Posts tagged tips
Knead Bread? Not this time!
Oct 10th
We love a good home-cooked meal, and nothing beats that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste, but making your own bread can be a real hassle. Well, now it’s a little less work to bake your own. Why not make a family project of it?
The New York Times recipe section has two new methods for fast, no-knead bread. Ya got that? No knead! It practically makes itself!
For the delicious, healthy, whole-grain version, click here.
For the simple & quick white bread version, click here.
We haven’t had a Kroc Church potlock in a good long time, but the next time we do, I expect to see your home-made bread front & center!
Go Organic in your Fall Garden with These Simple Tips
Sep 9th
I love gardening, but I avoid chemical enhancement at all costs. It’s easy to go organic, but there is a lot to learn, so we’ll take it one step at a time.
Reducing chemicals around your home and garden is easier, cheaper and more effective than you think. It’s safer for pets and kids, plants are healthier, flowers have more color, and your veggies and fruit have better flavor.
Natural Pest Control
Its time to take a good look around your yard for leaf eating pests such as leaf miners on citrus or spider mites on your fall foliage. Using a horticultural hydrogenated vegetable oil, spray in late evening when bee activity has stopped. Set your sprayer for a dilution rate of 4 tbsp. per gallon. Spray to drench leaves, all visible wood and soil under the plant. Your beneficial insects will be happy you supplied the vegetable oil for dining on leaf eating insects!
What’s in Your Garden NOW?
Here in San Diego, it’s time to start your cool season veggies. Which ones?? Think of it as spring planting with short time-frame crops such as leafy veggies so you can enjoy home-grown fresh salads until late fall.
Where are You Planting?
You’ve heard it before: location, location, location. Find that perfect spot that will give eight hours of sun light. The best sun for veggies is morning sun until two p.m.
Work the Dirt
Your growing vegetables spend 100% of their lives in soil. So spend the extra time making sure their bedroom is nice & cozy, just the way they like it. A good soil additive looks like this:
Blend fully composted organics = 70%, chicken manure = 20% and a good balanced organic fertilizer with worm castings = 10%.
Incorporate two inches of this mixture into top six inches of soil. Water in. Then let the area rest for a few days, only watering to let the weeds emerge. I have found a leaf rake works well. Push down an inch or so swishing the rake backand forth enough to disturb those weeds. Doing this twice in the course of a week will save you a lot of aggravation later (same preparation for a new lawn).
Extra soil amendment mixture is handy elsewhere too: top dress your potted plants with one inch of this mixture and water in. For existing trees, build a ring at the drip line twelve inches wide and three inches thick and top dress with three inches of mulch. Decrease your watering as the PH and biology balances itself out. Avoid over-watering in the future.
A Quick Word about Compost
If you already have a compost bin, great! But if you don’t, there’s no need to buy one. A large plastic garbage can with lid will do fine. Put ALL vegetable and chopped yard waste in the bin and turn often.
Back to Life
Organic gardening means you can grow food for your family, share it with friends, or donate it to your local food pantry.
To pick up on some more organic gardening tips, visit the Kroc Center’s Community Garden – it’s a totally organic place for personal growth and healthy, delicious vegetables’ growth!
Save Money on Gas without Moving to Venezuela
Sep 6th
We all know our commutes would be cheaper if we lived somewhere else. But we don’t.
So how can we take a few bucks out of the driving budget and put them somewhere better? By driving smart or not driving at all.
As stewards of the resources entrusted to us – and the blessings we have received – we choose not to squander, but to conserve. Did you pick up on that subtle hint, that need elsewhere is greater?
So choose the noble path: learn to conserve with a few of these simple tips:
PART ONE: BEHIND THE WHEEL
Skip the driving whenever you can by combining trips, carpooling, or using your bike, feet or public transit. Get to know fellow Kroc Church folks from your neighborhood and form a transportation cooperative!
Park in the first spot you see instead of circling the lot looking for that primo space. Seriously? I’ve seen people wait up to five minutes to avoid walking a hundred yards! How hard is it to walk a little!?!?
Combine stops even as you combine trips. Wait a couple days to return that awful pair of shoes you just had to get ~ they’ll keep just fine until you go grocery shopping. But even that can go one better: try to do your shopping all in one place. Here’s a game you can play: how few turns of the key in the ignition can you get away with today?
Lay off the pedals to save your car and save some gas. Every jackrabbit start away from a freshly greened stoplight can cost you up to 50 cents! Then, the heavy braking action at the next light will cost you too. So chill out; let that little Honda take the lead spot.
PART TWO: UPGRADES & MAINTENANCE
Change your oil when you’re supposed to. That’s often within the 3 months/3,000 miles window, but your particular car may be different. Read up on it. Do it.
Change your air filter with every oil change. Clogged air filters make your engine work harder, thus using more fuel. You may also want to invest in an upgrade: more efficient brands cost more up front, but they pay for themselves in increased fuel economy and reduced wear.
Get a tune-up, because proper maintenance keeps your car running smoothly.
Inflate your tires properly; if you check this every week, you’re doing it right. If you over-inflate, under-inflate or completely ignore your tires, you’re doing it wrong:
Remove unnecessary racks from your roof. They increase drag and lower fuel economy.
Remove unnecessary luggage from your trunk. Yes, those golf clubs you maybe use once a year are dropping your fuel economy up to 10% for every 100 pounds.
Skip the fancy gas. I know that high octane stuff looks promising, but I have yet to see a car in our lot on a Sunday morning that needs it. And believe me, I’ve been looking.
