I have had several kind people inquire about my extended silences here on my blog.
I am doing just fine, but am very busy and have had to let regular blogging go. I will be leaving this blog up and will still post occasionally, but I don't expect to return to blogging regularly.
Regarding Nuno Magazine:
After much thought, we have decided to put future issues of Nuno on hold indefinitely. Rachel and I are just not able to devote the enormous amount of time necessary to putting together new issues.
The Nuno blog will remain up as a reference and back issues will still be available for purchase at least through the end of the summer.
We greatly appreciate all the support that you, the blogging community, have given us. Many of you left us lovely comments of encouragement, bought each new copy as it came out and used your own blogging space to spread the word about Nuno. Thank you!
For the last year or so, I've really been trying to waste less food. In the US, the average household throws out a pound and a half of food every day (or in a year, almost $600 worth). I'd like to think that my household never reached that level of waste, but I'm not so sure.
Since I've become more conscious of waste, I have seen the amount of food I end up throwing away go down drastically. Here are some things I did which worked for me:
1. I buy less perishable food to begin with and keep my refrigerator about half empty. I can easily see what I have and use it up before it spoils. Is it nice to have 3 kinds of lettuce, 6 fruit choices and 5 kinds of cheese? Sure, but if I'm realistic, I know that much of that is going to go bad before it gets eaten. Instead of having a lot of choices simultaneously, I just vary what I buy from week to week.
2. I shop several times a week instead of once a week (but buy much less each time). This works if you go past a grocery store frequently as part of your regular routine. It's not such a good strategy if you have to make an extra trip into town. Really organized people can accomplish the same thing by careful meal planning. That's not realistic for me, but buying (only what I actually need in the next few days) spontaneously does seem to work in much the same way.
3. I cook smaller portions (and we eat everything up). If we are honest with ourselves, most of us could stand to eat a bit less of even the most healthy foods. Cooking just enough eliminates the very real possibility of leftovers rotting away in the back of the refrigerator. Some people love left-overs and actually eat them, but if you don't, consider cutting down on what you cook up in the first place.
What good does it do to cut down on food waste?
It's good for the environment: Food takes an enormous amount of energy and water to produce, process and transport. Wasted food is wasted water, wasted fossil fuels, and needless pollution.
It saves you a lot of money: Imagine if every household in the US saved $600 a year on food and turned around and donated that amount to their local food bank or to programs promoting food security in impoverished countries. Yes, shipping loads of food over to starving nations has never produced a lasting solution, but there are many organizations working to promote real food security based on a more complex strategy. And, while some people would argue that therapeutic food to save the life of a starving child doesn't accomplish anything in the long run, I'm not one of them. Every life matters.
I watched this very interesting documentary on food waste a few days ago. If you have Netflix streaming, you can find the full version there.
I am putting the finishing touches on a winter holiday themed mini edition of Nuno Magazine. It will include tips for "green" gifting, eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas, handmade cards and a how-to for making your own 2012 pocket diary. I will be releasing this free (!) edition in the next few days. Keep your eyes peeled!
Softie toys are great personalized gifts to make for your youngest friends and family members. Handmade softies are also very green and inexpensive to make, since you can use fabric from your scrap bin. Here's a few of my favorite free patterns and tutorials from around the blogosphere.
I'm kicking off my Handmade Holidays with a roundup of my favorite free crochet patterns. Handmade gifts for men and boys are a tricky proposition, but if you crochet or knit, hats may be your best bet.
Most of these patterns are easy enough for beginners and many could be whipped up in an afternoon.
Which patterns would I like to try? The fisherman's style hat for my father, the beanie with horizontal stripes for my nephews and the "Best Guy Hat Ever," for my husband.
Look what came in the mail! I was so pleased to get my paws on my contributor copy of the Kid's Crafternoon Beading Book (edited by Kathreen of Whipup). I designed the little macrame button bracelets you can see in the little excerpt photos above. The book's not out until November, but I couldn't resist giving a sneak peak.
The Future of Nuno
-
After much thought, we have decided to put future issues of Nuno on hold
indefinitely. We are just not able to devote the enormous amount of time
necessary...
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You may contact me at heathereliza*at*gmail*dot*com
