Letter to a Storm

Dear Hurricane Irene,

I've been following your trip up the East Coast for a few days now.  It seems like you're having some fun, stopping by the Outer Banks for a little surfing and checking out the naval port of Norfolk.  Did you meet my brother in Virginia Beach?  He thinks you're a bit frustrated with the way things are going in our atmosphere - what with the extra CO2 and all - and that you're taking it out on us.

At any rate, you did appear pretty angered out there in the Atlantic (at least, that's what The Weather Channel said).  Your progress up the coast has been slow and I'm thankful your animosity has lessened a bit.  You've been pouring out your soul, soaking the people of North Carolina and Virginia.

Up here in the Boston area we're all ready for you.  I hope you vent a little more of your feelings up here because I think we all need a reality check.  I've heard that you'll be a tropical storm when you arrive, a mere hissy fit as opposed to the temper tantrum of a few days ago.  Go easy on us but show us a little ferocity.  We need to see that our actions have affected more than just the atmosphere.

But please, spare my sunflowers (only one of them has been bungee-corded to the fence).  They're so pretty and tall.  I've been caring for them all summer and I'd love to see them bloom a little longer.

Sincerely,
Your loving coastal creature

Challenge: Canning Tomatoes

I feel like all I've been doing lately is canning fruits!  I started with some strawberry jam, moved on to whole blueberries, and earlier this week I canned diced tomatoes and white peaches.  I'll start by writing about my tomato experience and hold off on the peaches.  I'm sure my small readership is getting bored with all of this canning stuff!

Read back to my first canning post, the blueberries, for extra information on setting up the processing pot, etc.  I'm going to skip some of those steps here but you may need a refresher.

So, tomatoes.  Something I've wanted to can for a couple of years now.  My personal canning goal is to, at some point, can marinara sauce.  But that might be for next year.  I don't know if it's hard, but boiling down all of those tomatoes for hours on end is too much for me!

I decided that, since I use so many diced tomatoes over the winter in soups and casseroles, I would try dicing up the tomatoes in the recipe.  My go-to cookbook, Fannie Farmer, said I could leave the tomatoes whole or slice them so I guess it works both ways.

First things first, peel the tomatoes.  The easiest and fastest way to achieve a peeled tomato is to drop it in boiling water for a minute, dunk it in cold water for 30 seconds, and then simply make a small slice and pull off the skin.

Once you've got your tomatoes peeled, dice them up.  For every quart (four cups) of tomatoes I added a teaspoon of kosher salt.  The salt is in the directions from the cookbook but I imagine if you want a salt-free recipe it's possible.  I'd rather add the salt and make the canned tomatoes just a bit more inhospitable toward bacteria.  To make things simple I diced up a couple of tomatoes, put them in a large liquid measuring cup, then mixed in the salt with my hands.

Now you're ready to pack the tomatoes into jars and close them up.  Each jar should be filled with tomato pieces up to bottom ridge.  If there is juice in the mixture, pour that over the tomato pieces and press down with your fingers.  This helps remove air bubbles from the mixture and adds a bit of juice.  Make sure to leave a half inch of head space.

Hopefully your water bath is boiling and you're ready to cap 'em and process 'em.  Quickly dip the lids into the water bath to soften the plastic/rubber stuff and place them on the jars.  Screw on the rings just to finger-tightness.  Remember, do not put the rings on really tightly because you want any extra pressure or air to escape as you process the jars.  Fill up your rack with capped jars and lower it into the boiling water bath.  For pint size jars like mine process them for 35 minutes.

Voila!  Diced tomatoes!  I used nine tomatoes and made six pint jars.  I may try to make more.  The tomatoes are from the Kimball Fruit Farm stand at the Central Square farmer's market.  They are plain old field tomatoes but that stand seems to have the nicest selection heirloom varieties.

Cut Flowers

I love to have a container of fresh, colorful flowers on the kitchen table.  I probably get a $5 mixed bouquet from Nellie's Wildflowers once a month.  It's an expense that's worth it to me: for $60 a year I have beautiful flowers gracing my table.

At a farmer's market today I got an awesome 2 for 1 deal on mixed bouquets and brought them home with me.  How gorgeous are these flowers?!

But it got me thinking, "what is the environmental impact of cut flowers?"  I've been thinking about this question for a while and today is the day I will do a little research.

When I searched for "cut flowers carbon footprint" in Google a ton of articles popped up from the UK.  Apparently then-minister for International Development Hilary Benn made a public statement to UK citizens to purchase Valentine's bouquets flown in from Kenya as opposed to produced in Britain because they have a smaller carbon footprint and the money goes to support a poor African country (see article in The Ecologist).  Growing flowers in hothouses in Europe uses a ton of energy and resources that can total 35,000 kg of CO2.  In Kenya, a more ideal growing environment, the energy use drops and even with the flight to the UK the total CO2 emissions are around 2,200 kg (see article in The Guardian).  If you just consider the carbon footprint of the flowers then buying Kenyan-grown flowers makes sense.

But as with everything in this world there are other factors to consider.  Take the social environment in Kenya.  The flower industry is huge in Kenya and, according to the article in The Ecologist, the protection of the flower industry during civil unrest led to widespread displacement and the deaths of civilians.  Child labor and gender equality must also be taken into account.

Another huge factor is the use of pesticides, water, and fertilizers in Kenya.  The laws for pesticide use are much less strict in Kenya and the use of DDT and other highly toxic chemicals is common.  The amount of water needed to grow the flowers takes away from fresh water available to the people of the region and runoff of the chemicals pollutes the water they have access to.

So where does that leave me?  I purchased my flowers from a farmer's market in downtown Boston.  They are from Stow Greenhouses in Stow, MA.  I'm sure some of them were grown in a greenhouse because they're more exotic species like lilies that might require more stable conditions than Massachusetts has to offer.  So my hope is that I supported a local farmer thus reducing the carbon footprint a little bit and putting money into the local agricultural economy.

There are issues with everything these days and my message to everyone is always "do what you can and don't get overwhelmed by the details".

Challenge: eating outside!

As you'll find throughout the life of this blog, I really enjoy my patio.  It's got everything you need: shade in the form of a gazebo, table with benches for group dining, lawn chairs for relaxing, a grill, a fire pit, raised beds for planting things, and a lovely new bar area.  Probably 65% of the reason I'm renewing the lease is that patio, and the other 35% is made up of my upstairs neighbors, my closet, and free laundry in the basement.

But enough about the patio and on to the grilling.  I'm pretty sure it's cool for a gal to enjoy grilling.  I certainly do but I think it's less a "taming raw meat" thing and more a "yay I'm outside" thing for me.  Anyway, a good friend is visiting from California and graced me with her presence this evening.  We settled on fresh corn on the cob, a tomato-basil salad, and sundried tomato and basil chicken sausages.

 

Only the sausage was grilled because I prefer boiled corn.  Sausage is pretty easy - throw it on the grill until it's cooked through.  Burgers are another favorite for grilling because they're hard to screw up.  I love the pre-made burgers from Trader Joe's but I am trying my hardest to only eat locally produced meat.  This has turned out to be a difficult thing to do and I'm sure it will be the theme of a blog post in the future.

For dessert I made a bread pudding with a very simple and easy recipe from Fannie Farmer that I adore.  I've tried several variations with success: adding lemon zest, adding cinnamon, sprinkling nutmeg on top, sprinkling brown sugar and broiling it for a few minutes.  I suggest you give one a try!

I think eating outdoors has a special feeling.  Maybe it's because winter takes away many months of every year.  You can ski, snowboard, snow shoe, or any number of outdoor activities but you really can't have dinner outside.  I love places that experience cold in the winter because everyone soaks up every moment of summer.  The weekends are filled with festivals, every weekday night one of my neighbors is grilling, it's such a nice feeling.  I still love being outside as much as possible even though I spend practically every waking moment outside.

So my challenge to you is simple: eat outside more often!

P.S. Don't worry, Flora didn't get to the corn...

Clouds

Is anyone else obsessed with clouds?  Am I in the vast minority of people who can't get enough of cool cloud formations?  I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I've noticed my thoughts turn to the clouds just about every day.  Whether on my drive to or from work, while walking the neighborhood, or looking out the window of the place, the cloud formations I see and the way the sun lights them up really amazes me.  I bet one day I'll rear-end someone because I couldn't get enough of a sunset.  Or perhaps I'll walk straight into a light pole or off the sidewalk because I'm pondering cotton ball clouds.

And it's not just clouds that get me.  Even bright blue, empty skies and sunsets that fill the sky with nothing but color are amazing.  Let's be honest, you might think I'm crazy but sunsets are almost always extremely beautiful sights.   Mountains always look better at sunset.  Watching the sun sink below the horizon over any body of water is always better than just looking across the ocean on a nice day.  I'm pretty sure I've got you on my side for at least this part of my "craze".

My obsession with regular old clouds might be more than the average person.  But seriously, today on my drive home the different grays and whites against a bright blue sky, some of the edges made severe by the sun and others merging into nothing, was just mesmerizing.  Thank goodness traffic was light!

Below are some of my favorite cloud and sunset shots that I've taken over the years.  And remember, if you see me look up at the sky for far too long you might want to check out what's caught my attention.

Sunset over Lake Michigan near Grand Haven, MI.

Sunset on the 4th of July over Spy Pond in Arlington, MA.

Clouds and waves on the beach at Fraser Island, Australia.

Ridiculous colors and clouds in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

Beautiful Morning

I have no photo evidence (the photo below is from last year) but this morning everything was perfect at the beach.

At 8:00am the breeze was still cool but the sun warm.  Very few cars had pulled in and most of the staff were chatting in the office.  The gulls were still roosting in the parking lot with their heads tucked under a wing.  As I walked over the boardwalk the beach grass was swaying in the breeze and catching the morning sun.  The sand spread out in front of me and the little flecks of what I think is mica sparkled.  I almost had the beach to myself and I took a moment to revel in the beauty around me.

On mornings like this I wish I didn't have emails to answer, a program to prepare for, and staff to update before the crowds arrive.  Don't worry, I'm not complaining.  Unlike almost every other employed human on Earth, I have the opportunity, every day, to take in an extraordinary view.

Rainy Day at the Market

A couple of days ago Boston experienced some crazy rains.  Every hour it would rain for 15 minutes really hard.  Of course, I did not plan appropriately and got caught (but only once!) in a downpour.  I happened to be at the Central Square farmer's market at the time and, after purchasing my corn, sprinted into the Harvest Co-op to escape.

When I got home I spread my veggies out into various photogenic spots on my patio and then had to wait for a torrential downpour to pass before finally taking the photos I needed for this post.  Once completed, I chopped up some of the tomatoes I bought from the Kimball Fruit Farm stand and did some taste testing.

First up, Roma tomatoes, which I haven't tried just yet:

Next, Lemon Boy tomatoes. They were really lovely, a bright flavor and just slightly crunchy:

Finally, some Italian tomatoes that the guy at the stand said were the quintessential tomato flavor.  I really enjoyed them and I might have to agree with Mr. Farmer:

I also bought a few ears of corn and some yummy, super crunchy green leaf lettuce.  I'm getting really good at taking salads to lunch.  I buy a head of lettuce on Monday's and wash and tear it up that night.  I also get some tomatoes and chop those up.  Then I buy feta or goat cheese and keep balsamic vinaigrette at work.  This way I just plop some lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese in a container before work and have a nice little salad at lunchtime!

I highly suggest the prep work before you start the week.  The payoff is healthier lunches :).

Baking Soda 101

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is actually kind of fun to clean with.  It is so simple and somehow cleans surfaces instantly.  My bathroom sparkles when I'm done cleaning and I owe that to baking soda.

 The easiest way to use baking soda as a cleaner is to sprinkle it on the surface you wish to clean, grab a damp sponge or washcloth, and scrub.  This simple method has really cleaned up my kitchen sink (which is an unidentifiable material) and bathroom sink, tub, and tile.  The Wikipedia page says that baking soda should not be used to clean aluminum objects as it will strip away the unreactive and protective oxide layer of the metal.  Other websites I've checked out haven't mentioned this but you've been warned.

You can also make a paste from baking soda, water, and dish detergent that cleans well and will have a nice smell.  I got the following recipe from the book "Salt, Lemons, Vinegar, and Baking Soda" by Shea Zukowski (an impulse purchase that has proven to be an awesome decision).

Halved recipe for an all-purpose cleaner:
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup baking soda
1/8 cup dish detergent or all-purpose detergent

Mix all ingredients together in a reusable container.  Solution can be used for a long time but it will settle.  Simply stir!

I use this particular recipe for my bathroom sink and shower/tub/tile.  It gets most of the easy stuff off quickly and the heavier grime just need some elbow grease.  The only thing I haven't managed to clean completely is the grout between the tiles in my shower.  The grout went a bit too long between cleanings and got slightly moldy.  I tried various baking soda solutions and vinegar but nothing has returned the grout back to it's original luster.  I may have to resort to bleach...

Monster Plants!

I'm growing monster plants!  And I love it!

Way back in May I planted six little seeds into my freshly weeded and fertilized flower beds.  I also planted a whole bunch of other flower seeds: asters, daisies, and calendula.  Then two weeks of cold rain swept through Massachusetts.  I do believe that cold rain killed my other seeds, but not my wonderful and hardy sunflowers.

I tried to weed the flower bed but it was too much.  I couldn't tell what was a weed and what was a flower.  Maybe I pulled up a bunch of the flowers but I think they were already dead.  I did notice the sunflowers growing and tried to protect them from the dastardly weeds.  Then, one day, I walked outside and realized that my sunflowers were becoming giants!

It really didn't take much effort at all - just a little extra water and some nutrients.  When I planted the seeds I mixed in a bag of garden soil and throughout the summer I've watered the bed twice or three times a week.  I even gave up weeding!  Now my biggest worry is the neighborhood birds.  My neighbor told me the heads of her sunflowers always get eaten by the birds so I've taken protective measures.  I sprinkle chili powder on the flowers every couple of days to keep things spicy (which birds don't like).  After a week it seems to have worked.

I will write an update and post the pictures once my plants start blooming.