Hi Everyone,

As Spring takes hold of the season, our calendar is quickly filling up! Last week, I did a presentation of “One Wok, Three Meals” for the students and faculty at NCC, to demonstrate the ease at which one can whip up a quick dinner anytime during the week. So often, I hear that people don’t have time to cook dinner, but I argue that cooking a quick dinner takes less time then calling your local “take out” joint, and it is the only way you can be sure of the ingredients in your food. Many of us read the article about the greenwashing that was taking place in Tampa’s “Farm to Table” restaurants, well I can assure you that this type of greenwashing is going on in other places as well. The best way to know what you are eating, is to know where it comes from, and who produced it. It’s much easier when we shop at our local farmers markets, but even then, you can’t assume that it is organic, sustainable or even local, you must ask! Some farmers choose not to get the organic certification, but follow organic practices, while others might try to mislead you, and are selling products that they did not even grow. Either way, you have the best chance of eating well if you do your own shopping and cooking, (or growing!) There are many time saving tricks to help you get that meal on the table, but I can’t stress enough the importance of shopping and cooking. As a society, we eat so many meals out, that the majority of food for many people, is not homemade, and contains preservatives, GMO’s, pesticides, artificial flavors and colors. We need to take back control of the quality of the foods we eat, and we can only do that by returning to our kitchens!

One of the best ways to know what you are eating is to grow your own vegetables! Even if you are working with limited space, it’s amazing what you can do on windowsills and in planters in your backyard. This year, I am going to try to pay more attention to planting according to the moon cycles. If you plant above ground vegetables and flowers when the moon is waxing, going from the new moon to a full moon, the lunar gravity pulls water up, and causes the seeds to swell and burst. This is the best time to plant lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain crops. Planting flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below the soil is best done when the moon is waning, going from full to the day before it is new again. Tomorrow I will be planting my beets, carrots, parsnips and potatoes. There is so much to learn!

Please join me on Thursday for my interview with Catherine Gill, the Sr. Vice President of Root Capital, an agricultural lender that provides loans and advisory services to small and growing agricultural businesses in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Indonesia. Since its founding in 1999, Root Capital has disbursed nearly $1BN in capital to more than 500 enterprises that represent over 2M farmers. Catherine manages their investor relations, communications and marketing, and oversees all debt and philanthropy fundraising, including management of $125M in assets from over 200 individual, corporate, foundation and government impact investors. In 2012, Catherine played a leadership role in launching Root Capital’s Women in Agriculture Initiative, which aims to strengthen and grow gender-inclusive businesses that provide reliable economic opportunities for women in agricultural value chains. Please join me on Thursday, as I welcome Catherine Gill to my show!

Remember, my show is broadcast every Thursday, from 10-11 am, EST.  To tune in, navigate to PRN.fm and click the “Listen Live” button on the left. Also try downloading the PRN mobile app, and take the station with you wherever you go!

If you can’t tune in at that time, you can listen to the show on my website, or through iTunes. Please “like” iEat Green’s Facebook page and feel free to rate the show and leave comments on iTunes and on my website. Thank you all for your support.

With love and gratitude,

Bhavani