Green Ninja

Time to Pick Fresh Blueberries!

Blueberry season starts in July! We went to a local blueberry patch this week and picked a few pounds of them! Sadly, the farm is not organic but it is still better to buy local and fresh than to buy from the store. I have posted a yummy blueberry pie recipe here with a recipe for a healthy pie crust too. If you are looking for fresh blueberries check out this site - Pick Your Own . They have a search tool to locate places where you can pick your own fruit plus they list farms that offer corn mazes, pumpkins and other activities. Pennsylvania has a great site called AgMap . You can locate farmers markets, seedlings, plants, organic produce and a lot more. There are several ways to search for what you are looking for. You can search by county, by mile radius and by specific items.

15 Bean Soup with Garden Herbs

Pictured above are some herbs from my garden

This is an extremely simple and tasty recipe if you like beans. Beans are a great dish because they fill you up and you really can make a meal out of them. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a pretty cheap meal too. Here is what you need.

A bag of mixed dry beans (approximately 1 pound) prepared by soaking overnight or the quick method of bringing to a boil and letting them sit for 1 hour
A mixture of garden herbs (Get creative, I used what I had available in my garden – basil, purple basil, sage, garlic chives, and parsley)
Chopped onion and garlic
Vegetable or chicken broth

Prepare the beans. After soaking, rinse them well and place in your pot. Add the broth, herbs and garlic/onion and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours. You may need to add a little water or extra broth since some of the water will evaporate or get absorbed by the beans.

If you have spinach, you can add a few leaves right before serving, place in the bowls on top of the hot soup, you don’t have to cook them in with the soup.

Are Colorings and Preservatives in Food Making Kids Hyper?

A study funded by Britain’s Food Standards Agency has reported what many parents have long suspected: artificial food colorings and preservatives can make kids hyperactive

Source: Mother Earth News

I too have felt that a child's diet can have a direct connection to behavior. In my opinion kids seem to get bored very easily and are much more moody today. Could this have a correlation to their diet? It does seem possible.

Not that long ago I tried a test with my own kids to see if their diet could have anything to do with their lack of energy. I restricted sugar and processed foods as much as possible. When they were eating healthier their demeanor improved and they definitely wanted to do more things besides video games.

It is very hard to compete with ads on TV and the easy access of sugary processed foods at relatives, friend's houses or even at school. Almost all foods marketed to kids today are colored or preserved to be "easy" like drinks, candy, Lunchables or microwave meals. The packages are attractive and may be endorsed by their favorite celebrity or character. Even amid these challenges you can foster change. By being consistent and not giving in, kids will eventually come around. They may even realize that they do feel better when they eat healthy!

Decoding the Ingredient Label

Did you ever wonder why food has so many ingredients? Even simple bread has a long list of substances in it. Preservatives account for many food additives. A preservative is better than getting sick from rotten food but I always wondered if a diet full of chemicals additives will have long term effects? It is probably best to avoid added chemicals whenever possible by preparing food at home and shopping wisely.

If you want to know what all those long complicated names are on your food label check out Simon Quellen Field's Blog and click on the link at the top called Ingredients, you will be taken to a page which states the ingredients in common food and also explains why those mystery ingredients are added.

GMO Food seems to be everywhere

I am not sure if you have ever heard of GMO food (genetically modified) but it appears to be everywhere. It has been reported by the Institute for Responsible Technology that 80% of soy, 61% of corn, 80% of canola and 83% of cotton crops are genetically modified. The numbers reflect the percentage of GM cotton, corn, and soy in the US and GM canola grown in Canada. These foods are found in almost everything from breads, sodas, fried foods, salad dressings, soy baby formula, you name it! At the least, I think we should be notified on the product label if the food is GMO so you could make an informed choice. I can understand the ideas behind modifying crops to produce more food but if I would always prefer to eat the food that was not genetically altered.

The Institute for Responsible Technology is 100% against GMO and is very adamant about the avoiding those foods at all costs. In today's world that would be almost impossible for most people. Especially if you need to eat on the run or eat at cafeteria or restaurant. I also did a little more research as to what is exactly potentially harmful about GMO foods. I really like the article on the Purdue University website, it seems to not be biased and just presents the facts. GMO food does seem to have alot of unknowns and there are real concerns for health issues such as allergic reactions. Is this stuff safe to eat - Purdue University

GMO food is not limited to fruits and vegetables either, animals such as salmon are being altered to grow to maturity faster so they can be sold at the market in less time. I found it interesting too that Pennsylvania has 4 GM corn crops. There is database in which you can search your state to see what GM crop or Pharma crops are present. Pharma Crop Database .

Personally, I will never be sold on GMO, it seems unnecessary to the end user and only beneficial to the companies who sell these modified crops. I think nature is more complicated than we realize and it may take a while to actually know what the long term concerns are for these foods.

HOW YOU CAN IDENTIFY GMO PRODUCE
Here is a quick tip; to identify GMO loose produce look at the price look-up (PLU) codes. It is usually a sticker on the fruit or veggie with a number on it. If the number is five digits beginning with a 9, then the item is organic. If the item is five digits beginning in 8, then it is a genetically modified crop.

IF ANYONE FINDS ANY GMO food I would be curious to know. I personally have not seem any in the local grocery store produce aisles but there could be some there. As far as processed foods go, I would think almost all of them have some sort of GM crop used as one of the ingredients. If I see any GMO produce I will post a pic if possible.