Just a few minutes ago I received this rather nonchalant tweet from one of the movie’s Swedish creators, Fredrik Gertten: http://bit.ly/IoQ96 DOLE dismissing the BANANAS!* law suit it seems.

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Don’t say that we didn’t warn you but those who are short on cash should consider the Global Inheritance sponsored recycle booth in the Eco Lands section. They offered a similar booth last year but not many people seemed aware of it. The deal here is that anyone who wants nifty Outside Lands shirt (for free) just needs to bring 75 empty cans or bottles to the booth. For 250 bottles you can snag a pair of Loomstate organic jeans and 150 gets a recycled record vinyl clock. Those not as inspired can get some Fuel TV sunscreen (and boy is sunscreen mandatory today) for just eight bottles.

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Pear pie. Pear ginger muffins. Pear cordials made from fruit, sugar and vodka. Pears canned in sugar syrup. Pear jam.

When my senior neighbor Mary calls me every year at the end of August with her annual message of “The tree is ripe – come pick,” I turn into the Bubba Gump of pears, gratefully using the four bushels of pears I harvest off her abundant backyard tree.

As the country whines about escalating food prices, there’s often rotten apples falling from some tree near you. Or pears, plums – name your fruit. You know the tree I’m talking about – the one you pass by every day in someone’s yard that is practically falling over with ripe fruit and you think to yourself, “Someone needs to do something with that.” How true – and that “someone” is you.

Talk about an organic homerun: By connecting with and harvesting a local fruit tree, you not only garner more organic, fresh, local fruit booty than you know what to do with – and put something to use that would otherwise have gone to waste. You build community by connecting with others. We’re talking community at its core, most sustainable essence, sharing abundance with others, relishing the gifts of the land.

Step up to the plate – or bushel – and tap into these unwanted fruit on trees in backyards across the nation that could be making the world a better place through more pie – or jam or cobblers or muffins – you get the picture. Here are three tips for foraging a fruit tree near you:

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How great would it be if there were want ads in your local newspaper or on Craigslist for organic fruits and vegetables, grown in your town, by your neighbors?  A new website - Veggie Trader has sprung up that offers exactly such a service, a purchasing and bartering clearinghouse for locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Veggie Trader describes itself as the “place to trade, buy or sell local homegrown produce”.  The idea is simple, you register on the website and then offer to purchase, to sell, or trade any manner of surplus fruits or vegetables.  If you have too many tomatoes and want to see if anyone nearby has a surplus of peaches or peppers, you can log on, run a search, and find out who in the neighborhood may be willing to exchange with you.

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Not Far From the Tree is a Toronto program that focuses on harvesting fruit from local trees in residential areas for the good of the community!

The mission of their fruit-picking program is to:

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Cloned asian pears in New Zealand (photo Steve Savage)

OK, I’ll admit it.  That question and the picture caption are a little bit manipulative because few people know that all the major fruit crops are technically “cloned” because they have to be to get the varieties we want.  If you take the seed of a Fuji apple and plant it, the tree you will eventually grow will not make Fuji apples.

It will be something new because when the apple flower was pollinated there was a new combination of genes from the male and female flower.  Its the same reason our kids don’t come out exactly like either parent.  So, for millennia, people have been propagating the fruit varieties they liked by making cuttings or grafting or some other way to keep the identical genetics of the desirable fruit.

So, there really isn’t anything creepy about eating cloned fruit, but because I use the emotive term, “cloned,” I can usually get a negative response.  Why do I mess with farming-naive people this way?  I do it to make the point that if you want to understand controversial issues about food and the environment, you need to be vigilant about being manipulated by emotive terms.

I find this to be particularly true about the anti-GMO camp.  Its one thing to make an argument, but the reason that many people are afraid of these things is that they have been given a healthy dose of disinformation, often through the use of emotive terms that don’t really convey information as much as they do fear.

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As the temperature rises, eating raw fruit in the summer months is cooling for the body and is great for those who are overstressed or overheated from hot climates or excessive mental strain. Using fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth can help you begin to leave behind chemically processed and refined sugars. Although fruit juice is very cleansing, the fiber content is lower then that in the whole fruit. Since fruit contains lots of natural sugar without the extra fiber, you should be cautious of energy or moods swings. In it’s whole form, fruit offers you more fiber which helps to balance the natural sugars that can cause dips in your blood sugar levels for some people.

Whether you have fresh fruit for a light breakfast, a midday snack or evening treat, enjoy nature’s sweetness instead of refined sugars and buy seasonal organic whenever possible.

Here are a few summer fruits and their health benefits.

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My favorite Bayview corner sandwich shop, Upper Crust Deli on Third Street in San Francisco, has just started carrying fresh seasonal produce. They are now selling a variety of melons, potatoes, apples, bananas and many other healthy fruit and vegetable options.

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Grocery shopping can be complicated when you’re trying to make ethical choices. You’re faced with a lot of difficult questions: Is it better to buy the organically grown blueberries trucked across the country from California or the conventionally grown apples from a local farm in Western Massachusetts? In my case, the more vexing question is ‘Why did you freaking move away from the organic AND local food paradise of San Francisco in the first place? But I digress.

Organic, Conventional, or Local? Knowing Your Options

I’m visiting my parents in Boston and decided to make a fruit tart dessert for a family brunch.  I headed to Whole Foods, the closest grocery store with both organic and local produce options. No matter how you feel about the chain, it’s pretty cool that all their produce is helpfully labeled as ‘organic,’ ‘conventional,’ or ‘local,’ sometimes even with a profile on the farm of origin.  It makes it easier to know what you’re buying, but it can still leave you standing dazed amid the Chilean grapes and California clementines, paralyzed by the complexity of options in front of you.

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Hammy the hamster repeatedly demonstrates her preference for organic fruits and vegetables. For five out of the six food types, Hammy preferred organic; she did, however, seem to have a preference for conventional walnuts over organic. Please visit http://www.cooksden.com/hamster/ for more information.

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Despite recent rains throughout the state, California has recently instituted water restrictions to many farms in the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural epicenter of the nation.  In fact drought conditions are already so severe that they have forced authorities to eliminate all water for agriculture in California’s San Joaquin Valley for three weeks beginning March 1st.  This might not be troubling if it wasn’t happening so early in the year.

The impact on the people and economy of the state could also be severe.  The Department of Water Resources has stated in relation to the water crisis in California.

“The drought could cause an estimated $1.15 billion dollar loss in agriculture-related wages and eliminate as many as 40,000 jobs in farm-related industries in the San Joaquin Valley alone, where most of the nation’s produce and nuts are grown.”

Read here for the full Associated Press article on the anticipated drought and its effects.

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You may be wondering what a green smoothie is exactly. Or maybe not, they seem to be getting really popular in healthier living circles everywhere lately. A green smoothie does not refer to being “green” in the eco sense of the word. Although they can be that too. The green in a green smoothie refers to what is in the smoothie and usually the color as well. Quite simply, green smoothies are blended beverages that combine fresh or frozen fruit and leafy greens like Kale, collard, spinach, or wild edibles. Veggies like carrots may make a cameo appearance in green smoothies as well. The genius of a green smoothie is that they are jam packed with nutritional goodness, usually in its raw life living form, and they taste absolutely fantastic! When was the last time your kids begged you for fresh spinach? Well, mine ask me daily for some.

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Lately, in an attempt to conjure any notion of warmer days, I have tried several fruit scented body lotions and butters and all smell good enough to eat.  And with all of their fruity goodness ingredients you practically could, but it’s probably not recommended.

Let’s start off with the new Bubble & Bee Body Butta - that’s right, it has ‘tude.  The subtle Raspberry and Vanilla scent is warm and fruity, evocative of a chocolate raspberry torte.  And the luscious creamy texture (think buttercream frosting) goes on smooth and keeps skin soft all day.  Comes in 4 or 8 oz jars and is made with shea butter and lots of oils, like coconut, sweet almond and macadamia.

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Editor’s note: The following post was originally published on Green and Clean Mom. “Green & Clean Mom can inspire you to try a little harder, be a catalyst for change and to offer you some new tips and news on how to be the green, sexy and sassy mom…I know you are!”

Children get home from school and they are hungry. The day was packed full of learning energy zapping activities and they need to refuel. When I got off the bus after school I remember eating chips, cookies, drinking soda and complaining if these items weren’t around.

Sorry mom and dad, I just made you look really bad.

I would eat these junk food snacks and then at dinner not be hungry. I filled up on sugar, carbohydrates and fat. Nothing that helped to refuel me and tide me over until I could have a well balanced nutritious meal. Just as it is important for our children to be fed healthy meals they need healthy snacks. It is known that what we eat plays a role in our brain function, our weight and overall how we feel. Health Guidance has a great article describing nutrition and brain function that all parents might want to consider reading. The article isn’t focused on children but the article still applies, especially the behavior part! Many children have behavior issues in the evening from fatigue, stress and probably nutrition issues. I’m finding this to be true in my own household.

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Anyone for purple carrots?  You know your kids would be!

There’s something odd about kids- they like the weirdest things and think the ones you think are interesting - are weird. Purple carrots seems like something that would engender giggles in my house and now they’re available from First Juice.

I was sent a few bottles of First Juice awhile back to review. We’re not big juice drinkers in our house. My motto is drink water and when I want you have to have fruit- I’ll give you a piece. But like most kids, my son sometimes wants a glass of something other than water. Then I hunt around for the healthiest alternative I can find.

First Juice, though developed for toddlers, is the choice for fruit juice in my home. First Juice is organic fruit and vegetable juice, designed specifically for young children. It has 50% less sugar than the leading 100% apple juice, so rather than dilute commercial brands with water and lose some of the nutrients, I can deliver it to my child in it’s pristine form.

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Kids who eat bacon and other meats containing nitrites more than once a week have a 74 percent increased risk of leukemia than children who did not eat these foods.

Conversely, children whose ate veggies and soy regularly have more protection against cancer.

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To emphasize this, researchers at Saint Louis University have determined that families who eat out often are more likely to skimp on fresh fruits and vegetables compared to those who eat more meals at home.

After focusing their study on young families in southeastern Missouri, it was found that close to 73% of parents don’t consume the minimum recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day.

Researchers also discovered that families who eat out frequently are less likely to have fresh produce on hand at home.

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When we experience stress too often, our autonomic nervous system rarely has a chance to activate the relaxation response.  This can eventually lead to physical or emotional illnesses such as high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and depression to name just a few.

Making simple diet changes can help reduce stress, here are a few tips to get you started:

(Remember to always use organically grown foods when possible, it’s healthier for you and for the planet.)

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