Monthly Archives: July 2008

Using the base of the cauliflower

frugal strategies

A while back I made a discovery that will probably not be useful to the vast majority of you.  But it was interesting to me.  🙂

My husband works in the resturant business, though they are so efficient about managing food waste that there’s rarely anything left over, so it’s not as though he comes home loaded down with leftovers every day.  If he does bring something home, it’s because they have no way to make money selling it.  One day, he brought home the bottom part of the cauliflower that was being cut off and would have been thrown away, the base of the it along with the green leaves attached to it.  He didn’t know anything about it but thought it looked like it should be edible.

Honestly, it didn’t look appetizing to me, but we boiled it and suprise – it was really, really tasty!  We all liked it better than the part of the cauliflower we usually eat.  When his co-worker from Columbia saw him taking the stems today (they went through  7 cases of cauliflower today – they periodically prepare a large amount of pickled cauliflower at a time), he told him, “Yes, that’s the best part, it’s delicious!”  So it’s not much of a secret in other countries, it seems. 

Stems from seven cases of cauliflower – isn’t that a lot, you wonder?   Yes, it was – about fifty pounds worth.  But what can you do with so much of a perishable vegetable that needs refrigeration?  I definitely don’t have that kind of space in my fridge!  I cooked up a bunch of it in my two largest pots, then cut it into smaller pieces – and canned it.  I still feel amazed at how compact things become when cooked.  Twenty pounds made four gallons, cooked .  My seven year old daughter enjoyed filling the jars with me after dinner – she especially enjoys using the magnetic wand to fish the lids out of boiling water, and then putting them on the jar.    But she did most of the other parts, too – filling them (all I did was pack it down) with the vegetables, then putting the spices in, and adding the boiling liquid before closing it up.

It’s still processing in the pressure canner as I write, and I have two large pots full waiting to be cooked, and one cooked pot full – and we enjoyed a large amount of it with dinner as a side dish.  It’s good that it’s so yummy, because it’s worth the work.  I’m thinking that maybe I’ll can what is left tomorrow, if my day isn’t too hectic (though Fridays usually aren’t the best time for this kind of activity :)).

Avivah 

Environmental violations and venting

homemaking

My husband went downtown to appeal an environmental violation we received about two months ago.  We were been fined once for something we didn’t realize was a problem, putting out items behind our garage for bulk trash pick up the day before the truck came (everyone does it, most people put it out several days beforehand) – we were notified that it could only be put out early the morning the pick up was scheduled.  We immediately corrected that, but then a month later were fined again.  I was very exasperated to this time find out were fined for having several small pieces of wood (neatly piled) and a foosball/game table inside our yard.  

I thought it was absurd, that it just didn’t make sense, and so did people we spoke to; everyone felt we should appeal it.  Yesterday the scheduled hearing took place.  But no luck.  I think the city has no desire to let go of any fine money it can collect, and the judge told my husband that they have the right to fine you for anything left anywhere in your yard except for patio furniture and it’s up to each official’s discretion to determine what is a problem.  How in the world I can keep every toy every minute out of the yard I don’t know.  It seems insane to me.  It’s not like I live in an expensive subdivision with a rigid housing committe – it’s a working class neighborhood.  I think that we have someone new on the job who is really super zealous and/or into her own sense of power.  We were here for two years, doing lots of work in the house which entailed boards and old fixings being removed and stored in the yard until we took them to the dump, staying in the yard longer than I would have liked – but we never got a fine.  And now to be fined over a game table in the corner of my yard leaves me feeling like there’s no way I can win.  

What I’d really like to do is put up a six foot fence so I don’t have to worry about the person driving by and taking pictures of my yard (part of the back yard is unfenced).  But that isn’t a project I can allocate funds to right now – especially since my husband doesn’t feel the urgency regarding this that I do.  This whole thing left me feeling like I have no privacy, and my privacy is very important to me, so it bothers me more than it would a lot of other people.  And it’s so unpredictable that I can’t figure out how to avoid a fine in the future. 

Anyway, I have to remind myself that I can’t control other people, I can only do the best I can today.  Sigh.

Avivah

New discovery during a nature hike

homeschooling,

Today I took two of my kids to a nature program in one of the state parks.  They meet every Thursday for 2.5 hours for the month of July.  I decided to sign them up to give the week a bit of structure, so that there would be something special to look forward to each week in addition to whatever other trips and activities I plan. 

It was a very nice program, though my 9 yo seems to enjoy grumbling about the activities I plan.  I almost don’t hear him anymore, or I just laugh at him when he tells me how bad it was.  Tonight my 7 year old daughter told me she thinks he complains because it’s fun, because they were together at the activities and he was having fun the entire time.  They hiked, played games, did crafts, and learned useful information – and every minute of it is science.

 While they were busy with their activities, the other three kids and I went to the two acre playground just a few minutes walk away.  The 6 year old took the 2 year old around, up and down slides, climbing and jumping up and down the different things available – usually he doesn’t get to play the part of big brother because he has so many older siblings around who do it better than him.  He told me that it was very hard (though having been the youngest for almost 4 years, he has the typical personality of a youngest child, of everything being too much work), but at dinner, when we went around the table and everyone shared the best part of their day, he said taking care of his little brother at the playground was his favorite thing! 

When we picked up the 7 and 9 year olds, they were excited to share with me one particular piece of information they learned on their hike.  The naturalist pointed out berries that were edible to the group, and mentioned that a lot of people like to can them.  You know that didn’t escape their attention!   A few minutes later, they pointed out the berries, called wineberries.  We spontaneously decided to extend our outing and do some berry picking.  We picked about a quart of berries.  It wasn’t too much when I think of canning them, but when I think of buying a quart of raspberries in the store, it seems like a lot!

And the picking of the wineberries themselves was like an activity.  I don’t mind spending time on things like this because I treat it like a fun part of the day, not a chore to get through.  They have thorns, though, and my 26 month old had a hard time getting to where the berries were without getting pricked. I ended up spending most of my time finding canes for him to pick from that were isolated from others, so he could reach in without hurting himself.  We’ll pick some next time we go, and hopefully more will be ripe so that we can gather a bunch while we’re out.

Avivah

How to buy in bulk

frugal strategies

I’m so used to mentioning buying in bulk, that I didn’t think about the fact that how to do it might be something some of you aren’t familiar with.

Most people look to co-op buying to buy in bulk, but I’ve never participated in a co-op.  Their prices are cheaper than health food stores, but they aren’t cheap.  At least all the ones I looked into were pricey.

Firstly, check your local ethnic stores – I get my rice in 20 lb bags at an Asian store.  I bought a case (24- 1 kilo bags) of buckwheat at the Russian store for much cheaper than I could get it in a health food store.  Things that are considered specialty items in health food stores are basic foods for their clienteles, and priced accordingly.  If you have an LDS storehouse near you, they have things like bulk wheat grains as well as other supplies.  I checked into them but they didn’t have what I needed when I needed it.  I used to buy directly from the bulk distributor that supplied the local health food stores, but then I found that Amish and Mennonite grocery stores carried the kind of things I wanted in bulk at prices that were pretty close to the huge distributor’s price.  It’s still quite a drive but it’s an hour closer, and when I go, I buy a lot.  So now that’s where I buy rolled/quick/steel cut oats, wheat, cornmeal, etc. 

I stock up on beans and other grains at the regular groceries when they have sales.  I don’t know why, but I’ve always found it cheaper to buy the 1 or 2 lb bags than any bulk sources I’ve been able to find.  I periodically look at prices for 50 lb bags, but they are just too expensive.  I prefer shopping like this anyway, because it allows me to buy a wide variety of beans, instead of a couple of huge bags.

I buy some veggies in bulk, too.  I once asked the manager of a local vegetable store if I could get a large bag (50 lb) of carrots, since it would be easier for me than bagging all of my own.  Not only did he say yes, but the price was half of what was listed.  I’ve done the same with some other veggies.

I buy chicken by the case from a local butcher.  A nice perk is that he delivers, so it’s very easy.  I call, he brings it, and all I have to do is stick it in the freezer.

I buy nuts and dried fruit from a store that sells mostly to resturants but sells their overruns at very cheap prices to the general public.  When I last went, I spent about $28, and got many, many pounds of peanuts and cashews (something like 70 lb, but I can’t remember the breakdown and don’t want to go look in the buckets to figure it out :o).  That’s a pretty typical trip for me.

Whenever something is being sold for a really good price, I buy a lot of it.  That’s usually at the standard grocery stores.  People regularly ask me if I’m making a party or comments like that when they look in my cart, because I always have an unusually large amount of something.  When I was at the nut store two weeks ago, the woman next to me said, “You’re either making a party or you work in a zoo.”  I told her neither, I just have a large family.  The argument could be made that having a large family is a cross between an ongoing party and living in a zoo, lol!

I constantly keep my eye open for new sources, and I periodically find them.  A couple of weeks ago I found the wholesale veggie distribution point for all the major and minor stores in the area – and they’ll sell direct to the public for a good price; you don’t even have to buy such large amounts.  I wouldn’t have found it if I hadn’t taken a few extra minutes to drive around (it was very intimidating looking, with dozens of loading docks and 18 wheelers loading up, no other regular buyers like me in sight) and ask if they would sell to me. 

It took time to find all the places I buy from now.  Google bulk distributors for your area, ask managers at local stores if they will sell to you in bulk (they will – when we were vegetarian I used to buy soy milk by the case from our big box supermarket – they ordered it just for me).  They almost always will, and often you’ll get a discount for doing so.  Don’t assume that if they’ll sell it bulk or discount, they’ll have it posted.  They don’t.  I regularly walk out of certain stores buying things at a price lower than everyone else buying the same stuff, because of the amounts and my willingness to just ask what the discount is when I buy x amount.

Have fun saving money and stocking your pantry!

Avivah

My relaxing day of quiet

homemaking

I saw a good friend on Saturday, and we made plans for me to visit her the next day.  She’s a very good friend, but we don’t see enough of each other, and the idea of visiting her without all the kids in tow sounded appealing, so I decided to skip the trip with the family the next day and unwind with some female bonding. 

One big part of why I decided not to go with the family to NY/NJ (because my husband took everyone on a day trip to NY after dropping our son off at his camp bus – Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty, and then the ferry) was because I was feeling very pressured about the transportation issues involved in getting the three kids to camp in NY, and I just didn’t want to spend a long day driving around.  We had arranged to take our son on Sunday to the camp bus in NJ, a three and a half hour drive for us, and had to be there by noon.  That was doable.  But then I found out that the bus for the girls was leaving two days later from the same city and I had to be there by 8:30 am.  Which would have meant having all of my kids dressed and breakfasted, and out the door by 5 am, and that felt like a LOT of pressure.  (Have I ever mentioned that I’m not an early riser?) 

The logistics kept changing – I was told I had to have their luggage dropped off two days before, the same day as my son, which I could do since I was already in the area.  But then I couldn’t take the other boy attending the same camp as ds with us, which I had committed to doing, because I would have to take a bench seat out to fit everyone’s luggage.  Then I decided I would just drive them all the way to the Catskills in NY so I could take the boy on Sunday, and take the girls and their luggage at one time on a different day.  And the time and money involved just kept rising.

But right before I called my friend to confirm that I was on my way, she called me.  She had just realized that they had a prior commitment and it wouldn’t work out.  I was disappointed it didn’t work out, but I was so grateful that I had stayed home anyway.  Quiet time is so crucial.  I had been feeling a lack of it, but I I wouldn’t have voluntarily slowed down enough to just take time for myself to stay home  – but this was the situation I ended up with.  And it’s exactly what I needed.

So Sunday I had lots of time with just me and the baby.  I can’t tell you how peaceful it was!  I really, really enjoyed it.  In mid morning I had the opportunity to be helpful to a large number of people in a way that was meaningful to me that I couldn’t have done otherwise, and then received a number of calls afterwards from some of those involved, and enjoyed the conversations in a quiet house.  I rested, I went slower than usual – it was very unremarkable and very nice.

Later in the afternoon, my 11 year old came home, and together we peeled pears and plums.  I’d bought a big basket of pears last week (45 pounds for $10), and they were now starting to ripen and get small soft spots on them, and had some plums in the fridge getting too soft.  We cooked them up into a compote – well, it was mostly pears, so I don’t know if I can call it compote – and canned up five and a half quarts, and a quart of pear syrup (don’t know what I’ll do with it but it was the thick sweet liquid left after all those pears cooked down).  I know that doesn’t sound like a lot of fruit, but it took a lot of pears to make that much cooked fruit!  The baby enjoyed sitting in his high chair and watching us, and it was relaxing to do our work together and chat while we did it.

We did a couple of other things together, then just had a mellow evening and she told me that she expected to be bored at home with no one else there, but that it had actually been very relaxing and she enjoyed it.  I felt the same way!

Avivah

Having feelings of inadequacy

homemaking

It’s been busy getting the older three kids ready for sleep away camp, and then my internet went down all last week, so I’m sorry I haven’t been posting. 

 On Sunday, my husband took 6 of the kids to NJ where the camp to my son’s camp in NY left from.  (There were no buses from my area.)  One daughter decided to stay home because she doesn’t like long drives and had a four hour drive to camp a couple of days later, so she slept over at a friend’s house.  I stayed home with the baby – it was the first time since he was born that I was in a quiet house with just him.  It was so peaceful! 

My husband connected with his best friend from his teenage years, who he’s kept in sporadic contact with, since he lives in that same city, and they had lunch at his friend’s home.  His friend is the president of a large law firm in Manhattan, and his wife is a school principal.  They have a huge, gorgeous home, spotless in every corner, a full time housekeeper, plenty of money, lots of career satisfaction, are heavily involved in communal positions of responsibility, and have a large family. I’m usually filled with peace and gratitude for the quality of my life, but for some reason, just thinking about their external success left me feeling inadequate and disgruntled with myself.  

I was pondering why I was letting someone else’s choices have any effect on my feelings about myself, and I realized two things: 1) I was really tired and needed to take a nap. 🙂  Seriously, I get negative when I’m overtired, and it’s amazing how much more balanced I am when I am rested.

2) I wanted some outside validation that our path is a different kind of success, which I wasn’t getting right then.  I’ve chosen to live in a way that most people don’t, and that means that I often have to be my own cheerleader.  When I’m feeling a need to have someone else build me up, it’s a sign that I need to do some spiritual work, so recognizing what I was feeling helped me refocus on the deeper issue.   When I deal with these things from a position of working on my spirituality and connection to G-d, everything seems to get much clearer and simpler.  It’s so easy to get caught up in comparing our insides to other people’s outsides, and thinking that what we see is all that there is, and forgetting to recognize all that we are.

I’m really grateful to my husband, who told me that visiting them didn’t bother him at all.  In fact, he said, after visiting them he felt even more appreciative for the life we have, and he thanked me for staying home with our kids and raising them.  He reminded me how fortunate we are to be healthy, have a strong marriage and great kids.  Keeping my mind on what I have keeps me feeling happy, and today, my husband was the one to help me put my mind back where it should be.

Avivah