Dr Flavor's Vegan Fusion

Grow your own sponges - Luffa Grow your own sponges - Luffa A luffa sponge is often found in a bathroom as they have great exfoliating (removal of dead skin cells) properties. Did you ever wonder where they came from? They aren't a product of the plastics industry, nor are they a sea sponge; which is an animal. Luffa is a plant; so it's an environmentally and vegan friendly product - and what's more you can grow your own! As well being useful in the bathroom, they make a great kitchen sponge and the fruit harvested before maturity can be eaten - cook it like zucchini. Luffa on the vine - A Luffa sponge - Growing Luffa Luffa seeds can be bought online - try using your favorite search engine using the following query: luffa seeds COUNTRY .. where country is, well - your country :) Luffa is an annual, closely related to the cucumber. It produces very long vines and should be trellised in order to keep the heavy fruits off the ground. They do best in tropical and subtropical areas; but can be started off inside to avoid frosts. They will require some watering if you're in a particularly dry area. The produce best in full sun and take 6 months to mature to a point of harvesting - which is just after the vine dies off. Luffa preparation It looks to be a very simple process. I came across this great guide on Groovy Green - complete with photos detailing the various steps. Another great source of information on growing, harvesting and preparing is Luffa.info. Don't forget to save and dry the seeds you'll get during the preparation so you’ll never have to buy them again – they keep for years if refrigerated or frozen. Luffa care tips The white Luffa available commercially has been bleached. While you can do this yourself with a weak solution of ordinary bleach, it's really not necessary and will shorten the life of the sponge. If allowed to dry between uses a Loofa will usually last a couple of months. Grow and prepare enough of your own and you'll have plenty for all year round; plus with a little creativity, perhaps you'll be able to start up a small cottage industry! Kitchen sponges and the environment Kitchen sponges and the environment Most discussion about kitchen sponges is around the amount of bacteria they can harbor. A study that found some sponges to contain more bacteria than a toilet bowl sent people scurrying to buy more sponges and change them more often. Sure, the bacteria issue is a very good point, but what about the environment? How often do you change your kitchen sponge - once, twice a week? Imagine that being repeated millions of times each week around the world. It's a lot of waste, especially given that so many sponges are made from plastics, making them yet another item in our home that's derived from oil. Triclosan and sponges There's an added environmental danger with many synthetic sponges these days; often they are impregnated with chemicals such as Triclosan. Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent and is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as being a pesticide. It's also used in many antibacterial soaps, deodorants, toothpastes and cosmetics. Aside from increasing evidence linking triclosan to health problems, it is also believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems; especially algaes that other animals may depend on - either directly or indirectly. As sewerage and waste water treatment plants cannot remove triclosan and the compound remains stable for long periods of time; it's posing an increasing problem in our waterways - it's now one of the most common man-made chemicals found in U.S. streams. Any sponge pack that states is anti-bacterial or destroys odors is probably best left on the supermarket shelf as it's likely to contain triclosan or something equally damaging to the environment. We seemed to have developed quite a paranoia about these critters. Not only are there good bacteria, but in order to develop resistance to some of the less desirable ones, we do need some exposure to them. While good basic hygiene practices should never be forsaken, all we're doing with attempting to disinfect everything we touch is weakening our immune system and producing more robust bacteria. There are a couple of alternatives to plastic, pesticide soaked sponges: Cellulose sponge While changing your sponge regularly is good hygienic practice, try to purchase ones that are made from only from cellulose fiber - and the cellulose is sourced from plantation forests or recycled. Read the label carefully as some cellulose sponges are impregnated with polyester, a form of plastic. Grow (or eat) your own sponge! You can even have a shot at growing your own kitchen sponges! You've probably heard of Luffa sponges, also known as Loofa or Loofah. Luffa is a plant and the fruit is what the sponge is made from; so it's an environmentally and vegan friendly product. Luffa fruits can also be eaten in the early stages! You can probably save quite a bit of cash over the years by having a Luffa plant in your garden. Earth friendly sponge cleaning To help keep your "green" cellulose sponge free of nasty bacteria, try to keep it as dry as possible between uses. You can sterilize them by soaking for a few minutes in boiled water, or try a dilute bleach/hydrogen peroxide solution. Two of the most highly recommended methods for killing bacteria and molds on sponges according to the US Department of Agriculture are microwave heating of a damp sponge or dishwashing with a drying cycle. So, if you do use an automatic dishwasher, you can make a little more use of it with each load Choosing a reusable bag Choosing a reusable bag The worldwide annual consumption of disposable plastic bags is somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion - that works out to be around a million bags a minute. According to Bags On The Run, a manufacturer of reusable bags, The crude oil needed to make 18 plastic bags could drive a car for a mile. It's been encouraging to see some stores discontinuing disposable shopping bags of their own accord and some cities and states moving towards a disposable bag ban - but that leaves us with another challenge, in a world without disposable shopping bags; what type of reusable bag to buy. We have some reusable bags made of plastic that weigh as much as a couple of dozen disposable plastic shopping bags and they don't seem to last all that long before looking decidely ratty. I've often wondered if they are doing more harm than good. While these are recyclable, I always try and remember that Recycle is last of the three R's of going green (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) for good reason - it does take a substantial amount of energy to recycle. Also, I don't even know if the materials used were recycled or "new" plastic. Then there's cotton bags - and cotton takes vast amounts of water to grow. And what about hemp? The following are various types of what are often referred to as "green" reusable bags and their pros and cons. I'm not recommending any particular solution, just providing the information. Polypropylene reusable bags Polypropylene is a form of plastic Advantages Can be recycled Strong and durable Can be made from recycled materials Chemical resistant Very cheap to produce Disadvantages Low quality bags made from thin polypropylene do tend to wear out very quickly Polypropylene is made from oil. However, if the bag is made from recycled polypropylene, it is giving new life to what otherwise may have entered the waste stream Reusuable jute bags Jute is a plant fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It's often referred to as hessian in products, such as a hessian bag Advantages Biodegradable One of the strongest natural fibers Relatively cheap to buy Durable Jute crops require little water Disadvantages Not very resistant to moisture unless chemically treated Jute may be grown with the use of pesticides Most jute products are imported (travel miles = greenhouse gases) Reusable calico bags Calico is a usually a cotton fabric that's unbleached and not fully processed Advantages The lack of bleaching and processing makes it kinder to the environment as less chemicals are used The fabric relatively cheap to produce Cotton is very strong and durable Disadvantages Not water resistant unless chemically treated Unless organically grown, cotton requires a huge amount of pesticide The growing of cotton is very water intensive Reusable cotton/canvas bags Advantages Soft fabric Durable and strong Disadvantages Unless the cotton is grown organically, high levels of pesticides are used Fully processed cotton required extensive additional treatment Cotton is a water intensive crop Reusable hemp bags The word "hemp" tends to stir up all sorts of association with marijuana. However, in terms of textiles, industrial hemp is a different plant from the same family with very little of the hallucinogenic properties of its cousin. Learn more about hemp. Advantages Incredibly strong, durable and rot resistant fiber The crop can grow in poor soils with little water Disadvantages Can be quite expensive due to resistance on the part of governments to allow the crop to be grown domestically, purely due to incorrect associations with marijuana; so most hemp products in the western world are imported. Thankfully, this is slowly starting to change. General tips for choosing a reusable bag As you can see from the above, just about all reusable bags have strong benefits, most similar, but usually a few disadvantages as well. After all, there is really nothing we do that doesn't have some sort of negative environmental impact. Whatever your choice, look for quality as the more bags you have to buy, the bigger the associated environmental impact. If you do choose fiber over plastic, if you can afford it try to go for organically grown fibres. Also check what sorts of dyes and colorings have been used to make the product as some of these can be quite nasty environmentally speaking. In the case of reusable plastic bags, ensure the materials can be recycled - that way when your bag has ended its useful life, the materials can be reclaimed instead of heading to landfill where they will take generations to break down. Even better, buy one made from recycled materials. Additionally, and purely just a personal view - if you buy a "designer" bag, you'll likely pay a ton more. Why spend the extra cash on some pithy saying or brand name slammed on a bag? You could use the money you save to do something really worthwhile. It's just a bag for your shopping folks, we don't need to make a fashion statement every time we walk out the door do we? :) Monday, February 16, 2009 2 16 2009 Network Event! GCBN Make a Smilebox slideshow Saturday, February 14, 2009 Good Morning VEGAS~ Follow me to 1420 E Harmon Ave 89109. LoveMyself Playshop I am doing a presentation at 11 45 AM the Love ... Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Part 1 of 2 *To freeze broccoli, blanch it first. To blanch broccoli, boil a pot of water. Bring the water to boil and lower broccoli into the water (a wire basket works perfectly), part 2 of 2* or simply place the broccoli in the pot. Set the timer for 3 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it; you want to blanch just until the broccoli turns a bright green. :-) Cooking fresh broccoli is so much better than buying frozen -- you can truly taste the difference. Especially when broccoli is in season. Thursday, February 5, 2009 Lot's Of Love ! Make a Smilebox recipe Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Good Morning! 12 days Till Valentine's DAY Order your Cake and receive a Free (1) Hour Reflexology session valued at $89.00 Monday, February 2, 2009 Is adding to the Cake Special a Free ONE (1) hour session of Reflexology valued at $89.00 This is a social network special. sharing :-) for Facebook, Plaxo and Twitter Las Vegas The Special is for $ 55.00 plus tax :-) CC are accepted :-) and please order the cake by FEB 12th ... Pick up days at the bakery are FEB 13th after 2:00 PM and on FEB 14th 11:00 to 4:00 :-) If you need a last minute Chocolate cover strawberries :-) email me .....I will make some right on the spot fresh and NO milk chocolate ( Raw sugar) Semi sweet and no preservatives :-) Sunday, February 1, 2009 is offering a special offer for this Valentines las Vegas. Order a Valentine Cake & received a free GC for a 1 HR session of Reflexology valued $89.00 offering a special offer for this Valentines las Vegas. Order a Valentiene Cake & recieved a free GC for a 1 HR session of Reflexology valued $89.00 Sharing a tip: Once you have a large avocado... Place the avocado in a brown paper bag and/or add an apple in the bag. It will ripen within a day or two. It really does make it ripen faster. Carib VEGAN Chef Mayra a.k.a Dr Flavor http://ping.fm/p/QPgm7 - Sharing an tip: Once you have a large avocado... Place the avocado in a brown paper bag and/or add an apple in the bag. It will ripen within a day or two It really does make it ripen faster. Carib VEGAN Chef Mayra a.k.a Dr Flavor No one can deny you anything. Only you deny it through your vibrational contradiction. Carib VEGAN Chef Mayra a.k.a Dr Flavor sharing a Thought of day..When you say "Yes" to something, you include something you do want in your experience. When you say "No" to something, you include something you don't want in your experience. 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