~ When mowing the lawn, take the grass clipping bag off of the machine and let the cut grass stay on the ground. Grass clippings help to keep the moisture in the ground, which reduces the amount of water needed to water the grass.
~Using a dehumidifier in the summer consumes lots of electricity, but makes good sense for the health of your home. Take the collected water outside and use it to water your plants! Save the drain, save the water bill, and enjoy using what is already readily available!
~Summer brings the season of outdoor eating, and the season of single use plates and cutlery:( This year make a commitment to bring your own plate and cutlery to parties! There are so many fun and creative ways to care for the Earth while feeding your body and enjoying the company of others.
What does mothering Mother® nurturing Nature mean? It means taking care of Mother Nature through our daily actions. Mother Nature has given us so much and now it is time for us to be aware and active in creating a reciprocal relationship.
Each newsletter seeks to address opportunities in daily life to invite a connection to the Earth. mothering Mother® believes that food is an integral and ongoing way to nurture the Mother Nature relationship. We eat 2-3 times a day. Eating whole foods for a healthy body, and a calm mind, will also nurture the Earth. We are intricately connected with the Mother.
Use your cotton mothering Mother® bags as ongoing reminders of this evolving relationship. Less plastic is better for you and the Earth. Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds are better for you, and the Earth. Allow the mothering of Mother and the nurturing of Nature to be your daily offering of thanks.
Namaste
Sydney
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Video – How To Prepare Tofu
In this short video Sydney shows you how to prepare tofu for marinting and cooking. Let the tofu soak up the flavors of the recipe below!Tofu Made Easy
Raising SalmonWild? Farmed? Safer Third Option Emerges
Jane CookeServes on the boards of both the Atlantic Salmon Federation (Calais, ME and New Brunswick, Canada) and the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, VT.Once upon a time, “farmed-raised” salmon was believed to be the good prince on a white stallion that would save wild Atlantic salmon from extinction. Offering all the same health benefits of its wild brethren -namely Omega-3 fatty acids- open-pen farm-raised fish was expected to meet the increasing demand for salmon that conscientious consumers craved while protecting the dwindling population of wild salmon. That fairytale ending has taken a terribly malevolent turn. Consumers take note: salmon raised in open pens off the Atlantic coast of Maine, eastern Canada, Norway, Scotland and Ireland have become culprits that are actually accelerating the extinction of Salmo salar. Farm-raised salmon is no longer the “good” choice and many wild Atlantic salmon runs are ever closer to annihilation. To turn this story around, AVOID CONSUMPTION OF OPEN-PEN FARM-RAISED SALMON. Always ask the provenance of your salmon but do not despair when you must make an alternative choice. Select a sustainable option knowing that the good prince is staging a stronger and smarter comeback: salmon raised in large tanks on land far from the pure genetic strains of the wild salmon that demand our protection.
The fish in these tanks mature by facing increasingly forceful currents of water that circulated in containers in synch with Salmo salar’s native inclination to swim upstream against forceful downstream currents. These conditions are meticulously provided in the land-based containers but NOT available in the open pens situated on the periphery of rivers and bays where the fish are exposed to gentle tidal surges off the coastal provinces of Canada and northern Maine. The fish raised in those open pens are “couch potatoes” compared to the leaner, well-conditioned “buff” fish that are raised in land-based tanks. These tank-raised fish are therefore more authentic, leaner and taste fresher and lighter as a result.
So what went wrong with farm-raised salmon? Being raised in close quarters impacts farm-raised specimens’ ability to fend off disease caused by the virus infectious salmon anemia (ISA).* Fish all too frequently escape and contaminate native wild fish with not only this disease but also with their genes which are specific to farming. (That is, they are bred to be bigger and fatter with pinker meat). Likewise parasitic outbreaks of sea lice can also reach epidemic proportions in pens and can also contaminate and kill wild fish. Salmon farmers are licensed and regulated and they must notify authorities when their product tests positive for disease as well as when their product escapes. Although often aware, they do not always comply with these regulations in their efforts to maximize profits. Add aggressive seals and other predators that are eager to break into the pens that have seemingly trapped their prey and disaster strikes the wild salmon outside –trying to return to their native rivers to spawn. Open-pen farm-raised salmon pose one of the most serious threats to the protection of the wild species.
Is Pacific salmon a more sustainable choice?** The prognosis is slightly better for this genus but extinction is part of the prognosis here, too. Environmental factors are a greater challenge and fending off proponents of construction of the Pebble Mine near Bristol Bay is the top priority for Pacific salmon conservationists now. Note that environmental issues plague Atlantic salmon, too: dams and logging activity are particularly relevant as is acid rain, global warming and calving icebergs … and there is much more!
There are many delicate facets of fisheries conservation and this article has attempted to look at just a few of them in relatively simple terms. No program can be successful without full appreciation of the economics involved among native tribal communities, fish-based cultures around the world, fishermen and women -commercial and recreational, government responsibilities and policies, and so much more. Innovative macro-economic solutions are vital to the success of any program, as is speaking with your wallet at the market or in a restaurant: Always ask the provenance of fish you are considering for purchase and be prepared to choose a safer and more sustainable alternative.
The summer months bring the opportunity to eat fresh and light. Local markets have the BEST greens now, and this is a great time to fortify your body with the extra nutrients that fresh, local food offers. Green it up!This tofu recipe is a classic standby in our home! Last month I had the privilege of teaching nutrition and cooking at a local high school. Many of the students had not tried tofu. The taste and texture of this dish surprised all of the new to tofu students!The marinade penetrates the tofu and the wok stir fry crispens the edges of the pieces. Flavor and texture are the most common complaints about tofu, and this recipe tackles both. Follow the video instructions, above, and flavor away!
Ginger Tofu
1 package firm or extra firm tofu (see video ‘How To’ Prepare Tofu)Ginger Tofu
Marinade
2 T sesame oil
4 T fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T grated fresh ginger
2 T tamari (natural soy sauce)
Salt, pepper
Cut the prepared tofu into squares, approximately 1″ by 1″. Place the diced tofu in a rectangular pyrex dish, so that most of the pieces are touching the bottom of the dish. Alternatively use a glass bowl, but do NOT use metal (because of the acid in the lemon juice).
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a cup, whisk, and then pour over the diced tofu. Refrigerate, covered if possible, and stir a couple of times. The tofu is ready to cook in 2-12 hours.
Heat a wok over a medium high heat. Pour the tofu and marinade into the wok. Cook, stirring briskly, until it is the desired crispness. Serve with cooked kale, and a whole grain (if desired).
Ginger Tofu can also be eaten without cooking. Marinate and then eat with a salad, using the marinade for the dressing on the salad.
Makes 3-4 servings.
KISS- Keep It Simple…
Sydney MacInnisFounder mothering MotherHolistic Nutritionist, Yoga & Meditation Instructor
Cordon Bleu Cook
How did it get so complicated?! As a Canadian, I fondly remember history class when the teacher described the explorers first arriving on the coast of Newfoundland, where they had difficulty rowing to shore because the water was so filled with cod! In the 1980’s all cod fishing was shut down in that province because the stocks were so depleted from overfishing.
Jane and her work with the ASF surprised me. How it all became so complicated -that is a long story that requires more than this space. What to do going forward? That is the decision of the moment, the decision of each meal. Jane has outlined the importance of knowing the source of any fish you consider consuming. Earlier this year I wrote an article about Dr Sylvia Earle, and her strong recommendation that we reduce/stop eating many fish that are now seriously endangered.
I know for me that it is more difficult to develop compassion and care for a species and their environment when I don’t see them, or touch them, or live near to them. I have to pull out my “imagination compassion card”, imagining what it is like for them, and go into that space to really feel what is happening. I can hear about something that is going on in the environment, but in the moment of decision making I wonder if my little decision will make a difference. That is when I dig into that deep place – to feel what is happening to the fish and the environment.
Eating simply, low on the food chain, is the most positive environmental act that we can perform, 3 times each day. Reducing or eliminating the consumption of flesh foods will make a change to our world. What will happen for you? When you are out at a restaurant, and the salmon or tuna is calling to you, where will you go within yourself to source your decision on what to eat?
I am encouraging you to source from your deep inner Truth, and the Universal Truths of compassion and care for all. Feed more than your physical body when you eat. Feed your mental, emotional and spiritual bodies with peaceful food.
Eat consciously, live consciously. “Live simply so that others may simply live.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
