Twitter-Little tidbits of peace not distraction

My husband signed me up for Twitter last week. "You're going to love it!" he tells me. "It's the wave of the future, you can share so much information." Of course, what I heard is,"here's another distraction you have to learn." But after perusing the Twitter site and looking for things to follow, I had to say that he's right. I have found great organic recipes, lots of information on sales, detailed legislation information on the future of organics...and I'm just getting started!

So we're in. We're signed up and are now twittering. Please follow us, tweet back and tell your friends! But let's make a pact to do it responsibly. Don't do it while you are having a great conversation with your friend, in line at the grocery store, or at dinner with your family. (I know most of you wouldn't considering doing such a thing, but it is fun addicting stuff we must stay aware!) Take, for example, a prime example of a twitter annoyance: Out to diner with my husband last night, he glances at his phone and starts scrolling. I ask, "you have to work tonight?" He answers, "No, so and so just broke his collar bone and is out the rest of the season!"

We have to evolve rules for twittering just like we have with cell phones: keep them on silent not just in the theater, but also when in public or when with other people. These technologies can bring great things into our lives, but we have to keep things in perspective. But you're already reading a blog dedicated to organic, sustainable living. You know what I mean. So enough said: Let's tweet peacefully!!

The Dirty Dozen-What to buy organic

I get the same question all of the time: "Do I need to buy all organic food? It is so expensive!" My answer is always yes and no. Of course not all of us can afford to go 100% organic every time we shop. But we can do our best to focus on eliminating the most contaminated. The trick is to make the best decisions possible.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), we consumers can reduce our pesticide exposure by 80% simply by avoiding the fruits and vegetables most contaminated by pesticides. The research is sobering. If you eat your USDA-recommended 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies from the 15 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you could be consuming an average of 10 different pesticides -- a day! However if you eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally grown produce, you ingest less than 2 pesticides daily.

So, my answer would be that you should always buy organic:

Apples
Cherries
Grapes
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Raspberries
Strawberries
Bell Peppers
Celery
Potatoes
Spinach

If you need to economize, these are the least contaminated conventionally grown:

Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli

Don't forget your Simple Peace bags!

Organic gardening in your own backyard!

I have been trying for the last few years, unsuccessfully, to grow vegetables in my back yard. Nothing would grow. I tried blueberries, tomatoes, and zucchini; the things that take over gardens in other parts of the country. My mother kept telling me that she had more zucchini than she knew how to handle, she couldn’t even give it away anymore. She had resorted to making weird recipes with zucchini (faux chocolate cake). What was I doing wrong? Was it the fact that my yard is surrounded and I can literally reach out and touch my neighbors? Not enough sun? Not enough water?

Finally I got online trying to find out what the problem was. After an exhaustive search I was convinced that my soil was contaminated. I found out from a friend that was trying the same experiment in her back yard that you could have your soil tested at Wallace Laboratory. The test didn’t come back as bad as I thought. The result was not contaminated, just nutrient lacking sandy soil. What can you grow in the sand? Palm trees? In order for anything to grow in this soil I would have to heavily amend the soil. Meaning every month, add, turn and transform the soil into something else.

I wanted a garden in my back yard. It is important for me to show my kids that you don’t have to buy everything from the grocery store or the farmers market. I want them to watch a seed sprout and grow. But amending the soil every few weeks seemed like a big chore. The gentleman at Wallace Lab recommended growing in pots, containers, or raised beds. That way you control what you put in the container from the beginning.

My winter garden is planted with broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, chard, lettuces, and radishes. My four-year-old daughter planted most of it. My thirteen-year-old son was upset that he was at baseball practice and he missed the planting. He is now in charge of watering. Every night I ask, “Who wants to take out the compost,” and I get a symphony of “I do, I do.” I think it is going to work this time.

Resources:

Soil testing: Wallace Laboratory, www.bettersoils.com

Raised beds: www.organicgardening.about.com
www.nextag.com/raised-garden-beds/products