by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I found a book recently. It showed up at a used book store that I regularly visit. The book looks handwritten, including the copyright, which says 1984 and, By A Center For the Practice of Zen Buddhist Meditation in Mountain View, CA.

These are some of the things I’m learning so far:

“Until we learn to accept, we cling to things being the way they have been. We tense up all our muscles, dig in our heels, and RESIST. We continue to choose our old way, the way that causes us to suffer because it’s familiar, it’s safe, it’s comfortable. We know how to do it, and we know who we are when we’re doing it. No risks here.”

“To do anything, there must be the willingness to do it. Achievement is commensurate with effort; effort is commensurate with willingness.”

“As long as you are looking outward, you’re looking in the wrong direction.”

ARE WE WILLING TO BE THE CHANGE?

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

When the raw food movement came around (again) several years ago, I loved the idea of eating lots of living, enzyme-filled, nutrient-enhanced, real and raw foods. Our kitchen became soaking/sprouting central, we got out the ancient food processor and bought a dehydrator. I came to really enjoy the unique, fresh taste of germinated grains and legumes and the richness of ground seeds and nuts. We rounded out the protein and fat with fresh and pickled vegetables and some other raw condiments. We even made raw carob cookies.

Winter came and I began to crave the warmth of cooked food, so I found homes for the food processor and dehydrator. Although I was still getting plenty of fresh and raw vegetables at our local co-op and CSA and indulging in sea veggies, I missed some of the tasty blends and specialty stuff.

Then I found Gopal’s Health Foods, first discovering their Power Wraps while attending a yoga workshop. Wow. This stuff is probably some of the healthiest things you can eat, raw or otherwise. All of their ingredients are certified organic, raw and vegan. The Powerwraps are my favorite - made from sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds, honey, nori, celtic sea salt and curry powder. Convenient to carry and eat, it tasted great and gave me a burst of energy - just as LIVING food should do.

I immediately contacted them and placed an order and have now tried everything they make. I’m in raw heaven. They have several flavors of raw cookies and even a Raw Alchemy Brownie, sweetened with organic, raw agave nectar. Their Happy Herb Bars are more “seedy”, making them a real meal with 5gms of protein, 9gms of essential fats and 3gms of fiber per bar, coming from sunflower, sesame, flax and pumpkins seeds and quinoa. There’s more, so check the web site. All of their products have a unique balance of proteins, carbs and good fats, and are sweetened naturally and moderately.

You can think of these as snacks, but I see them more as a way to balance out and supplement your daily diet. They are especially good for before, during and after exercise and sports. They are not sticky or messy - great for hiking, cycling trips and camping. They have an extended shelf life without the need for refrigeration (which may come in handy when more of us enviro-converts unplug, like Vanessa from Green as a Thistle and No Impact Man. Really, living with no refrigerator - it’s not as hard as you think - check out these links!)

Raw Foodie or not, we can all benefit from more balanced and easily digestible nutrients. You may find these products at your local health food store or Whole Foods Market, but you can also call and place an order.

Go (more) Raw and Go Gopal’s 866-646-7257 www.gopalshealthfoods.com

More from local farmer, Ken Dawson

Maple Spring Gardens, CSA Newsletter, July 4, 200

What better way to celebrate our independence that to eat locally produced food? Eating local involves less fuel consumption than eating produce trucked across the country and the hemisphere. Did you know the average distance a meal travels from farm to plate in the US is over 1500 miles? How much better to be a little less dependent on imported oil and all the entanglements inherent in its procurement! Eating local strengthens the local economy and I have to believe that makes us all a little more independent as well. Thomas Jefferson thought democracy was best achieved in a nation of small farmers. There are precious few of us left, but thanks to the great support of our local farmers markets and CSA’s, the small farm economy in this area is expanding. You are voting independence with your food dollars. Thank you.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

We all want to do our part to help the planet and some things are SO easy. Like using less water, switching to CFLs, moving the thermostat a few degrees, bringing your own reusable bag or mug and, of course, buying less stuff.

Here’s another no-brainer - what is the number one easy thing to do to decrease your fuel use on the road? Fill your tires with nitrogen! (Ok, so going veggie-diesel or electric or actually driving less will save more, but I’m talking REALLY easy with this one. Nitrogen has been used for years in airplane and semi-trucks tires (race cars, too, but their fuel use is such eco-blasphemy that I can’t even go there) .

Nitrogen is super natural - in fact, it makes up about 78% of the earth’s atmosphere. The idea is that the molecules are larger, making it harder to escape from tires, allowing them to maintain pressure up to 3 times longer. You’ll pay between 2 - 10$ per tire, a cost easily recouped through decreased fuel dollars and less tire wear. I filled my Prius tires one month ago and I’ve already seen the increase in mileage - up an average of 3 mpg! Don’t worry about refills on the road, you can top off your tires with compressed air when necessary.

While many auto dealerships have jumped right on board, keep in mind that some tire manufacturers and retailers (hello, Goodyear!) will downplay the benefits of nitrogen since it will mean less tire sales, so don’t fall for it. Happily, my local service station and tire retailer, Chapel Hill Tire Car Care, readily suggested the switch to nitrogen at my last oil change. For more information on dealers and their opinions about nitrogen, read this on TampaBay.com.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that America loses 2 million gallons of fuel EVERY DAY to under-inflated tires. Who knew?! Well, now you do, so get thee to your local car care center - Godspeed! If you can’t find it there - first, encourage them to catch the nitrogen wave - then, check in with some of the biggies in your area.

By Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) brings together community members and farmers in a relationship of mutual support. Members pay an annual fee and receive a weekly share of the farm’s produce. Support organics and your local farmers. Click here for more information on CSAs.

This is our 2nd year as members of a CSA . We love our farmers and we love the food they bring to our table each week. I even like wondering what will show up each week and having the chance to try veggies that I may have not chosen otherwise. I’ve also enjoyed reading Ken’s newsletter - it has given me a look into the life of a small, local farm. It sounds like hard but fulfilling and connected work.

Maple Spring Gardens, owned by Ken Dawson and Libby Outlaw, is located in Cedar Grove, NC. They provide organically grown vegetables and flowers to local markets and serve a CSA . Farming has been Ken’s full time occupation since 1984. “It has always been our goal to earn a decent income from the farm while practicing good stewardship of the land. We believe the two are compatible and desire to serve as a model of a viable, environmentally sound farming operation, supplying food to the local community.”

CSA Newsletter, June 2007
What’s Happening Here by Ken Dawson

Though a couple cool days a week or so ago didn’t feel like it, we seem to have transitioned from spring to summer. Hot and humid is here. The forecast for this week shows highs every day of 90 or above. Plants sure drink a lot of water in this kind of weather. Our irrigation pump gave up the ghost this week and Friday night, after we got loaded for market, I drove to Virginia to pick up another and got it set up and running by 9:30 PM. Started it again Saturday morning at 3:30 AM before I left for market. That’s how important it is. When we went out to pick the first peppers Friday afternoon and I saw leaves hanging down wilted, I was unwilling to let it wait til Monday.
Farm workers drink a lot in this kind of weather too. We have laid in a supply of Gatoraid powder enough to mix 50 gallons of the neon looking, artificial tasting stuff. Not much natural about it, but it definitely helps a body keep going in this kind of weather. We are in the process of acquiring our year’s supply of straw for mulch. It is a yearly event that happens at wheat and oat harvest time. We buy straw from a neighbor strait out of the field, use some right away and store enough to use next spring til next year’s grain harvest comes around. It’s hard work loading the trailer 8 bales high with 140 bales per load, but folks enjoy it. It’s something different from the usual routine. We’ll get a total of about 600 bales to mulch the pathways between beds, keeping down weeds and helping to conserve moisture. Just about all the spring crops are gone. We are cleaning up those fields and will soon plant summer cover crops on them. Potato harvest has begun. Melons coming soon.

The tomatoes we are harvesting are coming from our indoor crop. We have them in a structure known as a “hoophouse” or “high tunnel.” It is basically a greenhouse frame built in the garden. What distinguishes a hoophouse from a greenhouse is the lack of a heating system. We don’t grow tomatoes thru the winter. I am unwilling to burn that much gas, but in the hoophouse, we can plant about a month earlier than outside, and consequently harvest earlier. Field grown tomatoes start coming in July. We are harvesting 4 varieties now – Red Sun, Cherokee Purple, German Johnson and Sungold. You may see any or all of them. Red Sun is a hybrid red tomato. We grow lots of them outdoors as well. Sungolds are the yellow cherry tomatoes. The other 2 varieties are what is known as “heirloom tomatoes.” What that means is that they are open pollinated and have been passed from generation to generation, or neighbor to neighbor without the benefit of an intentional breeding program by university or seed company. Both of these particular heirlooms have great flavor, but low disease resistance. The ones we have in the tunnel are grafted onto a disease resistant rootstock that makes them a good bit hardier. We have cooperated the last 2 years with some researchers from NC State who are trialing different rootstock for grafting. The whole thing shows a lot of promise and is yielding some great tomatoes this year. Over the years we have cooperated with numerous researchers from State, many of whom have just used our gardens as a laboratory. It is always a learning experience for us as well as them, though we have never been awarded a degree for our efforts.