Fall 2019 Almanac

Hello Friends and welcome to all new subscribers to the Fall Issue!

As I write this, Greta Thunberg has just arrived in New York City, after a two week trip crossing the Atlantic ocean from the UK, in a zero carbon emissions sailboat, so that she can be attend the UN Climate Summit on September 23rd. Can’t wait to hear what good she is going to say and do.

One of the issues that I’m obsessed with is waste, and about how we can reduce it. The Gamechanger in this issue is a problem solver, who has been tackling the formidable problem of waste for the past decade. Learn about his business model.

There is someone else who is dealing with another issue I also care about: the accessibility of fresh produce to everyone. A pharmacist in New York City is giving out prescriptions for free fruits and vegetables.

If you have been following me on social media, you already know that I am an avid gardener, seed saver, recycler and repurposer. Green America asked me to write about how my garden is a zero waste zone. Read about it here. If you are also a gardener and appreciate reminders of what you should be doing as far as chores over the next few months, check out the garden calendars I post each month. I already have the September calendar to do list printed out on my fridge!

The action alert I shared was posted by the Cornucopia Institute. If you care about telling the USDA that we don’t want genetic engineering in organic foods, please join me in signing this petition and share it with your friends. We can make a difference. Our voices count. Organics should not be contaminated by genetic engineering.

Food is often on my mind (growing, cooking, eating!) and so I was thrilled to read a great bit of news about the thriving fruit and nut orchards that were discovered near old mines in California. They are survivors! Since I do whatever I can to reduce food waste at home, I posted a blog about the several foods that I freeze successfully, meaning they freeze well and taste great when unfrozen.

If you like to cook and are looking for healthy soups to make during the fall and winter seasons, these two recipes are easy to make and are very nutritious as well as delicious. And if you love mushrooms like I do, read about the healthiest way to eat mushrooms, recommended by Paul Stamets, a master mycologist, who is also featured in the fungi themed film in this issue.

Nature is my grand passion and when I visited Storm King recently in upstate New York, I was moved by the work of the artist featured in this issue. I wasn’t familiar with his work and since it will be there permanently, you can see it for yourself.
Around the same time of that visit, I stopped in to see an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in NYC, and was wowed by one of the subjects featured in the Cabinet of Green Curiosities (there are also two more additions that are fascinating).

We have read how the coral reefs are endangered around the world. Do you know about Project Coral and the encouraging work they are doing with coral? It’s really great. Other good people, called the Nurdle Patrol, are handling another issue on the beaches of Texas, and doing a great job.

The sounds of nature are so beautiful and magical. Explore the Earth’s soundscapes and wildlife sounds like a riverbank in Malaysia or listen to birdsong from Iceland or chirping crickets of the Australian outback by taking a sonic trip here.

The Innovative design story in this issue is very special. I have seen it and it’s spectacular. I’ll be posting occasional updates on its progress over time on social media.

I have some exciting news to share with you! Following a three year absence, I’ll soon be launching a new store: Priscilla Woolworth Store and Studio, where you will find some of my old favorites as well as some new surprise additions. I’ll let you all know in a newsletter blast and via social media when it goes live! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for all my latest news.

Wishing you a beautiful fall season!

All the best,

Priscilla

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, Sustainable Design

    Pollinators Pavillion

    Recently installed on the site of Old Mud Creek Farm, an organic and regenerative farm in the Hudson Valley, the stunning Pollinators Pavilionis an educat

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, Recipe

    Power Green Soup

    From Clean Soup by Rebecca Katz

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, Recipe

    Magic Mineral Broth

    from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery by Rebecca Katz

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, Nature News

    About Eating Mushrooms

    Should you consume raw mushrooms and/or mushroom mycelium? How can one safely use mushrooms?

  • Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Action Alert

    TAKE ACTION!

  • Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Reduce Food Waste and Save Time by Freezing It

    This is how I save leftovers, bread, fresh herbs and bananas at home: simply store the foods in freezer safe glass containers or reusable freezer bags to save time, money and waste.

  • Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    People Helping: The Nurdle Patrol

    Nurdle Patrol is a citizen science project lead by the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas.

  • Blog, Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Pharmacy to Farm

    New York City Is Giving Out Prescriptions For Free Fruits And Vegetables.

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, The Cabinet Of Green Curiosities

    Merdacotta

    Merdacotta are ceramics made from cow dung and clay.

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, The Cabinet Of Green Curiosities

    Funerary Urns

    Biodegradable funerary urns…

  • Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Project Coral

    Very encouraging news for the world’s depleted coral reefs thanks to scientists who successfully reproduced endangered corals in a laboratory setting for the first time.

  • Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Reducing Waste by Reusing Materials in the Garden

    Reducing Waste by Reusing Materials in the Garden by Priscilla Woolworth **originally published in Green America

  • Blog, Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Sounds of Nature

    A group of professional nature recordists from around the globe have collaborated to develop Nature Soundmap , an enjoyable and interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our planet.

  • Eco Garden, Eco News, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Hidden Treasures

    CALIFORNIA GOLD-MINING SITES HOLD HIDDEN TREASURE: RARE HEIRLOOM FRUITS AND NUTS.

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, The Cabinet Of Green Curiosities

    Snail Slime

    Did you know that it was in the 1980s that the potential of snail secretions was first noticed by breeders in Chile, who marvelled at how soft their hands became after handling the molluscs?

  • Fall 2019 Almanac, Gamechanger

    Tom Szaky

    Since one of the issues I’m preoccupied with is waste, I chose as Gamechanger someone who has created a successful business model repurposing waste

  • Artist, Fall 2019 Almanac

    David Brooks

    The artist who got my attention is David Brooks. At Storm King, he drew inspiration from the landscape and local ecosystem to speak to broader issues impacting the environment, global climate trends, and human ways of life…

  • Book, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Cooking With Scraps by Lindsay-Jean Hard

    In 85 innovative recipes, Lindsay-Jean Hard— who writes the “Cooking with Scraps” column for Food52—shows just how delicious and surprising the all-too-often-discarded parts of food can be…

  • Eco Cinema, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Fantastic Fungi

    Imagine an organism that feeds you, heals you, reveals secrets of the universe and could help save the planet.

  • Book, Fall 2019 Almanac

    A Story That Grows by Gilles Bachelet

    A whimsical bedtime book perfect for sharing.

  • Book, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Fantastic Fungi by Louie Schwartzberg

    Contributions from Michael Pollan, Andrew Weil, Eugenia Bone, and many more experts make Fantastic Fungi an awe-inspiring visual journey through the exotic, little-known realm of fungi and its amazing potential to positively influence our lives.

  • Book, Fall 2019 Almanac

    Viktor Schauberger: A Life of Learning from Nature by Jane Cobbald

    Viktor Schauberger’s knowledge of natural energies led to inventions which, if properly harnessed, could solve the world’s energy crisis. Unfortunately most people still find his ideas difficult to understand or accept.