DEN Enews

DEN Lenten Program: Join us this Thursday at 430 pm for the second session in our Lenten series: Returning to the Garden: An Environmental Lenten Examination. _{Each week will start at 4:30 pm AST, and run on average until 6pm. All are invited to attend either in the Nursery at the Cathedral of All Saints in Halifax, or on Zoom. Please contact Blane Finnie at [email protected] for more information. This week:}

 Session 2: February 29 - Animal Rights, and an Expanded view of Ethics. This session explores how expanding our view of rights can help resolve these issues. It also deals with inclusion and how we have even failed humans. 

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^{February 25, 2024 • 2nd Week of Lent}

^{This Sunday's readings speak of sacrifice–Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac for God and God’s sacrificing of his son Jesus for our sake. In this time of Lent, consider making a sacrifice that is ultimately helpful to others and the rest of creation. Giving up sugary treats may help you lose weight, but does it help anyone else? Whatever you sacrifice, see if you can turn it into a blessing for someone else; for example, if you give up eating out at a restaurant, give away the money you saved to someone who needs it more than you do.}© The Pastoral Center / PastoralCenter.com. All rights reserved 

Business News - This week let me spread some good news. Not the “Good News” we hear come Sunday but rather where I have seen businesses becoming greener this past year.

My Staples order was just delivered. The label on the box is peelable so I need not fight to tear it off the box for identity security. The sealing tape is now Bio-degradable type. It is about as “green” as you can get and still be a glue substance.

Brown paper was crumpled inside my box to protect the items from damage, instead of plastic air bags. The box of course is now folded to go to the shed to save for the bottom of the next new garden.

I got a fantastic buy on copy paper, and I soon saw why. The copy paper was in a paper wrapper and the ends were ungluing. No harm done. I just put a smidge of tape on both ends to hold it tight till I use it.

This happens when companies like Hammermill try to become or keep themselves green and it doesn’t quite work. That glue used on wrappers is good for about 12 months. In these economic times, people are not buying better grade paper and this batch went past the date for the glue on the ends. Hammermill has tried plastic wrappers but enough of us prefer paper wraps they kept their lines running in both types of wrappers. Either way, I got $13 paper for $4.99.

Are there other fans of “Dempster” Bread out there? They changed their bread tags to cardboard. Besides their help for the environment, they have helped with the anxiety “fur babies” Mommas have with animals that will find every twist tie and bread tag that you may unwittingly drop. At least Jazz brings them to me and waits for her treat. Treats are less expensive than vet bills.

My days get busy and often I drop into a grocery store and buy a sandwich on the way home. My “Independent” or “Superstore” store now packs their sandwiches with a biodegradable bottom (and a plastic top). They are trying and are at least halfway there.

Local community centres, including Blandford, now have bamboo take-out containers (except when we were given a couple of boxes of the Styrofoam ones). When we have suppers, we use regular plates and cutlery and wash them. However, the deserts are cut up to an hour ahead of time and put on bamboo plates. If going for takeout, they are given a bamboo fork.

I visited the local hardware store where they now keep a collection of small boxes by the sales register. You are free to use them to take your purchases home if you haven’t brought a bag. This way less cardboard goes to the landfill (at least not till it is used twice).

Where else have you seen a business become greener? Let us know so we can brag about them.

Gardening

Something I learned this week.

I went into my hardware store to get a bag of potting soil that was on sale. I did get one but, on a shelf nearby, read a sign, “Orchid Pro Mix, 99 CENTS”

I do not know a thing about orchids. I don’t want to grow orchids. I have found through life that something labelled for one use can work in a dozen other ways.

The bag did not give any fertilizer or Ph levels. It gave only general info on how good this was for orchids. I bought ONE bag (shame on me).

I went to a search engine and asked what nutrients orchids need. They told me a 20-20-20 ratio. I then asked what plants would benefit from a 20-20-20 potting mix.

It first told me this was good for tomatoes, onions and corn. It would stimulate early plant growth for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kohlrabi.

This year I wanted to grow onions from seed, just for fun. I grow trays and trays of tomatoes, at least six varieties. I also have cabbage seeds and want to grow 8-10 to make some sauerkraut this fall.

The moral of this long-winded story is, “If you see any potting soil at such a good price, grab them”. I will get every pack if any are left next time there. I could run the potting soil over seeds when planted in the garden. It could be put in pots for container gardens. It will fill all my tomato trays. Happy potting!

 Craft – Or in this case Repurposing.

What do you use to store seeds? I have a big shoebox, but it just doesn’t organize well enough. When I went looking for ideas, I came up with the best for me, a binder with photo album refill pages. Thank you gighamgardens.com. My pages did not deliver in time to show you my seed collection this week but there is a picture here.

 https://ginghamgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Seed-Storage-Binder-1.webp

Something to Eat.

I am still cleaning my freezer. This week I wanted to use up a pack of tortilla wraps. When I buy wraps, I open the pack and put a piece of waxed paper between each wrap before zippering it close and freezing. If Nana and I are having wraps for lunch I pull out two wraps to thaw. After three months the wraps lose elasticity and crumble on the edges. This is when they turn into enchiladas. I add a salad to the dinner to get all my food groups in. Including a recipe for the ones I made this week. Although I am describing using fresh chicken, I have made them with big cans of chicken, and I know someone who even uses flakes of chicken sandwich meat. When all the spices and beans are added anything chicken works

Chicken Enchiladas

1 chicken breast, sliced and then diced sideways.

1 onion

1 small can of diced green chillies (if you can find them)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

1-2 cups of shredded cheese

8 large tortilla wraps

1 cup or more of enchilada sauce (recipe included below)

½ cup sour cream

If you have them, some chive or onion tops (Yes, I freeze them each year)

I make my sauce first unless I have some leftovers from making another Mexican Dish. I should make it and can it so there is one less thing to do when cooking.

In a frying pan cook the chicken, onion, and green chilli peppers. Cook till chicken is cooked through and then add black beans. (If using a can just cook till everything is war and onions transparent.)

To assemble the enchiladas, first lay down a wrap. Smear a generous spoonful of sauce. Lay a spoonful of the mixture down the middle of the wrap. Add a handful of cheese. Place with the seam side down in a greased 10 x 13 pan. When the pan is full, drizzle the leftover sauce over the wraps. Sprinkle with cheese. I also add a few spoonful of sour cream on top.

Bake 20 minutes at 350F

We call this Mexican Sauce as it works for several recipes.

In one small bowl

3 tbsp. flour

1 tbsp chilli powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp oregano

Dash of salt and pepper

¼ tsp. cinnamon

In another bowl

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp tomato paste (sub ketchup)

1 tsp vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

I recently learned a trick. Heat your oil and you wonder when to start adding the rest. Drop a pinch of your dry mixture in. If it sizzles it is hot enough

Heat oil.

Add the dry and then the wet and cook while whisking 5-7 minutes till slightly thick. There is your sauce without spending a bunch at the store.

Fragile earth

God by whom our fragile earth is blessed,
make us servants of your creation,
respecting and protecting all that you have made.
 
Teach us the joy of field and flower,
the splendour of forest and tree,
the grandeur of ocean and river.
 
Make us yearn for a world where all may flourish.
Show us how to walk gently on the earth and
hold all in trust for future generations.
Amen.
 
Anne Marie Coppock/CAFOD
 

Wisdom to Care for the Earth

Lord, grant us the wisdom to care for the earth and till it.
Help us to act now for the good of future generations and all your creatures.
Help us to become instruments of a new creation,
Founded on the covenant of your love.

- The Cry of the Earth

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