Scenes from New Haven, CT, 10.30.12

High water, downed trees, human remains…

A few blocks, a few miles, how high the gusts – what a difference each of these factors made on life in the Northeast the day after Sandy.

We were prepared for anything but were spared the devastation that hit New York City, New Jersey, Fairfield County, and the neighboring towns of East Haven and West Haven.

The robo-call from Mayor John DeStefano sums up how we fared in New Haven where things are, “better than expected, but bad enough.” 

• 51 blocked streets. 
• Thousands still without power. 
• School out for one more day. 
• Halloween trick-or-treating postponed until next week.

New Haven’s Morris Cove and City Point neighborhoods took a big hit from the storm surge. Although we did not have much rain, if you check out these stats from AccuWeather you will find that New Haven’s storm surge was the highest reported in Connecticut – 9 feet above normal. 

Peak wind gusts swirled around our house at nightfall yesterday. They sent our spruce tree whipping so wildly that we couldn’t watch. That sight coupled with the banging of an unlatched window grate next door and the freight train sound of the wind at the windows sent us scurrying to the lower level for the night.

We never lost power. The backyard trees survived. And when we ventured out this morning we discovered that our debris could be contained in three paper bags and one neat bundle of downed limbs.

Our storm debris - all of it

That wasn’t the case just a few blocks from here. 

This large, seemingly healthy tree on the Yale campus [4 blocks away] brought down power lines leaving non-Yale neighbors in the dark.

This tree was filmed for "Mona Lisa Smile"

And this enormous tree uprooted on the New Haven Green [3 blocks more distant] was an historic one – the Lincoln Oak planted in 1909 to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s birth 100 years before. I regret that I did not pay it more notice while it was alive…

The Lincoln Oak; Note the Plaque

Plaque detail

Just as I was about to hit “publish,” I happened upon a late-breaking story in the New Haven Independent. Since our early afternoon visit to the Green, an inquisitive woman who was digging around in the tree’s upended roots discovered what appear to be human remains. Police are investigating. For those of you not familiar with New Haven history, this part of the Green was once a burying ground. These bones could be very, very old.

Feeling lucky in New Haven. Happy Halloween.

Surviving Sandy

Apparently the reports were not exaggerated. It’s clear that Hurricane Sandy is going to have a direct impact on my life for the next few days. This storm is huge, with tropical storm-force winds extending notheastwards 520 miles from the center, and twelve-foot high seas covering a diameter of ocean 1,030 miles across. Conditions will be deteriorating as the day goes on, and we will start to get a taste of Sandy’s worst some 24 hours before she makes landfall predicted to be along the coast of New Jersey around 2 a.m. Tuesday. New York City (75 miles away) will be shutting down its transit system later today at 7 pm. 

Everyone in the Northeast who still finds themselves in the calm before the storm should be using these remaining hours to get ready for anything – wind to the east, high tide on the shore, storm surge in the Sound, and heavy precipitation to the west, including snow in the mountains.

Yesterday we did our outdoor prep – bringing in all the items that might become airborne, securing the solar-powered attic fan so it would not achieve lift-off. Now we’re doing the last-minute checks to be sure all the storm windows are down all the way and taking action to cope with all possible scenarios.

As a newly-certified Connecticut Master Gardener, I find myself on an email list for all kinds of info. Among the most recent was a series of links and tips about household safety in case the power goes out. [During Hurricane Irene last year there were a large number of CL&P customers who were out of power for a week or more.]

Here are some highlights from the list plus a few of my own:

• Make sure you have enough bottled water on hand to last each family member several days. [Either purchased or in scrupulously clean containers.]
• Be certain you have plenty of non-perishable food that does not requiring cooking and a non-electric can opener to open any cans.
• Get items in small sizes; you may not have a way to store leftovers.
• Set your the freezer and refrigerator to the coldest settings; remember to set them back to normal once the storm is over. If you lose power, open the doors as little as possible.
• Freeze containers of water for ice to help keep food cold in the freezer, refrigerator, or coolers in case the power goes out. If your normal water supply is contaminated or unavailable, the melting ice will also supply drinking water. Zip lock bags work fine. A packed freezer will stay cold longer.
• Freeze refrigerated items such as leftovers, milk, and fresh meat and poultry that you may not need immediately-this helps keep them at a safe temperature longer.
• Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerated food cold.
• Print out this chart from FoodSafety.Gov detailing how long various types of perishable food will last. 
• Fill your bathtub with water for flushing your toilet if you rely on a pump.
• Pay a visit to an ATM now. They don’t function when the power is out.
• Get out your old school portable radio and make sure it has batteries.
• Keep your cell phone fully charged. If you lose power, turn it off except for emergency use. And remember that texting uses less power than calling.

Check out these links for more tips, and be sure to print them out now so you have them on hand if you lose power.

• From the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• From the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 
• From the American Red Cross:  a page of preparedness fact sheets for all kinds of disasters. You can also get their Hurricane app for your smartphone, which of course is only good as long as your phone is charged.

Don’t forget a flashlight with good batteries (or a hand crank). 

And get to the store soon if you need bread. It’s always the first item to go…

Take care and stay safe.

Saturday Short Subjects: Scientists on Trial

A year-long trial in central Italy came to a close on October 22 with a verdict that has alarmed the scientific community. Six seismologists and a government official were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison for not providing adequate warning to the citizens of the city of L’Aquila of the 2009 earthquake that left over 300 people dead.

L’Aquila is a medieval city in one of Europe’s most earthquake prone regions; the city suffered devastating earthquakes in the 15th and 18th centuries, and was rebuilt then as it is being rebuilt now. The deadly 2009 earthquake was magnitude-6.3; many of the city’s ancient buildings collapsed during the quake.

The emotional trial allowed testimony from those who had lost loved-ones. The prosecutor’s case faulted the scientists for not attaching enough significance to the small tremors ahead of the major April 6 quake, even though a 1988 study found that “about half of large quakes were preceded by weaker foreshocks. But only 2 percent of small quake swarms heralded a larger rupture.” 

The severity of the sentence was a surprise. The prosecutor had sought four years. The scientists were also ordered to pay more than nine million euros (almost $12 million in damages). 

The men are appealing. Under the Italian justice system, they remain free until they have exhausted two avenues of appeal. Several top Italian scientists resigned in protest of the verdict, including Lucaino Maiami, head of the Major Risks Committee, who stated, “This is the end of scientists giving consultations to the state.”

Is it fear from the sentence imposed on the Italian seismologists that makes Hurricane Sandy, dubbed “Frankenstorm” the main story online, on the airwaves, and on the newsstands? Is it a way to boost ratings and sell ads and papers? Hard to say, but this morning a visit from Sandy is looking more likely than it was yesterday, and I’ll be spending a chunk of my day “battening down the hatches.” Come back tomorrow for last minute tips on how to be ready in case Sandy is tracking your way.

When your storm prep is done, find out how scientifically literate you are with this quiz prepared by the staff of the Christian Science Monitor. 

Have a great weekend. Enjoy the weather while you can.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: Counting Down…

…first to Food Day — this Wednesday, October 24. Last year I had the opportunity to hear Rene Redzepi, “the best chef in the world,” speak on foraging and how he transforms his local finds into unique offerings at Noma, his restaurant in Copenhagen. This year I plan to observe the day by attending Food Day - Food Action! at Yale’s Peabody Museum, celebrating “the strides being taken by the New Haven community to create better food for a better city.” Hon. Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 3rd District, and one of Food Day 2012’s honorary co-chairs, will be a featured guest! Next Monday, check back for a report on the day’s events.

Food Day organizers hope as many people as possible across the nation will participate in Food Day events — from thoughtful meals shared with friends, to rallies, community activities, and film screenings. Click here to find an already organized event near you. 

If there are no events in your area, or you decide you’d rather host one of your own, Food Day has a rich site with all the tools and graphics you need to promote your activity. Check out the special edition Food Day newspaper for ideas and more information on what this day is all about. 

and 

…second, to Election Day, a little over two weeks away. On November 6, besides helping to elect the next president of the U.S., voters in California will consider a proposition which has been denied to residents of other states. They will have the opportunity to vote on an initiative requiring labeling of all genetically engineered (GE) food sold in grocery stores in their state. If Proposition 37 passes, California will become the first state in the nation to require labels on GE food.

An intense battle is raging across the state, pitting grass roots activists and small companies against larger corporations and business associations. As of October 4, proponents of the bill had raised over $4 million dollars, compared to the nearly $34.5 million raised by the opponents, of whom Monsanto is the largest single contributor. Food Democracy Now is asking supporters to thank the small companies, the “Food Heroes,” who have come forward to support Prop 37. You can send them a note and also vote with your food dollars.

Just Label It! claims that 92% of Americans want the FDA to label genetically modified food. If consumers win this fight in California, manufacturers will likely begin to label food nationally for GE ingredients. Please vote “yes” to Prop. 37, California readers. The rest of the country is counting on you!

Happy Monday! Thanks for reading.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: Love Food, Hate Waste

Food Waste is a huge issue in the UK, just as it is in the US. Love Food Hate Waste tackles this problem, promising… “Whatever food you love, we can help you waste less and save you money.”

Their site is easy to navigate and easy on the eye. There are facts, tips on reducing food waste and saving water, tons [tonnes UK parlance] of recipes, and tools to help you discover many more from ingredients you have on hand. 

Love Food Hate Waste offers something for everyone. Newbies to the kitchen, particularly those on a budget, will appreciate the hints on “making the most of the food we buy” and the meal planning section. Experienced cooks will enjoy the seasonal recipes and the beautiful food images. Environmental educators will find plenty of facts ideas, and stories to share.

Love Food Hate Waste is also available as a free app for your smartphone, a great tool for helping you with menu planning on the run. Two caveats: The app requires over 19 MB of storage, and the recipes use the metric system and UK English. [You are limited to England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales as selections for your home country.] Check out the website first. If you like what it offers and have the space on your phone, go for it! 

Love Food Hate Waste is an initiative of WRAP, a not-for-profit organization in the UK formed to “help recycling take off in the UK and to create a market for recycled materials.”  

Have a great weekend. 

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: How to Stuff a Squash

While I am not a fan of shorter days and falling temperatures, I do love the bountiful produce of autumn, especially the hearty vegetables. Winter squash, now readily available at farmer’s markets and in produce aisles, is low in calories, high in fiber, and rich in vitamins. [If you are interested, you can check out the nutrition facts for acorn squash here.] With the best price you will see this season, stock up now! 

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe, so I thought I’d take a break from food history, nutritional facts, and polemics to share with you how I prepare baked, stuffed winter squash. This comfort food can be fashioned from a variety of ingredients in your cupboard and refrigerator. As long as you have winter squash on hand, you are pretty much good to go.

In her Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen offers up three different fillings for stuffing a winter squash. Filling Three - “Comprehensively Stuffed” served as the inspiration for my version which follows. 

Your squash should be par-baked before you stuff it. Set your oven to 350°F and then halve and seed the desired number of squash. Brush the inner portion of the squash with olive oil. Bake the halves upside down on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. While they are baking, prepare your stuffing. The recipe below will easily fill two large squash. [Note: These make perfect leftovers, easily warmed in the oven or microwave, so don't be afraid to make extra.] 

STUFFING INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 2 slices whole grain bread (with crusts), cubed
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 3/4 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

PREPARATION

• Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet until the butter melts.
• Add vegetables and sauteé until tender.
• Add spices, bread, and all the other ingredients EXCEPT the cheese.
• Cook until everything is well blended and looks like stuffing.
• Remove from heat. 
• Stir in cheese.
• Cover and let rest until the squash is ready.
• Stuff the baked squash with the dressing. [Careful! This is really hot!]
• Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes.
• Very carefully remove the foil.
• Serve with a colorful, contrasting side dish such as bright green peas, red beets, or cranberry sauce.

Voilá! Thanksgiving on a small plate, minus the turkey. It’s what’s for dinner…

Happy Monday. Thanks for reading. 

I often blog on food, food issues, or topics related to growing things on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Meatless Monday: Are You Ready for Food Day?

Food Day is an annual nationwide celebration observed on October 24, created by Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), to address a variety of food issues including health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker justice. Food Day’s ultimate goal is to strengthen and unify the food movement in order to improve our nation’s food policies. Food Day 2012’s honorary co-chairs are Hon. Tom Harkin, U.S. Senator from Iowa, and Hon. Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Representative from Connecticut!

One of the messages of Food Day is to “Eat Real,” meaning putting vegetables, fruits, and whole grains at the center of your diet. Get in the zone for Food Day by taking the Get Real Quiz to see what impact your diet has on your health, the environment, and animal welfare. 

Food Day organizers hope as many people as possible across the nation will participate in Food Day events, from thoughtful meals shared with friends, to rallies, community activities, and film screenings. Click here to find an already organized event near you. 

If there are none in your area, or you decide you’d rather host an event of your own, Food Day has a rich site with all the tools and graphics you need to promote your activity. Organizers have prepared a short list of simple ideas for those needing inspiration.

Get ready. October 24 will soon be here. Whatever you do that day, be sure to eat wisely and well. 

Happy Monday!

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Do you like the convenience of foaming hand soap but not the sticker price? Here is an easy DIY for a green product that will also save you some green.

We had found a perfectly acceptable foaming hand soap – Whole Foods 365 Unscented.  We particularly liked the neatness and the portion control. The only problem we had with it was the price. When the bottle was empty, my husband tried an experiment. 

We have long been big fans of Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap, which is highly rated as a product friendly to both humans and the environment. Check out what GoodGuide has to say. Certified Organic, Certified Fair Trade, 100% Vegetarian, and, in my experience, a frequent sale item! It is available in many sizes and formulas, scented and unscented. The larger the bottle, the cheaper the unit price. 

Dr. Bronner’s is meant to be diluted. We use the ratio of 6 oz of Dr. Bronner’s to 24 oz of water. My husband mixed up a batch and filled the empty bottle with it. He then discovered that his simple brew foamed just as well as the store-bought brand. A little mechanism in the pump makes the foam, not the soap’s ingredients.

We have discovered refillable bottles with the foaming pump online, but only in large quantities. So, if you want to give this a try, the easiest thing to do would be to purchase a ready-made product, use it up, and then experiment with your own recipe. FYI the pump on the original Whole Foods bottle has lasted a long time.  

Have a great weekend.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: Putting Your Freezer to Work

In Connecticut there are a few weeks left in “pick your own season.” There are still apples to be plucked, as well as pears and raspberries. Winter squash is making its first appearance, and tomatoes “with issues” are available at a good price. Now is a great time to put a little food by.

Canning is not a tradition with which I am very familiar. I canned applesauce once under my mother-in-law’s supervision, but, frankly, it made me nervous. That does not mean, however, that I don’t participate in the autumn tradition of preserving food. I simply choose to use a different method — freezing. 

I have discovered that freezing is a particularly good way to store applesauce, apple crisp, berries, baked goods, cooked squash, tomato confit, and batches of soup or chili. All you need is space in the freezer, appropriate containers (squeaky clean), and properly prepared food or produce.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation, established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (CSREES-USDA) to address food safety concerns for those who practice and teach home food preservation and processing methods, is an excellent site, with everything you need to know about freezing, including general information on such topics as:

• Containers for Freezing 
• Foods That Do Not Freeze Well 
• Headspace to Allow 
• How Long To Store Frozen Foods 

as well as detailed instructions on best practices for successfully freezing a number of specific items.

Here are some tips of my own:

• Always label your containers with the name of the item and the date on which you put it in the freezer. [Entirely different things can look remarkably similar once frozen.] 
• Freeze your leftovers if you know you won’t get to them in a timely fashion.
• You can freeze milk and juice if you are going on a trip.
• Never heat any plastic container in the microwave. Empty the contents into glass before nuking it.
• Your freezer runs more efficiently when it is filled [Note: This does not mean stuffed.]

Food Waste is a pet peeve of mine. Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland, blogs about how America wastes nearly half of its food and what we can do about it.

Use your freezer wisely and do your bit to stop food waste. You might even find yourself with some spare green in your wallet for living a little greener. 

And, if you decide you do want to give canning a try, the National Center for Home Food Preservation has info on that, too. 

Happy Monday!

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”