Posts from — June 2008

This morning, I was up early and spent some time reading, praying and meditating and doing some chi kung and yoga. As I spent time doing these ancient movements, many ideas kept arising and coming to me passing through my mind as clouds pass through the sky. As I became more and more serene and the distance between ‘The Observer’ and the thoughts became very distinct I began to wonder as I have many times before “Where do these ideas and thoughts come from? and what are they anyway?” Visions, pictures, emotions tied to the different images kept coming, ranging from inspiration to fear, and many in between. I stayed conscious of my connection to the earth and the wonderful experience of ‘being breathed’ as I did these movements.

I was then inspired by a thought of doing a little mini research project on this phenomenon which I will discuss briefly in this blog post. This research led into some interesting places connected to Freud, Nietzsche, Emerson and even the Buddha.

One of the first things I like to do when I go on one of these explorations is study the dictionary definition and the roots of the English words because they often help me see more deeply into whatever it is I am interested in at the time.

‘Inspiration’ from the Merriam Webster dictionary is:

1 a: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions

‘Thought’ from the Merriam Webster dictionary is:

1 a: the action or process of thinking : cogitation b: serious consideration : regard carchaic : recollection, remembrance 2 a: reasoning power b: the power to imagine : conception 3: something that is thought: as a: an individual act or product of thinking b: a developed intention or plan c: something (as an opinion or belief) in the mind

Inspiro – is the latin for “To breathe upon.”

Tho – is as in ‘theo’ as in “from God”

If I was inspired before I was that much more interested in finding out more about this process and what some other people before me thought on the subject. The following are some quotes that I found on ‘Inspiration and Thought’.

“We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.”

- Frank Tibolt

“Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they are a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.”

- Johann Gottfried Von Herder

“There never was a great soul that did not have some divine inspiration.”

- Marcus T. Cicero

“Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

Ralph Waldo Emerson seemed to have the most insightful ones on ‘Thought’ I could find:

“The ancestor of every action is a thought.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We do not yet trust the unknown power of thoughts”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Some thoughts always find us young, and keep us so. Such a thought is the love of the universal and eternal beauty.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

and this gem from the Buddha:

“Let the wise guard their thoughts, which are difficult to perceive, extremely subtle, and wander at will. Thought which is well guarded is the bearer of happiness.”

- Buddha

After researching the definition, reading the roots of the words and reading different quotes I found on the subject, I realized how important it is for me to be grateful for these opportunities and experiences. I rarely feel like I have the time for such contemplation but as I type these words it is ever clear in my mind that without these experiences my life would be less, and I would have less to offer Life without them. Now I have a definite intention to aim at making more time and effort for the contemplation and exploration in my mind in relation to these and other such subjects.

I certainly was not expecting my research to come up with so many ‘divinely’ related pieces of information, it sure felt good to be so calm and unattached to the visions, thoughts and feelings as they passed by the ‘movie screen’ of my mind. However, in hindsight I am able to have a greater appreciation and reverence for this knowledge and experience.

It always amazes me that a little mental attention can go such a long and deep way into understanding anything that we shine the light of our attention and focus upon.

Go local- and ask questions-when shopping for sustainably grown food.

Written by: Suzanne J. Zoubeck
Everyone’s heard the phrase, “Good going!” It’s a sign of enthusiasm, appreciation, and encouragement in response to a positive action. How about adding, “Good growing!” to your phrasebook as a horticultural/agricultural verbal high five to those men and women who raise all sorts of wonderful things for our tables and homes, and to our friends and neighbors who practice good growing methods on their home turf?

If we’re celebrating good growers, does that mean there are bad growers? There’s always one bad apple in every basket (sorry about that), but the answer is “no” if you ask Joseph Gergela, executive director of the L.I. Farm Bureau. His job is to be an advocate of the farmer, so it’s not surprising that he makes a strong case for all farmers being good growers. According to Gergela, both conventional and organic farmers can be called sustainable. In fact, these days, homeowners do more harm to the environment than conventional farmers. In 2000, Audubon magazine reported that homeowners are putting 136 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns and gardens every year, and that’s three—count ’em—three times as much per acre as farmers. We homeowners have some catching up to do as far as sustainability goes.

Defining Sustainability
Sustainability is kind of an abstract concept. There’s no formal certification program for “sustainability” and therefore no defined rules and regulations for what makes something sustainable, so accountability is an issue. Scott Chaskey, of Quail Hill Farm, in Amagansett (a project of the Peconic Land Trust), who’s also board president of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of NY (NOFA-NY), gave me a simpler definition: Leave the land in better condition than when you first came upon it, and think about the next seven generations before acting.

How do you know who’s a good grower and not greenwashing what they say they’re doing? The only growing methods certified by independent third parties are Certified Organic and Certified Biodynamic. However, many excellent growers are not certified. Some farmers are staunch individualists and don’t want to be beholden to any organization no matter how good they are, and some don’t want to—or feel they can’t afford to—pay a certification agency to be labeled certified anything as there are significant fees associated with certification. There are so many things one can do—from conserving water to using renewable energy sources (fry oil in your tractor, anyone?)—things beyond what we hear about, such as using fewer or no pesticides, and not growing genetically modified crops. NOFA-NY has a program called The Farmer’s Pledge; while not a substitute for organic certification, it’s a personal commitment saying that the farmer will adhere to the ideas set forth in the pledge. When visiting farm stands and farmers’ markets, simply ask any grower what they do to be sustainable; if they have a website, check it out, or ask people who are familiar with the grower.

Integrated Pest Management
One sustainable method being used by many conventional farms is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The thumbnail definition is that growers use beneficial insects or other natural methods to control “bad” pests, and turn to pesticides and other “ides” as a last resort, not a first action. This is a very good thing. The fewer pesticides and less synthetic fertilizer used, the less petroleum is used to produce them, and the carbon footprint starts to shrink. The bad news is there’s no formal certification for IPM so anyone can say they’re doing it.

As a consumer, you have a right to know how things are being grown if you’re paying for them, so again, talk to the grower. When it comes to IPM, I think of Clarke McCombe, of Briermere Farms, in Riverhead. Briermere is famous for pies, but I love their fruit (though I really like the pies, too . . . especially peach cream in summer). Clarke is actively practicing IPM on the farm. How do I know? Over the past 10 years, we’ve had many short discussions about what they do at Briermere. This weekend, I bought a bag of their IPM Fuji apples that were delicious. So good, in fact, that I called the farm after eating the first one and thanked them for growing such great apples. Never resist the urge to thank a farmer.

Wholesome Dairy
There are a number of great growers who aren’t certified anything but are doing their best to do the right things. Another one of them is Ronnybrook Farm. Got milk? You should try theirs. The chocolate milk is soooo good, and I wait every year for their eggnog to surface around the fall/winter holidays. Plus, they come in returnable glass bottles. Very sustainable! Ronnybrook uses the term “all natural,” which again, isn’t certified, and on a certain level means nothing. However, I’ve taken the time to talk to the Ronnybrook gang at their Union Square greenmarket stall, and have found out they use no bovine growth hormones or pesticides, don’t use antibiotics unless the cow is sick, and then don’t use its milk until the antibiotics won’t be in the milk anymore. They also don’t use any additives or preservatives, and the cows are fed grass in the summer (which is what they’re supposed to eat) and corn and silage in the winter (a reasonable thing to do in New York and it’s also okay for the cows). They aren’t from Long Island, but are a New York dairy (a highly endangered species) and you can find their dairy products locally at stores such as Whole Foods and Wild by Nature, and other locations that you can find on their website (www.ronnybrook.com).

Honey can be produced sustainably, but you probably won’t see it certified organic here in the Northeast. An active member of the Long Island Beekeepers Club (LIBC), Jim Fischer has had bees in his life (yes, on purpose) for 20 years. He says it’s nearly impossible to have certified-organic honey because the bees won’t listen when you suggest they stay away from that non-organic managed or certified land. Bees have a flight range of three miles on average, with a one to two minimum, and seven to 10 miles for a really ramblin’ bee. That said, Hawaii and Canada have enough open space for organic certification to be an option. Plus, who knew? The USDA hasn’t settled on what the rules are for organic honey. Email the LIBC through their website (www.longislandbeekeepers.org), tell them with what town you’re in, and you’ll be hooked up with a local beekeeper who’ll be glad to sell you some of their own honey. That saves on food miles, which is a great thing as the average distance food has traveled to get to your plate per mouthful has increased over the past several years from 1,500 to 2,500 miles.

Mr. Fischer feels that a local beekeeper with even a few hives can make a nice side income and be a great source for the neighborhood getting good-quality local honey. If you’re interested in becoming a good grower yourself, you can attend LIBC meetings to learn about bees, consider becoming a novice beekeeper, or go full tilt boogie for the Master Beekeepers program. On June 15, they’re having a Drone Appreciation Day BBQ and will discuss the top 10 tips for Long Island beekeepers, and at July’s meeting, the topic is sex; Dr. Larry Connor, entomologist, will talk about his new book, Bee Sex Essentials (Wicwas Press, 2008).

Better Breeds
Many growers who raise animals for food don’t get certified organic. One of the reasons is that it’s sometimes difficult to obtain certified-organic feed. Does this mean they’re feeding them junk food? Nope! Does that mean they’re not good growers? Au contraire! A good example is Makinajian Farm, in Huntington, celebrating their 60th anniversary of good growing. I call them the “everything with wings” farm as they raise their own chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, and the eggs from some of these critters. They’re not certified organic, but are being raised with the hallmarks of organic growing methods… using no antibiotics, no hormones, raising the birds free-range, etc. Do I trust these people? You betcha! After many years of visiting them and buying their food (not only things with wings, but also vegetables, herbs, and berries from their six-and-a-half-acre certified-organic produce farm out back) and talking to Michael (farmer), Christina (farmstand), and Edward (farmer and patriarch) Makinajian, you get a sense of who these people are. And like most farmers, they’re smart, caring, hard-working people who want to do the best they possibly can for their customers, plants, animals, themselves (they live on the farm so they don’t want to pollute their home), and the environment.

Go Local
There are so many good growers right in our backyards. Support them by buying their food and goods. And, if you’re not already, join in and become a good grower, too, in your own yard or garden (remember, we have to catch up to become as least as sustainable as the farmers). The bottom line was stated best by farmer Bill Halsey, of Green Thumb Farm, who said, “If a farm ain’t economically sustainable, it doesn’t matter what growing method is used because there’ll be no farms left . . . conventional, organic, or any other kind.” This is coming from a longtime certified-organic farmer. Just like the well-known bumper sticker says: Think global, eat local!

Suzanne J. Zoubeck is a graduate of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County Master Gardener program and founder of Green Thumb CSA–Huntington. She has yet to meet a fruit or vegetable that she didn’t like.

Be a Good Friend of the Farmer

1. Ask questions but don’t be an inquisitor. You may feel passionate about these issues (as I do), but no one wants to feel defensive about what they spend a lot of blood, sweat, and tears doing. As the saying goes, you catch a whole lot more flies with honey than with vinegar, so please be polite.
2. Don’t ask everything on your first visit, and visit more than once: Farmers like talking to people who are interested in what they do, but it can be discouraging if they feel people are only there to grill them. Remember economic sustainability? While a one-time customer is surely appreciated, the hope is to build a customer base to help them keep farming for the long haul.
3. Be aware they may know more about what they do than you do: I’ve heard tales from farmers about folks coming up to them and, basically, telling them what to do. And these would be people who have little or no practical experience doing what the farmer has been doing for a very long time, or at least longer than the person making the suggestions. While you may have some good ideas, until you’ve formed some sort of friendly relationship with the farmer, they may be not only dismissive of your ideas, but resentful of them as well.
4. Watch the time: The farmer is there to be a farmer first, and a public relations and information officer second. They may be happy to talk to you but there’s always a ton of work to do on the farm, or other customers to attend to at the farmstand. So, please be mindful of their time.
5. Buy something: Farmers will be happier to talk to you if they see that you’re supporting what they do with more than words. Talk is cheap, and you’ll benefit by getting the freshest foods direct from the grower, helping to lower the carbon footprint of your purchase.

Contact information for who and what’s mentioned in this article, plus where to find local farm-fresh foods.

Who…

Briermere Farms
4414 Sound Avenue
Riverhead
(631) 722-3931
www.briermere.com

Green Thumb Farm
829 Montauk Highway
Water Mill
(631) 726-1900

Long Island Farm Bureau
104 Edwards Avenue
Calverton
(631) 727-3777
www.lifb.com

Makinajian Farm
276 Cuba Hill Road
Huntington
(631) 368-9320

Quail Hill Farm
Old Stone Highway
Amagansett
www.peconiclandtrust.org/quailhillfarm

Long Island Beekeepers Club
www.longislandbeekeepers.org

Peconic Land Trust
www.peconiclandtrust.org

Ronnybrook Farm
www.ronnybrook.com

What . . .

Audubon Society’s Homeowner’s
Guide to Good Growing
www.audubon.org/bird/pdf/pesticideguide.pdf

Northeast Organic Farming
Association of New York
www.nofany.org

Biodynamics
www.biodynamics.com

The Farmer’s Pledge
www.nofany.org/farmerspledge.htm

Where . . .

Farmstands
www.lifb.com/stands_location.0.html

Nassau Farmers’ Markets
www.nyfarmersmarket.com/
www.regionmetronassau.htm

Suffolk Farmers’ Markets
www.nyfarmersmarket.com/
www.regionmetrosuffolk.htm

Incorporating Feng Shui into your kitchen can bring more harmony to the health and wealth of your family. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Written by: Maureen Calamia

The kitchen is the heart of a home. It represents the health and wellness of a family. Food prepared in the kitchen nourishes us, and the kitchen also provides a place for nurturing family connections. According to Feng Shui—an ancient Chinese philosophy of creating balance to improve well-being— kitchens also represent a family’s prosperity. The Chinese relate the nourishing power of the stove to the ability of family members to earn money. So, it’s not far off to say that it’s probably one of the most important rooms in a house.

Incorporating Feng Shui into your kitchen can bring more harmony to the health and wealth of your family. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Encourage Beneficial Chi (energy)
Feng Shui literally translated means “Wind and Water,” two of the most powerful forces of nature. Chi is the life force energy that travels in patterns and can be likened to the path of the wind or the flow of a river. There are three types of chi that are important to pay attention to: beneficial chi, rushing chi, and stagnant chi.

• Beneficial chi occurs when the layout of a space encourages a gentle flow throughout the room. Picture a meandering stream that nourishes a countryside; it is neither too fast, nor too slow.
• Rushing chi, on the other hand, happens when chi moves in straight lines, unimpeded, and accelerates, causing a disturbance to the balance of the room. Chi rushes through the room and does not stay long enough to bring the beneficial effects. For instance, if your kitchen door and back door are aligned, the chi flows in one door and directly out the other. To remedy this, you can move a piece of furniture or a large object, such as a plant, into the path of the chi so that it’s forced to flow around the object and around the room.
• Stagnant chi—even more detrimental to a kitchen—occurs in dark corners and areas where dirt, piles of clutter, and stale odors can gather. It can even occur when you do not use all the burners on your stove. Keeping the kitchen clean and tidy, and being sure to rotate use of your stove burners, will help you to increase the flow of energy in all areas of your kitchen. Other ways to improve the movement of chi are to open windows, use proper ventilation when cooking, and use natural, pleasant scents, such as citrus, to freshen up the room.

Balance Shapes and Textures
Since kitchens have predominantly hard, angular lines (from cabinetry to appliances) you can create more balance by bringing in softer shapes and textures. For instance, a round or oval kitchen table creates more harmonious family interactions and allows the chi to flow more freely throughout the room. Textiles such as curtains, area rugs, chair pads and other fabric also
add softness to the space.

Maintain Cleanliness
For obvious reasons, it is important to keep your kitchen clean. Leftover food, crumbs, and dirty dishes attract bugs, while spills can create a physical hazard. However, on a symbolic level, dirt can attract poor health and finances by attracting negative energy into the heart of your home—the kitchen. So keeping your kitchen clean has a greater impact than you would think.

Calm Food Preparation
Just as the ingredients in a home-cooked meal influence the well-being of the family, so does the cook’s energy while preparing the meal. The Chinese believe that if the cook is happy and emitting positive energy, the meal absorbs the energy from that emotion and the family members ingest it. If the cook is unhappy or emitting negative energy, or is compromised in any way while preparing the meal, his energy will have a detrimental effect on the food. This can lead to health and money issues. (Remember, the kitchen represents both health and wealth.) The positioning of the stove, for example, can create an environment in which the cook will feel vulnerable. While at the stove, if the cook’s back is to the kitchen door, he can be easily startled. A simple remedy is to add a mirror to the back of the stove, where the cook can see behind him.

Incorporate the Color Green
According to Chinese philosophy, there are five elements or forms of energy which make up everything in the universe—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In Feng Shui, the elements can be incorporated to bring natural balance to a room in several ways—using the element itself, its corresponding color, or geometric shape.

To help bring balance to a kitchen—a room which is heavily represented by the Fire element (stove/oven) and Water element (sink, refrigerator, dishwasher) – consider adding the Wood element, which complements both Fire and Water. Consider incorporating the color green into your kitchen scheme. (Blue is known to suppress eating, so it is not beneficial as a kitchen
color). Fresh flowers and plants bring the message of vitality and life to a kitchen, which is not only esthetically pleasing but symbolically beneficial as well.

Whatever you can do to improve the Feng Shui of your kitchen, the more your family will benefit in all areas of life.
Maureen Calamia is a certified Feng Shui consultant, board marketing director for the International Feng Shui Guild (IFSG), and member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Long Island Chapter. Visit her website at www.luminous-spaces.com.

Bienvenidos a Miami…

We all live here in Florida now…

There’s a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather…

So go the lyrics of the songs by Will Smith, Billy Joel and Natalie Merchant

The thunder has been booming, the winds blowing and limbs of trees falling and that’s just here on Long Island. I can’t help but think about weather words.

Floods in the Midwest, typhoons and tsunamis in other parts of the world and drought in still others.

Other the weekend the warm balmy breezes had me feeling like I was living in Miami or Hawaii, I don’t know if I should admit that they felt eerily good.

Watching the headlines on the news though sends a shiver through my bones – floods, tornadoes and more.

Remember the line from the movie “Badges, we don’t need no stink’n badges”

In 2008 the line is “Climate change, there’s no stink’n climate change”

I feel like I’m watching a movie trailer for a bad B movie and the music suggests to me I shouldn’t want to see the movie. But I’m drawn – Drawn to it like a moth to a flame…zap…my wing just got burned.

I wanna grip the arms on my chair like the first time I saw Halloween or the Poseidon Adventure as a kid. Except this time there’s no one in the booth shutting the projector off when it ends and I can’t exit the theater at my own will to go to the bathroom and catch my breath.

Serenity now…Serenity now

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine

Community-sponsored agriculture seems like a solid next step in our evolution. While the individuals who inhabit our home are all at different stages of personal and global awareness, we the parents have tried to encourage our kids to think before they consume. I imagine every family takes the easy steps first, as we’ve done. The clothesline, compost pile, and compact fluorescent bulbs have been around our house for years. Recycling paper, plastic, and glass has always been part of our routine. More recently, we’ve installed a low-flow showerhead and non-PVC liner, eliminated all plastic water bottles (disposable and reusable), and replaced our cleaning products with safer ones. I want us to keep moving forward, no matter how small the steps.

So, subscribing to purchase produce from a local organic farm this season seemed like a good way to keep the momentum going. As the Mom/Head Chef, I’ve put the carnivores and fast-food lovers in the house on notice: “Lucky you! This summer, you will be provided the opportunity to consume more real food grown by almost-neighbors. Your body and the local economy and Earth will all benefit! Feel free to help with the preparation of the beautiful fruits and vegetables at any time.”

–Maria Brandis
Maria Brandis teaches English in middle school and is always looking for a new food adventure.