I started to get a little nostalgic today; the temperature dropped to real fall weather! I am wearing socks & a sweatshirt and I am loving it!  The crisp scent in the air always reminds me a few of my favorite things from growing up in Michigan – and today,  the memory of apple orchards is one of the events that spiked my love & appreciation of the world around us:

Picking your own Apples!

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to locate an apple orchard in Orlando (or Florida for that matter) so I have to pick ‘em from the Farmer’s Market – but almost every other state can partake in this awesome activity!  Imagine, rows & rows of apple trees, your own straw basket, a hot mug of apple cider, & maybe a cinnamon donut for a treat (as if fresh grown apples weren’t enough) You might even get lucky enough to take a hay ride on a horse-drawn wagon!  *sigh of jealousy*

 If you do have the chance to go to the orchard this season – send me pictures!  and ask the folks there what kind of environmental practices do they keep in order to make their crops tasty and not take away from the earth. 

Some things to consider when choosing your afternoon of apples:   

• How are you getting there?  Carpool if you can & pack it in with as many people as there are seatbelts to lower your impact.
• Where are you going?  Consider an Organic Apple Orchard if you can – and a local one at that to support your own growing community!
• How does the farm promote soil health?  Perhaps they create their own special organic compost blend.  
• How does the farm conduct tree disease management?  Organic farmers will use a natural approach to their tree farms by creating a forest like haven that apples trees would naturally grown in.

What are you going to do with all those delicious apples?

Here is one of my fave recipes for your bushel of delish:

Butternut Squash Ravioli w. Apple/Walnut dressing 

Cook your ravioli as normal – stovetop water boil style. I like using Butternut Squash ravioli because it tastes like cheese, but minus the extra calories – however, cheese ravioli is tasty as well - so do what you like! 

In the meantime, heat up a little olive oil in a saute pan & toast up your walnuts (or mixed nuts, whatever you have on hand) approximately one handful.

Just before they are done fully toasting, add some thinly sliced, hard variety of apple.  One apple will usually do it, but this is a great recipe to make for a large group as well, so figure as needed.  I like to use Red Delicious for this recipe, but any will work as long as they stay firm.  Also add a half of a handful of finely choppeed Italian parsely leaves.

Stir this all around just enough until the oil coats it all and it has had a chance to blend the flavors -approximately 2 minutes.

Toss this delish dressing with your raviolis & ENJOY!!! mmmm.

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Betcha didn’t know that the 2nd Sunday in October kicks off National School Lunch week!

In its honor, GTB has decided to share with you some great blogs on eating healthy, kids’ nutrition, and all around good foods.   Hungry yet?  Remember, you can always share what great blog posts you have read to be featured in a Carnival of Green Thinking blog carnival, simply contact us!

Not only is food one of my favorite subjects, but where it comes from, how it is grown & how it is prepared has significant impacts on the world around us. 

SCHOOL TASTES GOOD!

SeriousEats.com shared a venture of Alice Waters and her Edible Schoolyard Program, as well as the results of a recent study from the U.C. Berkeley student’s  School Lunch Initiative. …combines nutritional education with garden training, cooking, and other hands-on skills in the hopes of turning our nation’s youth into trim, vegetable-craving eaters. Her initiatives have been the subject of much debate, by foodies and educators alike, leading to vehement supporters as well as detractors….The study followed about 240 students who were in Waters’ program from 2006 to 2009. The goal of the study was to examine how participation in integrated garden-to-school curriculums affected students’ attitudes about food, their eating habits, and their general knowledge of nutrition….You really should check out the journal for ESP as well, they have some great tales of bringing their home grown goodness to the table in some delish eats!

THERE’S A BLOG IN MY LUNCH BOX!

What I loved about this post from LunchBox.org  is the focus on teaching kids what is good for them!  I remember having a conversation with my aunt, who is an elementary school Principal about the struggles her school district is facing in regards to lunches – most kids couldn’t even recognize a potato because it had only been given to them in the form of a french fry & called a veggie.  This post shows the struggle one school took to improve the knowledge of their kids, and their lunches. …For four years I was the Nutrition Services Director for Berkeley Unified School District.  The four years were a roller coaster ride of changing the food from a menu of highly processed chicken nuggets, corn dogs, Extremo burritos, pizza pockets and grilled cheese sandwiches, all of which came to us frozen and prepackaged, to fresh food made from scratch.  When I first started in Berkeley these pre-packaged items, which were served in the packaging, with sides of canned vegetables and canned fruit, with nary a serving of fresh produce in sight, were the mainstay of the menus….Please visit to read the very impressive statistics.  It is amazing how far a little education can take the world!

SUSTAINABLE FOOD.

This blog post on on Change.org may singularly introduce the concept of healthy school lunches and all the initiatives out there.  It includes those mentioned above from Ann Cooper (aka Renegade Lunch Lady) to Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, and even Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard project – but it also shares the insight into other great movements taking place.  If you want to get inspired about your lunch hour, look no further! …It’s been more than 30 years since Congress raised the federal reimbursement rate for lunches served in America’s public schools. Given the lack of funding, it’s easy to understand why the country’s cafeterias dish out gross, unhealthy meals like processed chicken nuggets, rubbery hot dogs, and tasteless pizza slices every day…

Read the outcome of the vote for the Child Nutrition Bill here.

PACK A BAG LUNCH!

Visit the SPARK blog for a few quick, but very tasty, natural school lunch options.  In my opinion – forget the school part, these are great for kids of all ages and are focused on the new food pyramid  of health!

Meal idea…

• Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts in Whole Grain Pita
• Banana
• Yogurt
• Natural Fruit Snacks
• Flavored Water

Be sure to remember you most handy dandy reusable lunch bag for your nutritious & delish midday eats!

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In keeping with the theme of harvesting this week in honor of autumn, we have a very special treat from some new friends!

Real Time Farms helps you and me determine where your food comes from, that is if you want your food to come from local farms and farmer markets, plus it helps us figure what markets have what foods fresh and where! Make sense? 

These Michiganders have been hitting the press a lot lately – probably because of the great things they do!  It is so easy!  Just go to Real Time Farms and enter your zip code or city and state, then sit back & wait for the magic to begin.

After I entered the zip code for GTB, I found a new farmers market to go to and several new local vendors that I can’t wait to check out!  Plus it shares images from these events, a daily schedule of events of other locally grown events, and restaurants that feature locally grown produce.

Real Time Farms’ blog also rocks and has made our blogroll for easily accessible link to all you GTB readers.

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 Okay, normally the Carnival of Green Thinking comes on Mondays – I apologize, we are 24 hours behind our normally scheduled programming.  I still hope that you will enjoy this week’s features.  Since we have come upon fall, officially - Green Thinking Blog is paying homage to the harvest time and all that brings!

DIG IN!

Slow Food USA sent me an e-blast this week that shared of Dig-Ins across the country.  You may ask yourself, what is a Dig-In?  All I thought of at first was  eating all the delicious foods that make me want to shovel it in. It is so much better! …All over the country, Slow Food members are gathering for “Dig In,” a national day of action to connect people to where their food comes from (and have a great time while doing it)…

LOST ARTS!

Local Harvest is a great resource for all things locally grown near you.  Farmers Markets, Co-ops, the works.  They also  feature blogs from farmers.   Lost Arts is a blog post by Pleasant Valley Farm in Tionesta, Pennsylvania…I don’t think it’s a big stretch to say that we do many things here at the farm that are rapidly becoming “lost arts”.  The most obvious is our choice to depend on draft horses and antique machinery for our field work and hay making.  Raising heirloom plants and heritage livestock is another area we’ve ventured into.  It’s no surprise to me that most people have no idea how to blacksmith, making tools and useful items with hot metal, coal and a hammer, although I think it’s really neat that Dan can, and one of these days we’ll find some elusive spare time to do it more.  What is surprising to me, however, is how cooking is becoming a lost art as well…

GARDEN COMMUNITY STYLE!

 What is a better way  to celebrate harvesting than with your friends and neighbors in your community garden!  Tuscany Community Garden Blog started with a post to raise funds for a community garden in August, in September they announced the approval of  the fruit of their labors.  Congratulations!  …The Tuscany Community Garden Steering Committee is thrilled to have recently received approval from The City of Calgary Parks to construct a community garden, at the corner of Tuscany Hill and Tuscany Meadows Drive.  The concept plan has been completed and includes raised beds for rental along with some communal fruit trees and beds and a central gathering place for all members of the community to gather and enjoy the space…

Happy growing!  Come back this week to learn more about gardening from our friends at Real Time Farms.

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Today, September 13th, marks Chocolate Day in honor of Milton Hershey‘s birthday, founder of Hershey Chocoloate.  Let me just say, besides being a serious lover of chocolate, I feel I might owe a little gratitude to Mr. Hershey for all the fantastic memories in my childhood including: Halloween, Girls Scout camping s’mores, getting my first (Hershey) ‘Kiss,’ … well, you get the point.

Today, while I may not pay particular tribute to Mr. Hershey’s products, I am paying tribute to his fanstatic product – chocolate. Ah, that delicious concoction from the cocoa bean.  And these particular blogs feature some organic mixes:

CHOCO-BLOG by Gnosis Chocolate

My friend, Laurel, introduced our group to Gnosis Chocolate while she was training to become a certified Health Counselor.  She brought back a tasty little morsel that melted in my mouth and changed my view of all things chocolate: it can be tasty, organic, vegan & kosher all in one. I love this excerpt from their blog ...I have a weird and wonderful father and since the earliest I can remember, he quoted Latin at me. One of his favorites was degustibus non disputandum est, which translates to, “In matters of taste there can be no dispute.” …Each of us is possessed with our own individual sense of taste and smell, and our innate senses are honed by our environment – where we grew up and what we ate as children…

DAGODA’S SWEET & SAVORY CHOCOLATE - Dagoda Chocolate by Organic Authority

Chocolate doesn’t only have to be sweet, it can be savory too!  Such a versatile tasty little morsel …Dagoba uses the finest organic aromatic cocoa beans from Latin America and the Caribbean, shade-grown and harvested with environmental sustainability in mind. The company is perhaps best known for its tantalizing chocolate bars, which are nothing like the typical offerings you’ll find on a natural foods candy display…

CHAM-PLAINLY HEALTHLY CHOCOLATE

The blog at Lake Champlain Chocolates  shares some of the excellent health benefits of organic chocoloate, so go ahead, enjoy a piece…or two. …First, cocoa, the main component in chocolate, contains Phytochemicals called flavonoids also found in red wine, green tea, and fruits and vegetables. Flavanoids contain antioxidants, which are beneficial in that they block arterial damage caused by free radicals. Flavonoids are also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Chocolate contains stearic acid, which is a neutral fat that does not raise bad cholesterol and a recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association also shows that dark chocolate might lower your blood pressure and improve insulin resistance.
 

How could I not share a recipe to end this week’s blog carnival?  THANK YOU GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC CHOCOLATE!

How do Chocolate Brazil Soft-Baked Cookies sound to you?

Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Brazil Cookies

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bran
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa content, roughly chopped
• 3 ounces milk chocolate, preferably 34% cocoa content, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces brazil nuts, chopped (about ½ cup)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder once, returning the bran to the sifted flour, then fold it into the mixture. The bran gives a distinctive flavor and texture to the cookies. Beat well, adding the vanilla extract and enough milk to make a pliable dough. Mix it with your hands, adding the milk in stages until the dough is fairly soft, but not sticky. Add the chopped chocolate, and nuts, and distribute evenly through the dough. Roll out onto a 

lightly floured board to a thickness of about ¼ inch. Press out the cookies using the cookie cutter and place them on a greased cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room in between cookies.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes until just golden around the edge but still soft. Leave the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Is my appetite so big that I have to eat my community? No, I am not that hungry.  However, I will take a large serving of more folks jumping on the eco-bandwagon to take better care of our Earth I know, I am totally cheeseball.

But seriously, I am fortunate enough that my circle of family and friends brings more and more eco-curious finds to my attention. This topic was a particularly great email to open, and in turn share with all of you!

Edible Communities Publications is a publishing company with a focus on locally grown food within communities.  Orlando just recently became edible – as a matter of fact the first issue is out this month. 

What struck me first is the absolutely rich and vibrant photography of the covers.  I mean, my mouth seriously started watering, I could just about taste the beet that was there. 

What struck me second is that one of my favorite events of the whole year was featured on page 12 of the digital version.  You too would be excited if you were lucky enough to hold a standing invite to the private affair of the season, Okrafest.  Okrafest is a gathering of friends to pay homage to okra.  Ah, Okra, such a tasty little morsel that my tastebuds would’ve never tasted if it weren’t for this celebration, the annual crowning of an Okra-Queen, and the song mentioned in the Edible Orlando article. 

The seasonal magazine is chock full of these kinds of backyard articles and tasty, helpful facts- like what produce is in season. Just a few pages will make you feel like a thread tightly woven into the canvas of your community.

Edible Orlando also offers a digital version, so no wasted ink or paper, just an electronic version to reference for the coming years!  Or if you must, pick up a copy at your local farmer’s market and favorite local restaurants!  The magazine or e-zine itself is for sale, but if you want a little taste with a personal touch, check out the blog or get inspired by some of the seasonal recipes featured.

Images from Edible Communities, Inc.

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September celebrates so many National Awareness or fun-time days that I thought it only fair the Carnival of Green Thinking bring light to some of those great blogs out there fighting for these causes!

NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH

Food safety covers every topic from BPA in your plastics  and even the great Iowa Egg recall.  Buy Safe Eat Well brings light to these topics and the ways that the government can and is getting involved.  With back to school in full-swing, GTB wanted to share the Buy Safe Eat Well’s viewpoint on the equipment kids are bringing with them…BYOB: Ban Your Old Bottles…In recent years, numerous scientific studies have confirmed the bad news about BPA: it leaches out of the plastic into the beverages, and this has many negative health impacts for humans, particularly children. In addition to its chemical properties that help make plastic hard, clear and shatterproof, BPA is also an endocrine disrupter that can interfere with normal body functions…

WEAR YOUR SNEAKERS TO WORK DAY!

September 17 is the official Sneakers at Work day, and what better way to celebrate than wearing eco-friendly shoes to your office?  Toms shoes is dedicated to not only making an eco-friendly shoe, but also sharing these shoes to nations that can’t otherwise afford it.  Check out some of their blog reads: Every year I travel to Costa Rica for the summer to visit my mother’s side of the family. While down there this year, I traveled to many different places, and I couldn’t help but realize how many people were attracted to TOMS… Of course the tourists, all saying how much they love TOMS and want to get a pair for themselves.

IT IS VEGAN MONTH!

Hug a vegan you know sometime during September.  If you don’t know any vegans (or if you do) try it one day – you may actually love it.  Veganism is a very eco-friendly practice by cutting out any factory work that has to do with the processing of anything animal – plus, anything that supports growing yummy things wins in my book!  I found a great collection of recipes to share at Cook. Vegan. Lover. – try one out today! Since today is a holiday, and I like to spend holidays at the pool, this recipe caught my eye & seems to fit with my theme of the day …Burgers & Smoothies: It was so cool and refreshing I think it is my new smoothie love.  I also tried out my new GlassDharma straw which I absolutely love! It as a little weird to drink our of at first but I really like it.  Above is just one of the straws I have and I can’t wait to show you the others! Not only are these straws pretty but they are sustainable, dishwasher safe, kid friendly and they have a life time guarantee; you can’t beat that!…

Thanks to all the talented bloggers out there who are letting us share your great knowledge!

Thanks for tuning in to the Carnival of Green Thinking this week!  Remember, if you read something eco-friendly this week that you have to share, submit it here!

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Summer is here, in full swing. 

There has been a lot of talk about the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, which hasn’t brought much positivity to the beach scene this season, but Rapanui Clothing may just have something to hang-ten about.

This is a company based out of the U.K. that practices sustainability  for the entire life cycle of surf clothing.  They feature organic fabrics, employ fair trade labor, and use renewable energy to power their machines.  The company was started by  brothers Rob & Mart Drake-Knight with the philosophy that making something that would be trendy and environmentally friendly would help it catch on – thus Rapanui Clothing was born.  The brothers must be doing something right, they were  listed to the Future 100 List of Top Young Ethical Entreprenuers in 2008.

What I love about their site is that you can click on an article of clothing you are interested in, then see how it is made.  Simply click on the link and a map will appear to show you the direct path it takes from creation in a fair trade fabric factory to the transportation route, including the amount of carbon used on its travel all the way to the Rapanui store.  NEAT-O!

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I am feeling relatively psychic today and I see a trip to the beach in your near future…

This trip will bring sand castles, waves, seagulls, fun – and sun.  The epitome of summer is comprised of these few things.  Personally, I haven’t made a trip to the beach yet this year, I am a little late in the game, but I do anticipate that sometime next weekend I will venture over there with my Mom to celebrate the birthday of our nation. 

The older I get the more conscious I become of my skin and the effects certain products may have, from wrinkles to cancer.  I have tried to ceate my daily facial regime to include a moisturizer and lip balm that contains an SPF.  However, the more I read, the more I think I should do some more research on natural sunscreens. 

First off, did you know that the Food & Drug Administration won’t have an official regulation on sunscreen until 2012?  This means companies can add chemicals to your sunscreen that may have adverse affects to your skin, for example:  cancer causing agents or sunscreens that don’t protect your skin from UVA rays at all, only UVB rays.  

We often read that  the higher the spf the better, not necessarily so.  Apparently we should  be paying attention to all the ingredients in our sunscreen and make sure they protect from both UVB & UVA rays.

The Environmental Working Group has developed a rating scale to determine the harmful or helpful ingredients in your sunscreen. 

Food for thought, the two sunscreens I most commonly purchase were rated a 7, which is the most threatening level and are recommended to avoid due to the health concerns their ingredients can cause – time for me to find a new protector. 

The Environmental Working Group has rated Badger an overall rating of 1:  or recommended with low health concerns.  It features an SPF of 30 and uses natural ingredients like olive oil, jojoba, and rosemary extracts, is unscented, waterproof, and protects your skin from UVB & UVA rays.

Quick tip for looking for a suncreen with a more natural approach, look for a suncreen that uses zinc oxide or titanium.  These ingredients aren’t a potential hormone disruptor.  I know!  Who thought sunscreen could disrupt your hormones? Yuck – thank goodness I learned about the alternatives.

Other tips for sun protection:

• Wear a hat
• Don’t go out in full sun at the hottest time of the day (10a-2p)
• Limit your time outside
• Bring an umbrella with you if you are going to be out for awhile to provide your own shade

Here is wishing you a happy, healthy, sun filled summer!

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Have you ever felt like you were almost at a stopping point in your life?  Like your days just melt together and then you wake up to realize you are another year older?  I hope you haven’t had this feeling, but most of us have at one point or another – it like adult growing pains.

I recently had this experience, and it occurred to me that I just may need to do something a little radical to break the spell.  What I chose to do was an all-natural detox, this was the Spring Slim Down Detox, courtesy of Laurel from GTB’s favorite blog: Laurel On Health Food. 

It totally worked…in every aspect I was looking for.  By providing myself with the 7 day challenge to eat completely different than my normal diet I proved to myself that I have the power to make a difference.  In the instance of an all-natural detox, the outcome provided benefits to myself:

• Weight loss
• Mental Clarity
• Clearer skin
• Improved attitude (also a benefit to my friends & family)
• Some new breakfast & lunch options to continue with…

Last night I watched No Impact Man, a documentary about a family who decided to challenge themselves to create zero impact on our world for a year!  That is 365 days people, my challenge was one person, benefiting one person, for 7 days.  The Beavan Family was challenging three people, benefiting thousands if not millions, for 365 days.  They win. Hands down.

Colin Beavan created this challenge as a way to create awareness.  Granted, they went to the extreme by eliminating all forms of carbon producing transportation, including elevators, as well as eliminating dispoable toilet paper from their daily use (it really does affect our tree population), and all forms of electricity – which eventually converted to the use of a solar panel, but this family grew closer and changed their way of thinking during this experiment. 

 That is my favorite part.  Through living this way, by not adding any waste & contributing to the good in the world, they impacted so many people and probably had at least 100 people who saw their media coverage commit to making a change they could live with to help our environment – so, in my opinion, No Impact Man should have been called:  Impact Thousands of People -Man!

My other favorite part is that they discovered it wasn’t easy, but that they enjoyed their time along the way.  People gave the family some pretty tough critiques, but I think that is only because those with the criticism hadn’t had their minds open yet to the importance of the experiment.

Sure, it was radical, but in the end, the family decided on a few key things they could commit to doing on a regular basis, and it will make a change to our Earth.  It will. Seems to me they have the GTB philosophy down to a pat, just making the efforts to get their arms around the tree.

I would strongly recommend you consider giving yourself an eco-conscious challenge for the summer.  Consider biking to the farmer’s market each week or volunteering  with your favorite non-profit.  Maybe even just carrying a reusable bag is something that will work for your life, but see what you can do within your limits to help contribute to the preservation of our world.  Get those arms around the tree.

P.S.  They did take toilet paper back into their lives.

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