by Lynn Greene
You can celebrate Earth Day every day
Wisconsin
can be proud that Gov. Gaylord Nelson first brought a sustained
public interest in the environment to the foreground of
American thought and politics. After trying for years to
get something going, he announced there would be a nationwide
demonstration on behalf of the environment in April 1970.
Across the country, some 20 million people — from schoolchildren
to college students and beyond — took part in activities
and events to raise environmental awareness. Nelson always
said that Earth Day, as April 22 is now called, could not
have been planned by anyone; rather, it worked because
it was a spontaneous grass-roots reaction to concerns about
the environment.
Nelson chose the date to maximize participation on college
campuses. He determined the week of April 19-25 was his
best bet, because it did not fall during exams or spring
breaks, did not conflict with religious holidays such as
Easter or Passover and was late enough in spring to have
decent weather. April 22 also was Nelson’s Aunt Tillie’s
birthday.
The date also is Vladimir Lenin’s birthday, which caused
some problems when the John Birch Society insisted that
the date was a way to honor the revolutionary Communist
leader. Although Nelson tried to put that rumor to rest,
pointing out that there are bound to be good and bad people
born on any given day, questions still pop up — some even
say the day is Hitler’s birthday (It’s not; his birthday
is April 20).
Everyone should be concerned with the health of the world
we live in. To that end, composting kitchen scraps, recycling
cans, bottles and packages and not wasting food all are
ways you can observe Earth Day April 22 — and every other
day.
As the price of gasoline rises, the cost of shipping our
food across the country is starting to impact the prices
we pay at the grocery store. On average, a food stuff travels
1,500 miles from farm to table.
One way to combat those high prices is to buy locally.
Pretty soon, farmers markets will be open, and buying from
local gardeners is one way to keep your food costs down.
Another way is to grow your own.
Planting gardens was a national effort during World War
I and World War II. The idea of planting a “victory garden”
to reduce the pressure on the public food supply when it
was needed for the war effort took off in a big way in
the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Tending
to victory gardens became a part of daily life for many
people.
During World War II, public parks and land were plowed
up to create gardens. The public television series “The
Victory Garden” is a popular show even today, and promotes
composting and intensive cropping techniques.
Your garden doesn’t have to be big to be productive. Sticking
a few tomato plants into the landscape is a good way to
start. Before you know it, you’ll have herbs growing in
your window boxes and flowering kale and pepper plants
in your patio planters.
The good part of growing your own food is that you’ll
immediately taste the difference between vine-ripened and
overly-stored varieties. Cooking such fresh vegetables
is best done simply to preserve their excellent flavors.
Stir fries are good because you use what you have on hand
(or in garden), add meat if you want, and cook the food
to your desired level. It’s an easy way to train yourself
to go from overcooked vegetables to al dente (to the tooth),
which is a tender/crisp state. Less cooking time means
you’ll preserve more of the vegetable’s nutrient levels.
Some of the easiest vegetables to grow are tomatoes, green
peppers, green beans, peas and zucchini squash — all excellent
in a stir fry. Easy herbs to try include parsley, basil
(wait till all frost is gone) and margarum — an often overlooked
herb, but one that is excellent in stir fries.
Vegetable stir fry
Serves 4
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots
1 large onion
1 cup broccoli florettes
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. margarum, crushed
1/2 tsp. Asian chili sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsps. jelly or jam
Cut all vegetables into similar sizes, about 1-inch. Heat
the oil and add the vegetables in the order given, adding
the mushrooms last so they don’t get overcooked. Cook at
a high temperature and stir often. When the vegetables
are tender but still firm, make a space in the center of
the pan and add the chili sauce, soy sauce and jam; mix
together for the glaze. Stir together to coat the vegetables.
Serve over cooked rice.
Option: Add diced chicken, turkey, pork or beef to the
mix if desired. Add the meat to the pot first, then continue
with the vegetables.
Lynn Greene is senior editor for Community Shoppers Inc., which publishes the Stateline News. Contact her at lgreene@communityshoppers.com. |
