Harvesting

...but not from our garden.

While our garden is a little behind, except the peas which have been going strong for a couple months, my in-laws' garden across the street is producing lots of goodies.

We've had a few tomatoes and peppers, a load of purple beans and a nice big zucchini. We've eaten some of the beans and I need to get some frozen. I have plans for the zucchini that include possibly baking muffins in the chiminea.

Our tomatoes are still all green, but so far, look healthy. We had one broccoli plant start to make broccoli. Then we went away for the weekend and it bolted. The others haven't even started making florets yet. I have picked and dried some herbs including rosemary, basil and oregano. I also picked lots of black raspberries - enough for one pie and some to freeze for wintertime. I've only gotten a handful of blackberries so far, but they should be ready pretty soon.

This weekend we're actually going to be home, and I'm going to try to get caught up everything garden.

Organic Food Update

I think the last time I posted about buying organic groceries, I mentioned that I was having trouble finding a few things, particularly dairy products and juices.

It turns out, Walmart actually carries a couple brands of organic milk including Great Value. The problem was, in my store, they don't put it with the rest of the milk, it's a couple doors down near the half and half and whipping cream, in a place I never look. It's still more expensive than regular milk, and they only sell most of it in half gallon cartons, but they do have some of the Horizon Organic in gallon size. And, I decided we're buying it because I can't get over how creamy it tastes even as 2%. If you sign up on Horizon Organic you can download and print out some coupons for $1.00 off two half gallons. There's also a coupon for the singles, but I don't know how much off. It let me print out two coupons before the message came up saying I was at my limit. I'm hoping in the future they add a coupon for the gallon size since that's what we use the most of.

I'm still not finding many options for other dairy products except yogurt which both Giant Eagle and Walmart carry. I'd really like to find an option for cheeses and butter or even ice cream.

I'm still not finding much in the way of organic juices or other drinks.

This weekend, we're heading to Pittsburgh for our anniversary. (I can't believe a year has gone by already!) We're planning to spend some time in the Strip District and check out the new public market. I'm hoping to find some good deals on things I can stock up on, though I also expect a lot of things to be pretty expensive in the Strip.

While we're down there, I'd also like to check out Whole Foods, though again, I kind of see that as busy out of our price range. But, we're also making a trip to the Giant Eagle Market District to see what organic products they have in a bigger Giant Eagle.

Have a great weekend! I'll let you know what we find!

Trends for 2011

This is an old article that I came across on GoodFood World on the Top Organic Food and Farming Trends in 2011. We're now halfway through 2011, but you can see how many of these trends are growing and which ones have stalled out.

Grab a Button!

Going Simple now has a blog button and I'd love it if you'd grab it and put it in your sidebar (or anywhere else you put links!)

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Organic Agriculture in the US

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements has released their 2010 Annual Report. (scroll down to 20.05.2011) According to the chart on page one, the United States has the largest organic market size, and yet North America is at the bottom of the continents when it comes to area used for organic production, surpassing only Africa and only in the aspect of agricultural land, not wild or non-agricultural areas.

I take that to mean that not only do we need to import most of our organic products in order to meet the needs of the market, but we're also behind the rest of the world in realizing, as a whole, that what we are putting into our bodies, by eating or even what we're exposed to and breathing in, is causing problems.

So, what can we do?

Spread the word/Live by example. I'm putting these two together, because I think being an example is showing others how to do what you're saying is the best way to spread the word and get others involved.

Request organic. Many stores are beginning to add more organic options at the request of their customers. So, if there is something that you can't find, it can't hurt to ask for it.

Let the locals know too. Requests go for local farmers as well. When you're out at the farmers markets, ask the farmers where the produce is coming from. Some stands ship their produce in from other states. Those that do grow their own produce should be able to tell you exactly what was used to grow it. Don't be afraid to say "no" to foods that were not grown organically or sustainably, and let the farmers know that you would buy the product if it was grown in a healthier way.

Grow it yourself. North America may be behind in organic production, but do you know how easy it is to grow a few things yourself? Salad greens, I've found, are one of the easiest things to grow and can be placed in containers or even in a small patch. Many other fruits and vegetables like patio blueberries or tomatoes can be grown in containers right on your porch.

Educate yourself. This one probably should have gone first, because it is nearly impossible to make a difference in your own life and totally impossible to educate others if you're not well-informed first. Everyone reading this blog also has access to millions of resources in healthy/organic living. Just a simple Google search will result in hundreds of websites waiting to tell you what you need to know. However, it is also important to keep the sources in mind and I always try to verify what I'm reading with other resources that I trust.

Go to the top. If you want to see a change, write to lawmakers and/or contact someone who is currently trying to make changes and see how you can help. Right now there are many campaigns working to make changes in the way this country regulates our food. For a few examples go to http://westonaprice.org/get-involved. There are campaigns listed on the right.