News Picks:
13 Spring Produce Items and Ideas of How to Cook Them: You can find these ‘in season’ fruits and vegetables at your local farmer’s market, but do you know how to properly store and cook them? Here are some great ideas and recipes from the Daily Green.
Text (& green) your gift giving: A new company, Giiv , just launched a new way to purchase and send gift-cards, from your phone, without ever needing the little plastic card. It’s got the added benefit of being instantaneous for those procrastinators in the bunch.
Animal-Proof Your Compost: Afraid to compost because of the possible raccoon encounter that leaves a mess in your yard? Here is an article with great advice for protecting your compost while being friendly to curious critters.
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Glamology offers 10 tips for figuring out how to make sure your cosmetics are eco-friendly and safe. It offers a list of most harmful toxins and we here at Practically Green learned a lot from their review.
New and Cool Pick:
Method Home has just announced the world’s first Cradle to Cradle certified laundry detergent. Practically Green likes it for three reasons: the tiny, adorable bottle that uses 50% less plastic than a standard bottle and the pump that rids us of the mess that goes with a cap; the transparency of ingredients and the fact 95% are all-natural and renewable (even the fragrance oil is phthalate free) — although we will be getting the free & clear version for the kiddos); and we’re intrigued by the patented new clean technology and hopeful that it will finally get those spaghetti stains totally out…
We’ve been thinking about the kids we love–how excited they get for holidays, how we love to make these times special, how they won’t be little forever, wa-wa-wa—who can resist them!–and how to rethink the way we’ve always done. In this case: the entire activity of decorating EGGS.
Priscilla gave the first great suggestion on our Facebook page this afternoon: “Don’t dispose of the water after cooking those eggs. Let the water cool and water your plants. Plants thrive from nutrients leached from the eggs.” Then MaryAnn chimed in: “The water is great to put in bird baths and hummingbird feeders also. It actually helps build strong eggs for breeding birds because of the calcium content.” Who Knew?! Thank you Priscilla and MaryAnn!
Do you have an Eggcelent suggestion? Please comment here or post on Practically Green’s Facebook page. The very most Practically Green idea will receive a copy of Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes from Simple to Sassy, courtesy of PG fan and foodie blogger Matt Gregory of EatWithMe.
And, as you get into Egg Central this weekend, here are some ideas on natural and accessible ingredients for coloring. Key concept for natural dyes: think of everything that stains your light-colored clothes, and use to dye your eggs! As in, Tomato sauce, Wine, Grape & pomegranate juice, Beets, Cranberries, Red cabbage, Dark greens, Tea, Coffee, Carrots. Chop up whatever-it-is, put into a pot, and add one cup to one cup of water. Now add half a tablespoon of vinegar for each cup of food or water. As you wish, sprinkle in vitriolic spices likely to lend a hue: turmeric, paprika, cayenne. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Voila! Egg dye! Cool the liquid — and then gently plunge your already hardboiled eggs. The longer they sit, the darker the tint. Pre-bind the eggs with string or rubber bands, or calligraph them with crayons. (The drawn bits won’t dye.) Put on feathers, petals, grass, kitty clippings, cast-off paper reinforcements, bandaids — whatever your fancy! Send us your favorites and you might win the book!
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