Carrot Tops Pesto

The other night I came home with a bunch of carrots from the farmer's market. Not surprisingly, they came with a whole bunch of carrot tops. It would've been such a waste to throw away those beautiful deep-green tops, so I googled for recipes. What caught my eye is that you can actually make pesto from your carrot tops, who knew? So tonight I made it and LOVED IT! I would definitely make it again. In fact, why stop there?

Why not to try to make pesto from kale or even other leafy greens. I always look for recipes to use the greens, so I am happy to add this recipe to my collection.

Here is how I made it:

First, I sorted through the greens, throwing away wilted leaves. Then, I cut the leaves off the stems and washed them, changing the water several times. I then boiled the leaves for 1 minutes and drained them (make sure you drain them well, otherwise you'll get a lot of water in your pesto). Pulsed in a food processor with some raw garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I didn't have any cheese or nuts, so I didn't add those, but it still came out pretty delicious! Use it as a topping for your vegetables, spread it on the bread or eat it with pasta....

What to do with all those left-over Wine Corks?

• Make beautiful cork place holders for your next dinner party.
• Make a trivet/hot plate. You can even use an old picture frame for your project.
• Make a cork bulletin board.
• Cork castle anyone? Or cork trolls? Great idea if you have kids!
• How about cork ornaments with halved paper clips shoved into one end of the cork and attached to ornament hangers? Again, if you have kids, they can even decorate them! See this link for some ideas on decorating.
• Or Christmas Decorations - using a needle and fishing line, string your corks together, use dried cranberries or other colorful additions to separate corks.
• Use them as Floor Savers - slice the cork into small disks and attach to the bottom of furniture to protect the floors.
• Use corks as Pin Holders - placed near your bulletin board for pins and tacks.
• Did you know that you can compost natural wine corks (not the synthetic ones!).

Check this link for some great ideas and suggestions.

Any other uses you can think of?

Inexpensive Furniture Finds

I am always amazed at how others are able to find some good and inexpensive or even free furniture pieces by looking for deals at sites such as Craigslist or Freecycle, or even visiting a local thrift store or Goodwill. Not only you're saving money by doing so, but you're also recycling old furniture - i.e. being "green" which is a huge plus in my book - these are the pieces that someone may have just thrown away but instead they find a new home. With a little sanding, painting, replacement of hardware, etc., these pieces become beautiful gems and look like new. If you don't believe me, check out these finds:

• a nightstand that Kristen (from The Frugal Girl) found on Freecycle for free
• a dresser that Sherry and John (from Young House Love) found on Graigslist for only $20
• an old chair re-upholstered by Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl
• or another chair Brittany from Pretty Handy Girl found on the curb for free
• how about this totally fab mirror (a Craigslist buy for $25) and the bench (another Craigslist purchase for $20) at Refinish-It-All
• and even more furniture finds at DIY by Design: Trash to Treasure

I can't wait until we get a new place so that I can do some shopping of my own!

"Green" Rebates and Incentives

For hybrid vehicles rebates, visit FuelEconomy.gov.

For Federal Energy Star Program, visit EnergyStar.gov.

For more rebates and incentives, visit Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE), or National Grid.

If you qualify, check out New York Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program.

Indoor Plants Clean Air

You can get a cleaner air in your home or office by simply getting a couple of houseplants. Some plants such as lady palm, areca palm, English ivy, golden pothos and rubber plant are very good at reducing indoor air pollutants. Aim for at least 2 plants per 100 square feet.

Organic Gardening

Did you know that you can add used coffee grounds to your acid-loving plants (such as tomatoes and blueberries) for added nutrition?

Or, check out this article on how to use left-over egg shells in your organic garden.

NYC Grows

Experience New York City's gardening event of the season - spend the day learning about innovations in gardening, urban farming, organic cooking and sustainable living at this outdoor, family-friendly festival celebrating all things green in the Big Apple. Events are gardening and tree-planting workshops, organic cooking demonstrations, greenmarket with locally grown produce, eco-friendly products, hands-on urban farming activities, interactive demonstrations, free giveaways and live musical performances... Visit the site for more information.

Seeds for your garden

Save $5.00 on your $30 order from www.burpee.com.

Use coupon code FS53 at checkout. Expires May 31, 2010. Excludes shipping and handling.

Green & Organic Laundry Tips

• Make bright colors pop by adding 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle.
• Add a single aspirin to your machine load of laundry to keep whites from getting dingy.
  

Green Cleaning

A couple of years ago, we made a decision to become a "green" household. We recycle, conserve, re-use and buy local & organic food as much as possible. We even attempted to grow our own organic vegetables on the balcony. And we also switched to eco-friendly green cleaning products as an alternative to the conventional toxic cleaning products. The best part is that you can find most of these ingredients in your cupboard...

Here are some basic earth-friendly ingredients to stock up on and make your own cleaners for less:
1. Baking soda
2. Borax
3. Distilled white vinegar
4. Hydrogen peroxide
5. Lemons
6. Olive oil
7. Vegetable-based castile soap
8. Washing soda

IN THE BATHROOM:

Lemon Oil:
Wipe down or spray a small amount on glass shower doors. The lemon oil penetrates deeper and loosens the dirt. If needed, follow up with any other eco-friendly cleaner. Rinse well to get rid of excess oil. Dry surface and wipe with a cloth treated with a very small amount of lemon oil to prevent future hard water stain build-up. ONLY use a very small amount of oil and avoid making the tub/floor slippery.

Hydrogen Peroxide:
Apply to dislodge mildew and mold - remember to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. Let it soak for 5 minutes and scrub with a grout brush (I just use an old toothbrush) and rinse.

IN THE KITCHEN:

Lemon Oil:
Use lemon oiled cloth to wipe the microwave to clean grease and fingerprints.

General Household Cleaner:
Mix together 1 tsp liquid soap, 1 tsp borax, a squeeze of lemon, and 1 quart of warm water.

General Disinfectant:
Mix together 1/4 cup borax and 1/2 gallon hot water.

Windows Cleaner:
Mix together 2 tsp vinegar and 1 quart warm water. Or, 2 tablespoons borax and 3 cups water.

Air Freshener:
Mix together 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice, and 2 cups hot water. Spritz from a spray bottle.

To find out what will work best for any cleaning job, Google "green cleaning recipes" and get scrubbing!

How to recycle your CFL bulbs

We have been slowly replacing our old lightbulbs with energy-saving Compact Fluorescent lightbulbs. Today, our first CFL burned. Since CFLs contain mercury (look for symbol Hg on the lightbulb to confirm whether it contains mercury or not), they CANNOT be disposed in your regular garbage. Click on the link here to learn how to dispose of your used not-broken CFLs.

Growing Basil

This year we grew some organic basil on our balcony and were surprised to find out how much basil you can get from a small container. It amazes me that the store-bought basil costs at least $2.99 but does not taste nearly as good as your own grown basil. Now that we are drowning in basil, I started to research the recipes we can make with all that basil… First thing came to mind is pesto! Just throw some basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor and pulse until smooth.

Here is the recipe for pesto:
Homemade Pesto

Here are some other recipes in which pesto can be used:
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Pesto Pasta Salad
Black Olive-Pesto Pinwheels
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Butter
Mediterranean Pizza

3 Reasons to Ban the Plastic Bottle

Waste: It is estimated that annually 22 billion empty plastic bottles are thrown in the trash in the United States. Can you imagine what would happen to our planet if we don’t cut down on all that plastic waste?

Save money: Tap water is just as a clean and safe to drink as bottled water, and it is free. Think of it this way – before plastic bottles were invented, people did not die of thirst. The only investment you may wish to make is (1) filtration system for your faucet and (2) safe reusable water bottle.

• To further minimize lead concentration in your tap water, before using it for drinking and cooking, run the cold water for a minute until it is as cold as it can get. This will flush out the water that has been sitting around for awhile so lead concentration won't be as high (the longer that water sits in pipes, the greater the exposure to lead). Also, use only cold water for drinking and cooking since hot water dissolves lead more quickly than cold water.
• If you are still concerned, call your local water utility company to find out contamination levels at your water source. The Environmental Protection Agency tests for 84 different contaminants, including the carcinogenic trihalomethane chlorine by-products. Compare your local contamination levels to national standards by calling the U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).

Plastic bottles are not safe: #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is the most common resin used in disposable bottles. Although the #1 bottles are safe if only used once, if they are reused (as they commonly are), they leach chemicals such as DEHA, a possible human carcinogen, and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), a potential hormone disruptor. Also, because the plastic is porous you'll likely get a swill of harmful bacteria with each gulp if you reuse #1 plastic bottles.

For more information, check out Take Back the Tap campaign launched by a non-profit Food and Water Watch. Another website with a wealth of information is Filter for Good.

See this article on How to Choose a Water Bottle, and here are some suggestions on reusable bottles:

• Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottle. Both me and my fiance have Kleen Kanteen bottles, we absolutely love them!
• Sigg water bottles
  
• Nalgene bottles

Go Green on a Budget

1. Switch your light bulbs
Replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) - not only these bulbs will last longer, but they also use less energy and will reduce your electric bills.
2. "Kill vampires"
Plug your electrical appliances into surge protectors that allow you to cut the juice with the flip of a switch. Did you know that displays on your TVs, DVD players, stereos, and electric toothbrush docks continue to glow even when “off.” Annual savings are estimated at $200.
3. Save on postage
Pay your bills online and you will save on the stamps and eliminate paper waste.
4. Shop at the farmers market
You will get fresher produce that didn’t require a lot of gas to transport from across the country or from another continent. To find a farmers market near you, use your zip code to search Local Harvest.
5. Take public transportation
Or consider a car-sharing program such as Zipcar or Ucarshare. Companies in some cities have cars that you rent by the hour, so you have a car only when you need one. You pay either an hourly rate or a flat rate for the day. The cost includes insurance, gas, and miles.
6. Recycle your electronics and donate your used clothes and you will get a tax deduction.
7. Avoid paper waste
Don’t use paper plates, plastic utensils or paper cups. Use a travel mug for coffee or tea instead of paper cups.
8. Avoid plastic waste
Don’t buy bottled water. Install water filters on your faucets or use Brita filters and buy a stainless steel water bottle. See my post on reasons to ban the plastic bottles.
9. Avoid more plastic waste
Use reusable shopping bags instead of plastic grocery bags. Or you can reuse those plastic bags to serve as garbage bags in smaller garbage bins.
10. Grow your own vegetables or herbs on your window or balcony
Save money and help to fight global warming by eating food that did not require transportation.
11. Save water
Turn off the water when brushing your teeth.