7 Valentine’s Gift Ideas

Posted on February 9, 2012 by alyssabdh
Valentine’s gifts don’t have to be extravagant (unless maybe you’re in really big trouble with your significant other!).  A thoughtful, personal pick can be the winner.  Here are 7 ideas to get you in the mood:

1) Spa day – who wouldn’t love a gift certificate to their favorite salon or spa for a little R & R?  Massage Envy has some affordable massages and packages.

2) Chocolate lava cakes with Jeni’s ice cream – These chocolate lava cakes can be baked right in your cozy kitchen (easy!) and they put on quite a show with a scoop of your favorite Jeni’s Ice Cream!

Lava Cake by kim siciliano salem

3) Soothing Touch massage oil (sandalwood is a favorite) plus a weekly back rub promise – this is a treasured and thoughtful gift for a hard-working partner that needs your TLC

4) Big Dipper heart-shaped beeswax candle or aromatherapy glass candle – helps set the mood, clear the air, and impart delightful honey scents around your home

5) piece of local art – check out local venues and galleries like Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, or Washington Glass School in Mt Rainier.  You can find something really special that will last forever, and help support local artists!

6) frame a photograph of a meaningful person, place or pet – this is a simple gift that conveys love, and evokes lasting memories

7) sponsor an adoptable pet in your honey’s name – check out Homeward Trails – this is a great gift for animal lovers!

Dizzy, a priority adoptable kitten @ Homeward Trails

No need to shun Valentine’s Day or purchase tons of ridiculous, meaningless trinkets – you can get personal and really make a statement to your special one!

Alyssa works in multiple MOMs locations.

Posted in Family, Holidays, Local, Organic Food, Pets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Door Knobs + Creativity = Starry Night

Posted on January 26, 2012 by TineK

I’ve been an artist all my life, so I have a great appreciation for different kinds of art.  Since working at MOM’s, I have been exposed to groups that take old items and reuse them to make something spectacular.  As I was walking around downtown Bethesda, I saw this beautiful mural of Starry Night made out of DOOR KNOBS! Creative people amaze me.

Christine works at MOM’s Central Office.

Posted in Local, Reuse | Tagged , | 1 Comment

7 Tips for Beating the Winter Blah

Posted on January 12, 2012 by alyssabdh

Blah.  The sun is gone, the air is cold, the wind is ugly and there’s not even snow on the ground to make it all seem worthwhile.  My figure does not look good in a bulky winter coat, hats do not become me.   When I have to wear thick socks, my right foot will barely fit in my shoe, which then pinches me all day.  There are no more flowers in the garden, no twinkly lights strung on the gutters.

I could go on and on like this for hours.  There are a bunch of reasons why I just sort of get blah this time of year.  I’ve met a lot of people with the same problem, but with much better excuses – like a loved one passed away this time of year long ago, or their finances have been drained by the holidays, parking tickets, and/or increased heating costs.  I don’t have any really good reasons like those.  I just kinda don’t like the winter blah.

I’ve gathered a lot of suggestions over the years and a few have worked, and a bunch have not.   Share whatever tips you have that work, too.  There are people out there dealing with even more severe forms like SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, that might benefit from your idea.  This is what I like:

1) Get out.   I mean, really Get Out.  I usually have no interest in getting out at this time of year.  I sometimes assign my good friend to come over and harass me to get out.  It actually works because I always feel guilty for delegating the task, so I cooperate. There are some cool places to visit even in the winter: Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville (or DC, or Alexandria) provides wi-fi, comfortable seating options, cozy caffeinated beverages, and performance events occasionally.  Nearby is Franklin’s old-fashioned toy & gift shop

US Botanic Garden orchid room by Anosmia

which is just a good time no matter what.  In and all around DC there are cool museums for nearly every possible interest you could dream up, the indoor National Botanic Gardens next to the Capitol is full of oxygen, light and greenery (dress in layers, it gets a bit humid) ~ and its just awesome for a day of renewal.

US Botanic Gardens in DC, photo by cliff1066â„¢

2) Good fats.  The omega 3 in salmon, flax seed oil, and other nutritional oils helps your mood and brain function.  It also displaces a bit of the bad fats in your diet (scale back on bad fats as best you can anyway), helps keep your skin from drying up like a falafel chip, keeps your heart pumping, and helps support healthy eye function.  There have been multiple published studies on the benefits of omega 3 on mood.  If you buy an omega 3 supplement, get a good, clean source; don’t by a junk brand that could be rancid inside the pill.

3) Blog.  Express your self: your disappointment, your woes, your joys, your interests.  You’ll feel a little better.  Blogging doesn’t require any great aptitude, just spill it out.  You can be entirely anonymous if you want.  The self reflection looking back on it later in the year will surprise you.

4) Exercise.  I am not interested, when I’m blah, in heading out to the sweaty, greasy gym or out into the nasty cold to exercise this time of year.  I do love my recumbent stationary bike ($170 on overstock with just $3 shipping), though, and a pilates video or two.  In at least one study, exercise has been shown to be as effective as some medications in benefiting mood problems (do not discontinue medications without the advice of your doctor).  See #1 for other options like walking around Botanic Gardens and climbing the stairs to their catwalk.

5) Twitter.  Everyone loves to hate twitter.  But twitter is fun, its an inside circle of the social media world that is much more low-key than facebook.  Imagine it this way: Who are 10 people in this world that you greatly admire, or that make you laugh?  Imagine if you could see what they were reading about every day.  You can choose to read it too, or ignore it, whatever, nobody cares what you do or don’t do.  That’s twitter.  Well, its actually better than that but it can’t be explained.  In fact, send your first tweet to @momsorganicmrkt and we’ll say Hi.

6) Vitamins D and B complex.  Sunshine, energy and stress relief.  These vitamins govern all that’s good in the universe of You.  Seriously.  Don’t be shy, basically every human needs them nowadays.  Take them during the day, with food.

6) Stay in.  But, stay in with intention.  Make cookies or a stew and invite over a friend for a movie.  Make snowflake ornaments.  Groom & snuggle your cat.  Or you could even start a tradition – get a group of friends to host a winter card game tournament, rotating homes.

7) Take your own advice.  If you had a loved one that was sad and gloomy right now, what would you tell them?  It might just help you, too, which reminds me – I’m outta here, I’ve got cookies to bake.

PS – a spa evening never hurts… even if its at home.  Choose citrus and other uplifting aromatherapy.

Alyssa works in multiple MOMs locations.

Posted in Local, Natural Health, Pets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, How Can I Re-purpose Your Branches?!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by charisomatic

The time has come to take our Christmas tree down.  I found myself lying in bed trying to sleep thinking about ways I could re-purpose that lovely, yet slowly dying Fraser fir standing in my living room.  Here’s some ideas I had:

  1.  It’s our first real, “live” Christmas tree, so I thought it would be neat to cut a chunk out and whittle something out of it. Then I realized I have no idea how to whittle out a simple square let alone a bird or house or whatever people like to whittle. Which led to;
  2. Cut a thin slice off and burn “Our First Christmas Tree 2011” in the wood, seal it and make an ornament out of it. Which led to;
  3. Cut multiple thin pieces off the trunk, seal them and make rustic coasters out of them. Which led to;
  4. Google it!
    After a quick search on Google, a couple websites popped up which share some inspirational ideas that are worth sharing.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/christmas-tree-garden.html
http://thestir.cafemom.com/home_garden/114350/5_cool_ways_to_reuse

Anyone have any ideas they’d like to add?!

Happy New Year!

Charis works at MOM’s Central Office.

Posted in Holidays, Recycling, Reuse | 1 Comment

You Say You Made a Resolution

Posted on December 23, 2011 by claudiasquips

As we wind down 2011 and look forward to January most of us are contemplating a resolution for the coming year. Whether it’s because we’ve overindulged through the holidays or because we simply want to be healthier, many of our resolutions feature starting a new diet in January.

The word diet in our culture has become defined as cutting out all the great tasting things we love, replacing them with bland, unappetizing options – leaving us hungry, frustrated, and likely not to succeed.  Instead I would like to offer you the traditional definition of the word diet – ‘the kinds of food that a person habitually eats’.

As you contemplate your current food habits, both naughty and nice, I’d like to offer you a new kind of diet resolution. Simply start a new food habit – and make it something tasty and energizing so you actually WANT to do it. Here are a few suggestions.

Raw foods are an amazing source of energy. Because they aren’t heated above 105 degrees they maintain their living enzymes (that’s right – THEY’RE ALIVE!).  They are nutrient dense so your body will get what it needs, meaning you will have less cravings.  You skin will start to look better, you’ll feel better and you’ll have the energy you need to stick to the resolution you’ve committed to, food related or otherwise.

Here’s a easy way to start your new food habit. Begin your day the healthy way. Eat a raw breakfast.

Smoothies are a great way to get all those servings of fruits and veggies into one delicious drink. If you’re like me and you’ve got someone in the household who won’t eat veggies or fruits it’s also a great way to sneak attack. If you want to up the ante you can add some Navitas Naturals Raw Maca Powder. Maca is a Andean superfood that has been used for centuries in Bolivia and Peru. The Incan warriors used to consume it before battle to increase stamina and energy and it became a precious enough commodity that it was eventually used as a form of currency. And while you may not have to fight physical battles on a daily basis we all know that driving the beltway can certainly feel like one and heck, just keeping your resolution can too!

Here’s a quick recipe, it’s enough for at least 2 people and since we’re not baking there are no hard and fast measurements. You can switch up an avocado for the sprouted almonds (crazy good).

1 orange or some fresh orange juice

1 banana

a handful or so of raw sprouted almonds (grab some from our bulk section and soak them in water in your fridge until you see a small sprout coming out – then you have to remove their skins – otherwise they get stuck in your teeth!)

a handful of spinach leaves

a few splashes of almond milk

Banana Chamomile Smoothie by VegaTeam via Flickr

Sleep is another precious commodity so for you late risers and smoothie slackers, I’ve got a great alternative. Mauk Family Farms Raw Breakfast Crusts. You can use them like toast and spread some raw nut butter on top or just eat them plain with your hot beverage of choice. The raw groats and seeds are germinated and then dehydrated leaving all those living enzymes ready to release a kraken of energy to get you through your day.

And if all that is still not inspiring then maybe it’s because you’re one of the lucky ones who works from home. You start your day in your pajamas watching Matt Lauer doing a rendition of the Old Spice commercial (I admit – it was kinda funny).  Or maybe it’s Saturday morning and you’re craving some cereal while you watch cartoons with the kids (we won’t tell) or read the paper (on your ipad). If that’s the case then you should give Goraw Organic Original Granola a try. It’s slightly sweet and tastes fantastic with some almond milk (extra points if you made it yourself).

If a revolution is a relatively sudden and drastic change -then be glad you only made a resolution today!

Posted in Fruits, Holidays, Natural Health, Organic Food, Recipes, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Food Nutrition Trivia

Posted on December 18, 2011 by MOM's Organic Market

We’ve had great fun digging up interesting nutrition trivia for our twitter feed.  In case you missed them, here’s a compilation:

Trivia: Adding ground cinnamon doesn’t add nutrients to your food. True or False?

Answer: False. Ground cinnamon contains LOTS of calcium, potassium, fiber, manganese & phytosterols & for heart health. #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: Coconut water is high in fat. #TrueorFalse?

Answer: False. Coconut water contains zero fat. It generally contains about 10% DV of vitamin C per 1 cup. #nutritiontrivia 

Trivia: Raw Beets vs Canned Beets. Which is a better source of iron?

Answer: Raw Beets 6% DV of iron per 1 cup. Canned Beets 16% DV of iron per 1 cup. *also 3 times higher in sodium

Trivia: Coconut water is a good source of potassium. #TrueorFalse? 

Answer: True. Coconut water contains a significant dose of potassium (600 mg) in 1 cup. #nutritiontrivia bit.ly/rtBAO2

Trivia: Raw onions contain sugar. #TrueorFalse? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Raw onions do contain sugar. 7g sugar per 1 cup; 2g protein, 0 fat, and 3g fiber, plus a whole bunch of nutrients.

Trivia: Which contains more vitamins & minerals: 1 cup of blueberries or cranberries? #nutritiontrivia *that’s a hard one!

Answer: Blueberries! contain a TON of vitamins & minerals, including A, C, K, B, + calcium, magnesium & potassium. Cranberries: lower levels 

Trivia: Japanese knotweed, peanut butter and red wine are all good sources of the antioxidant Resveratrol? #TrueorFalse?

Answer: True! Knotweed, peanut butter & red wine are excellent sources of the antioxidant Resveratrol. #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: Tomatoes don’t contain a significant amount of vitamin C. #TrueorFalse? bit.ly/uHKDCC #nutritiontrivia

Answer: False. Tomatoes contain about 15.6mg (or 26% DV) of vitamin C per 1 medium tomato. bit.ly/uHKDCC #nutritiontrivia 

Trivia: Radishes do not contain significant nutrients, other than vitamin A. True or False?

Answer-False: Radishes contain good amounts of vit C, calcium, folate, magnesium & phytosterols for heart health. They do not contain vit A.

Trivia: Frozen Asparagus contains more vitamin C than fresh asparagus after its boiled and drained? #TrueorFalse?

Answer: True. Frozen asparagus contains 40% DV of vit C after its cooked. Fresh contains a little over 12% DV of vit C in 100g serving. 

Trivia: raw Papaya vs raw Mango: which contains more sugar (per 1 cup cut fruit)? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Mangos! They contain about 24g of sugar per 1 cup, sliced. Papayas contain only about 8g per 1 cup, cubed. #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: which is a better source of calcium: boiled Swiss chard or raw Swiss chard? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Boiled Swiss chard contains a bit more calcium than raw, per 28g portion. Boiled: 16.2mg, raw: 14.4mg, go figure. #nutritiontrivia 

Trivia: Pears are not nutritionally beneficial foods. #TrueorFalse?

Answer: Pears mainly taste good but they do contain 10% DV vitamin C, and fulfill 18% of your daily fiber need in just 1 small whole pear.

Trivia: Which is a better source of calcium: dried sesame seeds or tahini (sesame seed butter)? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Sesame Seeds! contain almost 10% DV calcium (or 87mg) per 1 tbsp. Raw Tahini contains 63mg calcium per tbsp. #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: raw Pistachio vs raw Macadamia: which has more protein per serving? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Pistachio! They have 6g of protein per 28g serving (and 12g fat). Macadamias have 2g of protein and 21g of fat. #nutritiontrivia 

Trivia: Leeks vs. Onions. Which contains more vitamin K, essential for bone density health?

Answer: Leeks contain almost 42mcg of vitamin K for bone density health, which is about 52% your daily value in 1 cup. Onions: 0.6mcg/cup.

Trivia: Brown rice vs Quinoa: which one contains more protein per cooked serving? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Quinoa contains 8g of protein per 1 cooked cup, brown rice contains 5g. Little quinoa patties #recipe: epi.us/tyDlIb ☆☆☆☆ 

Trivia: Coconut water is a good source of potassium. #TrueorFalse? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: True. Coconut water contains a significant dose of potassium (600 mg) in 1 cup. #nutritiontrivia bit.ly/rtBAO2

Trivia: Bok Choy contains only vitamins and no minerals. #TrueorFalse? 

Answer: False. Bok choy is chock full of vitamins AND minerals, including vitamins B, C, A & K, also potassium & iron! bit.ly/s82rIt 

Trivia: In a 100 gram serving, which has more omega 3s: baked salmon or flax seeds?

Answer: Flaxseeds! They contain 22,813 mg omega 3s in 100 gram serving. Baked salmon contains about 1500 mg. #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: What % of your daily value (DV) of calcium is contained in 1 cup of dry roasted almonds?

Answer: Dry roasted almonds contain 37% the DV of calcium in just 1 cup. *plus 30g protein, 16g fiber, phytosterols & omega 3s for the heart

Trivia: Bok Choy contains only vitamins and no minerals. #TrueorFalse?

Answer: False. Bok choy is chock full of vitamins AND minerals, including vitamins B, C, A & K, also potassium & iron! bit.ly/s82rIt

Trivia: Raw dried pumpkin seeds are super rich in minerals like potassium, zinc and iron? #TrueorFalse

Answer: True! Dried pumpkin seeds are rich in minerals like iron, potassium and zinc, as well as vitamins K and Folate bit.ly/tOSgVH 

Trivia: How many grams of fat are in an avocado?

Answer: A medium avocado contains about 30 grams of fat. Good fat. The kind that benefits cholesterol levels.. bit.ly/

Trivia: Sweet potatoes are so high in sugar that they’re bad for you. #TrueorFalse? 

Answer: Sweet Potatoes do contain natural sugar; and also vit A, vit C, iron & calcium with zero fat. Eat all sweet foods in moderation, but do eat! 

Trivia: Sesame Seeds are a great source of calcium and iron, and they are low in fat… True or False?

Answer: Sesame Seeds are high in calcium and iron, but they are not low fat. Sesame seeds provide beneficial fat; eat in moderation.

Trivia: Butternut squash is a good source of iron, calcium, vitamin A AND vitamin C.. True or False? 

 Answer: Butternut squash is a great source of calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C. It is also low calorie, fat-free, and tastes dreamy.

Trivia: 1 Pomegranate contains nearly 50% the DV of vitamin C. TrueorFalse? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: True! One Pomegranate contains almost 30 mg of vitamin C (48% DV) plus 665 mg of potassium! bit.ly/uMJF0I #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: Pears are not nutritionally beneficial foods. #TrueorFalse? 

Answer: Pears mainly taste good but they do contain 10% DV vitamin C, and fulfill 18% of your daily fiber need in just 1 small whole pear.

Trivia: Which is a better source of calcium: dried sesame seeds or tahini (sesame seed butter)? #nutritiontrivia

Answer: Sesame Seeds! contain almost 10% DV calcium (or 87mg) per 1 tbsp. Raw Tahini contains 63mg calcium per tbsp. #nutritiontrivia

Trivia: Almond butter and peanut butter have almost identical fat profiles. True or False? 

Answer False:1cup Peanut butter (26g) contains almost twice the saturated fat as almond butter (14g) & almond contains 5 times the omega 3s. 

Posted in Fruits, Natural Health, Organic Food, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

9 Tips for Happy (Winterized) Hands

Posted on December 10, 2011 by alyssabdh

Wintertime’s cold, dry winds have a habit of rapping your knuckles until they’re cracking and dry. You put your hands through a lot, and you expect the world of them. Your hands tell a story about you: your maturity, your grace, your fight with the copier machine paper jam this morning.  Here are 9 tips to help keep your hands in excellent shape this winter and beyond:

  1. Since you need to wash your hands to avoid germs, be sure the hand soap you use is gentle and moisturizing (all soaps kill germs, they don’t have to contain harsh antibacterial additives to do the job). We like Dr Bronner’s Shikakai Soap and Kiss My Face Moisture Soap.
  2. About 30 minutes before showering or bathing, apply a generous amount of lotion to your hands and allow to soak in. This will help reduce additional moisture loss in the shower.
    photo by JonGenius via flickr
  3. Use a first aid gel when you have a hangnail or cut on your hand. This helps heal cuts and reduce further damage when your hands are hard at work (minor hand abrasions often become reinjured several times before getting to heal, so help ’em out). We like Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel and Eras Wound Honey (made with Manuka honey) for speedy clear healing.
  4. Its a good idea to have a hand sanitizer with you during the winter when you are more likely to run into people with runny noses, but you can opt for gentle versions like Cleanwell Orange Vanilla Hand Sanitizer Spray or Original Foam which do not contain harsh drying agents, yet are naturally effective against germs. Also safe for kids.
  5. Don’t use lotions and creams that contain petroleum-derived ingredients which temporarily soothe, but eventually rob the skin of its protectant oils. Look for lotions that contain nutritional oils like flax oil, borage oil, or sunflower oil for extra healing benefit. We like Shikai Dry Skin Lotion, or Griffin Remedy Omega-3 Lotion.
  6. Don’t forget to exfoliate – gently.  A weekly session with a natural scrub will do wonders to help new skin cells, and shake off dead skin flakes.  Be sure to take it easy:  gentle massaging is better than rough scrubbing which can age skin prematurely.  Try Biggs and Featherbelle Fresh Mint & Sugar Scrub or Adzuki Bean & Sea Salt Scrub (the salt ones will sting a bit if you have abrasions on your skin) for brand new, baby soft hands in about 3 minutes.  Rest, then moisturize…
  7. Do a deep moisture treatment weekly by generously massaging Alaffia fairtrade Shea Butter or Weleda Skin Food into the hands for a few minutes and covering with cloth gloves or socks for one hour or more.  This can be a great overnight treatment for severe cases.
  8. Use sunscreen regularly on the backs of your hands and wrists to protect against noticeable aging and wrinkles. Chemical-free sunscreens like ones by Goddess Garden, Mychelle, or Badger are the safest and most effective options available. Natural sunscreens like the 3 above contain protective nutrients and they also protect against windburn and weather-related damage.  Chemical sunscreens don’t have that additional benefit.  *Diaper cream containing zinc oxide offers similar benefits in a pinch.
  9. To help heal damage and improve the look of your hands, use an antioxidant-rich facial repair treatment cream or serum daily for 3 months or more, just before bed. Excellent options: Andalou Naturals Omega Glow Facial Concentrate, Mychelle Deep Repair Cream, or Blissoma Lift Intelligent Energy Creme.

    photo by Shawn Campbell via flickr

Bonus tip: consider taking a photo of your hands with a loved one’s hands. One day you’ll look back and be able to appreciate them in a new way.

 Alyssa works in multiple MOM’s locations. 

Posted in Natural Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

TerraPass Your Gas: Zip Code Collection for Good!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by MOM's Organic Market

MOM’s is now asking for your zip code at check out but its not in order to market to you – it’s so we can TerraPass Your Gas!

 

1 Each year, the average car emits about 10,000 lbs of carbon dioxide, a leading cause of global warming.

2 We collect your zip code to calculate carbon dioxide emitted from a round trip to MOM’s and purchase carbon credits to offset the trip through TerraPass.

3 TerraPass uses the money to fund carbon dioxide reducing projects.

4 Result: Less CO2 released into the air!

More Info: MOM’s Organic Market will purchase carbon credits from TerraPass in direct proportion to the emissions released from its customers’ shopping trips. MOM’s estimates it will be able to offset over 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. This will be equivalent to eliminating the annual greenhouse emissions from 1,067 passenger vehicles or the CO2 emissions from consuming 621,400 gallons of gasoline.  MOM’s will use zip code data from its customers to estimate mileage driven to and from MOM’s stores.

TerraPass will use funds received from MOM’s to sponsor four types of leading–edge clean energy and efficiency projects such as wind power, dairy farm methane digesters, landfill gas capture and coal mine capture. An independent third party environmental auditor verifies each TerraPass offset purchase against industry leading standards.

Now when you shop at MOM’s, we’ll offset your carbon usage for the trip and you’ll be greener than ever!

Posted in Energy Resources, Local, News | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Waste Not, Want Not: Broth Bags!

Posted on November 2, 2011 by charisomatic

Earlier this year, the United Nations reported that industrialized countries like the U.S. wastes approximately 222-253 pounds of food a year per capita.  That coupled with my brimming compost bin led me to write this post about one of my favorite and oh-so-simple DIY projects.

I live in an apartment with a balcony that has a small utility closet where I keep a small compost bin my husband fashioned out of an old Tupperware bin and some rocks. We actually used the compost it generated for the potted herbs and cherry tomato plants we grew in pots this past summer.

If you cook at all, you know how many vegetable scraps you end up going through every week and well, our humble little bin can’t keep up. I had to find some way to divert so many scraps from both the bin and the trash can. What to do?! Start a broth bag! Folks have been doing this for years!

What is a broth bag you may ask? It’s a bag full of food scraps and those vegetables that aren’t looking top notch that you rescue and keep tucked away in your freezer until it’s full. Once full, remove from the freezer and combine a gallon size bag full of scraps with about a gallon of water into a large stockpot, add some pepper and salt if desired, bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer for an hour or so. After an hour, strain and use to make soups, curries, stir-fries, gravies, sauces or in any recipe that calls for broth or stock. It’s that easy! And trust me, the broth is delicious.

stew by LibbyGirl @ Flickr

Scrap ideas: Onion (garlic, scallions, shallots) ends and skins—that’s right the skins too! Parsley or thyme stems or other herbs that may have sat in your fridge a day or two (or week) too long and you’re sad to have to throw them away. Carrot and potato skins and ends. Celery is great, even after it has lost its crunch. Really just about any vegetable you can think of can go on the broth bag. Just make sure everything is free of mold and clean—for instance onion ends are sometimes a little dirty, so be sure to brush or rinse that excess dirt off before plopping into the bag. Also, darker colored cabbage skins and eggplant can make the stock a little bitter. Other than that, you’re good to go.

At this point, the scraps are so beat up from the boiling, that they are significantly smaller and further broken down that they can fit in my compost bin.

Over a sixth month period, our lil’ family of three managed to keep at least 30 pounds of usable food from the trash can. Any other tricks out there to help cut back on food waste?

Happy broth-making!

Charis works at MOMs central.

Posted in Composting, Family, Organic Food, Recipes, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Herndon-bound: New MOM’s Opening October 28th-31st

Posted on October 27, 2011 by MOM's Organic Market

Its only 2 days until our newest store, in Herndon VA, opens!  We’ve got tons of fun stuff going on this weekend to entertain our newest local community.

One of our most popular events, E-cycle, will be available all weekend at Herndon MOM’s.  You can drop off any old electronics for recycling, ensuring they do not go to the landfill.  MOM’s has already collected more than 37,000 pounds of used electronics in 2011 at our other E-cycle events.

MOM’s is also pleased to announce we’ll be starting Terrapass soon, where MOM’s will cover the carbon offset of our customers’ trips to the store and back home.  We’ll be collecting zip codes so we can determine what we owe, and announcing more details soon!

For grand opening weekend, we’ll have tons of samples and treats from local farms and brands like  BMore Organic smoothies, Cava Mezze, Chesapeake Bay Roasting Co coffee, Zia’s cafe, Latimore Valley Farms, Trickling Springs dairy (all day Saturday), Caprikorn Farms, and BT Baking Co.  Join us for Wine Tastings on Friday 3-7pm, and Saturday 4-7pm.

Fun kids activities: paint a pumpkin or build a bat box, while supplies last.

Our everyday niceties are in full effect, too: free organic coffee, herbal teas, or filtered water, while you shop.  As everyone knows, MOMs banned selling bottled water in 2010.  We maintain a reverse-osmosis filtered water machine from Culligan, and we provide the first gallon FREE on each visit (bring your own container, please, or buy a reusable one on your trip), and each additional gallon is just $.39.

We carry your bags to your car in an attempt to make your day go a little smoother, and we give a reusable bag credit for the number of bags you bring and fill up on your trip!

As always, our new store will be chock full of environmentally-friendly equipment and decor, including skylights, and auto-dimming LED light bulbs in all tracks.  MOMs is big on composting, and you’ll find that all our supplies in the store (coffee cups, stirrers, water cups, lids, produce bags, bulk pre-pack bags, household cleaning supplies, napkins, spoons, etc) are compostable.  We choose closed-door refrigeration to reduce the waste of energy in air heating and conditioning.

Come on by Herndon MOM’s on Elden St on Friday Oct 28th from 9am to 9pm, Saturday October 29th from 9am to 9pm, Sunday October 30th from 9am to 8pm, or Monday October 31st from 9am to 9pm (boo!) for some fun & food.  Oh, and we could never forget – 100% certified organic produce (spectacular produce, actually).  No exceptions.

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