Weekend Hippie: Sustainable and Simple Living

Pop-Up Shopping: Santa Barbara Art Edition

Wallace Piatt

Brad Nack

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Dan Levin

Mark Freear

Angela Lang

Unknown

Brad Nack

Pop-Up Shopping: Local, Handmade Holiday Gifts

Supply Room

ERB Jewelry

Supply Room

Jessica Foster Chocolates

Kakoon Knits

Kakoon Knits

Carey Berkus Designs

Resources

ERB Jewelry: erb-jewelry.com

Kakoon Knits: www.kakoonknits.com

Jams and Mixes: Canon @ 805-290-2350

Supply Store, Presidio Motel: http://www.shopsupplyroom.com/mm5/merchant.mvc

Wine Bottle Holders: careyberkus@earthlink.net

Jessica Foster Confections: http://jessicafosterconfections.com/

Santa Barbara Farmers Market: In Season

 

Shaun Tomson's Surf Creatures

Surf legned Shaun Tomson has just launched a new iPhone/iPad application for kids 3 - 10 years old.  Surf Creatures is beautifully illustrated with catchy, sing-along rhymes for kids. ... The Surf Creatures collection includes 26 children’s rhymes about ocean creatures that live under Tomson's surfboard.

Tomson is known as one he most influential surfers of all time, and was world surfing champion in 1977. Born in Durban, South Africa, he moved to Santa Barbara in 1982. Tomson is an avid environmentalist and global ambassador for the Surfrider Foundation, the world's largest enviromental group dedicated to protecting oceans, waves, beaches—and surf creatures.

Tomson's Surf Creatures is a fun family game, especially since its the first and only APP of its kind to feature Storytalk, a cool interactive feature allowing up to four people to record their own voices so the whole family can rhyme about the surf creatures.

You'll recognize some of the animals—elephant seals and tiger sharks—but there are also the lesser know Zambezi shark, pufferfish, and hammerheads.

My new favorite APP! You can down the APP at iTunes > Download Surf Creatures.

 

 

Big Sur: Hippies, Henry, Hiking, Hot Springs

 

It doesn't get any better than Big Sur for a relaxing get away. The beach, the mountains, great food, and if you are lucky: no cell service, television or Internet.

Views from every angle.

Deetjen's Big Sur Inn is the desired place to stay. Book ahead.

   Locavores alive and well in Big Sur. Try this Mountain Main Soap from the Big Sur Soap Company.





 

More Big Sur artwork. A pen and ink sketch by Michael Allen for Deetjen's Franklin Room journal.

October > Santa Barbara’s Eat Local Month

   
How far does your food travel to get to your plate? Most food travels an average distance of 1,500 in the United States, and thousands of miles from outside the U.S. to deliver off-season fruits and vegetables. Did you know that you can purchase most everything you need for healthy – and tasty – meals right here in Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara’s Eat Local Challenge – running through October – gives you a chance to get to know where your food comes from, and to benefit from the experience of joining with your community to eat locally produced food. You choose the scope of the net, just as long as you eat local.

Santa Barbara’s Eat Local Challenge is sponsored by Edible Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market and epicure.sb.

How it works > Eat only foods produced within a 100 or 150-mile radius of your home, the tri-country region or California. 

Why Eat Local > Why limit your diet to only foods grown or produced close to home? Eating local means you’ll have a wider selection of fresh and flavorful food, and it also gives you a chance to support local farmers, reduce fuel consumption, know first hand the source of your food, and to support our local economy. 

How to Eat Local > It’s easier than you think. If you visit one of Santa Barbara’s farmers market then you are on your way – the modern day farmers market features local bread, wine, eggs, cheese, pork, lamb, beef, olive oil, nuts, butter, and pasta. You can also participate in garden exchanges, buy fruits and veggies from a farm stand, or shop at a market, such as Isla Vista Food Coop, that specialized in sourcing local foods.

Learn more >

Eat Local Challenge Google Group

Epicure Santa Barbara

Eat Local > It’s easier than you think to eat local now – and year round.

 

Summer Supper on Shepherd Farms

Moon rising over fields, lighting the supper spread

Tom Shepherd and chefs lead the dinner with a lesson in local flavors

Fresh from Santa Barbara's Fish Market: the making of a Tuscan-style soup. Chefs Karen Smith Warner and Michelle Molony from Savoir Faire Catering.

Host and farmer Tom Shepherd

Chicken breast stuffed with just-picked herbs

Baked elephant garlic, later spread over chunks of bread

The fields lit by the setting sun

Stuffed chicken cooked under a brick. It was delicious.

 

Pass the vino.

The final serving. 

Brick-flattened Chicken with Sweet Thyme and Roasted Basil Tomato Sauce, Sauté of Fresh Shell Beans, Braised Channel Island Fish Collars with Tomato Confit, Lemon, Lavender and Almond Cakes with the farm’s summer berries.

International Surfing Day: June 20, 2010

Give back to the ocean: Participate in the International Surfing Day.

International Surfing Day

• June 20, 2010
• All day
• Check local listings for an event near you
• Learn More about International Surfing Day

Upcycling: May Madness in Montecito

 

Give mother earth a break: upcycle something old into something new to you.

Santa Barbara's biggest Flea Market -- held annually during the first weekend in May -- gives you the chance to upcycle everything from art to clothes to goods of all sort. Held in Montecito (5 minute drive from Santa Barbara) at the Music Academy of the West, May Madness features clothes, furniture, art, kitchen wares.... well you name it, its there at rock bottom prices.  While rummaging don't forget to check out the Treasure House -- filled with antiques and fine collectibles.

Paddle Against Paredon: Fight Big Oil.

Citizens Against Paredon Initiative is a grassroots group of community volunteers deeply concerned about the future of our small town. Made up of Carpinterians from every walk of life and every political persuasion, we have come together because Carpinteria is facing a threat that could change not only the physical face but also the social fabric of our community. That threat is the Paredon Oil & Gas Development Initiative.

 

 

Santa Barbara Spring: This Week's Favorites

Farmer's Market Beets: My favorite

Wild Flower Horse: Cuyama

Island Feed and Seed: Time to plant

Green Girl Organic Bags from Community Environmental Council's Locavore Extravaganza

Santa Barbara Men's Club: Planting School

Can Jamie Oliver Save The World?

TED Prize Winner Jamie Oliver Plans to Change the Way We Eat!

He's my favorite chef, and now he's on-board with my favorite mission. Winner of the prestigious TED Prize for 2010, Jamie Oliver plans to start his own Food Revolution, and needs your help.  Here's the plan as outlined by the TED Prize:

The Plan

Set up an organization to create a popular movement that will inspire people to change the way they eat. The movement will do this by establishing a network of community kitchens; launching a travelling food theater that will teach kids practical food and cooking skills in an entertaining way and provide basic training for parents and professionals; and bringing millions of people together through an online community to drive the fight against obesity. The grassroots movement must also challenge corporate America to support meaningful programs that will change the culture of junk food.

The Needs

• Help to establish the organization, with funding, office space and facilities.
• Find partners to equip and run the community kitchens, and food suppliers to provide the fresh ingredients.
• A partner to build and maintain a fleet of food theatre trucks.
• Education experts, graphic designers, artists and writers to develop and produce creative, fun teaching materials.
• Communications experts to create messaging for the movement.
• Web designers and developers to create and build the website.
• Establishment of a food line that generates a sustainable income for the movement.
• Corporate partners to invest in cooking and food education for their customers and champion honest food labelling.
• Your names added to the petition to challenge our leaders to make change now: www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com/petition

Learn more about the TED Prize.

1% for the Planet: The Album

 
1% for the Planet has put together some great musicians for their first digital download music album. Each musician dontated an exclusie or rare track to help 1% for the Planet do more good things around the world. Every note on every song helps 1% for the Planet continue to support environment non-profits in every continent on Earth.

41 songs for $9.99