Sunday, April 25, 2021 (In two days April’s Pink Moon will appear at its fullest.)
A few weeks ago I quit my part-time job after years of preferring the society of some outside work. That brought an unexpected shock of readjusting my well-set brain-calendar. To offset, I had to focus on recognizing and expanding my full-time at home responsibilities.
Today is different socially and economically from anytime past. In my career days, I had a welcoming and creative home environment. In retirement I brought and nurtured that attitude which tends to be expensive. Looking back, it’s difficult to pinpoint when my thinking began changing. Maybe it’s mostly from the past year-and-a-half of pandemic worries. That period has altered much that many of us once took for granted.
These days, I’m in less in a hurry and have less spending power, so I calculate waste. The many throwaways in my kitchen, like paper towels and plastic wrap, impact grocery purchases. Recently, journalists focusing on environmental concerns are writing that wildlife are becoming trapped and bounded by discarded face masks. Throwaway masks are plastic-impregnated, not recyclable.
I’ve begun to try and reduce consumptions of typical throwaways. I’m trying to replace grabs at paper towels by grabbing cloth towels and then laundering and reusing. It’s a less easy a solution for some messy situations, but does work. Another issue is plastic wrap, a tear-off and discard kitchen helper. Instead of grabbing at plastic, I’m saving refrigerator-destined items by using pre-made and reusable coverings.
All that primes me for a brand-new consideration, wasted food. A new book, by Lindsay-Jean Hard, who focuses on sustainability in garden, home, and community, who is a commercial baker and also blogs, argues that most of the unwanted fresh food parts we discard are usable and nutritious. She’s found ways to cook with the skins of onions, potatoes, asparagus, and carrots. She cooks with most flowering vegetable tops and their tougher outside leaves.
It seems the art of French cuisine is what’s taught the world about the importance of peeling and trimming what’s to be cooked. Today’s world isn’t the same old world. It’s wider-viewed, better-informed, and very concerned about the impact on the environment of common waste.
I like the ideas behind this book along with my own small contributions to sustainability. Little steps, if adopted by a majority of consumers, will have the power to influence a worldwide economy.
Dear Friends: It’s said that a feather floating can be the source that initiates a hurricane. Diana
Diana's Morning Blog 