Must haves!

Gluten Free Paleo Quiche Recipe

Monday night I had a friend over for some girl time, wine, chatting, dinner and crafts! I wasn't sure what to make but knew we had plenty of ingredients to make something healthy and delicious. We bought a spaghetti squash about 10 days before and hadn't had a good excuse to use it until now. I remembered seeing on Pinterest some intriguing recipes using spaghetti squash as a quiche crust and decided to go for it. We winged the recipe but it came out so yummy, I had to jot it down share. 

Paleo Quiche Recipe (Makes 2 pies)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Spring Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
3 Zucchinis
1 lb Ground Beef
3-4 Eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste
Serve with Homemade Jalepeno Hot Sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat the inside of two standard sized pie dishes with olive oil to prevent sticking. Start by cutting the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds, either compost or roast the seeds like you would pumpkin seeds. Place squash halves on a baking sheet cut sides up, sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and bake in oven for about an hour or until fork tender.

While squash is in the oven start prepping other the veggies. Heat up 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet on medium low heat. Chop up spring onion (bulb) add it to the skillet, roughly chop green part and set aside for garnish. Chop zucchini in to half inch pieces add it to the skillet with onion and sauté until golden, about five minutes. Heat up 1 tbs olive oil in another skillet on medium heat, chop garlic then add it to the oil, let cook for about a minute then add the ground beef. Cook beef until it's light golden brown, strain out water if needed. Set aside both beef and veggie mixture to use later. 

When squash is fork tender, remove it from the oven to let cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, crack 3-4 eggs in a bowl then beat, adding a bit of water or milk if desired, set aside. Using a fork rake out all the 'spaghetti' strands in both halves. Once you get all of the strands separated from the skin dump the squash in the greased pie dishes, one half of the squash per dish. Press the squash down in the center and up the sides to make a pie crust shape. Then divide up the meat mixture in two and distribute on top of the crust, do the same with the veggie mixture then pour beaten eggs on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake quiches in the oven on 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Take out, let cool and sprinkle the green onions on top for garnish. Serve warm or cold, we enjoyed it with a few dashes of my homemade jalepeno hot sauce.

{The finished product!}

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Back about a year ago I got diagnosed with a sensitivity to wheat, my doctor recommended that I eliminate gluten from my diet in attempt to aid my health issues. Since then I've made a big effort to stay away from it entirely, it took a bit of practice but now it's a no brainer. 

Before my diagnosis I used to buy small baguettes of french bread at Acme bread company in the ferry building on my way home from work. Now I do the same thing but at Mariposa baking company in the ferry building, it's an all gluten free bakery in the ferry building. I have to say though I'm not the biggest fan of gluten free bread, even the good stuff doesn't taste nearly as good as the real stuff so I don't buy it that often. Only really when I know we're going to make sandwiches or have a cheese plate. 

I've noticed I have many more gluten free options with more ethnic cuisine such as Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican and more. Out of necessity my husband and I have become masters at making corn tortillas from scratch. They are so much quicker and easier to make then I imagined, from start to table they take no more then twenty minutes. They taste so much better then store bought and cost a fraction of the price. We've stuffed them with everything you can imagine. Lately we've been in to making Korean themed tacos with kimchi, so delicious!

{Our take on the Korean taco}

Ingredients:

1 cup masa flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm tap water

1 pinch of salt

Directions:

Using your hands, mix all ingredients together well then divide the dough in to small balls the size of golf balls. On a clean cutting board place a dough ball between two Silpat mats (one on top of the dough and one on the bottom) then use a cast iron french oven or skillet and press firmly and evenly on the ball of dough to make the flat tortilla about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully remove the tortilla from the Silpat and place in a hot skillet about 450 degrees. These don't take long to cook a minute or two on each side and they're ready to enjoy. If you're making a big batch keep warm on a plate lined with a dishtowel, cover with the rest of the dishtowel so they slightly steam and keep warm. You can use these just as you would any tortilla, the possibilities are endless. 

{The final product: homemade corn tortillas}

Less Waste Road Trips

Recently we head up to Humboldt county for my cousin's wedding. It was a long drive so we knew we'd get peckish at some point. I brought a few snacks but did not create any waste. We also stopped and ate a nice meal on the way so we avoided producing any trash during the drive. Here is what I brought:

- Stainless steel containers with carrots and homemade hummus. (recipe) 
- Stainless steel container with mixed nuts
- A few bananas, kiwis and tangerines 
- 2 Kleen Kanteens filled with tap water
- 1 Flip top bottle of wine (we refill, this was for when we got there!)
- 1 set reusable bamboo flatware (knife, fork and spoon)

{Carrots with homemade hummus}

Once we got there we had a kitchenette with a refrigerator to store what was left over.

Recipe: Pickled Beets

Beets are one of my favorite vegetables. I love the earthy flavor, vibrant colors and that they are packed of vitamins. This time of year we get at least 5 beets a week in our veggie delivery but lately there have been more. I haven't been able to keep up with them, I try to roast them and juice them but found myself with too many to use. Wasting them is not an option so pickling them seemed like the best way to preserve all of those the beets. I found this recipe online that I used as a jumping off point, then processed the jars in a water bath to create a canning seal so that they'll last for months in the cupboard. 

First I infused some white vinegar with tarragon buy just letting it soak in the vinegar for about an hour then strained out the herbs. Then I roasted all the beets, pealed them and sliced them in about 1/4 pieces. While the beets were roasting I sliced up two red onions. Using sterilized jars I layered the beet and onion slices and set jars aside. In a sauce pan I combined the sugar, tarragon infused vinegar, water and salt, simmered the mixture for five minutes and poured brine over the beets and onions. I wiped off the rims of the jars, placed on new gaskets and submerged them in a water bath to create a seal like I do when canning tomatoes. 

Ingredients:
12-15 beets (I used red and yellow)
2 large red onions
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp tarragon

{Pickled and processed beets with red onion}

DIY: Vanilla Extract

One product that is grossly marked up in stores is all natural vanilla extract. I don't think that most people realize how easy it is to make at home. There's just two ingredients: vanilla beans and vodka. I bought 10 Madagascar vanilla beans online at beanilla thinking they'd come in glass vials but instead were shipped in a vacuum sealed plastic pouch (ouch!). I still need to find a zero waste way to by them. 

To prep the beans for the extract cut down the center of the bean without piercing through the onther side then use the dull side of the knife to scrape out the seeds. Place both seeds and pods in a jar then cover them with vodka. Store in a dark cool place to marinate for a few weeks. For easy access while cooking and baking strain and store in a small glass bottle. I gave these away for christmas gifts this year using a cute label and bow. 

{4 oz decorative bottle perfect for a holiday or hostess gift}

Zero Waste Bulk Liquids

We make an effort to buy as many of the liquids we use in our daily cooking in bulk. If we cannot buy it in bulk then we won't buy it so we cater our recipes to what is readily available.

{Buying in bulk saved us 20%}

{Tip: take a photo of the plu# if you forget a crayon}

Two staples we make an effort to always have stocked are cooking wine and olive oil. We also stock canola oil, red wine vinegar, tamari, soy sauce and honey. We weigh our jars at home, writing the weight on the jar with a water soluble crayon then bring our hermetic jars to fill up at the store. Back at home I transfer the liquids to glass bottles with pour tops for easy use.

{My kitchen zerowaste label solution: scratch paper with a rubber band}

Less Waste at Work

To my great fortune my work provides us with stocked kitchens and catered meals. There are tons of snacks, bottled beverages, individually wrapped candy but also great bulk options too. There are a dozen bulk snacks, fresh fruit, cereal, the list goes on and on. 

Since I started working here I brought in and have used my own reusable bamboo flatware. I bought two sets package free at the drug store for camping/picnic uses but they are great for work too. I also use a stainless steel tumbler which I love and use for both cold and hot drinks, they  are so durable you can take them anywhere. Some days I bring in my thermos, a cloth napkin or metal straw. After writing the post 'Easy Swaps Towards a Sustainable Household' I felt it was time to bring in that plate! I had bought a stainless steel camping plate and use it every day now. I thought my coworkers might heckle me about it but all they did was complement me and said they were jealous, go figure!

{my zero waste lunch-kit}

For the catered lunches and dinners facilities provides us with compostable plates, bowls, napkins and flatware. This wasn't always the case though. They always had compostable plates and cups but used to use plastic recyclable flatware until I wrote an email that is. A few months ago I wrote the new facilities manager in our company about sustainability offering easy suggestions for a greener work place. The suggestions went over really well and in a matter of weeks they switched out all the plastic flatware for compostable versions, I felt it was a huge win and the environment is who benefits most! 

Compost, Recycling and Landfill labeled waste stations are in clear view, for the most part our 450 employees follow them. There's has also been an effort to educate everyone about what common waste goes where through poster board display's posted around the office. 

After the switch to compostable flatware I noticed right away that the black landfill bins were nearly empty, everyone was using the green compost. It's really incredible how one little email and others making a small change has saved so much plastic from going straight to landfill. 

DIY Toothpaste

After an experimental phase trying using tooth powder to clean our teeth we both weren't satisfied. On my post about my dissatisfaction my friend Devon digested DIY toothpaste. I did some research and came up with this recipe that we love. 

{DIY toothpaste}

Recipe:

1 part baking soda (about 1/4 cup)

1 part organic coconut oil (about 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon stevia

Several drops spearmint essential oil to taste

Combine all ingredients, mix well.

Store in your medicine cabinet in a glass jar. Use spoon to apply to toothbrush.

{Espresso spoon used to apply toothpaste to compostable bamboo toothbrush}

DIY Foraged Wreath

This post is a little late but oh well ;)

I was in Santa Barbara at Christmas time last year, I stopped by my aunt and uncle's house for a visit and found my cousin Julianna crafting. She was making wreaths and planting beautiful individual succulent arrangements. She showed me how to make everything, I left feeling inspired. It was all DIY upcycled, free, foraged and zero waste, very impressive! Since we've never had a holiday wreath on our front door I decided to give it a try, with Juliana's advice of course. 

Although it's not environmentally friendly my husband insisted on getting a fresh cut tree this year because he loves the scent of a real tree. I hadn't heard of The Living Christmas Company, if I had we would have ordered one of their living trees, DOH! There's always next year. 

After we found the perfect tree I asked an employee for trimmings for a wreath. He happily obliged and I was able to help myself to as much as I needed for free. I was closer to being able to make my wreath but still needed some decorations. I looked around our place and found a pretty maroon ribbon that I could reuse for the bow. Then I went on a hike on the mountain (the one outside our front door =) and foraged for holly berries and pine cones. 

Back at home I knew I needed some type of sturdy ring to tie the greenery on to and to make the classic round wreath shape. I brainstormed a few ideas, first I thought I could cut out an 'O' shape out of a cardboard box, then thought maybe I could bend a metal hanger in to shape. Then a lightbulb went off and realized we have a ten inch tart pan with a removable bottom, the ring part is a perfect ridged metal base to use for my wreath. The veggie twist ties i've been saving for something (anything but landfill!) were finally going to go to good use by using the green ones as fasteners. Supplies in tow I was ready to make my first wreath.

First, I cut the trimmings in to more manageable sized pieces approximately six inches long. I fastened the first piece using a green twist tie then made my way around the wreath making sure to cover up each twist tie with greenery as I went around. I used an additional twist tie to make a loop to hang the wreath on. I was ready to decorate, I just placed the pine cones and berries wedging them in between the greenery and twist ties. The final touch was the bow which I tied then tacked in place with a straight pin.

This wreath was foraged, free, zero waste and stayed fresh and pretty all December long, I can't wait to make more next year.

{My first wreath!}

DIY Reed Diffuser

I've been using this DIY reed diffuser for about a month now and it works great. I have it on our bathroom windowsill and it gives off a realy pleasant not too strong scent. 

My friends gifted us designer room diffusing oil two years ago and I had no idea what to do with it so it just sat in the closet unused. An idea popped in to my head to create a scented diffuser using a clean Straus cream bottle and clean wooden chopsticks I saved from a sushi night out. Just wipe them clean at the end of your meal, take them home to hand wash with soap and water then let dry completely. 

When I'm done with the diffuser I'll wash and return the bottle for deposit and compost the sticks. 

{DIY Room Diffuser}

Orange All Purpose Cleaner

I like to infuse white vinegar with orange peels inside a jar that is stored in the refrigerator. The orange peels scent the vinegar I use for my all purpose cleaner and cuts the vinegar smell really well. I usually just keep adding vinegar to the jar when it gets low and switch out the orange peels periodically too. 

{orange peel infused vinegar}

Aged Eggnog Recipe

Last year I made eggnog from scratch for the first time, it came out well but was thinking the flavors could meld better. I remembered yesterday of a few years ago around this time of year when my husband and I ran into friends at the local grocery store. They were buying ingredients for their traditional aged for a month eggnog. Up until yesterday it had been on my list of mental to do's. Today I decided to go for it, here's what I did.

I found this recipe online then went shopping for the following ingredients:
12 eggs (brought to our home via FFTY)
1 cup heavy cream (Straus, in a bottle to turn back for deposit)
1 qt whole milk (Straus, in a bottle to turn back for deposit)
2 cups sugar (bought in bulk in a reusable cloth bag)
1 liter Bourbon (bought in a glass recyclable bottle)
1/2 cup dark rum (bought in a glass recyclable bottle)
3/4 cup brandy (bought in a glass recyclable bottle)
1 pinch salt (bought in bulk in a reusable cloth bag)
1 pinch mace (bought in bulk in a reusable cloth bag)

{Nearly 3 liters of eggnog ready to age for a month in the refrigerator}

Directions:
Separate egg whites from yolks, place yolks in a large bowl and save egg whites in an airtight container for another use. Cream together egg yolks and sugar with whisk until creamy. Then add and stir in cream, milk, bourbon, rum, brandy salt and mace. Mix with spoon and store in the refrigerator for 3 weeks to a year. I made ours tonight so it will be consumed exactly a month from now.

Serve over ice and garnish with sweetened fresh whipped cream and a shaving of nutmeg. 

UPDATE: 1/17/2014
We had a holiday party and served the aged eggnog along with spiced cider and mulled wine. The eggnog was the star, everyone loved it. I ended up cutting it with about 1/4 parts milk because it was super strong. Aging it made it super smooth and creamy.

Homemade Jalapeño Hot Sauce

One thing that has been seriously lacking in our house is hot sauce. Friends gave us a bottle of the kind from the store and when we ran out we didn't buy more. We have been using a sprinkle of cayenne and/or red pepper flakes to add heat but its just not the same so I decided to make some myself. 

I was inspired by this recipe from Bobby Flay but made some adjustments to simplify and it turned out great.

{The finished product: homemade jalapeño hot sauce}

Ingredients:
3 tsp EVOO
5 jalapeño peppers
1/4 large white onion
1 garlic clove
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbs honey

Directions:
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of EVOO in a sauce pan on medium. Add in coarsely chopped onion and jalapeño then cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute more then add vinegar and water and cook a few more minutes. Take off heat and stir in remaining EVOO, salt and honey. Using a hand blender, blend mixture until smooth. Using a funnel, pour into a bottle and store in the refrigerator. 

Note:
Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly and often while making this, these peppers are hot and can really burn your eyes if you aren't careful!

Easy Swaps Towards a Sustainable Household

So I gave up Facebook but have been going full steam ahead on Instagram. Recently I posted the photo of our 2 month trash tally in a 16oz mason jar and the comments were all really encouraging. One of my friends said 'teach me your ways' which inspired this post. I've come up with a list of easy swaps, all of which are simple and will help not only save the environment but also save you money. 

My husband and I have been striving towards a more simplified household focusing on reducing our garbage and carbon footprint for about 18 months. We still have a long way to go. Living with these changes every day it feels like we haven't made much progress at all, it's been a slow gradual change through every step but reading this list makes me see how far we've come. These are the swaps we've made.

Kitchen Swaps
Swap paper towels for dishcloths 
Swap plastic and paper grocery bags for reusable tote bags
Swap paper napkins for cloth napkins 
Swap plastic kitchen tools for bamboo and stainless steel
Swap plastic Tupperware for glass hermetic jars
Swap plastic produce and bulk bags for reusable mesh and cloth bags
Swap plastic baggies for jars and reusable snack bags like lunchskins (also if you are storing food in the refrigerator a deep bowl with a saucer on top works great too!)
Swap nonstick cookware for stainless steel or cast iron
Swap nonstick cookie sheets for metal (stop relying on tinfoil and just clean them =) 
Swap beer bottles and cans for refillable growlers
Swap wine bottles for pop top lemonade bottles to be refilled at a winery
Swap plastic cling wrap and wax paper for abeego
Swap plastic cutting boards for a wood fiber cutting board
Swap disposable plastic water bottles for a reusable stainless steel ones
Swap disposable coffee cups for a stainless steel thermos
Swap disposable skewers and toothpicks for stainless steel reusable ones
Swap to go plastic utensils for bamboo utensils 
Swap plastic straws for stainless steel ones
Swap disposable cups for reusable stainless steel tumblers
Swap cooking oil spray for a Silpat or just a bit of oil
Swap coffee maker for a stovetop espresso maker
In general swap plastics for ceramic, glass and stainless steel options
Additional ideas: Get rid of multiples in the kitchen (ie: mixing bowls, cheese knives, bottle stoppers, the list goes on and on!), try to eat your food before it goes bad, learn to love leftovers, keep your fridge stocked (I put a few glass bottles filled with water in there at all times, it saves energy), replace incandescent bulbs with LED’s

Bathroom Swaps
Swap plastic wrapped toilet paper for individually wrapped recycled toilet paper
Swap disposable razors or cartridges for a safety razor
Swap store bought toothpaste and deodorant for homemade versions
Swap shampoo, body wash, body lotion and conditioner in a plastic bottle from the store for bulk shampoo in a glass pump bottle that can be refilled
Swap lip gloss and lip balm for homemade lip balm
Swap store bought facial toner for apple cider vinegar
Swap body lotion for body oil available in bulk, I like using almond oil for the scent
Swap your toothbrush for a bamboo or recycled from yogurt container one
Swap facial tissue for toilet paper or better yet a reusable handkerchief
Swap disposable menstrual products with reusables (do your research, they are out there =)
Additional ideas: Collect toilet paper rolls for another use (I use them to stuff dryer lint in to use as campfire starter), if it’s yellow let it mellow (gross I know!), turn off the water when you brush your teeth, take shorter showers, place a full water bottle or brick in your toilet tank to save on water, install an aerator in your faucets, choose energy efficient appliances like Energy Star

Cleaning Swaps
Swap Windex for a microfiber rag
Swap Ajax and Soft Scrub for tea tree oil and baking soda
Swap all purpose cleaner for vinegar and water in a spray bottle
Swap store bought toxic laundry detergent for homemade or nontoxic in cardboard box
Swap store bought toxic dishwasher detergent for non toxic in a cardboard box
Swap dish soap for liquid castile soap or bulk all purpose soap
Swap kitchen sponge for compostable natural fiber scrubber and steel wool 
Swap air fresheners with incense or small bowl of vinegar (my husband hates the vinegar but it really works!)
Swap mothballs for sachets of dried lavender
Swap Swiffer disposable pads for cloth rags
Swap sticker lables for reused paper and rubber bands
Additional ideas: Compost vacuum cleaner dust, reuse dryer lint as campfire starter or just compost it, soak orange peels in white vinegar to make orange scented all-purpose cleaner, reuse ‘grey’ water for watering plants, compost hair from brushes, stop using dryer sheets, wash full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine, hang dry your laundry, add fresh air to your home by opening some windows and having house plants

Transportation Swaps
Swap driving everywhere for carpooling, riding the bus or ferry, riding your bike or walking
Additional ideas: Start a ride share program at your work

{View from my commute home on the ferry to Sausalito, sure beats traffic}

Entertainment Swaps
Swap cable and dvd’s for an Apple TV or Roku with Netflix and Hulu+
Swap dvd’s and cd’s for downloadable digital versions
Swap paper books and magazines for digital versions for your tablet
Swap hard copies for digital versions by going 'paperless' 
Swap printed hard copy boarding pass, event and movie tickets for smartphone digital version for iPhone use Passbook
Swap regular batteries for rechargeable ones
Additional ideas: Spend more time at the library they have tons of books, free wifi and movies

Swaps we still want to make
Swap our collection of pens and pencils for refillable versions
Swap disposable lighter with refillable one
Swap disposable plate with reusable version (at my work)

Purge
We started by evaluating what things we actually use, then analyzed what objects can do double or triple duty. By purging what we do is evaluate the item to see what condition it is in. If it’s still full of life we first try to think of a friend who might want it, once we’ve asked around and no one is interested we’ll donate it to Goodwill. This goes for clothing too, for example we went on our honeymoon to Europe for two weeks and each only brought a regular backpack worth of clothing but we never felt like we needed more. When we got back purging clothing and shoes from our wardrobe came easy. But I'm convinced that purging, evaluating and organizing is a lifelong process.

Take action
Start collecting compostable kitchen waste, buy a compost keeper (we got ours at Ross for next to nothing)
Request a green waste compost bin from your local refuse
Start composting at home with a tumbling composter
Refuse plastic and paper bags at grocery store
Refuse plastic packaging at the grocery store
Refuse produce and bulk bags at the grocery store
Start upcycling - start to think of things you’d typically discard in a new way and put it to good use!

My Facebook Hiatus Explained

A few weeks ago I found myself at home refreshing Facebook again and again for no good reason. This was after clocking a full eight hours at work, most of which is time spent in front of the computer not to mention the list of household todo's I was procrastinating on. That night I decided to deactivate my Facebook temporarily and start being more productive during my downtime. 

It's been about five weeks since that night and I still don't want to go back on Facebook. I find it refreshing to be off of it and not only have I been more productive but I also get the opportunity to really connect with friends and family by spending time with them or calling to chat. I finally have time for the projects I've been meaning to get to. For once news is still news and not something I read online and pretend to act like I haven't! At first I felt disconnected but now I realize that Facebook stressed me out without really connecting me to the people I'm truly invested in. Now I'm not convinced that this hiatus is temporary, it might have sticking power but time will tell.

If you need more reasons to deactivate your account here are 15 compelling reasons I found yesterday: http://lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com/excellent-reasons-to-quit-facebook

Trash Tally: 8/3 - 10/3

Since getting rid of our trash can after the last trash tally posts we have been collecting the little garbage we produce in this 16oz mason jar.

{2 Months worth of household trash}

Bottle and Cork Wine Events

For the past year and a half we've been attending bottle and cork wine events at La Nebbia Winery in Half Moon Bay. It's a great event to stock up on good wine for a great deal. 

How it works: 

Each year during harvest time wineries predict how many barrels of wine they will produce. There's almost always surplus which is then sold to other wineries at a lower cost. Those wineries in turn can sell it directly to the public by bottling it themselves or allowing costumers to bring in their own bottles to refill with wine. The one catch is the wineries cannot disclose the vintner of the wine but they may share the vintage, varietal and appellation. 

{La Nebbia Winery, inside the barrel room}

Everyone benefits from this, its a win win win! The original winery gets to make an additional profit on the surplus, the 3rd party winery draws costumers and makes a profit with just one day of bottling and staffing for the event and the costumer benefits from the high quality wine at a low price plus if they're concerned about their environmental impact they get to benefit from reusing perfectly good bottles again and again.

Before our first wine event we collected pop-top 750 ml bottles which came from a combination of sparkling french lemonade and organic vodka. When we were done drinking the lemonade and vodka, I rinsed out the bottles with hot water and used a bottle brush for the inside then filled up the shallow basin of the sink with hot water and a touch of castile soap to let the bottles soak and soften the adhesive on the labels. It usually the just slid off after about a 20 minute soak and these labels are recyclable. Then rinsed the inside of the bottles once again with hot water a bit of soap and scrubbed the outside of the bottles clean. After rinsing put bottle upside down to dry completely so mold doesn't form. In some cases if I felt it was necessary I ran the bottles through the dishwasher which cleans the outsides beautifully but the insides not as well. I got wine bottle cleaning tip for the La Nebbia winery website section about the bottle and cork event. We transport our bottles using reusable wine bags that hold six bottles each that you can find these at most grocery stores. Once we had about 30 (or 2 1/2 cases worth) we were ready to refill them with wine. 

{Our pop-top bottles being filled with 2011 Amador County Sangiovese}

These bottle and cork events happen about eight times a year mostly in the fall, winter and spring with one in the summer. Three times a year they offer white wine and the rest are red. A lot of the costs put on to the customer is bottling and transportation both area eliminated with this sustainable style of buying wine. We keep coming back to these events for a few reasons. 

1) We already have collected all the bottles we need so might as well reuse them. 

2) They offer good quality wine at a great price. 

3) It dramatically cuts down on our recycling. 

4) We always have on hand a nice inexpensive bottle of wine to bring as a gift or contribution to a dinner party plus it gives us an opportunity to share about our lifestyle when we do so. 

5) We enjoy having a supply of wine for drinking and cooking plus if a natural disaster occurs we have what we need to survive (I'm joking…kinda). 

At these events if you bring in traditional wine bottles they will label and cork them for you but we always opt out of both. I've also seen people bring in their own custom labels which would be absolutely perfect for a wedding, party or custom Christmas gifts! At just $5 a bottle you can't go wrong, 30 bottles of red wine will last us about 3 months, longer if we cut back on entertaining :). 

Preserving the Summer

Last year I started the tradition of canning tomatoes to use over the winter because a peak season locally grown September tomato tastes a whole lot better than an imported crate ripened one in January. Last year I canned about 20lbs and figured we could use more this year so I purchased about 35lbs, a combination of heirloom and early girl tomatoes. Last year I tried a few different styles of canning, pealed, cored and whole, crushed and diced with skin on. The diced with skin on tomatoes ended up being my favorite because they're only cooked once inside the canning process instead of being blanched first so they seemed much more fresh plus much easier to make so I decided to do all diced tomatoes this year. 

{Ripe organic early girl tomatoes from the Larkspur Farmers Market}

I followed the directions Bea Johnson gives on her Zero Waste Home site with a few of my own variations, I didn't peal or crush mine just cored and diced. First you sterilize the jars by dunking them in boiling water, take them out carefully with tongs and set upside-down to dry on a clean kitchen towel. Then dunk gaskets in to the boiling water for about a half a minute and layout to dry. Fill up 1/2 quart sterilized jars with diced tomatoes to fill line, wipe jar rim clean, place gasket on and close latch. 

Then place closed filled jars in the boiling water for 45 minutes to create seal and weigh down jars with a large rock so they don't knock around. Once the 45 minutes are up turn off the stove, let the water cool a bit and carefully remove the jars with tongs. Set them on a towel to dry and cool down. When the jars were cool I open the latch to make sure the gasket sealed. Store in a cool dark place, I just placed mine in a bottom cupboard to enjoy all winter long! I love using hermetic jars because they're so versatile, pretty and BPA free.

{Diced organic heirloom tomatoes in 1/2 quart le parfait hermetic jar}

I ended up filling 14 1/2 quart jars with diced tomatoes and 3 smaller containers which I froze and still had about 10 lbs of super ripe early girl tomatoes left over. I didn't want them to go to waste so I decided to make another staple we miss because of our less waste lifestyle: tomato paste. We don't buy it because a) it comes in a can which we don't buy because it's wasteful and b) that can is lined with BPA. I scoured the internet looking for recipes and decided to give it a try. 

I roughly chopped the tomatoes and tossed them all in the slow cooker along with about 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 teaspoons of sea salt, using a hand blender I blended all of the tomatoes until it looked like gazpacho. Then with the lid off of the slow cooker I cooked the tomatoes down on low for 8 hours stirring every once in a while. After 8 hours it reduced by about 1/3 but still wasn't anywhere near the consistency or color I was looking for. One of the recipes I read instructed to use a baking sheet and slowly roast the sauce to reduce in to paste. I pushed the reduced tomatoes through a sieve little by little to separate the seeds then poured the tomatoes splitting between two baking sheets. In a 325 degree oven I roasted to tomatoes stirring every 30 minutes in to paste which took about 2 hours and 30 minutes. I then filled up 3 small 7 oz hermetic jars with the paste and canned in a water bath just like I did for the diced tomatoes. 

{Reduced tomato paste}

It was pretty amazing to watch 10 lbs of ripe tomatoes transform in to 3 small jars of paste. I know the concentrated summer tomatoes will add so much flavor to our home cooking all winter long. If I ever find myself with that many extra tomatoes on my hands I will definitely make it again!

{10lbs organic early girl tomatoes reduced to just 3 small jars of tomato paste}

Fruits and Veggies

Years ago I first read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser on a trip to Maui. This sparked my interest and I wanted to learn more about our food system. I began doing research and talking to friends. My sister recommended I look into Michael Pollan books. I read In Defense of Food then Omnivore's Dilemma. With each book I read my knowledge of our corrupt food system broadened. I learned that processed foods lacked nutrition and are ladened with harmful chemicals and preservatives (yuck!). At this time I ate a lot of vegetarian lean cuisine dinners, microwaved in plastic, chock-filled with dozens of unpronounceable ingredients, not to mention the excessive packaging each disposable individually wrapped meal came with. I bought those for the convince, taste and false notion that I was eating 'healthy.' 

I made a decision to be honest with myself and my food choices. After my self education I could no longer be ok with supporting such a corrupt system. Around the same time my coworker told me about this organic vegetable and fruit delivery service called Farm Fresh To You, I signed up online for a weekly box. That was four and a half years ago and we still love the service. Its always exciting to open the box to see what’s inside, its never the same and always a pleasant surprise. In fact I was talking about the produce delivery box with my husband the other day, we realized signing up for that service sparked all of our overall life changes for the better. It took an adjustment period at first, finding time to cook, figuring out what to make with these mysterious new fruits and vegetables and getting in the habit of not wasting this wonderful produce (i.e. letting it go bad in the fridge.) 

We made a deal with each other that we would cancel the box if we wasted any of the produce and it worked! We force ourselves to cook a few times a week and it has benefitted our lives in so many ways. We have become much better cooks, we know how to cook the most obscure veggies available. Out of necessity we've learned about many fruits and veggies that we would have never bought on our own. We eat seasonally, locally and organically while supporting our local farmers. Eating seasonally has also made us more in-tune with our surroundings, we get so much excitement when it's finally heirloom tomato season for example or how the first shipment of bing cherries always signifies the beginning of summer for us. These are life's simple pleasures, eating seasonally helps you appreciate what you have when you have it.

{this is what they sent us last week plus a bunch of parsley}

A few things we love about Farm Fresh To You is the fact they deliver right to your doorstep weekly. They also pick up and reuse the boxes that the produce is delivered in. Since those first shipments our lives have changed a bit, we now get the ‘Capay box’ all the produce in that box is from one farm in Capay Valley. We request no plastic in our box because by default they have a plastic liner. We also get farm fresh organic cage free eggs from the farm in Capay, we place the empty egg carton in the empty cardboard box to be collected for reuse as well. The biggest negatives about our FFTY are the excessive use of twist ties. I used to throw them in the trash which made up most of our trash in the kitchen but now I save them in a jar I’m either going to use them again or return them back to the farm in the mail. I still haven’t decided. Also, on occasion they’ll mess up and send us some plastic, every time they do I call and threaten to cancel. I think they’ve gotten the message =) When that does happen I save the plastic and reuse it.  I still think going to the Farmers Market is the best way to get fresh, local seasonal produce but unfortunately it doesn't fit in to our weekly schedules so this veggie delivery service is the next best thing.