We have a nice row of plants on our front porch now that will supply us with produce all spring and summer. Lemon balm is my favorite though, and prefers the cool partial shade of the back porch. I still have to obtain catnip so it won’t be the lone back porch herb. I would like to get half a dozen more container herbs for iced tea season.

For the second year in a row we’re using coconut coir as mulch. Studies have debated this substance for soil benefits but as far as I can tell, it’s great for the top layer. Local markets are using it in place of plastic pots for seedlings; so we just peel it off and break it into mulch-sized pieces for the container.

And it turns out that herbs are the best plants to container grow. I found a nice article on which herbs adapt best; the author lists the shade lovers (calendula, angelica, chervil, lemon balm, lovage) and sun lovers (mint, chives, sweet woodruff). Many of these herbs are adaptable, full sun plants from Greece.

The author gives hints on how to mix the soil and keep your plants happy. She mentions thyme, which I found one of the easiest plants to grow. Keep in mind this is a British author so her common names might be different than ours. Calendula (marigold) is a common companion herb too.

There is also a guide on how to go from container herb right to – home made herbal tea. With all our bee balm growing, I did not realize it could be added to black tea. Sounds delicious! Bee balm leaves have a minty lemon flavor, and I bet it would go nicely with my morning black tea caffeine.

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I found the most amazing drink recipe. Pineapple, banana, cilantro and orange juice. It’s basically a chartreuse green smoothie and reportedly traditional to the Yucatan. Between Mayan ruins and the cuisine, a fascinating region that I’d love to post about. While I love the drink, part of the article scared me:

Cilantro is a powerful bonding agent that binds to accumulated heavy metals and toxins in vital organs and tissues and aids in their removal.

It’s so funny we were just discussing Whole Foods pseudoscience, then I run across this. I mean, really? How exactly does this work? How does someone know they have excess toxins or metals in their organs? Like Whole Foods’ silly detox pills, it is bought by consumers who just assume they have extra lead or mercury flying around in their bloodstream.

Anyway, I discovered that cilantro is in fact used in Yucatan recipes. These look perfect for summer. Some drinks in the region use refreshing hibiscus, melon, tamarind, and lime. Some even use rice, flowers and cactus fruit. Many to be found at markets. Not to mention nance, guaya and saramuyo. I bet there’s plenty of shade growing there as well.

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This looks like a great film. Some are reporting it single-handedly cut SeaWorld visits by 15 percent. I won’t go into a ten page orca rant but it’s now undeniable that any zoo species is being deprived its need to roam their range. It’s an instinct. And an instinct is not an optional activity or a habit. It’s a need, just like finding water when you’re thirsty or seeking out a place to sleep when you’re tired. Orcas also need family groups. When one captive orca kills three (edit: four) people, it’s time to reevaluate your priorities. Seaworld does not seem to have done that.
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I have come to believe that soil is the solution for everything. Once I dug my first soil pit, I had a whole new respect for what it gives everything about the ground. Seeing soil horizons is like seeing a whole universe. This is why I find it so amazing that humans, through composting, can actually create soil. I found a great piece on composting from an author who learned the practice from her mother. It was part of her life and it just becomes part of life once you’ve done it. And I think it’s a mistake to be a compost student. As thee author says, you will learn. Creating compost is a matter of what you consume, how much time you can spare, what you’re using it for. There is no need to study this. The compost will teach you. Apparently there’s some kind of compost celebration week in the UK. Why don’t we have such a thing here? Some people are looking to add Rs to reduce, reuse, recycle. For example, repair and (compost) rot. I’m all for it.

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Apparently a religious Astrophysicist has made it her mission to wake up Christians on climate change. It was a good effort, but not the best idea. I guess her strategy was to present it in a way the religious could relate to; by catering to their Bible-based science and placate evangelicals.

Dr. Hayhoe presents a number of points to her crowd. God expects us to act; humans are indeed more important than wildlife but we’re in danger too. And my favorite, sure the Earth is only 6,000 years old but it’s still warming. All of these, needless to say, are antithetical to science.

I’ve pondered this issue before. Should we sacrifice the integrity of science by supporting the religious groups who could make a difference if they promoted ecological protection? I like the idea of shaking things up. Environmentalism has certainly fallen short. We need a new way to approach evangelicals. I simply don’t think it is good for science and it is not good for society in general.

Climate communication is hot right now and I think it’s about time we used this research. One study showed that polar bears only sway people who already “love” them. And that’s fine, I don’t personally love polar bears myself. But at what point do we tackle the core problem of ecology?

Ecology is not tangential to science. To blend Biblical fable with biology is just absurd. We have to make clear to these people what science is and is not. Sadly the Atheist groups have made this an ideological battle as well. Many secularists and earth based religions have no problem with conflict between spirituality and science.

She did have some good ideas however to appeal to “conservation” ethics and ideals of the Bible. It would be better to approach evangelicals with stewardship. Nuns like those who run the Earth Literacy Center have already adopted the approach. We can toss in some science without being condescending and in the meantime promote community gardens and talking about a sacred earth.

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