It’s the week of Easter and I have to assume I am not the only procrastinator — er, busy mom — who does not yet have her kids’ Easter Baskets filled with goodies and awaiting the big morning. And you know, as much as I love all the online guides I find for eco-friendly Easter basket stuffers it seems every year I still find myself in the same position. Life takes precedence and for me that often means my kids’ baskets aren’t filled with organic cotton plush animals ordered in from an internet source, but rather with regular everyday commodities I’m able to find at stores locally as I run my usual errands.
Tag Archive: spring
Easter Eggs – The Eco Friendly Way
This time of year eggs are a hot topic. One of the most frequently asked questions I hear among those who either raise their own or source farm-fresh, local eggs is whether or not brown eggs — the color most commonly laid in America’s backyard flocks — are suitable for dying. The answer is a resounding yes. In fact, brown eggs result in deep, rich hues that white shells just cannot compete with.
But how do you dye them without yucky commercial dye packets wrapped in yards of packaging waste? Well, naturally, of course.
Over the years we have experimented with many of those natural ways.
To Eat or Exfoliate?
I’m a food writer and a gardener. I never thought I’d say that — even to myself, let alone out loud — and yet, here I am. Late January is blowing in with wind and ice and seed catalogs galore are gracing my mailbox — and I am itching to dig in the dirt.
I want nothing more than to get outside, feel a warm breeze on my skin and to sink my hands into the dark, heavily composted soil that will (hopefully) nourish a large part of our sustenance in the coming year. Unfortunately, I was born, raised and continue to live in The North; a frustratingly cold place where such wonderful endeavors cannot be undertaken without engaging in epic futility until well into April or May.
Going Green By Growing Green
In the never-ending quest to find the best food possible–healthy for both people and planet–it seems like there’s a pitfall around every corner. Farmers’ market or supermarket? Buy organic, or not? Is buying local always better? What if the farmers bringing food to the market use unsustainable practices, or dump loads of herbicides and pesticides on their crops? What if they have driven a hundred miles to bring those fat bell peppers to the stall?
Of course, you can always do research, or ask the vendors questions. Some markets have standards in place governing vendors’ growing practices or limiting the distance they can drive to bring their wares to the table.
It’s Almost Time!
There is nothing that makes winter more bearable for me than hope.
The hope of spring, of budding flowers, of green again. Since November, Michigan has gotten less than 20% of actual sunshine, and let me tell you, we’re feeling it. If it were economically feasible, I would start heading to the tanning booths for a shot of Vitamin D. Unfortunately, it’s probably not the best for my skin anyway.
I like to make preparations in the fall to give myself and my household a little boost in the middle of February. Being that my thumbs are mildly green and I have an obsessive need to fill my house with all manner of growing plants, I started looking into ways to get flowers out of the ground a little earlier each year.
