Experimenting
The attempt to make tofu was a complete failure; it did not coagulate. But the coconut, plantain cake I made with the soy pulp from making the milk and leftover roast plantains, was a delicious success.

The attempt to make tofu was a complete failure; it did not coagulate. But the coconut, plantain cake I made with the soy pulp from making the milk and leftover roast plantains, was a delicious success.

As the child of Depression era parents, I was taught to use every bit of the food that we bought. I was an impoverished scholarship student for the first eight years I lived on my own. I also started paying attention to environmental issues early on; in high school, I worked to bring awareness of energy and water consumption and recycling in connection with the earliest Earth Days. Having gotten into the habit of being resourceful and creative with food early on, I never got out of the habit–though many of my law school and better off friends thought I was weird or cheap.
With the recession continuing (and only likely to deepen dreadfully for my lifetime given the tenor of the debt negotiations) and thankfully growing interest in being kinder to our environment, it is becoming fashionable to be more mindful of waste of any kind. Here is a great article on how to savor more of your food and diminish your trash output (which, by the way, also lowers your carbon footprint.)
In the morning, I watered the garden and picked fresh herbs and greens. After work, I made fettuccine and pesto. I talked to two friends (one by phone, the other by Zoom). With both, the conversation was concentrated on what more we can do to actively participate in creating change for ourselves individually and for society as a whole. We had some possible ideas.

Went out into the backyard despite (or perhaps because of) the freezing rain. The greens had a thin coating of ice, but were still bright. Picked big handfuls of mixed asian greens, arugula, and chard. The ice cracked off as I picked them. Later in the morning, I will saute the greens with tofu for a nice brunch. I have dough rising for pizza for the neighborhood solstice open house. I think about making crackers.
Tomorrow, some of the greens growing will be frozen food. I’ll make an italian bean and greens soup with those leaves. When it gets back up to 50F, which it is supposed to do within the 15-day forecast, there will be new growth. The chard just might make it all the way through the winter. The arugula — it’s less likely.