The Salmon Creek Farmers’ Market will open its Tuesday market on the southeast side of Kaiser Permanente’s parking lot at 14406 NE 20th Avenue in Salmon Creek. Starting Tuesday, June 8, the market will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Salmon Creek farmers’ market has been a favorite within the community for the last ten years by continuing to offer seasonal fruits and vegetables, flowers, honey, processed foods, including freshly made fruit juices, nuts, and nut butters, bagels, baked goods and more – all from producers and growers local to Clark County. The Salmon Creek market warmly accepts SNAP customers and offers an up to $40 Market…
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Recycling in the Garden
If you are reading the Green Living Journal, you probably are committed to protecting the earth and reducing your drain on its plentiful resources. But the term “recycling” in the garden environment is often overlooked by mindful gardeners. Your garden is the most precious and vulnerable area you can impact and has all of the basics from which other recycling concepts arise. Consider: “they” are not importing atoms from Mars, or any farther planet, according to NASA. The particles that make up every rock, animal, plant, fungus, bacteria, or other earth forms—living or inanimate—were here at the creation of the planet. Our natural world is the simplest form of recycling.…
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Herbs Are Native, Too
Most of the herbs we grow or harvest are native somewhere. Many of them have Mediterranean backgrounds, but many more began in the woods and prairies nearer to home and were here before Europeans arrived. Some native plants are still foraged in their natural settings for personal use. Others have been domesticated, which we plant in our herb beds. Indigenous peoples were well acquainted with these native plants and used them for cooking, healing, and general well-being. Let’s dive into some native plants! Yarrow – Achillea millefolium This native plant is not only found in the woods, where it may come in handy when camping or hiking but is often found…
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Cocacao Now Certified Organic
Cocacao, Twelve Chocolatey Bites of Paradise, is a coconut and cacao confection made from three organic ingredients. All products are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and has a low glycemic sweetener. Cocacao is now certified organic. “We have been working on it for a while, and now we have done it. We also changed our packaging and removed all plastic.” Because of this, you can now find Cocacao in the refrigerated sections of your favorite stores. Chosen as one of the Beaverton Startup Challenge winners through the Oregon Technology Business Center. They are using this opportunity to raise funding to spread Cocacao across the nation Try their new flavor, Cayenne and Cinnamon.…
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The Climate Solution Right Under Our Feet
Regenerative farming practices— such as composting, incorporating animal grazing, diversifying crops—prioritize soil health. Fertile soil stores more carbon. This sequestration solution is not just for agriculture. A recent study found that better management of forests, grasslands, and soils in the United States could absorb as much as 21 percent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again. —Rumi The way to stop climate change might be buried in 300 square feet of earth in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, amid kale and potatoes. A half- dozen city youth are digging…
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VegFest 2020
CANCELLED GOING VIRTUAL! October 24–25, 2020 9am–5pm PST Historically the largest vegan food festival in the Pacific Northwest, Portland VegFest celebrates its 16th year by going virtual! Explore and chat with new vegan brands and learn about new products from your old favorites. Get your ingredients ready in advance to cook along with our nationally renowned vegan chefs. Hear from vegan activists, entrepreneurs, health experts, award-winning plant-powered athletes, and more. Stay tuned for vendor and attendee registration – coming soon! For more info: https://bit.ly/3iNwfPG
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Regenerative Agriculture
for the Herb [and Home] Garden More and more farmers are switching to Regenerative Agriculture principles. One main reason for the switch is to take better care of topsoil, so less carbon is released into the atmosphere. The methods used increase soil water holding capacity, stop erosion, protect the purity of groundwater, and create conditions for more disease and pest-resilient crops. These worthwhile approaches to taking care of the planet can be incorporated on farms large or small, as well as home gardens. Maybe you are already using some of these practices but didn’t realize what an innovator you are. We do, and we’ve found that most of the methods…
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Soil My Undies
Measuring Soil Biology with a Pair of Skivvies Healthy soil means hungry soil. With proper management, the ground beneath your crops should teem with millions of tiny lifeforms—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms—all busy transferring nutrients, eating, and decomposing organic material through nutrient cycling in processes that help plants thrive. So how do you measure the biological activity of your soil? Enter the “Soil Your Undies” test. Simply bury a pair of white, 100% cotton undies beneath your soil, come back two months later and dig them up. Sterile, lifeless soil will keep your tighty- whities clean and intact whereas busy, organically thriving soil will eat away at your briefs,…
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The RE-Generation
During our class, Less is More: Getting to One Can of Garbage a Year, we talk about the three familiar Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. After we discuss these three in order of importance, we ask folks to identify more Rs to move their thinking further upstream. Their suggestions include: Repurpose, Resist, Restore, Repair, Refuse, Reconnect, and Reimagine. Practicing any or all of these behaviors can rehabilitate our planet. Choose the actions that appeal to you and work them into your daily habits. We can all be part of the RE-Generation, no matter when we were born! Another R that is getting more attention now is Regenerate. According to Wikipedia, “the term “regenerative” describes processes…
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Pacific Women’s Herbal Conference 2020
6th Annual Pacific Women’s Herbal Conference on Vashon Island, WA An inter-generational, nourishing, engaging, integrated weekend for women. Coming to the Table September 25-27, 2020 Over 30 Hands-On Workshops, 20 Experienced Teachers, HerbWalks, Opening & Closing Spirals, Story Telling at the Fire Circle, Talent Show, A Lively MarketPlace, 400 Acre Forest Reserve, 1.5 miles of beach on the Salish Sea, Hiking, Walking, Gigong, Engaging Social Time at a Distance Pre-Conference Intensives & Workshops September 24-25, 2020 Thursday 9/24/20: Pre-Conference Intensive with Susun Weed: A Cancer Diagnosis: Help Yourself the Wise Woman Way Friday, 9/25/20: Pre-Conference Hands-On Workshops with EagleSong Gardener: Health From the Ground Up & Keya Kai Guimaraes: Healing Hawaiian Lei…