All Things Green

Monsanto - The Evil Villain

2011-08-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

So picture you are an organic farmer. Your farm is a few acres away from a non-organic farm that uses genetically modified seeds from Monsanto, the corporate agriculture giant. A few seeds drift over to your field permanently ruining your certified organic field yet now you can be accused of stealing Monsanto's seeds. This unimaginable thought has already happened believe it or not. Monsanto has actually sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement.
Many of our food supply has quickly become genetically modified. Original heirloom canola seed has actually become extinct. Monsanto has so widely taken over so much of farming that their seeds have taken over and pretty much pushed out the only surviving heirloom seeds. Sounds like no big deal right? It's just a seed. But do we really know what these genetically modified foods will do to us in the next 50 years? There's an alarming rise in cancer rates. What's it going to be like in 50 years from now as we continue to pollute and scientifically modify our food source. Even animals have been genetically modified. Pigs are not meant to be these massively huge animals who can not even walk on their legs. Have you ever seen a wild pig? That is the true size pigs were meant to be. But they are bred today to grow bigger and faster so they can be slaughtered sooner.
Public Patent Foundation director Dan Ravicher writes "It's actually in Monsanto's interest to eliminate organic seed so that they can have a total monopoly over our food supply." Scary thought. Sounds like a futuristic horror film. Only thing is, it's happening to us right now.

Baby Elephants abused in circuses

2011-06-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Did you ever stop and think where they get all the elephants in the circuses? They look so cute all performing their acts. They look so well behaved and sweet and docile. Even the babies running along behind the others holding their tails look so happy and playful. The truth is that elephants are stolen from the wild, being beaten and tranquilized to endure a usually long and terrifying journey to their new captivity and horror, the circus. Typically babies are stolen since they can be beaten and abused into performing unnatural acts easier than the adults. They are beaten bloody with bullhooks to force them to stand on their hind legs or their front legs, on each other or even on their heads. They perform these acts due to sheer terror of being beaten again. This is their whole life and elephants live well into their 60's. Can you imagine being chained every day in a concrete cell, only able to move a few feet left to right and then forced to perform and also travel thousands of miles in crowded filthy conditions? Sounds slightly familiar doesn't it? Well, this is pretty close to how we treated human slaves in the United States as recently as 100 years ago (and as we know, many countries continue to still enslave others today). We finally realized this was cruel and barbaric even though we had to kill each other in a war to finally end it. So why is it so different for the animals? Why did we finally "get it" that it was not ok to abuse and hold another human being in slavery yet the animals have no rights and don't deserve to be protected and saved?

Ringling Bros is constantly being sued for acts of abuse towards their animals. Their CEO has admitted to these claims in a courtroom. But what happens? They get a fine and they just keep on doing what they do and millions and millions of people continue going to the circus. We don't like to feel uncomfortable, we don't like to think of things that make us sad so we just go and try not to think of how the animals might be treated behind the scenes. I urge you to think about the suffering they endure their entire lives. Do you really want to support an industry that is based on cruelty? Can you ever go to a circus again and not think about it?

Fun for the summer!

2011-06-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well it's finally here! The longer days, the sunny weather, the beach that's calling you. And we have plenty of new products for your green lifestyle. New in this season are sustainably made all natural rubber flip flops. Did you know that rubber is made from the sap of the rubber tree? They gather the sap similar to how maple syrup is collected by tapping the tree and allowing it to run into a bucket. This process doesn't hurt the tree and allows it to grow on for many many years. These flips flops are ultra comfortable, made by a podiatrist and you will feel good knowing that they are eco-friendly.

We also have lots of new jewelry and bags from Guatemala. The artisans are so skilled at making tiny beaded designs into various flower shapes. They also make recycled Huipil bags, made from the colorful tops the women stitch for themselves. Intricate flowers are handsewn onto cotton fabric. The women take great pride in their clothing and when a piece becomes older, they reuse the fabric and turn them into these beautiful bags.

Our local jewelry artist, Krista Lynn Designs, has been making a lovely selection of handmade jewelry. Crystals, gemstones, seeds and ceramic are used to make one of a kind creations. Her jewelry never lasts long in the shop but don't worry, she is always busy making us new items.

Another of our favorite new items is our Fab Mats. These are recyled woven plastic outdoor mats that are perfect for your deck or patio. They are available in 3x5, 4x6 or 6x9 in a variety of colors and designs. Just hose them off from time to time. They are extremely easy to care for.

So stop in and say hello, we are always happy to see old friends and make new ones! Have a great summer!

No more US made clothing?

2011-03-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

I recently had a customer who came in to the shop and was very disappointed to see very little baby clothing made in the US. I explained to her that most of all organic baby clothing is now made in India. Some are thankfully made in a fair trade environment but the basic truth is that manufacturers can't afford to produce their products in the US. I’ve seen many US made organic companies come and go in these past few years. It’s sad to see but America is just not willing to pay the price for US made clothing and therefore these companies can not afford to stay in business.

Price differences are sometimes as much as 100% more for an organic item made in the US as opposed to made in India in a fair trade shop. Are you willing to pay $70 for yoga pants as opposed to $35? Most consumers are not even willing to pay $35, they would prefer to pay $20 at Target or Walmart and hope to even get that on sale for maybe 40% off for a price of $12. $12 retail for an organic fair trade pair of pants will never support the families who make the products. It just won’t work in today’s society. And unfortunately the pants sold in the big box stores are absolutely made in a sweatshop most likely with child labor.

Let’s take a closer look at today’s US made items. In the mid 1800’s, many Americans were still making their own clothing. It was rare for most to shop and buy their clothing pre-made. We had one good outfit for church and one working outfit and that was it. During the Civil War, there was much demand for sizes of uniforms. It was so time consuming to make custom clothing for each soldier so garment manufacturers were asked to start making pre-made uniforms in specific sizes. Consumers also started asking for ready made clothing and the garment industry (and “sweatshops”) was born. In those early days, much of our clothing was made in New York city in the garment district in the Lower East Side. Immigrants were paid extremely low wages to sew clothing and often did so in their own homes turning their living rooms into a “factory” employing 2 or 3 local girls to assist. Child labor laws were lax in those days and most likely these girls were as young as 12 years old even though the requirement to stay in school at that time was till age 14. As time went on and the garment industry grew, larger shops opened and the true sweatshop as we know it today was born. Many illegal immigrants hoping to just get by and possibly send some money home to their impoverished countries worked in these deplorable conditions. Long working hours, no breaks, extremely low wages and hot and sweaty factories was what they had to look forward to. But as time went on, these factories could no longer afford to pay the newly enforced minimum wages so they turned to those workers who were willing to work for less. Still to this day, many factories employ a large majority of immigrants who are not US citizens. This is what your US made clothing is today. Once manufacturers realized they could have their apparel made more cost effectively in other countries, they began to look outside the US. Many manufacturers looked to countries such as India and Bangladesh for their production. If you thought conditions were bad in the sweatshops in the US, you can only imagine the conditions in an impoverished country such as India. Imagine working 18 or more hours in a day, getting paid pennies per item that might take you almost an hour to make, no real toilet facilities, no breaks, no healthcare, barely enough money to buy food for yourself or your family. This is the reality of your clothing today.

Fair labor and fair trade certified producers began within the past couple decades and it has enabled many to finally be paid fairly for what they make. Middlemen have been cut out who might typically take a large cut of profits so purchases are now made directly with the producers. The fair trade worker just wants what we want. Enough money to put food on his table, a safe and clean working environment, opportunities to get an education and advance in their career and access to medical care for their families. We take these things for granted here in the US, but most in under developed countries do without these necessities.

Some closing thoughts….organic does not necessarily mean fair trade. There are many companies producing organic clothing but it is still made in a sweatshop environment. Look for fair labor and fair trade labels. There are certifying agencies that have extremely strict guidelines as to what can be called fair trade. Who has time to research what is and what isn’t fair trade? Let us do it for you. We research all of our vendors extensively to make sure they are certified organic and produced fair trade. We listened to customer feedback and do not carry any clothing made in China. There are a few organic companies who choose to manufacture in China and even though the factories are monitored to make sure the workers are treated fairly and paid fairly, we chose not to carry these products.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about where or how your clothing is made. We are more than happy to help and appreciate your input!

Eating Our Way Through NYC

2011-03-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

We were offered free tickets to see the Rangers/Canadiens game in NY last Friday night so we decided to turn this trip in to the city into a ‘not so free’ event and stay the night. We always talk about staying over in NY even though it’s only an hour away but there’s something about leaving a game late at night and not having to rush home or get stuck in tunnel traffic. We found a pretty decent price for a room at the Holiday Inn a few blocks away from the Garden and off we went. The game was awesome, so many Canadiens fans that made the night really energetic and exciting. I love Canada and love to respect them and their country and gladly sang along to their national anthem ‘O Canada’ along with the other couple hundred Canadiens fans we were sitting near. I even enjoyed chanting along to their “Go Habs Go!” chant. I didn’t expect to see so much red in the stands! And so much French being spoken around us. Very fun night and the Rangers won 6-3. So Saturday we awoke in the city and felt so relaxed to know we had the whole day to enjoy. We really like the Lower East Side for their veggie restaurants and bakeries and the Tenement Museum. If you haven’t been, it is a must stop if you’re in the area. The Museum folks were able to purchase a Tenement building in the late 1980’s that hadn’t been inhabited since the 1930’s. It was left exactly as it was back then and you can go on a tour to see what it was like to live there at the turn of the century. Very cool stuff. They are located at 97 Orchard St, http://www.tenement.org/ . This time we did the tour “Piecing it Together” where you see the home and garment shop(their living room) of Jewish families and hear about their struggles at that time. It was really interesting and makes you wonder why we complain about anything today….we have it so easy now.

A few doors down from the museum is one of our favorite shops, Mooshoes, 78 Orchard St, http://www.mooshoes.com/. They sell non-leather footwear and a few accessories including bags, wallets and belts. We love the kitties who roam freely throughout the shop. They know they own the place.

Our next stop was Babycakes, 248 Broome St, http://www.babycakesnyc.com/. Vegan bakery extraordinaire. I wanted all the cupcakes with their pastel pinks and lavender frostings. They all looked so good to eat so we indulged in one those heavenly cupcakes and a scrumptious pumpkin loaf.
There are so many great veggie restaurants in this area but I had made a list before we left home of what was where and I was determined to go to a new place since we always wind up at Red Bamboo in the Village, our absolute favorite place in the whole world. This time we opted for Organic Grill, 123 First Ave (East Village), www.theorganicgrill.com. We had been here before many many years ago and it was worth the trip back. They were serving brunch for the day and since I had previewed their menu online, I was really salivating for the tofu frittata with bits of vegan sausage, home fries, peppers and onions all mixed in. I enjoyed it immensely along with my black current iced tea. My other half had the tempeh portabella burger with home fries which was just delectable. They also have a huge selection of hot teas and desserts which would be perfect to linger over.
And off we were again. Since it was only 2 blocks away, our next stop was Live Live, a raw, living foods shop, 261 E 10th St, http://www.live-live.com/. They sell all kinds of yummy raw packaged foods and whole food vitamins and cosmetics too. It’s the ultimate place to go if you enjoy Living Live. Tiger the cat was most welcoming to us and all the other patrons as we mingled about and chose some treats for ourselves.

Next to Live Live is Quintessence, a raw foods restaurant. We’ve eaten here before and it is amazing but how much can one eat in one day ? A new bakery just opened up a door or 2 down, Cowgirl’s Baking. Since we were heading home soon, we thought why not get some more goodies for the ride. We got a peanut butter and jelly bar(picture crumb topping, with gooey jelly and a peanut buttery crumb bottom) and a glazed donut, all vegan, all yummyness. So this ended our journey as we found a quick cab back to the train station and back to home. It was a really fun filled day as we ate our way through the veggie big city!

We Moved To Ocean Grove!

2010-12-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to have moved to Ocean Grove. Our official Grand Opening was this past Saturday and we were welcomed so warmly by the community, fellow shop owners and residents. It's great to be back in town since we lived here back in the '90's. It was sad to leave this beautiful town back then but we didn't go far, just over to Ocean Twp. But through the years we spent so much time in Ocean Grove and always wished somehow we could come back. So now we have the pleasure of working here and coming here every day again! With our move brings new and exciting items from all around the world:

Fair Trade Tibetan sterling silver jewelry

Gorgeous Fair Trade houseware products from Bali: napkins, oven mitts, market bags

Fair Trade Orange Peel jewelry and ornaments from Colombia

Organic cotton tees with great eco-messages

Organic cotton hoodies and yoga pants

If you are in the area, please stop in and visit, we would love to meet you and show you our new shop!

Hanging in Lewisburg, PA

2010-10-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip recently to PA to visit some friends in Clearfield. It’s beautiful countryside with rolling hills, would have been great to bring our bikes. We were treated to a lovely dinner at Luigi’s in Dubois and I have to say, their pasta meals were excellent, I even brought my leftovers home for the 5 hour trip the next day. We had a cooler, so why not? And we certainly appreciated not having to cook dinner after the long drive. On the way home, we found this quaint little town near the Delaware River called Lewisburg, home of Bucknell University. Since most college towns have a great downtown, this one does not disappoint. It’s full of cute sidewalk cafes many with great veggie options. We had lunch at Mya's cafe and had a nice table outside so we could relax and watch the world go by. There’s also an amazing historic theatre, Campus Theatre (http://www.campustheatre.org/ ) that shows recent films along with classics and also film festivals. We had the pleasure of getting a sneak peak inside this beautifully restored theatre that originally opened in 1941. The work that’s been done is spectacular with murals on the walls and restored seating. There’s also a special seating section with tables on a raised platform near the entrance to the theatre where you can sit and dine on snacks with old fashioned prices. You can just feel the nostalgia and imagine couples holding hands on their first date watching the old classic films. It is a must see, we only wish we could stay till evening to catch Pulp Fiction which was currently playing. "Bring out the gimp".

Vegan Haven in LBI

2010-07-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip down to LBI, I thought I would search on HappyCow just to see if there were any good veggie restaurants I might be missing out on and sure enough there was "Living on the Veg" in Beach Haven, 4 W Maryland Ave near the amusement park area. It is a lovely little cafe and such a relaxing respite from the hot sunny beach. The seating is small and just at the counter with stools but the atmosphere just begs you to hang out for awhile. We had wraps made which we took to go. Mock Chicken salad with tempeh bacon and the Chuck-wich with seitan, coleslaw, cucumber, onion, lettuce and barbecue sauce. So yummy and they give you a choice of a vegan side, we had potato salad and cole slaw. They also have salads, smoothies and juices so we came back later on our way home and indulged in some amazing smoothies. Again so refreshing after being back in the sun. They are also offering dinner options which we plan to go back for soon. Living on the Veg is definitely worth the trip. They are open every day in the summer and open late till 9pm Tues-Sun and Mon 11-4. So go ahead and plan a road trip! You won't be disappointed.

Animal Sanctuary in Edison, NJ

2010-06-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

Who ever knew there was a wetlands area in Edison with an animal sanctuary as well ! I grew up right next door in Iselin and was always surrounded by suburbia and we had to travel a bit to get to some farmland or hiking areas. http://www.edisonwetlands.org/about/programs/triple-c-ranch/ The Edison Wetlands Association works to help clean up water ways and waste sites. At the animal sanctuary there's a mini pony, goats, chickens, a turkey (named appropriately "Turkey"), ducks, a pig and a ram. The friendly folks there will take you on a tour so you can meet the critters and if you're lucky like we were, you will get all loved up by the goats. They are so affectionate and just love to nibble on your clothes and rub all over your legs. They are such a happy group!

The chickens are probably my favorite. How could I ever have eaten them before? They are such beautiful, intelligent creatures and so curious about us. They make the most amazing little clucking sounds and come quickly over to check you out. They turn their heads to the side a bit to get a good look at you and you can almost picture them saying "look at me, I'm beautiful and special !" They dig around in the dirt and make little nests in their fresh straw. So sadly, chickens raised for egg laying are crammed 4-5 to a tiny cage and have no room to spread their wings or root around in the dirt. Their beaks are cut off so they don't peck each other in the cruel entrapment they spend their whole life in. And you're out of luck if you are born a male chick. You are simply discarded (alive) into a garbage bin. That's the egg industry so when you convince yourself that it is ok to eat eggs because you are technically not killing an animal, think again about the horror you contribute to.

Well back to the lucky few who can live out their lives at a sanctuary. The rooster cock-a-doodle-doos right in your face. He seems so proud of himself and what he can do. "Turkey" also loves to cluck happily at you and he also comes right over to "chat" with you and check you out. The pig is laying happily in the mud in the shade, the pony trots around his pen and snacks on grass. It's such a happy place!

We have so much to learn from these amazing animals. Their simple desire to live, be free and just be themselves without any harm.

There's also great hiking trails through the surrounding woods that go along the Bound Brook and you're sure to see many different bird species along the way. We saw a Rose Breasted Grosbeak, my first ever! And plenty of Red Winged Blackbirds, Robins and Swallows.

It's a great day trip for families and maybe it's right in your backyard and you didn't even know it.

Burlington, VT -

2010-05-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a great trip to Burlington, VT. It's May 17 and the weather is glorious. 70 and sunny. Crisp blue sky and lilacs are blooming everywhere. They must be native to the area, we even heard there were 400 varieties of them although I thought they came in either a lilac color or white! Almost every front yard has one or two. There’s this amazing bike path that runs along the lake front (that’s Lake Champlain) where we biked several times. It even turns into this narrow strip of land about 15 feet wide where you are surrounded by water on both sides. This is as you head north and get near the islands in the lake. It’s such a beautiful area, you feel like you’re in Canada. We even saw two beavers swimming along in the water. Very cool ! Another really cool thing we saw for the first time was bike polo. We came across an outdoor hockey arena and saw a bunch of guys and one gal on bikes hitting a ball with homemade mallets. So we stopped and chatted with some guys watching and they told us it is indeed bike polo and it’s not that new, there are many places in the US where people play. They do have to rig up a bike to work for this. They change the gears so you can pedal forward or backward and they take off the brakes. If you want to slow down you just go in reverse. And many put on a shield to cover the spokes on the wheel since as you can imagine, your mallet can get caught in the spokes of your opponent quite easily.

We stayed at the Howard Street Guest House which was perfect. It's a converted carriage house with two rooms, one up and one down. It's one of the most charming, spacious, beautifully decorated places we've ever stayed. This is my ideal when travelling. If only I could find an inn like this every time I went away. http://www.howardstreetguesthouse.com/rooms.html

A must stop in town for all your food needs is The City Market http://www.citymarket.coop/ – the town’s co-op, this is an amazing natural foods and then some store with a deli, bakery, wine section and hot and cold food bar. I could eat here every day and never get bored. They had an entire vegan section on the food bar with creative tofu, seitan and tempeh dishes that changed every day. Burlington is so bike friendly that they have a huge bike rack area. If you build it, they will come! Almost every other customer came by bike. Very eco-friendly.

For dinner one night, we ate at Stone Soup, College St – we had the Seitan Reuben which was heavenly and they also have a vegan hot food bar which I indulged in – seitan stew, barbecued tempeh, steamed kale, rice pilaf.

Dinner another night was at The Skinny Pancake, a creperie, Lake St. http://www.skinnypancake.com/ The decision here is whether to get a meal type crepe or a desert crepe. So we had both. The Vegan Monster-House-made
Seitan, baby spinach, VT wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, and roasted red peppers served in a vegan crepe shell. And the Hot Apply Crispy – tart
Vermont Apples, Pure Vermont honey, Cinnamon Sugar. They have great outdoor seating across from the lakefront and it was fun to see the grads from UVM dressed in party dresses racing down to catch a party boat for a sunset cruise on the lake. This place is extra cool since they source most of their ingredients from local farms and food producers.

There were so many great restaurants with veggie options that we didn't even get to them all. Be sure to check out Happy Cow if you're planning on visiting the area.

There’s also a great fair trade shop, Peace & Justice located on Lake St (right next to the Skinny Pancake!) They are an organization working on racial justice, peace and human rights and also have this great shop with fair trade products from around the world. We got a new peace sign magnet for the car here.

All in all, it was a great trip; the weather was delightful and the sights were a treat. And of course the veggie food was divine.

Florida in winter

2010-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

We just got back from sunny, beautiful, freezing Florida. We were looking forward to getting away to somewhere warm and since my friend was so generous in lending us her condo in Key Largo, off we went in search of the warm sun. Unfortunately we hit the most unlikely historic weather in the Keys with a full week of temperatures in the 40's and 50's. One day we did get to lie by the pool when it hit about 60 degrees, it was downright balmy. We had a good time anyway though, lots to see and do in the Keys. There's a wonderful bird sanctuary with rescued hawks and egrets and every day they have a pelican feeding by the water. But since it was so cold, there weren't many pelicans around and the few there didn't seem too interested in eating, maybe they were just chilly. There's lots of dolphin research centers which I'm torn about. I love to see the dolphins up close and I know we can learn alot from them, but some of these centers border on entertainment as a way to get funds and that I don't agree with. We also visited a turtle hospital ( http://www.turtlehospital.org/) hoping to go on a program tour. The poor sea turtles were freezing in the cold waters and were being rescued and brought in by the hundreds. I couldn't decide who to donate to first once we got home, the turtle hospital or to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. So I did both. The poor fish were also dying in the cold water, some swimming upside down and some already gone. It was so sad but inspiring to see so many people doing what they can to help the animals. Some people were bringing animals home to try to warm them. Iguanas were falling from the trees frozen but we were told they go into a cold hibernation and sometimes as their bodies warm, they come back to life. Although the Keys are beautiful and full of things to do, it is very difficult to find much vegetarian fare. We were fortunate to have a full kitchen at our condo so we did our food shopping at the local Publix and were happy to find they were stocked with tempeh, tofu and the new Gardein mock chicken products which are our new favorite. We actually wound up eating home pretty much every meal and saved lots of money that way! We really enjoy cooking while we are away since you don't have to worry about all the other household chores you usually do at home- cleaning, laundry, changing kitty litter pans, etc. (But I do miss my kitties when we're away!) So back to any veggie options...we did find the usual pasta and salads and even one place The Sundowner in Key Largo had a separate vegetarian menu but we were disappointed to see that all it really contained was pasta, vegetables and salad. We had hoped for a tofu stir fry or something else creative. We went down to Key West one day and they have plenty of options there- Help Yourself-Fleming St, Green Republic- Fleming St, The Cafe- Southard St and Sugar Apple on Simonton St. but at the end of the day after freezing out in the elements watching the required sunset and all the festivities that go with it, we opted for a comfort food veggie burger at Margaritaville on the famous Duval St. Back in Islamorada, we did find the Midway Cafe which is a cute cafe that had a tofu wrap on their menu in addition to some veggie wraps and hummus wraps. That of course was the day we had PB&J's packed so we didn't indulge but were happy to at least see those options. The cafe also tries to be as green as possible, using recyclable plates and cups and using green cleaning products. Basically you're surrounded by fish restaurants in the Keys but I can't blame them too much. The biggest tourist attraction there is fishing and every 2 feet along the Overseas Highway (Rt 1) you can pull over and fish and launch a boat but I just wish restaurants would have at least one option on a menu for us veg folks other than pasta (that was probably cooked with chicken broth). Oh yeah, while we were there, a fugitive who shot members of his family on Thanksgiving day was caught in a small motel in the keys. Thanks to the America's Most Wanted show, the motel owners were tipped off by a picture of the guy and the authorities raided his room and took him in to custody. We hear the Keys are a place where all sorts of funky folks hide out though. It really is a tropical paradise with beautiful blue green waters everywhere, palm trees, lovely sunsets from almost anywhere and oh I almost forgot the little Key deer. They are only found on Big Pine Key which is towards the end of the line of Keys (from Cayo in Spanish meaning "small island") and we've never had the pleasure of actually seeing them until this visit. We drove over on to No Name Key right near the No Name Pub and there they were walking around in residents' yards. They are smaller than our deer in NJ but oh so cute. They are very protected there and sadly there are usually almost 100 killed each year by car accidents. They think there are only about 700-800 left in the area.
The Keys are definitely a unique place and I highly recommend a visit there. Just plan to pack your food if you're a fellow veggie!

You can find vegetarian fare in PA Dutch country!

2009-10-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

We recently made a trip to the PA Dutch country. I remember visiting as a child and really enjoying the views of the farmland and the shoefly pie. Now as a vegetarian, I knew that eating out there could prove difficult. We usually can always find salads and have even found enough veggies and side dishes at the buffets. So off we went for lunch in search of a gourmet cafe we heard had hummus wraps and veggie paninis. After travelling up and down Rt 23 in search of such a place, we gave up and ventured into downtown Lancaster since we read about a couple veggie options there. It was also their Arts Tour weekend in the downtown so there was a bit of a festive feel despite the cold and rainy day. We found a lovely little cafe, "Wish You Were Here", 108 W. Orange St, that served breakfast all day and had plenty of veggie options for us. It was warm and cozy inside and the menu was perfect for what we were looking for. I had the vegan chili and my husband had a homemade vegan sausage sandwich. Both were very yummy and gave us the warm fuzzy feeling we needed on a miserable day. For lunch the next day, we really wanted to eat at one of the famous smorgasbords so we went to Miller's in Ronks on Rt 30. We asked the host if he knew if there were many veggie dishes on the buffet and he went to get the chef himself who proceeded to show us each dish and tell us what had chicken broth, butter, cream, etc in it. We felt as though we had a personal tour of the place and we were so thankful that he took the time with us. We found plenty of choices to eat (with butter and cream - vegans might have a tougher time here although they did have a vegan soup, plenty of green salads, baked apples, sauteed squash and breads) and enjoyed sampling many local favorites. Their pies are amazing; shoefly pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie and an oatmeal pie which was sort of like the inside of the shoefly pie but with oatmeal mixed in. And they do not use lard in their crust. So the weekend went well and we were pleasantly surprised that we could find so many great eateries in such a farmy place.

Ladies High Challenge

2009-09-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

I just got back from doing this Ladies High Challenge at Thompson Park in Lincroft through the Monmouth County Park System. The daredevil in me seems to always want to sign up for things like this but when the day comes to do it (as it did today), I think "what the hell was I thinking!?" I wished it would get rained out and after calling the weather cancellation number since it was raining where I lived, I learned that yes, it was still on. Shute, sugar, sh*T! So I think, how bad can it be? So off I go. A group of us meets in the park and after introductions and such, we walk in to the woods where this "challenge" is set up. We will be zip lining about 35 feet high in the air which is basically just attaching yourself by a pulley to a telephone type cable line, you stand on a platform up in the air on a telephone pole and once attached, you glide down, James Bond style. I did this in St Lucia last year and it was a blast. I was terrified in St Lucia right before we did it and after my first "zip", I couldn't wait to do it again. I thought this would be the same thing today, most likely much tamer. I mean, how scary can it be for the park system to have put it together? (my palms are beginning to sweat thinking about it now!) So we walk over to the whole set up and the instructors start to tell us how this is going to go down. We first will climb up inside a ropey, round, cable net contraption (about 35 ft high), hoist ourselves up onto 2 wood boards that are about 1 inch thick, attach to another cable, tightrope walk on a (extremely thin) cable while holding on to another cable above you, get to another (haha) platform (yeah right, try more like a sideways telephone pole) and then tightrope walk again with 2 cables to hold on to above you and then you finally get to the platform (this an actual platform a whole 2 feet square) and then you attach to the zip line and away you go sailing along. Piece of cake right? Hah. After seeing the instructor do this whole thing, I decided right then and there, no way was I going to do this. I would climb a bit of the rope thingy and come down and just cheer on the other gals. So after about all of the girls go, (very brave they all were), it was my turn. So up I go on the rope and halfway up, I look down and think, ok, I'm not all that scared, I'm sweating profusely at this point but I think I can go a bit further. After straining every muscle that I didn't even know I had in my legs and arms, I hoist myself up a bit further. Now all of a sudden I am close to the top. How did I get so far?? What am I doing up here? Well now it is time for me to come down but for some strange reason, I continue on. The tricky part is getting yourself up high enough to the top so you can clip into a safety carabiner (those metal thingys that rock climbers use). So before I know it I am clipped in and then you have to grab another one that is on the tightrope cable. So I'm clipping in, unclipping the one that attached me to the telephone pole and now I am tightrope walking 35 ft high in the air. Again I am pushed forward by some unknown force so here I am wobbling like you have no idea but I keep thinking if I just continue forward, I will get to the next platform and then I will be zip lining and I will have done it. The whole time the instructors are telling you what to do from the safety of the nice solid ground below. I couldn't believe they were not up here carrying me! So I make it without falling off the cable to the next platform, hoist myself onto the nice wide sideways telephone pole (oh yeah, I'm feeling real secure on this thing!), hook onto the next carabiner, unhook the last one and off I go again. This time it's walking on a cable with 2 cables on either side above your head to hold on to. Now at this point, I am past sheer terror, my face is dripping wet as if someone has poured water over my head, but forward I go. I need to mention, while on these cables, dear sweet Louise, one of the other gals, was talking me through the entire thing. She had already been through the torture so she knew some strategy to share with me. I don't think I would have made it without her help although there is nowhere to go once you're up there but forward. So I finally make it to the huge 2 foot square platform and breathe for a second and then you're clipped onto the zip line and you sit down in your harness and then just inch off the edge and you're flying away. This is the best part, it's so fun and you feel so deserving at this point to get a nice ride. So you sail forward at a pretty good pace and then the cable turns upward a bit so when you get to the higher part, you just naturally start to glide backwards ( I went with no hands mom at this point!) and then the other gals help you get down by a ladder. The middle of the zip line cable is only about 7 feet high so it's easy to get down here. So what's this got to do with "being geen" or eco-friendly? Absolutely nothing at all, but it was great to be out in the woods, sharing some time with some great gals and if you don't scare the crap out of yourself once in awhile then what's the point of living? Am I glad I did it? More than you know. I feel like I'm walking taller and more confident and no one can touch me. Would I do it again? No way in hell !

The Big Apple

2009-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a wonderful time in the Big Apple. We've always wanted to bike the "Greenway" that runs along the rivers on both sides of the city so we finally made the trip in to do it. We were concerned that our bikes would be too tall on top of the car going through the Lincoln Tunnel but silly us realized huge trucks and buses go through with no problem so we were fine. We parked around 51st street right near the West Side Hwy and then started biking along the bike path. We saw so many cool things, the cruise ships docked with lots of folks coming from and going to their vacations. The USS Intrepid was bustling with sightseers and the helicopter sightseeing launch had many going up. There's a skateboard park and Chelsea Pier with lots of sporting activity (with a very convenient public restroom right along the path too!) Going north a bit, I was amazed at how many beautiful parks there were right along the water. Folks were kayaking (with free rentals!), playing softball and basketball and hanging out listening to live bands in Riverside Park. It was a real treasure to see NY from this vantage point. We then made our way up and over to Central Park and what an experience that was. As many of you might know, Central Park is closed to car traffic on weekends so the roads are all open to bikers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, joggers, walkers, etc. What we didn't realize were how many giant hills there were. It was certainly a workout. We walked our bikes to Strawberry Fields where the memorial to John Lennon is, saw the radio controlled boats in the pond, listened to a violinist play in a lovely shaded area and watched turtles swimming about in the rowboat pond. So back on the park roads, I couldn't believe the serious bikers, we thought we were pretty tough, but some of these fellas and ladies were cruising through at unbelieveable speeds dodging joggers and slower bikers(us). After our ride through the park, we made our way back to the car and then drove over to a new favorite veggie restaurant, Curley's Lunch. It's a tiny little cafe at 328 E. 14th St, between 1st & 2nd Ave. Lots of good ole fashioned veggie burgers, french fries and vegan milkshakes. Yum! We then made our way to Babycakes(248 Broome St, between Orchard & Ludlow-Lower East Side), a vegan bakery, and indulged in some fine vegan cupcakes, gluten free. While strolling about the Lower East Side, we decided to take the Tenement Museum tour which I've been wanting to check out. This was the coolest thing ever, I highly suggest this tour! There's actually quite a few different tours and topics but mostly they take you in to an actual tenement building which dates back to 1870 and tell you about the families who lived there and their struggles, very interesting stuff! And a trip to NY is never complete without a stop at MooShoes, the non-leather alternative shoe store. My hubby bought a new vegan wallet made from recycled bicycle inner tubes. How cool is that?! All in all it was a fine day, can't wait to do it again!

Crust and Crumble - Asbury Park

2009-07-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Crust and Crumble is becoming my new favorite place in town to get a quick, delicious, gourmet bite to eat. They now offer many vegan options which you can create so many yummy dishes with. They have vegan sausage, vegan meatballs and vegan cheese. So you can order a vegan pizza loaded with veggies and some slices of vegan sausage. Or you can get a vegan sausage or vegan meatball parm sandwich. Vegan sausage and peppers and onions. Spaghetti and vegan meatballs….the list goes on and on ! And their salads are just as good. While the Green Goddess dressing isn’t vegan, it sure is yummy for vegetarians. They do offer 2 vegan vinaigrette dressings. They also occasionally do some vegan baking, check them out and see what selections are there! www.crustandcrumble.com

Plastic Cap Recycling

2009-06-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

You know those plastic caps on your water bottles, soda bottles and laundry detergent that you never know if you should leave on or not? Do they recycle them if you leave it on? A friend told you that if you leave it on they won’t recycle it. So you throw them in the garbage, right? Well not any more! Clean Ocean Action has partnered with Aveda, the skincare company to recycle them and turn them in to new caps for Aveda’s products. There was a contest that started a few months ago to see who can collect the most caps. There were schools, churches and businesses who participated and over 2 million caps were collected all together! Isn’t it amazing what can happen if a few people group together? We collected here at Organic Style and in just a few weeks, we collected 3000! We had great support from customers and other business owners in the area such as Mike’s Beach House, Twisted Tree, Shelter Home and many others. We even had one young lady who brought in about 500 that she collected at her school. Plastic caps are the number one item found on beaches during clean ups. All too often, birds and other marine animals mistake them for food and often die from not being able to digest them. Now there’s a way to keep them off the beaches and out of the landfills. We will be collecting here at Organic Style as long as they keep taking them. You are welcome to continue bringing them in to us at the store at 621 Cookman Ave, Asbury Park, NJ.

Acceptable caps include shampoo, water, soda, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter. Softer, flexible lids such as margarine tub lids and yogurt lids are not acceptable. Please be sure not to include metal lids or plastic pumps or sprayers. Happy Recycling!

Su Restaurant - Edgewater, NJ

2009-05-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Su Healthy Cuisine
725 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ ( a few minutes from entrance of Lincoln Tunnel)
201-840-7988

After a short lovely drive up River Rd with wonderful views of New York City, you will find this amazing zen-like restaurant. Don’t let the strip mall location scare you off. Inside you will find an oasis of unbelievable vegan and vegetarian food. This is our all time new favorite veggie restaurant and we tend to think we are veggie connoisseurs. We are the type who will travel an hour or two(as we did for Su) to seek out the new places.
We went to Su for lunch and were able to take advantage of their lunch specials. Their lunch menu is Prix Fixe for $11.99 which included one appetizer or soup and one entrée. We started with the Orange Spiced House Guacamole served with taro chips which was probably the best guacamole we have ever tasted. It was sweet with a hint of spice, extremely fresh, chunky and the subtle citrus flavoring is unique. I would have been happy to order 5 more servings of this and just call it a day. We also had the Grilled Satay Soy Protein Nuggets. The name does not do it justice. These small chunks of mock chicken were delectable, with such a flavorful peanut sauce, it just left you wanting more. The only thing wrong with this dish is that they are gone too fast because you can’t stop eating them. Our main entrees were the Malaysian Curry Stew. This is a very brothy stew that just begs to have something to dip in it. Lucky you, this dish comes with homemade Roti bread which is light, yet oily, but it only makes it more delicious. So back to the curry, the flavors of the broth burst onto your tongue, I really can’t remember eating something this good. The stew consists of softened vegetables and soy nuggets. We really wanted to drink the left over broth and lick the bowl. We also had the Singapore Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Smoked Soy Protein. This dish was delicious but fairly basic. A large portion of noodles and the soy was similar to veggie ribs in most Chinese styled vegetarian restaurants. Delicious but basic.

After our meal and our hour long drive to get there, we could only wonder how soon we could go back. Any road trip to NYC should include a stop here since it is so convenient to get to. There's also the NY Water Taxi's right along River Road so if you wanted to pop over to the city for awhile, it's a very quick, fun boat ride.