I can't imagine this every being true!!!!

Senate Bill S510 Makes It Illegal to Grow, Share,

Trade or Sell Homegrown Food

Our friend Dayna Love sent this link to me yesterday from the Liberty Voice! I have never read the Liberty Voice nor did I know what it was, but I can say that I didn't like what I was seeing when I read what she was forwarding to me!

What the heck is this!?? NEVER!

STAYING INVOLVED!

THANKS RICKI FOR SHARING YOUR FINDS!!!! Food Togetherness!!!!

(click on links below)

Organic seeds from High Mowing Organics

How Food Saved a Town

Saying No To GMO's

Beauty!!! Inside & Out! xoxoxox

A picture is worth a thousand words. . . This picture could be you!

Dayna Love and her friend Ruth joined us for our last meeting before the 2 month hiatus to share in "Ageloc" technology!

Non-surgical face lifts!!!

Dayna can be reached directly at 480.245.1516 . . .she is happy to treat anyone who was not able to attend the meeting!

Dayna came and lead our women's group . . . she talked to us about non-surgical face lifts and how to take care of our skin in the most natural non-evasive way possible. She shared her thoughts on why somethings like Botox and microdermabrasion are not so great for us. She said that we are all born with what is called mother cells in our skin and when we do invasive chemical peels or repeated microdermabrasion it removes these cells and thus in the end we are accelerating our aging process, which we do not want to be doing! Again, this is her opinion, and she feels passionate about her work!

So she showed us how we can do our own non-surgical face lifts and gave us all a facial. Her friend Ruth came to help her so that everyone who wanted a facial could get one with in the hour that we meet.

It was a lot of fun and everyone could notice the difference because she did one half of the face first. (It was trippy!!) :)

THANKS DAYNA AND RUTH!!!

Feel free to look at the site - http://www.possibilities4.com/ . . . I have not had time to research all the things that she shared with us, but you can trust that Dayna is a kind and ethical woman! It is fantastic to know our options!!!

Please contact Dayna directly with any questions or requests!

CHEERS TO A FANTASTIC SUMMER! SEE YOU AGAIN IN JULY! xoxo

** Healthy Supplements **

Felling Euphoric Naturally! (?)

Britony did an amazing job of forming the "newsletter" below as a guide, and also in leading tonight's meeting . . . thanks Brit!

~Also, many of the gals were asking about Dr.Jain, Suneil MD - Scottsdale Natural Medicine, the doc we use in Scottsdale at Rejuvina Health (his assistant Kimberly rocks too) . . .

~And, Sarah's website for Foodbeautiful is amazing!!! She is a personal friend of Britony's and is an amazing resource for holistic food & supplement knowledge/advise.

Britony's "newsletter" for our group below:

"**Perfect Prenatal, New Chapter, 3/day...Whether I'm pregnant or not this may be the best mulit-vit for our bodies as women in our "child-bearing" years. It's pretty complete, even if you're not pregnant. The ones that you get from an OB's office are typically "lab-created" vitamins and minerals and your body has a tough time absorbing them and assimilating them into your system to really work at full potential. Much of it may just be passed right through your body and not be absorbed at all. The best supplements you can take are "Whole Food" supplements. They will say "Whole Food" (or sometimes "Mega Food") on the label and you can be sure that they are completely derived from plants/herbs, roots, &/or grains. Nothing "lab-created".

**Perfect Food, Garden of Life, 10/day...Obviously the best thing you can consume is raw fruits and veggies. The more you can consume and add to your diet the better. Of course, eat as many veggies as possible, but this Super Green Formula is packed with Phytonutrients, sprouted grains and probiotics and is again a "Whole Food". This company puts out some of the best supplements out there. If you like doing less 'pills' you may want to try the green powders that are out there. The Green powder I really like is Green Vibrance, Vibrant Health, 1 scoop +/day...You can put it in your morning juice drink/shake and it may not be too bad. (You just have to get used to the taste). Also try Rainbow Vibrance (fruits), Vibrant Health, 1 scoop +/day. This may help with making the greens more palpable.

**Bone Strength (Calcium), New Chapter Organics, 6/Day...yet another "Whole Food".

**C Food Complex (Vitamin C), New Chapter Organics, 4/day.

**Complete Probiotics, Mercola Premium Select, 1/day (66 Billion CFU)...Probiotics are some of the best things you can put in your system to get good bacteria working for you instead of all the bad. Sugars, alcohol, coffee, etc are really acidic and increase the amount of bad bacteria in your intestines.

**Cod Liver Oil, Carlson, 10 +/day...I know, a lot. This is KEY to having a healthy and brilliant baby if you're pregnant. (If preg.with the baby's brain forming right now there is noting better you can give it than omega 3's. And if you're breastfeeding, more of the same.) This brand has been proven to be one of the absolute best out there. The others have harmful levels of mercury and toxins. You can also try Krill Oil, Mercola Premium Select, 3/day. When I'm pregnant I tend to lead towards the Carlson's Cod Liver Oil with Lemon and take 15/day. It's great for 'lubricating' the whole system. I'm not a doctor but I truly believe that this aided in the ease of all three of my deliveries. They pretty much "slide" right out. (Sorry if that was more than you'd like to know.) :)

You can find these supplements at most of your more healthy markets (Sprouts, Sunflower, and Whole Foods). Sprouts is my favorite place. They seem to have the best prices. However, the Mercola products have to be ordered from their website. They have some fabulous products as well as very good skin care products. Their whole line is fantastic. When you're on there make sure you sign up for their newsletters. You're receive them twice a week via e-mail. It's always very insightful.

And lastly, some were asking about the cleanse I did. The products used are from Arise and Shine. You can get the products online or drive all the way down to East Mesa. You can find all that info on their website. If you go to their website you can click on 'About Cleansing' to get a bunch in great info and questions answered about their cleanse. If you want to read the cleansing guide, just click on 'Products', click on the photo for the 'Cleansing Kit' and after scrolling down they have the link to their 'Cleansing Guide'. You should get all the info you need to see if it's something that would be good for you and get going. It's not easy!!! But the rewards are spectacular. I really like their products. You may want to start with a 7 Day Cleanse to get a taste for cleansing if you have not done one before. And please know that not all cleanses are what they appear to be. Tons of them are scams and could potentially do more harm than good.

Make sure you consult your naturopathic doctor or MD first.
Please know that I am not a doctor! These are products that I've found that work well for me and am in no way telling you you should take these products. You may want to check with your physician before taking any/all of these items I have mentioned above.

(I have to cover my booty!) ;)

Here's to health, Britony"

Who waters cardboard? WE do!!!

I didn't even know what mulch was last Sunday at the mulch garden gardening class last Sunday . . . I'm not sure if I even know know! haha

I do know that we had a great time, and I feeeel soooo knowledgeable from that one hour mulch gardening hands-on workshop class that Ricki and I attended downtown Phoenix at 12th Street and Thomas.


Layering "lasagna" is what we did! When we showed up there was a patch of dry clay soil, and when we left we had built a full on mulch garden that will be ready to plant come fall. After turning the soil and pulling all the Bermuda grass "weeds", we started our layering. First cardboard (carbon), then mature, fine, compost (live matter), then the chicken manure, then the dry leaves, then the layer of newspaper, then the compost again, and so on . . .when we done, it looked like a 6 to 8 inch pile of yard lasagna with trellis laying on top! (To keep the cats out.)


We met a wonderful new friend, Dayna, who came to the meeting tonight as well and met some of the other gals - she is such a contribution, and we are so happy to know her. She shared the YouTube video, HOMEGROWN REVOLUTION, with us tonight - I encourage you all to watch it as it is very impressive and inspiring! You'll see a lawn that has fallen victim to 6 inches of mulch for sure!!! :)

Kristin shared the shopping cheat sheets she has put together for our use - at the farmers markets and grocery stores. Thank you Kristin for being part of this group! Ricki has shared the notes we gathered from herb gardening and mulch gardening this past weekend and Kristin has shared her mulch gardening notes and composting notes with us as well!

***** Nature's Garden Delivered!!! YOU will LOVE!!! For the matter of fact you will love a lot of Arizona's Green Businesses that you find on the organic consumers website! *****

Look at some of our "minis". . . peace & happiness mixed in with a lot of health . . . couldn't have planned it any better! xo



The video said it best: "By the process of directly working in harmony with nature, we do the one thing most essential to change the world . . . we change ourselves!"

It started with a thought - great intention + ACTION!

THINGS ARE HAPPENING!!!

"Hi Shauna,

Here is our little green house - well, partially green house! We need to finish the paint, create the plant beds, build a fan system, more compost bins, wrap it up etc.; I'm sure all of our imaginations and visions will continue to expand as we journey through our first attempt at a project like this. There will be several more parts to piece in before our home of tasty fruits and veggies is complete! My mama Sheri and step father Tommy wanted to make sure everyone felt more than welcome to join in or stop by anytime. Shauna- my mom wanted to pass on a thank you for being the spark!

I will blog my finding on heart and liver health from the newsletter in the next day or two. XOXO Anna"

So stoked for our group right now! Congrats to every single gal - we all have gardens growing and blooming! Congrats to Anna and her family for their new greenhouse! It is amazing - they have been invited to build another greenhouse at a local charter school and we will all be there to help! AMAZING - EXACTLY what we wanted to do - lead by example and get the vision spreading! Congrats to Jami and Kahala for their at work container gardens!!! We will be posting the article that was written about their project on this blog in the near future!


We discussed it all tonight!

• Cell Power - Cleanse, Nourish and Energizer your body at the cellular level!


• The importance of healthy PH balance & alkaline's ability to help neutralize over-acidity in the body caused by stress, modern diet, air pollution, and even acidic bottled water.


• Breast Health - how eating organic and healthy is important specifically to this area of our our health b/c our breast are estrogen sensitive and are susceptible to the chemically estrogen-like toxins that are found in the environment and in processed foods and genetically engineered foods.


• The benefits of Coconut oil - this is a saturated fat and is best for our bodies digestion. No matter what - using cold-pressed, unrefined, extra virgin and/or raw oil is best. Visit http://www.gethealthywithcarol.com/ to find out Carol Ann Wasserman's (a certified holistic health practitioner) cooking tips with coconut oil.

Our very own Britony will be putting together another useful letter for this years group as she did for last years group (http://www.togetherin2009.blogspot.com/) She said that she has tons of new tips and better advice now than she did then! Yay!

The information below are a list of links that Ricki found. . . .Sunscreen - which are bad for you and which are good? Also all other make-up and product safety standards that are listed on this link - they may make us look great on the outside but what are they doing to us on the inside?

www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/Beach-Sunscreens

Here are some of the links from the school garden tour day as well! Master gardeners, for getting real serious and real busy!www.cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/general/hort.htm

Granny's garden school, curriculum for schools! www.grannysgardenschool.com/

Phoenix permaculture guilde. Ricki became a member and this and this is how she knows about the classes that are coming up this weekend. Everyone should sign up and be in the know of the activities happening regularly. :)

www.phoenixpermaculture.org/

Civil eats blog. www.civileats.com

Edible schoolyard. An example of the real and awesome actions.

www.edibleschoolyard.org/

Farm to table - www.farmtotablenm.org/

(Thanks for gatheing those links Ricki)

Girls- look through teh links and for now, there are 2 gardening classes that we will be attending this weekend for those that would like to join:

One on Saturday . . .

www.phoenixpermaculture.org/events/herbs-for-the-desert-with-maya-1

One on Sunday . . . . this is about how to build a mulch-layered garden.

www.phoenixpermaculture.org/events/building-a-mulch-layered

FANTASTIC WORK GALS! xo

Is my 4 week old Zucchini too big for this pot? ;)

BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING FOR US! haha

I pick up these Developing Healthy Habits Newsletters from a health store where I buy my shakes - we are reading through them and taking the highlights back to the group. In one of them, Fundamentals for Breast Health, it stated that mankind has introduced numerous xenestrogens (external estrogen-like chemicals) into the world at large, the food supply and even medicines. Breast tissue is very estrogen sensitive leading to externally altered hormone states. Many pesticides fit this bill, which is just one of many reasons that eating organic is so important!

Ricki shared some pictures and thoughts from the food tour this past Saturday - it is great to be living in an area where fwd thinking and pro-activity is taking place. Thanks Ricki for getting involved this past weekend to learn and share.

We took a little while to discuss the intricate details of starting a community garden. Talked about things within the following topics:

• Policies
• Garden Needs
• Site Selection
• Insurance
• Water - Sisterning.
• Grants & Funding
• Containers
• Greenhouses
• Community involvement
• Composting
• Fencing
• Volunteering

I encourage you to go back to my first blog post of 2010 and click and review all the links from the American Community Garden Association.

It was great to hear that our actions are causing and creating positive reactions from our families - Anna's family has a massive composting bin and two greenhouses on the way! Way to go Jones!

Christina brought some great info in:

Nutrition Works - Health store that sells natural things that help the body run healthy! 1-888-451-0001 They ship anywhere . .

Local farmer - John Milton - teaches farming and community gardening locally. His has a local farm and local company called Udder Delights. 480.507.3859. They have a diary farm, Superstition Farm, and all their products supply the store where you can get fresh, local, delicious sweets! Check out their farm and their store!

Tonight was great - We are growing! :)

ReGROUP - ReCAP - ReSKYPE

WHERE ARE WE WITH OUR GARDENS? WHERE ARE WITH OUR COMPOSTING?

WHERE ARE WE WITH OUR VIDEOS? WHERE ARE WE WITH OUR SHOPPING

& DAILY HABITS? AND, WHERE ARE WE WITH OUR READING & RESEARCH?!!!

Welcome back & ReCAP!

Tonight we recapped where we were individually with Growing in 2010.

Who's growing what?:

Anna- Strawberries & Tomatoes (sweet100)

Bitsy- Butternut SquashBritony- Peach, Orange, Lime & Plum trees

Christina B.- Spinach

Christina D.- Peppers & Herbs

Jackie- Strawberries, Sweet Basil, Chives & Cilantro

Kelly- Tomatoes & Cilantro

Kerry- Herbs(Dill,Mint,Oregano), Leeks
Maggie- Herbs

Marissa- Squash

Michelle J.- Tomatoes & Peas

Michelle N.- Cucumbers

Ricki- Arugula & Garlic

Shauna- Garlic, Cilantro, Basil & Mint

Even though we are supporting our local and organic farmers weekly, our very own Kristin (who is skyping in from WI) volunteered to put together a cheat sheet for us to use when shopping in the super markets.

We are committed to learning what companies we want to support and which we DO NOT want to support.

I've updated last week's blog with more contact info to hunt through, read & research. Don't forget to post your comments, updates, findings and recommendations on this blog for others to see!

There will be no meeting next Wednesday because we are meeting the following Saturday, April 10th, to do the School Garden Tour. 12 Valley schools are opening up their gardens.

Our girlie Ricki Weiner will be the contact for this "field trip". She can be reached at ricki.weiner@gmail.com & she will be calling each member of Growing in 2010 individually to plan and organize for that event.

You can find more information regarding this event at http://www.slowfoodphoenix.org/ or by adding Slow Food USA & Slow Food Phoenix to your facebook.

Watch ME Grow!!!!

LIL
GREEN
MACHINE








Yes! This is what happens when we are involved! Don't be jealous! :)

Tonight was full of LOVE! Love this group and love watching it grow! We spent the first part of the night talking about the film FOODINC. and how we felt about it and how it made us feel when watching it! We took a little time to review some facts we took away from seeing it and also discussed the businesses and people that were part of it. We are still "digesting" it and researching it's avenues, but the discussion was a great start.

***GOOD***

• Polyface Farms- Obviously, they do not ship anywhere! Virginia - Joel & Teresa Salatin - owners. #504-887-8194. Their mission: To develop emotionally, economically, environmentally enhancing agricultural enterprises and facilitate their duplication throughout the world. They do tours and seminars.
• Natural Products Expo- Education & Events . . .Trade show. #866-458-4935 & 303-390-1776. http://www.expowest.com/. They are affiliated with New Hope natural media. http://www.newhope.com/ . It is 30 years old this year.
• Stonyfield Farm- Healthy Food-Healthy People-Healthy Planet-"The Future is Green". Gary Hirshberg is the CEO and founder - this company started off small and organic. Online videos on their site of how their dairy products are made. #1-800-PRO-COWS - New Hampshire.
• Lilac Ridge Farms- Stonyfield's supplier. Sheep & goat farm. Wisconsin.
  

***BAD***

• Smithfield-slaughterhouse-Tar Heel North Carolina. Click here and choose for yourself.
• Tyson Meats, formerly IBP (Iowa Beef Processors, Inc.) The butchering industries have really lost their standards and ethics here! Wikipedia reference here but still still need to watch FOODINC., Fast Food Nation, and other docs to understand their lack of ethics and humanity.
• Monsanto-St. Louis Missouri-They invented "round up" & "seed saving" as to paton their own soybean & they have "genetically modified crops".

***Contacts from movie***

• Troy Roush-VP of America's Corn Growers Association.
• Moe Parr-Seed Cleaner from Indiana.

Our very own Christina DeCarlo said it best, "The articles are exhaustive on how they are poisoning our food supply.Very eye-opening. Happy reading!"

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm

http://www.ethicalinvesting.com/monsanto/

Here is how we can take immediate action!

• BUY LOCALLY AND ORGANICALLY!!!
• Ask a food company to go GE free!
• Email a politician.
• Talk to local media.
• Shop RESPONSIBLY!

Edible Communities Site READ READ READ & READ!

After that, we went downstairs from my condo to look at the supplies I bought for my "container" / "balcony" gardening that I will be doing and also looked at my outside composting spot. I took about 15 minutes to do a mini-lecture on gardening - honestly, I just parroted all that I learned from this awesome guy named Kris at the Lowe's on Hayden & McDowell. Go there - tell him you are part of our group - he is great and very helpful and extremely knowledgeable! In short, it's easy! Just getting into it & with it is the most challenging . . . one reminder from Kris - don't forget even missing one day of watering in AZ!!

Little side note: Our very own Jami Thompson has stimulated and is organizing efforts to grow a "Corporate garden at work" at Kahala Corp. in AZ! Way to go Jami - this is huge and very inspiring! Also - our very own Anna Jones is working to make P.E. at the office an option and a priority in corporate America! Inquire here!!!

As an added bonus, we had one of my favorite people & dearest friends, Kristin Hannah Skype in from Lake Geneva Wisconsin!!! She will definitely be a HUGE contribution to this group - I can't wait to see this group continue to "GROW"! xo

So - moving on!!! See ya next week! ;)

Educational!!!

This was an extremely educational film! Not at all what we expected, but very insightful in terms of looking behind the scenes when you decided to make land your garden!


At first I thought I would mention all the details and facts of this film in chronological order, but that would take away from the power of watching it.


The story of THE GARDEN reminds us to pay attention to the history of the land we chose and also to the people in our community, District and City Council that have pull and power over the way the land is used and steered. Mainly this film tells us just that - to pay attention.


It is really fun to be taking a little time everyday and every week to learn about the topic of gardening and the heart beat that comes with it!

I AM GOING TO DREAM OF COMPOST TONIGHT!

Somewhere between our brains and reality is the act of composting!

We conquered two things!!

First: Pick a veggie or fruit that you want to make yours!

We looked through the native produce of AZ and each of us picked something that we wanted to plant and grow - mine . . . garlic and zucchini blossoms!

Second: We had a lesson on composting!

Holy mother, this is not going to be easy! Trying to learn all the angles of being a gardener . . . incorporate it into our already set ways . . . and make these new steps parts of our regular daily schedule!??!! It's taking effort, but the VISION is there. We definitely see the bigger picture so we're doing what it takes, one little step at a time! We're going to get a bunch of little diamonds from this rough. :)

Last year, I met Taylor Storey, a garden and landscape coach. He has a great blog called The Desert Garden. He taught me that composting provides you with fertilizer and organic material that improves the structure of your soil.

Composting is made up of 4 ingredients:

1) CARBON: TP cardboard rolls, wood chips, dried leaves, straw, shredded paper, twigs, sticks, hay, coffee filters.

2) NITROGEN: kitchen fruit and vegetable waste, egg shells, coffee grounds. (NO meat, dairy, or fish products...and no eggs themselves) Lawn clippings (from the mowed grass etc.)

3) AIR: You need to turn your compost weekly.

4) WATER: You need to water your compost, and it should feel like a squeezed damp sponge.

In our modern day lives, this is still an option that we can make work. By contacting the City of Phoenix at the Durango Dump (their contact information can be found via the waste management website) we can purchase a reusable trash tub that they put many holes in the bottom of and can be used for composting...I think for as little as $5. The smaller containers for daily use with lids for your kitchen can be found at Target online or at Smith and Hawken stores for a little more pricey. William Sonoma is carrying them as well!

Our friend Anna's boyfriend may be helping us make little containers for compost so we can contain and turn it properly . . . this will be useful for the girls that have smaller areas and are just trying to learn how to compost but may not be getting the bigger tubs or bins!

I will be staking out a small area by the pool at my condo to make my garden, and another area near my concrete wall for my composting - this is going to be interesting!

**On a side note . . .Our frind Jami found this site for people who are limited on "space" and want a "container garden".

And our friend Maggie reminded to mention the organization Bountiful Baskets . . .this is a co-op set-up through local farmers . . . they put together bountiful baskets of veggies and fruits that are seasonal, and for anywhere from $15-$25 you can simply and quickly swing by a location that is close to you and grab a pre-made basket . . this makes it convenient if you are not able to take the time or get the time to go to the farmers market - they make it easy and affordable for you to support the local growers, eat healthy, and be quick!

Getting Dirty! ;)

"Hungry for a Change!"

Up and running!

This year we are going to learn and understand where our food comes from!

We are going to become proactive in the pioneering of having, growing and eating fresh fruits and veggies - locally, organically . . .even from our own households. We are going to learn locally, nationally and globally about our food sources, and together, lead by example in the choices and decisions we make and the actions we take when it comes to purchasing and eating our food!

School Gardens, and Community Gardens will be our true focus!

There is a vision - AND WE SEE IT - to have healthy foods in our schools and fresh resources in our communities! By next year this time we will have done the research and gotten the education that it takes to make major changes and immense growth in this arena! We will start here - with ourselves - and we will support one another in this beautiful journey!

There is a lot to learn and we are utilizing the systems that are already in place- 1( 877)ask- agca http://www.communitygarden.org/ is phenomenal (Bill Maynard - VP - (916)508-6026, sacga@ulink.net) - their motto, "A growing National Movement."

Looking into amazing examples of community gardens at work. such as Atlanta Urban Gardening Program (Bobby Wilson - bobbyw@uga.edu - (407)762-4087 - http://www.fultoncounty.ga.gov/ ) and many more!

There is a local school garden tour put on by Slow Food Phoenix, and Teal Hotchkiss - April 10th - http://schoolgardentour.eventbrite.com/ - we plan on attending!

Three videos on the Horizon for our group:

1) Food Inc. "Hungry for a Change." Documentary that discusses issues on finding local organic foods, diabetes and obesity, factory farming, pesticides, environmental impacts, global food crises, foodborne illnesses, nutritional labels, farm worker protection and labeling. This documentary exposes America's industrialized food system and its effect on our environment, health, and economy. http://www.foodincmovie.com/ This will help to learn about these issues - the site shows you how you can take action through the Hungry for a Change Cafeteria and also gives steps for making positive changes in your eating habits! You can also learn more about this through http://www.takepart.com/ .

2) Nourishing the Kids of Katrina, the edible schoolyard - This has won many accolades and awards and is a documentary of renowned chef Alice Waters Berkeley contributions to the rebirth of New Orleans poor black Green Charter School after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. http://www.nourishingthekids.com/ .

3) The Garden, a film by Scott Hamilton Kennedy. This film has earned awards from LA to FL - "From the ashes of the LA riots arose a 14 acre community garden, the largest of its kind in the United States. Now bulldozers threaten its future. If everyone told you to give up, would you?" http://www.thegardenmovie.com/ .

You can go to www.localfoods.about.com/od/searchbyregion/a/arizonaseasons.htm to see what fruits and veggies are native of Arizona and when they are grown! Each of us will be growing some produce this year so we can get our fingers dirty, learn the basics together, and contribute to one another!

We will actively be supporting out local farmer's markets. http://www.arizonafarmersmarkets.com/ Not all are on the site so if you know of any that are missing please comment below!

Click the links - watch the first movie - see ya next week! I am excited!!!