This Saturday, April 28, make your way to Four Elements Farm’s 2nd Annual Spring Plant Sale and Farm Festival.  The place will be hopping all day from 11am-10pm with a number of activities including farm tours, watershed ecology walks, kids’ games, yoga, and by-donation workshops.  With food, thousands of organic plants for sale, and music from The Earthtones, Burning Bush, and BoomBala, you will be sure to have a wonderful time and feel good from the tips of your leaves all the way down to the bottom of your roots!

You will find Four Elements Organics off of Hwy 41 between Atascadero and Morro Bay.  Nestled in the mountains of San Luis Obispo county and blessed with a Mediterranean climate, the farm strives to harmonize with nature and work with the land to produce high quality organics.  Extensive cover cropping, frequent rotations to promote healthy soil, home-made biodiesel, and wise water management all combine to create ideal conditions for their wide selection of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs.  Four Elements Organics supplies a number of local nurseries, CSA’s, farmers markets, restaurants, and body care companies along the Central Coast.

Enjoy a day on the farm and celebrate your love for organic agriculture!

Before Paul Stamets, I hardly gave mushrooms a thought beyond salad and stir fry, and a mild interest in what popped up from my lawn after a good rain.  After watching his captivating TED Talk, “6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World”, I gained a new and profound respect for these amazing organisms.

Imagine, a fungus that clean up an oil spill AND become dinner?  Fungi also can be harnessed to cure diseases, control household pests without the need for toxic chemicals, decompose a variety of substances, and filter polluted water.  Since 1980, Stamets has spread the message of mushrooms through his small buisness, Fungi Perfecti.  Certified organic, Fungi Perfecti promotes the use of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms to improve the health of the planet and her inhabitants.  Through the site, you can order one of Stamets’s fascinating books, buy kits to grow your own mushrooms, collect recipes, or read up on your favorite species.

A dedicated mycologist for over 30 years, Stamets is as fascinating as the subject he studies.  Throughout his career, he has discovered four new species of fungus, created numerous techniques for the cultivation of mushrooms, written six books, filed over 22 patents for fungus-related products, and conducted a plethora of ecological studies.  He has been the recipient of many accolades including the Bioneers Award and the National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s Green-O-Vator Award.  Most recently, Stamets has been given a government grant by the EPA to study the effects of mycofiltration on E. coli-contaminated storm water. Also deeply involved with the conservation of Pacific Northwest’s old growth forests, where many of the world’s most important fungi are found, Stamets is truly a remarkable individual.

Go and explore a compelling part of the natural world with Paul Stamets as your guide!

Chocoholics rejoice!  Your sweet little habit may be keeping you slim and healthy.  Researchers from the University of California at San Diego have recently published findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine that assert regular chocolate eaters are actually thinner than those who stay away from the confection. While the metabolic benefits of moderate chocolate consumption might be “calorie-neutral”, results of the study found that adults who ate chocolate more frequently had a lower body mass index.  This was despite the fact that frequent consumers did not eat fewer overall calories or exercise more than their counterparts.

In another piece of sweet news, heavy chocolate consumption has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. A study appearing in the British Medical Journal confirms a relationship between cardiovascular health and through chocolate’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  Positive effects also include improving insulin sensitivity, mood stabilization during bouts of depression, reducing incidence of stroke, and lowering blood pressure.

The beneficial metabolic properties of chocolate are most likely due to compounds called “polyphenols”, chemicals that potentially inhibit pancreatic lipase, an enzyme that digests dietary fat.  Another hypothesis postulates that chocolate may even aid in upping the amount of energy that our cells produce.  While most of the studies did not differentiate between milk, light, or dark varieties of chocolate, the research suggests that all calories are not handled equally by the body.  Some nutritionists say that dark chocolate in particular is a smart choice for dieters as it is bittersweet and not as hunger-stimulating as forms with higher levels of sugar.  High fat content may help to satiate the body and curb appetite for longer periods of time.  Small amounts of caffeine stimulate the burning of calories while the body is at rest.

So, the next time you want to demonstrate your affection for a loved one and your concern over their health all in the same gesture, pick up a large box of the new “Vitamin C”.  Finally, a more delicious way to diet.