Asking the Right Questions

...ing poison (or worse, setting snares) we’d, for instance, stop leaving pet food out at night. What questions do we ask in our neighborhoods? We often, myself included, ask questions such as, “What number do I call to anonymously report my neighbor for having a car up on blocks in the front yard?” A better question might be, “How do we foster the sort of community where neighbors aren’t strangers?” Communities where, if I have a problem with a neig...

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Transition Founder Rob Hopkins in Pasadena

...s across the country and world are transforming their economic, energy and food systems from the bottom up. Welcome by Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. At the Fair: Repair Café, Learning Garden tours, potluck lunch, and networking with local sustainability groups and neighboring Transition Initiatives. Throop Unitarian Universalist Church 300 S Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101 Tickets: $10, pre-register for $5 at www.justdoingstuffpasadena.eventbrit...

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The Genetic Diversity of Watermelons

...s been mealy, old and tasteless. Why? Yet again, the folks who sell us our food have decided to grow only a handful of the over 1,200 known varieties of watermelons. The one pictured above is a Navaho watermelon I picked up at the National Heirloom Exposition. Note the vibrant (and tasty) red seeds. Navaho watermelons are sometimes called “winter melons” since they can be stored for a few months. Another watermelon I tasted at the Exposition was a...

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Sweet Potatoes for Breakfast

..., but I’m awful tired of them. 3) Sweet potatoes are a much vaunted “super food”. Primarily, they are incredibly rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene. So high, in fact, I wondered if I might OD on vitamin A from eating them daily. The answer is no. You cannot harm yourself from eating too many sweet potatoes. You can take too much A in pill form, or too much cod liver oil, and you can kill yourself outright eating Retinol packed polar bear liver (s...

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Don’t Wash Raw Poultry

...acteria all over you, your kitchen towels, your countertops, and any other food you have nearby, such as raw foods or salads. This can make people sick, especially young children, pregnant women, older adults and the immunocompromised. Instead, just take raw poultry straight from the package into the cooking pan. The heat from the cooking process will kill any bacteria that are present. Then clean up any splashes and wash your hands with soap and...

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