Save Your Egg Shells

I have known the benefits of egg shells and been saving my egg shells for a while now. People when they come to my house wonder why I have the glass jar filled with egg shells and I am always left to explain to them why it is a good idea.

We use a lot of eggs in our house and we have a compost heap as well as lots of plants. So in an effort to get the most out of my scraps I knew I had to save my egg shells. Since I get asked so many times why save your egg shell? I figured I should research it more and share it with you here.

Why should you put egg shells in your garden?

Egg shells are very rich in calcium and all plants need calcium to grow. Some plants deplete calcium faster than others. Heavy rain and over watering can also wash away calcium from the soil making it more essential for you to replace.

How should I prepare and store my egg shells?

I keep my egg shells in a glass jar so they can dry out (do not put dirty or wet with egg yolk shells in the garden). Crush up the egg shells into tiny pieces. The smaller the pieces the easier it will be for it to breakdown and get the calcium into the soil.

How do I use them?

You can put the egg shells in the bottom of a planter this will help get the nutrients into the soil and right to roots. It will also help with drainage. You can also place the crushed egg shells in the bottom of a hole when you plant your flowers or vegetables or place around the stems of the plants.

Are there particular plants they work well with?

I have read that they work particularly well for peppers, tomatoes (helps prevent blossom end rot), broccoli, and cabbage. They also help deter slugs and cutworms (if you have a slug issue you can also put small saucers of beer in the garden, they will be attracted to that and no eat you plants).

What if I just want to compost them?

Make sure they are dry before you put them in your compost heap or bin. You can put them in as a larger pieces because your compost will work at a different rate.  I recommend that your compost be well balanced and rich in many nutrients so even if you use your egg shells in your planters and around your plants put some in your compost as well.

Now maybe when visitors to my house ask my why I save my egg shells I can give them the Barney Stinson response from How I Met Your Mother “Don’t you ever read my blog.”

Do you know any other plants that egg shells work well with?

The Lorax DVD Failed

It is not hard to imagine that The Lorax book is a favorite in my house. So when we did not get to see the movie in the movie theater we did the next best thing we purchased it on DVD. It is not the greenest thing to purchase DVD’s but I do believe that when you have young children the classic kids movies should be purchased on DVD so they can be watched over and over and over again.

I fully expected Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax movie to be packaged in an environmentally friendly way. I was horrified when I saw it packaged the way we see every other DVD wrapped in plastic with a cardboard sleeve with a plastic holder inside! I could not believe it.

I went on line to see if we had failed to order the commemorative green version of the movie. To my knowledge there was no such version.

It sounds dramatic but I was so disappointed. Here I am teaching my daughter about the environment and the Lorax story is one of the ways we talk about what we can do and it shows up in the least ecofriendly packaging I can think of.

So I looked for a recycling symbol on the packaging and there was none!! There was “AGIPolymatrix” “eco-lite” imprinted on the spine on the inside of the DVD case. So I took to Google and did some research and this case uses 26% less plastic than other cases. I also found many message boards of DVD collectors complaining about this case because it is “flimsy.” While I would agree it weighs less than other DVD cases and is “flimsy,” it is still plastic, has no recycling symbol and was wrapped in plastic.

According to www.the-numbers.com in the first week of DVD sales totaled 1,964,701. So that means that 1,964,701 DVD cases will be around when my great, great, grandchildren will be born and we know that this is just what was sold not what was produced.

So for a movie that opening scene talks about a world made completely of plastic with nothing natural in it and has an over arching theme of environmentalism, waste reduction and appreciation for nature…. the packaging was a cruel joke and a mixed message for children.

Want to let Universal know they failed our children here is how:

Tweet them at @universalEnt @TheLorax and tell them you are disappointed in their packaging. Here is a sample “@universalEnt I am disappointed in your packaging for @TheLorax Maybe you need to watch the movie again #GreenFail”

Post something on their Facebook wall for Universal Entertainment and The Lorax and tell them what you think.

Meatless Monday: Hummus

So you got this post today in your inbox and you are thinking hummus? Great what else will I have for dinner. Hummus goes with so many different things and can be such an amazing food to have in your repertoire.

This is a family recipe and was present at every family gathering we like chick peas in my family.

2 cups of canned chick peas or dried chick peas that have been soaked (keep some of the water from the can)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 clove of garlic (for very flavorful you use up to 4 cloves)
1/3 cup of Tahini (sesame paste)
6 tbsp. lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tbsp. water or liquid from chickpeas
8 dashes of tabasco or other hot sauce

Place all ingredients in the food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until it is well pureed but still had texture. Can be served with anything, I love it on pita bread but it can be served on endive leaves, celery, on salad or anything else.

It keeps in the fridge for a while so it is great to keep all week.