Welcome, Barrington!

Welcome to Barrington, the newest Farmer Tom's CSA drop off site! If you live in/around Barrington and want to receive some of the best veggies on the planet, sign up here. And a big hearty welcome to everyone in Barrington!

Organic Fish

Just because it says organic, does it mean that its good for you? Not necessarily. Congress just passed a bill that will allow wild-caught fish to be labeled organic. However, if your wild-caught fish came from polluted rivers, lakes or seas, it could be laden with heavy metals such as mercury.

Raise the Vibration

As the news media presents us with more talk of fear, war, and negativity, it is becoming increasingly important that we make time for ourselves, to reconnect to the always present positive energy within ourselves. Mark Moford, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote a very funny column about counter-acting this negativity. A quote:

Mystics and healers and sages and scientists and philosophers across the spiritual spectrum have known it for millennia: More advanced and enlightened souls -- and cultures -- vibrate at a higher level, a more bright and rigorous pitch. It's true. Bliss and joy and notions of peace and healing and laughter and personal choice, these things crank up the vibe. War and angst and fear and self-fulfilling prophecies of war and preemptive strikes and Jenna Bush, these things slam it down.

Follow your bliss, live your love and your peace, love yourself, hug a child, a tree, anyone who will let you hug them. Bringing joy and happiness into our lives happens one moment at a time, one choice at a time. Collectively, we have the power to change our collective experience on planet earth.

Organic Just as Productive as Conventional

Organic Just as Productive as Conventional. Scientists from the University of Minnesota demonstrated yields of corn and soybeans were only minimally reduced when organic production practices were utilized as compared with conventional production practices. After factoring in production costs, net returns between the two production strategies were equivalent. But as we've experienced, the quality is far above conventional.

Earth Day Coming 4/22

Earth day will be on Tuesday, April 22. It has been said that Earth day is less about mother earth and more about humanity... after all the earth will go on, but our place in the delicate balance of ecosystems is questionable.

Remaining positive in light of so much environmental degradation can be a challenge, but in the end, our commitment will be the driving force behind the change for the better. Saving plant and animal species from extinction, cleaning our air and water, and leaving a lighter footprint on the earth happens one person, one decision, and one day at a time.

What will you do to make the earth a more hospitable place?

Organic Gaining Popularity

Organic food popularity growing. The most recent estimate puts retail sales of organic foods at more than $7.8 billion. A recent study at UC Davis shows that organic fruits and vegetables have consistently more flavonoids, a type of anti-oxidant.

Chemical Free Lawns

One of the worst polluters in your neighborhood is the average homeowner trying to cultivate a lush lawn free of dandelions and bugs. Pesticides are poisons, plain and simple. They're only "safe" because the amounts used are deemed not poisonous to humans. Take a look at some of the short and long term affects of pesticide use. Sure, that small amount you're using won't kill you, but if every single person in your town-county-state uses that amount, what does the accumulation mean for your drinking water?

In my own town, the dearth of chemical dumping has caused our local lake to remain fluid (and toxic) even in the coldest weather. Here's some thoughts on how to get your lawn off drugs.

The lowly dandelion is probably one of the more beneficial weeds that could ever grow on your property.

10 Steps to get your lawn off drugs

1. Choose the right grass. Choose drought-tolerant grass seeds and spread them on your lawn every fall. A thick lawn will crowd out weeds.

2. Mow high. To discourage weeds, keep your lawn mower blade a height of 3 inches.

3. Grass cycle. Leave your grass clippings on the lawn to return nutrients to the soil. This will reduce your need for fertilizer by 30 percent.

4. Fertilize and top-dress. Once a year, in the fall, use an organic fertilizer or apply a top layer of natural organic matter such as compost.

5. Let your lawn breathe. Once a year, remove small plugs of earth to allow air and water to get to the roots, a process known as aeration. A pesticide-free lawn will encourage earthworms, nature's aerators.

6. Water the roots. Let your lawn soak up 1 inch of water, once a week, early in the morning, to promote deep root growth.

7. Remove thatch. Thatch, a thick compacted layer of dead plants and grass, attracts harmful insects. Aeration and brisk raking should remove much of the thatch. To prevent thatch, don't overwater or overfertilize.

8. Tolerate some weeds. Allow clover in your lawn for its nitrogen-fixing magic.

9. Control weeds and insects naturally. Dig out weeds and their roots by hand. Pour boiling water on weeds that are growing between patio stones.

10. Consider alternative plants. Alternatives to grass include trees, shrubs, ground covers and wildflowers (native species work best).

Afghanistan Conditions

An update on conditions in Afghanistan: most of the country is in the hands of warlords and bandits, schools are closed because nobody is paying teachers, and many women are still imprisoned in their homes.

"This is the condition of the Afghan nation," said Dr. Zieba Shorish-Shamley of the Womens' Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan.
It is not what we promised the Afghan people, nor what we say we'll bring the Iraqis....

"The U.S. has promised, over and over, that we will not be abandoned," she said. "There is no money going in, there is no reconstruction, the warlords are ruling. What are the Afghans to think?"

And what of the Iraqis?

We tell them the United States is to be a magnanimous liberator and generous occupier, intent on molding a nation of regional factions now yoked together by tyranny into a democratic state of great promise. And when they look for a template, what do they see?

"If the Iraqis look at Afghanistan as an example of how they are going to be liberated and reconstructed, I think they won't like it," Shorish-Shamley said.

Taxman Cometh

Tax day is next week, so it's a good time to look at how our tax dollars are being spent. The National Priorities project has some interesting data, including the cost of war in Iraq to each state and select cities. Chicago's cost will be $775 million. (methodology)

Go do the trade-off computation. It's a real eye-opener. Also, the PDF files that look at military spending and its tradeoffs look to be a good read.