July 2022 – Bailee Bee!

Summer 2022 Book Recommendations (Kid’s Edition)

It can be difficult to talk with kids about the climate crisis in an uplifting and age appropriate way. Books can help us to educate our kids, instill values, talk about difficult topics, and ultimately bond whilst doing so. Here are five of my favorite books for reading to and inspiring kids (ages 3-12) to live consciously and advocate for the planet.

Planting Hope

When my husband and I bought our home, it came with a putting green built into the yard. We weren’t interested in using or keeping the putting green, so we took it out of the yard and hoped that the soil underneath it would eventually go back to nature and grow wild. Four years later, almost no plants had taken root in the area; it was clear the soil needed some help to get healthy. We got to work researching how to encourage soil development, and decided to take off the top inch or two of dirt, mix compost into the ground underneath, and then plant sunflowers, oats, and peas throughout the area to encourage soil health.

CSA Sample Meal Plan (Early Summer)

Buying a share of a CSA, or community-shared agriculture, is one way people may choose to boost their local economy and eat more seasonal and local fruits and vegetables. A CSA provides a package of locally grown produce once a week or every other week during the growing season. The produce is fresh and nourishing, but can also be unfamiliar. I encourage you to see the new vegetables as a fun challenge rather than a daunting prospect, but I also understand that having examples of how to use new vegetables may be beneficial. I will explain to you how I used everything that came in my most recent CSA share, to hopefully inspire some ideas of how to use produce you may find in a CSA box in the early summer.

Gifts from the Garden

People have all kinds of reasons for gardening, but a primary focus is often food production. Fresh food from the garden is delicious, nutritious, and typically inexpensive. Initially food production was a main focus for my family, but despite our best efforts it’s clear that the garden won’t produce much in the way of food. It has, however, given us many other gifts this year. I’d like to talk to you about experiences and opportunities that the garden has provided, regardless of the food produced.