Jason Hafeman
Project Home's insulation installation.
Home repairs for you, with the profits to a good cause
Project Home, the nonprofit that helps financially struggling homeowners with low-cost weatherization and other crucial repairs, can now be hired on a for-profit basis to make minor home repairs or as a general contractor. "We will focus on insulation and making homes more energy efficient," says Project Home's Adam Weisse. Project Home is a Focus on Energy-approved contractor, so your energy improvements may be eligible for a rebate.
And the profits are rolled back into the nonprofit side, to continue to help fund Project Home's mission of helping low-income families keep their homes in shape. "We do weatherization on 500-600 homes a year," says Weisse.
Project Home started its for-profit work at the beginning of 2013 but has just now begun actively spreading the word. Call the office at 608-246-3737 or see projecthomewi.org.
2014: The Year of Cheese
The coming year's Wisconsin Local Food Journal ($18) has chosen as its theme "cheese and cheesemakers." Authors Terese Allen and Joan Peterson have combined a day planner, a local "what's in season" checklist, a cheese-of-the-month hit list, cheesemaker profile and recipe book in one spiral-bound volume. The calendar has ample room for jotting down events or menu plans.
It's for sale at Kitchen Gallery, Orange Tree Imports, Willy Street Co-op, bookstores and many other local stores, with a complete list at wisconsinlocalfoodsjournal.com. Proceeds from the book benefit REAP Food Group. A launch party will take place on Sept. 17 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Bunky's Cafe, 2425 Atwood Ave.; the public is invited.
Wisconsin's rich food heritage
Steenbock, 550 Babcock Dr., the agriculture library on the UW-Madison campus, is also the repository for a huge historical cookbook collection. On Sept. 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the public is invited to browse the 5,000-plus cookbooks, watch cooking demos and sample foods. From 7 to 8 p.m. Traci Nathans-Kelly will speak on "Porcupine Meatballs: Finding History in Community Cookbooks" at the Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Dr.
The new Swiss Army knife
Everyone knows the classic Swiss Army knife, which holds within its chubby red body everything from corkscrews to a wood saw to a magnifying glass. But the Swiss Army knife's parent company, Victorinox, makes a wide variety of kitchen knives, including the inexpensive, super-sharp, red-handled paring knife ($8, Kitchen Gallery or victorinox.com). It's light, feels good in the hand and does a super job at a range of kitchen tasks. Plus, it's cheap enough to take camping without having to worry about losing it.
