Garlic

I first read about how easy it is to grow your own garlic on Gregg Koepp's blog. A man I admire for his persistence to refuse to buy anything you don't really need, showing how you can live happily without all that stuff that is ruining the Earth.

Then reading some more in a Facebook group I gave it a try.

Here's my humble first result. A third one is still in the ground. As it's easier for me to grow in pots and planters in my shadowy city garden, needless to say I do not buy them. So many cast away by people who then suddenly have to many? Gave up a hobby? Or simply have too much money and want to replace what's still perfectly useful with newer and more shiny? Puzzle for me.

Airbnb Part 3

Today I had to cycle way out of the neighbourhood to find a bottle and can deposit automat that worked. As over the weekend lots of people want to cash in and personnel can't keep up maintaining them. Before I even arrived to the first to try I saw a tiny clear plastic bag next to a bin that was tied up closely and didn't look interesting at first sight. From distance it really looked like waste. But not being thrown in is always a good enough reason for inspection. I could't see much because it seemed to be a double layer. But one sachet of noodle soup was visible enough. The rest was a surprise. Lifting it I felt the weight of full glass. But it could have been just half empty pots of jam or so. I opened it in the kitchen between trash bag and sink, ready to throw away muck and wash hands. It wasn't necessary.

Two small bottles of beer and five sachets of noodle soup. All perfectly clean. Overcareful packaging by the tourists made the products almost fail to go to a finder. Lucky me I seem to be developing better and better eyes for this.

Toasters

Between 1985 and 2000 or so I had a toaster that came from my deceased great aunt. A 1950's model with side flaps, but newer, more square than this example here. The idea is the same: it roasted the slices on one side at the time so you had to turn them around. Naturally it didn't have a timer. I totally loved the thing!

Unfortunately one day one of my darling cats swept it off the kitchen counter. A plastic part broke off, and though it still worked I didn't find it really safe anymore. So I started looking for a new one. The most affordable were with a plastic housing. Not just for not wanting plasic, but also for nostalgia of the chromed device we had at home in the 1970's I wanted one like that.

So I found this one by Princess.

I was in love! With all that shine but moreover the retro 1950's belly design. Less in love with the price. If I remember well it was 59 guilders (where I could have had plastic for around 25 or even less!), in € now roughly 26. Add inflation to that I'd think easily €40 now. But still working full time back then I guess I could afford it and my mind was set. Going for it I even cycled to the other side of town because it was sold out at my local afffiliate store.

Another bit less in love when at home I found out the slots were just not long enough to fit in a regular slice of bread. The model seems to be most fit for square casino bread. But I didn't want to give up and just cut off a part for all those years.

Then last week, while combining errands and looking for whatever I could find I spotted this really vintage Philips near a shop. It was lightly raining and it was in a low plastic crate with some mess over it. I took it for recycling assuming it was broken. But at home I found it was looking nearly new and barely used. So I thought is this a retro remake as well? It can't be. 

The colours are so authentic, even the cord is brown! And it doen't have the crumbs drawer. A gadget (pretty useless in my opinion, mum just used to turn the thing upside down from time to time) that all modern devices seem to must have. 

My 1999/2000 model has one.

On top it wasn't even dusty. This really puzzles me. If it's this old and so clean it must have been stored packed well for all those years. And then thrown out like shit in the rain. 

I let it dry overnight until it was safe to test and needless to so say it works perfectly.

But the best of all is that the slots, though not visible with they eye have that half a cm extra, that make at least my farmers bread slices just fit in!

Now which one to keep? I spent over an hour to clean off 25 years of partly burned in grease splatters of the Princess just for the pictures. Being surprised at how none of them had caused any damage to the chrome. Neither did I find any rust. Now I understand something. This quality made it worth the price I paid. But there are still some persistent very small spots. Also the brown in between the slots didn't come off yet. But for the moment I had enough.

In this condition I won't sell it yet. I know people will want to bargain if it's not good as new. That amount I paid still hurts a bit.

I think for now it will go upstairs. For when we have soup. Because Mr. there had one of those plastic ones, from our friend who moved back to the US and then back here again, but he ruined it somehow. Will make sure he takes care of this one.

Cheese

Years ago I followed some dumpster diver's blogs, mainly interested about those finding consumable things. Being amazed because such dumpsters don't exist in my country, at least not out in the open accessible to public. If at all they would be more hygenic compression containers on locked terrains to far to reach without a car. Contents to be sent to destruction regularly. I don't know about the situation in for example the USA now, I lost touch with those bloggers and I don't know if they are still active. Just currently I started to look at some other dumpster divers on Facebook, but they are mainly in non-foods.

But at the time (2010) one time I was lucky and found a small batch of carrots at the curb in front of a local greengrocer. And for all these years I was sure I made post about it. It's just not there. So here's just one more picture from the past.

They had started to blacken on the skin, but after peeling they were just fine and good to cook and eat.

It was the first and last time I profited from thrown away food from a company.

So for free food I rely on the 'gifts' of private people. Funny that recently I found so much. But that was all left in a way to be easily found, as I wrote possibly from Airbnb tourists. Neatly packed saying: please take me.

My very last find of food was really weird. I came down from upstairs to go to my own flat late at night and saw a trashed plastic trash bin across the street. It looked new and clean and light weight, easy to carry in. Could be a possible sale for a couple of coins. But when I lifted up the lid found that it was packed full with trash. In a plastic bag though and it wasn't kitchen waste, more like paper or other dry things, but I couldn't see well in the dark. But it was an immediate no to lifting that bag out. Not worth the trouble. Then I saw the pack of cheese on top... Why, how?! Cut open on the top, but full. Took it inside for further inspection. A bit of some kind of dust or dirt on the outside of the pack. Clean inside, seemingly untouched. Perhaps one slice taken.

Then checked date. Fresh! Note: this is European date notation, so September 1 2025. Perfectly safe to eat. Cheese is pretty expensive and I've learned to live without it for periods of time. But I do love it. A pack like this is close to €4 at my cheap supermarket, add some to it for where this came from. Albert Heijn Delhaize is a Dutch company but active in Europe and the US. Here it has not the name of being a place for people on a tight budget.

Beer Crate Or Bottle Deposit

This must be the last photo from the past, March 2016(!) that I didn't show yet. Because I messed up on getting the full profit. Not proud.

Found the beer crate complete with 24 fitting bottles in front of my door. Left by whom? You'd think Airbnb tourists, but I'm not sure. Because did the dust on the bottles (see picture down) collect in my place or was it there? Too long ago. Worth € 3,90 in deposit. Easy to bring inside, a bit harder to load on om my bike and bring to the shop. I hesitated and left it in the yard. Protected by cover of upstairs balcony though. But left it there over winter. And that's really silly, because when a sick cat makes my adrenaline rush, I'm perfectly capable of loading up an even larger sized carrier with a moving and anxious animal in it to bring to the vet's office, same distance or even further if I can't get the appointment on the nearest one.

Anyway what happened is that though in the crate some bottles broke. The sometimes clumsy Man upstairs let things that had to come down 'fall' on it instead of carefully lowering the rope. Well, the automated deposit machine won't accept an incomplete crate. So being irritated about it all I just left everything where it was undecided what to do. Then years later, the paper with barcode had been eaten of the remaining bottles too. I know for plastic bottles and cans those codes are imperative for product recognition and getting the money. Somehow the system for glass bottles turned out to be different. Finally, last summer when I tried it out the machine acceppted the remaining 18 or so bottles. Apparently the scanner can 'read' the size and shape without the barcode. So I still got some money after all.

Then what do do with the empty crate. The thing is this particular brand uses a bottle that is different from the regular shape that nine out of ten brands have. It has a longer neck and more rounded shoulders. And what we drink is the regular. So I filled up the crate with those... and finally kicked myself to bring it, to get what I feared: not accepted. The automat is even clever enough to see that this particular crate wants different bottles. So I cashed in the bottles and left the crate. I lost € 1,50. Later on I thought I could have been daft or sly, and take a regular crate from the shop floor exchanging it all...

Long story short I made it up somehow. A few days ago there was an empty crate of a brand (not ours) that uses the regular size bottles in front of the door. With our bottles from last weekend and the the one before I had enough to fill it up today. I didn't wait this time and with a bit of careful biking I cashed in my € 1,50 for the crate. Bottles give and take of course.

Interesting though my voucher/receipt named the brand of the crate. On bottles it just says 'beer bottle'. 

Nice Armchair Not For Me

I saw this across the street a few hours ago when I went up to the Man upstairs. Tempted! Looks very comfy and I'm looking for a replacement of an Ikea chair with a cotton removable cover that needs washing. I just don't feel like taking the effort. But this beauty looks heavy, and my strength isn't what it used to be but on top it would involve removing things that are blocking my hallway to make free passage for the in and out. And it's not even bulk trash day. I like to stick to the rules when I put things out. No place to stock until!

Another no go is the wear that tells me the cover is leather look-a-like skai. Not that I mind the white spots, and the woodwork looks really nice. I somehow don't understand the combination of that quality and fake leather. 

The main problem about skai is that my cats lóóóve it! They made one chair that I showed here years ago look like a plush puppet, despite all the scratching posts they have indoors and then trees and other wooden things outside. I didn't even mind that so much, as that thing was the comfiest ever. But it had to go after the seat cover just went to threads and I found a real leather replacement for it. Somehow their nails don't like it so they leave it alone. But photo's and story about that are to come.

I posted the photo's in some Facebook groups, and hope someone came for it. Since right now it's pouring down...

Sandwich Or Contact Grills

As an early teenager I was kind of addicted to ham and cheese grilled sandwiches. A must have in a certain department store's lunchroom, whenever my mum and I went to Amsterdam. 

Later, around 15 years old, 1978 or so, on visiting a classmate I got them home made and loved them even better and without the ham! Because you had to put some butter or margerine on the outside of the bread to avoid sticking. Yummie. So young I had never seen a sandwich iron.

So I had to have one. Mum said ok and this is what I bought. I took it with me when I moved out and still have it. It's functional as ever though one of the handles is loose. Just a matter of careful use.

Only because I found one in front of my door an electric contact grill came to my house some years ago. It's the one on the left, made by Tomado, but the letters washed off from cleaning. But for how often I used it I never cared to check why the brown tape was there. Obviously nothing loose there. Maybe a sharp edge or so. It worked fine and I was happy to not to have to deal with the loose handle especially with the turning around. My only problem is the non-stick surface. I don't like it and don't need it. I still grease the bread anyway, because it's tastier. But they are multi-functional and it's been very handy for for example vegetable burgers. Though I buy those seldomly, only when on a really good discount and of a kind that I like. Then they can make a tasty quick snack. As a serious meat replacement I don't need them.

The thing was a placetaker on my kitchen top though. And then recently I noticed that my bread wasn't colouring evenly anymore. Darker on one side than on the other. And the cheese didn't really get that hot. But I forgot if it ever did because that's how often I used it.

The other day I took one home from a recycling spot at the supermarket. It's kind of recent that people can leave devices there and I only noticed shortly. But the compartments are small and fill up quickly. Placed on top I take things home occasionally for cash at the recycling shop, if they fit in the bag with the groceries. I know it doesn't add anything to the recycling process as they were there in the right spot already. But yeah, sorry, I can use the money.

So I thought the Tristar was broken. Only at home I noticed it looked almost new and tried it out, hoping to have a replacement. Well, wow, it heated up so quickly my sandwich almost stuck. The only deficiency is that it doesn't have the suspended top that all others seem to have, to level on whatever you put in. As the space between top and bottom isn't big enough for a sandwich it get's squeezed a bit in the back. Maybe that's why it was 'trashed'. I can live with it.

The final decision for replacement was the size. The heating surface suffices, and minus two cm in front and five on the side is welcome in my small kitchen. 

PS: a way to avoid contact with your food and the non-stick surface is using PFAS-free baking sheets or aluminium foil. Saves cleaning too! But I'll spare me the costs of that. For the few times of use and at my age I don't worry too much.