two little things

The first falls under the heading "little things that make other things easier." I love everything under this heading. Here's a food/kitchen thing.

Every time I open a new bottle of ketchup, I immediately upend it in a wide-mouth jar. I let all the contents drain out of the narrow-mouth container that was someone's terrible idea many years ago but which caught on despite it's obviously dysfunctional design. So much frustration. So much waste. The only changes I've seen to that terrible design have been replacing glass with plastic (another bad idea) and inverted squeezable bottles which are every bit as frustrating as the predecessors. My simple, effortless solution takes nothing but a bit of time, and only once per bottle - not every time I want ketchup. Using a spoon or knife is elegant compared to whacking and shaking. And splattering. And swearing.

The second little thing is a bit of free distraction, interest, restfulness, and perhaps even inspiration. 

It's the Window Swap website

I just click the button at the bottom of the screen that says "open a window somewhere in the world" and enjoy a  video clip someone has posted from their window. And then I click the button again. The views are various in every way, and for a person like myself who looks out her own windows for much of every day, it's a tiny bit like being able to travel again.

Would anyone like to share a Little Thing in the comments? All categories are wide open!

~~~~~

tomato tip

I haven’t grown tomatoes for several years, but this Spring there were lots of organic heritage-type tomato plants for sale at the library fundraiser, so I brought a selection home and stuck them in the gardens. Five of the six have produced tomatoes on huge plants - I have never had such jungle-like growth from tomato plants! Perhaps my soil improvements have really made a difference, or maybe it was all the rain.

So far, only a couple of tomatoes have ripened, and I used them in a stew.
Without taking pictures of them first, darn it.
Which is why every picture in this post is of a green tomato.

But peeling those two ripe tomatoes before chopping them up to add to the stew made me think of a fun kitchen tip to share.

Yes! A cooking tip! Oh, this is a Special Event on the Comptonia blog!

Of course, it’s possible you all know this tip already...but we’ll see.

Ahem.

"The Easiest Way to Peel a Tomato"

Cut a small “x” in the bottom of a whole tomato.
Gently lower the tomato into a pot of boiling water.
Wait one minute.
Lift the tomato out and lower into a bowl of very cold water.
The peel will slip right off in your fingers.

This works even with wildly-shaped tomatoes, not just the perfectly globular ones.

In the interest of experimentation, or possibly because I forgot, I didn’t make the “x” on one tomato. It still worked, but I had to make a little cut after the cold water bath to get the peel started. If you make the “x” the tomato sort of begins peeling itself before you even take it out of the cold water.

That’s the tip! Did you already know it? If not, I hope you’ll try it. It’s magic.

Right now there are several very large green tomatoes and a few gradually ripening tomatoes on the plants. The weather will determine if I’ll be freezing any "extra" ripe tomatoes (if so, I will probably peel them and freeze them whole) or if I’ll be hastily harvesting lots of green tomatoes just before a hard frost. I don't really have a place to store green tomatoes for ripening, although I've had fairly good results doing that in the past. But I have another idea.

When I lived in Colorado, I once made a batch of green tomato chutney. I had never eaten chutney of any kind, and had no idea of how to use it, but back then I was fearless and had a lot of energy and a strong desire to raise and make all my own food. So even though the jars of chutney had to “cure” for 6 months before opening, I was game. And even though it took a few disappointing taste-tests before I hit upon the right “serve with,” when I finally tried it on ham, it was simply fantastic.

(And by the way, I had also raised the pigs that made the ham. And baked the bread that was served with the ham. And so on.)

So...if I end up with a lot of green tomatoes this year, I may try to find that chutney recipe and make another batch. I still remember how good the kitchen smelled when it was simmering on the stove. It would be worth doing it just for that!

Bonus tip:
Today I tried the same peeling method with some large plums.
It worked exactly the same way.

~~~~~

tuesday tip

I haven't posted a Tuesday Tip in quite a while.
Sometimes I think of one, then immediately think,
"Oh, everyone knows that."
Or, "Oh, no one cares about that."

But what the heck. Here we go. This is a cheesy tip.

I buy a lot of cheese.
(Back when I had dairy goats in Colorado, I also made a lot of cheese, but that was another lifetime.)
Sometimes I buy provolone or swiss. Occasionally - because it is both pricey and not available nearby - a nice gruyère. (Cauliflower baked with cream and gruyère is one of my favorite foods on this Earth.) But mostly, I buy good, stout, flavorful cheddars. I stock up when it's on sale, put a couple of packages in the fridge for slicing and snacking, and the rest goes straight into the freezer.

Now, freezing changes the texture of cheddar; this is widely known. It becomes impossible to slice and serve neatly. It fractures. Many people see this as a cheesy flaw. A reason not to freeze cheddar.

BUT.

This very quality can be a cheesy virtue! If you use cheddar in any sort of shredded or grated form, freezing a block can save you time, money (if you usually buy shredded cheese), and, in my case at least, the occasional skinned knuckle from using that darned box grater. Because a chunk of cheddar that has been frozen can be easily crumbled into any size pieces you prefer.

See? Big knobbly pieces:

If you let a frozen block of cheddar thaw for a while, you can then break it up quickly with the tines of a fork. Or if you put the block in a ziplock bag, you can crumble it into bits with your fingers, using very little pressure.

See? Tiny little bits:

Do you already do this?

Does everyone?

I'm positive no one "taught" me to do this, so maybe it isn't common knowledge and is a Genuine Tip.

I hope so.

It sure saves me a lot of time, and the frustration of trying to open bandaids for my knuckles. If anyone has a tip for that,  I hope you'll write about it!

~~~~~

tuesday tip

I was thinking about the ways we make extra work for ourselves.
(I say "we" just in case I am not the only one.)

No  matter how long my "to do" list feels before I get started, it feels so much longer when I have to stop for a task that was completely preventable. Like searching high and low for a particular article of clothing because I left a tottering tower of folded laundry atop the dryer two days ago and forgot about it, instead of just putting it away.

Or having to interrupt a cooking adventure to sharpen a dull knife.

So here's a tip that won't prevent a task, but may delay the necessity for a longer time. When chopping/slicing/dicing, try using the spine instead of the cutting edge to push chopped vegetables, etc., from board to bowl.

You may find your knives stay sharper, longer.


(Note to self: put the clean clothes away every time. Sheesh.)
~~~~~

tuesday tip

If any of my younger family members ever gather round my creaking rocker and ask, "Ancient Auntie Quinn, what words of wisdom can you give us, from the blurred vista of your long years?" I will be ready for them. I have my Words of Wisdom all figured out.

And since none of my blog readers is a member of my family (as far as I know, anyway...and if so, you're getting the jump on the rest of those slackers!) I will share my WoW right here and now. Ready?

Spread to the edge.

That's right. I'm talking butter. I'm talking mayo. Peanut butter. Jam.

Take the extra 15 seconds - the rest of your life will wait - and spread to the edge of your bread, toast, or muffin. No dull, bland, unadorned bites. Every bite: good.

~~~

Having shared this valuable tip for living an enriched and satisfying life, it occurs to me: perhaps I should include more useful information on this blog? I probably can't do it frequently, as I don't know very much universally useful stuff. And unfortunately I cannot promise to consistently deliver the same depth and value as "Spread to the edge." Which is good enough for an epitaph, I think.

But let's see. How about a tip for photography? I know a lot of us carry our cameras everywhere, and are always trying to get clear images under less-than-ideal conditions. Well, here's a simple tip you can try when you want to increase your chances of getting a sharp image under low light conditions, when your camera needs a longer exposure time. Or even if you are just tired. Ready?

Spread to th

Hah! Just kidding. Here's the tip:

Set your camera's timer to it's shortest delay, compose your shot and hold your camera steady (wrapping your camera-arm around a tree or fence, or pressing your back against something solid so that your legs and the Solid Thing function as a tripod, can help a lot - hey, there's another tip!) then press the shutter release. And keep breathing. While the timer is counting down (2 or 3 seconds is plenty) the camera will stop moving from the pressure of your finger on the shutter release. So when the shutter trips, you'll have a much better chance of a sharp image.

I mention breathing because even though we think of holding our breath as part of being "still," holding your breath can create tension in your body that may actually cause the camera to move a tiny bit, even on a short exposure. (Crikey, is that a third tip? I hope you were all sitting down when you began reading this post.)

So: stabilize your body, use a very short timer delay, and keep breathing.

It's not the same as using a tripod and a cable release, but heck, if you're carrying a tripod around, you don't need to worry about wobbling on long exposures.

Try it, fellow photographers! I hope this is a helpful tip for some of you.

And anyway, there's always the other one:

~~~~~

fun tip

Did you know you can sign up for alerts - on your email or by text - for when the International Space Station will be passing overhead in any location you choose? Such as where you live? Or in a location where you plan to be, say, camping under the Big Big Sky somewhere on Earth?

Yep. Here you go: NASA ISS Alerts.

And in case you'd like a little graphic to explain how to use the alerts to know exactly where the ISS will appear on your very own horizon, and in what direction it will be travelling in a vast arc across the heavens, here's the picture that explains it.

It's truly exciting to see that little light crossing the sky, and suddenly feel a real-time connection to the International Space Station and the people living there. And it's so, so, so much easier than going to Astronaut School.

Have fun!
~~~~~

a new critter

Well, this may surprise you.

I've adopted a very large rat.

It's a long-distance adoption, though. I don't expect to ever meet my rat, or even exchange letters. My rat will be too busy to write: growing up, enjoying a year of education with a personal trainer, then living a very happy and useful rat-life in Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Cambodia, or some other place in the world that has been made hazardous by land-mines. Can you imagine living or working or farming or watching children play in a place where the ground can blow up under your feet? Where you've seen it happen? I honestly can't.

The work these animal do, using their sensitive sniffers to safely identify buried explosives, is nothing short of amazing. The area that a rat can check in one hour would take 2 to 4 days with a metal detector!

The training process is very interesting, and the people who raise the rats and train them and work with them in the field are clearly invested in providing a high quality of life for the "hero rats." The FAQ page on the APOPO website answered all my questions about rat welfare. Because of course I had questions about rat welfare. I'm sure you do, too.

(images from APOPO website)

During training the rats are rewarded with bananas. 

They really seem to enjoy their bananas!

And if the rats' stellar work in identifying landmines (for subsequent removal by their human teammates) is not enough of a contribution to improving life for humans...it turns out they can also accurately identify tuberculosis. A rat can check the same number of samples in 20 minutes that a lab worker would check in 4 working days.

I mean, really. These are Some Rats.

Have you heard about them? You might want to check out the website.

Screenshot from website. Because CUTE.

I'm writing about this now because although there are lots of ways to support APOPO at any time, earlier today I learned that tomorrow, July 15, there will be a 50% match on any donation made to APOPO through the Global Giving site. A $10 donation is worth $15 to the charity, and so on. Only on the 15th, only between 9AM and midnight EST, only through Global Giving.

So it seemed worth writing up this quick post, just to put the information out there. In case it will be of interest to anyone, now or ever.

And in any event, you have now seen how adorable a giant rat can look while eating a banana! That picture makes me laugh every time I look at it. If my goats enjoyed bananas, that is exactly what they would look like...cheeks out to here.

~~~

General Useful Tip Alert: this website for World Time Zones is very helpful in lots of ways when you're trying to work out what time or what day it is somewhere on the planet. (Bonus: timezone map towels!)

~~~~~

repeated handling, no wheels

Yesterday I pulled the big tarp off the pile of construction debris left by the carpenters who worked on the porch,
and began picking away at it.

It's a task, alright.

Many years ago, I worked for a while in a stockroom.

Heavy boxes. Lots of them. Receiving, distributing.

At the time, I relished heavy physical labor.

Two tips I learned from the stockroom manager,

which have served me well over the years:

1) Move it once.

2) Put it on wheels.

Unfortunately, neither of these tips is applicable
to the debris pile situation.

.

It's a matter of picking up each piece,
brushing off dirt and sawdust,

determining potential usefulness,

removing all nails and hardware,

and adding it to one of several smaller piles.

After one hour, the original pile looked like this:

And there are now five smaller piles/stacks

that look more like this:

It looks like progress!

It also looks like the same mess

spread out over a larger area.

If When I get to the bottom of the big pile,

each smaller pile of salvaged material will need to be

sorted, organized, and carried, piece by piece,

to one of the sheds for storage.

Likely much of it will reappear in a future project.

(Stay tuned!)

I have to pace myself on a task like this.

Well, on any task, if I'm honest.

I can spend an hour or so working,

then must stop and rest my bones.

Repeat.

And repeat.

The work periods get shorter,

and the rest periods get longer.

As the physical toll becomes cumulative and 

the resting becomes less effective,

it becomes more and more difficult 

to pry myself out of a "zero-gravity" position

and force my body back into action

for even fifteen minutes.

I'm a long, long way from those stockroom days.

But.

I often remind myself: it is not important

how long it takes me to do something

or how difficult/exhausting/painful the simplest task.

What is important is that I can do it at all.

And that I do.

I believe this, but must remind myself. Daily.

Because in my mind I hear, "lazy." Also, "whiner."

Sometimes even, "Lazy whiner!"

It's certainly true I postpone/avoid some chores.

Many of my routine tasks come with an obvious reward.

Carrying water buckets to the goats, for example.

Brushing Piper. Emptying the dishwasher.

Disproportional fatigue and aching joints, but:

healthy goats, happy Piper, a harvest of sparkling dishes!

Tackling a chore like the pile of construction debris

is less satisfying. It's much more like housework, which is also an awful grind and rarely gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

Possibly because I am so bad at it.

Or maybe that's a chicken-and-egg situation.

Here's what I'm thinking:

I need to adjust my attitude;

learn to find the satisfaction - the inherent reward -

in all these tasks.

Any advice?

Thanks

:)

~~~~~