Magic Hat Stories

Sticking My Hoe into the Community Garden Pool

It looks like this year I will be participating in a local Community Garden program. Since I don't have the space to grow vegetables on my property, and I really do miss having a vegetable garden, this looks like this will be a go. The plots of land are available at a local county college and the money is donated to a scholarship program at the school. Since it's an all volunteer effort, all the proceeds go into providing an education for those who need it.

The plot is 20' x 30' feet, which will be way more ground than is needed for one person, so I will be donating the extra produce to a local food bank when the time comes. The garden will be organic with heirloom varieties, some of which are endangered plants listed on the Slow Food US Arc of Taste. It will be a sustainable effort at a community level that I hope will make a difference.

I'll be writing more about this as the process unfolds.

Will Your Next Hire Be a Cat?

 One of the great thing about looking for stories for my blog is seeing the common sense solutions that are out there. For example, this story about saving feral cats by placing them with people who are looking for rodent control:

The San Francisco SPCA presents the Working Cats Program, developed and managed by the SF/SPCA’s Cat Assistance Team (C.A.T.).

Besides functioning as companion animals, cats have ‘worked’ for people by controlling rodents in ancient Egypt, on the Mayflower and most recently in Los Angeles flower marts and police station parking lots.

The SF/SPCA Working Cats Program offers under-socialized and feral cats non-traditional placement and adoption into residences and businesses with rodent issues or a need for companionship at work. Utilizing cats is a greener alternative than using toxic poisons to control rodents, and businesses report the cats foster repeat customers.

Certainly a better and safer alternative to euthanasia, however the best thing one can do for a pet is to get them spayed or neutered.

Sunday Dinner - Basil and Orange Taste Sensation

Now that the light has changed to a brighter and more refreshing level of spring, last week I tried to match that with a flavor.  And I did with basil and orange. It’s going the be the flavor of the season I can tell already.

I had invited some friends for a get together last week. When we do this, we all bring food and drink, and share it with some good laughs and great conversation. We have a lot of fun.

Thinking Outside the Cage - Animal Rescue Resources

There's no doubt, people love their pets. However, there are many animals that are neglected for various reasons. One big reason being ignorance. Rabbits and baby chicks for Easter. Really? I'm doubt Jesus was thinking about furry bunnies and baby chickens while he was on the cross.

Fortunatley though, there are MANY folks who love and appreciate animals. They know the challenges and results that are inherent with domesticating animals for profit. They dedicate their lives to rescuing them, and by doing so, demonstrate that they are true guardians for the humane treatment of animals.

One organization, Animal Friends has a detailed list of organizations that exist to help people help animals in need. Animal Friends is based in Pittsburgh, PA so some of the resources are local to that area, however there are many more that are national. I think the list is helpful for anyone who has a interest in helping animals. When you consider how close the world is becoming with Facebook and Twitter, you never know when a status update or a tweet comes along where someone is trying to help a friend whether it be a human, animal or both. By bookmarking this resource page, you have a handy reference to pass along to help. And the photo on this page is so adorable, it will bring a smile to your face.

Paying it forward comes in many currencies, and this resource is a an example of that. 

Earth Hour 2010 - March 27, 2010 8:30 p.m - 9:30 p.m.

There's more information here. The interactive map is great tool to show who is participating. I see that that a neighboring municipality is a registered sponsor. That shows me that it's a place that I would consider living since they are current in their thinking. There are also lists of participating businesses for future employment or commerce opportunities. I will be shutting off all lights and will be disconnected from the internet for that hour, will you?

Tibetian Healing Fund

In Tibet, we say that children are like small trees – if we help them to grow straight and strong then they will become the building materials, such as pillars and beams, for our community.  Likewise, mothers are like the land and we need to have healthy mothers and families to produce health children. 

-Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen, Founder of Tibetan Healing Fund

Sunday Dinner - Eggplant and Spaghetti

I’ve always been fascinated by eggplants. I think as kid they appealed to the nonconformist in me because they didn’t like any other vegetable in the garden growing up. While the squash and cucumbers resembled ach other, and the peppers and tomatoes looked alike no ,matter how man varieties of each we had, the magnificent foliage of the eggplant plants, complemented by the exquisite flowers set them apart from the other vegetables in the garden.

The shape, the color and the little pixie hat they seem to wear, all intrigued my imagination. And they tasted so good. Whether they were pickled, parmaganed, or grilled, I always love them. The best way for me though, is when they are sliced into 1/4” sticks, fryed to a golden brown, and mixed with a simple tomato basil sauce and served on spaghetti.

Growing up, the only eggplant I knew of were the traditional bulb shaped, royal purple type that have a tendency to be bitter. To solve this dilemma, we treated them with salt, put them in a colander and let them drain. I heard stories of others in the family using rather large stones as weight on top to squeeze out this bitter juice, however I don’t recall every using one. After sitting for approximately 15 minutes to 30 minutes,  they were squeezed, and they were ready to go.

Once I discovered the Japanese varieties, which are much narrower and are more tube shaped, I found they a sweeter version that didn’t require salting. White eggplants, and a Sicilian variety, which are round and have a swirl of purple and white on their skin are not as bitter. In my experience, they do not need the salt like the more traditional purple bulb shaped variety.

Whatever variety you choose, be sure to try this method of frying and mixing with sauce. The eggplant will absorb oil, as any fried food does, so please consider that, and factor it into your fat intake.

So if you ready to jump in and try this, here goes.

Eggplant and Spaghetti

1 large bulb shaped, or 3 or 4 smaller Japanese tube shape eggplant

1 28 oz. can of your favorite tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Basil to taste

Olive oil

Canola or vegetable oil

Salt

1/2 lb. of spaghetti

Parmesan, Romano, smoked mozzarella or smoke provolone cheese

1. Peel eggplant and slice lengthwise into approximately 1/4” wide strips. If you are using a traditional bulb shape variety, cover with salt and place in a colander. Place the colander in the sink and allow eggplant to drain for 15 −30 minutes. 
   
2. Take a sauce pan, add olive oil and heat until just about smoking. Add sliced garlic, and saute briefly. Remove garlic before it turns brown. Add the can of tomatoes, and basil to suit your taste, and salt if needed. Turn the heat down to a simmer, simmer and stir occasionally.
   
3. Heat canola/vegetable or olive oil up in a heavy fry pan. The heat should be a medium high level. Squeeze the salted eggplant if using a non salted variety, place in heated oil. Fry until golden brown, turning as necessary. Drain on a paper towel. Cooking time is similar to fry french fries. It does take a bit of time to do this. Allow a good hour the first time you do this to gauge how this that works with your ingredients and equipment.
   
   Once half the eggplant are done frying, put a pot of water on the stove to cook the pasta. Add water and salt, and allow the water to boil. Follow the package directions for cooking time.
   
4. A few minutes before the pasta is done, add the drained eggplant to the tomato sauce. The idea is to heat the eggplant all the way through and allow it to absorb a bit of the tomato sauce while keeping the integrity of the strand in tack.  You don’t want to put the eggplant in too early since the eggplant for a couple of reasons. First, they have the oil they absorbed from frying them, if you simmer them too long the oil will be released. Second, the eggplant will melt into the tomato sauce if left to simmer too long. Part the experience of eating this dish is to twirl the strands of eggplant with the stands of pasta. It’s a robust fork of flavor like no other.
   
5. Drain the pasta, and mix with the tomato and eggplant sauce. Careful when mixing as the eggplant is also very delicate, and try to keep the strands in tack as much as possible.
   
6. Serve it grated Romano or parmesan cheese or shredded smoked mozzarella or smoked provolone. If using shredded cheese allow it to melt slightly.
   
7. Twirl and enjoy!

Gallimaufry - My Problem with the Catholic Church, not the Catholic Religion

I try to avoid political and religious subjects with my blog since I think both really have their pitfalls and I want to be focused on doing good, which is a choice that has NOTHING to do with either. 

A Homegrown Jersey Event to Help Food Banks

We love our diners her in Jersey. And we love our rock and roll. After all Patti Smith spent her childhood here, Bruce and Bon Jovi are native sons, and all have contributed catalogues of music that rock and reflect on life. In keeping with these cultural elements, Kindred Souls are touring New Jersey diners this weekend, starting today, March 19, 2010 and raising money and awareness for food banks. 

Raising the Awareness of Thalassemia

There have been many things that I have learned about since I started writing this blog, including the fact the gene for Thalassemia is in my family. I had no idea about this. I was contacted through Facebook to become a friend of the Nivethan Trust, a non-profit in India that does a lot good work;

Nivethan in response to achieving Millennium Development Goals focuses on areas such as Hunger & Poverty, Education, Health, Environment, Water, Youth Development, Elderly care and partnerships with development stakeholdres. All the activities of Nivethan are and will focus specifically around Millennium Development Goals consist of eight specific goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, ensure all boys and girls complete primary education, promote gender equality, improve the health of mothers and children, reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, protect the environment, and create a global partnership for development.