fava bean crisis averted

mondays are a highlight of the week for me.  it is the day i receive my csa (community supported agriculture) box from the farm.  fraser common farm in aldergrove, bc to be exact.  i've been with the csa for several years now, and love it.  each week my refrigerator & soul is filled with farm fresh nourishment.  i eat locally & seasonally, support some of my favourite local farmers, and know exactly where my food is coming from.

i was excited by the fresh fava beans that arrived this week.  i immediately shelled them & put them on to cook.  they don't take long to cook, i like them still quite firm.  so, when i was distracted by a whole shelf of books falling from their usual perch on one of my bookcases, they overcooked.  tragedy!

removing the beans from their skins, i found they were far softer than i would normally cook them to.  but they were still tasty.  hmmm... i simply mashed them in a bowl with fresh lemon juice, unrefinded sea salt and some fresh garlic from the farm.  presto - a tasty fava bean dip.  delicious!

the great sunscreen question

summer is in full swing & it is great to feel the sun again. with red hair & a pale complexion, i do have to be quite mindful of my sun exposure. i love the feel of the sun, but do burn easily. what's a gal to do? as a kid, i was slathered in sunscreen. today, more and more research is pointing to the potential d...angers with sunscreen. hormone disruptors, reduced vitamin d exposure, free radicals and random spf claims all make us stop and question the sunscreen industry. today, i keep covered & cool with loose cotton covers, hats, balance my sun exposure with shade and keep well hydrated. i do keep some sunscreen handy for times of longer exposure. i use alba sunscreen, which is on the environmental working group's top sunscreen list. check out the link for the full list, and more information on this hot topic.
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/

“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” 

~William S. Burroughs

interested in green roofs & living walls?

Green Roofs & Living Walls Tour
Wed. July 21, 6 to 8pm

On this walking tour we explore a number of unusually wonderful gardens. The SPEC rooftop vegetable garden was planted with the help of a nearby school; the veggies share the roof with solar panels. Next we’ll see the living wall at the new Greens Organic & Natural Market and talk to designer, Geneviève Noël of Mubi. Then landscape architect Randy Sharpe will give us the low down on green roofs right from his own backyard. He has a green roof on his garage. Finally, we’ll visit with Assefa Kebede from the Nyala Restaurant in his spectacular front yard garden, full of fruit trees, herbs, vegetables and bee hives. The roof is just about the only place he’s not growing something! Part of the Exploring Food Systems Summer Series with host Spring Gillard. $35. Register at <info@gardenheart.ca>.

Spring Gillard
Garden Heart Productions
Ph 604.714.1394/Fx 604.714.1396
www.compostdiary.com

fish farming

wondering what's what with fish farming?  here is an article by pal christopher pollon

and here is information on SeaChoice to help you make seafood decisions.  the vancouver farmers markets have several great sea food vendors - check them out.

 

"If we throw mother nature out the window, she comes back in the door with a pitchfork"
-Masanobu Fukuoka-

Are you willing to push hard to get better, improve your attitude, grow your devotion to the truth, fuel your commitment to beauty, refine your emotions, hone your dreams, face your shadow, cure your ignorance, & soften your heart -- even as you pledge to always accept yourself for exactly who you are with all your so-called imperfections, never demeaning the present by comparing it to
an idealized past or future?

Rob Brezsny