Introducing – The Mercado
A solution to fragile foliage
Even during my hiatus from editing Not Quite Hippie, I still received quite a few press releases about things in the world of green and environmental progress. Big businesses who switched over to low-output light bulbs, notices about bike parades and various local food movements.
Only $25 at Quirky.com
Yesterday’s notice: The Mercado.
The latest invention from Quirky – the website geared around social invention – is a bag designed specifically for those who frequent the farmers’ markets. And with the market season upon us (at least those of us in climates that usually see snow several months out of the year) how could I not give some attention to this item that gives a “well DUH!” answer to a problem most of us have?
Instead of letting yet another haul of fresh food get crushed, Darya Pino (of Summer Tomatoes) worked with the Quirky community to develop the Mercado.
The concept is simple – a reuseable bag that doesn’t mangle your vegetable haul together. The nylon construction keeps your veggies fresh, the pockets keep them from crushing each other.
The Mercado went from a simple idea to a very real thing that you can acquire at the Quirky website.
What are some of the solutions you used to transport your own Farmers’ Market hauls?
read moreShowcase: Denver Urban Homesteading
Today’s post comes from Spencer Essey, a food activist blogger and publisher of Food State.
As the frost of winter begins to thaw and our minds turn to the outdoors and our lawns and gardens, so do our palates. For those of us out there who aren’t huge fans of root vegetables, the winter can be a time of getting away from the local and healthy mantras we might subscribe to in the spring and summer months when fresh local produce abounds all around us.
And of course the best place to get all these fresh wonderful foods is from the farmers themselves, or at least their representatives at your local farmers market.
While it may still be too early for most farmers markets to get up and running in your communities, you don’t have to let your palate or your plate suffer any longer, because at least here in Denver, there is one farmers market that doesn’t let those pesky seasons determine their hours; Denver Urban Homesteading.
This dog is upset he couldn't go inside and get some raw cheese.
Located on the corner of 2ndand Santa Fe, Denver Urban Homesteading resides in an old commercial-industrial building which enables them to stay open year round, catering to the farmers and ranchers who also continue to produce year round.
From producers like Leffler Family Farms and their bounty of radishes, turnips and carrots, to Windsor Dairy who raise Swiss and Heritage Breed cattle which are capable of weathering Colorado’s harsh winters, Denver Urban Homesteading is here for us lucky Denver residents year round. I’d be remiss, however, to not mention the regulars like Rob from Mini Moos and Kids Too who brings in the freshest goat milk you can possibly buy on weekends, or the folks at Callicrate Beef bringing in some of the finest cuts around.
Anthony Zimora of Leffler Family Farms (he married in) located in Eaton, CO shows off his extensive offerings of turnips, radishes and carrots.
More than just a market however, DUH also offers classes on just about anything you could ever want to live a greener more sustainable lifestyle, with offerings that range from the basics of a vegetable garden to raising angora goats for fiber, the good folks at DUH have built a truly extensive network of people who want to share their knowledge with you. Check out there events calender to see if something piques your interest and see some photos of some adorable angora goats.
Want to raise chickens for eggs? Goats for milk? How about bees for your own allergy alleviating honey? Then check out what they have to offer and give them a visit. Anyone interested in living a more sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle is sure to find something that interests them.
These are rainbow radishes from Laffler Family Farms ... delicious!
The market is open Thursday and Friday from 3 to 7 pm and Saturday from 9am to 3pm but for the true experience go on Saturday when all the farmers, chicken swappers, goat keepers and apiarists are there in person just chomping at the bit to share and enjoy with you.
Live well, eat well, and take a trip to Denver Urban Homesteading and be thankful we don’t have to buy our vegetables like this. It might just awaken something in you that you never knew was there.
read moreGMO Primer Part 1 – What is GMO?
GE gives desireable and marketable traits to common veggies.
It’s easy to get buried in the wash of information available on GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). The stuff is everywhere; Dave provided an excellent piece in November of last year in “The GMO Seed – the root of the evil” in which he explores the consequences of distributing a genetically modified seed that kills everything that eats it, is genetically altered to be resistant to pesticides (manufactured and sold by the same company BTW), and the cross contamination of non-genetically engineered crops through natural pollination. While the information is out there, it’s hard to figure out where to begin. Today we’ll start with the basics and go from there.
What exactly is a GMO or Genetic Engineering? Genetic modification is the technologies and practices used to alter the genetic makeup of an organism. This is generally done by introducing DNA from another species (plant, animal, bacteria, etc.) into the organism.
This is not the same as cross breeding two similar animals, or selectively breeding plants by the most desired traits, but a completely artificial alteration of the genome. Other terms commonly used are “Genetically Engineered” or “Transgenic”. The idea is to incorporate a quality not normally expressed in the recipient. One example is inserting genes from cold water fish like a flounder into strawberries to make them less susceptible to cold.
Genetic engineering is also used on mammals. GE salmon are given an additional growth hormone that causes them to grow faster. Similar practices are used extensively in medical and biotechnology research, altering bacteria to create specific microorganisms such as growth hormones or proteins, insulin being an example. The first successful attempts at genetic engineering go back to the early 1970s, and have been increasing on massive scales ever since. We will likely see more and more research in the areas of food and medicine, but if that’s a good thing or not is questionable.
Dig up your own research, evaluate objectively, and make your own decisions.
Next time, we will start looking at arguments for and against genetic engineering in the agricultural system.
[div class="note" class2="typo-icon"] David Martin is a passionate advocate for sustainable living and holistic nutritional health. He has spent a good part of the last 10 years improving his diet, reducing his carbon footprint, and learning as much as he can about restoring the balance of humans and nature. By day he works the system to beat it, by night he plans his ideal self-sufficient future. When not slaving away in the office, you can find him tending to plants, camping under the stars, or practicing his latest discovery: Tai Chi.
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Garden Update – March 26, 2012
Is this early, extremely warm Spring the country is experiencing a blessing or a curse? This time last year we were all still comfortably in hoodies, embracing the midday sunshine, and closing up the house at night against the early spring chill.
As of this posting, I am nursing my first sunburn of the year. This weekend – full of hiking and biking and time in the garden – was as fabulous as it was exhausting.
It was also the weekend of the transplanting. For the first time this year I had the thought: we might have started too many seeds.
The long process, about 200 seedlings in all
Everything that had been living in the inch-wide Jiffy pellets for the past few weeks got an upgrade yesterday into an either 2 or 4 inch pot. Each pot required soil, labeling, watering and real estate. What conveniently fit into four small trays now has to jockey for space among 9 enormous trays that are continually circulated around the house and outside for sunlight.
Currently our home smells like earth. The winds have kept the plants indoors today and me trading out the pallets every few hours. If it weren’t for the unpredictable nighttime chills the plants would have gone straight into the ground.
Keeping things labeled
When transplanting:
Use a good garden soil. Pack the soil around the plant firmly, but not tightly. Gotta give those roots some room to spreadout.
Tomatoes have likely developed a long stem. When transplanting tomatoes, do your best to cover as much of the stem with soil. The plant will create new roots from the stem, allowing the plant to grow taller and stronger.
A buried stem in a 4 inch pot
Immediately after transplanting your seedling may look a little weak (dare I say, pitiful?) .Fret not, this is just a symptom of transplant shock. Water, warmth, and light will allow your plant to continue growing strong.
Keep everything watered, but not necessarily saturated. This is prime time for rotting roots and fungus attacks. Allow the soil to dry out from time to time.
And, of course, make sure your plants get plenty of time outside to harden off and acclimate to their eventual home!
Eyes bigger than stomach
We have a few seed-trading events coming up. Hopefully we’ll be able to share this wealth among those we know!
How is your garden progressing? What are some challenges you are dealing with?
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read moreReader Question – Being green on a budget
Received a question via Tumblr this week:
“Hey there, I really want to start being more green. I do your typical recycling public transit and am vegetarian, but feel that I could do more. Thing is, I’m a college student so money is definitely not bountiful and I live in the city so not much room for gardening other than my little window box and terrariums. Any tips or suggestions for me?”
I get this sentiment a lot from people I talk to. They feel as though just because they don’t have a cozy five-acres off the grid somewhere, then their ability to be green is rather limited. Frankly, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
from Lexicon of Sustainability
The trick is to be conscious of your consumption and waste streams. The less you acquire, the less resources are consumed. The less that is consumed, the less that is wasted and thrown away. The number one key to green is being conscious of the fact that everything came from somewhere and everything has to go somewhere. In between these two destinations is the incredibly brief (by comparison) time that you are in ownership of that item.
Of course, consuming and throwing away things is a part of the world we live in. Even those that live off the grid consume and dispose – they just do it on a scale that is sustainable within the infrastructure they have to work with. Applying the same thinking, no matter what your address is, can do wonders.
So what is a college-student/ urban dweller to do?
Here are a few ideas:
Indoor composting: vermicomposting uses the power of eartworms to break down organic materials into compost. If done properly, it’s hardly noticeable and every few weeks you get compost! Vermicompost kits are for sale all over the place. Some blogs and websites have make-your-own worm-bin designs. Compost Revolution is also doing some pretty cool stuff.
There is always somewhere to garden. Whether it is a collection of buckets in the corner of a parking lot or an empty patch of dirt between the sidewalk and the street. If you have sunlight, soil, and water, you have opportunity to grow. Ask neighbors who have yards for a bit of space and offer them some of the harvest in return. I feel, as a culture, we have reached a point where a public-facing garden isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so long as it is kept up.
Shop the local farmer’s markets. There’s always good deals on fresh, responsible produce. Many are willing to haggle or barter for products. Ride your bike. Bring your own bags. Bring a date and turn them onto shopping local and fresh.
Lastly: ease your addiction to plastics. This is definitely the most challenging, but plastics are in everything and get everywhere. The percentage of plastic that is actually recycled is abysmal (only about %30, according to Recycle Across America), the rest isn’t broken down properly and ends up in the worst imaginable places (like, our food supply) or becomes a nation-sized island in the middle of the Pacific. Plastics are one of those cruel ironies that are cheap enough to be disposable, but durable enough to last forever.
Consider using glass for food storage, buy in bulk when you can, and go out of your way to remove disposable plastics from your life completely.
What are some ways you take the extra step to live greener?
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read more
Mold in the seed trays
Peppers finally starting to sprout
Had a slight bit of a problem this last week with mold in a few of the seed trays. If you’ve started seeds, you might have encountered it as well – instead of bright green seedlings the only growth your seed starting setup is harboring is that of a very fine, cotton-like mold.
You’ll have to forgive my lack of photo. For the life of me, I couldn’t get a clear shot of the mold. When it comes to the mold, you’ll know it when you see it.
It’s no surprise that this happens. In order for a seed to germinate they need warm, wet conditions – the same conditions mold loves. The spores can come from just about anywhere and can usually be prevented by sterilizing your seed trays before using them.
Thankfully, this is a very easy fix for this common problem. H2O2 – Hydrogen Peroxide. The stuff you buy at the grocery store for a buck. Put some in a spray bottle and treat the problem areas with it.
Why does this work? Is this dangerous for the seedlings?
Rainstorms clean the outdoors, in more ways than the obvious. Ever notice the ozone smell after a spring storm? That’s no accident. Commonly, the rain picks up excess oxygen from the ozone layer before it falls to earth (H2O + O = H2O2). In nature, the slight hydrogen peroxide compounds found in rain water clean and re-oxygenate the soil. It’s nature’s fungicide and keeps systems in balance.
Doesn’t hurt the seedlings, but hydrogen peroxide shouldn’t be used as a substitute for good ol’ water.
In the meantime, here’s some pictures of our current seedlings.
Thyme
Cauliflower and Thyme
Eggplant Sprouts
Basil
A micro-forest of seedling tomatoes
I update my Flickr photostream pretty regularly with photos from my garden. Follow me there!
