being simplesprouts

A recent trip to a nearby strawberry patch opened my eyes to a whole new way to savour local berries all year long. We went to a no-spray strawberry patch with some friends to pick some lush, in-season berries. The strawberries were not super sweet but they were deliciously juicy, deep crimsom red and percolated a sweet strawberry scent. Of course, we walked away with only one bucket full of strawberries but it was hard to resist looking for more and picking all the ripe strawberries in our row.

A suggestion from a friend got me looking into freezer jam recipes. I do have to admit I have always been apprehensive about the whole jamming process. I always imagined a big huge enamel soup pot, sitting on the stove, boiling away with jars of jam inside clanging against one another. Surprisingly, the recipe was relatively easy to follow, required no cooking and called for a few simple ingredients: berries, sugar, and gelling powder. I found a Club House gelling powder that required less than half the amount of sugar as other recipes that call for just plain pectin. Following the recipe on the package; I measured, my daughter smashed and mashed the strawberries, and half and hour later we had jam for our toast.

We are looking forward to raspberry, blackberry and blueberry picking so that we can make some more jam this season! Yummy!

By the way, all my jam supplies were picked up at the local supermarket, aside from the berries of course!

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If you are looking for some inspiration and ideas on greener and sustainable living, the Granville: Sustainable City Living magazine may be an interesting read for you. Granville is a fairly new magazine, its premier issue debuted last summer.

The magazine is full of resources and information for those wanting to live a shade greener. Some hot topics have included: sustainable seafood, chemicals in cleaning products, and local green clothing designers. Along with feature stories on everything from eco-travel to green renos; there are columns written by various authors and journalists; inside scoop on events, fashion, food with a green twist; and practical tips for a greener lifestyle.

But what I enjoy best is that Granville is local, making it very relevant and practical for us Vancouverites. The added bonus? The subscription, which comes out quarterly, is free so far for those living in Canada. If you rather not have more paper products to clutter your home, you can opt to subscribe to their monthly eNewsletter. Though the content is not exactly the same as what is found in the magazine, it will still make for an interesting and informative read.

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Happy belated Canada Day! How did you celebrate? Did you take in some of the festivities happening around town or spent the day with family and friends outdoors? No matter how you celebrated, the past long weekend gave us a dose of what summer days are going to be like. And sunnier days in the forecast calls for more frequent and liberal application of sunscreen.

For a long time, I knew that not all sunscreens were created equal. Besides the varying SPF numbers and paraben-free or not paraben-free ingredients; there are the water-proof, sweat-proof, and water-resistant varieties; sprays, lotions, and creams; scented and unscented; and kid versus adult versions. But it was just recently that I discovered that some listed active ingredients may not give you the UVA and UVB protection that you would assume it should give. Plus, some of the actual ingredients may cause unnecessary health concerns.

So now what? You should visit Skin Deep. Once again, it’s from the EWG (you must know by now that I can’t rave enough about them). It is a pretty impressive database of the health hazard profile of numerous cosmetic and personal care products. Each product is given 2 ratings: hazard rating and data gap rating. You need to look at both ratings because a low hazard rating doesn’t necessary deem a product to be safe. The data gap rating will give you in percentage of how much is unknown about the ingredients. Each product profile goes into detail the safety concerns of each ingredient, some have user reviews and comments, and many list optional “better” products that have lower concerns. It is the best and largest database available of its kind and I think it is definitely worth browsing through.

Wondering about your sunscreen? Look it up in their sunscreen section. If it’s not there, you can always input the ingredients and package information yourself and generate a provisional report; you just need to sign up to set up a personal account first.

See their sunscreen buying guide if you would like some recommendations.

A happy and safe sunny summer to everyone!

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My veggie garden outside is still in need of lots of TLC and coaxing to grow. There are a handful of baby Roma tomatoes, the peas are starting to flower and the beets are thriving. Until I actually get to harvest from it I can only diligently water it and continue to hope for warm weather. My mouth is watering just thinking about the Dragon Tongue beans that are always so abundant. For the time being I have been trying to go to the farmer’s markets to get my produce or at least purchase produce that’s locally grown.

To help with my local buying I have been looking for produce that is in season. Here’s a handy guide to find out what fruits and veggies are at their best.

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Here are some Reasons to Eat Local Food as provided by Life Begins @ 30.

• Eating local means more for the local economy.
• Locally grown produce is fresher and tastes better
• Locally grown fruits and vegetables have longer to ripen.
• Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic.
• Buying local food keeps us in touch with the seasons.
• Local food translates to more variety.
• Supporting local providers supports responsible land development.

See if you can do your part in getting to know your locals: produce farmers, bakers, cattle farmers, or even supermarkets that carry local items. You can start off small and check out the local farmer’s markets in your area, where you can find fresh produce and homemade goods that would tickle any taste bud. Some of the markets even provide entertainment and showcase local talents. Check one out this weekend!

Don’t know where your locals are? Use the Eat Well Guide to find something close to you!

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I know that I am often faced with a conundrum when I buy produce. Should I buy imported organic produce or buy the non-organic local variety? Although organic produce isn’t laced with pesticides often times its journey to the grocery store hasn’t fared well for the environment. Take for example my organic pears from Argentina. If they were to pick a flight from Expedia, their shortest trek would take 18 hours and 26 mins and approximately 11,300 kms. What would be the carbon footprint of that journey?

I started looking into what I could do as an alternative to buying produce that has to travel such a long distance just so I could enjoy it. I came across heaps of information on eating foods found locally that it was a bit overwhelming. Did you know that there’s even an Oxford English Dictionary definition for those who try to eat only food grown or produced within a 100-mile radius: locavore.

The next time I am at the supermarket and faced with trying to decide on my produce, there is a guideline I can follow:

The Locavore’s Pledge
If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Stay tuned for more information about locally grown foods in upcoming posts.

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What bottles are you using?

We started looking into this several months ago when our youngest were starting the bottle. At that time, the big manufacturers (Avent, Gerber, Playtex, etc) were still commenting on the fact that #7 plastics, which most likely contained bisphenol-A (BPA), did not pose any ill-effects to babies. However, after doing much searching online, there were a handful of other experts that said otherwise. Wanting to eliminate the possibility of BPA leaching from plastic baby bottles and being ingested by our little ones, we found other alternatives.

There are a number of BPA-free plastic bottles around (BornFree, Thinkbaby, Green To Grow, to name a few), but we decided to avoid plastic bottles in general when we discovered some glass options. The most economical ones are Evenflo classic glass bottles, about $2-$4 for one depending where you get them — the States vs. Canada. Those were the ones we started off with until we discovered that our babies did not like the small-necked bottles which required a “smaller” nipple.

We settled with BornFree’s glass bottles which were wide-necked and used a similar nipple shape as Avent’s. Of course, there was a wait list for them and plus they cost about $15 each. However, deciding to use glass dispelled any doubts about the safety of plastic bottles. And I think our hubbies were elated when we finally decided on which one to use and stopped all this talk about what bottles to buy, and what bottles to try.

You can find Evenflo glass bottles in the Lower Mainland at places like TJ’s Kids and Babies-R-Us or for those who venture south of the border to shop, at Along Comes A Baby in Bellingham.

As for the BornFree glass bottles, we’ve seen them locally at Pinky Blue, Baby On Board, and Capers/Whole Foods Market.

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“Canada is home to 7 per cent of the world’s fresh water supply, but we are second only to the United States in water use per person, which places us among the worst water-wasters in the world.” ~The Council of Canadians

I admit that we take for granted the fresh water that freely flows from the faucets and shower in our home; we are not good stewards of that water. Take for example, how I used to wash the dishes. I have two sinks: one holds my dish rack for drying dishes and the other is where I wash and rinse all my dishes. I used to crank on the hot water and with it running, I would wash and then rinse them one at a time. Then I’d transfer them to the other side to dry.

At that rate, I calculated that I was using an astounding 250 litres per day for dishes! Which equates to 91,000 litres per year.

Curious to know how much is coming out of your taps? Some faucets and shower heads will have the actual flow rate imprinted on it. I found mine on the end of the kitchen spout.

It was only recently that I changed my dishwashing technique. I don’t let the water run continuously and I am more conscientious about how much water I am using. I lather up my scrubbie and leave the tap off until I am ready to rinse. I do have to admit that this still isn’t the most water-conserving way to do my dishes, but I am working on it.

Some tips on washing dishes:

• soak your pots instead of scrubbing them while you rinse
• fill up the sink to rinse your dishes instead of running them under the tap
• install an aerator on your faucet - which can save up to 50% in water usage
• fully load the dishwasher - regardless of the size of your load the same amount of water is used and in general a dishwasher uses less water than hand washing

Did you know that the average Canadian’s water usage is 125,000 litres of water per person per year? Use this quick and easy calculator to see how you measure up.

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How do you do your dishes? What is your technique?

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For the last few months, our family has added a new routine to our weekends. With our green milk crate and empty glass bottles in tow, we do a milk run to Avalon Dairy. Up until then, I didn’t even know that Avalon still sold milk out of their original farm location. The little retail store is located in the most unexpected place: 5805 Wales Street, Vancouver East-side, amongst residential homes.

I had occasionally bought Avalon milk from the local grocery store but then was always swayed to purchase the more economical 4L plastic jug alternative. So why the change?

Well, drinking milk from antibiotic-injected, hormone-pumped cows finally got to me. I decided paying extra for organic is definitely worth it. Avalon milk is fresh tasting. I’m not sure if it’s the milk itself or just the fact that it’s stored in glass bottles. It also helps that buying local fits right in with being green. Besides, it feels great supporting the oldest family-run dairy in BC.

Some things to keep in mind when you go to their little store:

• cash only
• glass milk bottles (1L size only available) require a $1 deposit — refundable there or any other store that sells their products
• $6 refundable deposit for a sturdy plastic crate to carry your bottles
• quantity discounts are available on their milk — the more you buy the better the price
• also available: non-organic milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, butter, organic eggs and ice cream (yummy!)

By the way, their newest offering is Vitala, an Omega-3 milk that comes from fish fed cows.

So if you are ever in the vicinity, pop in and check out this century old dairy located right in our community.

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My two and a half year old’s sense of smell is amazingly keen. In her young age, she has grouped scents into two categories: “yucky” and “yummy” smells. Those “yucky” smells (garbage, burnt toast, fish sauce, manure) cause her to scrunch up her face and pinch her nose; and those “yummy” smells entice her to take several deep breathes of whatever it is (chocolate, mangoes, cinnamon, lavender shampoo).

Since her nose is so savvy I want to treat it to more natural fragrances…

When we attended EPIC Vancouver back in April we met a wonderful company, headed by a mom & daughter team, called Smell This! Aromatherapy. They gave us samples of eco-friendly air fresheners, called Re-scentables. It’s sachets of Kosher rock salts that are scented with drops of essential oils. What a great idea! The wonderful thing about it is that they are reusable (adding whatever essential oil your nose desires when the scent diminishes) and it is a simple MIY project even for those who aren’t crafty.

• buy, sew or find a small fabric sachet (I had some lying around that held some soap)
• fill it up with about 2-3 tablespoons of rock salts (Kosher is apparently best because it doesn’t contain iodine)
• add about 20 drops of essential oil (but you can experiment with how strong of a scent you want by adding less or more)
• close up your little sachet tightly (with a string/elastic/clip so none of the salt spills out) and it’s ready to go
• Just remember to keep it out of reach of curious little fingers

I’ve already placed a few around the house; even at the bottom of the diaper pail. Hopefully, it’ll help lessen that “yucky” smell.

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