By Kirsten Lovan

September 11, 2011

Composting is something everyone can do, no matter your living space; there is a way to compost! All you have to do is type composting into your preferred search engine and you can immediately find 20 ways to compost everything from kitchen scraps and yard waste to cardboard and you can do it on any scale.  Composting is an age old tradition used by farmers and home gardeners as a way to improve the soil’s structure, texture and fertility and increase its ability to retain water, all while decreasing their impact on overflowing landfills. Public awareness is increasing about what we, as individuals, need to do to conserve existing landfill space while reducing what we put in it. It is amazing to think that 1/3 of our landfills are taken up by organic waste, including kitchen scraps and yard clippings, and some larger cities are no longer collecting yard waste. All of that black gold is just sitting there, wasting away, literally. More and more people are re-discovering and turning more towards the traditional ways of life to reduce and re-use their scraps. Composting takes minimal planning and start up costs vary from little to none.

If you think that you have to grow food to compost, think again. You can use this in place of commercial fertilizers in any type of garden, flower or food.

Finding the right composting container is something of a personal preference. There are mountains of tools and containers and charts available online and locally to help you determine which method of composting is for you.

Check out Progressive Gardens on Oleander Drive for friendly advice about how to get started.

Tips about composting:

Layering and finding the balance between the green and brown matter help keeps the compost going and keep any strong smells from developing. Keeping the compost with the correct amount of moisture is important.

Don’t throw away kitchen scraps; add them to the compost pile. Egg shells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps and grass clippings are all considered green matter.

Pine straw, fallen leaves, wood chips and even brown paper and cardboard (minimal inks and dyes please) are all considered brown matter.

Keeping the compost aerated. Turning the compost insures that enough oxygen is getting in and effectively breaking down the matter evenly.

What are you waiting for? Waste no more!

Amazing Watercress by Kirsten Lovan

After tasting this salad I knew I needed to share the recipe…

First here are some stats on this leafy green.  Watercress is the most ancient of green vegetables known to man.  It can be traced back to the Persians, Greeks and Romans.  Some other interesting facts about this leafy green are it contains more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than an orange and more absorb-able iron than spinach.  It is truly nature’s multi-vitamin.  It is said to be an excellent cancer and disease preventing food due to it’s high vitamin and mineral content.  It is also a great vegetable for someone who suffers from asthma and bronchial infections and is said to be a blood purifier.  This will be a salad for the cold and flu season at my house for sure.  This recipe is a great one for children in a lunch box or as an afternoon snack.

One bunch of watercress ( rinse and chop, compost stems.)

2 large apples (sliced)

4 stalks celery (sliced)

1/2 c of dried cranberries

1/2 c of toasted (or raw) walnuts ( coarsely chopped)

mix apple juice and small amount of lemon (to keep the apples from turning brown)

lightly dress with the juice and enjoy.

*made by Debrah Lovan

Organic baby food DIY.

By: Kirsten Lovan

Making your own baby food may sound intimidating at first. But it’s a great first step on helping your child develop a taste for wholesome, fresh foods.  It’s also a good way to do your part in supporting the environment.  No wasted glass jars and no gas is used to ship products hundreds of miles.  Your child can grow on local, organic produce made with love.  It’s also easy on the wallet.  Some really great resources are “Making Your Own Baby Food” by Ruth Yaron and “Feeding the Whole Family” by Cynthia Liar.  Here are some tips when your ready to get started.

• Use organic fruits and vegetables.
• Be sure to wash and trim off the parts that could be a choking hazard like peels, pits and seeds.
• Steam your vegetables as opposed to boiling them, it helps to preserve the nutrients. There is no need to add salt or sugar to your baby’s food, it could be overwhelming to their body’s systems, and you don’t want them to develop a taste for it too early.
• You don’t have to prepare something different every night, you can take portions of your meal before you season it and blend it.  You can also save time by making enough for several meals at a time and freezing them. You can use ice cube trays or recycled commercial baby food jars. Just remember to avoid filling up the glass jars completely as it will expand when it freezes.
• Labeling your jars with the name and date can help with keeping the foods fresh and avoiding the question “what is that and when did I make it?”.
• To avoid waste start out with a small portion to feed your baby then gradually add more using a clean spoon.

All you need is some fresh produce, a blender, and some ice cube trays to get started.  More about making your own baby food with recipes and pictures to come!

Michael Pollan is a New York Times best selling author.  He has written some books you may have heard of… The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food.  I have also seen him in the documentaries; Food Inc. and The Botany of Desire.  I have to say I have always agreed with his view on food systems in our country and what it is we should be eating.  His latest work is more of a hand book called Food Rules, an eater’s manual.  I picked it up on my mom’s living room table one evening and have read it several times… I even carry it around in my bag most of the time.  It’s short, easy to read and right within my reach when my best judgement about what to eat escapes me for a while.

So basically when the question is asked “What should I eat?”, he has answered it with seven words.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”  Sounds simply enough right?  The book is based on 64 simple rules that have been collected  and framed in the terms of culture and not science.  Not because the science isn’t important but because you don’t have to know the amount of omega 3′s or antioxidants that are contained in your food to know and feel that it’s good for you.

Some of my favorite rules:

#2-Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

#7-Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.

#11- Avoid foods you see advertised on television.

#12- Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.

#13-Eat only foods that will eventually rot (there are a few exceptions to this rule).

#14 Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.

#19 If it came from a plant, eat it; If it was made in a plant, don’t.

#23 Treat meat as a flavoring or special occasion food. #27 Eat animals that have eaten well themselves.

#63 Cook.

#64 Break the rules once in a while.  Being obsessive over food rules is bad for your happiness.

Starting with the basics: whole grains

By Kirsten Lovan

The basics are the place to start when trying to incorporate whole foods into the diet.  Heidi Swanson has a beautiful cookbook, packed with useful information about whole foods, titled Super Natural Cooking. You may also want to check out her website.

I have found that an easy way to incorporate whole grains into my diet is by using them as a main course.  Combining whole grains with other nuts and seeds or legumes makes a complete protein, thus cutting down on the amount of meat we consume.  Whole grains are a powerhouse of health promoting nutrients. They are high in protein, phyto-nutrients, vitamins and healthy fats.  Quinoa, wheat berries, millet, and barley are some of our family’s favorites.  Whole grains are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased in the bulk bins, which means you can buy as much or as little as you need.  At home we store our grains in mason jars in the refrigerator to ensure that the oils don’t become rancid.

We also are beginning the practice of soaking and fermenting our grains before we cook and consume them, making them easier to digest.  I will talk more about this process in detail in an upcoming post.

A recipe that we use at home is one that can be made as a side dish to a meal and then what is left over can be saved and eaten hot or cold the following day.

Wheat Berry Salad

With citrus, almonds, feta and spinach

2 cups soft wheat berries, rinsed

6 cups water

2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt,

plus more as needed

Combine wheat berries, water and 2 teaspoons salt in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, until plump and chewy, about an hour or so.  Drain and season to taste with more salt.

Citrus Dressing:

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tablespoon of finely chopped shallot

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

fine-grain sea salt and black pepper to taste

Combine orange zest and juice, lemon juice and shallot.  Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3 generous handfuls of fresh spinach

1 cup of sliced almonds

(The original recipe calls for toasted pine nuts, but to save time and money sliced almonds are a yummy alternative)

½ cup of crumbled feta cheese

Toss the hot wheat berries with the spinach, almonds and dressing, the top with feta.

This recipe serves 4-6 people.

(recipe copied from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

By Kirsten Lovan

The term organic isn’t a new label on an old product nor is it a marketing buzz word. Organic is not the latest trend, but a fresh look on the healthy traditions of generations before us. Organic represents a lifestyle that is simple, wholesome and fulfilling.  It is about supporting a movement where the people growing our food truly care about the soil beneath our feet.  It is also about informing consumers about how to better themselves and their children.

Organic farming practices do not include the use of genetically engineered organisms, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers. All of these substances leave a residue on your food and in the soil for years to come.  Organic farming is less likely to create toxic run-off resulting in water pollution and soil contamination.  Organic farming also avoids the use of chemicals to repel insects because it values our relationship with all living things.  Organic farming methods result in foods with a higher concentration and wider variety of vitamins and minerals than conventional methods do. Our food is only as good as the soil that grows it.  If it’s not in the soil, it’s not in the food.

I personally choose organic foods and products for my family because I want them to be healthy while having a positive impact on the environment. I want to be sure that I only take what I need and give back more in return.  I want my children to grow up with these values that so many of us have forgotten.  I want them to know that they have choices.  Wouldn’t the world be a little better if all of us knew what an organic, locally grown, freshly picked blueberry tasted like? Unfortunately many of us have only experienced  huge brightly lit grocery warehouses.  I want my children, as well as my neighbors and friends, to know where their food comes from. We should all be able to see, feel and taste the goodness of food that nature intended.  I want my children to live in a world that is free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

We as a society have become disconnected from how we nourish our bodies.  We don’t have to be. What if a whole generation of children grew up experiencing this way of life, instead of being raised on packaged food or a quick trip through the drive thru? All it takes is a small change.  Changing the way we feel about our food and making conscious decisions about where it comes from.

You  don’t have to be financially well off to live this sort of life.  It takes commitment, a little bit of planning and some creativity.  You will find that you are spending more time out in your community and in the kitchen, but time is a small price to pay for the long-term health benefits and the safety of our food.  We should all enjoy our time together as a family and as a community.  Think about the examples we are setting for our youngest generation and the values we can instill now.

Check out my new featured blog, on Tidal Creek’s website, about the importance of choosing organic as well as the importance of local and whole foods. I will also be discussing other topics like ideas on how to involve your whole family, how to make your own baby food and packing lunches for everyone in the family.  I will post tested recipes that are basic, organic and affordable.  I’ll also incorporate a wide range of diets and lifestyle choices.  I am a young mother who wants to do her best for her family as well as serve my community. I have learned, and continue to learn, from the shared experiences with family, friends and co-workers. I have a fascination with food, how it’s grown, how it’s prepared and eating it mindfully. I am still learning about planning and ways to save money while eating healthy whole organic foods.  The blog will be open to any suggestions and anything else that you would like to share.  Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing with you online.

Check out the blog “Choosing Organic” on the Tidal Creek website: www.tidalcreek.coop.