Stuffed Milkweed Pods

As you know, I have a certain affection for "pests," both plant and animal. I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the milkweed pods. There seems to be a disagreement over the edibility of these, but I find them not just edible, but delicious. Now it's true that milkweed can have a bitter flavor. Plants vary from region to region, but in most places it's completely edible and I doubt you have to worry about any foul flavors. If you like fiddleheads or asparagus, you'll like the flavor of milkweed. The do look a little alien, but I assure you they're worth experimenting with.

Milkweed is actually far from being a pest, and its usefulness is often overlooked. Butterflies, namely monarch butterflies, love milkweed. It's the sole source of food for the larva. It's also known for repelling pests from the garden, and the sap is useful in treating poison ivy. Personally... I prefer to eat it.

There are a lot of myths floating around the net about the preparation of milkweed. Some make it an extensive process, involving several changes of water and careful cooking time. Nonsense. It's overkill.Why make more work for yourself when you don't have to?


Stuffed Milkweed Pods

Ingredients:
Milkweed pods (2-3 inch size)
Mozzarella cheese
Bacon (cooked)

Ok, so I don't have measurements. You just sorta have to wing this one.

Dice bacon and cheese into small pieces. The smaller the pieces, the easier it is to fill the milkweed.

Take the blanched pods and carefully, with a sharp knife, cut through the skin and into the white center, being careful not to cut completely through the pod. Pull the sides apart, so that the pod looks like a little boat.




Stuff a couple pieces of bacon in the bottom of each milkweed pod, then put in the cheese.

Grease a baking pan (bacon grease works best) and arrange the pods. Bake at 275 degrees until the cheese is all melty.

If you want a little crisp on top use the broiler. This also works well with pepperoni and sharp cheddar.

Flavor-wise, milkweed pods are really a lot like asparagus. Soft and just slightly sweet. They're very earthy and "fresh" tasting, and obviously very... vegetable. Stuffing the pods is just one way to enjoy this mid-summer treat.

Collecting milkweed can be a messy process. If you don't like gunk on your hands, you may want to get yourself a pair of rubber gloves. I didn't bother with all that, but by the time I was done I did look like I tried to strangle a bottle of Elmer's glue. The sap of the milkweed is a lot like the sap in dandelions, only... gluey-er.

With milkweed pods collected, wash them in luke warm water to remove debris and sap. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and gently blanch the pods. They'll float so you'll want to keep pressing them down with a large spoon. Some of them will lightly burst, but nothing explosive. You'll just here light "psssshhhhhh" sounds when the pods split. Blanch for 4-5 minutes then rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. From here you can saute them, freeze them, roast them... or just eat them. Technically you can eat them completely raw. The tiny white middles are lovely.

So after blanching, I decided to stuff the pods with yummy goodness, also known as mozzarella and bacon.

Meatcake

Yes. I said meatcake.

This blog post is brought to you by my guest chef, JP. He did all the cooking and photography. I get to try to explain the process, and of course enjoy the fruits of his labor.

You're probably wondering, "What's a meatcake?" The meatcake is sort of like a stuffed meatloaf, or a pot pie with a meat crust, in a similar tradition to meatza, a Primal creation that is just this side of meat (and pizza) heaven. Maybe it's like a meat lasagna. Ohh... now there's an idea. Meatzagna. Give me a week. I'll have one for you. Ok, maybe more than a week. Boarfest is coming up and I have a feeling I'll be eating pig for a while.

Seriously, is there any way you can go wrong when it comes to meat? I don't think so.

So about this meatcake...

Meatcake

Ingredients:
3 lbs ground meat
4 eggs
2 Tbsp each oregano, parsley, salt, pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
1 cup almond flour (optional)
1 lb bacon, lightly cooked
1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 quart container mushrooms
4 medium onions, chopped
1 large can diced tomatoes, juice drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by combining your ground beef, eggs, spices and almond flour into a meatloaf base. You can use either beef or pork. We opted for 2 pounds beef and 1 pound pork. Feel free to make your own meatloaf recipe if you prefer.

Saute your mushrooms and onions in a small pan, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.


Divide your meat mixture into thirds. Place two thirds in a large baking dish and press it to the pan, much like a pie crust. It should look something like a meat bathtub for all of your fillings.




Spread your sauteed mushrooms and onions in the bottom of the meat bathtub. Chop your bacon and layer on top of the mushrooms.




Lay out your mozzarella slices over the bacon. OMG... yumm...




Next, take your last third of meat mixture and cover the top of your meatcake...




Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully drain the fat off (optional.) Spread the diced tomoatoes over the top, return to the oven and heat until the tomatoes are warm and happy.




And this... is delicious...

Garlic Scapes Are In

Truth be told, I never knew what garlic scapes were. Never mind the fact that they'd been growing in my parents' garden for years. We always just called it "wild garlic," waited for the bulb on top to ripen, and used the little bulb as an extra-spicy alternative to the garlic we buy at the grocery store. Little did I know these were so much more useful than that.

If you can find them at your local market, you have to try garlic scapes. If you can't find them, you can always try your hand at growing them. It takes several to make a decent size dish, so you'd probably have to plant a couple bulbs worth of garlic to make one meal. I tell you what though, it's probably worth it.

Once again I found myself perusing the many vendor booths at the Ithaca Farmers Market, trying to get the absolute most for my small amount of money. Typically I stay on the lookout for odd-looking fruits and vegetables.

Garlic scapes fit that bill. They looked like long, curly lion tails, not quite like onions. So I did what I always do. I asked. When I found out they were garlic scapes, I remembered back to a member of the MDA forum lamenting how they couldn't find them, so I figured I must have something special laying before me. The vendor told me they were at the end of the season, making them that much more precious to me. Surely I must have them before they're all gone! At $2.00 for a large bag, we had a deal!

When I got my beautiful new scapes home, the first thing I had to do was search the net to figure out what to do with them. A lot of the search results brought up pesto. For starters, I don't eat pasta, plus I don't care much for pesto anyways. I had to keep looking. Eventually I stumbled across a few recipes that called for boiling or sauteing them. That seemed to be the way to go.

With a little research and some tinkering, this is what I came up with...

Sauteed Garlic Scapes with Onions

Ingredients:
Garlic scapes
1 large onion
butter
salt & pepper
*And since the milkweed was in season, I threw some of these in too. (optional addition.)

I started by trimming the garlic scapes, removing the last 4 inches of the stem and the tips of the flower, most of which were a little dry and brittle.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cooking the garlic scapes for 15-20 minutes, until they softened. *After 10 minutes I added the milkweed and cooked for the remaining 10 minutes.

Drain the water from the scapes and heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pan. Add the chopped onion and the garlic scapes, season with salt and pepper, and saute 15 minutes or until you reach your preferred doneness.

I really like these. They're now one of my favorite vegetables and I'm thinking of trying to grow my own from some store bought garlic bulbs. Their flavor is very mild and not really "garlicky" at all. The stems become somewhat sweet when cooked, with a slight underlying garlic flavor. They're surprisingly sweet, sort of like asparagus. I know, that's a bit cliche but it's true. The flowers are more garlicky, like mini roasted garlic bulbs. Texture-wise they're even a little bit creamy inside. The bigger ones at least.


With some of the left over scapes I put tomato sauce over them and had them with meatballs. Certainly not a pasta substitute, nor was it meant to be, but it was very tasty just the same.

Fennel

Fennel, doesn't seem to be a very popular spice in my area. A lot of people I know don't like it. I learned to like it when I bought some fennel-flavored Tom's of Maine toothpaste. I knew it was used in making sausage, but I didn't realize it had such a strong anise flavor until I tried the toothpaste. That's some potent stuff!

I think fennel takes a little extra care to be really likeable in a dish. It's about having just enough without having too much. That's very vague isn't it?

One thing I love about fennel is that it is so flavorful and aromatic with a variety of both culinary and medicinal uses. I like my herbs and spices to multi-task, and fennel does a fantastic job of it. Many parts of the plant are useful for several different reasons. It's uses range from spicing up sausage, flavoring absinthe, and the variety called Florence fennel is even eaten as a vegetable itself. The fruits, often mistermed "seeds" are a common ingredient in French and Italian dishes, used to flavor sauces, fish and mayonnaise. In Italy it's used to season pork roasts and spicy sausages. The English use it in nearly all fish dishes. Fennel is one of the key ingredients in Chinese Five Spice blend as well.

When enjoying fennel, besides the seeds there are three main parts- the base, the stalks and the leaves- can all be used in cooking. In fact all parts of the fennel plant are edible. An effective way of cooking with fennel is to braise it. The bulb may be also be used in antipasto platters and has an anise flavor, and can be eaten as a vegetable, cooked or raw. The stems may be chopped and added to salads. The leaves may be chopped and used in soups, with fish or added to salads. Use the seeds in pickles, tomato sauces, and sausages. The flowers may also be used in herbal vinegars and salads. Fennel leaves should be added at the last minute when cooking to retain the best flavor.

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, has a long history in medicinal uses, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its carminative (gas-relieving) and purgative properties. Reported uses include improving eyesight which may have a role in treating glaucoma. It's used as a diuretic, syrups prepared from fennel juices are used to treat chronic cough, and fennel was once used to stimulate lactation. It shouldn't, however be used in high doses as it can cause muscular spasms and hallucinations. Hey... don't get any ideas! Fennel is also thought to help increase bile production, reduce pain and fever, as well as act as an anti-microbial. Alternately, fennel seems to be disliked by fleas and when powdered it works as a repellant around kennels and stables.

Known as "Marathon" by the Greeks, fennel is quite popular in Pagan practices of the past. It grew in the field in which one of the great ancient battles was fought and was then named the Battle of Marathon after this revered plant. Fennel was also awarded to the runner, Pheidippides, who delivered the news of the Persian invasion to Sparta.

Magickally speaking, fennel is used as a protective and purifying herb. It's one of the Nine Herbs Charm from the 10th Century. The charm was intended to treat poisoning or infection. Ground, dried fennel can be sprinkled around the inside of the home for protection. Charm bags hung inside at the windows helps to ward off negative spirits. Fennel seeds can be carried in your pocket for the same reasons and can be ground and burned for purifying the home of any unwanted spirits. In the old days, British farmers rubbed a mixture of fennel seeds, soap, and salt on the blade of their plow to strengthen the land and encourage better harvests. Similarly for fertility, fennel was thrown at newlyweds instead of rice.

Ruled by Mercury, fennel works well on the mind and is said to improve memory. It's especially useful in helping one develope their visualization and magickal skills. While fennel has a wonderful aroma, some say it should never be burned as incense, though I've not found an explanation for why.

One old spell suggests that fennel can be used to ghost-proof individual rooms or an entire building. Supposedly it only works on some ghosts but might be worth trying. It calls for stuffing keyholes full of fennel to prevent ghost from entering (or leaving) the room.

As I said, fennel is sort of growing on me since trying the toothpaste. I wasn't sure I'd like it at first, but it's become one of my favorite flavors. I still need to experiment with it more in the kitchen, and at the altar. In any case, it's handy to have around.

Sweet & Spicy Green Beans

As I mentioned in my last post, the garden isn't going quite as well as I had hoped. Between the chipmunks and the caterpillars eating everything, and the peas looking just wretched... I'm finding myself having to do what I was hoping to avoid. Buy produce. Of course I've been hitting the farmers markets a lot, and finding some really great goodies, like garlic scapes- to be blogged very soon. Not all of the produce is cheap though, especially if you're looking at local, organic produce. It often goes for a premium, especially in a college city. That's why I'm really glad Wegmans has local in-season produce, cheap. So when I saw they had green beans for $1 per pound I grabbed some up. Generally when I see something marked for a dollar, I consider it a steal. Same goes for produce.

Back a couple weeks ago we had our family picnic for the Fourth of July, and my sister had a fantastic green bean recipe that I just had to modify. It was Primal enough as it was, but you know I just have to tinker. It's my nature. The great thing is, everybody liked it. Even the non-Primals. That's the sure sign a Primal recipe is good, when "normal" folks enjoy it in spite of it being healthy.

The recipe is really simple. It makes a nice side dish with steak, I learned the other night. It takes about 10 minutes to make from start to finish, and the ingredients are basic.

Sweet & Spicy Green Beans

Ingredients:
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt

Trim the ends of the green beans to remove the stems. Cut them into smaller pieces if you like, but it's not necessary. I prefer to leave them whole.

Put green beans into a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5-6 minutes or until desired doneness.

While the beans are cooking, combine the dressing ingredients ina small bowl. Whisk together until well blended.

When the beans are done cooking, strain and shake to dry. Place in a bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Toss until well coated.

This recipe can be served either hot or cold, whether you're using it as a side dish with dinner or as a salad for a family picnic. For extra texture, add sunflower seeds or pine nuts, or maybe even slivered almonds.

The recipe originally called for Dijon mustard, but I'm a big fan of spicy brown mustard, so I decided to modify it. Dijon works well enough, but it has more of a honey mustard flavor than a sweet and spicy combo. I'm sure you can go even hotter still, and make green beans with a real kick.

And I still have the garlic scapes in the fridge, waiting to be used. If anyone has any suggestions for them, I'd love to hear it. I've never done garlic scapes before and since they were the last of the season, you know I had to try them. I can't wait!

Juggling Life: Wilderness Childe Updates

As a child I never realized how much adults juggled so many tasks in life. Maybe it's the erratic energies of Summer, bursting with exuberance and chaos that's got me feeling so completely overwhelmed with how many balls I have in the air. And that's without any sort of social life to speak of. Combine it with the reflective, introspective influence of the New Moon, and now I'm sitting here trying to somehow mentally organize myself. Sometimes it's easier to just spell it all out in letters and numbers, pure black and white.

I suppose I should start with a few project updates, so that I don't leave my dear few readers hanging, wondering "Wait, what ever happened to...?"

Kombucha: I'm still brewing. I started playing with flavors- namely black cherry. I've been using R.W. Knudsen Family Just Black Cherry juice to flavor my booch and it has been working wonderfully. I've almost perfected my ferment and second ferment timing to get a nice tart and a good carbonation, without it being TOO carbonated. I accidentally over-carbonated one batch, leading to nearly having kombucha on my ceiling when I popped the top off the first bottle. Yup, there was a little bit of pressure under that cap, and a kombucha fountain in my kitchen! I'm happy to report that was the first and last kombucha overload. Hopefully the last. Also, I have a number of SCOBYs in need of new homes. If you'd like to buy one, let me know.

Gardening: My garden is, to say the least, unimpressive. I'm not a good gardener when left to my own devices apparently. Maybe container gardening just isn't for me. The peas are brittle and yellowing. Chipmunks are eating my greens. What the chipmunks haven't devoured the caterpillars seem to be. Everything else that has survived is, well... unimpressive. I'll be thrilled to have a vegetable, any vegetable to harvest this fall.

Mealworm Farming: Ok, here I can report some success. I have beetles- lots of beetles, and I have baby wormies! They're teeny tiny, so pictures just can't happen, but they're there. Now I just have to wait for them to grow so I can entertain you with more unusual insect recipes. I have a few ideas in mind. I'm thrilled SOMETHING is working out. Not to mention I'm becoming more and more comfortable with bugs, be they mealworms, beetles and yes, even spiders. I won't be going out buying a tarantula any time soon, but I'm not going to freak the next time there's a spider on my arm.

Winemaking: I've been tinkering with this off and on lately. Since the dandelion wine I've also created a pomegranate wine, and a knotweed-cherry wine. Both are in the process of settling the sediments. The pomegranate is a lovely red, and the knotweed is a beautiful shade of pink. I can't wait to try them in about a year.

On top of those ongoing projects, I'm in the process of planning a small event dubbed "Boarfest" for my fellow Primal lifestylers. It's a gathering of Groks and Grokettes. We'll camp, we'll eat meat, we'll roast a boar, play with primitive weapons, hike, forage and play with fire. It's going to be a great time that I hope will turn into a sizable annual event. This being the first year, the task is a little daunting, which makes me happy for the light turnout. In the meantime though, there's a lot of organizing to be done.

Being Primal, I'm thrilled at the quality of my health these days. I've dropped a lot of weight, as most of you know, and lately I've been doing a pretty darn fantastic job of building up some nice looking muscle. In almost every way my health and fitness has improved, however it's become apparent that I have had, and still have a thyroid problem. For several years I've had a sizable nodule on my thyroid. The iodine uptake scan showed that everything functions properly in the gland (yay) but I do still have many of the symptoms of being hypothyroid. That means now one of my "projects" is to find the best way to fix my broken thermostat. I have several routes that I could go, and I'm doing my research, while saving up the money to pay for the doctor bills that I'll be racking up. Being uninsured has its pros and cons. Sometimes it means a little pre-planning. I don't mind. It means I get to be a lot more involved in the process. Of course I want to go the most natural route possible. So that's another thing on my "to do" list.

Being that it's Summer, that means everything is in full swing. That includes various festivals and markets. Today was a perfect example of the bounty summertime brings, not only in food, but in entertainment. Bright and early this morning I set off to Ithaca with my family to the Ithaca Farmers Market where I found some fantastic goodies. There were dozens of stalls, selling everything from cheese to wine, to Cambodian food, to flowers, produce, meat. You name it, they had it. I walked away with a few prizes of my own- thyme and mugwort plants, some of the last garlic scapes of the season, and a cute little pepper plant that grows sweet purple peppers. I also snagged some small green apples and a handful of mulberries from the trees growing outside of the Market. Then it was off to the Ithaca Scottish Games where I procured some clotted cream. The day finished off with a brief peek at the Dragon Boat Races and dinner at Maxie's Supper Club- one of my all-time favorite restaurants. Raw clams and oysters, a delicious wedge salad, blackened Cajun catfish, and sweet potato fries. It was a very full day.

Also in the mix of summertime madness is a laundry list of household chores and projects with my dad- adding a new roof to his utility shed, building a new shed for my pony that I've had since I was a child, and hopefully getting my dad's boat into proper working order so that we can enjoy some time on the lake.

Boarfest, 10-year high school reunions, Glenn Beck's 8/28 rally, Pagan Pride Day festivals through September, and a dozen events on Samhain/Halloween to end the season of madness. It's gonna be a wild and bumpy ride for a while, but it's going to be fun. In the meantime I have a lot of down-home projects keeping me grounded and experimenting. Fruits and veggies are ripening daily, which means an abundance of fresh, tasty goodness at every corner. I've got a lot of fun plans for eats and treats to share with you all very soon.

And with it being the New Moon, let's take some time to sit back, take a breath and reflect on the year so far. It's more than half over you know. We're on that down hill slide into winter. Hard to believe isn't it? Is this year turning out like you expected or hoped for? I sure hope so. Mine has in many ways. If it hasn't, I hope this to be a turning point for you with better days ahead. Keep on juggling. Sure you may drop a few balls once in a while. That's when you pick them up and try it again.

Be Well.

Red Cat Barbecue Sauce

July 4th just wrapped up and barbecue season is in full swing. For most Primal folks like myself, it sometimes means questionable condiments and sauces, because really who wants to eat plain chicken?

Last June, Son of Grok introduced us to a fantastic barbecue sauce recipe that has become a favorite in the Primal community. His sauce has quickly become one of my favorites and I had been eating it on everything. Seriously, everything. Even my eggs.

With the July 4th weekend approaching, and the pending family picnic, I wanted to make sure I could eat as Primal as possible. Often that means bringing my own dessert, a couple extra side dishes, and condiments. The trick is finding foods that not only will I love, but that my conventional-eating family will enjoy as well. Not that Son of Grok's barbecue wouldn't have been enjoyed by my family- it would have- but I wanted to incorporate something that would win them over so that it wasn't "just another healthy change" I was forcing on them.

Red Cat. Wine.

Red Cat table wine is a local favorite. It's incredibly popular with the younger wine drinkers, especially the college crowd. It's the wine for non-wine drinkers. It's sweet and you could chug it down like kool aid with your pizza or burgers. It's the party wine. My family loves it, and so do I. As luck would have it, I had one "kitten" left in the fridge- Hazlitt's little single serving bottles. Perfect!

So with that, Red Cat Barbecue Sauce was born.

Red Cat BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
1 6oz can tomato paste (organic)
1 cup of beef stock
3/4 cup Red Cat table wine
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chili powder

Combine all of your ingredients in a sauce pan or crockpot. If using a sauce pan simmer on LOW for 30 minutes or until your onions turn soft. If using a crockpot use the HIGH setting. Stir and taste regularly. Adjust flavor and seasonings as needed.

When your onions have softened, pour your sauce into a blender and blend for a couple minutes until the sauce is creamy and smooth.

Return your sauce to the pan or crockpot and allow it to simmer another 15 minutes or more. If it's too thin, let it cook down until it thickens. If it's too thick, add more stock (or wine!) and heat it through.

The barbecue sauce was a big hit. Everybody liked it and it worked wonderfully well on chicken. The Red Cat adds a little more tang and just a little sweet so the sauce isn't too spicy. I can't wait to make more! I think I'm gonna tinker a bit and see what happens when I use Hazlitt's Brambleberry wine, which is much sweeter.

Twist

What is Twist? It's a nifty new company I found. Not food this time, but it's definitely kitchen related, and all around domestic.

Twist makes sponges. I know what you're thinking. "Why should I care about sponges?" Honestly, I don't especially care about sponges, but when I find something nifty and new, I generally like to share it. My twist sponge is right up there with my washing towel, which is 100x cooler than a washcloth, but I digress. Back to Twist.

So I was at Wegmans the other day picking up some groceries and other household necessities. One thing on that list was paper towels. I don't really use them very often, so one roll will typically last me months, but my sister used my last remaining towel, which means I had to replace the empty paper tube with a new roll. Imagine my surprise to find that 2 rolls of paper towels, the cheapest variety, was still more than $3.00! Can somebody tell me when paper towels got so expensive? I thought they were a dollar a roll or something.

I throw the double pack into my basket and the thought crosses my mind to check the Nature's Market section of the store. You know, the organic, crunchy-granola section where I find so many of my favorite (non-granola) eats. Typically pricey but I always feel better about myself when I buy something from that part of the store. It's like I'm getting hippy bonus points or something. Anyways, the thought crossed my mind to see what was over in that part of the store instead of the same old tree-wasting paper towels. That's where I found Twist Euro-sponges.

I've never used a Euro-sponge. I really didn't know why it was so important that I do. The package was convincing.

"100% biodegradable." That's a good thing. When I throw it away it won't last for 100 years.

"Can be used over and over again." Well I certainly hope so!

"Cleans, wipes and dries" Ok, that's paper towel-like.

"All household uses." Hmm... that'll be a test.

"1 Euro-sponge cloth outlasts 17 rolls of paper towels." Now that's where my OCD kicks in and my brain wants to do the math. It went something like this...

1 2-pack of paper towels is $3.00 and 1 3-pack of Euro-sponges is $4.00. So 17 rolls of paper towels would cost me about $27.50. Since there are three sponges in the pack, that equals 3 times 17 rolls, so that $4.00 pack of Twist sponges is the equivalent of $82 worth of paper towels. Could this really be true? I decided I had to try it out. I was going to spend $3 on paper towels anyways, why not spend a dollar more and get at least an equivalent use, if not better? So I did.

Now that I've completely nerded you out, here's what I discovered about the Euro-sponge.

They're incredibly absorbant. Sure, it felt a little stiff and funny at first. Dunk it in water and it gets all soft and towel-like. It wipes down the counter tops perfectly. I've found I especially like them for wiping off my knives after cutting food. When it comes to cleaning, they do a first rate job.

They're oddly stiff and "crunchy" when dry, so they're not really great at wiping up wet messes unless they're already damp. A minor annoyance but I'm getting used to the idea.

Upon getting home and examinging the packaging better, I learned they're also dishwasher safe (yay!) so you can refresh them that way, AND you can sterilize it by boiling it. That's a great tip to keep in mind after wiping up blood or other germy substances.

So far, I like them. I got the large towel-size sponges. I think a smaller sponge would be better for dish washing, but then again I could just cut one large sponge in half. Upon browsing their website, I discovered they make several other house and body cleaning products that my local grocery store doesn't yet carry. Imagine my disappointment to learn they don't yet make a floor mop. I'm thinking these sponges would be fantastic for getting my floor clean, but I'm not sure I want to spend an afternoon on my knees to accomplish it.

And the last neat little trick I found is that the package has a template on the inside so that it can be turned into a handy little bird feeder. How cute is that!? I haven't bothered to build the bird feeder (since I'm not really interested in having birds poop on my porch) but it's a lovely idea.

I'm a new fan of Euro-sponges, and Twist seems to be a good quality product. I'm sure there are other great re-useable, biodegradable, plant-based cleaning cloths and sponges out there. Have you tried any of them? Are there any you'd recommend? Is a Euro-sponge something you think you'd use? I'd love to know what you think.