Basmati Rice Salad

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Marcia Shaffer

Basmati Rice Salad

1 cup brown basmati rice

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons safflower oil, divided

2 1/2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 pound extra firm tofu, cubed small

2 medium red peppers, cut into thin strips

3.5 oz (about 15 black olives

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, water and sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of the safflower oil.  Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender (about 35-40 minutes.)

While the rice cooks, combine the tamari, balsamic vinegar and rest of oil and mix well.  In a small bowl, coat the cubes of tofu with this mixture; pour off and save any extra to dress the salad later.  Set the coated tofu cubes aside.

Let the cooked rice cool.  In a mixing bowl, combine it with the red peppers and olives.  Toss well.  Add the tofu cubes and give the salad one last gentle toss to mix.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Yield:  4 servings

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Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Charlene Lange

4 med. Sweet potatoes (1.5 #) peeled & cubed 1 inch
1 large red onion, chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil,
Salt & Pepper
1 T minced jalapeno
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 limes, juiced
2 C cooked black beans
1 C. Red or yellow bell peppers, seeded & diced
1 C chopped cilantro

Roast potatoes & onion, tossed with 2 Tbsp oil and S & P, in 400 degree oven till beginning to brown and just tender, about 30 min.  Set aside.

Process chilies with garlic, lime juice & 2 T olive oil.  Season to taste.  Process till well blended.

Toss warm veggies with beans & bell pepper.  Mix with dressing and cilantro.

Serve warm, room temp or cold. If making ahead store salad & dressing separately and combine just before servings.

Makes 4 servings.

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Slow Cooker Dried Beans

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Charlene Lange

Ingredients
Any amount of dried beans (Other than lentils)
2 teaspoon salt per pound of beans, divided
Aromatics, like fresh herbs, a bay leaf, peeled garlic, or minced onion.  Herb options to try: 4-5 long stems of sage, winter savory, thyme, rosemary

Equipment
3 1/2-quart or smaller slow cooker, for 1 pound of beans or less
OR
5-quart or larger slow cooker for 2 pounds of beans or more

Instructions

  1. Soak the beans overnight: Rinse the beans under cool, running water and remove any shriveled/ broken beans. Prepare soaking water in your crock pot (1 teaspoon salt dissolved in water, filling half way of crockpot) Add rinsed beans & soak overnight.

Kidneys: boil them for 10 minutes before cooking. This neutralizes a toxin called phytohemagglutinin (say that 3 times fast) that can cause acute digestive distress.

Garbanzos   Take very long time to cook!  Modify by soaking 2 nights.  Cook on high for 2.5 – 3 hrs.  Then low for another couple hours.

  1. Drain water and beans through colander. Transfer beans back into crockpot.  Fill pot with water till 2 inches over bean level, leaving about 2 inches space between water and lid.
  2. Add aromatics: Place the aromatics on top.
  3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours: If you this is your first time cooking beans or you’re cooking an unfamiliar kind of bean, begin checking the beans after 5 hours and then every 30 minutes until they are cooked to your liking. Doneness test = Sample 8 or so beans to make sure all are cooked through.
  4. Drain beans through colander. Portion into serving sizes.  Store in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Rice salad

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charlene Lange

This is a great way to use odds and ends in your refrigerator or to make for a gathering.

Rice Salad

Combine cut up tomatoes, onions, firm tofu, and cucumber with rice, guacamole, humus red pepper and peas.

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Granny’s Gems No. 4

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Charlene Lange

Granny’s Gems offers simple solutions for everyday life to save our planet, ourselves, and for future generations. These solutions will save money, save our environment, find alternatives, and reduce the chemicals that are all around us. Each one of us can reduce, reuse, and recycle. Never stop learning. Never stop trying. We offer and accept input from all. Have an idea? We’d love to hear from you.

Think about what you’ve had for breakfast from the jam on your toast to the coffee beans or tea leaves that make up your morning cup. All of these products rely on pollinators to survive and thrive. Consider keeping your lawn chemical free and pollinator-friendly. Leave the dandelions alone. We can really do something for the local bees, insects, birds and plants.

If you’d like to help the birds with their nest building which saves them valuable energy for breeding – here is a simple solution. Pile grass clippings or small twigs and sticks in your yard, allowing birds easy access to materials they would otherwise have to search for. Be sure you don’t use fertilizers, pesticides, or other chemicals on your lawn.

Cleaning recyclables prevents contamination, mold and pests which pose health and sanitation risks. How do you properly prep recycling without sending valuable gallons of water down the drain? Bottles containing liquids can be emptied and air-dried. If you need to use water, consider using graywater which is lightly used water. Washing fruits, vegetables or dishes in a large bowl or tub will leave you with graywater perfectly suited for washing recyclables before going down the drain. Bottles with smaller openings that are tougher to clean can be filled with graywater, closed and shaken until clean.

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Hope by Quinn Norton

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Charlene Lange

Excerpt From: “A Sermon on Hope” by Quinn Norton, American journalist and essayist.

 

People often mistake hope for a feeling, but it’s not. It’s a mental discipline, an attentional practice that you can learn.

Hope isn’t just looking at the positive things in this world, or expecting the best. That’s a fragile kind of cheerfulness, something that breaks under the weight of a normal human life. To practice hope is to face hard truths, harder truths than you can face without the practice of hope. You can’t navigate dark places without a light, and hope is that light for humanity’s dark places.  Our practice of hope cannot be so fragile that understanding the truth can wreck it.

This hope, above all, gives us the strength to live and continually to try new things, even in conditions that seem hopeless as ours do, here and now.

The discipline of hope …. begins in kindness, …it comes from looking for places to serve something larger than yourself…. It comes from cultivating gratitude. Hope teaches you to put the world before yourself, but in doing so, hope teaches you an unfragile happiness in loving the world.

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A “teach-in” Saturday 23 May 2020

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Katharine

“How to Get Off Fossil Fuels Quickly—and Fairly” A “teach-in” Saturday, May 23 at 3 p.m. CST featuring author Stan Cox  

About the participants

Stan Cox is a research fellow in Ecosphere Studies at The Land Institute. His most recent book is The Green New Deal and Beyond: Ending the Climate Emergency While We Still Can (City Lights Books, 2020)

Wes Jackson, president emeritus of The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, is the author and editor of numerous books, including Nature as Measure: The Selected Essays of Wes Jackson and Consulting the Genius of the Place.

Aubrey Streit Krug directs The Land Institute’s Ecosphere Studies program. She is a writer and teacher who studies stories of relationships between humans and plants, and is co-author of The Omaha Language and the Omaha Way.

Robert Jensen (moderator) is Emeritus Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas in Austin and a longtime YES! Magazine Contributing Editor. He collaborates with The Land Institute’s Ecosphere Studies program. His books include Plain Radical: Living, Loving, and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully.

Breanna Draxler (host) is Climate Editor at YES!, covering science and the environment with a particular focus on solutions. She serves on the board for the Society of Environmental Journalists and the Northwest Science Writers Association.

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On line farmer’s market, support local farmers

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charlene Lange

https://orders.fieldtofamily.org/Index

From Iowa City Parks and Rec and Field to Family:

We are excited to announce that Field to Family is partnering with the City of Iowa City Parks and Recreation to offer an online contact-free farmers market this growing season!

Field to Family received support from the City of Iowa Parks and Recreation Department, Climate Action Committee and Johnson County to help cover expenses related to this new initiative. Their partnership and support is crucial to ensure a successful launch!

Providing a connection to local farmers and locally grown foods is more essential now more than ever. Offering a contact-free market will ensure that the health and safety of our community continues to be a priority.

Customer registration is now open on the Online Farmers Market site. All those registered will receive an email reminder when the cart opens each week. Once the cart opens, all market vendors and products will be visible.

It isn’t easy to transform a market stall into a virtual storefront. Farmers are learning how to navigate their online presence. The Online Farmers Market Team is providing substantial support to market vendors. New vendors will be added throughout the season. New products will be added as they become available.

Iowa City Farmers Market Food Vendors as well as producers working with our food hub program are invited to participate in this opportunity.

Community members will be able to choose local from multiple farms with contact-free drive-thru distribution on Saturday mornings at Chauncey Swan parking ramp.

The first curbside distribution day will be on Saturday morning, May 9, at Chauncey Swan.

“It is important for Iowa City Parks & Recreation to continue the Farmer’s Market in this new format until able to return to normal operations. We value both our vendors and the community’s continued access to locally grown produce and food products.” Juli Seydell Johnson, Director.

The Iowa City Farmers Market offers more than the season’s freshest foods. It also is a central point for community celebration and connection with local producers. While this year’s farmers market will look quite different, the Online Farmers Market team are committed to finding creative and innovative ways to build community and create stronger connections to local food and farmers through this new initiative.

“Field to Family works best in collaboration, so we are reaching out to new and current partners to expand the virtual market offerings and showcase the strong community support for local farmers and local food,” said Michelle Kenyon, Director, Field to Family.

True to Field to Family’s mission, orders from the online farmers market will include food system education materials such as seasonal menu charts, recipes, profiles of local producers and local foods. In addition, the platform will offer ways for residents to donate to the Farm Stand program, which works to reduce food insecurity through free seasonal produce distribution at 11 sites a month, alongside the ComUnity’s mobile food pantry.

Iowa City Farmers Market staff will ensure that SNAP dollars will be able to be accepted through the online market. The Double Up Food Bucks will also apply.

Producers on the online market could offer fresh fruits, vegetables, starter plants, honey, eggs, meat, flowers, dairy, baked goods and other products that follow the Iowa City Farmers Market rules that only allow foods grown by the farmer, with reselling not permitted and that is allowed through the public health department and food safety regulations.

Online Farmers Market Registration Information

The Online Farmers Market is a partnership with Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department and Field to Family with support from Johnson County and the Climate Action Committee.

* Vendors and products will be visible when the cart opens on Monday at noon. Deadline for ordering will be Wednesdays at noon.

* Once the market cart opens, you can change your pick-up window from the one selected at registration when confirming your order.

* The Iowa City Farmers Market is able to continue to take EBT/SNAP dollars as payment! Since this will need to be done at the pick up site due to federal rules, customers who plan to use this form of payment should select the EBT.SNAP Customer Type option on the registration page. This way, you can defer payment when ordering.

* Drive-through contact-free distribution instructions will be sent once orders are made. We encourage those who order to create a sign with their last name to display at pick-up. Cars/ bikers/ walkers will be instructed to enter the Chauncey Swan parking garage from Burlington St. and will ultimately exit on Washington St. with their order, while following instructions that ensure social distance guidelines are adhered too.

* All staff and volunteers at the distribution site will follow all guidelines from the Johnson County Public Health Department. Guidelines include a basic health screening, wearing of masks and gloves and frequent hand washing among other safety protocols.

* We are working hard to make this a smooth and successful online market for vendors and for community members! However, it is new to all of us, so please be patient if you do experience difficulties. When things don’t go as smoothly as expected, we will work with you personally to attempt to fix any issues.

* THANK YOU for choosing to support local farmers!!!

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Granny’s Gems No. 3

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charlene Lange

Granny’s Gems

Granny’s Gems offers simple solutions for everyday life to save our planet, ourselves, and for future generations. These solutions will save money, save the environment, find alternatives, and reduce the chemicals that are all around us. Each one of us can reduce, reuse, and recycle. Never stop learning. Never stop trying. We offer and accept input from all. Have an idea? We’d love to hear from you.

You can use baking soda as a safe and effective pesticide. Mix 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 2 Tablespoons of baking soda and 2 drops of liquid soap with a gallon of water. Pour mixture into a spray container and apply gently to your garden every 3 days.

When peeling onions, save the peels for mulching your garden. The dry peels will decompose and enrich the soil with calcium and potassium. Nothing wasted.

Here’s a simple way to remove dirt and bacteria from produce. For every 3 cups of water, add I cup of vinegar. Gently wash delicate fruits and greens but hardy root vegetables can be scrubbed. Rinse them all well with clear water.

Grate or chop into small pieces, a bar of glycerin soap. Put in microwave safe container and microwave at 20 second intervals to melt. When it’s cool enough to handle, add one-third cup left over coffee grounds and reshape into a bar. You now have gardener’s soap to exfoliate dirt caked hands after working in the garden, yard or flower beds. Glycerin soap is vegan-friendly and great for people with sensitive skin.

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What I learned

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Charlene Lange

What I have learned so far during this pandemic.

1. Immigrant workers are essential for our well-being, from picking our vegetables and fruits, to cleaning our groceries stores and business, to processing our meat, to taking care of our elderly, to nurses and doctors (one in four doctors are immigrants).

2. The isolation during the Great Depression, Dust Bowl and World Wars is not happening if you have cellphones and internet.

3. A pandemic does not automatically create people or politicians with common sense or brains.

4. Many people are stepping up, changing their ways of living and putting themselves and their families lives at risk, while others are ignoring, digging into their own self-interest and actively working on worst practices, putting all at risk.

5. This virus is new. So much is unknown. I will continue to follow best practices as outlined by WHO and our scientists. I do not know if I am a carrier. I do not know who is a carrier. I do not want to be responsible for others catching it or them feeling responsible for my death.

6. Risk/reward. Everything I do is done with this in mind. Is what I am doing worth the risk of me or others, from truckers to nurses to delivery people, catching the virus?

7. If hundreds of thousands of sick people and thousands of deaths do not cause people to change and keep us all safe, what chance is there to save ourselves, our homes, our ecosystems, our land, and our water from effects of climate change?

I will continue to stay in place, send emails, make phone calls, and learn how to Zoom to spread the word of common sense and best practices. Please find the courage and hope to do what you can for those in need, stay connected to others, use common sense, change, keep all safe, use risk/reward philosophy, wear masks and take care.

Letter to the editor: What I have learned during the pandemic

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