Going green and natural is driving me crazy - HELP

[baby-makes-3]

I'm trying to do more natural things around the house but I think I need some major organizational skills....

1. I made a double-batch of dough for loaf bread that had eggs in it. Forgot and left it on the counter all day -- at least $15 down the drain, plus I had to go out and buy bread.

2. I am trying not to use the dryer, but I have only limited space to hang stuff, so I have to wait until that's dry to wash anything else. I forget and we run out of stuff. Plus the time it takes to hang clothes !

3. Also, trying to handwash dishes -- I don't mind doing it, but I have to wait until one batch dries so I can put it away to make room for another batch of dishes to dry. Again, I forget and get involved with something else. At any given time, I have loads of dishes in the kitchen instead of tucked away in the dishwasher.....there are lots of dishes when you cook most things from scratch!

4. Frantically trying to cut up and dehydrate watermelon and cantaloupe for winter snacks. Goal is to make all DD's snacks so we don't buy insanely priced organic snack food.

Etc. etc....I totally believe in what I'm doing, but it takes so much more time than the "convenience" ways, which I'm finding is the reason all these gadgets were invented in the first place. I guess I'm stressing because I'm getting ready to homeschool now too and it seems everything is piling up on me and summer will be over soon.

Any tips on organization? Or just tips to make it easier??

[Ruthla]

1) Why did you throw out the bread dough? I would have just punched it down, let it rise again, and then bake- even with eggs in the dough.

2) Go ahead and use the dryer without guilt until you're able to get a better hang-drying solution. I'd approach it as "I'll hang dry what I can, but when the drying space is full, it's time to use the dryer so the laundry stays under control."

3) I've heard that dishwashers use less water and are actually more environmentally friendly than hand washing everything. But if you do want to hand wash everything, do what my Mom did when she was growing up: dry the dishes with a dishtowel and put them away.

4) This is something that's going to save you money AND keep your family healthier this coming year. I'd ease up on the laundry and dishes and put your extra energy towards the fruit-drying project for now.

[ChetMC]

One Thing At A Time

We have tackled one thing at a time. It's unrealistic to do it all at once. I haven't found any single change to be truly difficult, but so much of it is about forming new habits and routines that you have to take it one step at a time.

I think of it as a journey more than a race. My goal isn't to be green and frugal, as though you are either green or you're not. Rather, our ideal is to be constantly moving in a more green and more mindful direction.

I agree that the food dehydration project is the one to tackle right now.

For the record, keeping eggs in the fridge is a north american thing. Eggs are out on the shelves (like with the crackers and the cereal) at the grocery stores in Spain. I know a guy who used to run a chicken farm in South America too, and he also felt that it was very weird to put eggs in the fridge.

You should check the specs on your dishwasher. Ours uses 10 litres of water for a load (2.5 gallons). I use more than 2.5 gallons of water to fill the sink if I wash by hand.

[Ola_]

I don't have experience with everything, but I wanted to comment on a couple of things. I agree with the PP that modern dishwashers are more efficient than handwashing, as long as you don't pre-rinse or pre-wash your dishes. Actually, many machines need some dirt on the dishes to do a good cleaning job - otherwise you end up with etching.

Also, I do egg doughs and let them rise on the counter, so personally I would use that dough. And heck, you're going to bake the heck out of it anyway, right? But I think that depends on your own comfort level.

[Drummer's Wife]

Please, use your dishwasher! I am confident that mine uses less water than hand-washing would - especially the way I would do it.

For the dryer - dry what you need dry quickly so you don't run out of undies. We hang dry a lot, but it's more b/c I want nicer clothes to stay nicer longer, not so much b/c it's green. I have no qualms about throwing a load of towels in the dryer on high heat - they only take about 20 minutes to dry.

[2cutiekitties]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

For the record, keeping eggs in the fridge is a north american thing. Eggs are out on the shelves (like with the crackers and the cereal) at the grocery stores in Spain. I know a guy who used to run a chicken farm in South America too, and he also felt that it was very weird to put eggs in the fridge.

I read somewhere that we have to refrigerate them because of the way they are processed here (same with butter) that they do it different in other countries and that is why they can keep them out on the shelf.

Any thoughts on this? It was a green type of mag that I read it in

[baby-makes-3]

Regarding the egg thing, if you don't wash the eggs, yes they are shelf stable for quite some time -- I noticed this in England when we visited, they don't refrigerate eggs. But here, they are washed/treated or something, removing the natural coating, hence requiring them to be refrigerated. However, if you coat them with olive oil (or so I've read), it "seals" them again for shelf storage. (Personally, I have a unique history by having been hospitalized from salmonella from a bad (cooked) egg, so I'm super cautious). At any rate, although these eggs were from a local friend's chickens, they were part of the dough sitting out on the counter at roughly 75-80 degrees for over 8 hours. I was using Healthy Bread in Five's recipe, and even posted on the author's site asking the question about whether I should toss the dough or not (did NOT want to!) and he said that the FDA's official stance is that it should be tossed. He acknowledged that he wasn't sure if that was entirely necessary, but that's the answer he was obliged to give. With my bad egg experience, I tossed it .

ANYway, our dishwasher is another story. No matter what I do, I have to re-wash 25% of what comes out of it. AND I basically pre-wash anyway because it is such a horrible dishwasher. Not sure what the problem is other than it's a lemon -- we've contacted manufacturer, etc. and it just stinks. I thought I was doing myself a favor by going to handwashing .
That dishwasher has almost brought me to tears! Btw, it's a BOSCH dishwasher - supposed to be fabulous, but I'd rather have the dishwasher in my first apartment 20 years ago than this one!

[ammiga]

How do you make and store dehydrated melon? That sounds fantastic!

[baby-makes-3]

I just discovered this and I'm so excited about it! I just cut it up in 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices (longer and wider chunks do better as they reduce), and keep an eye on them in the dehydrator til they get to desired consistency, at least 12 hours. Then I put layers in a container, separated by wax paper, in the freezer. Note: freezer makes them crunchy, but my super-picky DD loooooves it that way, it's just like candy. I also very lightly brush it with raw honey if it's not a very sweet watermelon. (Honey is better than sugar for dehydrating....).

[Jackies Ladybug]

i use my dishwasher as a drying rack when i handwash dishes. much bigger than the countertop racks, and sometimes i pop on the heated dry when im done if im in a hurry

[justmama]

could you wash your dishes when your dh is home to dry and put away while you wash? how old is your daughter? I let my two year old stand on a stool and dry the dishes I put in front of her on a towel and when we are done, her big sisters put away the dishes for us.

regarding the laundry, make it a habit to throw in a wash after breakfast. get everyone dressed and ready to go outside while the wash is running. When the wash is done, outside time!!!!! grab the laundry and throw another in while you are there. go outside and hang and do some playing. by the time you are done, it should be time to make lunch and think about naptime and you can take down the first load and hang the second load during nap. that's my system at least. Or make it a point to finish and hang the laundry before you run out to do errands.

regarding the bread, I would do what you did and make the double batch at once. But I would do it while making breakfast and punch down at lunch and bake with dinner. Or choose one day during the weekend while your dh is home to help you out with your daughter so you don't forget it. I know someone who makes her bread dough in the evening while she's preparing dinner and tosses it int he fridge overnight to rise. In the morning she punches it down, puts it in the loaf pan to rise and leaves it on the counter where she can see it rising so she knokws when to throw it int he oven.

[JessicaS]

I do agree with the others on tackling one thing at a time.

NFL isn't dogma, take baby steps and find what works best for you.

I started with cleaners and bath products but I am still not very good at baking.

[baby-makes-3]

Great idea and great way to use a dishwasher . thanks!

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by ChetMC

For the record, keeping eggs in the fridge is a north american thing. Eggs are out on the shelves (like with the crackers and the cereal) at the grocery stores in Spain. I know a guy who used to run a chicken farm in South America too, and he also felt that it was very weird to put eggs in the fridge.
.

Just wanted to point out that this is true, but that in other countries they treat their eggs differently than we do. I wouldn't leave USA store-bought eggs on the counter, because they have been washed, and/or pasturized, which means that the membrane on the shell that protects the egg is gone/damaged. If you have eggs from your own chickens, you don't have to wash them (if you keep the nest box clean!) and you can leave them out on the counter. Many people feel that this is the way to get the most nutrition from your eggs.

[lakeruby]

Originally Posted by Jackies Ladybug

i use my dishwasher as a drying rack when i handwash dishes. much bigger than the countertop racks, and sometimes i pop on the heated dry when im done if im in a hurry

me too!

[amber913]

I used to hang laundry until i realized that i was losing valuable time with my kids by doing so, and it was just stressing me out. I'll start hanging out laundry when my kids are more independent.

Pick out the old-school ways that you really, really, really must do and leave the rest. I'd make a list. For example, we don't have a lot of money, so scratch cooking is our only option. I can, however, afford to use the dryer and dishwasher. I make our soap and household products and try to use things that have more than one use (like baking soda). For me it started out as a green pursuit, but is now my choices have more to do with financial matters.

I think it takes time for everyone once they start making changes: some things work and some don't. And just because something doesn't work now, doesn't mean it won't work in the future. Good luck!

[baby-makes-3]

All good suggestions -- I tend to be an all or nothing person -- it's better to take it in steps and not stress out. That kind of defeats the purpose.

[JudiAU]

One step: buy a better clothesline. I have one from ikea that was around $50 but holds a whole load of laundry and it doesn't require clothespins. Totally worth the price.

[happysmileylady]

I think it's ok to use gadgets to be as natural/green as possible.

Meaning-while the dishwasher suggestion in regards to drying the dishes in the dishwasher is a good one, you could also check out freecycle and craigslist for a free/cheap modern dishwasher that works better than the one you have. When ours went out, I discovered that lots of folks remodel their kitchen and want their appliances to match, so they get rid of perfectly good dishwashers cheap or free, for the sake of matching.

Also bread-I LOVE my breadmaker. It doesn't use a lot of energy, at least I am pretty sure it doesn't use more than trying to bake in the oven, and you toss all the ingredients in and set it and forget it. In fact, I work evenings and so the nights I work, I am not home to make dinner. I also have two crockpots. Toss a main dish in one crockpot, toss a side dish/veggie in the second, and bread in the breadmaker. Very efficient way to cook everything, and I have a scratch made dinner ready even when I am not there. Again, check freecycle or craigslist...lots of folks get breadmakers with lots of high hopes and then never even open the box. Crockpots too, people get them as wedding gifts and never use them.

Another thing...do you like sourdough bread? I don't, but if you do, setting up a sourdough starter would probably be a big help to you. Then you can just keep it in the fridge, so it's ready to go when you need it. And when you do, you just pull off what you need, feed it again, and repeat. Plus, having it there would likely make you more likely to reguarly make bread because it does have to be used and fed on a regular basis.

[baby-makes-3]

Hi, I'm happy to say I've already discovered the wonderfulness of crock pots! I use one of them probably once a week, and more so now that winter is coming....great idea!

I have an old Trillium bread machine (bought it in 1994 when they first came out) and it has been a workhorse for me. (I'm actually emotionally attached to it since I was just a kid when i bought it). I know that I should invest in a better one, a loaf style. Which do you use? The recipe I was using comes from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day and the idea is that you put all the ingredients in a big container, do not knead, and over the next several days, you can pull out a big chunk, let it rise, bake and voila, you have bread. However, although the taste is nice, I'm not happy with the texture or the fact that it doesn't rise well. Now I just use the bread machine for kneading pizza dough, but I'm seriously thinking about upgrading to a better one and just tossing (no pun intended) the HBIF idea......