Monday, December 8, 2008

Thoughts for a Greener Hanukkah

A dear friend of our family is a rabbi, and as I was gathering material last week for this entry, I emailed him for his perspective. Rabbi Andrew Goodman shared these thoughts about Hanukkah: "... from the most basic level, Hanukkah is an important celebration for two reasons... neither of which are gift giving. On one hand, the holiday commemorates a victory over oppression from the Greeks. It commemorates religious integrity and standing up for/fighting for what you believe in and knowing when to act in the face of imminent annihilation. On the other hand, there is the theological importance of the miracle of oil, which should only have lasted for one day lasting for 8. From both of these perspectives, I think that a strong argument can be made for greening your life. We are aware of limited resources and should never forget the importance of having these most basic needs, and thus need to guard them. Also, as the Jews fought the Greeks, we too need to fight (not literally) for our existential longevity. Without our earth, we will not be able to survive and so, this threat is akin to the Greeks... and we too must act."

So how can you make Hanukkah a bit greener?  Here are a few tips I've gathered:

Friday, December 5, 2008

Holiday Dinner gone Local!


Recently, Louise D. and I had a chat about the importance and benefits of buying food locally and she told me about all the fresh goodies found at Hamilton Farms.  She's followed up by writing this description of her T-day dinner:

I procured the majority of my Thanksgiving dinner at Hamilton Farms and nearly everything was marked Jersey Fresh. They had wonderful new potatoes which I mashed with their skins on and used some more of them in our traditional "Aunt Sally's potato rolls". The waxed turnip was delicious and the first time there wasn't a speck of turnip left over ( hint- I mash it with butter, milk, salt, pepper and the secret ingredient a sprinkling of sugar). The carrots were incredible ( they still had the
tops on) and I love to cook/mash them with parsnips, which I also got at the farm. For those I mash them with the milk, butter, salt, pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg. The apples were all Jersey Fresh and I bought 1/2 bushel- so we will be having lots of apple items in the near future. My apple pie was sweetened with fresh local honey that I also got at the farm. My trick there is, you sweeten the pie with the honey and then sprinkle about a table spoon of sugar on the top of the pie. I bought the pie pumpkins- cut them in half- took the seeds out which I roasted ( yum yum) put them upside down on a baking dish and baked for about an hour. I then ran the pumpkin through the food processor and just added the other ingredients as well and the filling was ready for the crust. There were fresh Jersey cranberries, onions, celery, butter, milk, eggs, etc. I was checking out ( no lines) and said "if only I could get my turkey here". The answer was "you can". Those need to be ordered in advance but there were still 2 left- so I took them both and of course they were Jersey Fresh as well. Hint on cooking turkeys- I cook them in a brown paper bag. They take about 1/2 hour less time to cook, don't require basting ( none of that energy lost opening and closing the oven door), come out moist and tender and clean up is a snap. I didn't even have to soak the roasting pan. There was very little fat and the juice made wonderful gravy.

Hamilton Farms is a wonderful resource that is right in our back yard- open daily including Sunday. The produce store will be open through December and then open again April 1st.

Thanks, Louise!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Christmas Trees

Is it December already?  Here are some thoughts about the different choices surrounding your tree:
  • 85% of artificial trees begin in overseas factories, contain metals and plastics that sometimes include PVC or lead and ultimately end up in landfills which make them the least eco-friendly choice.  If you already own an artificial tree, keep using it or donate it to someone who will.
  • Potted or ball and burlap trees could be a good choice if the tree is maintained under the proper conditions:  the tree should be adaptable to our climate, stored away from the wind and sun, not be allowed to freeze, remain indoors for only 7 to 10 days, kept moist but not flooded, and decorated with lights that don't give off any heat.  After the holiday, the tree can't go directly outdoors into freezing temperatures; remove it to a sheltered location for a few days to acclimate.  It is often wise to dig the hole where the tree will be replanted early and cover with mulch to keep the soil from freezing.  Remember a 6 foot tree with root ball could weigh as much as 250 pounds.
  • The Arbor Day Foundation supports the use of traditional Christmas trees because the trees "are a renewable, sustainable resource, provide jobs in rural areas and support American families, provide the usual benefits of trees, including oxygen, CO2 uptake, erosion control, and wildlife habitat, help preserve open space and are biodegradable and recyclable." (taken from the November/December 2008 issue of Arbor Day.)
If you choose a traditional Christmas tree, consider supporting local growers for the freshest tree possible and remember to recycle that tree after the holiday!  For more Green Christmas tips, visit this page at the National Geographic site!