Freshtopia Videos

This week the FU of the Week is served by author and Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington! We check out some zero dollar bills, look at a new alternate reality game set in the future, and check out Semapedia, which allows you to post links to the web in the real world! Plus tons more, including the Artist of the Week and a new Campfire discussion! To get the show early with all the show links, go to http://epicfu.com!

Ethical businesses, electric cars, and a wonderful meal to boot. Author: youtube

Compact flourescent bulbs 101. Author: youtube

We visit a remarkable small farm, practicing sustainable agriculture. Author: youtube

We ve been composting in our homemade worm bin for 5 months now. Through trials and tribulations, we ve learned a lot about the right environment for worms! In fact we experimented so much, that we managed to decimate our entire worm population. *Sigh*. Master composter and Freshtopia diva, Barb Finnin, came by to see how our worm bin was doing after all this time. Thank goodness she was so encouraging! She helped us haul our semi-composted compost (and dead worm population) to our new backyard composting bins where it can still be useful. We also get a look at a Wriggly Wranch-a multi-layered worm bin that our neighbors purchased at a discount from our county waste management. Seems that if you can get the discount, the layered method is the way to go. We will try again using homemade methods, but this time we ll have a little bit more knowledge to keep our worms alive. Thanks Barb!

UPDATE: We have modified this original design to a shallower, more airy worm bin. Check out our new design here, http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/ Cheers! Good Luck! Barb Finnin is part of the amazing Freshtopia team. She s a certified master composter- her specialty is Vermicomposting with worms. We were super excited to learn that we could compost in our city apartment with a homemade worm bin even though we don t have a yard. Throwing food scraps away in the garbage is not something either of us enjoys, so having a green alternative has been more than satisfying for our sustainability goals. After 4 weeks, our worms are happy and thriving. Find out more about Vermicomposting and other forms of composting on Wikipedia. Visit Barb at Freshtopia.net. Runtime- 9:47

I m delving into an unfortunate part of my food history here: My brief love affair with store-bought poppy seed dressing. Maybe I just fell for the wrong one, but the romance came to an abrupt end when I came to my senses and read the label. Hydrogenated soybean oil? http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL" target="_blank">High fructose corn syrup? http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2586652.ece" target="_blank">Sodium benzoate? No thanks.Years later I m working the issues out and rekindling the love, this time with healthy http://www.regaininghealthnaturally.com/Coconut_Information/Health_Benefits_of_Coconut_Oil.shtml" target="_blank">raw coconut fat, (http://www.living-foods.com/articles/coconutbenefits.html" target="_blank">and here), and sweet, sweet agave syrup. And what better vehicle than some of the delicious white peaches which are so very in season right now? Aromatic arugula and fennel make a simple salad that stands out! Arugula & White Peach Salad With Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing: Serves 2-4Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing: 1C young coconut meat, or soaked cashews if coconut is not available 1/2C coconut water, or filtered water 1/4C agave syrup 1/4C apple-cider vinegar 2T white onion 1T stoneground mustard 1T poppy seeds Dash of sea saltBlend all ingredients except the poppy seeds until smooth and emulsified. Add poppy seeds, blend very briefly to mix.Pour dressing liberally over 4C arugula, 1 large sliced white peach, 1/2C thinly sliced fennel, and garnish with pecans or pine nuts. Reserve the extra dressing for another beautiful summer day!

Believe us when we say, no chickens were hurt in the making of this episode. Our friends http://www.ravenyoga.com" target="_blank">Raven, http://www.bellyoga.info/" target="_blank">Baxter and Adesina have made the leap from avid backyard gardeners, to avid backyard chicken enthusiasts! Though their motivation for getting into the chicken-caper was pretty solidly egg-based, the love they have for their new feathered friends is readily apparent. Wondering why normal city-folk would go to the trouble to raise their own egg-laying hens? If you have a strong stomach you could just google factory">http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient , for a wealth of links. This makes it abundantly clear why our friends really want to know how the chickens they get eggs from are being treated. Diet is a complex and personal issue. We re not saying that eating eggs is right or wrong, but it is definitely something that shouldn t be done without awareness or salsa and lots of fresh vegatables.

In one of our most explosive episodes ever, we merge Flax and Action, for Flaxploitation! Tanja s delicious flax crackers have a plan to stick it to the man, while providing heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and a fiber-packed punch! Great nutritional profile and a snack to feel good about? Shut your mouth! I m just talkin about Flax. Tanja s Flax Cracker Recipe: 1C Flax seeds soaked in 1 1/2C water, 1-8 hours 1/2C Tomato, chopped 1/2C Italian Parsley 2T Onion, chopped 1t Garlic, minced Salt and Pepper to taste Optional 1/4C Flax mealPulse all ingredients in a food processor, starting with the veggies, then add the flax seeds, seasonings and meal, if desired. When well incorporated and a nice, doughy consistency, spread thinly on teflex, or other dehydrator sheets and dehydrate for 6-8 hours. Remove from sheets, cut into small squares and return to dehydrator for 12-16 hours, or until dry and crispy. Enjoy!

Look out Blutos of the world spinach is getting the Freshtopia treatment! After all the explosiveness of our last installment, Flaxploitation, we're smoothing things out with a deliciously simple rendition of a party staple; spinach dip! With the bright flavor of lemon and the nutrition of dark leafy greens, this is a great recipe for all manner of occasions.Lemony Spinach Dip: 4C fresh spinach 3/4C raw cashews, soaked 1/4C pine nuts, soaked 2T olive oil, plus additional dash 2T nutritional yeast 1t agave syrup juice of 1 lemon small clove garlic dash cayenne pepper salt and pepper to tasteSoak nuts 1hr or more. Drain and process thoroughly with the olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, agave, salt and pepper. Add small amounts of water to processor if necessary, until desired consistancy is reached. Place cleaned spinach in large bowl and massage for roughly 5 minutes with a dash of olive oil and pinch of salt until softened. Add spinach to processor, blending to incorporate yet leaving beautiful spinach tidbits.Enjoy and Smile! But be sure to have someone check your teeth for green

If there's one dish we've made so far that you simly MUST try, it's this one. It's quite easy to make, though the recipe may require a trip to the grocery store. We hope it treats you as well as it did us!

QuickTime 7 Player - download free here We had a great time at Knoll Farms. Kristie and Rick Knoll were generous with their time and information, and their farm is a verdant wonderland full of beautiful plants and trees. "Tairwa" is the name they coined for their produce, from the french word terroir meaning "the essence of place." The essence of this farm is surely its lovingly cultivated soil, which imbues their crops with a uniquely delicious flavor. Devoted to keeping their commerce local, Tairwa produce is scarcely available outside the Bay Area, but if you find yourself in San Francisco on a Saturday morning, definitely stop by the Ferry Plaza farmer's market to get some of their exquisite figs, herbs, flowers, tomatoes and greens!

The biographical short on Dr. Johannes Geiss that we've been putting together has been eating up all of our time the last several days. That said, it's coming along nicely. It will be finished this weekend, and we'll be back on schedule Monday with our show on Knoll Farms and a full blog set. Incidentally, Swiss physicist Johannes Geiss is the chap responsible for the first experiment on the moon. Apollo 11, 1969, Neil Armstrong & possey took Dr. Geiss' experiment up and planted it immediately after taking a small step for man. Click here to peruse the old-timey html styling that is an academic science website.

QuickTime 7 Player. Download free here. Alas, we have been forced to temporarily don our secret identities and reenter the work world - there is a documentary to be finished! As such, there will be no blogging today. Oh how we long for an overworked, underpaid (or, unpaid) journalism intern to abuse, torment and eventually shape into a videoblogging superstar. Hell, if you threw in a video intern as well, freshtopia's host and director might even end up getting some sleep at night.For more green smoothie recipes and information on the importance of having plentiful greens in your diet, try checking out Victoria Boutenko s Green For Life .Our spot on Torrent TV will be available for download in a week or so they tell us. Just go to Google video and search for Torrent TV , it s episode #19.See you Friday!