Going Green At Home - Part 2

Before we go further down the garden path...(yes, pun intended), I thought it might be useful to provide you with a few resources. If this project sounds like it's up your alley and you want to try your hand at growing some of your own produce in a small space, you're in luck.

You can do this on your own, but having a personal guide makes the journey a bit more certain. We picked up a copy of the All New Square Foot Gardening book (see the link here to buy your own). It's full of step-by-step instructions, sound advice and great how-to pictures.

The author, Mel Bartholomew, seems to favor planting starters, but I wanted to try my hand at starting from seed. Looking for natural and organic seeds? You're in luck. shopOrganic.com carries seeds for vegetables and flowers.

Whether you buy starters or start from seed, you'll need to plant the kinds of plants that thrive in your climate zone and you'll need to figure out your local growing season. You can extend it in the fall by covering your raised bed - but now's a great time for cool weather growing in most locations (ok, it's still in the 100's here in the Southwest, but we know cooler weather is just around the corner).


Get your green thumb going today and literally put food on your own table. Stay tuned for Part 3 soon!








And here is the rest of it. Read more!

Going Green At Home - Part 1

I am fortunate to live in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, here in sunny southern Arizona. The downside is that it's not usually described as verdant - more like a dusty brown most of the time. My home is a charming one story burnt adobe building that reflects the very essence of the Southwest. When I bought it years back, there was a large fountain on the front porch area surrounded by some scraggly boxwood bushes. Fairly quickly, I turned off the fountain - it seemed a waste of precious water. The boxwoods were pretty much left to their own devices.

Fast forward to this summer.

I guess I've been watching too much home and garden television. I kept looking at that front patio space wondering what I could do with it. After a couple of iterations, I realized it was a perfect spot for a raised bed garden. It's got morning sun and was protected from the harsh afternoon sun and it was the perfect size. Thus began the project that has started to green my home.

We started by clearing the space. We gave away the fountain to a really nice family who came and got it one Saturday morning. We made new friends in the deal, so we were thrilled. Next, we cleared the boxwoods out and prepped the space.

Next, we measured and calculated what we'd need in the way of raised bed materials (wood and a few screws), headed to the home improvement store, came home and built the box. We decided to add bird netting over the top since we have so many birds in the area and, well, they'd already chowed down an entire basil plant leaving me bare stubs and a dead plant.

The box itself was pretty simple to build and it didn't take a skilled carpenter to cut and assemble the wood. We assembled it in the garage and carried it to it's final location - the result is a beautiful 8 x 5 foot 12" deep raised bed garden.

(And yes, that is the Border of Border & Black Ventures, aka Jackie Brown, border collie extraordinare).

This is what I call a triple bottom line - I get fresh organic produce from my own garden; I get to see the lush green of the plants as they grow; and I get to spend some time getting my hands dirty in a really good way. It's low maintenance, but I can putter around it if I want to just unwind - or just sit on the patio and marvel at this little desert oasis.

I've never grown much before - especially not the garden variety - I've never found the idea appealing until Lisa (shopOrganic co-founder) suggested a raised bed garden. The small, manageable scale was instantly appealing and the thought of actually having fresh produce on my front porch was what sealed the deal.

Stay tuned for more posts showing what comes next, where you can find information on how to grow your own and see photos of what's starting to sprout!

We're looking forward to a beautiful, bountiful front porch this fall and hope you'll check back often to see our progress.

And, of course, for all those things you can't grow yourself, green your home with organic and eco-friendly products from shopOrganic.com

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Farewell to an old friend

I envy people who feel a spiritual certainty about what becomes of 'us' after we draw our final breath - I have ideas and thoughts, but nothing solid enough to give me the comfort of 'knowingness.' Still, life waits for no one and today we had to bid farewell to Rosie aka Black Dog aka The Dog of Love. I know, people always go on and on about their dogs and with good reason. We get from them the unconditional, always new feeling of love that we rarely find anywhere else on earth. So I just want to take a moment to honor her passing with some rather amusing tales (tails) -

Something some folks may not know is that our corporate name, Border & Black Ventures, was formed in honor of our border collie rescue dog, Jackie Brown, and Rosie, a mixed breed, also a rescue dog. When asked what kind of dog Rosie was, we'd just say "She's a black dog" because that pretty much summed it up in terms of breed characteristics. However, we named the company Border & Black because we actually admire the traits they each exhibit naturally. I'll leave the Border part for another day, but the Black part from Rosie was this. She had a healthy love of food (which we transcribed into a love of healthy food), a tendency to always hang out with the big dogs and get them to play nice, and the ability to simply share the love.

When she took agility training, she wasn't any good at all at agility, but she sure knew how to work the crowd. She was dubbed 'the agility hostess' because she'd greet all the dogs and people then settle in looking for food on the floor or trying to work her magic a second time to get everyone else to feed her treats again.

But as happens to us all eventually, her eyesight went, then her hearing, then just about everything else. She had a couple of brushes with ailments we thought might bring her demise, though both times she somehow miraculously pulled out of these ailments and almost snapped back. These events became known as the times Rosie simply needed to be rebooted. She got rebooted twice, though each time she came back with a bit less zest, a bit less - well, Rosie-ness.

We saw the decline and acknowledged she was simply aging, so we accommodated. Her walks were shorter so she could manage, we got up with her at 4am because, well, that's what time she got up. We moved slower and grew more patient just allowing her to enjoy life as it came to her. Last night, it was a beautiful cool desert summer night. We sat in the backyard and heard the crunch crunch crunch of a neighbor was walking down his driveway. We couldn't see him, but they heard the footsteps and both dogs gave an obligatory bark or two. The neighbor himself barked back playfully a couple of times (he's never done that in all the years we've lived here). Rosie barked once more, apparently satisfied, then stood on her wobbly, failing legs, just sniffing the night air. A good night to say farewell.

Like all the dogs in all our lives, she'll be remembered for how much love she helped us feel. So today, in honor of Rosie, share the love with someone or something in an unconditional, black dog kind of way. Read more!

How to Keep (Organic) Produce Fresh

I just read an article in the July/August Cook's Illustrated (CI) magazine about produce keepers. You know, you've probably seen them advertised on television. They promise to keep your fresh produce fresher than fresh. So, CI did some tests (you gotta love their tests). The results?

None of the produce keepers had any positive effect on the shelf life of the fresh produce. In fact, in some cases, produce spoiled faster than if left in its original packing. You can read the article here.

So, here's a very inexpensive produce keeper idea - buy it and eat it! I've gotten better about gauging how much produce my family will consume in a week and I buy just enough to get us through to the next week. Yes, sometimes I have to make an extra stop at the market, but it beats buying stuff we'll likely not eat in a week then hoping against hope it will still be fresh and ready to go.

So, this summer, choose lots of healthy organic (and best of all, locally grown when available) produce and just don't let it go to waste! Get creative, you'd be surprised what you can cook up with that produce just on the edge of going bad. My favorite solution is a stir fry. For veggies that are past their prime but still edible, you can make a pretty decent stir fry and jazz up the flavors with organic garlic, ginger, shoyu (tamari, soy sauce), chiles, cayenne, curry - whatever sparks your imagination. Toss it over some organic sprouted brown rice, red quinoa or organic pasta (made from wheat, brown rice, corn and more) and viola! you've got dinner.

For more ideas on sauces and spices to jazz up your summertime meals, visit shopOrganic.com - or click here.

Enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of summer - organic, local, fresh. Yum. Read more!

Another New Model - Plenitude

A friend brought over a book the other day - she'd heard about it on NPR. The book is titled Plenitude (Juliet B. Schor) and the basic premise is that our current economic models aren't working. In fact, the economic and environmental policies in place are worse than not working, they're steering us for disaster. But unlike so many other authors, Ms. Schor then lays out, step by step, a remarkable path forward.


The author outlines how we can transform our lives, our communities and our planet and actually like it. What amazes me about the book is that Schor doesn't stick with the gloom-and-doom long, though she certainly will point out data, facts and figures that support her premise. Rather, she continually frames forward and talks about what we can do, how we each are empowered to make change that is not only good for us but is something we ultimately enjoy.

Her premise is that we can't keep doing the same things we've been doing and expect different results - but that we can do new and different things and actually create a better world and have fun getting there.

Here's what sealed the deal for me - and this is just from the introduction:

...there's a growing body of research that attests to human adaptability. Newer thinking in behavioral economics, cultural evolution, and social networking...yields a view of humans as far more malleable....As economic actors, we can change, too. This has profound implications for our ability to shift from one way of living to another, and to be better off in the process. It's an important part of why we can both reduce ecological impact and improve well-being. As we transform our lifestyles, we transform ourselves. Patterns of consuming, earning and interacting that may seem unrealistic or even negative before starting down this road become feasible and appealing." (Schor, Juliet B., Plenitude, The Penguin Press, New York, 2010, p. 11)

Everyone I know has scaled back in the past few years, re-examining their personal economic models. In part this was forced by so many people losing jobs, homes and investments (or savings). But on the heels of that was a true re-assessment of priorities. Even people I know who were less impacted by this economic crisis than most were looking at their lives and deciding that less was more.

Those actions were driven by necessity - the necessity to survive amidst the upheaval. Schor's book takes it a step further and shows us how continuing down this new path can lead to a much more rewarding and richer life experience. Plenitude is for those who've decided to go down this path and are looking for a few guideposts along the way.

Of course, my viewpoint is that organic farming and sustainable environmental practices are absolutely a part of this new economic model. We can't fix our economic model until it incorporates cost accounting for the economic fall out from traditional practices. What's the ultimate cost of the oil spill in the Gulf? It's not just on the ledgers of BP Oil that this cost will be paid, but that's likely the only place it's visible. Schor's approach is to look at many sides of this multi-sided puzzle and provide a sane set of recommendations as to how we move forward.

I won't hold it against her that she mentions organic farming but once in the book (p. 22) - she is providing a large-scale topo map for our new adventure, organic being one of the many facets that will bring us back to a sustainable and enjoyable approach to life on this breaktakingly amazing planet of ours.

If you haven't read this book, grab it as soon as it hits your local library, borrow it from a friend (as I have done) or download it on your favorite e-reader. Buy the hard copy if you must (I am tempted), this one's a keeper.

If you're ready to start spreading your sustainable wings, stop by shopOrganic for the best in organic, fair trade and sustainable products. Use coupon code GRGDS and save 10% on your first order.
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A New Model for Investing (In Things That Matter)

I've been watching the stock market in the last month or so run through an amazing array of ups, downs and sideways. Like most folks, I have become increasingly skeptical of the math, science, psychology and technology behind the stock market.

I've always known the market was skewed toward the big guys - but I used to think that if you followed in the tracks of the big guys, you might still fare well. It's clear from the massive typo a couple of weeks back that caused the market to tumble almost 1,000 points, that's just not true anymore. It's left me even more leery of the machinations of the markets of late.

Not that I have piles of money to invest anyway. But the money I do have to invest is staying close to home these days. I've decided that the best way to manage my money is to spend it on important things - like fixing the leaking faucet, getting a few new plants for the front porch, or buying really high quality food to cook and bake with.

When it's all said and done, the old cliched adage really does hold true - the best investment is in yourself. Granted, the notion of what that investment looks like has changed over the past decade. In the height of economic prosperity (aka bubbles), that investment seemed more like buying the latest 52" big screen TV. Now, after a painfully recessionary squeeze, that investment has been boiled down to basics - what you do to invest in your health, wellness and happiness. After all, those are investments that gain in value and as any wise investor will tell you, those are the ones to look for.

Healthy food is a great place to start that investment since good, healthy, organic food forms the foundation of good nutrition that supports health and wellness at every age. Invest in exercise and active leisure activities - from golf lessons to hiking to kayaking or mountain biking. [Not sure where to look? I'm a big fan of REI.] Try something new and exciting and active. What great dividends you'll earn from that investment.

After you've taken care of yourself, you might want to look at how you can invest in your local community. There are millions of small companies across the nation that no longer have access to bank funding or equity (investor) capital. They still need capital to expand and they form the foundation of your community as well as our country's economy. (shopOrganic.com is one of them - click here for details).

Look at the business practices of the companies you do business with - whether locally owned or part of a larger, national company. Do they treat customers, vendors, employees and their community well? Do their employees seem content or even (gasp) happy? Local or not, there are some companies whose business practices are stellar and investing your shopping dollars with those companies is another way of investing intelligently.

Invest in local businesses - start a local investment club or support your local business with your purchases. You'll find you have a lot more control than spinning the wheel on the stock market and you'll benefit directly by supporting a sustainable local economy.

Thoughts? Comments? Love to hear 'em.

Now, go out there and enjoy your day! Read more!

Science Shows Link Between Pesticides and ADHD

A new study links Attention Deficit disorder with pesticide exposure - (here's the link to the story). I don't know about you, but this isn't really as much a surprise as a confirmation of what we already knew but had little scientific evidence to cite.

Pesticides were actually developed as chemicals for warfare. After World War II, someone had the no-so-brilliant-thought to spray those chemicals that were stockpiled on plants to kill pests. I'm not quite sure why no one ever thought about the fact that those chemicals sit on the leaves of the plants, soak into the roots of the plants and are then ingested. I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time....

I guess it's easy to sit back and second guess 60 or 70 years' worth of 'conventional' agricultural wisdom, but it still seems like a no brainer that you don't want to douse your food in poison.

This article points to the link between certain pesticides and ADHD. I remember an elderly friend of mine once speaking a bit mockingly of all these new 'disorders' - but maybe there really are a new host of disorders all stemming from our dousing our environment with toxic chemicals.

Of course, at shopOrganic, we've always believed it was healthier for our bodies and the planet to eat organic; now the scientific community is starting to look at the underlying science and is coming to the same conclusion.

So, while it's important to teach children to eat a balanced diet, it also needs to be a diet free from toxic chemicals. Go organic, you and your children are worth it.

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