Home & Yard Handbook

Looking for a home improvement you can really sink your teeth into?  Consider an edible wall! 

by Brenna Hartmann

Imagine having fresh dill for a homemade veggie dip, some chives for your sour cream or even lettuce for a fresh picked spring salad…all year long, right at your fingertips!  Sound delicious?  Trust me, it is.  Fresh, fragrant, organically grown herbs and veggies ripe for the picking from your own kitchen garden.  That’s right, you can have a vertical herb garden right in the heart of your home growing on your wall!  A relatively new concept here on the East coast, it is fast taking hold as people seek greener and healthier lifestyles.

One of my home improvement themes this year is designing a “natural” kitchen.  I began my project by eliminating chemically toxic cleaning products and replacing them with my own home  brewed products consisting of eco-friendly ingredients like baking soda and vinegar.

I have regularly been replacing damaged and scratched non-stick cookware and plastics with more enviro-friendly and reusable products like glass storage containers and stainless steel cookware.

I have upgraded to energy efficient appliances and have installed dimmer switches.  I am using Energy Star-rated light fixtures and bulbs.  So what’s next?  Naturally…the food I am preparing and eating.  But, like many homeowners, I have limited  horizontal space for growing fresh herbs and vegetables and my short outdoor growing season is further limited by the climate here in upstate New York.  Now, thanks to Green Living Technologies, I am  growing fresh herbs and lettuce right on my kitchen wall!  I have installed an edible, vertical garden.  Complete with automatic lighting and irrigation system, this simple modular panel construction allows me to grow my own organic produce year round!

My edible wall is by far my favorite home improvement project to date.  The aroma of the fresh cut herbs is indescribable and for a fraction of the amount of money I would spend growing annually or purchasing costly store bought herbs, I have a beautiful, sustainable and eco-friendly garden wall, right in the heart of my home.

As an added benefit, the plants in my edible wall also serve as air purifiers.  You may be aware that formaldehyde is emitted from many products in our homes such as carpet, plywood, particle board, adhesives and even draperies.  The leaves and the stems of the plants in my edible wall absorb the volatiles during the day and the root zone continues the work at night.  Now that’s a great green bonus!

I am delighted and proud to have a natural kitchen.  Now I just have to learn how to cook!

You can view a video of the installation on my website www.homeandyardradio.com.  Click on the link “Living Greener”. 

Brenna Hartmann is the co-founder of Fixin’Chix Inc., a do-it-yourself enterprise that includes a comprehensive home improvement website; how-to workshops, seminars and publications; and a product line. Brenna is dedicated to empowering women “do-it herselfers” (DIHers) who have the passion and desire to improve their homes. Brenna writes the popular Fixie Chick home improvement column found in Home & Yard Handbook, and is the co-host of “Home & Yard Radio with the Fixie Chick” on 950 ESPN. Brenna lives in Webster with her husband and two children.

Cooking at home is the hottest trend today. In the difficult economic times, preparing the family meal with ease and fun, while saving lots of dollars is the way to go. If you are a viewer of WHAM 13 TV, you may have watched me prepare delicious meals that are budget friendly and restaurant good. My family owned an Italian restaurant, and while growing up, I learned how to make wonderful, classic, Italian meals. Now that I have recently been married, my husband and I are becoming reacquainted with the kitchen, and having a wonderful time, while saving many dollars. This month’s article is not about the perfect kitchen, but what is essential in the kitchen in order to prepare many great meals.

There are some tools in your kitchen are absolute must haves. A good working kitchen should always have an assortment of pots and pans. A large non- stick frying pan is a must, make your quick marinara sauce in it. So is a large stock pot for soups and pasta. A strong blender is needed for smoothies and drinks, but also for sauces and dressings. When making a smoothie, add a banana or fruit sorbet to thicken it. Food processors, now available in colors, can process your dips and spreads, make pie dough, and chop vegetables. Use it to grate your hard parm cheese. My favorite large appliance is the Kitchen Aid mixer,{ I received a stainless steel model for a wedding present}. I use it frequently, and it is so handsome. I leave it on the counter all the time, like a centerpiece.

Lately, I am into new knives. I have purchased the new colored varieties that have their own sheave. They stay so sharp and cut so perfectly. Tomatoes can be cut so paper thin, that you can see through them. And the colors are fun too, lime green, orange and pink- if you see these while shopping, grab one, they are worth the money. Layer thin tomato slices with thin mozzarella slices, drizzle with olive oil add salt, pepper and basil and you a have caprese salad. Another new purchase is a microplaner. Lemon zesting has never been easier. I use zest in so many recipes, try lemon zest in your next batch of blueberry muffins. The taste is so fresh. Another item to own is a lemon reamer, squeezing fresh lemon juice with a good olive oil on your greens makes a perfect and tasty salad.

Certainly we all have baking pans. Now on the market are beautiful colored ceramic pans. They are reasonably priced and make a beautiful presentation of lasagna. Own a few of these in different sizes and colors. A good solid wood cutting board is worth the dollars. Use it for chopping veggies and herbs, but always use a different board for cutting meats and poultry {I use plastic for this}.

Other must haves are, of course, measuring spoons and cups, a set of mixing bowls- having one with a pour spout can make pancake making very easy, especially for the kids.Trendy kitchen tools come and go. Remember the bread baking machine and the vegomatic? The old stand bys resist time, but new and improved equipment can turn your cooking ho-hums into cooking hoorays.

Tune into the morning show on WHAM 13 and watch me prepare Italian classic food, using all these tools I have talked about. Get back into cooking for yourself and your family. Teach your children how to prepare healthy food.

Jump back into your kitchen, it’s vogue again!  

Lana Torre is the owner of Evergreen Interiors and recipient of multiple Interior Design Awards including several Best of Show for Homearama.  Contact Lana at 223-8776 or email her at: lana@homeandyardhandbook.com.

�