Time to Brag...

My parents are huge fans of gardening, and I picked up the green thumb when I moved out on my own. Last year's garden was in a different location. This year's garden is in the place of the above-ground pool our house had when we moved in. After lots of TLC, the soil turned out great. We added top soil, contents from our compost pile and nearly 20 bags of manure (my Dad did that part!)

Below are pics of the garden and our first crop from a few weeks ago. The garden is in full swing now. Last night I canned about 30 Hungarian hot peppers. We also have eggplant; green, yellow and red bell peppers; zucchini; cucumbers; butternut squash; green beans; and TONS of tomatoes (we have about 30 tomato plants).

This is Morris (on the left) and Zoe, our new dogs. They are too cute for words, so I needed to upload a picture of them, too!

An Answer to the Great Phone Book Question

I've wondering for years why there are separate phone book recycling centers and phone book round-up days. Did you know that you can't recycle phone books with regular paper recycling? Neither did I!

According to one of my favorite green websites, http://www.earth911.com/ : Make sure you keep phone books separate from other paper recycling, because these books have shorter fibers and are recycled differently than the rest of your paper. You don’t want to contaminate your recycling by mixing them together.

I had no idea. For years, I've been contaminating my recycling. Now I know - and you know, too.

Is it Time to Moo-ve Over to Organic Beef and Dairy?

I don't know about you, but salmonella, E. coli and mad cow disease freak me out! I don't eat beef (and haven't for more than 10 years), but I often get asked about buying organic beef and dairy products.

I've done some research, and here are some highlights on all things cow:
- Buying organic beef eliminates mad cow disease, which is a result of cows eating other cows. The disease causes brain damage and nervous system damage in cows and can be transmitted to humans.
- Organic beef and dairy are antibiotic- and hormone-free. Animals raised organically are not allowed to be fed antibiotics, the bovine human growth hormone (rbGH), or other artificial drugs. The animals are raised in a healthier environment, fed organic feed and often eat a wider range of nutrients than those raised in factory farms.
- You CAN buy non-organic beef and dairy products that are antibiotic- and hormone-free. Just check the packaging.
- Free-range and pasture-grazing animals are treated more ethically. Again, if you don't care about the treatment of animals, this may not be important to you. However, animals that live a more natural lifestyle and aren't cooped up in cages or pens are healthier. You're eating them. You decide if you want to put an unhealthy animal into your body.

So what's the verdict? Risk of mad cow or E. coli is probably low in both organic and conventional meat. Organic may be worth buying if you are concerned about antibiotic use. If you are concerned about growth hormones, there may be cheaper alternatives to organic - read the label.