fresh + organic

A Saturday morning highlight for DC and I has been the Morningside Farmer's Market. We had a few ambitious mornings when we biked over (approx. 3 miles?), or we carpool. There are maybe a dozen farmers/vendors that have the most delicious organic produce. Heirloom tomatoes have been AMAZING, along with bell peppers of all colors and sizes. Last week I canned some habeneros and scotch bonnets, a fiery mix to await on a dark shelf until December.

It's amazing how dynamically different and alive the organic farmer's veggies taste compared to what you buy at the store, including Whole Foods. I've also found the costs to be the same if not a bit less. Last week DC bought a whole free-range chicken that he's fixing to grill beer-can style. He's psyched for the taste test (he's tried organic chickens from Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's - I don't eat chicken) to see how this chicken compares. I've also been growing sweet bibb lettuce in containers in our back alley, and its almost ready to be eaten.

In August, we visited my family cottage in the Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan. My family has had a place up there since the 1930s. As you wind away from the lakeshore, you'll find rolling hills of working farms, orchards, and wineries. My parents bought a share in an organic farm this year and we went crazy with just-picked organic tomatillos, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh eggs, cucumbers, potatos, everything just so delicious, every week a new haul. We also went into Traverse City on a Saturday for their Farmer's Market, and it was huge. Seriously, there were probably 100 vendors, including several Amish farms, and everything from flowers, honey, cherries, (Cherry Capital of the World) corn, veggies of every variety. I guess these experiences really reignited our passion for finding outstanding veggies in our urban existence.

We've made the choice that in this current freaky and scary economic climate, that we are going to take pleasure in simple things. No matter what, we are going to eat healthy, good foods that nurture body and soul. Clearly, I'm all about de-stressing with yoga...come join me anytime.

visit the Morningside Market
go early!

do you need an eco yoga mat?

do you know what your mat is made of?

If you are not using an eco-yoga mat, which are a fairly new, non-vinyl concoction, your yoga mat is made of vinyl or PVC, a petroleum-based, non-renewable source, which continues to give off gases throughout its existence.

Vinyl contains phthalates, or plasticizers, which have been linked to a host of health risks, including damage to the liver, lungs, and reproductive system. Phthalates, which can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, have veen banned from some products by the European Union , but not by the US or Canada.

Eco-mats are made with other materials, such as polymer envrionmental resin, natural rubber, or blends containing natural fibers such as jute. They are free of heavy metals. And being biodegradable, they'll revert to their origins at the end of their lifecycle.

source: envionmnet.about.com; PVCFree.org; Grist.org