Green Parent Chicago™

New Feature: Little Locavores Debuts on Green Parent Chicago

As editor of Green Parent Chicago, I am very thrilled to announce a new regular feature on Green Parent Chicago: "Little Locavores", written by Melissa Graham. In each installment, Melissa will feature her own family-friendly recipes incorporating a perfect blend of locally sourced ingredients, kid cooking tips and a dash of musings.--Christine

Early autumn is a bittersweet time for me. As the shadows grow longer and the days shorter, two of my favorite things disappear. In Chicago, the baseball season almost inevitably ends abruptly, this year being no exception with my beloved White Sox limping to a third place finish. The departure of the other is far more subtle. At this point in the season, the blueberries become smaller and smaller like they’re disappearing right before our very eyes.

As I sit in the Sox’s stadium on a beautiful fall afternoon, enjoying the last hot dog and beer at the last home game, I know it’s over. The boys of summer soon to disband and disperse to sunnier climes like the geese in their chevron formation. Some will return, while others will never again wear the team’s uniform. Ken Burns remarked in his magnificent documentary about the American pastime that Baseball “follows the seasons beginning each year with the fond expectancy of springtime and ending with the hard facts of autumn.”

While the baseball season is over for me – I have only a bystander’s interest in the do-si-dos of the Fall Classic – the blueberry’s season can thankfully be extended. When we need a bit of summer, the 5 pound box of blueberries that I froze about a month back can satisfy. Frozen blueberries are quite good in muffins, pancakes, smoothies and tarts. This recipe is a family favorite using whole grain flour and honey instead of sugar.

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
Makes 6 pancakes

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup buttermilk, well shaken
2 tablespoons buckwheat honey
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup blueberries
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Combine flours, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium size bowl. In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, honey, egg and butter and whisk to combine. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Heat the remaining butter in a skillet or on a griddle over medium heat. Drop approximately 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until golden brown. Enjoy with maple syrup.

Kid Cooking Tips
This is another recipe in which kids can participate in all of the steps. In fact, my little locavore particularly loves to flip the pancakes.

Provenance
Buckwheat flour from Neighboring Farms
Buttermilk from Farmers Creamery
Buckwheat honey from Heritage Prairie Market
Egg from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm
Butter from Organic Valley
Maple syrup from Burton's

-Melissa Graham is a former attorney and chef and owner of Monogramme Events & Catering, a boutique catering company specializing in seasonal and sustainable cuisine. She's also president and founder of Purple Asparagus, a non-profit dedicated to bringing families back to the table by promoting and enjoying all the things associated with good eating. When she’s not in the kitchen or the classroom, you can often find Melissa shopping at the Green City Market where she serves as the membership chair.

 

 

Chicagoland Car Free Day-- EL of a Lot of Fun!

--Editor's note: Today's guest post comes from ChiIL Mama, who blogs about tons of unique  adventures with her two kids Du and Sage in and around Chicago. Below is her account of last week's Chicagoland Car Free Day.--

ChiIL Mama successfully negotiated the auto ban for September 22nd. And we had a blast, getting to and from school car free. Between Razor Scooters and the Blue Line El trains, our commute was pretty easy and the kids thought it was all a grand adventure.

Du sat next to an artist on the el, who was sketching away on his pad. When he noticed the kids' peering at his work, he stopped and gave a mini art lesson about the horizon line and geometry and perspective in art.  

What a great bonus! Du acknowledged that he knew about horizon lines and used them in his own art, and he held his own in conversation.

It was so much easier to notice oddities and interesting things, when we're not zipping past in the car.  

Here are some of our favorites:

A neon orange cow and star gazing-astronomer bovine with a telescope........chalk drawing characters on the Damen platform........cool spiral art of the Chi skyline and poetry in the Damen station........ yin/yang front door knobs below a tranquil wooden landscape......and multicolored fall leaves crunching beneath the Razor wheels.

I'm all for honing the kids' powers of observation and appreciation of the quirky. Those are useful skills for artists and writers, or whatever they end up growing up to be. More than that, it's just plain FUN.

We are veterans at taking the trains downtown, and frequently ride to fests and museums that way to avoid exorbitant downtown parking fees and traffic jams. But this was only the second time we've attempted it for the 3 mile school day commute. We left oodles of extra time, unsure of how long it would actually take, and we arrived 40 minutes before the school day! This left plenty of playground time and we even ducked in to the lunchroom for a free breakfast.

Unfortunately, the trip took an hour each way, versus 10 minutes and cost us nearly $14--an excellent argument for the need for cheap, rapid transit in the biggest cities. By the time I took the kids there, returned, went to get them, and returned with them, I'd spent over 3.5 hours enroute! Otherwise we'd do it much more often. But, it's good to know we can if we have to. Now for those bike skills...........

-photos: ChiIL Mama

Earth Talk: Breastmilk Is Baby's Greenest First Food

Dear EarthTalk: What are the pros and cons of feeding babies formula versus breast milk? And if I purchase formula, should I spend the extra money on the organic variety? -- Suzy W., via e-mail

It is generally acknowledged within the medical community that breast milk is the ideal first food for babies, though modern formula brands can get the job done, too. Human breast milk naturally contains the vitamins and minerals a newborn requires. According to the website KidsHealth.org, breastfed infants have less difficulty with digestion than their formula-fed counterparts. And since breast milk is easily digested, breastfed babies have fewer incidences of diarrhea or constipation.

Also, researchers have found that infants fed with human breast milk have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes and allergies than bottle-fed babies. Meanwhile, a raft of studies suggest that infants who are fed breast milk may have lower incidences of asthma, diabetes, obesity and other health problems later on in life.

“Human milk is made for human infants, and it meets all their specific nutrient needs,” says Ruth Lawrence, M.D., spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York. “We’ve known for years that the death rates in Third World countries are lower among breast-fed babies,” she adds. “Breast-fed babies are healthier and have fewer infections than formula-fed babies.”

Another related upside to breast milk is cost savings—both for families and the larger health care system. Mothers who can’t or choose not to breast feed end up spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year on formula, and higher incidences of illness and disease down the road means higher costs for all.

One concern with breast feeding is that toxins present in mom’s bloodstream can make their way into baby. But a 2007 study by Ohio State and Johns Hopkins University researchers found that levels of chemicals in breast milk were far below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum acceptable levels for even drinking water, and that indoor air in typical American homes contains as much as 135 times as many contaminants as mother’s milk. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control maintains that the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh any chemical exposure risks. “To date, effects on the nursing infant have been seen only where the mother herself was clinically ill from a toxic exposure,” reports the agency.

Of course, not all mothers are able to breastfeed, and in such cases formula can be a healthy alternative. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates all baby formulas to ensure purity and that they meet nutritional requirements. Parents should know, however, that they may not be avoiding chemical exposure by opting for formula. Non-organic formula can contain the same or higher amounts of chemical residues left over from its raw materials. One way around this is to buy organic formula. Leading makers include Nature’s One, Earth’s Best and Bright Beginnings. Enfamil and Similac also now offer organic varieties.

CONTACTS: Kids Health, www.kidshealth.org; American Academy of Pediatrics, www.aap.org; U.S. Food and Drug Administration, www.fda.gov; Consumer Reports, www.consumerreports.org.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk® is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

-photo credit: George Doyle, Getty images

Today is Chicagoland Car Free Day, Give it a Try!

Today is Chicagoland Car free Day and over 1,000 Chicagoans have already pledged to go car free and travel by foot, bus, train, or bike today to support more environmentally friendly transportation.

Looking for a fun way to participate? Active Transportation Alliance lists several events on their website around town today in celebration of Chicagoland Car free Day.

Even if you can't make your entire trip car free, you could try a partially car free trip today.

Don't forget to join Green Parent Chicago for our Car free Playdate in the Park at Seneca Playlot Park (228 E. Chicago Avenue). We've partnered with Active Transportation Alliance and will be there from 3-5 p.m.  We hope to see some friends and make some new ones.

This is the park across the street from the Water Tower Place and the Museum of Contemporary Art (free today and open until 8 p.m.). So if rain happens to dampen our day, you'll still have some good options when you get down there.

Walk east a few short blocks from the Chicago Avenue Red Line stop to the park, (elevators from the subway platform to the street make this stop accessible to parents with strollers.)

Great Read: A Closer Look At Blackstone Bicycle Works

Vy Tham (participating in the Association for Alternative Journalism's summer program) writes an excellent story about the dedication of the many boys and girls that pass through Blackstone Bicycle Works shop on the city's southside. The kids come to the shop hoping to earn a bike and in the process, earn back a part of their childhood tragically missing from their lives growing up in gang infested neighborhoods.

-photo credit: Suzanne Nathan

Review: TMBG's latest "Here Comes Science" for Cool Little Science Geeks

I'll admit, when I first read the title "Here Comes Science" in the press release for the new They Might Be Giants CD/DVD set, I was skeptical of its value.

Too often science related kids albums and "making science fun" toys I've come into contact with while raising my two children have been a little disappointing.

Some are too simplistic, don't inspire kids to use their own powers of discovery or are made from inferior materials that deteriorate long before a child's interest does.

"Here Comes Science" (September 2009) is available now on iTunes and as a full scale release on September 22. Both include the accompanying DVD of music videos for each song on the album. The album, with songs like Photosynthesis, Electric Car, The Elements, Computer Assisted Design and Velocity covers biology, physics, astronomy, botany, and several other science and technology ideas and facts.

With the help of a talented team of digital artists, the accompanying music videos are creative, cute and offer a more concrete view of the topics being sung about. 

Though targeted toward older kids, younger siblings will definitely enjoy the album, too. It may even inspire younger kids, themselves naturally curious about how the world works, to become more interested in making discoveries.

The music is diverse, inventive and fun. John Flansburgh's and John Linnell's (along with guest artists) melodies and harmonies are truly pleasant to listen to. The lyrics present a comprehensive amount of information enjoyably and most importantly for a kids album: without the usual cheesiness.

Especially appreciated is the underlying support for science as credible information, something too often missing in today's atmosphere of climate change denial and similar movements against environmentalism.   

Songs like "My Brother The Ape" present the theory of evolution to kids in a way that's matter of fact and lyrics such as "Science is Real...the facts are with science" lend support to logical methods of worldly discovery.

In short, "Here Comes Science" is a great addition to your family music collection for both younger and older kids. 

-Christine

Does Your Child Suffer from Food Allergies? Vegan Baking May Help

 

The award winning, Lake Side Cafe, in Rogers Park, famous for their creative vegan and vegetarian menu and delicious desserts, regularly offers vegan and vegetarian hands-on cooking classes (from vegetarian basics to sushi to regional foods) every first or second Sunday of the month.

Their latest offering can help you learn the skill of vegan baking and how to convert your favorite baked good recipes to vegan versions. If you have a child allergic to eggs or sensitive to wheat or gluten, vegan baking and alternative flours and sweeteners can offer a delicious alternative.

Vegan Baking: The Essentials to Baking with Compassion

October 4, 2009

Noon to 3 p.m.

Taught by Dacia Lange, the class will show you how simple it is to convert your favorite "sweets" recipes using vegan ingredients. This class concentrates on different cookie techniques, cupcakes, and "cheesecake". Also included is an introduction to alternative flours and sweeteners. On the menu are cupcakes, cookies, cheesecake.

The Cost for the class is: $68 pre-paid or $75 at the door, if space is available.

Where: Lakeside Cafe, 1418 W. Howard St. Chicago, IL

For more information call: 773-262-9503.

-photo credit: "Scott Beale / Laughing Squid"

Not to Miss Fall Festivals for Families

Fall can be the perfect season for a festival: cooler air, a bounty of fruits and vegetables in season and a great time to spend gathering before the icy chill of winter falls. Chicago is home to several amazing fall festivals and traditions every year.

For 2009, several Chicago favorites have returned, some bigger than ever, along with exciting new festivals to check out. Throughout our list you'll find lots of green, eco-friendly and nature related themes and plenty of fun for kids, too.

(As we compiled our list, we had a difficult time choosing between so many options, so take your pick or if you're feeling a little adventurous: hit up a few on the same weekend!)

Harvest Festival at Kilbourn Park
September 12
"This family-friendly event is a celebration of the summer garden. Come learn more about organic gardening techniques as well as cooking from its harvest. The entire family will enjoy a variety of activities: take-home crafts, storytelling, and face painting."

Renegade Craft Fair
September 12 and 13
"Over 300 artists are traveling from all over the country to participate and sell their handmade goods: from clothing and accessories, to stationery and concert posters, with everything from bath-products, ceramics and housewares in between! This FREE TO ATTEND DIY craft, art and design extravaganza occurs in one of Chicago’s liveliest neighborhoods, on its busiest block!" (Also food, drinks, raffles, bike valet)

County Fair at Garfield Park Conservatory
September 19
"Chicago’s original urban hoedown... experience the excitement of a county fair in the middle of the city! County Fair will be chock-full of family fun this year, such as hands-on kids’ activities, a petting zoo and pony ride, food preservation demonstrations, a garden harvest showcase, a farmers’ market, live music, and beekeeping demonstrations,"

Lincoln Square Apple Fest
September 19th 
"Free entry, apples by the bushel, cider by the gallon. Welcome fall with everyone's favorite fruit. Enjoy live music, children’s games, cooking classes, tastings, farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and specialty vendors."

Edgewater Gralley
September 19
"the Edgewater neighborhood comes alive for this all-ages, block party in the heart of Chicago's North Side...Music, Food Tents, Beer Gardens, Sports Corner for cheering on Cubs and Sox as well as College Football Teams, Artist Displays, Kid's Corner, a raffle and silent auction items provide plenty of entertainment for the adults both day and night. Environmentally-friendly and themed kids games and events ensure family fun throughout the day."

Evanston Green Living Festival at the Evanston Ecology Center
October 3
"a free, fun event designed to encourage local citizens to adopt green practices that will reduce their carbon footprint." 

Harvest Festival and Bulb Bazaar at Chicago Botanic Garden
October 3 – 4
"Visit a marketplace in the Fruit & Vegetable Garden selling a variety of items, including fresh-baked goods, roasted nuts, cut flowers, handmade soaps, and fresh vegetables. Navigate the straw bale maze, guess the weight of the pumpkin, and make leaf rubbings. Take home a fall-themed plant, and enjoy chef demonstrations,"

Fall Color Festival at the Morton Arboretum
Ongoing activities and events from October 3 to November 1 and Columbus Day
"See the bright red, orange, and yellow colors of trees and other plants from all over the world plus make lasting fall memories during Fall Color Festival."

Chicago VeganMania
October 10
"an all-inclusive celebration of the diverse and positive vegan lifestyle.  This daylong festival will showcase the unique vegan commerce, culture, community and, of course, food! The event is open to all (regardless of age, income or diet) and will feature a large vending area with live entertainment, games, contests and art show, a kids area and much more!" 

Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below!

“Mom, what does a cricket eat?” Is Your Child Suffering From Nature Deficit Disorder?

Is your child touching nature regularly? It might just be detrimental to their health if they are not able to experience the greater natural world.

When my daughter asked me “Mom, what does a cricket eat?” I immediately jumped online and found out. Why? Because I want her to understand more about the connection between nature and her body. Turns out crickets are omnivores. That means they eat everything – including each other.

She kept the little buggers in a jar overnight and learned that although they do like vegetable material, a tomato needs to be more fully rotted for them to really eat it. Therefore, she let the crickets free in the morning and learned a science lesson about nature.

Richard Louv, the author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2008) originally coined the phrase, “Nature Deficit Disorder.” His strong belief is that children who have not been exposed to nature can suffer all sorts of medical malady’s, both physical and mental. My daughter spends a significant amount of time outside and it has truly educated her on more than just play – she’s learning how nature really works.

Next on my daughter's scientific learning journey with crickets, she wants to capture them and try feeding them varying foods like bugs, and see which they prefer.

Please give us suggestions on other experiments we can try to help my daughter learn more about nature and I will share them with my readers!

-Shawna Coronado is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, health, and greening expert focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. She blogs on conservation, greening and health tips at www.gardeningnude.com. Information on her books and other media can be found at www.thecasualgardener.com.

Is your child touching nature regularly? It might just be detrimental to their health if they are not able to experience the greater natural world.

When my daughter asked me “Mom, what does a cricket eat?” I immediately jumped online and found out. Why? Because I want her to understand more about the connection between nature and her body. Turns out crickets are omnivores. That means they eat everything – including each other.

She kept the little buggers in a jar overnight and learned that although they do like vegetable material, a tomato needs to be more fully rotted for them to really eat it. Therefore, she let the crickets free in the morning and learned a science lesson about nature.

Richard Louv, the author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2008) originally coined the phrase, “Nature Deficit Disorder.” His strong belief is that children who have not been exposed to nature can suffer all sorts of medical malady’s, both physical and mental. My daughter spends a significant amount of time outside and it has truly educated her on more than just play – she’s learning how nature really works.

Next on my daughter's scientific learning journey with crickets, she wants to capture them and try feeding them varying foods like bugs, and see which they prefer.

Please give us suggestions on other experiments we can try to help my daughter learn more about nature and I will share them with my readers!

-Shawna Coronado is an author, locally syndicated newspaper columnist, health, and greening expert focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle. She blogs on conservation, greening and health tips at www.gardeningnude.com. Information on her books and other media can be found at www.thecasualgardener.com.

Turn Off Your TV and Turn On Your Imagination

TV Turn Off Week is a twice yearly week long voluntary respite from television watching, an activity that in some American homes consumes "more than 151 hours of television per month -- an "all-time" high -- up from more than 145 hours during the same period the previous year," according to a recent Nielsen company report. The increased amount of tv-watching among Americans is attributed to better recording devices, the availability of more cable channels, and increased viewing of streaming internet video.

Each year, organizations and families counter this time spent watching by participating in TV Turn Off Week. Once in the spring and again in the fall, organizers and proponents of reduced screen time hope that by showing people the wide assortment of non-screen related activities available at their disposal, they will begin to break their habits of excess tv viewing. 

This year, TV Turn Off Week will be held from September 20 to 26.

What will you do with your time? What will your kids do? How will you keep them from uttering the words: "I'm bored."

First, understand that boredom should be a welcome addition to a child's life, especially if a child is already leading a busy life filled with school, homework, extracurricular activities, sports and clubs. Boredom can lead to quiet reflective time to daydream, make up games, write stories, poems, keep a journal or diary, listen to music, play music, play outdoor, bike ride, or visit with friends or family.

For adults, a tv-free week is a great time to consider doing something you always said you would do with the extra hours. Time to organize an area of your house that needs it, scrapbook those old photos, you've been meaning to get to, go on a date with your spouse or partner, schedule in an extra workout, take up a new hobby or cook a new meal from scratch. 

You'll surely save time and here's the bonus: you'll save energy from less electricity usage, too.

Find a wealth of TV free activities for kids and grown-ups to stir your imagination here.

**Don't forget to check Green Parent Chicago's Upcoming Events calendar for more tv-free, fun things to do around town that week and all throughout the month.**

-photo credit: flickr, STV033