Azek at Home Spring 2015

SPRING 2015

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Thinking back to warm, summer evenings cooking over an open fire or an old-fashioned charcoal grill often conjures up memories of charred hotdogs and burnt marshmallows. But if you long for outdoor cooking, today’s trends in outdoor kitchens blow those wobbly charcoal grills away! No matter the season, sizzling your food over an open flame can now be done with style and flair. So, hold on to your apron and imagine an outdoor kitchen space that is beyond your wildest dreams.

PREPARING FOR MORE THAN JUST GREAT FOOD

The outdoor kitchen can serve as a functional outdoor room, incorporating the best use of space for cooking and entertaining. Whether simple or elaborate, outdoor kitchens should be smartly planned for convenience and traffic flow. And, they may even increase your home’s resale value. Here are some tips for planning the outdoor kitchen space that reflects your lifestyle.

How often you grill may influence many things in your outdoor kitchen design – even the type of grill you purchase. If you only grill in the summer, you may choose a grill with wheels that can be easily moved into the garage once the seasons change. These grills are the most common type and come in a variety of size and in a range of prices.

For year round grilling and full scale meals, consider a built-in grill, perhaps with side burners that allows for cooking separate items at different temperatures. A built-in base can also provide extra countertop and storage space.

LAYOUTS THAT PUT THE FUN IN FUNCTION

Workspace and safe traffic flow are important when designing your outdoor kitchen. Be sure there is sufficient space for people to gather comfortably without being too close to open flames. Typically, allow three feet of space on either side of the grill for work space and food preparation. Also make sure the grill is in an open area that can withstand high temperatures. And, be sure to select weatherproof materials for countertops, cabinets, and other elements of your kitchen such as stainless steel, slate, tile, stucco and stone.

TURNING UP THE HEAT ON OUTDOOR KITCHENS

For the chef, plan a layout that minimizes the number of trips inside. Then determine how the space can be built so that food preparation and serving are easy and unobstructed. If the design has space limitations, consider any existing features such as trees, shrubs and pools, and distance from neighbors. For entertaining after dark, plan any lighting needs you may have for the outdoor area: choose direct task lighting for the work areas; softer lighting for social areas and stair riser lighting for safety.

Before you begin any outdoor kitchen project, have a professional check an existing deck or patio where you plan on building your outdoor kitchen. While most existing decks or patios may be able to support additional weight, if they aren’t designed to support your dream outdoor kitchen, you may need to add structural support. If you are building a new space for your outdoor kitchen, consider the latest low-maintenance decking and paver options.

ACCESSORIZE YOUR KITCHEN

While the grill is the center of the outdoor kitchen, certain upgrades can enhance the outdoor dining experience. For example, installing an exhaust hood over the built-in grill can keep smoke out of your guests’ eyes. And, adding an outdoor sink makes prepping and cleaning veggies an easy task without having to go in and out.

Keep ahead of the weather with retractable awnings and umbrellas to provide shelter from the sun or rain. As the seasons change, you may also want to consider patio heaters or an outdoor fireplace if you plan on grilling during chilly weather. For entertainment fun, you’ll need outdoor GFCI outlets for small appliances and stereos. Remember to consult with a professional electrician for local code requirements.

Whatever your outdoor kitchen dream, the grills and amenities on the market today can make your outdoor visions a reality.

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LIFESTYLE TIPS

Are you a “Locavore?” This term, added to the dictionary in 2007, refers to someone who eats food grown locally, usually within a 100 mile radius.

What began as a challenge among four friends in the San Francisco area has since spread to a national phenomenon. The Locavore movement has fueled an increase in farmers’ markets – small and large – by more than 123% over the past ten years. What’s more important, the trend seems to be here to stay.

Why the passion for consuming local foods? According to a 2014 study by the Food Marketing Institute, 90% of all consumers say they purchase locally grown products at least occasionally. The top three reasons for buying locally are: Freshness or In Season (86%); Supporting the Local Economy (75%); and Taste (61%). In anticipation of spring’s first bountiful harvests, here are some tips and timely information for getting the most from your local food scene, as well as the answer to the big question ... who is your farmer?

FARMERS’ MARKETS

For shoppers, local farmers’ markets feature the very best of each season – from the first harvest through the final turn of dirt. Being able to connect directly to the farmer who picked your food, usually within the past 24 hours, delivers food that is fresher, tastes better, and packs more nutritional value.

Begun more than a century ago, the farmers’ markets of today may look very different than those original events, often featuring live animals and crafts, but the purpose remains the same – connecting local farmers with local consumers. Farmers’ markets also help maintain an important social activity in a community – linking rural and urban populations. A market can also be a catalyst for other business in the surrounding area by spurring further economic growth. So, supporting your local farmers’ market is a win for everyone!

With more than 8,000 farmers’ markets across the country, finding one nearby is as simple as checking out www.localharvest.org. Just enter your zip code for a list of all the farmers’ markets in your area.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AGRICULTURE (CSA)

As an alternative to a farmers’ market, Community Supported Agriculture has become a popular way for consumers to buy local food directly from a farmer. In this model, a farmer offers a certain number of weekly subscription “shares” of their harvest to the public throughout the farming season. The share typically consists of seasonal vegetables, but other farm raised items, such as meat, poultry, cheeses and eggs, may also be included. CSA members benefit by receiving the freshest produce, expanding their food palette by trying the differing foods included in their weekly share, and developing a closer relationship with their farmer. For the farmer, pre-selling their harvest helps with cash flow and allows them to get to know their customers personally.

While the CSA is a simple concept, the impact has been remarkable as tens of thousands of families now belong to CSAs. Though there is no official tracking of CSAs, www.localharvest.org also has a database of more than 4,000 CSAs operating in the US.

GROW YOUR OWN

If you have space and the urge to dig in the dirt, there is nothing better than planting, nurturing, and harvesting your own food. Even with a small space, individuals can find creative ways to do container gardening, raised beds, and even hydroponics (growing plants in water instead of soil). There is no limit to what you can grow, even in a small space, as long as you have the desire ... and enough sunlight. Check out these small garden ideas at www.vegetable-gardening-online.com/small-vegetable-garden.html to get started on your seasonal harvest. Or, if you have some room to spread out, your garden can be as large as you want. For more ideas, go to www.gardeners.com/how-to/vegetable-gardening/5069.html.

With many different options to explore local food, finding the best way for you is the key. And, with Spring on our doorstep, a green thumb can’t be far behind.

“LOCAVORE” IS MORE THAN JUST A WORD. JUST ASK YOUR LOCAL FARMER.

FOOD FACTS!

Locally grown fruits and vegetables are usually sold within 24 hours of being harvested.Produce picked and eaten at the height of ripeness has exceptional flavor and, when handled properly, is packed with nutrients.

Traveling tomatoes are picked green and then gassed with ethylene prior to shipping.Mature-green tomatoes are normally treated with 100 to 150 ppm of ethylene for 24 to 48 hours at 68 to 77 degrees F before shipment to assure uniform ripening. Repacking may be required if color development is not uniform.

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AZEK AT HOME SPRING 2015

RECIPE

How many times have you wished for just a little more finished outdoor space for entertaining, but having the budget to hire a contractor always seems to put it out of reach? Now, with AZEK Pavers, there is a real DIY solution to that challenge.

AZEK Pavers, made from up to 95% recycled content, was introduced to the national market about three years ago and has been winning hearts ever since. Their ease of installation, coupled with durability, beauty and environmental advantages, has allowed AZEK Pavers to emerge as the most innovative hardscape solution for patios, walkways, driveways and even deck resurfacing,

AZEK Paver profiles include: Standard, for new patio, walkway, and driveway construction; Permeable, with spacer lugs to facilitate water filtration; and Resurfacing Pavers, a thinner profile that can be installed directly over existing concrete slabs, flat roofs and decks.

With low-maintenance, beauty and durability, all AZEK Pavers are stain-, impact- and scratch-resistant and save on installation time and labor compared to traditional concrete and clay pavers. Fitting into an innovative grid system and at less than half the weight of traditional pavers, AZEK Pavers install up to three times faster than other pavers, with no special tools or masonry wet saws required.

Homeowners who have tackled an AZEK Paver installation on their own compare it to playing with Lego® building blocks. Just place the paver grids on a prepared surface and fit the blocks into the grids – in a variety of patterns. Even easier to install are the Resurfacing Pavers, because there is little to no surface prep, just lay the grids over an existing flat sub structure and start designing!

Over the past three years, AZEK Pavers has expanded distribution and is now readily available across the US and Canada, poised to redefine the hardscape category while helping to meaningfully reduce landfill waste. And, with the product easily accessible, efforts to introduce the product to consumers have also begun with print, TV and online advertising to show off the product.

For more information on AZEK Pavers, check them out at www.azek.com/products/pavers and for installation information, check out these videos at www.azek.com/technical-center/installations/pavers.aspx

EASILY ADD OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE

A favorite spring harvest, asparagus can be enjoyed many ways. Using your outdoor grill, this Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus recipe is easy to make and very tasty. Just trim, wash, wrap, brush with olive oil, season, and throw the asparagus on the grill. It really is that simple!

The sweet, savory, salty taste of the grilled prosciutto along with the smoky, rich earthy flavor of the grilled asparagus is a wonderful complement. Thicker asparagus spears work well wrapped individually, while the smaller ones are better wrapped in bundles of three or four.

INGREDIENTS:• 16 large asparagus spears with tough ends snapped off

• 16 slices of prosciutto, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:• Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears, wash thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel.

• Wrap each asparagus spear with a thin slice of prosciutto

• Brush the wrapped spears with olive oil

• Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste

• Place spears over medium heat (300° - 350°F) on charcoal or gas grill.

• Cook until prosciutto is crisp and asparagus is tender, but not limp

PREP TIME: 10 minutesCOOK TIME: 10 minutesTOTAL TIME: 20 minutesSERVES: 4

GRILLED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

DID YOU KNOW?

If you love asparagus and want to grow your own, waste no time getting started. Even with the best of care, an asparagus bed won’t hit its stride for several years. But once that happens, the bed will produce an abundant crop of spears spring after spring for at least the next 20 years.

You can plant asparagus in the ground, but it really thrives when planted in a raised bed. Years ago, gardeners were told to prepare an asparagus bed by digging an 18” deep trench and then filling it with a mix of compost and soil. Today’s improved varieties of asparagus are less work to plant (only 6” to 12” deep is adequate) and produce almost twice as many

spears per plant.

PRODUCT NEWS RECIPE

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AZEK AT HOME SPRING 2015

One sure sign that Spring is coming is the return of the hummingbirds. Depending on your location, this migration may start as early as January or as late as May. Led by the male species, hummingbirds are believed to sense changes in daylight duration and the abundance of flowers, nectar and insects, which triggers their migratory flight northward from southern Mexico and Central America up through North America.

Flying alone on their journey, hummingbirds often fly on the same path they have flown earlier in their lives, just above treetops or water. During their travels, a hummingbird’s heart can beat over 1,200 times a minute and its wings can beat up to 80 times a second. All of this hard work requires lots of energy – stored up before their journey or gathered along the way.

Hummingbirds travel during the day when flowers to supply nectar are more abundant and most visible. If you want to attract these amazing birds to your property, offer them sustenance for their travels, and maybe even encourage them to stick around for your enjoyment, these are just a few of the trees, shrubs, vines and flowers that you can plant. And they also enjoy water for an occasional bath!

Trees/Shrubs - Azalea, Butterfly Bush, Lantana, Mimosa, Weigela

Vines - Coral Honeysuckle, Morning Glory, Trumpet Creeper

Flowers - Bee Balm, Columbine, Four O’Clocks, Foxglove, Hosta, Lupine, Yucca,Fuchsia, Petunia, Impatiens

As the summer comes to an end, the hummingbirds will begin moving south again. You may notice them eating in the early morning or late afternoon, since they travel throughout the midday. By late September, as the summer greenery is fading, these beautiful creatures will be heading south through the lower US as they prepare to cross over Mexico or the Gulf of Mexico. Over land or sea, the hummingbirds are happily heading to wait out the winter in warmer weather – just as the rest of us wish we could do!

For more information about hummingbirds, check out www.hummingbirdsociety.org.

HOW CAN SOMETHING SO TINY BRING SUCH BIG SMILES?

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