Globally Green Living

I’m not a big news watcher - it usually just brings me down. However, there are sometimes when news is pretty imperitive to your life such as say a peanut butter salmonella outbreak.

I heard on the radio that there have been 8 reported deaths, over 100 hospitalized, and over 400 sick from this outbreak.

For a full list of products potentially affected by the outbreak and on the recall list visit the FDA website.

Want to know more about this awful incident? Read on.. (more…)

I think we’d all be on board for eating organic food if it was more available for all food products AND it didn’t cost more.

But until that day comes, should you really be trying to eat more organic, spending that extra money??

From a March 2007 article in TIME magazine, author John Cloud states -

Nearly a quarter of American shoppers now buy organic products once a week, up from 17% in 2000. But for food purists, “local” is the new “organic,” the new ideal that promises healthier bodies and a healthier planet.

Want to know which foods are most important to buy organic? (more…)

So everywhere keeps telling you to start a compost pile to help lead an environmental life, but how do you start a compost pile??

Want to know - read on… (more…)

It’s the small things in life that often bring joy and I get excited over stuff like the fact that one of my tomato plants has a baby tomato on it. I plan to make tons of salsa because we’re all crazy about it and it tastes much better fresh.

We like our salsa with cilantro/coriander, which seems to be something people either love or hate. I have eight new coriander plants going and I’m pleased they have survived the storms although they’re slightly bent.

My salsa recipe

I don’t always stick to precise measurements but I usually chop up six or seven tomatoes, a green pepper, an onion, one or two jalapeño peppers, a couple teaspoons of lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, a couple teaspoons of sugar, salt, garlic and some cilantro. The kids like it with one jalapeño but we like it with two.

I also have several green pepper plants growing in the garden. My cat chewed on one of them before I got it outside but now something else is eating them. They appear to still be capable of sprouting peppers anyway and that’s what counts.

My oregano is going crazy and I’m quite pleased with it as well. It started off looking like a crooked stick with a couple leaves on it. I always put basil and oregano in my spaghetti sauce now because everyone loves it.

If it looks a little dark, that’s because it’s night time. I love sneaking back there when all the kids are asleep and just spend time being with nature.

There are raspberry plants growing right beside the basil and I might actually get some berries this year. Last year I planted a small one I received from a neighbor. Now it’s had babies and spread everywhere so I gave a couple to another neighbor.

You don’t have to be a master gardener or anything to grow your own food. I’m not out there digging for hours or anything so most of my plants have to be tough or die. It’s still very rewarding when you do grow your own fruit and vegetables successfully.

Because Burma is ruled by Than Shwe’s dictatorship, the military is arresting reporters and journalists, forbidding them from finding out who needs help and how many are dead.

The government doesn’t seem to trust anyone so say they prefer to distribute the aid themselves. So far, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of food making its way to the people who need it.

Had the Burmese people been warned in time there would have been less suffering. Now instead of allowing aid to get through they’re blocking that along with censoring, arresting and interrogating journalists. There has been an estimated 2.5 million people affected by the cyclone but only a small portion have received any aid.

30% of farmers have lost their rice fields and animals to Cyclone Nargis. Some of the farmers have also died so there’s confusion on what to do with the land. Aid that does get through has been sporadic.

“Farmers in the areas most affected by Cyclone Nargis need rice seed by the end of June, or Burma’s rice harvest will fail, the United Nations says. The UN has warned that the harvest could fail this year and next, making the country - currently a net rice exporter - a net importer of rice.” (BBC News, Burma’s rice harvest under threat, Chris Hogg)

Today the European Parliament will be voting on whether to charge Than Shwe’s government with crimes against humanity. It’s a horrible situation and it’s hard to fathom how anyone could refuse help to people in need, leaving them to starve.

Here’s Felicity Huffman with her take on the situation in Burma. To take action or to find out more see US Campaign for Burma and How to Help (International Aid to Burma)

Food Not Bombs is an anti-poverty group dedicated to providing vegetarian food to anyone who is hungry. They do this voluntarily and because it is done publicly have drawn a lot of attention.

“For over 25 years the movement has worked to end hunger and has supported actions to stop the globalization of the economy, restrictions to the movements of people, end exploitation and the destruction of the earth.” (Story of Food Not Bombs)

• Every Saturday Food Not Bombs was handing out food in front of City Hall in Kitchener, Ontario with no major issues. More recently, complaints have been reported from neighboring businesses, which resulted in a cease and desist letter from the city telling the group to stop feeding hungry people at City Hall.

Assaults, drug deals and panhandling have all been claimed to come about because of Food Not Bombs existence, although I suspect such things existed before. Volunteers include professors and other professionals who insist there have been no problems with violence in the nine years they have been serving food there.

But Kelly Anthony, a member of the group who is also a health sciences professor at the university, said the group hasn’t decided if the other locations are acceptable.

To be off the main street “would completely fly in the face of our mandate, to bring visibility to issues of hunger and poverty,” she said.

In the nine years the group has been distributing food, there hasn’t been any fighting or other intimidating behaviour, she said. “We just don’t see it, or we would call the police.” (The Fight for King, Luisa D’Amato, The Record, May 5, 2008)

A compromise has since been reached and a new location has been agreed upon that is still visible from King Street. There has been a lot of stress on the fact that it’s not feeding the hungry that people have a problem with but that they’re visible and scaring away customers. So it seems some are aware of their existence but they just don’t want to see them out in the open or in public places such as City Hall.

This is not the first time Food Not Bombs has had this issue. Some members have even been arrested for feeding homeless people because of a law that makes it illegal to feed more than 25 people without a permit. The law is supported by many business owners who feel the homeless are an eyesore and not good for business. (Feed Homeless Face Arrest)

Like Mike Farwell said, ignoring the problem does not make it go away.

Things are finally warming up here which means I can plant some vegetables soon. So far I have some chives and basil that bounced back from last year.

The basil is particularly tough and I saw the healthy green sprouts trying to burst through the snow several times. Here’s a pic of it growing all sideways.

Herbs and spices can turn almost any bland food into something more exciting and tasty. Shelly has an interesting post up on Earthly Eating about the medicinal properties of some herbs and includes a yummy recipe.

This year I plan to expand my garden but need to recruit a couple guys to dig it up for me since the last time I gave that a go on my own, I almost snapped my back. Last year the tomatoes and zucchinis were successful but some of my jalapeño peppers shriveled up.

The food crisis hasn’t hit us with higher prices but it’s predicted that it will. We can’t grow wheat or rice to supply our family with but potatoes, onions, carrots and cabbage are some things that grow well here. We have raspberries coming but animals kept jumping on my strawberry plants last year. I’m hesitant to try them again because it was discouraging. Does anyone have any hints on keeping critters away from strawberries? If so, do share.

I bought a book on gardening in small spaces and it was a little disappointing because it mostly focused on making it look pretty.

Thankfully we do have the internet and there are plenty of people offering their practical advice, experience and encouragement to help us grow our own harvest.

Anais from Path to Freedom has started a Back to Basics Challenge encouraging us to preserve our harvest by canning, freezing, drying and more.

Back in January Anais started the 100 Foot Diet Challenge. I wasn’t aware of it back then but I’m on it now. The challenge is simply to create a meal at least once a week with homegrown food. It’s a great way to improve your nutrition, become more self sufficient and decrease your carbon foot print.

Riots are breaking out because of rising food prices and shortages on common staples such as rice, wheat, soy and corn. Millions are left vulnerable to be plunged further into poverty.

Countries that are dependent on imported food are in a worse position and likely to be hit harder.

“Haiti is the latest country to experience unrest related to soaring food and fuel prices (others include: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal).” (WFP calls for funds to curb more unrest in Haiti)

Experts researched and released a report for the UN calling for major changes in agriculture.

Unesco recommendations included using more organic, local and sustainable farming methods worldwide. See UN Calls for Farming Revolution, BBC News for more information and to see an executive summary of the report.

Although some land has already been stripped, if combinations of plants are grown or more crops are rotated, it will help prevent further environmental damage.

The food crisis has understandably panicked many people but it has also led to restrictions on exporting and hoarding which is making the situation worse.

Other Causes of increased prices and food shortages

• The world’s population growth has led to more people eating meat, which also requires growing more crops to feed these animals.

• There has been a bigger demand for ethanol as well so more corn is being diverted for that purpose. Unfortunately, this has contributed to the food shortage as many predicted it would.

• Climate change and water shortages affect crops as well. When the rain doesn’t come or starts late and ends early, there is less food and/or ruined crops. Too much rain and melting snow leads to flooding which is just as devastating as drought for farmers.

All of this can leave many of us feeling helpless. If you’re looking for a way to help hungry people and haven’t tried the free rice vocabulary game, check it out and learn some new words at the same time. For each word that you get right, 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program.

Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, teaches us about urban sustainable living. She designed her organic garden so that it would be inviting and fit in with the city. Her garden has 15 raised beds altogether and rabbits, chickens and compost help fertilize it.

Patti has also included an arbor with a seating area that I agree is important if you want to encourage people to spend time in the garden. My mother has always had one and it is a beautiful inviting gateway to her garden.

She grows grapes on it so that they wrap all around it and flowers peek around the edges. It is sort of slanted sideways now and has been somewhat neglected since dad died but we can revive it with some new sturdy wood.

Raised Bed Gardens

Raised bed gardens are perfect for an urban environment because you can put them on pavement and move them around where you like. They are also perfect for people with disabilities because they’re more accessible. Here’s a video with simple instructions from Patti on how to build a raised bed for your garden.

Indoor Gardens

How about an indoor garden? Patti gives us tips on planning and setting up a successful indoor garden with this five part series. She makes it looks easy and also shares her supply list along with costs. Her indoor gardening supplies added up to less than what it would cost to buy a whole kit. It’s still snowing here but I’m eager to get some seeds started indoors.

I found some reasonably priced organic coffee at the grocery store today by President’s Choice. It’s simply called President’s Choice Organics and it’s a medium roast arabica bean coffee that’s fair trade certified through Transfair Canada.

It was $8.99 for 454 grams, which is about a pound. It’s almost twice the price of regular coffee but other organic coffee choices were more and some of them were not even fair trade certified. I enjoyed it and it was smooth yet still had that nice Columbian bite that I like.

Organic and Fair Trade Certified

Although fair trade and organic produce don’t always coexist, they often do. Fair trade certification standards require that organic agricultural techniques be used so they don’t use pesticides and herbicides.

Smaller farms have a hard time making a living and competing with larger corporations. It can cost them more money producing the beans than the price they can get for the coffee. When the price of coffee drops, if people are not certified it’s often not even worth growing coffee beans.

Many people start growing other crops and may even resort to illegal crops/drugs in order to feed their families. There has been a lot of publicity about that in Columbia but it happens all over the world. If they’re fair trade certified, they are protected and can depend on a minimum price to make a legitimate living.

• I’ll continue to taste test other organic products on a monthly basis and keep you in the loop about the quality, price and brands. If you have any suggestions, I appreciate the input as well.

The Dervaes family has shown what a difference one family can make on the environment with their urban homestead.

Their path to sustainability and self sufficiency did not involve leaving the city and it has expanded to become an enormous organic garden in the middle of Pasadena California.

Jules Dervaes was turned off with genetically modified organisms in food and his father was a gardener so he already had the skills to grow his own produce.

Six Tons of Food on One Fifth of An Acre Homestead

The garden expanded to growing more than 400 different plants including fruit and vegetables on one fifth of an acre. They get 75% or more of their food from their own garden in the summer so they are able to live off their land.

The urban homestead has thrived and become such a successful business that in the last year, they have managed to produce 6 tons of food and the goal for this year is 8 tons. Customers include gourmet chefs, caterers and individuals.

Chickens provide the Dervaes family with fresh eggs and they also have ducks and a couple of pet goats that help supply fertilizer for the garden.

Off the Grid

Not content to simply grow organic food they decided to go off the grid and installed solar panels so they would not be dependent on mechanical electricity. Their Chevy was converted to run on biodiesel that they make from recycled vegetable oil. The fuel only costs them 70 cents a gallon.

It took some courage and a lot of work and faith to take on this unusual revolution for an urban homestead. The Path to Freedom website offers encouragement, inspiration and advice for others who are also striving for a self sufficient lifestyle.

Solar cookers can be set up just about anywhere and don’t require wood or electricity.

A solar cooker workshop was a success in Nyala, Darfur as you can see on this video. Many women are vulnerable to violence when they leave their camps so this way they can safely cook and stay together.

I was impressed with how they learned to cook everything on it and even managed to bake bread and a cake. My bread sometimes flops with the best of conditions so seeing food people created with a solar cooker was inspiring.

Since people learned how to create the solar cooker to cook on, they didn’t have to search for firewood. There isn’t always a lot of firewood around because of deforestation so this also saves lives, time and trees.

Want to learn how to create your own solar cooker? You never know when you might need one and the instructions are easy to follow with simple supplies. Here’s the instructional video courtesy of Graham F. Knight on YouTube.

You can find more information on this project at BioDesign where you can request free pamphlets available to download.

I also found more great resources at SolarSlowCooker.com. There are recipes for vegetarian meals, steamed clams and chocolate fondue. There’s also detailed information on how the solar cooker works, cookbooks and cookers for sale.

I do wish it were spring because I don’t think I can catch much sun right now and want to try it. All this talk about food is making me hungry though so think I will give this rustic berry tart a go from Farley at Coaching Cooking.

Eww, pesticides have been found in Chinese dumplings. It sounds like they think it’s sabotage because Japan and China were getting along fine and trading more lately.

The strategy seems to have worked because all of Tianyang Food Processing Ltd. products are being recalled. Some stores will not sell any Chinese food products at all now.

One of the chemicals detected was benzene. It’s been banned in Japan for over 20 years so whoever put it there knew it would cause problems with China. Methamidophos was detected in several of the bags that were also punctured.

“Co-op said tests this week have found 110 parts per million of dichlorvos in the dumpling dough and 0.42 ppm in the filling. Japanese residue limits for the pesticide are set at one ppm in wheat and 0.1 ppm in cabbage - both ingredients of the dumplings.” (Chisaki Watanabe, Associated Press, Feb.6, 2008)

Benzene has been linked to leukemia as well as other illnesses but it’s also used to manufacture a variety of products such as plastic, rubber and paint.

Organic Food

Traces of pesticides are found in our food all over the world but not normally at the high levels that were found in the dumplings in Japan.

It’s still a concern though and it’s good idea to peel fruit and vegetables when possible. Turning to organic food is even better. There are more organic choices out there since the demand has grown. We have several local farms that grow organic fruit and vegetables.

I read that some organic food can even contain trace amounts of pesticides because the soil could still be contaminated from before. It does seem like a better bet to go with organic because it supports local farmers and lessens pesticide use.

I know I’m bouncing back because my appetite is here full force and I am thinking about fish.

I love seafood but do not want to contribute to endangering any.

We used to have one place that sold English style fish and chips in the back of a store once a week. There was always a huge line up because it was so good and it was a family treat we often enjoyed.

• They wrapped the fish in newspaper, which has been banned now all over the place because of ink poisoning concerns. There were obviously some sanitary issues as well because who knows where that old newspaper had been. Somehow, we survived.

• At the Endangered Fish Alliance website, they have some pointers on which fish not to eat.

According to the Endangered Fish Alliance, here are four fish you should never eat because they are over fished, oversold, and endangered.

1. Chilean Sea Bass: Pirates are illegally over fishing them into extinction. If it continues they will be gone within five years.

2. Swordfish: Swordfish are over fished and have high levels of mercury. Because they are caught on long lines, other animals are snagged along with them.

3. Orange Roughy: These fish are capable of living to be over 100 years old! They are also over fished so most do not make it that long.

4. Caviar: There are some sustainable alternatives to sturgeon from Russia, Iran and Turkey. They include Farmed Sturgeon Caviar and White Pacific Salmon roe.

The Endangered Fish Alliance also offers a handy Eco Guide to Sustainable Seafood. It includes a safe list, eat with caution list and avoid altogether list. Good to know because we don’t want to unknowingly harm our marine environment.

• Is there such a thing as Sustainable Communities? Shelly from Natural and Sustainable tells us about them.

I found this introduction to finding food behind grocery stores brought to you by the Freegan Chef. Also shown here is “Freegan Chef: Episode One” with Roberto Freddi and Niamh Scott showing us how to prepare a vegetarian meal. Their instructions and recipes were well done. It’s a good example of how much food goes to waste.