Fruit flies, be gone!

It's a bit late for this, given the fact that we're well into autumn.  However, this "recipe" is so good that it's worth sharing even in February.

We have fruits and veggies sitting out all the time.  We also have the windows open all the time.  Voila -- fruit flies!  And once you have them, nothing seems to work.  We've used traps -- purchased and homemade.  We've tried several home remedies.  Everything works...to a degree.

This site, like many others we've read, promised a solution.  And it actually worked.  Read more about it on the link.  But here's the summary.

1. Find a container (the other website suggested a wide mouth jar, but we used a small empty glass jar).
2. Fill it half full with apple cider vinegar (apparently the only thing that'll work).
3. Add a few drops of dish soap.
4. Fill it up with water in a way that makes it foamy (i.e., blast it under a running faucet).
5. Set it on the counter and walk away.

Within minutes, you'll be catching and drowning fruit flies.  The bubbles seem to be the key.  If you come back in an hour or two and the bubbles have gone away, put it under the faucet on full blast again for a second to get things nice and foamy.  Walk away again.  Just keep doing this every time you pass by over the next day or so.  After a half dozen times, you may have to start over with new vinegar.  But the reduction in numbers is significant right off the bat and in a day or two or three, you'll be fruit fly free.

Rescuing and re-sourcing: my favorite vase

It's incredible what you can sometimes get for free if you just keep your eyes open.  Back in my days at UBC, I was a member of the pottery club and would occasionally (in spurts) spend chunks of time in the dismally-located subterranean pottery studio there (bad location but a great little space, I should add!).

I made some nice stuff and some stuff that...didn't quite work out.  Mostly the former, however.

Anyway, as with all pottery studios there was a "discard" bin, where people put failed pieces.  Things that didn't turn out how the artist intended, things that cracked in the kiln, things where the coloring or patterns didn't pan out.

And that's where I found this wonderful piece.  Why was it in there?  Well, one side of it has a hairline crack on the upper third or so.  But hey.  This photo doesn't really capture it, but the texture, coloration, and size of it is gorgeous.  And unless you fill it right to the top with water, leakage isn't an issue.

Bottom line: we love it.  And the price was right.  Whoever made it -- thanks!

Our pet worms

We have pets!  This isn't a new thing, since we've been doing it for over a year now.  But out on our apartment's balcony, we have a few hundred "red wrigglers," a type of worm that is particularly good at turning our fruit and vegetable scraps into great dirt!

We had some initial growing pains (note: unless you want fried worms, avoid direct sunlight, even if it's not warm out) and our current batch is the offspring of worms from friends Ian and Ruth, who gave them to me in a yogurt container with holes punched in the lid (incidentally, these worms maaayyyy have attended a Jeff Mangum concert last year since I had my backpack with me at the time).

Anyway, they're super easy to keep!  We keep them happy with a once per week feeding.  Their home is kept balanced and fruit flies are (mostly) kept at bay by the addition of shredded paper, which I harvest from my workplace's shredder and bike home with in my backpack.

Our other bit of great news is that we'll have an even better place to USE this compost next growing season, as we've just signed on for a place with a huge rooftop garden!  But that's material for a future post...

Sprouts!

Prepping sprouts are Erin's deal.  But I still eat 'em.

It's pretty easy.  Take something that you want to sprout.  The pictures below are mung beans, but we've also tried some other stuff and you can too.

Instructions:

• Soak some beans/seeds overnight and then drain and put in a jar with a mesh top.
• Tip the jar on its side in a bowl and rinse/drain them once or twice a day.
• Wait.

In about 4 days, you'll have healthy sprouts -- fresh, with zero packaging waste, and at a cost of a few cents per batch!

Homemade play dough

Summer happens.  Our postings have been few and far between in recent months, but the Year of Less continues...

One of the challenges for this year is what to do about gifts -- birthdays, anniversaries, etc.  We've tried to be creative about not buying stuff.  We've given away homemade wares, given gift certificates for meals and activities, and continued to do homemade cards for people (Erin generally heads up this one).

Here's something we did as a fun and pretty easy gift for kids: Homemade play dough!

We started by trolling the internet for ideas that use all natural ingredients and narrowed in on this one.  Here you go:

1 c plain white flour
1/2 c salt
2 tbsp cream of tartar (not necessary, but makes it more elastic)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 c boiling water
Natural food coloring

Instructions: Put it all in a bowl and mix.  That's it.  For our inaugural batch, we wanted to avoid artificial food coloring.  This recipe made enough for three nice balls (pictured below).  For red, we chopped up a piece of beetroot and squeezed some juice in.  For orange, we sprinkled in paprika.  For yellow, turmeric.

A Half Year In...

As of July 1, we were halfway through this Year of Less experiment.  How's it going?  Sometimes, a bulleted list (or a series of them) can summarize better than words in a paragraph.  Here goes.

What's worked?

• Not buying books.  We've made even better use of the library than before.  I got a gift card for a bookstore from my sister-in-law last Christmas and I've been tempted to use it a few times, but I've made myself think it through quite thoroughly so that I only make the splurge on something that really counts.  Each time I want something, I sit on it for a day or three and often check it out from a library first.  So far, I keep deciding that I didn't need a particular book that much.
• No takeaway coffees/drinks.
• Brewing our own alcohol.
• Upgrading my old mountain bike to a commuter vs. buying a new (or used) one.
• Skipping out on dryer sheets.
• Homemade laundry detergent.
• Homemade dishwashing powder (future posting).
• Gifts: our homemade activity book was a hit.  We recently made homemade play-dough for one of our favorite boys (future posting) and Erin's done some crocheted things and a homemade billfold made from cork.
• Driving less: selling one car, walking lots, and riding a bike/train to work.
• The shower timer.  Who would have thought?  Short showers are easy and not even a sacrifice.  I hadn't realized how long I take and how easy it is to be under five (or even three) minutes until we bought a simple timer and got used to it.
• Buying spices in bulk and putting them all in used, labeled bottles.  When I wrote the original blog post, I got so excited about talking about baking bread that I forgot to mention that one of my main points was that spices in bulk are incredible cheap if you have a good source (in our case, the Coop in Bellingham, WA).
• Building planters from recycled pallets and having a miniature herb garden on our balcony.

What hasn't worked?

• Homemade conditioner.  Then again, we find that it's not necessary with the shampoo we make.
• Homemade mouthwash.  We might try another batch with a different, tastier recipe.

The jury's still out on...

• Homemade shampoo.  I like it; Erin's still on the fence.  When you've grown up on shampoo that lathers, there's transition involved in stuff that doesn't.
• Homemade glass cleaner.  This stuff works, but it's not quite as nice as the blue stuff from the store.  I'm cutting down on the cornstarch the next time we try it.
• Homemade body scrub with epsom salts.  Okay in theory, but we added lavender buds and they make a mess of the shower floor.
• No lights on Friday nights.  Umm...we haven't been stellar at keeping true to this one...

Of course, being able to buy "nothing" leads to some possibly unhealthy cravings.  For example, we find ourselves making lists of what to buy in 2014.  Namely, a bike/ski rack for the car and Icebreaker underwear.  But we've mostly succeeded at it so far.  Our only real capital purchases have been running shoes (we considered this a healthy joint necessity; we both already wear ours about five times as long as what the recommendations all tell people) and a food processor after ours went bonk (we did our research and splashed out on one with great reviews and a 10-year warranty rather than going cheap and replaceable; besides, no food processor means not being able to make lots of the stuff we do from scratch; and, it was purchased using a gift certificate that was a wedding gift from our friends Meryll and Justin).

In summary, it's been a great experiment thus far.  Rather than feeling like a sacrifice, we've done lots of great trips and really focused on enjoying Vancouver in place of buying stuff.  As we've stated before, we still entertain ourselves.  We've spent a night at the aquarium, been to tons of concerts (including favorites Devendra Banhart, Ariel Pink, Christopher Owens, and John Grant), checked out the documentary film festival, hosted my parents and a few friends, and taken innumerable runs and walks along the waterfront and through the city.

Bring on the rest of the year!

Soon to come: homemade almond milk, reducing food container waste (even the recyclable stuff), some volunteering experiences, homemade shaving gel and aftershave, and a few more surprises...

Homemade laundry detergent (and it's HE / high efficiency compatible)

So we've been using homemade laundry detergent for a few months now.  It's incredibly easy!  And, despite the fact that it's a powder, it is compatible with high efficiency / front-loading washers.  Here's how to make it.

Ingredients:
1 bar of soap
1 cup of washing soda
1 cup of borax

Grate the soap finely.  Easy!  This will yield about a cup of soap powder.

Then add a cup each of the borax and washing soda:

And that's it!  Mix it together well -- use a whisk if you want, or even a blender -- then toss it in a container (in our case, a big plastic jar that was previously full of cashews), and start using it.  One tablespoon does a load.  I'd initially made a scoop out of the folded end of a toilet roll (as pictured below), but have subsequently found a plastic tablespoon scoop from something else we had laying around the house...some other detergent, or coffee, or some such thing.

I've talked to people who are skeptical of using powder in a HE / high efficiency / front-loading washer.  And it's correct that you probably shouldn't put the powder in the drawer at the top.  However, I did my research (as you should, too), and for our machine, anyway, it is perfectly fine to use powder.  But, the key is that you have to sprinkle it inside before loading clothes.  Do so, then turn the agitator back and forth a few times.  After 2-3 little turns, most of the detergent will have fallen through the little holes in the agitator.  Load your clothes and wash as normal.

We tested this stuff out a bit tentatively.  And now, we make big batches of it.  It's quick to make, it lasts forever, and it probably only costs cents per load.  I'll leave someone else to do the math, but it's certainly far less than any detergent I've ever used in my life.

We won't be going back to store-bought stuff ever (probably).