making stock

It's chilly out (41 degrees as of 11:53 am) and my sweetheart's not feeling well, so I'm brewing up a pot of pure healing love. It's really a simple recipe, I learned it from Leda of Leda's Urban Homestead.

It takes a little bit of foresight, or really just having a habit of hoarding. I save up all of my veggie scraps, veggies on the verge (of going bad), and chicken bones and throw them in the freezer. Once there's enough goodness to fill my 12-quart stock pot, in they all go. Bones on the bottom, veggies on top, fill it up with water. The flavor of the stock might vary depending on what I've been stockpiling. This one will be a rich stock filled with whole pieces of spinach, kale, cabbage, scallions, half onions, onion and carrot butts, broccoli stalks, fennel fronds, and the requisite bay leaves and peppercorns. Leda suggests a splash of vinegar to release calcium from the bones. I want it to be as nutrient rich as possible, so I heed this good advice.

After a full day of simmering -- boiling would make it cloudy -- I'll strain out the bulk and then run it through a food mill. This results in two kinds of stock, one clear and one full of pulverized vegetable matter. The former is great for any recipe that calls for broth or stock. The latter makes a great soup all on its own, even better with some chopped carrots and onions and maybe some rice thrown in for good measure.

The aroma is filling our apartment. It's quite comforting. It smells like home.

times coverage of yesterday's seed bombing

Britt Bolnick, her daughter Bella Pagtov Karbownika, 3, and Liz Neves
were among those planting wildflower seeds on Saturday.
Andrea Mohin/The New York Times.

The event made it into the Times, and so did I, though it could be anyone under that black hood above. And I'm the "sustainable living consultant from Prospect Heights" that goes unnamed in the article.

Among the volunteers were a sustainable-living consultant from nearby Prospect Heights, two Italian architects, an industrial designer who rode his bike from Bushwick, and the president of a block association on Greene Avenue.

They carried black canvas bags containing the seeds of 18 types of wildflowers, including sunflowers and cornflowers, black-eyed Susans, lanceleaf coreopsis, sweet williams and none-so-prettys. They also had a handful of what looked like malted milk balls — the volunteers called them “seed bombs” and said they dissolve in the rain, releasing seeds.

Read the rest

Find out what other volunteers had to say at 21st Century Plowshare.

soggy bed-stuy meadow

I had high hopes for this day. The rain was meant to taper off early in the afternoon. I met a friend and her 3-year-old daughter (Bella) at the rendezvous point. We arrived at our destination as the press did. We got our assignment with our zone highlighted on the map. And most importantly, we got our package. A bag full of seed-n-sand and seed bombs.

Maneuvering an umbrella, the bag of seeds, and my camera was pretty much out of the question in the cold April rain. Thus, I have very few pictures for evidence. But I have a feeling tomorrow's news will bring a few that I can "borrow."

We headed out, spreading seeds in sidewalk cracks, untended tree beds, and abandoned yards or lots. A couple of blocks away from the rendezvous I consulted the map. We were heading in the wrong direction. Retracing our steps toward our designated zone, we ran into a reporter from the New York Times. Since at this point, around 11:25 am, we were the only people around on the mission, the press stayed on us. Little Bella and her mom were interviewed by News 12 Brooklyn, and I by the Times.

We were all soaking wet at this point, our hands raw from the seed mix and the inside of the rough canvas bag. The little one was getting restless. We made it a half a block into our intended zone and Bella reached the breaking point. I can't say I was too upset, the cold rain had tired me out, too. This, after only 1 hour of seeding the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn.

(Pictured above, Deborah Fisher of 21st Century Plowshare, event organizer)

Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't luck out with the weather, and that I gave up so early. But April showers bring May flowers. I hope today's shower brings the wildflowers we sowed today.

I also hope that other volunteers had more stamina than we did. There were about 200 confirmed for the event, assigned to 4 different zones in the neighborhood of Bed-Stuy. I'd like to return in a month or two to see what today's effort brings.


View Planting Zones in a larger map

I am optimistic.

With my bag of seeds, I'm going to try again -- this time in my neighborhood -- to cover some abandoned spots and construction lots. Every place could use a little more green.

Who wants to join me?


Related post

beautify bed-stuy, tomorrow!

the end of the affair: final day of the lovefast

Only 1 meal left in my week-long live organic vegan experience (l.o.v.e.) and I'm not sure what happens next.

Tomorrow, as I ease out of the fast, I can make my own food choices again, instead of being fed by a sort-of personal chef. It's been quite a luxury to change my routine and be provided meals without thinking about it.

I've been asked if I'll continue this way of eating, and the answer is yes and no. To all of the vegetarians and vegans out there, sorry to say that I'm not ready to completely give up meat just yet. I think this was a step in the right direction though, to at least let me contemplate what other food choices are out there. I plan to eat less meat and dairy than I already do; I already eat meat only a couple of times a week at this point.

I'm happy to have broadened my horizons and get a little taste of what the raw food world is like. I plan on trying out some raw recipes that have come my way, and to replicate some of the meals that I ate this week.

Consequently, I came across this blog post on Melange defending the raw food lifestyle. It's easy to attack something when we don't have all the facts. Before I even considered this 5-day raw food journey I know that I was a little skeptical about it as well. But there is an abundance of healthful ways to eat raw or live food that one could easily thrive on, as long as they are willing to adapt their way of preparing food and maintaining a balance of nutrition. It's not like raw foodists are just eating carrot sticks all day. It goes way deeper than that. And like I mentioned in a previous post, I think preparing raw food is a very creative outlet, maybe even an art form.

As the old saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. In limiting this one integral aspect of my life for 5 days, I've opened my mind up to so much more.

Thanks to Organic Avenue for preparing such delicious food this week.

If you're curious about raw and/or vegan food, do a little research and give it a try!

beautify bed-stuy, tomorrow!

I can't wait to start throwing those seed bombs! (Rain or shine)

Repost of an oldpost



I've been wanting to throw some seed bombs since I wrote about Green Guerrillas last summer (and maybe even before that). Well now I'm going to have the chance to live the dream, and you can too, if you're interested.

Here's the opportunity -- it's called Bed Stuy Meadow and it's a project being put on by 21st Century Plowshare, who describe themselves as:

... an inspiration-station and resource hub for anyone who wants to deploy environmental actions that matter--actions that prompt an ecstatic recognition of people's surroundings. Do your part! Join the discourse, participate in the actions here and make your own actions happen!

Oh man, if that doesn't make you want to get involved, I don't know what will.

Full details are below. If you want to get in on the action, email them at 21stcenturyplowshare@gmail.com

If you want to make your own seed bomb, get instructions here [via FunTimeHappyGardenExplosion].


Project Description

The goal is to sow wildflower seeds on every single patch of abandoned soil in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bed Stuy this April. By early summer, there should be so many wildflowers growing in the untended treepits, vacant lots, half-built developments and other tiny scraps of neglected soil in Bed Stuy that the whole neighborhood effectively turns into a meadow.

Wildflower seeds are very easy to plant, and they grow well in poor, shallow soils without human attention, so it's going to be relatively easy to make a huge visual impact over the entire neighborhood. The profusion of wildflowers that result from this minimal effort will probably be relentless and visually unifying, and this relentless unity of wildflowers will probably make anyone walking down the street feel good.

I want there to be so many wildflowers on the streets that the summer of 2009 is remembered very fondly every single resident of the neighborhood. I want the continuity of the Meadow to be so strong that Google Earth is compelled to re-photograph Bed Stuy. I want people who don't even live within the five boroughs to visit Bed Stuy for the first time so that they can see the Meadow with their own eyes, and I want people who will never even come to be so inspired by the Bed Stuy Meadow that they make their own amazing neighborhood project and share it on 21st Century Plowshare.

Bed Stuy is a neighborhood of contradictions. There is a lot of crime here, but it's also by far the friendliest neighborhood I have ever lived in. It's got a litter problem and the landscape is dotted with empty lots and condemned houses. But this is also a neighborhood of seriously tended front yards with a rich history of community gardening. Bed Stuy claims as its own Hattie Carthan and the Notorious B.I.G. I think the Meadow is going to work because it doesn't work against what Bed Stuy is. Bed Stuy's low-slung, long-blocked character and the expansiveness of its territory are not like an urban jungle or forest as much as an urban prairie. The effort of the meadow is another chapter in the community gardening history of the neighborhood. Wildflowers are beautiful in the way that the architecture here is beautiful, the way the people who go out of their way to say good morning on the streets here are beautiful. And wildflowers are tough enough to grow wherever the seeds are cast.

double whammy - lovefast day 5

Just as I suspected, as Bikram class was ending last night, something in my body was starting. I won't go into too much detail; let's just say I was being paid a monthly visit. I didn't want to take any drugs to combat the pains I know I'd be feeling once it really kicked in, so when I got home I brewed some ginger tea and slapped a hot water bottle onto my belly. Ah, this works, I thought. I was happy that I didn't have to poison my newly detoxified system with acetaminophen.

But then at around 4:45 this morning I was awakened by the pain. Knowing I couldn't strap the hot water bottle to myself all day, I took the two little pills to get me through the day. A necessary evil that happens only one day a month.

Then this happened: as I was walking down 8th Ave, right after picking up my meals for today (my last day of the raw, vegan fast), I felt a strong tingling tickle inside my nose. AAaaah-AAaaah-choooo!!!

Hello allergy season.

green apple cleaners, in my 'hood!

As I walked, still half asleep, to my subway stop this morning, I noticed a bright green smart fortwo covered in advertisements for Green Apple Cleaners (the non-toxic, CO2 based dry cleaners) parked just by the entrance to the station. Oh, look at that, they're advertising in Brooklyn, I thought.


This shot's is as blurry as my vision was.

I had heard from David Kistner, CEO of Green Apple Cleaners, last year that there would be a Brooklyn store opening this year. For some reason, I imagined it in Brooklyn Heights or Carroll Gardens. But much to my delight, it's right next door in North Park Slope. Hurray!

It's the little things that get me excited. Now I can take all of those delicates, sweaters, and dress shirts out of the "handwash" pile that's been accumulating for months -- I'd been handwashing with The Laundress in lieu of the nasty chem bath of traditional dry cleaners -- and walk on over to the new Green Apple. Oh, happy day!





The new Brooklyn location of Green Apple Cleaners is located at:

78 7th Ave (nr Berkeley)
Park Slope BKLYN



View Larger Map

lovefast and bikram

Now I understand why some people who do Bikram yoga are into raw food. I hadn't been to Bikram in over a week and was curious as to how I would feel being on this detoxifying diet. Before I even got all hot and sweaty, I could see the glow on my face (in Bikram yoga, everyone faces a mirror -- it takes getting used to). I was able to participate in the class at the same level I usually do, but something felt different. Some asanas just seemed a little easier -- mainly camel (Ustrasana, pictured above), seated forward bend (Paschimottanasana), and seated spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana). I guess everything was a little freer to move inside of me, there was little obstruction, so to speak.

I didn't feel weak, I didn't feel hungry. Those were my original fears. Guess there was nothing to worry about.

Related posts

• my l.o.v.e. (live organic vegan experience)
• another reason for l.o.v.e.
• feeling grateful
• day 3 of the lovefast - some pondering

climate prodigy coming to amnh

This coming Tuesday, Alec Loorz, 14, founder of Kids vs Global Warming, will be speaking at the Museum of Natural History. He was trained by Al Gore, and is his youngest US-trained climate presenter. (Not sure why the caveat of "US," Al must be busy training other kids around the globe).

Details on the event below.

And here's a little bit about the non-profit he started, from Alec himself. Spoken like a true 14 year old, and I mean that in a good way.




Tuesday, April 14, 1 pm
American Museum of Natural History
Kaufmann Theater, first floor

Alec Loorz, a 14-year-old from Ventura, California, founded Kids vs. Global Warming, a youth-inspired and youth-led non-profit organization, two years ago, after watching Al Gore’s movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Feeling the weight of the global situation and a sense that he could make a difference, Alec became an impassioned environmentalist with a desire to educate kids about global warming and empower them to take action. In this talk at AMNH, Alec will share his message of hope with an audience of students and Museum visitors. He will suggest ways for kids to get involved in protecting the environment. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.

Last October, Alec was invited by Al Gore to be formally trained with The Climate Project and is now their youngest U.S.-trained presenter. Following this presentation at the Museum, Alec will be speaking at the United Nations during the upcoming “Global Partners for Global Solutions” conference on April 15.

lovefast day 4

Sorry this picture is all a-blur.

I'm high on raw, vegan spicy burrito. This stuff is amazing! (and I feel incredible).

Spicy Burrito: Lentils, parsnip, cilantro, oregano, coriander, jalapenos, cumin, chipotle, olive oil, lime juice, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coconut, walnuts, sage, miso, bell peppers, flax seed, lemon juice, chili powder, black pepper, mesquite, sea salt

If you live in NYC and want to try it out, head on down to Organic Avenue, now at two locations:

LES
101 Stanton St (btw Orchard and Ludlow)

WV
43 Eighth Ave (btw Jane and Horatio)


The lovefast continues...

i think my cable's out by i don't care, except...

Last night I got home and there was a big fat goose egg on the display of the cable box. Didn't bother me any 'cause I haven't turned the TV on since my boyfriend's been in LA all week. Until now. I just read that there's a PBS special on Appalachia tonight. What's so special about that?

Well, for one: The Appalachians are the nation's oldest and the world's most biologically diverse mountains. Really? Go on!

The Appalachians are at risk for more mountaintop removal coal mining if the hungry coal machines aren't stopped. Find out more about this topic at iLoveMountains.org

Too bad I won't be able to watch the series, but I can read about it on the website.

Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People
Airs tonight @10pm on PBS
Check your local listings!


Thanks to Rob Perks on the NRDC Switchboard for the tip off.

buzzin' and a-bumblin'

I feel all abuzz and I'm going to thank the lovefast for it.

I'm also feeling buzzed 'cause the bees in NYC are getting some new attention. I've mentioned before that beekeeping is illegal in this crazy city... even pointed readers in the direction of a petition to make raising the little pollinators legal.

Well Brooklyn Based blog (3 bees!) has done me one better. Read all about the secret beekeeping societies popping up in NYC -- started, of course, in the bee-lovin' borough of Brooklyn! And find out how you can learn to be a beekeeper and reap the benefits of a honey harvest from your very own hush-hush hive.

Thanks, Brooklyn Based!

john masters awesome lotion

John Masters Organics Blood Orange & Vanilla Body Milk
Get on it, and get it on you!

Rich and silky with a scrumptious scent of blood orange and vanilla. What else is there to say other than, this lotion is awesome!

I guess I could also tell you that it's made with nothin' but the good stuff. See fo' yo'self:

Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera leaf juice) gel,* aqua (water), helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil,* coco nucifera (coconut) oil,* glyceryl stearate, glycerin, lecithin, allantoin (comfrey-derived), panthenol (vitamin B5), tocopherol, cyamopsis tetragonolobus (guar) gum,* retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), xanthan gum, kelp extract, silybum marianum (milk thistle) extract, symphytum officinale(comfrey) leaf extract,* chamomilla recutica (chamomile) flower extract,* camellia sinensis (white tea) extract,* arnica montana (arnica) extract,* lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower/leaf/ stem extract,* vanilla planifolia (vanilla) extract,* lonicera caprifolium (honeysuckle) flower extract, citrus sinensis (blood orange) oil,* citrus grandis (grapefruit) peel oil,* bourbon vanilla planifolia (bourbon vanilla) oil*

*Certified Organic by QAI/CCOF
Wild-crafted
Ingredients and products are never tested on animals.

It may be a luxury for some at $18 for 8 oz, but ya gotta pamper yourself once in a while.