One of my favorite things - sandhill cranes

The first time I heard sandhill cranes bugling from afar, I was out walking the dog. It was a sunny December day not too many years ago, and a strange, distant cooing seemed to be all around me. What was it? Where was it coming from? 

I finally figured out I was hearing the calls of the numerous large sedges (new vocab word for you) of birds flying in loose V formations high, high in the sky, their loud, rattling bugle unceasingly filling the airspace beneath them. Not long after that, I saw a newspaper article about the sandhill crane migration, which prompted some Googling and a Youtube video to confirm that these were the birds I'd witnessed. It was a lucky coincidence I was outside at the same time as so many of the cranes were flying by on their way south. I had never heard or seen these birds before -- how is that possible? Perhaps I had simply never noticed.

Now one of my favorite joys of winter is a chance encounter--from a very great distance--with these noisy travelers. I went outside for a few minutes yesterday to stir the compost, and a group of cranes just happened to be flying by. Their calls filter down to the ground from such heights, I have to look around for a minute before I can pinpoint the sedge in the air. In the late winter or very early spring, I also enjoy the luck of noticing their return north.

This past October, I had a close encounter for the first time. I was driving into a church camp in southeastern Wisconsin, and there were two sandhill cranes just standing around in a field by the gravel road. I've read these cranes are tall, and up close they are surprisingly so. The red cap over their forehead only makes their curious gaze more intense and mysterious.

I don't know why the sandhills delight me so much. Maybe it's because their call is different from the other more commonly heard birds in the area. Maybe it's because of the encounter's brevity and reliance on happenstance; it's like finding a penny on the sidewalk. No matter, really, other than I just wanted to share one of my favorite things in this season of favorite things.

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More food by mail

Almost a year ago, we ordered our first box from Misfits Market. We kept up our subscription for a short while, getting a new box of organic produce every other week, but then my excitement about the fruit and veggie selection began to wane, the delivery was sometimes inconvenient (if I felt I wasn't efficiently planning meals around it), and I thought I could get better prices just doing regular grocery shopping. I'll tell you something, though. There is still ginger in our freezer from that first ginormous bunch. I just used some the other day.

I haven't canceled our account; I just haven't ordered anything new in a while. Maybe I'll feel like it again in the new year, because sometimes facing an unexpected quantity of random ingredients inspires creativity in the kitchen. Other times, yeah, it exerts the pressure of "Do something with this before it goes to waste!"

In the meantime, I got sucked into a "come-back deal" from Hello Fresh. This is a meal kit service. It, too, costs more than regular groceries but less than dining out (or ordering in). You're paying for the convenience of not having to think too much about what's for dinner and then getting mostly pre-measured ingredients delivered to your doorstep. In some ways, it's more convenient than a produce box like Misfits, because the meal planning is done for me, and the amount of food that shows up is that exact amount we're going to eat. In that way, it does prevent food from going to waste, because every bit is consumed. 

However, unlike Misfits, Hello Fresh does not rescue food from the "reject" pile. And, it generates waste, as the pre-measured ingredients are often individually packaged. I concede that the company seems to  make a considerable effort to minimize the packaging, and most of the packaging is recyclable, with some even made from recycled materials. But, as I say on repeat, reducing is superior to recycling, which means throwing away even small wads of plastic with the preparation of each dinner does not sit well with me. I will likely discontinue this subscription at the conclusion of the discounted period. 

I have been saving some of the recipes, though. They're tasty, and some of them use things we typically have on hand. I'll also share a few tips I've learned through cooking with Hello Fresh and the like:

• I could be doing more delicious things with rice. It's a pantry staple on which I've seldom relied outside of a stir-fry accompaniment, but it's so much more versatile. Butter, herbs, spices, lemon zest... Rice does not need to be a bland filler in need of soy sauce but can make a flavorful bed 'neath any meat or vegetable entree.
• Gathering and prepping all equipment and ingredients, the well-known mis en place practice of chefs everywhere, is worth the the time upfront. Act like you're about to film a cooking show in your own kitchen -- they don't run to the pantry six different times during the recipe; they always have their ingredients ready to dump right into the mix. I don't go as far as measuring two tablespoons of flour into a tiny bowl, but I have the flour container and measuring spoon out on the counter. More important, I have the veggies washed and chopped.
• Don't underestimate how much a quick sauce can elevate a recipe. There are condiments we already stock in our fridge that I could just use more frequently to recreate some my favorite recipes -- mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, broth concentrate... One large container tends to be less wasteful than several single-serve packets.
• Season your food with a little salt (and maybe pepper, too) at each major step (in the water with the rice, when you add the veggies to the hot oil) instead of just once at the beginning or the end. But also, and here's what the meal kit won't tell you, taste it along the way! You may or may not want that final sprinkling of salt after everything comes together.

The moral of the story is you have to decide for yourself what conveniences are worth what cost to you, and what tradeoffs are acceptable to you when balancing time, effort, money, and sustainability.

What's next for us, then? I guess it's back to the usual meal planning based on what's in season, on sale, and/or already in our pantry or freezer at home, and trying to gather any needed ingredients in just one shopping trip, preferably combined with other errands in the vicinity. And don't you worry -- we always eat all our leftovers.

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Adventures in Cake Decorating #10 - Pineapple Cupcakes x 2

And another cake flashback. Why? Because I haven't been baking as much fun stuff during the pandemic. Over the last two years, I think the Raphael Ninja Turtle cake was the last full-sized cake I made (early March 2020), and since then there have been just a couple of outdoor birthday parties, for which I made the Paw Patrol and Fireman Sam cupcakes. I had designs on making a very small wedding cake for a few of us to share as we virtually attended a relative's wedding, but neither the Zoom nuptials (and therefore) nor the cake materialized.

Last time we flashed back, it was to remember Teddy Graham sunbathers on beach cupcakes. Let's stick with that warm, sunny theme and look back at the two different cupcakes I once made for a luau at church.

Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes

These came from a Betty Crocker recipe, and you can always trust Betty for a delicious time. Between the pineapple juice in the batter and the sugary syrup on the bottom (which becomes the top), these cupcakes are soaking in goodness. Don't let the photo mislead you -- these do not bake in cupcake wrappers. After flipping over the muffin tin to release these pineapple delights, I moved each into its own paper wrapper for easier individual servings at the luau party.

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

I'm disappointed in the trendy cupcake shops that decorate their baked goods so cutely but fail to deliver any oomph in flavor. A so-called salted caramel cupcake that has a stylized drizzle and tiny cookie atop its frosting but otherwise is a plain vanilla cake underneath -- not worth the hype (or money). Even Hostess cupcakes have a creamy filling! A so-called gourmet cupcake should at least have a caramel-flavored sponge if not also ooze liquid caramel once you bite into it. So, of course, I'm proud of these fully flavored cupcakes with a sweet surprise in the middle.

Any cupcake with a filling deserves bonus points, and this filling is so easy to execute... if you follow my tip here and not the original recipe. This recipe from The Little Epicurean is almost everything I want it to be -- coconut milk both in the batter and in the frosting, yes! But, with a fruit filling like pineapple, there is no need to find a 1-inch cookie cutter (who has that?) to punch the center out of each cupcake after they're baked. This isn't a custard or buttercream filling that can't go in until the cupcakes are cooled. 

Instead, I say, you just plop a spoonful of crushed pineapple into the center of the batter in each muffin cup. It will sink just a little bit, and then as the cupcakes bake, the batter will rise up and over it, hiding the pineapple filling for you. Voila!

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Cider update, late fall

We've some catching up to do.

I promised in my previous cider update that we'd next talk about what I'll call the "regular" cider; i.e. the juice from what are technically crab apples because they're growing rogue in the suburban wild but look and taste pretty much like regular apples, as opposed to the small, puckery, dark pink crab apples.

So, in early September, we gleaned 191 pounds of various apples from public parking lots and easements. Using our Breville juicer, we juiced 147 pounds of these into fresh cider and mixed in three quarts of the pink crab apple cider we'd saved plus 6 cups of honey dissolved into 6 cups of water, to nearly fill two 5-gallon buckets. The remaining 44 pounds of apples became a little more than 2 gallons of fresh cider for the fridge.

After 1 week, we siphoned the fermenting cider into second buckets, leaving their sediment behind. They continued fermenting for another week, at which time we bottled the cider -- about 34 liters of it. Even though all 9 or so gallons came from one batch, each of the two separate 5-gallon buckets resulted in a slightly different fermentation, one slightly sweeter and less alcoholic than the other, although both have a mild flavor with a hint of honey. The hydrometer results for alcohol by volume were 6.2% and 5.5%

Just like the crab apple bottles, we let these sit out for a couple of days to recarbonate naturally, and then we cold crashed them all in the new used fridge we bought from some guy online.

Now, in late fall, we think the regular cider tastes even better having conditioned in the bottles for several weeks, and several of our family members and friends have enjoyed how easy it goes down. The tart crab apple cider is not for everyone, but good for lovers of sour farmhouse ales.

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Leaf mulching

You know we love our compost, and we've always added some autumn leaves to the mix, but our yard collects far more leaves than we could possibly fit into our one average-sized home compost bin. I usually add light piles of leaves to some planted areas of the yard to serve as winter protection and later spring nutrients, but even still, there is an excess

The remaining options, then, are bagging the leaves for city pickup, which is fine. Those'll be composted somewhere. Or, I've seen people compress leaves into fire-starter bricks, which is project I'd maybe try. Maybe. Or, we could just leave the leaves be like a natural forest floor, but I think there are so many that our yard would indeed look like a forest floor--i.e., mossy dirt and leaves, because the heavy cover of leaves would kill the grass by smothering it or harboring mold. 

But there is yet another option. 

This year, we mulched the leaves. The smaller pieces will break down faster and mix more easily with  soil and other compostables, so we can add more of them to the compost bin and plant beds than we would have with whole leaves. Many of the chopped-up leaves can also be left to spread around the yard, because they can nestle down between blades of grass to the soil level, where they will break down faster while letting the grass grow through.

Some of the leaf bits will just blow away, sure, but because they are smaller, they can blow all over and disintegrate sooner rather than getting caught in a big pile along the curb where whole leaves tend to clog the storm drains.

Converting the thick carpet of maple leaves in our backyard into fall confetti.

We accomplished our mulching with our two electric leaf blowers that, handily, also work as leaf vacuums and mulchers. Guess where we got them.

Go on, guess!

All together now: Someone was throwing them out!

Actually, I think one of them may have been a Goodwill find. Regardless, here we are again with our second-hand lawn equipment, which may have required a little duct tape but worked out great. We attached a bag to one blower to collect some of the mulch for the compost bin and flower beds. The rest, we just let fly into the air and settle all across the lawn. (And in our hair and down the backs of our shirts...)

The yard looks messy by immaculate suburbanite standards, what with the mulched leaf bits all over the place, but there aren't piles of leaves anymore, and the grass shows through. My hope is that these chopped leaves will provide a little insulation to my bedded plants over the winter and then decompose into leaf mold (a.k.a. composted leaves, not to be confused with fuzzy mold that grows in damp places) where they sit, thereby feeding the grass and flower beds throughout the spring thaw.

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Photo Showcase: Steps toward home improvement

Len spent several weeknights preparing us for the second winter in our new old house. With kits of sheet plastic and double-sided tape, he has insulated most of our windows from the inside. True, disposable plastic is not the most sustainable approach to weather-proofing a house; however, most things in life require compromise. Here, the tradeoff is generating future garbage (when we remove and dispose of the temporary insulation in spring) in order to use less natural gas (because our furnace won't have to work so hard if the windows aren't letting cold air in and warm air out). You know the insulation kits are working, by the way, when the plastic breathes with the wind outside. Some of our windows are so drafty, the plastic sheeting bulges with pockets of the cold air that would otherwise be whooshing through our dining room.

We have long-term plans for restoring our 111-year-old windows back to perfect functionality and for replacing our dilapidated aluminum storm windows with historically accurate wooden ones that fit properly. News flash: Whole-house window restoration is a big, expensive project.

We knew of this eventual expense going in. We bought the old house knowing that its maintenance would be our new major "hobby." Some people save up their money to spend it on a motorcycle, or travel, or horses, or raising kids. We have prepared to spend ours on this house. And now, it's all about what projects to put money toward and when.

The city of Aurora has in the past offered a historical preservation grant for homeowners in the historic districts. We can apply for grant assistance to get some work done on our home, as long as it is exterior work that helps preserve the historical architecture and character of the neighborhood. We applied for the grant last year to tackle the windows. We were not one of the awardees. However, we listened to the grant committee meeting and garnered useful information about what else they'd like to see restored/repaired on our house.

One of those items was correcting the railing on our front porch steps. It was iron and losing some structural integrity, but it should be wooden and sound. Well, we can get that project done without grant assistance! Let's do it now as proof of our commitment to historical preservation, and we'll live with the crummy windows another year in the hopes of applying for the grant again.

So the saga of the front porch steps began. I'll sum it up briefly.

In June, Len finally found a carpenter who was willing to work within the historic district and obtain the appropriate permits. The steps would be entirely rebuilt, including lovely wooden railings. 

With drawings finally approved and permits obtained, in October, the carpenters made quick work of removing the old stairs... 

Then they were gone for awhile. 

They brought back supplies. And left again for awhile.

Eventually they came back to cut and install the stringers.

At this point, the city inspector had to approve the installation so far. He didn't. 

In a few days, the carpenters fixed the way the header board and stringers were attached to the house and got approval, but they didn't continue building right away.

Halloween loomed near.

On a cold misty day in late October, the carpenters came back and quickly affixed the treads and toe kicks (no railings yet), so at least we could host trick-or-treaters.

In early November, they finished the build. Looks nice, huh? They requested final inspection.

More than two weeks later, the city inspector finally came out and... did not approve the steps.

It's now mid-November, and we're waiting for the carpenters to return, to re-do stuff, and to re-request inspection.

All this to show the Historic Preservation Commission, "See? We're doing the stuff you think we should do! Please give us money to do more of it." We don't even know yet if they will continue the grant program in 2022.

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Water Update

I was excited to report back in June that we had lowered our own water usage by about 750 gallons (over 2 months). Well, we kept at it -- from little things like shutting off the faucet during those proscribed 20 seconds we're soaping our hands, to medium things like taking shorter or less frequent showers, to the bigger things like watering our outdoor (and indoor) plants solely from the rain barrels -- until they ran dry; I admit to hauling out the hose a few times. And, the results are in.

Our water bill for our May and June usage was down to just 2 CCFs! That means we cut our average water usage in half. How about that? 

Such reduction doesn't cut our water bill in half, mind you. There's a flat fee for service, but each CCF used or not used will add or subtract, respectively, about $5. The separate sewer bill is also a little bit lower, because it is also based on water usage. Over a year, those few monthly dollars add up, sure, but this is less about the money savings (where you'd typically see a higher return by reducing your gas and electric usage) than it is about the environmental impact.

It's easier to think about water conservation in the warm months, when gardens need to be watered, and pools "need" to be swum in. However, our consumption awareness must continue through the winter. The western United States is still, today, experiencing extreme and excessive drought. Even here in northern Illinois, despite the seemingly abundant gray skies of November, things are "abnormally dry." Again, I refer you to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Back to our record 2-CCFs water bill. During May and June 2021, we used approximately 750 gallons per month, or roughly 180-190 gallons per week, or 25 gallons per day. In some ways that number seems low, but imagine having 25 gallon-size jugs, some of them sitting on your kitchen counter and several others hanging out in your bathroom. And you're going to go through all 25 of those in just one day. It seems like a crazy amount of water!

We easily use less than that per day when we're camping, but when we're roughing it, we naturally use water very conservatively. Based on that observation, clearly showers, toilets, and laundry make the biggest impact. Dish-washing is also a potential area for improvement.

Our next water bill, for July and August, was back up to 3 CCFs -- higher than our lowest usage, but still lower than our original average. We're happy about that, but the drive for self-competition inspires me to keep trying to be even more conservative -- when it comes to water usage, that is.

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