Fruit Tree Giveaway from LACMA

LACMA giveaway

Artist collective Fallen Fruit kicks off a yearlong project, EATLACMA, with a fruit tree giveaway. Come pick up a free fruit tree along with planting instructions for your garden. This is the first in a series of events, which will include an exhibition, opening in June, and a series of food-related events throughout the year. EATLACMA is a year-long investigation into food, art, culture and politics. EATLACMA's projects consider food as a common ground that explores the social role of art and ritual in community and human relationships.

EATLACMA unfolds seasonally, with artist's gardens planted and harvested on the museum campus, hands-on public events, and a concurrent exhibition, Fallen Fruit Presents The Fruit of LACMA (June 27-November 7, 2010). EATLACMA is curated by Fallen Fruit—David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young-and LACMA curator Michele Urton.

Avoiding Food Spoilage

My recent method for attempting to avoid having food spoil:

Keep a brief list of foods that are ripe or near expiring in the kitchen (e.g., on the counter or fridge).

For example, I have a lot of ripe pears lying around, but I keep forgetting to use them. I put "pears" on my list, and I'm reminded to have a pear as a snack instead of an orange or crackers. I'm also encouraged to use them in breakfast or a dessert. This worked with my abundance of apples, which turned into a tasty cranberry apple pie, and blueberries, which made their way into my yogurt and the kids' snacks.

A New Dryer?

We have an old clothes dryer. That is, it was here and well-loved when MetaDaddy bought the place over 10 years ago. It's basic, but it works. It doesn't have any bells and whistles; you turn it on for a set amount of time, and it dries the clothes.

I've recently started looking longingly at the bells and whistles on newer dryers, though. I know, blasphemy! But the thought of a dryer that can sense if the clothes require further drying is so...hot! No more overdrying clothes, which means savings in terms of energy usage and clothes (clothes that spend less time in the dryer last longer). That's green, right!?! Further amenities that I covet: drying racks that allow a user to dry clothes flat, a low heat setting, a wrinkle reduction cycle.

I was further compelled to research new dryer options when our dryer started to take longer to dry clothes. I always put it on for the same amount of time, but recently, it doesn't always dry the load of clothes, despite a clean lint trap and a hot drum (i.e., the dryer is transmitting heat). I'm starting to wonder how much more life it has in it and whether or not it's worth investing in to repair.

As I started researching, I found a few models that I liked. The problem is that the very few user reviews that I found on Sears and elsewhere weren't generally positive. None of them. And I began to remember a good rule of thumb: the more bells and whistles, the more that can go wrong. If one component doesn't work, either your unable to dry your clothes, or best case, you've just paid for a feature that doesn't work. What do you do? Do you bring someone in to fix or replace it, potentially leaving you without a dryer for a period of time? I do a LOT of laundry with my two messy little monsters; I can't afford to be without a dryer for very long. And I was further discouraged by Dooce's account of her non-working washing machine woes.

Oh, one more thing. A rebate program for appliances is scheduled for the fall, which means our dryer purchase might be subsidized. More details here. Hopefully, Sears will still have some good deals then. Currently, they have deals that end every few days, but start up again the next day.

While the rebate might be an incentive, I'm still on the fence. Do we get rid of old reliable? It's seen us through many, many...many disasters. MetaGirl is a messy eater, but that pales in comparison to the messes MetaBoy challenged his onesies to.

Flashback: Ewwwww.

Around the Internet: Food

Fancy Cupcake Wrappers - I don't make cupcakes often, but I suspect I will as MetaBoy starts school. It's a great alternative to a giant cake. And with these precious cupcake wrappers made from recycled paper, I don't think I'll be able to resist. (NOTE: some items on this website are for baking (e.g., liners), but others are to be used as decoration only.)


SOS: Your recipe requests answered - Looking for the recipe to a favorite restaurant meal, dessert, or drink? The Los Angeles Times to the rescue with Culinary SOS!! That said, some things are best left to the professionals ;-)

Cocoa Butter, Raw and Orgamic - I wonder if "orgamic" butter is like buying a Rolecks instead of a Rolex?

Politics of the Plate: Selling the Farm - A heartbreaking story about a 144 year old family farm that has to be sold off because being a dairy farmer is more about going into debt that making a living.

"In Vermont, where I live, that translates to a loss of $100 per cow per month. So far this year, 33 farms have ceased operation in this one tiny state. Meanwhile, the price you and I pay for milk in the grocery store has stayed about the same."

It really makes me wonder what's happening to our food supply when small, productive farms run by families willing and able to work are run out of business.

Recipe: Very Veggie Frittata

I like the simplicity of Mark Bittman's recipes. They're more suggestions than instructions to adhere to. I have How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, and it's great because it gives me all sorts of inspiration for cooking meatless meals. That said, I could easily add some meat to the recipe and make something else. The genius in his recipes is that he allows you to find your own way.

Case in point, the More-Vegetable-Than-Egg Frittata, or as I like to call it, the very veggie frittata. I've never been that interested in frittatas, primarily because they seem fussy to make. That said, despite liking eggs, I don't really care for omelettes and other egg dishes, so I've never been motivated to try. But his spin intrigued me. In experimenting with his "less animal-product-centric diet," he tried changing the proportion of eggs and vegetables and such in the frittata.

"I call it, for want of a better term, the more-vegetable-less-egg frittata, one in which the proportions of eggs and vegetables are reversed, and the veggies take center stage.

Instead of six eggs and a cup or two of vegetables, I use two or three eggs with three or four cups of vegetables. Think of it as a big vegetable pancake bound with just enough creamy-cooked eggs to hold the thing together."

It's genius.

It's quick, easy, healthy, and I can put anything in it. That last bit is important because it means that I can use up all the lovely vegetables that won't last much longer. That extra bell pepper, the unused string beans, the leftover boiled potatoes...SAVED!!

While cooking times vary depending on your ingredients, I've averaged about 20 minutes (8-10 minutes sauteing and cooking the vegetables and 12 cooking the frittata untouched). Dinner done in 20 minutes? Yup. Feel free to add a salad with all of that extra time you have on your hands ;-)

Around the Internet: Food

Quinoa Recipe - I struggle, occasionally, with the wet, heavy quality of cooked quinoa. This is a clever technique fixed that. Finally, I had light, fluffy quinoa that rivaled the texture of cous cous. It does take longer to make this way, so I find it's worth it if I won't be mixing it with something wet (e.g., a meal with a lot of sauce which will wet the grain again).

Hart High Student to Compete in National Cooking Competition - This 17 year old already has an impressive culinary resume. I'm so impressed to see that kind of dedication to anything, especially at that age.

Yes We Can Food - I'm so jealous. I wish we had something like this in L.A. Depending on the month, they make apricot jam, pickles, or tomatoes. Farm fresh food canned during their peak season. Mmm...so jealous.

A Martha Stewart Cartoon...For Kids - Um...is it a good thing?

An unexpected way to boost the economy - Breastfeeding can help bolster the economy by preventing illnesses in infants. Just doing our part to help ;-)

Blue Berries and Green Shopping

Fun stuff this weekend.

We went blueberry picking in Camarillo. Pickings were slim, but it was an interesting experience. A little too hot to be fun, but I like exposing MetaBoy to new food things. And this was definitely new. Blueberries grow on bushes? In the ground? From dirt? A pound of blueberries for $3.50! No, not organic, but I'll let it slide this time. I'll make plans to do this earlier in the season next time.

Afterwards, we stopped by the Camarillo Outlets for some deals.

I always take my shopping bag in my purse. It's small and folds up into nothing, so it's easy. And it means I'm always ready to refuse a shopping bag from stores. I did this when we bought a little something at Banana Republic, and they gave me 10% off. I got a 10% discount for using my own bag!! What a great surprise.

Good on Banana Republic for encouraging shoppers to do the right thing! I wonder if any other stores do this

Teething: Sophie the Giraffe

MetaGirl has been teething for a bit now, but nothing yet. She's drooling like a faucet and putting everything in her mouth, including toys, fingers, other people's fingers (ew, MetaGirl...ew).

So I walked into a toy store looking for Christmas gifts last month, and the sales associate asked me if I knew about Sophie? I thought "that's odd that she's asking about my friends." Well, she meant Sophie the giraffe. That is, the little rubber giraffe that teething babies love, love, love to chew on. It's soft, easy to handle (that long neck is superb), it squeaks, and it's made of all natural, non-toxic ingredients. MetaBoy loves Sophie, too. A bit too much sometimes. "Please give Sophie back to your sister!"

It's a great gift idea if you know anyone with a teething baby.

Note: I was reminded of Sophie when I saw this ridiculous thing today. Who would buy this?!? And at that price?!? Holy moly.

Patagonia Toddler Clothes

This Patagonia vest reads well and looks stylish, but the heck we're spending $70 on a vest for MetaBoy that he'll outgrow in no time. It's made from recycled materials, and is fully recyclable in turn. It's also probably made well enough to last for years. What's the point of that with a toddler? If they make it slightly less well made, can I maybe get a discount?

Changing Shampoos...Again

I've been trying to live a greener life. To that end, I've been revisiting my shampoo choices. Last year, I posted on trying out a new shampoo. The results? Blagh.

But it's been a while, so I figured I'd try changing again. This time, I went for the super organic hippie shampoo, Dr. Bronner's Classic Peppermint liquid soap. It's completely biodegradable, vegetable-based, organic, fair trade, and so on. There's even a lot of reading material to accompany the lathering process. And they claim there are 18 uses for their soap, though they only list 5 here. So I tried it as a shampoo. And guess what. Blagh.

Washing my hair with this soap left it squeaky clean. Interesting, but not bad. I tried using it with my usual conditioner, but it left me with that same heavy, unclean feeling I experienced with Avalon Organic Botanicals Nourishing Shampoo in lavender. I tried it a few times, just in case, but the heaviness only got worse. I couldn't get a comb, much less a brush, into my hair. Let me repeat that. I could not comb my hair. Pregnant...braces...straw for hair. It's a wonder why MetaToddler spends so much of the day laughing with (at?) me.

So, I'm back on the cheap drugstore shampoo. I did find the following tips on the Dr. Bronner's website, but honestly, it's going to take me a while to consider changing shampoos again. If you're thinking about it, however, here you go.

Can I shampoo and condition my hair organically?

1) Shampoo with your favorite Dr. Bronner’s soap. True soaps clean hair well but can leave a tangly look & feel; however…

2) Rinsing with our new Organic Shikakai Conditioning Rinse results in spectacular look and feel! Just stir 1- 2 capfuls of this rinse into a cup of water, close eyes and slowly pour while massaging into hair. Keep hand combing hair until hair feels entirely sleek (~30 seconds). Rinse out well. Repeat if necessary in extra hard water conditions or with longer hair.

3) After drying lightly with a towel, massage in Dr. Bronner’s new USDA Organic Leave-In Conditioning Crème for added silkiness and softness.

Around the Internet

Flying the Friendly Bookshelves - Boogie is going through an "I love planes" phase. For boys, I hear this phase lasts...forever. MetaDaddy is still in his. Me? I'm out.

Terra Cotta Warriors - We saw the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian, China during our 2004 trip. There are a staggering number of these warriors. And at their age, it's shocking that they can travel. If you're in the Los Angeles area and you can make it, stop by the Bowers Museum to check them out. Honestly, I can't imagine they'll be coming back any time soon. So you can see them here, or fly to China ;-)

Ceramic Water Stakes via Boston Gals - Plants keep dying? Need some help watering them? Get help! I must say, I'm intrigued.

Thrifty Kitchen: Use it up! - Some clever ideas on reducing your kitchen waste.

Toxins in Our Environment Hurting Pets?

We all love our pets. I know we do! But unlike safety tests conducted on items for human use and consumption (e.g., food, toys), no such tests are conducted for pet products.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), which is concerned about all things toxic in our environment (heard of BPA?), is now worried about pets.

"In the first study of its kind, Environmental Working Group found that American pets are polluted with even higher levels of many of the same synthetic industrial chemicals that researchers have recently found in people, including newborns."

It goes on to conclude:

"The body burden testing conducted in this investigation is the most expansive ever published for companion animals. The study indicates that cats and dogs are exposed to complex mixtures of industrial chemicals, often at levels far in excess of those found in people. Our pets well may be serving as sentinels for our own health, as they breathe in, ingest or absorb the same chemicals that are in our environments. Exposures that pose risks for pets pose risks for human health as well."

Too vague? How about this. Dogs and cats have high levels of Teflon chemicals (e.g., non-stick coating), toxins found in plastic toys and medicines, and fire retardants, which *may* cause a variety of health risks and diseases. How these toxins affect our pets might predict how they affect humans.

Scary stuff for us and our pets.

The EWG will be sending out email updates. Sign up here if you're interested.

Around the Internet

Busy being green, are ya? Well, here are a few more things to add to your Earth Day.

Battle of the Bags: Paper vs. Plastic - An interesting video that compares the two, leaving me to question which is indeed worse for the environment. Paper consumes a lot of resources, and is a much bigger polluter, but it's much more recycled than plastic. 1-5% of all plastic bags gets recycled because it's difficult for recycling facilities to process the bags in their machines. All the more reason to ban the bag, methinks!!

Online Ridesharing Community - Like a dating service, this online service allows you to hook up with others looking to rideshare.

Greenprint - Reduce the amount of wasted paper when printing with this free software. It seeks out and removes things like banner ads and lonely URLS on that last page. I hate that page! Unfortunately, it's only compatible with PCs. Poor Macs :-(

Gadget Recycling Programs: Turn Your e-waste to $$$ - A great listing of programs available to consumers who'd like to recycle old tech gadgets (e.g., iPods, computers, cell phones), for free or at a nice money-back rates. Mmm...money back.

Shred Less - A good reminder to shred all important information, but nothing more. Shredded paper is less recyclable, so rip off and shred the part of the page with your name/address, and recycle the rest. I've been doing that, and honestly, it's no more effort. Oh, and don't forget to recycle the windowed envelopes, too.

Reducing Junk Mail...Again

I've tried a couple of different methods to reduce our junk mail. In November, we started getting an obscene number of catalogs, most of which were unknown to us. Here's what I've done so far.

1. I signed up to Catalog Choice. It's actually pretty useful because not only can you select the catalog you want to stop receiving from their list, but you can then follow the progress of the cancellation. For example, I declined Sensational Beginnings, and I can go into "my choices" from the left sidebar and scroll down to my selection. There I can see the day I entered it in Catalog Choice, and the status of the request. In this case, it has been confirmed. I haven't received any more, and I shouldn't in the future. If I do, I can select "still receiving?" for that catalog and go from there. Other status items are: customer number required, processing, delivered, unconfirmed, refused.
   
   
2. I called the companies individually and kept a detailed spreadsheet with information such as company, phone, date called, customer number, catalog code, and the name the catalog was sent to. If I have to call again for any reason, all of this information is required, and they can be picky about it. For example, if you don't know the exact name the catalog was sent to, they probably won't be able to stop the catalogs. Overall, it's annoying and tedious, but I have definitely stopped seeing the catalogs I've called about.

Overall, both methods are effective, although using Catalog Choice is much, much, much less stressful and time consuming. Another nice benefit is you can go online and cancel at any time of the day, but you're much more restricted in you're actually making the phone call. Of course, there are mailing lists that I'd prefer not to be on that can't be addressed by Catalog Choice, so I still find myself calling every now and then. These include things like unwanted credit card offers and other random mailings.

On a similar note, I recently found out about how to get off of the Value Pak mailing list. Since we never use any of the enclosed coupons, they find their way right into the recycle pile. It'd be even nicer if they never showed up in the first place. So I'll make a note of my mailing information and see about putting a stop to this one next time.

Ooo...so exciting!!


Other services/references:
Green Dimes
New Dream

Around the Internet

ABC news video on helping kids sleep: Parents Prolong Problem Sleepers - It turns out that it's really important to teach babies to fall asleep on their own because it impacts their sleeping habits as adults, too. It makes sense, doesn't it? From what I've learned, everyone occasionally wakes a little in the middle of the night, so it's not unusual that a baby does it. But if he can sooth himself back into sleep instead of relying on his parents, he's better off...heck, everyone is! Personally, MetaToddler's ability to self-sooth has been crucial in his tendency to sleep through the night, and we consider ourselves tremendously lucky. Especially after those first few (um...6? 9? 12?) brutal months.

Fat isn't flavor - A clever commentary negating the common phrase "fat is flavor." There are a lot of wonderful, beautiful, delicious flavors that make for mouth-watering treats. Do they replace fat? No. Does fat replace them? Duh. No.

Santa Monica to ban the bag - Santa Monica's all abuzz with the the progress to ban the one-use plastic bag and biodegradable plastic-like bags. Paper bags would still be allowed, but ideas are being thrown around to reduce their use (e.g., a small fee). A halt in the waste of the bags at supermarkets and farmers' markets alone would be a huge improvement, so I'm really looking forward to see this pass.

First Puzzles via Dooce - Oh, I so have to get these. How cute is the Peter Rabbit one!?! Um, for MetaToddler, of course ;-)

King Corn on PBS

Where did I hear about this? I don't remember. In any event, I'm always interested in hearing about our food supply and such. I have several posts I'm "working on," but to be honest, I have so much information that I just haven't had time to put together a post I'm happy with. It's such an important topic that I really feel I have to do it justice.

That said, King Corn will be airing on PBS this month on a series called Independent Lens.

The website summarizes it like so:

"Two recent college grads discover where America's food comes from when they plant a single acre of corn and follow it from the seed to the dinner plate.

With the help of government subsidies, genetically modified seeds and powerful herbicides, America's most-subsidized crop becomes the staple of its cheapest -- and most troubling -- foods."

And an interview with Michael Pollan from the documentary:

"'Everything on your plate is corn,' Michael Pollan says in KING CORN. The author of In Defense of Food (Penguin, 2008) and The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Penguin, 2006), Pollan can be credited for publicizing the “cornification of America” and the hidden relationships between corn, public health and agricultural policy.

Exposing just how much the industrial food chain accounts for the American diet, Pollan’s writing agitates for a return to actual food—not the highly processed fast food that’s sold these days. But what’s the alternative? Pollan’s answer boils down to seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Shopping on Etsy

I just love trolling Etsy for fun and new things. It's like eBay, only for handmade stuff. I think I'm more mesmerized at the thought of actually making stuff. I like crafts, but I'm not crafty by any stretch. I lack the motivation to try, really. I still haven't finished the scarf I started way, way, way back when it was still cool.

In any event, a few things I'm keen on these days.



Flirty Aprons - Doesn't this make you just want to bake something tarty?

Reusable Produce Bags - Maybe you already have your reusable large bags in order, but what about the bags to put your many onions, potatoes, and carrots? Obviously, Etsy has something for that. They come in a set of 3, and in sizes of small, medium, large, and extra-large.

Bang! Bags - I ordered one of these bags for a few reasons.

• It's very reasonable ($20 including shipping when I purchased it).
  
• It's handmade in Argentina, which means it's also shipped from there. While my *green* pursuits would keep me from happily ordering something from so far away, I also like supporting small business pursuits, especially in a country so near to my roots (i.e., Chile).
  
• I wanted something small and light to carry MetaToddler's various necessities in. This hardly weighs more than a t-shirt, but it's nice and sturdy.
  

The bag is very light, fun, and colorful. Sometimes, we all need a bit of color, no?

My current system:

• purse with everything I need, plus Cheerios and baby wipes;
• a mini-diaper bag (diapers, wipes, rash ointment, change of clothes);
• the Etsy bag with a couple of small books, sippy cup, jacket, wipes, spoon, and bib
  

I always carry my purse, I leave the mini-diaper bag in the car for emergencies, and I have the Etsy bag ready at all times (though I might add an orange or banana at the last minute), and take it if we'll be out for more than an hour (i.e., ready for emergency entertaining and feeding). As a result, I don't carry a huge bag, nor am I generally ever short of necessities for him. Though as he gets older, the number of things needed to entertain him increases. But for now, food still does the trick :-)

Emeril Green on Discovery

Looking to "green" up your kitchen routine? So is Emeril. He's got a new show on the Discovery Channel called Emeril Green where he helps "real" people do just that. If you're looking for help, or you've got a challenge that Emeril can tackle, perhaps you're one of the people the producers are looking for ;-)

"We are casting enthusiastic and fun people with creative and interesting kitchen challenges for our new show, Emeril Green, to air on Planet Green beginning in July. This could be your chance to receive cooking tips and recipes tailored specifically to your needs by Emeril Lagasse, one of America's most-beloved chefs.

"We are actively searching for real people with real cooking dilemmas: Please e-mail your basic information (name, address, age, occupation), your culinary challenge, and a recent picture to foodshowcasting [at] gmail [dot] com."

Reusable Bags: Angry Little Girls

Looking for a reusable bag for your own *special* personality? Have you checked out Angry Little Girls? It's where hilarity ensues ;-)






The Vegetarian










The Native











The Fashionista












The Green Shopper












The Determined Shopper

Explaining Myself

So, yes. I'm the Queen of Quiet. Sultan of Subtle. Mistress of Mystery.

In short, I'm 13 weeks pregnant, and the proof is in the pudding...or scan, if you will. We wanted to wait until the end of the first trimester, so we're now sharing the news. It's been tough to keep under wraps, though. It becomes so ingrained in how your day goes, that it's hard to say "I'm so tired that I can't make dinner" without explaining why.

It's been a strange time. The first time around, my morning sickness was awful. Food, for the most part, was the enemy. The smell, nay the thought of it, was enough to send me running. Bananas, high on my good list, were suddenly banned from my diet. Same went for Grape Nuts cereal, avocado, beef, and I'm sure various other things I've since forgotten. I had to ask co-workers to move their coffee mugs farther away from me because the smell was making me sick. This was life until around the 5 month mark. I could eat, but it was all very precarious.

So far this time around, morning sickness is inconsistent, though definitely not as bad. I haven't really had to give up any foods, though some are much less appealing than others (and I don't usually know until shortly before the meal). Roast chicken might sound good in the morning, but not so much at 6PM. But, I've survived. Generally speaking, my "morning sickness" is worse at around 5PM, which means dinner that night will be leftovers or delivered. As a result of our increased take-out, I'm pleased to know that Santa Monica has banned non-recyclable food service container. One less pang of guilt included in with our Thai spring rolls. Mmm...spring rolls.

With the exception of my occasional bouts of exhaustion, things haven't changed much at the MetaHome. MetaDaddy helps a bit more in keeping the place clean, which is a constant battle with the Cheerio-monster roaming around. And I'm getting a few cheeky comments on my slowly expanding belly. He gets to giggle at the shirts I wear under sweaters...because they no longer cover my midriff. *le sigh*

On the bright side, he made me Nigella's gooey chocolate pudding. Priceless.