SLM - The Bucket

For this week's instalment of Sustainable Living Mondays, I bring you the bucket. We keep a bucket in our shower and then use the grey water that collects (as well as water from the salad spinner, unfinished glasses of water, etc) to water our plants. One bucket (10L) is enough for our medium sized container garden. An oldy, but a goody.

Sustainable Living Mondays

What does mean exactly, you ask? Well, it's a new feature that I've decided to add to the blog. Every Monday, I will post something that relates to sustainable living. It might be something that Aren and I are doing, a cool product or idea I found somewhere else or it might come from you! I am interested in things/ideas/products that are; local, well made, repurposed, minimally processed and packaged. I have decided to do this not to be all righteous but simply to share information, keep a record for myself of good ideas and perhaps inspire more thoughtfulness about the choices we make everyday.


For this inaugural post, I bring you jam. This weekend I made my first batch of jam ever. Now growing up, my sister and I helped my mom can a ton of stuff every summer (seriously: peaches, cherries, apricots, corn, meat, chicken, 3 kinds of pickles, tomatoes, 3 kinds of jam) so I had an idea of how to do it but had never been the one in charge. Making your own jam is an easy way to eat local (mainly, as organic raw sugar and lemons do not grow in the GTA) throughout the year. Imagine being able to taste early summer strawberries in February. I am so looking forward to that!

I used Orangette's recipe from Bon Appetit. I used thrifted jars and strawberries from the farmer's market. It takes awhile but isn't very hard. Most importantly, it's super delicious! Not too sweet and pure strawberry goodness. The texture is a little soft but I don't mind. I don't actually like the super pectined jam that's practically solid. Next time, I will experiment with adding some apple or green berries which both naturally contain a lot of pectin to it jells just a little more.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for this segment and if you make the jam. I'm going to make apricot and raspberry next.

fluffy

The first peonies of the season (from our front yard).


+ These shoes make my heart flutter (via hfha)

100th post and dinner

I made this (I subbed in asparagus for bok choy and chives for scallions. I also added strips of nori cuz I can't get enough of the stuff) for dinner tonight and it was super good. I have looking for the perfect tofu marinade, you know a good mix of salt, garlicky, spicy, doesn't require 10 thousand ingredients that you ditch at the end. This is it. I think what makes it genius is the grated ginger and the brown sugar. Next time, I think I will add some lime zest for a new variation.

Anyone else have any new favorite recipes?

I also just realized it's my 100th post. I think a small giveaway might be in order. Leave a comment by 9:00am Friday and I will randomly select someone. What will it be? I'm not sure but something nice and handmade.

my heart wanders

My submission to My Heart Wanders.

may i suggest a popsicle?

The other day, I found a popsicle mould like the one we had growing up in a funny restaurant supply store on College St. My siblings and I delighted in making popsicles whenever we could. Of course, we just poured juice from the fridge into the moulds and put them in the freezer but we felt like we were really making a treat for ourselves.

First round many years later: lemonade. So refreshing. I am excited about using fresh juices and fruits. How good would watermelon be?

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+ Good things from The Workroom: City Limits fabric, the best seam ripper ever (Karyn ordered it in for me) and iced mint tea. Perfect for this h.o.t. weather we are having.

+ These photographs are amazing, I wish I could see them in real life (via mav).

the light was so beautiful this morning

i <3 nyc

We just got back from a week in New York City. It was great, despite being scammed out of our accommodation right before we left. Thank goodness for family and the kindness of strangers.

Non-New York related items:
+ I love these Girard Flor carpet tiles.
+ This shop in Paris looks amazing (via Abigail Percy, all of her Paris coverage is great).
+ I have actually been doing mending! The power of the Internet, I tell you. Photos to follow soon.