Cooking in the Time of Drought

I pour cooking water into the pyrex jug, and
when it cools I use it to water our plants.

We're still in a drought here in Southern California. Yes, we had 18 inches of rain last winter, and the snow pack is looking good, but the reality of low-water living is setting in.

We put plastic bottles in our toilet tanks to lower the amount of water used with each flush, learned to enjoy 3-minute showers, and bought a low-water washing machine.

However, I am still watering my garden. I use a drip system, started a rain farm, mulch a lot, and encourage my plants to grow long roots deep down into the cool earth and away from the hot sun.

I also started saving my kitchen water to put on my plants.

Ideally, we would have a grey water set-up where I could flick a switch at the kitchen sink and run the waste water directly into our garden. Unfortunately, we haven't yet figured out how to do this. So I've started small with a jug that I pour our cooking water into and then carry outside to water the plants.

The amount of water adds up. The kumquat gets at least a quart a day just from our morning boiled eggs. Plus it gets extra nutrients from the water I've cooked beans or vegetables in.

Whether rinsing greens or scrubbing carrots and potatoes, I used to take that clean water pouring out of the tap for granted. But it's actually a valuable resource. So I now catch the water in my large pyrex jug and reap   more benefit from each drop — first in the kitchen, and then in the garden.