Searching For Organic~

A share from Organic Consumers...great read!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_11714.cfm


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CONSUMER TIPS OF THE WEEK:

HOW TO SHOP AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET

The merger of Whole Foods Market with Wild Oats highlights the benefits and drawbacks of this organic retail giant. Although Whole Foods Market certainly provides a "feel good" shopping experience for millions of consumers, it's important to keep in mind that WFM isn't nearly as green as it pretends to be. But of course, for many consumers, Whole Foods Market offers the only access for green and organic products. If Whole Foods Market is the only option available in your area, here are some important tips for the organic-minded shopper:

Look for locally grown produce: Whole Foods offers only a limited supply of local produce, although it is well labeled. Reduce the burden of long-distance food transportant on the planet by asking your WFM produce manager to stock more local produce.
Not everything is as "natural" or "organic" as you might think: Although Whole Foods doesn't carry products with trans fats or artificial coloring, everything else is fair game, including MSG and rBGH, so being a vigilant label reader is still a necessity. Look for the USDA organic label.
Whole Foods has taken the position that unions aren't valid. It is the second largest union-free food retailer, right behind Wal-Mart. Don't assume the employees are all adequately trained in understanding how to distinguish between products that are and are not truly organic and natural.
The OCA always recommends supporting your locally owned food co-op, farmer's market, CSA or independently-owned natural food store, first and foremost, (search for resources near you in OCA's "Local Buying Guide" here:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/BuyingGuide.cfm
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As with most things...buyer beware~

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Scents and Our Diet~

Have an appetite for fun and many chances to win great prizes, then join us for the "WIN-Spring Fling." Feel free to contact me for more information.

http://ryze.com/go/farmgirl2001


~Do you have picky eaters at your dinner table?

Try adding foods that have scents known to stimulate our tastebuds.

Ginger, oregano, fennel, lemon, nutmeg, orange and garlic are all great scents to promote better interest.

Ginger, lemon or orange sprinkled on any green vegetable will entice your younger ones to dive in.

You may have elderly members in your home who have less interest in mealtime due to a loss of appetite.

A little nutmeg, fennel, or garlic will do wonders to increase their intake.

Essential oils are a great way to add scent to your foods. They are healthy, have wonderful medicinal qualities, and safe.

Remember that oils are very strong, so a little goes a long way.

Licorice is a great tea additive...really perks the cup!

Have a delicious spring!

Bea Kunz

Spring Tune-Up~

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Just as spring brings heavy raims to clean and refresh the fields and streams, we should make a practice of cleansing and refreshing our system...inside and out.

Plant a garden, in the ground or in a container.

Lettuces, all manner of veggies and greens can be grown in small spaces.

These are the things that will aid in flushing toxins from our system that have built up over the winter from heavy foods, toxins from heating fuel, and medications that many people take in an attemp to stay healthy.

Get outside, thirty minutes of early morning sun will give you a good dose of vitamin D.
Committ to a daily walk, morning is best, this is when your energy level is the highest.
Sing, meditate, and pray. These things nourish the spirit and the soul.

Do something for someone else every day.
There are always those in our community, church, neighborhood, and family who could use a helping hand.

Don't forget the critters that mother nature loans to us, that is her helping hand to us. Make sure they have safe food, water, and a place to call home for the time they are with us.

Happy Spring from Sage Hill Farms!
Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Toads, Frogs And Springtime~

Spring has arrived, and amphibians are on the move. Some overwinter where they are,
and some migrate, just like birds. (well, no they don't fly)

A warm, rainy, muggy night will get them on the move by the thousands.
They will travel hundreds/thousands of miles across snow and other harsh conditions to reach their destinations. Most of them will return to the same pond or other water source year after year.

Thousands are killed every year trying to cross highways and roads.
Now you may be thinking what's the big deal with a few squished frogs.

Consider that frogs, toads, lizards, and other amphibians eat all manner of bugs and insects that we do not consider a plus to our surroundings.
They are a very important part of the ecosystem.

Some stats say the global amphibian population has declined as much as 50% since 1950. Frogs and toads make up the largest of this group and totaling more than 5,000 species worldwide. Whatever killed the dinosaurs did not kill the amphibians, but the uv radition is taking a major toll. ( I think there is a lesson for us human species in that statement)

Frogs and toads have some major differences.
Frogs are more aquatic than toads, unless you have a good water source nearby, the little guy in your yard or garden is no doubt a toad.
Frogs also have a smoother skin and somewhat sticky to the touch.
Toads are thicker and warty looking. The warty look is actually granular glands filled with a substance that helps defend them from predators by making them unpalatable.

Frogs are also more agile than toads, this comes from having longer legs and more webbed toes, better for leaping and swimming.

Toads are ...well, stubby.

Frogs and toads are very easy to live with, require nothing more than a well placed water source ( a drain saucer from a plant pot works very well, a little hut of some kind for safe resting, a flower pot turned on it's side, a few rocks and plants or grass and they are as happy as you and I at the Hilton.)

They respond well to human kindness, so get to know a toad this spring

I would like to thank Yvonne Osinga-Bisk, my friend and one heck of a networker for inspiring this article. You can visit Yvonne at her blog, and tell her I sent you.

http://bringhomethespa.blogspot.com/

Happy gardening~

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com