Pure Genius!

A couple months ago, I was renewing my Martha Stewart Living subscription, and was offered a discounted rate for Whole Living Magazine (formerly Body+Soul Magazine). Eh, what the heck? I'll give it a try.

Last week, I received the November and the December issues. I have to say that they are considerably thinner than MSL, (I read one in it's entirety on the eliptical machine in 40 minutes) but they do seem to have some decent articles in them.

However, the November issue just paid for the whole subscription, albeit discounted.

You see, I'm not a very good composter. I have a compost bin out back that I put yard clippings in. But I rarely take kitchen scraps out to it. I always have good intentions of doing so. When I cook, I bag them up as I am preparing dinner, but always seem to make it into the trash can as opposed to the composter after they've sat on the counter a day or so. Gnats have been so bad at my house this fall. And the composter is WAAAAY out back. And, I'd have to find some shoes to slip on. Ugh. It's not worth it.

Until I saw a little blip in the magazine about this:

photo credit: re-nest.com

It's a freezer compost bin. Keeps the flies away! It's such a freakin' simple concept, why didn't I think of this?!? And, it's evidently manufactured in California. You can check out the product review on re-nest, too. BTW, the author recommends it.

I, however, did not go out and drop $24.95, or whatever they are selling these things for. I grabbed a used gallon-size zip-lock bag out of my kitchen drawer and went to town. Yes, I reuse those. I used to be so appalled that my mother washed out ours and reused them when I was growing up. But, dangit, they are expensive. And, I'm keeping one out of a landfill.

Now, I can put all my kitchen scraps in my compost bin about as often as I was before, as the bag seems to hold about 2 or 3 weeks-worth. (I do put what is usable after peeling/cutting veg in a similar bag in the freezer for vegetable stock. So, I wasn't throwing away all my scraps before, just what couldn't be used. I.e. what is rotten, plus egg shells and coffee grounds.)

And, since "putting up" season has pretty much all but ended for the year (except deer meat). I thought I would include a couple photos of my larder as it looks right now.

Lots of apple sauce, probably not enough tomatoes and probably too many jars of pickles and various jams. I added two more bigger pumpkins yesterday, too. Jeremy's dad gave them to me. They were sitting with their fodder shock by the front steps. My in-laws don't like pumpkin enough to roast it and freeze it, and they were going to throw them away. I told them I could make good use of it.