Category Archives: green
Fruits, err, Vegetables of my Labor
Okay, so I had to share with you the results of my backyard, raised bed, organic vegetable experiment. Of course, we’ve eaten most of the squash, and I’ve frozen beans and squash, and then there is the great tomato fiasco– the store I bought my Roma tomato plants from mislabled them, so instead of getting plenty of luscious roma tomatoes to turn into sauce, we got gobs of tiny perfect cherry tomatoes. Too bad no one in my house likes raw tomatoes. Here is a lovely old basket full of Okra (yuk! my husband insisted we grow these, if only for him), cherry tomatoes, and green beans.
And here is an artistic arrangement of a fat yellow squash and a neat little row of Okra.
Of course, we didn’t actually grow these blueberries that my angelic daughter is holding. We pick these at a local U-pick farm, and today we came away with over 7 lbs! I’m going to be freezing some for mid-winter blueberry pancakes, and I’m also going to try my hand at blueberry jam tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Common Sense as a Weapon
In the past, I used to be one of those people that aschewed “Tree-huggers”. I blame it on the era in which I was raised. I would hear the grown ups talking about this group, or that one, and how they were taking away our rights and lively-hoods by their loud campaigning and alarmist reports.
In many, this sense of disdain for organized environmental groups lingers. For example, yesterday I send out an email throughout my company to announce I now had a bin for aluminum cans to be recycled, and if anyone would like to contribute I’d be happy to take ALL the cans they could throw at me to the collection center at the local SPCA (who gets a meager stipend from the recycling company, thus benefiting the environment AND the local stray animals).
Not too long after that, I get at least three similar comments within a twenty-minute period. “What, are you becoming a tree-hugger now?” and “Don’t tell me your an eco-nut” were the gist of things. My response? A genuine smile and a reply akin to “I drink the soda and just don’t feel right throwing them away. It takes no more effort for me to haul them to the recycling center than to the landfill. It just makes sense.”
Sneaky right? Combatting age old prejuidices with logic is very hard to argue against. No emotion, just plain old common sense.
So, realizing the tides are turning, I decided to do a little research about some of the tried and true environmental organizations, starting with the Sierra Club which has been around since 1892. Founded by John Muir, noted naturalist and author, the Sierra Club has been working for decades with the following goals in mind:
1. Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth.
2. Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources.
3. Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
4. Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
With over 1.3 million members and supporters, I’d say that the Sierra Club has the power of the people standing firmly behind their ideologies. Even now, the Sierra Club is hard at work to re-power America using smart energy initiatives, protecting endangered species and the land they depend upon, funding campaigns and research into global warming, clean water initiatives and soooooo much more.
You really should hop on over to their website and take a gander at all of the information, interactive maps and resources they have to offer. Remember, no emotionality needed, just pure and simple common sense.
Interested? Just click the banner to the right of the screen.
Yes, the Sierra Club has earned a spot on this little site 
