Raising the bar
Having a repertoire of trendy cocktail recipes makes party hosting more pleasurable. But if you’re still serving gin and tonics in jelly jars or your wine glasses come with an ad for the local soccer team, it’s time to trade up. Equip your kitchen with glasses that are appropriate for different types of cocktails and add a few bar tools to make cocktail preparation easier and your drinks special. What’s more you can do both without breaking your budget. “You don’t need to spend a lot of money on glassware,” says Tim Laird, chef and chief entertaining officer with Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, Ky. “I don’t recommend crystal when you’re starting out. You can get nice glassware from a variety of outlets.” You also don’t need a separate shape for each drink; some glasses do double duty, according to Laird. Gadgets may also serve several purposes. Get a blender that crushes ice and you can use it for your morning smoothie and your evening margarita. Here are Laird’s recommendations for glasses and gadgets:
Glasses Buy six of each of the following: • “Rocks” glass: This squat glass with either straight or slightly angled sides holds about a half of liquid. As the name suggests, use this for spirits on ice. • Highball glass: A tall, slightly chubby glass that has either straight or slightly sloping sides. The classic sloe gin fizz is served in a highball glass, but you can also use it for iced tea. • Martini glass: The Y is the epitome of cocktail style. “Everyone loves to have a martini glass,” says Laird. But avoid super-sized glasses, he advises. “When you make your cocktail and pour it in (an oversized glass) it will get warm halfway through; not refreshing,” says Laird. He’s also concerned that your guests will be unaware of how much alcohol they’re consuming. • Wine glass: Choose a thin-rimmed glass with a medium bowl, which is versatile enough for both red and white wine as well as Champagne.
Gadgets • Cocktail shaker: Select a shaker with a built-in strainer. For $10 you can get a shaker “that lasts forever,” says Laird. • Measuring glass: Instead of a jigger,buy a glass TURN TO BAR ON 12
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COAST NEWS GROUP — FALL HOME & GARDEN GUIDE
SEPT. 25, 2009
Growing your own food just about anywhere By Mary Connors
Ruppenthal lived in a series of apartments and small city homes, some of them gloomy and none of them with yards. Now living with his family in San Francisco, where he is an attorney and instructor at a community college, Ruppenthal says he has grown enough in odd corners and nooks for his family to eat homegrown fresh food 365 days a year. Using his book, he says, readers will learn how to produce 10 to 20 percent of their fresh food from an average-size apartment or condominium space. “Where there’s space, there’s growing potential,” says Ruppenthal. He says the information in the book is “hard-won, through years of trial and error.”
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J. Ruppenthal didn’t intend to become an expert in “square-inch gardening,” as he calls it. It wasn’t a love affair with nature. He worked on an organic vegetable farm when he was young, “but I wasn’t all that interested in it.” Ruppenthal was motivated by a conviction and a very practical desire.The high cost of energy will eventually make food much more expensive and the food supply unpredictable, he believes. To ensure his family’s well-being — and for you to ensure yours, he argues — calls for a return to traditional methods of growing food. City dwellers must learn to grow food to sustain themselves. “We will need to relearn basic food production skills in a hurry if we are to survive and thrive in this new world,” he says. Using balconies, patios, rooftops, windowsills, cabinets, garages and counterspace, city dwellers can
Size up your space Assess the light: Fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cucumbers, says. 2008), is the fruit of years of eggplant, squash or berries His brief, no-nonsense experimenting to produce his need at least 4 to 5 hours book “Fresh Food from Small family’s fresh food in his own TURN TO GROWING ON 12 Spaces” (Chelsea Green, cramped living spaces.
SQUARE-INCH GARDENER The square-inch gardener at home: “No space is too small or too dark to grow food.” Photo by Seungmin Lee
raise enough fresh food to sustain their families. “No space is too small or too dark to grow food,” Ruppenthal
The Lawn Doctor weighs in on water and more COAST CITIES — So, you would like to be able to enjoy your lawn even in drought conditions? Want to maintain the value of your property? Want to be environmentally responsible? “The good news is you can and there is good reason to do so,” said Tom Taylor, owner of Lawn Doctor of North County Coastal. “With all the focus on water problems, many people are not aware of the incredible benefits of turf grass in our community,” Taylor explained. Consider these facts: Your lawn sequesters huge amounts of dust and pollution while being one of the largest producers of oxygen. Your lawn cools the environment,
which reduces energy use and combats global warming. Your lawn helps reduce runoff and filters water to help supply aquifers. Finally, a healthy and attractive lawn and landscape accounts for about 15 percent of property values. “The key is to work toward a balance of being environmentally responsible while also helping the environment and maintaining quality of life,” Taylor said. Here are some tips: — Maintain only the amount of lawn that is used and enjoyed. Consider eliminating unused/unseen grass areas such as strips along the sides of homes. The growing conditions are not generally good there any-
way. — Visually inspect your sprinkler system monthly for proper operation, coverage and leaks. Don’t rely solely on the gardener in this area, it’s too important. Know the proper watering schedule and when to modify, such as during the rainy season. Consider upgrading to the newer “stream rotor” sprinkler nozzles, which save water and money. — Consult with a licensed lawn care professional. A lawn evaluation is usually free. The simple truth is lawns require a certain amount of care to stay healthy and produce all the benefits stated above. Somebody needs to do it! “I see lots of damage to lawns
and the environment from uninformed but well intentioned purchases at garden centers by homeowners and gardeners,” Taylor said. “These things are best left to the professionals who generally obtain better results while using less products and pesticides, at a pretty reasonable cost. Also, regularly scheduled visits help prevent problems from developing.” Can we have our cake and eat it too regarding Backhoe, Bobcat, Dumptruck, Excavator, Demo, Underground Sewer Repipes
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lawns, water and the environment? “I really think so and the facts support it if people are informed and act responsibly,” Taylor said. Lawn Doctor of North County Coastal has been serving North San Diego County since 2005. For more information, contact owner Tom Taylor at (760) 967-7800 or by e-mail at group776 @lawndoctor.com.
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