Sweet Sweat of Summer
July 10, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 5 comments
“Mommy, you missed a branch up top!” yelled my daughter.
While others chose to hide at the mall and wait out the heat, my family decided to duck under the shade of our old apricot tree and harvest our ripe fruit. Perhaps an unexpected benefactor of the recent heat waves, our tree has produced more fruit this season than the last few years combined. Okay, maybe it had this much fruit last year but the greedy racoons beat us to the harvest. This year, with a little help from our vigilant dog, we have yet to see those sneaky thiefs.
With a little reaching, climbing and summer sweat, we amazingly had collected 2 whole buckets (and I don’t mean the small toy kind) of ripe golden fruit, just from one side of the tree! Embarassed but proud of our bounty, we filled several bags with apricots and knocked on our neighbors’ doors. Actually, it was just me as my husband is still a bit weary about being the “crazy neighbor” that drops by unexpectedly. Three doors and 45 minutes later, I think I solidified my position as the friendly neighbor 
But my neighborly gesture barely made a dent in the buckets, so in the cool of the night, my mom taught me how to make apricot pie. Four pies to be exact - 1 to eat and 3 to freeze. Who knew you can freeze uncooked pies!
Still with a bucket remaining, the next night I made 3 batches of apricot jam/preserve. Thanks GreenBean for teaching me how to make jam! Although I am suppose to wait 10 days for the jam to set, I couldn’t help opening one this morning to spread on my bread. It was delicious.
Now I am eagerly waiting for the remaining apricots to ripe and searching for new recipes. Anyone got suggestions?
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Comin’ around different mountains
July 7, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Opinions & Thoughts , 5 comments
One of the great aspects of traveling is meeting new people, people from entirely different walks of life and from far away countries.
A couple of days ago, I had a conversation with Anika, a Danish lady on a train somewhere in China. Turned out that these days she lived in the U.S. for the most part. Go figure. Anyhow starting with chit chat about gas prices in various countries - seeminly an international topic these days - we moved on to peak oil. Now I had not read enough books or research papers to be completely convinced whether we were close to, right at, or post peak oil. But the theory of peak oil seemed entirely plausible. My new acquaintance on the other hand was very admant that we still had enough oil reserve to last us centuries and centuries. She believed however that because of the unique location of the oil reserves, we (rest of the world, particularly the west) were clearly hijacked politically by the region.
We beat around the bush about peak oil or no peak oil for a while and it was getting frustrating for both of us. It seemed that we could not come to any common understanding.
But then I found out that back home Anika did not own a car. She biked everywhere, work, stores, and kids’ schools. Apparently she grew up in Holland and biking around town was just the way of life. Further discussion revealed that she was equally admant that we needed to be energy independent to achieve political stability. “Conservation and alternative energy” she insisted would be the only ways to get us out of the current hijacked circumstances.
We seemed to come from divergent paths but somehow landed at the same place - conservation and alternative energy. I almost felt like saying, “hell, why didn’t you just say so?!” Surely she felt the same way.
“Amused” by the conversation, I thought about the “conflicts” I had at home.
Raised by a mother who grew up working on a farm in Ohio, my husband inherited some of her frugal habits. “Please turn off the light”, “Please turn off the water”, “Why go to Starbucks when you can make your own coffee?” he would blabber at me. For a while, I found it extremely irritating.
My parents did not grow up rich. But thrifiness has never been their priority and is certainly not a value that I was brought up with.
So you can imagine that we had a bit of conflict when my husband and I started our own household. My weekly trips to Target irked him to no end. I chalked it up to the compromises we both had to deal with.
It was to his great delight that I stopped buying “crap” and started turning off everything a couple of year ago.
“You’ve finally seen the light and come to my side,” he would tease.
“Not at all. I am not doing it to save money. I am all about creating a better environment. My goal is way nobler,” I would protest.
“But our actions and outcomes are exactly the same,” he would not give up.
“Yeah, but, but,” I would insist.
Then one day, I realized that it was not at all important that we came into this from orthogonal perspectives. Our results are the same - less resource consumption. That was the day we stopped splitting hair and called ourselves Fruecos.
These realizations broadened my view of environmentalism. We’ve all come to this from diverse perspectives and experience. Some of us want a better future for our children, some of us are heart-broken over the dim future of wild lives, some of us see the earth as God’s creation and are protecting it in his/her name, some of us are outdoor enthusiasts and want the beauty of nature here to stay, some of us outrightly reject wastefulness, and some of us are simply brought up with green values and practices.
Anika, my accidental fellow traveler wanted nothing to do with the precarious geo-political instability.
Whichever paths and whatever paces we have taken to get here, we are here. Forget about focusing on individual motivations, forget about arguing over the small differences in approaches. We are all on our way to achieve the same thing.
Now that is something to celebrate!
CindyW at Organicpicks
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My Indulgence
July 2, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 3 comments
Yesterday, one of my friends asked what I’ve been doing with my extra time (freed from my summer blog slacking). Well, I sheepishly opened my handbag and showed her my guilty pleasure - a large single book collection of Jane Austen novels that I picked up for $3 at the library book sale. I admit I am an Austen-holic. I’ve read all her novels and pretty much seen all the versions of Pride and Prejudice that were ever made, including multiple viewings of the 5 1/2 hour BBC rendition.
Okay, I know some of you are probably disappointed by my “confession”. After all, Jane Austen remains a respected literary figure and even have college courses dedicated to her work. I guess I view this as an indulgence as I am rereading Pride & Prejudice for probably the hundredth time, instead of my planned “green” book for July.
However, I am glad to see that unlike me, some of my friends are still diligently reading and thinking about important issues. My good friend Michelle recently took the opportunity to hear Michael Pollan talk about his new book In Defense of Food. Thanks Michelle for a great summary and when it’s finally my turn to get the book from the library, I swear I won’t let Mark Darcy, Lizzy Bennet or Emma Woodhouse get in the way.
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Making Chard Delicious
June 25, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 4 comments
First off, I actually like swiss chard. Sauteed with some butter and a little salt and I can eat a plate full. However, many don’t feel the same way.
In fact, one of my friends wanted to just dump this hardy green (that’s growing way past its season) into the composter! So for those of you who are trying to find a better way to cook this nutritious green, I stumbled upon a great recipe that even my chard-evasive family enjoyed.
The recipe was cut out of the SF Examiner but I couldn’t find it online so I hope this won’t offend the source.
Swiss Chard with Caramelized Onions and Pine Nuts
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2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1 bunch Swiss Chard (with leaves and stalks separated)
2 tbsp golden raisins
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
In a large skillet, toast the pine nuts until golden brown (for about 3 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, unitl golden brown and soft (about 9-12 minutes).
Meanwhile, cut chard stalks into sticks 1/4 inch wide and 2 inches long. Tear leaves into 2 inch pieces.
Add stalks and raisins to caramelized onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the stalk are tender (about 10-12 minutes).
Add chard leaves and vinegar. Continue cooking until the leaves are very wilted and tender. Season with salft and pepper and sprinkle with pine nuts after transferring to serving plate.
The recipe takes about 45 minutes (though active prep time is 15 minutes) but it takes the toughness out of the stalk and the pine nuts give the dish that extra crunch. Yum.
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Looking through my selfish lens
June 23, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Opinions & Thoughts , 8 comments
We are traveling afar, to a different continent in fact. Before anyone points out to me how anti-green air travel is, I’d like to clarify that I am painfully aware of the fact. Several times on this blog I have confessed my conflicted emotions about the previledge of traveling.
We no longer have the “right” to travel afar considering its damage to the environment. But if I have to one eco sin, this will be it. Elizabeth Gilbert whose “Eat, Pray, Love” touched me in so many ways, declared for me. “I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless newborn baby - I just don’t care what it puts me through.”
Before having kids, whenever I had all my worldly possessions crammed into a backpack, my synapses would start zinging and singing - the intimate memory of newness, independence, loniness, joy, connection and sometimes despair would start my heart pumping.
Greenbeen has recommended the book Common Wealth to me a number of times. It apparently would supply me with more execuse to go places. Surely when I am back from the trip, I will have to check it out of the library to absolve all my accumulated guilt.
With two little children in tow and a heavy mortgage, I can no longer load all the belongings on my back. Still, the seemingly obsessive yearning for foreign places hasn’t gone away. Do I need to seek a shrink?
Anyhow with great conflicting feelings, I have decided to continue to feed my craving, but do so as lighly as possible. Yes, even with two little children.
Take little stuff and bring home little. You’d be surprised how long the repleated use of three changes of clothes can serve you. We pack all of our things into one backpack for a month’s trip. Everywhere we go, we acquire new phrases of local languages, lingering taste of local foods, and stories of local history and culture, rather than souvenirs and trinkets. Unaware of anything different, my kids seem to take to the style quite easily.
Minimize small flight trips and maximize usage of public transportation. Instead of short flight trips we try to take only one long trip every year. After we land at a destination, trains and buses are usually our vehicles of choice. Riding on a bus with bleeping goats and quacking ducks would stay in your memory far longer than flying smoothly from A to B.
(courtesy of www.tibetplus.com)
Borrow instead of buy. My kids are six and three. Despite my boast of robustness, flying with small children and keeping them seated for 12+ hours can be real grind. This time around, we gave in to the portable DVD idea. Fighting the convenience to buy one from the store, I was lucky enough to borrow one from a generous neighbor. In exchange, her toddler aged boys wanted pictures of trains and buses we would ride and ticket stubs. I was told that those were highly valued tradable items, in the world of 3-6 year old boys at least.
Find alternative lodging options. Increasingly there are more eco lodging options, though they still tend to be associated with eco tours. After trying a few, we found them inconsistent. The agritourismo accommodation in Italy was one of our best memories while a “green” hotel in San Francisco was not far from window dressing. Another option we have really enjoyed is staying with family friends, or friends’ families, or even friends’ friends. Collect all the potential contacts and don’t be shy of using them, especially in a foreign countries. I am aware that this is not for everyone. But so far, we have had the best experience with this type of accommodations. Imagine being taken to local hangouts in Paris that are no where to be found in any guide books.
Will doing all the above redeem the damage air travel does? I won’t begin to delude myself in thinking so. However if one does not want to give up the selfish idea of traveling, these options can reduce our environmental impact once on the ground. In fact when we travel in third world countries, our footprints are much smaller than back in the U.S. because of the “smaller” lifestyle in these countries.
Plus, being a traveler instead of a tourist just makes trips more fun and memorable. I promise.
CindyW at Organicpicks
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Response from “Not So Clean Products”
June 19, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 1 comment so far
A few months ago, I was shocked by a report from the Organic Trade Association (OTA) regarding the presence of 1,4 Dioxane in leading natural soaps and personal care items. 1,4 Dioxane is a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and was found (at various levels) in brand names like Seventh Generation, Planet and Ecover. The most appalling thing was that this dangerous chemical was nowhere to be found on the ingredient panel filled with only natural ingredients.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who found the findings appalling and unacceptable. At the end of May, the State of California filed a lawsuit against four companies named in the report: Avalon Natural Products (makers of Alba), Beaumont Products (makers of Veggie Wash), Nutribiotics and Whole Foods (Whole Foods 365 brand). The suit seeks penalties against these companies for exposing consumers to chemicals known to cause cancer, without “clear and reasonable warning.” Under Proposition 65, fines for mislabeled products carry maximum penalty of $2500 per day for each violation.
Last week, the OTA sent letters to these companies inquiring whether changes in formulation or ingredient disclosure are planned. Only ONE out of the four responded. Beaumont Products said that they have taken immediate action and reformulated the products to eliminate the 1,4 Dioxane problem. ONE out of four! I wonder what it’s going to take for the other companies to take action. Sigh….
CindyC at Organicpicks
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What am I eating?
June 12, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 3 comments
I guess both CindyW and I have been thinking about food. So far this week, we’ve talked about chopping boards, farmer’s market(sort of) and farmed vs. fresh salmon. Warning, this is another post about food but it’s about more about an additive to make food taste more like, well, food.
Most of us have heard of MSG or monosodium glutamate, an additive often associated with Chinese food. Having grown up in a Chinese household, I never gave MSG much thought – other than it added flavor to food and it’s not good for you. Recently, my friend sent me an email about hidden ingredients in food, one of which was MSG. What surprised me was not just the vast number of foods that contains MSG or the variety of names it hides behind but why MSG is used.
Taking a step back, MSG can be naturally manufactured in our bodies (from the amino acid call glutamic acid or glutamate) as well as synthetically made. Thus, MSG manufacturers often argue that MSG is not harmful because our bodies make it naturally. Of course, this doesn’t take into consideration that as a food additive, we would ingest far more MSG than what our bodies would make or require, not to mention the health issues and allergies caused by excess MSG.
So why is MSG added to food? The presence of MSG tricks your taste buds in thinking the food is protein and nutritious. That means food manufacturers can cut cost by putting less real food and still make you think that there’s real food. In addition, MSG stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, even when there are no real carbohydrates to digest. Excess insulin makes blood sugar drop and voila, you are hungry soon after you eat, which makes you want to eat more. What a great way for restaurants and manufacturers to sell even more “food” to satisfy your craving!
Don’t think you are avoiding MSG if you don’t eat Chinese food or soy sauce. It can be found in many American foods and restaurants including KFC, Burger King, Taco Bell, Doritos, Campbell’s Soup, Progresso, Lipton soups mixes. Plus, MSG goes by many different names: hydrolyzed protein, yeast extract, sodium cassinate and textured protein to name just a few. If you want to find out more about foods to avoid, MSG Truth has a great list plus lots of background information. Truth in Labeling has a fairly extensive list of MSG aliases to watch out for.
I guess I now know why I get these strange cravings for McDonald’s French fries….
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Giving up salmon
June 11, 2008
Posted by CindyW in : Opinions & Thoughts , 18 comments
About 8 months ago, I had an intense confrontation with a Mr. Rafael Puga who represented a Chilean farmed salmon import/export organization. I believed (and still do) that farmed salmon should be avoided both for health reasons and for environmental reasons. Mr Puga called me a criminal for spreading “lies” that were strongly supported by most environmental organizations and a variety of media outlets. After a few rounds, I stopped the non-constructive conversation, if one could call it that.
Back then I advocated for eating wild salmon.
Normally this time of the year, we feast on wild salmon as much as we can. Well, situations have drastically changed. Pacific Coast chinook salmon population suddenly and virtually collapsed due to habitat destruction, mismanagement, over fishing, and climate change induced inhospitable environment. This year the commercial chinook season in California and most of Oregon was canceled for the first time in 160 years. Californian fishermen collectively agreed with the decision.
(NYT: Tim Calvert, a fisherman, in San Francisco. The scarcity of Chinook salmon may keep the Pacific fishery closed for the season.)
That leaves Alaska as the only source of wild salmon. With the wild salmon supply steadily declining and consumer demand holding steady if not increasing, the price of wild salmon fillet has hit $40 per pound in some stores.
Now I know most of us are APLS, but most of us are probably not $40 per pound salmon affluent. Taking a deep breath and buying farmed salmon? Knowing the terrible consequences of most salmon farming practices, I cannot budge.
A couple of days ago, New York Times reporter Taras Grescoe decided that he would give up salmon all together, wild or farmed.
“Ninety percent of the fresh salmon consumed in the United States is from farms…”
“In Chile, overcrowding in these oceanic feedlots led to this year’s epidemic of infectious salmon anemia, a disease that has killed millions of fish and left the flesh of survivors riddled with lesions.”
“The situation in Canada, which supplies the United States with 40 percent of its farmed salmon, is not much better. In British Columbia, offshore net-cages are breeding grounds for thumbtack-sized parasites called sea lice.”
“To rid salmon of the lice, fish farmers spike their feed with a strong pesticide called emamectin benzoate, which when administered to rats and dogs causes tremors, spinal deterioration and muscle atrophy.”
YUCK!
With the opulent taste of simply grilled wild salmon still lingering at the tip of my tongue from a couple of years ago, I sighed and sadly agreed with his approach. It’s sort of against the tenet of the pleasurable green movement. Alas, sometimes you’ve gotta do whatcha have to do.
Eight months ago, I still embraced wild salmon. This time around, I am giving up all salmon, since I don’t run with the crowd that can drop $80 for a salmon fillet.
But I like fish, for their nutritional values and for their yumminess. Being a total nerd, in my wallet I carry a handy dandy wallet-sized fish guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In the red column are the no-no fish, in the yellow column are the iffy ones, and in the green column are the smart choices. Downloading the guides is a piece of cake.
In addition, Monterey Bay Aquarium offers regular education on sustainable seafood. This Friday, it is offering a webcast on making sustainable seafood choices that are good for us and healthy for our oceans.
I’ve registered and am ready to watch and learn. There are other fish in the ocean, hopefully.
CindyW at Organicpicks
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Fresh Look: Preserve Cutting Board
June 9, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 2 comments
Ever since we stopped eating out frequently, I’ve been experimenting more in the kitchen – trying different vegetables, entrees and all sorts of recipes. One casualty of frequent use is my cutting board, specifically my plastic one on which I chop my fruits and vegetables. I guess this is what I get for not paying attention to what I buy - $2.99 at IKEA.
I went searching for a new board, durable, sustainable and recyclable at end of life. At first, I thought this would be an easy task but I was overwhelmed and disappointed by the selection variety at the store. There were definitely tons of boards in every imaginable size and color but none fit my needs. I already had a wood block for all the heavy duty chopping and meats. The bamboo ones were nice but slippery on the backside and pretty expensive. And the plastic ones, well, none seemed recyclable and I figure I should upgrade from what I’ve got.
I came home and started searching for cutting board options. Voila, our friend Beth over at Fake Plastic Fish had obsessed over cutting boards not too long ago. Using Beth’s research, I decided upon the Preserve cutting board. I’ve known about Preserve toothbrushes and used them for a while until my dentist made me switch to an electric one (something about my bad brushing techniques that allow plaque build-up). The Whole Foods near me didn’t have the paperstone variety and only the plastic one in stock. However, Preserve’s plastic cutting boards are made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic, dish-washer safe and come in a variety of colors. It is also recyclable. Since I can no longer stand my old board, I bought one in ripe tomato and asked Whole Foods to restock the paperstone one.
So far the board cuts well and looks great in my kitchen. Maybe I’ll make something that matches my cutting board tonight.
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Putting Myself Out There
June 5, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Opinions & Thoughts , 5 comments
During my book club discussion last week (on Affluenza – The All Consuming Epidemic), we talked about how the idea of creating local community resonated with all of us. Everyone in our group wished for a neighborhood community where people knew one another, watched neighbors’ kids and threw block parties, but none of us really lived in one. Sure, I wave to my neighbors and say the occasional hello but that’s the extent of it.
So why is that? After all, I live in a quiet and some would say idyllic town. Yes, we are all busy with work, errands, kids, home, pets, family needs and the umpteenth things that need our time and attention. Is it really that we weren’t lucky enough to have moved into a close-knit neighborhood? I mean if CindyW knows her neighbors well enough to share magazine subcriptions, why don’t I even know my neighbors’ names?
After some discussion, I think my group came to the same conclusion: it takes effort and courage to make friends with strangers. It’s so much easier to receive a compliment or friendly gesture than to give one. As one of members admitted, you don’t want to look like the lonely or nosy loser pouncing on the new neighbors with the bundt cake; after all, if you already have a gaggle of friends, why are you so eager for more? At first, we all laughed at the imagery but then I realized that she’s right. Somewhere along the way, we (or at least I) have been conditioned to believe that good fences make good neighbors and the eager one is the lonely one.
In order to shake off my blue funk, I decided to take the first steps in getting to know my neighbors. While walking my dog, I stopped to admire a beautiful garden and paid compliments to the elderly lady working in it. She appeared thrilled that I’d notice and was willing to stop and chat. I told her how much my mom loves Myer Lemons (for lemonade or whisky sours). She told me to help myself to them anytime as she has more than she needs. She also gave my dog a generous helping of attention and reminisced about her dog that passed away.
At the end of our conversation, I extended my hand and said, “By the way, my name is Cindy and I live 2 blocks down that way.” She smiled, shook my hand and said, “My name is Jan and it’s nice to meet you neighbor.”
I don’t care if other people think I’m a lonely loser. I’m making new friends and that’s pretty cool in my book
CindyC at Organicpicks
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