Image courtesy of markuso FreeDigitalPhotos.net With January just a few days away, some people are probably starting to think about resolutions for the new year. I write about food quite a bit, but what you drink can be equally important. If you've been thinking about reducing or eliminating your coffee or tea drinking, you might find today's post … [Read more...]
How the worst chicken ever became the best chicken ever
by Todd Allen Our dominant hen went broody this spring and we obtained fertile eggs for her to hatch. One of those eggs became Pat. We attempted feather sexing and it was completely ambiguous so he got an androgynous name. One of our more accurate divinations as we now have a lovely pullet named Boris and gave away her sibling a cockerel named Natasha. Of our male … [Read more...]
It’s NOT all or nothing
A couple of weeks ago I was being interviewed on a radio talk show, and after I said that people could save a lot of money by making their own coffee at home instead of buying it at a coffee shop, the interviewer seemed to suddenly panic and was quick to interrupt and say, "But we're not telling people to stop going to coffee shops! Sometimes you have to go out and have a cup … [Read more...]
The miracles of baking soda
In EcoThrifty, baking soda is mentioned in several chapters as an inexpensive substitute for many commercial products. Here is a sample -- Facial scrub -- Put a little baking soda in your wet hand, rub your palms together and then gently apply the baking soda paste to your face. Rinse off and pat skin dry. It's a great exfoliator, and your skin will feel so soft! Scouring … [Read more...]
Ecothrifty cookware
You can even cooks eggs without sticking in cast iron! It didn’t take me a terribly long time to decide that there were problems with inexpensive non-stick cookware. The non-stick surface wears off within a few years, and you are left with pots and pans to which food will stick. I was left wondering where those tiny bits of non-stick surface went. My favorite cookware is … [Read more...]
Tonight’s dinner is … broccoli
by Eleanor Boyle What’s for dinner? Broccoli! Okay, that sounds silly. None of us would eat just one type of vegetable for our main meal of the day. Yet when asked what they’re having for dinner people often respond: “chicken.” Or “pork chops.” Or “shrimp.” The idea that meat or seafood should be the center of our diets is so powerful that many people now describe … [Read more...]
Thrifty eating on the road
A couple weeks ago, Mike and I attended the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, and we got a room at the Candlewood Suites. (No, they did not pay me to write this!) Pretty much every chain of hotels has a suite line, which is not terribly fancy, but they include kitchens, so you can save on your travel expenses by doing some cooking rather than eating out. Candlewood rooms have a … [Read more...]
Are people really so clueless?
A couple of years ago I read this great post online about composting, and in the comment section someone posted a very long comment that said compost was fool's gold, not black gold, and that we can do so much better with modern fertilizers. At first I was shocked that someone could be so clueless about compost, and then I started to wonder if maybe that comment came from … [Read more...]
Who picks your fruit?
If it were not for illegal immigrants, most Americans would be starving -- and this is not simply my little opinion. This is what "specialty growers" will tell you, and they are the farmers who grow the food that people actually eat, like fruits and vegetables. And they rely heavily on the labor of illegal immigrants. Depending on whom you ask, it is estimated that somewhere … [Read more...]