Organic Life Magazine Issue 4

Our l a n o s r Pe y

Magazine

g r e n E

How to

s i s i r C

Find

Your

Farmer

Treat

Organic Life Magazine - April/May 2013

Gluten-Free

Pizza Your Kids

Will Love

Your Mother and Mother Earth

Autism Cured:

Homeopathic Medicine

One Boy’s Remarkable Story

Magazine Our magazine was created with both new and experienced organic consumers in mind. We strive to provide you with current information about the organic industry, products and lifestyle. We will include videos and traditional articles and links straight to our contributors and advertisers. We write from experience living and organic life. We encourage you to contact us with article suggestions and comments.

This magazine is for YOU!

Š Organic Life Magazine 2013 3550 Gore Road Highgate VT 05459 Hannah@organiclifemagazine.co www.organiclifemagazine.co Organic Life Magazine Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/OrganicLifeMagazineUS Organic Life Magazine Twitter Account https://twitter.com/OrganicLife_Mag Privacy Policy Design and Layout by Lise-Mari Coetzee www.coetzeepublishing.com

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Table Of Contents 06 Note From the Editor

Feng Shui - Fact or Fiction

by Michael White-Ryan

08 From Our Readers

On The Cover 27 Feature: Homeopathic Medicine -Autism Cured: One Boy’s Remarkable Story

by Amy Lansky

09 Gardening Schedule and Tips by Zone

by TheVegetableGarden.com

49 Treat Your Mother and Mother Earth

by Aimee Dufresne

25 Planting Guides by Temperature by rootsnursery.com

60 Our Personal Energy Crisis

by Patrick Durkin

85 Hardwick’s Trailblazers

by Cheryl Cesario

46 Gluten-Free Pizza Your Kids Will Love

by Debby Reelitz 75 How to Find Your Farmer AUDIO

by Eric Noël

BONUS: Your Local, Organic Food Resource

In Every Issue

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Organic Gardening

Features 68 Introducing the Infinity Wave: A Simple Yet Powerful Enlightenment Tool

by Hope Fitzgerald

36 Don’t Eat That! Eat This Instead Artificial Food Dye

56 The Truth About GMOs: Conversations with Leading Expert, Jeffrey Smith 2 VIDEOS

76 The Blue Architect Water Resource Crisis

by Marilyn Crenshaw

57 Living an Organic Life Movie Trailer VIDEO

63 Language of Space Feng Shui Demystified

58 Education in Organics: Confused Consumers

by Jim Offner, ThePacker.com

Table Of Contents Organic Food

Organic Kids

38 Gluten-Free Home Cooking

52 My Kids Have Something to Say

by Shannon Hayes

Baking Powder Biscuits Chicken and Biscuits Apple Crisp Buckwheat Pancakes 42 Taste Inspiring Standard Recipes Basic Stir Fry Roasting a Whole Chicken Cooking Grains: Brown Rice, Quinoa and Kasha 45 Seasonal Recipes Sweet & Salty Roasted Sweet Potato and Beets

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78 Alburgina: How a Holstein Calf Transformed a Classroom

by Virginia Holiman 81 Children’s Activity Page

by Virginia Holiman

Organic Home 33 Non-Toxic Spring Cleaning Kit

by Annie B. Bond 82 The Art of Hanging Laundry

by Zola Troutman Noble

Editor’s Note organic industry, I expanded my consumer reach to organic personal care products. With each new bit of knowledge my definition of living an organic life expanded.

I became a mother, and wanting to give my baby what I thought was the best start, my husband and I chose to birth at home. I breastfed my first child to 22 months and my second to 3 1/2 years. I chose cloth diapers, mostly second-hand clothes, line drying laundry.

D

ear Readers,

Throughout my journey to health, well-being and land stewardship, I’ve been questioned quite a bit about my choices and views. I’m passionate about living on this path, so I attempt to explain my reasoning and my shifts in behavior as I’ve learned and grown and changed along the way. As my family embarks on a new adventure in food (gluten-free) and in life (we’re buying our own farm!), I’ve come to reexamine what I know and what I want and my decision making process. I’ve been thinking quite a lot about a question that I posed to our Fans on Facebook: What does it mean to live an Organic Life?

11 years ago when I started learning about organics in my quest for better health, I focused in on food. I made a commitment to buy organic food and buy it locally whenever possible. This is when I became a careful label reader too. As I learned more about the

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Note from the Editor

I became an organic farmer. I learned about compost and started making it. I found ways to minimize even organic pesticide use. I connected to my community through food and conversation and sharing.

As I look back on how much I have learned and changed and grown, I see that it all goes back to my initial decision to live a healthier more conscientious life. Each decision I’ve made comes from looking at my guiding principles and seeing if I’m in line with my beliefs. Is this a healthy choice for my body? my family? the Earth? my neighbors? Will this decision help or hurt me or those around me?

My Organic Life has evolved to encompass all parts of my life: the food I eat, the food I grow, the water I drink, parenting, being in a loving romantic relationship, being an active and responsible community member, the clothes I wear, how I connect with the Universe, how I treat other people, how I treat animals, helping, forgiving, resting, learning continuously, my energy use, how I use resources.

I see now more than ever how everything in life is connected and how much our individual conscious and conscientious choices matter. I’ve understood

for many years that everything in the Universe is made of the same “stuff”. We’re all energy. We’re all connected. Our biology is 99% the same. We are more the same than different - every one of us. So to me living an Organic Life, means living in harmony with nature as much and as often as possible. The energy that we’re all made of expands with this way of living. I see this as a regenerative cycle: eat the foods that nurture our bodies, that are grown in a way that regenerates the Earth; care for the people who grow the food - and the same with all that matters to each of us. Take time to nurture what’s important to you.

You’ll see as you continue to read Organic Life Magazine, that the topics covered are varied but all fit into my own personal definition of what living an Organic Life means. I hope that you’ll find some inspiration here - whether it’s an amazing new recipe or a new way of looking at the world.

Hannah

Hannah Noel is a cancer survivor and an organic farmer living in Vermont with her husband of twelve years and their two children, Madeleine, 9, and Calvin, 6. She has a passion for clean organic living and for helping others learn how to live that way wherever they are on their journey and whatever they do.

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Note from the Editor

From Our Readers Asked on Facebook: What does it mean to YOU to live an Organic Life?

L

iving an Organic Life to me means living a long life, so anything that helps my family stay healthier. Jaime in Vermont

Living an organic life to me means a lot of things, like not eating food that has been grown on chemically injected soils, or chemically sprayed. It means not putting things on my body that I know will cause me cancer or other failure to thrive, it means loving the animals and people and allowing them their intelligence. It means thanking everyone who is organic in their lives and educating those who are not. It means not following the masses in the downfall of humanity and the rise in government with ulterior motives who do not put their people first and their greed second. It means trusting and believing in a higher power because without that there is little hope for mankind, for each and every one of us to become organic in time. Hearts N Hands in California Healthy. Patty in Vermont Simplicity. Lauren in Tennessee A better economy. Gabriella in Virginia A clear, functioning mind. Melissa in Arizona Responsible earth stewardship. Gaby in NYC A soft footprint and harmonic flow. Sara in Vermont FREEDOM. Alana in Vermont

What are your Earth Day traditions?

We plant a tree or a bush. Cal Benoit Dooley on Facebook

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Garden Calendars and Monthly Garden Tips From

The Vegetable Garden website provides information on how to vegetable garden including ways to plan and design a garden, plant, grow and harvest vegetables. You will find prices and information on gardening supplies, tools and seeds. If you’re already a seasoned gardener the site has tips to help you improve and information on raised beds and container gardening. The site also reviews gardening products and provides links to many popular gardening product and seed suppliers so you can find everything you need in one easy-to-read and convenient location.

The goal of their website is to help you learn how to garden successfully. *Zones 3 and 4 Tips Modified by Hannah Noel, Editor and Zone 4 farmer The monthly gardening guides, below, list the details of all the important tasks and projects which should accomplished during the given month. As a new gardener, or seasoned veteran, it really is important to have an abundant supply of patience. However, this doesn’t mean waiting until the last possible moment to get your garden ready. There is plenty of work that needs to be done throughout the entire year to get the most out of your garden. Every garden can become productive in some way or another, and even the most inhospitable plot can usually be turned into a vegetable garden if you are willing to work at it on a regular basis.

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Look below for your USDA zone for a detailed monthly to-do list.

To find what USDA zone you are in, click on the map.

Click on your zone to jump to the beginning of your pages.

Zones 3-4 Zones 5-6 Zones 7-8 Zones 9-10

Zones 3-4 Garden Calendar and Monthly Garden Tips

bean, radish, and buckwheat sprouts grow well in vented jars. Just put the seeds inside, cover them with water overnight, drain, then rinse twice a day.

January - February Tips

While considering your garden for the upcoming year take the time to draw layouts of how you expect to arrange your plantings. Review notes about your garden paying attention to success and failure and see if there are gems of information that can be helpful in your new plan. If you have not already done so now is the time to order seeds for the coming year. If a soil test has not been done in recent years then you can purchase a soil test kit through Amazon for quite cheap and find out what sort of soil amendments you might need to give your garden the best chances for success this coming year.

Start a garden record book now, allowing space to record the dates of first and last frosts, sowing seeds, planting, transplanting, time of bloom, first fruits, fertilizing, problems with pests, and other information. Over a period of years, this will be an invaluable record. If you have any leftover seeds store these in a cool and dry place. Some gardeners save their seeds in a jar placed in the refrigerator. If you have vegetables in storage check them for spoilage and disease and remove affected vegetables. For an early taste of spring, grow some sprouts. Mung

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and Pumpkins as soon as possible this month if you had not done so last month. After trees naturally drop their fruit in late June, thin remaining fruits on apple, pear and peach trees to encourage larger, better fruit. Vegetable seedlings may continue to be thinned this month in order to provide ample room for growth. Plant your Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Cauliflower for next winter’s harvest.

Prune suckers from all your fruit trees. Fertilize strawberries and water regularly to promote new growth. Pinch herbs to keep bushy and fresh with new growth Cold Season Seedlings

March - April Tips Start broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage transplants this month. Weather permitting, April is the month to begin tilling or spading the soil. Do not undertake this project until the soil is dry enough to work. Compost, well rotted manure or other organic matter are excellent additives to mix into vegetable garden soil as you prepare it for planting.

This is also the time to turn under your cover crops if you have any. Perennial vegetable such as rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish and artichokes can be planted this month.

Sweet peas, potatoes, onions and some salad crops can also be planted in April. Spinach, Broccoli, Celery, Radish seeds, Leeks, Cauliflower, Swiss Chard and other hardy vegetables can be seeded or setout in the later part of this month. Late March or April is a good time to plant fruit trees and berries too. If you had strawberries and mulched them this past fall be sure to remove the mulch when growth begins. If you don’t have established strawberries this is the month to start a new bed of strawberries.

Blueberries, Boysenberries and Currants may also be started this month. Tomatoes and lettuce and other salad greens can be started from seed this month indoors or in a heated greenhouse.

July Tips Begin enjoying the harvest of your homegrown fruits, vegetables and herbs! Fertilize June bearing strawberries after the harvest, and ever-bearing varieties half way through the season. Plant out successions of salad crops for continued harvesting throughout the summer. Sow seeds for coolseason crops directly into the garden by mid-July.

Continue to protect your fruit from the birds with netting. Empty areas of the garden, where the crops have finished, should be replanted with either a fall vegetable crop, or a cover crop of clover or vetch to help control weeds. Cover crops can be tilled into the soil later, to add humus and nitrates to the soil.

August Tips Compost should be watered during dry periods so that it remains active. The vegetable garden is likely to require daily harvesting now. Cucumbers,

May - June Tips Start any of the warm weather vegetables such as Corn, Beans, Peppers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Squash

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Mid-July Harvest

squash, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers should be picked as soon as the fruits are ready. This not only captures the best flavor, but it also makes way for new fruits. Remove dead pea vines, bolted lettuce, and other plants that have gone by and add them to the compost pile. If they show signs of disease, however, burn them.

September Tips Cut out raspberry and blackberry canes that have just finished fruiting. Now is a good time to evaluate the success of this year’s garden. Make notes that will help you improve your garden next spring.

October Tips Harvest winter squash and pumpkins as they ripen and vines begin to brown (but before a hard frost).

Cure the fruits in a warm location for a few weeks - this helps toughen the skin which leads to better storage life. After curing, store squash for winter use in a cool, dry location. Apples are ripening now. Taste apples to check ripeness - ripe fruits should have a good sugar to acid balance and lack a starchy taste. Continue to water lawns, trees, shrubs, and other perennial plants as needed until the ground freezes. Remember to disconnect the hose if night temperatures will be below freezing or you risk a burst faucet pipe! Now is the time to work on sealing up all cracks around windows, doors, and elsewhere on your house to keep out pesky box elder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles. If necessary, treat the exterior with residual insecticide.

some other greens will tolerate temperatures in the mid to upper 20s, but harvest them when colder temperatures threaten. Empty and store clay pots - they can break outdoors when freeze/thaw cycles occur. Scour the yard for stray garden tools. Clean and store tools and other garden ware. Add a winter mulch of straw, hay, or leaves to bulb and perennial beds after the ground starts to freeze. Winter mulch helps moderate soil temperatures and prevent heaving from spring freeze/thaw cycles.

December Tips Clean and oil your tools for winter storage if you have yet done so. This is also an excellent month to replace any tools that should be retired while the demand and prices are both low. Prepare!

Start planning your garden for next year. Review notes you have taken from this year and start the daydreaming with your catalogs.

Monthly To-Do List To Keep You On-Track All Year With Your Garden Activities For Zones 5-6 January Tips • Start a garden record book now, allowing space to record the dates of first and last frosts, sowing seeds, planting, transplanting, time of bloom, first fruits, fertilizing, problems with

November Tips Rake excess leaves and mow the lawn one last time if needed. If you haven’t made a final lawn fertilizer application get it done in early November.

Be sure to sweep up any fertilizer spilled in streets, sidewalks, or driveways, and thoroughly water in fertilizer if rain doesn’t do the job. Dig remaining root crops like parsnips, fall radishes, and carrots before the ground freezes. Cold-tolerant crops like Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, spinach, and

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Red Cabbage Seedlings

pests, and other information. Over a period of years, this will be an invaluable record.

• Browse seed catalogs and start planning this year’s garden.

• Start cool season plants in greenhouse or warm southern window.

• This is the big month for planting vegetables, however if planted too early, frost will kill your plants unless you are prepared to protect them on those cold nights.

• Plan vegetable garden; remember to rotate crops.

• Stake tomatoes or provide cages to surround them.

• Plow or till garden in the fall or winter to reduce populations of grasshoppers and harlequin bugs.

• Plants started indoors in March or bought at your local market, should be hardened off outdoors in cold frames before being transplanted into the garden .

February Tips • Order from catalogs or pickup seeds local garden shop.

• Start more cool season plants in greenhouse or warm southern window.

March Tips • Plant blueberries, strawberries and grapes.

• Mulch strawberries with pine straw as soon as they start blooming.

• Start seeds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other warm-season veggies. Also start cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese greens, cabbage and kohlrabi, as well as other greens.

• If you have a frost-free cold frame, plant early spinach, lettuce and other hardy greens. Place onions and tomatoes started in February in a frost-free cold frame by mid-month.

• It’s traditional to plant peas and taters on St. Patrick’s Day, but if your garden soil feels like Play-Dough, wait until later to plant [if it’s like chocolate cake, go ahead !]

• Fertilize the garden as the soil is being prepared for planting. unless directed otherwise by a soil test. Soil samples can be taken to your county extension office to be analyzed.

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April Tips

• Spread manure or compost and till the soil.

Get potatoes, peas and onions planted as soon as the soil is dry enough to work. Sow lettuce, radishes, spinach and other coolseason greens.

• Start a second round of the cabbage family vegetables indoors under lights or in the cold frame.

• Small , sturdy seedlings raised under fluorescent lights for 12 to 16 hours per day will take off rapidly once planted outside in warmer weather.

• Start cucumber, cantaloupe, summer squash, and watermelon seeds indoors in peat pots. It is necessary to start the vining vegetables in peat pots because they do not transplant well when the roots are disturbed.

• Any tender crops planted or tomato transplants set out at this time may be subject to late frost.

• Asparagus and rhubarb harvests begin.

• Keep your hoe sharp! Don’t allow weeds to get an early start in your garden.

May Tips • Until mid-month continue planting lettuce, onions, spinach, beets, chard, carrots, parsnips, radishes, turnips, shallots, chives and parsley.

• Start squash, cucumbers, melons and okra

June Tips • Water more deeply and less often as plants become established.

• Check plants sales, for bargains and close outs.

• Pick your fruits and vegetables as they ripen.

• Keep weeds pulled and mulch in place.

• Watch for early disease problems and take care of the before they get worse.

Sweet Corn Started in Greenhouse indoors. Transplant in the garden when all danger of frost is past.

• When the soil warms to 60 degrees F. transplant tomatoes, peppers, and sweet potatoes outdoors; harden them off first and be prepared to protect the tender transplants from frost with plastic jugs with the bottoms cut out. Stake the tomato plants as you transplant to prevent root damage.

• Keep potatoes well mulched. Keep in mind potatoes do not grow deeper in the soil then they are planted, the new potatoes start forming on the stem node nearest the seed potato and extends upward toward the soil surface. This is the reason for hilling or mulching.

• Toward the latter part of the month it is safe to plant sweet corn. Check the maturity days of the sweet corn and sow seed for early, midseason and late crops.

• Direct-sow bush beans, pumpkins and winter squash.

• Continue harvesting asparagus through-out the month of May. • Peppers and eggplants take 8 to 10 weeks to reach transplant size, and should be set out sometime around Memorial Day!

• Plant pumpkins now for Jack-o-lanterns by Halloween.

• Extend the harvest of corn and beans with repeated plantings.

• When the soil is warm, it is time to mulch, mulch, mulch. If you didn’t stake your tomatoes, use cages or mulch. Mulch helps maintain an even moisture level which helps prevent blossomend rot.

• Leggy green beans, squash and cabbage can be helped by hilling soil up around the stems.

• Discontinue cutting asparagus when the spears become thin. Your asparagus will now enjoy a thorough weeding, an application of 12-12-12 organic fertilizer at 2 pounds per 100 square feet, water well, and apply a new layer of mulch to conserve moisture.

• As soon as cucumbers and squash start to vine it is time to start spraying for cucumber beetles and squash vine bores.

• Mid June is time to start your seedlings of broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage for your fall garden.

• Flea beetles attack green beans nearly as soon as they emerge, so cover the ground with floating row cover after you water in the seeds.

July - August • Water early in the day so that the leaves will be dry by evening.

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• Spend a few minutes every morning deadheading/pinching off spent flowers of plants.

• Keep your eyes open for insects, and disease problems Early detection is important.

• Keep mulching to help retain moisture and reduce weeds.

• For best quality harvest vegetables in the cool of the morning or later in the evening. Avoid the heat of the day.

• Home-grown tomatoes are the crop of the month. Plants need regular watering.

Vegetables mature quickly when the weather is hot so check the garden daily.

• Harvest potatoes when the tops turn yellow and die.

• Keep cucumbers well watered. Drought conditions will cause bitter fruit.

• Sweet corn is ripe when the silks turn brown.

• Late July or early August set out broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants for the fall garden. Also sow seed of collards, kale, sweet corn, summer squash, carrots, beets and turnips for the fall garden. Buy the short season varieties for best results.

September Tips • Gather leaves for composting. Mix green and dry materials and alternate with thin layers of soil or compost for more rapid decomposition.

• Now is the time to reap the harvest of the fall garden.

• Zone 5 has a fast approaching frost date, with this in mind, now is the time to think about winter storage for the those vegetables you managed to grow in the garden . Different vegetables need different conditions to insure good results.

• Buckwheat is a good source of green manure, but should be turned under before it sets seeds. Turnips and beets are also good sources

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Pie Pumpkins Ready for Storage of green manure.

• Summer’s tomatoes are finishing up. Some gardeners pick the leaves off the tomato plants to expose the tomatoes to a bit more sun, or cut the tops out of the tomato vines to help ripen the existing tomatoes. Cover if an early frost should happens, as we usually have several weeks of good weather after the first frost.

• Let winter squash stay on the vines as long as possible for long keeping. Wait until the vines die back or there is danger of frost. Check by pressing with your thumbnail, if the skin is easily broken they are not fully matured and may not keep well. When you harvest leave two to three inches of stem on the squash.

Allow them to cure in a warm, dry, well ventilated place for a couple of weeks before placing them in storage, this will allow them to dry and harden their shell. Never wash them until just before using and never carry squash or pumpkins by the stem.

• Sow hardy spinach and kale in a cold frame.

October Tips • Cover sensitive plants with blankets, sheets or protective cloths. Remove next morning.

• Keep gathering leaves. You can never have enough compost, mulch or organic matter in the soil.

• Plant late-season purchasers of perennials or move and rearrange old ones to improve

Garden Activities For Zones 7-8 January Tips • Start a garden record book now, allowing space to record the dates of first and last frosts, sowing seeds, planting, transplanting, time of bloom, first fruits, fertilizing, problems with pests, and other information. Over a period of years, this will be an invaluable record.

Fall Storage Carrots Sweetened by Frost

• Make a garden plan. Plan the garden to include various vitamin groups.

your planting plan. Group plants according to water needs as well as sun requirements

• Consider planting a few new varieties along with the old favorites.

• Harvest late season crops and store for winter consumption.

• Plant the amount of each vegetable to be planted, including enough to can and freeze.

Allow about 1/10 acre of garden space for each member of the family.

November Tips • Thin lettuce and spinach.

• Buy enough quality seed for two or three plantings to lengthen the season of production.

• Mulch crops you want to “hold” in the ground with straw.

• Take soil samples if you have not already done so, and take them to your county extension office for analysis.

• Harvest frost sweetened Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and kale.

• Apply manure or compost and plow it under if you did not do so in the fall.

December Tips • Send for seed catalogs.

• Mulch perennials shrub and fruit bearing garden plants.

• Apply lime, sulfur and fertilizer according to the soil-test results and vegetable requirements.

Buy 100 pounds of fertilize for each 1/10 acre to be planted (if manure is not available, buy at least half again more). Use 5-10-10 or 6-12-12 analysis, depending on soil test and vegetable requirements.

• Clean up dead remains of last year’s garden.

• Start a compost pile with leaves and garden remains.

• Clean and oil garden tools.

Monthly To-Do List To Keep You On-Track All Year With Your 16 |

Freshly Tilled Garden

• Get plant beds or seed boxes ready for growing plants such as tomato, pepper and eggplant.

Have beds ready for planting in early February.

• Check on your compost pile and make sure it is ready for use in the spring.

• Go by your county extension office and get copies of Extension Service gardening publications.

February Tips • Plant seed boxes. Peppers and eggplants will take eight weeks to grow from seed to transplant size, while tomatoes will take six weeks. When the seedlings form their third set of true leaves, transplant them to individual containers.

• Prepare land for planting - winter and early spring plantings belong on a ridge (raised bed) for better drainage and earlier soil warm-up.

• Carry out any February jobs not completed.

• Treat seed before planting or buy treated seed for protection against seed-borne diseases, seed decay, seedling “damping off” and soil insects such as seed-corn maggots.

• Early-planted crops may need a nitrogen sidedressing, particularly if the soil is cool. Place the fertilizer several inches to the side of the plants and water it in. A little fertilizer throughout the growing period is better than too much at one time.

• Before settling them in the garden, harden-off transplants - place them in their containers outdoors in a sheltered place a few days ahead of planting them.

• Get rows ready for “warm-season” vegetables to be planted during the last week of March or first week or two of April as weather permits.

• You might want to risk planting out a few of the more tender crops and keeping them covered during bad weather.

• If nematodes were a problem last year, make plans to plant another crop less susceptible to nematodes in the infected area.

• Make early plantings of your choice from the following: carrots, collards, lettuce, mustard, English peas, Irish potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips.

• Use “starter” fertilizer solution around transplanted crops such as cabbage.

• Replenish the mulch on strawberries.

• Seed herbs for April planting. Make a list of the ones that are best to buy rather than seed, such as French tarragon and rosemary.

March Tips • Make second plantings of such quicklymaturing crops as turnips, mustard, radishes and “spring onions.”

• Thin plants when they are 2 to 3 inches tall to give the plants room to grow.

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Pole Beans Starting to Climb

• Watch out for insects, especially cutworms, plant lice (aphids) and red spider mites.

• Control grass and weeds; they compete for moisture and fertilizer.

• Put down mulch between rows to control weeds.

• Locate mulching materials for such crops as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, Irish potatoes, okra and lima beans. Apply before dry spells occur but after plants are well established (usually by blooming time).

April Tips • Plant your choices of the following “warmseason” or “frost-tender” crops: beans (snap, pole and lima), cantaloupe, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, okra, field peas, peppers, squash, tomatoes and watermelon.

• Plant tall-growing crops such as okra, pole beans and corn on the north side of other vegetables to avoid shading. Plant two or more rows of corn for better pollination.

• Make a second planting within two to three weeks of the first planting of snap beans, corn and squash.

• Pole beans cling to the trellis or sticks more readily if attached by the time they start running.

• Try a few tomato plants on stakes or trellises this year. Now is the time to start removing suckers and tying the plants up.

• Watch out for the “10 most wanted culprits”: Mexican bean beetle, Colorado potato beetle, bean leaf beetle, Harlequin cabbage bug, blister beetle, cabbage worm, tomato hornworm, tomato fruit worm (and corn earworm), cucumber beetle and squash bug.

Early discovery makes possible early control.

• Within three to four weeks of the first planting, plant more lima beans and corn. Remember: for better pollination, plant at least two or more rows.

• Begin disease control measures as needed.

Check with your county extension office for more information.

• Be sure to plant enough vegetables for canning and freezing.

• Mulch as needed.

• Cultivate to control weeds and grass, to break crusty soil and to provide aeration.

• Maintain mulch between rows.

• For the crops planted earlier, side-dress as described above.

• Plant tender herbs.

• Remember: Do not work in your garden when the foliage is wet to avoid spreading diseases from one plant to another.

May Tips • Make third plantings of vegetables mentioned for April (snap beans, corn, squash, lima beans).

• Water as needed.

• Keep a log book of problems and failures that occur so you can avoid or prevent them in the next planting season. Note successful techniques and varieties for consideration next season.

• Make plans now for putting up some of your garden produce. Check with your county extension office for more information.

June Tips • Harvest vegetables such as beans, peas, squash, cucumbers and okra regularly to prolong production and enjoy peak freshness.

• Eat “high on the hog” this month and in July and preserve enough to last during the winter months ahead.

• For best results, harvest onions and Irish

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• Plant the following vegetables not later than July 20 to allow time to mature before frost: tomatoes, okra, corn, pole beans and lima beans. Also plant cucumbers, squash and snap beans.

• Water deeply and less often - as needed to prevent drought stress.

• Plant that big pumpkin for Halloween.

• Be sure to make arrangements for neighbors to harvest and water your garden while you are on vacation.

• Make sure the garden is well mulched to prevent weeds and conserve moisture.

August Tips • Plant the following no later than the dates indicated below: Mulched Garden - Loose Hay and Wood Shreds

• August 15 - Snap beans and Irish potatoes (seed can be sprouted two to three weeks before planting).

potatoes when two-thirds of the tops have died down. Store potatoes in a cool, dark place and onions in a dry, airy place.

• Clean off rows of early crops as soon as they are through bearing and use rows for replanting or keep them fallow for fall crops.

• Water as needed.

• Plant sweet potatoes and a second planting of Southern peas.

July Tips • Start planning the fall garden.

• Keep grass from going to seed. Fallow soil to conserve moisture for germination of fall crops and to help reduce the nematode population in the soil.

• Clean off harvested rows immediately to prevent insect and disease buildup.

Yellow Squash

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• August 31 - Cucumbers and squash; plant varieties resistant to downy mildew.

• In order to calculate the planting date, determine the frost date and count back the number of days to maturity plus 18 days for harvest of the crop. If snap beans mature in 55 days and your frost date is November 15, you should plant on or before September 3.

• Start plants for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale and onions in a half-shaded area for setting out in September.

• Prepare soil for September to October plantings of “cool-season” crops. Apply fertilizer and prepare seeded so rains will settle the rows and make it easier to get seeds to germinate when they are planted.

• If watering is necessary to get a stand, open the furrow for seed, pour in water, plant seed and cover. Use starter solution on the transplanted crops.

• Water the garden as needed to prevent drought stress.

September - October Tips • Choose the mild weather occurring this period to plant or transplant the following: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, lettuce, mustard, onions, radishes, spinach and turnips.

Plant your second planting of fall crops such as collards, turnips, cabbage, mustard and kale.

• Harvest mature green peppers and tomatoes before frost gets them -- it may not come until November, but be ready.

• Harvest herbs and dry them in a cool, dry place.

November - December Tips • Why not get started early for next year?

• Spread manure, rotted sawdust and leaves over the garden and plow them under; you’ll be surprised at the difference this organic matter will make in the fertility, physical structure and water-holding capacity of the soil.

• Take a soil sample to allow plenty of time to get the report back. Lime applied now will be of more benefit next year than if it is applied in the spring before planting. Always apply Dolomitic limestone in order to get both calcium and magnesium.

• Save those leaves for the compost heap.

• Take an “inventory.” Maybe you had too much of some vegetables and not enough of others or maybe there were some unnecessary “skips” in the supply. Perhaps some insect, disease or nematode problem got the upper hand. Make a note about favorite varieties. Start planning next year’s garden now!

• You’re wise to order flower and vegetable seeds in December or January, while the

• Refurbish mulch to control weeds, and start adding leaves and other materials for the compost pile. Store your manure under cover to prevent leaching of nutrients.

• Water deeply and thoroughly to prevent drought stress.

Pay special attention to new transplants.

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Aged Manure Pile and Spreader

color scheme, layer the colors by having taller and shorter plants - don’t do it the same way year after year.

• Look around for tools you do not have and hit for these for Christmas presents.

Start Planning Next Year’s Garden Now!

Monthly To-Do List To Keep You On-Track All Year With Your Garden Activities For Zones 9-10 January Tips Editor’s Favorite Tool - Stirrup Hoe

• Start a garden record book now, allowing space to record the dates of first and last frosts, sowing seeds, planting, transplanting, time of

supply is plentiful. Review the results of last year’s garden and order the more successful varieties.

• You may have seeds left over from last year.

Check their viability by placing some in damp paper towels and observing the germination percentage. If the percentage is low, order new ones.

• Before sending your seed order, draw a map of the garden area and decide the direction and length of the rows, how much row spacing is needed for each vegetable, whether or not to plant on raised beds, and other details. That way, you won’t order too many seeds. This same advice applied to the flower garden.

Try new cultivars, add more color, change the

Growing Potatoes - Hilling

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Planting Potatoes in Trench

bloom, first fruits, fertilizing, problems with pests, and other information. Over a period of years, this will be an invaluable record.

• Plant seeds of English peas, mustard greens, turnips, carrots, and radishes.

• Plant transplants of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts.

• Start potatoes.

• Raise tomato transplants indoors to set out after all danger of frost has passed. Choose varieties that are suitable for your area and have disease tolerance.

Tomato Transplants

• Remember to keep mulch around your vegetable plants to conserve moisture and reduce weed problems.

• Set out transplants of tomatoes, and peppers, Be prepared to cover in case of a late frost.

February Tips • Sow seeds of English peas, mustard greens, turnips, beets, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, lettuce, radishes, carrots outdoors.

• Start seeds indoors of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and okra.

• At the end of the month organic gardeners can incorporate manure into the garden for planting in 3-4 weeks. Use 20 lbs. of cow manure per 1000 sq. feet.

• Plant seeds or transplants of basil, oregano, dill, and lemon balm.

April Tips • Plant seeds of green beans, okra, squash, corn, carrots, lettuce, butter beans, and cucumbers.

Check the seed packet or University of Florida “Vegetable Gardening Guide” for correct planting depth.

• Start herb seeds indoors in a protected areabasil borage, chives, parsley, summer savory, and thyme. Provide as much light as possible.

• Transplant tomatoes, peppers, onions, and other vegetables if you did not in March.

Moisten the soil before removing the transplant from the container.

• Make sure Fall-planted strawberries are getting enough water so they produce fruit.

• Plant gourd seeds in rich organic soil one inch deep. Give them plenty of room to climb.

March Tips • Cool season vegetables such as mustard greens, turnips, and collards may still be planted.

• Plant seeds of green beans, corn, carrots, lettuce, butter beans, cucumbers, and other warm weather vegetables.

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• Mound up soil around potato stems to protect tubers from sun damage.

• Stake tomatoes at the time of planting or soon after with a rigid stake that is at least five feet tall. This will help keep fruit off the ground.

May Tips • Continue planting warm weather seeds and transplants. Keep the transplants shaded. Plant

Fiesta Broccoli with Dew

seeds of southern peas.

• Cut back the stems of Irish potatoes when they die but leave the tubers in the ground about two weeks to toughen the skin. Carefully dig potato so you do not bruise the skin. Wash off the hose and dry in the sun before storing.

June Tips • Plant seeds of lima beans, okra, and Southern peas. Also plant sweet potato slips.

• Root tomato suckers for a fall crop.

July Tips • Start broccoli, cauliflower, collards, and cabbage so you will have transplants for the Fall.

• Fertilize peppers, okra, and other warm season vegetables so they will produce throughout the summer.

• When nighttime temperatures stay in the 80’s and above, blossoms of tomato, bush beans, cucumbers, and peppers may drop.

If temperatures stay cooler, plants will still produce.

• Remember to pick cucumbers, squash,

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Red Cabbage beans, okra, and peppers regularly so plants will continue producing.

Blossom end rot on tomatoes or a similar rot on peppers is caused by a calcium deficiency or fluctuations in soil moisture. Try to keep plants evenly moist. Discard rotting fruit.

• Remove all diseased vegetable plants or infected leaves from the garden. Prevent the spread of a disease by watering plants carefully at the soil level.

• As basil plants begin to bloom, out plants back just above a pair of leaves to encourage growth.

August Tips • Direct sow seeds of cucumber, onion, pepper, southern peas, pumpkin, turnips, and watermelon. Select varieties that mature early in order to produce before the temperature gets too cool. Watch for pests and provide water when needed.

• Harvest Spring-planted garlic when the tops are yellow and withered. Dig the bulbs and allow to dry in a well ventilated area out of direct sun.

• Set out transplants of cauliflower and broccoli.

• Test the garden soil before planting cool season crops. Add any amendments several weeks before planting.

• Plant tomato suckers that were rooted earlier.

September Tips • Prepare for your garden by incorporating organic matter into the soil. Try planting vegetables in an attractive design which will add interest to your landscape.

• Plant seeds for radish, beet, carrot, leafy greens, green beans, and cucumber early in the month. Choose varieties that will mature in 7-8 weeks.

• Plant strawberries late this month through October. Choose healthy and quality transplants.

• Set out onions, broccoli, cabbage, collards, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.

• When planting fast maturing vegetables, make several plantings at 10-14 day intervals to have a steady harvest.

• Check cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower for caterpillars.

October Tips • Continue planting seeds of radish, carrot, beets, and leafy greens.

• Plant garlic cloves now for a harvest next summer. Place a clove in the soil so that the pointed end is 1/2 inch below the surface and space cloves 6-8 inches apart.

• Herbs to plant to plant include parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Rosemary will even withstand salt and wind of coastal landscapes.

November Tips • Continued planting seeds of English peas, snap peas, turnips, radish, beets, spinach, carrots, and Chinese cabbage.

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Snow Peas • Plant transplants of broccoli, cabbage, onions, collards and Brussels sprouts.

• Start thinning vegetable when they reach between two and three inches in height.

• Apply organics to the rose garden to help build up the soil.

December Tips • Continue planting seeds of mustard, beets, carrots, and radishes at the beginning of the month.

• Provide plants with enough water if rainfall is scarce.

The Vegetable Garden website provides information on how to vegetable garden including ways to plan and design a garden, plant, grow and harvest vegetables. If you’re already a seasoned gardener the site has tips to help you improve and information on raised beds and container gardening.

The site also reviews gardening products and provides links to many popular gardening product and seed suppliers so you can find everything you need in one easy-to-read and convenient location.

The goal of their website is to help you learn how to garden successfully.

Planting By Temperature Guides

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Roots Nursery is a back yard operation on a one acre lot in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Hardy, easy to grow plants that last in a mid-west garden shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.

That’s where Roots comes in!

Jon and Trish

Because we’re a ‘homegrown’ plant nursery without the expenses other nurseries have, we can offer great prices. Anything you find here in a 1 gallon pot is always only $5. Not only are the plants affordable, many comment on how beautiful and healthy they are.

Fill your landscape with gorgeous flowering shrubs and magnificent perennials. Reasonable prices mean that you can transform your yard into a peaceful get away to enjoy for years to come.

Visit our website rootsnursery.com for more information.

While you’re there, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Homeopathic Medicine - Autism Cured One Boy’s Remarkable Story

I

by Amy L. Lansky

t would be no exaggeration to say that a magazine article sent me on the journey of a lifetime nearly twenty years ago. In January of 1995, an article in Mothering Magazine about the homeopathic treatment of children’s behavioral problems led me to seek out homeopathic treatment for my then autistic son, Max. Back then, my husband Steve and I were struggling to understand and come to terms with Max’s inability to communicate and socialize with others.

Unfortunately, this experience has become increasingly familiar to more and more parents since that time. In 1995, the dramatic rise in autism rates in the U.S. was just beginning, and the world of autism resources and treatments was in its infancy.

In the spring of 1994, when Max was nearly three, his preschool program called us in for a conference and recommended medical attention. Max was becoming increasingly detached, did not make good eye contact or respond well to his name, and was manifesting self-stimulation activities like spinning. During story time, he seemed oblivious; if he was not being held in a teacher’s lap, he would run off and play quietly elsewhere in the room.

When other children were playing outside, the teachers would find him staring raptly at a toy or animal in a classroom. Although Max was generally happy in demeanor, he had only ten or twenty

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words in his vocabulary and was not yet making two-word sentences. Nor did he seem to really understand or respond to us when we spoke to him. If I tried to read to him at bedtime, he’d be all over the bed, running his fingers on the wall and the bedspread. However, he was amazingly adept with blocks and computers, knew his numbers and letters, and loved watching TV and dancing to music.

On the advice of a speech therapist friend, we did not take Max to the Stanford University clinic that had been recommended to us. She told us they’d just label him and instill a sense of hopelessness in us.

Instead, she recommended an excellent language therapist in Palo Alto, California – a woman who is still the top therapist working with children like

“As with so many other things that happened to us that fateful year, someone up there was watching out for us.”

Max in our area. As with so many other things that happened to us that fateful year, someone up there was watching out for us; notoriously impossible to get an appointment with, this therapist took Max on as a client immediately. And rather than labeling him, she just set to work.

In the summer of 1994 I also learned about the Feingold diet. One of the most suspect items on their problem-food list was pasteurized cow’s milk -- and Max was addicted to it! The bottle was his “lovie” and he would sometimes drink eight bottles a day. Once we took milk out of his diet, a veil seemed to lift, and Max finally was able to build two-word sentences.

He was still autistic in style, but he was definitely more present. Several years later I discovered that sensitivities to milk and other foods are highly characteristic of autistic children. Other dietary changes we made at that time included avoidance of food colorings and corn.

In the fall of 1994, Max’s appointments with his language therapist continued, including a weekly session with two other boys on the autism spectrum.

Max was the best behaved but the least verbal and most “spaced out.” After testing, he qualified for county special education benefits.

Max’s progress in therapy was slow and he had begun to manifest characteristic autistic symptoms like echolalia -- speech echoing. We were heartsick but determined to try everything we could. Truly, this was my worst nightmare coming true. My brother is severely mentally ill, so I knew very well how Max’s problems could impact our entire family. At that time we enrolled Max in a Montessori

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school, which was much better suited for him, and also tried to adopt ideas from the book Son Rise

by Barry Neil Kaufman -- for example, spending intensive focused individualized time with him. On the bright side, Max was usually happy, even if he wasn’t fully “there.”

That was the state of things when I learned about Homeopathy from Mothering. Somehow, a short feature article by Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, ND, rang a bell in me; I instinctively knew that this form of treatment could be our answer. The next day I called an acupuncturist friend of mine and asked -- where can I find a homeopath? She referred me to John Melnychuk, a practitioner who had just set up a practice in Palo Alto. We quickly got an appointment, and Max’s journey to recovery began.

Many readers are probably familiar with the use of homeopathic remedies for minor acute ailments like teething or the flu. Homeopathic treatment is based on a single fundamental principle called the Law of Similars. In fact, that’s what the word “homeopathy” literally means: “homeo” (similar) “pathy” (suffering).

The Law of Similars states that in order to treat a particular set of symptoms, one utilizes a substance that can actually produce similar symptoms in a healthy person. For example, one way to treat the stinging eyes and runny nose of a cold would be to take Allium Cepa, made from onion -- because onions can cause similar symptoms.

However, rather than taking a large dose of the substance (for example, drinking onion juice), homeopaths utilize very highly potentized doses, prepared through a process of repeated dilution and shaking. These specially prepared homeopathic remedies carry a kind of energetic signature of the original substance. This use of highly dilute doses is one of the many ways in which homeopathy is

“Homeopathic treatment is based on a single fundamental principle called the Law of Similars.”

distinct from other forms of alternative medicine such as herbalism (which uses plant tinctures).

Another way in which homeopathy differs from herbalism is that remedies can be made from many other kinds of substances -- minerals, metals, animals -- really, anything in nature.

CONSTITUTIONAL HOMEOPATHY BEST FOR CHRONIC CONDITIONS While self-treatment with homeopathic remedies is possible for simple limited conditions like a cold or the flu, chronic problems and serious conditions like autism definitely require treatment by a welltrained homeopath. Our first appointment with our homeopath was typical of this kind of“constitutional” treatment. John observed Max, listened to all of the symptoms I related about Max’s sleep and eating habits, sweat patterns, physical symptoms, behavior, and personality. He also took into account Max’s gestation, birth, and our family’s medical histories.

This first appointment took approximately two hours. After taking a couple of days to analyze the case, John called to tell us the name of a remedy that he felt was best-matching or “homeopathic” to Max. It is important to note that this kind of individualized treatment is fundamental to the effective practice of homeopathy for chronic ailments.

Since most people experience an acute ailment like the flu or first-aid situations like a bee-sting or head trauma in fairly similar ways, their symptoms are fairly uniform, easy to predict, and can be matched against a small, easily-anticipated set of remedy choices. However, there are no “take this for that” remedies for chronic ailments in homeopathy. That’s because every person’s experience of their disease is unique -- especially when you take into account all symptoms -- emotional, mental and physical. As a result, ten different autistic patients will most likely end up getting ten different remedies -- the ones that best match their overall pattern of symptoms.

In fact, each of the approximately 2000 remedies in the homeopathic medicine chest is associated with its own unique physical/mental/emotional pattern,

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and it’s the job of the homeopath to find the one that best matches each patient.

Within days of starting a daily liquid dose of the remedy that John had recommended, Max began showing subtle changes. His speech became slightly more fluid, he used some new phrases, and he seemed more socially aware. The following week, Max’s therapist remarked that something had definitely shifted. Even though we did not tell her about the homeopathy, she quickly asked, “What did you do?!” For example, Max was suddenly able to follow a sequence of two commands rather than just one.

RECOVERY FROM AUTISM BEGINS As the months progressed, the changes in Max became more and more noticeable. Each month we would increase the potency or dose of his remedy and would notice a characteristic pattern of response. Upon starting a new bottle of the remedy in a higher potency, we would see a 3-day period of increased hyperactivity followed by a discrete improvement in cognition and behavior.

After six months of treatment, John recommended that we also take Max to a cranial osteopath. John now treats many autistic children, and he has found that skilled cranio-sacral treatment can speed up improvement in many of his cases. Max had several treatments with the osteopath and we noticed that it made a real impact on him. It seemed to calm him and also increased his desire for physical contact and affection.

After nine months of homeopathic treatment,

“ …this kind of individualized treatment is fundamental to the effective practice of homeopathy for chronic ailments.”

Max’s therapist felt that her sessions were no longer necessary. One-and-a-half years after beginning treatment, Max was testing above age level. When we signed the papers releasing him from eligibility for special education benefits, our therapist told the county representative that it was not her treatment that had helped Max -- it was homeopathy. In fact, she told us that she had never seen anything like it before. She had seen autistic kids improve, but she had never seen a child lose their autism like Max had.

At that point, Max was probably 80% cured. The remaining 20% took a period of several years, marked by transitions to new remedies as Max improved and changed. By the time he was in 4th grade, no one would suspect his former autism.

Admittedly, Max’s response to homeopathic treatment was exceptional -- and close to ideal.

But Max is not an isolated case. As more and more families are beginning to try homeopathy for their autistic children, I am hearing more and more experiences of true healing from around the world.

And with an “incurable” disease like autism, even modest improvements can make a huge difference in quality of life. Many of the homeopaths I speak with report at least some significant form of improvement in a majority of their autism cases.

One important thing to note is that the method of treatment utilized for Max is called classical homeopathy, which means that a single remedy is chosen and given to the patient based on his or her

“ She had seen autistic kids improve, but she had never seen a child lose their autism like Max had.” symptom picture. Other methods of homeopathic treatment have also been used successfully by some families.

One such method is sequential therapy, based on the idea that the symptoms or historical events of the case should be addressed in a particular order. Sequential therapists often use isopathic remedies -- remedies made from substances that are suspected to have triggered the disease, such as vaccines, mercury, etc. Since isopathic remedies are very often incorporated into classical treatment, my own bias is to recommend starting with a classical practitioner who will tailor treatment to the unique characteristics of each child.

HOMEOPATHY INSPIRES RADICAL CHANGE IN FAMILY’S HEALTH CARE As you might imagine, Max’s cure set an even larger journey in motion for our family. For one thing, homeopathy became our primary mode of medicine.

For instance, once I began homeopathic treatment for myself, my summer allergies, which had become fairly severe and required daily dosing with antihistamines, disappeared. Homeopathy was also a lifesaver as I made my way through menopause.

My older son Izaak has also benefited greatly from homeopathy over the years. A somewhat anxious child to begin with, our experience with Max left him with even more anxiety and a problem with tics and twitches. Homeopathic treatment has helped him tremendously. My husband Steve has also greatly benefited, and truly, there’s no doubt that homeopathy improved our marriage! Even my latemother benefited greatly from homeopathy. The

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constitutional remedy selected for her invariably gave her a boost of energy, and she lived to nearly age 95. Of course, good old Arnica – one of the most popular of remedies, useful for nearly any form of injury -- can be like gold for older adults, with their occasional falls and aches and pains. Over the years the homeopathic miracles I’ve witnessed among friends, family, and my own patients are just mindboggling.

With homeopathy on our side, my family has not taken antibiotics or any other allopathic medicines in many years. Nor are we as easy prey to the flu or other health scares that come down the pike each year. With our homeopathic remedy kit and our family homeopath at hand, I feel well protected.

In fact, my family rarely gets sick anymore. Before homeopathic treatment I was experiencing more and more flus and colds that lasted longer and longer. Now I rarely get a cold, and when I do, I usually recover in just a few days, without any conventional treatment. Now that’s what I call empowerment!

My experience with Max also inspired me to change the course of my own life. My work as a researcher in computer science suddenly seemed trivial and mundane in comparison to the miracle that had touched our lives. I felt a call to devote myself to learning, promoting, and supporting the use of homeopathy. I couldn’t believe that most people know nothing about it! The more I learned, the more I realized that it was like a hidden treasure.

Did you know that homeopathy has a long and venerated history in North America -- including successful treatment of numerous epidemics of the 1800s such flu, cholera, typhoid, and smallpox?

Soon, I gave up my work in computer science and began to study homeopathy myself -- first

“ With homeopathy on our side, my family has not taken antibiotics or any other allopathic medicines in many years.”

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“ The more I learned, the more I realized that it was like a hidden treasure.” by reading, and then through more formal study in courses and seminars. I began to help out with various national homeopathic journals and groups, and eventually I served on the board of the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) for seven years. The NCH is a fantastic organization, open to everyone, that helps to promote, protect, and educate the public about homeopathy. Members also receive a wonderful magazine, Homeopathy Today. To find out more about the NCH, visit http://www. nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org.

Then I began to write. First, I began with articles that I placed on the web. Ultimately, I decided to write an introductory book to let everyone know about the power of homeopathy. The net result is Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, a general introduction to homeopathic philosophy, history, and science that includes the story of our family’s experience along with other first-person cure stories, from people from all over the world, for a wide variety of physical and emotional problems. It is now one of the best-selling books about homeopathy worldwide, with translations into several foreign languages. To learn more about Impossible Cure and about homeopathy in general, please visit www.impossiblecure.com.

THE LINK BETWEEN VACCINATIONS & AUTISM Another interesting turn of events for our family has been a growing awareness of the dangers of vaccination. Several clues over the years have hinted that Max’s autism was likely due to a vaccine injury. For example, while we did not re-vaccinate him at age five, he did get the TB test – and he immediately had a marked relapse in his autistic symptoms. Luckily, we resumed homeopathic treatment and he rebounded. I also discovered, years later, that Max had received his Hib and MMR

“ Without a doubt, Max’s story of recovery and our family’s experiences are exceptional.

Today Max is 21 and is finishing up his university studies in USC’s film school.” vaccines just as he was recovering from roseola. I have now learned that vaccinating a child who is already in a compromised state can sometimes be a recipe for disaster.

Because of my increasing involvement with the autism community and because my husband Steve and I are both computer scientists, we were approached to improve the accessibility and usability of the VAERS database -- the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. This database of vaccine injury cases is supplied online by the CDC, but at the time, was virtually unusable for research by most people.

Steve took the VAERS data, combined it into a single large database that was searchable, and made it accessible online via the web. Many people in the autism and vaccine community now use this database for their research. It is now sponsored by the National Vaccine Information Center and can

be found at www.medalerts.org.

Without a doubt, Max’s story of recovery and our family’s experiences are exceptional. Today Max is 21 and is finishing up his university studies in USC’s film school. He is excellent student and talented artist and a popular fellow living in a fraternity. Our family is truly blessed by the healing brought to us by homeopathy.

No matter what kind of emotional or physical problem you or a family member may be experiencing, I encourage you to take responsibility for your own health. Do your research, use the amazing resources of the Internet, and follow your instincts. Join a relevant online group for education and support. Let alternative approaches to health care -- like homeopathy -- empower you! You may be surprised by the results.

Note: This article was adapted from an article originally published in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Mothering Magazine and later by Vitality Magazine in 2007.

“ …take responsibility for your own health.”

Amy L. Lansky, PhD was a Silicon Valley computer scientist when her life was transformed by the miraculous homeopathic cure of her son’s autism.

In April 2003 she published Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy, one of the best-selling The Author with son, Max, introductory books on homeopathy worldwide outside his fraternity in 2012 (www.impossiblecure.com). Amy speaks and writes internationally about homeopathy, hosts a monthly radio show on Autism One Radio (autismone.org), and was an executive board member of the National Center for Homeopathy from 2004-2011. Her second book, on meditation and developing one’s innate ability to evolve and transform the world, was published in September 2011 -- Active Consciousness: Awakening the Power Within (www.activeconsciousness.com).

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Nontoxic Spring Cleaning Kit

– DIY Diva

by Annie B. Bond

I

n the old days, spring cleaning meant giving everything in the house–curtains, bedding, corner cupboards–a thorough wash to remove the soot from winter fires and lamp oil. These days, of course, most of us heat with central heating systems that don’t leave soot, and have electric lamps. So why bother with spring cleaning?

I think that spring cleaning nowadays is mostly about removing dust, and that dust is its link to the tradition’s heritage. As heating systems begin to shut down and we can open windows, the winter’s dust accumulation begins to blow around the home. As the days get longer and there is more sun, it is also easier to see dust and cobwebs. Visible dust inspires one to want to remove it!

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Truthfully, whatever the reasons, as the days get longer and warmer, what better excuse do you need for a top-to-bottom cleaning of your home, and to get at all those places regular cleaning maintenance doesn’t reach, such as washing curtains and getting under the bed.

When you undertake this enterprise, the last thing that you want to do is to pollute your home with toxic cleaning chemicals, so I have put together a green spring cleaning kit that uses the most natural and least-toxic ingredients.

I do recommend detergents –the least toxic available–and they are not found in nature and are not nontoxic. When cleaning with just soap, the minerals in water combine with soap to result in

soap scum. For those with hard water, the switch to using soap instead of a detergent doesn’t produce successful results.

Soft Scrubber ½ cup baking soda A few squirts of a green liquid soap

Ingredients Needed • Sun

Place the baking soda in a bowl and add enough liquid soap or detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop some of the mixture onto a sponge and scrub the tub, sink, or the stainless steel. Rinse well.

• Baking soda • Vinegar • Washing soda • Sodium percarbonate for whitening ( Ecover’s Laundry Bleach is 100% sodium percarbonate) • Soap or Detergent Read more about these ingredients in my article Five Basics for Nontoxic Cleaning.

Here are some of my best formulas for making natural cleaning products.

Welcome the Sun and the Longer Days Choose a sunny weekend for your spring cleaning, and hang as much outside on a clothes line as possible, as sunlight is known to kill dust mites and be antibacterial.

Window Cleaner With the increase in sunlight you can see just how dirty your windows are and what a perfect time to clean them so you can watch spring unfold. Here is my best window cleaner recipe: The Best Window Wash 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent 2 cups of water spray bottle.

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and spray on your windows.

Shelf-Life: Indefinite Soft Scrub for Tubs, Stainless Steel, and More.

This is my can’t-do-without formula, and the best one I ever created.

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After cleaning with the above soft scrub, for stainless steel, some people like to bring the metal to a high polish by rubbing the surface with straight household vinegar. I’ve found that just rinsing the soft scrub well does the trick, but each to their own.

Note: Stay away from all chlorine-based products on stainless steel.

Heavy Duty Cleanser Washing Soda Wearing gloves, make a thick wet paste of the mineral and layer it onto the area that needs to be

cleaned. Let the paste rest for up to eight hours (longer for big stains), and then rinse. Note that this washing soda cleanser is powerful enough to peel wax off a floor, and if you choose the OxyBoost or OxyClean, is very whitening (great for porcelain tubs and sinks!).

All Purpose Spray Cleaner 1/2 teaspoon washing soda A dab of liquid soap or detergent 2 cups very hot tap water Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

Light and Lemony Dusting Cloth Light and Lemony Duster 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice a few drops of pure, food grade lemon oil (as opposed to an essential oil) a few drops of olive oil a soft cotton rag Learn more about lemon for cleaning, and its aromatherapy benefits!

Whitener – Sinks, Tubs, and Clothes Sodium percabonate is a wonder if you want to whiten a sink, tub, or clothes, without using bleach.

I’ve become a devoted fan because of what it will do for my kitchen sink!

Sink Cleaner Sodium Percarbonate Use a stopper to block the drain of the sink or tub. For cleaning a sink, add 1/4 cup of sodium percarbonate (Ecover’s Laundry Bleach is readily available in health food stores), followed by a couple of gallons of hot water. (For a tub add 1/2 cup of sodium percarbonate and a few inches of hot water to cover the bottom of the tub.) Let set for an hour or so before draining out the water and lightly scrubbing with a sponge.

Laundry Whitener Follow the directions on the box.

Annie B. Bond The best-selling author of five green living books and (literally) thousands of other articles, and a Huffington Post blogger, I’ve been called “the foremost expert on green living”

by Body & Soul magazine. Others call me the “godmother of green.” I bring over 20 years of experience as a writer and editor about the connections between the environment, personal health and well-being. With an expert eye for hidden pollutants (honed by my own experience with chemical poisoning), I work to offer us a healthy and timeless way of life that is in harmony with the earth.

I am the founder and CEO of TerraSpheres.com, a site for connecting the spheres of consciousness, community and global transformation. I also edit GreenChiCafe.com, a site that reflects my more personal world of green and spiritual living—www.greenchicafe. com—a site that I started with my daughter, Lily.

Since the summer of 2010 I’ve co-authored a blog called Spiritual Solutions with Deepak Chopra. Currently I am editor-in-chief of TheWellnessWire.com.

My first book, Clean and Green (1990-) was a bestseller, reflecting the needs of a world hungry for healthy, non-toxic alternatives to everyday products. Since then, I have written The Green Kitchen Handbook (1996), Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press, 1999), and Home Enlightenment (Rodale 2005), a comprehensive guide to establishing a naturally, healthy sanctuary within your home. My latest book is True Food (National Geographic, 2010) and will be out on January 1st, 2010. I field over 100 media requests a year and am a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences; many of the events are keynotes.

From 1999- 2008 I was the executive editor of the Healthy & Green Living part of Care2.com, one of the largest online sites in the green space. Prior to that I was the founding editor of two green magazines – one of which was bought by National Geographic. http://www.anniebbond.com/

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Don't Eat That!

Artificial Food Dyes

F

ound in many foods and non-food items in the United States including marshmallows, some brands of ketchup, pickles, boxed cereals, jellies, juices, ice cream, medicines, and candy, artificial food dyes are banned in some countries. Companies in the European Union that use artificial dyes in their products must include a warning label that reads “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”.

Most of the 8 artificial dyes still used in the United States are derived from petroleum. The ingredients often include propylene glycol to stabilize and propylparaben as a preservative.

The dyes still in use are FD &C Reds 3 and 40, Citrus Red 2, FD &C Yellow 5, FD &C Blues 1 and 2, FD &C Green 3 and Orange B. Red 3 has been

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shown to cause cancer in mice. According to the FDA’s own rules, Red 3 is illegal because of this. Yet it still continues to be used in our food supply without enforcement. Other dyes have been shown to cause adverse reactions including behavior problems and hyperactivity.

Artificial food dyes provide no nutritional benefit.

They are simply used to disguise processed foods as “real” food. Did you know that before it gets bleached and dyed yellow, margarine is grey? Marshmallows without blue dye have a slightly brownish color from the sugar. Orange skins are ..well…orange. Sausages are not in fact bright red.

Read your labels carefully and consider finding some dye-free or plant-based dye alternatives.

Eat This Instead • Look for products that are Certified Organic – they CAN’T contain artificial dyes. Avoid food with “artificial dye” or any FD&C dye on the label.

• Buy whole foods instead of packaged.

• Have fun experimenting in your kitchen., To achieve colors in the foods you make from scratch at home, you can work with packaged foodbased dyes or experiment with making your own. A really simple way to dye f r o s t i n g for birthday cake, is to reduce the liquid in the frosting and blend jelly or blended jam into the sugar and butter.

I’ve also used beet juice and turmeric. I plan to make some spinach juice to use in a food dying experiment this spring! This is fun to do on your own and even more engaging when you involve children in the experiments.

A colorful plate is a healthy plate, but only when it’s full of real, whole foods! Don’t fall for the gimmick, and help your children understand why these big companies use dye in attempt to fool us into thinking that their products are fun and good for us too.

To Dye Eggs for Easter or just for fun, read this Organic Mother blog post. http://hannahn.uibc2.com/?p=55

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Gluten-Free Home Cooking Recipes written by Hannah and tested by Hannah and our Readers

Baking Powder Biscuits Makes 12 biscuits.

Ingredients 1/2 cup of organic butter 1 cup of quinoa flour 1 cup of buckwheat flour 1 tablespoon of Xylitol or 1 ½ teaspoons of Stevia 3 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon sea salt ¾ cup raw milk or cold water

My ingredients, minus the milk

Quinoa flour on the left and buck- I diced the butter before I cut it in. wheat flour on the right. You can see the difference in color.

After cutting the butter into the dry ingredients.

The wet dough - it looks like clay!

Directions

After gentle kneading. The dough is very soft and tender - it needs a gentle hand.

1. Heat oven to 450˚.

2. Cut butter into flours, sweetener, baking powder and sea salt in medium mixing bowl, using pastry cutRolled out ter or by criss-crossing knives, until mixture resembles crumbs. Alternately, place the above ingredients in your Kitchen Aid mixer with flat beater attachment and run on low until the mixture reaches the correct consistency.

3. Stir in liquid until dough leaves the side of the bowl.

Dough will still be sticky.

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Before baking.

After baking.

Butter and raw honey on top.

4. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface (use one of the flours in the recipe). Knead lightly 10 times. Roll out or pat to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured cookie cutter of choice (or use the top of a drinking glass). Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart for crusty sides and touching for soft sides.

5. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

For drop biscuits, increase liquid to 1 cup. Spoon dough onto greased cookie sheet or into soup or stew or chicken and biscuit gravy.

Tested by Jesse Twarog in Massachusetts

flour 4 celery stalks, sliced 1 medium carrot, sliced 1 small onion, chopped 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 3 cups cutup cooked chicken (from your roasted chicken) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. 2. Heat chicken stock or broth with vegetables to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Remove vegetables from broth and reserve.

“I made the biscuits - it was fun! The recipe was easy and followed exactly like any other biscuit recipe I’ve used. I didn’t really like the biscuits too much - they were okay. I usually like honey on my biscuits but these ones were definitely more savory and would probably go better with a savory dish like a chicken stew or pot pie. It was also a taste that takes getting used to - as I ate the one I sampled I got used to it as I went along. You just can’t expect a regular biscuit taste. Also, the buckwheat flour is so dark that the biscuits come out looking more like chocolate cookies.

3. In a separate pot, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture, salt and pepper. Cook until bubbly. Remove from heat.

I always make drop biscuits, but this time I decided to knead and roll them out. I would probably recommend doing drop biscuits with these too - they didn’t rise very much despite all the baking powder so they came out flat like cookies. They’d be more ‘biscuit-y’ if they were taller.

7. Prepare “Gluten-Free Baking Powder Biscuits” as drop biscuits.

All in all, it was a fun experiment and I was glad to help!”

9. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

4. Gradually stir in chicken broth and blend well.

Whisk smooth if necessary.

5. Return to stove top and heat to boiling. Boil for one minute stirring constantly.

6. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked vegetables and cut up chicken. Pour into a large glass baking pan or Dutch oven. Place in preheated oven uncovered.

8. When chicken mixture starts to bubble, remove from oven and carefully drop biscuit dough by the spoonful onto the mixture. Return to oven.

Chicken and Biscuits Ingredients 4 cups organic chicken stock or broth (no salt) 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup quinoa flour + 1/8 cup coconut

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Can you tell we liked it?

10. Serve withyour favorite greens or fresh salad.

Tested by Sarah Noel Larose of Vermont and Hannah Noel, Organic Life Editor “I spent a year after my son was born with an almost constant yeast infection. I did a six-month wheat flourfree, sugar-free cleanse that finally did the trick! Buckwheat flour didn’t cause me any problems, so I used it a lot as a substitute. I got used to the different taste and texture then and still like it especially when I mix it with other alternative flours.” – Hannah

Apple Crisp Ingredients 6 medium tart apples, cored, peeled and sliced Sweetener of your choice (honey, maple syrup, Xylitol, Stevia) to taste, 1/4 cup +/1/4 cup quinoa flour + 1/8 cup coconut flour 1/2 cup gluten-free old-fashioned oats 1/3 cup butter softened 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg Directions 1. Heat oven to 375˚ F. 2. Arrange apples in greased 8x8x2 pan. Grease with butter or coconut oil.

3. Mix remaining ingredients, and sprinkle over apples.

4. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve warm. Top with homemade whipped raw cream.Variation: For your topping, eliminate the oats and the flour. Use 1 cup of cooked quinoa instead!

Tested by Carrie Roberts in Missouri “It was drier than expected. Not saucy like regular apple crisp. And 6 apples were way too many. In the future I would use 4 apples, and chunk them up, I used honey for my sweetener. The taste was great aside from being dry.”

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Buckwheat Pancakes Makes about nine 4-inch pancakes Ingredients 1 large egg (or 1/2 cup applesauce) 1 cup buckwheat flour 3/4 cup of milk or water 1 tablespoon of sweetener of your choice (honey, maple syrup, Xylitol, Stevia) 2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Directions 1. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Grease griddle with butter or coconut oil.

2. Beat egg in medium bowl with hand beater or whisk until fluffy. Beat in all remaining ingredients until smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in another 1-2 tablespoons of milk or water.

If omitting egg, just start with everything in your bowl.

3. Pour pancake batter onto hot griddle by the scant 1/4 cup. Cook until the edges are dry and you can see lots of bubbles forming throughout pancake. Turn with spatula and cook until other side is golden brown.

4. Serve hot with butter and puréed berries. Drizzle with real maple syrup for a decadent treat.Tested

by Sara King in Vermont “They came out beautiful and taste great!”

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Basic Vegetable

Stir Fry 1 large onion 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets Olive oil Wheat-free tamari Balsamic vinegar

Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil or sunflower oil in large wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add more oil as needed. Add carrots and cook, stirring for another 2 minutes. Add broccoli and cook, stirring for another 2-3 minutes. Dash in soy sauce and a bit of balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve over long-grain brown rice or other grain .

Variations: (get creative and use whatever vegetables you have on hand!)

• Spring - asparagus, wild leeks, green onions, spinach • Spring - asparagus, radishes, baby braising greens, green onions, peas, garlic scapes • Summer - kale or Swiss chard, onions, zucchini, yellow summer squash, garlic • Summer - kale or Swiss chard or bok choy, onions, carrots, broccoli, garlic, red cabbage, plum tomatoes • Use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar in place of balsamic vinegar • Use sea salt to taste • Try throwing in a tablespoon of fresh herbs: basil, parsley or summer savory • Add your choice of sustainable meat - 100% grass-fed beef, pasture raised certified organic chicken or pork, sustainably wild caught shrimp. Cook separately then add to stir fry at the end to warm through.

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Roasting a

Whole Chicken

If frozen, thaw chicken completely and dry thoroughly. Rub chicken skin with a generous amount of sea salt and other seasonings of your choice (thyme, summer savory and sage are good choices). Stuff the cavity with a whole onion and several crushed garlic cloves and herb bundles if desired. Place in small roasting pan or glass baking dish breast down.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place chicken in oven. Cook for about an hour and half. Remove from oven, turn over so breast is up and baste. Return to oven for another 30 minutes or until skin is golden brown and crispy. For chickens over 3.5 pounds, add about 10 minutes of cooking time per pound. Use a meat thermometer to judge when chicken is done. Internal temperature of breast should reach 165 degrees F.

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Cooking Grains Long-grain brown rice 1 cup rice 2 cups cold water, chicken stock or vegetable stock 1. Pour rice and liquid into 3-quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30- 35 minutes. Keep lid on entire cooking time.

2. Remove from heat and keep covered for another five minutes. Serve.

Quinoa 2 cups cold water, chicken stock or vegetable stock 1 cup quinoa 1. Rinse quinoa well by putting in quart jar with plenty of water and shaking. Drain and repeat 3-4 times, until foam no longer forms.

2. Bring water to a boil. Add rinsed quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook covered for about 15 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let sit covered for another 3-5 minutes.

Kasha 1 cup kasha 2 cups cold water, chicken stock or vegetable stock 1. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add kasha and cook stirring constantly for about 3 minutes until lightly toasted.

2. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes.

If grain is still hard and liquid is absorbed, add another 1/4 cup of liquid and cook longer. Be careful not to over-cook as this will result in mushy kasha.

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Sweet and Salty Roasted Sweet Potato Beet Recipe Original recipe makes 6 servings medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cracked sea salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon sugar 3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into chunks 1 large sweet onion, chopped Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. In a bowl, toss the beets with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar in a large resealable plastic bag. Place the sweet potatoes and onion in the bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat vegetables with the oil mixture.

4. Bake beets 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix sweet potato mixture with the beets on the baking sheet. Continue baking 45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.

5. To twice back, mash potatoes and beets with a hand masher, add 1tbsp coconut oil or butter bake in pie glass or casserole dish for 10min on 350 degrees F

My name is Jenna Greiner. I am a twenty nine year old wife and mother of two. I met my husband in the search for my lifelong “planting partner�. It was my journey to health and organic living that lead me to my soul mate. As a family we love organic gardening, canning, homesteading and also have a passion for clean local eating. It is through this passion that we offer our community an organic produce box delivery service that brings together local eating and organic living. (www.newagainfarm.com)

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Try Green Pizza For Earth Day

A

n important part of my kale journey has happened alongside my gluten journey. I never would have thought that gluten affected me. However, I made our house gluten free for a couple of family members, and lo and behold, my son and I were beneficiaries as well. Suddenly I didn’t have the anxiety I always chalked up to self-employment and my energy went way up.

How could that be? I didn’t have any symptoms that indicate celiac or wheat allergy or wheat sensitivity. Well, here’s how I’ve come to understand it: gluten in wheat is desirable because of its stickiness. Right? Gluten makes bread with great texture, pasta in all shapes and sizes, and on and on.

So, maybe my health improved simply because my

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intestines weren’t working so hard to process the sticky gluten off my tiny intestinal villi.

Now, I’m meeting others who decided to go gluten free, not because of any overt symptoms, but either to support family members or just to experiment and see what happened. One woman I know who went gluten free just for giggles, saw such an increase in energy, her much younger staff told her to go back on gluten so they could keep up with her!

However, going gluten free can mean giving up a favorite, pizza. So today I offer you a delicious gluten free pizza crust that can also be made dairy free— since, after all, gluten and dairy sensitivities often go hand in hand.

Green, Gluten Free Pizza Makes one 16” pizza (thick crust), or one 11x16” pizza (thinner crust) Recipe doubles easily Crust Ingredients: Dry 2 C tapioca flour (sifted is beneficial) 2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 minced cloves of garlic) ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp oregano ½ C Romano or parmesan cheese, grated (optional) Wet 2 ½ T olive oil 2 lg eggs (or 3 small) 1/3 C water Toppings: Red or white sauce, take your pick 3 large onions, caramelized Sausage (preferably with sugar not corn syrup) Kale, blended or chopped thoroughly Feta, mozzarella or cheddar cheese, grated (optional) Directions: 1. Cut onion into thin slices. Cook in a large saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Once the onions have turned translucent (it’s great if some edges have browned), turn heat down to low, put the lid on and let the onions continue to cook while you prepare the dough. Stir occasionally. What you are doing is caramelizing the onions, releasing their sweetness.

NOTE: Be sure to use all three large onions, caramelizing the onions greatly reduces their size and potent flavor. So in order to have enough for the pizza be sure to use all of them—especially if you want to go without the cheese! A generous layer of caramelized onion makes cheese an unnecessary topping.

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Prepare the dough 2. Mix together the dry ingredients: tapioca flour, garlic, salt, baking powder and oregano. Whisk together the wet ingredients: olive oil, eggs, water.

3. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. Remember, this is not wheat flour dough. The texture is considerably different—it feels very dense and yet it oozes around more than wheat dough. Though same rules apply, you don’t want the dough to be crumbly—add water if too dry.

You don’t want the dough to be too wet--add a little more tapioca flour if too sticky.

4. Turn oven to 450 degrees.

5. If you are having sausage in your pizza, now is a good time to turn the heat back up to medium, add sausage to the caramelized onions and brown.

6. Spread dough out on pizza pan as evenly as possible.

7. Add sauce.

8. Prepare kale. Take 2-4 large leaves of kale, pull leaves off the stem. Either chop up the kale very finely in a blender (my method to get the kids to eat it) or chop it up to whatever size you like.

9. Add chopped kale to caramelized onion & sausage (makes everything easy to spread if it’s altogether). Or split up the kale to accommodate tastes. I put about half of the kale in the onions so everyone gets some, but then I mound the rest on my part of the pizza. My pizza has a solid green covering of chopped kale—so the result is ultimately like minikale chips on top of pizza dough!

10. Finish loading toppings on the pizza. You’ve got your sauce, caramelized onions, sausage, kale, cheese and/or whatever else you decide to throw on.

11. Cook pizza at 450 for 15 to 18 minutes.

Enjoy!

If you don’t want to make your own dough, this recipe was inspired by the Chebe brand of pizza dough mixes. You can find them at: https://chebe.com/Where-to-Buy/Buy-Online.aspx “My kids vying for the last piece of my kale-covered pizza--I’m pretending to pout but inside I’m doing a happy dance!

Debby is the creator of Fun Organic Shirts. www.funorganicshirts.com

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Treat your Mother

& Mother Earth this Month!

5 Fun & Fabulous Earth-Friendly Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day

W

hether your mom is a foodie or a fan of the outdoors, you can choose to celebrate with her in a sustainable earthfriendly way. Here are some ideas to get you going:

1. FOODIE MOMS: Food is often at the heart of every celebration. If your mom likes to cook fresh fare, have some fun at the farmer’s market. Head over with your mom and select some fresh and local organic food with which you both can make a magnificent meal. Select some items you may not be familiar with and experiment preparing them together. Cooking together creates a strong bond and gives you time to reminisce on old times while creating new memories. Chances are you will both end up learning something new about each other.

For more ideas on creating celebrations with food, check out The Mystic Cookbook, written by mother and daughter team, Denise and Meadow Linn.

Mystic cookbook

2. MOMS WHO LOVE TO CLEAN: While this may sound silly to some, there are moms out

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there who love the act of cleaning. If cleaning is their preference over cooking, consider making earth-friendly cleaning products with your mom. Do a quick Google search on make your own eco-friendly cleaning products and you’ll have a wide variety of sources and recipes from which to choose. Buying them is also an option, and you may prefer to do so and present her with a beautifully wrapped gift basket. My personal favorite is Old Town Suds. They has a range of products from laundry detergent to beautifully marbled soaps http://oldtownsuds.com/products/.

If clearing and decluttering is more her thing, give her a hand and see what you can clean out and clear away (like maybe those old toys you’ve been storing in her home since your childhood). You may be surprised what you find! And it might just inspire the creativity for this next tip!

3. CREATIVE/ARTISTIC MOMS: Whether in your mom’s home or in your own, something extraordinary is just waiting to be uncovered so that you can create the perfect gift.

Recycling and upcycling is both in fashion and budget-friendly. Take some old photographs and create a college using a refurbished frame. Need more ideas? Check out www. recyclescene.com for creations using corks, making calendars, confetti and much more. http://www.recyclescene.com/project-ideas

4. ACTIVE MOMS: If your mom is more physically active, you can choose to get going in another fashion. How about a bike ride together or a long walk through the park? An outdoor yoga class will stretch your mind and body, without stretching your budget. Spend time with your mom enjoying nature. It could be a boat ride or beach trip depending on the area you live.

Whatever you and your mom’s preferences, get going!

in the oven on 250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Wait until they cool, pop them out and share the love. Make an art play date. You’ll make everyone happy and while the kids are busy coloring you can celebrate the miracle of motherhood hanging out with the other moms.

Whatever you choose to celebrate, enjoy spending time together.

5. MOTHERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN – If you are the mother of young children, you probably get a lot of exercise just running around after them. To keep them calm and enhance their own creativity, consider a recycling/upcycling project with them. Tracy Bay, photographer and mother of two, takes the old, broken crayons her daughters have used and melts them down into shapes (see the beautiful hearts pictured above). Place the crumbled crayons in your chosen molds and melt them Aimee DuFresne is a writer, speaker, life coach and raw vegan chef. After losing the two people closest to her in 2008, Aimee transformed her life and made it her business to enjoy each moment to the fullest. She is the creator of Fearless Fridays, a series interviewing individuals who have triumphed over tragedy to inspire and empower others to do the same. She shatters the myth that better health has to be hard or time-consuming and customizes programs so her clients can enjoy greater health and happiness, making the process faster, easier, and a whole lot more fun!

Find out more information and sign up for her free newsletter at www.aimeedufresne.com Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aimee-DuFresne/288470667835112 PHOTO CREDIT: Tracy Bay Photography, LLC, www.tracybayphotography.com

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Beauty

My Kids Have Something to Say

S

by Shannon Hayes

aoirse was no more than a few weeks old when one of our farm customers approached me about attending a protest in Albany to call legislators’ attention to the problems with genetically modified foods. The organizers were specifically recruiting mothers to attend with children. They wanted moms to put kids and babies in shopping carts and wheel them from office to office to make their point. I wholeheartedly agreed with my customer about the importance of the issue. But I immediately refused.

“I’m not using my child as a decoration for a cause she hasn’t chosen,” was the only thing I could think to say.

Later on, upon recounting the experience with Bob, he agreed. Our refusal to use our children for our causes became a household rule for many reasons. But Saoirse and Ula recently informed us that they’ve outgrown that rule.

First, to explain Bob’s and my thinking: We believe that to raise a child who will be a good steward of the earth, she must be allowed to fall in love with it.

We felt that bombarding our kids with information about our causes -- how the earth is being poisoned and abused -- before they are empowered to take action to protect it is problematic. If the natural world were forever depicted to them as fragile, in danger, and in need of protection, they might simply detach from it, since they were powerless to do anything about it. We wanted our children

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to grow to trust the earth, to feel nurtured by her, before they were asked to defend her. Rather than barraging them with stories about what others are doing wrong to this planet, we tried to make them aware of the things that must be done to treat her right, whether it is picking up trash on the side of the road, being careful with our water and streams on the farm, choosing local foods in season, assiduously composting and recycling, or minimizing our use of our car. Furthermore, there was the simple matter

of our daughters being too young to have opinions on issues. How does an infant or young child have an opinion about GMOs? Organic food policy? The 99%? New York State Environmental law? Over the course of our family life, Bob and/or I would leave home to speak out for our causes, and the kids would stay home. They never challenged that rule, until last week.

As the threat of hydraulic fracturing circles about New York State, an unprecedented number of the residents of our town from all backgrounds and across the political spectrum have decided to organize to get a law in place to protect our land.

And while it would appear that no one on our town board is truly “pro-fracking,” the speed with which the citizens want to enact the law is deeply troubling for the board members, who are accustomed to taking 6-12 months to discuss something as minor as a single dog control incident. A new law on the books would preferably be a multi-year process in their view. This is one of those towns where nothing is supposed to happen, where the greatest controversy is over tax assessments. But the citizens feel it is imperative to have something in place before the state makes its determination on whether to allow fracking in the coming weeks or months, as home rule is our best chance for protecting ourselves in the future. Thus, while it would seem most folks are in agreement on the issues, there is still controversy.

And Saoirse and Ula hear it. It comes up at our local parties and potlucks, they hear about it at the firehouse, when we go to the post office, when we go to vote, when neighbors drop their kids off for play dates, or when folks come by to purchase meat.

On the day of our public hearing for the new law last week, Saoirse and Ula sat down at lunch while Bob and I were reviewing our talking points. They waited for a lapse in our conversation, then Saoirse spoke up. “I’d like to talk tonight.”

“Me, too,” chimed in Ula. I stammered. Saoirse? Speak? This is a kid who can go weeks without seeing any of her buddies and be perfectly happy in her seclusion. She is friendly

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to everyone she meets, but she’s an introvert to the core. And Ula? She’s usually playing in her fantasy world, what does she know about the issues?

“This isn’t your problem,” I assured them. “Mommy and Daddy will deal with it.”

Saoirse emitted a perfectly- excuted pre-adolecent gasp of exasperation (she’s been practicing them a lot lately).

“It is SO our problem! We want to be able to live here! We want to be able to drink the water!”

Bob and I stared at each other. What to do?

“I don’t think it’s allowed,” I muttered.

“You’re not of voting age,” he added, then quickly changed the subject, “Ula, make sure you eat your vegetables.”

“Saoirse, can you pass me the butter?” I aided the direction-change.

The afternoon passed with nothing more said on the subject. The girls went about finishing their lessons and playing, and we assumed it was forgotten…. until just before supper, when they marched in to where we were having tea.

“You need to help us prepare what we’re going to say,” Saoirse informed us.

Bob and I studdered and stammered some more.

“You’re serious?” I finally asked. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I HAVE to say something,” Saoirse informed me. “I just HAVE to.”

So we booted up the computer, and Saoirse drafted a simple statement in her own words. Ula dictated what she wanted to say. We encouraged her to keep it short, since she wouldn’t be able to read any notes.

When we arrived at the town meeting, their names

were added to the list of speakers. They shared slot #17.

I was sitting behind them when their names were called in that packed room. They stood up. Saoirse held her paper in front of her. Her hands didn’t even shake. Ula stood beside her, staring over her spectacles at each board member at the head of the room, daring them to avert her gaze.

“My name is Saoirse Hayes Hooper,” Saoirse began, “and this is my sister, Ula. We live on Rossman Valley Road, and we work on Sap Bush Hollow Farm with our grandparents. The reason we don’t want fracking is because we have a very happy and healthy family, and we want it to stay that way. We want for our family to be able to drink a glass of water without having to worry about getting sick. So my sister and I are asking you to please BAN FRACKING.” And then, Ula added her one line “We don’t want Mother Earth to be in pain all the time.”

“Thank you,” they managed to say in unison.

They both collapsed into my lap afterward.

I don’t know what the board members thought.

Did they believe that I’d brought my children out

as decorations for the cause? Did they feel I had manipulated them to say something to bring more drama to the scene? Just then, Saoirse leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’m so happy to finally get that off my chest.”

And I realized that my concerns were pointless. It didn’t matter what the board, or any of my neighbors thought about a nine-year-old and a six-year-old standing up and speaking at a public hearing. Or whether or not anyone suspected that I was some kind of manipulative over-bearing mother pushing these girls to do my bidding. Saoirse and Ula needed to do this for themselves. They needed to know that they took a stand on something that was important to them.

I realize now how Bob’s and my job as parents is shifting. It is not necessarily our task any longer to shield our daughters from our grown-up causes and concerns. We still don’t feel it is appropriate to ask them to stand up for issues that don’t resonate with them, nor should they have their joy in this earth stripped away by incessant harping about all the problems we must battle. But at the same time, we can’t silence them, either. They have grown to love their world, and even at their young age, they have every right to defend it. Our job now is to help them make their voices heard.

Shannon Hayes works with her family on Sap Bush Hollow Farm raising grassfed meat in Upstate New York. She is the author of The Grassfed Gourmet, The Farmer and the Grill, and Radical Homemakers. Her newest book, Long Way on a Little: An Earth Lovers’ Companion for Enjoying Meat, Pinching Pennies and Living Deliciously, is due out in September 2012. To be notified of the book’s release, or to receive her Grassfed Cooking articles, sign up for the Grassfed Cooking Newsletter, a free service for grassfed farmers and meat lovers. Copies of her books can be purchased through GrassfedCooking.com at both retail and wholesale prices.

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Conversations with Great Minds - Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, on GMOs - Part One

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- Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, on GMOs - Part Two

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The Legend of Surfing:

Kelly Slater

Living an Organic LifeMovie Trailer Getting Monsanto out of Hawaii

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Organics Industry Continues Education Efforts

by Jim Offner As seen on ThePacker.com 01/11/2013 11:59:30 AM

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onsumers are beginning to understand that “homegrown” and “organic” are not interchangeable terms, according to organic shippers and marketers, as well as industry observers.

Their education is by no means finished, though, said Joy Goodwin, assistant professor in Department of Agriculture Education and Communication and Center for Public Issues Education and Agricultural and Natural Resources at the University of Florida.

“Within the last year, we did research with consumers in Florida and held discussion groups, focusing on local food, and organics kept coming up,” Goodwin said.

Participants would regularly use “homegrown” and “organic” interchangeably, Goodwin said.

“But a lot of consumers could see the difference,” she said.

Talking with farmers Some are drawing distinct lines between homegrown and organic, Goodwin said.

“A lot of times, consumers would say local food has the advantage of being able to know the farmer and talk to the farmer,” Goodwin said.

Through such interactions, consumers learn how foods are produced, as well as where, Goodwin said.

“It’s not as important that the food is organic if people know how the food is produced. It’s more important to them to be able to talk with and learn from the farmer,” she said.

The research indicated a split between participants who said organic was more important and those who had a preference for homegrown, Goodwin said.

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“There were also people who thought organic food was expensive and overrated, and there were people who thought the organic movement was more popular than the local food movement.”

Some participants said organic enjoyed an edge in news coverage or publicity.

The organic marketing message often is more emphatic, too, since large-scale growers in a certain area often have wide, even global, distribution networks, Goodwin said.

“With small producers, maybe they aren’t doing as good a job as getting the word out about their local product,” she said.

“People told us they didn’t see ads for local foods and didn’t know where to find it. There were barriers to accessing local food.”

The local and organic categories often overlap, she said.

“If a producer is local and organic, I think a lot of consumers would add value to that,” Goodwin said. “(If ) a producer is in a situation where they are growing organically and they can market it locally, they should make sure they are branding and marketing product that way.”

“There are different perceptions of local, whether it’s from down the street, in the same state or region or even U.S. vs. imports,” Kosinsky said.

Organic, on the other hand, is now a legal term, as defined in detail by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Simcha Weinstein, marketing director with Bridgeport, N.J.based Albert’s Organics.

“We therefore know how the (organic) food is grown and processed. There is no standard or definition for what constitutes local — at least not yet,” he said.

Media discussions of organic and homegrown often blur the two categories, which doesn’t help, Weinstein said.

“It’s not at all an uncommon assumption for shoppers to believe that food that is grown locally is also organic,” he said.

That’s a huge misperception, which is “confounded by the fact that so much of the food you see at local farmers markets is labeled as organic,” Weinstein said.

Homegrown may be — but doesn’t have to be — organic, Weinstein said.

Confused consumers

“Organic and local are not the same, and just because something is grown locally does not mean that it is raised using organic farming methods,” he said.

Goodwin said consumer perceptions of what constituted “local produce” often were fuzzier than their understanding of the organic category.

Both categories have their strengths, Weinstein said.

That’s understandable, said Amber Kosinsky, marketing director for Wish Farms, a Plant City, Fla.based organic berry grower.

“The ideal, of course, is to find food that is both local and organic. That is the optimal food system,” he said.

For full coverage of the produce industry go to ThePacker.com.

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The Energy Crisis is An Inside Job

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hile there are many words that could be written about how the energy crisis in the world is controlled by cartels, politicians, and Illuminati the energy crisis we are talking about here is the one you are responsible for. That’s right. There is an energy crisis in people’s bodies, and it is a silent pandemic.

We are energetic beings living in a vibrational world.

While many people are waking up to this concept and beginning to choose new ways of living, it is still such a new concept that my Microsoft Word Spell Checker is telling me that “vibrational” isn’t even a word (yet). Well, phooey to that! Life experience has taught me that I am energy and my life is much more satisfying when I focus on my vibration than when I try to steer by using the traditional metrics defined by common sense and the “normal” way of doing things.

Energy Give and Take Speaking in simple terms, some things that I do in my life give me energy while others feel like they drain me. For example, my plan for this morning includes being grateful as my feet reach the floor that I have the privilege of living another day, blessing and drinking the water I set by my bed before I went to sleep, writing passionate thoughts that have come to me as I slept, refreshing my body with a walk on the beach, feeling the peace and calm that comes from being in nature, stoking my woodstove and adding wood that came from trees that I cut and split myself, eating organic fruit, and then

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"Today, I spend almost all of my time doing things that give me energy." settling into some phone time sharing my mission and purpose in the world.

All of these wonderful practices bring me energy and help me to cultivate an inner sense of strength and joy. They are a startling contrast compared to the life I was living 10 years ago.

I used to wake up with fear in my heart. Not every day, but most. I’d get out of bed feeling like I was already behind. I would quickly check my computer to see what the global stock markets had been doing overnight. I would scoot out the door for a quick run with my legs pounding down the street trying to relieve the stress in my body. Paying little attention to much of anything other than my drive to make money, I would scoot past my family and out the door to the office. While jogging was certainly a good habit, heading to the woods and finding some soft ground, whistling birds, and flowing trees certainly would’ve made a difference - but I told myself “I didn’t have time.” In my version of living in the corporate world, I was constantly striving for more and thinking I hadn’t done enough. When I did slow down, my activities often consumed my energy rather than reinvigorating it. Drinking alcohol, visiting the mall, watching television and struggling to keep up with my perceptions of my neighbors all left me tired and drained.

Today, I spend almost all of my time doing things that give me energy. The shift was a gradual one and some behaviors made a bigger difference than others. The most fulfilling ones are those that have seemed to emerge from my heart rather than my head. For example, I could never have imagined 10 years ago the absolute joy I would feel from working barefoot in my garden. I’ve got this pretty cool deal going with the earth. On the occasions where my head swirls with thoughts, I head out to my garden and say a familiar refrain: “Ok, you remember the deal now, I’ll work your soil and create beauty here, you take my thoughts and restore peace to my head.” It works every time. To me, I think of that as an energy exchange that really works. Nobody else can see it and the best part is that that part of the equation doesn’t matter to me a bit. What matters to me is building my inner strength and having the energy to face what is in front of me.

The surprising thing to me as a person who believes we are energetic beings is how disconnected most of us are from the energy in our bodies, and I trace this back to our basic building blocks. Like cars that rely primarily on gas and oil to motor about, our bodies rely on food and water.

While there is enormous focus on the food portion of the equation, the water may actually be more important. Have you ever considered importance by thinking about how long you could live without something? Without air, most people would die in about 4 minutes; water, 3 days; sleep, a week; and food, about a month. On this criteria water seems a lot more important than the emphasis we place on it.

body to be made from toilet water? Tap water? How about rain? Poland Springs? Aquafina? How do you choose? Would you drink water from a local lake?

How about the ocean? There are many different types of water out there and you may be making very important choices without much awareness.

Most conversations about drinking water focus on chemistry. While some people drink from the tap or a plastic bottle without giving it much thought, these days there is a heightened awareness about toxins in the environment and many people choose water filters. These filters adjust the chemistry of water reducing or removing minerals as well as some toxins. As a solvent, water carries lots of things in it and various products are offered saying that have found the perfect mix.

This paradigm leaves people confused and dehydrated because it misses the most essential property of water: Water is Energy.

“Structures change properties vastly more easily and dramatically than chemistry changes them.” - Rustum Roy

The Missing Piece: Water is Energy I am a passionate student of drinking water and the impact it has on the human body and I am committed to teaching people about something I unearthed along my journey. It starts with the idea that not all water is the same. Do you want your

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Rustum Roy, the famous materials scientist who held professorships at Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Pennsylvania State University said:

“Structures change properties vastly more easily and dramatically than chemistry changes them.”

The wisdom to be taken from his lifetime of research and knowledge is the structure of our water has more to do with its properties than the chemistry.

Think of it like coal and diamonds. Both are made of carbon and yet they have very different properties because of their structure.

Based on the simple notion that spinning water over special geometric patterns causes the water to have more energy, structured water is changing the way the world distributes and consumes water.

The following image shows the energy of water measured with a Gas Discharge Visualization Meter:

"‌the one thing that is related to everything else is the water you drink."

On the left is the baseline energy field of a person.

On the right, the same person after drinking a glass of structured water. Every person who drinks structured water shows an increase in their biofield energy with percentage increases ranging from 10 to 44%.

What you are seeing is that passing water through a simple device restores energy to the water. When water is enlivened in this way, its properties are probably beyond anything you have ever considered.

We all want more energy in our bodies and there are many ways to cultivate it. You can avoid energy depleting behaviors, like going to the mall and watching television and spend more time in nature and doing things you love, but the one thing that is related to everything else is the water you drink.

When you give structured water to kids, they get it right away. Pets, not even a second of hesitation.

Even plants have been shown to have a 27-44% increase in biomass. Now, take a look at this image:

You are made of water as is the universe we live in.

It is time to get back to basics and recognize that something as simple as structuring your water may give you the energy you crave.

If you are interested in learning more about structured water, you are welcome to visit www.thewellnessenterprise.com

Patrick Durkin – Founder of the Wellness Enterprise Patrick has spent more on water filtration units than most people spend on their cars. But well beyond water filtration he has identified the true value and power of water as being a core source of energy for the entire human race.

True story.

Like so many people, Patrick grew up believing materialism would lead to fulfillment in life. As a financial advisor, he experienced the fruits of his labor making over $1 million in a year and building his dream house by the age of 31. Health challenges spurred him to awaken to the deeper mysteries of life which he pursued with commitment and dedication. After a 7 year healing journey, he traded in his career, dream house and even marriage in pursuit of a more fulfilling lifestyle.

Patrick is the founder of The Wellness Enterprise which helps others to transform themselves and their relationship to the planet. His passion is healing the world’s drinking water as he believes there is nothing more essential to life than the very water we are made of.

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FENG SHUI Fact Or Fiction

This response comes from a young girl (client), who has a BA in physiology.“Hello Michael, Here is my response to your question: what is Feng Shui?: Feng Shui is a super food to our mental soil. We as humans are responsible for taking action in our lives. The root of our actions comes from our consciousness, which I call our soil. When we live in awareness to Feng Shui, then we can feed our soil with the nutrients of balanced chi. This balanced chi is a super food. This super food creates roots for our actions to be grown from positive feelings, mental clarity, and motivation for living life.�

Every story has a beginning, so here goes. Some years back while in Japan face down on a massage table receiving acupuncture, I was asked if I would be interested in performing a Feng Shui consultation.

Later that evening, I found myself entering an absolutely fabulous apartment that occupied the complete top floor of a square shaped modern building. I soon discovered there was more to this than I had previously been made aware of.

In the dining room, sitting neatly stacked on the table were 34 Feng Shui books. It was explained to me that after reading these various books my hosts became so confused they had no idea where to start or what to do next. Why was this so? The simple answer is, and I have found this more times than not, most people cannot make heads nor tails of what these books are trying to convey. Their meanings switch from symbolism to numbers to elements and so on. There is a perfect reason for this and I will endeavor to explain in as simple terms as possible.

Somewhere between 4,000 to 6,000 years in the making, Feng Shui is a science with its origins from

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amassed under the one name. Unfortunately this assumption has not allowed the true meaning of this incredible science to see the light of day.

Each discovery school of Feng Shui was studied and observed then put to pen in different time frames over centuries by various scholars who’s open awareness discovered the enormous bigger picture view of all that is, then painstakingly transscribed this into their culture in stories, songs and myth. The knowledge observed was so powerful that much of it was “written in code”.

“Xuan Kong Feng Shui” another time and culture, which can make it difficult to translate due to our Western way of thinking. As such it has spent its time in the controversy bin for as long as I can remember. It has been labeled a “passing fad”, “some New Age thing”, “entertains housewives”, and “some people just believe in anything”. Of course, there are many, many more unfounded stories. Basically Feng Shui is said to be a bunch of rubbish.

Then all of a sudden in the 20th century everything had a Feng Shui meaning. After a weekend class everyone became an expert. The western mind watered down the very essence of Feng Shui and confusion and misunderstandings were born. As many of us know from past experience, the proof of a good pudding is not in the labeling but in the tasting!

Untangling the True Meaning of Feng Shui As a consultant for many years I am now inspired to give the integrity this science deserves. Firstly I would like to point out that there are many, many schools of Feng Shui. In the western world we tend to perceive Feng Shui as a solitary concept, where as in truth it is made up of many schools all

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The commonality between the studies of these various schools is they were defining the knowledge and principals of YIN and Yang and the 5 ELEMENTS. Each school concentrated on a number of different areas of ensuing influence which Mother Nature projects on mankind 24/7. Their interest was not on the static objective study of life (definitions) but rather the constant changes and continual flow of vibrational influences that have a dramatic input into how humans grow and interact in their ever changing conscious evolution.

These scholars immersed themselves in this great task in order to understand how the combined cycles of time, locations and the many varied forms within nature impacted on mankind. Time has

shown us due to their lasting accomplishments just how great these dedicated scholars were. They were persons full of inspiration and awe coupled with unparalleled compassion towards their fellow man. I personally have a great admiration, respect and gratitude for those men and woman who have engaged their entire lives in the pursuit of discoveries to benefit all mankind regardless of what avenue of pursuit that maybe.

All of these various differences come together as one, like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Their sole binding fact being, that there is a specific sequence of order in which to proceed. Each school is very specific in their content, structure and purpose, and as such each school has its own pecking order so to speak, a pattern of succession starting from the first needed information to the next level of information and so on.

This now allows us to calculate the overall combined patterns of influence on the desired goal be it personal or business. The intended specified result informs us of a clear and precise direction to pursue.

In order to achieve this new altered outcome we evaluate the existing information, thus giving us a type of map. By evaluating the territory we can now piece together the antidote. Now we are able to fabricate an arrangement to counter the existing combined patterns of influence, and control once and for all a result much more conducive to the person or persons involved.

The Intricate Role of a Feng Shui Consultant This order of succession for learning the science and practice of Feng Shui is very similar to our own educational system. We start by entering preschool, then onto grade one, two, three and so on. Then we enter high school, college and university and finally MBA level. So it is with the study of Feng Shui. As was the custom in times past, the learning of ancient knowledge was transferred, by one on one face to face with a Master. As this knowledge became more advanced tradition dictated that only a select few who are chosen in a temple ritual would be taught the deeper understandings of the

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ways of the universe. Is that then the finish?

I don’t think so, for now comes the experiences that is needed to cement one’s knowledge. And so it is the same for a Feng Shui consultant. His or her ability is dependent on a number of specific factors: the succession of specialized schools of training, the advanced MBA levels of training, combined with hands-on experience to hone those classroom informational concepts into a working knowledge, thus transforming his or her unique skills and abilities, into a consultant, worthy of our attention.

A Feng Shui consultant, like all scientists while studying their particular topic of importance, will start by observation. Instead of placing the object of scrutiny under a microscope, a Feng Shui consultant embodies the capabilities of a microscope to determine the pre-existing outcome. He or she will take notice of all external energy patterns surrounding the home or building including sound and smell. Once completed, (I will use the word He from now on to save repeating myself ) he will then move into the interior design layout which surrounds and interacts with our entire being while in the confines of a home or building. Please try to understand this phrase: we are in a relationship with ALL of our surroundings and as such those

surroundings influence our behavior, our attitudes, emotions, thoughts and personal evolution.

Our surroundings consist of energy fields compatible or not so compatible with our own individual human energy patterns or field of vibration. These influences have a powerful and lasting effect on us, something that science is just now beginning to discover. Fortunately Feng Shui is a design process with an enormous amount of flexibility due these differing schools of expansive and specific expert qualities.

Connection to Universal Consciousness What cocktail could possibility be the end result of all these different energies mixing together? Are these entwined influences possibly related to our overall health and our personal relationships? When you think about it, how could it be any other way?

With consideration, we are already aware that food and thoughts that come from an external source, can project an influence on the way we function inside, mentally, on our health and emotionally, thus adding to the very nature of our individual character and the identity of who we supposedly

think we portray ourselves to be. This ancient science has the fortunate capacity to transform the lives of people in a profound connection to that which we have taken for granted for far too long - Universal Consciousness. Feng Shui has the same power to transform businesses into greater levels of success and prosperity. One way or another, personal discovery manifests itself with individuals in varying opportunities. This happens according to a person’s unique energetic qualities coupled with what we refer to as duality “cause and affect” and in an Asian culture by the names of “YIN and YANG.” So where does one start on this road down a science from Ancient Times? If willing you will undoubtedly discover for yourself much more than this if you continue to dive into the rabbit whole and follow the world of science and metaphysics - an untold magic awaits. For there is no doubt you will be personally gifted with results that are of your choosing in a relationship with Universal Consciousness.

Like all good stories there is a beginning AND an end - What is your ultimate desired goal?

Michael WhiteRyan www.languageofspace.com

Michael is an Australian, one of the few who have been gifted by word of mouth from Master to student, an ancient art alive today as you and I, that supports man (EARTH) by divining the HEAVENS.

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Introducing the Infinity Wave: A Simple Yet Powerful Enlightenment Tool

by Hope Fitzgerald

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et’s start with a bold question: How would you know if a precious spiritual key was right in front of you?

Consider that as I tell you a story…

A few years ago my husband and I fulfilled a long-held dream of building an eco-friendly house for our family in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. Since we had moved from a much busier locale, we greatly appreciated the simplicity of our new-found rural life next to a sheep farm.

Then, in late 2010, an unpredictable series of events indicated that the quiet little life I had envisioned was clearly not meant to be.

2010 had been a watershed year. I had spent it in an excruciating family tangle that involved my father’s frequent hospitalizations, my step-mother’s suicide, my step-sister’s estrangement, my brother’s betrayal, and ultimately, my father’s death.

When the terrible drama came to an end, I was completely spent on every level – it was as if every physical, mental, emotional and spiritual vein had been opened and drained. Thinking was a chore, feeling was impossible.

So, to rest and refuel, I went for 10 days to my first sound healing retreat, not exactly sure

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Thinking was a chore, feeling was impossible of what I would be doing there but hungering for it anyway. Day after day, I sat very still as I allowed the cascading, haunting sounds to penetrate my body and urge me into an unknown place, where snippets of images and voices moved in and out. I floated and flew and dug into wherever the sound took me; I allowed myself to be overtaken, and washed away.

I hope I’m not making this sound easy – it wasn’t.

It was a bonafide spiritual workout. I somehow knew that in order to cleanse properly, I had to be absolutely Truthful with myself – it felt like constructing my own Judgment Day. There was no place to hide from my own discerning eye – and why would I? What was required was the courage to completely surrender to the process.

From there, I was moved to cultivate compassion for myself and others, understanding that we had all played our parts with precision. I had been hurt, and I had caused hurt. My compassionate state was so expanded, equalizing and loving that it soon led the way to forgiveness. I wanted forgiveness for myself and it was only fair and right to humbly offer it to those who had harmed me. From there, I entered into gratitude for the lessons – after all, the experiences, as painful as they were, had made me ME. By facing them, I could finally see and accept the Truth, which is always more liberating than living in a fiction. For instance, the Truth was that my father’s withholding character and later abandonment had created a belief that I wasn’t lovable unless I was absolutely perfect, so I had learned to “tap dance” my way to lovability and acceptance. And, the Truth was that his rejection ultimately forced me to recognize that I no longer needed to prove my lovability to anyone. I vowed to put those tap shoes away for good. Finally, I succumbed to God/Spirit/ The Creator Force, saying, “I am a willing vessel – do with me what You will.”

Once surrendered, I was fully naked, in the spiritual sense, and there was no turning back, nothing to lose. Exquisitely supported by the sound healer, I fervently went after each phase of my undoing as if my very soul depended on it. Fortunately, this journey was not without humor. Conjuring Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own” as he disbelievingly yelled to his weeping female short-stop, “There’s no crying in baseball!”, I realized that self-pity would get me nowhere. Sometimes we need that kind of slap in the face. Instead, I worked to take responsibility

As I proceeded, I realized how seemingly unrelated occurrences actually fell into just a few patterns, repeated over and over with different characters but the same basic ingredients and story lines

It had been many years since I had put my life in the priority position – such is the way of motherhood – so it was a luxury to devote this kind of time and attention to my Self and my Soul. With every passing sound practice, I realized I had a lot of work ahead of me for I was not only healing the effects of recent events, but also the accumulation of decades of emotional leftovers. Each day, I dove more deeply into the realms beyond this one, scrubbing away at the many sticky layers that clung to what I called “my inner bowl.” I became ever more eager to get the job done because with each release I could feel myself becoming less and less encumbered. Joy nudged, bliss flirted.

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for all that had happened to me, even if many things didn’t appear on the surface to have been “my fault.” Yet, they were there for a reason and this was my time to figure out what those lessons were, once and for all. As I proceeded, I realized how seemingly unrelated occurrences actually fell into just a few patterns, repeated over and over with different characters but the same basic ingredients and story lines. Once I unlocked the secret code to those patterns by identifying what the underlying belief was that had created them in the first place, I was able to fully ingest the meaning and thereby release that pattern from my life.

To say that my bowl was pristine in 10 days would be an exaggeration, but I felt light and deliciously empty for the first time maybe ever. A huge portion of what I had thought was essentially me had turned out to be merely puppetry, projections of vague shadows on a wall. Instead, I had acquired a still, vacuous, inner realm, full of potential but not driven to do anything. It was a lovely state. However, apparently Nature truly does abhor a vacuum because that’s when things got really interesting.

Miraculous Gifts My life-long, private spiritual path had been extensive but never included my own visions or channelings, so when the Infinity Wave suddenly appeared to me a week after my return home, I didn’t know what to make of it and seriously thought I might be losing my mind. The images came in a sequence of three. First, there was a huge wall of water moving towards me or, more accurately, us, since I understood it was coming to the earth.

Along with the image was a clear transmission that this “wave” represented a huge energetic that would be washing over the planet in 2011 and, if taken advantage of without resisting, would provide an opportunity for accelerated, smooth, personal evolution.

Next, I saw a cross-section of that wave, which resembled the letter “C” as it curled at the top. The accompanying message was to observe the way the wave pushed down into the sea floor to gain its power before rising up and cresting. The metaphor for us was to dig down into the ancient earth wisdom by exploring the old ways of working with the planet and then to mix these old ways with the new energetic at the crest of the wave. That was the recipe for the Now. The final vision was the cresting “C” flowing into a standing “8” made of moving water. There was no transmission accompanying this image but it refused to leave my consciousness for days. My colleague at the time, Dr. Jan Seward, was present when these images arrived and was equally stunned. To my surprise, an intense resistance quickly welled up in

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Despite the fact that I believed wholeheartedly in the miraculous, I found it very hard to accept that something miraculous was happening to me me to expose that I, of all people, held the opinion that it was all very well and good to read books about this sort of thing but it was quite another when it was happening to me! Despite the fact that I believed wholeheartedly in the miraculous, I found it very hard to accept that something miraculous was happening to me; how could I be sure these were bonafide communications from beyond and not post-menopausal imaginings? This was only the beginning of a string of self-limiting beliefs I encountered along the way.

Through dowsing and channeling, we were told it was imperative to create a series of 9 weekend workshops over 9 months, which we dutifully scheduled and promoted even though we had no idea of what the content would be. I wish I could communicate the degree of fear I experienced at this time. Although I had been through a major cleansing, now a deep insecurity was revealed, which apparently needed to be confronted. I was afraid of making a fool of myself or coming across as ‘holier than thou’ with my equally spirituallyminded friends, and confused as to why a nonextraordinary, middle-aged woman would be in this position in the first place. I was such a latecomer - hadn’t most people who led spiritual workshops been doing it their entire adult lives?

On the home front, my husband did his best to be accommodating, whereas my teenage children, who had repeatedly borne my care-giving absences earlier in the year, just wanted things to go back to normal. And since I craved “normal” for them, too, it became a bit of a juggling act to shield them from the monumental changes occurring in me. Finally, I was literally terrified to ‘come out’ and reveal to my new community that I was a whacky “woo-woo”

I was literally terrified to ‘come out’ and reveal to my new community that I was a whacky “woo-woo” person person. (I now know that my experience is typical for those who have begun to have conscious contact with other dimensions, because bridging worlds reveals truths about what is illusion and what is not.

Thankfully, once those illusions are pierced, things usually calm down. I hope this is reassuring news for those of you who are going through this!)

As we approached the first workshop and in spite of my fear, each week I channeled practices which began the foundation of what we called the Infinity Wave Work. At some point, the idea dawned on me that perhaps all I was experiencing was a result of my vow to be a willing vessel – so this was how it was manifesting!

And yet, I remember how nervous I was on the first day to deliver those initial guided meditations over the sound of a crystal bowl.

Thankfully, I felt so supported and held by the loving beings who had become my constant companions that it gave me the courage to risk sharing their unusual messages.

Amazingly, the participants, including my dear husband, reported powerful experiences from the very first practice, and as the weekend continued, it became common for there to be shared elements in the ensuing meditative journeys. For instance, half of the participants would see the same images and colors or feel identical sensations, such as hot hands holding them.

As the workshops continued, and though we could hardly believe it, the participants were indeed rewarded with speedy evolution. One by one, each person experienced smooth and significant

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transformations in their lives. Miracles became commonplace, and we all realized that we weren’t “in Kansas anymore,” thanks to the use of the Wave as a tool for shifting realities. As people’s lives improved, their joy quotients went way up and even their faces were altered. We would stand back and rub our eyes at the speed of our progress – was this really happening? It was only after months of evidence that we fully believed that the Wave was exactly what it said it was.

So, what is the Infinity Wave anyway?

It is an energetic gift from a loving Universe to help us evolve easily and smoothly into the next level of reality as multi-dimensional beings.

We live in a time of rapid change and so we have been given a tool to assist with rapid adjustments. The Wave is brimming with love and compassion, and delivers an overall sense of well-being, peace, and connectedness. As a flowing, 10th dimensional energetic, it can be used to co-create change on every level.

Let’s talk about dimensions for a bit.

Here on Earth, life presents itself in 3 dimensions, comprised of time, space and gravity. This beautiful world that we agreed to inhabit has a density to it and appears as solidly real. From ancient mystics to modern science, we have been told that there are many versions of what “real” is

From ancient mystics to modern science, we have been told that there are many versions of what “real” is and that there are more dimensions than this one.

and that there are more dimensions than this one.

Those alternate realities look and feel very different than what we’re used to.

One way to recognize 3-D is by its duality, which simply refers to the polarizing ‘rules of the game’ here on Earth. For a visual metaphor, picture a large, grassy soccer field, but instead of goal cages, what you see are single iron rods emerging from the ground at either ends of the field. These rods represent dualistic thinking: Yes/No, Either/ Or, Right/Wrong, etc. For many of us, our lives unknowingly consist of a game of resistance being played between these two rods. The conversation might be, “I believe this, you believe that, now let the tug-o-war begin!” And so, we proceed to struggle back and forth between our firmly-held, polarized beliefs. Of course, this game happens on both a micro and a macro scale, between individuals, between cultures and between nations.

Now imagine that the Infinity Wave hovers like a mirror directly over this grassy field, with each end of the “8” looped around one of the protruding rods. As the water flows around these extreme points, it literally breaks up resistance and instead creates a blending of polarized positions. As a 10th Dimensional energetic, it literally lifts the 3-D field activity up into another reality. The game moves from struggle (“Either/Or”) to a higher dimensional existence (“Yes, And”) where co-creation becomes possible. The goal is not to escape this wonderful 3-D world, but to use the Wave to enhance life by having access to our multi-dimensional selves.

Scientists use terms such as ‘quantum field’ and ‘string theory’ to describe the ever-moving, interconnectedness of all things, although such Oneness has been taught by spiritual leaders for millennia. The quantum field demonstrates that matter changes when it is observed and the Infinity Wave is one way to work with this field: we observe what is, and then apply the Wave to shift that reality into something more desirable. This energetic is all about a supremely intelligent flow so, even if you have an idea about how a situation can be resolved, it might be too constrictive for the Wave. When you apply it, you’re also trusting that the highest and best outcome will present itself for all involved –

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Let me give you a few examples...

One of our workshop participants was embroiled in a contentious divorce from his wife. Although the divorce had been finalized for years, their mutual bitterness continued to seep into parenting communications in the form of nasty texts. They were locked in a 3-D struggle between Right and Wrong.

After the workshop, this man began to send the Wave to his ex-wife and was amazed when the texts soon ceased and developed into respectful weekly phone calls in which their children’s needs could be calmly addressed.

Another favorite story concerns the anesthesiologist who was not demonstrating any bedside manner during a pre-surgical inquiry of a friend of mine for which I was present. This doctor was extremely cold and removed, and did not make any eye contact with my friend while completing her intake form. I thought, “Hmm, I don’t like this reality - I’d like another one,” and sent her a forceful Wave blast. She shifted so instantaneously that our jaws literally dropped open. She suddenly popped her head up, turned to my friend with a huge smile, and warmly said, “Hey, babe, are you ready for surgery?” This was no longer an isolated, unhappy person but a personable, expansive caregiver.

We have many testimonials about how the Wave has helped people to shift their realities: one man conjured up 3 huge business prospects from nothing in just 3 days; another saved a deteriorating relationship from the brink of divorce; a woman healed a massive migraine in ½ hr; an alcoholic quit drinking; another made emotional breakthroughs that therapy hadn’t been able to touch in 20 years. The list goes on and on.

and that outcome may surprise you! Trust is key here, and the acknowledgement that problem solving from a 10th dimensional standpoint could look very different than what we would expect here in 3-D.

Applying the Infinity Wave Now let’s get back to that original question: how would you know if a precious spiritual key was right in front of you? Skepticism is our well-earned, first defense these days for some very good reasons, which will not be belabored here. I’m not asking you to drop your doubting altogether, but just to put it aside while you to try the Infinity Wave out yourself.

As a non-denominational force, it can stand sideby-side comfortably with any other belief system.

There are multiple ways to apply the Infinity Wave to affect change but one of our favorites is as a connector device between the Earth and the Cosmos/Heaven/the Divine (or however you think of it). During these tumultuous times, it’s critically important to be able to ground quickly and easily in order to stay stabilized. We have found that stabilization doesn’t just mean rooting into the earth – it means being aligned in our entire being: As above, So below, which the image of the Wave perfectly represents.

While breathing deeply, stand (or imagine that you are) on the ground within a giant Infinity Wave.

The loops move into the earth and extend up into the sky with the crossing of the “8” occurring at your solar plexus or your heart – your preference.

Perhaps your loops move down into the core of the earth and rise into space – your options are limitless.

As the watery energetic runs and you continue to breathe, you will quickly feel yourself “plugged in” and connected to everything around you in an unshakable, yet flowing, joyful way.

I’m not asking you to drop your doubting altogether, but just to put it aside 73 |

“I just love the Infinity Wave. Attending an Introductory Telecall (link) to learn it was a peaceful and joyous experience in and of itself. The more remarkable part was how in such a short time I was able to feel a totally different sense of myself. I am using the Infinity Wave all the time now to find balance, to reduce stress, to create favorable outcomes in meetings and negotiations. This is an amazing technology that can help people with the various stresses they are dealing with in today’s world.”

Hannah Noel, Editor, Organic Life Magazine

We often think of evolution as an interminable, overarching process, one in which we are intrinsically involved but not as active participants. This is not the case. As time is speeding up, so is the evolutionary clock and it is crucial that each of us embraces our own evolution consciously because of the extreme predicament we’re in as a species and a planet. As every person chooses to awaken and evolve into a more enlightened, multi-dimensional version of themselves, it makes it that much easier for others to do the same. This chain reaction follows the 100th Monkey principle: at some point, there will be a tipping point and together we will be able to rearrange our current reality to a superior outcome for our dear Earth, the animal and plant kingdoms, and humanity. The Wave continues to reveal its intricacies and depths to all who embrace it as a living symbol of spirituality for the New Age, promising to contain what is needed for each person to become their own “guru” while living in infinite “christed” consciousness. It truly is we who are the ‘Second Coming’, “the ones who we’ve been waiting for!”

How can something so seemingly simple be so powerful? Give it a try and watch reality shift. And remember, if you choose to make yourself a willing vessel, don’t be surprised when it manifests for you in unexpected ways - the Wave is here to help you

through it! The deeper you dive into its essence, the more it will enhance your life as well as those around you. I’ve told this story of blind faith to encourage you to gather your own stories of transformation, which will in turn inspire others to embark on their evolutionary journeys – do you see how much you matter?

To quote one of the first channelings: “You cannot imagine the thrill it is to have you tune in with us, to know we are seen and heard.

It brings us tremendous joy and we thank you for your availability and efforts on our behalves. Each person counts, each person who is drawn to be here will be making a huge contribution to the others.

Even if you don’t believe you have a meaningful role to play, nothing could be further from the truth. Each one of you will be assisting the birth of

the other. This work will require courage and it will demonstrate the efficacy of non-dual change. The importance of each individual cannot be stressed enough. You are the lights. You will be called upon to use that light. The opportunity to receive direct information will be constant. Being a willing vessel is key. Your preparation is important and know that all of it will be for the higher good. Pay attention to your dreams and take time each day in silence to hear. Thank you.”

The deeper you dive into the essence of the Wave, the more it will enhance your life significantly as well as those around you. I hope that our story of blind faith will encourage you to gather your own stories and I send each of you a Wave of joy as you implement and share the Infinity Wave with the world!

Since her spiritual awakening at the Findhorn Foundation in 1976, Hope Fitzgerald has been a dedicated seeker of truth, healing and wisdom. For 15 years, her expertise in spiritual dowsing has helped people transform their lives. In 2010, she was directed through channeling to launch a series workshops introducing an energetic called The Infinity Wave. These Wave Energy Evolution workshops are comprised of powerful practices for those seeking to make an evolutionary leap, and have created miraculous healing breakthroughs for many participants. In 2011, Hope launched the Wave Energy Center for Conscious Evolution, dedicated to the positive, expansive development of the individual, the community and the earth. (www.we-infinity.com) Hope has a private practice as a certified Neurofeedback Practitioner and a life coach, incorporating Reiki and energy healing into her practice. She has a Masters Degree from Northwestern University and a BFA from Colby-Sawyer College, Summa Cum Laude.

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Fr ee Do wn loa d

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BONUS: Your Local, Organic Food Resource

(Tap the icon to download) Eric Noel is a high performance coach, unlocking the mental power already in people so they can perform their absolute best and get the results they really want.

During three seasons in the IndyCar Series as a professional pit crew mechanic, Eric was driven to acute awareness of using one’s full potential, physically and mentally.

There’s just hundredths of a second between the winner and second place, and Eric learned to focus, motivate, execute goals, and GET results! If you can think it, you can do it!

As a high performance coach, Eric will show you how to commit to the twists and turns of life at full throttle on your journey to getting the results you are driving for.

After IndyCar success, Eric came from behind in the race to transition the family farm in Vermont. Steering it from a conventional crop and dairy farm to a high performing operation, he gained recognition for his certified organic diversified, grass-fed beef and vegetable farm. Tuning into the infinite wisdom, drawing on proven techniques from around the world and stacking them together, he transformed the soil and himself in record time. The farm grew to serve hundreds of families the highest quality, most nutrient dense fresh food available.

It takes a team focused on a goal to win. Put Eric in your pit crew and supercharge your awareness so you can reach your true potential. Let Eric help you tune-up and learn the power of your fertile mind.

To contact Eric and set up your 30 minute complimentary consultation, email ericrnoel@hotmail.com or call (802) 868-5083 TODAY.

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Food

Global Water Crisis Source: Gleick, P. H., 1996: Water resources. In Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather, ed. by S. H. Schneider, Oxford University Press, New York, vol. 2, pp.817823.

From: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/ edu/watercyclefreshstorage. html

N

inety-seven percent of Earth’s water is saltwater—non-potable and unusable on crops. The vast majority of the remaining 3% is inaccessible, locked in Greenland and Antarctic ice and deep aquifers. The small fraction of accessible fresh water exists extremely unevenly among the nations of the world and between rainy and drought seasons. While the average American uses 100 gallons per day to shower, flush toilets, wash clothes, cook, and water lawns, globally one in five people have no access to safe drinking water.

Depletion at the source and pesticide, chemical, and sewage contamination will soon make fresh water our most precious natural resource, above oil.

Our demand for water is already surpassing supply, and our population continues to increase. The United Nations and United States estimate that by 2015, at least 40% of the world’s population will lack adequate water supply. Experts predict water shortages will affect the livelihood of one-third of the world’s population by 2025.

While our numbers place the greatest stress on the

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world’s freshwater supply, pollution has become the second major threat. Pollution has so diminished the world’s accessible fresh water that less than 1% can be used for drinking or agriculture.

California, the most populous state, represents a prime example of faltering water supply. According to the US Census Bureau’s conservative figures, California’s population is 38 million and projected to reach 49.3 million by 2025. In its 1998 Water Plan update, California’s Department of Water Resources forecast a gap between water supply and demand ranging from 2.4 million acre-feet during normal rainfall years up to 6.2 million acre-feet in drought years by 2020. An acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons—enough to cover an acre of land, about a football field, one foot deep and meet the average need of one to two residential households .

Sixty-five percent of the world’s fresh water goes to industrialized and thus heavily irrigated agriculture.

To meet agricultural and residential demand for fresh water, state and local governments tap aquifers and build dams. Dams cause much environmental harm. Perhaps their greatest damage, they prevent streams and rivers from replenishing groundwater.

The dammed Ganges, Nile, Yellow, Indus, and Colorado Rivers often run dry before reaching the ocean.

Ninety-five percent of US fresh water lies underground. We are depleting our largest aquifer, the Ogallala, from Texas to South Dakota, at a rate of 12 billion cubic meters (bcm) a year. To date, total depletion amounts to 325 bcm, equal to the annual flow of eighteen Colorado Rivers. Over 200,000 wells draw 13 million gallons of water per minute from the Ogallala. And yet T. Boone Pickens, a Texas ‘corporate raider,’ convinced the Texas state water district to allow him to pump and sell up to 65 billion gallons of water a year from the Ogallala.

Since the 1800s, we’ve considered water a commodity to be sold for private gain. As water grows scarcer, its capitalization has dire implications for the world’s poor. In 2001, several multinational water corporations lobbied the World Water Forum to change the definition of water from “human right” to “human need.” Maude Barlow, chair of Canada’s largest public advocacy group, protested, “These companies completely reject the idea that water is a common property belonging to all living creatures. Their only goal is to commodify the earth’s most precious resource.” In the US and around the world, corporate water lobbyists influence and bribe governments and local bureaucracies, to sell water as a commodity to those who can afford it.

Various public interest and environmental groups, urban water agencies and irrigation districts are working to solve our water problems. Innovation is playing an increasingly important role. Municipalities

around the world, already or soon facing water shortages, must consider water recycling, desalination, and water marketing. Solutions also require factoring in growth, expanding urban supplies, water conservation, Bay-Delta and other down-river effects, agricultural drainage, and fish and wildlife needs. While governments must act to provide our future water security, we as individuals can be part of the solution by learning about, conserving, and protecting fresh water.

Learn the water footprint of your consumer choices at the Water Footprint Network.

Learn about embodied water in an Eco-Sense Embodied Water video.

Learn about US water policy at GroundwaterGo’s Book Review of Marc Reisner’s Cadillac Desert: The American West and its Disappearing Water.

Get fluent on global water issues with the World Water Council’s Water Policy Journal.

Learn your watershed with the EPA’s Surf Your Watershed.

Track your water use on your iPhone or iPod touch with the Water Buddy 1.0 app.

Check out the Alternative World Water Conference that took place March 14-17, 2012.

Support sustainable water allocation, like Stanford University, and learn about over-allocation in water systems at Water Planning Tools.

My specialty is Integrated Water Management inventorying all water uses, sources, & demands on site to include: rainwater harvesting, storm water collection off of ground/landscape/ paving, gray water re-use, black water reclamation re-use, general reclamation for food production & irrigation on site, filters, water storage, micro hydro power from water cisterns down-flow drainage, water security, net zero water, closed water loops, grid optional, water-energy nexus optimization for conservation of resources, extreme green, passive solar, & global. I design complete architectural projects from beginning to end, eco development, fluent in all green building rating systems, entitlements, and hybrid pre-fab-modular site adaptation, super beautiful and creative design, & architectural art installations.

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Alburgina: How a Holstein Calf

Transformed a Classroom Virginia Holiman taught kindergarten in Alburg, Vermont, a tiny town on a peninsula that juts out of Canada. Alburg Educational Center serves approximately 240 students, K-8. Recently, the birth of a local farmer’s calf—and later, the arrival of the Food Education Every Day (FEED) program at her school —helped change the way she thinks about and practices teaching.

Teaching is a wonderful profession. Teaching little children is almost a spiritual experience. So how did I get to the point of pushing curriculums that demand uniformity and consist of academic exercises? How could I accept boxed programs and be denied doing any child friendly supplementation?

When did I stop taking into consideration children’s needs and developmental stages? When did I stop really trying to make a connection between our school program and a child’s “real” life? It was not intentional. I suppose the change was gradual.

The pressure was on for academic achievement.

The kindergarten programs I knew and loved were gone. I was doing what I was told. The twenty plus years of teaching had apparently dulled my senses—dulled but not destroyed.

A niggling feeling started in me and grew into frustration and self doubt. I was aware I was not giving the kids what they needed. Yet I felt stuck and unable to move positively.

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Thankfully and quite remarkably, a beautiful Holstein calf changed everything!

A farmer dad mentioned that soon a calf would be born at his farm. Maybe I could bring the kindergarten class to see her? Something clicked.

Finally something awoke me and wonderful things started to happen. That new life transformed my classroom and in a sense transformed me. Suddenly I had a connection.

The class adopted and named “Alburgina”. We needed money to feed her so we all brought in our pennies. We counted…and we counted. We took our rolled pennies to the Grain Shed and bought calf feed. We visited the farm regularly and measured and weighed Alburgina. We graphed her growth. The children loved the dairy farm and Farmer Ladd. He welcomed them with a genuine enthusiasm. They wanted to see everything!

Through the children’s eyes the cows became amazing creatures! They wanted to draw them,

write about them, sing about them and read about them. They questioned, observed and investigated. No front upper teeth? Four stomachs? Four teats? We learned correct names and functions of all the cow’s “parts”. We dressed up like a cow and visited other classrooms to present our knowledge.

(There is something special about watching five-year-olds convey their expertise to eighth graders!) We toured an old time milking parlor and a brand new one and compared. We listened to farmers talk about what farming was like in the “old days”. We sat on the tractors; and rode in the hay wagon to go pick up a new calf that had been born the night before in the far pasture. The conversations and writing generated by that experience were incredible. The children were fully engaged and so was I—as were the farmer and the store owner.

Positive new school–community partnerships were spontaneously formed. Farmer Ladd decided to join our School Board. The Grain Shed donated seeds for our garden. The children had visited and were comfortable with two new parts of their community. Their vocabulary had expanded to include many appropriate agricultural community words.

Then VT FEED (Vermont Food Education Every Day) came along. The program was offered to the staff, and to me it seemed like a sign, a reaffirmation. It would help me continue and expand what Alburgina

had started. I was on the right track toward creating a full program that would address the children’s needs at their own levels and meet the curriculum goals and Vermont Standards. (I should admit here that the many years of working in this community, my strong personal philosophy, and knowing I had parental and immediate administrative support made it easier to tweek, add to, and bend the specific programs I was supposed to be teaching.)

The nutrition and food groups came alive! FEED’s dynamic Dana Hudson and Joseph Keifer helped us start from scratch. We studied and tasted what foods had historically been raised and eaten in Alburg, and why. We made corn muffins, grinding the corn with a rock in a hollowed log. We studied the food groups and enjoyed samples from each. We instituted the food team. Each day two students went to the cafeteria to find out what was for lunch. They recorded each item in the appropriate section of a large laminated food pyramid. Then they reported their findings to the whole class.

We visited a goat farm and saw the milking process, (“You can milk a goat??”) all the way through to the cheese making. We sampled different kinds of cheese. We instituted the “no thank you bite” policy. We wrote a picture book about our visit. We dressed up like a goat and learned the functions of the “parts.” The goat

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farmer became another good community friend to the kindergarten.

A parent brought in “Turkey Lurkey” and she laid an egg in our classroom! We cooked with eggs she had laid at home.

We made all kinds of bread from scratch, grinding wheat berries, cutting zucchini, grating carrots, making and kneading dough and shaking the butter to top off the finished bread.

We worked with the lunch agent to taste test different food groups: grains, fruits, and vegetables.

This collaboration was a first in our school.

The children decided to monitor snacks from home.

Each day snacks were evaluated by the children themselves and then listed on the healthy snacks chart.

“The children know where they live and now have a better sense that they are an integral part of their community.”

The list of activities and projects goes on and on,

and so does the learning. Nutrition, health, math, writing, recording, reading (non-fiction and fiction), local history, social studies, and vocabulary concepts were, and still are, covered in these kindergarten adventures throughout the community. And all has been done at the individual student’s level.

(Lest anyone be worried, specific necessary skills not covered are addressed in the classroom in an age-appropriate way.) We have had some contact now with each of the local businesses and many of the farms. The support and encouragement have been overwhelming. The children know where they live and now have a better sense that they are an integral part of their community. They appear noticeably more confident.

Teaching feels wonderful again. The children’s excitement and ever growing connection to the community are conducive to expanding the program. It is lots and lots of work but oh so worth it!

I am feeling challenged to continue this exploration, to follow my personal philosophy built on years of experiences and much thought. I thank FEED and Alburgina for the courage to do what I know to be right. It’s important to me—really important.

I suspect there are other veteran teachers out there who are struggling, knowing that they have misplaced that faith in themselves to find and stick to what they know is good for the whole child. May they find an Alburgina or FEED to guide them back to be the advocates they are meant to be.

Virginia Holiman, after retiring from 30 + years as a kindergarten teacher, is now an informal educator for N.O.FA. of Vt., The N. E. Dairy Promotion Board and the U.V.M. Extension Service.

She is owner of Frantil Fibers, a company that creates and sells alpaca, llama and rabbit fiber-based products from her small farm in northern Vermont.

For more information about Frantil Fibers and to order products, please email Virginia directly at vholiman@hotmail.com.

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Children’s Activities provided by Virginia Holiman Make Corn Bread or Wheat Bread • Find a piece of a log, cut flat on one end so it can stand. Have someone bore out a 1-2 inch deep bowl in the other end.

• Find a large stone, sized so your child can hold on to it.

• Find a thin piece of leather or sturdy cloth larger than the log top.

• Place whole kernel corn or wheat berries in the bowl and place the leather over the top (to keep the kernels from flying out).

as they count, make some soup or create a bean collage Measure how long your foot is. How about mom’s? dad’s? your dog’s? Compare. Count the inches.

How many baby carrots is that? How many peanuts?

• Have your child use the stone to smash and crush, until you have enough corn meal or wheat flour to make your recipe.

Measure how tall each person in your family is, your cow? your cat?

How many green beans tall are you? how many forks?

Plant a Salsa Garden with your child. Include all ingredients needed for making salsa. Harvest and start chopping.

Do a re-write of the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see? by Bill Martin i.e. Farmer, Farmer What do you see? or Katie, Katie What do you see?

Plant 2 bean seeds. Measure and graph as they grow. Compare.

Read the book The Little Red Hen, make bread.

Buy a bag of multi- bean soup mix, have your child Sort the beans, by shape, color, put into sets of 10.

Count one to one, having the child touch each one

Learn to Use that Hammer or Screwdriver Get a piece of soft wood (pine works well), split so it lays flat. Supply your child with large headed nails and a light hammer, or large screws and screw driver, show them how to use the tools. You may want to start the first few, and let them go at it. I have done this with very young children, and they love it. They have not hurt themselves, and it is a great frustration “taker outer” Counting pennies. Find or make a 100 chart. As your child collects pennies, have her place them on the chart.

Can use to talk about more/less, reoccurring numbers, groups of tens, adding and subtracting, one to one correspondence.

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The Art of Hanging Laundry

H

by Zola Troutman Noble

anging laundry on the line on a sunny summer morning is one of my favorite chores. Who would think? I have a dryer. Why not throw the clothes in the dryer and turn it on? It’s much easier. I admit that’s tempting, but I have all winter to do that. And in winter, I savor the warmth the dryer emits. But in summer, I snag any excuse to go outdoors. In fall, winter and spring, I’m busy with my teaching job, and it seems I’m always in a hurry to complete my household chores so I can get to my paper grading, or to some of the things I love to do—knitting or reading a good book or writing or visiting with friends. But in summer, I can look at my house and my chores and see them in a fresh way. I can actually enjoy them.

Though some women may think I’m crazy, I’ve found a kindred spirit in the writings of Kathleen Norris.

In The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and “Women’s Work,” Norris writes, “I still hang clothes on the line—for the exercise, for the pleasing ozone aroma of clothes dried in sunlight, and sometimes, in winter, as a means of combating cabin fever.”

Though I don’t have the latter problem, I can add another reason for hanging laundry—it connects me to my mother line. My grandmothers and my mother hung clothes on the line, and I cannot help but think of them when I’m doing it. I thank God for them. It’s a kind of spiritual retreat for me, though short lived. It nonetheless revives my spirit, as it does for Norris, who sees household chores as making “order out of chaos” or “sorting through … the odd pieces of a life in order to make a whole.” Hanging laundry is also a way of being in the moment. Norris says household chores “have an intense relation with

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the present moment, a kind of faith in the present that fosters hope and makes life seem possible in the day to day.” But I don’t want to become overly ethereal about this. Hanging laundry on the line is earthy. It is a physical action that takes me out of doors to enjoy the sunshine and the air, and it calls me to the art of living in the moment.

Down the stairs to my musty basement I go to fetch

a good day to be out of doors, a good day to dry clothes outside. I straighten my back and put my hands on my waist, my fingers almost touching at my back and massage my low back a moment, a gesture that brings to mind my grandmother. I see her standing in her apron gazing across her garden, straightening her back and massaging to ease the ache from stooping to cut her asparagus. My grandmother who hung clothes on the line, too. My practical grandmother who never wasted a thing if she could help it. I feel her smiling at me when I’m hanging laundry or canning or gardening. the oversized laundry basket I bought many years ago at Dixie Pottery in Abingdon, Virginia. It’s a reed basket, the color of yellow oak, not the plastic K-Mart variety. One handle has broken off.

I pull wet clothes out of the washer and pile them into the basket; I hoist the basket to my right hip, and I stretch my right arm across the top to grasp the handle. I balance the basket with my left hand underneath to compensate for the broken handle.

The basket full of wet clothes is heavy, and each summer I tell myself to buy a laundry cart on wheels.

But as long as I can still carry my basket, I suppose it’s good to challenge my muscles.

When we moved to our current home in 2002, there was no clothesline on the property, and no place close to the house to stretch a long line, as was my custom, so my husband went out and bought me a fold-up clothesline on a metal pole. Open like an umbrella, it looks like a giant four-sided spider web, I suppose, from a bird’s view: short lines near the pole lengthen as the line spirals toward the outer edges. To the west of our driveway, the former owners of our property had cemented a place for a flagpole, a small, circular cement mound poured around a metal pipe in the middle for the pole. The clothesline pole fit perfectly into that hole. It’s a little too close under shade trees, which can be a problem now and then if birds build a nest over the lines, but that’s happened only one summer in the 10 years we’ve lived here.

When I reach the line, I set the basket down and breathe in the fresh morning air. That’s the best part—the fresh air. The air is clear and clean. It’s

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Not every summer morning is a good drying day.

The sun needs to be shining, the sky blue and clear.

A partly cloudy morning will do, but clear sky is best—along with a slight breeze and low humidity.

If the breeze is too stiff, the sheets billow like sails and flip across the top of the lines. If the humidity is too high, drying time is longer. If rain is in the forecast, I keep a close watch on the sky, so the clothes don’t get a second rinse.

I pause to find a rhythm for hanging the clothes.

This is part of living in the moment, of relaxing and enjoying the process of hanging clothes, of creating art on the clothesline. And I admit that sometimes I must remind myself to savor the moment. To pause.

To plan. To see. My first load consists of the white and light colors, some with a splash of pink or yellow or lime green or robin’s egg blue. To the inside of the lines, I clip the pillow cases and small items— my blouses, T-shirts, socks and underwear. When my daughter became a teenager, she warned me one day not to hang her underpants and bras on the line. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might be

Next I start checking to see if any of the white and light clothes are ready to take down. Removing the clothes from the line should not be done haphazardly. This I learned many years ago when I was at a friend’s home. A storm was approaching and she was busy with her children, so she asked me to take the clothes off the line for her. I hurriedly unclipped the pins and dumped the clothes into the basket. When I brought everything into the house, she scolded me for not folding her clothes.

“They’ll need ironing now,” she said. Funny how little remarks leave permanent impressions. Now when I take down the clothes and carefully fold each piece, I think of her.

embarrassed, but she let me know in no uncertain terms. Now I think of her when I hang my own delicates on the line, and I arrange them so that they are on the inside of the spiral, close to the pole.

Then I can hang the sheets on the outside to shield them from prying eyes. I smile at my arrangement.

Who is going to see them anyway? My neighbors are not close. We live on five acres with lots of tall trees.

The next load is dark colors, which means mostly my husband’s clothes. Why is it that men’s clothes are darker and more somber looking than women’s?

I sort out all of my husband’s plaid boxer shorts and pin them one by one on the line. Then his button down shirts, his T-shirts, then his pants and socks— everything seems to be gray, black, brown or navy, with bits of red, yellow or green splashed among the plaids and stripes. Granted, my jeans are among them, too. Now the line is full of alternating dark and light sections, somewhat like a pinwheel.

Part of the joy of hanging clothes on the line is remembering the people who are important in my life—my daughter, my friends, my mother and my grandmothers, especially. I feel their presence. I remember when my mother got her first dryer and didn’t have to hang clothes on the line anymore. I wondered why she still did it. Years later, I discovered what she knew about drying laundry outdoors.

With all our gadgets designed to make life easier, we lose the art of living in the present. We miss the “quotidian mysteries,” as Kathleen Norris explains: “It is a paradox of human life that in worship as in human love, it is in the routine and the everyday that we find possibilities for the greatest transformation.”

For a few moments, I am transformed by my activity, and I carry with me throughout the day the peace it gives me.

That evening as I spread the clean sheets on my bed, the fresh “ozone aroma” fills the air. The perfumed smell of dryer sheet can’t compete. That’s the final blessing of line-dried laundry. *Reprinted with permission. As seen in New Southerner www.newsoutherner.com.

Zola Troutman Noble is associate professor emerita of Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana, where she taught writing for 24 years.

Now she is pursuing her own passion for writing, in addition to knitting, hiking, genealogy, and grandchildren. The overriding factor in her life is her love of God, family, and the natural world.

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Hardwick’s

Trailblazers

by Cheryl Cesario, VOF Certification Staff

Louis Pulver’s surfboard market stand, 1986.

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oday, Hardwick is recognized as Vermont’s most publicized food hub. However, long before Chef Emeril and newscaster Tom Brokaw showed up to tell the nation Hardwick’s story, organic farmers Louis Pulver and David Allen were there and getting their hands dirty. They were among the true trailblazers of the organic movement and in many ways they helped define what organic means today.

Louis Pulver, Surfing Veggie Farm Louis came to Vermont in 1979 and worked on a dairy farm in Waitsfield. He says, “I started to see all these longhaired, bearded freaks around who were doing vegetables.” Louis sensed a movement was afoot and he wanted in. “It was an exciting time,” he says. “Farmers’ markets had cropped up in Montpelier and Randolph.” He signed on for a season with Hardwick vegetable farmer Robert Houriet, despite protests from his Waitsfield friends.

“You are moving to the armpit of Vermont!” they warned.

After a few years with Houriet, Louis and his wife Ann started their own homestead as self-described “back to the landers.” However, by 1984 they were producing crops for market, and in 1986 they became certified organic. “I was becoming a player in the Vermont Northern Growers Co-op [which pre-dated today’s Deep Root Co-op].” The co-op members shipped their crops through what was then Northeast Cooperatives, where vegetables were transported to Boston and then distributed up and down the east coast. They also sold their produce to local markets such as the Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, Onion River Coop in Burlington, and Buffalo Mountain Co-op in Hardwick. There was a small farmers’ market starting in Hardwick, where at one point Louis was the only vendor.

He continued to show up, displaying his produce on tables improvised from his surfboard collection.

Surfing Veggie Farm was known for the diversity of potatoes they grew. During the 1980s and beyond Louis and Ann grew up to 16 varieties of potatoes.

They marketed the diverse array as “Intense Potatoes.” Keep in mind that this was a time when the general population was aware of only Russet and red potatoes. Louis was definitely ahead of his time, and this is one example. In fact, Louis says he was the first grower in Vermont to grow the now famous Yukon Gold potato. “It was smuggled across the border from Quebec,” he recalls. His love for potatoes led him to attend the annual University of Maine Potato School. Each year, Louis and Jim

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“We were the only organic farmers in the room.” Louis Pulver, Surfing Veggie Farm, 1980s Gerritsen (of Wood Prairie Farm potato fame) would attend the threeday conference along with dozens of conventional potato growers. Louis remembers, “We were the only organic farmers in the room. We were long-hairs and they didn’t think we’d amount to much.”

Today, Louis, Ann, and Surfing Veggie Farm are still going strong. While they have cut back their vegetable production to one acre, they are also producing eggs and hay, and experimenting with small grains on their land. “We bought a combine,” he says. Louis is learning from other Vermont grain growers and continues to be excited about new crops and forms of production.

David Allen, Hazendale Farm David is a native Vermonter and the third generation on his farm in Greensboro. Historically, the farm was a dairy and when the cows were sold, David began selling hay. In the late 1970s David was part of a NOFA pilot project to grow grains in Vermont for flour. This venture pre-dated today’s Northern Grain Growers Association by about 25 years. David was growing winter rye, oats, and buckwheat. At the time there was a mill in Plainfield, which he used to mill his rye and sell it to local Vermont food co-ops.

After the 1978 season, the mill closed, so David was left to find a new facility. David says the next year he brought his crop of oats over the border into Canada to have it hulled and rolled. To bring it back across the border, he had to fabricate a story for the border patrol explaining that the freshly milled oats were pig feed. At the time, David says, only animal feed could cross the border.

In 1979, David turned to vegetable production.

He started with a half acre and grew from there.

Like Louis, David also mentions Robert Houriet, saying that he spearheaded the organic vegetable movement in Vermont. David was a founding

member of the Northern Vermont Growers Coop, which included six other growers (including Louis).

The farmers grew only storage crops for their coop because they knew the quantities they would produce would far surpass the Vermont demand.

At the time, they needed crops that would travel well. David said he shipped about 10 tons of carrots a year through the coop. However, after 4–5 years, David left the co-op he helped to start and hooked up with distributors that shipped his produce to markets in New York City and Washington, DC.

the first in Vermont to market baby greens.

Alice Waters of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California has been credited with bringing the French mesclun salad mix to American plates, and it wasn’t too long before the wind blew to Vermont.

At the time, iceberg lettuce was standard fare in most salad bowls. David stumbled upon the idea of baby salad greens when he was trying to figure a way to deal with the persistent issue of rot in his head lettuce crops.

One of his employees at the time had worked on a farm in California Although organic from that sold greens to the beginning, David Waters. He suggested became certified in the to David that they take late 1980s. The Vermont scissors and cut the Organic Farmers small lettuce leaves at certification program the base. David says, David Allen, Hazendale Farm began in 1985, and the “We gave the greens a USDA National Organic crew cut, mixed it in a Program was implemented in 2002. However, David bag, and called it “mesclun.” From there a Vermont says, “It was in the late ’70s when growers first tried salad revolution was born. to get a formal certification program into play.” The funding to start a program had been problematic. Currently, 143 Vermont vegetable farms are certified Finally there was a grant to fund a two-year organic. There are 80 farmers’markets statewide each certification program. David refers to an ‘infamous’ with dozens of vendors, offering a wide diversity of incident involving a non-organic grower where, he crops and other products. It is sometimes easy to says, “It became clear that formal certification was a forget that it wasn’t always like this. In the beginning must.” there was a core group of farmers, including Louis and David, who were the first to experiment with Today, David grows vegetable crops on 14 acres at organic vegetable production in Vermont. The Hazendale Farm. His markets are now local, as he dedication of these farmers helped open the door has shifted his production to primarily fresh crops to the rich organic food landscape we have today. versus those for storage. David has been known for Thank you! quite sometime for his salad greens, being one of

“We gave the greens a crew cut, mixed it in a bag, and called it “mesclun.” From there a Vermont salad revolution was born.

Cheryl Cesario is a Grazing Outreach Specialist with the University of Vermont Extension Service. She prepares grazing plans for beef, dairy and other livestock producers, helping these farms to be as profitable as possible while utilizing one of Vermont’s best crops - pasture. Cheryl and her husband Marc own and operate Meeting Place Pastures in Cornwall, Vermont where they graze beef and dairy cows, pigs, and chickens on their 160 acre farm. They direct market their pasture-raised meats and eggs to families and restaurants across New England. Find them at www.facebook.com/meetingplacepastures

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