Not-Too-Hairy Compost

It’s been a tough holiday for Roy.  A bad cold, an unshaven face, thick, wirey, gray hair, and a wide-eyed son tentatively squinting up at him.

“Dad, is that you?”

Time for the shears.  And don’t forget to sprinkle the hair clippings in the compost.

Yes, you can compost hair clippings!

That’s right.  Hair is mostly made of nitrogen- rich keratin, which have long chains of amino acids.  And while some Gardenweb comments were valid (not to mention amusing) regarding the use of hair as fertilizer, we’ve had no problems as the relatively short hair clippings are a minor “ingredient” in our compost bin.  Hair decomposes very slowly – which is a desireable attribute for something that is nitrogen-rich.

In rural areas, some people have used human and pet hair successfully to ward off deer and varmint by scattering them liberally on the perimeter of their gardens.  However, this tactic is not likely to deter animals like racoons that live close to humans in urban areas.

Don’t start collecting garbage bags full of hair from salons or barbers as they may contain garden-unfriendly chemicals (gels, sprays, etc.).  Also, it’s best to keep more unusual compost ingredients as minor additions to your bin.

Read Full Post »

Is Stevia The Next Big Zero-Calorie Sweetener?

Our stevia plants still survive!

We bought our first stevia plants at the local nursery this year after reading about their natural sweetness (over 300x sweeter than sugar!) in one of our seed catalogs.  It’s a sun-loving plant, and we’re still figuring out if it will survive in our cool, N. California coastal climate.

Coincidentally, we recently learned that stevia is set to be the next BIG zero calorie sweetener in the US.

When you nibble on a stevia leaf, it does have a very sweet flavor, though you’ll note a slightly bitter licorice or “greeney” aftertaste.  In 1931, two French scientists discovered the “sweetness” chemical in stevia and developed an extraction process that eliminated the aftertaste.

In 1989, a petition was made by a Brazilian company, Stevita, to classify stevia as GRAS (generally regarded as safe).  But the FDA required testing which would have amounted to $10 million, and the petition was withdrawn.

In 2007, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola bankrolled testing to get the FDA to approve stevia as GRAS.  While these beverage powerhouses will not reveal their stevia-refining secrets, there are several patents out there that will give you a general idea.

As of Dec. 17, 2008, the FDA finally classified stevia as GRAS.

Though we haven’t tried this yet, we also learned that a water extract can be made by boiling or soaking fresh or dried leaves leaves, and then straining.  However, alcohol extraction is believed to yield better results than water extraction.

Cargill claims their first step is water extraction in a Truvia™ infomercial.  They are going to team up with Coca-Cola to develop the new zero-cal beverage sweetener.  PureCircle (which supplies Coca-Cola and PepsiCo)  also has an infomercial on their PureVia™ stevia sweetener.

If stevia products take off, the outlook for Equal® and SweetNLow has a good chance to sour.

Read Full Post »

Our Garden Loves Seafood!

Is there an uncrabby crab?

Stories of how Native Americans buried fish in their maize fields to fertilize their soil go way back to grade school.  Funny how it all came back when we decided to do the same with fish and crabs we buy at the local harbor.  We once bought a whole halibut, fileted this giant on the driveway, and then buried the remains over a foot deep in our garden.

Our dungeness crab season opened up in Nov. and we’ve had several feasts over the past month.  We bury the shells and inedible parts a foot deep in the garden, chop it up and work it into the soil, clean up the shovel, and then put fresh soil at least 6 inches above the crab compost lest racoons and other critters should make out the scent.

Fresh dungeness crabs off Bill's boat

In 3-6 months, the crab shells, composed primarily of calcium carbonate, nitrogen-rich proteins, and chitin (a cellulose with nitrogen groups) will be transformed into a nutrient-rich white powder.  Every now and then, we’ll see a tenacious claw, but even that will eventually soften and decompose!

Read Full Post »

Tutti Frutti Raspberry Butter Cookies

A pink delight!

Christmas is a time for spice and dried fruit cookies and sweets.  So how about a change and go with a tart-sweet raspberry butter cookie?  It’s a basic butter cookie recipe but with slight modifications.

You’ll need:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tblspns thawed rasperries, making sure the liquid is drained if you use the frozen kind.  Have not tried this recipe w/ fresh raspberries but probably 1/4 cup would be ok
• 1 tblspn raspberry extract/flavor (near the vanilla extract on supermarket shelves; gives an extra ‘zing’.)
• 3 cups + 2 tblspns sifted unbleached white flour
• pinch of salt
• 3 tblspns flax meal (I put this on just about everything)

Cream butter.  Work in sugar gradually till fluffy.  Add eggs, raspberries and raspberry extract.  Beat well.  The mixture should be nice and pink!

Sift flour, salt and flax meal.  Work into the butter mixture.  This will become a sticky gooey mess.  Divvy up in 3-4 globs, roll to about 1 1/2 inch diameter tubes in wax paper, and refrigerate about 4 hrs (or put in freezer for 30 min).

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Cut about 3/8 inch slices and lay out on ungreased cookie sheet; OK to crowd together.  These will not expand much.  Bake 8-12 min. depending on your oven, but should be slightly brown on the edges.  Cool on rack.  Makes about 5-6 doz cookies.  Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

Smart Dinner Planning

Before shutting off the kitchen light, what's on tomorrow's menu?

One of the remarkable things about my dad is how he invariably asks the question,

“So vat are vee going to eat tomorrow?”

just after having finished supper.

“Huh, what?” unable to sit up straight in my contented stupor, thinking of our fortunate lot, slightly scandalized and stricken with a bad conscience.  This banquet before us  – potato leek soup and grilled swordfish steak – hasn’t even been digested, and now you want our opinion on what to fill our bellies with tomorrow?!!?

“Vell I need to know vat to cook!” he barks impatiently.

He’s right, as always.  Menu planning IS everything and saves time and money, limits food miles, manages stress.  It encourages you to eat healthier because let’s face it, unless you’re on a raw diet, eating whole foods often takes a bit more time to prepare.

I thought about this when preparing brown and wild rice tonight.  It takes about 30 min. longer to cook than white rice but is substantially healthier.  But if you don’t plan it right, dinner could either be delayed, or comprise less healthy (but more expedient) options.

(Thought bubble: gotta get those frozen veggies out from freezer.)

Again, time-management is essential as we try to minimize the use of the microwave.  Assuming all the ingredients are at hand, I need to think:

1. What needs to be set out tomorrow long before dinner time?
2. What will take longer to prepare?
3. How many garlic cloves (or bulbs) need to be minced?  (Should really be the question #1)

You don’t need to have a full week’s menu laid out, but it sure helps to lower stress and eat healthier by spending a few minutes to think about the Whats, Hows and Whens of tomorrow’s dinner as you shut down the kitchen for the night.

Read Full Post »