We have all seen the commercial. One woman pouring a familiar red liquid and the other commenting on the High Fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it. It sent the blogosphere a flutter when first airing, infuriating many - myself included. The "Sweet Surprise"? There may be mercury in your HFCS laden liquid. All other food listing it as an ingredient too, which seems to be just about everything these days. All the more reason to make your own.

This week at the Green Phone Booth, I share a simple recipe for a sweet HFCS-free summer treat: Strawberry Ice.

This week at the Green Phone Booth I share the story of how I hunt and gathered 17 pounds of free food.

Check out my Monday post over at the Green Phone Booth about the wonders of getting real - a reel mower that is.

This week at the Green Phone Booth I am talking meat, or lack there of.  We are one month in to going meatless for lent!

What's keeping you from being green?  Time, money, family?  For me it is family.  We do a lot in our house to live sustainably.  Although my husband jokingly refers to me "going Amish", he has been incredibly supportive and generally a good sport about the craziness that ensues.  There are however some things that are currently beyond his scope of acceptability.  Having said that, I have been presented with a rare opportunity.  A summer of solitude.

My husband deploys in May for six months, the chitlins will spend the summer at their mother's, and I will be alone.  Alone to do as I please.  No school activities to run to, no dinners to make, no time-clock to punch, no appearances to keep up, no excuses and no roadblocks.  Nothing.  Given this opportunity, what would you do?  

Would you ... Stop shaving?  Go no 'poo?  Unplug the refrigerator?  Use cloth wipes?  Eat local?  Vegetarian?  Vegan?  Cancel the cable?  Buy nothing?  Pee on your tomatoes?  Buy a goat?  Chickens?

It is exciting to think about isn't it?  I have a few plans already.  Mostly to do with cutting costs and a massive garden.  There is lots of work to be done to shrink our yard and expand our food source.  Maybe this summer I will finally figure out what to do with all those walnuts littering the lawn? 

With a free summer schedule and very little responsibility, it is time to delve deeper into my quest for a more eco-friendly, simple, sustainable life.  I realize not everyone has this chance, so I am giving you the opportunity to live vicariously through me.  There are two polls on my sidebar: one asking "What would you do?" and the other "What should I do?".  Both polls will be open until April 30.  At that time I will take into consideration the question(s) with the most votes under "What should I do?" and then do it.  I may choose one adventure for the entire summer or several with the most votes to split into month trials.  I am also open to suggestions not listed on the poll.  I know there are things out there that I have not even thought about!  Leave a comment and I will look into it.  Of course I will blog about it along the way.  Good, bad, and ugly.

So what has been rolling around in the back of your mind and what is keeping you from doing it?

My family husband is a junk food junkie.  Our grocery list routinely states "Candy for Randy".  It is like a staple at the top of the list: Milk, eggs, butter, candy.  I always feel a little odd when the cashier unearths these items.   Hidden under a mass of nutrition from the other end of the spectrum: Organic, organic, milk, milk, milk, organic, produce, produce, orange slices, sour cherry balls, anise dolls, organic, organic, produce...  I try to avoid eye contact.

Then there is the immediate foraging for snacks upon entering the door after a long days work.  After a quick greeting it is straight for the chips!  He will easily consume an entire bag in one sitting, before dinner.   We, he, was going through three or four bags of potato chips a week.  Concerned this may not be the ideal choice, I switched his snacking from conventional greasy potato chips to organic tortilla chips.  Still not exactly healthy, but better I thought.  This was the routine for several months.

Now I have reached the point where I am tired of spending the nearly $3.00 per bag and sick of throwing all those bags away.  Think of all the money and waste we would save by making our own snacks!

Get the recipe in my Monday post at the Green Phone Booth.