Composting Tips & Tricks
Reduce waste through composting! Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste are examples of compost, but usually these items are thrown away, rather than being composted. Making compost keeps these items out of landfills where they release methane and take up space.
All composting requires three ingredients: browns, greens, and water. Browns being dead leaves, branches, twigs. Greens being grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, coffee grounds. And the right amount of water.
Any time is a good time to start composting, but spring is particularly advantageous. In spring, you can use the warmer weather to your advantage along with the increased activity of microorganisms and creatures. By composting, you will enrich your soil by retaining moisture and suppressing plant diseases and pests. You will also reduce your need for chemical fertilizers and methane emissions from landfills, lowering your carbon footprint.
For backyard composting, select a dry, shady spot near a water source for your compost pile. Add even amounts of browns and greens, making sure the larger pieces are shredded or chopped. For dry materials, make sure they are moistened as they are added to the pile. Once you have built your compost pile, mix grass clippings and green waste in and bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of material.
If you donโt have a proper space for outdoor composting, you can do so indoors with a specialized composting bin. When properly managed, an indoor bin will not attract pests or give off an unwanted scent.
Check out some more composting tricks:
- Fats, pet droppings, or animal dropping should not be compost. They will attract pests and can spread disease.
- Shredded newspaper or plain white paper works great as compost!
- Plants that have been treated with pesticides should not be used.
- Straw is an excellent source of carbon for your compost pile.
- Kitchen waste such as vegetable peels, fruit rinds, coffee grounds, tea bags, and egg shells can be fed to worms. Meat and dairy products should be avoided.
- Woody stalks or corn cobs usually decompose slower, smash with a hammer to make it easier for the microorganisms in your pile to break them down.
- Too many browns will make your pile hard to break-down. Too many greens will make your pile too smelly. Try layering each evenly.
- The more you add at once the quicker your pile will heat up. One big meal is better than several small snacks.
- When finished your pile should look, feel, and smell like rich, dark soil. The items you added should be unrecognizable.
- Relax, and stick to the process. Eventually you will make a great compost!
Sources: https://www.planetnatural.com/composting-101/tips/ โ http://www.carryoncomposting.com/416920199 โ https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
S'more Summer Fun
Sโmores are the star of summer campfires and backyard cookouts. Everyone loves the classic sโmore, a harmonious sandwich of marshmallow and chocolate, stuffed between graham crackers. However, today we are suggesting more for your sโmores! Check out some of our favorite creative, next level sโmore recipes to try at your next summer night hang out.
Rice Krispie Treat Sโmores: Is there anything better than marshmallows and chocolate? Well yes, marshmallows and chocolate AND Rice Krispie treats. Rice Krispie treats will elevate your sโmores to an elite level of crispiness.
Candied Bacon Sโmores: Candied bacon brings a wonderful sweet and savory mix. This is at the top of our list.
Roasted Berry Sโmores: Berries pair wonderfully with chocolate, why not add them to your sโmores for a refreshing twist? We love roasted berries for a campfire aesthetic in the summer.
Salted Caramel Sโmores: Decadent, gooey, and delicious Salted Caramel Sโmores can become very addicting.
Tropical Sโmores: These tropical sโmores will have you in vacation mode in your own backyard. Add some grilled pineapple, maraschino cherries, and toasted coconut to your sโmores and replace the graham crackers with white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Paradise.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Sโmores: This idea is simple, but oh-so delicious. Pack your sโmore between your favorite chocolate chip cookies for more chocolaty goodness.
Elvis Sโmore: We all love a good Elvis sandwich, but how about an Elvis sโmore? Peanut butter, banana, and bacon added to your sโmore. Yum!
Grasshopper Sโmores: This minty fresh recipe features dark chocolate mint, like an Andes, rather than your regular sโmores chocolate. A fun, tasty twist.
PB&J Sโmores: Did you think we were done remixing sandwiches? Nope. Peanut butter and jelly sโmores are the best thing since sliced bread.
Caramel Apple Sโmores: Last but not least, caramel apple sโmores. We recommend using a granny smith apple topped with a warm caramel drizzle.
This summer, we will be enjoying these different recipes at our campfires and highly recommend you do the same. The best part? All of your sโmores needs are conveniently located at your local Price Chopper & Market 32 or on our website.
Explore Our Region!
Our region is home to a wide variety of local craft beer, dairy products, produce and more, but itโs also home to some of the best mountains, lakes and hiking trails in the world. So, as part of our home.grown. tour we wanted to take a moment to shine the spotlight on the local outdoors of our Northeast region! In this Explore Our Region blog, we asked some of our teammates for their favorite spots for adventure and fun. Check it out!
Dylan G. โ Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area, Schroon Lake NY
โWhen I moved to upstate NY 5 years ago, I was blown away at the abundance of locations for outdoor adventures. I couldnโt wait to put my boots on and chase every hike/backpacking trip I could find on the map. One of my favorite spots I discovered and continue to frequently visit is the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area. My first excursion out to this area was with my little brother. We set out to backpack the 35 mile route around the entire wilderness area in 4 days, and we were able to take in all the natural beauty it possessed. We discovered that Pharaoh Lake has everything you could ask for in one spot, whether you want a multi-day backpacking trip, short hike, mountain to climb, or a secluded lake/pond to camp out at and swimโฆ this area has it! I would highly recommend this spot to anyone who hasnโt visited it, you wonโt be disappointed!โ
Phil G. โ Chapel Pond Slab, Keene NY
โChapel Pond Slab is a fantastic multipitch climb above Chapel Pond on route 73, heading towards Lake Placid. Itโs a must do yearly climb that takes about half a day to get up and back. Beautiful views of the pond below and Giant Mountain across the street. A classic climb in the Adirondacks.โ
Danielle T. โ Mount Marcy, Keene NY
โOne of my favorite trails Iโve done was Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks. It has a great combination of terrain. You can run the bottom portion of the mountain and itโs a nice scramble to get to the top. Plus you canโt beat the views on top.โ
Antoni F. โ Tongue Mountain Range, Bolton Landing NY
โOne of my favorite and most frequented locations to trail run and hike is the Tongue Mountain Range using the Northwest Bay Trail on Lake George. Itโs a longer 14.8 mile trail and loop with moderate elevation. The lower portion of the trail weaves in and out from the waterโs edge which provides numerous areas to stop and swim in the lake. The furthest point on the trail, Montcalm Point, looks out over all of Lake George. However some of the best views are along the trail itself with multiple peaks and out looks.โ
Tyler B. โ Kane Mountain, Canada Lake NY
โIโve been hiking Kane Mountain in New Yorkโs Adirondack region my whole life. The hike is great: not too steep and not too long, and ends with a fire tower climb that reveals an incredible view of multiple Adirondack lakes below. Itโs a great adventure for beginners and seasoned experts alike!โ
Beyond the beautiful Adirondack region of our home state of New York, the Northeast is also home to the Green Mountains of Vermont, White Mountains of New Hampshire and The Berkshires of Massachusetts, in addition to lots of other hiking spots, lakes and more. If youโre looking for new outdoor adventures in the Northeast, definitely check out these great spots. You might discover a new favorite getaway!
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