Kitchen Cosmetics Demo 8/6

I am looking forward to my next Kitchen Cosmetics demonstration on Saturday, August 6! I hope to see you there!

When: Saturday, August 6, 2011, from 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Location: Brookline, MA. Close to the Harvard Ave. stop on the B (green) MBTA line. For the address, please e-mail Annabelle at info [at] herbalmedicinebox.com or RSVP through The Urban Homesteaders' League.

Cost: Sliding Scale, $15-$30

Details:

Ever wanted to learn how to make your own body care products? Many commercial body care products may contain ingredients or chemicals linked to toxicities. Your skin is your body's largest organ. If you can't eat it, why put it on your skin?

In this workshop, Annabelle will demonstrate how to make a homemade moisturizer cream, lip balm, and exfoliating scrub, all made with natural ingredients, and many of which can be found in your own kitchen! She will discuss the ingredients used for these products, and how the recipes can be customized to suit individuals' needs.

Everyone will receive a sample made in the demo.

RSVP: by e-mailing Annabelle at info [at] herbalmedicinebox.com or through The Urban Homesteaders' League.

Get Your Farmers Markets On!

The growing season in New England is in full swing! I've written before about farmers markets and The Lexington Farmers Market. If you don't already have a CSA and haven't made it to a farmers market yet, now is the perfect time to stop by!

Shopping at farmers markets helps to support the local community and helps to support the farmers, because you are buying directly from the producer. In addition to more flavorful and fresher produce when you buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, you may also find different varieties of fruits and vegetables at the farmers market that you can't find at the grocery store. By shopping at a farmers market, you can also learn more about the foods and how they are produced, because you can often talk to the farmer or producer. Nowadays, farmers markets contain more than just produce vendors: depending on the farmers market, you may also find fish vendors, meat vendors, baked goods, sauces and salsas, wine vendors, artisans, and more.

I biked from Brookline to The Lexington Farmers Market last week, and couldn't help but purchase some golden raspberries from F. Busa Farm's gorgeous fruit display.

To find a local farmers market near you, check out the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets site, Local Harvest, this interactive Google map at Mass.gov, and Edible Boston's listing of farmers markets. And if you see Flats Mentor Farm at the farmers market, consider stopping by and seeing what they have to offer! Read my article about Flats Mentor Farm for the Lexington Minuteman here. Finally, when cabbage is in season (or you can use other vegetables as well!), how about making some sauerkraut?

Hope you are enjoying this season's bounty!