Making a quick pond couldn't be easier if you can get your hands on an old iron bath. Yes, you can dig a hole and put plastic liner in, but baths get chucked out often and as they are designed to hold water all the work has been done for you. They are also free, always a plus point! No matter how small your garden, you should be able to find a corner big enough for a bath pond, and you'll do wonders for your garden's biodiversity.

My bathpond has been dropped into a hole so that it's at ground level. The pots are waiting for some reeds which someone is giving me. There are plenty of places for creatures to get in and out of the water (logs, stones, etc) . The tiles around the edge are really just to hide the stark white of the bath, but they have the added benefit of creating little spaces where small toads, etc. could hide. Just out of shot is a pile of rotting logs and various nooks and crannies for who ever wants them. Now the bath is in place, I'll also be able to plant around it so that there's vegetation around the edges. The tyre at the end will be home to a comfrey plant. If the plan works my various toads should spend more time in the veg patch munching those darn slugs and less time trying to get inside the knickers of my guests!

Here is a Victorian-based company whose cleaning products and haircare products I've been using recently:

http://www.naturesorganics.com.au/

I'll add more products as I find them. I'm not into all this commercial stuff, but if it can help other allergy sufferers, then it'll be worthwhile.

(Disclaimer: Check the ingredients on the labels for yourself. No responsibility taken for anyone following these links.)

Kate's dinner: Leftover baked beans mixed with some organic grass-fed beef and beef liver.

I modifed the Nourishing Traditions baked beans recipe. I soaked the beans for 48 hours (just because I was busy and didn't have time to make them sooner). I used chicken fat instead of butter and olive oil -- just because that's what I had on hand. Instead of water, I used homemade chicken stock to make the beans more nutrient dense. And I added ham hocks for extra flavor and nutrition.

She would have loved some sauerkraut with this dish -- but I'm fresh out. I have a couple of quarts fermenting in the cupboard. I need to make more pickles soon, too. Kate loves pickles.

And there are about 2 more dozen out in the garden just like it. I'm so excited!

24 ounces of handspun, thick-thin SOFT 100% wool yarn $25

40grams Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose $8

655 yards of sportweight Alpaca in Silver $18

655 yards of sportweight alpaca in Fawn $18

1 sk Cascade 220 color 8021 $7

Four lots of Bernat Organic Cotton, 16 skeins total. $3 each or all 16 for $40

1.5-pound cone of pink Conshohocken Softball Cotton $30

Free Range Studios

FreeRangeStudios

SALINAS, CA - Rocket Farms announced the launch of a comprehensive organic herb and vegetable program on June 19. The program is wide-ranging and also focuses upon sustainability. Rocket has received 100% certified organic status from the USDA for 40 acres (of its 5.3 million square feet of growing space) for the new program, which grows organic culinary herbs, vegetables and organic heirloom tomato plants.

"Customers are becoming more discerning and prefer to buy agriculture that is grown without pesticides and any other toxins," said Marc Clark, EVP of Rocket Farms. "We have a strong ethic at Rocket to provide the healthiest plants which are free from any chemical toxicity." The organic herbs and tomatoes are grown on benches without pesticides.

There are also many elements of Rocket's organic program in place that insure that their potted plants have been grown within the Company's sustainability guidelines. "Basically, we try to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future at Rocket Farms," Marc Clark added.

Rocket grows their organic plants in the summer and early fall, so no heat is required. They also make sure that the plants are grown in biodegradable and or recyclable pots.

Major Supermarket chains and Garden centers have already jumped at the opportunity to supply Rocket Farms organic plants to their customers, and the plants can be found in stores throughout the West Coast.

Rocket Farms (www.rocketfarms.com) has been in business for over 25 years and is one of the largest growers in California with approximately 5.3 million square feet of greenhouse and growing area. The company is also one of the largest poinsettia growers in the country. Rocket grows orchids, mums, calla lilies, cut flowers, indoor tropical foliage, and organic herbs and vegetables. Industry experts, clients and consumers have recognized Rocket Farms for high quality product and service.

After the two lovely girls opened their salon several others fell for the idea and opened organic hair-salons all over Norway. Denmark embraced this idea a lot sooner than the Norwegian people witch means that Denmark has a great amount of organic hairdressers. I have seen several in UK as well.

I can easily recommend the products I have been using the last few years. (and their smell is so wonderful)

PurePact:

Sassafras harmonizing shampoo, has been working miracles on my poor scalp.

Cedarwood moulding clay and Ginseng control butter, makes a great finish.

MOP:

Glisten shampoo, gives my hair volume and a great smell.

A good hairspray is hard to find. This one is great, smells like oranges and not like a chemical factory like other sprays. I quote:

Our firm hold hair spray features:

-Natural fragrance oils
-UV shield for colour protection
-An eco friendly propellant
-Firm and lasting hold
-Anti-oxidant based

This is an aerosol finishing spray for those customers seeking an environmentally friendly option. The eco-aerosol features a zero impact propellant and contains no chlorine (CFC's) and is not a volatile compound.

Lavera:

I tried Lavera just a few weeks ago and fell in love with their Almond milk shampoo. It´s perfect for my far to sensitive scalp. I really want to try their conditioner as well. (And i have to buy a new shampoo because i lost mine in the security check at the airport...sigh).

Sebastian:

My mothers hairdresser convinced her to buy Sebastian Evokativ Bohemian, but like most styling-products she didn´t like it and gave it to me. To my surprise it was from a range of organic products so I was very pleased. It is a great styling-product, but like the Lavera Shampoo it was taken from me at the airport.

My philosophy is easy, if a product is harming the environment why would i have it in my hair, on my body, in my blood-system?

First, here's the background on how this 'shout out' innocently began...

[wp_caption id="attachment_14" align="alignright" width="162" caption="Chef Randall"][/wp_caption]

Please...Write in and share with us your family's favorite recipe; it's origin; the author; what culture is represented; what town you live in; the story, etal.  If your cooking story is selected, we will come a knocking on your door to videotape the culinary experience and air your piece!

In return for your generousity, you will receive a DVD of the experience and continue to add to your family history library! 

Hunters and gatherers unite!

I chose a spot that is sunny until about 5pm. A shady spot is not really the way to go unless it gets at least 8 hours a day of sun. Small gardens are easy to manage as you will quickly learn gardening basics such as weed control, pest and disease control and watering requirements without being overwhelmed. After mastering a small garden, you will have learned how to control your garden and have developed the skills needed before you decide to expand your gardening area.

And now I would like to offer you a Free copy of my Gardeners Journal so that you can easily document your gardening experience and track what you do. Click on “Subscribe to Master Gardener Girls’ Gardening Blog by Email” and I will send you a copy of this file.

Happy Gardening from the Master Gardener Girl!!

Now, why should you drink it? Is it safe? If you obtain your raw milk from a healthy grass-fed cow it is very safe to drink. Think about what people drank hundreds of years ago. They would never think to heat up their milk, just drank it straight from the cow.

The benefits are numerous. First, raw milk is very rich in enzymes and actually contains all of the 22 essential amino acids. This includes phosphate, which is important for the absorption of calcium. And forget about all the synthetic calcium supplements out there, raw milk is truly the best source of calcium available.

It is also a great source of vitamins, in particular vitamin B12, which is an important vitamin that is hard to find in non-meat sources. It also contains the enzyme IgG and vitamins A, B, and C.

Research shows that raw milk contains enzymes and antibodies that actually render milk less susceptible to bacteria. Lipase is also present which aids in the digestion of fats.

Raw milk contains CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid, which has been noted to fight cancer.

But with all these benefits, does it actually taste good? It does. In fact, it tastes wonderful, much better than store-bought milk. Even if you don't care for the taste of the stuff in the stores, you may find that you enjoy the taste of raw milk. It's creamier and fresher tasting. And, although some people have digestive issues with the store-bought kind, that won't happen with raw milk. With all the benefits, why not find a local farm and start enjoying this very healthful and nutritious food.

Raw milk benefits are stupendous, and more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon. Find out more information and learn about raw milk at http://www.rawmilktruth.com.

She has been introduced already, without a name... , now we know she is a girl we have decided to call our beautiful wee black Pekin Bantam GRACE..

We all agreed, because she just has this gracefullness about her and holds herself well.. Grace it was :)

1. How To Grow More Vegetables, John Jeavons
2. California Master Gardener Handbook, UC ANR, Dennis Pittenger
3. Solar Living Source Book, Real Goods, John Schaeffer
4. The Plant Propogator's Bible, Miranda Smith
5. Planting the Future, Rosemary Gladstar
6. Root Cellaring, Mike and Nancy Bubel
7. Food Storage 101: Where Do I Begin?, Peggy Laton
8. Keeping the Harvest, Nancy Chioffi and Gretchen Mead
9. Build it With Bales, MacDonald and Myhrman
10. How To Build Your Own Greenhouse, Marshall
11. Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply Catalogue, www.groworganic.com
12. Bountiful Gardens Catalog, bountifulgardens.org

For a complete review of the listed books check out Amazon.com with the exception of the last 2 seed cataloges.

tune in,

dandelioness

The retailer has also announced it will incorporate other organic materials such as recycled wool and polyester. "We are now using organic cotton in all departments," said H&M Head of Design, Ann-Sofie Johansson.

In the same month Stella McCartney has released her own organic range exclusively at Harvey Nichols.

Chameleon Fridays

The launch was held at Harvey Nichols 5th Floor restaurant, with guests including , Sophie Ellis Bextor, Corrine Day, Laura Bailey, Camille Belle, Dasha Zhukova, and Bella Freud.

Stella said "The biggest compliment tonight was that most of the people here didn't even know the collection was organic."

The 20-piece Organic Collection has all been ethically sourcing. The collection is now available at Harvey Nichols, exclusively.

Chameleon Fridays

We had visitors round last night and cakes are always a favourite with the kids, especially when theyre pink, yummy and topped with soft fudge pieces.  

I love to make fairy cakes and try and come up with different toppings each time, so apologies for the overdose of fairy cakes if you follow my blog...

unable to help my self tho' as they're sooooo pretty :)

You can find the recipe for the basic fairy/cup cakes here..

VitalBodies use a Cuisinart yogurt ice cream maker to make sugar free ice cream.
There is no sweetener (natural or artificial) added to VitalBodies ice cream!

At VitalBodies, we prefer to prepare food in all glass cookware. For soaking, VitalBodies uses a Flameware Glass (stove top safe) Tea Pot.

Ingredients:

1 quart Organic Valley half and half

3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder

2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa nibs

2 heaping tablespoons of walnut pieces

ALL ORGANIC:
Made with 1 quart Organic Valley Half and Half, 3 heaping tablespoons of Cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of cocoa nibs, and 2 tablespoons of walnuts pieces.

The Cuisinart freezer bowl is aluminum but you do not cook in this bowl. Even though we are preparing food in metal, this is better than buying store bought ice cream, at least in our opinion.

You MUST pre-freeze the freezer bowl over night.

Making ice cream is easy the first time and is second nature the 2nd time on.

VitalBodies pours 1 cup of the Organic Valley Half and Half into a glass Flameware Tea Pot.

To this Half and Half, we add 3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of cocoa nibs

Soak them together only long enough so as to dissolve the powder in the milk.

Stirring is needed, so stir the the ingredients fairly often in the Flameware Tea Pot so the Half and Half and cocoa powder bond together. Mix and soak until there is no longer dry cocoa powder.

No heating is needed.

POUR INTO SPINNING ICE CREAM YOGURT MAKER:

1 cup Organic Valley Half and Half, approximately, no need to  measure.

All of the heated Organic cocoa milk from the glass Flameware Tea Pot.

Pour 1 cup Organic Valley Half and Half into glass pot, and swirl, to recover any cocoa stuck to sides then pour into maker.
Pour 1 cup Organic Valley Half and Half into glass pot, and swirl, to recover any cocoa or nibs stuck to sides then pour into maker.
Add in the 2 table spoons of walnuts pieces.
Let  mix/spin till done - roughly 15 minutes.
NOTE: Too little time spinning and the ice cream is watery, too much and it overflows...

Only A Small Mess:
Spoon, measuring cup, Flameware Tea Pot, Ice Cream Maker...

OPTIONAL: Frozen Organic Blueberries

It was buy one, get one free at the organic supermarket in Bristol.

The Better Food assistant pointed out the bargain gem lettuces, fresh from the company's Walled Garden.

I thought: oat-thickened lettuce soup. The perfect opportunity to share the quickest healthy-soup recipe I know. You basically boil water with butter, add oats to thicken and then the lettuce which takes seconds to cook.

Boil 1 pint of water with 1 ounce (30g) of butter. Add 1 ounce of rolled oats. Bring the water, butter and oats to the boil. Simmer for five minutes to cook the oats. Add a lettuce, chopped. Season with lots of black pepper but a little salt. Turn off the heat immediately. The lettuce, now soft, will carry on cooking in the water.

The soup does not need blending. But I blended mine (see pic).

I came across it the other day. My mother was cooking it when I got back from the Guild of Food Writers Awards.

Appropriately, the recipe came from the pen of one of our best food writers, the late Jane Grigson (mother of Sophie).

I love Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book, which has recipes for every veg from artichoke to yam.

My mum made hers with spinach, but the Grigson original is Irish Nettle Pottage.

I have had this book since 1980 so why, oh why, did I not think to delve in, in my nettle-soup phase?

On the subject of mistakes, I broke one glass within ten minutes of leaving the charity shop with five (for a fiver). When I photographed the damage, it had beauty (see below).

I feel a moral coming on.

Mistakes are like jewels in the crown because we can learn from them.

Overall grade A

Raw revolution: all organic,  yummy, vegan and RAW but it is on higher end of calories (size does matter) and high fat (although good fat). It is on the greasy side so it can be messy eating it on the go. My favorite is the Spirulina and Cashew. 

Overall grade - B+

Larabar: easy to eat, minimal ingredients, vegan, raw, most bars range from 180 to 210 calories so it makes a great snack bar. It is higher on the fat grams, mainly due to the nuts.  Try Apple Cinnamon and Cashew cookie. 

Overall grade- B+

Cliff Bars and Luna Bars, same company guys and gals. Both taste AWESOME. Cliff bars contain a little more calories than luna bars. Most luna bars have about 180 calories, they are geared for women but ANYONE can eat them. Food is food. The difference between the other ones previously mentioned on top and cliff/luna bars are that these bars are processed.  They contain about 70% organic ingredients. It is vegan friendly, but the bars do state that there may be trace amounts which is only visible through highly scientific testing. The Cliff/luna brand has the most variety when it comes to flavors, and availability (easily accessible, most stores sell em in the diet aisle) but they are all processed.

Overall grade B-

Kashi golean: I love KASHI, i trust KASHI, i love their goLean cereal. It is my breakfast staple. I even carry them around as snacks. But to my disappointment, their golean bars are NOT vegan friendly. But it is light and tasty. Tasty because the bars are overly processed. Good amount of calories, but mostly puffed rice/corn. It is not too filling. A better alternative is their TLC snack bars, but I say stick with the cereal. 

Overall grade C-

GNU bars: banana walnut is heaven. the FIBER content on this bar is truly amazing. 12 grams at 120 calories, it is pretty fab.  Anyone trying shed some major lbs should try this bar. For 12 grams of fiber, one would think it would taste like saw dust. BUT IT DOES NOT !!! it takes pretty darn good. I tried all of their flavors and they are all great minus the orange cranberry. The bars are baked and sometimes hard to find at the local store but they are worth it. 

Overall grade A- (only because it is baked)

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/805
05016

A friend passed this video along to me. In the end it says that if each person would stop using plastic bags that the store provides and instead use cloth bags that are brought from home, the environmental impact would be phenomenal.

We are so accustomed to accepting the free plastic bags as we check out with our purchases.

There was a time, year ago, when brown paper shopping bags were used in all of the stores...

Not only is it possible for each of us to contribute to lessening the litter load around the world, it is also possible for us to lessen our dependence upon petroleum oil.

Let's get serious.

Our favorite new online boutique is Olio United based out of Portland and run by two mission-driven entrepreneurs, Cathy McMurray and Korrinne James.  With the goals of supporting independent artists, promoting sustianable work and providing a resource for unique and lovable clothing and accessories, these ladies are doing it right.

The site hosts some of our favorite affordable designers,

like funky, recycled pieces from Preloved

light organic cotton shifts from Filly

and a designer we've never heard of before, Twice Shy, with this awesome go-to everyday tunic

They've got great inexpensive finds on their sale page - and they get our stamp of approval for carrying Ashley Watson - anybody with Ashley Watson is probably doing it right.

Check their sale page for some great discounted finds - and get them shipped to you for $5, what a steal!