Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (32 page)
Read Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products Online
Authors: Sophie Uliano
HOW TO
1.
Insert the darning egg or tennis ball into the sock, making sure you can pull the hole open over the rounded surface. With your darning needle and yarn, stitch (using a running stitch) around the hole to prevent further running. I suggest stitching about ¼ inch away from the edges of the hole.
2.
Start at one end of the hole and stitch a few running stitches at the hole’s edge, then stitch one stitch across the hole and two running stitches at the other end. Go back the other way and keep going until you have covered the hole with vertical stitches.
3.
Turn the sock sideways to begin your horizontal stitches. As before, begin with a couple of running stitches before you get to the edge of the hole. This
time you are going to weave your horizontal stitch over and under the vertical stitch. When you get to the other end, you’ll need a few running stitches before coming back. Keep the vertical stitches close together by pushing each stitch close to the one before. You want to create a nice, tight weave.
4.
When you’re done, stitch a couple of backstitches to secure the yarn and voilà—a good-as-new sock!
MAKING SWEATERS LAST LONGER
Buying a beautiful cashmere or lambswool sweater is an investment. It’s worth looking for midpriced, as opposed to cheap, cashmere. If you see a large chain store selling cheap cashmere, it could be mixed with other fibers (even if it says 100% cashmere). Here’s what you should look for if you want to find good quality cashmere that will last.
- Look for denser wool, as cheap cashmere is often very thin and will not last long.
- The higher the ply, the better. Ask the vendor or scour their Web site to see if it’s 1- or 2-ply.
- Look for soft, long fibers. Cheaper cashmere won’t feel so silky smooth.
- If you find vintage cashmere at a flea market, grab it because it has clearly stood the test of time.
The two things that can ruin your sweaters are:
- Washing them incorrectly
- Moth holes
PERFECT HAND WASHING
If you can hand wash instead of dry-cleaning your cashmere and wool, do. If the label says “dry-clean,” it means you can hand wash it. If it says “dry-clean only,” you may need to send it out. Poorly made sweaters often say they must be dry-cleaned.
- Fill the kitchen sink with warm water and add a capful of natural shampoo. Gently agitate and swish around your sweater. If you know it has a stain, put a tiny dab of dishwashing liquid over the stain and rub in with your finger.
- Gently squeeze out the excess water and carry the sweater in a towel to the tub.
- Run a heavy stream of cold water over the sweater as you turn it over and gently squeeze out the soap. Rinse until the water runs clear.
- Very gently twist the sweater into a loose twist and place lengthwise in the center of a large, dry towel. Have your partner or a friend hold one end of the towel while you hold the other. Both of you should begin to twist at the same time, squeezing out all the excess moisture.
- An alternative method for squeezing out excess water is to use a salad spinner, but this will only work if your sweater is lightweight and not too large. If it fits easily into the bowl of your salad spinner, give it a go.
- Lay the sweater out flat to dry. If it’s warm outside, use a drying rack or even a hedge with a dry towel on it. If it’s winter time, place it on a towel over your clothes dryer or a table in a warm room. It will even dry if placed on a towel on a bed in a warm and well-ventilated room.
MOTH AWAY
The best defense against chomping moths is a steam iron or the freezer. It’s the larvae, not the actual moths, that eat the wool. The heat of the steam iron will kill the larvae, as will leaving them in the freezer overnight.
I take all my sweaters at the end of the season and turn them inside out. I then steam iron, fold, and put them away in plastic bags with zips. I never buy sweater bags because I hang on to the bags that I purchase pillows, cushions, and comforters in. This is the most inexpensive and least toxic way of keeping the moth holes away.
NEW SWEATER LIFE
If your sweaters are looking a bit tired, I suggest depilling them. You can buy a battery-operated gadget, but they can take a few too many fibers off your sweater. I prefer an inexpensive De-Fuzz It from Woolen Mill (www.woolenmill.com). It’s a comb that removes fuzz balls.
If the cuffs or waistbands of your sweaters have become stretched out, dip them in a pot of very hot water (just off the boil) and dry with a hair dryer.
I encourage you to have a go at some of the projects in this chapter. Whether it’s giving a second use to an old, frayed T-shirt, figuring out how to sew something simple, learning how to preserve a precious piece of cashmere, or even simply darning a sock, you will feel more connected to the earth and to a naturally slower rhythm of life. Days at my computer go by horribly quickly. Dozens of e-mails and tweets later, the sun’s already setting, my eyes are tired, and my back is aching. When we have a wonderfully fruitful family day, my husband calls it “living in
real
time.” I don’t mean to get all “homestead-ish” on you, but performing simple manual tasks with your hands (by this I mean dyeing a tank top or sewing—not plowing a field!) will nudge you into
real
time, where you notice the change of light and live within the actual pulse of a day.
Do It Gorgeously in the Kitchen
Cooking from scratch is one of the most eco-friendly things you can do. It’s better for your health, your pocketbook, and the planet because you’ll be avoiding a plethora of unhealthy additives and unnecessary packaging. So many of the problems we face today are caused by modern food production. Take a box of sugary cereal: Despite the outlandish claims emblazoned on the box, some additives can actually contribute to health problems and obesity. The cardboard box itself is unnecessary, as you can buy a better cereal for less out of bulk bins. So it makes perfect sense to whip out your baking sheet, and, in a matter of minutes, make your own.
In this chapter, I’m going to show you how to make many of the basic foodstuffs that you would ordinarily buy. If you’re as time-challenged as I am, a long and complicated recipe will just irritate you, so I’ve only included recipes that are extremely quick and easy to make.
There’s something enormously satisfying about really
knowing
every ingredi
ent that you are serving your family. It’s also quite a relief not to have to cram your already overstuffed trash cans with any packaging that isn’t recyclable. Try your hand at some of these recipes—recipes your grandmother and her grandmother used to cook—and you’ll never look back.
PREPARATION
I recommend stocking up on glass jars and containers to keep all your homemade goodies in. Glass is the most eco-friendly choice because it’s odor- and stain-resistant and won’t react with the contents. The problem with some plastic containers is that they can leach the hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) into your food, especially if the food is acidic or warm. So start saving old jelly and condiment jars. I also recommend investing in a good set of glass containers of different sizes. I love Pyrex (www.pyrex.com); they carry a massive selection of tiny to large glass containers, which all come with BPA-free plastic or glass lids. As most of the following recipes yield one jar, you may want to triple or quadruple recipes and store the extra jars for later use or as gifts.
Mayonnaise
Homemade mayo is the best. Some people are a little scared of using raw eggs because of the fear of
Salmonella
poisoning. If you want to play it super safe, the recipe below is cooked, so all your fears can be put to rest.
4 organic egg yolks
2 tbsp. filtered water
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1½ cups extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed
Salt and pepper to taste
1.
Combine the egg yolks, water, and vinegar in your food processor or blender and blend until they are combined.
2.
As the processor is whirring, begin to add the olive oil in a
slow
and steady stream. If you add it too quickly, the mixture could separate or curdle.
*
3.
Transfer the mayo to a double boiler. If you don’t have one, pour it into a metal bowl set over a large pan of boiling water. Heat until a thermometer reads 160°F.
4.
Remove from the heat and, when cool, transfer to a jelly jar or a glass container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
MAYO VARIATIONS
For a
garlicky mayo,
otherwise known as aioli, add 1 tsp. of crushed garlic after step 3.
For a
low-calorie mayo,
add 2 tbsp. of plain low-fat yogurt (see “Do It Gorgeously in the Kitchen”) and 1 tsp. of lemon juice. Stir in well before storing.
For a
spicy mayo,
add ½ tsp. of smoked paprika and ½ tsp. of red chili powder when mayo is ready.
For
pesto mayo,
add 3 tsp. of fresh pesto (see “Do It Gorgeously in the Kitchen”) when mayo is ready.
Tartar Sauce
My husband cannot eat fish without tartar sauce. It’s hard to find a good one that isn’t filled with additives and extremely expensive. Mercifully, it’s very easy to make. For a spicy variation, toss in ½ tsp. of fresh minced jalapeño pepper.
Yields:
1½ cups
½ cup homemade mayo (see “Do It Gorgeously in the Kitchen”)
½ cup low-fat yogurt (see “Do It Gorgeously in the Kitchen”)
3 scallions, minced
2 large dill pickles, minced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tbsp. capers
½ tbsp. Dijon mustard
1.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
2.
Transfer to a jelly jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
EASY CANNING
If you think canning is a labor-intensive project for the farm-to-table type, think again. It’s relatively easy and enormously satisfying. I used to get freaked out by the whole “canning bath” thing, imagining that I’d have to purchase an enormous tin tub (the kind they washed themselves in on
Little House on the Prairie
). However, you can purchase an entire nine-piece canning kit (I like the one from Granite Ware, which you can find on www.amazon.com) for less than the price of a pair of jeans. I often use a very large stock pot for canning. As long as it’s large enough to hold all your jars and deep enough to allow them to be completely submerged in water, you’ll be fine.
You can also purchase canning jars with self-sealing lids. I like the flint glass mason jars with self-sealing “plastisol” lids (find them at SKS Bottle and Packaging, www.sks-bottle.com).
If you’re interested in learning more about canning, I highly recommend the Web site of an organization called Pick Your Own (www.pickyourown.org). You can find out where your nearest pick-your-own farm is, buy canning supplies, and find detailed instructions on canning and freezing just about every food you can think of.
The whole deal with canning is that you have to heat the food in the jars hot enough to make sure that all the bacteria is killed so the food won’t spoil. The other thing that’s important is to sterilize the jars before use. Fortunately, the hot cycle of your dishwasher will do the trick.
The most important step in the process, to prevent spoilage, is to make sure your jars are properly sealed. As the jar seals, it should pull the center of the lid down. If it doesn’t, it isn’t sealed and you should
start again. If you want to make sure, unscrew the jar ring and make sure that the lid doesn’t budge. I like to hear the sound of the lid when it pops down, indicating that it’s fully sealed.
You can “raw pack” your foods into the jars, which means you can skip the whole cooking and boiling step. However, the following is the recommended method for canning acid foods, such as tomatoes, fruits, and pickles.
1.
Sterilize your jars by running them through the hot cycle in the dishwasher, and keep them in the dishwasher on the dry cycle to keep them warm (they need to be warm when you fill them). Alternatively, you can sterilize them in your canner or a large pot by boiling them in water for a couple of minutes. Leave them in the hot water until you are ready to fill them. When ready, remove them carefully with a pair of canning tongs.
2.
Fill your canning pot with 4 inches of water (for quart-size jars). Heat the canner on your stove to get the water boiling. It’s also a good idea to boil a full teakettle of water and keep it on hand.
3.
Warm up the foods you are about to can by placing them in a large pot and covering them with juice or syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer tomato products for 5 minutes and fruit for 3 minutes.
4.
Pack the food into the warm jars and stir in ½ tsp. of salt for a pint-size jar or 1 tsp. of salt for a quart-size jar.
5.
Fill the jar with the hot juice or syrup up to the recommended level. Most recipes indicate the exact “head space” that you need in the jar. However, generally speaking, it will be ¼ inch from the top rim of the jar to the food. The reason you need to leave this space is because the fruit or veggies can swell, forcing the cap to open or leak. It’s useful to have a ruler at hand to make sure your measurements are exact.
6.
Wipe the rims of the jars and screw on the lids.
7.
If the water is boiling in the canner, turn down the temperature until the water is exactly 180°F (just below boiling). Carefully place the jars in the canner. The water level should be 2 inches above the jars—if it’s not, add some boiling water from your teakettle. Cover the canner with its lid.
8.
The water should be boiling as you start counting your processing time, as specified in the recipe. When the time is up, remove the cover from the canner and leave the jars in the water for an additional 5 minutes.
9.
Cool the jars for 24 hours before labeling and storing in a cool, dark cupboard.
Tomato Ketchup
Making old-fashioned tomato ketchup is not only hugely impressive when guests pop over for a cozy supper, but it’s also divinely delicious. Make it in the summer when you can get pounds of overripe tomatoes cheap from your farmer’s market. As this recipe makes 3 pints of ketchup, you may want to give a jar or two to your friends. Tie a gingham ribbon around the lid of the jar, design a pretty label, and take a jar as a hostess gift to a dinner party or a brunch.
Yields:
3 pints
3 10-oz. mason jars with 2-piece lids
4 lbs. ripe (can be overripe) tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2
/
3
cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. ground mace
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1.
Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.
Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Keep stirring throughout this simmering process to prevent the mixture from sticking and burning.
3.
After 1 hour, the mixture should have thickened considerably. If not, simmer for another half hour.
4.
Either use a food mill to process the mixture or force it through a fine-mesh sieve.
5.
The consistency of the mixture should be like a thick tomato sauce. If you think it’s still too thin, you can return it to the pan and simmer another half hour.
6.
Pour into the mason jars (put them through a hot cycle in your dishwasher prior to using) and cover loosely with 2-piece lids.
7.
When the ketchup cools, the lids should slightly indent; screw them on firmly and refrigerate. Your ketchup will keep for up to 3 weeks, so write today’s date on the label.
Organic Mustard
I’ve always been put off buying organic mustard at fancy grocery stores because it’s so expensive. Now that I know how easy it is to make, I’ll never have to spend so much again. You can make rather uninspiring mustard by simply adding water to mustard powder to make a paste. We are going down a more gourmet route. If your mustard works out, make dozens of little pots for holiday presents. This recipe calls for
ground
mustard seeds. I suggest using either a spice grinder or a coffee grinder. As you don’t want your morning coffee to taste of spices, use a separate one for this purpose only. A pepper mill works well. You can also use a mortar and pestle, but it will take a lot longer and your mustard will be less smooth.
2 tbsp. ground yellow organic mustard seeds
2 tbsp. ground brown organic mustard seeds
1½ tbsp. water
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. raw honey
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. salt
1.
Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix into a paste.
2.
Spoon your mustard into a 2-oz. glass jar.
3.
Store for up to 3 months in the fridge.
Spicy Barbecue Sauce
This is better than any BBQ sauce you would typically find in a gourmet store. Perfect with burgers, veggie burgers, and grilled meat.
Yields:
12 ounces
1 cup organic tomato sauce
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2
/
3
cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. molasses
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. mustard (see “Do It Gorgeously in the Kitchen”)
1 tsp. salt
1.
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring every now and again.
2.
Transfer into a jelly jar and allow sauce to cool before screwing on the lid. It will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Fall Apple Chutney
This simple chutney can be made from bruised cooking apples or Granny Smith apples that you may be able to pick up cheap at your farmer’s market. It’s delicious when eaten with cold cuts, roast chicken, or roast pork. It’s also wonderful with curry.
Yields:
2 ½-qt. mason jars
4 medium cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
½ medium onion, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ tbsp. orange zest
½ tbsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. ground allspice
1.
Combine all the ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil.
