My grandma just sent me an urgent message about an upcoming decision from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on deregulating genetically engineered alfalfa, a clover-like forage crop.  As humans don’t normally consume alfalfa, it may seem like an unimportant issue for us.  However, when you consider the food chain it is easy to see […]

I was recently interviewed for an article about green-themed New Year’s resolutions.  At first it took me a while to come up with one – I make an effort every day to green my life.  It quickly dawned on me that the best way for me to continue the green lifestyle is to share it […]

On Sunday we took a family stroll to do some shopping along Michigan Avenue. Despite the crowds and hot stores and long lines Evelyn was a very good girl. To thank her, I let her choose a treat for herself on the walk home. It was no surprise to me that she asked for a […]

Tonight Chris and I took the kids to a small fundraiser for City Farm, a one acre plot of vacant land in the middle of the city that otherwise would sit unused while waiting for development. Volunteers use the space in a productive and sustainable way, growing food for the community. I have driven by […]

That’s it!! I can’t take it anymore!!! Today while we were at the park Evelyn literally slid into a dirty, disgusting, stinky cigarette butt. Ewwwwwe. Its bad enough that people are still smoking, leaving a plume of filthy smoke for me to inhale while I’m out for a walk, but to throw the icky butt […]

I recently conquered one of my fears. For years I have been interested in jarring and canning to preserve foods, but the process always intimidated me. All that boiling water…and fears of botulism contamination if the process wasn’t done exactly right…and what a waste of time and money if the jars didn’t seal…I was getting […]

I picked up 10 dozen eggs from Family Farms’ Co-Op yesterday. We tend to go through a lot of eggs around here – Chris makes amazing omelettes for breakfast, I love to bake, and a couple eggs make a quick and nutritious dinner for Evelyn when I’m strapped for time. I’m so happy to have […]

There is so much buzz these days about eating food produced locally and in-season. I make an effort not to purchase food shipped in from far away – apples from New Zealand and grapes from Argentina aren’t doing any favors for the planet, and by the time they land in Chicago they never taste that […]

Have I created a monster? Has my obsession with protecting our planet spread to my two year old? I think so… We take long walks every day. The city offers so much for our little family to do, and so I put the kids in the stroller and walk just about anywhere we need to […]

Today at the farmer’s market Lane’s End Farm was selling baskets of “ugly” organic tomatoes for $1.50 per ound. While most people would look at the misshapen, bumpy, and uneven colored tomatoes with suspicion, I knew I found a little gold mine! My favorite was this two-for-one tomato that looked like a portly and friendly […]