We got our last share from Stone Soup on Tuesday, and I have to admit to being relieved. We weren’t prepared to store the massive amounts of root vegetables we received with the winter share, and potatoes, squash, onions, and garlic have taken over our counters. There seem to be more every day; I think they’re reproducing.

Before we do this again next fall, I’m hoping to set up storage bins or shelves in the basement. Anyone have any suggestions for basement vegetable storage? I was really intimidated by the book Root Cellaring. Our basement doesn’t get much below 60, and I’m not hardcore enough to construct a serious root cellar, with different temperature and humidity zones for each type of vegetable.

Now that we’ve reached the end of our CSA season, I thought it would be interesting to look back at all the veggies we got from Stone Soup this year. Scroll down to see a picture from each week.

July 14: cabbage, carrots, lettuce, dill, cucumbers, peas, zucchini, kale

July 21: zucchini, chard, parsley, cilantro, garlic, string beans, cucumber, fennel

July 28: onions, radishes, beets, zucchini, corn, lettuce, arugula, parsley

August 4: chard, lettuce, parsley, string beans, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini

August 11: lettuce, potatoes, parsley, carrots, basil, hot pepper, tomatoes, string beans

August 18: corn, radishes, tomatoes, parsley, lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, string beans

August 25: corn, lettuce, green peppers, onions, string beans, summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant, bok choy, cucumbers

September 1: hot pepper, garlic, potatoes, carrots, kale, tomato, cucumbers, beets, parsley, edamame

September 8: celery, corn, chives, asian pears, hot peppers, kohlrabi, cucumbers, lettuce, edamame, onions

September 15: chives, eggplant, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, asian pears

September 22: asian pears, green peppers, Napa cabbage, chard, broccoli, hot peppers, butternut squash, chives, onions

September 29: butternut squash, potatoes, collard greens, kohlrabi, green peppers, green onions, carrots, eggplant, garlic, asian pears

October 6: onions, corn, lettuce, green peppers, acorn squash, parsley, sweet potatoes, hot peppers, arugula

October 13: kohlrabi, green onions, carrots, collard greens, beets, potatoes, green peppers, chives

October 20: popping corn, rutabaga, kale, celeriac, squash, carrots, parsnips, garlic, onions

November 10, no photo (sorry!)

November 24: parsnips, butternut squash, rutabagas, celeriac, sweet potatoes, collard greens, lettuce, green onions, carrots, onions, potatoes, Brussels sprouts

December 8: lettuce, kale, cabbage, daikon radish, beets, potatoes, garlic, onions, celeriac, shallots, kohlrabi, carrots, sweet potato, delicata squash

December 22: rutabagas, butternut squash, cabbage, celeriac, parsnips, blue potatoes, potatoes, onions

The CSA actually started June 10, but I didn’t start this blog until July, so no photos before that. There was also a three-week hiatus after our summer share ended and before our winter share started.

As you can see, it’s been a lot of vegetables. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth. Next year I’d really like to continue with Stone Soup, but they may not have a Cambridge distribution center. Anyone have another CSA to recommend if we need it?

Tonight I was planning on posting about our last CSA pick-up, but an emergency trip to the vet changed my plans. (Look for the CSA post on Monday.) Don’t worry; Ollie’s fine now. But he had developed crystals in his urine that irritated his bladder. He’s now on a prescription cat food (Hill’s C/D), and the vet says he’ll probably have to stay on it for most of his life to make sure this doesn’t recur.

Ollie tested. Vet approved.

As I mentioned in my Cat Food post, this sort of urinary tract problem is one of the reasons why cats can’t be vegan. Male cats (and, my vet says, long-haired male cats in particular) can develop a life-threatening urinary tract obstruction. It seems to be more about mineral balance than protein, but it’s why we’d never try to feed our cats a vegan diet.

Knowing this, I specifically chose a dry cat food that had a lot of high-quality protein (Newman’s Own). But my vet says that cats who are prone to Oliver’s condition should be on specially formulated food, preferably wet. The extra water is really important to flush out his digestive tract.

For all of you suddenly thinking of switching to wet food to prevent your cat from developing urinary tract problems, my vet said that for most cats she recommends dry food, because the friction cleans their teeth. Now that Oliver’s on wet food we’ll have to give him dental treats or try to brush his teeth.

So despite our best intentions, we’re off the humane cat food. I don’t know yet if there is a humane cat food for bladder health; right now I’m just waiting for Ollie to completely recover. But if I do find one, I’ll definitely ask my vet before switching—I want to make sure my cat’s health won’t suffer for my morals.

We had the season’s first real snowstorm this weekend, and we weren’t really prepared for it. I didn’t even know where our shovel was! We also didn’t have any salt for the front steps, so I took this opportunity to find out if we could get something that had less of an impact on the environment.

From what I can tell, there’s no truly environmentally friendly way to melt snow and ice. The two main materials people use—rock salt and calcium chloride—are both bad; it’s really just a choice of which is better. Along with many others, the City of Cambridge recommends using calcium chloride rather than rock salt or sand. (Ironically, the city also provides rock salt free of charge.) Many de-icers are a combination of multiple ingredients, so check the label. Here’s what I could find in local stores:

Calcium Chloride – CaCl₂

• can be used in smaller amounts (a handful per three square yards)
• works better than rock salt at temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit
• increases salinity of waterways

Rock Salt – NaCl (Sodium Chloride)

• toxic to plants and animals in high concentrations
• increases salinity of waterways
• corrosive to metal
• works best at temperatures above 20 degrees Fahrenheit

Magnesium Chloride – MgCl

• similar to calcium chloride, but generally a liquid or additive to other de-icers (often rock salt)
• less corrosive than rock salt
• must use twice as much as calcium chloride

Urea – (NH₂)2CO

• adds ammonia to waterways
• increases algae blooms (much like fertilizer)
• works best at temperatures above 20 degrees Fahrenheit

Sand (Or Kitty Litter, Ashes, etc.)

• clogs sewers
• increases sedimentation in streams
• increases turbidity, reducing water quality and potentially killing fish and aquatic plants
• makes hard ice more slippery
• doesn’t melt ice

Calcium magnesium acetate and potassium acetate are two promising de-icers, but they’re generally used only for large-scale use or as additives to rock salt. Not a solution for home use.

Since all ice melters have adverse effects on the environment, the best thing we can do is use less of them. To me, this means that calcium chloride is the way to go. It’s more effective in smaller amounts, and, if I could find the colored kind (I couldn’t around here), I’d be able to see the coverage and use less of it.

Keep in mind that this is not supposed to take the place of shoveling, just prevent the skim that forms on wet sidewalks or break up the ice so we can shovel it away. That crunch under your feet is an indication that someone used waaay too much.

Cross posted on the Cambridge Energy Alliance blog.

For people who use real Christmas trees, the question comes up each year—should they switch to artificial? Our general rule is that reusable is better than disposable, but in this case, it’s not that simple.

The consensus (based on at least one peer-reviewed study) is that real trees are the way to go.

Artificial trees are:

• responsible for more carbon emissions in production and shipping (usually from China)
• made of PVC, which releases dioxins in the manufacturing process and disposal
• eventually sent to the landfill

Real trees, on the other hand:

• sequester CO2 from the atmosphere
• can be turned into mulch through many cities’ curbside recycling programs

In fact, an artificial tree would have to be used for 20 years before its carbon emissions were better than real trees.

My Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Personally, I have a knee-high fake tree that my sister gave me for my dorm room when I first went to college. I’m pretty attached to it, and I figure that since its impact comes mostly from manufacturing and delivery, the longer I continue to use it the better. But when it eventually kicks the bucket, I’ll switch to real trees.

Most articles on this topic end by saying something about buying a live potted tree. Don’t do it! Where in the world is it cold enough to be a native evergreen habitat and at the same time warm enough to plant a tree in the middle of winter? We were given a tiny potted Christmas tree once that promptly died. Determined to prove our green thumbs, we got another one the next year, and it died, too. It can’t be planted outdoors in December, it can’t survive in the house, and if it’s outdoors in a pot, it freezes through. Seriously, I challenge anyone who has ever successfully replanted a potted Christmas tree to prove me wrong.

Cross posted on the Cambridge Energy Alliance blog.

When we decided to switch to more environmentally friendly cleaning methods, I was worried that it would be a lot more work, but I’ve found it can actually be easier.

My attempt to make my own shower cleaner with baking soda and vinegar resulted in a toothpaste-like substance that I had to scrub all over our shower by hand. Absolutely no comparison to Scrubbing Bubbles. Instead, we ended up switching to Clorox Greenworks. Its consistency and ease of use was comparable to our old, more toxic cleaner. Even better, it’s not tested on animals, it doesn’t contain phosphates or bleach, and it doesn’t suffocate you with the fumes. It gets the EPA’s Design for the Environment label and is endorsed by the Sierra Club. Works for me.

.

Around the same time, we also got a squeegee for our shower. Each morning the last person out squeegees down the walls. The dry shower walls don’t develop soap scum, mildew, or mold as quickly, so they can go a lot longer without washing. So not only did we switch to a greener cleaner, but now we don’t even need to use it as often.

Anyone have any suggestions for easier-to-use homemade cleaners? Keep in mind that I hate hate hate cleaning.

Also, did you catch this anti-Scrubbing Bubbles commercial put out by Method a while back? It’s hilarious. I really wish they hadn’t chickened out and pulled it.