I wouldn’t ordinarily tell someone to go out and buy a book, but this one is definitely one I think should be added to every household.  It’s a great book for newlyweds or college kids or folks who are starting out on their own.  Why?  The book is full of useful, practical, environmentally friendly tricks and tips for day-to-day house keeping.
It’s a compilation from Reader’s Digest–I know, I know–Yes, that book your gramma has on the little shelf in the bathroom.  But think about all the stuff your gramma knows how to fix and organize and DO.  Think of how we have changed our mentality of thrift to going out and buying convenience or buying all kinds of single purpose tools.  Yet, we already have tons of stuff in our pantries and cupboards and junk drawers that could do a lot more if we only thought differently about their uses.
If you try to read it cover to cover in one setting, you’ll be overwhelmed–there’s over 2300 tips!  Instead, read it a little each night or thumb through it and read whatever bits strike your fancy.  There’s tons of photos, drawings, and sidebars which break up all the concentrated information.  You will be a greener Know-it-All in no time.  It has everything from cleaning to cooking, storage to organizing and repairing– making play-dough and more.  You will save money, buy fewer tools, you will use (and flush) fewer harmful chemicals down the drain, you will be more useful to others and you’ll be richer in experience!  Unfortunately, the library won’t let you keep it forever, so get it used from a used book store instead.

Join us on our porch @ 158 Eaton on Wednesday, September 1st from 3pm – 6pm, where we will be demonstrating two different recipes for canning tomatoes.  Our workshop will overview blanching, a common preserving and cooking technique, as well as sterilizing, packing, and sealing your jars.  A $5 donation is appreciated to help cover the costs for the workshop, and attendees go home with their own jar of ReUse Tomatoes!

Summer harvest is here — the tomatoes are ripening, squash is in endless supply, and you’re wondering what you’re going to do to keep up with the hoard of fresh vegetables that are growing in your garden.  Preserve the bounty that you put so much time and effort into!  That’s what you’re going to do.  Rather than sending highly nutritional food (that you’ve worked so hard to produce) to the compost pile simply because you have too much to eat, you can devote a little bit more time to preserve your harvest, and enjoy what you’ve grown for months to come.  Growing a surplus of food in the summer and preserving it creates food security for the winter months.  Doing it yourself creates the feeling of accomplishment, and the assurance of safety and quality.  Preserving food is a tradition that dates back centuries, but in the last half century has lost its appeal and necessity as modernized commerce and global food availability have made eating much easier (imagine trying to find a banana in January in Buffalo, 300 years ago…)  Canning, freezing, and dehydrating are excellent ways to preserve food — as well as the nutrients and flavor it holds.

Freezing Vegetables

Freezing your harvest (or part of your harvest, unless you have a really big freezer) is a very easy and effective way to preserve food.  A common preparation to freeze vegetables is blanching, but vegetables can be prepared to freeze in many ways (depends on the recipe).  Blanching works well for most vegetables, and is a technique used for canning as well.  Blanching removes bacteria and dirt, etc. from the surface of your veggies, and more importantly, stops the process of enzymes inside the vegetable that would cause it to toughen, lose flavor and nutrients, and change color.  Blanching is done by putting fresh, prepared vegetables into boiling water for a short amount of time (amount of time varies from vegetable to vegetable), and then immediately moving the produce to ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.  Typically, vegetables should be cooled in ice-water for the same amount of time that they were cooked in hot water, unless a recipe notes otherwise.  Guidelines for freezing and blanching are easily accessible online, and can also be found in cookbooks and books on preserving food.  Here are some guidelines for freezing beets, tomatoes, and zucchini:

Beets

Select young, tender beets, 2 – 3 inches across.  Wash carefully.  Cook in boiling water until tender,  from 60 – 90 minutes.  Cool in cold water, skins peel off easily.  Slice.  When cool, transfer to containers.  Label.  Freeze.  Keeps for 6 months.

Zucchini

Slice into 1-inch pieces, do not peel.  Saute in melted butter until barely tender.  Cool, pack into plastic containers, leaving headspace at the top.  Label.  Freeze.  Keeps for 3 months.

Tomatoes

Dip into boiling water 1 minute.  Remove, and dip into cold water for 1 minute.  Remove and peel.  Place on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes.  Place in plastic bags, remove air, seal and label.  Keeps up to 6 months.

There are many resources and guides for freezing vegetables from A to Z, whether online, or in a book.  Check out GardenGuides and PickYourOwn for online guides to preserving vegetables.  Extend your season, and eat your home-grown foods until they start growing again next year.  Please join us, as we are holding a Tomato Canning Workshop on September 1st @ 3pm in our gardens @ 320 Northampton.  If it rains, we will hold the workshop indoors @ 158 Eaton St.

You are probably seeing more and more rain barrels popping up in gardens, driveways, and backyards — if you haven’t found one for yourself yet, look no further.

And if you do not yet know: rain barrels can make a huge impact on our local ecology by conserving rain water, slowing water runoff, and preventing pollution and debris from being carried into our waterways and municipal systems.  Installing a rain barrel allows you to catch clean, untreated water that has fallen from the sky and hold it there until you need it — taking a bit of the burden off your tapwater, and the municipalities that make it.  If everyone in the city did this, think of the difference that could be made!!!

You will most likely see rain barrels all over if you are out and about for Buffalo’s Garden Walk this weekend, so if you get jealous and have the urge to keep up with the Joneses (or just want to water your garden or wash your car), you can get yourself a rainbarrel from our store at 298 Northampton for just $30.

Come out this weekend, July 10th and 11th for our two day workshop!

Day one. digging and leveling the ground. 10am start
Day two. installation of paver’s. 12pm start

Come out this weekend and help us make a patio in our yard at the ReSource.

We will spread the work out over two days so we have an adequate amount of time and energy to transform our yard into a relaxing oasis.

Over the weekend you will be able to lend a hand as well as learn how to prep an area for laying down the paver’s as well as how to install them and make sure they stay in tact over time.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity on how to lay pavers.  You will walk away with an abundant amount of knowledge about this tricky and time consuming DIY project.  Come out this weekend and ask some questions about this topic.

Learn how to build that rain barrel that you’ve always wanted!

Stop by Buffalo ReUse on July 7th @ 4pm for a free workshop demonstrating how to prepare and assemble a rain barrel from a 55 gallon (food grade) barrel.  If you’d like, for $25 you can build your own rain barrel after the demonstration to take home with you.  And if you don’t want to build one but still want a barrel to harvest rain from your roof, you can buy one that’s ready to go at the ReSource on 298 Northampton for $25 as well.

What: Build-a-Barrel Wkshp

When: July 7th @ 4pm

Where: 158 Eaton St, Buffalo

Why: Because it’s fun!

The process of creating a rain barrel from a plastic drum is easy, doesn’t take much time, and needs only a few supplies.  At the workshop you will see the materials that go into assembling a barrel, and the process we use to put ours together.  We will have already-assembled rain barrels available for sale, and we will have the materials ready if you want to put your own together (so you know for next time, or if you want to show a friend).  Hope to see you there!

A message from Jason Crane, executive director of the New York Bicycling Coalition (and Green Options Buffalo):
New York State’s ‘Complete Streets’ Bill Is In Jeopardy—We Need Your Help!

TAKE ACTION:
We’re asking you to make one phone call, with a one-sentence appeal: “Please amend the ‘complete streets’ bill (Assembly Bill 8587-a) so that it matches the version passed in the Senate on June 17.”
Assemblyman David Gantt’s contact info:
District Office: 585-454-3670
Albany Office: 518-455-5606
GanttD {at} assembly.state.ny(.)us

(June 22, 2010) — In Albany, bicycling advocates are working overtime to help assure the passage of a Complete Streets law—sweeping legislation that will create more livable, bikeable and walkable communities across the state. This proposed law would direct the state Department of Transportation to consider bicycle and pedestrian accommodations in the planning and development of state, county, and local roads and other transportation facilities. NYBC is working closing with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, AARP and other groups to get this legislation passed.

On June 17, the Senate passed the bill 53-3. Unfortunately, Assemblyman David Gantt of Rochester has amended the Assembly version of the bill in a way that would render the legislation nearly useless. Assemblyman Gantt’s amended bill covers only state roads, meaning that more than 90% of the roads in New York State would not be covered by the law. Additionally, of the 21 most dangerous roads in the state, as defined in a recent study by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, only 6 would be covered under Assemblyman Gantt’s amended version of the law.

The only way to get this process back on track is if we can get bicycling advocates — particularly those in Rochester, where Assembly Gantt is based — to make their voices heard!
Thank you for supporting Complete Streets in New York State!
Sincerely,
Jason Crane
Executive Director
New York Bicycling Coalition

Summer is almost (technically) here, but from a quick glance while passing by a garden, it is clear that summer in Buffalo is pretty much in full swing.  We are operating several gardens on Northampton near our store, and have built / created a few others around our neighborhood as well–including a rain garden on the corner of Michigan and Northampton.  Our gardens here at Buffalo ReUse are coming together nicely, and I wanted to take some time to show them off to the world over the course of a few blog posts, so keep your eyes peeled.

Patchwork Garden – our community garden, a piecemeal collective of 4′x8′ raised beds that we put up for adoption at the beginning of the growing season.  Neighbors and community members have adopted more than 40 of our 50 available beds.  At the Patchwork lot we also planted Three Sisters Gardens (a Native American tradition where the three sisters–corn, beans, squash–live and grow together harmoniously), onion mounds, potatoes, and a deep, tiered bed for carrots.  Here’s a sampling of what we have growing in the Patchwork so far this year:

Cabbage, Onions, Marigolds, and Choi

Raised beds planted by neighbors

Broccoli buds, collards, lettuce

Three Sisters

Children’s Vinery – just next door to the Patchwork Garden, this is where the “Tanglers, Danglers, and Creepers” live.  This garden’s primary focus is children, and getting them excited about and involved with the wonders of growing things.  We have peas climbing trellises made of reused materials and tree limbs, topsy-turvy tomatoes, colorful Swiss Chard, interesting squashes and cucumbers, potatoes and raspberries growing in old garbage bins, an earth oven, and a sweet, sweet strawberry patch.  We have already harvested almost twenty pounds of Strawberries this year, and more are coming! Join us on June 26th at 8pm, when we are hosting our Strawberry Moon Celebration–we will harvest our remaining berries, hold a workshop for making Strawberry jam, and project movies on the screen in the Patchwork Garden all while enjoying the early summer breeze and the company of neighbors and friends.  Here are some shots of the Children’s Vinery:

Rainbow Chard and Mr. Big Pea

Peas growing up

Our Strawberry Patch

Keep your eyes peeled for more garden biographies, and more pictures of our progress as the season goes on.  There is plenty more to come!!!

Best Buy’s National Geek Squad Program is partnering this summer with Computers For Children to host the most TECH COOL Summer Program of the century, “The Geek Squad Summer Academy 2010″, coming this July 13-16 to ECC North!

Geek Squad’s intention is to demystify technology for young people and inspire them to be responsible and savvy 21st century citizens.

Geek Squad and their training team will bring $80,000 worth of media equipment designed especially for training and fun skill-building activities. Kids learn, create, and become Jr. Geek Squad Agents.

We have open enrollment for ALL youth throughout our Buffalo/Niagara region, enough for 240 young people; age 10-18 whose parents want to engage them in a fun filled week of learning and experimenting with great programs.

If you would like to find out more about this summer camp for the youth you can check out the computers for children web page.  You can also register your child up too through the website. Take advantage and sign up today before it fills up!

Are you growing your own tomatoes this year? Whether you are an experienced tomato grower or a blossoming gardener, come check out our first Tomato Care workshop of the season.  Come with questions, or come share your wisdom.

Join us at our Patchwork Garden @ 320 Northampton (near the corner of Jefferson) Saturday, June 12th at 10:00am, where we will demonstrate different methods for growing tomatoes, and discuss seeds, soil, feeding, companion plants, staking, pests, and plant disease.  This is a free workshop.  We hope to see you Saturday!

Planting, feeding, and staking tomatoes — a workshop to demonstrate different methods for growing tomatoes and important things to consider and address throughout the season. We’ll discuss starting seeds, amending soil for tomatoes, other plants that are good companions for tomatoes, planting, staking techniques, fertilizers, feeding, and …blight.