New Moon Risings

First and foremost, thank you to those who have emailed offering to make donations to WebWeaver Pagan Search. It is nice to know that you enjoy and appreciate our service and work enough to even consider donating, but no thank you and here’s why…

When we created WebWeaver, we assumed the financial responsibility for operating the site, which really isn’t very costly despite the solicitations of some webcrafters.

All of us are volunteers and enjoy working on the site as fits into our own schedules. We don’t work long, grueling hours and we don’t get paid but than again, we don’t expect to. Thank yous are nice though

By choosing not to solicit or accept donations or sponsorships, it is clear that results are returned based solely on relevancy.

Again, thank you so much for your kind words and offers but instead of sending money, we would really appreciate if you Grab a banner & spread the word about WebWeaver!

With the last guest gone and the house and office returned to their normal states, the SM staff gathering has come to an official end but next year’s is already in the planning stages.

It was a fun and productive week that generated a host of new ideas and policy decisions that will make the Moon shine brighter. Many of these upgrades will be implemented over the next two months, details on these projects will be posted in their respective categories soon.

Other projects may take a year or more to come to fruition, but we plan on being around for a long time to come and look forward to continuing and improving our service to the community.

I must have been hungry when I sat down to create this month’s issue of Activ8…it’s all about food, food I can get my hands on right away and by that I mean local food.

It being the summer months, most of us are lucky enough to have farmer’s markets close enough for us to buy directly from the growers and WOW what a treat that is!

On our last trip to one of our local farmer’s markets (we have 4 within 20 minutes!) I asked the woman behind the stand for the largest zucchini she had, but I could never have imagined the size of the zucchini she would come out with. It was over 12 inches long and easily 6 inches in circumference. I had planned to make stuffed zucchini but between myself and my husband, it took us 3 meals to eat the whole thing and it was as delicious as it was large. Did I mention that it was only $1! Stunning, especially when you consider that our local mega-market charges $1 per pound and this thing was easily 3-4 pounds!

At the Flying J Farm stand, where we purchased pasture-raised beef, we were invited to visit the farm and attend the Ohio Green Living Fayre (to be held Sep. 3 in Johnstown, for fellow Ohioans). The steak we bought was juicy and flavorful, but best of all it was farmed under humane and organic practices.

Another stop at a plant stand, where all plants are raised organically, had us purchasing a licorice basil, something we never knew existed. Not only is the aroma and flavor excellent, the grower explained the plant’s requirements and I am proud to say that it is bushy and healthy and going to seed as we speak so we will have licorice basil far into the future.

So what are the benefits of buying directly from the grower?

You know how your food was grown/raised.

You support small, local farms that may otherwise sell their land to developers.

You avoid the energy consumption required to transport food thousands of miles

You build relationships with some of the friendly and most knowledgeable people around.

You get to experience foods, plants, heirloom varieties and flavors you may never have been aware of.

If you haven’t already, check out Activ8 for more info on eating locally and on the upcoming Eat Local Challenge. New links were added too, so be sure to check them out and surf to some great sites!