I love trees!

Some trees are tree house trees, some are thinking-under trees, some are fairy house trees, there are climbig trees, shade trees, drawing trees, hugging trees, meditating upon trees, picnic-ing under trees, animal living in trees, playing hide and seek in trees...huge trees, and barely trees, scrawny trees and glorious trees...



Between Earthday on Tuesday, Arbor day today and the glorious April weather we have been blessed with we are spending lots of time outside.

There are so many ways that you can celebrate and honor trees. Our favorite is to take a tree walk a hike with the intention of finding a favorite tree. When either of us find one often we will stop and spend some time with "her" doing a bark rubbing, tracing/drawing the leaves, photographing, hugging, identifying and finally sitting up against her quietly to see if she has a message for us......often we will end our time together by me reading or telling Zoe a story. Out favorites for our tree walks are nature tales by Thornton Burgess.

There are so many kids books about trees, some fiction and some non. I am drawn to them all......there are the typical early science ones by Gail Gibbons or Bobbie Kalman but here are a few of our favorite with the reasons why!

Fiction:
- The Tree Farmer by Chuck Leavell (Author), Nicholas Cravotta (Author)
- The Old Tree by Ruth Brown: (A fun nature story with a great suprize at the end!)
- An Elm Tree and Three Sisters by Norma Sommerdorf (Author)
- Sarah's Willow by Friedrich Recknagel (Author), Maja Dus (Illustrator)
- Spirit of the Forest: Tree Tales from around the world by Eric Maddern (Author), et al. (Great campfire stories)

Art/Science:
- Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art- by Thomas Locker (Illustrator), Candace Christiansen (Author) (Beautiful Illustrations as we all expect from Thomas Locker)
- The Tree in the Ancient Forest by Carol Reed-Jones (beautiful lyrical story of life around an old-growth fir tree)

Non Fiction:
- Around the Oak by Gerda Muller
- My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America Diane Iverson (Kids sharing about their special tree....somewhat of a field guide)
- A Logs Life by Wendy Pfeffer (Lifecycle of trees)
- Exploring the Forest with Grandforest Tree by Joanne Dennee (Author), Julia Hand (Author), Carolyn Peduzzi (Illustrator) (Great homeschooling book! Like no other)

Guide Books:
- Trees, Leaves & Bark (Take-Along Guide) by Diane Burns

There are so many more....already I am thinking of a few more that I really like but I have to stop.....I'll have to gather up some of my favorite from my adult collection and share a list one of these days!

After a couple of season of doing these tree walks I have found that Zoe notices trees where ever we are, " Oh that would be a great tree house tree" or "look mama that tree needs a hug".

Another way to celebrate Arbor Day is to make tree cards for your special friends and family and include a few seeds and instructions for planting a tree. For a while now I have loved to give seeds and tree planting kits as childrens birthday gifts. I like to choose plants such as giant mamouth pumpkins, fatmama sunflowers or baby carrots as well as all kinds of gourds.

UNLESS

"UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not."

The Lorax Dr Seuss 1971



This month we have an unintentional theme going. As part of our weekly family movie nights we watched "Flipper" and the original "Dr Doolitle" (with Rex Harrison). This weekend while at the Odessey bookstore listening to this mama speak we read the book Prince William we are reading Dolphin Adventure by Wayne Grover.


I wanted to get Zoe a book to mark Earth Day and have recently browsed several great kids environmental awareness books....and believe me my wish list is long and growing by the day, one more here. I finally chose "The Lorax" now I am not really a Dr Seuss fan but this book seemed like the best match for us this Earth Day. I do not want Zoe to feel the burden of feeling responsible for the environmental crisis....I want her to first and foremost LOVE the Earth. Feel at peace when surrounded by her natural beauty. Marvel in her wondrous ways and thus become an advocate following her heart. I feel that the Lorax was fun to read while introducing some of the concepts of being a earth stewart (or in our house "Daughter of the Earth"-a term taken from the Cd by our friend ALisa Starkweather)

Wool sweater to footless tights in 10 mins

I am pretty excited about this little recycling project here.

I am excited to be participating in this Cloth Napkin Swap over at Down To Earth Blog

I was inspired by her "tool of a revolutionary" post, (check her Wed Sept 12) post to see what these are....... which leads to this weeks environmental pledge... NO MORE BUYING TEA IN TEA BAGS! I will use up what I have and continue to only buy loose leaf tea!

I told someone recently that my desire to eat locally is "Not an addiction recovery program but something I can dop to bring awareness to the importance of building a strong local community and attempting to become less reliant on fossil fuels. So yes I am drinking black tea and coffee! Looking back on the past week I would say I am averaging 70%-80% locally grown food and supporting a local business whenever I can (i had a really good chicken stew at Elmers last night).


Ode to Prunus persica:

Peaches originated in China and made their way West in classical times by way of Alexander the Great and the Romans. They eventually arrived in the Americas with the Spaniards during the 16th century. Chinese legend says that peaches bestow immortality. With its large central pit, the peach is related to the other stone fruits: apricot, almond, cherry, and plum.

I am most enjoying the peaches eating several a day! It is a good year for them......the last time I enjoyed them so much was while I was pregnant....delicious. I am saving the pits to make my favorite winter tea. Have you ever made Peach Pit Tea? This recipe comes by way of one of my herbal teachers and good friends Kate Gilday of WOODLAND ESSENCE (Yes, the same place I learnt to make the Ash bark baskets.

Peach pit tea is one of my favorite home remedies to strengthen the immune & lymph systems and to help to ward off colds and flus. It is totally safe and delicious, great for children too. So start to collect and dry the pits from all those locally grown juicy peaches you eat during the summer months. (To prevent them from molding, wash the pit thoroughly in water before drying.) Here’s how you brew it. Pour 1 quart of water over 6 peach pits. Simmer for half to 1 hour. Strain out the pits & drink this naturally sweet tea. The pits can be reused 2-3 times before returning to the earth. Make sure you are using pits that do not have cracks in them as the seed can contain high levels of hydrogen cyanide, a poison that gives almonds their characteristic flavour. This toxin is readily detected by its bitter taste.

You can slice, poach, candy, dry, cook, can, or freeze peaches. To peel peaches, blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds, then plunge them into cold water until they are cool enough to handle; the skin will slip right off. Add them to yogurt, ice cream, fruit salads, tarts, or breakfast cereal. Peaches work well as the single fruit in cobblers, pies, turnovers, crepes, sorbets, soufflés, jams or jellies, marinades, and juiced. Spiced peaches make an excellent side dish with winter meals. Peaches can also be distilled in brandy and liqueurs.




I am loving this Flickr alphabet! You can play too here! click here!

I am looking forward to Apple Cider!! and still searching for local sunflower seeds!!

Day 2

Breakfast:
Yogurt w/Maple Syrup
Toast w/ Butter Jam
Fruit
**Black Tea (NOT local) with local honey

Lunch:
Picnic style fruit, bread, cheese


Dinner:
Burger, and Corn on the cob
Salad
Watermelon

Late night snack
toast with butter and honey!!

We have been gearing up around here.......scouting sources of local everything........and the September 1 date is upon us!! Yesterday I went to a farm and found a source of local wheat. Wheat grown and ground at a farm (Upingil Farm, Gill MA) 21 miles from here. While there I found that they are also a good source for cheese at a reasonable price. Their cheddar was great! We have no shortage of yummy cheese but it all comes at a price! Worth it for the work but not affordable to us.

At the farmers market I picked up a loaf of bread from Bread Euphoria (called the Grainery) made entirely from local wheat, some strawberry jam, a bunch of dinosaur kale from Sangha Farm as Zoe loves kale chips (basically baking kale until crispy) and a bag of organic plums which I promptly made into a plum butter well after eating several of them and saving a few for today.

It also occured to me that we have unfinished perishables in the fridge.....so we will be finishing them up, but not replacing them. I am also trying to only spend money locally in order to support our local community.

Recipes on day 1

Breakfast:Scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, cheese and bacon. Toast and Butter. (All local)
Black Tea (NOT local) with local honey
Lunch: Picnic style fruit, bread, cheese
Dinner: Cauliflower Cheese with kale kinkles, Plum Butter for desert (All local)


List of Farms/ Businesses supported today

Side Hill Farm
Sangha Farm
Eggs from our friends
Upingil Farm
Apex Orchard
our trusted Natural Roots Farm
Chase Hill Farm
Bread Euphoria
Elmers Cafe

Looking for a local source of SUNFLOWER SEEDS to grind into sunflower butter......anyone know of a source??
Also a local source for POPPING CORN.....last year I found some at Whole Foods but did not record where it came from and cannot seem to find it this year, it might have been later in the season.

We are almost home.


There is a lot to catch up on........

Let's start with culinary delights of eating local......










and a local favorite (not for me however!!)

I have been busy getting ready to go and visit my family in Greece. We leave Thursday. So much to do so this will be brief and to the point.

I have not abandonned my environmental pledges (though I admit that while in Maine over the weekend I bought plastic bottles of water :-( )

Environmental Pledge #4

Having read a collection of books/blogs this summer on eating local, and sustainable lifestyles my household (which consists of myself and Zoe and the Gregory Family) have decided to start small………….. For the month of September we will be eating only local foods (food that has been grown within 100 miles of our home here in Ashfield. At the same time we are assessing all our lifestyle choices, energy use, reliance on fossil fuels, water use , spending etc

I may or may not be able to write/post photos while I am away. I'll play it by ear......

An electric bike.....

For this weeks "environmental pledge"


Unplugging all our electrical appliances at the wall (well the ones that do not need to be running constantly). Really, We do not have so many but a clock radio in the bedroom, we can simply plug it in when we want to listen to CD, a mini stereo downstairs that has an annoying "stand by" not off button and then battery chargers. I did realize this winter when I got a propane heater (after many years heating soley by wood) that the electric bill increased unbelievably....couldn't figure it out at first but ah ha! as soon as I unplugged it.


I am also looking into an electrical bicycle. I am guilty of being heavily reliant on my car ( a 1990 subaru impreza AWD). I live deep in the country on a dirt road. There is not much practical within walking distance.....ample terrain for exploration, relaxing strolls. SideHill Farm where we get our raw milk and from is a hilly 2 1/2 miles away- the closest! Our CSA (Natural Roots ) is 4-5 miles away, the kids market and the farmers market 4 miles away, Zoe's closest playdate 4-5 miles away, the museum where i work 5 miles, the postoffice, and banks 5 miles, the lake 4 miles, the dump/recycle 7 miles, all hilly miles with a soon to be 4 year old! So again I am looking into an electrical bicycle. The areas I need more info on are child seats (do they differ to those on a standard bike?) and how the battery does in cold weather. Any ideas? Does anyone use one?

Here is the one I am drawn to a Suede E, Giant's latest addition to the line..

more tree climbing!




we are so blessed to have so many "climbing" trees around us, at the farmers market, at the CSA.......Though I grew up in suburban London I still remember a few trees that I played around, hid under, built homes in and used as a home base. One was a sycamore tree at my junior school in Highgate. I remember the beautiful gardens which included an old glass green house, some woodland areas where at different times of year we could see red fox and this huge old sycamore tree, I also remember a hollow bush where were spend many hours creating our home. The other tree that I remember loving was a weeping willow, the kind that I imagine from the "The Wind in the Willows" it was at my friend Juliet Davis house not so far from where we lived. It was located near the back of their yard not so far from a brook. How I wish I had a photograph of one of these trees and memories!


Staying with the theme of trees this weeks "environmental pledge" will center around paper useage. Reducing it........cancelling catalogs, asking my address to be removed from junk mail lists, watching my use of computer paper, and of course reusing as much as possible.

The average American consumes 700 lbs of paper every year, of that only 51.5% is recycled. Our paper consumption has increased three-fold since 1961 and continues to rise.

Understanding sustainable paper lingo


The best solution for paper selection is:

100% Post-Consumer Waste (PCW)
Processed Chlorine Free (PCF)
Uncoated
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified
Made by renewable energy sources (wind, geothermal, solar, etc.)
Treeless paper like bamboo, hemp and kenaf (if readily available locally)

Chlorine is an ideal chemical to remove lingin from paper pulp to increase its strength and also make the paper a brilliant white. However Chlorine also releases deadly organochlorines, PCBs, and dioxin into our water supply (from releases at paper mills.) Animals exposed to these releases have been known to experience a weakened immune system, heart and respitory problems. (Source: Seventh Generation).

The best choice, when choosing paper, is to select a paper that is Processed Chlorine Free (PCF). Below is a list, in order of environmental preference, of Chlorine free paper types and explanations.

Processed Chlorine Free (PCF):
Paper is made from fiber recycled from post-consumer waste (PCW) and unbleached or bleached without Chlorine compounds. PCF paper is the most environmentally friendly type.

Totally Chlorine Free (TCF):
Paper made from 100% virgin fiber (including alternative fiber from sources other than trees) that is unbleached or bleached with non-Chlorine compounds. TCF cannot apply to recycled papers, because the source fiber cannot be determined.

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF):
Paper made from virgin or recycled fiber that is bleached using alternative Chlorine compounds as a substitute for elemental Chlorine.

Dreaming In Green


Many years ago when I was a new herbalist a friend and I dreamed up an herbal project. We named it Dreaming in Green. Though the project never came into fruition and Michelle and I have been out of touch for several years that name has always resonated in me.

My hopes and dreams have always been in "Green", or at least of a Greener, simpler way. As many of you know food activism has been a big part of my work over the years. I was updating some handouts for a class I am giving at the 20th Annual Women's Herbal Conference and I came across some fun links I thought I would share here......

Eat Wild
Blog: Low mileage Food
Food Routes

Eating local has always been near and dear to my heart. We are blessed to live in an area where this is possible. We get our milk (raw) straight from the farm. We make our yogurt and ice cream. We buy local cheeses. Fruit and veggies from our CSA and plentiful farmstands, bread from local bakeries (though the grain was not grown locally). Miso from down the road. Eggs from our neighbors. Meat (organic and free range from our local farms. Medicine and Spices from our garden. This is not to say we do not indulge and enjoy what town has to offer but we try to keep it local.

There are many challenges out there at present:





One Local Summer
100 mile diet



Start today: Save tomorrow! So I have decide to make a new environmental pledge every week for the rest of this year, that is 25 environemntal changes that my family will commit to this year. Starting NOW!

I pledge to:

- Choose tap water over bottled water whenever possible;

- Fill a reusable bottle with tap water;

- Support public funding for safe and affordable tap water

Take back the Tap

Please play along. Use my ideas. Share your own.........Let's be the change we want to see......

And on a complete side note check this out!!!


Oh my gosh inspiring !!!A low impact woodland home Way cool!!!