Test results indicated that children that had any type of experience with gardening had more positive attitudes toward the environment when compared with students that had not gardened. The study showed that hands-on gardening activities are important to the development of environmentally concerned citizens, and that children’s involvement in informal gardening experiences has as much impact on their environmental outlook as involvement in formal school-based programs.
We are having an amazing flush of fall strawberries this year, and the colder nights make the berries super sweet. Given the state of the economy, I feel more pressed to preserve the abundance of food growing in our garden. Making organic strawberry jam is easy, and it is one food item I can easily provide our family a year’s supply of with the help of my children. This recipe makes about 5-6 cups of jam, so I like to double it. You don’t need a pressure canner to can jam; just a big pot will do. You will need to purchase pectin; I like sugar-free, citrus-based Pomona’s Universal Pectin.
Organic Strawberry Jam
In preparation for canning:
Sterilize your jelly jars. You can do this by placing them in boiling water or in your dishwasher. Also, heat up the rings and lids in a pot of water until little bubbles begin to appear, but do not boil. Heat a really large pot of water for canning. The jars must be completely covered by the water. Place a lid on the pot to help the water heat faster.
To make the jam:
Pick or buy 2 quarts of berries
Clean the berries, remove the green tops, and mash gently.
Add 2 teaspoons of calcium water (included in pectin package) to mashed berries
Not everyone can do as my family did and buy an old homestead, build your own house, and live-off-the-grid. Jobs and social ties keep families in suburbs and cities, and there is a good reason people tend to congregate together in living situations. Being self-sustainable does not mean doing it all alone. Community is vital to green living, and in fact, many aspects of city life are greener than living in the country (i.e. public transportation, walking to work/school, etc.). The fact that many city dwellers want to get back to the land has sparked an “urban homesteading” movement. Here are five tips to help your family become urban homesteaders:
Grow food and herbs in your yard or patio: If you have a yard, plant it with edibles! An edible lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood. My friend’s lawn in Eugene doesn’t contain any grass at all. The Dervaes family of Pasadena grows 3 tons of food on only 1/10 acre! Even if you don’t have a yard, many herbs and vegetables can be grown in pots. I have grown habenero peppers, basil, and lettuce in pots during my college apartment years.
The honey bees are dying off around the world, and yet still many people have never heard of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). This week the Italian government banned several pesticides that are thought to be linked to the honey bee decline. More research (funding) is required to find out exactly what is causing the disappearance.
“One-third of the food we consume comes from pollinators. Bees are responsible for pollinating almonds, apples, soft fruit, and berries among other crops. Without them, we will lose more than honey (a tragedy in its own right!), we will lose a large portion of the biodiversity we now enjoy on our plates.”
At left is Dizzywood’s celebration of Wildwood Glen’s reforestation, where kids planted 15,000 trees in online to offline eco-parity, partnering with The Arbor Day Foundation. I’ve added a slew of other tree-planting ideas and sites at the end of this piece to get ready for 9-22-08, worldwide Tree Planting Day coming up in the next couple weeks. In keeping with the green media theme of hope, promise and eco-renewal…here’s more from my interview with Scott Arpajian, Co-Founder of preteen virtual world, Dizzywood…Read the rest of this entry »
If you have a cub scout or boy scout yor probably receive Boy’s Life Magazine. For the past several issues, they’ve had green topics featured: green vehicles, ocean and reef conservation, eco-friendly fun, and sporting green.
The newest edition, September 2008, features a whole section called “Be a Green Guy”. It has five projects, some of which my family is definitely going to be trying out (both guys and gals).
It’s that time of year again, when everyone’s organic gardens are booming with summer squash. From zucchini to patty pans, I’m always looking for ways to use up a lot of summer squash in a delicious dish my kids will enjoy. Ever since I tried Kelli’s balsamic asparagus, I pretty much follow her instructions for any vegetable that is in season. Here’s my secret to success: I don’t measure anything.
Super Simple Balsamic Roasted Organic Summer Squash
Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
Cut up summer squash into large pieces (I cut a zucchinis into eighths). Pour olive oil into the bottom of a glass pan. Add the summer squash, then drizzle with more olive oil and balsamic vinegar (look for low or lead-free vinegar). Salt and pepper to taste. Read the rest of this entry »
My family has just returned from an awe inspiring vacation on Catalina Island. One of the (seemingly endless) ways that the camp lessens it’s carbon footprint is by composting. Can I take a moment and make an announcement please?
I am not a farmer.
I am a housewife from Los Angeles who happens to have access to a computer and an insatiable need to leave the world a teeny bit nicer than I found it. That need does not include turning lemon rinds into bougainvillea. Travis Langen, I blame you, because today I am researching what we need to begin composting. Why? Because you presented composting to my children in such a manner that they are very excited about the process.
A new study by O.M. Aguilar, a graduate assistant in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, confirms what previous studies and parents know: Gardening with children makes them more sensitive to environmental issues. As reported in LOHAS, the study found:
