Did you know: Giving Green Earth Organics as Gifts!

"Did You Know" is our series of blog posts about Green Earth Organics: how it works, how you can do more with your account, etc.

Original, thoughtful, useful, environmentally- and socially-conscious gifts can be hard, especially when you don’t know if the recipient will be able to use your gift. By giving someone a gift of good healthy food you can be assured that your gift will be useful and appreciated.

When would you give food as a gift? Any time! Our gifts have been given to new moms who don’t have time for grocery shopping, as house warming gifts, as congratulatory or sympathy gifts, or as get well soon gifts. They’ve also been given by parents to their children while they’re away at university (otherwise, who knows what they’d eat!) or even to help out family or friends who have hit hard times by making sure that food is not one more thing they need to worry about.

Giving food as a gift is extremely versatile and you can arrange it to be given in a variety of ways. Our most popular gift option is to pre-pay for a set number of regular deliveries. Our pre-built gifts can be anything from a regular medium bin every week to just a one time delivery of that week’s available fruit to a collection of teas and other grocery items. We are more than happy to help customize any gift with you.

For any of these options, you can email us, phone us in the office directly or create an account with your recipient's information and instructions in the "Delivery Instructions" such as: "One time gift delivery" or "Deliver 3 bins only - gift".

When we see that an order is a gift delivery, we will deliver it in a cardboard box, so you won't have to worry about paying for a bin deposit and the recipient won't have to return anything to us. When the gift has been delivered - whether it is one basket or a dozen bins over several months - we will put the account on hold automatically.

If you aren't sure when your recipient will want to receive food - say, if you're giving a wedding gift - we can also do gift certificates. To arrange for a gift certificate, just give us a call or email. We can do any amount and we can customize it, then we can email it to you or even send it directly to your recipient.

Whatever your occasion, we'd be pleased to help you create the right gift.

Watermelon Workout

The next time you're wondering what to snack on after a workout, reach for some watermelon! The amino acids in the summertime staple have been proven to lower high blood pressure in adults. Watermelon also contains a sore muscle soother and heart health nutrients. Perfect for anyone taking advantage of the warmer weather to amp up their exercise.

A Look into Blue Goose Cattle Company!

A few people have expressed interest in one of our new product suppliers, Blue Goose, from whom we just started purchasing some of our meats for Vancouver and Sea to Sky.

Blue Goose is a family owned cattle ranch in the Cariboo, B.C. and covers over 1.5 million acres of leased and deeded land.

In fact, a good portion of the land their cattle graze on is part of the government owned preserve that has never been exposed to chemicals of any kind. “A healthy land produces healthy animals – without the need for medications.”
 
Doug Sinclair, President and Founder of Blue goose Cattle, was adamant when starting the company that it be vertically integrated pasture to plate and as self-sufficient as possible, so that consumers know exactly where their meat comes from and how. He was one of the first ranchers in North America to see the benefits to not just the ranch itself, but also to consumers since the quality is more consistent and will always meet the rigorous standards that Blue Goose sets for itself.

All the land that the cattle graze on is regularly monitored and assessed to make sure that ecological conditions and conservation goals are met. Blue Goose wants to provide consumers with quality beef with as little impact on the ecosystem as possible by helping to preserve the forests and grasslands. The cattle graze on the land with only a few cowboys for company for about 18 – 22 months before they are rounded up and brought to another of their properties to be “finished.”

They spend the next three to four months in large open enclosures with plenty of room to roam around. Each enclosure has shade cover for hot days, provides enrichment in the form of scratching posts and other cow entertainments, and has the bedding changed regularly to prevent any possible chance of illness. All their feed is certified organic alfalfa grown by Blue Goose itself.

Why not let them graze their entire lives? Travel is difficult for animals and they are often stressed by it, which changes the flavour of the meat in negative ways. By bringing the cattle to an enclosure built near the Abattoir and allowing them to stay there for approximately three months, they are able to forget the trauma of having been moved to a new location.

From their enclosures, the cattle can be walked down the hill and directly to the Abattoir where they are treated as humanely as possible. Both a Veterinarian and a Government inspector are on site daily to make sure that the facility to working to the standards required by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“…these animals are on this earth to provide humans with food… at the very least, they deserve our respect.”

I hope you enjoyed a look into Blue Goose Cattle Company and, as always, please let us know what you want to hear about next! ~ Rachel

Gluten-free and Vegan Fruit Cobbler

Use some of our seasonal peaches, pears, plums or berries for this delicious take on a traditional cobbler!

Adapted from
Poundfit

Ingredients
4 cups organic fruits (cut into bite size pieces)
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup raw almond meal
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar (or other sweetener for baking)
a pinch of sea salt
4 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8x8 (or similar size) baking dish with oil.

2. Add fruit directly to the dish as you chop it and spread until flat.

3. In a mixing bowl, add the oats, almond meal, pecans, sugar, salt, and the 4 tbsp oil.

4. Using your hands, mix until everything is evenly coated.

5. Layer the mixture evenly over your chopped fruit.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the top is crisp and golden.

Greek Yoghurt Caesar Dressing

Adapted from  Yummly
 
Ingredients:

Salt
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 lemon, zest and juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
5 Tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 Tbsp parmesean
Lettuce

Optional:
Chicken breasts, skin-less


Directions:

Crush the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt using the flat of a knife or a garlic press.

Toss into a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and mustard powder. Beat together with a fork.

Add the mayo and yoghurt and most of the parmesan, then mix together well.

Optional: If adding chicken to your salad, use a couple tablespoons of the dressing to rub into the chicken as a marinade and let sit about an hour before grilling it. Once cooked and cooled, slice and add to your salad.

Prepare your lettuce and then toss with the dressing. Sprinkle any remaining parmesean on top and enjoy!

Plan It Green! A Videogame for the Environment

Most video games feature unlimited resources with little to no environmental impact for using them. Researchers are urging developers to start teaching costs and benefits of resource management into every day video games in order to start teaching kids early how their choices affect the world around them. In Plan it Green, players are given the chance to be mayor of their own city. They get to build and can invest in different renewable resources to try and keep their city green.

Help! My Greens Are Brown!

We have had a lot of questions over the last couple weeks about why the greens have been turning brown more quickly in the summer than in the winter. The short answer is heat.

Greens are out in a field under the hot sun until they’re picked. Once picked, a large commercial farm will immediately run the greens through either a hydro cooler, vacuum cooler, or a pressure cooler. Hydro coolers run produce through an icy cold bath and are commonly used for avocados and other stone fruits. This method isn’t great since it can leave you with water soaked and transparent leaves that have to be trimmed off. Vacuum coolers are perfect for greens, but can take more than five years for a high volume farm to pay off.

A pressure cooler is created by using a fork lift to place stacks of produce pallets in two rows on either of a large cooler fan. The pallets create a tunnel and are covered by a tarp to force the air from the fan through the tunnel. The pressurized cold air leaches any remaining sun heat out of the plants and temporarily stops the breakdown of the plants’ cells.

Small local farms don’t usually have access to these types of advanced and expensive cooling systems. They are a serious investment for such a low profit market and require a lot of open space to use that most small farms can’t really spare. Small farms usually use walk-in style coolers, which take a bit longer to remove the same amount of heat as the other types of coolers.

The time of day they are harvested impacts the amount of heat that is carried into the cooler. A one acre field of romaine lettuce harvested in the morning contains about the same amount of heat as 1/4th of an acre field harvested in the early afternoon. Another factor is how fast the greens are placed in the cooler after being picked. The longer the greens have to wait before going into the cooler, the less shelf life they will have.

Knowing the shelf life of your greens can help you plan which greens to use first when planning meals throughout the week. According to the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), lettuce variety greens, like romaine, green & red leaf, or spinach, only last about one week in refrigerated storage. It is recommended to wash them before storing. Other varieties of greens, like collards, kale, and chard, only last between 2 – 4 days refrigerated before they start to develop spotting and it is recommended that you do not wash them before storing. So use the chard or kale right away and save the lettuce for later in the week.

There is also a great technique from Discovery Organics for extending the life of your greens that you can do right away. Immediately remove any brown or over-saturated leaves and trim the stem, so that it is freshly cut. Then, immerse the lettuce in bath temperature water for about one minute. Immediately immerse the lettuce into icy water following the warm water and leave for 2-3 minutes. Plants are made up of cells, just like we are, so this technique works similar to washing your face. The warm water opens all the pores on the leaves and allows them to suck in water. The cold water is quickly absorbed and causes the pores to seal in all that fresh cold water. Just make sure to dry any excess water off of your kales and chards before sticking them into the fridge.

Our newsletter is written for you, so feel free to let us know what interests you! I’m always happy to write articles regarding questions you might have or topics you’re interested in. ~ Rachel

Dish-washing versus Dishwasher?

Believe it or not, washing your dishes by hand is less environmentally friendly than running your dishwasher! The average dishwasher uses six gallons of water per load (four or less for energy efficient models) while the average faucet pumps out two gallons per minute.

Now, imagine hand washing all of your dishes while using only two minutes worth of water. Even with electricity use factored in, a dishwasher uses less electricity than is used to heat the water running through the faucet.

Seaweed Gomasio

Adapted from MountainRose Blog

A sesame seed seasoning blend from Japan, this makes a great addition to rice, salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, popcorn, soup, and veggies!

Ingredients

1 cup sesame seeds, raw
1/2 cup dulse/nori/kombu seaweed flakes
1 Tbsp sea salt

Directions

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat, tossing or stirring constantly to keep the bottoms from burning.

Once the oil starts to release from the seeds and they start turning golden, remove from the heat. Pour the seeds into a bowl to cool for about 8 to 10 minutes.

If you are unable to find seaweed flakes, just toss some sheets of nori (or other seaweed) into a grinder until about the same size or a bit larger than the sesame seeds.

Once cool, mix the seaweed flakes and sea salt into you sesame seeds.

Pour into a shaker and enjoy!

Optional:

You can also experiment with adding variations! Try using hemp, flax, pumpkin, sunflower, or milk thistle seeds. Or try including garlic granules, peppercorns, oregano, basil, orange zest, or chili flakes for different flavours.

Eden Foods Boycott Information & Product Alternatives

Green Earth Organics tries to stay on top of current social issues, but we don’t always catch everything. So we’d like to give a thank you to one of our customers who let us know that she was boycotting Eden Foods. For those who don’t know, Eden Foods is the oldest natural and organic food company in North America, having been in business for over 45 years.

On March 21st, 2013 Eden Foods announced that they were filing a lawsuit against the US Government in response to the Health & Human Services (HHS) Mandate, Affordable Care Act. They state in their petition that it is unconstitutional for some businesses to have been given exemptions, but other businesses are not allowed exemptions. Another company seeking an exemption is Whole Foods Markets. One corporation who has already received an exemption from the HHS is McDonald’s Inc.

Eden employees currently receive health, dental, vision, life, and a 50% 401k match. The particular exemption that Eden Foods is referencing is that of funding “lifestyle drugs,” specifically Viagra, smoking cessation, weight-loss, infertility, impotency, and contraceptives for their female employees.

The US Supreme Courts’ decision regarding Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) has led to the designation that corporations or businesses can function and have the same rights as an individual person. Eden Foods states that due to the owner’s religious beliefs regarding the use of “lifestyle drugs,” specifically that women should not use contraceptives, they should be exempt from having to provide that benefit to their employees. They add that either all businesses must comply with the mandate or all businesses must be allowed to apply for exemption.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling in favour of Hobby Lobby, there has been new media attention on Eden Foods’ suit and a greater chance that their suit will be ruled in their favour. The Supreme Court ruled that some family-owned or other closely held businesses can opt out of the Federal requirement to pay for contraceptives in health coverage for their workers. Previous, the U.S. Court of Appeals had told Eden Foods that “a secular, for-profit corporation, cannot establish that it can exercise religion.” With the new ruling for Hobby Lobby, Eden has renewed their suit and resubmitted it to the courts.

For our Vancouver & Sea to Sky Locations

In light of this, we have received requests for alternatives to Eden Products on our website. Melissa spent most of Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning sourcing new BPA free products for anyone currently boycotting Eden Foods. Please see our new selections below.

Thomas Utopia’s canned diced and canned crushed tomatoes in BPA free cans.


Yves’s garbanzo, black, pinto, and kidney beans in BPA free cans.


Applesnax Unsweetened Applesauce.

We are also already sourcing new BPA free products for anyone boycotting Eden Foods in our other three locations. Please let us know if there are any specific brands or products you would like us to look into!

Quick Rocket Salad

Adapted from
Allrecipes.com



Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
4 cups arugula leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Add the cucumber and tomatoes. Toss to coat thoroughly.

Gently mix in the alfalfa and arugula, until evenly distributed.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.


For a protein heavier salad:

You can add cubed avocado and pecans/walnuts or slices of chicken breast.


You can also switch up the Arugula for Baby Spinach 

Save the Bees and Ban “Neoinic” Pesticides

If you’ve been paying vague attention to the news over the last decade, you probably know that we’ve been seeing an alarming decrease in bee populations since the early 2000s. Considering that our produce doesn’t actually grow itself and bees are our primary source of pollination, this is a bit of a concern for future life on our planet. Various governments have thrown cabals of scientists at the problem and, while they spent the usual amount of time arguing with each other, recently we have begun seeing results from various studies.

The most widely agreed upon cause of colony collapse is neonicotinoid pesticide usage.

So, what are “neonic” pesticides and what have they been doing to both humans and bees? They were first developed in the 1990s by Shell and Bayer as a reduced toxicity alternative to current pesticides on the market that would only target pests and not helpful insects. Its base is a compound chemically similar to nicotine, which acts as a natural insecticide. FYI: I honestly don’t understand why people voluntarily smoke poison.

The first pesticide developed by Shell was found not to be photosoluable, meaning that it didn’t break down in sunlight and was not viable for use with human consumables, so it was never released for public use. The second, which has been commercially available since the early 2000s, is water-soluable and will break down slowly when left in the environment. Since then, two other varieties have been developed and virtually all GMO corn grown in the Midwestern USA is treated with one of these types of pesticide. (Yay! They’ve basically been adding nicotine to food!)

So now that we’ve established this pesticide as not the best thing in the world, although better than what we used to use, what is the impact of “neonics” on bee populations? It is true that they aren’t killed. However, when this type of pesticide is applied to plants and a bee lands on them, the bee loses its ability to learn and remember navigation routes from its hive to their pollen sources. Simply put, they can no longer find their way home.

If that wasn’t enough, the bees that do make it back to their hive with infected pollen have unwittingly brought back a slow acting poison. In low doses on plants the pesticide doesn’t kill bees, but when concentrated while making the honey that provides the hive with nourishment, it often becomes lethal. To put it plainly, the bees are making their own food poisonous, which begs the question… what about the honey and produce that the everyday human is eating? With our larger bodies and such small amounts there aren’t the lethal effects seen in bees, but what about the neurological effects that are keeping bees from remembering where their hive is? It would be interesting to find out if those who developed memory disorders have had a wide exposure to this type of pesticide.

The European Union has already banned this class of pesticide, but Canada and the United States have not yet done so. There are initiatives by environmentalists and beekeepers to ban neonicotinoids in the United States and they have even filed a lawsuit against the Enviromental Protection Agency. Until they succeed, and here in Canada, that still puts even the regular garden bee at risk because garden centers regularly spray their plants with pesticides. You could buy a “bee-friendly” plant in the spring that has already been sprayed with the same pesticide that has been harming them!

Help Canada take action by signing the Suzuki Foundation’s “Petition to Ban Bee Killing Pesticides”

Have Solar Power, Will Travel

When challenged by an environmentalist to figure out how to provide water, electricity, and internet access to people located in even the most remote regions of the world, EcoSphere Technologies developed the PowerCube. Essentially a set of extendable and retractable solar panels, the PowerCube can be transported anywhere it's 15 kilowatt generator is needed.

The PowerCube also has atmospheric water generators, which provide water directly from air humidity, as well as internet connectivity and satellite communications. Designed specifically for disaster relief, humanitarian, and military uses, it can be flown in via helicopter to remote villages for schools and medical clinics and to disaster sites.