10 Achievable New Years Resolutions (GREEN ones)

For me, New Years Resolutions are all about self improvement - I don't start diets, or quit bad habits, why wait for a New Year to do that?  But I do promise myself: This year, I am going to learn a new language (it was French, and all I will say is, I tried . . .) or this year, I will volunteer my time (soup kitchen!  and I had a lot of fun and met some great people!).   I have one lined up for this year too, but more about that in the next blog, instead, here are some things you can try in 2011 to be a bit more green at home:

1. Stop buying bottled water - did you know it takes 26 litres of water to make 1 litre of bottled water, and 25 litres of that water is polluted int he process?
2. Switch to an organics lawn maintenance program.  We put so much pressure on our farmers to use earth friendly fertilizers and insecticides, why don't we do the same?  We may not eat our grass, but the our rainwater runoff pollutes our ponds, rivers and streams with the chemicals we use.
3. Fix leaking taps and running toilets, water is not a renewable resource.
4. Plant a tree and if you can't, plant a window box!
5. Give up two degrees this winter, I bet you will barely notice the change!
6. Support local farmers.  Keep green spaces in your community, reduce the distance from farm to table, you will benefit too.
7. Switch from disposable razors to electric ones.  Disposable razors are not earth friendly.
8. Stop receiving unwanted catalogs.
9. Give up paper (and plastic) - take a trendy tote to the store instead and finally . . .

10. Give up hot water - at least in the washing machine.  Many 'green' detergents actually produce the same results at lower temperatures, and are kinder to the environment at the same time so you accomplish two things at once!

I wish you all a happy, prosperous and most importantly, healthy 2011!

Impossible is a word full of possibilities!

The season of self indulgence is drawing to a close and I am already squeezing myself into my wardrobe and trying various diets on for size.  I am considering New Years Resolutions at the same time: try harder to save, treat each day as a gift, do six impossible things before breakfast, save the day at least once, be more adventurous with food etc. etc.

Or, maybe I should be more specific and have one particular goal to accomplish this year, and since we are embarking on this local and organic produce delivery journey, maybe it DOES have to do with food.  A food adventurer . . . oooh . . . an EXPLORER!  And I am not talking about exotic foods, far off flavors and foreign fragrances.  Just vegetables.  I mean, there has to be at least one great recipe out there for each and every vegetable!  Don't you think?  I love veggies, but there are some I just don't like to eat, so maybe that will be my mission for 2011.  Find a way to eat everything, and savor the experience.

So, that being said, here is a little recipe that I thought I would share with you all, it is the 'little black dress' of sauces!  Everything looks great in it and its perfect for every occasion.  Need something for seafood or fish?  This is it!  Asparagus or brussels sprouts need a little dressing? Look no further!  It is a French Butter Sauce, and tonight we are eating it on roasted brussel sprouts, yum!  Enjoy.

1. Bring 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup white wine, 1tblspn minced shallots, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper to the boil in a deep saucepan.
2. Continue to simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, the larger the saucepan the quicker the ingredients will reduce.
3. While the wine mixture simmers, cut 1 and 1/4 cups of chilled butter into small squares and once the sauce is reduced, add half the squares and beat with a metal whisk until the mixture forms a creamy paste.
4. Reduce heat to low and continue beating in one piece of butter at a time, adding a new piece as soon as the previous piece is nearly incorporated.
5. The sauce should now be about 1 1/4 cups and have the consistency of a light hollandaise.  Remove from heat and strain.
6. Season with salt and pepper, add a squeeze of lemon.

Voila!

'Tis the Season

Let me just start by saying that nature is a wonderful thing!  

Imagine a finely tuned, well-oiled food system that produces exactly what you need right at the moment you need it!  And no, I am not talking about our grocery store with its carefully appointed displays, or the incredible network of transportation mediums that bring the food to our tables, I am talking of course, about Mother Nature.

In a world where we cultivate only the best-selling produce and import what’s out-of-season, we have forgotten what 'seasonal' means, and have lost the fine balance of meeting our bodies needs.  When it comes right down to it, by eating seasonally we are doing just that.  Winter vegetables like brocolli, brussel sprouts, kale, leeks, squash, turnips and cauliflower are all rich in Vitamins A and C - to help us keep colds and flus at bay.  They also have iron and calcium as well as many other minerals, and fibre too.  They are not as high in starches and sugars as some of you might think, certainly nowhere near as high as some of the summer fruit and vegetables – but then, we aren’t as active in winter are we? 

If we eat seasonally not only will we improve the variety in our diets over the course of the year because we are no longer just eating our ten favorite things all year round regardless of where it comes from or how far it travels, but we will have healthier bodies that are fed less excessively too.  So add the following fresh produce to your shopping list this season: beets, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, collards, kale, leeks, mushrooms, parsnips, salad greens, sprouts, winter squash, swiss chard, spinach, turnips, cranberries, apples, pears and quince – and be merry!

Happy Holidays!

It's cold outside, but it's warm in here . . .

We have a family member visiting from Sunny South Africa this week – he is not used to the cold – or the dark for that matter (it is not called sunny SA for no reason!)  His first few days here he was just miserable about the awfulness of it all, however, after some rest and the opportunity to acclimatize he has settled in.  Last night he was saying how he can appreciate the benefits of our ‘resting season’ as he called it, and he is right isn’t he?  That’s just what it is.

I too would love to just ‘settle in’ for the ‘resting season’ – and for those of you who would like to join me, here is a good soup recipe for the slow cooker (or just stick it on low on the stove if you are around to keep an eye on it).  Potter around at home, scratch the cats belly, or chin which they likely prefer, decorate the tree if you haven’t already, walk around in your socks all day and if you want to go all the way, you can even stay in your jammies – just for one day, shhhh, I won’t tell. . .

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes

4 carrots

1 red pepper

2 bunches green onions

1 bunch kale

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 squares vegetable bouillon or a quart of vegetable/chicken broth

cilantro

Water

1 stick organic sweet cream butter

Method

Chop all vegetables into bite sized pieces. Be sure to use all of green onion, including chives. Tear leafy parts of kale into salad size pieces, discarding stem. Toss vegetables, vinegar, bouillon, and butter into a 5 qt slow cooker. Add water until pot is full. Cook on high for 5-6 hours, then reduce heat and let simmer until serving time. The longer it cooks, the more the flavor comes out.  Settle in and enjoy.

Lesson Number 1

Having spent a significant amount of career time in the dreaded 'c' word - CORPORATE - I admit that you end up taking certain support structures for granted: IT for one; the ever friendly and present mailroom staff; and the magic way you email a request and toner and stationery appear on your desk *poof*.  When you run your own business your first a trip to Staples is an adventure, but it doesn't take very long for you to realize that wearing many hats is not only exciting but also a real challenge. 

My worst hat to wear is IT - I am one of those spoiled women who has a husband who programs the remotes and loads the software and is a bit of a tech junkie.  And I am HAPPILY oblivious to what goes on behind the scenes.  So, when it came to the website for South Shore Organics it was a real learning curve!  Mark - that is my tech junkie husband, who loves me enough to endure me thank goodness - has been a godsend during the development and I think he did a pretty fantastic job.  When we got to the database stuff though, he hit a bit of a wall.  <Enter> OnSite Technology Services.  Aaron, the friendly 'can-do-go-to guy', and Mazz (my imagination has him sitting in a log cabin in the woods living a remote life behind 15 computer screens with a keyboard that gets people stuff they need using software - kinda like Tank, the operator in the Matrix - now there is an arbitrary connection for an organic blog!). 

Anyway, back to the point - after many long nights, and tense moments, and much frustration, and a delay in the official start of South Shore Organics, I am pleased to say that we are moments away from going live with our site and I could not have done it without Mark, or the talented OnSite Tech crew!  Since we are winding up the grateful season, I give thanks for them. 

Lesson 1 in running your own business:  surround yourself with capable, talented people.

Sighs of Fall

     So here we are, winter fast approaching and the harvest season is winding down.  It has been a busy year!  Spring was crazy busy - but then the energy of spring is always infectious as everything in our world kickstarts in to gear: buds start shooting, babies are born, flowers bloom, insects sound and birds start returning. 
     Summer has a different feel - by then mother nature has settled down to work, and there is constant rythm and steady on-slaught of things to be done in the garden.  The to do list just never shortens and you just move from one task to the other.
     Fall is special, you can almost hear mother nature heave a sigh, she is tired now and as the last leaves fall you can imagine her rubbing her eyes with a yawn as she pushes out the last harvestable bounty.  All the little critters start to ready themselves for the cold to come - birds head south, hibernators harvest and ladybugs come inside.
     Winter is on her way and she has her teeth in, a time to rest, a time to reflect.  The world outside goes quiet and we have a moment to appreciate the year and be still, waiting, watching for the first craziness of spring.

I love this time of year.

Putting variety in our diets

I wonder how many families can truthfully say they enjoy more than 15 varieties of fruits and vegetables in their diet each month!  How many can say they eat more than 10 even? 

Variety is supposed to be good for you, it ensures that you don't eat too much of any one thing which could lead to illnesses and deficiencies.  I hear all the time - I ALWAYS serve at least two vegetables with dinner!  That's great, but is it enough when those two vegetables are a choice of peas, carrots, beans, broccoli or squash? 

Years ago, bored with off-the-shelf produce items, families' choices started to lean toward the exotic:  avocados, olives, kiwi fruit, star fruit, mangoes.  Now thanks to our wonderful infrastructure of roads, airports, rails, and shipping lanes - not to mention loads of carbon fuels, these produce items have become more main-stream.  As we accept the environmental cost of these choices the new trend seems to be to go back to grass roots and eat local.  But perhaps we just need to realize that variety is wonderful, and we don't have to go overseas to get it.  Years ago Indians survived on over 11,000 plant species, I read that somewhere, however today 80% of agriculture comprises of just 10 crops, maize being the front-runner.

So how do we get variety and eat local?  Well, Berkshire Organics has an answer.  They put together a box of fresh locally sourced produce for delivery to residents and they offer the option to make substitutions.  But I rather like the approach of get your box, and cook with what's in it - like some reality TV show!  Since they don't service our area, we, my family and I in partnership with Berkshire Organics, are embarking on a journey to offer local residents this service!  We start December 1st and I have to say, it is somewhat scary, exhilarating and exciting all at the same time. 

We have so many hopes for this new venture, mostly we want it to become a value add to the community, connecting people to their food and the farmers that grow it, but also, I hope families are up to the challenge of eating healthier fresh food, and also up to the challenge of making meals out of what is in their boxes.  Crop rotations and smaller farms mean that almost anything is possible, so I want to say go ahead and substitute if you must but really, is there no way you can prepare the offending item in a way that you could find palatable?  Let's look to the land for what is fresh and in season, and let’s find a way to bring it to our dinner tables with flair and gratitude for the harvest.

So, here we go, on a live-green-eat-fresh rollercoaster ride for sure, and here's to bringing back the obscure parsnips, and celebrating kale - a timeless staple, let's eat blushing beets and devour voluptuous eggplants.  Join us, step out of your comfort zone and bring excitement back to the words: dinner is served!

Is Organic Food a Fad?

The definition of a fad is: ‘a temporary fashion, notion, manner of conduct, etc., esp. one followed enthusiastically by a group’.  And the answer is: No.  The phrase ‘organic’ was first coined by Lord Northbourne, an agriculturist, educator and writer.  In his influential book ‘Look to the Land’ first published in 1940, Lord Northbourne introduced the concept of organic farming by recognizing the farm as an organism – each part of the whole (soil, water, fauna, flora and air) being interdependent.  ‘The farm as an organism’ concept though, goes beyond just abolition of harmful pesticides and invasive genetic meddling, it recognizes that we are custodians of the earth in every sense, and our health and survival is connected intricately to the health of the soil and the survival of all living things, what better place to start than where we grow our food?

Thankfully, today organic foods is the fastest growing agricultural market, with Bloomberg recognizing many new ‘organic and wholesome food’ start ups as ‘most promising’.  Organic enthusiasts have over the years extended from free-spirited hippies to include a much broader spectrum of the population who care about what they eat, and want to raise healthy families in healthy communities (thank you Generation Y).  And by healthy communities I mean local farms, open spaces and indian summer hayrides or autumn apple picking. 

So here we are, 70 years later and it is still a popular and growing topic, centering more and more around lifestyle choices, and our choices as custodians of our land, and our childrens future.  We can't all grow our own food and eat from our gardens, but our choices today influence growers of tomorrow.  Is it a fad?  No, I don't think so.  Is it a growing movement that will restore goodness to our fresh foods, reduce obesity and chronic disease and leave a legacy we can be proud of?  Absolutely!