Cascadian Farm Organic Goodness

Now that spring is here, it’s a great time to get out and experience your local farmers market. Buying fruits and vegetables locally is a good way to support the farms in your area.

Find a farmers market near you!

For those of you who are new to farmers markets, here are some helpful tips to make your experience even more enjoyable.

If you’re in the Washington area this spring or summer, stop by our roadside stand for some fresh fruits and vegetables and homemade blueberry ice cream! We’d love to see you!

Do you visit your local farmers market? What has been your favorite find this spring?

Source Cited: Local Harvest

Photo Source: “farmers’ market” by perspicacious.org

After a few weeks of some not-so-pleasant weather, we’re finally starting to see spring bloom before our eyes. So to celebrate, we thought we’d give you some tasty recipes to cool you down. These are three of our favorite smoothie recipes that we can’t get enough of. They’re the perfect exclamation point to the start of the spring season. Enjoy!

Blueberry Smoothies 

Sweet blueberries plus tangy lemon yogurt—what a tasty treat any time of the day! This recipe features our Cascadian Farm organic frozen blueberries!

Creamy Peach Smoothies 

It takes just four ingredients to make these luscious yogurt-peach smoothies. Try them with our Cascadian Farm organic frozen peaches!

Spa Smoothies 

Wonderfully sweet and creamy describes these smoothies that you will make again and again. (They feature our Cascadian Farm organic frozen strawberries.)

Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Feel free to share it in the comments box below or on our Facebook wall!

Hello, friends! We want to thank all of you for your overwhelming support for our Change Flows initiative to help keep our waters clean. Over the last few months we have accumulated over 9,745 votes, with the most votes coming from the Great Lakes region! Congratulations, Great Lakes region, we’ll clean a river in your area soon!

We will let you know when we have decided which Great Lakes region river it will be, and we’ll make sure to post lots of pictures from the day of the cleanup. We have also contributed $50,000 to help support American Rivers. We couldn’t have done all this without your tremendous support. We want to thank you again. You have truly helped make a difference in keeping our waters clean.

Great Lakes region, we’ll be seeing you soon! More to come…

As many of you know, last Friday was Earth Day. We hope that you were able to get out and do things to help better the earth and keep our planet green.

Throughout April we have mentioned our “Change Flows” initiative, and we’ve received a lot of great responses. We are thrilled to see how much people care about protecting our water sources.

For those of you who are unaware of our “Change Flows” initiative, we’ve teamed up with American Rivers in an effort to keep our country’s water sources clean. To show our support, we’re contributing $50,000 toward river cleanups, protection, and restoration across the country.

The best part about it is that the region with the most “likes” on our Change Flows page will receive a river cleanup* sponsored by Cascadian Farm. We will announce the winner on or about May 2.

In the meantime, we’d love to know why you think your region deserves a river cleanup. Leave your comments in the box below or on our Facebook wall. Have a great day!

Photo Source: “canyon_5087” by doviende

* A river clean up includes collecting debris along a river or stream.  Your vote will help determine which region receives a river cleanup. There is not a limit to the number of regions to "like". Voting ends April 30, 2011 at 11:59pm.

Happy Earth Day, friends! Although we look forward to this day all year, we don’t just practice living sustainably for a mere 24 hours, we think every day should be Earth Day. To celebrate Earth Day, we’re supporting American Rivers in an effort to keep our waters clean. We know that water is truly our most important resource and we should do whatever we can to protect it. We wholeheartedly believe in American River's mission and we’re contributing $50,000 to help support river cleanup, protection, and restoration initiatives across the country.

You can help support your river region by “liking” it on Facebook. Check it out at cascadianfarm.com/sustainability. The region with the most “likes” could receive a river clean up, which includes collecting debris along a river or stream. There is not a limit to the number of regions to "like". Voting ends April 30, 2011 at 11:59pm. The region with the most votes will be announced on or about May 2, 2011.

What other things are you doing to live sustainably this Earth Day? We’d love to hear about them. Leave your comments in the box below or on our Facebook wall.

If you’re looking for a little Earth Day inspiration, consider preparing for your summer garden by organically “feeding” your soil, start implementing some of our water conservation tips, or check out these 10 eco-friendly spring activities that the whole family will enjoy!

Have a green day!

Photo source: “Skagit River Valley” by vincelaconte

During April, we're focusing on our Change Flows initiative in partnership with American Rivers. We know that millions of people will be thinking about the environment on Earth Day (April 22), but we hope you'll join us in making every day Earth Day—support our river-cleanup initiative by "liking" your region on our interactive map. The region with the most “likes” will receive a river cleanup sponsored by Cascadian Farm.

Soil conservation is at the heart of organic farming. Organic farmers strive to keep rich, organic nutrients in the soil so they don’t have to rely on synthetic chemical substitutes. This is the way natural ecosystems work, and we believe this is the best way to grow our food.

Along with healthy soil, crops also need water to grow—water is the lifeblood of our farms. But water does not stay put; it flows from our fields into small streams, which flow into rivers and affect more than just farmland. Synthetic chemical runoff from some conventional farming is known to create algae blooms, which can ruin areas for swimming and boating, affect the taste of drinking water, and kill fish by removing oxygen from the water.⁽¹⁾ Those are just a few reasons why Cascadian Farm has been committed to organic farming for almost 40 years. No synthetic chemicals in the soil and air means no synthetic chemical runoff into nearby streams and rivers. Keeping our waters clean will protect the entire ecosystem for plants, animals, and humans alike.

Like water, Change Flows. Clean water starts with all of us, and we hope you'll join our effort to keep our waters clean. For tips on how you can conserve and protect water, check out last week's blog post, and don't forget to vote for your region on our interactive map for a chance to receive a river cleanup!

Source: (1) EPA http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/upload/2005_4_29_nps_Ag_Runoff_Fact_Sheet.pdf

During April, we're focusing on our Change Flows initiative in partnership with American Rivers. We know that millions of people will be thinking about the environment on Earth Day (April 22), but we hope you'll join us in making every day Earth Day—support our river-cleanup initiative by "Liking" your region on our interactive map. The region with the most “likes” will receive a river cleanup sponsored by Cascadian Farm.

We would also like to share some tips to help you conserve and protect water within your home. If you have any tips you’d like to share, we’d love to hear them. Leave them in the comment box below.

Follow these 10 simple tips to help make a difference:

1. Did you know that it can take approximately three liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water? Consider drinking tap water.²
2. Collect the water you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables, then reuse it to water houseplants.
3. A full bathtub can require up to 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.³
4. Use mulch wherever possible to keep moisture from leaving the soil and to minimize weed growth.
5. A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day. To tell if your toilet has a leak, place a drop of food coloring in the tank; if the color shows in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.⁴
6. Wash your hands with a soap that is made from natural ingredients so that you aren’t transferring those chemicals down your drain and onto the food you prepare.⁵
7. Baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water make a good alternative to store-bought drain cleaners.⁶
8. During winter months, use as little salt and other de-icing materials as possible on your driveway and sidewalks. ⁷
9. Some regular laundry detergents contain phosphates, inorganic chemicals that damage nearby lakes and rivers. Consider using a biodegradable powdered detergent. ⁸
10. Leave your grass clippings on the lawn. They provide your grass with all the natural nutrients it needs. ⁹

Sources:

American Rivers www.americanrivers.org ¹ ; Pacific Institute http://www.pacinst.org/ ² ; WaterSense – An EPA Partnership Program epa.gov/watersense/pubs^3,4 ; http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/guides/guide-creating-healthy-home ⁵ ; http://www.seventhgeneration.com/natural-alternative-drano ⁶ ; http://www.cheltenhamtownship.org/stormwater/solution%20to%20pollution06.pdf ⁷ ; http://video.about.com/greenliving/Go-Green-With-Your-Laundry.htm ⁸ ; http://watoxics.org/healthy-living/healthy-homes-gardens-1/factsheets/cleanwater ⁹

Photo by fox_kiyo