Consumers urged to take pledge to stop using lawn chemicals

The world is rapidly changing and with it are perspectives on the use of toxic lawn chemicals and the hazards they pose to our children, families, neighbors, wildlife and drinking water sources.

Public concern over the potential hazards associated with chemical lawn care products and services has been on a steady rise. And with good reason. Over 100 million pounds of pesticides are used by homeowners in homes and gardens each year, even more when commercial companies are added in. Suburban lawns and gardens are known to receive far heavier pesticide applications per acre than most other land areas in the U.S., including agricultural areas.

Studies show that these hazardous lawn chemicals are drifting and being tracked-in to our homes where they contaminate indoor air and surfaces, exposing children at levels ten times higher than preapplication levels.
“Children are particularly vulnerable to exposure from lawn chemicals,” says Dr. Routt Reigart, pediatrician at the Medical University of South Carolina. “Many of the chemicals typically used on lawns present acute and chronic risks to children’s health.”

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not evaluate low level exposures like the ones people receive from these lawn products and it doesn’t evaluate the actual product mixtures found on store shelves,” says Jay Feldman executive director at Beyond Pesticides.

Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 13 are probable or possible carcinogens, 14 are linked with birth defects, 18 with reproductive effects, 20 with liver or kidney damage, 18 with neurotoxicity, and 28 are sensitizers and/or irritants. Of those same 30 lawn pesticides, 17 are detected in groundwater, 23 have the ability to leach into drinking water sources, 24 are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms vital to our ecosystem, 11 are toxic to bees, and 16 are toxic to birds. With numbers like this, the only logical questions are: is this really necessary, and what can we do to stop or prevent this kind of contamination?

“Twenty-eight of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides are toxic to birds, aquatic organisms like fish or important beneficial insects such as bumble bees, which are critical pollinators of plants and flowers,” says Carolin e Kennedy, Director of Conservation Initiatives for Defenders of Wildlife. “Keeping a yard with non-toxic alternatives is far easier than the lawn pesticide companies would have you believe, and it’s the best way we can go easy on neighborhood wildlife.”

Members of the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns are working to halt senseless exposure to lawn pesticides and to educate the public, landscapers, and policy makers on the use of non-toxic and least-toxic lawn care practices and products. Change begins and ends at local level. The public plays an extremely important role in lawn pesticide reform – not only in the way it perceives the use of toxic pesticides in homes and communities but also in the way it demands safe alternatives from retailers, organic services from lawn care providers, and better protection from pesticide exposure from local policy makers.

Consider joining the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns and help educate your neighbors, your community – including landscapers and your policy makers about the unacceptable hazards of lawn chemicals. You can sign up at www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticidefreelawns/
declaration/index.htm.

How to eat Rejuvenative Foods

How to eat Rejuvenative Foods in general. – Rejuvenative Foods raw cultured vegetables taste great on or with rice or rice cakes, with fresh raw organic almond butter (or other nut and seed butters or mixtures – great on sandwiches, or even by themselves in a bowl), tortillas, avocados, vegetables, salads, seeds, nuts, grains, pizza, eggs, potatoes, meat, sandwiches, & omelets.

Rejuvenative Foods Nut and Seed Butters are delicious by themselves. They taste great mixed with raw cultured vegetables in a bowl. They also taste great mixed with dried or fresh fruit, including dates, raisins, figs, apples, bananas, papayas, etc. They can be smoothed onto rice cakes or bread, and one can make a dressing in a blender by mixing with any of the following: avocados, a little water, garlic, tomatoes, cultured vegetables

F.A.Q.’S

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about raw cultured vegetables:

What is it about Raw Cultured Vegetables that enhances health?
Raw Cultured Vegetables are delicious and provide an excellent self-rejuvenating source of non-dairy lactobacilli, including acidophilus and lactobacillus plantarum, important for the maintenance of healthy intestinal flora and the alleviation of digestive disorders. This is important for people who are lactose intolerant, have pathologies that prevent the consumption of dairy or simply choose to avoid it.

What is it about Rejuvenative Foods’ Nut and Seed Butters that is so special?
Our freshness-dated, raw, refrigerated Nut and Seed Butters are special because they are unheated (not roasted) and still have life energy, vitamins and minerals that are further retained as a result of immediate refrigeration and assured freshness that you know of by our 9 month “best if sold before” date. Ask for Rejuvenative Foods Nut and Seed Butters by name, as you would cold processed oil. An important aspect of retention of life energy is: We monitor temperature during grinding so that heat friction doesn’t cook our nuts and seeds.

How to eat Rejuvenative Foods in general.
Rejuvenative Foods raw cultured vegetables taste great on or with rice or rice cakes, with fresh raw organic almond butter (or other nut and seed butters or mixtures – great on sandwiches, or even by themselves in a bowl), tortillas, avocados, vegetables, salads, seeds, nuts, grains, pizza, eggs, potatoes, meat, sandwiches, & omelets.

Rejuvenative Foods Nut and Seed Butters are delicious by themselves. They taste great mixed with raw cultured vegetables in a bowl. They also taste great mixed with dried or fresh fruit, including dates, raisins, figs, apples, bananas, papayas, etc. They can be smoothed onto rice cakes or bread, and one can make a dressing in a blender by mixing with any of the following: avocados, a little water, garlic, tomatoes, cultured vegetables.

How pure are Rejuvenative Foods? Are there trace amounts of peanuts or other extraneous raw materials in our nut and seed butters?
No. There are no peanuts in any of our foods. In fact, there are no peanuts processed in our plant at all, and our grinder and all of the other machines we use are cleaned very thoroughly in between batches, so there is no residue from any other nut or seed in our foods.

What bacteria culture is present in the product? What is lactobacillus acidophilus? Lactobacillus acidophilus is a micro-flora that is naturally present in vegetables as well as in our digestive tract. Lactobacillus plantarum and lactobacillus brevis are other healthful microorganisms found in our Raw Cultured Vegetables. On March 10, 1989, Dairy & Food Labs, Inc. found 5,500,000 lactobacillus acidophilus per gram in our Vegi-Delite Live Zing Salad, made with organic raw cultured cabbage, beets, carrots, lemon, dill and garlic. This is not an isolated, refined supplement (where lactobacillus count tends to dissipate) but an appetizing live food that is naturally self maintaining its fresh lactobacillus count.The bacteria are responsible for breaking down the sugars and starches found in the vegetables, and are involved in the production of B vitamins, aiding in proper digestion. The culturing process allows for the proliferation of this healthful micro-flora. Lactobacillus is destroyed when you heat vegetables, which is why our Raw Cultured Vegetables are so good for you.

What is the difference between fermented and pickled and cultured?
Fermented and cultured mean the same thing. Our raw, cultured, vegetables could be considered pickled because of the addition of Celtic Sea Salt, but it is not a term we generally use. This is because someone might think that they have vinegar in them, and they do not.

I left a jar out overnight. Can I still eat it?
The food, whether RCV’s or Nut Butters, are still fine to eat. The owner and founder of the company, who has been making these products for over 20 years, frequently takes the products on camping trips knowing the products will not be refrigerated for as long as a couple of weeks and he finds that the integrity and quality of the product is not compromised.

Is the Hemp Seed Butter good for you? Is It Legal?
Yes, our Hemp Seed Butter (Hempini) is both legal and extremely beneficial for the body. Hemp seeds are the most nutritious seed on the planet. They are very rich in Omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids. Hemp Seed Butter provides our body with essential fatty acids that we don’t get often because our body doesn’t produce them, and most foods don’t have them. It is the same kind of good oil that you get from fish. It is also very high in amino acid energy.

How much salt do you put in your product?
There is approximately one percent Celtic Sea Salt in our products (the salt is added to the vegetables before they are cultured). Many other sauerkraut and raw cultured vegetable manufacturers put at least two percent salt into their products. Furthermore, the Celtic Sea Salt is one of the most healthful salts for your body, and is not commonly found in other salted cultured vegetables.

At what temperature do we process our Raw Nut and Seed butters?
Generally the nut and seed butters are ground at temperatures between 112 and 116 degrees. Ocassionally the grinder might get as hot as 118 degrees, although this is rare.

How much should I eat?
For the Raw Cultured Vegetables, a nice average is two to four jars a week, especially if one is eating the Vegi-Delite.

How to make your own raw cultured vegetables.
To enjoy the benefits and the uniquely appealing flavor of Raw Cultured Vegetables, you may make your own as follows:

Use fresh, well-cleaned cabbage either on its own or as the primary ingredient along with beets, carrots, garlic, celery, kelp, herbs or any other vegetable you enjoy. You may add a high quality sea salt if desired. A five-gallon container will hold about 35 pounds of vegetables and it is best to use at least 25 pounds per recipe. You can either grind the vegetables using a Champion Juicer (without the screen) or cut and shred them with a food processor. If you use the latter process, pound the vegetables to make them juicier.

Put the prepared vegetables in a stainless steel, ceramic or a glass crock. Don’t fill the crock to the brim because the fermenting vegetables are likely to expand and may overflow. Put lots of fresh cabbage leaves on top of the ground up vegetables and using your hands and a little body weight, gently and firmly compress the leaves.

Put a plate that is as wide as possible in the crock and then add some weight to the plate, such as a lidded glass jar filled with two-thirds of a pint of water. A little weight will be sufficient, as too much will force the vegetable juice above the fermenting vegetables. Check the fermenting vegetables a few times over the next day and a half to ensure that the plate is sitting evenly on the vegetables and is not lopsided.

Let the fermenting vegetables sit in a well-ventilated space at room temperature (between 59-71º) for five to seven days. The longer it sits the stronger it gets. After five to seven days (6-7 days at 62ºand 5-6 days at 70º), throw away the old cabbage leaves and the moldy and discolored vegetables on the top. Put the remaining delicious fermented vegetables in glass jars and refrigerate. The Raw Cultured Vegetables will last from four to eight months when kept at 34º and opened minimally. Do not freeze them.