I recently went to the Trader Joe’s in the University District with my partner and noticed that our bill climbed to around $100. I decided to take a picture showing what we bought and ask readers to compare what $100 will get them at their local grocery store, food co-op, or nationwide supermarket. A detailed grocery list as to what we bought is included at the end of this post. This little project is a twist to Peter Menzel’s Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, which you should definitely click on and check out if you haven’t yet. More...

Winter is one of my favorite seasons at the Oregon Garden thus far. There aren’t too many weeds to pull, I don’t need to drink three gallons of water to keep from passing out, and (most importantly) many of our evergreens are in full color. Of course, the evergreen that’s closest to the culinary room of my heart is rosemary, which is actually still flowering.

The rosemary plant is neither related to the rose nor associated with anyone named Mary – its Latin name, Rosmarinus officinalis, actually means “dew of the sea.” Despite not being dubbed after a beautiful maiden, the plant has found its way into a number of songs and tales. The most popular reference to rosemary is probably in the traditional song “Scarborough Fair,” where it’s listed as one of four symbolic herbs. According to traditional lore, parsley removes bitterness, sage symbolizes strength, thyme is associated with courage, and rosemary is for remembrance. This sentiment is echoed by Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who quotes “That’s rosemary, for remembrance,” in a “mad little song” at her last appearance alive in the play. More...

I am so thrilled to be living close to the ocean.  While in college and living near the Chesapeake Bay, I developed a fondness for fresh seafood (especially the region’s famed blue crab) that is matched only by my fondness for fresh seafood served in a sushi roll.  Luckily, we’ve got Dungeness crab (named for the town of Dungness, Washington) here, and they’re in season. More...

I must confess, I am a picky eater. I wasn't raised to be and I don't like admitting that I am, but the truth hurts. I cook vegetarian meals. I like to eat organic foods. I like to eat local, although bananas are one of the best deals in the grocery store. I hate processed foods that come in cardboard and plastic, and I try to buy seasonally. My diet and food choices accurately reflects my humanity; exposing my high ideals and my shortcomings and compromises in trying to live up to them.

As a house we buy groceries together. We have done it for a few years and it has made life much simpler. Any food in the kitchen is up for grabs and we split grocery bills five ways. We cook dinner together and eat many of our meals together. Although we don't have five cooks we "appreciate" everyone's "unique contributions" to dinner. Perhaps the best sign of our adulthood is that we actually attempt to cook stir-fry and casseroles and rarely eat frozen pizza or ramen. More...

I realize you can’t exactly chomp down on a piece of wood and an old window (well, I suppose you could, though I wouldn’t recommend it), but in the spirit of the season, I thought I’d use this article to focus on a slightly lesser-known gardening method – growing plants in the winter in cold frames.

A cold frame is not only inexpensive, it’s also completely low-tech, and very easy to make.  All you need are some scraps of wood and an old window or sheet of hard plastic.  To assemble your cold frame, cut your wood into two equal-sized right triangles.  Attach the triangles to the window, so that it slopes at about a 40 degree angle.  Then attach an extra piece of wood across the back, so that you’ve got a completely enclosed structure that looks something like a big triangular block.  For more instructions on building cold frames and alternate building techniques, check out this website. More...

There is an old saying that goes something along the lines of, "Mother knows best." The saying is meant to encompass everything from education to dating, life long advice and child rearing. I often discard this advice and probably will in the future, but it's worth considering most of the time.

If you are wondering what motherly advice and a biscuit have in common you need to realize that it is 40 degrees and raining outside.

Having recently moved from a house with walls as thin as paper, my roommates and I were excited to move into our new home. In the process of finding a new home we started asking about insulation at every house and settled on a home with new windows and solid insulation. Earlier this fall, we looked into fixing the fireplace, which we hope to have working soon so that we can cozy up to it this winter. We put on storm windows when the weather changed and moved furniture away from vents.

We even did the biggest heat saver possible, putting plastic on our windows. For anyone wanting to stay warm and save money, covering you windows with 3M Window Insulator (it's like Saran Wrap for windows instead of leftovers). You can pick it up at most hardware stores. Do not be tempted to buy the cheaper window kits, the tape is not as good and you will end up redoing your windows halfway through the winter. Buy the 3M stuff.

We then settled in with our wool socks and beanies hopping to not turn the heat on until after Thanksgiving.

In October my mother mentioned a couple of times that we should turn the heat on, even though it still wasn't cold outside.
"You should turn your furnace on."
"Mom, there's not point. It's not even raining yet."
"Well you should try it, because when you finally do need it you want it to be working."
"We don't need to turn it on. We'll be fine."

There are five young men in our house who carried out similar conversations over the past few months. Coming home from Thanksgiving to rain and a cold house hovering around 50 degrees, we finally decided it was time to turn on the heat. Nothing seemed to happen the first night. So we checked the vents and turned the furnace off and on again. Still the next morning nothing had happened. Dipping below the 45 degree mark, we began to be concerned about a good freeze breaking our pipes. The next day after still dropping temperatures we called our landlord and informed him about our predicament, wondering if perhaps we were just not setting our thermostat right.

In the end it turns out that our gas was not connected right to the furnace and the furnace was not working, hence the lack of heat. In hindsight we should have listened to mom and checked our furnace sometime back in October to make sure it was ready for when we needed it in November.

In case any you are ever stuck in such a predicament without heat my advice is simple:
1 ¾ c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl sugar
3 tsp baking powder
4 Tbl shortening
¾ cup milk

and most importantly a 450 degree oven in which you bake everything imaginable in. Then don't leave the kitchen for a while.

If any one is interested in saving money and staying warm this winter be sure to check out the Portland Fix-it Fairs for plenty of ideas and resources. For a schedule go to: http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?c=ebijc More...

In just a few short days, most of us will find ourselves gathered around tables with friends and family, thinking about what we’re grateful for.  There will be generic answers, like health, family, friends, and new jobs, and some random ones (mine are closer to this list) such as new cats and learning the botanical names of plants.  However, in keeping with this column, I’d like to give thanks for certain foods. More...