Hounds In The Kitchen » Eco-friendly

Blue Rock Station says 'Thanks for Nothing'

Rachel Tayse — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:57:11 +0000

Today, I have a guest post from Annie Warmke, resident farmer of Blue Rock Station Green Living Farm. Annie announced an intriguing project in the fall: Thanks for Nothing, a month of no spending. Now that she’s half way through the experiment, I asked her to write a bit about how it’s going.

Here’s the canning stove that will bake the butternut soufflé – I hope…

As a business owner, a woman farmer, and a grandmother I tend to not be conventional about some of the things that people just seem to take for granted. About a year ago I had this realization that the stock market report had nothing to do with me. The next realization came in the form of wondering about happiness factors and how inspiring it would be to have a daily report on just how well all of us are doing with our health, our expectations, our families, and the whole picture of our lives. That led me to wonder what it would be like to not spend any energy (money, electricity, gasoline) for one month during the year. I told you I tend to be pretty far out…

Jay, my husband and business partner, came up with the idea of calling our month-long experiment “THANKS FOR NOTHING”. Our 18-year-old granddaughter, whom we call Miss America during the month, did not want to participate. We call her room “America” because she is still using up energy with not much thought, although we’ve been quite surprised at her mixed message that ranged from, “I am NOT participating” to “Last night I used the flashlight instead of turning on the kitchen lights.”

About two months before we began our experiment, one of our former engineering interns from France, Nans Thomassey, telephoned to say he’d like to do the experiment with us from his home in the Rhones-Alps with his partner Fanny Gonnet. What a novel idea – two generations living without money in rural Ohio and France during January. We hope to write a book together after our experiment.

Nans and I came up with some guidelines that would apply to how we cooked, and traveled. We have lots of food preserved – they do not. Fanny and Jay both need to drive the car (both families live in the rural area of their region) a couple of days per week to get to their job commitments. All of the fixed expenses for our households are automatically taken out of the checking account so it is easy not to spend money.

I felt like it was important that stay on the farm and only leave if I had a ride with someone else – ride sharing is not new. I do not use electricity except during the day, and that is only to run my computer. I use an old-fashioned cord phone for everything. At 5:15 PM, the time the US weather service declares is sun down; we turn off all the electricity (except for Miss America’s room), and live by candlelight, solar lights, postage stamp-sized LED lights for reading, and go to bed early. Since we tend to get up super early (Jay at 5 AM to write) this has not been a problem.

One of the first planning strategies was a menu for 31 days. It’s not unusual for me to generate menus for one or two weeks at a time, sometimes for 15 or 20 people, but it was a bit more of a challenge to generate three meals a day for such a long period of time, and include variety, healthy food, and know that all of the ingredients needs to exist prior to the beginning of the project start up.

Another challenge for me was the commitment I made to Nans that I would tell people who visit, and we’re hoping lots of folks will join us for an afternoon or even a couple of days, that they need to bring something to contribute to the experiment – candles, firewood, a bale of hay, or food. It’s my hope that folks will come for tea, and bring us their “good humor”, as Nans would say. I’m used to being the one who gives the food, and it was with a cringe that I asked my first luncheon guests to bring something. My friends arrived with candles and food telling me that it was about time they reciprocated since I was the one always feeding everybody. That was a relief to hear.

So far I’m having the time of my life. I’ve been writing a blog, documenting the daily happenings with photos, and enjoying the company of lots of visitors. This week several former interns will be here for two days and I’m hoping we’ll manage to play some hearty games of euchre by candlelight.

My friends think it would be impossible for them to not go shopping, or not to go anywhere or to cook every meal at home. For me, this life is such a gift, and having an excuse to say “no” to going to town, or thinking about money is like a restful vacation.

One thing I’ve discovered is what an under utilized resource the woodstove is for cooking. I’ve often used the top of it to heat things, or warm bread but during January I’m using it every day to keep the teakettle water hot, and to cook soups or bake potatoes. Yesterday I remembered that I have an old-fashioned canning stove that I used for cooking before we lived in the house. I spent the morning looking through the barn for it, but to my surprise it was still in tact and ready to work for us. Right now I’m baking a butternut squash soufflé in it.

Another realization is that we have so much food – I’m big on preserving food and the menu centers around mostly the food we’ve produced here at Blue Rock Station. Jay went up to the freezer this morning to bring back some butter and remarked that it seemed like it is just as full as when we started the THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH. He’s probably right because when I make soup or pizza crusts or other items on the menu I often make extra to freeze for “fast food” when I’ve been too busy to get the meal started early enough in the day, or I’m tired and don’t want to make something from scratch.

On February 1^st (I’m saying this at day 10 of the experiment), I think we will be talking about how we can incorporate some of the things we’re doing right now into our everyday habits. Of course we’ll still be using up the food we’ve preserved, and definitely thinking about what we want to grow during the spring, summer and fall growing seasons.

I’m reading several cookbooks rights now – my favorite being A Great Bowl of Soup edited by Christine Byrnes. It’s my plan to have made some of the recipes in that book during one of the days I can’t be outside much (we’ve had such great sunshine for several days) so maybe I’ll be thinking more exotic and wild at the beginning of the next month – you never know.

To learn more or follow my blog visit www.bluerockstation.com

MORE ABOUT ANNIE WARMKE: Blue Rock Station is a sustainable living farm located in southeast Ohio. Annie Warmke is the resident farmer who raises and milks goats, tends llamas and has a flock of rare breed chickens. She’s currently raising a stray bull calf that was found near an oil well (amazing to think about), and she was the contractor that built Ohio’s first Earthship, a house made of re-used materials including cans, bottles and rammed-earth tires. Annie and her husband, Jay Warmke write mini-books on their work with topics including constructing a straw bale garden chalet, creating walls with rammed-earth tires, solar cooking, natural gardening, and natural health for goats, and also natural health for cats and dogs. Their textbook, Green Technology: Concepts and Practices, is the first of its kind. They’re currently finishing up a book called WHEN THE BIOMASS HITS THE WINDTURBINE. To visit their farm or attend a workshop register on the Blue Rock Station events page.

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Blue Rock Station says 'Thanks for Nothing' is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Make Your Own Stainless Steel Straws

Rachel Tayse — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I rarely use a drinking straw. In the entirety of my nearly 11 year marriage to Alex, we have only purchased one box of 100 plastic straws, many of which were used for crafting, not drinking, purposes.

Along came Lil and our family’s straw consumption sky rocketed. Straws are fun for kids and easier to use than a drinking glass. Lil is more likely to finish a drink, especially a smoothie, if she uses a straw.

As the straw waste and news reports about the dangers of BPA began to pile up, we found ourselves looking for a safe and reusable alternative.

Glass Dharma and other companies make beautiful glass straws. At $7 each, even with a lifetime guarantee against breakage, we just couldn’t see investing in this option.

Alex, a materials scientist by education, thought he might be able to make straws at home from a safe, easily attainable material. Stainless steel is free of potentially dangerous chemicals like BPA, unbreakable, and easy to clean. With just a few simple tools, most of which we have around the house for plumbing, Alex created a set of stainless steel straws.

Here’s how:

1) Buy tube stock from McMaster-Carr hardware supply. A shipped 6-foot length of 5/16-inch diameter round tube 304 stainless steel costs around $40. Other diameters are available.

2) Use a pipe cutter (available for around $10 at hardware stores) for to cut the steel into usable lengths. We like 8- and 6-inch lengths. The 6-foot length of tube makes 5 long and 5 short straws.

3) Optionally, bend one end at a 45 degree angle with a pipe bender (available for $20 at hardware stores).

4) Sand edges and outside with fine (220) grit sanding sponge and/or Dremel tool with a sanding point.

5) Wash well with soap and water or in the dishwasher.

Our home made straws have been in heavy use for over two years now. We rinse them immediately after use and wash in the dishwasher.

Unlike when we first made them, stainless straws are now offered on Etsy and at green living stores like Columbus’ Generation Green. The most basic straws are cheaper to purchase than make from scratch.

When you create the straws yourself, you can play with bends, diameters, and lengths. They are a fun project to make as a family. Create a bunch and package sets in beautiful fabric carrying cases for unique, eco-friendly gifts.

Have you ever used a stainless steel straw? Would you consider making them yourself?

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Make Your Own Stainless Steel Straws is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Earthlust Bottle and BuiltNY Sleeve {Birthday Giveaway}

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:59:45 +0000

If you’ve ever come to a Hounds in the Kitchen class or event, chances are you’ve seen my Earthlust stainless steel water bottle. I carry my beloved bottle nearly everywhere I go.

It’s safe (no BPA or other nasties), easy to clean in the dishwasher, and sipping is a cinch. (Yes, I am one of those people who dribble down my chin when I drink from a wide-mouthed vessel.) The 20 ounce size is perfect because it doesn’t weigh too much when full and fits easily in a cup holder. Unlike some knock off water bottles, Earthlust bottles are built with quality – mine is 3 years old and still in great shape despite plenty of washes and drops.

I want to share my love of this bottle with one of you readers. Simply comment below to enter. In honor of the parsley on the bottle, share your favorite herb or just say hello.

Giveaway details

Up for grabs is a 20 ounce Earthlust water bottle in the cream on green parsley design with a eggplant purple neoprene insulating sleeve from BuiltNY, retail value $30.

Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Wednesday, October 12, 2011. One winner will be selected with random.org. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to email notification with their mailing address for shipment. Winners must have a US address. Only one entry per person please.

Disclosure: I am personally sponsoring this giveaway. Opinions are my own and shipping is also covered by me.

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Earthlust Bottle and BuiltNY Sleeve {Birthday Giveaway} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

How to Hang Laundry Like a Pro

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:00:37 +0000

Ok, so I am actually (and thankfully) NOT a professional laundress. No one pays me for the service of drying clothes outside, just as I collect no paycheck for growing fruits and vegetables, cooking, canning, homeschooling, or writing this here blog.

I do, however, save $1.05 in electric costs per load of laundry NOT dried in the dryer.

(Want to know how much your dryer costs per load? Look for the amps and volts on the label inside the dryer. Multiply these to get watts. Then, multiply by the average load time in hours and divide by 1000 to get kilowatt hours. Multiply that by what you pay per kwH to the electric company and you’ll have the electric cost per load. In other words:

amps x volts x drying time in hours / 1000 x cost per kwH = cost per load)

Each load of laundry in the clothes dryer also saves wear and tear on the machine and unknown environmental costs.

I believe there are aesthetic benefits to hanging out laundry. The clothes smell simply clean and fresh when they are done. The sun naturally bleaches whites. Hung properly, line-dried laundry is wrinkle-free. The few minutes it takes to hang and fold clothes is a tiny bit of an upper body workout.

And could clothes waving in the wind be more charming?

To make hanging laundry a simple addition to your routine, invest in a few quality tools and follow these techniques:

Plastic clothespins trump wooden. We tried both and the plastic has outlasted wooden by a long shot. We have the PRESSA clothespins from IKEA; for $1.99, the price can’t be beat.
Find a high quality clothesline. Yes, you can hang laundry on anything, but a line between two pulleys or a spinning dryer works most efficiently. In some small spaces, a retractable line would be useful. Local hardware stores may carry clotheline options. Lehmans carries a wide variety online.
Hang shirts upside down with clips on the bottom hem at the side seams. This leaves the fewest marks.
Hang thick items, like towels, in a single layer.
Remove clothes as soon as they are dry. Occasionally song birds like to roost on our line and, well, no one likes bird poop on their ‘clean’ laundry.
Get over your fear of neighbors viewing your laundry. Everyone wears underwear and what you hang on the line is at least clean!
You can plan on a load taking 2-3 hours to dry in the summer.

Do you line dry? Share your tips and tricks below.

Added to Simple Lives Thursday 50.

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How to Hang Laundry Like a Pro is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Earth Day 2011

Rachel Tayse — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:00:57 +0000

Earth Day, the annual 24 hour period begun in 1970 to draw attention to environmental causes, is coming soon on Friday, April 22.

Columbus Area Opportunities

Green Columbus has scheduled a week’s worth of activities to lighten up and work towards a more sustainable city. On April 16 and 17, they are hosting work sites around the city. Volunteers who sign up by April 15 will receive sweet perks like swag and a token for free beer or Jeni’s ice cream at the April 23rd celebration.

Speaking of the party, all are invited to the Earth Day Celebration at Franklin Park Conservatory’s edible garden campus on Saturday April 23 from 11 am to 10 pm. Hosted by Green Columbus and ARTillary, guests will be treated to exhibits, music, children’s activities, and more. Food and drink vendors using earth friendly tableware will be available.

Northstar Cafe is again hosting their free veggie burger on Earth Day at all Columbus locations. They’ve teamed up with the Nature Conservancy’s Taste Conservation effort to inform and promote sustainable eating in Ohio.

Not in Columbus? Visit the Earth Day Network for activities across the country.

How Hounds in the Kitchen Celebrates Earth Day

Of course, many of us celebrate Earth Day every day. In 2010 I reflected on my mixed feelings about the holiday and listed simple habits to reduce my family’s environmental impact.

On Earth Day this year, we will be driving home from our Massachusetts spring break vacation. In the coming week I will share some of the ways we try to stay green when we travel.

How do you celebrate Earth Day?

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Earth Day 2011 is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Friday Five: Good Things I Read on the Internet this Week

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:27:21 +0000

Resolution Number 1 (get my head bone fixed) is underway – I had sinus surgery today. Even though I am under the influence of narcotic pain killers, I believe I can still count to five well enough to share five interesting things I read this week:

1) Why by American Family – a lovely essay on why it is important and good to fight through the school plans, packing struggles, and overtired kids to travel with a family

2) Sustainable Love by Tara Parker-Pope for the New York Times – The whole sustainable series is great, but this post about successful marriages is the best in my opinion. It explains a lot about how while Alex and I have some drastically different habits we are still very much in love and enjoy our marriage.

3) 2011 The Year of the Vegetable by George Ball for the Wall Street Journal – This concise opinion piece admonishes parents adults for failing to give children an influential example of a balanced diet.

4) Washing Away by Tiny Mantras – Tracy Zollinger Turner introduced me to a new New Year’s superstition and a contemplative view on grief and death in this beautiful writing.

5) Fat Talk is For Babies by Sundays with Stretchy Pants – Amidst tons of posts about losing weight, meeting resolutions and the like, Abby writes a powerful essay about developing positive body image.

There – five blog posts that made me think this week. Now I’m going to return to the drugged state of not-thinking. Happy Weekend!

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Friday Five: Good Things I Read on the Internet this Week is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Buy Tickets Today for the OEFFA Winter Warmer

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:54:32 +0000

Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is one of my favorite local foods groups in the state. They enable small farms to be certified organic, provide a great resource guide for consumers, hold informative farm tours, and run a great annual conference.

On Saturday January 22, OEFFA is hosting a casual conference benefit evening. Held at Wild Goose Creative from 7 – 9:30 pm, the Winter Warmer will give local food enthusiasts a chance to mingle, bid on locavore-friendly silent auction items, and nosh on hors d’oeuvres prepared by top Columbus chefs Kevin Caskey of Skillet; Rick Lopez of Knead; Kevin Malhame of Third and Hollywood; Jeffrey Potter of Fusion Café; Matt Prokopchek of Trattoria Roma, and John Skaggs of Two Caterers. Drinks will feature The Brothers Drake mead, Columbus Brewing Company beer, and hot chocolate prepared by the Global Gallery.

Tickets are just $30 each available online through the OEFFA website. Unfortunately I will be out of town for the event but I hope some of you attend and enjoy!

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Buy Tickets Today for the OEFFA Winter Warmer is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

New Tech to Conserve Electricity: SmartGrid

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:14:24 +0000

Homesteaders usually tend towards old-fashioned methods of conservation. We use hand-powered tools. We line dry laundry and push a reel mower. We use renewable fuels to grill and light the fireplace.

But we dare not eschew high tech solutions in combination with these old school efforts. A whole system of high tech ideas to increase efficiency is sweeping the nation under the umbrella name SmartGrid.

AEP Ohio invited me to a lunch at Alana’s with other mom bloggers to learn about their new program in Ohio, gridSMART. I’m writing separately about lunch at Alana’s because it was lovely enough to warrant its own post.

The gridSMART program has many facets. The first solution to roll out are Smart Meters, digital home electric meters to replace analog ones. We learned that in north east central Ohio, households are already being given these wireless communication enabled digital meters. This pilot group will test how a digital meter allows them to view their electric usage in fifteen minute segments. AEP will use the smart meters to better regulate energy production and respond to service disruptions.

Soon, customers with smart meters will be allowed to opt-in to a variable rate tariff that offers lower electric prices for all times of the day except peak hours of 1-7 pm. For many users, this can result in a lower electric bill while reducing usage of expensive and eco-costly peaker plants.

Customers will also have the option to install a programmable communications thermostat hooked into their smart meter. This thermostat, provided by AEP, will communicate with the meter. During the summer, AEP may tell the thermostat to increase temperature (i.e. reduce air conditioning) by two to four degrees for short periods of time to reduce stress on the grid. Customers will have the choice to override if necessary, but full participation will give them an eight dollar credit on their electric bill.

I am really excited about these forward thinking programs. I am thrifty enough that I think it would be cool to monitor my energy usage on a micro-level and save money on my electric bill. I can totally see myself competing for lowest electric usage within the ‘neighborhoods’ AEP defines of similar homes. Some might worry about privacy with having a digital meter, but the AEP representatives assured me they have a team working on network security and very few individuals can see household use other than the customer themselves. I am far more concerned about the lack of privacy I feel when the meter reader walks through the back yard. If you have different opinions, remember that the rate and thermostat programs are totally voluntary.

To me, the worst thing about the gridSMART program is that my home is not eligible for the smart meter and communicating thermostat yet. My parents live in a neighborhood that is part of the trial and I look forward to learning how the program works for them.

look for the gridSMART bus at public events to learn about Ohio AEP programs

Even those of us not currently eligible can read the AEP website for tips to conserve electricity and notices about other special programs, including the in-home energy audits. For a low cost, an auditor will come out to your house, make recommendations to increase efficiency and AEP offers rebates if you make the suggested improvements. The auditors will replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescents and make other minor repairs on site included in the cost of the assessment. We’re signing up for one in January.

I know that these programs benefit AEP because if they can curb demand, they can avoid building expensive power plants. They are great for individual households who can lower their bills through tiered rates and communicating thermostat rebates. Perhaps most importantly, all of us benefit when energy is conserved so that we enjoy cleaner air and water.

Disclosure: I wrote this post after attending an informational luncheon on behalf of Silver Spring Networks and Mom Central Consulting and received a gift bag and gift card as a thank you for taking the time to participate. Opinions are my own.

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New Tech to Conserve Electricity: SmartGrid is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Dsolv Bags

Rachel Tayse — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:29:02 +0000

There’s a new green company in town. Dsolv Bags, based out of Columbus Ohio, makes compost friendly lawn waste bags. They offered me a starter set to test during my fall leaf cleanup.

I opened the starter set carrying case to find a collapsible funnel, 8 polymer mesh dsolv bags and a bag handle.

On the first try, I ripped one of the dsolv bags trying to fit it around the funnel/sleeve. Oops. Once I got the hang of it I expanded the funnel inside the bag and began filling with leaves. I experienced no ripping from then on.

The bags hold more leaves than a standard paper leaf bag and were far easier to fill. Once the bag was full, I slipped out the sleeve and tied the top. I didn’t need the handle to drag the full bag through our tiny front yard but I could see it being useful if I was hauling greater distances.

Rain caused an early end to my dsolv testing session. I was able to fit the funnel and extra bags into the carrying case in a few minutes flat.

I did not test whether the bags decompose in my home compost bin. Their product information states the bags break down in six months under ideal conditions. I’ve already established that my compost bin is NOT ideal, so I’ll stick with dumping in layers of leaves sans bags and leaving the dsolv bags for yard waste pickup service.

I was a little concerned that the leaf pickup workers would not recognize the bags, but they collected them without any hesitation.

I admit that my usual leaf raking habit is to work a little at a time and fill up my two forever reusable yard waste trash cans weekly. There are times of the year, though, when I do a big yard cleanup and use a few paper leaf bags. Now that I have the dsolv starter system ($19.99), I will buy refills ($6.99 for 8 bags) because they are easier to use, bigger than standard bags, and compact to store. Dsolv bags are currently available in limited retail locations and online with plans to expand into wider markets next spring.

Disclosure: Dsolv gave me a starter set. My opinions are my own.

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Dsolv Bags is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

This Is Wrong

Rachel Tayse — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 23:58:26 +0000

What’s is wrong with this apple juice? Let’s count the ways:

1) The concentrate came from China, where labor and environmental standards leave much to be desired.

2) The concentrate was labeled to ‘possibly contain’ juice from three other countries.

3) The concentrate was shipped thousands of miles to Texas where it was re-constituted.

4) Somewhere along the way, vitamin C and preservatives were added.

5) The juice was individually packaged in plastic and aluminum.

and the worst part?

6) All the effort was made for this apple juice to be served to children on a family fun farm in Ohio in the height of apple season.

A better snack?

A clean Ohio apple! They are very prevalent close to the farm, full of vitamins without adding them, come pre-packaged, and show off the true farming heritage of our fair state.

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This Is Wrong is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!