Good Earthkeeping, by Tasha Halpert –
I can’t help it. I save too much.
Periodically I have to prune away the overage and find a home for it if I can. I get my saving instincts from both sides of my family. My mother didn’t throw out anything that could be reused, recycled or repurposed. Neither did my Yankee ancestors on my father’s side. I find it difficult to discard any containers that seem to have a potential for good storage. I was saddened when my “honey lady” could no longer use my glass jars.
The elastics that come on vegetables are saved in a special place. I reuse twisty ties until they become too twisted to reuse and I have several collections of bags of different sizes and shapes, some which say Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday or nothing at all. There is a place where I keep small boxes and another where I keep large ones. In my efficient apartment this can become a problem.
My mother spent her childhood years in war torn Germany with very little food to be had, during and after the First World War. The early years of her marriage to my dad occurred during the rationing of World War II. Furthermore, in those days food transportation was minimal and the markets did not have the variety or the abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit we have now. She grew and canned many of the vegetables and even some of the fruit we ate in the winter. To her, wasting food was tantamount to committing a mortal sin.
I too dislike wasting food. Something that until very recently I found frustrating in the extreme was overripe avocados. It is impossible to know what the inside of one looks like when looking at the outside. Also, mysteriously they seem to ripen at different rates of speed. Thus all too often I would open one only to discover it was too far past its prime to use. However, all that has changed. I recently discovered a wonderful way to recycle even the most unappealing overripe fruit in a most delicious and nutritious way. I altered this recipe from one I found on the internet, referenced in “Spry Living,” a magazine put out by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.
Even if you don’t believe me, please try the recipe anyway. You will be very surprised. It helps to have a food processor, otherwise you could make it in a blender, or even an electric mixer. Use what you have, my recipe is per avocado.
Peel and scoop out 1 overripe avocado, add 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 3 tablespoons powdered baking chocolate. Place all in a food processor, blender or mixer and process until smooth. Taste and appreciate. As an optional treat you can add (per avocado) half a ripe banana, 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans, or 1/4 cup strawberries or raspberries, or experiment for yourself.
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