REAL Food Friday #29 and a GIVEAWAY!

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday!
I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and 
shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!

This is an AMAZING opportunity for one very lucky person!
Have you heard of Kelani Organic?  It's a small local company so maybe not...
But now you know!  I asked my friend Kelly over at Kelani Organics to sponsor a giveaway and she said YES!!!!

About Kelani Organics:
Handmade to Order using sterilized recycled containers when possible to do my part for the environment. Natural Remedies, Organic Beauty Products and more, and Natural (Non-Toxic) Cleaning Supplies. Mahalo for visiting, please enjoy browsing my different shop sections.
 
Check out some of these awesome products from Kelani Organics...

Ache-Away
Sore Muscle and Joint Oil Rub - 2oz - Ache-Away
This wonderful organic vegan oil is helpful for achy muscles, arthritis and joint pain (including carpel tunnel), and will help provide non-toxic pain relief.

Ingredients: Grapeseed Oil, Therapeutic Grade Vetiver and Lemongrass Essential Oils, Recycled Container when possible

Matty's Super Special Oil
No one likes itchy rashes or athlete's foot. Here is an antiseptic, anti-fungal, and anti-viral organic natural treatment.

Tea tree oil is applied to the skin (used topically) for infections such as acne, fungal infections of the nail (onychomycosis), lice, scabies, athlete’s foot (tinea pedis), and ringworm. It is also used topically as a local antiseptic for cuts and abrasions, for burns, insect bites and stings, and boils.

Natural Hand Sanitizer
This 2.7oz Natural Hand Sanitizer is non-toxic and made to order.

I use my own organic aloe plants to harvest the gel so this product may be unavailable at times so my plants can grow and recover from harvesting.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Not only do we have a giveaway opportunity...We also have a PROMO CODE!
The PROMO code for this very special occasion is GIVEAWAY032014 
Use this code and get 10% off through 4/1/14

Check out Kelly's facebook page and give her a like.
Tell her Mary sent you! 

Now for the PARTY!   We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Deb @ Kneaded Creations 
Janine @ My Lamp is Full 
Also, please welcome Marla @ Organic4 Greenlivings 

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>  
If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! 

You can email Mary at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured. 

If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted.  These are garbage ingredients.  Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

Diatomaceous Earth and the Many Benefits

Yes...This is the third Diatomaceous Earth post this year!
What can I say...I LOVE the stuff!

But before I get started I want to share a concern I had and was voiced by several customers.  If DE works on bag bugs, does it also "work" on bees?  Will it hurt the bees?
Here's my response...
From the book Going Green using Diatomaceous Earth:

"When Diatomaceous Earth is applied to crops or orchards, the honey bee tends to protect themselves by simply avoiding those blossoms already treated with DE. However, if DE does get on a bee's body, it is covered with slick hairs that are able to help prevent dehydration of body fluids.

Then the bee simply vibrates its wings to remove the dust and protect itself. However, should a bee get enough DE on it to cause death, he's the only insect that dies. Even if he makes it back to the hive, he does not contaminate the colony, as DE is not a chemical toxin."

 

Mary's Heirloom Seeds Let's talk about Diatomaceous Earth Don't Miss Out! Did you know we've added several NEW pages both at Mary's Heirloom Seeds and our blog Back to the Basics? It's true! In case you're just tuning in, we've been steadily adding to our 2014 Planting Guide. For your viewing pleasure we've made a special page with all of the growing info in one easy place. Check out Mary's 2014 Planting Guide EVENT: Edible Gardening Workshop Thursday, March 13th @6pm 2104 Tyler Street Helpful Links  Using Diatomaceous Earth in the Garden BEANS and CORN Heirloom Fruits Heirloom TOMATOES HERB Seeds Wildflower Seeds Seed Pack Combos SUPPLIES Growing Garden Huckleberry Growing Radish Growing Tomatoes Join Our Mailing List Mary's Heirloom Seeds 2104 Tyler Street Hollywood, FL 33020 (954) 654-3501 Find us at the Yellow Green Farmer's Market Booth #281 Saturday & Sunday 8am-4pm You might think we've gone "nuts" over Diatomaceous Earth.  There's been quite a buzz lately about this intriguing addition @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds. It's pronounced "DIE-A-TOE-MAY-SHUS" What is Diatomaceous earth Diatomaceous Earth ("DE") is a talc-like powder that is the fossilized remains of fresh water phytoplankton (Diatoms). When sprinkled on a bug that has an exoskeleton (such as ants or fleas) it compromises their waxy coating so that their innards turn into teeny tiny bug jerky. But it doesn't hurt our pets or humans. The DE available @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds is FOOD GRADE.  We can eat it. We do eat it! Diatomaceous Earth is a natural, organic garden pest control and household insect killer. Diatomaceous Earth kills by physical action, not chemical. It is safe for pets and people. The tiny diatoms scratch off the insect's waxy coating, and dehydrate it. DE kills spiders, roaches, silverfish, ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, bedbugs, lice, mites, earwigs, flies, fleas, box elder bugs, hair lice, scorpions, crickets and harmful insects. Diatomaceous Earth is used in the home, yard, animal housing, etc. Sprinkle a 2 inch wide border around the foundation of your house to stop insects from entering.  Click Here to see Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth Using Diatomaceous Earth in the Garden Diatomaceous Earth kills aphids, white flies, beetles, loopers, mites, snails, slugs, leaf hoppers, and harmful pests. Use Diatomaceous Earth inside your home, greenhouse or outdoors on fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains and grass. Apply Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth up to and including day of harvest. Did I mention I EAT it? Not with a spoon!  Diatomaceous Earth (DE) has been reported to absorb methyl mercury, E. coli, endotoxins, viruses (including poliovirus), organophosphate pesticide residues, and drug residues. DE is a natural organic colon cleanser and detoxifier. This cleansing and detoxification alone has a myriad of positive effects in the human body. I take 1 tablespoon in a glass of 8 ounces of water each morning on an empty stomach.  This is in no way medical advice or treatment recommendation.  If you have questions or concerns you should consult your healthcare professional.

All of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid, non-patented,  untreated, heirloom garden seeds. Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.   Seed Orders placed Monday-Thursday are shipped within 24 hours, except for holidays. Shipping on Heirloom Seeds is Free within the Continental US!

REAL Food Friday #28

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday!
I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and 
shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!

Are you growing your own veggies this year?

We'd like to hear from YOU!  Please feel free to share your organic, non-GMO gardening posts here @ Real Food Friday! 
Today I added a NEW page for my 2014 Planting Guide. 
Recent additions include:

March Seed Planting Guide by Region

Benefits of Lemonbalm, Basil and Borage

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Deb @ Kneaded Creations 
Janine @ My Lamp is Full 
Also, please welcome Marla @ Organic4 Greenlivings 

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>  
If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! 

You can email Mary at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured.  There were SO MANY amazing links last week it was tough choosing.

My Feature:

Dark Hot Chocolate Shot from Raia's Recipe

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted.  These are garbage ingredients.  Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

FREE Heirloom SEEDS? Yes Please!

Our goal at Mary's Heirloom Seeds is to provide a trusted source for Heirloom, Non-GMO seeds!

Are you planting a garden this year?  We'd like to offer you FREE seeds!
That's not all...We also give you FREE Shipping!

Here's the scoop...

Shipping is always free on heirloom seeds!  Orders $35 or more are upgraded to Priority Mail at no extra charge.  Orders placed Monday thru Thursday ship within 24 hours, except for holidays.

Now...Here's the FREE stuff...Starting NOW and ending tomorrow night (March 5th) we are going to give you 
-1 free seed pack on orders $10 or more
-2 free seed packs on orders $36 or more
-2 free seed packs AND 12 coconut coir pellets on orders $50 or more

That's a HUGE DEAL!

Coconut Coir Pellets make seed starting easy!

All of the seeds listed at Mary's Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid, non-patented,  untreated, heirloom garden seeds.
Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.  
 

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Eat more FRESH Produce! Find out Why

I love fresh produce!  Every day I find new and fun way to prepare.  I'll admit, we eat more cooked than raw but that's about to change!

From Farm Flavor:

Did you know the average American eats only one to two servings of vegetables per day, around five times below the recommended amount? To maintain proper health, men should eat up to nine servings per day, while women are encouraged to have at least seven daily servings. And it’s the veggie’s unique phytochemicals that promote our good health.

1. More Servings, More Benefits
   Eating fresh fruits and vegetables every day is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Research continues to show that many essential nutrients in fresh produce may protect you from cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and they also give you more energy, help reduce weight gain and may even reduce the effects of aging.
2.  Mighty Phytochemicals
   Phytochemicals are powerful food factors that elicit profound effects on human health maintenance and disease prevention. Usually related to plant pigments, they are the reason we promote eating your colors. Yellow, orange, red, green and purple fruits and vegetables generally contain the most phytochemicals, with more than 900 found in plant foods.
3. Keep It Crunchy
   Once you cook produce, you quickly lose the beneficial qualities. If you want to cook your veggies lightly sauté or steam them – you want to keep them crispy and crunchy. Once veggies lose their crunch, they have also lost their nutritional value.
4. Growing Inspires Eating
   Gardening not only provides you with fresh fruits and vegetables, it also encourages you to eat them. Once you are blessed with a bushel basket of tomatoes, you will have newfound interest in finding recipes for tomatoes. What’s more, picking fresh produce from your garden is a great way to get children to eat fruits and vegetables. It is fun for them to pick their own lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers – and then eat them.

Dr. Sue Hamilton, director of the UT Gardens, writes the gardening column for Tennessee Home & Farm.

Health and Gardening

Not sure how to get started?  Need a bit of guidance? 

Marianne is hosting an Edible Gardening Workshop in our office

Thursday, March 13th at 6pm. 
2104 Tyler Street

Hollywood, FL 33020
This event is FREE.  Space is limited so please give us a call or send an email if you are interested in attending. 

Organic Serrano peppers and Basil

SPRING into Gardening GIVEAWAY with Mary!

Spring has Sprung and were all excited to DIG in and get gardening!

What is more fun this time of year than digging in the dirt...planting our seeds that we have carefully selected over the wintertime....Well...

How about a GIVEAWAY?!!

Take a break from the digging and the planting and the planning...Enter to win these great gifts from these amazing bloggers:

Angie @ Schneider's Peeps

The Gardening Notebook is a custom printable e-book to help you keep track of everything that is important to you in your gardening.

The more you add to it, the more you it becomes.

Mary @ Mary's Heirloom Seeds

The Family Garden Pack of Seeds

A great family or market garden pack. A variety of heavy producing seeds. Includes One packet of each:

-Pink Oxheart Tomato -Cal Wonder Bell Pepper -Golden Crookneck Squash -Crenshaw Melon -Calabrese Broccoli -German Giant Radish -Anaheim Pepper -Detroit Dark Red Beet -Marketmore Cucumber -New Jersey Wakefield Cabbage -Little Gem Lettuce

Janet @ Timber Creek Farm

Hydrofarm HGPP400 Precision Straight Blade Pruner

Surgical stainless steel Ultra light and ergonomic Ideal for cutting and trimming High quality springs Comes with holster

Annie @ Montana Solar Creations & Montana Homesteader

Set of 6 un-paper towels/cloth napkins from Montana Solar Creations.

This gardening set is made of one layer of colorful cotton and one layer of absorbent terry cotton.

 And ME...Kat @ Simply Living Simply

Gardening Planter-planted with gardening goodies:

Pink Gloves

Soil Test Kit

Gardeners Salve

Brown Sugar Lip Scrub

6 Packets of Seeds

1 Ceramic Garden Planter

Good Luck to everyone who enters..remember you can tweet about this giveaway daily for extra entries!

So DIG in and WIN these prizes!

This will be your best garden ever!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

March Seed Starting Info by Region

Mary's Heirloom Seeds Newsletter MARCH Seed Planting Guide Quick Links Seeds of the Month Supplies Beans and Corn Heirloom Seeds Heirloom GREENS   Heirloom Peppers Heirloom Tomatoes Specialty Heirlooms HERBS Organic Wildflowers Seed Combo Packs Mary's Tincture Shop Garden Tips NEW!!!   Parsley-Giant of Italy    Red Romaine Lettuce  Chinese 5-Color Peppers Early Fortune Cucumber Clemson Spineless Okra Golden Beets European Mesclun Mix Sunday marks the beginning of March!  That means SPRING is right around the corner!  Below are suggestions for seed-starting in March by region.  You might be Seed Starting Indoors if it's still cold outside. We also have 7 NEW Heirloom Varieties available NOW! MARCH Seed Starting by Region GULF COAST  Beans, Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Swiss Chard, Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Kale, Lettuce, Melons, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Radish, Radicchio, Spinach, Squash, Tomatoes, and Turnips. HERBS and Wildflowers! SOUTHWEST   Sow Outdoors: Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Chard, Corn, Eggplant, Lettuce, Melons, Pak Choy, Peppers, Radish, Spinach, Tomato and Watermelon.  Herbs: Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon and Thyme.  Don't forget the Wildflowers! PACIFIC NORTHWEST Sow Indoors/Outdoors:  Artichoke, Asparagus, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Fava Bean, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Peas, Radicchio, Spinach and HERBS!    SOUTHERN INTERIOR  Sow Indoors: Broccoli, Cabbage, Celery, Swiss Chard, Eggplant, Endive, Fennel, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Onions, Pak Choy, Peppers, Radicchio, Scallions, Tomatoes   Sow Outdoors: Arugula, Beets, Carrots, Asparagus, Collards, Endive, Lettuce, Pak Choy, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Radicchio, Sorrel, Spinach, Turnips, Herbs: Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Parsley, Sage, Thyme and Wildflowers! CENTRAL MIDWEST  Sow Indoors: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, celery, Chard, Eggplant, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Pak Choy, Peppers, Radicchio, Tomato, Chives, Fennel, Parsley, Oregano, Sage, Tarragon and Thyme.  Sow Outdoors: Arugula, Beets, Carrot, Lettuce, Pak Choy, Peas, Radish, Raddiccio, Spinach, Turnips, Outdoor Herbs: Cilantro and Parsley NORTH CENTRAL ROCKIES Sow Indoors: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Celery, Chard, Eggplant, Endive, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Peppers, Radicchio, Scallion, Spinach and Tomato. Indoor Herbs: Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon and Thyme. MID-ATLANTIC  Sow Indoors: Broccoli, Cabbage, Celery, Swiss Chard, Eggplant, Endive, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Onions, Pak Choy, Peppers, Radicchio, Tomato.  Indoor Herbs: Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme. Sow Outdoors: Arugula, Beet, Carrot, Lettuce, Pak Choy, Peas, Radish, Radicchio, Sorrel, Spinach and Turnip.  Don't forget the Wildflowers! MARITIME CANADA & NEW ENGLAND Sow Indoors: Broccoli, Cabbage, Celery, Chard, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce Onions, Pepper, Radicchio, Spinach and Tomato.  Indoor Herbs:  Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon and Thyme. Sow Outdoors: Carrots, Peas, Radish and Sorrel   HELPFUL LINKS: Growing Tomatoes from Seed to Harvest Organic DIY Pest Control Recipes Growing Peppers from Seed to Harvest All of the seeds listed are open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid,non-patented, untreated, heirloom seeds. Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.   Seed Orders placed Monday-Thursday are shipped within 24 hours, except for holidays.  Free Shipping on all Heirloom Seeds within the US!   There you have it!!!  What are YOU planting in March? -Mary                                      Mary's Heirloom Seeds Find us at the Yellow Green Farmer's Market Saturdays and Sundays from 8am-4pm