Archive for the ‘Community’ Category

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Richard Heinberg on Sustainability

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

ESP’s Mission states, in part:

We build community, live sustainably, preserve and cultivate local resources …

So I thought it quite apt to discuss just what is meant by ‘living sustainably.’ How timely, then, when Edmund sent to his email list an article by Richard Heinberg from 2007, titled “Five Axioms of Sustainability.” This is definitely worth a read, as the meaning of the terms “sustainable” and “sustainability” get watered down by commercial interests and the media. You can find his article on his blog: http://heinberg.wordpress.com/2007/02/01/178-five-axioms-of-sustainability/ (more…)

Posted in Community, Energy | Comments Closed

Food Safety & Pasteurization

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

by Catherine Haug

I recently wrote an 1500-word essay on the topic of food safety and pasteurization. It is fairly technical and addresses the following topics:

  • Why is food safety an issue instead of a given?
  • Methods of pasteurization for milk and other foods
  • Discussion of living foods (raw and cultured)
  • Denaturation of proteins by heat (cooking and pasteurization)
  • Destruction of probiotics, enzymes, cofactors and vitamins by pasteurization

To learn more, refer to my essay: Food Safety & Pasteurization (pdf file).

Posted in Food-Nutrition-Health, Shop Local | Comments Closed

Deer Resistant Plants

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

by Catherine Haug

As we are gardening, with the intent of preserving at least some of our harvest for the long winter; or we are improving our landscaping to be more sustainable, we want to ensure that we actually have a harvest and landscape. And that means doing what we can to prevent deer (and other critters) from decimating our plantings. Ways to discourage deer:

Remember that having flowers in your garden attracts pollinators; why not choose those that are deer resistant? Or if landscaping with evergreen and deciduous trees to help cool your home in summer, and warm it in winter (a sustainability goal), why not choose deer-resistant species?

I found a list of deer-resistant flowers and landscaping plants at Swan River Gardens the other day.  It’s not available on their website, so I typed it up into a pdf file for your reference.  To that list I added deer-resistant fruits, veggies and herbs that I got from other sources, and annotated those that are Montana natives, since growing natives is more sustainable than growing non-natives.

To see the entire list of deer-resistant plants, check out the pdf file: Deer Resistant Plants. The list below includes only deer resistant native plants. (more…)

Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Shop Local | Comments Closed

Struggling Local Commercial Dairies

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

September 27 update: The Daily Interlake featured this local dairy in today’s Sunday Paper: Milky Way. This article included some new information:

  • The new dairy will be called “Kalispell Kreamery;”
  • They will sell pasteurized, non-homogenized milk, cottage cheese, and ice cream in local stores, as well as at the dairy.

Our two local commercial dairies in the Flathead Valley are struggling, and it can’t all be blamed on the down economy.  Or at least that’s the message in a recent article in the Flathead Beacon: The Flathead’s Last Dairy Farms. (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Community, Shop Local | Comments Closed

Saving & Storing Seeds; Seed Bank

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

Cat's Garden: Lettuce, Spinach, Garlic and Onion

As many of you know, I’m a first time gardener, and I seek out tips and advice from all the experienced gardeners I know. If you have tips that I can add to this post, please email them to me! so that others can benefit from your experience. (my email is cat(at)essentialstuff.org — note the email is disguised).

For my first planting I used heirloom, organic seeds from Irish Eyes and Johnny’s Selected Seeds. And I must admit, it’s tantalizing to peruse the seed catalogues. But what if we can no longer order many of our seeds from a distant seed company?  What will we do then?

The answer is to start with non-hybrid, heirloom seeds. Then get in the habit of allowing at least one plant of each type to go to seed, to collect and save the seeds for next year. Actually, if stored properly, most seed varieties will keep at least 3 years, in case you have a bad year now and then. Plus you can trade seeds with friends and neighbors; what a great way to build community! We might even consider starting a local seed bank. (more…)

Posted in Community, Gardening | Comments Closed

Avoiding Swine Flu Naturally: Update September 3, 2009

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

by Catherine Haug

September 3, 2009 update: added info on basil and holy basil (tulsi) for prevention and treatment of influenza.

August 15, 2009 update: addition of probiotic foods to list of ways to support your immune system, based on recent study published in Pediatrics.

July 10, 2009 update:  Flu.gov has information about the swine flu, and the preparedness plans of our government, in the event of an outbreak this fall.  I’ve added some information from this website in a new section of this post, titled Swine Flu Symptoms.

July 9, 2009 update:  a video of Dr. Don Beans:  What to Do About the Flu, as recorded on KGEZ radio, is available from Dr. Beans, a Licensed Acupuncturist and Certified Homeopath.  He tells me he’s working on a written version of this 2-hour recording, in booklet form, and hopes to make it available on his website, drbeans.com.  Contact Dr. Beans at 837-0310 or 863-9300.

Original post (April 29, 2009):

“Swine flu” is much in the news today, along with conspiracy theories about its origin. Without getting into all that, see below for some things you can do to support your immune system, and help you fight off the flu should you be exposed.   (more…)

Posted in Agriculture, Health, Shop Local | 1 Comment »

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