Green at 50

There's bugs in the kitchen...no really, it's OK

Sweet success

It's harvest time at the farm. There's the everyday harvesting of fresh eggs (2 extra-large, 1 pullet with 1 pullet egg to go:-) There's the almost everyday harvesting of cucumbers, the seasonal picking of cabbage and the monthly culling of herbs. It is so gratifying to actually see the results of months of planning, seed starts in March and weeding in June.

Microbes in the kitchen

This year I've started to explore the world of pickling and microbes in preserving. My old microbiology professor would be proud. I even pulled out an old crock of my grandmother-in-laws and decided to make sauerkraut. Did you know that the preservative "tang" in sauerkraut is all natural? I didn't and I have a minor in Chemistry. How embarrassing. All it takes to make sauerkraut is to add layers of shredded cabbage and salt into a crock, mash it down to get the action going, but a plate on top with a weight (I'm using a water-filled half-gallon jug) and watch for the moisture level in the crock to rise above the plate. Cover with a towel and wait for 2 weeks. How simple is that?

According to Gritmagazine (no grit in my cabbage, no siree), it's fermentation that gives cabbage that bite, and extra nutrition:

"Sauerkraut (German for “sour cabbage”) is part of a whole family of fermented foods that we enjoy (such as beer, yogurt, bread, wine and cheese). Though “fermented cabbage” may not have an appetizing sound, it has a storied history – enjoyed by the Romans, the Chinese who worked on the Great Wall, the Mongols and, of course, my German ancestors. Eventually, Dutch sailors discovered that serving it shipboard helped prevent scurvy (because of its vitamin C content). Sauerkraut packs a nutritious punch, containing vitamins C, B and K, riboflavin, iron and many others. Cabbage is more nutritious after it’s been fermented than when fresh."

I haven't finished my batch, yet, so I don't know if it's as easy as it sounds. If you want to try a batch with your surplus cabbage, try the Wild Fermentationwebsite by Sandor Ellix Katz who considers himself a "fermentation revivalist." It sounds fun and tasty. Have you ever made sauerkraut? What's your favorite vegetables to add to the mix?

The dirty dozen

Eating fruits and vegetables is supposed to be good for you, right? Five servings a day and all that jazz. Well, it turns out that many of our fruits and vegetables are laced with loads of pesticides that can cause all sorts of problems if we ingest too much. As acknowledged by the U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked with a variety of toxic effects, including:

• Nervous system effects
• Carcinogenic effects
• Hormone system effects
• Skin, eye and lung irritation

It makes sense since we use pesticides to kill "pests." How do we think they do that? Duh.

In order to be healthier and to encourage healthier soil and farming practices, I should be buying all organically grown fruits and vegetables. But who can afford it? Organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables are sometime triple the cost of their pesticide ridden counterparts. But take heart, the Enviromental Working Group (EWG) has come up with a list of 12 fruits and vegetables that are most likely to contain pesticides to avoid and 15 fruits and vegetables that are least likely to be contaminated. They are called the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Clean Fifteen." 

"An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 80 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 10 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 15 least contaminated will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day."

Dirty Dozen

1 (worst)	Peach	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apple	93
3	Sweet Bell Pepper	83
4	Celery	82
5	Nectarine	81
6	Strawberries	80
7	Cherries	73
8	Kale	69
9	Lettuce	67
10	Grapes - Imported	66
11	Carrot	63
12	Pear	63

Clean Fifteen

33	Sweet Potato	29
34	Tomato	29
35	Broccoli	28
36	Watermelon	26
37	Papaya	20
38	Eggplant	20
39	Cabbage	17
40	Kiwi	13
41	Sweet Peas - Frozen	10
42	Asparagus	10
43	Mango	9
44	Pineapple	7
45	Sweet Corn - Frozen	2
46	Avocado	1
47 (best)	Onion	1 (lowest pesticide load)

Wahoo! But wait! How do I remember which fuit or vegetable is which when I'm in the store? Not to worry. The EWG has developed a billfold size PDF that you can print, and an iPhone application that can be downloaded to your phone. How cool is that? Check it out at http://www.foodnews.org/. Also visit the Food News website for more information about their methodology and the impact of pesticides on you and your family.

 

Eco-resolutions for a New Year

2008 is finally over (some of us here in the flood zone rightfully feel that way) and alas, a new year with all of the hopes and potential of our baby cardinal friend here is upon us. Ready for each of us to write a new chapter by building on what we have learned and continuing to stretch outside our usual sphere of complacency and make a difference in the world around us.

I think that it helps to take a little time at the first of each year to look back on our accomplishments before we beat ourselves up over the resolutions that we didn't keep in the previous year. Last year, I recorded my resolutions for the year in my calendar and I found that I actually reached many of my goals and made good headway on the rest. Way cool. I also discovered after reviewing the contents of my blog that I've also made some real changes in my lifestyle that have moved me further toward a more healthy and earth-friendly existence. I didn't expect to make as much progress this quickly when I started my journey... The more that I research and learn about the condition of our planet and how my everyday life contributes to the pollution that is causing climate change and species extinction, the more urgency I have to continue to make changes and educate others to do the same. So, I'm making my green resolutions for 2009 and you'll read about them in the coming months as I work to reduce my impact on this neck of the woods. Happiest of New Years to you!

Bleach, dioxins and your morning cup of joe...

As a follow-up to my bleach episode, I thought I'd pass along some information that I learned while I was investigating bleach...and I can't believe that I didn't know this before. I learned that not only is wasting paper bad because it uses trees and destroys the rain forest (which is what we hear about, right?) it also is bad for the environment because the bleaching process produces a family of 75 dangerous chemicals collectively referred to as dioxin. It is a carcinogen and hormone disruptor, and is among the "dirty dozen" chemicals targeted for elimination in the 2001 Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Dioxin is formed when chlorine reacts with carbon-containing organic matter. Some studies suggest that chemicals like dioxin may cause miscarriages, birth defects, and bladder and rectal cancers.  What makes it doubly awful is that the body stores dioxin so that it accumulates making even small exposures add up in a lifetime to dangerous levels... Take for example the lowly bleached coffee filter (yes, if your filter is white, then it's bleached.) Anywhere from 40 to 70 percent of the residual dioxin in bleached coffee filters can end up in brewed coffee and WE DRINK IT. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that the exposure to dioxin from bleached coffee filters alone is enough to exceed the lifetime “acceptable” limit of dioxin (there really is no “safe” level).

Ways to Healthier Coffee

Yes, there are ways to stop your exposure to dioxin in your coffee without crunching on grounds in your cup...

1. Unbleached coffee filters are available at my local Hy-Vee here in the Midwest and are probably available in your location or can be purchased on line. I found a package of 100 filters for $1.45 which I thought was reasonable...and certainly meets my most stringent cost/benefit analysis and can be composted into your garden with the grounds after use.
2. My coffee maker also comes with a wire basket that can be used as a filter rather than the disposable kind. It's not as convenient and is a bit messy to clean up, but it works fine and contains no dioxin.
3. Several years ago I was introduced to coffee in a French Press carafe in a Minneapolis restaurant and fell in love with the taste. It is a labor of love to boil the water, mix the grounds with the water and then wait for 10 minutes before pressing out the grounds, but it can be worth the wait.

Warning:  If you are opting for the last two options, you should be aware that studies have shown that excessive consumption of this coffee type can lead to higher levels of "bad" cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein, a risk factor for heart disease. Paper filters, while not tree-friendly, do absorb two cholesterol-boosting chemicals, cafestol and kahweol, that pass through the mesh coffee filters of French Press carafes.