The hidden cost of luxury

The NYTimes reported today that some types of granite countertops, whose presence is now ubiquitous in upgraded kitchens, are contain uncomfortably high amounts of uranium, which emits radon as it decays. For those of us who live in homes with cheap landlords, we only have to worry about roaches and uninsulated attics, but those with a history of cancer or high risk for the disease might have reason to get their luxury finishes tested.

Why is it the norm to assume a substance is safe until proven otherwise? I understand that we can never prove something is safe beyond any shadow of a doubt, but when you're dealing with a natural stone mined from the Earth, I would think that wondering if it were radioactive wouldn't be that far-fetched. But one expert in the article says that they don't even know the provenance of the granite being imported into this country right now.

Lesson for now? Beware exotics, folks. It's better for the planet to stick close to home anyway. And if you're worried, get your granite tested. Maybe go with concrete for your next renovation. That's a super green kitchen finish and pretty trendy, too.

Land of Fruit and Nuts

Although it just isn't in my food budget this year to join the local CSA co-op, I plan on doing it next year, so I joined the list-serve devoted to the topic. Most of the members either subscribe to the co-op or are interested in going local, organic, and natural, so we've talked about doctors willing to go with alternative vaccination schedules, grocery stores, etc. Recently, we had a discussion on how having an organic grocery store would be great! And I agree. There is a 7th Day Adventist store nearby that offers a small inventory along with a daily cafeteria style vegan offering. The Country Life, as its called, is really quite a treat for such a small town like Columbus. However, there are days when the shelves are practically empty.

Well, one poster recommended Peachtree Natural Foods as well as Ben's Fresh Market. I've never been to Ben's, but P'tree Natural Foods is very expensive. Plus, it has no produce. The employees do not sample the goods, unlike many natural foods stores I've frequented all over the country. That tends to take away from its authenticity. It also doesn't help that the owners also run supplement-based weight-loss centers. Sends up red flags for me!

Anyway, at the same time, someone complained about the produce from the subscriptions. Several posters responded, wondering how anyone could have a problem with any of it since it's local! Here's what came about as a result (i've removed identifying information).

Hi Everyone,
I was the one who called [the organizer] to express unhappiness about the
produce. I thought some of the vegetables seemed small, the carrots
were way too small, my husband thought it was overpriced compared to
Lewis Jones organics, and we don't like southern vegetables. I have
really tried to like the okra, the turnip greens and the collards, to
name a few, but I guess because I was not raised on them, my family
and I have not been able to like them. We really did try. I love the
idea of a local,co-op farm, and natural foods. I also really love the
farmers that I have met each week at the Loft. This was one of the
hardest things to say, as I really fought with my truth and how much I
liked the people doing all the work for us. I do know how hard it is
on a farm, my husband comes from a farming family. However, it really
is not personal, it is just my experience. I am used to going to Whole
Foods in California and getting organic foods, so I suppose I have
been spoiled. I was very sad to hear about how evil some say Whole
Foods is, I have had the opposite experience.
While I am confessing these sins, I also want to say that I thought
Ben's Market was very overpriced, and I did not think the vegetables
were that fresh. The lettuce was wilted. I bought two potatoes and a
lettuce and a whole chicken, and it cost me $15.00. I don't pretend to
understand economics, but that seems to be a lot. Also the garlic was
sprouting and from Peru, so I can't see how that is local.
I am not interested in getting into a heated argument with anyone, I
try to live my life with compassion and kindness. I just needed to
express my reality about the produce. I hope this group is open to
hearing everyone's opinion about the co-op so the CSA can thrive.

Now, i'm all about varied opinions, but this letter is full-fledged whining. Just because she's seen happy faces at Whole Foods doesn't mean their business practices are sound. I bet she also thinks that Walmart employees are really pleased with their lack of health insurance. Honestly, I don't know what the official beef with WF is. However, I've spent enough time reading about corporate America that I don't trust any company "just because". I also know that the CEO of WF did not want to indicate the place of origin for their produce. hmmm....

And not liking southern vegetables is an issue that can only be solved by moving away from the South. A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) co-op supports local farms, so you're not going to get other types of vegetables if you live here. Sorry.

FYI: For anyone familiar with online list-serves and message boards, the claim that you are "not interested in getting into a heated argument" is actually a provocation. Go back to California, please. All you do is drive up real estate prices here anyway.

Going Local

I just finished the book This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Dye Gussow. Gussow outlines all of her trials and tribulations as she attempts to "go local", eating mostly what she grows, while providing recipes using much of the produce from her gardens. Although the story gets a little bogged down in the details--is the book a "how-to" on growing a garden or a narrative of her life story or what?-I gleaned some great information from it. It also has inspired me to at least try keeping to locally grown and produced items.

Unfortunately, that means I'm going to have to give up my morning smoothie if I really mean it. In the past 3 weeks or so, I have been getting in all of my fruits for the day by throwing in a banana with whatever else I got at the grocery store, whether they be strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (only once-heaven!), peaches, oranges, and mango. I put in a few tablespoons of yogurt, a shot of water from the tap, and blend, blend, blend. I've never been one to sit snacking on most fruits. It's just not a habit of mine. But I need to be a better example for my daughter. I don't want her to enjoy a High-Fructose Corn Syrup snack more than a yummy piece of fruit.

But I digress. The problem is that none of these fruits, except for the peaches, came from anywhere near Columbus, GA. All of them were shipped in from afar--thankfully nowhere foreign. Gussow says a place to start is by giving up bananas, the perpetual exotic since they don't grow except in the tropics. I don't really like bananas, but they have their place in my smoothie. Gussow tried to find a banana substitute in paw-paws, though she never had any luck actually producing them from her plants.

So what's a girl to do? For now, I'm going to at least try to stick with items that came from the East Coast. That's as local as I can do with the fruit for now. For veggies, off to the farmer's market. I'm still baking my own bread. Who knows where all the ingredients in that came from!

Dishwashing Disaster...and success

This past week has been an adventure in dishwashing. I ran out of my ultra-expensive stuff--the kind with the powder and liquid put together into a neat packet, and decided that I might as well give making my own a try. I mean, making my own laundry detergent was easy, so this can't be that hard, right?

Wrong.

It turns out that homemade dishwashing detergent doesn't work that well. And the recipe that everyone uses not only doesn't work that well, it SUCKS. 1 part borax to 1 part baking/washing soda. It leaves a nasty film on everything. I had to run a rinse cycle twice with vinegar to get it off. That's not too environmentally friendly, is it?

So I tried an easy alternative I found online: 1/4 c. soda and 1 T dishwashing liquid. I thought, well, I've seen how Dawn can cause the dishwasher to overflow with suds, but that only happens in the movies, right? Plus, 1 T hardly seems like a lot. Let's give it a shot. So I tried it and went to bed. About 30 minutes later, I woke up in a cold sweat, made a run for the kitchen, and witnessed half the floor covered in suds. D'oh! Again, I had to run a couple of cycles to get all the soap out of the system. Again, a waste.

Finally, I ran into another alternative on The New Homemaker. I've copied it here. Don't expect perfection, and yes, I did use the Kool-Aid instead of the citric acid, but it definitely does the job in aiding the dishwasher in sanitizing the dishes. Thanks to Lynn Siprelle of TNH.

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

I have decided that for the stuff I use, I'm going to do my best to handwash from now on. Katie's stuff goes in the dishwasher. But this mixture saved me lots of dough, so I don't feel so guilty!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

In an effort to save money and maybe even help the environment a little, I have started making my own laundry detergent. Here's the recipe:

1 cup Grated Soap
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda

For the soap, some people use Ivory, others use Fels Naphtha, and I used Zote. I found it at Big Lots for about $.80 a bar. It's bright pink! I used the food processor to grate the soap, first with the grater attachment and then with the regular blade. You have to make sure the pieces of soap are small enough that they'll dissolve in the wash. Borax and Washing Soda are available at the grocery store. Even podunk Columbus had it at the Publix.

Use 1 Tablespoon per load. 2 Tablespoons if it's really dirty stuff. Be forewarned that you want to put the soap in first and blast it with hot or warm water for a few moments before switching to cold if you're doing a cold load. Then put in the clothes. Also, this mixture doesn't suds up. And finally, I put vinegar in a downy fabric softener dispenser so it goes through the rinse. That leaves the clothes fresh feeling and also soft! Yet another great use for vinegar.

The only time I don't use this homemade concoction is when I'm washing cloth diapers. I haven't been brave enough because I'm afraid of the potential buildup. Therefore, I'm still using my tiny bit of Purex for the diapers.

So it really is cheaper to use this method. Most people, of course, use too much detergent in general, so just cutting back could be helpful as well.