Design*Sponge » small measures

2011 gift guide: eco finds under $100

Ashley — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:00:44 +0000

I adore the holiday season. From candlelit nights and spiked eggnog to evergreen boughs on the mantel and solstice soirees, the stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve is one of my most-beloved times of the year. I can’t get enough of sitting beside the wood stove in my flannel PJs, mug of hot cocoa in hand. I clamor for nights on the couch nestled under a blanket and watching Love Actually (I finally broke down and bought a copy after years of renting it, and still, after more viewings than I care to share, I weep with happiness when Jamie proposes to Aurelia). I eagerly anticipate checking out the incredible annual offerings at the nearby Grove Park Inn’s National Gingerbread House Competition (everything on these intricate, highly creative houses must be edible; some of them truly boggle the mind in their inventiveness). In short, if it’s holiday minded, more often than not, I’m a fan.

While I often make many of the items I give, I’m always on the prowl for gifts that are as nice to behold (and bestow) as they are beneficial to the environment. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite ecologically minded treasures for holiday gifting. There’s something for every budget, and nothing over $100 (so you can save some green while going green). I’ve got things for growing, eating, reading and wearing and for helping you tread more lightly on this verdant planet in the process. Here’s wishing you and yours a joyous, healthy, happy holiday season! — Ashley English

Image above: 1. The Green Beauty Guide, $16.95; 2. Recycled Stainless-Steel Origami Pendant, $39.95; 3. “Etcetera” Boogaloo Toy, $34.00; 4. Paper Seed Potter, $15.49; 5. Cherrywood Honey Stick, $10.00; 6. Honeybee Habitat Scatter Garden, $17.00; 7. Wooden Clothes Drying Rack, $89.00

*This post was brought to you by Home Depot.

Image above: 1. Edible Flower Seed Bomb, $7.00; 2. Tron Birch Earrings, $46.00; 3. Dark Chocolate Salted Caramels, $11.75: 4. Shiitake Mushroom Kit, $19.95; 5. Pomegranate Tote, $44.00; 6. Countertop Bag Dryer, $20.00; 7. High-Top Sneakers, $56.00; 8. Beechwood Diblett, $7.00

small measures with ashley: watermelon fever!

Ashley — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:00:40 +0000

(Image of gorgeous ‘Moon & Stars’ watermelons from Big Daddy Seashell)

I’ve been learning over the past 6 1/2 months that there is a reason a number of ideas surrounding pregnancy persist as greatly as they do. It’s because, in short, they’re true. You really do get heartburn as your organs get squished into new and unfamiliar locations. Your hands and feet do get puffy, causing your shoes to fit a bit more snugly. And you actually do crave watermelon. A lot.

Perhaps it’s the high water content, perhaps it’s the inherent lycopene (beneficial to both momma and growing nudger alike), perhaps it’s because it’s good and sweet and crispy and everything that you are SO not feeling yourself in the swelter of summer as your belly bulges. I don’t really know. I haven’t questioned why pregnant women crave watermelon. I can only attest that they do. Oh, and how. And I came to this knowledge using the highly scientific, rigorously tested “ask other pregnant ladies” method, which is, without question, clearly fool-proof and without bias.

(Image from Vegetable Seed)
I went on a bit of a watermelon bender around two months ago. I suppose, in retrospect, that it would have behooved me to have gone for a mini melon, much as those touted in this recent NY Times piece, instead of the whoppers I tore into. While I can now vouch that it really is possible to have too much of a good thing, I didn’t care at the time. And, after tempering my consumption, I returned to watermelon with considerably more restraint, and a willingness to doctor it up in all manner of applications.

As summer begins its gradual wind-down, the green orbs are at their peak period of watery, delicious ripeness. This is absolutely the ideal time to chop into one. I’ve listed below my favorite ways of gorging on this good stuff. With a beverage, salad, and simple snack, there’s bound to be an option that appeals to the watermelon lover in you. If you need a bit of a guiding hand in choosing the perfect melon, check out this tutorial for expertly spotting watermelon bliss.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Ashley’s post and her “Agua Fresca” recipe after the jump!

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small measures with ashley: homemade butter

Ashley — Sat, 14 May 2011 13:00:29 +0000

I don’t recall exactly when the switch occurred, but sometime in the mid- 80′s, our house went from being a butter-eating domain to a margarine-eating one. I can’t really blame my mom, as margarine was all the rage back then. Right along with Jazzercise and “Just Say No,” consuming margarine was de rigueur health-wise at the time. Butter’s pleasures weren’t entirely gone from my life, though. Whenever I’d visit my dad and his wife, there would be sticks of the stuff chilling in the fridge, spread on hot toast, dolloped atop Pop’s “world famous” pancakes, and slathered over ears of steaming Jersey corn.

Perhaps owing to that period of buttery abstinence, I’m now a firm believer in the stuff. Butter is a mainstay chez English. And not just any butter, but homemade butter. Say it with me-homemade butter. You just swooned a little bit, didn’t you? For today’s “Small Measures with Ashley“, we’re making butter. It’s easier than you can imagine and delivers a product far superior in taste and considerably less costly than its wrapper-clad cousin.

CLICK HERE for the full post and how-to after the jump!

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small measures with ashley: onion relish & quick pickles

Ashley — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:00:46 +0000

The growing season is revving up for many of us. Seeds are being sown, vegetable starts are going into the ground and greenmarkets are reopening, showcasing their earliest offerings of the year. Among those newly emerging crops are members of the allium family. From ramps (SO good in mashed potatoes!) and garlic to shallots and scallions, the green shoots of alliums are seasonal harbingers of all sorts of goodness to come.

For today’s Small Measures with Ashley, I’m sharing two of my go-to recipes using perhaps the most well-known allium of them all: onions. I’ve got a relish and a pickle for you, with these most odorous of bulbs featured front and center. They’re super easy to make, are excellent host/hostess gifts for a dinner party or casual get-together and allow you to put some springtime in a bottle, to be enjoyed now and later. — Ashley

CLICK HERE for the full post after the jump!

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small measures with ashley: herb-infused vodkas

Ashley — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:46 +0000

Now that it’s becoming warm again, I enjoy an early evening ritual most days — the alfresco cocktail hour. Whether it’s a glass of rosé paired with a bit of sharp cheddar and green olives or a mocha stout partnered with salty pretzels, I like to pour myself a little something and hang out on my patio, sipping away as twilight falls, looking on as the forest creatures wind down from the day’s activities and the light turns otherworldly.

This time last year, I was pregnant, so alcohol was off-limits. Now that I’ve resumed partaking, I’ve been longing for a cocktail. Inspired by the profusion of both perennial and annual herbs growing full steam in my yard, as well as the Asheville Herb Festival I attended this past weekend, I thought what better way to capture the true flavor of the season than by making infused herbal liquors? And so, today’s Small Measures with Ashley offers 10 suggestions for making herb-infused vodkas. You’ll make use of all-natural and abundant flavoring agents while getting your drink on. Bottoms up! — Ashley

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post and herb-infusion ideas after the jump

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small measures with ashley: seasonal pancakes

Ashley — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:00:22 +0000

When you’re a full-time stay-at-home writer and your spouse works at home as well, the specific feeling of certain days of the week can get a bit wonky. What might feel distinctly “Monday” to someone else can feel like any day to us. In fact, we often lose track of what day it is, working just as studiously on, say, Sunday, as one might on a Tuesday. That said, we still like the idea of holding true to “weekend” activities, like pizza and a movie on Friday night and pancakes on Saturday morning.

Pancakes, in addition to being incomparably delicious, are also an ideal “vehicle” on which to introduce seasonal ingredients. Now that spring is going full-throttle (we had some MONSTER thunderstorms blast through here last night as a testament to the season), fresh produce is again available for the picking. And so, for today’s Small Measures with Ashley, I’m offering suggestions for enjoying pancakes packed with seasonal goodness year-round, beginning with a tasty spring-themed Strawberry, Rhubarb & Orange Maple Compote. — Ashley

CLICK HERE for the rest of the post after the jump!

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