Summer is Here!

Please get your vacation schedules to me!

I’m putting together the summer plans and we will take a few weeks off, but exactly what weeks those are will depend a great deal on how many people take off when. We hope to start our local produce next week. Keep your fingers crossed!

I hope you all had fabulous Memorial Day Celebrations. Mine was very good. I have to say the Centennial Committee is doing a terrific job for Mountain Lake’s 100 year anniversary!

Court of Appeals Dismisses Monsanto's Appeal of Biotech Beets Case

May 20th the U.S. Court of Appeals issued a summary order concluding a long-standing lawsuit over the impacts of genetically engineered (GE) "Roundup Ready" sugar beets.  As a result, previous court rulings in favor of farmers and conservation advocates will remain, including the order requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare a rigorous review of the impacts of GE sugar beets, engineered to be resistant to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, before deciding whether to again allow their future commercial use.
Center for Food Safety (CFS) attorney George Kimbrell: "Today's order cements a critical legal benchmark in the battle for meaningful oversight of biotech crops and food.  Because of this case, there will be public disclosure and debate on the harmful impacts of these pesticide-promoting crops, as well as legal protections for farmers threatened by contamination."

More: www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_23267.cfm

Enjoy! Marnie

Woo Hoo!! School’s out!

For me anyway. I finished everything for this semester at 7:30 last night. Now for a few weeks of R&R in my garden and back to summer school. I didn’t want to do it that way, but if I plan to finish by December, I need to.

Anyway, the produce is being sourced closer and closer. Sorry for the asparagus from Mexico the other week. My sales rep didn’t flag me on that which she usually does. We will be starting with Karley again this summer. It looks like the week of June 14th or 21st. Please get me your summer vacation schedules when you get them!

We will be changing over the website to one that is a little more automated this summer. You will each be able to manage your own accounts with what baskets you choose and even pay safely through the site. This will be my summer project, getting this up and running. I like to make it so people don’t have to change a thing if they don’t want to. 

Recycling Efforts

We like to use paper that has been used on one side for the invoices and NewsLetters. If any of you have some, please help out and just leave it in the garage when you pick up. We have had a few sources, but are finding we could use more these days. Thanks to all who supply us!

I hope you are all enjoying your spring. I like that the weather is getting into the 70’s these days. It’s my favorite temperature zone.

Enjoy! Marnie

Stop Plan for Monsanto & Biotech Industry to Police Itself!

Genetically modified organisms, planted on 165 millions acres of US farmland, have increased the use of toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, destroyed soil fertility and carbon-sequestering capacity, spawned super-weeds, contaminated organic & non-GMO crops, and are less nutritious and more likely to trigger allergies, in general making plants, animals and human beings weaker and disease-prone. GMO corn for ethanol has decreased grain supplies, raised food prices, and increased world hunger; while generating the same greenhouse gas pollution as conventional gasoline. Genetically engineered trees, fish, and farm animals pose similar hazards to human and environmental health.

The Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has aided Monsanto and the biotech lobby by failing to accurately assess the impacts of GMOs, as they have failed to properly assess the monumental damage of chemical agriculture. APHIS, using the excuse of efficiency and cutting costs, wants to turn over the job of conducting assessments to biotech companies like Monsanto that have vested interests in deregulation.

This is a very dangerous game to play. Tell APHIS to halt their pilot program and instead put their resources towards more vigorous review of the potential harms of GMO crops and animals.

Take Action: http://www.capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=43706521&type=AN

Enjoy! Marnie

The Beginnings of Co-operatives

Co-operatives as we know them first appeared in England during the class struggles of the early 1800’s. Robert Owen, known for his attempts to save the poor from squalor and reforming the child labor laws, wrote “Report on The Poor” addressing the social and economic structures of England. Though the House of Commons rejected his report, the idea of “Villages of Co-operation,” based on the Shaker communities in the United States, caught on. William Thompson furthered the concept of co-operatives, and Socialism as well, through his writing, specifically his paper in 1824, “An enquiry into the principals of Distribution of Wealth Most Conducive to Human Happiness.” Both men strongly believed human nature was basically good; happiness came from human interactions; and that man is demoralized by the inhumane environments created by the economic system. This connection between happiness, social relations, co-operation and democratic methods established the moral and methodological foundation of co-operatives as a humane alternative to the problems of capitalism. The academic ideals didn’t translate into reality very well. with over 250 failed attempts at co-opting communities before 1844, when William King produced the first successful co-operative. Starting small, he thought to first co-op a business that everyone uses, a grocery store.

Enjoy! Marnie

Rain rain rain!

It’s time to hook up the rain barrels and capture some of that blue gold for your garden! I have three rain barrels and have only needed to use my municipal water (tap water) a handful of times in August last two years. The plants, especially the young ones don’t like tap water because of the chlorine. It’s actually very toxic to them. If you use tap water to water plants, let it sit for an hour in the watering can first, to let the chlorine dissipate. Last year I went to Rutgers and took a How to Make a Rain Barrel Instructor’s course. I have been holding classes in making rainbarrels and selling them ever since. If any of you would like me to come do a class for your town organization or club, please contact me. I also have rain barrels available for $75, with instructions for set up produced by Rutgers University. 

It’s time to get out in the garden, and start planting the broccoli, peas, beans and lettuces! Plant the warm weather seeds inside, to be transplanted come Mother’s Day. Please make a conserted effort to buy organic seeds. Seeds of Change is a great company. Burpee is as bad as you can get.

The forsythia are blooming so that means its time to put down the corn gluten on your lawn as a weed inhibitor. It lets the weed seeds sprout, but inhibits root growth, so the weed eventually dies. Grass that is already established won’t be harmed. Weeds that are established will need to be pulled. Its a little more expensive than synthetic herbicides, but it keeps your soil alive and working organically. I’ll have more on this in future articles.

Enjoy! Marnie

Spring Produce

The flowers are blooming. The birds are out. But this is the absolute worst time of year for produce. There is nothing local. Florida only has citrus left. Everything else has to come from California, or has been sitting in a nitrogen room so it doesn’t rot. This is why at this time of year, we have more things like coconuts, and kiwis that certainly would never grow here. All is not lost. We get to try strange fruits like cumquots. The asparagus is just starting. The berries are ripening closer every day and lettuce does well in greenhouses year round. We can begin our anticipation of the summer tastes! It’s just around the corner. 

Fresh Foods for Spring Holiday Menus- Healthy Foods Prep Class

Thursday, April 14, 2011 - 12:00 PM

As spring comes so do new beginnings. The same holds true of our food choices. This is a great time to experiment with something new and fresh that you may have not thought to prepare before. This Easter or Passover meal is a great place to start. Join me as I demonstrate some fresh spring inspired appetizers that you can serve at your holiday table. We will prepare dips, spring rolls, and stuffed vegetables as well as other easy but colorful dishes that your guests will love. 

Phyllis is a certified Holistic Health Counselor with over 20 years practicing in the field of nutrition. She is a coach, educator, and chef skilled in multiple food disciplines. Certified by the Institute for Food Studies and The National Gourmet Institute.

Learn about a different type of healthy food preparation each month – raw foods, foods that are good for your heart, gluten free grains. We’ll prepare seasonal produce, can summer fruits, make tomato sauce, and even learn how to detox in the winter. join us each month for a pleasant afternoon social, and learn about delicious and healthy food preparation.

Come to one class or come to all...
Each MLOC class is $25 individually, or a four class package is $75.

RSVP today to reserve a spot. For more information contact Marnie at FruitLady@MountainLakesOrganic.com or 973-335-4469.

Enjoy! Marnie

Your home vegetable garden - Get ready for Spring!

Sunday, April 10, 2011 – 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Where: Mountain Lakes Organic Co-op

Start your garden the organic way. Learn about garden preparation, sourcing organic seeds and soil amendments, heirloom tomatoes and herbs, and planting diversity in vegetables, herbs, and flowers to attract beneficial insects and as natural pest deterrents. Map out your succession planting schedule to ensure continuous harvests. Develop integrated pest management (IPM) skills and harvesting practices, for squash, cucumbers, peppers, and other summer crops. Learn about drip irrigation systems and rain barrels and how to keep your plants strong and healthy with consistent water in the summer heat.

Wanda Knapik, a certified Permaculture Instructor, installs vegetable gardens for institutions and residents through her company - My Local Garden, LLC.

Come to one class or come to all...
Each MLOC class is $25 individually, or a four class package is $75.

RSVP today to reserve a spot. For more information contact Marnie at FruitLady@MountainLakesOrganic.com or 973-335-4469.

Enjoy! Marnie