DEPLASTICIZE MY LIFE – BEGIN IN THE KITCHEN, PLEASE!

Plastic is a petroleum product that's part of oil extraction industries. It's everywhere and it's long-term effects are incalculably bad. If you've been reading almost anything current, you’ve heard that our continuous exposure to plastic lowers our immune defenses setting us up for infections and even cancers. And it’s not just in our homes.  Plastics from litter and landfills have fouled up our water where they act as carcinogens and artificial estrogens.  Leached plastic is killing all forms of life in our lakes and oceans. And when marine animals are being poisoned, so are we when we eat any of it.

The plastics industry spends a lot of effort telling us that plastics are OK - that they're recyclable. But that’s a theoretical statement. The reality is that only a fraction of them are recyclable. And most of those that could be reused don't make it to the right place. Also, plastic recycling is energy intensive and, therefore expensive. Beyond that, even after you use the recyclable stuff as a car bumper or a lumber substitute, when it's over, it's over. The next step is the landfill or directly into some river, lake or ocean bottom.

Luckily there are some ways to reduce plastic use – beginning in the home.  And that’s the main reason for my impassioned plea – “DEPLASTICIZE MY LIFE!” Obviously, no one is going to do it for me. I have to do it myself. And it’s not easy and is taking me many weeks. Summing up the deplasticizing strategy: * STOP THE PLASTIC PLAGUE BY REFUSING TO BUY THE STUFF.*  

So, here’s a bit more about my progress, and I’m sharing this to raise awareness (and anger, why not?) about plastic exposure in the home and point out some practical ways that we can reduce that exposure.

There’s even a blog about a woman who spent a whole year without using plastic.  Maybe you and I aren't ready for that yet. But we can minimize our plastic use – beginning today - and redoubling our efforts ASAP.

Beginning my kitchen deplasticizing saga

A year or so ago, I began my deplasticizing saga on a small scale. My new campaign redoublea my efforts. I've begun with the easiest steps and am tackling the harder ones as the days go by. As of now, absolutely, no more plastic shopping bags are brought in. I take my cloth shopping bags with me with a small one where I put all the produce items, together. They have to sort them out at the market check-out counter. But that’s their problem. If they provided small paper bags for those things, they wouldn’t have to do the extra work. I also don't buy products that are wrapped in plastic whenever there is an alternative. Farmers’ markets usually sell their products plastic free, so I do a lot of my shopping, there.

Currently, my kitchen is 80% plastic free. Of course, I may never reach  an absolute of 100% free because there are plastics lids on a lot of things – like, for example, my stainless steel pans and the lid and base of my blender. I wouldn't know where to begin to replace them right now. And, of course, I'm not ready yet to get rid of all electric kitchen items – although I've thought about it – at least for the foreseeable future. I've got an electric refrigerator and stove, all of which have plastic components. 

While I’m almost sure that it doesn't make sense to try to eliminate plastics entirely – even in the kitchen - I'm doing what I can to reduce our food’s exposure to plastic.  It’s a question of a redo organization in the kitchen!  I've read that the most healthy and safest canisters and refrigerator containers for food are glass or stainless steel. So, there’s where I began. All my storage containers now have a glass base. Some still have plastic tops, for now.

New steps on my deplasticizing campaign

After the initial efforts that I just outlined, I began to look around in my kitchen cabinets, drawers and on the counters. Some plastic could be found in all those places. What to do? The first thing I decided to do was to buy absolutely *NO NEW PLASTIC ITEMS*. The heaviest weight stuff  – melamine plates and bowls – the ones that I use frequently, I’m keeping right now. They are still useful for cold lunch items and salads. All the hot stuff and food to be stored is always placed in glass containers.

I also have recently changed out my cooking utensils and the salt, pepper, and spice shakers for stainless steel and glass. It didn't cost me a fortune to do. I shopped around and came up with low-cost substitute items, all for less than five dollars, each.

As for more expensive purchases, I've had to take my time – only one per month. Just last month, I changed out my non-stick (plastic) rice cooker for a stainless steel one. The non-stick pizza maker is next on my list for removal – probably by buying a new countertop oven that accommodates 12-inch pizzas. I need a new one, anyway, and that way I’ll be able to use just one electric product instead of two.

Well, soon, my kitchen may be deplasticized to my satisfaction. But, I'll not stop there and be looking around at other areas of the house that also need a redo. I've already got a start on that. I’ve done away with most plastic containers in other areas of the house – all but, for now, the large storage boxes in the closet. I’m not sure what I could be using – except for, maybe, metal trunks. That would be expensive. So, I'll have to pause on that issue – at least, for now. Finding substitutes for my laundry basket and the waste cans shouldn't be very difficult.

Trade out plastic for stainless steel items.

At the present time, I’ve given up on plastic throwaway pens, pencils, and feminine razors. I use the refillable metal ones and an electric razor. What’s more, all my personal and cleaning products are made from coconut oil, sea salt, vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, and borax. The dry stuff comes in cardboard boxes and the other usually can be found in glass. If I can’t find something I need except in plastic and it’s in sufficient bulk and not expensive, I may choose it.  With these products, what I'm more concerned with is the use of non-toxic substances. Still, I transfer as much of these as I can to smaller glass containers. I currently buy a non-toxic bath soap bar, but I’d like to make my own soap bars sometime soon.

As you can see, deplasticizing is an adventure. It took us (people on this planet) less than 70 years – post 1950 – to get to this terrible state of affairs. But, I've challenged myself that before this year is out, my home will be 90% plastic free. Will you join me in this campaign?

JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD: TOWELS FOR EXAMPLE.

Only yesterday I had proof that my husband doesn’t follow all my blog posts. Or if he reads them, he sometimes glosses over them or misses the message. Just something less than two years ago, I wrote about the need to downsize on bathroom towels. At the time, I gave a lot of - what I thought were - good reasons for doing it. You can read it (link below) and decide for yourself just how good the reasons were. And they still are good reasons as far as I’m concerned.

But, back to my first comment, it all happened when my husband came home for lunch and saw me crocheting the edge of a towel. You’ve undoubtedly seen those towels. They are rather small and made of thin cotton. That’s just the point. Since my decision two years ago to downsize on towels, I’ve had to purchase a couple of thin towels for myself. I found them at the dollar store. My husband continues to use the old “regular” ones that we bought ten years ago and, by some miracle, continue to tolerate frequent machine washing. He wouldn’t let me get rid of his plush treasures when I did my first post on towel downsizing. So, I’m the one who uses thin ones.

On seeing me crochet yesterday, he asked what I was doing. I said: “ I’m crocheting an edge on these cheap, dollar store towels because if I don’t, they ravel out and look terrible. With this edging, they hold up just fine.”

Dollar store towels look pretty good with crocheted edging.

His reply was: “ We can afford to buy good bath towels.” Roughly translated, I suppose he meant that I was AGAIN wasting my time on a rather useless project. I answered him, saying: “I like these towels and do this to keep them serviceable for a long time.” That was enough to quiet him, especially since I got up right then and got busy serving lunch.

But some hours later, I thought that - maybe - I should post more about my decision to use thin, cotton towels rather than the usual fluffy ones. Like my husband, maybe my readers missed that post – so far back in time. Or perhaps I didn’t explain myself as well as I should have. So, here I am with another post the subject of bath towels.  The theme for this one is: JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN (afford to buy fluffy towels), DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD (buy them).

It has everything to do with the harmful effects of the cotton industry

Cotton is a natural product. “Natural” sounds like, maybe, ecological. Unfortunately, cotton growing is not earth-friendly. Being “natural” doesn’t mean that it’s something sustainable.

The sad truth is this.  Cotton growing involves the most intensive pesticides use of any agricultural product in the world. The annual cotton crop accounts for 22.5 percent of all insecticides, herbicides and defoliants used at the global level. And all those toxins end up harming wildlife and contaminating other foods that we eat.

Water use is another concern. Growing enough cotton for one T-shirt requires 257 gallons of water. Think about how much water goes into producing the plush towel that seems like such an good buy for $6 to $10. The polluted wastewater emissions from cotton fields and textile industry also weigh heavy on the environment. What’s more, due to the intensity of cotton farming, cotton in many poor countries makes up for a large percentage of agricultural land - so much so that the local population can’t even cultivate their own food.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s the question of genetically modified cotton. GM cotton hasn’t got much world attention because cotton is falsely considered to be a non-food crop. But food is also an issue here. Cottonseed oil is used for cooking and in animal feed. 
 

We all can make better choices.

So, that’s why I choose thin towels over plush ones and the reason that I want my towels to last for a very long time. And besides all that, the shell-crocheted edge makes my simple towels more attractive – something that I like. After all, it takes me only about three relaxing hours to finish crocheting the edges of a towel, and the cotton yarn I'm using is left over from an earlier project.
 

Fluffy bath towels are among the things you can easily acquire but that, most likely, you shouldn’t (now that you know some of the problems involved.) But, of course, the same can be said of a huge number of other “convenient” consumer products that - thinking more clearly about it – seem to be motivated more by personal vanity than by need. Other examples (and even bigger ones) that come to mind are brand new cars, wide-screen TVs, smart phones, all-round sound systems, etc. But those are subjects of future posts, if I ever get around to them.

Earlier posts

THINGS TO DOWNSIZE RIGHT AWAY: CASE #1 – LARGE, FLUFFY BATH TOWELS
HOW CONSUMERISM (STILL) TRIES TO FOOL US

  

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT IS A NO-BRAINER

Making homemade laundry products seems to be easy enough and a lot of blogs talk about ways to go about it. But, like me, you probably wondered if any of that really works? Will the clothes actually be as clean or cleaner than what we buy in those big, colorful boxes on the laundry product isle? 

I decided to find out.

For a while, I’d been collecting recipes for homemade laundry detergent but kept it on the “back-burner” until now. I liked the idea of knowing – for a fact – that what is in my detergent is 100% non-toxic and biodegradable. I was also impressed by the need to save some money on wash days, whenever possible. So, making my own detergent has been on list of things-to-do for a while. And this week, I put it to the test. And, here I am, reporting back from my experiment. 

With just 3 ingredients, you'll have a great wash day product.

What I made was the simplest recipe for laundry detergent I found. It has only 3 ingredients: Borax, Washing Soda, and Laundry bar soap flakes. This mixture washes well with cold or warm water and doesn't tend to form suds or bubbles. It can be used in any kind of automatic washer.

Here are the ingredients and how they work to create a super effective laundry detergent.

Borax, a natural mineral compound cleans and disinfects by converting some water molecules into hydrogen peroxide.

Washing Soda, a high alkaline powder that acts as a solvent to remove stains without causing loss of color.

Laundry Soap, that's the kind of soap that is used to hand wash clothes. When you grate up this soap, it helps eliminate tough, including oil-based, stains.

With the combination of all three ingredients working together, this detergent has great cleaning power. I've tried it, now, on both colored and white clothes and love the results. Best of all, there are no phosphates in this detergent to go down the drain and poison our water supplies. And you can bet that I’m not going back to commercial products.

Want to make some? Here’s what you need.

Box of Borax

Box of  Super Washing Soda

Big bar of laundry soap, grated or flaked (Can use a cheese grater or, easier yet, look for the flakes version at the store.) 

All of these ingredients were found in the detergent isle of our local Big Box store. And good news, the cost for all three products, together, for about 8 dollars. (I estimate that there is a savings of at least 50% when compared to commercial products.

For the 2 quart plastic bucket that I had on hand, I used 3 cups of borax and soda, each, and 3/4-cup of soap flakes.

Mix the ingredients well and store the detergent in a container with a top.

When using the detergent, start up the washing machine and fill it with a some water. Then, add 1/3 cup of detergent for regular wash. It’s a concentrated product so just a little does a fine job of getting clothes clean.

Really, this homemade product is a no-brainer, and I recommend it wholeheartedly  for all eco-friendly people who also don't mind saving some dollars.

I GAVE AWAY MY MICROWAVE OVEN - WHYS AND WHEREFORES.

You may think that the microwave oven is your best friend in the kitchen. But, there's a dark side to your supposed friend. It's something like the Trojan horse of Greek history that looked like a gift, but brought tragic, unforeseen consequences. Here's the story.

Domestic microwave oven models were first offered in 1967. It didn't take too long before it became another item that brought "prestige" to consumer households who could pay what was initially a high price tag. Over the past decades, the much publicized microwave oven became much more affordable, and this led almost all U.S. householders to buy and use large and small units. And the younger generation probably believes that it's impossible to run any kitchen adequately without one. Hundreds of specialized cookbooks have added to the popularity of these ovens. It all seems to make sense – preparing and reheating food - in just a few seconds. It appears to be something that no "right-minded" man or woman would want to do without. But think again.

Big problems with microwave ovens.
First of all, it's been shown that microwave cooking breaks up proteins, vitamins, and minerals into much smaller molecules that the human body can't use as well for nutritional purposes. And its radiation effects create decomposed compounds that pose risks for cancer, reduced immune function, and impaired memory.

One study found disturbing changes in the blood of individuals consuming microwaved milk and vegetables for a few weeks. Study subjects ate combinations of the same foods cooked different ways. Those who ate foods processed through microwave ovens, compared with the controls, showed hemoglobin levels decreases and over all white cell levels and cholesterol levels increases. They also had important increases in leukocytes – signs of poisoning and cell damage - with the microwaved foods.

Second, these microwave ovens make up a substantial part of the cumulative problem of so much electromagnetic radiation in our homes, offices, and schools. It's the electromagnetic radiation that agitates the molecules generating an internal heat that "cooks" the food. At the same time, an unknown amount of the same radiation is escaping from the oven and going into the surroundings. That's why people with a pace-maker and pregnant women are supposed to stay aways from these ovens. The radiation leaks out of all of them – to some extent.

Another concern had to do with the fact that you shouldn't be using any type of plastic in these ovens. Plastic contains BPA and other substances that are released into the food with all that super heat. When the manufacturer says that it's microwave safe, that only means that it won't dissolve in the oven, not that it won't bleed toxic substances into your food.

 

The real deal - you really don't need it
Here, I'd like to tell you my experience and how I stopped being a convinced fan of  microwave cooking. Some months ago, my husband and I visited a friend for a few days. We cooked our food in her apartment. And with the first breakfast that we made, I noticed that the coffee was getting cold. I asked where the microwave was. She said she didn't have one. Well, I knew that my friend kept a rather Spartan apartment and had virtually eliminated all unnecessary items in it. But, I was amazed that she had no microwave. She told me about the negative health effects of having a radiation box in the home and that, microwaved food had a bad taste when compared with food cooked in a conventional way. More importantly, that it wasn't good for you, nutritionally. And that microwaving causes changes in the molecular structure of food, so that you don't get the same kind of nourishment from it as you would eating food cooked on a regular stove. While I was impressed by what she said, I didn't think enough about it, at the time, to stop using my microwave oven at home.

Some time later, I began to read about the negative effects of microwaves and that microwave cooked food was a health hazard. And after a time, I made a decision. I  gave away my microwave oven and bought a small, cabinet-top toaster oven to replace it. Now, several months have passed – sans microwave –and I'm satisfied that I did the right thing. Also the general quality and taste of our meals have improved – at least my husband tells me that. And, while, it may be due to any number of healthier changes in our lives, we both feel better, too.

Your chance to protect your family and the environment
You, too, can get along without that big monster hovering over your stove or hogging limited kitchen counter space. After all, those meals that you’re preparing for loved ones should be done in the best way you can. And, yes, things can get busy in the kitchen with everybody already hungry. But there are any number of ways that you can simplify your menus. Food can be served as salads or vegetables quickly steamed, in the conventional manner, during those hectic times. Tell your family that, yes, you're having to spend ten to fifteen minutes more in food prep time but that they're avoiding health risks and getting more nutrition in the process. Surely, they'll thank you for the extra effort made on their behalf.

And, why contribute to so many environmental problems created by the need for more and more electronic products? Just remember most families trade out out those big items - like microwave ovens - every few years or so. Our consumer-buying frenzy creates too much use of natural resources and leads to deadly levels of industrial smog. And it doesn't matter that the large part of that smog falls over Asian cities. It all comes back in the form of global ecological destruction - through acid rain and worldwide climate change.

Here's something that you can do right away. Take out your microwave and put it in the garage or in a closet for one month. Switch over to a toaster oven for warming your cooked food and heat up liquids in pots on the stove. Try this simple exercise. If it works for you, at the end of the month, I'm sure you'll be more than happy to give or throw away your microwave oven. At any rate, you will know that it's not such a good idea to use it and, if it reappears in the kitchen, your use will surely be less frequent.  

YOUR NEXT SHOES SHOULD BE CANVAS.

Canvas is a course cloth material made from the hemp plant. It is used in sails, tents, paint boards, and shoes. Shoes made from canvas are casual and constructed very simply with a cloth upper and a rubber sole. Many adults and most children, when allowed to choose, prefer canvas shoes over leather for comfort and looks.

And this post poses a question to you? Do your feet really need those animal skin shoes or would you be happier with a nice pair of canvas shoes? In case you haven’t thought a lot about it, read this and decide for yourself.

GrandmaS wants you to know that she doesn’t sell canvas shoes nor does she, knowingly, have any advertisers that do so. But GrandmaS has been thinking a lot about this topic and, now, is trying to only buy non-animal shoes. She has successfully purchased three pairs of leather-free shoes - the only ones she bought this year. The investment was modest. They were rubber flip-flops - $1, canvas boat shoes -$10, and canvas sneakers - $7.

Canvas shoes are convenient and fun

So, why are canvas shoes highly recommended? First, they're lighter in weight than most other kinds of shoes and mold easier to the shape of the foot. And they're comfortable because they are porous. That means the feet "breathe" better. They also dry out fast, if they get wet.  Looking for more canvas shoe virtues? Here are a few. The rubber soles of canvas shoes don’t tend to stick to the floor and cause missteps on wet surfaces like leather shoes do. They are also casual, versatile, and economical. The cost for a decent pair is usually from ten to twenty dollars - sometimes even less.

You can choose from hundreds of styles of non-leather shoes, clothing, and accessories. And, best of all, no animal needs to be killed to make them. We, humans are causing a major extinction of animals. With the incredible world population of 7 billion with almost standardized customs of animal meat heavy diets and animal skin clothing and shoes, there is a veritable man-made war on animals. We raise millions of animals to kill (in an entirely inhumane manner), skin, and eat them. And we're doing this more and more. Besides that, leather industry is a huge ecological problem. Along with the immense water use and direct pollution of the meat farms, the toxins used in animal hide tanning cause further environmental destruction.

Help save the animals
Animals need human allies who strive to eat no meat or, at least, much less meat and turn away from the wearing of animal based shoes - whenever possible. Of course, having a pair of leather boots for snow and ice is (currently considered) acceptable but, certainly, not the lunacy of many regular people who hoard 20 or more pairs of leather shoes and boots in their closets. It doesn't make any sense at all - except, perhaps, to the industrial shoe makers - who encourage us to indulge in such idiocy through their constant commercial advertising. Their bid is to get all the people with some kind of money, extra or not, to buy a pair of shoes every month of their lives - or more often, if possible.

And, yes, taking a stance against the senseless killing of animals - any animals, horses, wolves, cows or dogs - is being an animal rights activist. But animal right activism is not some kind of terrorist act as is often indicated by the mass media. Concerned people from all political persuasions are trying to lprevent needless animal suffering. Those who are in favor of more humane treatment of animals strive to communicate with everyone on these issues, hoping to expand our moral circle to encompass all kinds of animals - domestic and wild. Wearing canvas shoes is one way to begin your personal animal rights campaign.

We don't need to go on harming so many innocent animals in order to feed and clothe ourselves. And that means we have to be more vigilant in our choice of personal things. Of course, this is best a process instead of an ultimatum, and it’s not necessary to throw out all animal related items for our closets in just one weekend. But a start can be made with that next pair of shoes.

(Now, reducing meat consumption is another matter. Food is something that we can replace fairly quickly. There are not so many acceptable excuses in that area.)

Canvas shoe care

Once you've bought your canvas shoes, you'll want to take care of them. While tough, they’re not indestructible, and you can extend their life by taking some precautions.

- Apply a cloth care spray or starch to the shoes for weather protection. Do this in a ventilated area and wear and wear vinyl protective gloves.

- Wear clean, absorbent socks when you exercise to help keep the insides of your shoes clean and dry.

- Remove your shoes with your hands and not with your other foot, so as not to stretch the canvas and cause the rubber sole to separate from the canvas.

-Remove any loose dirt with a small hard-bristle brush.

- Don’t put them in the washing machine (unless they are really grubby and, if you do, be sure to use the gentle cycle). It’s always best to wash them with dish soap with a clean sponge or toothbrush.

- Wipe away any soap remaining on the shoes with a cloth.

- Dry them by blotting the cloth upper with a hand towel. Put them toe-side up, vertically, against a wall to drain off any water.

- Put them outside in the air overnight or place them in front of a fan.

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LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE MORE AWARE OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
WHERE TP IS CONCERNED, OBSESSION WITH SOFTNESS = ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER
BE SURE TO USE ALTERNATIVES TO CHLORINE BLEACH.
YOUR CHOICE OF DRINKS CAN SAVE OUR TREES.
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WHY I’LL NEVER AGAIN BUY ANOTHER ELECTRIC COFFEE POT.

It so happens that most people have been convinced by industry and the media that the electric coffee pot is the one best way to achieve a decent tasting and healthy brew. In this post, I’m challenging that belief. Here are my reasons.

Since I’ve been an adult, I’ve gone through at least one electric coffee pot every four years. At my age, that makes for more than a dozen of these items, ranging in price from $10, a cheap filtered, drip-type when money was tight, to $40+ for electric percolators, when I had some extra coins in my pocket. The coffee that I made with these pots ranged from poor to mediocre to acceptable, depending on a range of factors. All of my electric pots broke or were short-circuited and had to be replaced in just a few years of daily use. What a senseless way to throw away money and to use up so many industrial materials and processes! Being eco-wise and earth-friendly demands more than that of us. That’s why I’ve decided that from now on, I’m going to make coffee the old-fashion way without using electric pots, plastic parts, or paper filters.

For some months, I've been making my coffee by heating water to boil in a regular saucepan and passing it through a metal strainer with a fabric strainer into a ceramic pot, one or two times – depending on the quantity of coffee needed and how tight my coffee money budget is. I reheat the coffee on the stove/ ( For just one cup I use the microwave oven.)

Now, I really like to drink coffee and drink tea as well, and almost don’t drink sodas or bottled water. But I decided a while back to limit my coffee drinking to three cups a day. More coffee than that and I’m going to have gastric symptoms or heart flutters. Also, I don’t go to fancy coffee beverage stores to buy or drink coffee more than once a month, and when I do, it's usually for social reasons – someone else is going and invites me to go along. I make coffee at home and I don’t often drink the commercially imported stuff. I hand-carry excellent Mexican coffee over the border whenever I can. That’s one of the advantages of visiting Mexico often.

Having said enough about my coffee making, I’ll do a quick review of health-related aspects of this brew. Then more about coffee preparation without using an electric coffee pot.

Coffee drinking – good or bad for you?

Is coffee drinking good for you? Well, there’s some controversy on the subject but, all-in-all, it seems that it may be healthy choice for most people. In a long-term Harvard University study that tracked the diet and lifestyle habits of thousands of adults, they found no relationship between coffee consumption and increased risk of death from any cause. Apparently, coffee drinking provides us with useful anti-oxidants, just as tea does, and in moderate use - 3 or less 6 oz. cups per day - hasn’t any serious negative effects on health for most people. And, at least, coffee is less toxic and healthier than sugary soda pop.

But coffee is more than caffeine and actually has hundreds of different compounds in it – and some might be good, neutral or bad for us. Obviously, people who have gastric problems, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol need to seriously limit their caffeine. Decaf coffee with some of the same anti-oxidant benefits is a good option for them. The fact that coffee has a slightly negative influence on calcium absorption could also be a concern. Coffee also contains a oily substance called cafestol that may increase cholesterol levels. Luckily, when you brew coffee with a paper filter, the cafestol doesn’t get through.

Old-fashioned boiled coffee

We prepare our daily java in a way that we hope captures rich aroma and gives us a boost while avoiding the heavy, bad taste of too much tannic acid. The simplest possible way to brew coffee is the old-fashioned boiled kind – no electric pot needed. All you do is put the ground beans into a pot with water, put heat underneath it, and let the water boil. The longer coffee is boiled the more "muddy" it becomes, because of the breaking down of the fibrous material of the bean. After you turn the heat off, you are left with a murky mixture of grounds and coffee that has to be strained. If you use a sauce pan, you can strain the grounds using a close-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth.

Boiled coffee is often associated with cowboys and campers out on the trail. The traditional pot is made of enameled metal and has a strainer built into the pour spout. There are two tricks to its use. First, watch the pot very carefully to take it off the fire as soon as the water starts to boil and, second, toss a few eggshells into the grounds. The eggshells help settle (congeal) the grounds, making them easier to strain and help reduce the acidity level.

And many cooks, not just cowboys and campers, praise the old-fashioned boiled coffee made with eggshell  for its richness, body, and aroma. Adding eggshell to the grounds of coffee is said to take away some of the bitter taste of over boiled coffee. Eggshell is alkaline. When the eggshell is boiled with the acid brew, it makes for a smoother taste.

Recipe for “traditional” boiled coffee

1 cup medium ground coffee
1/2 cup cold water
6 cups boiling water with two crushed, empty eggshells in a saucepan
1/2 cup cold water.

Mix the coffee with 1/2 cup cold water, add to boiling water with eggshells. Simmer with a lid for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the strength you desire. Strain with a fine-mesh strainer and/or filter the coffee into a clean serving pot. Leave the last settled, muddy half cup or so of liquid in the saucepan to be thrown out with the grounds. (Always save the grounds, crushed shells, and any unused coffee for your plants. It’s a great fertilizer.)

All this results in a rich, strong coffee, serves about 10 cups.

Note. One Mexican variation on boiled coffee (café con canela) is really good. Add pieces of two fresh cinnamon sticks, one tablespoon of natural unsweetened cocoa, and some sugar – to your taste - to the boiling mix. (No eggshells called for in this recipe.) Served piping hot, alone or with cream and sugar, this brew is delicious as a breakfast or after-dinner drink.

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BREAD PUDDING, AN APPALACHIAN AND SOUTHERN DESSERT THAT YOU'RE SURE TO ENJOY.

Like nearly everyone else, my husband and I sometimes crave a dessert. Of course, we feel that we should refuse to go along with that urge – at least most of the time. As we all know, excess sugar in the diet brings on problems like: weight gain, skin and hair problems, and even more serious conditions such as diabetes and lowered resistance to infections. But, from time-to-time, something a little sweet is next to irresistible. And since almost no one wants to totally abstain from desserts, what I recommend is a healthy change toward the not-so-sweet side of things. That's where bread pudding comes in.

Bread pudding is a tasty use for stale bread that has been in style for centuries. Along with bread pudding, cooks also used dry bread to make stuffing, thickeners and edible serving containers. Today, bread pudding may not be as common as it once was, but it’s never gone out of style in Appalachian and Southern states and also continues to be popular in Mexico, Great Britain, Belgium and France. For a lot of us, it's still one of our favorite comfort foods, helping us remember a time in the past when dessert was usually made from common kitchen ingredients and wastefulness was considered a terrible wrong.

In our home, we eat a lot of fruit, flavored yogurt, nuts, and granola, and that usually satisfies our dessert cravings. But when a dessert is definitely called for, usually for a holiday celebration or a special dinner with family or friends, I like to make something that's a fitting following to a good meal. Often that "something" is bread pudding. So, if you're also looking for  a dessert that's not too sweet, bread pudding is great dish that sure to please. Besides that, it gives you a use for stale bread, a situation that often occurs near the end of the week. (I usually just chop it up into coarse crumbs and freeze it. Later I make bread pudding or add it to my "almost- meatless meat-loaf". See related post below.)

The sweet alternative for leftover bread is to make old-fashioned bread pudding - not too sugary and plump with raisins with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, served up cold or warm out of the oven. And it can be made from any type of bread (whole wheat, white, multigrain, etc.) Homemade bread usually goes fast, but if you have any leftover, it makes really great tasting bread pudding. And, your dessert will look particularly festive if you serve it up in glass custard cups with a bit of syrup or whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.

Whatever reason you have for making and serving bread pudding, you can be sure it's a truly satisfying and eco-friendly treat.

Old-fashion bread pudding recipe

Here's a version of old fashioned bread pudding that’s as close as I can get to what my mother used to make.

Ingredients

2 cups of heated milk
4 cups of dry bread, torn in pieces

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2-cup brown sugar or honey
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup seeded raisins or chopped dates
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Instructions

- Put bread and raisins in large bowl. Heat milk and 1/4 cup melted butter in a saucepan. Pour warm mixture over bread; let stand 10 minutes.

- Stir in all remaining pudding ingredients. Pour into a greased casserole pan.

- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

Added to the basic recipe, you can include any of the following: fresh fruit cut up, minced nuts, a sweet liquor added in place of all or part of the milk, or a topping of honey, maple syrup, or confectioners sugar. If you’re going to put something sugary on top of your bread pudding, cut back some on the brown sugar in pudding.

If your bread pudding tends to dry out in the oven,  place a bowl of water on another shelf while the pudding bakes. This keeps delicate foods, like this bread pudding, from burning, drying out, or curdling. Check the water level during the baking time and add more hot water as necessary.

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CHOCOLATE FUDGE IS A GREAT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT

BREAD MAKING IS A HUGELY REWARDING ART

HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SUGAR: CHEAP FOR INDUSTRIAL FOODS, BUT COSTLY FOR HEALTH AND THE ECOLOGY.

WHAT'S IN YOUR PANTRY?

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ANOTHER DISHRAG-MAKING PROJECT

As GrandmaS likes to remind you: "Every penny saved is a penny that's (at least, theoretically) not spent feeding the consumerist monster!" And having seen that the knitted dishrag post was one of my readers' favorites, I decided to find another dishcloth project that's easy to do and equally planet-friendly. So, here's a second dishrag-making project that can save you a pound of pennies and give you a ton of satisfaction.

Now, for those of you who read the first dishrag project, I want you to know that I personally did make and absolutely love my knitted dishrags. But, somewhat shamed-faced, I have to confess that I never produced the number that I recommended - that was 2 per day, dishrags and counter-cleaning rags, for a total of 14 for an entire week. I guess I got a little lazy after I 'd made a few.

But, later, I remembered that, for many years, I’d made my own facecloths from squares of recycled terrycloth with the addition of a crocheted edge. So, I thought: "Why not whip up some of those as dishrags?" And, since dishcloths are often - intentionally or otherwise - on display in the kitchen, I wanted to make them not only economical and useful but also attractive. These terry cloths are cheap and easy to make (see instructions below), and you'll be pleased that your kitchen has a safe, natural way of dish washing and surface cleaning.


There's more! These terry dishrags can be dyed beautiful pastel colors. Now, of course, GrandmaS would want you to go the natural route and not get involved with chemical dyes and their toxicity issues. That's right, natural dyes are easy to make and work with. (If you're still doubting, a quick Internet search can confirm this claim.) 

I think you'll like this simple project. And, if you get really inspired, you can do even more by making yourself some matching kitchen towels. A dyed terry dishrag and a matching  kitchen towel is a gift item that will be greatly appreciated by family and friends.

Instructions for making natural-dyed terry dishrags

Step 1 – Cut terry squares
Cut up white or almost white used (recycled) terry hand or bath towels or undyed shop rags into 8-inch squares. That size is small enough to fit inside a glass but big enough to clean counters.

Step 2 – Choose colors and dyes
For my dishrags, I used the following pastel colors and vegetable dye materials.

Sky Blue - fresh blueberries
Ice Cream Pink - fresh beets
Tree Bark Tan - strong brewed coffee
Light Saffron Yellow - ground turmeric
Light Sage Green - spinach leaves

Step 3: Make color fixatives
These natural fixatives will make the dye soak into the fabric more easily.

•Salt fixative for berry and spice dyes -- 1/2 cup salt to 8 cups cold water. Stir to dissolve.
•Vinegar fixatives for plant dyes -- 4 parts cold water to 1 part vinegar. Mix.

Add your squares to the fixative, heat and simmer for an hour. (You'll probably be able to fix and dye two or three cloths at a time.) Cool and squeeze out the fabric. Rinse in cool water until water is clear.

Step 4 - Dye bath
To make the veggie dye bath, cut the plants into small pieces and place in a stainless steel pot. Use two parts of water to one part plant material. For spices and coffee, about a half cup should be enough to make a dye. For stronger colors, increase the proportion of dye material. Don't worry about any possible stains in your pans - everything is natural, so nothing will harm your pans or be toxic for your family.  Bring the solution to a boil and simmer for about an hour; strain the liquid, leaving only the colored liquid.

Step 5 - Dyeing
Using the same pan (or pouring the dye-water into a larger stainless steel pan, if necessary), simmer the solution and fabric together for one hour. Leave the squares in the dye water for 4 to 8 hours. Be sure to swish the fabric around every hour or so to make sure all parts are unfolded and absorbing the same degree of color. You can check for color intensity after a few hours. Just keep the squares longer for a darker tone - even over night, if you like. By the way, the color of the fabric is always somewhat lighter when it dries.

Step 6 - Rinse
Remove the squares from dye bath and squeeze out the coloring. Rinse in cool water until water runs clear. Dry.

Step 7 - Hemming and making a crocheted border
Turn the edges in about a third of an inch - just one time, not doubled - and sew a running stitch around the cloth using a matching thread color. Then give them a sturdier hem with a crocheted shell border using a cotton yarn. Be sure your crocheted hem covers up what the usually unattractive stitched heming. Choose a yarn color that coordinates or contrasts with your fabric color.

Notes: Always wash your dyed kitchen rags and towels in cool water either alone or with other light-colored linens (and not with regular clothing). Air-dry your washed dishrags on a clothesline, when possible, to sanitize them. No chlorine bleach, please. Try to keep them out of direct sunlight. If using a clothes dryer, set it to air-dry setting or the lowest heat. The natural dyed terry will fade in time, but the crocheted edge will continue to make your cloths attractive.

Related posts:
IN PRAISE OF THE SIMPLE DISHRAG
BE SURE TO USE ALTERNATIVES TO CHLORINE BLEACH
LIVING IT UP WITH LESS: DECORATION IN A SIMPLE HOME
RECYCLE PLASTIC BAGS INTO USEFUL ITEMS
MAKE BEAUTIFUL BEADS FROM RECYCLED PAPER
GIVE AN OLD T-SHIRT A NEW LIFE AS A SHOPPING BAG





 

IN PRAISE OF THE SIMPLE DISHRAG

My inspiration
Last night I woke up from a dream. I’m not sure if it was a bad or good dream, but the last thing I remember in the dream was seeing a stack of old-fashion, red and white cotton dishrags. I reached for the stack, grabbed what must have been 5 or 6, felt a great sense of satisfaction, and then woke up. Now, I’m not someone to over-interpret dreams, but I think I know why it was so important to me to get hold of those dishrags. It has to do  with both my past and my present. I have a lot of good memories about sharing tasks in the kitchen with my Mom and my sister. We washed a lot of dishes together and enjoyed doing things as a team. Somehow the humble dishrag must have become a symbol of family closeness and teamwork. As to my present and future, I'm constantly looking for more eco-friendly products to use in my home. Dishrags don't contaminate the environment. They work well, last a long time, and can be washed and dried with the rest of the household linens.

Stop using plastic scrubbers
Of course, that doesn’t mean that I hadn't recently thought about the virtues of the tried-and-true cotton dishrag. I just hadn’t acted on it. So, here’s my “greener” living challenge to all of us (myself included) – stop using plastic scrubbers. There are several good reasons for doing it. First of all, we need to convince ourselves that that we do not need to buy those funky, green plastic things all the time. We save money when we use natural scrubbers, over and over again. But, more important, each time we say no to throwaway plastics in the home, we are doing our part to lower our carbon footprint.

You’ve also probably heard that the average kitchen plastic dish scrubber contains more bacteria than a toilet bowl. Ugh! So, what do most people do when they hear that? They go out and buy the same product, more often – not a good idea, at all. Think about those millions of times each week (or month) that people buy these little items. Yes, they’re cheap – a dollar gets you 6 or 8 in a pack (at the dollar-store). But they’re made from oil and end up as non-degradable plastic in our landfills and waterways.

Beyond that, any scrubber that has a label for anti-bacterial properties is likely to contain triclosan, a particularly toxic chemical (first used as a pesticide), or something equally damaging when concentrated in the environment. But, the good news is that there are alternatives to plastic and pesticide soaked scrubbers. And, that’s the theme of this post – stop the contamination! Get rid of those plastic dish scrubbers, once and for all, and make the pledge to use only natural scrubbers.

One option – the cellulose sponge
We can purchase scrubbers that are made from cellulose fiber. The cellulose should be sourced from plantation forests or recycled. Read the label carefully because some cellulose sponges are covered with polyester, another type of plastic. For hygiene, it’s best to try to let sponges dry out between uses. To sterilize them, soak them for a couple of minutes in boiling water, microwave them for a minute or two, or easiest of all, just put them in your automatic dishwasher whenever you wash dishes and turn on the hot-heat, drying cycle. While cellulose sponges are natural and non-contaminating, they tend to break down over a period of weeks and have to be replaced. So, they may not be your best buy.

A better option – dishrags
You may remember - or not - the old-fashioned dishrag. Back when everyone washed dishes by hand (pre 1960’s, I believe), it was the almost universal rule to have a stash of loosely woven, cotton dishrags. They worked well and lasted for months, if not years. It seemed that they would never be replaced with any other product. But, what happened? We stopped using them because (perhaps) it seemed more modern to buy another plastic product (like all the rest of the plastic that was filling up our homes). Or, they disappeared because the cost of cotton went up too high for manufacturers to produce and sell them for less than a dollar each.

Maybe we can’t find the cotton dishrags very easily any more (or at a price we want to pay), but we can certainly make our own. As a knitter, I like to try making things that are useful in the home. Knitting dishrags is for me a way to fight consumerism and a part of my commitment to a “greener” life. If you make the scrubber change, you’ll always want to have two rags at the sink, one for washing dishes and one for wiping down surfaces. So, if you wash linens once a week, you’ll need 14 rags – fewer are needed, of course, if you wash more frequently.

Easy pattern for a knitted dishrag
Here's an easy pattern for a dishrag that you can knit up in an hour (or maybe two hours, if it’s the first time you’ve tried to do something like this).

You'll need worsted weight, cotton yarn. Leftover yarn is great, if you have some. (Personally, I like dishrags made with the two-color sequence yarns.) Plan on using about an ounce or so of yarn.

Needles, according to your choice. I like a loose-knitted dishrag so I'm using a size #9. This will give a finished size of about 6” y 6”.

Starting
Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1 - Knit 4

Increasing
Row 2 - Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row.

Repeating
Row 2 until you have 44 stitches.

Decreasing
Row 3 - Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.

Repeating
Row 3 until you have 4 stitches left on the needle.

Finishing
Bind off. Weave in ends.

(Note: This is a great first-knit project for children. The same pattern can also be a coverlet for a little doll's bed - it all depends on how you look at it.)

Related Posts
ANOTHER DISHRAG-MAKING PROJECT

TRY SWAPPING TO SHRINK YOUR WASTEFUL HABITS (WITH OTHER BENEFITS, TOO.)
LIVING IT UP WITH LESS: DECORATION IN A SIMPLE HOME
COLOR THERAPY CAN HELP YOU REJECT CONSUMERISM
WHERE TP IS CONCERNED, OBSESSION WITH SOFTNESS = ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER
EMBRACE A SIMPLE HOME
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EMBRACE A SIMPLE HOME

If you want to live simply, don't try to fit your home life into a pre-molded floor plan - even the one that you now have as determined by your outside walls. Instead try to make sense of the way you want to live. Think outside the blueprint and search your heart to create the simple home that you’ve always longed to enjoy. A simplified home will allow you to focus on what's important and relax more when you need to with the added bonus of cleaning less and consuming less - what with lowered energy use and need for fewer material things. (And, as I keep harping in this blog, the best way to help our planet is by consuming less.)

You can begin your adventure of embracing a simple home by making a mission statement - a few lines of text that cover what's true about your home life and minus all that's false. You probably should pass on this statement of purpose to other members of your household to see if there's some basic agreement regarding a common mission. Reflect on how you truly live or hope to live in the not-so-distant future. Don't let other people's purposes or rules guide you choices. Don't try to plan for what your life may look like in 10 or more years.

Look for ideas to create a master plan for simplifying your home - in magazines, catalogues, on the Internet, and in showcases. Most people simplify by downsizing - choosing to live in a smaller space - and using that opportunity to find greater organization. You can easily make this choice the next time you move. But even if you plan to stay in the same house for several more years - or forever - there are ways to down-size and organize - by cleaning out and closing off rooms that serve little purpose for your current lifestyle. Remember a simple home includes only the basics and doesn't need part-time use rooms - like guest rooms and even a separate dining room or living room often is not necessary. Many times, outdoor spaces can be a good substitute for additional or little used rooms. (Putting the hype for McMansions aside, we often can fully live our home lives in one, two or three rooms and be just as well off or better when it comes to some really important things in our lives - like time for family, creature comfort, and spiritual growth.)

To create your simple home, assess your real needs and eliminate any excess. When you have a plan for the spaces you need for your lifestyle, then organize and declutter all areas. Minimize furnishings and decorative pieces in your plan. Use your walls wisely for extra vertical storage. Color can be part of a simple scheme - make use of it on walls, floors, curtains, cushions, etc.

As a place to start, here are the functions and basic spaces that just about all of us need:
- Calm place for individual relaxing, sleeping, meditation and prayer (bedrooms);
- Area for eating, preparing meals, and socializing (kitchen or great-room);
- Area for work at home, including office, laundry, gardening, and crafts (may be separate spaces or just  work areas in the already mentioned rooms).

GIVE AN OLD T-SHIRT A NEW LIFE AS A SHOPPING BAG

When you think that the average family returns from the grocery store with 10 or more plastic bags, that’s a lot of plastic. It’s bad for our environment and ends up adding more costs to the food budget. (You are, of course, paying for those bags – they’re aren’t gifts!) The same plastic shopping bags are used about 30 minutes from the store to the home, and then they’re stashed somewhere, and usually end up in landfills. Even with recycle bins at the big stores, only about 1% ever get recycled.

Plastic bags are a big source of pollution, and in some areas of the country, they have even prohibited their distribution at grocery stores. Reusable bags don’t contribute to pollution. For this reasons, many stores sell the reusable cloth bags at a cost of $.50 to $1.00. But, of course, to help the environment, you need to be organized enough to have and carry your reusable bag or bags when you go shopping.

The good news is that you can your make your own shopping bag from a recycled t-shirt with almost no money and with just a couple of hours of work. It’s a great way to use t-shirts from a previous year. So, here I include instructions on how to re-purpose an unwanted t-shirt into a reusable shopping bag.

Your shopping bag will be the exact same size as the recycled t-shirt, and any good-sized t-shirt will do fine. Your need for sewing skills are negligible. With some cutting and just two seams – hand or machine sown – you’ll create your bag. The part left where you removed the sleeves and the scooped out neck will fashion the handles for your bag and the bottom part will hold your groceries. You’ll use it for grocery shopping, but it also can be a tote bag for all kinds of things like library books, cleaning supplies or anything else you need to carry around. The plus is that your t-shirt bag will be strong and totally washable!

You’ll need only a few tools and materials:
Heavy-weight cotton T-shirt
Pins
Sewing machine or hand sewing needles
Thread
Large mixing bowl (to help trace out the circles to be cut)
Water-erasable marking pen
Scissors

Here's how to make your t-shirt bag:

(If your not sure whether your t-shirt is clean or not, put it in the wash before you begin this project.)

First, turn the T-shirt inside out. Line up the bottom hem of the shirt, use pins to hold the front and backsides together, and sew the bottom edges together. All the sewing is done with the shirt inside out. To have stronger seams that hold up better, add an extra line of stitching. You may also want to box-in the corners. You can do this by sewing a triangle across the corners at the bottom of the bag.

Next, flip the shirt right side out and lay it flat on table. Make sure all the seams are lined up and place the mixing bowl below the neck hole. Using the marking pen, trace the edge of the bowl. Cut along the outline. This is the opening to your bag. Make sure that the scoop that you cut out is large enough to fit the groceries into the bag.

Then, line up the hems on the sleeves and cut off both arms, including the sleeve seams. Use pins to hold the edges together while you make the cuts. These will form the handles for your shopping bag. For extra strength, you can reinforce the handles of your bag by stitching across the shoulder seam once or twice.

Luckily, most t-shirts are made of knit-jersey and don’t usually fray, but, if you like, you can hem the edges of the t-shirt bag - that will give it a more finished look. (I crocheted a simple chain stitch all around the edges to give it a more finished look).

Turn the bag right side out again and your ready to go shopping.

There are all kinds of variations that you can do to have a more attractive bag. You can:

Fashion your bag so that an interesting logo is displayed on the front of your bag.

Decorate your bag with embroidery or a crocheted edge. (I single-crocheted an edge around the entire bag including the handles. It took about 5 hours, but the result was attractive and it made the bag much stronger.)

Use pens to write a “get green’ slogan on your bag – something like: “ I used to be a t-shirt.” or “I’m not your usual plastic bag!”

Add two pockets to the bag using the material from the t-shirt sleeves. Make the pockets as deep as possible so that they can hold a lot of small items.