A Berry Good Day

There is nothing better than picking fresh berries for breakfast or clipping fresh spinach and lettuce in the evening for dinner. They are plump full of vitamins and you burn calories in harvesting your bounty. Growing fruits and vegetables in your yard, on your patio or on a window ledge is good for the environment, good for your health and good for your pocket book. Challenge yourself to eat local and in season. Try adding one fruit or vegetable to every flowerbed. A cucumber trellis is great fun for the patio. Love sweet potatoes vines climbing on the fence. Each hill can stay stored in the ground into the fall - harvesting it when you are ready to indulge. It’s not too late to plan the summer’s second season plantings or purchase the fruit trees on sale for next year’s harvest

A great blog to check out is Eden Makers Blog. Likewise, a nice book on edible estates is Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn.

For your video viewing pleasure: 

Bon Appetite!

Saving $$$ on Gas

Summer is officially here and you feel the itch to hit the road and explore. What a relief to see gas prices take a dip at the height of summer vacation time! Other effective ways to save at the pump:

• Check online sites like gaspricewatch.com, gasprices.mapquest.com or gasbuddy.com for the most competitive prices.
• Watch your tire pressure. Underinflated tires of just 3 PSI (pounds per square inch) can degrade your miles per gallon by 1%.
• Keep your car engine will maintained. A properly maintained vehicle will run more efficiently and give you better mileage, which saves you money in gas.
• Get rid of unnecessary weight in your car. The heavier the vehicle, the more energy it takes to move it on the road.
• Park in the shade. Gasoline evaporates out of your tank and it does so faster when parked directly in the sun - winter or summer.
• Drive conservatively and at a steady speed. The greater your speed, the less miles per gallon you will average. Better yet, bike it. :)