This spring, I am dreaming of delicious, beefy summer tomatoes. So I planted some; they're taking over my kitchen as we speak. I love fresh, homegrown tomatoes. And I just can't find delicious tomatoes in stores; even the local, organic market. Not to mention, I'm sick of paying for them! In fact, I'm tired of buying produce overall. Hence, my new vegetable garden.

I'm a little nervous; I haven't had a vegetable garden since I was small. Sure, I used to 'help' with the planting and harvest lettuce, asparagus, new pototoes and strawberries from the garden for dinner. But come on; I was seven. It was a desire for produce like we remember from when our parents had gardens that prompted my boyfriend and I to plant this garden. But we've been re-learning vegetable gardening as we go along.

So far, we have flats of seeds lined up in our kitchen under a grow light. We've been experimenting with 3 varieties of tomatoes (including some amazing organic, heirloom  'Brandywine' tomatoes donated by Samurai Sage, our own Editor in Chief KC Compton), corn, cucumbers, eggplants, carrots and basil.

Yesterday, I consulted Hank Will, editor of Grit magazine (follow him on Twitter), for some more vegetable gardening tips. And I found out some important stuff! Like, for instance, carrots and corn don't like to be transplanted. Oops? All is not lost.

Photo by verymissberry/courtesty Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73425282@N00/

1)  Rule Number One: Make it up as you go. Okay, so corn doesn't like to have it's roots disturbed. Planting in flats? Maybe we got a little ahead of ourselves. But the best part of this whole project has been watching the corn grow in the kitchen (it grows really fast). It may not transfer to the garden, and we may need to replant, but it's been fun to see the plants growing up close.

2) Rule Number Two: Peat moss disks are awesome. We picked up some peat moss disks and a greenhouse tray (kind of like this one) at the local hardware store. They suck water up while you watch and spring into columns of soil, ready for seeds. We put the greenhouses on the counter over the dishwasher, so that when it ran, the greenhouses got warm and steamy. The plants seemed to respond. It didn't take our plants long to grow large enough to move our plants, peat moss columns and all, into these peat moss pots (with a little soil added, of course).

3) Rule Number Three: Did I mention how much fun we're having? Our garden isn't ready to plant in yet, it snowed over the weekend, our entire kitchen is overwhelmed with garden supplies and there are no vegetables to eat yet. But it's already a great project. I'm getting to excercise the knowledge I've been steeped in over the last couple of years and learn from my colleagues; and my boyfriend is loving the dirt-factor. I'll keep you posted on the project! We'll be building our raised garden bed soon ...

Remember the Cookie Monster from the beloved PBS children’s television series Sesame Street? He always sang about eating delicious cookies. Last week a friend of mine told me that my blue, furry childhood friend no longer eats cookies. I was shocked! I couldn’t believe that PBS changed one of my favorite Sesame Street characters. What kind of cookie monster doesn’t eat cookies? Is the Cookie Monster loose on the streets singing “V is for vegetable and that’s good enough for me” while teaching kids that sweets are pure evil? Do we have to be so politically correct that our children can no longer enjoy a tasty snicker doodle? I decided I had to investigate the truth.

As it turns out my friend was right…kind of. 

In 2005, changes were in fact made on Sesame Street—the Cookie Monster would no longer be a childhood figure that encouraged the youth of America to add to today’s increasing obesity rate with an overzealous appetite for cookies. Instead, the Cookie Monster would teach children the importance of moderation. Although he still loves cookies, he also enjoys eating tasty fruits and vegetables for dinner—he waits to enjoy cookies for dessert.

Now this is a change that I can get on board with! I was upset when I believed that Sesame Street was teaching kids never to indulge in sweets because I believe that kid's shouldn't be taught that sweets are evil. Food can still be enjoyed and indulged in as long as it is handled in moderation. And I think it's great that the Cookie Monster also enjoys nutritious food. He probably would love some of The Herb Companion's delicious recipes!

In 2006, Matt Lauer set the record straight about the Cookie Monster's new healthy diet with this “exclusive interview.”

Click here for Matt Lauer's interview with the Cookie Monster.

What do you guys think? I know I’m behind on the times—all of these changes were made in 2005—but aren't you happy about these changes on Sesame Street? Isn’t it better to teach children about moderation rather than convince them to abandon cookies all together? Don't you believe that food can still be fun, as long as we don’t overindulge?

How many of you fellow herbies like to wash your hair daily? I have many friends who tell me they can’t go a day without lathering, rinsing and repeating for a variety of reasons, including “If I don’t my hair feels greasy.” In fact, they gasp and judge me when I tell them that I don’t. I am an outcast.

I don’t wash my hair daily for two main reasons:
1.) My hair is so thick it is much more of a hassle to manage–it takes a lot longer to wash, dry and style than the average person’s hair.
2.) When I wash my hair daily, my hair loses its shine and it starts to feel very dry.

According to a story on NPR by Allison Aubrey, I’ve been doing it right! Washing your hair daily is way too often–it strips the natural oils from your scalp. You only need to wash 2 to 3 times a week. "If you wash your hair every day, you're removing the sebum," Michelle Hanjani, dermatologist at Columbia University, says in When it Comes to Shampoo, Less is More. "Then the oil glands compensate by producing more oil.” So the more natural oils we strip from our hair, the more demand we create for oils and thus our body will make more.

Try to wean yourself away from this common practice with these tips:
• Sprinkle a quarter-size amount of baking soda into your palm along with your favorite shampoo. This removes residue that styling products leave behind so your hair is more manageable. (Arm & Hammer)
• Clean your hair with a small combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. (Nature Moms)
• Use a small amount of conditioner in between shampoo days.
• Brush a combination of witch hazel and lavender essential oils through your hair for a quick refreshment. (K.C. Compton)
• Instead of using bottled shampoo daily, you could alternate with shampoo bars. Try Rawganique's Organic Hemp Bar or Lush's Vegan Godiva Bar. (Ideal Bite)
• Rinse with 3 drops essential oil, 1 pint herbal tea and 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice; leave in for several minutes and rinse. (Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art)

If you insist on shampooing daily, try these recently reviewed shampoos:
• John Masters Organics
• Verikira Naturals
• Jurlique
• Organix
• The Healing Seed 

How often do you wash your hair? Are you addicted to shampoo? Leave me a comment!