Fall Is Here…New Start?

Now that we are close to October, the leaves are really starting to change along with the weather. I have always considered this time of the year to be my new year. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of the new school year from times past. Actually, it seems that everything new began at this time of year in the past. If you think about it, in January, what really changes but the year? Autumn is my new beginning…how about you?

Not Too Cold for Fall Crops!

Summer has come and gone…but that doesn’t mean that we still can’t have fresh ingredients this fall! Here is a variety of what you can still plant…

Kale | Collard Greens | Lettuce | Spinach | Rutabagas | Broccoli | Cauliflower
Mustard | Mâche | Cabbage | Oriental Vegetables | Escarole | Endive
Brussels Sprouts | Arugula | Leeks

All of these ingredients can add fresh and unique flavors to almost any recipe you come up with!

Plant Now, Bloom Later!

Fall is the season to get out there and plant those bulbs… come spring you will have an amazing, colorful garden! There is a variety of bulbs that are available from your local gardening/hardware store, the nursery, and even your local grocery store!

According to environmental-lifestyle expert Danny Seo, bulbs can make great gifts whether for housewarming or other occasions. Grab a bag of bulbs (or pick up a variety and mix) and a small terra-cotta pot with saucer—fill the pot and place the saucer on top, and tie with some raffia! This is a gift that keeps giving!

Spreading the Green Knowledge

Trying to educate your friends and family on why it’s important to start leading a green life? Plan a party! Start off by sending an Evite(on-line invitation) rather than paper invitations. This is also a great way to see who will be there, who can carpool, while providing a handy place to load photos to share with everyone. Instead of going out and purchasing those paper plates that go right into the garbage, use what’s in your cupboards! Shop locally, too. Go to the local farmers’ market or the fruit and veggie stand instead of picking up your menu ingredients in a supermarket. Make sure to pick up organic drinks too—organic wines, in general, have fewer pesticides than regular. Pick up a few small starter plants and give them away as fun party favors! Always make sure to recycle what you can and try to clean up using green or earth-friendly products. The best green cleaning solution is a simple mixture of vinegar, water, baking soda, and lemon.

Unique Veggies for Lucky Northern Californians

Interested in a unique variety of veggies delivered to your door? Thanks to Mariquita Farms (and Daily Candy for bringing this to our attention!), you can have a mystery box of vegetables delivered to your door for $25! The farm is located in Watsonville, California, and they drive up to San Francisco, California, twice a month for cash-only deliveries. Mariquita Farms are known for their unique vegetables ranging from nettles, shelling beans, and carrots to kale, Padrón peppers, and erbette chard. The farm sells to restaurants from Watsonville up the Peninsula as far as San Francisco. $25 bucks…What a steal!

For more information, including recipes or newsletters or how to buy, please log onto http://www.mariquita.com/.

Other Uses for Baking Soda-Other than Baking!

Earlier on this month, I stumbled upon 61 reason/uses for baking soda. To my surprise, I had never heard of some of these uses and decided to give them a try.

The first tip I tried was adding a half a cup of baking soda to my dishwasher before running it. WOW, what a difference! Maybe it’s just my dishwasher, but when I run my dishes normally I used a solid dishwashing additive to prevent spots, which never seemed to work for me anyway. The baking soda took care of that! It also helps with any odor buildup, if there is any.

The second tip I used was to add a half a cup to each laundry load in addition to soap and fabric softener. My whites seemed whiter and colors really were brighter! I would highly recommend it…it is inexpensive and the results are great!

Some tips that I was not aware of were to add about a half a cup or more to your bath water to soften your skin. By adding a few tablespoons to your baby’s bathwater also helps with diaper/skin rashes.

A big thanks to www.bellybytes.com for these tips we tried here at organic.org.