Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#202)...with a few comments.

$82.47 of groceries in two plastic crates.

Uncharacteristically, I've displayed a before and after pictures of the Mundo. I did this to show the versitility of the bike...with two crates on the back it really becomes a sort of human powered pickup truck. And yes, this is a cargo bike (there are plenty of companies out there these days designing other types) but there are plenty of ways to get creative and carry stuff on a bike...my point is, it is possible: cargo bike or regular bike (but a cargo bike does make it easier). I've had thoughts of a bike like this long before I ever knew that they existed. As a teenager, a friend and I were trying to hatch a plan to cut a bike and weld extention bars to make it longer (not unlike an xtra cycle, I suppose). More recently, shortly before I discovered the Mundo website, I had plans of converting a tandem--which sits in my basement--into a single-person bike with a 4-foot long flatbed on the back. Again, my point is it is possible. Bikes can carry stuff (a lot of stuff), and it's way more fun than in a car. Parts of Europe and Asia have been doing this for decades...it's about time we, in North America, catch on (we did, in fact, use bikes for cargo in this country at one time...that is until we fell in love with the automobile). I think if more people used bikes for errands they would be surprised at how much fun it is and what a sense of accomplishment they'd feel. In the case of this load today, for example, if you drove a car to the store and carried home $82 worth of groceries would you consider it a fun or an accomplished task...probably not, but you may just complain at the cost of the prices (I still do that, even on a bike). But if you purchased the same groceries and carried them home on a bike on one of the most breathtakingly beautiful and idyllic days of the summer would you feel any different...well, I think we all know that answer to that one.

Maya Angelou Quotes

Image found here.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." 

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."


"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." 

 "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." 

"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you."


Click here to go to Maya Angelou's website.

Lamb Sausage Recipe with Feta, Parsley, and Rosemary (in pictures with a few comments)

I once read a quote that there are two things a person should not see being made, one was sausage and the other I can't remember (if anyone is familiar with this quote let me know what the second one is...it's bothering me). But today, this can't be true. I think that the thing(s) no one should witness being made would be any sort of processed foods...or even worse, having a tour of a factory-style slaughter house (watch the movie Food Inc.).

On a small scale sausage making really fascinates me. Other than the aid of electric grinders it is done pretty much the same way as it has been for millennia. It began--and still serves the purpose--of not only making something really good to eat, but more so, it utilizes many parts of the animal (the casings are intestines, for one, but also lesser cuts of meat can be made tender by grinding them). And in regards to using an animal's intestines for the casing...first of all what's the difference if we eat its muscle (meat) or its intestine (casing)? It's all from the same animal...both are wholesome. And personally I would rather eat a natural casing than a synthetic one (man made).

The English word sausage is loosely based on the Latin salsus (after a transmutation through Old English as sausige). It's a word that means "salted" because that's exactly what it originally was...salted meat (for preservation) that was stuffed in an intestine or animal stomach. Interestingly, other words that have etymological connections to the same the same Latin word are salad, sauce, salt (of course), salsa, and even salary (slaves were paid in salt...hence the phrase, not worth his grain of salt). 

In it's most basic form sausage is nothing more than ground and seasoned meat, which may or may not be stuffed into a casing (it can, of course, be cooked in a patty shape). One of my favorites of this patty style is a recipe based on a basic kibbeh recipe (lamb and bulgar), but any meat will do (pork is the most obvious choice). For a lamb and bulgar recipe (different than the pictorial recipe below) click here. It's a recipe I published some time ago and recently found it pirated when I did an ego search. Anyhow here's the sausage we made today, and no that is not me in the photos...it's Steve, one of my cooks at work who was learning the fine art of charcuterie. Thanks Steve, great job! (click any photo for a closer look)

Take The Pledge (we really need it)

This site/campaign has been all over Facebook this past week. It is overtly suggested towards people in the U.S., the biggest gas guzzlers on the planet, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt if others took this pledge as well...we may live in separate countries--and indeed have distinct languages and cultures--but we are all connected and part of the same human race.

I recently played the "car passenger game" while riding my bike, meaning I looked at cars as they passed to see how many had more than the driver in them. I only rode about a mile or so, and it was during rush hour so there were a lot of cars, but I kid-you-not that during the entire mile of pedaling I only saw 3 or 4 cars with more than the driver in them...one person each in those enormous metal shells. If everyone feels the need to be propelled (alone) by a gas-fed vehicle maybe we should all ride Vespas...it would be more efficient and way more fun on a hot summer's day.

Anyhow, I also have to mention (confess) something during this blog post. Here I am babbling on about a Weekend Without Oil and I actually drove my truck today (alone; the only person in it)...only 4 times in the last 6 weeks, but felt like I had to mention this as I sat on my high horse talking about Vespas and bikes.

To take the pledge, click here. What I find interesting is that the items/actions they suggest (the criteria for the pledge) are not that difficult, sort of common sense in many respects...and if you are a regular reader of this blog something tells me that this will not be that difficult of a pledge to take. Maybe we should collectively take this pledge once a month...just imagine.

I've really been feeling lately how it is truly up to us (the people alive on this planet right now) to do something, however big or small...even the smallest steps will make a difference. This is our legacy...this is what we are leaving for our future generations. To put it a different way, imagine what it would be like if we knew that our grandparents or great grandparents knew back then what we know now--that our actions can have a direct impact on the planet and generations to come--and they did nothing about it. I personally do not want to be that ancestor. I hope that everyone reading this takes the pledge (or as much of it as they are able), we need it more than ever.

I'd be interested to hear what others thought about this site and their suggested pledge.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#201)

A large wicker chair.
A piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie (thanks Deb!)

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#200)

A canvas bag containing, among other things, 4 books.
An extra shirt.
A pair of socks.
A heavy duty, all-steel sausage stuffer.

Au Contraire, Hollywood

I love this cartoon...it goes against everything American society says is the image of success and happiness. I originally came across it in a magazine more than 10 years ago, and have it hanging in a small frame in my kitchen. I was prompted to re-post it after reading this article on the Treehugger website.  It was linked to this article at Slate's website citing how Hollywood moguls equate not having a car to being a loser. Well, I'm sorry Mr. Hollywood big shots (and I consciously use the masculine address), but not having a car does not make a person a loser. As stated in many previous posts I am not car-free, but I am car-lite, and I really feel the people who can afford a car but choose not to are real heroes in the times in which we live...I hope to eventually have the courage to go entirely car free. I can't tell you how how often I get weird vibes from people when I state that I choose not to drive when I can...it's not always a direct inquiry as to why (but sometimes it is...to which I'll often reply, "because I like to walk or ride my bike instead"), but sometimes it's just a little sideways comment. And at times I'll even begin to question myself, why at nearly 50 am I riding a bike. Then I get on one and remember why I do it. On my way home tonight I was taking a short-cut through a parking lot (ironic, right?) and it was on a slight incline. Ahead of me was another cyclist.  I was on my Mundo and going slightly faster than them and when I approached I could see that it was a women on a Dahon folder. As I passed her I said good evening and asked how she liked her bike, that I had a similar one at home. She told me she was recovering from surgery and hadn't been able to get on a bike for more than a month...and that it felt so good to ride again, "I told my family I was going around the block and I've been out more than an hour...I feel like a dog with it's head out the car window," (nice analogy, I thought, and more irony)..

I've also posted the below video before, but it's one of my favorites so I thought I'd post it again. If you'd like additional reinforcement towards a car-lite or car-free life click here (pdf file), here, here, or here. So, au contraire, Mr. Hollywood, when I choose to not use my car I am far from a loser...I'm free, and I'm a winner.

Giant Tomato Eating Slugs

No, the title of this post is not the name of the latest punk band (though it would be a good name, wouldn't it?), and no, also, that these are not actually slugs. They are called hornworms but are actually a giant caterpillar...the largest I've ever seen. But I'm getting ahead of myself; let me backtrack a bit.

My garden has been doing really well this year. Last year I had a problem with urban rabbits (click here and here to read those posts). This year I purchased some organic rabbit repellent and that seems to be doing the trick (in addition to a really fat stray cat that stalks my garden). So I was surprised yesterday when I noticed some of the tomato plants had been nibbled on and that there were a few chewed green tomatoes lying on the ground (even more odd because I didn't think rabbits ate tomatoes). Then today I looked and some of the tomato plants that only two days ago stood 3-feet tall were down to stubs. Naively still thinking it was rabbits (and wondering how they got to the top leaves of a plant) I decided to pick some of the half-ripe tomatoes to try to save them and allow them to ripen later. Then, as I reached for the green tomato in the photo above I almost jumped out of my shoes (I'm sure I screamed a little...it's OK my neighbors probably already think I'm a little nuts). I had never seen a bug this big, at least not outside a zoo or science museum...it was like a small animal. When I tell you I could actually hear this thing chewing I mean it.

Here's a scenario that Tammy stated at her website:

You get up one bright and shinning morning and decide to go out and pick some fresh tomatos... only to find this horrific sight: Your formerly beautiful tomato plants have been ravished by giant, four inch long worms. This bad dream can be a reality in many parts of North America, and unfortunately our garden was recently introduced to this menacing creature -- the Tomato Hornworm and Tobacco Hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata L. and Manduca sexta L., respectively).

I've been growing tomatoes for years (my favorite plant) and have never had a problem with these critters. Here's a couple photos of the devastation in my front yard garden (click for a larger view), the backyard--which only has a couple tomato plants--seems OK at present.

I came across the below video when I googled these creatures. It's a good example of the devastation these things can cause. Six of my beautiful and healthy plants are down to twigs because of a caterpillar (I've yet to find more). If you're a vegetable gardener I cannot emphasize enough how much these Avatar-sized caterpillars can consume. If you would like more info, this site (University of Minnesota) looks like a pretty good source.