A new kind of Christmas tree

When we were in Montreal last month, we biked up a mountain (less impressive than it sounds - not a very steep grade), and at the top was, in addition to a breathtaking view of the city, a series of interesting gardens. One idea that caught our eye was a simple teepee-like structure that was built from sticks and vines.



We've got a lot of that type of material in our yard, as we are adjacent to a woods. So on Thanksgiving day, Tom, Molly and Tommy built our own structure from sticks and some invasive vines we found in the woods. We used tufts of goldenrod as 'ornaments.' We also attached lights for illumination at night.

Making stock from scraps

A number of months ago Ayliffe and Mitzi introduced the group to a new way of making soup stock using vegetable scraps. The process is actually quite simple: Every time you find yourself with parts of your vegetables that you don't use, like broccoli stems or potato peelings, instead of putting them into your compost, stick them in a freezer bag (gallon size), and keep it in the freezer. When the bag is full, put it into a stock pot, and fill the pot with enough water to cover the vegetables (about 18 cups for us). Put the pot on the smallest burner you have, on low. It will take a long time for the water to heat up, but keep it below a simmer for about 2 hours (you don't want foam to develop). Check it at the 2 hour mark, stir it a bit, and then check it about every 1/2 hour after that, for a total of about 4 hours. Pour it into a strainer that is over a large bowl. Compost the vegetables now. Then, you can make your favorite soup from this stock. You can also do this with chicken carcasses.

Anyway, Tom and I have been experimenting with this, and the results have been superb. I don't think I have ever eaten soup this good before, and the stock makes all the difference. And it's a great way to use your (clean) vegetable scraps.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Training the Neighbors

Many of you may know that Tom and I begin to gather our neighbors' leaves this time of year to put on our woodsy area in our backyard. It serves as a good mulch and provides rich nutrition to the soil. Right now is prime gathering time but we are currently distracted by 2 things: the Green Garage work, and our recent vacation up north. So we haven't been able to take the short drive around the neighborhood yet to rob our neighbors of their organic gold. I'm sure they're disappointed because it has to be great fodder for neighborly conversations for months to come. Anyway, we arrived home from vacation late Monday night, and Tuesday morning while I was sipping my tea waiting for the sun to rise, I saw some forms out in the garden that I couldn't quite place. Was it a deer sleeping out there? As the sky lightened, I saw that our considerate neighbors behind us had taken their leaf bags and deposited them in our garden, knowing that we needed them. I think I'll take them over some cookies, and hope they spread the word. Maybe next year ALL of our neighbors will make a donation, saving us the effort of even going out. And that, folks, is how you train your neighbors.

Biking in the Cold Weather

At our last Tuesday meeting, we talked about biking in cold weather. In this video, Tom describes the process of preparing for his morning bike commute.