For those of you who don’t know me, I am Nashveggie’s other half. This is my first foray into the blogging world. I think the regulars call it a blogosphere. I am not up on all the computer/pop culture terms; so if I offend anyone, let me know. I will be making semi-regular posts about baking and green cleaning tips. Tonight I am attempting a new/old dessert called a pandowdy. It is basically a cobbler with the crust smushed into the filling half way through the baking process. I am not sure how the mango and apple will taste together, but we will see. I will probably make some soy cream to go along with it. YUM! Speaking of soy cream. There is a fabulous book out there for those of you with a huge sweet tooth. The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler del Torro is an absolutely fabulous book full of you guessed it-vegan ice cream recipes. So far we have tried the vanilla (yum), chocolate (even more yum), and peanut butter (oh my goodness). Creamy and light and very easy, if you don’t mind making a custard ice cream base that you have to cool before putting in your handy dandy countertop ice cream maker. Well, dinner awaits and I love our beautiful arrangement. (He cooks and I bake!) Though I did make a great skillet corn with roasted tomatoes.
A new show from Mike Judge is on ABC called “The Goode Family“, there’s a subtle play on words there. The Goode’s are a family of earthy-do-gooders, vegan, organic and recycling. After the cancellation of King Of The Hill, a show that was nearly polar opposite, Mike Judge (Beavis & Butthead) has decided to take the jabs to the other side.
The show tries to satirize every aspect of the environmentalist do-gooder lifestyle. Helen Goode upon being asked at a grocery checkout similar to a Whole Foods if she has reusable bags proclaims “I know a lot of people are comfortable shopping with reusable bags, but I’m not. They’re made in sweatshops.” When the son gets his drivers license and makes his initial drive around town and confesses his waste of gas his father tells him, “It’s OK, what’s important is that you feel guilty about it.”
This is not a recommendation of the show. I know some will say I am promoting a viewpoint against what I recommend on this site. I am not doing so, just pointing out something that is out there. If you have watched it what do you think? Is it offensive or just harmless satire? Remember, anything that is popular will draw criticism and parody.
The Goode Family airs locally Fridays at 7:30 pm on WKRN.
A quick post to update on the garden. Everyone grows tomatoes, so much so that I have decided to grow only six plants this year. I always get bags from others and never get around to canning. That can leave more space for other tasty morsels like okra and squashes. Of the six tomato plants three are varieties new to my garden, Mortgage Lifter and German Johnson. My yellow squash is blooming and there are little squashes appearing on the vines. I am a big fan of fried squash, simple with just a little onion.
I have too much kale and need to give it away before it gets bitter so I can plow it up to make room for cucumbers and possibly cantaloupe.
I don’t do many product reviews here but thought it was time for one. I have been eying GardenBurger’s Gourmet GardenSteaks for awhile now and decided to give them a shot. At $5.99 for two it wasn’t an easy choice but I thought maybe they’re worth it. Now anyone who reads this blog or know me otherwise knows veggie burgers are my junk food. I usually down two of them once, sometimes twice if I’m feeling edgy, a week. Served up with a heaping side of tater tots or a couple baked potatoes they are quite pleasing. I decided to go along with the tropical vibe the box said I would encounter with these particular patties I would have a fried plantain with them and since I had a fesh pineapple handy that was in need of being devoured I should cook up a couple slices of it along side as well.
These are pretty hefty patties and I thought twice about having both but decided to not go hungry and threw both in the pan along with a slice of pineapple for each. I am not a directions follower, that “cook 6 minutes each side and serve” crap is worthless. Good things come to those who wait and I cook a veggie burger for no less than 45 minutes, on low, flipping about every 5 minutes. I know you may think that’s burning them but no, that’s getting some amazing flavor from a patty. I would be changing nothing in my cooking regiment with these. I brought them to a good sizzle, turned down the heat to low and checked back every few minutes. I served them up with the aforementioned plantain and on two fresh, homemade buns with lettuce and tomato. They have a good texture and aren’t very mushy. I could taste the chunks of ginger and noticed large flakes of coconut. I did, however, find them to be a bit on the sweet side and decided to forgo the sliced pineapple since it lent only more sweetness. Still, a bit sweet for me as a veggie burger. If I did try these again I would add a bit of heat with some peppers instead of the pineapple slices and use mustard instead of the Vegenaise I typically use.
Two of these at a time are a bit much but I toughed my way through them both, and the fried plantain, which is always a tasty treat. Next time I’ll be spreading the box over a couple nights.
I saw two other varieties when I bought these, a black bean and a Tuscan flavor. The Tuscan is not vegan, the Hula is. I am unsure about the veganess of the Black Bean variety but if it is it will be tried next.
You should always wear gloves when working in the garden, not just to lessen your chances of a blister here or there, or a splinter, but you never know what might be lurking around under that rock or log you’re about to lift. While rearranging our herb gardens yesterday and moving rocks around in the process I picked up the largest of one corner in order to make a new garden on the other side. I walked about ten feet with the rock and flipped it over in the psot where I wanted it and noticed two plump black spiders on the underside. At first getting a closer look I realized I had never encountered these spiders before and went to grab something to contain them. When I returned, the smaller of the two had gotten away but I managed to get the larger of the two into a ziplock bag. I looked around and finally found the other one scurrying underneath the rock again and put him into his own bag realizing that what I may have found were indeed Black Widow spiders. After getting them both into the bags I looked on their bellies to find the red hourglass defining detail.
Male Black Widow Spider (click to enlarge)
Female Black Widow Spider (click to enlarge)
At this point I am sure most would be ready to kill them, but while I don’t want them inhabiting my gardens I felt no need to crush them. I looked for more, after putting my gloves on, and found no egg sac. I need some type of natural, organic remedy for their locating in my oregano. I don’t think I want those in my marinara.
Today I took them on a trip to a secluded creek and released them, the male a good distance from the female but only after telling him, “She’s not worth it, man. Just walk away.” Yeah, I talk to bugs.
Today is Earth Day and millions of people are thinking of ways, if just for one day, to make their lives better for the environment. The best thing that one can do is to go vegan. The animals raised in the U.S. alone are contributing more greenhouse gases to our environment than the vehicles we drive everyday! The land we use to raise cattle could be used ten time more efficently to raise grain to feed millions more people! Ammonia from factory farms is a major air pollutant. The list of reasons why going vegan is better for our world is endless. If everyone went vegetarian for one day 100 billion gallons of water could be saved, 70 million gallons of gas would be saved, 3 million acres of land would be saved.
There is not one single thing more important to our environment than our diet. If only for this one day, go vegan!
Those are two of the most inane comments I have heard. Follow me closely on this, if you eat animal flesh you are NOT a vegetarian. If you eat animal flesh or any animal product you are not vegan. Calling yourself such when the term is false is just a ploy to make yourself look like you have a desire to belong to a group that you don’t.
Don’t get confused, I don’t care what you eat as you shouldn’t care what I eat but to call yourself something that clearly doesn’t apply just makes you look foolish ,and yes, I do laugh at you after I walk away when you make one of those statements. If you want to eat fish and no other animal derived meat that is fine and your choice, just don’t apply the term “vegetarian” to your diet. If you want to eschew all forms of animal products except animal derived cheese from your diet don’t call yourself vegan, you’re not one.
I’ll go as far to apply the same to those who eat cheese filled with animal rennet, you’re not a vegetarian. Some will disagree, fine, but to eat the stomach scrapings of a calf/lamb/etc. is not in the definition of vegetarian. That’s not arguable.
So to those who want to engage in a discussion of how you have been vegan for so many years and how you eat chicken once a week just for the “variety”, don’t engage in a discussion of how you are vegan, because you’re not.
It is the time of year to get ready to grow those tomatoes, beans, squash and other veggies to keep you from having to spend so much at the grocry store. Whether you will be plowing up a spot in your backyard or filling planters on your deck or patio, have you stopped to ask yourself if your garden is vegan?
There are many additives and soil conditioners found on the market today promising massive productivity from your garden and some of these are even mixed into the pre-mix soils you buy in bag form. Miracle-Gro states on the back of the bag that the mix contains manure and poultry droppings. Some others contain blood meal and bone meal, both which are slaughterhouse by-products. Bone meal has also been found to be a carrier of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease). For these reasons it is a good idea to read the labels of the pre-mix soils, if you decide to use them. Beware of the “Organic” soils as they contain as much or more of the additives mentioned. I have found that Scott’s brand soils usually contain no additives.
So, what do you fertilize with if you want to avoid these animal by-products? A compost bin is a great way to re-use certain waste from your home while feeding your garden with essential nutrients at the same time. For calcium deficient soils a treatment of lime will put an end to tomato blossom-end rot, but the treatment is best done the season before planting.
Of course you will always have the bird droppings from fly-overs and a rabbit dropping here or there. That’s ok, those are naturally occuring.
What’s that rabbit doing in the garden anyway? He’s stealing your carrots!
Go out to get a coffee and you’ll most likely have the options of whole milk, 2% milk, skim milk and soy milk. Why do you never find rice milk, almond milk, or goat milk for that matter, as a choice in your coffee? I decided to get out of the soy milk rut at home with my coffee and picked up some rice milk. I used Trader Joe’s Rice Drink from the refrigerated section to try first. I always found rice milk to be watery and this was no exception. It is also a bit on the sweet side which isn’t a bad thing considering a like my coffee sweetened, usually with a vanilla syrup I make myself. Steaming rice milk doesn’t seem to work well if you like foam. You seem to get a good foam started but it all breaks down to nothing as soon as it gets heavy. The rice milk lends no flavor to the end drink, so for me it doesn’t work. No foam, no flavor, no worky.
I also tried hazelnut milk from Pacific Foods. The consistency is the same as rice milk but the flavor is a bit better. Still, if you like foam this one doesn’t work. I’m sure the watery formulas of these two are what lends to the lack of foam production during the steaming.
For now I will stick with soy milk but I will be trying others. Oat Milk? Hemp Milk?
This is a post inspired by a question I asked on Twitter and some responses that followed. If a vegan restaurant is serving a dish traditionally made with dairy replaced with soy ingredients is it OK to not directly disclose on the item unless someone asks? Is this the same as walking into any other restaurant and asking if a dish contains a dairy product that may not be outwardly obvious? Is this the same or remotely different? I’m not arguing either side, I am just curious what my visitors think on the subject.
2009 has arrived and resolutions to go along. Have you made a resolution to go vegetarian or vegan? Plenty of websites, including this one, are out the to help you with that promise to yourself and make it stick. PETA offers a free Go Veg kit and Vegan Outreach offers a Vegan Starter Guide. Remember that if you are taking the vegan road it branches far from the food you eat. The products you use and what you wear is also included in that, but don’t think that makes it harder, there are plenty of products out there that are free of animal products and animal testing. The National Anti-Vivisection Society has an online database to check if the products you currently use are cruelty-free.
Going vegan or vegetarian can be one of the most rewarding changes you can make in your life and there are plenty of ways the new found energy and health will reward you back!
Are you against all forms of hunting? Do you feel differently about people who hunt for food to feed their family and people who hunt for sport just to hang a head on a wall or put a rug on the floor? Are these people any different?
We made our way out to the new Trader Joe’s in Green Hills Friday morning. The parking lot was running over into the Walgreen’s parking lot next door and police were directing traffic. Someone had so conveniently decided to setup shop in an RV in the lot and had in the process taken up 8-10 parking spaces and made it harder for everyone to get around the lot. Once inside I realized this was probably the smallest Trader Joe’s I had been in. We picked up a few of our regular items: pita, chips and chocolate covered espresso beans, which I could not find and had to ask someone to help only to find out they didn’t know where they were either. Of course, there’s no wine section but, while small, the beer section is available. I’ll pick up a new Hefewiessen on my next trip. I can only guess they don’t have all of their items stocked yet as many things seemed to be missing that I usually find.
For those of you who don’t get into making your own hummus Trader Joe’s has a good selection at good prices, and all vegan unlike some varieties that contain cream. The chipotle and the horseradish are my favorites. My wife thinks their cocoa is some of the best available but has gone up in price so it isn’t quite the deal it once was. The raw almonds you’ll find at Trader Joe’s are also unblanched unlike other raw almonds you find now.
Since Trader Joe’s is only taking up half of the space of the old Wild Oats, the lack of wine being sold and the recent closing of yn at The Hill Center, I can only guess someone will be looking into opening a wine store in the other half that is now for lease.
October 24, 2008 at 11:51 pm
· Filed under Trader Joe's
Contrary to reports on some sites listing October 31st as the announced date for the grand opening of the local Trader Joe’s, news from those AT the location today makes that date November 7th. Will I be there when doors open? Probably.
Also, asking around at other Trader Joe’s I have visited recently all answer the possible separate entrance for booze question as , “No”. Sorry, Charles Shaw fans.
On our most recent trip to Colorado we ate at the (horrible) VG Burgers and (outstanding) Watercourse Foods. Both of these places had something in common, they served Oogave sodas. Sweetened with agave nectar, the drinks are some of the best I have found since quitting the acid infested drinks such as Coke and Pepsi a few years ago. They come in six flavors: Cola, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, Grapefruit, Watermelon Cream and Mandarin-Key Lime. I tried all except for Grapefruit and found the best, in my opinion were all of them! At first the Ginger Ale had no flavor I thought but after taking a drink I tasted fresh ginger, not the artificial ginger-like flavor of typical Ginger Ale. After realizing these could not be found in local stores I called Stephen, the owner, and asked if I could get some to take home and he agreed to meet me at the offices where I could pick up a case. With a case of Esteban’s Cola loaded into my trunk I left happy. He told me plans were being made to have them in Whole Foods stores soon in western US but no plans for the east, yet. Hopefully, soon we’ll see them around here.
Our third day in the place we are supposed to be living. The public transportation system in Denver is great, hybrid buses, cable cars and bike lanes on nearly every major road. Traffic during the morning and afternoon rush isn’t very bad and I am sure it is because of that transportation system. This day, after spending the first part of the day an event that energized and motivated me in ways I never thought possible, we went back to Watercourse Foods. After that delicious goods we had the day before it was an easy pick. This time I opted for the Reuben with sweet potato homefries and onion rings, Elizabeth had the Eggplant Parmesan mashed potatoes and onion rings and our daughter had the Vegan Buckwheat Pancake (she loves breakfast foods). The Reuben was prepared with chopped portobello mushrooms, red cabbage slaw and vegan Russian dressing. Being a connoisseur of Reubens, this one was excellent and the portobello is a very good alternative to the many Reubens I have had made with tofu. Elizabeth didn’t like her Eggplant Parmesan as much as The Grinder which she had the day before, she said the breading was not crisp enough. The huge buckwheat pancake our daughter had didn’t last long, nor did the berries and banana it was served with. Watercourse Foods is the best vegan restaurant we have visited to this point.
Vegan Reuben
Following munchies we drove to Colorado Springs and walked around Garden Of The Gods, a place we go to every time we visit the area. Our daughter loved climbing on the rocks and it is a very nice quiet place to walk. After we made a stop at Pikes Perk coffee. The coffee beans they use have always been the best I have ever had. It’s has been about 6 months since I have had any substantial caffeine so I had a decaf double mocha. Before leaving I picked up a bag of the espresso roast, I will probably get back on the coffee binge as the cooler weather starts and I might as well start back with the best I can find.
Oh, I guess you want to to know what that big event was earlier in the day.
Our second day involved doing many things around Denver. One of those was lunch at Watercourse Foods. After my bad experience at VG Burgers I knew it could only get better, and it did. After we found our destination we grabbed a to-go menu just to check out our choices before committing ourselves as we usually do when trying a restaurant for the first time. Too many choices, but how many are vegan? Then I saw the line at the bottom, “All Items Can Be Made Vegan.” Perfect!
After being seated we started looking over the menu, our daughter had her own kid’s menu and since breakfast was available until 5pm she wanted the kid’s BBFT (Banana Bread French Toast). After looking for a bit I settled on the Po Boy with sides of onion rings and mashed potatoes and gravy, with a bit of help from our server Eryn, and Elizabeth had The Grinder, shaved seitan, grilled onions and peppers on french bread served with au jus and sides of broccoli and fries. We were soon served plates piled with food. My daughter’s french toast was two thick slices of banana bread french toast served with maple syrup, berries and banana slices. Her love of berries is deep, those went quick. My po poy was a deep fried hunk of diced portobello topped with slaw on a bun, peel-on mashed potatoes and brown gravy and four huge onion rings. Elizabeth’s sandwich was piled with shaved seitan, she had second thoughts on the brocolli after seeing my onion rings.
Banana Bread French Toast
The Grinder
Portobello Po Boy
After lunch Eryn asked if we cared for dessert, we usually have to give a no to this but she told us all were vegan! Splurge! She brought out a tray with six or so selections but the Tiramisu was an easy choice as we have not had it since going vegan. It was topped with shaved chocolate and after asking I found they used a tofutti mixture to replace the marscapone. I didn’t taste much in the way of rum but I believe it was there. Overall, delicious.
Our sandwiches were $10 each including sides and the kid’s menu selections ar $3.50 each. Desserts are $6 bringing our total to about $30 plus tax. A much better eat than VG Burgers and at less cost. Definitely a must-visit-again.
We began our first trip in 5 years to Colorado on Friday morning and arrived yesterday. We had planned on spending our first day in Boulder and our lunch was at VG Burgers. I had been looking forward to VG Burgers since finding out about the place and the idea of burgers, chili-cheese fries and milkshakes (all vegan!) was exciting to a foodie. After finding our hotel and getting the day of multi-state driving washed off we headed out. Being hungry VG Burgers would be the first stop. A small diner-ish place it looked perfect for finding good vegan eats. I had a 1/4 pound veggie burger, chili-cheese fries and an agave-sweetened root beer. My wife had the tempeh BBQ burger, large fries and the agave-sweetened cola and my daughter the nuggets and small fries. I think my expectations were too high or this place just doesn’t cut it. The microwaved patties were placed onto cold buns. I make a better veggie burger at home and to top it off the veggie burger selections are Amy’s patties. The nuggets are Boca, same you buy at the store in the frozen section and the fries, while baked, just seemed not fully cooked. I will give the agave-sweetened drinks good points but not enough to warrant a return trip. VG Burgers in Boulder would rank as some of the worst vegan food I have encountered and at the price, $36 for the three of us, it can’t get much worse. Burgers are $6 each and small fries are $3, far too pricey considering they are serving the same thing I can buy at a grocery store.
Afterwards, we visited Pearl Street Mall and walked around for a few hours. Our last visit didn’t give up the time to see most of Boulder. We went to Savory Spice Shop where we bought some Black Onyx Dutch Cocoa for making cupcakes and fake-hostess cakes. They were having a grand opening and giving out free beer and wine, so a beer I had.
PETA has released a video documenting animal abouse in a factory farm supplying pigs for Hormel Foods. The video documents piglets being slammed to the ground and sows being abused at the hands of workers. Some of the abouse documented includes:
(from peta.org)
A supervisor shoved a cane into a sow’s vagina, struck her on the back about 17 times, and then struck another sow.
Multiple pigs were beaten with metal gate rods, and lacerations were found on more than 30 sows - which is probably evidence of more abuse.
A worker hit a young pig in the face four times with the edge of a herding board, and investigators witnessed dozens of similar incidents involving this worker and 11 other workers.
Two men - including a supervisor - were witnessed jabbing clothespins into pigs’ eyes and faces. A supervisor also poked two animals in the eyes with his fingers.
A supervisor kicked a young pig in the face, abdomen, and genitals to make her move and told PETA’s investigator, “You gotta beat on the bitch. Make her cry.”
A worker who weighed an estimated 315 lbs. punched a sow on the back three times and said that he sat on a sow’s head.
We all know that factory farms create horror for animals everyday and even when they are caught people never get the picture and realize it is wrong. I know people I could show this video to and they would respond with “They’re going to be eaten anyway!”. People disgust me.
If you read my post a few months back about St. Augustine you will remember me mentioning Rita’s Italian Ice. Rita’s now has a location in Hermitage at 4219 Lebanon Pike. All of the Italian Ices are vegan and delicious. Mango is the best with Alex’s Lemonade not far behind. Black Cherry is also a good choice as is Tangerine and Pineapple. The vanilla is tasty as well. Ok, ALL of the flavors are great!
I am partial to the beachside location in St. Augustine but it is good to have a location nearby.
Free regular size Italian Ices through next week! MANGO! MANGO!
You may have looked at the giant green banana in the produce section and wondered what to do with it. Plantains are one of my favorite munchies. Usually served with tropical dishes, plantains are starchy and sweet only when they have black spots or are completely black, a state you would not should not eat a typical banana in, at least I wouldn’t because eating a black spotted banana is improper and should only be done in secrecy as it will bring shame to your family.
You can prepare fried or baked plantains, crisp and salty or soft and sweet which I prefer and will discuss here. Start with a semi-ripe plantain with black spots, not completely black. The plantain should give lightly to a soft squeeze. Peeling a plantain is not as easy as peeling a banana. To start cut the ends off of the plantain and cut 4-5 vertical incisions down the length of the plantain only cutting through the peel. Next, pull each strip of peel off until you have a peeled plantain. Cut the plantain in half and then slice each half lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a shallow pan with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Don’t cook them over very high heat as the sugar content can cause the plantain to burn quickly. About 8 minutes per side until dark brown flipping each slice as needed should do. Occasionally, I’ll add a dash of allspice or cinnamon to the slices but most often I add nothing to them as they are perfect unseasoned. When finished cooking move each slice to a plate with a paper towel to remove and excess oil then munch!
Start with a semi-ripe plantain with black spots. Yes, a Shun knife works best.
Cut each end off of the plantain before peeling.
Cut the peel lengthwise 4-5 times down the entire length.
Pull each strip of peel off individually to peel the plantain.
Cut the plantain in half
Slice each half into 1/4″ thick slices.
Arrange slices in a pan over medium-low heat with 2 TBS of vegetable oil.
Flip the slices when they become dark brown, about 8 minutes each side.
Yummy!
Great served with my favorite junk-food, veggie burgers!
I read an article today on Slate about whether vegans consider honey vegan. I never knew a vegan who didn’t or knew of any information contradicting its non-vegan status. With honey being produced by the bees as their food that should earn the tag of not-vegan pretty easily. Add to that the fact that some beekeepers kill off their bees at the end of the season and now beekeepers are spraying their hives with cow urine to promote the health of the colony. Cow urine….mmm tasty!
If you have a garden or alot of plants then you know that you can use quite a bit of water keeping everything green, especially when there are days or weeks between rain showers. I have noticed rain barrels being sold at Whole Foods for $99 and thought the construction looked simple enough to do on my own and possibly at far less a price. So I undertook the task of doing just that. I picked up an empty barrel at a local farm store that once contained olives. It even had one olive left inside when I got it, I didn’t eat it as tempting as it was. Make sure you find a food grade barrel for this project, you don’t want unknown chemicals spread onto your garden or plants. All of the parts needed I either had lying around or picked up at the local Home Depot.
(1) 3/4″ Male Hose Bibb (I used a no kink bibb)
(2) 3/4″ PVC Female Adapter
(1) 3/4″ tapped Male Hose to Male adapter
(2) 1″ Galvanized or Brass Washers
(4) #18 O-rings (1″)
Teflon Tape
1″ Hole Drill Bit
(1) Brass Hose Cap
18″x18″ Square Metal Screen
(8) Aluminum Self-starting Screws
3/4″ Male No-Kink Hose Bibb
3/4″ Tapped Male Hose to Male Adapter
#18 O-Ring (1″)
Teflon Tape
3/4″ PVC Female Adapter
1″ Hole Drill Bit
First, clean the barrel inside and out. I did not use any detergent, only a few heavy rinses of water for the inside. Next, drill two holes using the 1″ hole drill bit. The first of the two should be about 3-4 inches from the bottom of the barrel on a flat surface above the curve of the barrel. The second will be near the top of the barrel and will be used as an overflow valve. After drilling both holes wrap the end of the 3/4″ hose bibb in teflon tape, a strip about 4 inches long should suffice, then place, in order, a 1″ washer and one of the o-rings onto the bibb and thread it into the bottom hole on your barrel. Now, you may need a second person to help. You will need to reach into the barrel and place a second o-ring onto the bibb and screw the 3/4″ inch PVC female adapter onto the bibb. You will need someone to hold the bibb from the outside while you tighten the PVC adapter from the inside. Once the bibb has been installed move to the top of the barrel. Take the 3/4″ male hose adapter and place a strip of teflon tape around the threads not used for the hose, the ones closer together. Next, place a 1″ washer and a o-ring onto the adapter and thread it into the top hole. Place an o-ring and the second 3/4″ PVC female adapter on the hose adapter inside the barrel and tighten.
Bottom bibb assembly attached
Bottom bibb assembly showing o-ring behind washer
Female PVC adapter attached to bottom bibb assembly inside barrel
Male Hose to Male adapter assembly at top of barrel (overflow)
View of overflow assembly showing o ring
Female PVC adapter attached to male adapter assembly (overflow)
The lid of your barrel my be different from the one I have. The barrel I used had a two-piece lid with a cover and a ring to tighten the lid on, similar to a canning jar. In order to keep debris and mosquitoes out of the barrel you will need to attach a screen to the lid. I did this by cutting a 8″ diameter hole in the lid and attaching a piece of metal screen underneath. I used the plastic circle I cut from the lid and cut that into four 1″ wide strips. Using a square piece of screen wrap each of the corners around a strip and attach to the lid using aluminum screws.
Screen attached to lid - bottom view
Screen attached to lid- Top view
Your rain barrel is now complete. You will need a place to put your barrel so it can catch run-off from your gutter downspout. A platform which is level is very important as a full barrel weighs about 400 pounds and would be very dangerous to people or animals who may be around if it were to topple over. Also, you will need to place the barrel at a height which is higher than to place you want to water using a hose to create sufficient waterflow.
Platform built using concrete blocks
Once you are ready to setup the rain barrel cut the gutter downspout at a place higher than the top of the barrel and use a plastic downspout hose to redirect the water to the top of your rain barrel. You may want to cut a section of the downspout out and leave the bottom portion of the downspout in place. Doing so allows you to fill the gap in the downspout wiht a piece of tubing so when your rain barrel is not being used, such as during the winter, you can once again have use of the downspout.
Downspout Tubing
Your rain barrel will fill quickly during a downpour and the top overflow spout will be handy if connected to a hose into a spare bucket or another rain barrel.
Completed Rain Barrel
The total cost of this project was just under $25, a considerable savings from the $99.99 Whole Foods charges for a rain barrel which does not include your platform or downspout tubing. You can decorate the outside however you see fit. Paint it to match your home exterior or let the kids have fun with the paint, you can even drape plants over the top and sides as I will be doing soon. Also, this is a very simple project that only takes an hour at most to complete and will save you money.
In the time that has passed since the last update here we’ve been cooking alot. I owe a recipe for cornbread to Lesley. That will have its own post and I have been promising it to her for some time. The garden is yielding goodies, zucchini and okra so far with potatoes and cucumbers coming along. I have been frying what little okra we have had to this point. Boiled okra never did it for me, kind of like slurping and chewing snot. If you do grow okra then you probably know not to let the pods get very large, no larger that 3-4 inches and not too big. When they get too long they get tough and almost inedible. I use a mixture of vegan mayonnaise and soymilk to dip the pieces then dredge them in a corn meal/flour/spice mixture and fry them in a iron skillet until the coating is lightly crisp. I have done the same with zucchini but also sauteed it with olive oil and some fresh basil and oregano from our herb garden and served over spaghetti.
I’m not the greatest baker of sweets. I leave that to Elizabeth and she’s great at it. She recently got “My Sweet Vegan” and has baked a few things from it. The book includes nice pictures of each item but of what has been baked it is easy to see some recipes were not tested very well. Even reading some of the recipes makes you think a bit about what the author was thinking when she included the ingredients she did. Overall it is an OK book but by far not in the same class as “Veganomicon” or “Joy Of Vegan Baking”.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie with Soy Whipped Cream
Cocoa Crumble
Cocoa Crumble
We went to Atlanta last week for a short two-day trip. Nothing really notable about the trip, the usual eats (Veggieland, Sweet Tomatoes and Eats.) as well as lunch one day from the food bar at Whole Foods. The Whole Foods on Ponce in Atlanta has so much more in the vegan category on its bar compared to both Whole Foods (Wild Oats) in Nashville. There was Barbecued tofu, Teriyaki Tofu, Tofu Cacciatore, Jerk Tempeh, Eggplant and Tempeh Casserole and Coconut Curry Tofu to choose from as well as the veggies. All I ever see on the food bars in the local Whole Foods is Chik’n Fried Tofu, which I can easily make at home cheaper and better, and the occasional sauteed kale or spinach. I am slowly losing my love for the local Whole Foods, especially the Green Hills location. Whomever planned that store and laid out the design for the inside seriously needs some help. The aisles are too close together to fit two carts side by side when passing mid-aisle and the aisles even meet an end-cap in the section near the coldcase, you would think hey would make them free-flowing from aisle to aisle. I still get rude looks from the cashiers when I bring my Trader Joe’s bags in, do they feel threatened by a bag?
Vegetarian & Vegan in Nashville and Middle Tennessee
The Nashveggie.com blog contains information you can use in your daily ride through the land of veganism. You'll find information on Vegetarian and vegan food, restaurants, recipes, gardening and the occasional rant on people.
If you would like to contact the writer for further information about anything mentioned here, to send money, free products or for an interview concerning this site you may do so by sending an email to nashveggie (at) gmail (dot) com.
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