Sprouts are high in vitamins but they can also provide protein, minerals, and other goodies. Their fresh aliveness provides a nutrition that you can get no other way. There are people who become devoted sprout addicts! You don’t have to go that far, but I’m rapidly heading that way. A popular guest article here on this site was an illustrated guide to making sprouts,  so take a look at that too.

It’s really quite easy to grow sprouts. You can use wide-mouth canning jars, with screening cut to size to fit inside the outer jar lid. You can do the same thing with any fairly wide-mouth jar, a rubber band, and screening, cheesecloth, an old stocking, or some other covering that will allow air and water (but not tiny seeds) to pass freely. Read the rest >>>

In our hectic lives, it’s all too easy to buy water in handy sized plastic bottles.  It’s a good thing that people are more conscious now of the need to stay hydrated. We carry water around with us a lot more than we used to. This guest article argues for using your own environmentally friendly water bottle. I would add, be sure to get one that is good for you too! — Zana

Discover One of the Best Eco Friendly Products You Could Ever Use

By Raymond Hamilton

Let’s face it, these days we are surrounded by eco friendly products, some of which are good while others are not very eco friendly at all! Personally I have one favorite that I think is among the very best of them.

My vote for the best and most accessible eco friendly product goes to enviromentally friendly water bottles. Now bear with me and let me explain why they are just so important. Read the rest >>>

Bread machines are wonderful inventions, and if you have one, you may never need to learn to make bread by hand. If you don’t have one, you can certainly enjoy the special flavor of fresh homemade bread. This recipe can be made with spelt flour instead of wheat, if you prefer.

Making bread by hand takes time, but not all that much. Sometimes I’ve done it after dinner, while half-way watching television, and we’d have hot bread for a bedtime snack. (We currently have a bread machine, so we usually use it.)

When Kelly and I first met, he taught me to make bread using the sponge method. I’ve since tried a lot of bread recipes, and making bread this way remains my favorite because you only have to get your hands into the dough once. Read the rest >>>

The tips on being greener in your kitchen include things you can do right away for very little money as well as things that you would consider if remodeling. My favorite tip in this guest article is the last one, about creating a way to recycle more easily in the kitchen. — Zana

Ways to Be Green in the Kitchen

By Lindsey Maestas

Living in today’s economy, everyone wants to save money. Saving on energy costs can be a large chunk of change when planning a budget-not to mention it can save our earth! Although building green can save money in the long run and over time, it can be more costly in the building process than standard construction. And although green products are more expensive than standard products, they are becoming more affordable. The kitchen is typically the most used room in the house, so let’s start conserving energy where we use the most energy.

Use less water. Read the rest >>>

It probably won’t surprise you to know that your tap water may have contaminants in it. From nasty chemicals to who-knows-what, there are hundreds of things that turn up in tap water in the US. (I won’t even start on Mexico, where I am living till the spring… we don’t even brush our teeth with tap water here!)

There is an excellent website, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) where you can t ype in your zip code and find out what is in your water — they have analyzed almost 20 million records obtained from state water officials and found 316 pollutants in the drinking water from 45 states.

Go through their step-by-step process of choosing a water filter: Read the rest >>>

I just came across a good description of how to make homemade yogurt, something I have done a lot.

You can see it at the link,and I’ll add a few comments — I use either a commercial yogurt with a live culture or the brand of dry yogurt starter mentioned in the article, Yogourmet. That’s the same brand as the yogurt maker I use, and clicking on its picture will take you to it at Amazon.

If your yogurt turns out kind of stringy-slimy, it’s gotten some other strains of bacteria in it. I don’t know if it’s bad for you but I don’t like it so I used to toss it out when that happened occasionally. It used to happen when I used homemade methods for keeping the yogurt hot but since I bought this thing you see, it is rarer… or maybe it hasn’t happened at all, come to think of it.

I’ve had mine for five or six years. It’s not cheap, but mine seems as good as new, so it’s a good investment. Read the rest >>>