Today is my last day as a DC (semi-)resident. Work is relocating me to Richmond and in the last weeks, I've found an apartment, acquired a new roommate, signed a lease and tomorrow I move down. I'll still be in DC a lot due to work and also the number of friends I have here but Richmond will be my new home. This blog will become a chronicle for the new places I enjoy in Richmond and also the process of turning my rented apartment into a dream home.
I debated getting a single bedroom apartment, especially since rent is much lower in Richmond than DC but with traveling to see my sweetie taking a large part of my budget, I decided to save the money. My roommate hasn't done too much to the place so I'll have a lot of projects coming up as I make it my home. Plus, I don't know anyone in Richmond so I'll have lots of nights in doing crafts!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
the ethics of drinking
As someone who tries, often unsuccessfully, to be mindful of my impact on the Earth and as someone who enjoys a glass of wine or two in the evening, I have debated the merits of various types of wines.
There are a few issues to wine, namely the grapes, how it is stored and how it is shipped. Here are my opinions on those issues. Like most things in our society, it's a balance that we all have to make for ourselves. In college, these choices were easy. I love white wine and was living in the Fingerlakes area of New York, an area with great white wine. I would buy wine for $9 at the farmers market and could feel great that my wine was grown and produced locally and I was buying directly from the family producer. Now in DC, Virginia wine country isn't so far but Virginia wines aren't really stocked in the wine stores and are much more expensive than the NY wines I loved.
Grapes (organic vs. non-organic):
The obvious choice is organic is better. However, organic wines are rare and picking only organic wines when at a random shop is probably a risky choice. Sample them and find some favorites but many small local wineries- like small farms- may not have bothered being certified. Two cases where organic makes a bigger difference- with imported wines and with large wineries. Organic vs. not is most important for chemical residue and less so for the carbon footprint.
Re-Nest wrote recently about the "Dirty Dozen," the fruits and vegetables you absolutely should buy organic and imported grapes were on the list. For this, I'd worry more about wines from South America than European (or even US) wines. The EU has very strict standards for pesticide use, and the US has lower but still fairly tight standards. In addition, if you are buying domestically from a small winery, they may have lower pesticide use, but this is not always true.
Container (bottle vs. box):
Wine in a bottle has two basic part- the bottle and the cork or metal top. Glass is a very heavy material and that increases the amount of energy used to transport the wine. According to the New York Times, the weight of wine bottles has actually been increasing. The article didn't go into specifics but it claims the increase is due to trying to increase the impressiveness of the bottle, so perhaps this is more true for expensive bottles (note: not the bottles I buy.) One good thing is that much of the glass* that goes into the bottles is recycled and is recyclable. Glass is domestically recycled so the energy into transporting it to the recycling center is manageable and unlike many products is not downcycled. Many glass bottles are melted down and reformed into new bottles or are upcycled into jewelry or furnishings.
*One note on recycling wine bottles- blue bottles are often not accepted at local recycling center. Buy blue glass sparingly and save those to be pretty vases. In some communities, this is true of all colors of wine bottles, so if recycling is important to you, find out what your regulations are and buy accordingly.
In case you need a reason to biggie-size your bottle, "Shipping premium wine, bottled at the winery, around the world mostly involves shipping glass with some wine in it. In this regard, drinking wine from a magnum is the more carbon-friendly choice since the glass-to-wine ratio is less. Half-bottles, by contrast, worsen the ratio."
The cork can be either real cork or that fake plastic stuff. My pocketbook limits my wine to $12 a bottle unless I'm out for a special meal, but I've found that inexpensive wines are often have real cork. (Though sometimes, cough-Jazz-in-the-Sculpture-Garden, I purposefully choose the metal twists off tops.) Wine corks are recyclable through Recork America.
In contrast, you can buy your wine in a box. This seriously cuts down on the weight of the packaging, thus shipping is much more efficient. Boxes are often larger servings and they stay fresh longer, so you are less likely to have to toss your wine before you finish it. (If your wine does start to turn, think about using it in some cooking- maybe risotto for white wine or a beef stew for red wine?) Many boxes are composites though, so may not be recyclable, a serious downside.
Travel (local vs. truck vs. boat):
Local wine has the smallest carbon footprint (duh) plus you are keeping your spending dollars in the community.
Many people think being California wines is better than buying European wines, but that depends on where in the US you are and how the wine is transported. Trucking is very energy intensive and, with the weight of bottles, is a poor way to transport wine. So if you are on the West Coast, West Coast wines are a great choice. On the East Coast, European wines have been shipped by container ships and then trucked only a short distance. According to Dr. Vino, there is a split is the US around Ohio where east of the line "it’s more efficient to consume the same sized bottle of wine from Bordeaux, which has had benefited from the efficiencies of container shipping, followed by a shorter truck trip" and those west of the line should buy Californian. Of course, east of the line there are several smaller wine producing areas to taste as well.
Taste Test
So, having all these thoughts in my head, I stumbled across Yellow + Blue (um, cause it equals Green, duh.) Yellow + Blue is an Argentinian wine that claims to have a carbon footprint 54% smaller than the traditional process. They buy the wine before it is bottles and "ship it in bulk via insulated steel tanks to North America, where the cartons are filled and then distributed." On their website they don't specify if 'ship' means on a ship or by plane, or how distributed the filling centers are in the US. Still, bulk transport and lighter packaging substantially cut down the carbon emissions of transporting the wine.
Yellow + Blue is very proud of their Tetra Pak, which allows the wine to last longer (and gives you a slightly larger bottle of wine!) but one major question I have is- is the packaging recyclable? I would think that for a company that sells itself on sustainability, it would be but I didn't see anything on the package or their website, so I had to chuck my empty in the trash.
But, what really matters is, how is the wine? I sampled their white wine, a 2008 Torrontes, I found the wine pleasant but rather bland. My roommate agreed and while we enjoyed sitting and drinking the wine, neither of us was hoping to crack into a second bottle. Y+B suggests pairing it with smoked meat, mild-medium cheese and spicy food. I am doubtful that this wine would really stand up to spicy food but it went well with the warm potato salad I had for dinner that night.
While this foray into boxed wine was lackluster, I hope to find boxed wine (maybe domestic boxed? East Coast?) that has the spicy, mineral, crisp tastes I love but stays light on its feet.
There are a few issues to wine, namely the grapes, how it is stored and how it is shipped. Here are my opinions on those issues. Like most things in our society, it's a balance that we all have to make for ourselves. In college, these choices were easy. I love white wine and was living in the Fingerlakes area of New York, an area with great white wine. I would buy wine for $9 at the farmers market and could feel great that my wine was grown and produced locally and I was buying directly from the family producer. Now in DC, Virginia wine country isn't so far but Virginia wines aren't really stocked in the wine stores and are much more expensive than the NY wines I loved.
Grapes (organic vs. non-organic):
The obvious choice is organic is better. However, organic wines are rare and picking only organic wines when at a random shop is probably a risky choice. Sample them and find some favorites but many small local wineries- like small farms- may not have bothered being certified. Two cases where organic makes a bigger difference- with imported wines and with large wineries. Organic vs. not is most important for chemical residue and less so for the carbon footprint.
Re-Nest wrote recently about the "Dirty Dozen," the fruits and vegetables you absolutely should buy organic and imported grapes were on the list. For this, I'd worry more about wines from South America than European (or even US) wines. The EU has very strict standards for pesticide use, and the US has lower but still fairly tight standards. In addition, if you are buying domestically from a small winery, they may have lower pesticide use, but this is not always true.
Container (bottle vs. box):
Wine in a bottle has two basic part- the bottle and the cork or metal top. Glass is a very heavy material and that increases the amount of energy used to transport the wine. According to the New York Times, the weight of wine bottles has actually been increasing. The article didn't go into specifics but it claims the increase is due to trying to increase the impressiveness of the bottle, so perhaps this is more true for expensive bottles (note: not the bottles I buy.) One good thing is that much of the glass* that goes into the bottles is recycled and is recyclable. Glass is domestically recycled so the energy into transporting it to the recycling center is manageable and unlike many products is not downcycled. Many glass bottles are melted down and reformed into new bottles or are upcycled into jewelry or furnishings.
*One note on recycling wine bottles- blue bottles are often not accepted at local recycling center. Buy blue glass sparingly and save those to be pretty vases. In some communities, this is true of all colors of wine bottles, so if recycling is important to you, find out what your regulations are and buy accordingly.
In case you need a reason to biggie-size your bottle, "Shipping premium wine, bottled at the winery, around the world mostly involves shipping glass with some wine in it. In this regard, drinking wine from a magnum is the more carbon-friendly choice since the glass-to-wine ratio is less. Half-bottles, by contrast, worsen the ratio."
The cork can be either real cork or that fake plastic stuff. My pocketbook limits my wine to $12 a bottle unless I'm out for a special meal, but I've found that inexpensive wines are often have real cork. (Though sometimes, cough-Jazz-in-the-Sculpture-Garden, I purposefully choose the metal twists off tops.) Wine corks are recyclable through Recork America.
In contrast, you can buy your wine in a box. This seriously cuts down on the weight of the packaging, thus shipping is much more efficient. Boxes are often larger servings and they stay fresh longer, so you are less likely to have to toss your wine before you finish it. (If your wine does start to turn, think about using it in some cooking- maybe risotto for white wine or a beef stew for red wine?) Many boxes are composites though, so may not be recyclable, a serious downside.
Travel (local vs. truck vs. boat):
Local wine has the smallest carbon footprint (duh) plus you are keeping your spending dollars in the community.
Many people think being California wines is better than buying European wines, but that depends on where in the US you are and how the wine is transported. Trucking is very energy intensive and, with the weight of bottles, is a poor way to transport wine. So if you are on the West Coast, West Coast wines are a great choice. On the East Coast, European wines have been shipped by container ships and then trucked only a short distance. According to Dr. Vino, there is a split is the US around Ohio where east of the line "it’s more efficient to consume the same sized bottle of wine from Bordeaux, which has had benefited from the efficiencies of container shipping, followed by a shorter truck trip" and those west of the line should buy Californian. Of course, east of the line there are several smaller wine producing areas to taste as well.
Taste Test
So, having all these thoughts in my head, I stumbled across Yellow + Blue (um, cause it equals Green, duh.) Yellow + Blue is an Argentinian wine that claims to have a carbon footprint 54% smaller than the traditional process. They buy the wine before it is bottles and "ship it in bulk via insulated steel tanks to North America, where the cartons are filled and then distributed." On their website they don't specify if 'ship' means on a ship or by plane, or how distributed the filling centers are in the US. Still, bulk transport and lighter packaging substantially cut down the carbon emissions of transporting the wine.Yellow + Blue is very proud of their Tetra Pak, which allows the wine to last longer (and gives you a slightly larger bottle of wine!) but one major question I have is- is the packaging recyclable? I would think that for a company that sells itself on sustainability, it would be but I didn't see anything on the package or their website, so I had to chuck my empty in the trash.
But, what really matters is, how is the wine? I sampled their white wine, a 2008 Torrontes, I found the wine pleasant but rather bland. My roommate agreed and while we enjoyed sitting and drinking the wine, neither of us was hoping to crack into a second bottle. Y+B suggests pairing it with smoked meat, mild-medium cheese and spicy food. I am doubtful that this wine would really stand up to spicy food but it went well with the warm potato salad I had for dinner that night.
While this foray into boxed wine was lackluster, I hope to find boxed wine (maybe domestic boxed? East Coast?) that has the spicy, mineral, crisp tastes I love but stays light on its feet.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
eastern market photoshow
My favorite thing about the house I just left (besides my awesome roommates) was the proximity to Eastern Market. I usually went on Sundays because that's the best day for finding cheap jewelry to repurpose. Eastern Market has crafts and vintage items every Saturday and Sunday and while there is a huge range in quality (looking at you, cheap imported jewelry!) there are amazing finds. I also love the food- after all, that's what Eastern Market is made for. It's a full-time grocery/ meat market/ seafood stand and also has delish prepared foods. Some of my favorite things to eat there:
Many farmer's market have samples of produce, but the amount of produce that farmers at Eastern Market put out means that I am half-full before I even enter the food hall. Maybe the farmers realized that people have come to the market for a lot of reasons and peaches might not be on their list. Impulse peach purchases must be at an all-time high at Eastern Market.
The Market Lunch is one of my favorite places to eat at Eastern Market. The lines are horrible, there is almost no seating, but they have amazing food. You can get all kinds of fried seafood, crab cakes, a burger and really delicious fries that must be eaten with vinegar. I skipped it last time I went though (lines!) and instead opted for the even quicker, even cheaper option.
Half-smoke! Skin on and so delicious! Just looking at the photo is giving me a craving.
One thing that market is famous for is fresh seafood. There is seafood from all over the world, but the freshest (and most delicious, shall we say?) comes straight out of the Chesapeake Bay. These softshell crabs were caught the same morning I took this photograph. If I were eating crab, I'd want it to be my Mom's crabcakes, though.
Lastly, a cool treat after walking around the stalls outside. Micha's rasberry sorbet. Many days when I've gone late, Micha has sold out of many flavors and this was the first time I had bought any. I definitely regret that because it was some of the most delicious sorbet I've ever had. You can taste the fruit and the sorbet manages to be very creamy but fresh and clean tasting. Worth a trip just for the sorbet.
Many farmer's market have samples of produce, but the amount of produce that farmers at Eastern Market put out means that I am half-full before I even enter the food hall. Maybe the farmers realized that people have come to the market for a lot of reasons and peaches might not be on their list. Impulse peach purchases must be at an all-time high at Eastern Market.
The Market Lunch is one of my favorite places to eat at Eastern Market. The lines are horrible, there is almost no seating, but they have amazing food. You can get all kinds of fried seafood, crab cakes, a burger and really delicious fries that must be eaten with vinegar. I skipped it last time I went though (lines!) and instead opted for the even quicker, even cheaper option.
Half-smoke! Skin on and so delicious! Just looking at the photo is giving me a craving.
One thing that market is famous for is fresh seafood. There is seafood from all over the world, but the freshest (and most delicious, shall we say?) comes straight out of the Chesapeake Bay. These softshell crabs were caught the same morning I took this photograph. If I were eating crab, I'd want it to be my Mom's crabcakes, though.
Lastly, a cool treat after walking around the stalls outside. Micha's rasberry sorbet. Many days when I've gone late, Micha has sold out of many flavors and this was the first time I had bought any. I definitely regret that because it was some of the most delicious sorbet I've ever had. You can taste the fruit and the sorbet manages to be very creamy but fresh and clean tasting. Worth a trip just for the sorbet.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
i'll fly away...
Upcycled vintage brooch with chain and vintage faux-pearls.Took a bunch of photos a week ago but haven't listed anything yet. My good camera is broken so I have borrowed my mom's and it doesn't take very good photos. Most are unusable, like the one above.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
almost ended up in a less stylish pair of these today...
As in, the real kind. Or more likely the plastic kind. But, I'm happy not to be and given the choice would pick these stylish handcuff bracelets from b-side any day.
Favorite part: On the white pair, the tag reads “145.60,” referencing the section of NY state penal code that makes graffiti a Class A misdemeanor. Kind of like how "bathing swimming or wading in any fountain or pool except where officially authorized is prohibited." Sorry DC/ National Park Police!
Favorite part: On the white pair, the tag reads “145.60,” referencing the section of NY state penal code that makes graffiti a Class A misdemeanor. Kind of like how "bathing swimming or wading in any fountain or pool except where officially authorized is prohibited." Sorry DC/ National Park Police!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
wooden jewelry
While glittery costume jewelry will someday be my downfall, sometimes I choose to embrace my hippie side. Or more likely, I like to contrast a fancy dress with more simplistic but still bold jewelry so I don't feel ridiculously overdressed during the day. On those days, I love wearing jewelry made from natural materials. Wood is a material I will never master, so I'll have to keep collecting from other artisans. I have built up a bit of a collection myself and prefer (like with most things) to buy from individual crafters or fair-trade coops. Or to buy/ be given vintage pieces. Here is a sampling of my personal collection:
The first is a pair of handmade earrings I purchased at the Ithaca Farmer's Market. I can't remember the name of the man who made them, but I love their shape and the marbling of the wood. The bracelets I found at my grandmothers. She thinks they were my great-aunt's. She had spent a lot of time in Mexico. They have a bit of wearing so I typically wear them mixed up with a large gold bangle. The last photograph is a necklace I made with a large wood and gold vintage belt buckle. Look for it listed in my store later- this is the first time I've gotten around to photographing it!
My other favorite peice of wooden jewelry is a bracelet made of large flat wooden beads with pieces of mother of pearl inlaid, but the MOP kept photographing weird so I haven't posted pictures. Both are items my mother purchased at a fair trade store. (I don't know why I couldn't get a good photograph, and the images above looked much better before I tried to post them... advice?)
Here's a few pieces I wouldn't mind adding to my collection:
These bracelets from Nkuku are absolute showstoppers. Luckily for me and sadly for you, dear readers, these bracelets are out of stock.
Nkuku is a certified 100% fair trade shop (World Fair Trade Organization and the British Association for Fair Trade Shops.) "All our products are inspired by the traditional skills of artisans throughout Africa and India. The name ‘Nkuku’ was borrowed from a village in Zambia. We combine contemporary designs with age-old techniques, natural materials and sustainable methods of production to ensure each product is truly exceptional."
Sourcing of wood can be an issue so I love these recycled wood earrings found on Etsy by inbloomdesigns, who has a whole section on recycled and repurposed wood jewelry. I especially love the story on these- made from the wood from a clementine box!
The first is a pair of handmade earrings I purchased at the Ithaca Farmer's Market. I can't remember the name of the man who made them, but I love their shape and the marbling of the wood. The bracelets I found at my grandmothers. She thinks they were my great-aunt's. She had spent a lot of time in Mexico. They have a bit of wearing so I typically wear them mixed up with a large gold bangle. The last photograph is a necklace I made with a large wood and gold vintage belt buckle. Look for it listed in my store later- this is the first time I've gotten around to photographing it!
My other favorite peice of wooden jewelry is a bracelet made of large flat wooden beads with pieces of mother of pearl inlaid, but the MOP kept photographing weird so I haven't posted pictures. Both are items my mother purchased at a fair trade store. (I don't know why I couldn't get a good photograph, and the images above looked much better before I tried to post them... advice?)
Here's a few pieces I wouldn't mind adding to my collection:
These bracelets from Nkuku are absolute showstoppers. Luckily for me and sadly for you, dear readers, these bracelets are out of stock.Nkuku is a certified 100% fair trade shop (World Fair Trade Organization and the British Association for Fair Trade Shops.) "All our products are inspired by the traditional skills of artisans throughout Africa and India. The name ‘Nkuku’ was borrowed from a village in Zambia. We combine contemporary designs with age-old techniques, natural materials and sustainable methods of production to ensure each product is truly exceptional."
Sourcing of wood can be an issue so I love these recycled wood earrings found on Etsy by inbloomdesigns, who has a whole section on recycled and repurposed wood jewelry. I especially love the story on these- made from the wood from a clementine box!
Monday, August 24, 2009
apologies for the lack of posting
I blame it (again) on my camera. I documented several things without my memory card in and now cannot transfer those images onto my computer to share. So here are a few updates with borrowed photographs/ no photographs.
So last weekend (same day as Ben's Chili Bowl, in fact- I should have worried more about nutrition) I decided to make a snack/dinner that is rather wintery- Panfriend Smashed Potatoes from Gourmet via Epicurious. I had made these once before. I loved them, though my boyfriend got creeped out watching the amount of oil you use to cook them. An important thing here is patience. You really need to let the potatoes fry up nicely or they will be greasy. I was a little impatient this time and they were not as tasty as the first time I made them.
Tonight I made a healthier dinner. I was in charge of cooking for the house and after finding a good deal on basil at the grocery decided to make pesto. I more or less made up the recipe as I went, blending the pesto in a blender instead of a food processor due to our limited kitchen appliances. A key to that was going slowly and starting off with a much higher proportion of olive oil and then slowly adding the greens. All in all I used about 7 cups of basil, 4 cups of spinach, 1.5 cups of toasted pine nuts, 2 bulbs of garlic, salt and pepper to taste and olive oil to get the right consistency. Everyone loved it, though it was very garlic-y. I pour this over 3 boxes of pasta. Because we have a few vegans in the house, I just put Parmesan on the side but it would have been nice to blend it in. I'm very excited to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
So last weekend (same day as Ben's Chili Bowl, in fact- I should have worried more about nutrition) I decided to make a snack/dinner that is rather wintery- Panfriend Smashed Potatoes from Gourmet via Epicurious. I had made these once before. I loved them, though my boyfriend got creeped out watching the amount of oil you use to cook them. An important thing here is patience. You really need to let the potatoes fry up nicely or they will be greasy. I was a little impatient this time and they were not as tasty as the first time I made them.Tonight I made a healthier dinner. I was in charge of cooking for the house and after finding a good deal on basil at the grocery decided to make pesto. I more or less made up the recipe as I went, blending the pesto in a blender instead of a food processor due to our limited kitchen appliances. A key to that was going slowly and starting off with a much higher proportion of olive oil and then slowly adding the greens. All in all I used about 7 cups of basil, 4 cups of spinach, 1.5 cups of toasted pine nuts, 2 bulbs of garlic, salt and pepper to taste and olive oil to get the right consistency. Everyone loved it, though it was very garlic-y. I pour this over 3 boxes of pasta. Because we have a few vegans in the house, I just put Parmesan on the side but it would have been nice to blend it in. I'm very excited to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
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