This might just be the most brilliant way to remove the seeds from a pomegranate. Ever. Now you don't have any excuses not to eat this incredibly healthy fruit!
One of the facets of organic farming that I am most fascinated by is aquaponics. I'm not sure that there is a better or simpler way to grow large amounts of food in a small amount of space.
(This first video is just a brief summary of a DVD that gets into the nitty gritty - but it is still a great explanation of the basics!)
I think one of the more challenging parts might be finding a good source of organic fish food! Most people just tend to use whatever fish feed is readily available; but I would be hesitant to trust most sources without a great deal of research. I think the key would be to first choose your species and cultivate your own food that suits that species of fish. (A lot of fish feed contains corn; which as you may know, is more often than not genetically modified - and I doubt that many fish feed companies would bother purchasing organic corn!)
Tilapia are one of the most common fish grown in aquaponics; they can live off a diet of duckweed and apparently pretty much anything else including plants, worms, smaller fish, algae... no wonder they are one of the most preferred fish for aquaponics! (How nutritious your tilapia are is directly affected by what foods they eat!) Crazily enough I've never tried tilapia, but apparently they are one of the most mild fish out there.
I've watched about a million videos (teeeeny exaggeration) so far on aquaponics, fish ponds, and so on... I've only posted a fraction of them here; if anyone is interested let me know and I'll post some of the others that I enjoyed!
I think the problem that a lot of people have with organic farming is the fact that you are required to be a little innovative; you need to think outside the box to solve the problems that non-organic farmers just pour chemicals onto!
I can't imagine a better solution for attracting the 'good bugs' than planting flowers! I challenge you to find a non-organic farm that looks half as good as the one in the video. Not only is the land healthy and the food they are growing good for you; but they have created a place that is good for the soul as well.
I'm not being all hokey-pokey when I say that; beautiful surroundings like that would be naturally calming! Can't go wrong!
Watching this video made me realize that I haven't actually talked about genetically modified foods or the whole Monsanto issue yet. I have a feeling that might be one of my more popular topics this year!
While checking out all these videos I found this one on free-range snail farming; unfortunately not organic however it made me realize just how many different types of farms there must be! ... When someone mentions farming, snails aren't exactly the first thing to come to mind...
I know, so many topics in one little post, I may have gotten a little distracted this morning! Hope you don't mind!
We all have someone in our life who can't seem to exist without their cellphone or always has some form of technology on them. This gift idea is an eco-friendly option for anyone who owns an iphone or ipad.
Currently they only offer products for the apple family, but I can hope that will change in the future.
Their cases show ingenuity and a care for the environment that I can't help but approve of. My personal favorite is the shell for the ipad2; though it won't be available in time for Christmas (2011), it is a remarkable product that demonstrates a great deal of creativity and thought.
The iPad Shell:
They must have achieved their goal (see video), as the case will begin shipping on January 20th. (2012)
Delve more into the truth behind 'You Are What You Eat' with the informative and revealing documentary 'Food Matters'. An online screening event has been made available to anyone who wishes to watch it - all you have to do is sign up!
I heartily encourage anyone who cares about what they put into their bodies, to watch this film.
Decadence, pleasure, sensuality; all are associated with the wonderful treat that North Americans love and enjoy. We all have our favourite brands, our favorite flavours - and yet many people don't even know what it really is made from.
This brief video gives you a glimpse of the life of cacao tree - without it, we would never have experienced the wonder of chocolate.
Now, that looks all fine and dandy doesn't it? The tree itself is fascinating, and cacao is not bad for humans. If the majority of the chocolate we eat was made solely from the cacao, we wouldn't have any problems... too bad it's not.
If you look it up, most times you'll find this list of ingredients:
Cacao Liquor (very different from the alcoholic variety.)
Cacao Butter
Sugar
Milk
Vanilla
Sounds positively perfect doesn't it? The only problem is, this list doesn't include a single one of the additives that are present in most chocolate brands. And a lot of the time, when we think we are eating chocolate, we're not. To be allowed to call itself 'Chocolate' a product has to contain at least 10% cacao; what they don't tell you is that a tiny change in name means that companies can put whatever they want into the chocolate bar.
Hershey's Chocolate for example, has switched many of their formulas to include much, much less actual cacao. The cacao butter has been replaced with vegetable oils and other ingredients that are cheaper - they get away with it by making tiny changes on the labels of their chocolates; changes such as calling it a 'chocolate candy' or referring to it as 'chocolatey' or 'made with chocolate'. The packaging is exactly the same other than the wording, and most people will never notice.
Irritating isn't it? That as the consumer you can be lied you and deceived and yet it's perfectly allowable. This is just one of the many reasons why it is good to look deeper into where your foods come from. The promotional material and videos of most companies might look great, but they still are only showing you what you want to see.
Over the next few posts I'll talk more about chocolate ingredients, cacao farming and of course; chocolate that you can feel good about eating.
Before you watch the video - a brief clarification of terms:
The first time I watched this video I kept thinking that they had to be saying 'toxin' wrong - however I now know that 'toxin' is a poison that is produced by an organism while 'toxic' is any kind of harmful substance regardless of how it is produced.
Therefore, a toxin is also a toxic, but a toxic isn't always a toxin. ;)
I hope that helps clear things up for you!
Also, on a side note: Only Green, the company that I reviewed on Wednesday, is offering several product lines 15% off for the next two weeks. These include the body care and cosmetic lines, so this is an awesome time to test them out and experience their non-toxic awesome-ness!
