Get some organic corn (or maize) at your nearest Farmer's Market. It's sweet. It's fresh. It's crunchy. And it tastes amazing. You can steam it, grill it or simply eat it raw! That's right, fresh raw corn tastes delicious in salads. Just remove the husks and silks, break off the stem holding the leaves or husks and then sit it on a cutting board top or wide end firmly pressing vertically on the cutting board. Use a sharp knife carefully slicing off kernels. Add the kernels to your all your salads. Eating fresh corn when it's in season is by far the best way to eat corn. Our whole industrialized food system is based on corn. But consuming corn syrup in sodas or corn flakes as sugar coated cereal candy is taking something wonderful and turning into something horrible. Don't compromise taste or freshness. Frozen corn and ready-to-use husked corn on the cob is not the same. Go to your nearest Farmer's Market or produce stand where it's just been picked the same day and try corn the way we're meant to eat it.

Let me know how you like!

Can you feel it? The season for fresh peppers is just around the corner. Peppers season officially begins in August. But you can already find green bell peppers, Anaheim peppers and jalapeno peppers (in small quantities) at your nearest Farmer's Market. So start planning what succulent and yummy dishes you'll be preparing to take advantage of the wonderful and unique flavors you can enjoy for the great variety of peppers.

Recently, government inspectors have determined that the recent salmonella outbreak can be traced to "a single Mexican-grown jalapeno pepper handled by a small Texas produce shipper." That means your local Farmer's Market jalepenos are safe.

Recently I've been buying a lot of jalapeno peppers to put in all my meals. I have discovered that you don't have to limit their use to just salsa or pico de gallo. You can cook with them in recipes that call for bell peppers, for instance, and they're not really all that spicy if your remove the seeds and white membranes completely.

I'm even adding them to my raw salads. I seed and derib them completely, then I chop them very finely and add them to my salads and dressings. They add lots of fresh flavor and texture to meals, cooked and raw.

Try them and let me know what you think!

Living in California, I'm blessed by the abundance and variety of fruits and vegetables, year round, grown organically and locally. Most of what I buy comes from the Farmer's Market and from the farmers I know and talk to all the time. There is something deeply satisfying about knowing where your food was grown, who grew it, how they grew it and when.

Not everything sold at Farmer's Markets is organic or pesticide free. But you can easily find out simply by asking the farmers. They're happy to tell you everything you might want to know about the fruits or vegetables you're about to buy.

Within the Farmer's Market, you'll find farmers that grow only a couple of things, and others that grow a huge variety of produce. Some have organically certified farms and others simply use organic methods, but are not certified. Others don't necessarily use organic methods but will tell you that they don't spray any pesticides on their products either. And yet some are certified organic but might still choose to apply some organic chemicals to combat pests while others go completely natural and let some pest chow down part of the crop. Don't just visit your nearest Farmer's Market, talk to the farmers and learn about your food. It's an incredibly rewarding experience to meet the person that grows your food. And be sure to write me when you do!

I came back from Greece about a month ago and I'm still adjusting back to my new schedule and my healthy non-restaurant meals. Yesterday, for some reason, I was feeling really "off" -- mentally and physically. I felt neither motivated nor energetic. It was rough because I had some writing deadlines and also had to go speed walking for my semi-weekly half-marathon. I went to the local Farmer's Market -- always a good source of inspiration. Afterwards, I sat down at my computer and mustered the willpower to get my work done, which was satisfying.

As I was leaving to go on my walk, strangely, I was craving greasy Mexican food. Instead, I had some nuts and fruit and pressed on to go on my walk. I wasn't able to walk as fast as I usually do, and the walk felt a little arduous. But I did it, and felt great afterward. The best part is that halfway through the walk I began feeling hungry again. But my cravings for greasy restaurant food had been replaced by an extraordinary desire to have a giant raw vegetable salad with beans, sprouted seeds and avocado. Yum!

The moral of this long-winded story is that, no matter how "off" you might be feeling, exercise is the solution to get your body back on track, fine-tune your metabolism and generally optimize all your organs, systems and even uplift your spirit. So next time you don't feel up to doing something or are having horrible cravings, take a hike -- or a walk! It just might set everything right again.

Everybody knows that organic foods are better for you, but conventional produce is cheaper, right?

Well, not so fast. It depends on what you're buying. There's no question that conventional produce is, on average, cheaper per pound than organic alternatives, and probably contains more calories-per-dollar.

However, research in the past few years has shown dramatically higher concentrations of health-boosting nutrients in organic foods, including anti-oxidants, vitamins and substances that enable the body to process nutrients.

So when you pay for produce, what is it that you're buying? Are you looking for calories? Or nutrition? It's just possible that on a nutritional basis, you get more for your money with organic.

Plus, avoiding the toxins in conventional produce is priceless.

Read all about this in my brand-new column at Environmental Living!

Whole Foods is reading the writing on the wall. As consumers look for way to cut spending costs across the board, Whole Foods implements a value program called "The Real Deal" designed to provide special discounts to thrift-oriented customers. The 28-page quarterly value guide will be available in stores starting July 17, and will feature money-saving coupons, product discounts, meal plans and low-cost recipes. Hopefully "The Real Deal" will also feature real discounts for real foods, not just overly processed organic foods.

On my semi-weekly visit to the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market yesterday, I was buying some wonderfully fresh and moist Thompson seedless raisins (shown in picture above) and some delicious and amazing Sugar Lady white peaches from the Peacock Family Farm stand when I noticed that they also sell eggs. And as a curious writer, of course, I decided to inquire further about their egg production and how they care for their chickens. Debbie, one of the farmers, who was handling the sales at the stand, informed me that the hens roam freely around the farm eating and behaving according to their natural instincts. Although the farm is not certified organic, they do use only organic farming methods and are in the process of getting certified, which is an expensive and lengthy process. Debbie also told me that the hens have been laying very few eggs lately, which she attributes to the stress that the chickens are feeling as a result of the Gap fire near Santa Barbara. That's right. Chickens get so stressed out by distant fires they stop laying eggs. Since the fires started a week ago, the chickens are not behaving like their old selves, Debbie said. I can relate to that; I'm pretty tired of the power outages, the ashes all over my car, the house and fruit trees in my back yard. I've been feeling tired and the fact that I have to breathe the nasty air when I go on my speed-walks is definitely trying my patience. I don't usually eat eat eggs, but if I did, I would want my eggs to come from chickens that live their natural lives in pesticide-free farms where they can run around freely, eat what they want, stretch their wings when they feel like it and dust bathe just like they love to do.

The Organic Center has just released a free pocket guide, which lists fruits and vegetables that pose the greatest risks from pesticides. All conventional produce is grown with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. But some are more heavily sprayed with pesticides than others. Pesticides can cause developmental problems in children and other long term health effects on adults. It's important to eat organic when possible. If you must purchase conventional produce be aware that the following fruits and vegetables are laden with pesticides and should be avoided or simply opt for other produce not on the list of highly toxic fruits and vegetables.

Here is the list of fruits and vegetables that pose the greatest pesticide exposure:

Domestically Grown Conventional Fruits

1. Cranberries
2. Nectarines
3. Peaches
4. Strawberries
5. Pears

Domestically Grown Conventional Vegetables

1. Green beans
2. Sweet bell peppers
3. Celery
4. Cucumbers
5. Potatoes

Imported Conventional Fruits

1. Grapes
2. Nectarines
3. Peaches
4. Pears
5. Strawberries

Imported Conventional Vegetables

1. Sweet bell peppers
2. Lettuce
3. Cucumbers
4. Celery
5. Tomatoes

It's well known that blueberries are, nutritiously speaking, a power-house fruit. But a recent study conducted by Rutgers University in collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that organic blueberries contain higher values of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) than conventionally grown blueberries. In other words, organic blueberries are better at protecting against nasty radicals that cause damage at a cellular level, including cancer. Although researchers try to warn against making sweeping conclusions (and why wouldn't they given that the USDA is involved) it's clear that food grown and eaten in its most natural state and without the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides are better for you. When a fruit or vegetable plant is allowed to grow in its most wild form without genetic modification and it's allowed to develop it's own natural defenses, without pesticides, the most nutritious and better for you such plant will be.

On my first visit the local laiki (Farmer's Market) in Athens, Greece, where I'm doing research on the Mediterranean diet, I was inspired to make a soup using only items available at the stands. Although the farmer's market is vast, most vendors sell mostly the same items, which is no surprise as farmers are limited to grow fruits and vegetables according to the season.

Coming from Santa Barbara, California, where, thanks to the Mediterranean-like weather almost year round, I'm used to having a great variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the different seasons. California farmers in general can grow a wide variety of produce, sometimes throughout the year. It was shocking to see the limited variety of seasonal offerings at the laiki (Farmer's Market) in Athens. Nonetheless, it was still a wonderful experience that simply made me think about how spoiled I am to live in an agriculturally rich and fertile area blessed with such mild weather. It is great cooking with the seasons, and it's definitely gratifying to buy locally grown produce from local farmers no matter where I am. I made this soup to share with our cousins in Greece in gratitude for their hospitality and generosity for sharing their home with us.

Get ingredients ready: (use organic ingredients when possible)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup red onions, finely chopped
½ cup leeks, finely chopped (white part only)
¾ cup celery, finely chopped
½ cup carrots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, loosely filled (large stems removed)
1 teaspoon dry oregano (or 1 ½ fresh oregano)
¼ cup fresh dill
8 cups of water
1½ cups brown lentil beans
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Sea salt (about 2 or 3 teaspoons)
4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1. In a large pot heat oil over low heat. Add red onions and leeks sautéing for 5 minutes occasionally stirring. Stir in celery, carrots and garlic and mix well continuing to sauté for 15 minutes over low to medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender, combine tomatoes, ½ cup cilantro, oregano and dill blending until completely smooth. Add tomato mixture, water and lentils bringing to a soft boil over medium heat. Add cumin, paprika and black pepper. Reduce heat and cover with lid continuing to lightly simmer for 30 minutes over very low heat. Add salt and mix well continuing to simmer for another 10 minutes without lid. Remove from heat.

3. To serve, place 1 cup of spinach in each serving bowl. Pour soup in each bowl to cover the spinach (this is what I call rawking the spinach). Top each bowl of soup with 1 tablespoon of cilantro and 1 or 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Enjoy!

Cook's tidbit: Add some steamed quinoa, millet or brown rice for a protein rich meal.

The disappearance of honeybees is having significant negative impact on California agriculture, where the majority of the world's almonds, avocados, berries, melons and many other agricultural crops are grown. One major culprit contributing to the destruction of honeybee colonies is the U.S. farm bill, which subsidizes conventional agribusiness programs that are directly propagating the destruction of honeybees and other wild pollinators with their growing methods. While the Bush administration is trying to cut those subsidies and increase funding for environmental and nutrition programs as part of the farm bill, congress is doing its utmost to increase subsidies that have a direct correlation with everything that’s wrong with our overly processed and industrialized food supply as well as widespread obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and now, the annihilation of honeybees and other wild pollinators.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Domesticated honeybee colonies suffered a 35 percent decline last winter. Wild pollinators such as native bees, wasps and butterflies are suspected to be in sharp decline, too, according to scientists, beekeepers and others at a symposium organized by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who is struggling to get $20 million in the bill to research the cause of the honeybee decline." Pesticides used in conventional farming, consider “safe” for humans, cause severe damage to insects. It’s believed that these pesticides seriously affect bees causing memory loss and navigation failure driving bees to their destruction. Moreover, the expansion of monocultures of single crops, sophisticated pests and other diseases, are suspected to also exacerbate the bee problem as well as the decline of other wild pollinators including bumblebees, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds.

We elect officials who vote and act in the interest of big corporate America. Capitol Hill lobbyists spend millions of dollars effectively luring our politicians to do their employers’ bidding. It’s no surprise to have a congress that supports the expansion of factory farming and industrialized crop production and do so by trying to cut existing farm conservation programs designed to keep pollinators alive. It is a disturbing notion, however, that it is our own lack of awareness about our food chain and the politics around it that makes this possible. Contrary to popular belief, ignorance is not bliss—knowledge and awareness are what can help our own preservation. Our existence as human beings depends on other living things, including plants and animals. Naturally, all plant life, upon which we depend, requires pollination for reproduction. Plants cannot survive without pollination and we cannot survive without plants. The possible extinction of pollinators caused by our own hands could be the demise of our future generations if not our own.

EXCLUSIVE: A fairly new chocolate company called Fine & Raw will soon be offering online sales, according to the owner of the company, Daniel Sklaar. Most available chocolate is junk food, but Fine & Raw chocolate is a superfood! It's made using raw techniques, processed only at very low temperatures to retain all the natural health properties in cocoa. It's lightly sweetened with low glycemic blue agave nectar, and contains virgin and cold pressed coconut oil. Fine & Raw chocolate is vegan, organic and fair trade. The chocolates are currently available in a small number of stores in New York City. Stay tuned, and I'll give you the details about how to buy online when that information becomes available.

"Natural" products you should avoid; Rapadura and diabetes; and this issue's Vegetarian Organic Recipe of the Week: Homemade Savory Baked Tofu! Go here to read it online, and go here to subscribe free!

Many readers have asked me to share a list of my favorite personal care products. My criteria for choosing personal care products is primarily that they have to be 100% biodegradable and made with certified organic ingredients when possible. Additionally, I make sure that they are free of harmful synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, preservatives, petroleum products, parabens, phthalates, FD&C colorants or dyes, and other toxic chemicals. Here are a few my favorite products:

1. Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi by Desert Essence for face, hands and body. I’ve been using this for many years. I buy the 32 oz refill bottles to refill the soap dispensers I keep in showers and sinks around the house. The tea tree oil in it makes it a natural antibacterial soap, but it can also burn the eyes as a result of it. It leaves the skin clean and soft like.

2. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Castile Soap Lavender for face, hands and body. I love the smell of this soap, which I use alternately with the Thoughroughly Clean Face Wash. I buy the 32 oz refill bottles to fill up my soap dispensers. I don’t like using any one product exclusively as I think variety and moderation are important.

3. Aubrey Organics Camomile Luxurious Shampoo. I love the smell of this product. It’s not very foamy as it doesn’t contain toxic petroleum surfactants but it cleans hair well and leaves it nice and shiny.

4. Aubrey Organics Camomile Conditioner. It makes hair silky and soft as long as you use plenty of water to rinse the hair thoughroughly. Otherwise, it leaves residues in the hair making the hair feel sticky and hard to detangle.

5. Peelu dental fibers. It doesn’t taste very good but it cleans teeth well. To be followed by flossing and Peelu toothpaste or Burt’s Bees Toothpaste.

6. Ecodent Dental Floss.

The Easter tradition of dying easter eggs for most American kids is all about using toxic supermarket Easter-egg dying kits. But you can use organic foods such as juice, onion skins, paprika, cabbage, carrots, coffee and spinach to make your own Easter egg dyes. Christina over at the SoloMother blog tells us how.

Warda, who publishes the 64 sq ft Kitchen blog has a wonderful recipe for roasted garlic oil. The reciepe will produce, in fact, two foods: oily garlic (called garlic mash), and garlicky oil. The Vegetarian Organic Blog, as you know, is all about the most healthy, delicious foods. And I also believe that a little planning and common sense can make the preparation of great food quick and easy. Roasted garlic oil is a perfect way to plan ahead for health and deliciousness. Garlic is one of the most powerful superfoods around. Eat it often to avoid getting sick, and when you do feel under the weather, garlic will fix you faster than any other food. Olive oil is an extremely healthful cooking fat. As always, buy only organic garlic and olive oil. As Warda points out, roasted garlic oil keeps unrefrigerated for at least a month. The garlic mash lasts that long, too, but in the refrigerator. The garlic oil will make it easy to prepare other foods that call for olive oil and a mild garlic flavor. The garlic mash will supply you with an instant superfood replacement for unhealthy things like butter, or store-bought relishes and dressings. Enjoy!

A new study commissioned by Organic Consumers Association finds that some leading "organic" brand personal care products that are not USDA certified contain the carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane. Although 1,4-dioxane is commonly used in conventionally produced personal care products, the USDA National Organic Program prohibits the use of Dioxane in organic products seeking certification by the USDA. The study found that many well known "organic" brand name companies' personal care products including shampoos, body washers and lotions make use of the toxic practice known as ethoxylation. Some unscrupulous "organic companies" use Ethoxylation as an easy way to make harsh chemicals feel soft.

This shameful practice involves using the cancer-causing petrochemical Ethylene Oxide, which produces Dioxane as a by-product. Dioxane not only causes cancer as well as kidney, neurological and respiratory damage but it is also a major groundwater contaminant according to the California Environmental Protection Agency. For a complete list of tested products and test results click on link here.

What Can You Do About It?

Boycott deceitful "organic" companies that have betrayed our trust in their products--they have been poisoning us and the environment. It's unforgivable how some companies are exploiting unsuspecting consumers who pay a premium for products they believe are free of harmful chemicals that can cause cancer and pollute the environment. It's time to take action; use your purchasing power and boycott unscrupulous companies who use toxics out of greed and at the expense of our health and that of the environment. Reward companies who are true to the organic movement and truthful in their claims about the products they make.

The best way to ensure that products have been produced in accordance to the USDA National Organic Program is by purchasing only products emblazoned with the USDA certified organic label. As Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the OCA, said in a statement: "The practice of ethoxylating ingredients or using other petroleum compounds must end for natural personal care, and is that much more outrageous in so-called 'organics' brand products." The OCA recommends avoiding products with unfamiliar and unpronounceable ingredients. Read labels carefully and avoid buying products that contain ingredients with words such as “myreth,” “oleth,” “laureth,” “ceteareth,” or other words ending in “eth” (which implies the ethoxylation process that generates 1,4-Dioxane).

Shame on companies deceiving consumers and selling products containing carcinogenics. Boycott these decietful companies until they publicly commit to stop using toxicants in their products that poison consumers and the environment:

Citrus Magic
NutriBiotic
Nature's Gate Organics
Giovanni Organic Cosmetics
Kiss My Face
365* Everyday Value by Whole Foods
Circle of Friends
Aura Cacia
Alba
Ecco Bella
Ecover
Earth Friendly
Shikai
ShenMin
Seventh Generation
Sea-Chi Organics
Rainbow
Planet
Emerald Forest
Healthy Times
Jason
Life Tree
Method

In this issue: Your action plan for times of crisis; romanesco cauliflower; purple potatoes; pots and pans; and this week's Vegetarian Organic Life Recipe of the Week, Vegetable Comfort Soup! Read it here!

Sugar beet farmers in the U.S. will soon decide whether to plant genetically engineered sugar beets. A new genetically engineered strain of sugar beet created by Monsanto and designed to resist Roundup, an herbicide also created by Monsanto, is the latest available option approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2005. The final decision will be largely determined the type of sugar food manufacturers such as McDonald's, Campbell Soup, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, Sara Lee, PepsiCo and Hershey's commit to buying for use in their production of foods in 2009. Sugar is added to most processed foods, including candy, cereals, health bars, beverages, juices, bread, candy bars, frozen foods, dressings, fast foods, etc. It might be difficult to find items to which sugar isn't added. It's commonly known that high intake of sugar is unhealthy but unless we eat mostly homemade meals from scratch, we end up consuming large quantities of sugar whether we want to or not. Take a moment to keep GM sugar off our food.

I told you in November about the pleasures and benefits of "cauliflower of color" -- green, yellow, orange and even purple cauliflower. Now, it appears, the colorful-cauliflower craze that started in California has spread to the UK, according to an article in the Daily Mail. It's now a popular item in some UK grocery stores.