Community Gardening

This year, my dear friend organized, spearheaded, and made happen a community garden. Loving gardening as I do, I quickly jumped on board and leased a plot, and then another. The garden quickly filled up, and people rallied around it, as if it was something they had been waiting for. I know I had been!

For $35.00 per plot, per year, you have a 25 by 12 ft. plot, access to water, and a space in which to grow whatever you wish. In return, you must donate 10% of your yield to the area food pantry and agree to garden organically. It is a wonderful concept: it does something positive for an old empty lot, helps the environment, brings the community together, helps feed the hungry, provides healthy sustenance to your family, cuts down on a households food costs, and even provides exercise and fresh air to the gardeners. What's not to love?

Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that ours was the first and only community garden in our county. Ours is considered a wealthy county, however, there are more and more "white collar" poor, and the food pantry is getting more clients every day. All this while there are still many empty lots here and there...every neighborhood has at least one....and so I have to ask myself why aren't more of these little gardens? With so many benefits, it seems to me that if every neighborhood had one, so many problems could be solved, gaps filled, and we would all be healthier for it. Maybe I am naive and it isn't that simple. Or maybe the answer is indeed that simple; staring right at us. Often solutions are just like that.

Of course, community gardening isn't in line with the agricultural giants agenda, which could explain why they are not more actively promoted. Sadly, if agri-biz gets house bill 875 pushed through, community gardens- especially "organic" community gardens, will become a thing of the past. Under the guise of "eliminating food born illness", house bill 875 will make it illegal to grow food organically (i.e without the use of fertilizers and insecticides), this even includes the home gardener who grows food only for his/her own family's consumption with no plans to sell or distribute.

This is something we should all WAKE UP and pay close attention to. Whether or not you are into organic food, it is really all about CHOICE. Do you really want the government taking away that choice? This bill, by the way, is backed by the very entities who will profit from the elimination of organic foods. Monsanto, maker of Round Up and the worlds largest seed distributor, is a major backer. Do you want those who profit most from what you eat deciding what you eat? Do you want to lose the fundamental freedom to decide how to nourish you own body? And if you allow the government to take away your right to choose, what is going to be next? It is a slippery slope, my friend.

It's time to get informed. There is plenty of information out there on this bill. Find out all you can and then let your voice be heard.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

Modern culture suggests that in order to be happy a person needs more: bigger, better, faster stronger, newer. More, more, more. Trade in your old car for a newer, shinier model and you will get the girl (or boy), be better looking, have more friends! Get the latest cell phone! This one has more games, is accepted into more networks, takes photos, connects to the Internet, and can play all your tunes! Its only X amount when you sign a two year contract!! Use this make up, wear these clothes, go to these restaurants, live in this area... To add to the onslaught, images of rich, famous, and beautiful celebrities are constantly in front of us, and the message is that You Too Can Live Like Them!! That is, if you buy this product, wear these clothes, get this cosmetic treatment, and on and on it goes. If you can't afford the American Lifestyle, well, no problem! The credit card companies are there to help!! Buy now, pay later- what a deal!! The end result of all of this is a society whose values are completely skewed, coveting all that they don't have, never appreciating all they do have, and never being able to appease the insatiable appetite for "stuff" that they have acquired. Not to mention the ultimate weakening of the countries economic system that occurs when fewer people have any money set aside, are up to their ears in debt, and cannot pay their mortgages. All of this on a very, very large scale, and even with the economic downturn, the root of this problem still exists as much as it ever did. That root is that people are searching for happiness in all the wrong places, believing that it can be bought. It can't.

I learned this the hard way when I was 20 years old. My father had been a highly paid executive when he decided to start his own company. I was 18 years old and had been used to living the privileged life as the daughter of a well to do family. My mother, sister, and I shopped like there was no tomorrow, and were ill prepared when we were told we were going to be tight for awhile until the new company got off its feet. Rather than stop, however, we continued to spend money like crazy. And the more things we bought, the more we wanted. Like an out of control addict, nothing was ever enough. I needed more, more, more to continue feeling good about myself. To continue the "high" of that last purchase. Of course, it all came crashing down eventually, and I learned alot from it, and continue to learn.

Simplicity is a term for a lifestyle that has gone in and out of fashion; usually with the economy. You hear it alot when we are in a downturn, people touting "living simply", "simple living", "living green". And this is good. But, Simplicity isn't a fad or a trend, it is a way of life- a philosophy and a way of looking at things that doesn't follow trends of economic cycles. Simplicity means living with less because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to, and having the choice to do the things that bring you real happiness, not the fleeting high of a new outfit. It means living lean and not having so much "stuff" that it owns you, and the "stuff" that you do have has special meaning.

I think about Buddha and Christ and the Poverty Vow, and I think that we have misconstrued the real meaning of what they were trying to teach. It isn't about living in poverty so much; it is about living lean so that that you can be close to Spirit, as too much "stuff" gets in the way of that divine voice.

Our lifestyle is consciously based on the principles of Simplicity. We are inspired by Zen, and other Buddhist principles, as well as Christ's teaching, The Shakers, Amish, and others. We weigh each purchase- not because we lack, but because we don't- and therein lies the difference.

The beauty of this lifestyle is that it allows for CHOICE, and allows us to do what is really important to us. For example, this allowed my husband to take off all of last year, allowed us to enjoy 3 weeks in the Mediterranean in January, allows to to take several trips a year, allows me to go to school, gives us the opportunity to change careers when we get tired of what we are doing, and, perhaps most importantly, teaches the children through our example a way of life that is counter to what society says in the norm. The most ironic part of it is that our lives are so full of abundance due to living this way!!

I am not saying this is for everyone, but I do believe people would benefit from adopting some of the simplicity principles. Here are a few that come to me off the top of my head:

1. Never buy anything on credit.
2. That said, never use credit cards.
3. Own your vehicles- you do not need a new car every two years, and that money you pay each month can be saved and used for something alot more fun than transportation.
4. Stay out of malls. If fashion is important to you (it is to me) you can still look great without spending a fortune, constantly shopping, and buying everything in sight. Use your imagination.
5. Learn to cook.
6. Grow your own food.
7. Recycle, reuse, repurpose, borrow. I recently refinished 2 old occasional tables and a desk in a trendy black. I got the tables for free, and refinishing them took about a week of evenings. It was fun, rewarding, and looks amazing. People compliment them all the time and want to know where we got them.
8. Sew. I have been turning old sundresses I hung onto into the long gypsy style skirts you see everywhere. It takes less than 1/2 an hour, and costs next to nothing except time. I suppose this could also go under #7 or #3. The idea is to be creative and have fun. That old pair od jeans can become a funky and fun book bag, book cover, tote, skirt, shorts, pot holders- you get the idea.
9. Get rid of clutter.
10. Take control of your health. It is your most valuable possession, and if you have good, vibrant health, you have everything.

Well, I will come back to this, because there is SO much more to add, but I have yoga in 30 minutes!

my love affair with herbs

Herbs, to me, have always had a sort of magical quality to them. Perhaps they evoke some distant, primal instinct, harking back to a time long ago when ancestors needed these little miracle plants for survival in a harsh world. Maybe I just love the tastes and smells of fresh herbs in my food and teas. For whatever the reason, I have been mesmerized by herbs and all of their many functions most of my adult life.

My love affair with these amazing plants began back in the early 90's when I went to visit a friend who was back in the states after moving to France. We met at her mother's townhouse, a shabby looking older building in a slightly run down part of town. You can imagine my shock when, upon entering, I was faced with a breathtaking, light-filled living room; soaring ceilings, beautiful furnishings, exquisite artwork. Yet, with all of this beauty, the most stunning feature of the room was the wall of floor to ceiling windows which looked out upon one of the loveliest herb gardens I had ever seen. As Lisa took me through this small grotto and pointed out each of the many herbs, I felt myself falling in love. Since that visit, I have had some form of herb garden, whether just a small container garden or a larger kitchen variety, in every place I have lived.

Back in the 90's, my ex husband and I purchased a large, older home in a lovely, well established neighborhood. The home had plenty of space, a beautiful, double sided stone fireplace, and large, arching mulberry trees. The one thing it didn't offer, however, was convenient access from the kitchen to the front or the back yards. The kitchen was tucked away in a corner of the house. As a solution to the dilemma of where to put the herb garden, I ended up having a door installed off the kitchen, opening up to the side yard. This served me quite well for the remaining 5 years in which I resided in that house. I grew everything from the basics: basils, parsleys, oregano, mint, thyme, dill- to strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini.

The house I inhabited when my children were very small was Spanish styled, with the entire house built around a center courtyard. This courtyard was flanked on the east side by the kitchen and breakfast nook, the north side wall was the living room, and the west side wall was the master bedroom. The south wall was the garage, with a narrow opening between the garage wall and the master bedroom wall which allowed for a gated entry to a charming little path which lead to another small garden area, which lead, through yet another gate, to a larger yard. This area was complete with a pool, a lawn, flower beds, and a gazebo. In the courtyard, we had all of the herbs that I needed for cooking, with the mint (as mint will) extending well past its borders and down the little pathway leading to the children's play yard and the other small garden. I didn't mind that wild mint, though, and will never forget the fragrance as I watered during the long, hot Texas summers while the children played amongst daisies that were as tall as they were.

After my divorce I moved into a pretty little townhouse with a nice view of a golf course. This was a time of my life, when, much like an adolescent, I was trying on different persona's, deciding who I was going to be for the rest of my life and exhilarated by the possibilities. During this time, I grew a small container herb garden on my patio, although as I write this I have to wonder: was I growing the herbs, or were they helping to grow me?

We are now in our 4th year in the house my husband and I bought together. A lovely home in which we have unleashed our creativity, passion for beauty, and love for all things do-it-yourself. A smaller house, yet a nice open floor plan, tons of windows, and 12 foot ceilings. Best of all, the kitchen/family room overlook a large backyard complete with a small pool, a lawn, full sun, and extensive garden beds. Since our first year here we have had a nice herb and kitchen garden right outside our door. This year, though, I was inspired to take the next step in my knowledge of herbs and all they can do.

I have always been very interested in herbalism. We are a family that has a passion for health and natural medicine, so it is quite logical that herbalism would call to me. I decided this year that I would begin to study it more seriously, and as I have began to delve into to this, I realize just how much I don't know, which pushes me to learn more. My daughter has taken an interest in it as well, and we have learned some basic remedies. This has also caused us to expand our herb garden by more than 4 times, boasting now well over 40 plants in our backyard alone (we keep plots in a community garden as well). This, in turn, has lead us to expand our culinary knowledge, as we have so many wonderful herbs- what to do with them all!? So, in the end, we have learned some practical remedies that we now use in our household, we have had some delightful new cuisine, we enjoy learning, cooking and eating together- all of this due to the remarkable, miraculous herb!

Pesto, the new Superfood

Recently we have been pesto eating fools. Not the pre-made store bought variety, mind you, but our own, green goodness, organic, made from scratch, wonderful pesto. The recipe is easy:

Jalapeno/Basil Pesto

2 Cups basil leaves, packed.
1/3 Cup organic, unsalted pine nuts (or whatever kind of nuts you have on hand)
1/2 Cup organic, extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Cup organic, freshly grated parmesan/reggiano
3 cloves fresh, organic garlic, minced
2 large organic jalapeno peppers; chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Combine basil leaves and pine nuts in food processor, blend. Add garlic and jalapeno peppers; pulse a bit more until blended.

2. Slowly add olive oil, blend. Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If you are sensitive to spicy foods, simply omit the peppers. We live in Texas, so we like the added pop.

This is an incredibly healthy and versatile dish. First you have the fresh basil, which retains all of its vitamins and nutrients being so fresh and raw. Add to that the power of raw garlic, benefits of olive oil, protein of nuts....it truly is a superfood. And completely raw, meaning it retains all its nutrients.

Not only does it taste amazing, has incredible health benefits, and it easy to make, but this food is very, very versatile. We have used is as a dip for crackers and pita breads, a sauce for pastas, a marinade for veggies and (for the carnivores among us) poultry and seafood. It can be used on pizza dough, combined with breadcrumbs for a filling for mushroom caps, and even spread on toast and topped with sundried tomatoes for a lovely breakfast (I actually had this this morning- it was delicious!).

And, in the end, if you are anything like me, you have grown A LOT of basil this season. This is a delicious and healthy way to make use of all that green goodness!

The Family

Me and my wonderful husband, Greg:





Me and my son, Nick:




My 3 children:

Jason, Nicolas, Jessica

welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog. My name is Beth, and I created this blog to document and share our lives as we endeavor to create as healthy and balanced lives as we possible can.

I am a wife, mother, artist, business owner, and student. I live with my family in the Southern United States. The household consists of me, my husband, Greg, and my two teenagers, a daughter 16, and a son, 14. My oldest son, 23, is away at college, studying to become an attorney. I run a home-based business and about to enter my junior year as an Art History major with a minor in French. My husband is a coach, trainer, and fitness professional. We are both self employed, and enjoy that freedom immensely. Having experienced the "Rat Race" we quickly recognized that it wasn't for us, and no salary or position could put a price tag on our happiness and freedom. It took some doing, but we are both now free. In the past, I have been a professional artist, a hairdresser, and worked in corporate America as an account manager, marketing director, and in sales.

In 1992, when I was 23, I decided to go back to vegetarianism (I had been raised as a vegetarian)after my young son and I became violently ill from eating a McDonald's hamburger out of a Happy Meal. That was a huge turning point for me, and began a lifetime of healthy eating, as well as putting me and my family on a path of health, nutrition, and well being. Over the next 15 years, I raised my children as vegetarians (until they were old enough to decide for themselves), spent the extra money for organic (even before ANYONE knew what that meant), grew my own food, did my own cooking, and continued to seek out knowledge and grow. Unfortunately, that growth did not include my at-the-time husband, and we divorced in 2003.

Another turning point on the road to a healthier lifestyle happened in 2005, when in October of that year my husband, my ex-husband, and my father were all diagnosed with some form of cancer. My husband's was the most serious (and rare), my father's was the second, and my ex-husband's was merely dysplasia, and therefore, he had the best prognosis. It rocked us to our cores when the dysplasia didn't go away, and instead of getting better, my ex only got worse. Two years later, and after a very rapid decline, my children's father lost his battle with this dreaded disease and passed away. Both my father and my husband have remained symptom free, thank God. This experience only furthered our quest for knowledge about all things pertaining to health and wellness.

Currently, my daughter and I are total vegetarians, and my son and my husband adhere to what is now called the Mediterranean Diet. This diet, so named for the region around the Mediterranean where the population eats a diet which mainly consists of grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and limited amounts of fresh seafood and poultry. All animal products that enter our home are organic, hormone and antibiotic free, grass fed, mercury free if fish, and locally raised if possible. We garden extensively, including two plots at a local community garden. We make our own breads, pastas, sauces, pestos, hummus, teas...well, you get the picture. The best thing is, though, that we feel great, rarely get sick, don't have weight problems, and eat amazing food! Other things we do (besides eat) are cook, see movies, sew, paint and draw, study, read, study herbalism, bike, practice yoga, travel, and now blog:) We tend towards alternative medicine, never use antibiotics, and listen to our bodies. We don't buy things unless we can't reuse, recycle, borrow, or re purpose, and, other than our two homes, we live completely debt free.

As different and "un American" as all this might sound, it makes perfect sense, at least to us.