish horse carts notwithstanding). It's purpose may be to get us to demand political action, which surely is needed. But I would have liked to see some get-off-your-ass-and-act case studies. You know, people growing their own food or using farmers markets, otherwise becoming locavores, choosing organics for food and clothing, and giving vegetarian meals a chance now and then.

None of these things alone, or even cumulatively, will create more oil - but they do give us practice living with less, and help focus us less on despair and more on answers. For myself, I find I'm much more likely to demand support from my leaders if I know what's possible, rather than just what's wrong.