Old Fashioned Fashions

During our last 'heat wave' we took advantage of nature's gift and hung our laundry outside. I had bought this laundry rack a few months ago getting prepared for such warm weather. Coincidentally we also got our natural gas bill during this same time. YIKES is all we could say!! We found out that not only are our fireplace and water heater gas, but our dryer is too! We devised some plans to help cut down on our gas usage and one of them was using the drying rack whenever possible. Hopefully this will save us money by lessening our electricity and gas usage in our laundry drying.

Grandma had a good thing going when she put the clothes out on the line!

Handy Recycling

Living in an apartment has it's advantages ( I don't have to do my own yard work, maintenance or pay for water/sewer/garbage or cable : ) ) but one of the disadvantages is that the recycling bins are all the way down at the garbage corral at the end of our building. Me and my roomies wanted to start recycling but were a little put off by having to walk a quarter of a mile to take a can out. While you may not have to walk this far, is the location of your recycling bins/cans keeping you from recycling as much as you could?

I purchased these bins from Target for $15 in order to aid in our recycling. It resides on our patio just outside of the dining room. The location is convenient as well as the fact that it has wheels that make it easy to move. The lid is nice too so that you can store things on top. I also like that they are plastic and smaller than traditional bins so it makes them easy to clean!

If you are looking for a simple solution that can be placed in your pantry, outside the garage door or on the patio, I recommend these bins!

Back in the game again

Hello! I have finally been able to get back in to Blogger after having some more 'technical issues'. I decided to write a little bit about my recent experiences with my local farmers market.

First off, I love the farmers market! In Vancouver we have one that begins in the early spring and ends in early fall, giving us plenty of opportunities to support local agriculture and crafts vendors. Being 'green' isn't all about just going organic and recycling; it is also about supporting local economy by buying from the 'little guys' whenever you have a chance. There is also a great dietary benefit from shopping locally. You get to eat fresher foods, and a greater variety than you would find in the grocery store. There will be varieties of peppers, eggplant, zuccini, apples, tomatoes that you have never seen. Buy some and try them out! You never know what you will enjoy until you try it!

Here are some tips for shopping an outdoor market:

• Take cash. Most of these guys don't accept plastic, so you will need to stop by an ATM on the way over.


• Leave your purse at home or in your trunk. Take as little with you as possible ( so just your ID, cell phone, keys and cash) because you have to haul all of your purchases out.


• Come hungry! There are always a lot of samples to try and yummy food vendors.


• Get to know the vendors/farmers who are set up. Are they there every week? Are they just 'seasonal'? What crops/items will they have in the future? This will not only allow you to make a new friend, but gives you insight into what you can expect from this person down the road. I found a farmer last year who didn't have much to offer in the spring, but told me that his summer and early fall crops were his biggest and best. I kept on going back and sure enough - he had the best peaches, berries and apples of all the market!


• Talk to people along the way! Step out of your comfort zone and meet some new people. Word of mouth is the best advertising!


• My dog Maggie loves the market. If you have a four legged friend who is well behaved and walks well on a leash, take them with you! They will have fun eating scraps of food off the street and making friends of their own.

Here is a little sampling of what I got last week at the market:

Hydroponic, organic tomatoes, rhubarb, chinese broccoli, sweet onion, organic asparagus, and the hugest carrot I have ever seen : )

I hope you will look in your community for opportunities to visit a farmer's market. Have fun shopping and trying new things!