Made in America Monday: Udon Noodle Bowl

It's Made in America Monday, where I feature a company that is producing (or selling) products that are made within the United States. Although you can find wonderful things made in other countries, I think sometimes we overlook the craftsmen and products that are being produced just around the corner.

So with the familiar slogan "Think Global, Act Local" in mind, I give you Made in America Monday.

I'm a sucker for fun design. I just bought a pair of these udon noodle bowls that were designed and made in the US by Flavour Design Studio. Don't you just love how the chopsticks perch on the top like that?

From Flavour Design Studio's website: "Flavour Design Studio is an interdisciplinary design company. Since 1999, élan has gained hands-on experience with commercial, interior, and graphic design projects. Along with contract work, Flavour's main focus is on producing contemporary home accessories carried in North America and Europe.

I strive to design products that make people say "why didn't i think of that!" My pieces aim to be clever yet elegant with a strong emphasis on ergonomics and functionality. I believe that the items you choose to surround yourself with should be interesting. They should enable you to strike up a conversation or at least make you smile."

Do you have any suggestions for future Made in America posts? Please provide any thoughts/ideas you might have in the comment section. I'd love to feature the product and give you credit for sending it.

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Dorothy St. James writes the White House Gardener Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Flowerbed of State is the first book in the series. Be sure to grab your copy while they're still available! Visit with Dorothy on the web or at Facebook. Or follow her on Twitter.

Praise for FLOWERBED OF STATE:
"Credible characters, a fast-paced plot, and a light look at political life in Washington, D.C., will delight cozy fans." ~ Publishers Weekly

"This spunky new romantic suspense series is an obvious pick for readers who enjoy Julie Hyzy's "White House Chef" series (Buffalo West Wing), but also think of gardening mystery series such as Rosemary Harris's (Slugfest)." ~ Library Journal

Order Flowerbed of State from your favorite bookseller. 

Look for The Scarlet Pepper in April 2012. Pre-order your copy today!

Made in America Monday: the Chevy Volt

It's Made in America Monday, where I feature a company that is producing (or selling) products that are made within the United States. Although you can find wonderful things made in other countries, I think sometimes we overlook the craftsmen and products that are being produced just around the corner.

So with the familiar slogan "Think Global, Act Local" in mind, I give you Made in America Monday.

Okay....this is my DREAM CAR. (Of the moment.) I admit it, I'm a techno geek. I love gadgets, and I've long been a fan of the electric car. I might have shed an angry tear when GM trashed the EV1. I might have even said I'd never buy another GM.

But they've returned with the Chevy Volt. And they're promising to redeem themselves with this "car of the future."

Made in the Hamtramch Assembly Plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, the Volt is primarily an electric car. It has a gas backup just to keep us from feeling nervous on our road trips.

The Details:

Electric MPG equivalent: ~90

Gas only MPG: ~35

Cost: ~$35,000+ (sighs)

Since it's President's Day, perhaps the patriotic thing for me to do is to go buy one.

Happy

Do you have any suggestions for future Made in America posts, please provide it in the comment section. I'd love to feature the product and give you credit for sending it.

**********************************

Dorothy St. James writes the White House Gardener Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Flowerbed of State is the first book in the series. Be sure to grab your copy while they're still available! Visit with Dorothy on the web or at Facebook. Or follow her on Twitter.

Praise for FLOWERBED OF STATE:
"Credible characters, a fast-paced plot, and a light look at political life in Washington, D.C., will delight cozy fans." ~ Publishers Weekly

"This spunky new romantic suspense series is an obvious pick for readers who enjoy Julie Hyzy's "White House Chef" series (Buffalo West Wing), but also think of gardening mystery series such as Rosemary Harris's (Slugfest)." ~ Library Journal

Order Flowerbed of State from your favorite bookseller. 

Look for The Scarlet Pepper in April 2012. Pre-order your copy today!

Pill Bugs, that's what's bugging me!

They're not bugs. They're not even insects. They are the beloved roly poly from our childhood.

And they've infested my garden soil.

Blech!

I want them gone.

First some quick facts:
1. They are isopods and are related to shrimp and have gills! They need a wet environment.
2. They feed only on decaying matter unless they run out of food. Large populations of them can damage crops.
3. If they have a proper food source, they can actually be beneficial to your garden.

Yeah, yeah. I get that they can be wonderful and all. But I have a problem now.

Controls:
I'd heard about putting beer into a can that buried in the soil and inviting the little buggers to the party. But I wasn't in the mood for sharing my beer.

Instead, I sprinkled horticultural grade diatomaceous earth liberally in my garden. The diatomaceous earth will dry them out, especially if they eat it. Within a few days the numbers in the soil had reduced dramatically.


YAY! My radishes no longer are getting gnawed on. Happy day in the garden again. :)

Made in America Monday: American Apparel

It's Made in America Monday, where I feature a company that is producing (or selling) products that are made within the United States. Although you can find wonderful things made in other countries, I think sometimes we overlook the craftsmen and products that are being produced just around the corner.

So with the familiar slogan "Think Global, Act Local" in mind, I give you Made in America Monday.


Continuing with the clothing theme from last week...

This week I'm featuring American Apparel a business located in downtown LA, California.

From their website: "American Apparel is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and retailer, based in downtown Los Angeles, California. We currently employ approximately 10,000 people globally (about 5,000 in LA), and operate more than 285 retail stores in 20 countries.

Within our business model, knitting, dyeing, cutting, sewing, photography, marketing, distribution and design all happen in the company's facilities in Los Angeles. The company operates the largest garment factory in the United States, at a time when most apparel production has moved offshore. With our recently opened stores in China, we are now selling Made in USA clothing in the largest consumer market in the world.

American Apparel leverages art, design and technology to advance the business process, while continuing to pioneer industry standards of social and environmental responsibility in the workplace."


Want to learn more? You can tour their LA, California factory online: http://www.americanapparel.net/factorytour.html

If you have any suggestions for future Made in America posts, please provide it in the comment section. I'd love to feature the product and give you credit for suggesting it.

Oh you, Greenbriar: Smilax rotundifolia!

With the warm very early spring weather, it's sprouting! The vine grows with the ominous spreading speed of a creature in a horror movie. It twins up trees. Curls around buildings. Crawls across the ground.

What is this frightening plant? It's Smilax rotundifolia or Common Woody Greenbriar or numerous other common names, some of them too nasty to write here. 

The smilax is back! I need to get it out before it goes to seed.

Smilax is a vine that has both tendrils and thorns. It's the only vine to have that.

It is resistant against Round Up. If you want to use a commercial weed killer, various gardening sites recommend that you soak the leaves in the weed killer for several hours.

But I'm working on going organic. So I'm following the recommended removal practice, which is a cultural practice. This means I've been physically digging up the vine and its tubers. The tubers look like sweet potatoes to me. I have read that the young ones are good to eat and were a staple in the Native American diet. I tried it and wasn't in love with the bitter flavor. 

I went through the yard and dug up as many of the tubers as I could. They can be stubborn buggers about coming out of the ground!

Vigilance is needed to keep it from coming back, which is why I'm back in the yard battling it. I'll also need to get it out of the neighbor's vacant lot before it comes crawling into my yard.

Wish me luck!