10,000 Vinyasas

I stumbled across this ancient grain a few weeks ago, and liked the taste of the salad made with it, so I got some and last night made a delicious meal of it, using the following recipe for an outline:

Wilted Spinach Salad with Kamut and Sauteed Vegetables

Ingredients:

* 1 cup uncooked kamut, soaked overnight in cold water
* 3 cups fresh baby spinach
* 1 medium red onion, sliced 1/4″
* 3/4 lb yellow squash, sliced 1/4″
* 8 oz mushrooms, sliced thinly
* 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
* 1/4 cup cubed Pecorino Romano
* 6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
* 1 red pear, cored and sliced thinly
* 2 tsp Kosher salt
* fresh ground pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to saute
* 2-3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

1. Place the kamut in 4 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 50-60 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly at room temperature.
2. Place the sliced squash in a medium bowl and toss with 1 tsp kosher salt. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will draw out much of the water which would otherwise prevent the squash from caramelizing. Drain the squash and pat dry.
3. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauteuse over medium heat. Add the squash and saute for about two minutes until one side begins to brown, turn over and saute the other side for an additional two minutes, or until lightly brown. Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl (you will build your salad in this bowl).
4. Add the sliced onion to the pan and saute until it begins to caramelize. Remove from pan and set aside with the squash.
5. Repeat step 4 with the garlic. Reduce the heat slightly.
6. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced mushroom and stir in pan for one minute. Add one tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar and stir. Allow mushrooms to lightly brown and then remove and set aside with the squash.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Add up to 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan (*you might scale this back a little if you were heavy handed with the oil while sauteing) and 1-2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar. Stir to incoporate the brown bits into the warmed dressing. Pour over the sauteed vegetables. Add the pine nuts and kamut. Toss well.
8. Add the spinach, sliced pear, and 1 tsp of kosher salt and toss well, allowing the spinach to wilt.
9. Garnish each serving with some of the cubed Romano. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper, and salt if desired, to taste.

I left out the spinach and pear, and changed the cheese to something I had already, but overall, this worked out extremely well. Give Kamut a try; it’s available, probably, in your local bulk bins.

Ok, I’ve officially had enough. I shop at Costco often, mostly for the fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. (The processed foods are another story; the famous samples they give out are a horrorshow of really bad food ideas, so much so that I frequently amuse myself cruising around noting the various blandishments the food “industry” offers to overstressed, poorly exercised, overworked, unhappy people). At any rate, I’ve bought the fresh organic spinach for quite awhile now, because I like eating lots of spinach, and Costco offers the best price in town. Sure, the quantity is a big much, but up until recently I haven’t had too much trouble keeping most of it fresh. Lately, though, for some reason, the spinach has been rotting earlier and earlier. The final straw came last week, when I brought some home, and by the next day, when I opened the package, it was already rotting. Let me tell you, there’s nothing worse than trying to separate out the slimy parts of the spinach from the good. Well, that does it: I will no longer buy spinach from Costco. It is way too much trouble to track down your receipt and go all the way back to the store to obtain satisfaction. Sorry, Costco, but you’ve made your decaying green bed this time, and you’ll just have to lay in it.

Yuck!

There’s a Zen Buddhist saying about bringing presence into every part of your life, even the most mundane of activities. Viewed in that light, my morning espresso-making ritual approaches that of a religious experience, considering the care and time I take to make my three shots of espresso every day. Let’s just walk through this: one has to fill the boiler of the machine (with specially filtered water, of course), turn it on, wait for the machine to heat up, warm an espresso cup in the microwave, wait some more, grind beans, dose ground coffee into basket, lock portafilter and basket into grouphead of machine, pull lever up, wait ten seconds, pull lever down halfway, pull up again, slowly pull lever all the way down while observing the espresso coming out of the naked portafilter. Here’s the payoff: drink the espresso, savor the fullness and subtlety of the flavors and the jolt of caffeine. If I get energetic some morning, I may post a video of the whole thing. Just a little coffee action on a day when I sold my “extra” espresso machine…to celebrate, I suppose, and consider how much I do appreciate this whole process. I’ve left out the coffee bean roasting, which takes place typically about four or five days before the actual making of the espresso (since the fresh roasted beans need to rest before consumption), but is likewise filled with details, none of which I’m sure you want to hear about.

Menu for dinner tonight: Wild Sockeye Salmon,topped with pecans and raspberry chipotle sauce, accompanied by green beans, mushrooms and quinoa.

Been kind of successful in the last few weeks in figuring out (trial and error is my favorite method here) how to effectively roast coffee for espresso. At first, I was too afraid of burning the beans, so I pulled them off too early, resulting in thin, quick, watery shots with little crema. After leaving the beans on into what’s called “second crack,” my espresso shots have improved dramatically. I’ve also gotten more used to dealing with the chaff that flies around when the top filter is off (like when I’m stirring the beans). This morning, I’m roasting three different varieties specifically to blend them together and see what happens. This one is 1/3 Brazil Yellow Bourbon, 1/3 Sumatra Mandehling, and 1/3 Bolivian Organic Free Trade. Still having quite a bit of fun with this.

On another note, I successfully refurbished my espresso maker with new gaskets. Functions much better now, and the leak that had developed went away when I descaled the machine.

A Hario coffee dripper arrived last week in the mail, but I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet.

Well, I guess this was inevitable…found an incredibly cheap coffee roaster (the FreshRoast on our local craigslist the other day and snapped it up. Actually, it fits in perfectly with my other coffee purchases–cheap and functional, allowing maximum learning before I decide to upgrade. So far, I’m still learning, but once again wondering why in the world do people go to place like Starbucks? The coffee is inferior, the beans are stale and burnt, and the espresso is execreable. It’s really easy to roast your own beans…takes about five minutes and some knowledge about when to stop the process. Just another geek thing, I guess. Anyway, I suppose my coffee education is complete (of course, we need some more time to refine our knowledge, but that’s just expected).

Here’s a Thanksgiving tradition at my house (actually, my parents’, which is where Turkey Day takes place since time immemorial), that I started when I dug the recipe out of the newspaper (back when we had a newspaper). Now, it seems that most of the family expects me to appear with it, so here goes:

Almond Squash Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
4 ounces (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
4 medium yellow squash, diced into 3/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
5 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 cup half and half, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium sized pan, then add onion, leek, carrot, celery and garlic, and saute gently until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
While vegetables are cooking, make a roux. Melt 4 ounces butter in separate pan, add flour, stirring in well. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove roux from heat and set aside until needed.
When vegetables are tender, add squash and saute 8 more minutes. Add rosemary and stock, and bring mixture to a boil. Add prepared roux, stir to blend, and allow mixture to cook and thicken about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and puree in blender, along with toasted almonds, until smooth. Heat half and half and add to soup until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Yield: 8 servings

I modify this recipe somewhat, depending upon (yes!) what I have in the kitchen. Also, in the past I’ve used skim milk instead of half and half and whole milk. I think the flavor doesn’t suffer.

Well, I have put off writing about my newest “hobby” until now, but I’m having so much fun with it I just have to share. I’ve always (ok, for a long time) liked good coffee, but until recently have confined myself to just strong drip coffee in some cheap coffeemaker, or an Aerobie Aeropress. However, one sometimes has to just let things take you wherever they do, and this resulted in a rather large amount of time spent reading about making fine espresso on the internets (here we have Coffeegeek and Home-Barista), shopping on fleabay and craigslist, and other activities typical for starting something new like this. Well, let’s get to the distilled wisdom first and then show some pictures.

Things I learned about espresso making:

1. The grinder is the most important element. Without this, no good espresso is possible. Here we are talking expensive burr grinders, not cheap “whirlybirds” or pretend Chinese knockoffs. The best grinders are those made for commercial applications and may actually cost upwards of $600-$800 new, or even more. (One can find something perfectly acceptable for much less…see below).
2. Freshly roasted beans are also essential, which means you need at least a source close to you, or fast shipping from somewhere else. I was surprised and pleased to discover that, as ignorant and backward as San Antonio is, there are at least two local roasters here. Of course, you can also actually roast your own beans, which, needless to say, I haven’t tried yet, but it’s probably coming. By “fresh” here, we mean used within 7-14 days of roasting. Old store-bought beans don’t cut it; that includes Starbucks.
3. There is such a thing as “barista technique.” We’re talking here about how fine the grind is (varies according to kind of bean and roast), how full the basket is, how hard to tamp down the grounds, the stirring technique (yes, actually stirring the ground beans in the basket), how long it takes the pressurized water to go through the filter, and a host of other issues. Even the quality of the water is considered important. The term “coffee geek” surely applies here, since only people like me would be interested in this stuff. However, the miracle of the internets is such that one can connect with all these folks and receive their collective knowledge at your fingertips.

It’s odd to realize that the machine is perhaps the least important element of making espresso, since you’d think it would be first. It apparently is quite true, though, that with a few modifications, a cheap Starbucks machine can produce pretty good espresso. Of course, as ones taste becomes more refined, perhaps that machine will turn out to be inadequate. Forum posts on this subject refer to a disease called “upgradeitis,” which can end up with people paying several thousand dollars (!) for equipment. Yikes! I’m fairly certain that I’m not really subject to this, beyond a certain point, and in fact, my purchases so far have been of the outstanding bang for the buck variety, which we’ll get to in a minute. One of the things that really got me interested in the whole business was trying really excellent espresso at a local shop or two. Apparently, though, there’s quite a bit of bad espresso lurking out there in retail establishments, so watch out. A good indication, in my eyes, is if the place doesn’t offer a “to-go” option with espresso (this indicates that the owners realize that you really can’t have good espresso to go; the warm ceramic cup is essential).

Since the grinder was the first priority, I started there, looking at used ones, reading reviews, and generally getting up to speed. Strangely, although there are some values in used commercial grinders (the Mazzer minis, Super Jollys, Macaps), there was a recent entrant for home use, the Baratza Vario, which grabbed my attention. The advantages of the Vario were the small counter footprint (some of the commercial grinders are quite tall and imposing), the little to no wastage of ground beans (some grinders are notorious for retaining grounds; I’m looking at you, Rancilio Rocky!), and the flexibility of being able to switch from espresso grind to drip to press (many commercial grinders are primarily for espresso and switching is tedious). On top of all these advantages, I found an outstanding deal on fleabay with a 10% off coupon and was able to acquire this appliance for $359 shipped to my door. It’s value upon arrival was obvious; I had previously been using a Starbucks Barista burr grinder ($50 during a clearance sale), which could produce adequate espresso grinds for my Barista espresso machine (also acquired during clearance sale for $112.50), but the difference in quality between the two was vast even to my inexperienced eyes. Here’s a picture of my new grinder:

With the grinder out of the way, it was time to begin looking at machines. As I mentioned, I had a Starbucks Barista (rebranded Saeco) which produced what I thought was decent espresso (at least until I started tasting the really good stuff at the roasters here), but I really felt that I couldn’t get the full expression without some modifications (taking apart the pressurized portafilter, and installing a PID), some of which would cost more than I paid for the machine in the first place. My alternative was to shop for a machine with more potential, without really understanding much of what I was looking for. As sometimes happens in these cases, I stumbled almost by accident onto what I now think was my perfect first “real” espresso machine: the La Pavoni Europiccola. This machine is a “lever” type, which means that the user controls the pressure through pulling down on the lever, along with the timing and just about every other variable that a semi-auto or automatic machine might do for you. It is said that if you can learn how to pull good shots on a lever, you can pull them on anything else. Of course, the drawback is that you have to spend the time playing with these variables, and learning, but this didn’t faze me; I like messing around with stuff like this, and it seemed like a good fit for the way I like to make espresso (no milk drinks, a couple of shots in the morning, no shots for company, etc.). If I’d had different espresso “needs,” I probably wouldn’t have considered this machine. The other thing I liked (hell, fell in love with) about this machine was it’s intrinsic beauty: it’s a work of kitchen art. Shiny chrome little hissing dragon…I loved it when I saw the ad for it on craigslist, and it really makes a nice addition to the kitchen. It also appealed to my practical side: these have been made for many many years, with little modifications, and parts are plentiful. Easy to work on, and so forth. Back to this particular machine; I feel like I practically got it for the salvage value: $175.00! Unbelievable. That same week, I watched another one go on fleabay for $425, so I think I got a nice deal on this. Here’s a picture of the Europiccola:

I really can’t describe how much fun I’m having making espresso with this thing, except to say that several times now I’ve made espresso shots in the afternoon, something I’ve never done before. It is true, it does take some time to get familiar with this, but the potential is just enormous. Considering it’s something I pretty much do every day, it seems like money well spent.

Honestly, I don’t know why, but this was very very good. I’ve made pasta quite a bit in my life, but this Italian super premium stuff really is to die for. It improves your cooking immensely. I could be wrong about this, but I’ve done this twice now, and it’s been awesome. My best guess…

I’ve been meaning to try composting for quite awhile…just something that seemed to be a good thing to do, but hadn’t gotten around to it until recently, when I purchased a small kitchen bin from a local discount store. About a foot high, it seemed kind of small, but what the hey, let’s give this a shot. Well. I was just amazed, after using it a couple of weeks, at how much kitchen refuse this thing swallowed up. It seemed to be full, but then you press it down a bit, and voila! it goes back down. I’ve put an enormous amount of stuff into this thing (lots of coffee grounds, natch) and it still refuses to fill up. This item has really exceeded my wildest expectations. I mean, the amount of biodegradable kitchen material that we discard is just amazing, when you look at it, and the second thing that ran through my head was, “why doesn’t everyone do this?” I mean really, it’s so easy and so cheap, and requires no effort at all. Just another example of how ridiculously wasteful our industrialized society is, and a hint of how much more we could all do, or at least some of us, if we wanted to.

For those of us who have migrated to whole grains, bought from the bulk bins of local grocers (well, there are no local grocers anymore, just chains), here’s a quick hint to prevent certain, well, bugs and offspring of same from reproducing while in your pantry: freeze the items for a couple of days after you get them home. This should be enough to kill off the potential sources of protein which might one day look up at you from your cereal bowl.

One of the perennial problems in eschewing eating out and doing most of your food preparation at home is the propensity of fresh foods, particularly vegetables, to deteriorate in the fridge before you can get to them, especially if, like me, you are the only one at home. In my case, my fridge is always stocked with a large amount of fresh spinach, which tends to accumulate moisture and devolve into a dripping, slimy mess if not attended to properly. Other vegetables don’t have this dramatic a deterioration, but the problem does remain. Fortunately, a couple of years ago I stumbled onto a solution of sorts: you know those little packets of silicon that you find in many shoeboxes or other merchandise, placed in them by the manufacturer to absorb moisture (yep, the ones that say “do not eat”)? These actually make for very nice moisture magnets in whatever your are storing your veggies in (in the case of spinach, a bag or plastic bin), and seem to prolong the process of aging. Take care, of course, that these little bags don’t sneak into your salad…

Yes, that’s right, there are many many things you can do with roasted peppers (and by this we mean bell peppers, Hatch chili peppers, and any other variety that lends itself to roasting and stuffing). The technique is relatively simple: hold them over gas or other open flame until they are charred on the outside, turning from time to time, confine them to an enclosed space (here we’re thinking a plastic container or a bowl with clear plastic wrap) for a few minutes, and then scrape off the charred outer layer. Split them open, and remove seeds. Now you can stuff them with whatever you would like; I have a preference for chopped onion, tomato, mushroom, cilantro, cumin and you can add some kind of meat or seafood (chicken, crab, shrimp, the possibilities are endless). Indulge your creativity and have fun with this. Once the peppers are stuffed, put some cheese on top and cook in the oven for awhile until the stuffing is cooked through.

Some people these days view the future, especially in and around industrial civilization, as precarious at best and this line of thought leads inevitably to what one might do if in fact, a sudden crash or collapse of the society occurs.  Of course, even a small amount of time thinking about such an eventuality produces many ideas of food and supply accumulation and storage.  Survivors of life-stretching events like war have much to teach us in this regard.  To that end, here’s a list of 100 important items to have in the face of a black swan event (because they disappear first, obviously):

100 Items to Disappear First

1. Generators (Good ones cost dearly. Gas storage, risky. Noisy…target of thieves; maintenance etc.)
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 – 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugar
10. Rice – Beans – Wheat
11. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY – note – food grade if for drinking.
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won’t heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Definite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book.
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item, longer-term lighting is difficult.)
19. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk – Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds (Non-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman’s Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes…buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches. {“Strike Anywhere” preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, “No. 76 Dietz” Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (jot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting – if with wheels)
49. Men’s Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles…Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
71. Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravy/soupbase
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. “Survival-in-a-Can”
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress’s
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens

From a Sarajevo War Survivor:
Experiencing horrible things that can happen in a war – death of parents and
friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezing cold, fear, sniper attacks.

1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate
near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is greater than gold’s.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity – it’s the easiest to
do without (unless you’re in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy – it makes a lot of
the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs
enough heat to “warm”, not to cook. It’s cheap too, especially if you buy it in
bulk.
6. Bring some books – escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it’s great to have a lot of survival
guides, but you’ll figure most of that out on your own anyway – trust me, you’ll
have a lot of time on your hands.
7. The feeling that you’re human can fade pretty fast. I can’t tell you how many
people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of
toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to
lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow burning candles and matches, matches, matches

Try some grains!  Here are some that I’ve added to bread/oatmeal/yogurt cups lately…they will surely improve your taste and texture experience:

1. wheat berries (can be added to lots of food items, brings a crunch to oatmeal and cereal)

2. hard red wheat (same)

3. flax seeds (these really need to be ground up in a blade coffee grinder or something, because whole flax seeds are indigestible, but an awesome source of Omega 3 oil).

Of course, nuts are also a really good source of protein and good fats, so have a nice supply of almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans and pine nuts around for adding to salads, breakfast foods, yogurt, and anything else that strikes you in the kitchen.

Not that this will change your life in any profound way, but it’s cheaper and more “natural” than the usual phosphate-filled commercial product.  In my own dishwasher, it performs approximately as well as anything else, and in some ways, better.  Smells good too. Here’s the recipe:

Dishwasher soap (from www.thenewhomemaker.com)

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places–if you haven’t tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you’ll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil–lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.