With the economy continuing to decline, especially if you live in Michigan and the increasing gasoline prices you may have noticed that the cost of food has been increasing. What if I were to tell you that you don't need to spend money on those larger grocery stores? or that you can save money year around? Would you be interested?
FACT: grocery stores only keep 3 days worth of food on stock for the entire local community. What if some natural disaster happened, would you have enough food to live off for 3 month, or even 3 weeks? The tornadoes in Joplin indicated that you can be caught off guard in preparing for a disaster. Over the next few months I will dedicate this blog to saving money on food and how to prepare for larger periods of time.
Today's topic: Buy Local/Organic Food and Grow Your Own.
Grow Your Own:
The Garden Beds & Growing Pots:
If you have a house, mobile home, or condo and have the space available to grow your own backyard garden for the summer, it can save you money on produce. Depending on your yard space, depends on how many growing beds and sizes you can do. There are two options for growing beds: building your own* or buying built ones. We choose to build our own. We have two 8X4 beds we built. This is the less expensive option and they are fairly easy to build. Here are some basic instructions. If you prefer to purchase raised garden beds many home & garden stores have them available (Lowes, Home Depot, etc). You can purchase compost from recycling centers or may be able to find supplies at home & garden local stores or growing coops. You can purchase seeds at local food coops or organic grocery stores, and at some farmers markets. Follow the directions on the packages. We choose to grow the following: box #1- *mixed greens/lettuce, broccoli, peas, yellow onions. box #2- green onions, green beans, carrots, sugar melon, and strawberries. In pots we have tomatoes, lemon balm, and mint.
If you have an apartment or condo without a place for large garden bed, but have a porch, patio, or balcony here are some options for you: build a smaller growing box or stacked (measure the space you have) or grow in pots. Here are some fresh vegetables you can grow in pots: carrots, green beans, *greens (in larger pots) tomatoes, and various herbs*. Some herbs can be grown on window sills indoors.
**mixed greens can be grown in just about any sized box or pot depending on how much you want. Click here for a great article about how to do this.
Buying Local/Organic Through a growing Co-op
Buying local not only promotes economic growth for your community, but also for your state. In many states purchasing items made in your home state are less money because they don't have to be shipped as far. Farmers markets are the best way to get your local food or to purchase in bulk--in addition to your garden or for later winter storage. Here is a link to find your local farmers markets by state. Also check your local chamber of commerce. Also depending on your area if you don't have the time to shop at a farmers market, many coop delivery companies are available. In the winter months we use this one.
Should I buy Organic or Local?
One question I tend to get a lot is whether buying local is better than buying organic. I always promote buying organic because it is ultimately better for you. However, since we all have different budgets here is a helpful guide on what is most & least chemically treated.
These items are most chemically treated. You should ALWAYS buy these items organic whether local or not: Celery, Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Pears, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Nectarines, Sweet Bell Peppers, Spinach, Cherries, Kale/Collard Greens, Mixed Greens, Lettuce, beans, Potatoes, and grapes.
The following foods are least chemically treated and you should ALWAYS try to buy these local, whether they are organic or not: Onion, Avacado, Sweet Corn, Pineapple, Mango, Peas, Asparagus, Kiwi, Cabbage, Eggplant, Domestic Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Sweet Potatoes, and Honeydew Melons.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Organic Tuscany Veggie Pasta Recipe
Organic Tuscany Veggie Pasta
Here was a great recipe I made today, kind of just threw things together and it was really good. Perfect for a hot day to replace carbs lost during the day.
Makes 4 servings only 480 calories
What you need:
Organic Whole Wheat Pasta (Shells, Spiral, or linguine)--If you have a gluten allergy use rice noodles.
Organic Carrots --6-8 whole carrots chopped.
Organic Peas 1/3 bag of frozen organic peas
1 medium organic cucumber chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped organic cilantro
3/4 cup organic vegetable broth (or 1 can of organic tomatoes diced if you are okay with tomatoes)
3/4 cup of feta cheese
1 clove organic garlic thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh organic oregano
2 teaspoons fresh organic basil
1 tablespoon organic lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup chopped organic green olives
What to do:
Follow directions on Pasta instructions for cooking & draining.
In a separate small pan, add organic vegetable broth, carrots, peas, garlic, black pepper, and lemon juice--bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add to drained noodles in glass serving bowl or corneyware. Add feta cheese, oregano, basil, cucumber, and green olives, mix. Place cilantro on top for presentation. Serve.
Here was a great recipe I made today, kind of just threw things together and it was really good. Perfect for a hot day to replace carbs lost during the day.
Makes 4 servings only 480 calories
What you need:
Organic Whole Wheat Pasta (Shells, Spiral, or linguine)--If you have a gluten allergy use rice noodles.
Organic Carrots --6-8 whole carrots chopped.
Organic Peas 1/3 bag of frozen organic peas
1 medium organic cucumber chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped organic cilantro
3/4 cup organic vegetable broth (or 1 can of organic tomatoes diced if you are okay with tomatoes)
3/4 cup of feta cheese
1 clove organic garlic thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh organic oregano
2 teaspoons fresh organic basil
1 tablespoon organic lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup chopped organic green olives
What to do:
Follow directions on Pasta instructions for cooking & draining.
In a separate small pan, add organic vegetable broth, carrots, peas, garlic, black pepper, and lemon juice--bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add to drained noodles in glass serving bowl or corneyware. Add feta cheese, oregano, basil, cucumber, and green olives, mix. Place cilantro on top for presentation. Serve.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Are you Really Eating Healthy?
So you are carrying a salad for lunch, you’re bubbling your veggies, you’re counting calories; carbs as great as fat, you’ve even cut processed sugars from your diet…GREAT…but have been we unequivocally eating healthy? Probably not… many if not all of your vegetables as great as fruits have been treated with colour with pesticides. Unless we have been now eating organic or all healthy foods, we ARE ingesting pesticides.
Pesticides (all pesticides) emanate damaging risks…just by a inlet of what a insecticide is as great as what it’s ostensible to do, we automatically know it’s damaging to humans, animals as great as a environment. Pesticides have been written to “kill”, not which they have been dictated to kill people or animals, though they have been combined to start vital organisms…and what have been we???
Did we know which pesticides could means a accumulation of cancers? According to a Environmental Health Perspectives (www.ehponline.org) leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms’ tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as great as cancers of a brain, colorectum, as great as testes have been related to insecticide exposure…pesticides can additionally means neurological problems as great as meddle with a child’s development? Every time we eat pesticides, you’re poisoning your body, a bodies of your family members as great as even your unborn children…pesticides can means low bieing born rates as great as enlarge a possibility of bieing born defects. Children have been some-more supportive to pesticides than adults. You might wish to check out what a EPA has to contend about pesticides…the contribution as great as census data have been unnerving.
When we emporium for a food we solve for palliate over education…with so many things to select from, we mostly go for preference as great as price though meditative about or realizing what a alternatives as great as consequences unequivocally are.
Our food is being shipped from all over a world…we’re not usually removing a dishes shipped in from opposite a own Country, we’re removing fruits as great as vegetables shipped to us from alternative Countries (yes, we pronounced alternative Countries). So not usually do we need to be concerned about where these dishes have been grown, though we need to be concerned about how they have been grown, what they were fertilized with as great as what pesticides have been being used as great as who is controlling a pesticides in these alternative Countries? Pesticides found upon furnish do not indispensably meant there were extreme pesticides used, though determined residues in a dirt or breeze dispersion of pesticides from circuitously fields need to be taken in to comment as well. This report needs to give all us a lot to consider about, though it additionally needs to have us some-more wakeful of a options.
Washing as great as bark your vegetables as great as fruits does NOT safeguard you’re eating a insecticide giveaway product. Some pesticides can trickle in to a strength of a food as great as a little pesticides have been done to “stick” to a food to equivocate being cleared divided by rain, so a discerning wash underneath a faucet cannot as great as will not mislay them. So even if you’re receiving precautions, there have been a little vegetables as great as fruits aloft in insecticide excess than others…washed or not…such as uninformed peaches, uninformed as great as solidified winter squash, uninformed immature beans, apples, as great as pears…so what just have been we eating???
Eating organic as great as healthy dishes might appear overpriced as great as inconvenient, though we do not regularly have to go to a illness food store to find insecticide giveaway dishes which have been affordable as great as still organic or natural. A integrate of ways we can do this is to find your internal farmers marketplace or food strew where “local” organic as great as healthy dishes have been grown as great as where a beyond isn’t as tall as a illness food stores. There have been affordable ways to eating insecticide giveaway whilst ancillary your internal growers as great as meaningful where your food comes from. Shopping as great as eating locally grown as great as lifted food not usually benefits you, though it helps to safety your communities, your economy, your surroundings as great as many of all your illness as great as a illness of your family as great as friends.
If we grow your own fruits as great as veggies, we still need to be wakeful of a risks of regulating pesticides in your own garden…a insecticide is a poison regardless. Growing a be concerned giveaway grassed area might not appear possible, though it is. There have been lots of “organic” as great as “natural” harassment carry out recipes we can brew up in your own kitchen. we found a little great organic harassment carry out recipes online.
Keeping sweets, trans fats, preservatives as great as processed dishes out of your diet is a great initial step to great health…but a series a single thing we need to keep out of your diet is pesticides.
Pesticides (all pesticides) emanate damaging risks…just by a inlet of what a insecticide is as great as what it’s ostensible to do, we automatically know it’s damaging to humans, animals as great as a environment. Pesticides have been written to “kill”, not which they have been dictated to kill people or animals, though they have been combined to start vital organisms…and what have been we???
Did we know which pesticides could means a accumulation of cancers? According to a Environmental Health Perspectives (www.ehponline.org) leukemia, neuroblastoma, Wilms’ tumor, soft-tissue sarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as great as cancers of a brain, colorectum, as great as testes have been related to insecticide exposure…pesticides can additionally means neurological problems as great as meddle with a child’s development? Every time we eat pesticides, you’re poisoning your body, a bodies of your family members as great as even your unborn children…pesticides can means low bieing born rates as great as enlarge a possibility of bieing born defects. Children have been some-more supportive to pesticides than adults. You might wish to check out what a EPA has to contend about pesticides…the contribution as great as census data have been unnerving.
When we emporium for a food we solve for palliate over education…with so many things to select from, we mostly go for preference as great as price though meditative about or realizing what a alternatives as great as consequences unequivocally are.
Our food is being shipped from all over a world…we’re not usually removing a dishes shipped in from opposite a own Country, we’re removing fruits as great as vegetables shipped to us from alternative Countries (yes, we pronounced alternative Countries). So not usually do we need to be concerned about where these dishes have been grown, though we need to be concerned about how they have been grown, what they were fertilized with as great as what pesticides have been being used as great as who is controlling a pesticides in these alternative Countries? Pesticides found upon furnish do not indispensably meant there were extreme pesticides used, though determined residues in a dirt or breeze dispersion of pesticides from circuitously fields need to be taken in to comment as well. This report needs to give all us a lot to consider about, though it additionally needs to have us some-more wakeful of a options.
Washing as great as bark your vegetables as great as fruits does NOT safeguard you’re eating a insecticide giveaway product. Some pesticides can trickle in to a strength of a food as great as a little pesticides have been done to “stick” to a food to equivocate being cleared divided by rain, so a discerning wash underneath a faucet cannot as great as will not mislay them. So even if you’re receiving precautions, there have been a little vegetables as great as fruits aloft in insecticide excess than others…washed or not…such as uninformed peaches, uninformed as great as solidified winter squash, uninformed immature beans, apples, as great as pears…so what just have been we eating???
Eating organic as great as healthy dishes might appear overpriced as great as inconvenient, though we do not regularly have to go to a illness food store to find insecticide giveaway dishes which have been affordable as great as still organic or natural. A integrate of ways we can do this is to find your internal farmers marketplace or food strew where “local” organic as great as healthy dishes have been grown as great as where a beyond isn’t as tall as a illness food stores. There have been affordable ways to eating insecticide giveaway whilst ancillary your internal growers as great as meaningful where your food comes from. Shopping as great as eating locally grown as great as lifted food not usually benefits you, though it helps to safety your communities, your economy, your surroundings as great as many of all your illness as great as a illness of your family as great as friends.
If we grow your own fruits as great as veggies, we still need to be wakeful of a risks of regulating pesticides in your own garden…a insecticide is a poison regardless. Growing a be concerned giveaway grassed area might not appear possible, though it is. There have been lots of “organic” as great as “natural” harassment carry out recipes we can brew up in your own kitchen. we found a little great organic harassment carry out recipes online.
Keeping sweets, trans fats, preservatives as great as processed dishes out of your diet is a great initial step to great health…but a series a single thing we need to keep out of your diet is pesticides.
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