Today I felt like taking a little adventure. What could be better than a morning drive in the country and then stopping to pick some blueberries!

When I went to the Organic Food and Film Festival last month, I hooked up with one of the local certified organic farms near Ocala where I learned that I could buy or pick my own berries. I am a fan of blueberries and like them by the handfuls, in smoothies, or baked into cobblers, muffins and breads. I have an especially yummy blueberry grunt recipe that I am talking myself into making for this evening. This morning, I had a cup of blueberries warmed in the microwave, then stirred into a quarter cup of organic granola and a cup of Total 0 Greek yogurt for breakfast. Okay, so it has been established that I like blueberries.

That in my mind, then, justifies my driving 40 miles each way to get organic. There are dozens of local places, but not organic. If I am making the effort to learn and talk about organic, then I need to eat organic as well.

Anyway, I had a bottle of my homemade green tea that I steeped with fresh slices of ginger and a cinnamon stick on ice and my radio tuned in to my favorite oldies station and off I went. For those local to Ocala, it was a straight shot down 40E and then a left on N-315 for 16 miles to the Bay Lake Blueberry Farm in Ft. McCoy.

When I got there, I was given a bucket and a bungee cord that wrapped around my waist to hook onto the bucket so I could pick hands free. I merrily went from bush to bush and picked my way to a bucket full of these plump, indigo gems.

At checkout, the berries were weighed and placed in a flat to keep them from crushing on the drive home. There were several other local farmers there with little tents up selling plants, honey and herbs. Blueberry bushes were also on sale. But for this trip I stuck with just the berries. By the time I checked out it was about 11:30 and already steamy hot in the Florida sun. I couldn’t help but reward myself with a cup of their homemade organic blueberry ice cream.

Since I picked more than I could eat right away, I went with the idea to freeze some for later. The instructions I got were to place them unwashed on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze for 45 minutes, then bag. This will keep them from getting stuck together when I am ready to use some of them.

Blueberry Grunt

I like a generous amount of berries. At least 3 cups or what will cover the bottom of your skillet several layers deep. To this I add enough water to cover and then some. Zest a lemon, add a shake or 2 of cinnamon and just a few tablespoons of organic sugar ( more if you like it sweet) and set to a boil over a medium heat.

Meanwhile, mix up a batch of dumplings. The easiest is to use a biscuit mix and just follow the directions. It is about 2 and a half cups mix.  I like to add a bit of lemon zest and the juice of the lemon to this too along with 2/3 cup of milk to make a nice dough.  Then drop by spoonfuls over the berries, put the lid on the skillet and simmer about another 15 minutes till the dough is cooked. It will have soaked up a lot of the juice ( that is why I like to add a fair but of water to the berries). Eat warm with milk, whipped or ice cream.

It is equally yummy for breakfast or dessert. I don’t actually have exact measurements for this. But this is just one of those that is hard to mess up.

Here are a few scenes of the vendors at the festival 

                                                                          Photo by Peterphoto1390

Today I went to an Organic Food and Film Festival in Ocala, Florida. It was held on the grounds of the Ocala Civic Theater off Silver Springs Boulevard. This was not one of those occasions where I knew I would be exploring a beautiful place or discovering a new fine dining restaurant. If I have to admit why I went, I would have to say it was for purely selfish reasons – to continue on my quest for truthful information for myself and then to be able to pass it on to others.

For me, it started in September 2001 when I was diagnosed with cancer. I was one of the lucky ones and am grateful to be a survivor. But at the time, when I asked my doctor, why me, his answer was he didn’t know, just dumb luck. Then, shortly after, I spent some time with another doctor, who with homeopathic remedies, helped me rid my body of residual bone pain. But while with him he found that my body was toxic with high levels of petroleum. Now how did all of that petroleum get there? Was this all just a coincidence or was something else going on? I really don’t know. But those two incidents made me start to wonder.

I had a healthy lifestyle, ate good, nutritious foods or so I thought, until along comes my daughter, Jennifer, who has been a student of clean, healthy living and is on her own journey to building a sustainable,organic food source of her own.  She and hubby Roberto have talked the talk and now are putting it into action at their new farm, Thistlemooon Meadows, in Vermont.  In addition, she also had worked for years with the doctor who helped me with homeopathic treatments. She began making little adjustments to my food, supplements and all things related. Everything that she ever told to do has been spot on, and way before it was brought to general public awareness. Now she is teaching me about what is in the foods that I have been eating and showing me that there is a better way.

How long has it been since you have been able to just pick up an apple, without even washing it, and know with absolute certainty that it wasn’t pumped full of pesticides, which can be oil based, poisonous or genetically modified? If I had known what I was eating, do you think I would have eaten it? The fact is that I was actually polluting my own body without my knowledge or my consent.

The Department of Agriculture has set up standards to which food that is labeled Certified Organic must adhere.  You can know that if it is labeled as such that there is no irradiation, no sewage sludge, no hormones, no genetic modification, no antibiotics and no pesticides.  (By the way as a side note, less than 1% of insects are harmful.  The rest have a job to do and when any of them are killed off with a pesticide, the eco balance is disrupted.)

Now, that I know better, not only did I want to go to review this festival, I felt it my moral obligation to go.

                                                                           Photo by Dave G. Kelly

The first time I went was to the one that was held there in January. Since then, it has grown from just having a hand full of vendors to so many that they had to open the grounds and move it outdoors. I learned where I can join a CSA and where I can pick certified organic berries and fruit. I was able to get a list of resources so that I can continue my learning and I will pass them on to you at the end.

The highlight for me was the films. If you do nothing more than watch these three films, you will never look at food the same way again.

“Food, Inc” exposes what’s behind large scale industrial farming. A real wake up call. I was terrified and horrified!!!

“The Future of Food” graphically shows how our food is being genetically modified and how supermarkets are being led to stock these fake foods. It also tells how just a few huge food corporations are trying to control the world’s foods and farms.

“What’s Organic About Organic” is the light at the end of the tunnel by striving to show the greener side of chemical-free pastures. Marty Mesh, co-producer, was on hand to educate and to answer all of our questions at the end, which were many.

Here I am with Marty Mesh after screening of “What’s Organic about Organic”.

Now, I make no claims at being any kind of expert. I am not a scientist or a doctor. And I don’t know all the answers. I am just like everyone else, just trying to sort it all out. But I am convinced that now is the time to let everyone know what is really going on. There is power in knowledge and I feel like I owe it to myself and to future generations to get this figured out now.

Start asking yourself the tough questions? Why is food being genetically modified and why can’t we know which ones are? Why do only 4 companies hold monopolies on seeds and how are they controlling their (not our) interests in putting the farmers out of business with their lawsuits. Why does the government support the interests of these monopolies? Why, since the advent of the Nitrogen bomb, nerve gas and DDT among others, have these poisons found there way in diluted forms into pesticides – then into our food, animals, air and water and finally us? Why are 97% of the vegetables that were grown up until the 20^th century, now extinct? Why are big companies even allowed to patent seeds and then sue anyone who doesn’t use them or who uses them without paying them – even if the farmer never planted the seed to start with and only got some by wind contaminating their crops? Why are cows given human antibiotics or hormones? Why is the government subsidizing farmers ( really a GMO rebate) with tax payer money? Why is the US selling GM corn to Mexico cheaper than they can grow their own? Why has Japan decided to not use chemicals and to just watch the children in the US for ten years to see if they get sick? What were the loopholes that big dairy farms tried to use to get around being called grass fed and what has been done about it? Is it really true that organic farmers could never keep up with the food demand over the farms that are forced to use what I will call tainted seeds? Who in the government is watching out for US? The FDA, The Department of Agriculture and the EPA are tasked with this job. Who is watching to see that they are really protecting our interests over those they shake hands with?

Like I said, you really MUST see these films.

And with all of that, what can you do? Is it as hopeless as it seems? Is it true there is no point is even trying to go up against all of that? The answer is NO. There is plenty we can do. Isn’t this the time of the “Yes, we can” campaign? It is a moral and ethical issue and we should be able to have a say in what we eat. Change is actually coming. Do we want real farming or “Pharming”?

How about you? Here is what you can do right now:

• Join a CSA
• Go to you local Farmer’s Market
• Read labels
• Cook seasonally
• Compost your food scraps
• Plant a garden
• Vote with every bite
• Buy what is Certified Organic (hint: all natural is NOT organic) People say they don’t buy organic because it costs too much. My answer is eat less and maybe obesity will go away – and so will so many doctor bills!!
• Be a student and empower yourself with knowledge
• Pass this on to those you care about

Here are a few resources for your information:

Trade Show on all things organic

How to go organic

The Future of Food free viewing of film

Organic Buying Club Ocala-Lady Lake, Fl area

Workshops or farm tours by Florida Organic Growers

I would love to hear what your opinions are. Please share some of your knowledge and experiences so we can all be healthy together.

                                                                          Photo by Bill Mayer

A few weeks ago I did a post discussing accommodation options that could save you a little money while you travel. I want to talk about accommodations again but this time I want to talk about what can be called “Dirty Little Secrets”. This morning in the period of about 30 minutes I heard two reports that made me want to take a shower right away. The first was when I just woke up. There was a news item on the radio about a well known hotel in London that offered bed warmers as a customer service. Human ones. They felt it was a good thing because “people sleep better when the sheets are warm”. Hello!! The bed warmers are supposed to wear one piece pajamas and have their hair covered. But they couldn’t guarantee that they would have had a shower. Call me crazy, I wouldn’t want a stranger warming up my sheets even if they had a shower!

And speaking of sheets that brings me to the second story I heard this morning. It is fairly common knowledge that the cleanliness of hotel rooms comes under question at times – even the GOOD ones. But after I heard a report on GMA this morning, I felt the need to report what I heard. Maybe some of you saw it too. They had a segment that was even worse in the creepy crawly division than the bed warmer. Trip Advisor has a list of the 10 dirtiest hotels. They are listed for you if you visit their site. The show featured a microbiologist going into a few of the hotels with an ATP Meter that picks up bacteria and mold. While they say a meter reading of 300 is considered safe, they were picking up readings of 2040. That and other instruments showed not only mold and bacteria on walls, floors, bathrooms, etc.; they also found rust, water damage on ceiling tiles, bodily fluids on bedspreads, walls, chairs, floors. A real cesspool. And then there are the bed bugs.

Now that I most likely have you all retching, what is a traveler to do? The first thing to do when you get to your room is conduct a room inspection. Do not put your suitcase on the bed. (And when you get home, do not put your suitcase on your own bed.) Put it on the bag holder. Look for stains on the spread. Remove the spread entirely. Who knows when or if these ever are cleaned. Check the linens for stains. Pull up the corners of the sheets and look for bug debris or dander or any little droplets of what could be blood in the crease if the mattress along the seam that would indicate the presence of bed bugs. Then move to the bathroom. Look for rust, water damage or stains in the sink, tub and around the toilet floor. If ANY of these are found at this point, ask to have a different room.

If the room passes all of these tests, here are some more just general things to do. Bring you Clorox wipes and clean off the doorknob and the remote. Give a good healthy disinfectant spray on surfaces in the bathroom. Don’t use the glasses or cups unless they are paper and wrapped. Bring slippers or at least Flip Flops when walking on the carpet or in the bath. They had these little plastic mattress bags that you could bring along but didn’t say where they got them. Anyone know? Precautions like these, while annoying, can help prevent things like the flu, colds, or athletes feet.

I am sure that many hotels go out of their way to keep their rooms clean and safe. But there are always some that might look the other way when it comes to training and monitoring staff. Better to be safe.

If you can think of other things to look for or have any other ideas to protect yourselves from unwanted contaminants, please leave a comment.

It is the middle of flu season and you want to go on a trip. What is a person to do? How can you risk travel when germs are running amok for the next few months? Or you have just won a trip to a remote international destination-what happens if you get sick when you’re there, or better yet, how can you prevent getting sick in the first place?

Travelers often find themselves worrying about heath issues surrounding travel. So, are there just some basic rules or tips to stay healthy during travel ?

 While this list seems long and maybe even a little daunting, you know what they say about an ounce of prevention. Here are some basic preventative things I have learned from experience or from other travelers that you most likely know but that bear repeating. Hopefully, some of these will remind you of a few things that may make sense for you to make your travel a little more comfortable and healthy.  I am not a medical person, so if you are geting ready to embark on a trip, I ask that you check in with your physician for medical advice.

Granted one of the biggest cesspools of germs would likely be in a contained place where the air isn’t exchanged –like an airplane. There you are seated next to a sneezy, coughy, drippy nosed passenger. How do you protect yourself?

When you know you are going on a trip, start preparing weeks-even a month in some cases- ahead of time. Plan on getting plenty of rest and make sure to take your vitamins, especially vitamin C. It might be worth a quick trip or call to your doctor if you have any conditions that need some special attention – if you are pregnant, elderly with blood clotting problems, heart or respiratory conditions, or have had a recent surgery – just to make sure you are cleared for travel. Ask if there are any other medications you might need for your particular destination. Most likely, there will be no issues, but the doctor might offer you some preventative measures that would be helpful.

During your flight stay hydrated with water. Believe it or not, it is said that staying hydrated will even help with jet lag. Better to skip the alcohol and watch the caffeine in coffee or sodas. Make sure to wash you hands often or use a hand sanitizer. This is good advice always, not just on planes. When you can, request an aisle seat so that you can stretch those legs and even get up to walk a bit when possible. If it is not possible to sit on an aisle, try not to cross your legs and try to do some stretches. Same goes for a bus or a train. This is especially important on long flights to keep your blood circulating.

If your ears seem to “pop” when you are taking off or landing due to changing altitudes, try to yawn or chew some gum.

Make sure your immunizations are current during the flu season especially. If you are seated in proximity to someone who is obviously or potentially infected with something contagious, request to be moved at least a few rows away to minimize your risk of contracting their illness.

For comforts sake wear comfortable, loose fitting clothes and use a nice lotion to keep your skin from getting too dry. Those who wear contact lens might want to pack them and use eyeglasses on the flight.

Some final thoughts. If you do take prescription medications, pack them in your carry on bag to insure that you would have them handy should your luggage be waylaid. Make sure you take enough to last for the whole trip. You might also want to take along a copy of the prescription just in case. Anyone with a condition that could flair up while away should think about including that information on you person should an emergency arise. If you have health insurance, check in with them to see if they will cover you abroad. If they don’t you may want to plan for how you would get some coverage while you are away. Lastly, if you are leaving the little ones behind, make sure you leave all of your contact information. On a trip I took when Jenn was just a toddler, I left a medical power of attorney with my parents just in case, along with the phone numbers and directions for the pediatrician and hospital.

I suggest that you check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention link before you travel to international places to get information of required vaccinations and other really useful and important information.  I just heard on ABC World News today that some highly populated places like Tokyo require travelers to bring with them a document proving they are in good health to enter as worries of the Swine Flu spread. 

Once you have thought through these precautionary tips, you can rest easy and travel knowing that you are well prepared to have a worry free and healthy trip!