My sister-in-law made this divine summer soup for a family gathering last year.  It was absolutely amazing, indescribable – delicious.  I can’t say enough about it.  It’s a raw food – which is ideal for summer eating, gluten-free, vegetarian,  AND it’s so simple.  This is almost the ideal time to make it – I would wait until the Jersey tomatoes are in full swing – but I’m sure you could find some good smaller local tomatoes in season now.

So cool the heat – here’s the recipe.  Enjoy!  Green Diva Jen

Watermelon Gazpacho

3 Cups watermelon chunks, seeded and pureed in a blender
1 Cup watermelon, coarsely chopped (take seeds out first)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 Cup red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
small handful of cilantro leaves
black pepper to taste

1 scallion (white and 1-inch of green), chopped

1 Tsp sea salt, to taste

In a large glass bowl, combine the watermelon puree, chunks, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, lime juice, cilantro, ginger, jalapeno, scallion, and salt. Stir well, add pepper and more salt, if you like.

Ladle into 4 chilled bowls and serve.

Benjamin with Peat the Penguin

Meet a new green toy and book brand called the GREENZYS that’s arriving just in time for the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day – which is Thursday, April 22, 2010. The creation of New Jersey (Mahwah) homemaker and mother of two, Lisa Keyser, the GREENZYS are an eco-friendly, literary-based brand of high quality books and toys geared towards preschool aged children

The Green Divas will be interviewing Ms. Keyser on their annual Earth Day radio show on April 15th from 7-8 PM EDT at HomegrownRadioNJ.org

The plush toys promote green living and teach eco-friendly practices to youngsters through heartwarming stories and endearing plush toys that are both environmentally safe and fun.  They are made in socially responsible factories from soy fibers and non-toxic dyes with packaging made from recycled paperboard.

“The Greenzys” book is a heartwarming tale that teaches the concept of environmental conservation, or “green” living.  Characters include Peat the Penguin, an ardent supporter of recycling, reusing and reducing and Willow the Elephant who collects rainwater for her plants and uses her trunk as a water hose.  The book and toys debuted in FAO Schwartz and on FAO.com April 5.

Another environmental bonus and in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, for every GREENZYS purchase made between April 5 and December 31, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant one tree in our nation’s forests.

For more information about the book, go to thegreenzys.com

The Green Divas in the Studio (traffic wasn't prohibitive that day)

Sorry Folks! Our big return show was thwarted by some bad accident that jammed up Route 80 and prohibited us from getting to the studio

Fortunately our interview guest, Venessa Farquharson author of Sleeping Naked is Green, was very understanding and made herself available to do the interview NEXT week.

Tune in, click on, listen up – next week. Same time, same place. Don’t worry, I’ll post a reminder.

eat. blot. be merry!
gd meg

We’ll be interviewing author, Venessa Farquharson who wrote Sleeping Naked is Green on tonight. If you want to learn more about this sassy green gal, go to her wonderful blog, Green As a Thistle.

Jen and I have a LOT to discuss – much more than an hour can contain – so, don’t miss the fun tonight!

Oh yea, and we’ll try to squeeze in a couple of fun farm-inspired tunes (no, not Old-MacDonald).

Tune in and turn on a friend!

Thursday, August 6, 2009
7 – 8pm EST
HomeGrownRadioNJ.org

Green Diva Meg's family playing in the driveway

On day 4, I was inspired to actually lift the hood (or bonnet, depending on what type of english you speak) to see if the engine was as new and space-age as the interior of the vehicle and to see what 187 horsepowered hybrid engines looked like.  My co-worker, Eric who is somewhat of a gearhead and was very anxious to see the goods under the hood, and I were both a little mystified – of course, I come by this naturally when it comes to car engines. This car, being a prototype and brand-spanky new, had a sparkling clean status that seemed surreal. But, most of it was covered pretty securely in a message we both took to mean, “you have no idea what you are really doing or even looking at, so whatever is beneath here, you don’t need to see.” Eric, who drives a sporty Audi TT, spun it around our large building and parking lot a few times and while he is a man of few words, his grunts and various sounds were those of positive impression. His pleasant surprise of its power to move and smooth ride is an impressive endorsement to anyone who knows him. You’ll just have to trust me on that.

Other engine stats include:

2.4-liter Atkinson Cycle inline-4 (presumably this is fancy jargon for peppy 4-cylinder)

DOHC, four valves per cylinder with Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i)

Electric Drive Motor – High-output, permanent-magnet electric-drive motor

Front-wheel drive

187 Horsepower

Electronically controlled continuously Variable Transmission (ECVT)

Still had a half-tank of gas.

More on the final days . . . stay tuned.

eat. blog. be merry!
gd meg

• Monday – East Hanover & Maplewood
• Tuesday – Millburn
• Wednesday – Jersey City
• Thursday – Livingston & Madison
• Friday – Newark
• Saturday – Boonton, Chatham, Bernardsville & Montclair
• Sunday – Morristown & Summit

For a more detailed listing, visit The State of New Jersey Department of Agriculture Jersey Fresh website.

Morristown opened this past Sunday and The Green Divas were there!  What a treat, Burden Free Foods was there offering delicious gluten-free and vegan bakery items – all made from organic or locally-sourced ingredients. Pickles, The Health Shoppe, three farmers were represented as well.

The Green Divas with Paul Miller and little Benjamin.

So get out, buy local, buy organic — treat yourself and your family to some freshly grown produce and other locally-produced food. There’s nothing like it.  GD Jen

Our family has made this an annual tradition for many years and we’ve never been disappointed.  It’s a fabulous weekend on the banks of the Hudson River with music, dance, storytelling, waterfront activities, sails on the tall ships, juried crafts and environmental education all at the lovely Croton Point Park, a natural park on a river peninsula with sandy beaches and sweeping views of the Hudson.

The Clearwater Festival is designed and implemented to create an enjoyable, entertaining family experience in alignment with Clearwater’s environmental, social and business sustainability standards.  A diverse lineup of musicians, speakers, vendors, environmental exhibits, displays and grassroots activists booths are presented to educate, advocate and celebrate a sustainable lifestyle.  The festival programming content, all behind-the-scenes elements such as sustainable stage power, recycling of food waste and sponsor selection are all done with goals of sustainability and social responsibility in mind.

Inspired by Pete Seeger’s desire to clean up the river over forty years ago, the Great Hudson River Revival initially helped raise the funds to build the sloop Clearwater, which has since become a world-renowned floating classroom and a symbol of effective grassroots action. Today, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is a non-profit organization that sails at the forefront of the nation’s environmental challenges. The revenue raised by the Revival goes to support Clearwater’s numerous educational programs and its work toward environmental and social justice—as well as keeping the Clearwater afloat.

This Hungarian-born, Princeton dropout has been wildly successful as his original organic fertilizer idea has blossomed into a new business category that he calls Sponsored Waste.

Tom has teamed up with various manufacturers, such as Stonyfield Farms, Clif Bar, Kraft Foods, and Frito Lay to collect packaging waste to create various products such as clever bags for fashion and practical use. He does a lot to help highlight causes in his highly PR savvy process and works often with school groups and other community organizations.

If you haven’t heard of Tom, you’ve probably heard about TerraCycle.

Tune in to hear this brilliant young entrepreneur who is creating a new standard for business and the manufacturing life cycle.

Thursday, April 16, 2009
7 – 8pm EST
HomeGrownRadioNJ.org

Send in questions via comment here or IM us during the show. I understand some of you were trying to IM us last week and didn’t get through. I’ll make sure to turn it on! IM instructions are on the upper left corner of the homegrownradionj.org website.

eat. blog. be merry!
GD Meg

I received this beautiful blue mug from Terra Keramik, a socially and environmentally responsible ceramics manufacturer that uses renewable energy and energy efficient clays. Everything is designed and produced by Felix Volger, founder and creative director, who personally signs every piece in platinum. Apparently, the production of tableware can be seriously detrimental to the environment. Terra Keramik has gone to great lengths to minimize their impact on the environment. Read more about Terra Keramik’s sustainable manufacturing practices.

eat. blog. be merry!