Hooray for CSA's Part 2: Growing Little Locavores

The following is an article I recently wrote for the Green Earth Institute, the Community Supported Agriculture program of which I have been a member the past 8 years...

When I first discovered the Green Earth Institute’s CSA program in 2002, I thought it would be a great way to expand the limited, and somewhat picky palates of my two young children. Each Tuesday night venture to the farm that first season became a lesson in new and unique produce, items not normally found on my grocery list. “No that’s not a leafy octopus. It’s a kohlrabi.” “You’re right fennel does look like feathers and taste like licorice.” Thanks to the CSA, my kids soon learned to enjoy snacks such as kale chips and hakurei turnips, where once only peeled and sliced apples would suffice.

As our family expanded to include a third child the lessons my children gleaned from the CSA expanded as well. Through the farm’s camps and u-pick days my children came to appreciate the hard work hidden behind the peas and carrots dished onto their dinner plates. They learned how organic farming helps keep the earth and people healthy. They also discovered the rhythm of the growing season. They began to anticipate the treasures waiting in the pick-up bins from week to week: lettuce first, tomatoes later, and the coveted watermelon just in time for school to roll around. After a long winter of bland supermarket veggies, my youngest would jump for joy when he spied French breakfast radishes in our CSA order. He’d crunch into the radishes with a huge grin, understanding with each bite that in-season produce simply tastes better.

This season, my children have been learning something new from our CSA involvement: how to cook. On Tuesdays, my oldest daughter surveys the week’s bounty and peruses the newsletter for enticing recipes. Then she plans and prepares a meal, challenging herself to use as many local ingredients as possible. She enlists her younger brothers as sous chefs, and soon everyone is measuring, mincing, and mixing, turning my kitchen into a disaster zone. But the mayhem is worth it when the three young chefs serve up their creations with huge I-made-it-myself smiles. Recently, after a successful meal of fennel apple soup and eggplant dip on crackers, my daughter declared “I’m going to open a restaurant someday and grow all my own ingredients so everyone can enjoy fresh and healthy foods.”

I joined the CSA hoping to teach my children not to grimace at green veggies. I never imagined they’d receive such an education in eating healthy and caring for the earth. Thanks to the Green Earth Institute, I know my families’ enthusiasm for fresh, local produce will continue to grow in the seasons to come.

Check out the Green Earth Institute's website for more information and some great recipes using fresh, local produce:

http://www.greenearthinstitute.org/

Hooray for CSA's!

Did you know that bunch of carrots you recently grabbed from the grocery store bin probably traveled thousands of miles to reach your hands? Produce starts to loose nutrients the minute it is picked. No wonder those roots look a bit weary! Want a great way to get fresh-picked, vitamin-packed produce that doesn't need a travel passport? Join a CSA!

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a special agreement between families and farmers. Families pledge to cover the cost of seeds, equipment, and other supplies needed to run a farm. Farmers can then focus on growing peas and carrots instead of worrying about nickels and dimes. In return, families receive weekly baskets bursting with fresh produce for an entire growing season.

My family has been part of The Green Earth Institute, a CSA in Naperville, for the past 8 years. We've become spoiled by super-crisp, height of the season produce that was usually picked hours- not days- ago and only had to travel a few mile to reach our mouths. I feel great about being part of a CSA. It boosts the health of my family, small farms, and the earth!

To find a CSA near you, visit:

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Roll Out the Barrel Part 2: Good Reads on the Water Cycle

Want to learn more about that precious water you're saving when you use reclaimed water from a rain barrel? Check out these books:

Did A Dinosaur Drink This Water? By Robert E. Wells. With simple text and lively comic-book illustrations, Wells explores the important work of water on our planet. Young readers learn about the three state of water, the water cycle and why all living things need water to survive. Readers discover that the water we drink today isn’t new. It’s the same water that dinosaurs once lapped up at watering holes billions of years ago. Wells ends by encouraging readers to protect our precious resource so that there will always be water to drink- even if a dinosaur drank it first!


Water Dance by Thomas Locker. From rain to river to sea to clouds and around again, water dances through its cycle in Thomas Locker’s free verse picture book. Blending poetry, Locker’s stunning landscape paintings, and science, Water Dance reveals the beauty and power of the most common substance on earth. The final pages include miniature reproductions of each painting in the book accompanied by a paragraph of factual information explaining a particular phase of the water cycle.

Roll Out the Barrel…

My husband and children gave me the best surprise for mother’s day this year. No, not breakfast in bed with a little blue box from Tiffany’s balanced on the tray. Instead, I received a giant terra-cotta barrel waiting to be filled with something even more precious: rain. I’m excited about my new rain barrel for two reasons. For one, it’s a great way to conserve water. One rain barrel can save about 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months. That’s enough to satisfy my thirsty vegetable garden without ever turning on the hose! For another, rain barrels help reduce flooding problems and pollution from water run-off. Whenever it storms, the end of our backyard turns into a muddy lagoon. My rain barrel will help divert the run-off so that area doesn’t get as swamped. Rain barrels have become a staple item at most hardware and garden supply stores, so they are easy to come by. Some villages even sell barrels at a discount as part of storm water management programs. Plus, rain barrels are easy to install. My husband had ours fully functional in less than an hour. A gift that saves water, money, and the habitat of nearby creeks and rivers- what a great surprise!

For More information on rain barrels visit:

http://www.theconservationfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=247&Itemid=200106

http://www.epa.gov/region3/p2/what-is-rainbarrel.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_5131470_paint-rain-barrel.html

Coming Soon: A review of some great picture books on the water cycle and water conservation.

Veggie Vibe, Part 2: Books to Help Cultivate Little Green Thumbs

Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes by Rosalind Creasy.
Wait a second- aren’t potatoes brown and tomatoes red? Not if you’re planting a rainbow garden. Creasy’s gardening guide in picture book format offers step-by-step instructions for planting heirloom and little-know variety of produce. From ordering seeds to soil preparations to weeding and harvesting, Creasy provides easy to follow advice for gardeners of any age. With bright illustrations, clever descriptions, and simple recipes, this book will inspire readers to grow a whole rainbow of unique fruits and veggies.



Kids’ Container Gardening, Year-Round Projects for Inside and Out, Cindy Kretzel.
Are your children gung-ho to test their green thumbs, but you don’t have the space, time, know-how, or patience for a huge garden? This book provides clever ideas for “contained” garden projects. From butterfly gardens, to father’s day fountains, to Venus flytrap hothouses, readers will find a garden to grow for every season of the year.

Green Guest of the Month:
Gail Green, “From Trash to Treasure”

As an artist and illustrator, Gail Green takes her last name to heart as she creates environmentally-responsible artwork. This month Gail will be sharing her eco-conscious craft ideas in two workshops she will be teaching at the Craft Consumer SuperShow held July 30th and 31st at the Rosemont Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Here’s a look at Gail’s “green” approach to art.

Gail, one of the workshops you'll be teaching at the Super Show is called "From Trash to Treasure", which focuses on repurposing items normally thrown away. What inspired you to create this class?

One of my functions in the craft/hobby industry is to do project design. That involves creating projects and writing instructions that are subsequently published in books or magazines, used for manufacturers’ product packaging, catalogs, trade show displays, etc. So I keep a “stash” of different items to use for various project needs, including lots of items I’d normally just toss. I transform these items and turn them into published projects. We had also recently done a thorough “spring cleaning” in an attempt to un-clutter our home by turning our unwanted items into garage sale finds for someone else. And some cash for us! That’s when the idea hit me….and I wondered how many other people out there in this economy are thinking the same thing.

Also, I was raised in a household that did not have a lot of extras because we simply didn’t have the money for them. I was taught to recycle, re-use and re-purpose from a very young age. It’s proven very helpful in this economy because it is more natural for me to NOT throw out items that might have some purpose other than just be wasteful. I’m not a hoarder or live in a messy home….I was just taught the “waste not, want not” philosophy.


What favorite items of rubbish will you be reusing for the workshop? How did you decide on these items?

I already had a bunch of empty metal containers (Altoids), empty prescripton medicine bottles, glass jars and some other items. And then I started just looking around as we were doing our spring cleaning effort. I started seeing normal, everyday “throw-away” items in a WHOLE new way! For example, egg cartons. The paper ones are more environmentally friendly than the Styrofoam ones to begin with. And, when I painted items, I needed to elevate them so they could dry without sticking to the table. I thought of cutting the egg carton sections out, flipped them over and used them as my elevators! Voile! It worked! It has proven to be a great system…and a way to re-purpose something normally just discarded!

What other ways are you trying to "go green" as an artist?

I’m chemically sensitive to many things, including some art materials. Solvents or items with irritants are not only bad for the environment, they are also dangerous for people like me. With this in mind, I tend to use more chemically safe materials and have recently been exploring some wonderful low and no-VOC paints and varnishes by Earth Safe Finishes, along with some other chemically safer materials like non-solvent Tombow Brush markers and Glue Dots adhesives.

In addition to using environmentally safer products, I am VERY conscious of how I dispose of art materials. For example, just tossing old paint bottles into the garbage is not the best choice. It’s worth the trip to take them to the village recycling center so they can be disposed of properly.


Now, about those treasures…Can we have a sneak peak at how the trash will be transformed?

Of course! The photos show some of the projects, which include a faux marble finished glass jar and a transformed plastic photo frame.

What other earth-friendly techniques will be revealed at your Workshops?

Actually, the environmentally responsible concept has also segued into my Rubber Stamping Workshop, as well. I’ve developed an interesting effect mixing “green” household cleaning sprays with ink. Combined with Earth Safe finishes, the results are a luxurious, fine art look! I’ve even managed to incorporate cardstock made from sustainable materials—Strathmore Artist Papers’ new Bamboo and Hemp note cards.

Can you offer other environmentally-responsible advice for those planning kids’ craft projects at home?

Use everyday items or shop garage sales. Make a game out of discovering unusual uses for common, everyday items—especially those that normally are just thrown away. Other tips include….Read labels when purchasing arts & craft materials. Be conscious of the choices you make. Choose cardstock and other paper products made from sustainable sources such as bamboo, hemp or recycled when possible, as well as low/no VOC paints. If you must use products that require ventilation, make sure you do so. And dispose of questionable materials properly.

Thanks, Gail, for all of your green-minded art ideas!
Remember, anyone can attend the upcoming Craft Consumer Supershow to see Gail in action.

Information is at www.craftsupershow.com or you can visit her blog at www.gailgreen.blogspot.com

UnCONTAINable Veggie Vibe

“They’re ready, they’re ready!” My youngest son shouted as he burst through the front door waving a fistful of purple and red radishes, dirt still clinging to their stringy roots. “Can I have them as my snack?” How could I argue with such an enthusiastic plea for veggies? And how did I arrive at this green-star parenting moment?

It started a few years ago when my daughter brought a bean sprout home from school. Having never planted a vegetable before in my life, I had slim hope for this scrawny specimen. Still, I stuck it in a container with my pansies, and like magic, it grew. Not as tall as Jack’s beanstalk, but tall enough to produce several handfuls of beans. The beans must have been magic as well because my kids gobbled them up. The next spring, I decided to expand my container garden repertoire and see if I could re-create the wonder of kids wanting to eat vegetables. I let my kids pick the seeds they would plant. Day after day my kids tended their containers: watering, watching, waiting. Sure enough, each time a radish, tomato, or snap pea ripened, my kids would pop it in their mouths and declare it the best they’d ever tasted.

Planting vegetables might not transform children into picture-perfect healthy eaters (my kids still wrinkle their noses at brussel sprouts) , but they’ll be a lot more interested in trying that carrot or pepper when they had a hand in helping it grow. Growing veggies in pots is a simple and easy way to start cultivating those little green thumbs. Container gardening doesn’t require hours of weeding or watering and is great for small spaces or yards with limited sun. The best veggies to plant in containers are those that take up little space, such as carrots, radishes, lettuce, peppers, or bush tomatoes. (My favorite are radishes. They’re great for impatient gardeners… less than a month from planting to harvest.) All you need is a pot, some planting soil and a packet of seeds, and soon you’ll be hearing those magic words: “Mom, can I pick just one more pepper.. please.”

To find out more about container gardening visit:

http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/ContainerVeggie.htm

http://www.tobuildagarden.com/pots/potted-vegetable-garden.php

Coming Soon: More ways to cultivate those little green thumbs: Read my reviews of books on gardening with children!