Fruit Fly Don't Bother Me!

It's been a wonderful year for fresh produce around here and I have not seen the bottom of my fruit bowl in months.  I made a successful fruit fly trap early in the summer and haven't had to deal with the pesky little things until recently.  I had dumped the trap thinking that fruit fly season was over only to have them return in full force.  I'm about to go and make another batch, but thought I'd share my recipe here first.  

Fruit Fly Trap

one small mouthed jar or bottle 

cider vinegar

dish soap

Fill a portion of the jar or bottle with the vinegar and add a few drops of the dish soap.  I'm not sure if it matters, but my sister-in-law swears by Dawn, so borrowed some from my mom and used it last time.  This time I'm using my biodegradable, all natural stuff and will let you know if it makes a difference.  Don't mix the soap in or anything, just let it drop.  Place the jar near your fruit source and watch the little buggers collect at the bottom.  

Apparently the vinegar draws the flies in and the soap creates a change in the surface tension of the liquid, causing the flies to fall in and drown.  I have heard that this will also work in a bowl if you cover it with plastic wrap with small holes poked in the top.

Have you ever tried this before?  Do you have any other tips to share?

It's a Boy!

 Born on Friday, September 10, Wystan Thomas is finally here.  The labor was surprisingly fast and the recovery has been much easier than expected.  We're all doing very well and I'm especially happy with the way that Leif is adjusting to his new role as Big Brother.  

There is so much love surrounding a new baby.  We're doing our best to soak it all up and to enjoy this special time as a family. 

Mid Summer Realization

image via thewheatfield on etsy

With July spent mostly away from home, and with new baby arriving in just over a month, it seems like August is a great time to hunker down and enjoy the precious summer that remains.  You know, before life gets upended again. Are you finding time to slow down and enjoy?

Organic Eating in New York

If you live in New York State and want to learn more about the organic farms in your area, check out the NOFA-NY website.  It's full of information about both certified and non-certified organic farms in your area in addition to all kinds of great links and resources.

A Better Cup of Joe

via babble.com

While at the library last week I picked up a copy of Christopher Kilham's Whole Food Bible.  It's been an interesting read and is perfect for life with a 3 year old because it's read and absorbed best in small sections.  Yesterday I read the section on beverages and wanted to share some important and new-to-me info about coffee.  Being about 7 months pregnant, I've gotten used to starting my morning without that glorious brain fuel that regular coffee is.  I now spend most mornings fueling up on water and juice, but every now and again I'll order a decaf somewhere and think that I'm getting a real treat.  Turns out I should just be buying my own decaffinated beans and brewing it at home again.

According to Kilham, the process that is most often used to extract caffeine from coffee beans uses the toxic solvent methylene chloride.  While most of the toxic substance is removed along with the caffeine, residues remain.  Back in the mid 80s the FDA stopped the use of methylene chloride as an additive in hairsprays because it caused cancer in animals, but here we are today still drinking the stuff in our decaf coffee.

What's a coffee lover wanting to avoid caffeine to do?  Spend a little more and get the good stuff.  Yep, there are methods that remove caffeine from coffee without toxic solvents.  A process called the Swiss Water Process uses water to remove 97% of the beans' caffeine and then runs that water through a carbon block filter to remove it without removing the flavor.  The water is then added back to the beans before they're dried.  A process called the CO2 method has a much more scientific technique that I don't quite understand using carbon dioxide to extract caffeine from moist beans several times until it reaches a point where it is deemed to be 99.9% caffeine free.  Both of these methods result in decaffeinated coffee that is solvent free.

While we're on the topic, and as an obvious side note, organic and fair trade coffee is always best.  Unlike some products that "require" few pesticides, coffee beans are grown in areas that are heavy on the pests and therefore get sprayed a lot.  Additionally, the dioxin that is used to bleach most coffee filters is one of the most toxic cancer causing agents around.  Better yet, forgo the energy sucking coffee maker and use a french press or take it strong like the Italians and go for espresso!

Where to find clean decaf (if you know of other brands, please share):
Longview Coffee Company
Equal Exchange
Coffee Bean Direct
Summit Coffee

If you really want to feel good about your decaf (or regular) coffee purchase, visit the Just Love Coffee Store and help our amazing neighbors as they continue on their journey to adopt two young boys.  All of the coffees listed at Just Love are 100% fair trade and help to unite orphans across the globe with their forever families here in the US.

p.s.  Decaffeinated teas are  processed the same ways, so don't think you're safe there either (bummer, huh?).

Capitalism - The Root of Our Economic and Social Problems

What's wrong with Capitalism?  Everything!  If you haven't seen this yet, I encourage you to add it to your queue and give it a watch.  My favorite (if you can call anything so frustrating favorite) parts were actually in the extended footage, so be sure to take the time to watch those as well.  If you're like me you'll leave the couch with renewed convictions and freshly inspired to make some serious lifestyle changes.

Read more on the topic here.