If you need a reminder as to why it’s important to go outdoors and explore, the video below has many-a visual reasons.

This video comes from the project More Than Just Parks, and is “the culmination of several weeks spent exploring Acadia National Park during peak fall color,” the creators note. While the film was made to celebrate the park’s upcoming centennial, it also serves as a visual nudge to get off your couch (we know how you are celebrating the holiday week…).

MTJP | Acadia from More Than Just Parks on Vimeo.

Related on EcoSalon

5 HOT Destinations for Traveling on a Budget

5 National Parks You’ll Want to Visit if You Love Action Movies

5 Unique Vacation Spots You’ll Never Forget

The post Take a Quick Trip Through Acadia National Park [Video] appeared first on EcoSalon.

Dave Freeman is the cofounder of Wilderness Classroom, an advocacy group that reminds kids to explore the great outdoors. You don’t have to go far in our country to find adventure, so get going. 

“It’s a big, wild world,” said Freeman, “and I want you to go out and explore it.”

Freeman and his wife Amy recently completed a 100 day, 2,000 mile canoe trip from Minnesota to Washington D.C. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Signed in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson, the act established the 758 wilderness areas covering almost 110 million acres across the nation, according to USDA.

“This anniversary year provides a wonderful opportunity for us to re-affirm our commitment to wilderness stewardship and to engage the public, particularly youth, in opportunities for a better understanding and appreciation of wilderness benefits — clean air and water, natural settings, critical plant and wildlife habitat, solitude, recreation, spiritual renewal, and economic benefits,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

Part of the voyage was through the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness, a portion of the great outdoors originally set aside. Freeman wants to remind us of the importance of these lands so that future generations will also get to enjoy them. Along the way the couple allowed students to come along on the adventure with educational updates, video conferencing, and other activities designed to involve kids. The couple is also concerned with protecting Boundary Waters from sulfide mining pollution.

“My dad took (us) camping in the Boundary Waters and lots of other wild places when we were young,” Freeman wrote on his website, reported on USDA. “Exposing young people to nature is critical, so please get outside and explore a wild place over the holidays and bring a kid or two with you.”

Freeman attended a fair put on by Wilderness Inquiry, a non profit with the goal of connecting people from all walks of life to the natural world. He spoke to 100 elementary school kids at Rawlins Park in Washington, D.C. about his journey through the great outdoors. Freeman even brought his trusty canoe Sigurd F. Olson, lovingly named after another native Minnesotan that fought to protect our nation’s public lands. Sig, the canoe was blanketed with signatures of fellow nature lovers they met along the way.

This is a great reminder for parents to take their kids outside. While reading about adventure is important, experiencing that adventure firsthand is even better. Spend as much time as possible exploring the outdoors with your kids to remind yourself and teach your children how important it is to protect the wilderness so we have it for years to come. And it doesn’t have to be a huge adventure like this one. Go for a hike, plan a weekend camping trip, or go surfing. Big or small, just being outdoors is a form of advocacy.

Related on EcoSalon

6 Picnic Ideas to Master the Art of Eating Outdoors

The Killer Picnic, 10 Rules for Successfully Eating Outdoors

From the Vault: The Call of the Great Outdoors

Image: Wilderness Classroom 

The post Enjoy the Great Outdoors: A 2,000 Mile Canoe Journey Reminds Us About America’s Natural Beauty appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnIt’s always time for a picnic; here are 10 rules for successful outdoor eating.

Late summer means an earlier sunset, which means that, if you’re like me and trying to eat outside at every possible moment of your existence (no, really), you have to be a little more speedy when it comes to your picnic planning.

It was a regular Wednesday evening. Middle of the week, the air a little balmy, and being tired from a few too many things on the to-do list meant that there was only one dinner option: climb to the top of a hill on a bicycle and have a picnic. I believe in the culinary cyclist rules after all, and fresh air and dinner al fresco is a good solution to any mid-week lull.

The beauty of the impromptu picnic is that it’s just that: unplanned and spontaneous. Of course, more elaborate picnics are always worth the effort. Just ask the Portland Picnic Society – yes, that is really a thing – who organize monthly picnic extravaganzas, complete with location scouting and deviled eggs.

“But Anna…” you say, “isn’t summer almost over?”

Yes, yes it is.

Picnics can happen any time of the year. And as such, there are some key rules for impromptu picnicking. Consider this your guide to late summer/early fall enjoyment.

1. Serve Real Food

We have already discussed the delights of eating outdoors, and how if you are outdoors, there’s no excuse not to eat real food. Ok, ok, you may buy a bag of sweet potato chips, but for the love of god, make your own tapenade.

2. If You Are Serving Real Food, Bring Real Plates

Even if you are biking to your picnic destination, bring plates. Hint: there is no better protection than being wrapped in a picnic blanket.

3. Serve a Special Drink

Bubbles, homemade kombucha, or an infused cocktail; whatever it is, just make sure you bring it.

4. Designate a “Picnic Tablecloth”

It doesn’t have to be an actual tablecloth, a tea towel will work, but you and your bread crumbs will be happy you have it.

5. Invest in a Swiss Army Knife

Seriously, you should never be eating outside without one.

6. Have a Small Wooden Cutting Board

Whether you are serving cheese or slicing something, a small wooden board comes in very handy and it packs well.

7. Always Bring Dark Chocolate

Actually, this is just a good life policy in general. And if you accidentally let your chocolate sit in the sun for too long and it melts, use it as a spread on crackers or cookies (trust me, speaking from life experience here).

8. Remember the Trash Bag

The most often forgotten item and the most appreciated, post picnic mess.

9. Premix

That salad would be better put together at home, trust me. Unless of course you’re just adding a sprinkling of herbs for a final touch. But seriously, keep your outdoor eating low hassle.

10. Invite Your Friends

Everyone likes going to a picnic, whether it’s on a late summer evening or on a snowy winter hike. Eating outdoors is for any season, so have at it.

Related on EcoSalon:

10 Picnic Foods to Impress Your Friends

The Beauty of Eating Outdoors

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: Anna Brones

The post The Killer Picnic, 10 Rules for Succesfully Eating Outside: Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tis the season for picknicking-whip up one of our team’s 10 must eat dishes.

With record high temperatures soaring around the world, there’s no better time to keep the cool outdoors—under a tree and on a grassy knoll. And, foodie or not, the principles behind ecopsychology say there’s no better way to reconnect and nurture relationships than out in the fresh air. Breaking bread together with brie (or sticky chocolate cake), makes the whole picnicking affair that much more meaningful.

So, grab a blanket and try one (or  all 10) of our favorite picnic recipes—a compilation of our team’s favorites and enough to make a complete menu.

Snacks & Appetizers:

• Fruits & Nuts
• Brie & Bread
• Picnic-side Guacamole

Main dishes:

• Quinoa Salad
• Smokey Jicama Salad with Kale and Corn
• Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Desserts:

• Sticky Chocolate Cake
• Nutella Donut Muffins
• Strawberry Shortcake

Drink:

• Honey Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary

1. Fruits and nuts

For our shelter writer, K. Emily Bond—who sometimes seeks refuge under trees—fruits and nuts are a staple picnic snack. While it may sound sinfully simple, we know that sometimes it’s the simple things that make life so much sweeter. All it takes is 5-minutes in your kitchen, and you have a delicious medley of homemade trail mix. We love this “Not Your College Boyfriend’s Trail Mix” from our archives.

2. Brie & Bread

If you’re anything like Behind the Label columnist Jessica Marati, whose picnic mantra is “take knife, dip in Brie, slather on baguette,” you’ll love this grab & go solution. It’s literally that simple.

Directions:

• Pick up your favorite brie & local, freshly baked bread
• Grab a knife and voila, enjoy!

3. Picnic-side Guacamole

Crowd pleasers like me, (your Vegan This columnist and fashion writer) will agree, there’s nothing like fresh, made-on-site guacamole to get a picnic party started. My boyfriend and I love this dish because it’s so versatile (avocados are your canvas), so fresh (see everyone’s eyes light up as you whip this up before their eyes), healthy (packed full of heart- and skin- healthy fatty acids and vitamins) and easy to tote (just pre-chop your garnishes, grab a few avocados and a to-go container, and you’re out the door).

Ingredients:

• Ripe avocados (as many as you need depending on the number of people you’re serving—to be safe, plan on 1 avocado per person)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 handful cilantro leaves
• 1/2 red or yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 lime
• 1 teaspoon, or so, salt
• 1 bag organic tortilla chips or crackers of your choice

Other:

• To-go container
• Serrated knife

Note: Adjust the lime, salt and garnish amounts according to taste and the number of people you’re serving

Directions:

Pre-chop the onion, cilantro leaves and bell pepper. Put in a to-go container large enough to hold the finished guacamole (this will also serve as your mixing bowl). Squeeze the lime and sprinkle the salt over the veggies and mix together. When you arrive at your picnic spot, simply cut your avocados open, remove the seeds and scoop out the fruit. Add to your veggie, lime and salt mix and mash together until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Grab some chips or crackers and enjoy!

4. Quinoa Salad

Life, according to Foodie Underground columnist Anna Brones, is all the better when quinoa is involved. “Quinoa salads are my go to summer meals. They’re easy to make and easy to pack, which means that if you make a big batch one day you have leftovers for a few more. They’re also the perfect picnic item, light enough that they feel like summer food, dense enough that you’re full after eating them. As a base I tend to do a mixture of red and white quinoa, greens and some type of vinaigrette. Then you simply add in whatever you have laying around the kitchen. Nuts, vegetables, fruit… whatever you’re in the mood for. But the Summer Carrot and Date Quinoa Salad is one that I can’t live without, so if you’re in need of a recipe, start there.”

5. Smokey Jicama Salad with Kale and Corn 

One of our resident raw foodies and trendy fashion columnists, Johanna Björk, packs her picnics with a healthy punch.
“This cold salad is super easy to make, which makes it perfect for an impromptu summer picnic. It also doesn’t get soggy easily, which means it can keep for a while in that picnic basket, even if you didn’t bring a cooler. The jicama is fresh, somewhat sweet and crunchy, the kale is hearty and nutritious, the fresh herbs are so summery delicious, and the chipotle gives it a bit of a kick. It also just happens to go really well with a cold beer.”

Ingredients:

• 1/2-1 jicama (depending on how large it is), thinly sliced or grated
• 6 leaves kale, thinly sliced
• 1-2 cups corn (leave out if you want it to be 100% raw)
• 1 large handful mint leaves
, olive oil, 
hemp seeds
, chipotle chili powder
, sea salt

Directions:

Mix the jicama, kale, corn and mint leaves together. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and chipotle chili powder and mix well. Finish with a sprinkle of hemp seeds.

6. Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Fashion and food really go hand-in-hand, and Rowena Ritchie, our west coast fashion editor, proves it with this dish from none other than Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.

“Goop’s cold soba noodle salad is my go-to pot luck recipe because it’s so easy to make. I generally have soba noodles, mirin, soy, and sesame oil in my cupboards, so I just have to grab some scallions and cilantro. My meat-eating friends seem to love it as a side, and if it’s the only vegan dish at the party, it makes for a full and nutritious meal for me! If you can get hold of Eden Shake’s Furikake, I highly recommend using it—it’s full of protein, vitamins A, B & C and calcium and it tastes great. And, I’ve always found the recipes on goop to be top knotch. Gwyneth Paltrow is known for both loving food and for being health conscious.”

7. Sticky Chocolate Cake

There’s nothing like a fika-style picnic to elevate the mood. Just take it from our Swedish chef and artist extraordinaire Johanna Kindvall. And, if you tend to picnic with a core group of friends, this sweet delight will never get old—change it up with a splash of rum, a dash of mint or even some licorice or cardamom.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs (or one large duck egg)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4-6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
• 1 teaspoon salt (less if using salted butter)
• 1 cup freshly milled almonds (or almond flour)
• 4 oz butter
• mint leaves (optional)
• powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

Whisk eggs and brown sugar together in a bowl. Stir in the milled almonds, cocoa powder and salt. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 9” spring form.

Bake the cake in the oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes. The cake should just be set on top and sticky inside. Let the cake cool down. Decorate with some fresh mint leaves and/or powdered sugar. Serve it plain or with whipped heavy cream.

Note: if you want to spice up the cake I suggest the following flavors: rum, cognac, mint, licorice or cardamom. Just add the flavor to the batter before baking.

8. Nutella Donut Muffins

If you’re picnicking with sensitive foodies like me (think vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and more), then this delicious, easy to pack recipe is the perfect picnic companion. All you need is a re-usable container to carry these in, and you’re sweet-tooth ready.

For the donut muffins:

• 1 ¾ cup flour – follow the following gluten-free flour blend:
  • ¾ cup sorghum flour
  • ¼ cup sweet rice flour
  • 3/8 cup white rice flour
  • ¼ tapioca flour
  • 1/8 cup almond flour
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup oil (I used cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg substituted (I blended 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water)
•  ¾ cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Nutella (I made this homemade, vegan version)

For the coating:

• 3-4 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a muffin tray with vegan butter or coconut oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your gluten-free flour blend, and add in the baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, egg-substitute and non-dairy milk. Add the dry ingredients and stir only until fully combined.

Follow these instructions to whip up your Nutella hazelnut spread.

Place 2 tablespoons of the muffin donut batter into your prepared muffin tins. Add 1 teaspoon of Nutella and cover with approximately 2 more tablespoons of batter until the muffin tins are ¾ full.
Bake for 18-22 minutes. (Mine were perfectly done after exactly 18 minutes).

Prepare your coating by melting your vegan butter in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together your cinnamon and sugar.

While the muffins are still warm, shake them out of the pan on to a cooling rack.
Dip your muffin donuts into your melted vegan butter and then into your cinnamon sugar mixture.
Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes. These are perfect when warm and still wonderful when cool (up to 3 days—especially if making these gluten free). Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if storing longer.

Note: These would also be delicious filled with your favorite homemade jam, in lieu of the Nutella, or simply plain, filling-free.

9. Strawberry Shortcake

For an authentic taste of summer, strawberry shortcake embodies it all. Earlier this summer, I packed all the parts of this dish (biscuits, strawberries and cream) and assembled it on-site at a friends-of-EcoSalon picnic. I love this version, adapted from Martha Stewart, for its freshness and simplicity. Vegan, gluten-free or not, you’ll fall fast for this fresh delight.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ pounds (6 cups) strawberries—rinsed, hulled and quartered (For the fullest flavor, I recommend using local and fresh strawberries.)
• 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups gluten free flour blend
  • 1 cup sorghum flour
  • 1 cup white rice flour
  • 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
  • 1/2 cup potato starch flour, minus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons cold (1 ½ sticks) unsalted vegan butter, cut into small pieces (I used Earth Balance coconut butter)
• 2 cups coconut cream (I used So Delicious coconut creamer, blended with approximately 3 tablespoons of dissolved agar-agar to thicken)
• 2 egg substitutes (I blended 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons warm water)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, toss the prepared strawberries with ¾ cup sugar. (I suggest starting with ½ cup and tasting to see if more sweetness is needed.) Let sit to bring out the juices.

In a food processor, pulse together your gluten free flour blend. Add the baking powder, ½ cup sugar and the salt, and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles course meal with some pea size bits of butter remaining (pulse approximately 10-12 times).

In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cream (before the agar agar has been added to thicken) and the egg substitute. Pour over the flour mixture, and pulse until some large clumps begin to form (pulse approximately 20-30 times).

Using a half-cup measuring cup, gently pack dough into the cup, invert and tap out on to a lightly buttered or parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat to form 6-8 biscuits.
Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes.
Beat the remaining 1 ½ cups cream, with the prepared agar-agar mixture, 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy (Note, this will not form peaks like a traditional heavy whipping cream, however, I assure you the taste and texture will not leave you craving cream.)

Slice the biscuits horizontally with a serrated knife. Spoon the strawberries and their liquid over the bottom of each biscuit just before serving. Spoon your whipped cream over the strawberries, and top with the other biscuit half.

10. Honey Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary

Amy DuFault, EcoSalon’s Editor-in-Chief says, “I am always the last one to leave the party because I won’t stop talking. This lemonade from our lovely Foodie Underground columnist Anna Brones is a sure cure for talker’s mouth. You can spend an entire picnic having good conversations and the ginger and honey make it so that your voice never breaks. Oh, and that you are of course refreshed. That’s important.”

Ingredients:

• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• Juice of 7 Meyer lemons
• 1/2 cup minced ginger
• 6-10 full rosemary stalks
• 1.25 liter bottle of sparkling water
• Ice cubes
• Optional:
• Your liquor of choice. We recommend bourbon or vodka.

Directions:

To make simple syrup, place honey, water and two rosemary stalks in a saucepan and warm over medium heat while constantly stirring until honey is completely dissolved. Add in ginger. Leave on heat for a 2-3 more minutes, regularly stirring, to increase rosemary flavor. Let sit for 30-60 minutes to cool down. Note: for a stronger rosemary flavor, muddle the rosemary first and let the simple syrup sit for longer.

Strain simple syrup into a pitcher and add in lemon juice, top off with ice cubes and sparkling water.

Garnish with rosemary and serve in mason jars.

Images: Paul and Christa, Rich Anderson, Pink Mochi, Jennifer Barckley, Anna Brones, Johanna Bjork, Goop, Jennifer Barckley, Amy DuFault

The post EcoSalon Team Picks: 10 Picnic Foods to Impress Your Friends appeared first on EcoSalon.

Explore a forest.

Remember the Lorax who spoke for the trees? As colorful as they may be,Truffula Trees have nothing on the ones in our own backyard. These six magnificent trees would leave even the Lorax speechless — and you don’t have to venture into a Dr. Suess book to find them.

1. The Banyan Tree; Lahaina, Maui. (Pictured above)

Don’t you just want to stretch out on one of these branches and read a book in the Hawaiian sun? Yeah, we do, too. Planted in 1873, this banyan tree was only eight feet tall. Today it stands 60 feet tall and has 11 more trunks than when it was first brought to Maui from India. It’s also a community center for the town of Lahaina, providing shade for almost an entire acre of land next to the beach.

2. The Lone Cypress; Monterey Peninsula, California.

The Lone Cypress earned its fame for its solitary cliffside location on the rocky California coast. We understand why — this tree is insanely photogenic! At 250 years old, this cypress is a landmark for California’s beautiful 17-mile drive on the Monterey Peninsula.

3. “Methuselah” Bristlecone Pine, California.

Gnarled and mangled, the Methuselah pine tree stands as the oldest living thing in the world. This tree has seen it all, and its twisted branches hold stories over 4,800 years old. No wonder it was named after the oldest person in the Hebrew Bible!

4. Pando Aspen Tree Grove; Utah.

Head to this grove of quaking aspen trees in southern Utah and you’ll find yourself face to face with the largest living organism in the world. Yeah, we’re talking about the trees. Turns out, these trees share a connected system of roots, making them all essentially one giant organism. Pretty neat, huh? The grove was named “Pando,” after the Latin word for “I spread.”

5. General Sherman Sequoia; Northern California.

Who is General Sherman? The person, William Tecumseh Sherman, was a general in the Civil War. But we mostly care about the tree named after him — the Sherman Tree, the biggest tree (by volume) in the world. With a circumference of 102 feet, it would take almost 20 people holding hands to circle its entire trunk!

6. Ancient Angel Oak Tree; Charleston, South Carolina.

The Ancient Angel loves to spread its wings, with a canopy reaching almost 17,000 square feet. Visitors have described this tree as elegant and enchanting, with a Southern charm all its own. Ancient Angel may also be the oldest tree east of the Mississippi at the age of 1,400 years.

Bonus: Hyperion coastal redwood; Humboldt, California.

Discovered in 2006, the Hyperion redwood is considered the tallest tree in the world at almost 380 feet. Scientists are insistent on keeping the Hyperion safe — the giant continues to tower over the forest in an undisclosed location.

READ MORE:

9 Must-See West Coast Waterfalls

How Does it Feel to Fly?

Bloke is Halfway to Cycling 6 Continents

This post originally appeared in Sierra magazine.

Image: Bevis Chin, Tim Pearce, Clinton Steeds, msn678, mikebaird, Charleston’s TheDigitel,

The post 6 of America’s Coolest Trees appeared first on EcoSalon.

VideoAn ode to a season that’s full of opportunity.

We’re still celebrating the long days of summer, and this video from Kinfolk Magazine encompasses everything that’s beautiful about the season.

An Ode to Summer from Kinfolk on Vimeo.

The post Video: An Ode to Summer appeared first on EcoSalon.

VideoNurture and protect life in all its forms.

Do our mothers still have dreams, hopes and journeys to make? This video by Forge Motion Pictures reminds us of the “yes.”

OF SOULS + WATER: THE MOTHER from NRS Films on Vimeo.

The post Video: The Mother appeared first on EcoSalon.

On getting your hands dirty.

Gardening is the purest of human pleasures. -Francis Bacon

No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. -Thomas Jefferson

The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. -Michael Pollan

What is a weed? A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was such a pleasure to sink one’s hands into the warm earth, to feel at one’s fingertips the possibilities of the new season. -Kate Morton

How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence. -Benjamin Disraeli

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. -Greek Proverb

Ol’ man Simon, planted a diamond. Grew hisself a garden the likes of none. Sprouts all growin’ comin’ up glowin’ Fruit of jewels all shinin’ in the sun. Colors of the rainbow. See the sun and the rain grow sapphires and rubies on ivory vines, Grapes of jade, just ripenin’ in the shade, just ready for the squeezin’ into green jade wine. -Shel Silverstein

I have never had so many good ideas day after day as when I worked in the garden. -John Erskine

Regardless of geographical region or culture gardening is perhaps the most common and shared experience of Nature. -S. Kelley Harrell

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments. -Janet Kilburn Phillips

If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it, and understand it in a very real sense. “Green fingers” are a fact, and a mystery only to the unpracticed. But green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart. -Russell Page

Your first job is to prepare the soil. The best tool for this is your neighbor’s motorized garden tiller. If your neighbor does not own a garden tiller, suggest that he buy one. -Dave Barry

My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece. -Claude Monet

Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You’re closer to God’s heart in a garden than any place else on earth. -Dorothy Frances Gurney

Earth laughs in flowers. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration. -Lou Erickson

No ray of sunlight is ever lost, but the green it wakes into existence needs time to sprout, and it is not always granted to the sower to live to see the harvest. All work that is worth anything is done in faith. -Albert Schweitzer

The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land. -Abraham Lincoln

Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. -The Koran

When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden. -Minnie Aumonier 

The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies. -Gertrude Jekyll

Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating. -Wendell Berry

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful: they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul. -Luther Burbank

It didn’t occur to me that… that gardening, like music, could demand practice, patience, a willingness to make mistakes. -Amy Stewart

The garden, historically, is the place where all the senses are exploited. Not just the eye, but the ear – with water, with birds. And there is texture, too, in plants you long to touch. -William Howard Adams

A garden should make you feel you’ve entered privileged space – a place not just set apart but reverberant – and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry. -Michael Pollan

Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized. -Allan Armitage

Gardening is akin to writing stories. No experience could have taught me more about grief or flowers, about achieving survival by going, your fingers in the ground, the limit of physical exhaustion. -Eudora Welty

All gardeners know better than other gardeners. -Chinese Proverb

Images: Irene Kightly [2], Jenny Downing

ALSO CHECK OUT:

30 Best Quotes About Nature

30 Best Quotes About Staying Well Physically and Spiritually

30 Best Quotes About Being Present

Want to see more quotes? Go here.

The post 30 Quotes on Gardening appeared first on EcoSalon.

The best of the week at EcoSalon, hand-picked for your clicking pleasure.

Think river towns are on the wane? You could be right – but only in the popular media. With their new competition and partnership with American Rivers, Outside magazine wants to remind people that river towns haven’t gone anywhere, and they’re just as charming (and environmentally conscious) as ever.

Mark Twain is credited as saying golf is “a good walk spoiled.” In fact he probably didn’t say it at all, but for critics of the sport, it has remained a rallying cry. How many of them have the environmental cost uppermost in their minds? As Allison Ford discovers, golf remains a water-guzzling monster, and it’s getting thirstier each year…

Anyone who is anyone has an embarrassing pair of flares in the closet, kept for sentimental value but utterly unsuitable for the light of day. But lo! Are they due for a comeback, as this history of flared pants gently suggests? Should I jump the fashion gun and strut proudly down the street in those tan bell-bottoms that lurk in my wardrobe? Will I? Not a chance.

Lazy, warm evenings are upon us, complete with the tantalizing smells coming from next door’s barbecue. So fight back! Practice your July 4th outdoor entertaining skills with these 11 essentials for a bash to drive your neighbours crazy.

Finally, know the name Natalie Coughlin? Yes, she was the swimmer decorated so handsomely with medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. What you might not know is that’s she’s a keen urban farmer – check out our interview with her on the subject.

The post The Friday 5: Out & About Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

VideoNature is a powerful thing.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” This video should inspire you to keep exploring.

A Walk in Nature from NotWorkingFilms on Vimeo.

The post Video: A Walk in Nature appeared first on EcoSalon.