Newsletter #30

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. ~ Aldo Leopold

Hello Friends!

Welcome to my latest newsletter, all new subscribers and a big thank you to all paid subscribers. Those of you who follow me on Instagram, will know already that I experienced my first power outage this week, following a big winter storm. Being home in the hinterlands of the Hudson Valley took a lot of effort to stay comfortable, from keeping the house warm thanks to the wood burning stove, and shoveling snow into pasta pots to melt on the gas stove to then use for washing dishes and flushing the toilet. Honestly, there was something satisfying about being capable of doing things yourself. I also appreciate the comforts of modern conveniences, and believe me, I was so excited when the power came back on (after only 40 hours without!).

So without any more delay, let’s dive into this latest issue so that you can learn about the health benefits of Flaxseed; how okra is being used to catch micro plastics; efforts being made to keep turtles and whales from getting caught in fishing nets; how did we live before Water Bottles became part of our lives and a nature film produced by James Cameron. Onwards!

#1- Flaxseed

-Good for you-

Flaxseed has been cultivated in the Middle East for at least 7,000 years, and its seed and fiber have been put to innumberable uses throughout history.

Flaxseed flowers- I’m going to grow them at my River’s Edge Farm, NY this year.

Years ago, I started incorporating a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to either my morning oatmeal or to a small cup of probiotic yogurt with pureed berries. Delicious and my favorite way to eat them!  I didn’t grow up eating flaxseed, but now it’s a regular part of my healthier eating choices, because flaxseeds are rich in fiber and healthy oils, especially omega-3 fatty acid, and also provide some protein and small amounts of essential minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Eating flaxseeds can reduce blood sugar in diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and symptoms of constipation.

Harvesting the flaxseed

To find out which was the best whole flaxseed on the market, I turned to one of my favorite trusted resources, Consumerlab.com, an organization which helps consumers and healthcare professionals find the best quality health and nutrition products through independent testing and evaluation. Lab tests of flaxseed revealed a concerning amount of cadmium, a toxic heavy metal in several flaxseed products that contained up to 4 to 5 times as much cadmium as other products. We need to avoid heavy metals because they bind to parts of our cells that prevent our organs from doing their job.*

The top pick for the best whole flaxseeds is by Terrasoul Superfoods organic brown flaxseeds (which is the brand I buy). Refrigeration is not required; it’s good for a year after date of packaging; mine is good till October 2024.

The top pick for ground flaxseed is 365 Whole Foods Market organic ground flaxseed. Must be refrigerated after opening; best used within 3-4 months after opening.

Since flaxseed meal breaks down so quickly under the wrong conditions, it’s best to only purchase whole seeds and grind them yourself at home. Ground seeds stored in the freezer should last about two months past the original expiration date. Take out from the jar only what you need, for optimum health benefits.

My favorite brand

*Source

#2- Okra

-a hopeful and natural solution-

This news story got my attention because I love okra and grow lots of it in my River’s Edge Farm, NY (for eating and for making Christmas ornaments). The other reason, is I am extremely concerned about micro plastics and its potential harmful effects on our health (even though it’s too soon to know clearly how it affects our health, you know it can’t be good.)

Apparently, extracts of okra and other slimy plants commonly used in cooking, can help remove dangerous microplastics from wastewater, scientists said. The new research was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, and offers an alternative to the synthetic chemicals currently used in treatment plants that can themselves pose risks to health.

"In order to go ahead and remove microplastic or any other type of materials, we should be using natural materials which are non-toxic," lead investigator Rajani Srinivasan, of Tarleton State University, said in an explainer video.

Source

Watch the video about this discovery:

#3-Fishing Nets

-helping keep sea turtles, whales and porpoises out of nets-

Destructive fishing practices are common and unfortunately wide spread, where many non-target species are caught and discarded overboard. Longline fishing, for example, involves lines of up to 80 miles long, and responsible for catching endangered birds and sea turtles. Marine biologists are coming up with methods to save unnecessary bycatch in a prime fishing area near Peru, and also in the Baltic sea.

The first method, involves affixing green LED lights to gillnets—a type of net that hangs like a curtain in the water— which reduced by 85 percent the number of cormorants, a type of sea bird, unintentionally snared when diving into the water for fish. The green LED lights were originally developed to save sea turtles, because turtles are able to see the wavelength, but fish aren't, meaning the light can be used to shoo turtles away without jeopardizing catch. Previous studies by the same research group showed that the number of sea turtles accidentally caught in fishing nets dropped by 64 percent when green LEDs were in place. The new study published in the journal Open Science is giving researchers hope that more species can be saved with this low-cost tool. In Peru, gillnets are the most common fishing method used by small-scale fishing operations, and there is hope that by integrating lights into fishing techniques, it will help find a happy middle ground between those who live off the fish in the water, and those who want marine animals to keep living.

Another system which is being used in the Baltic Sea, involves tiny plastic beads that are threaded onto the fishing nets. The plastic beads make fishing nets more visible to cetaceans’ echolocation systems. This solution to the fishing industry’s bycatch problem could help save thousands of porpoises, dolphins and whales from drowning. Some 300,000 whale species die after getting tangled in fishing gear each year. Since the creatures use echolocation* to navigate obstacles, marine biologists in Germany have found a way to make nets audible to cetaceans’ acoustic signals: by threading them with tiny beads made from acrylic glass. The polymer bounces back biosonar signals as echoes, providing a warning to animals. Early trials showed that porpoises largely avoided beaded nets and bycatch was reduced by 80%.

The marine biologist Daniel Stepputtis, who created the acoustic device, found that some animals were still becoming entangled despite the presence of the beaded nets. He has theorized that they may have been asleep; when dormant porpoises continue swimming they mute their echolocation. Stepputtis plans to tune the beads to species’ specific frequencies and says that can be applied in other settings including freshwater rivers.

Sources: National Geographic and the Guardian

*the animals that use echolocation are whales, dolphins, bats, two species of birds: South American oilbirds and swiftlets.

#4-What Did We Do Before Plastic Water Bottles

-manufacturing demand-

Do you remember that prior to about 1980, most people drank drinking water from their taps at home, or straight off the public water supply usually at water fountains, or filled their own canteens from them. Few considered buying drinking water from stores as today. A manufactured demand was created by the soda or soft drink industry, which spread the story of distrusting the quality of local water. The bottling industry began offering bottled water, as a “safe choice” to tap water.

Noted exceptions are ‘gourmet’ bottled water like Perrier, which is sold in glass bottles. Bottling in glass is an offshoot of the wine industry and easily made, packaged and distributed, but at the higher cost of glass.

This is how I recycle glass bottles that previously contained white wine. They are reborn as water bottles that are filled with tap water and kept in the fridge.

Learn the story of bottled water by watching this 8 minute film from The Story of Stuff, released in 2010. It’s a good watch.

Two other films worth watching are TAPPED, available via Prime and FLOW: for the love of water, also via Prime.

P.S. The topic of water is a much longer discussion. I am focusing on just one aspect in this piece: the scourge of plastic water bottles.

#5-TV Series to Watch: Supernatural

Executive-produced by James Cameron and narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, this series utilizes the latest scientific innovations and leading-edge filmmaking technology to reveal the secret powers and super-senses of the world’s most extraordinary animals, inviting viewers to see and hear beyond normal human perception to experience the natural world as a specific species does- from seeing flowers in bee-vision to eavesdropping on a conversation between elephant seals to soaring the length of a football field with glow-in-the-dark squirrels.

Watch the Trailer

The series is streaming via Disney+

I am so grateful that the power came on so that I could finish this newsletter and send it to you! I hope you enjoyed reading it, even the stories that aren’t all pretty like micro plastics, sea turtles caught in nets and plastic water bottles. What gives me hope is that people are working on creating positive changes that will benefit us and the planet at large.

I have several very exciting coals in the fire, which I hope to tell you about very soon, so stay tuned! Wishing you and your loved ones all the best in all ways.

Priscilla