Connecting the Dots - Healing with Nature

When delving into the issue of Healing with Nature, our writers discovered many things....




Our first week was focused on creatively using foods and organic farming and gardening with this video on Polyface Farming, information on Vertical Gardening in urban areas and other tight spaces, and a recipe for Wild Rose Vinegar that utilizes nature's seasonal bounty to heal and nourish body and soul.






Week two, we discussed the healing aspects of nature.  In Natural treatments... Barbara talked about her health journey with Crohn's disease and how being in nature helped balance her body.  In her blog about Drum Circles, Vera said that Shamans recommend drum circles to release unneeded and unwanted energy.  Vera also talked about Nature being the remedy itself.





The third week of July was focused on the spiritual aspects of healing through nature.  Dr. Lisa Avila talked about her experiences with White Pine and the herb's ability to help to ground up and down for balance.  Charla talked about Yearning for simpler times when the foods you ate and the work you did sustained you.







This week, Mind Key writers focused on connection.  Marisa shared how nature and children together offer perspective and inspiration for writing and life in Writing Lessons from the Berry Patch and Tamara talked about education in the great outdoors in Learning in Nature.  Ojanae asked if we really are what we eat and Lyn spoke of helping kids with ADHD in the outdoors and how they connect.






The Earth is bountiful and ripe with healing properties.  Whether you focus solely on the food you eat or you step into the mystical with Chumpi Illumination or Drum Circles, nature has remained the ancient healer and is always there when you need it/her.

The outdoors and ADHD

By Lyn Everard



Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that is believed to affect one in 20 children worldwide, according to an article published in World Psychiatry. The CDC, states that symptoms in children can include difficulty following direction, becoming easily distracted and an inability to sit still for short periods of time and organize routine tasks. Adults exhibit symptoms such as depression, anxiety, procrastination, impulsiveness and problems in relationships.  





ADHD is a chronic condition. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that approximately one-third of children diagnosed with ADHD exhibit continued impairment as adults.  

In a case study performed at a New York City school, the patient, Sarah (name changed) exhibited lack of focus, hyperactive behavior and difficulty completing tasks.  A lesson plan modification was created to focus on both lessening her behavioral challenges and developing her strengths. With the modification, Sarah was able to complete the class assignment, showing she is quite capable of completing her class work.  Her lack of focus and behavioral problems continued to result in below average achievement in the classroom and may have been a result of a number of learning disabilities; including ADHD.      

According to the CDC, traditional treatments for ADHD include behavioral modification techniques along with prescribed medications for mood and anxiety.  



Photo courtesy of www.Sweetspearls.com

These medications prove to have dramatic effects on a child’s mood, so much so that parents claim that their child “...isn’t the same.”  Leslie, parent of another child at the same New York City school, felt that her child’s personality “got lost” or that she became frustrated instead of hyperactive while taking the medication.

Mother and Saint Paul, MN resident, Brittany Parker said the medication Ritalin altered her brother’s personality and left him shaky.  “My mom didn't like him having it,” Brittany said, “so she only gave it to him when he had to get math done. You could tell at a glance that he was on it.”

John Dupre, a Newport, RI resident and veteran who was diagnosed with adult ADHD agrees that, although medications do help, they aren’t ideal. “ADHD makes me feel like my mind is weak. I'm constantly struggling to stay focused on anything and everything. And then I take Adderall....and I feel like my eyes are a laser... my brain is holding the laser, and the world is my playground.  I'm not high, I'm zoned in.” After John's diagnosis, he has discovered that being outdoors significantly improves the symptoms of ADHD, leaving less need for medication. “I'm constantly trying to do without the drug that inherently helps me. I've been successful without it, but I'm a ninja with it.... there's my quagmire which I've yet to answer.”

Photo courtesy of www.nytimes.com

Parents who are emphatically opposed to treating ADHD with medications have adopted the challenge of supporting their children through consistent methods of behavioral treatment techniques, strict organic and glucose free diets, and/or frequent access to outdoors activities.  These have all been found essential in the treatment of ADHD according to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.  These treatments can allow the brain to focus and relax.  

An article published in Harvard Men’s Health Watch states that consistent physical activities such as jumping, running, playing sports,and hiking pumps oxygen to the brain and trains the brain to become less stressed and more relaxed.  Being in nature allows the individual with ADHD to take in fresh air, peaking the curiosity of an impulsive and overthinking mind. Furthermore, exploring and engaging with nature stimulates thought and expression.

Sue Atkins, the author of Raising Happy Children for Dummies, says, “Increasing research demonstrates the benefits nature and playing outdoors has on the developing brain. For example, studies reveal that children regularly exposed to green spaces for play have better motor coordination, fewer attention-deficit disorders and have more ability to concentrate.”

Not only could fostering this outdoor, active lifestyle from a young age treat ADHD, but it can also retrain the brain and correct and reverse the hyperactivity impairments into adulthood.   With psycho-social interventions such as educational structure and routine, as well as cognitive and behavioral techniques, the management and possible cure of ADHD can be successful.

 

The Compost Bucket's Humble Journey

Composting is a healthy way to use your scraps to help the earth. No one should heal with nature without reciprocating and healing nature, too.

The Compost Bucket's Humble Journey

 

Many Aquidneck Growers Market customers are familiar with our Food Scrap Program--perhaps your household even participates!  After paying a one-time $20 deposit (when you return the bucket for good, you'll get $10 back), you can pick up a five-gallon bucket at the market on Wednesday or Saturday to fill with your food scraps (we’ll get to the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” in a moment). Once your bucket is full, you can simply return it to the market in exchange for an empty one: a perfect solution for those of us with little or no yard space. But what happens to your food scraps after you drop them off?

• The Scraps: Many of the food scraps from your kitchen that would typically go to waste are fair game for the compost bucket: fruits, vegetables, eggshells, and coffee grounds are all great. What should you avoid? Horus Khuit, who runs the food scrap program, advises against non-organic citrus peels due to harsh pesticides and preservatives sprayed onto the peels; dryer lint, as it includes synthetic materials; and anything other than trace amounts of meat, as it will putrefy and attract animals—yuck! Small remnants of dairy and bread are alright, but not ideal.
• Drop-off: Once you drop off your bucket, Horus records all of the data regarding how many buckets were returned or taken (helpful tip: if you return a bucket that is not full, please take a moment to check other buckets and see if you can consolidate your scraps. Sometimes we run low on buckets, and this will help ensure that everyone participating in the program gets to take home an empty one!
• Island Community Farm: The food scrap buckets are transported to Island Community Farm in Middletown, where a large compost pile resides. Horus mixes leaf debris from a local landscaping contractor with the food scraps, using a tractor to push the newer scraps toward the middle of the pile.
• Nature Works Her Magic: Here’s where the magic/science comes in. The breakdown of carbonous materials (that would be the food scraps, leaf debris, and anything else organic or once-living) creates heat in the compost pile—see the steam rising from the pile in the top photo? This heat helps breed microbes, which are eaten by worms and released as nutrient-loaded waste.
• Resting Up: The compost then gets a well-deserved rest. Horus continues to mill the compost with a tractor: “aeration and rotation are the best ways to keep the bacteria happy and doing their thing,” he says.

Finished Compost: Depending on factors like temperature, moisture, and the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, the compost will take several months to complete its process. This particular compost goes toward gardens at Island Community Farm in Middletown, and now to the Community Garden Initiative, a new project of ACT! “By composting, you’re keeping food out of the waste system and reducing the material going into landfills,” Horus says.

Are we really what we eat?

Photo courtesy of www.myownloyalty.co.za

By Ojanae Ellison

There is an age old saying that goes, “you are what you eat,” and it has been a way for adults to prevent children from eating things that aren’t good for them. In today’s calorie driven society, are we really what we eat?

Photo courtesy of the American Society of Agronomy

Because we are so aware of the fact that bacteria can cause disease, many farmers have been trying to find ways to stop the spread of disease by feeding their cattle antibiotics. While that may make the cattle healthier, the manure they produce is then used as fertilizer. This manure still contains the antibiotics and that allows plant-based bacteria to mutate into antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

“Often, 90% or more of the antibiotic is excreted, according to previous studies,” says Francis Zvomuya a researcher at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. “Manure containing these is then used as fertilizer on crops.”

These crops are then sold to the public containing the antibiotic resistant bacteria, and the CDC states on their FAQ page on antibiotic resistance that if it’s not cooked or washed properly the bacteria is passed into the human body. If that person gets sick, the usual round of antibiotics won’t work because the bacteria is resistant. So, see we are what we eat because by eating antibiotic resistant bacteria our body develops antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Other agriculturists believe that the solution is organic cropping. It yields soil that is healthier and allows for crops to grow stronger to and to their full potential. Rosedale Institute has been ruling a Farming Systems Trial (FST) since 1981. The FST has showed that organic cropping requires less water, and requires less pesticides which can be as harmful to the environment as it is to our bodies. Their research shows that by making the soil healthier, plants grown in that field will yield healthier and fresher crops. These crops then allow for healthier food choices in the supermarket.
 

An organization called Moms Across America understands the importance of organic choices, and have launched a billboard campaign to allow organic foods to become more easily accessible. They believe that organic food should be available to all people regardless of socioeconomic class. They want people to healthier and more in touch with nature, no matter where they live.

Although food is important, it is not the most important thing our body needs. The most important essential that nature provides is water. Nowadays that isn’t always safe to drink. Many residents across America are receiving notices that their  tap water isn’t safe. In Flint, Michigan, the residents can’t even use their water to bathe because the lead present in the water could permanently alter the body’s chemistry.

Photo courtesy of http://getfitatl.lifestyleezine.com

Being healthy should be as simple as drinking enough water and eating right, but sometimes that’s not enough. In addition to living healthier, begin to heal with nature. Simply  starting your own garden and growing your favorite vegetables is a great beginning. Many towns have community gardens that make doing this easy for everyone, regardless of skill or space.

Nature has a long history of healing humans, now is the time to give back by healing nature through the food we eat.

NJ Event - Summer Afternoon Weed Walk 7/31

Plants of all varieties can heal our bodies.  Robin Rose at Wisewoman Healing Ways can show you healing plants that you can find anywhere, even in your own back yard!

 

NJ Summer Afternoon Weed Walk Sunday, July 31st, 2:00 - 4:00PM Highlands Natural Pool Pre-registration requested; call 973-835-4299.    The hidden gem of the Wyanokie Highlands, this stream-fed freshwater swimming pool is located adjacent to Norvin Green State Forest. Robin Rose Bennett will lead a group around the pool, identifying and learning about common plants that offer natural herbal medicine and delicious, nutritious food. Click here for more info.

 

Learning in Nature

photo courtesy of Schoola

Summer is an exciting time for children, and even parents welcome a break from the long school year.  But educators and parents alike understand that during the summer fun, children may encounter “summer slide.”  In her article “How to Prevent Summer Slide,” Gennifer Rose, Community and Content Specialist at Schoola, a fundraiser program designated to help schools, shares some valuable advice from teacher and mom, Haley Lussenden.  

Haley Lussenden

Haley explains that summer slide is the tendency for students to lose some of the academic progress made during the school year.  When children observe their parents reading or using mathematical skills for everyday solutions, Haley believes they are more open to read and solve problems themselves.  Haley also understands the importance of keeping summer learning fun and exciting.  And what would summer be without trips to the great outdoors and hands-on connection with nature?

“If your child sees you ... working through the math to determine the number of tomato plants that will fit in your garden, he or she will be far more likely to exhibit similar behaviors,” Haley said.

Haley also advises that summer learning should be light and fun, so reading books about outdoor activities they love, or encouraging critical thinking as they explore is essential.



Photo courtesy of Shelby Sheene



Shelby Sheene, a homeschooling mom of three who runs her own photography business in Florida, is a proponent of her children connecting with nature.  Children grasp essential concepts while connecting with the world around them, learning just as much, if not more, than traditional teaching methods.  



“The children and I wanted to learn about different textures and colors of leaves and greenery, so we went on a nature walk,” Shelby said. “We brought a little canvas bag with us and collected different colors.  The girls had fun feeling different leaves for various textures.”  





After collecting their leaves and placing them in a nature journal, Shelby’s first grader matched water paint to the color of the greenery.  The swatches provided comparison between textures and colors.   “That way we conquered science and art in one lesson,” Shelby said.

Photo courtesy of Shelby Sheene

There are many other benefits to children learning outdoors.  Research suggests that time in nature helps with moods and motor skills.  In a study published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," Stanford scientists researched how a nature walk could reduce the amount of stress encountered by people living in urban areas, naturally a high-tension environment.  The outcome was decreased obsession over life events  and in activity in their subgenual prefrontal cortices, the area of the brain responsible for cognitive behavior and depression.

Shelby completely agrees with these findings.  “My kids get very pent up and rambunctious indoors. When they can be outside, running around and even barefoot, it's like a totally new personality. They want to explore, crave learning, and take everything in.  They also seem to be pretty advanced in any sort of coordination skill like dance, yoga, and climbing. They rarely ever get sick, and when they do it's usually after an indoor activity like the mall playground or something similar.”

The link between children and nature is becoming more evident.  In his book Last Child in the Woods, child advocacy expert Richard Louv outlines the nature-deficit dilemma faced by younger generations.  His work includes research on how essential it is for kids to be in nature, as it also provides practical solutions and ideas on how to reconnect with the outdoors.



Photo courtesy of Schoola

Summer is the perfect time for fun and relaxation, but it is also  the perfect combination of learning and fun---and what better way to connect with the earth and strengthen our children for the upcoming school year?

NJ Event - Georgia Peach Truck Thursday 7/28

NEW TIME We're thrilled to be welcoming the Georgia Peach Truck back again This Thursday, 7/28, from 2-3:30 pm ONLY!  Come grab some peaches fresh from the farm.   As a bonus for stopping in, please take a 10% discount on many items* purchased while you are here that afternoon. * Items include Nursery Stock, Annuals, Perennials, Pottery, Tools, Garden Accessories, and more. ABOUT GEORGIA PEACH TRUCK Founded in 2014 by Brandon Smith, the Georgia Peach Truck is an innovative farm-to-street experience that delivers genuinely fresh Georgia peaches to cities across the country. The Georgia Peach Truck produces a community oriented road trip in partnership with local businesses to take the South's most iconic fruit to customers up and down the East Coast. The Georgia Peach Truck's inaugural road trip launches June 2016. For the latest information on where the truck is headed this summer, visit www.fb.com/georgiapeachtruck orwww.georgiapeachtruck.com. #GAPeachTruck

Eating locally sourced food is not only important for our economy, but it's also important for the environment.  We all know that as the population of one animal grows, the season approaches when they will be culled.  Seafood is always in season, however, and for folks who live on the coast, nothing says summertime like fresh seafood.

 

Summertime is Seafood Time! As Aquidneck Growers Market customers know well, Rhode Island is a little state with a big supply of fresh, local seafood. Here's the lowdown on our summer market seafood vendors! Local Catch This Point Judith-based company puts customer service first at the markets! In addition to supplying the freshest local fish (none of their products are treated with chemicals or preservatives, and everything that isn't sold within two days is frozen to be smoked later on), Local Catch offers some unique benefits to market customers. By signing up for their newsletter, you can pre-order their latest catch and have it delivered to you at the next market. Also, to ensure that your purchase remains as fresh as possible, Local Catch will keep it on ice while you finish your rounds at the market and give you a tag to clip to your shopping bag so you don't forget to pick it up on your way out. Bomster Scallops Bomster uses cutting-edge technology to make sure that their premium scallops are as fresh as possible. After being hand-shucked and rinsed in seawater, they are flash-frozen and vacuum-sealed aboard the fishing boat within an hour of harvesting. They come frozen at the market, but you can still eat them for dinner the night you buy them if you run cold water over the package for about 20 minutes. Once thawed, use within seven days--no need to rinse, just drain the excess liquid and cook immediately. Amateur and professional chefs alike attest to the quality of Bomster Scallops. They also carry hard-to-find and delicious Red Rock shrimp. Matunuck Oysters Matunuck's market stall is a perfect one-stop shop for customers looking for produce and seafood. Perry Raso founded Matunuck Oyster Farm in 2002, and implemented a "pond to plate" strategy when he opened his restaurant Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown. The restaurant also uses produce from Matunuck Vegetable Farm, which received it organic certification in 2015. Try their delicious pea shoots for a sweet and crunchy salad or stir-fry topper!

Eating local with Clements' Marketplace

      

Clements' Marketplace 

2575 E Main Rd. 

Portsmouth, RI 

(401)683-0180 

www.clementsmarket.com

Writing Lessons from the Berry Patch - Marisa Goudy

Nature, like children, can be the most unassuming of teachers.  In her blog, writing and storytelling coach, Marisa Goudy, offers both hobbyists and professionals looking to share their vision, profound advice for telling an honest and vibrant story.  In this post, her daughters' experience in the berry patch offers a backdrop for lessons in patience, creativity and adventure--both in writing and in life.  Visit Marisa's website to learn more about her services and read more of her writing insights.

Writing Lessons From the Berry Patch

As is often the way with everyday magic, you don’t notice it even when it’s right under your nose. Or encircling your back yard.

We lived in the house for a few years before we realized we lived in wild berry heaven. Our land bursts with joyful, succulent gifts every July, but we never noticed until we slowed down to a toddler’s pace and humbled ourselves to look at the world through the eyes of a child.

And now our second girl is a passionate berry picker too. She’s insatiable, really, but at least we know where to find her when we say “but I thought YOU were watching her!”

This need to chaperone a two year-old in a fruitful paradise that also features thorns, concealed ditches, ticks, snakes, and poison ivy brings life to a halt a few times each day.

When at my best, I’m a merry companion willing to tear my dress to reach that perfect cluster of sweetness. Then there are the moments when I’m itching to start dinner or do some writing or simply go find some shoes so I can satisfy the incessant requests for “Berries! Berries! Mama, ber-RIES!” without injuring myself.

We’re not just picking fruit in the berry patch. We’re taking lessons in patience, creativity, and picking the perfect moment.

To read more, click here.

Yearning for simpler times

Mother Earth is bountiful and will provide, has provided. Humans survived long before we had WiFi, Google and Starbucks.  I know some must find it hard to believe based on the amount of data they consume, information they've got at hand and how much Starbucks they buy, but it's true.  So many natural remedies and foods have been used and lost in the current age.

 

I'm listening to Game of Thrones book 2, A Clash of Kings. This series of books (and the television show created from them) describe a world of castles and keeps, kings and queens, lords and ladies, knights and dragons.  While I'm not sure about the presence of dragons in the past, I do know that the rest was undoubtedly real.  I listen as they describe feasts of roast boar with buttered parsnips, squash soup with quail and creamed ramps, crusty breads slathered with fresh butter and piled with fresh caught fish from the sea, sausages speared on the ends of dirks. Wine, ale and beer flowed at every meal including breakfast.  Foods and drinks made with all the bounty God and Mother Earth provided. Eating whatever fruits and vegetables were in season near you and augmenting it with whatever animal was killed on the hunt.

Oh how far we have fallen.

The advent of the industrial and technological ages has taken us far away from our dependence on what we can hunt and or gather. I shop at the grocery (or even big box) store and I don't know the family who grew it, harvested it, raised it, slaughtered it, packaged it or transported it.  The only food that grows in my garden is basil for anything Italian that I cook or a caprese salad.  And I bought the basil plant from the grocery store!

Listening to my book drives me to yearn for simpler times.  Times when we relied more on what was all around us instead of demanding faster, easier, lazier, more processed choices. Times when we did heal with nature, as that's all there was available.

I am realistic, though, it pains me to say.  While nature is still a bountiful resource, so many things on which I depend would not be available to me were we to revert to olden times.  Medication for my son with epilepsy, the ability to work at a job thirty miles from my home, to be able to communicate instantaneously with my family far away, the ability to talk to you.

Let's work toward finding a balance.

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Grounding Rod - Focusing your energy in the present moment