27 September 2010
Small updates lately:
GNATS:
_Gnats are getting better, hanging sticky tape up near the plants they were living in the bathroom has worked the best. I also made some gnat traps out of empty beer bottles. By making a funnel of aluminum foil with a VERY small hole, the gnats fly in and can't get out. I put some apple cider vinegar in the bottle because the gnats are attracted to the fermenting smell. These traps haven't trapped as many as the sticky tape, but have gotten at least a few of them.
COMPOST:
_Replacing the compost with my white sheet has eliminated the worm's escaping problem. I'm thinking up ways to keep a translucent lid on the worm bin which will be easier than replacing the sheet/bungee cord every time...ideas?
GREENS:
_I learned the hard way to pay attention to what vegetables I am buying at the co-op yesterday... Its important to rotate the greens/vegetables you are consuming because it is easier to get a wide variety of nutrients, so I have been trying to buy new greens almost every time I go. I picked up a bunch of big, dark leafy greens which were local and organic without even looking at what kind they were. Took them to the checkout and the lady was like, "uh, what ARE these?" , and I was like "oh, I have no idea, I just picked them up, ha. So we spent about 5 minutes looking over her thumbnail sized, laminated sheets of vegetable identification pictures trying to find them. The verdict-Rapini.
I threw half of the Rapini, one apple, a few frozen pear bits, 1 1/2 cups of water and some honey in a blender this morning (typical green smoothie I drink every morning with various greens), and when I went to taste it, OH WOW, SUPER bitter. It was undrinkable. So rapini really needs to be balanced with pretty sweet fruits (which aren't really available to me anymore). HOWEVER, I found a recipe for a better way to eat the rest of the greens here (http://liveitupvegan.blogspot.com/2006/08/pennine-rapini-and-garlicky-bchamel.html). It is a Penne, Rapini and Garlicky Bechamel.
Cook the Penne, adding the chopped Rapini in during the last 3 minutes (don't overcook or it gets mushy) and make sauce while cooking:
"Make your Garlicky Béchamel by putting 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add 1/4 cup of flour (I use unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour or rice flour, etc) and mix well for one or two minutes. Don’t let it burn. Then, slowly add 2 cups of soymilk, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps, until the desired consistency. You can add more soymilk if you find the sauce too thick. Then add the garlic, the seasonings and let simmer on low heat."
Gonna try making this tonight with the local, bulk penne I found!
OIL-FREE MASCARA
_An article in my friend's ReadyMade the other day introduced me to two ladies; Siobhan O' Connor and Alexandra Sprut who have a blog called 'No More Dirty Looks', and book (by the same name). (http://nomoredirtylooks.com/). While they are not addressing products made from petroleum directly, they outline what ingredients in cosmetics and other health/hygiene products contain chemicals and toxins which are harmful (many of which are petroleum based). I'm in the process of trying to identify what ingredients come directly from petroleum, but, to be on the safe side am converting all my products to oil-free versions (recipes from their book, blog) as I run out of them. Today I made mascara from charcoal tablets and aloe vera. Charcoal tablets were $9 and aloe can come from a bottle or squeezed from an aloe plant (if you have one).
1_Twist charcoal capsule apart and dump contents into a small vile/tube. Many health-food stores and co-ops have a health/hygiene department which sell small jars for making your own products. I found a small skinny jar made for fragrances. Dumb the charcoal directly in the jar.
2_Scoop aloe vera gel into the jar until full (about .5 ounces) The charcoal tablets could go a lot further because there is a lot of powder in each one, but I wanted to make small quantities so I could make it more often and it will be fresher.
3_Stir up jar with a thin object (I used a little stick)
4_Clean an old mascara brush, dip in, scrap extra off on edges of tube and apply!
My friend Amber used a much cooler version of mine using wood charcoal off her grill to make an eyeliner! In her own words, "I squished some gel out of an aloe leaf, swabbed by brush it it and then picked up some charcoal dust (just picking up a piece from the bag created enough fine dust on my fingers to work with) and lined my lovely lids. it worked like a charm. i think the aloe/charcoal is technically the mascara rather than the eyeliner, but it worked! hooray". I've been using this for a few days, it stays on really well, doesn't run much (I should know-biking in the rain and all), but removals easily when you don't want it to come off.
No worries about getting this stuff in your eyes, while you certainly don't want to rub it in your eyes it is much safer than ingredients that in most mascaras. All ingredients can literally be eaten and be ok, in fact, the charcoal tablets are meant to be eaten to help with gas and digestion issues. (pics when I get a chance, check back)
No comments:
Post a Comment