I hope that you have been enjoying the first bites of spring this weekend! We enjoyed warmer breezes and a few rays of sunshine peeking through the clouds. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, March 1^st is the last possible day of a freeze. Since this is the last week of February, it appears that we are very close to the end of winter! We enjoyed absolutely beautiful, non-rainy weather on Thursday and Saturday, and it made playing with the fruits and veggies even that much more fun!

Before I get started on talking about waste, composting, etc. I want to make sure that I tell everyone to please go the speed limit in the neighborhood when you are picking up your shares, in Royal Oaks especially. The speed limit is 20 mph. Although it is s short drive from the neighborhood gate to the parking lot, there are about 3-6 people getting tickets every week. You will be ticketed, and the fine is approximately $100-$300!!! Yikes! I say this to help you! There are five signs when you enter the neighborhood that serve as a reminder, but I really want to remind people as to avoid the pain of having to be pulled over. The neighborhood has no sidewalks, and there are tons of children running around, so please, please, be conscious of the speed limit so that we can all live in peace and harmony. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. )

As for the topic of the week, I have had so many ask me about waste lately. When I say waste, I refer to the scraps that are not used or being eaten in your box. Is it normal to have waste when you eat produce? Of course! It is the nature of produce to have waste and scraps! I dislike even calling it waste because I do not consider it to be so (I will explain why). So many have been expressing their concerns that they do not know how to deal with “waste,” and they feel badly when they have scraps. I’m here to let you know that this is completely normal. No fear! Produce leftovers or cutouts are not actually “waste” at all, but they can be used again to create new life and help the earth. It is quite a beautiful thing!

To begin, it is important to know that nothing in nature that is grown organically will be perfect. Organic produce looks different all of the time. It can be smaller, bigger, dirtier, more colorful, less colorful, wrinkly, huge, or even crooked. Worms may even have eaten them in a few places. (That’s right…we are not the only ones who enjoy the bounty haha!) With any produce, you never know what to expect. Just because it is imperfect does not mean, however, that you need to completely chunk it. The most ugly looking produce is usually the produce that tastes the best! For instance, when we had local tomatoes, some people thought that they were going rotten because they had cracks and lines near the top of the tomato. These cracks are natural to the tomato, and it shows that the tomato will truly be sweet. I personally don’t mind eating those cracks, but they are very easy to cut around just in case you don’t want the eat them. It is ok to cut off the top. Just because you are cutting off a small part of the tomato does not mean that you are wasting the entire tomato. Sleep soundly and know that you are not committing a crime ;o)

Furthermore, there are pieces of produce that will have scraps no matter what you do. For instance, pineapples, oranges, and bananas have skins that must be peeled or cut in order to get to the delicious goodness lurking inside. You may be worried that having all of these out skins increases the amount of waste that you have, but to the contrary! These skins are GREAT compost! For many not familiar with composting concepts, composting is simply taking your scraps and giving them back to the earth. You do not need a special composting machine to do this in your own backyard. All you need is a shovel and a small hole in the ground. When you are preparing your meal using fruits and vegetables, collect your scraps in a tin, in a bowl, or in a small baggie. When you are done preparing, simply walk outside, dig a tiny hole, and place the scraps into the hole. Cover the hole with a bit of dirt, and voila! You have compost! You have just given the food back to the earth from which it came.

Ironically, even though you may be avoiding waste by not buying produce in the grocery store or even from the farms, it does not mean that you are decreasing waste necessarily. Grocery stores throw out tons and tons of food, especially produce if it is not purchased. I do not believe that any of this produce is composted. I tell people at the co-op that if the produce isn’t bought from the farmers, then it is all simply composted back into their fields. Composting gives a new meaning to the word waste in this sense. I would much rather people take the food home and try to use it than to have it not be given a home. Perhaps this is the reason why I love to but so much produce. I truly believe that the goodness can be shared and multiplied. There will be “waste” even if you try to avoid it. Embrace this fact, and simply know that you can give it back to the earth or share it with others. This is what a co-op community is all about!

Want to hear something crazy? Even if you think that you can do wrong by throwing away produce, that is most likely untrue. I have a friend who deals with toxic waste for a living, and he has even told me that when people throw away produce, it can actually HELP other elements in the landfills to break down more quickly. If you think about it, the organic produce in the landfill is most likely the most nutritious thing in that field!!  The poor land is being killed with so many other toxins that the organic produce must be a blessing! Ironically, we are doing the world a favor at times by sending our organic produce to it lol! Now that is a crazy thought!

Even as I use the sink decomposer to wash a few scraps down the sink I have thoughts that putting scraps down the sink can be good. The blade in the bottom liquefies all scraps, and then it sends these “smoothies” to the rest of the water supply where it will be filtered. This may be a weird thought, but I sometimes feel as if I am adding nutrients to the water supply simply by sharing my greens with it. Just a thought, but I had to share.

All in all, there is absolutely no bad that can come from produce leftovers. In the produce world, there is no such thing as waste. The food will eventually turn back into the soil from which it came, and the seeds may even produce new life. The extra scraps benefit the world in multiple ways no matter what you do with them. When you hold something that is truly good, it can only multiply to share goodness with other things and with other people. Better to buy the produce and put it to good use than to have it sit lonely in a store or field to die alone. Become excited about the abundance that we get, and rejoice that we are able to share this bounty with the earth! Be grateful for every bite and know that the earth loves you!

I hope that you have a wonderful week. Hugs!

We had our first taste of summer sunshine this weekend, and it was delicious! I was incredibly grateful to see the sun after the cold, wet chill of Thursday evening. I have to say that I am ENORMOUSLY grateful for each person who came to come and help sort/clean in the freezing, pouring rain that day. The boxes looked beautiful, and we never would have finished without each person’s help! Thank you for being such wonderful co-operators! It was truly a gift to be able to have co-op Thursday. Everyone got their yummies just in time for Valentine’s Day, and I hope that everyone was able to make something very yummy and special for their loved ones!

You know that when some message pops out at you more than once that you need to listen to it. Last week I wrote about making your health your safety net. When you can depend on nothing else, make your health something that you can depend on to help pull you through any given circumstance. Show love to yourself by taking care of your own needs. This past weekend, I had numerous people tell me just to rest and to get some sleep. When someone hears that, they know it is time to take some “me-time!”

For those of you who may not know what “me-time” is, it is absolutely essential. Me time is simply where you spend time with yourself taking care of your own needs. I think it was the theme of the weekend as I heard of so many who were simply wanting to enjoy themselves this weekend, and they wanted to share this feeling of freedom, love, and care with others. I heard of many who were going to take a warm bath with essential oils, walk in the park, take a nap by the fire, make a gorgeous dinner, and even have a movie marathon. If you know me well, you know that I usually do not have too much time to sleep. After hearing from several little cupids this weekend that I need to take this chance to get some sleep, I did! Both Saturday and Sunday evenings I was in bed before midnight! I have to say that this almost felt like a miracle, but it was a wonderful lesson nonetheless that even in busy weekends, anything is possible if you wish it to be.

Taking care of your own needs is so incredibly important in any given circumstance. Sometimes, it can be very difficult to take care of ourselves because we are worried that we may not be able to take care of someone else—or that something else will not get completed. We all have so many responsibilities on our plate that we sometimes forget that our minds, bodies, and spirits are also our responsibilities. It may sound a bit selfish to think that you must put yourself first in any given day, but isn’t that what we are supposed to do? If we do not take care of our own needs first and foremost, how can we help others to take care of their needs.

If we put everyone’s needs before our own continuously and never take time for ourselves, we will no longer be able to help others. We will possibly need someone to come and care for us!  While it may feel good to have someone take care of you, you will feel ten times better when you know that you are able to take care of yourself. You will feel free, vibrant, healthful, and appreciative. You will know that you truly love and respect YOURSELF. It is not selfish, but it is absolutely necessary in life in order to enjoy who you are. This is self-love. I was my own Valentine this year because I wanted to show some love to myself by relaxing and by getting some sleep. The beautiful challenge is being able to do this daily and consistently year-round. It may take planning on a daily basis to be able to do one-thing for self-love each day, but it is absolutely essential.

I want to be able to show love to the world; therefore, I will show love to myself. I want more miracles on this earth to be possible; therefore, I will extend myself to bring them into life. If we want more abundance, more joy, more satisfaction, more love, or more health, we have the power to bring these into our lives. Our first step in this process is putting ourselves first. We must take time for ourselves. We must LOVE ourselves.

The gratification, the repercussions, and depth of this love are incomprehensible! For when you truly love yourself, you have the ability to better love others. When you love yourself, you show more love to the world without knowing that you do so. This love vibrates and expands, creating a force field around you, and it emits a good energy to others. Imagine what can happen if we all love ourselves! Show “me” some love!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! Saturday was a day to remember since we have not had sunshine in about a week! It’s looking like we will have more rain this week, but it does not mean that our hearts cannot be happy! This is the best time to be productive and get work accomplished while getting cozy in a blanket.

This past week at co-op was a unique one for me since it was my first week of co-op that I truly needed to have been there—emotionally that is. Many of you know that my dear friend and fellow co-operator Anna Tipps passed away this past week from cancer.  Although her funeral service was in Houston on Saturday, her burial was Thursday in San Antonio.  Ironically, I felt a calling to be present at co-op on Thursday, and nothing made me happier than to be present with everyone in the cold, wet, rain. I know that Anna would have wanted me to be there, sharing the love with everyone.

Of course I am always BEYOND grateful and elated to be at the co-op with everyone, but for some reason on Thursday, I NEEDED to be there. I realized that I feel safe when I am there. Perhaps it is a sense of belonging, but I realized that what I gain out of the co-op is so much more than just the food. Yes, it’s the farmers, it’s the freshness, and it’s the smell of dew on your vegetables when you first get them. It’s the community, it’s the abundance, it’s the energy, it’s the vibrancy, and it’s the life. But there is also something so personal that you receive that I simply cannot describe it—it is a sense of belonging, and it feels safe.

I was exploring the concept of safety, and I looked up the definition: the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury. It also denotes something designed to prevent injury or damage. Ironically, I saw a connection between safety and Valentine’s Day coming up. Valentine’s Day is a time when people throw out tons of unhealthy comfort foods to others, and they engorge themselves with unhealthy comfort foods to show some “self love.” Is this truly love or are we trying to satisfy ourselves in some way that rids us of a lurking anxiety or fear? Do we truly love our bodies or are we trying to feel safe?

There are so many ways in which people show their affection for others on Valentine’s Day.  However, not many people consider their minds and bodies as temples of love during this time. It’s quite the opposite really. Everywhere you look you see chocolates, cakes, candies, and even edible cookie flowers! While some may see the act of giving someone that you love something sweet, I often wonder why many do not hand out dates, or fruit, or raw pies—anything healthier that won’t make the other person miserable at the end of the night.  Is that love? What are you really giving them? I have yet to see someone mail a bouquet of fruits or a box of veggies for Valentine’s Day. I find that it sends a completely different message. Ironically, when someone sends someone a fruit basket, the other person usually thinks, “Oh great, they want me to lose weight! They think I am fat!” However, when someone sends chocolate, no one ever comments, “They are trying to make me fat and poison me!”

The greatest gift that you can give someone is a gift of health and safety. You give them health by sharing things that will nurture them. Isn’t that what we are trying to do in essence is let that person know that we will always be there for them?  We want them to know that they are not alone, that they are incredibly special, and that we love them. This creates a sense of safety between two people. There are so many things that you can do for your loved one besides the typical chocolates on Valentine’s Day. This can include everything from flowers to a massage to fruit or veggies. You show them safety by letting them know how much you love them and will be there for them. Our health is our safety net! This is true love! Loving yourself enough so that you can love others and live as an example!

On Thursday, rain was spritzing, winds were about to lift up the tents, and my bones were chilled. I began to laugh when I realized that in the midst of the “storm,” I felt safe. I felt safe with the dozen others who were dancing with me, laughing with me, and licking their lips in awe of some serious veggie beauty. I am attracted to all that the co-op offers and to all that it brings. It brings so much more than I can ever comprehend. What it does for this earth is creates goodness. While the word “goodness” is so simple, it is also so deep and continues to grow deeply. It is comforting to know in life when nothing is certain that I will leave Thursday evening with a huge smile on my face and a huge box of vegetables and fruits that will nourish my body for the next week. My needs for nurturing, for raw foods, for volunteering, for fun, and for hugs have been met. What gratification! This was my need for safety that had been met, and so much love is distributed in our boxes.

I consider our health to be our safety net. If you cannot depend on anything else, depend on your mind and your body to pull you through any given circumstance. Live as an example and create your own safety net so that you can feel confident in yourself. This is sharing love, and this is the love that I want to share with all of you.

I am grateful for each day that life brings. I am so grateful for today. I am so grateful for everyone here.  May you feel safe and loved. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!