http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/index/ Culmeta - Gourmet Cookware and Cutting Boards en inquiries@culmeta.com Copyright 2010 2010-07-21T20:54:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/dont_have_a_garden_you_can_still_pick_your_own/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/dont_have_a_garden_you_can_still_pick_your_own/#When:20:54:00Z You can get the freshest, local, seasonal produce when you pick your own. It’s a great activity to do with children because it helps them to get to understand that food doesn’t really come from the grocery store. There’s dirt and hard work involved in growing food. But, kids aren’t necessary. Sometimes its fun to go out and hand pick each and every apple, peach or strawberry that’s going to become one of the best tasting pies or some sweetest jam you’ve ever had.

To find a pick your own farm in your area, PickYourOwn.org makes it really easy. From their website you can search your state or your county for farms that allow you to come in and pick your own. You can even easily pick out organic farms because they are highlighted in green. You’ll also find information about what’s in season right now.

If you decide to give picking your own food straight from the farm a chance, here are some tips.

• Go early in the morning when the sun isn’t so high. Fields can get very hot during the day, and you’ll enjoy the experience more if your not hurrying through it to get out of the heat.
• Wear a hat with a brim if you’re concerned about too much sun on your face.
• Bring water in a reusable water bottle to drink while you’re in the fields.
• Take your own container. Most pick your own farms will weigh the container before you begin picking so that when they weigh your final tally, you won’t pay for the weight of your container. Most places will have containers for sale, but welcome your own containers, too. If your taking kids along, give them small beach buckets for their picking.
• Don’t treat the fields like a buffet. Many farms don’t mind if you eat a berry or two while your picking, but that should be the extent. Every piece of fruit or vegetable you eat comes at the farm's expense.
• Have some idea before you go for how you’ll use your bounty when you get it home. That way you’ll pick enough for all you want to make.

Image: Hakuroam
]]> 2010-07-21T20:54:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/earth_friendlier_kitchen_tips/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/earth_friendlier_kitchen_tips/#When:23:34:00Z • If you can manage with less light in the kitchen, remove a light bulb or two from your overhead light fixture. You’ll use less electricity and go through fewer light bulbs.
• Cook double meals. If you’re making a lasagna, make two. Freeze the second one, and all you’ll need to do is defrost and reheat on another night. It doesn’t take any more energy to cook two lasagnas than it does to cook one lasagna, and it takes less energy to reheat it than it would to cook one from scratch.
• Be wise with your water. Save the water from cooking vegetables or pasta (but not meat) to water your indoor or outdoor plants. The nutrients that leached from the food into the water will be good for your plants. Make sure the water is cool first before you use it for the plants.
• Use rags instead of paper towels. They can be thrown in the wash with a load of bathroom towels when dirty so it doesn’t really take any extra energy to wash them.
• Eat leftovers so the energy used to produce the food and cook it doesn’t end up being wasted.
• If you can cook something in the toaster oven instead of the big oven, do it. The toaster oven uses a lot less energy, and it often cooks more quickly. Treehugger reports that toaster oven use about half the energy of a conventional oven.
• Compost your food scraps instead of sending them to the landfill where they’ll create methane gas or down the garbage disposal where you’ll use energy and water to dispose of them. When you compost food and use the compost in a garden, you return valuable nutrients to the ground.
• Don’t forget to unplug energy sucking appliances when they aren’t in use.

Image: dutchgrub]]> 2010-07-08T23:34:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/getting_the_most_bang_for_your_organic_buck/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/getting_the_most_bang_for_your_organic_buck/#When:23:15:00Z
Image: Bruce TutenNo. One of the top reasons that people choose organic food is to reduce their exposure to harmful chemical and pesticide residues that are part of many conventionally grown foods. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew which fruits and vegetables contained the most harmful residues? Then, you could chose to spend the extra money for them in their organic form and buy those fruits and vegetables with less harmful amounts of residues in their conventional form.

Fortunately, The Environmental Working Group has done the legwork on this one. They’ve created a list of common fruits and vegetables and listed them according to their residue load. The twelve foods with the most harmful residue have become known as “The Dirty Dozen.” The fifteen foods with the least have been dubbed “The Clean Fifteen.”

Using this list, which has recently been revised for 2010, shoppers can make more informed choices. They can chose to spend a little extra money for The Dirty Dozen in organic form. If there isn’t any extra money, they can forgo buying those twelve foods and eat the fifteen cleanest foods.

Here’s the new Dirty Dozen list for 2010.

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes

And here’s the Clean Fifteen.

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn (frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe (domestic)
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potatoes
15. Honeydew

For the full list, visit Foodnews.org. Go forth and shop wisely.



]]> 2010-06-02T23:15:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/iphone_apps_that_help_you_eat_healthier_and_more_responsibly/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/iphone_apps_that_help_you_eat_healthier_and_more_responsibly/#When:17:10:00Z Seafood Watch – Knowing which seafood is sustainable and which is not when you’re staring at the seafood counter at the grocery store can be confusing. This app from Montery Bay Aquarium can help you make responsible choices. An easy system of rating seafood by Best Choice, Good Alternative or Avoid helps you make decisions on the spot. You’ll be able to instantly see, for example, that Atlantic Halibut should be avoided while Pacific Halibut is a Best Choice.

Don’t Eat That! – Ever wonder what all those long named ingredients are on the back of a box of crackers you’re about to buy? Now you can know, and know if they are ingredients you want in the food you eat. The Don’t Eat That! app is an alphabetical list of hundreds of ingredients with information about each one.

Locavore – Want to know what’s in season locally right now? How about where the nearest farmers market is when you’re on vacation? The Locavore app has that information and more.

Eat This, Not That – When you’re at a restaurant staring at the menu, it’s almost impossible to know what the healthiest choices are. The Eat This, Not That app lets you know that the Full Strawberry Poppyseed Salad is a great choice on the Panera Bread menu, but the Full Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Salad is something you might want to avoid.

Food News – The Environmental Working Group has rated fresh fruits and vegetables based on the amount of pesticides found in them. The worst 12 offenders have been dubbed “The Dirty Dozen,” and consumers are urged to always buy them in their organic form. This app simply lists all the fruits and vegetables that were rated in order, and is a quick handy guide at the produce stand or grocery store.

Related on Culmeta
5 Great Cooking Apps for your iPhone or Blackberry]]> 2010-05-12T17:10:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/40_ideas_for_earth_days_40th_anniversary/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/40_ideas_for_earth_days_40th_anniversary/#When:04:13:00Z In the Kitchen

1. Use rags instead of paper towels.
2. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
3. Don’t leave the water running constantly in the sink if you’re washing dishes by hand.
4. Collect water in a pitcher when running it to get it hot. Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator for cool drinking water.
5. Use the cooking water from vegetables, beans, or pasta (but never meat) to water indoor and outdoor plants. Make sure the water cools first.
6. Go meatless one day a week.
7. Compost your food scraps.
8. Cook small items in the toaster oven instead of the large oven.
9. Save your bread ends in a bag in the freezer, and make fresh or dry breadcrumbs when you’ve accumulated a bunch.
10. Eat leftovers for breakfast so they don’t go to waste. There’s no law that says breakfast has to be cereal or pancakes.

In the Garden

11. Grow a row for someone else. Donate your extra garden produce to a food shelter.
12. Start your seeds in containers you would otherwise throw away like yogurt cups or butter tubs.
13. Water early in the morning so the water doesn’t burn off quickly and get wasted.
14. Put up a fence to keep out the critters – don’t use harmful chemicals to keep the bunnies away from your parsley.
15. Save seeds from your best plants to use for next year.

In the Bathroom

16. Install a low flow shower head.
17. Fix leaky faucets.
18. Buy toilet paper made from 100% recycled material.
19. Turn the water off in the sink when you’re brushing your teeth or shaving.
20. Keep your showers down to five minutes.

In the Laundry Room

21. Use cold water only in the clothes washer.
22. Change the amount of water based on the size of each load.
23. Switch to an eco-friendlier laundry detergent.
24. Recycle your detergent containers.
25. Use a cup of hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach in the laundry to whiten and disenfect clothes.
26. Hang you laundry outside to dry.
27. Figure out exactly how long it takes you to dry certain loads in the dryer, then use only the needed amount of time.
28. Clean out the lint trap regularly and change the hose twice a year for better energy efficiency.
29. Ditch the dryer sheets.
30. Wear clothes until they are actually dirty before you launder them.

In the Home Office

31. Plug all electronics into a power strip and turn everything off when not in use.
32. Recycle paper after using both sides.
33. Change the lightbulbs in the office to CFL’s.
34. Reuse file folders, rubberbands, paper clips, and other office supplies.
35. Donate or sell working old electronic equipment so it doesn’t go unused and dispose of unusable electronics (e-waste) properly.

With Your Entertaining

36. Send out e-vites instead of paper invitations.
37. Serve beer from a keg instead of disposable cans or bottles.
38. Don’t throw plastic knives, forks and spoons away. Wash and reuse.
39. Serve some in-season, local foods and support your local farmer.
40. Make recycling easy for your guests with easily accessible, clearly marked receptacles.
]]> Environmental 2010-04-22T04:13:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/kitchen_recycling_go_beyond_glass_and_cans/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/kitchen_recycling_go_beyond_glass_and_cans/#When:02:50:00Z #1 or #2 on the bottom. Through these programs, you’re able to recycle a good amount of waste that is generated in the kitchen, but not all of it. For some of those items that your recycling program doesn’t take, here are some ideas for reusing and recycling them.


Image: Living in Monrovia#5 plastics such as yogurt containers or deli containers

• Use them as planters for seedlings. Drill drainage holes in the bottom, fill them with organic potting soil, and start vegetables, herbs and flowers for the spring.
• Use the deli containers with lids to store dry items that you buy in bulk like rice, dry beans, and whole grains. You can write the names of the items on the clear plastic containers, too, because sometimes they are difficult to tell apart.
• If you’d like to recycle #5 plastics, check out Earth911’s recycling search feature. Input “#5 plastics” and your zip code, and the site will lead you to the closest recycling center.

Cereal/cracker box liners

• Use them like wax paper. Cut them along the seams and place them between layers of cookies in a tin or between burger patties that are to be frozen. Save all of your waxy box liners and you’ll never have to buy wax paper again.
• Wrap unused portions of fresh bread in them, then place that in a saved sandwich bread or other plastic bag, close and put in the freezer. You won’t need to use a store bought zipper freezer bag.

Coffee grounds

• Add coffee grounds to compost. There are many benefits to adding your nitrogen rich grounds.
• Add them straight to the soil around plants that like acid. You’ll see a perk up to the plants in a day or two.
• Remove garlic or onion odor from you hands by rubbing wet coffee grinds on them.

Egg cartons

• Any kind of egg carton – Styrofoam, plastic or cardboard – can be used as packing material. They are lightweight and create protection for items being packed.
• Many of the plastic ones are #1 plastic and can go in curbside recycling bins.
• Cardboard egg cartons can be put in the compost.

Most items can at least get a second use before heading to the trashcan. It saves a new item from being used and helps to reduce the amount of waste you produce.


]]> Environmental 2010-04-19T02:50:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/vampires_in_your_kitchen/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/vampires_in_your_kitchen/#When:02:00:00Z phantom load, is energy that is being used by an electronic device electronics are in stand-by mode.

Image: matt via Picasa The United States government estimates that its citizens spend more money on their stereo equipment, which these days often includes a complicated set up of stereos, TV’s, DVD players, gaming systems and speakers, when they aren’t in use than when they are in use. Unless the system has been powered down completely when not in use, it’s still drawing energy.

It may seem like a small amount, but when you add that small amount up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and then add your vampire load to everyone else’s vampire load in the country, it’s an enormous amount of energy being wasted. Some estimate what the U.S. wastes in a year in vampire energy could power the country of Greece for an entire year.

It’s not just stereo equipment. Look all around your house -- including your kitchen. If your coffee maker has a digital clock on it, it’s drawing power 24 hours a day, not just when it’s making coffee. The same is true for your microwave, under the cabinet stereo/TV system, and even many newer models of toaster ovens.

If you have a charging station in your kitchen where your cell phones, PDA’s, mp3 players and other hand held electronic devices charge overnight, there’s another huge potential energy sucker if they are left plugged in when not in use. Each individual charger or charging station draws about 1 megawatt a day. It’s estimated that in the U.S., there are 190 million cell phones. That’s 190 million megawatts of wasted energy – enough to power 100,000 homes a day!

Getting rid of these energy sucking vampires doesn’t mean getting rid of the appliances themselves. It simply means unplugging them or plugging them into a power strip that gets turned off when the electronics aren’t in use.

Do you really need the clock on your coffee maker and the clock on your microwave when you probably have one on your stove or on the wall and one in the cell phone that’s in your pocket? No, you don’t.

Start in your kitchen where the task is small. Identify all the vampires and plan to turn them off when not in use. When you get used to it, head into the rest of your home to slay those vampires, too.

]]> Environmental 2010-04-02T02:00:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/greening_your_outdoor_dining/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/greening_your_outdoor_dining/#When:00:17:00Z Many people switch to paper plates and other disposable items when they eat outdoors, but all of those disposables take their toll on out environment. Did you know that it could take up to 250 years for a plastic cup to decompose?

It doesn’t take much to take your indoor table wear outdoors. Here are some suggestions.

• Use cloth tablecloths outside. Purchase inexpensive ones at yard sales or thrift stores if you don’t want to get BBQ sauce on your good tablecloths.
• Take your everyday dishes and everyday utensils outside. It’s easier to cut and eat a really good grilled steak off a real plate than it is a paper plate anyway, isn’t it?
• If you’re having a group of people over and you don’t have enough durable plates, you could spend a lot of money on “green” compostable, biodegradable plates, but it would be less expensive to go to the paper plate isle in your grocery store and buy the Classic White Chinet plates. They are made from recycled materials and biodegrade in the home composter.
• If you use plastic utensils and cups for a big group, there’s no need to throw them away. Place a bin in an easy to find place and let your guests know to put them in the bin when done. Throw everything in the dishwasher and reuse a second, third, who knows how many times.

Now, for what you’re going to put on that grill. Here’s a fabulous recipe from allrecipes.com that adapts throughout the spring and summer depending on what seasonal vegetables are available.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• various vegetables cut into 1-inch pieces
• skewers

Directions
1. Whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce and pepper in a large bowl. Reserve a small amount for when you’re grilling and then add chicken and vegetables to marinate for at least two hours.
2. Place chicken and vegetables on skewers.
3. Lightly oil grill and grill kabobs for 12 to 15 minutes, brushing with reserved sauce. They will be cooked when the chicken juices run clear.
Vegetables that can be used
• Onions
• Peppers
• Mushrooms
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Yellow summer squash
• Anything you want
]]> Environmental 2010-03-20T00:17:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/planning_your_garden_in_reverse/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/planning_your_garden_in_reverse/#When:02:30:00Z kitchen garden. If you don’t have a yard to garden in, it’s easy to grow plants in containers or window boxes. Often, gardeners plant vegetables and then decide what dishes to make with them.

Photo image: EpiolesWhat if you reversed that idea?

What if you decided what you wanted to make first, and then you planted a garden based around those dishes or how you wanted to use the vegetables? If you do it that way, you’ll be sure none of what you grow will go unused, unless you end up with a bumper crop, of course. If you do, there will always be someone willing to take fresh vegetables off your hands.

Pizza garden – Tomatoes, sweet onions, garlic, basil, and oregano are in all of the best pizza sauces. They are also vegetables and herbs that grow in just about any region. Zucchini, red onion, eggplant, peppers and scallions make great pizza toppings. If you eat a lot of pizza, a pizza garden will help you improve the quality and nutrition of your pizzas. Check out this Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce recipe that uses garden fresh vegetables.

Grilled vegetable garden – If you do a lot of grilling in the summer, you know that grills aren’t just for meats. Plan to put lots of vegetables that do well on the grill in your garden like big tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus or corn. You’ll never be at a loss for a side dish for dinner. You’ll be able to walk over to the garden, pick some fresh vegetables and grill them right up. If you’re unfamiliar with grilling vegetables, take a look at this Vegetable Grilling 101 page.

Fall decoration garden – When the end of September comes and you head to the farm stand or store to grab pumpkins, gourds, and corn stalks to decorate your home with, you can end up spending a small fortune. Consider planting a garden that grows lots of fresh vegetables to eat and a few vegetables to decorate with. You’ll have a garden that lasts well into fall. You’ll be able to make fresh pumpkin pie or butternut squash soup. You’ll also have free decorations for the outside of your home in the fall. Plant pumpkins, butternut squash, decorative cords, and corn in the spring and come fall, you’ll be very glad you did.


]]> Cooking 2010-03-05T02:30:00-05:00 http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/healthy_mini_goals/ http://www.culmeta.com/ee/index.php/site/healthy_mini_goals/#When:03:07:00Z Let’s Move, and it aims to solve the problem of childhood obesity within one generation. That’s an ambitious goal, but the key to most successful ambitious goals is to keep plugging away, one small mini-goal at a time.


Photo Credit: AdmillerA big part of the Let’s Move campaign centers around food. Mrs. Obama wants to make healthy food affordable for all. Let’s face it though; even those of us who can afford healthy food don’t always reach for it. It may just take setting small mini-goals to start us on the road to healthier eating, whether we are feeding a family with children or just ourselves.

What type of mini-goals? Start with your lunch and try one of these.

Ditch the chips. You have a sandwich; you have a side of chips, right? Swap those chips out for something else just as crunchy – carrot strips, cut up apple wedges, or pepper strips. You will lower your intake of salt and fat while adding vitamins to your meal. At the end of the week, you may find that you want to continue with the healthy crunchy food.

Swap out your white bread for 100% whole wheat or white whole wheat bread. Whole wheat is better, but in the past couple of years white whole wheat breads have come on the market with more nutrition than the traditional white bread.

Take you milk down one notch. If you drink whole milk, try 2%. If you drink 2%, try 1%. And if you drink 1%, it’s time to give skim milk a shot. Many, but not all, brands of organic milk tend to be creamier than their non-organic counterparts. So if you’re going from regular 2% milk, try organic 1% milk. You may not notice a difference.

Put the dressing on the side. Here’s a trick those who attend weight loss classes get taught. When you’re eating a salad, keep the dressing on the side. Before each bite, dip your fork into the dressing to get a little on the fork. Then dig into the salad. When you eat, your tongue will get a little salad dressing in each bite, you’ll get the good taste, and you’ll use a lot less dressing – the most fattening part of most salads.

These are small changes and easily achievable mini-goals for one week. By the end of the week, you may realize that you don’t need to go back to the old habits, and you’ll be ready to take on your next mini-goal that will lead you on the path to healthier eating.
]]> Cooking 2010-02-25T03:07:00-05:00