Baby Carrots....I had to add this.

Baby Carrots:

The following is information from a farmer who grows and packages carrots for IGA , METRO, LOBLAWS, etc.

The small cocktail (baby) carrots you buy in small plastic bags are made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots which are put through a machine which cuts and shapes them into cocktail carrots - most people probably know this already.

What you may not know and should know is the following:

 Once the carrots are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots they are dipped in a solution of water and chlorine in order to preserve them (this is the same chlorine used in your pool).

Since they do not have their skin or natural protective covering, they give them a higher dose of chlorine.

 You will notice that once you keep these carrots in your refrigerator for a few days, a white covering will form on the carrots. This is the chlorine which resurfaces. At what cost do we put our health at risk to have esthetically pleasing vegetables?

Chlorine is a very well-known carcinogen, which causes Cancer. I thought this was worth passing on. Pass it on to as many people as possible in hopes of informing them where these carrots come from and how they are processed.

I always thought that they tasted odd to me.  I love carrots, so no one ever understood why I never liked the baby carrots.

Organic Lawn Care pt 2

To Do List: Fall or Early Spring

The easiest way to start the move towards organic lawn care is to make sure your lawn is really healthy. All of the regular seasonal lawn maintenance chores are therefore excellent ways to go. Those chores are summarized here.

Remove Thatch  Thatch is that layer of stems, roots and dead organic matter you can see when you part grass stems. A thick layer of thatch suggests overuse of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, since these tend to kill off the micro-organisms that help organic matter to decompose.

 Thatch only becomes a real problem when the layer is thicker than a half inch, at which point it can become a breeding ground for insects and for various fungi, and a barrier in the way of water absorption. If you scroll through a page on fighting lawn problems, again and again you will see advice to remove excess thatch.

 Clippings often get blamed for thatch, and people rake clippings because they don't want to contribute to thatch build-up, but this is a false problem with a non-solution. Clippings only contribute to thatch if they are excessively long or if the thatch layer is so deep that it keeps clippings from decomposing.

 Even a thin layer of thatch should be broken up or removed every couple of years, to prevent it from building up past that point. For everyday thatch of less than half an inch in depth, use a garden rake or a tool designed for removing the matted material. Top-dressing (adding a thin layer of something on top, rather than digging it in) with soil or compost can also be helpful, as both these materials contain microorganisms that will help the thatch to decay. For regular seasonal maintenance, these are all that should be necessary, and on many lawns they may only be necessary once a year or even less. Just check the thatch level each spring and fall.

 For more serious thatch buildup, you may need to rent a vertical mower, a specialized machine that works vertically to break up and remove buildup.

 Unfortunately, a vertical mower can be so hard on the rest of your lawn that you'll often need to reseed after using one. Anything that hard on the lawn should only be used in spring or fall, when grass recovers more quickly than it can in the heat and stress of summer. Spring and fall are also the best times for overseeding, of course.

An alternative approach is to remove as much thatch as you can manually, then aerate like crazy and top-dress generously with compost. Aerating breaks up some of the thatch, while compost adds micro-organisms that help decompose what's left. If you do this in spring and fall, you may well be able to bring even a thick layer of thatch under control without resorting to a vertical mower.

Aerate  Aerating removes plugs of soil, which helps reduce soil compaction, one of the most frequent problems of older North American lawns. It also opens the soil to fertilizer, amendments, and seeds, so it is an excellent preparation for other seasonal care.

 You can buy a home lawn aerator tool, rent a bigger, mechanized version, or hire out the job. It's important to cover the lawn several times in more than one direction, so that it gets thoroughly and evenly aerated.

Amend Soil  Soil amendments actually improve the soil's ability to supply nutrients, water, and air to plant roots. The movement or availability of these three essentials can be inhibited by compaction, high clay or sand content, and high or low pH. All of these are soil conditions independent of nutritional content, but they have a direct bearing on whether nutrients can be taken up by a plant.

 Many amendments do supply nutrients, but their primary purpose is to improve soil texture and structure.

 Spring and fall are the ideal times to apply soil amendments, but lighter doses can be put on even in mid-summer. Before you start adding lime or sulfur, however, test your soil pH (or have it done) so you're sure to be adding the right thing.

 Here's a quick and dirty overview of amendments. The knock-down drag-out version is under our Guide to a Healthy Lawn.

Compost: If you're not sure what your problem is, add compost. For that matter, even if you are sure, add compost. Compost is the miracle amendment, for it improves all soils. It helps balance pH, making acidic soils more alkaline and alkaline ones more acidic. It improves soil retention in sandy soils and drainage in clay soils. Used regularly, it helps reduce compaction. It contains micro-organisms which help organic matter decay, keeping thatch under control and ensuring that clippings will in fact disappear, and not lie around in an unsightly fashion.

For Sandy Soils: Organic additions work best to improve drainage and relieve compaction in sandy soils, because organic matter derived from plants and animals holds many times its own weight in water. Compost adds much more than organic matter, being rich in nutrients and micro-organisms, but for sheer unadulterated water retention, peat and sphagnum moss or coconut fiber cannot be beat. Mature, composted manures -- not fresh manure! -- are also excellent.

For Clay Soils: Surprisingly, everything said about sandy soils goes for heavy clay soils as well: organic additions will make the greatest difference. Sand and gypsum are frequently suggested as amendments for clay soils, but many experts question their effectiveness, and they need to be used carefully. (For more on these debates, see Soil Amendments on this site.) With products derived from plants and animals, you cannot go wrong.

To Raise pH (make acidic soils more alkaline): Add lime, which is available in a number of forms. For lime to be effective, two requirements must be met: it must be dampened; and it must be in direct contact with the soil. The necessary chemical reactions cannot take place without water, and because lime is not especially water-soluble, it will not be carried by water into the soil.

Pelletized lime is the easiest to handle and to apply, but not the cheapest, as it is a refinement of one of the simplest mined forms. Those forms are calcitic lime, which will also add calcium, and dolomitic lime, which will provide both calcium and magnesium. Both are sold as very fine powders, like all lime save the pelletized.

 Other forms of lime -- marl, hydrated lime (slaked lime) and burned lime (quick lime) are not good options for lawns: the first contains various impurities, while the others are so highly concentrated that they can be dangerous to handle and will burn established lawns.

To lower pH (make alkaline soils more acidic) Add sulfur, which, like lime, comes in several forms. For ground rock sulfur, add 1.2 ounces per square yard to sandy soils, and 3.6 ounces per square yard for any other soil.

 A number of organic (plant-derived) products will also lower pH, among them peat moss, organic cottonseed meal, and even animal manures, but none of these works as effectively as sulfur.

Fertilize  Spring and fall are the ideal times for fertilizing, especially in the north. Summer fertilizing is less of an issue in the south, where warm-season grasses that continue growing all summer are the norm, but in the north, most lawns have cool season grasses that go dormant during hot weather. Over-stimulating them during this phase just leads to problems, so go lightly.

 For quick results, use fish emulsion, a quick-release, organic, nitrogen-rich fertilizer that can be sprayed or sprinkled. DON'T APPLY FERTILIZER AT MID DAY, and DON'T USE MORE THAN IS RECOMMENDED, especially in hot, sunny weather; that "cure" will definitely be worse than the disease, as nitrogen + sun = burned grass. Quick-release fertilizers don't last long, so give your grass another dose a couple of weeks later.

 For summer-long results, use a slow-release fertilizer such as organic cottonseed meal, corn gluten or blood meal in autumn and again the following spring (see Organic vs. Synthetic Fertilizers).

 WARNING: Don't use corn meal within several months of reseeding your grass, as it also kills seeds.

Overseed  This term refers to seeding over an existing lawn. It's a great way either to fill in bare spots or to gradually change your grass type.

 If you've got a standard-issue lawn, chances are the grass itself is not one best-suited to the region where you live, which makes all lawn care a challenge, organic or not. Overseeding lets you add a better-suited grass to your lawn without requiring that you start over from scratch.

Preparation

Mow your grass as short as your mower will let you. This will give the seeds better access to the soil below and more light once they sprout. It will also stress the old grass a bit, giving the new type a fighting chance to establish itself.

Remove thatch if you've got a thick layer. For seeds to take root in soil, they must touch it. A thick layer of thatch can be a major obstacle to successful overseeding, so if you've got one, you're going to need to get rid of it.

Aerate to improve soil structure and to give seeds a better chance of rooting in soil.

 Often, a brisk raking will loosen thatch and soil sufficiently. This may be all you need to do after mowing.

Seeding

 A number of different sources recommend seeding much more thickly (up to one and a-half times as thickly) as recommended for whatever seed you're using. This is particularly good advice if you're trying to replace one type of grass with another. The undesired grass already has a serious head start, and over-seeding (seeding too much) can help to correct that discrepancy. Using a slice-seeder will ensure that seed is deposited into soil at the correct rate.

Follow-Up

 For best results, topdress by sprinkling compost, topsoil, peat moss or coconut fiber over the newly seeded lawn, then water until the soil surface is dampened everywhere. The soil amendments will give the seeds a boost, and will help retain water over and around the seeds.

 If you don't topdress, rake the ground lightly to bring seeds into better contact with soil, then water.

Care

 Keep the soil surface damp while seeds are germinating and while seedlings are young and new. This probably means twice-daily watering on days without rain.

Organic Lawn Care Pt 1

Going full-bore organic isn't your only choice if you want to avoid exposing yourself, your pets, your family, and the environment to toxic chemicals. Anyone interested in organic lawn care but leery for any reason -- what if it doesn't work, what if I get in over my head, anything -- should also know about Integrated Pest Management. IPM, a well-recognized and growing approach to lawns, gardening, and agriculture, is like organic gardening with a loophole: you do everything to establish a healthy crop on healthy soil using earth-friendly methods, but if you hit a problem you can't solve, you take recourse to chemicals. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides therefore become the last resort, rather than the first. You may still use them from time to time, but you'll use them far less often and only after trying other methods.

 This site doesn't describe IPM in detail, but if you follow the program for organic lawn care and use chemicals only after trying organic methods, you'll be in the ball park. IPM methods are extensively described on various web sites, including that at UC Davis, one of the foremost agricultural universities in the U.S. Purdue University has a program developed specifically for schools and day-care centers.

To Do List: Good Any Time

Switch to an Organic Fertilizer  This is one of the easiest things you can do, especially if you're not using a lawn service. There are numerous organic options, including pellets or powders that can be applied with a spreader in the same way that most commercial fertilizers are usually spread. See Fertilizing for details.

Set your Mower Height High  Set your cutting height to 2.5 to 3 inches, and cut long. The longer grass will shade out more weeds than will short grass, it will protect the dirt from evaporation, and it will grow more slowly than short grass. Longer lawns therefore need fewer pesticides, less water, and less frequent mowing than short lawns.

Let Grass Clippings Lie  Do not rake up the grass cuttings after you mow. The cuttings help shade out weeds in spring, help slow evaporation (promoting water conservation) in summer, and provide important organic material for your soil all season.

 This practice works best if you mow frequently, so that the clippings are relatively short. Long clippings may lie about on the grass like a bunch of hay, looking unsightly and doing little to enrich the soil. Shorter clippings will sift down between grass blades more easily than long ones, gracefully removing themselves from sight and beginning to decompose relatively quickly. They thus satisfy both aesthetic and environmental standards.

 NOTE: If you've been giving your lawn heavy doses of chemical fertilizer, you may not want to make this your first step into organic territory. Too much synthetic fertilizer can kill soil microorganisms, thus damaging the soil's ability to break down organic matter, so those grass clippings could hang around much longer than you want them to. If you're in any doubt, switch to an organic fertilizer first, and then let the clippings lie.

Sharpen Mower Blades  Fungi, viruses, and pests all flourish in unhealthy grass, and many such pathogens enter grass blades through damaged spots. Dull mower blades mangle grass, leaving it bruised and torn. The open spots make the grass vulnerable to disease and other problems, and the mangling makes it less healthy overall.

 Sharp mower blades cut grass cleanly, avoiding bruises and leaving only a minimal cut open to bacteria. Your grass will therefore be healthier and will need less by way of pesticides and fertilizer. Click on how to sharpen lawn mower blades, and your grass blades will benefit.

Water Early in the Morning  Plants cannot make efficient use of water in the heat of the day, because their pores close to minimize transpiration, the loss of water from their leaves. In dry climates or dry conditions, up to 50% of sprinkler water can evaporate. For both these reasons, it is best to water in the morning before the day heats up. Your water bill will be lower, since less water will be wasted, and your grass will benefit, since it will receive water at the optimal time of day.

Water Deep -- NOT Often  Plants will work only as hard as they need to; roots will grow only as deep as they must. Frequent lawn watering, even if it's deep, encourages grass roots to stay shallow, which in turn means that they cannot reach deeper water during drought conditions. Less frequent watering forces roots to grow deep in order to reach deeper water.

 The problem with infrequent watering is that dry soil (like a dry sponge) does not absorb liquid readily. Instead, the water tends to run off the surface or percolate down cracks to deeper levels without soaking into the topsoil.

 The solution is to water twice, once briefly, and then again more thoroughly after an hour's delay. Ideally, the first watering would deposit no more than a half inch of water, while the second would deposit a full inch. The overall goal is to saturate the earth to a depth of six to nine inches.

 The first, brief watering gives the surface a chance to expand and absorb the water, so that the next, more lengthy watering will actually soak into the soil, saturating it evenly rather than just running off or trickling through it via a few routes to depths below those where grass can reach it.

Top dress with Compost  To top dress is to sprinkle fertilizer or a soil amendment on top of the soil rather than to dig it in. Summer top-dressing should be light -- a quarter of an inch at a time -- but this will improve the soil in a number of ways. Organic care depends on good soil, so topdressing helps ensure that your soil is able to sustain a thick growth of healthy grass.

Roundup?

A recent study by eminent oncologists Dr. Lennart Hardell and Dr. Mikael Eriksson of Sweden, has revealed clear links between one of the world's biggest selling herbicide, glyphosate, to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer.

 In the study published in the 15 March 1999 Journal of American Cancer Society, the researchers also maintain that exposure to glyphosate 'yielded increased risks for NHL.' They stress that with the rapidly increasing use of glyphosate since the time the study was carried out, 'glyphosate deserves further epidemiologic studies.'

 Glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, is the world's most widely used herbicide. It is estimated that for 1998, over a 112,000 ton of glyphosate was used world-wide. It indiscriminately kills off a wide variety of weeds after application and is primarily used to control annual and perennial plants.

 71% of genetically engineered crops planted in 1998 are designed to be resistant to herbicides such as glyphosate, marketed by Monsanto as Roundup. Companies developing herbicide resistant crops are also increasing their production capacity for the herbicides such as glyphosate, and also requesting permits for higher residues of these chemicals in genetically engineered food. For example, Monsanto have already received permits for a threefold increase in herbicide residues on genetically engineered soybeans in Europe and the U.S., up from 6 parts per million (PPM) to 20 PPM.

 According to Sadhbh O' Neill of Genetic Concern, 'this study reinforces concerns by environmentalists and health professionals that far from reducing herbicide use, glyphosate resistant crops may result in increased residues to which we as consumers will be exposed in our food.

 'Increased residues of glyphosate and its metabolites are already on sale via genetically engineered soya, common in processed foods. However no studies of the effects of GE soya sprayed with Roundup on health have been carried out either on animals or humans to date,' she continued.

 The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics from 1997 show that expanded plantings of Roundup Ready soybeans (i.e. soybeans genetically engineered to be tolerant to the herbicide) resulted in a 72% increase in the use of glyphosate. According to the Pesticides Action

 Network, scientists estimate that plants genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant will actually triple the amount of herbicides used. Farmers, knowing that their crop can tolerate or resist being killed off  by the herbicides, will tend to use them more liberally.

 O' Neill concluded: 'The EPA when authorising Monsanto's field trials for Roundup-ready sugar beet did not consider the issue of glyphosate. They considered this to be the remit of the Pesticides Control Service of the Department of Agriculture. Thus nobody has included the effects of increasing the use of glyphosate in the risk/benefit analysis carried out.

 It is yet another example of how regulatory authorities supposedly protecting public health have failed to implement the 'precautionary principle' with respect to GMOs.

Monsanto Bill?

I responded to a link on facebook about calling your state Representative and the President to put a stop to this protection of a most evil company from getting to do whatever they want.  They will have free will to grow any plant any way they want by any means and nothing can be done.  This is a negative turn for people's health and well being.  Farmers will suffer because Monsanto owns and controls much of the seeds for industrial farming.  This is just a mess.  It shows how money will let you do anything you want as long as you are paying the right person.

This article was written by Jill Ettinger.

Monsanto and the biotech industry received good news this week when Congress approved a resolution bill, which included a provision nicknamed the “Monsanto Protection Act.”
The six-month resolution grants manufacturers of genetically modified seeds the approval to plant genetically modified seeds if they haven’t been approved by a court of law. NPR reports the provision “was slipped into the legislation anonymously.”
According to Sustainable Food News, the Senate was not allowed to consider two amendments offered by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), an organic farmer, that would have “removed policy riders that favored the largest seed companies and the largest meatpackers. Tester observed that these policy riders were worth millions of dollars to these companies.”

 Food Democracy Now! said on its website that the decision “strips judges of their constitutional mandate to protect consumer and farmer rights and the environment, while opening up the floodgates for the planting of new untested genetically engineered crops, endangering farmers, citizens and the environment.”

“On the face of it, that sounds pretty bad,” reports NPR. “And when environmental and organic farming groups got wind of it earlier this month, they mounted a campaign urging voters to call and email their senators and voice their outrage over the provision, which they denounced as a “giveaway to genetically engineered seed companies” and even an act of “fascism.”"

But, exceptions have been made for the biotech industry in the past as was the case with Monsanto’s GMO sugar beets, which did not receive official deregulation until last year, but were allowed to be planted in mass scale anyway. By the time official deregulation occurred, more than 95 percent of the sugar beets grown in the U.S. were already genetically modified.

Health Benefits of Oolong Tea

Health benefits of oolong tea include reducing chronic bodily conditions such as heart diseases, inflammatory disorders, providing vital antioxidants, reducing high cholesterol levels, promoting superior bone structure, robust skin and good dental health. The oolong tea is fragrant with a fruity flavor and tasty aroma. It is considerably low in caffeine and extremely relaxing to drink.

Health benefits of oolong tea are doubled because of combined qualities of black tea and green tea. According to Tea Association of USA, oolong tea falls between green and black teas, as its leaves are only partially oxidized. There are numerous kinds of tea in this world; oolong tea being one among them. The origin of oolong tea dates back to almost 400 years in the history of China. It is a semi-green fermented tea. But, the fermentation process is halted as soon as the tea leaves start to change their color.

Nutritional Value
 Tea is a nature’s gift that is rich in anti-oxidants. It also contains vital minerals and vitamins such as calcium, manganese, copper, carotin, selenium, and potassium, Vitamin A, B, C, E and K. in addition to folic acids, niacin amide and other detoxifying alkaloids. Developed in semi-fermented processing, the oolong tea is rich in numerous polyphenolic compounds, adding value health benefits of oolong tea.
Benefits -  The various health related benefits of oolong tea are as follows:

Controls Obesity
 The polyphenol compound found in oolong tea is very effective in controlling the fat metabolism of the body. It activates certain enzymes and thus enhances the functions of the fat cells in human body. Daily consumption of oolong tea can reduce obesity.

Removal of Harmful Free Radicals
 The polyphenolic compound is also responsible for removal of free radicals in our body, thus saving us from potential harm that these free moving cells may pose to the human body.

Treatment of Skin Disorders
 According to scientific experiments, patients diagnosed with eczema skin disorder can benefit from drinking 3 cups of oolong tea 3 times in a day. The beneficial results of oolong tea could be seen in less than a week with these patients showing remarkable skin improvement.

Promoting Good Bone Structure

 The antioxidants present in oolong tea protect the tooth against decay, strengthens the bone structure and boosts normal healthy growth of human body.

Treatment of Diabetes

 Oolong tea is used as an herbal brew for treating type 2 diabetic disorders and as an appendage to other supplementary drugs for treating the disease.

Protection against Cancer

 It is well-known fact that tea drinkers have lower risk of acquiring skin cancer. Moreover, oolong tea compound polyphenol promotes apoptosis in stomach related cancerous growth. This polyphenol extract also acts a chemo-preventive instrument against development of other cancerous forms.

Stress Buster In a detailed study conducted at the Osaka Institute for Health Care Science, in Japan, the experimental mice that were ingested with oolong tea showed a remarkable improvement in stress levels by more than 10 to 18 %. The natural polyphenols in the oolong tea is said to be the main stress buster.

Benefits of White Tea

White Tea Antioxidants

Antioxidants are nutrients that protect the body from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are nasty things that go around wreaking havoc on your body, damaging DNA and accelerating aging. Antioxidants scoop them up and neutralize them. White tea is loaded with these protective nutrients.

Cancer Prevention

White tea may have profound power against cancer-causing cells and against many different types of cancer, such as colon, prostate, and stomach cancers. Flavonoids, a class of antioxidants, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent the development of new ones. In some cases, white tea has been found to work as well as prescription drugs, but without the side effects.

Lower Blood Pressure

Studies show that white tea can thin the blood and improve artery function. It helps lower high blood pressure and maintain a healthy one. By promoting strong and healthy blood vessels, white tea guards against the ravages of stroke.

Lower Cholesterol

Catechins, another group of antioxidants, have been found to reduce cholesterol, and white tea is teeming with them. Cholesterol is a special type of fat and is necessary for health. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and white tea increases the good while decreasing the bad. This helps prevent hardening of the arteries and blockage of blood flow.

Heart Protection

By thinning the blood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cholesterol, white tea protects the heart and the entire circulatory system. Researchers have also discovered that people who drink 2 or more cups of tea a day are almost 50% less likely to die after suffering a heart attack. White tea is truly a remarkable heart tonic.

Stronger Bones

Studies have found that people who drank tea regularly had greater bone density and strength than non-drinkers. White tea may also have beneficial effects for sufferers of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Antibacterial & Antiviral

White tea is a natural killer of bacteria and viruses. The antioxidants so abundant in white tea tone the entire immune system, providing protection against a variety of invaders and a wide range of diseases. Its helps guard against the common cold and flu, and can ease the symptoms of HIV.

Healthy Teeth and Gums

White tea contains small amounts of fluoride and other nutrients which keeps the teeth strong and healthy. It also kills the bacteria which causes plaque, tooth decay, and bad breath.

Healthy Skin

Free radicals from staying out in the sun too long, stress, and a poor diet can damage the skin and cause it to prematurely age. By scavenging these free radicals, white tea protects the skin and helps to reverse some of the damage. Drinking white tea promotes healthy and radiant skin.

Other Health Benefits

White tea has many other benefits to offer. It may reduce blood sugar and help prevent and alleviate the symptoms of diabetes. It reduces stress and increases energy.

White tea may or may not aid in weight-loss. Studies suggest tea may increase metabolism and encourage the body to burn more fat, but a balanced diet and regular exercise are more likely to produce results. Still, adding white tea to your weight-loss plan can't hurt.