Thursday, January 26, 2012

Community Spotlight

We are starting a new feature on our blog. Periodically we will feature a selected spotlight on a farm or vendor in our community who raises or sells local and organic products.
This week we are featuring...

Virginia Garden Organic Grocery owned by Michele Shean
















How long have you been in business? What inspired you to go into the business of selling organic food?
I am a farmer and I grew my business from a seed. I did not borrow money to start my business. I just put all the money I made back into the business. I’ve been in the organic food business since I was 16. I worked at a salad bar my Mom owned. I’ve always fed people food that is good for them. But now I sell food that is really good for them. People make themselves well with good food.


Can you tell us about Polyface Farm meats and eggs that sell?
Organic food is the very best, especially when you know the person who grew the food for you and you like them. That is why I sell Polyface Farm products. I like the kind of people they are and I know they tell me the truth. Their cows are pastured and eat grass. I see them eating it when I go to the farm to pick up my order. Polyface is a leader in the Good Food Revolution. Together we provide Tidewater the best quality food available.


Do you grow any of the food you sell? What do you have right now that is produced locally?
I sell 40% local food, that is a lot. I have prepared foods that are grown locally and prepared for you. All of our prepared foods have local ingredients. Our farm has been chemical-free for 30 years. You can taste the difference. You can feel the difference.

Visit Virginia Garden Organic Grocery’s site at www.vagarden.com . Print out a coupon for 10% off your entire order at www.vagarden.com/coupon.aspx 









Thursday, January 19, 2012

Save the Bees, Save Our Food

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe
then man would only have four years of life left.
No more bees, no more pollination,
no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”—Albert Einstein

















At our last meeting, the Green LIONS Garden Group watched excerpts from the movie Vanishing of the Bees. A Linkhorn parent and local beekeeper, Kal Habr, came to share his experience with beekeeping, a hobby he shares with his daughters. Mr. Habr and his wife Laura own Croc’s Eco Bistro and host the Old Beach Farmer’s Market each Spring through Fall at their restaurant. See our Green Links section for more information on both of these.





















Most of us know of the bee’s gift of honey, but their wax is also used to make candles and modeling wax for crafts, as well as many cosmetics and toiletries. Look at the ingredients in your lip balm, there is likely beeswax to be found.

Honey has many health benefits other than just a delicious sweetener. It gives you energy and helps to strengthen the immune system, the system that helps you to fight off illness and disease. While honey is mostly carbohydrates and water it also contains B vitamins such as niacin and riboflavin, and minerals such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Consuming local honey can ease seasonal allergies as your body slowly adapts to the local allergens naturally found within the honey. Honey has long been used in medicinal practices as well, especially with treating skin wounds.

















The biggest gift of the bees comes in the form of the foods we eat. Over 30% of the food on our plates comes from plants that were pollinated by bees. Pollination occurs either through bees or the wind. Bees are a vital part of our food supply. Without them we would not be able to enjoy many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat regularly.

At our meeting, students learned about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), the phenomenon where bees suddenly abandon a hive leaving only very young bees and the queen behind. CCD has been documented internationally, and in over 35 states in our country. While many causes have been studied, like bacteria and fungi, the main suspect is systemic pesticides used in some farming.

With the increase in monocultures, meaning farms focused on only one or two crops, has come the increase in pests that favor that crop, and in turn the increase of the use of pesticides. More recently has come the use of systemic pesticides which are either coated on the seed of plants before planting or treated on the soil. While systemic pesticides are believed to be safer since they may not initially affect the surrounding environment as intensely as sprayed pesticides, their residue is long-lasting.

What does this mean for the bees? When bees come into contact with the pollen of plants treated with systemic pesticides, though it may not be enough to kill then on the spot, what they carry back to their hive is incorporated into their food supply—their honey. When the bees eat their honey stores in the winter their immune systems are weakened letting in illness and their young are affected in development. It is suspected that this is when the bees abandon the colony.

Bees are an indicator of environmental quality. When the bees are dying, something is wrong and that affects all of us. Systemic pesticides have been banned in Germany, France and Italy on certain crops with good results in the health of bee colonies. Organic beekeeping and hobby beekeeping are on the rise here in the U.S.

What can we do as individuals? We can educate ourselves on the food systems that best help the bees and the planet and nurture them. We have three times a day to vote with our fork. Even getting one right makes a huge impact. We can support local, organic growers or grow our own food when cost is a concern. We can plant plants in our yards or communities that welcome bees.

Many farms are now taking reservations for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. This is a share of their harvest that you buy now and receive throughout the Spring and Summer. It can seem like a large amount to pay initially, but it averages out to much less per week than you could spend at the grocery store on the same items. There is the added benefit of it being local fruits and vegetables which were picked the day before, making them fresher and more nutritious. Much more for your money!

Check out our Green Links section for farms in the area who offer CSAs—Mattawoman, New Earth, Hearthside and Cullipher to name a few.

See http://www.tidewaterbeekeepers.net/  for information about beekeeping in our area. Heritage Natural Market, Stoney’s Produce, and Virginia Garden Organic Grocery all sell local honey. Virginia Garden Organic Grocery also sells beeswax candles. Most farmer’s markets in the area have local honey as well.

Look under our GLGG Files for some great recipes using honey, one for a caramel candy and one for a healthy, protein-rich muffin that kids love.

Please remember to stop by our bulletin board outside the office next time you’re at school. We update it regularly and there is always something new to learn.


Monday, January 9, 2012

The Student View
















Today students spent some quiet time updating their garden journals. A few students gathered in the computer lab to add comments to our blog. Click on “comments” below on this post or earlier posts to read about their experience in the GLGG program.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Winter in the Garden

All outside is dark and cold
But just beneath the earth
Sleep seeds from which new life springs
Bringing nature’s gifts to birth
—Betty Jones

















It’s winter in the garden. Students have given the remaining winter-friendly vegetables a straw mulch blanket. Brassicas especially enjoy continuing to grow after it begins to frost. Their flavor becomes richer and sweeter. Brassicas include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kale and rapini among others. In the LIONS Garden we still have cabbage, collard greens and kale growing as well as a few Swiss chard plants. Aphids have found us and we’re trying to get them under control with the help of a plant-based organic pesticide from Farmer John. The term pesticide doesn’t always refer to harmful chemicals. Man-made plant-based pesticides can be used in organic gardening to control the pests that like to feast on vegetables.

The students used the water cycle model to understand why when the weather turns colder there is no need to water the garden until Spring. When the sun isn’t heating up the water in the soil, evaporation is significantly lessened. The soil retains its moisture.

At our last meeting, the Green LIONS Garden Group worked to balance our aphid assault by encouraging life in other species—birds and squirrels. We made edible ornaments to feed the birds and squirrels in our community to celebrate the winter solstice. We learned about the history of the solstice and how many aspects of early winter solstice celebrations have been adopted into Christmas and Hanukkah, like decorating with evergreens and using symbols of light through candles. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and it’s a celebration of the return of the light and thus a return of bountiful harvests. Seemed pretty apropos for our garden group!



























After taking care of our feathered and furry friends the students also learned steps we can take to keep ourselves healthy during the winter. While we’re not outside in the sun as much as we are in warmer months, our production of Vitamin D, which is stimulated by sun exposure, is lessened. Consider talking with your pediatrician about adding a Vitamin D supplement. Chewable supplements can be found easily at places like Heritage Natural Market on Laskin here in town. See their link in our Green Links section.

Adding an Omega 3 supplement is also a great idea especially in cooler months. Not only does it support brain health, great for growing kids’ minds, but it also helps to regulate moods which can sometimes fluctuate in cooler months. Historically, we got plenty of Omega 3’s from eating wild fish, wild greens, and wild game. Our food production has changed significantly and Omega 3’s are not as prevalent. As always, talk with your pediatrician before starting any new supplements.

Using humidifiers in our homes can also help ward off colds and allergy symptoms when the temperatures drop outside and the heat kicks in inside. The heat in our homes and schools can dry out mucous membranes in our nasal passages which help to block out viruses and allergens. When these linings are thinner, we’re more prone to respiratory ailments. Adding humidity can help and also keep our skin from getting dry and itchy.

Involving our children in these healthy steps is a great learning experience. An interesting lesson on using herbs for health with children can be found at http://rhythmofthehome.com/2011/11/teaching-kids-about-herbs-healing-herbs-for-winter/. We’ve recently added this site and Soulemama.com to our Green Links. They’re nice sites to explore to get ideas and inspiration for embracing home and togetherness in these colder days. We’ve also added Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne to our book list. While not technically a garden book, it gives wonderful direction on how using simple practices like being in nature and adding more rhythm to our children’s lives can benefit the whole family.