Wanted to send you sunshiney greetings! We've had SUN for like a week! Oh how glorious! You know the benefits of sun, don't you? Yes, it means fresh GREENS from the garden! WAHOO! Our CSA delivered fresh KALE this week! And cabbage! And tomatoes! Yippeee!!! Scroll down below for a DELICIOUS kale slaw. I really love this little CSA and I feel more charged to support them especially in light of recent news (also scroll down to "Taking some RAW action"...

The calendar page is here

OK, well this first bit of news comes to us from the FDA. It's about the FDA approving irradiation on spinach and other lettuces:  - it starts out this way "On August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule that allows the use of irradiation to make fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling."

LONGER SHELF LIFE guys! Because that's important, I guess! So what can I do? Well, I suppose I can write to the FDA with my disapproval. I can demand that companies label their food accordingly. If I'm dissatisfied with any lack of disclosure, I can make sure that I grow my own greens or utilize farmers markets and CSAs. I think if you haven't done so by now, maybe it's time to visit a local farmer's market this week and say hello to the farmer that grew the greens that you just purchased. Ask him about his farming methods, the size of the farm, how long he's been doing this, why he loves to farm... not because you're trying to pry, but because you are want to get to know about him and his farm. Make sure you say thank you to this dude. This person is probably going to be VERY much needed if news like what just came out keeps occurring. So let's do our part to turn to our local farms and our local gardens to supply us with really LIVING greens! Greens that are harvested that day... You know, I'm not trying to yuck anyone's yum. It's fine if anyone wants to eat irradiated produce, almonds, meats, spices, etc. I'm being honest here. But *I* don't want to eat irradiated produce, almonds, meats, spices, etc. And I don't want to feed my family irradiated food. Or food that has been treated with any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc. I do not want to eat franken foods of any kind (oh excuse me, bioengineered or genetically modified foods.) I realize most people cook their greens but even that bugs me - it's like having twice cooked greens or something... This article says they will go to niche markets, to those that have weak immune systems. So that means the very young and the very old, I guess. OY! 

If you'd like to read another raw food dude's take on it, here you go: 
I found it rather humorous but I tend to be attracted to things like sarcasm and irony.


OK, let's switch gears to plastic bags. Here's a very good article. It's called 50 Reasons To Go Green with Reusable Shopping Bags. Bravo! I love bulleted articles. Gives "The Problem" (x 25) and "The Solution" (also x 25) - reminds me, have you seen that movie WALL-E? It's a kids movie. Starts out with an inhabitable earth because of all the garbage and all that's left is a little robot whose job it is to be a trash compactor... Hmm... Anyway, I saw someone using a radio flyer today as their shopping cart at our little coop. BRAVO again! They just wheeled their food home in their little red wagon.

Hey, along with the theme of reusable bags, I should send you info on our reusable tea bags! Here's a link with pictures and everything! I don't know about you, but I'm a tea drinker. I LOVES my tea particularly when it is COLD outside (and believe me, it gets cold outside here in VT. It gets cold inside here too!) :-)  So with all this beautiful, renewable hemp material we're using to make our handy dandy nut milk bags! Oh how fun! Get yours today. Or buy one as a gift for someone you know who loves tea or has cold hands and feet. They will thank you for it. :-)