Awwww…I guess he’ll be a vegetarian for life. Maybe, hopefully, his mom is growing an organic vegetable garden for her compassionate son.

~~~Original video: A argumentação para não comer polvo posted by Flavia Cavalcanti

     

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While Gro-O promotes and supports growing your own food–focusing on organic vegetables, herbs and fruit–other dietary options are in the news.

Plate of fried crickets: Getty Images (via Eatocracy)

Last month, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization released a report on world hunger titled:  Edible Insects–Future prospects for food and feed security. The report

“stresses not just the nutritional value of insects, but also the benefits that insect farming could potentially have on the environment and on addressing the rapidly increasing demand for food worldwide.”

There are over 2 billion bug eaters worldwide, however Europe, Canada and the United States are yet to fully embrace entomophagy:  the practice of eating insects. But Americans have eaten other items considered disgusting by some, like escargot, sushi and one of those worms found at the bottom of some Mezcal bottles.  (The worms were thought to be hallucinogenic, however that is a myth. According to the NY Times: “The worm, actually a larva that can infest the agave plant, is mainly a ploy to help sell lesser mezcals.”)

The Arizona Exposition and State Fair’s Chef du’ Jour booth sells caramel apples dipped in mealworms.

If any of you have followed the adventures of Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods show, then you’re already familiar with many world cultures that embrace a meal of crickets, mealworms, beetles, etc

And the study of entomophagy has been a part of the curriculum at certain colleges, such as the University of Hartford

You don’t have to travel internationally to have a taste of insects– several U.S. restaurants already have bug dishes on their menu. Here are a few:

• Santa Monica’s Typhoon - Singapore style scorpions
• San Francisco’s La Oaxaqueña & New York’s Toloache – Chapulines aka Grasshopper tacos.
• New Orleans’ Bug Appetit cafeteria in the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium - Chocolate chirp cookies (with crickets)

With the price of beef rising (due to the prolonged drought in major cattle-producing states resulting in fewer cattle), the prospect of eating insects may not be such a farfetched future menu option.

Maybe these photos will either persuade you to try entomophagy or make you run from your computer screen and swear on becoming a vegan!

Grasshopper taco photo via La Oaxaqueña website.

Witchetty grubs with bunya nuts and quandong dipping sauce – Steve Sunk with Suzzanne Grech and Wayne Hinton of the Purple Goanna. Picture: DAVID HANCOCK

If a pest does make its way into your garden, what would you do? Call Gro-O to use organic gardening methods to rid them from your veggies?  or  will it be entomophagy time — Bon appétit??

~~~

Resources:

U.S. News – “Countries that eat bugs”
The Guardian – “Deep-fried locust, anyone? Insects may be the answer to our looming food crisis”
Digital Journal – “Insect burgers: EU plan to promote eating insects as protein”

     

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I was in England only briefly many moons ago on a stopover in Heathrow Airport, so I would have loved to tag along to hop onto the London Eye, stroll the parks, explore seaside castles…AND go the Chelsea Flower Show.  I had to content myself with checking out the Royal Horticultural Society’s site and related items; good sections on Sustainability – water-wise gardening, growing your own fruits and vegetables, etc.

Dame Helen Mirren was there touting the benefits of teaching gardening in schools  and urging that it be added to the new National Curriculum, along with Food and Cookery, which will be taught to secondary schoolchildren starting next year.

“Not enough young people garden or even know how to… They should teach it in schools. It’s such a positive thing to do and very useful.” – Helen Mirren

“Joanna Lumley, another visitor to the flower show yesterday, agreed with Dame Helen that more young people should be encouraged to take up gardening. “The problem, of course, for children who live in the cities, is getting them access to gardens,” says the Absolutely Fabulous star.” -  Tim Walker/The Telegraph

“Prince Harry has many skills, and gardening is one of them.The young royal showed off his green thumb during the opening of the Chelsea Flower Show in the U.K. today, where he was accompanied by Queen Elizabeth II.Harry’s Forget-Me-Not Garden, named after his African children’s charity Sentebale, was one of numerous garden exhibits at the anticipated show, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. But his garden was the center of attention after the queen, his father Prince Charles, his grandfather Prince Philip showed up to see it.” – Bruna Nessif /eonline.com

Can’t be there in person oohing and ahhing on the grounds at Sissinghurst Castle, so I will visit online country garden sites, turn on BBC America, look at British stuff:  http://britishstuff.org/  and then tend to my own garden until I am thoroughly knackered.

     

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The average British barbecue contains TWICE
as many germs as a toilet seat

Image via www.safenaturaltips.com

GULP & EGADS! OK, you might say to yourself: “well, that’s in Great Britain!”  But after reading about accidental ingestion of barbecue bristles here in the U.S. that resulted in trips to the ER and some surgery, it’s a good reminder to make sure your grill is bacteria and bristle free.

For the inexperienced griller, here are some suggestions for cleaning greasy, food encrusted grills without using chemicals:

1. Immediately clean your grill before and after cooking. Use a barbecue grate scraper or if you don’t have one, hold a crumpled ball of aluminum foil in tongs and scour the grill.
2. Or apply a soft paste of 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup water onto the grill, let dry for 15 minutes. Then wipe grill down with a dry cloth, then place the grill over the hot coals for at least 15 minutes. This will burn off any remaining any residue before you start to cook.
3. Tightly fold a paper towel, dip it in vegetable oil and hold it at the end of the tongs to oil the grill before you put on the food.
   

   Image via Michelle Gastl & www.realsimple.com

4. Or dip half an onion in vegetable oil and rub it across the grill. The moisture from the onion steams the surface clean and onion enzymes breakdown tough, stubborn grilled on food.
   1. You could impale the onion half on the end of a barbecue fork.
   2. or you could use this handy-dandy grilling tool invention, the: Mr. Bar-B-Q Onion Seasoning Grill Brush
5. remove the grill and place it in a self-cleaning oven (if it’ll fit)
   (via: www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com)
6. Barbecue pumice stones
7. pressure washer
8. call a professional grill cleaner (I never knew this service existed!)

Can’t wait until the grilling begins?  Feast your eyes on some photos till then…

Vegan Shish Kabob using rosemary skewers — Image & recipe via American Yogini

Great time to harvest some veggies from your Gro-O planter.

Balsamic grilled veggies–Image & recipe via www.southernliving.com

Eat no meat? No problem with low-fat, high in protein portobello mushrooms

Grilled portobello mushroom taco (Image & recipe via: www.tasty-yummies.com)

HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

References–Read more at:
Outdoor Grilling Tips – How Long Do You Grill? – Esquire
Clean a Dirty Barbecue Grill Rack – Reader’s Digest
Wire Grill-Cleaning Brushes Can Pose Food Safety Hazard- Food Safety News

     

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Just a reminder about our own Julie Ann who is bringing her love of gardening, natural health and herbal healing to her neighborhood…

Julie Ann Harris brings her energy and warm personality to Gro-O as Territory Manager of the Pasadena, CA area.

Julie comes to us from the entertainment industry. While working in Television for the past 12 years and with a background in Acting, Theater and Choreography, she’s had a love of gardening ever since her childhood in New Jersey.  There was a vegetable garden in her backyard every summer, as well as apple and cherry trees.

Her mother was a nurse and her father a natural health advocate.  As an adult Julie became very interested herself in natural health and herbal healing and is now also studying to become a Licensed Herbalist.

Julie met Gro-O founder, Karen Cancilla, and the Gro-O team when she worked as The Coordinating Producer on the hit show, “The Biggest Loser”.  After seeing Karen on “Access Hollywood”, Julie sought her out to have Gro-O provide the organic gardens for the show. She became an immediate fan of the company and is very excited to now be a part of such an innovative and thoughtful company.   This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for her.

The Biggest Loser’s Gro-O poolside veggie planters.

“I’m super excited to join the Gro-O family. Helping people become self sustainable and healthy through fresh produce and herbs is what the company is all about. I’ve believed in the company since I brought them onto “The Biggest Loser” and my mission is to spread the word, and gardens, nation and worldwide.”

Feb 2010 veggies survived the winter cold snap. Pest protection cage toppers seen in background

If you would like information from Julie Ann about starting a Gro-O garden at home or in your local school, email her at:

jharris@gro-o.com
or phone (855) 538-LetsGro    (855-538-7476)

     

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The talk covered the benefits of organic gardening, growing over 600 lbs of produce in a year in Karen’s backyard, the origins of Gro-O and using the Gro-O Garden Planner software to help you design your own garden

The interview was captured in a podcast and can be heard in its entirety on the Ernie’s Homegrown Tomatoes website:
www.growtomatoestoday.com.

Tomatoes fresh off the vine

Growing your own food is easier, rewarding and fun when you have the chance to learn from other organic gardening experts and aficionados.  It’s exciting to know that more people are encouraged to eat healthier by growing organically.

Thanks again to Tom with Ernie’s Homegrown Tomatoes!

      

Quite a contrast between Germany, Mali, the U.S. and Chad.

Germany

Mali

North Carolina, USA

Chad

California, USA

See what  other countries (including Bhutan, Ecuador, Poland, Italy, Japan, etc.) eat in a week. Newsflash: USA isn’t the top country in terms of vegetable eating. Also interesting to note:

• the size of the family
• the amount of grains and  fresh vegetables vs. processed foods and sugary sodas
• the amount of money spent in a week–from a low of $1.23 in Chad at the Breidjing Refugee Camp to a high of $500.07 in Germany

So if the book was published in 2005, what do you think the average amount of $ is spent in 2013?

Hmmm… time to consider growing your own food?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source:  Time Magazine

What the World Eats, Part I

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Part II

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Part III

     

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from: O, The Oprah Magazine–photo: Chris Craymer

In upcountry Maui in the district of Kula, at about the 4000 ft level, sits Oprah’s farm. The rich, fertile volcanic soil on the slopes of Haleakala.provides a perfect setting for a new venture into organic gardening.  More than 100 species of fruits, vegetables and herbs are being grown.

Gardening is not new to Oprah. She remembers growing up with her gardening grandmother who grew everything. And Oprah is continuing that growing tradition. To further inspire others to join the organic movement, Oprah is offering a contest to meet Oprah at her farm.

The contest is named: “Grow Your Life—with Oprah and Bob Greene”. One extremely fortunate reader (and guest) will win the prize of an all-expenses-paid, four-night trip to Maui to meet Oprah and wellness expert Bob Greene for a hike and lunch at Oprah’s farm! To enter, read more at www.oprah.com

“Whatever our dreams, ideas, or projects, we plant a seed, nurture it — and then reap the fruits of our labors.”
– Oprah Winfrey

freshly harvested veggies

Additional resource: Hawaii News Now — Tannya Joaquin

     

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Ever since I can remember our family always had our own vegetable garden.  Harvesting natengs (Ilokano word for vegetables) like lima beans, eggplants, onions, moringa, etc. with my mom and dad was an almost every day ritual.

So now, when we’re on garden maintenance duty, we’re excited to see the children of our Gro-O clients so fascinated by their gardens and vegetables.

Simone and her harvest

Planting with the Montessori school students.

Connor happily harvesting his tomatoes.

Unlike Bart Simpson –

From The Simpsons: From: Moe Better Blues Season 21, Episode 21

We’ve had some strange May weather already (snow storm in the midwest and unseasonable hot weather resulting in wildfires in the west), so we’re thankful to Mother Nature for our vegetable gardens.

just some of the past harvests from Gro-O clients’ gardens

And even more thankful for Mom and all that she does! Are you gifting your mom with breakfast/brunch in bed? Here are some recipe options:

Queen of Tomato Tarts recipe at: winosandfoodies.com

Sparkling peach bellini photo & recipe via:
www.tasteofhome.com

Strawberries in frozen yogurt via: www.cuisine-addict.com

Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Quiche–Photo: Karry Hosford
recipe via: Cooking Light & myrecipes.com

or maybe a bouquet, chocolates and a card?  Or a Gro-O garden planter, perhaps — hint ?

However, you say it …

Italian: Buona Festa Della Mamma
Spanish: iFeliz día de la madre!
German: Alles Gute zum Mutterta
French: Bonne fête, maman!
Hawaiian: Hau’oli Lā Makuahine
Tagalog: Maligayang Araw ng Mga Ina

Happy Mother’s Day! from all of us at Gro-O!

     

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From the “preaching to the choir” files,  GoodReads.com gives us the gist of Richard Louv’s book on getting our kids in touch with nature:

“I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” reports a fourth-grader.  Never before in history have children been so plugged in—and so out of touch with the natural world….  Some startling facts: By the 1990s the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970. Today, average eight-year-olds are better able to identify cartoon characters than native species, such as beetles and oak trees, in their own community…. There are solutions, though, and they’re right in our own backyards. Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development—physical, emotional, and spiritual. What’s more, nature is a potent therapy for depression, obesity, and ADD. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Even creativity is stimulated by childhood experiences in nature.

Excerpts and reader reviews here.