Fill in the blank: The fight over_______: A case for local greens?!

Fighting for ________ in the imperial valley (npr)

The premise of this article is not new, two interested groups vying for a limited resource: Water.

The farmers want to protect their interests keeping the fields (desert) irrigated, the developers in the booming southwest want a piece of the pie.

Everyone has an opinion/interest in this. One of mine is that I enjoy greens and by eating ones grown in California I am (like it or not) playing a role in how this shakes out. I actually see neither side as right. Both abuse the water source rendering it useless to wild plants and animals. Large agriculture and sprawling population in the driest areas of the US are clearly not sustainable.

I am lucky enough to have a winters farmers market where I can buy spinach and salad micro greens grown in local greenhouses. Sure it costs a little more, but when I consider the alternative (the ag giants damming and sucking our rivers dry) it is worth it.

this pesky water shortage business is probably not going away, thats why I recommend getting some exposure to the topic!

fasting, my first test run.

I came across this article from National Public Radio and thought to myself: Hmmm, how many times have I actually fasted with not even juice, and realized that the answer (unless you count days my stomach is in bad shape) is zero.

The article is full of great information about how a short fast can help keep blood sugar in balance and help reduce sugar cravings. There is much more in the article and I recommend a read if fasting tickles your fancy.

So today I attempt to break the streak. Sure, it is only 10 am est, but  I am feeling good thus far. Soon I am heading to work in a delicious restaurant. Will I make it??? Ill let you all know. Wish me luck!

Service (a MUST watch link)

We know that for this elusive ‘sustainable development’ dream to become a reality, the role of service must be wholeheartedly embraced.

And here’s the thing, I could talk and talk (or type and type) about what service is and why it is important, but I will end up intellectualizing it rendering it dead of meaning. Instead, I will link you to the King Center.  It is a memorial set up for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The speech that is playing on the ‘splash page’ (the first thing you hit when you hit the link) sums up service and it role in society better than I could ever dream of. Just blown away.

Click to Listen/watch

whizz band boom picture!

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland from National Geographic

I think this was that pesky volcano that stopped air travel last summer…

 

The Best Tahini Ever Starts With Good Seed.

This will be the first time I have recommended a brand specific food product on the blog (except for Navitas Naturals, one of our wonderful Sponsors/collaborators). But after eating this Sesame Tahini, I just want everyone to know about it.

The brand is Tohum (which means seed in turkish) and fittingly they use only heirloom seeds which to me is at least as important as organic (they are certified organic too!). Why are heirloom seeds so important you ask?

Well, the shortest answer I can give is that
1. Only heirloom seeds (seeds that are not hybridized and definitely not genetically modified) will grow back true to the original plant allowing the farmers to save seed (a practice that goes back to the origins of agriculture).
2. I firmly believe that the fruits of heirloom seeds are more delicious and nutritious
3. Using heirloom seeds promotes diversity. Diversity supports stability, creates beauty, and brings ‘balance’ into the eco-system.

Ok, three good reasons there. Each one can (and will?) be expanded on, but its a good start.

So, if you want to support a great company and have a delicious product (which blows away all other tahinis I have had) find out where you can buy this.

I just mixed it in a smoothie. Yum!

 

Just a fun quote about beets

“…hold on to your divine blush, your innate rosy magic, or end up brown. Once you’re brown, you’ll find that you’re blue. As blue as indigo. And you know what that means: Indigo. Indigoing.Indigone…”

-Tom Robbins

New Orleans was a fitting ending for our first workshop tour

Our last city of the fall tour was New Orleans and a few days before the workshop I was walking in Audobon Park when I came across a simple field of grass that immediately triggered a flashback.  Four years earlier I was living in New Orleans teaching and organizing trauma relief courses a year after Hurricane Katrina.  It was on this field that I clearly remember sharing with my fellow organizers a vision I had for Deepening Roots where I would create educational workshops that would get people excited and inspired to grow gardens and get involved in local food systems and I would travel the country and later the world spreading this knowledge.  At the time I was organizing the second summer program.  The name Deepening Roots did not exist and thoughts of a long term vision were just starting to emerge .  To be in that same place 4 years later, successfully concluding our first workshop tour was a special moment to say the least.  To be honest the growth and experiences that Deepening Roots has provided in the last four years have far exceeded the vision I once shared in the park.

cheers,

Andrew