Sunday, December 22, 2013
Hard earned deliciousness
Made my first pumpkin pie from scratch with the first pumpkin I successfully grew - I can't remember tasting anything so delicious! It was a tiny little lop-sided pumpkin but was big enough to make two pumpkin pies. I did cheat with the pie crusts and used the frozen pie dough from Trader Joe's.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Holiday savings
The holidays are when we gather with friends and family and celebrate, and it is also a time we can be green or not. Our family has had either a live potted tree, including a Norfolk Pine, which isn't actually a pine, or a fake tree for as many years as I can remember. Doing this has spared us from buying cut pine trees that die once the holidays pass and then end up in a landfill. Maybe things have gotten better with cut trees though - are they getting chopped up and turned into mulch in your city? I hope so.
The fake tree we have is not the same as a real tree though, for me, because it doesn't have that special pine smell that reminds me of my childhood holidays and time around the fireplace with the family at Christmastime. So, in order to get that smell, we bring in cut sprigs of juniper, sage and rosemary from our garden and put them on the mantle or on tables around the house. I also usually buy a pine wreath to put on the front door to add that special fragrance that our fake tree just isn't providing.
What else do we do to save energy and resources? I think this goes for anything, but buying decorations that are going to last and have less impact might be more of an investment up front, but this will save resources and money in the long term by not having to buy as much. Also, use cuttings from your garden or fruits and vegetables to add color to a table centerpiece.
What else? I cringed when my grandma carefully saved wrapping paper but she was onto something. Why buy more paper, ribbon and tissue (gift wrapping tissue of course) when you can get another use or two out of what you just unwrapped. My grandma lived through the depression and I lived through the 80's - two so incredibly different times. I guess our generation is learning that frugality isn't just good for our personal budgets, but it is also good for the environment. Not to speak ill of my grandma or her generation but the environment wasn't what they had in mind as far as I understand. I also cringed or cried, "Grandma!" every time she rolled down the window to throw out her trash.
The fake tree we have is not the same as a real tree though, for me, because it doesn't have that special pine smell that reminds me of my childhood holidays and time around the fireplace with the family at Christmastime. So, in order to get that smell, we bring in cut sprigs of juniper, sage and rosemary from our garden and put them on the mantle or on tables around the house. I also usually buy a pine wreath to put on the front door to add that special fragrance that our fake tree just isn't providing.
What else do we do to save energy and resources? I think this goes for anything, but buying decorations that are going to last and have less impact might be more of an investment up front, but this will save resources and money in the long term by not having to buy as much. Also, use cuttings from your garden or fruits and vegetables to add color to a table centerpiece.
What else? I cringed when my grandma carefully saved wrapping paper but she was onto something. Why buy more paper, ribbon and tissue (gift wrapping tissue of course) when you can get another use or two out of what you just unwrapped. My grandma lived through the depression and I lived through the 80's - two so incredibly different times. I guess our generation is learning that frugality isn't just good for our personal budgets, but it is also good for the environment. Not to speak ill of my grandma or her generation but the environment wasn't what they had in mind as far as I understand. I also cringed or cried, "Grandma!" every time she rolled down the window to throw out her trash.
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