The Old Pine Tree

Well, we’re over three weeks in.

The color is staying pretty consistent. The texture is crunchy and still a little rubbery which indicates that it is not done yet. The flavor right now is very similar to store bought, which in some ways is a good thing and indicates it is working properly. I’m starting to think that by making it in a fermentation jar like this as opposed to a crock you lose out on the dynamics you can achieve in the flavor. This is definitely a good method if you live in a small warm apartment like I do, but I don’t think I will be giving up on the crock method.

I will let it work for another few weeks and see if the flavor deepens.

I have been hearing this term “the dirty dozen” referring to the 12 foods you should always buy organic because conventional types have greater concentrations of pesticides/chemicals and absorb more of them (which means you can’t just wash it off). I wanted to post the list for you fine folks.

Apples
Bell peppers
Blueberries
Celery
Cherries
Grapes
Kale
Nectarines
Peaches
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries

I read that some items change each year because food is tested annually and the list is adjusted accordingly. I have to admit I was surprised by some of these. It isn’t an intuitive list which is why it’s good to have it. For example, I would have thought thick skinned peppers and hearty kale were more resistant (I should note that in the past kale did not make the list, which is a sign of how main-stream agriculture is continually changing to embrace pesticides and chemicals). The other reason I like having this list is because it’s not always affordable to buy organic (coming from a graduate student), and this enables you to know which food you shouldn’t compromise on.

Don’t even bother dragging that groundhog out of his hole next week.

“LePage also wants to reverse a vote taken by the state Board of Environmental Protection to phase out the use of bisphenol A in children’s products, and rely instead on federal standards. The chemical is a plastic hardener, used in food containers, baby bottles and cups, that has been linked to cancer, obesity and learning disabilities. The BEP vote awaits authorization by the Legislature.”

“Sean Mahoney, executive director of the Maine Conservation Law Foundation, said some of LePage’s proposals may not be legal.”

As I work towards my Masters in Community Planning and Development so that I can begin a career in environmental policy to help protect Maine’s natural resources, the recent events are literally heart breaking to me. How does a person who receives much less than a majority vote suddenly get to undo generations of hard work to protect our environment? Here is a man who outright refused for days to meet with the NAACP on MLK Jr day, now also lightening regulations on a chemical that has been shown to produce learning disabilities in young children and linked to cancer. What can we even do?

Can I say effing on Tumblr?

The last winter I spent in Maine was 2002. I was 17.

Monday’s forecast says “Dangerous wind chills may approach -25F”. Hello. I don’t even know what -25 feels like. I mean, I probably did when i was six and those kind of temperatures were normal for January in Maine, but we’ve been experiencing this climate change thing for a while now, and I can’t really fathom -25F.

From the Portland Press Herald: “We have an arctic air mass coming down,” said Mike Kistner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. “It’s probably the coldest air we’ve seen here in a couple years … You have to be careful in that weather.”

Awesome. Welcome back to friggin’ Maine. And to make it even better the almanac (which predicted a cold winter) predicts a rainy summer. So excited to have one of those again.

Eff.

local NBC just said “the snow’s still coming down at a pretty good clip right now” Those storm center guys in their tacky sweaters. Gotta love it!

Last night I watched the movie Absurdistan on instant Netflix. What a charming, adorable movie. I highly recommend it. I rarely rate movies 5 stars, but I didn’t even hesitate with this one.

Sometimes you have to eat all the homemade spanakopita in 24 hours. Especially when you accidentally forget to put egg in it and it came out even better which is awesome because you hate eggs.

Song of the week: Boots of Spanish Leather by Nanci Griffith (originally written/recorded by Bob Dylan)

This time of year I start to get pretty lazy. Here in the Northeast we are officially getting some bitter winter cold. I’m recovering from plantar fasciitis, a foot injury from running too hard, so I haven’t been going to the gym. Instead I have been doing yoga, putting together routines from free videos on www.yogatic.com. Yoga classes get more expensive every year, and these are a nice alternative if you can’t get motivated to leave the house on a cold day or need to give your wallet a break.

The best part is choosing different videos depending on what kind of mood I’m in and creating my own unique practice.

I tried a taste of the week old kraut today. Flavor is really nice. I think it is maturing more quickly than when done in the crock. Could be due to the warm apartment. Fermentation jar seems to be working like a charm. I think tomorrow I will add a bit of extra brine just to keep it moist.

I first introduced you to homemade salad dressing here. But really, I’ve been holding out on you. I make a very simple balsamic dressing that will really surprise you.

Ingredients:
Balsamic vinegar
olive oil
honey (don’t use raw honey, use the more fluid “regular” kind)

pour however much olive oil you want for your salad. Add about half a spoonful of honey, mix it around a little. Add balsamic vinegar (half the amount of the oil you used). Now this is important. *whisk* the dressing.

This blends the honey and thickens the olive oil. I twist the whisk back and forth between my hands. a slight froth will develop. Pour over salad immediately. If the dressing settles, wisk again before using. mix thoroughly with salad (it is particularly enjoyable with organic baby spinach), and enjoy!