We use a cloth type washcloth for our dishes. They wear out over time. Instead of disposing them I cut them into strips for use in the garden as garden ties. After our dish washcloths wear out I cut them into strips. Then I use them in the garden to tie up plants that require staking. I found that twine can cut into the stems as the plants move in the wind, and using cloth is better. This way the plants are treated more gently and it’s only costing me something I would throw away anyway. As a bonus they end up decomposing.  

Steaming is the most healthy way of cooking most vegetables and it preserves not only the nutrients but the color. Having a steamer on hand is a great idea. There are many steamers out there, one of the most well known is the bamboo variety used in Chinese cooking. But if you don’t have access to one and/or are limited in space for too many specialist extras you can easily engineer your own. By using a standard pot with lid and a strainer that has pot hooks all you need to do is put enough water into the pan to almost come up to the bottom of the strainer, put…