Eclectorama

85. Dutch Red Cabbage Recipe

A beautiful organic red cabbage was included in my CSA share this last Saturday at the Muskegon Farmers’ Market. It’s a great specimen: dense, deeply colored, holding tight together. Tonight it will be made into Dutch Red Cabbage (Hollandse Rode Kool) by my husband and served to our friends who are joining us for dinner along with Bratwurst for the meat-eaters and roasted potatoes and carrots. The meal is sizing up to be colorful and, hopefully, tasty.

This recipe is from Let’s Go Dutch by Johanna (van der Zeijst) Bates. I can’t vouch for how authentically Dutch this dish is as Mrs. Zeijst is a 1st generation Dutch immigrant to Canada and a few of the recipes have been adapted to more traditionally Canadian ingredients. It’s yummy nonetheless.

Dutch Red Cabbage

• 1 medium head red cabbage, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup sunflower margarine
• 3 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 firm apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1/3 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup grape jelly OR Wild Blackberry Jam

Saute the cabbage in the margarine for about 5 minutes turning occasionally. Add the brown sugar, onion, apples. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer slowly. Do this for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with meat and potatoes or chicken and rice.

Serves 5.

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84. On TED talks: Margaret Wertheim on the beautiful math of coral

I had seen several articles about Margaret Wertheim’s crochet reef project over the last few years, but it wasn’t until I saw her presentation at TED that I began to appreciate how many disciplines it crosses. My first thought about how people can get involved in environmental activism is protests and lobbying politicians, but here is a good example of how artists and crafters can get together to educate and maybe make a difference. Check it out.

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83. Mashed Potatoes + Greens (+ Butter) = Tasty

With the abundance of greens from my CSA share, I’ve been hard pressed to find a variety of dishes to use them up. In the past I’ve concentrated on pasta dishes and lentil soup, but this year I’ve added mashed potatoes with greens to the weekly menu. Similar dishes go by a variety of names. Stamppot, Bubble and Squeak, Colcannon, Rumbledethumps, Pyttipanna, Hash. My the Kale and Swiss Chard has been going into something closest to Stamppot from the Netherlands. Other vegetables will work just as well in the mashed potatoes: carrots, cabbage, peas, green beans, etc. The following recipe easily feeds 2-4.

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound kale or swiss chard, chopped
• 3-4 medium potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoon milk or cooking water reserved from the potatoes

Saute the garlic and and stems from the greens until tender. Add the chopped greens and a small amount of water. Cover with a lid and cook through. Cook the potatoes in salted water until done and mash with the butter and a little of the cooking water. Mix the contents of the 2 pans together and done! Enjoy!

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82. Good Read: “Forget Shorter Showers: Why personal change does not equal political change “

“Part of the problem is that we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance.” Yep, that goes for me too! There are plenty of activist groups out there working on many of the environmental and social justice issues that we are all concerned about. Choose one, support it in any way you can, and keep at it.

Forget Shorter Showers by Derrick Jensen

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81. Figure out Global Warming For Yourself Thru Risk Management Analysis

“>How It All Ends (or Life in a Test Tube) from YouTube’s Wonderingmind42

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80. 20 Uses for Old Socks…Beyond Sock Puppets

1. Slip over your hands for dusting small spaces
2. Make knots along the length of an old tube sock for a dog toy
3. Slide small fragile items into them when packing for added protection from bumps and from inks on packing papers
4. Wet them and slip them over your hands to dust off large leaves plants
5. Use them for really disgusting dirty scrubbing jobs where you need something sturdy but disposable
6. Fill them with rice/field corn/beans and tie or sew them shut and microwave for a few minutes for use as hand warmers
7. When rearranging your home’s layout, slip them over furniture feet to protect hard surface floors and to make sliding the furniture easier
8. Fill small socks, including baby socks, with lavendar and use as a sachet in closets and dresser drawers.
9. Slide over a broom handle to dust in hard to reach corners
10. Wear old socks over shoes when painting or during other messy jobs
11. Fill with cat nip
12. Fill with real beans for “bean bags” for use as a toy or with a game
13. Use to store small game pieces or toys or change
14. Use longer socks with the feet cut off over your forearms when gardening around plants with thorns
15. Use them to protect pets feet during injury or from the cold
16. Use them to hold slivers of soap. You can soap up hands just by rubbing the sock. Tie the sock next to a spigot or hand pump while camping.
17. Use as an iPod protector
18. Use for staining woodwork projects
19. Use as a water bottle cozy to reduce slipperiness due to condensation
20. Cut off the toes, make a slit for your thumb and use them as wrist warmers

Posted in Cleaning and Laundry, Entertainment, Household, Kitchen, Personal, Pets | 1 Comment »

79. Harvest Water in Rain Barrels For Your Garden/Lawn

1. Collecting your own water increases self-sufficiency

2. Plants enjoy the softer water which is free of chlorine

3. Helps to take pressure off of potable water supplies

4. Saves the energy to pump treated drinking water to your home

5. Fresh water is a dwindling resource. Collecting your own helps to preserve it.

6. Saves on your water bill or water pumping costs.

Posted in My "To Do" list, Yard and Garden | No Comments »

78. Reusable Bags Make Sense For More Than Green Reasons

1. Easier to carry. Whether cloth or polypropylene, the handles on reusable tote bags don’t cut into your hands when they are weighted down, making them more comfortable to carry. Get a bag with longer handles and it can even be slung over a shoulder.
2. Each bag can carry more and heavier items meaing fewer trips from the car to the house and easier to carry a large amount if you use public transport.
3. When they aren’t being used to carry your shopping, they can carry other things such as books to go back to the library, dishes for a potluck, work files, crafts…all without concerns about ripping from sharp items or too much weight.
4. No need to store plastic bags that you have no use for! It’s pretty nice not to have to deal with the avalanche of bags each time you open “that” cupboard.
5. No more plastic bags for the cat to get her head stuck in and no more of the panic that ensues! (Of course you can always request the odd paper bag for the cat.)

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77. Wash Full Loads of Laundry to Save Soap, Time, Water, Electricity

Make the most of the detergent, water, electricity and time that each load of laundry takes. Wait until there is a full load to be done.

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76. Shut Doors to Unused Rooms to Lower Heating/ Cooling Costs

Avoid heating/cooling more space than needed in your home by closing doors and vents to rarely used rooms. Decorative curtains or drapes can help to close off rooms with archways.

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