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Apply mulch around your plants and trees

7/28/2023

 
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Bare ground around your plants exposes their roots to excessive dryness, cold and hot temperatures, and compacted, low-nutrient soil.

Applying mulch around your plants and trees helps maintain the health of the plants and soil and cuts back on the need for extra watering and fertilizers.  Mulches can be made up of a variety of organic and inorganic material, including leaves, compost mixes, bark, and woodchips.  Save a pile of leaves from the fall to use as mulch over the winter and into the next summer.  A 2-4 inch layer of mulch helps retain moisture, suppresses growth of weeds, protects roots from extreme temperatures (both winter and summer), adds nutrients as the mulch decomposes, and improves soil structure and drainage.  Mulch also houses beneficial micro- and macro-organisms, improving the health of the local ecosystem.  Be careful not to apply mulch too deeply and not to touch the trunks of trees: pull mulch several inches back from the base.

For more details, see this article at Treesaregood.com

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Hot weather cooking

7/21/2023

 
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When the weather is hot, cook outdoors or prepare meals that don’t require cooking.

Using the stove and oven adds heat to your house, so when the weather is hot, find ways to avoid using them so that your air conditioner does not have to work overtime, adding to your summer energy use.  Plan to eat salads and sandwiches or other dishes that do not require cooking.  Do your cooking on the grill so that all of the heat produced is outside of the house.  Another option is to use smaller appliances such as the toaster oven, slow-cooker, or microwave, which all produce much less heat and use less energy.    

For more details, check out this article in Consumer Reports:
Mary H.J. Farrell, July 9, 2021. Cooking tips for hot weather: How to keep your cool in the kitchen this summer.  Consumerreports.org.


Writing by hand creates much more activity in the sensorimotor parts of the brain than typing

7/14/2023

 
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The perks should not be lost to technology.  New brain research shows that writing by hand helps children learn more and remember better. Handwriting gives the brain more hooks to hang memories on.  Read more here.

After you bring home produce, wash and prep it right away for a sustainable shortcut in the kitchen

7/7/2023

 
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After a big shopping trip at the grocery store or farmers market, wash and prepare all of your produce before you put it away. This sets you up for the week and allows you to avoid buying pre-packaged produce. For leafy greens, for example, rinse very well and dry in a salad spinner. You can simply wrap them in a tea towel and put in the crisper drawer.  Read more here.


Photo by Susan O'Donnell



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