There are very few people in this world who don’t have a soft spot in their hearts for chocolate. Ancient Aztecs believed chocolate was godly, early Europeans believed chocolate was a medicine, and we believe chocolate is romantic. Right before Valentine’s Day every year, some scientific group publishes a study about how chocolate has shown…
Friday’s Farm Fact – GMO: The Dirtiest Word in Agriculture
GMO might only be three letters, but it’s become the latest dirty word in many people’s vocabulary. GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have infiltrated much of the food supply in the United States and they’re harder to avoid than you’d think. Genetic engineering has become standard practice on many agricultural farms, meaning that the foods…
Dog Joint Health
Joint problems in dogs have become very common in the U.S. Joint problems are the result of either degenerative or developmental problems. Developmental causes of joint issues begin early in a dog’s life when the joint does not correctly form. The most common developmental issue is hip dysplasia, where the ball joint in the dog’s…
Staying Healthy, the Natural and Affordable Way
If you’ve sat in an urgent care waiting room lately, you’ve probably noticed two distinct types of worry on patients’ faces: what’s my diagnosis and how much will it cost me? Flip on the news any day of the week and you’ll hear politicians arguing about health care reform. However, these noisy debates depersonalize the…
Friday’s Farm Fact – Urban Farming: Not Just an Urban Legend
There are at least 61,777 residential and community gardens that are part of the “urban farming global food chain.” Urban farming is doing more than just providing city folk with a way to grow their own salads. Today’s version of urban farming establishes organic gardens in vacant lots and unused spaces to grow crops for…
Why Lemons Are More than Iced Tea Garnishes
When’s the last time you actually ate that slice of lemon perched on the side of your glass of water or iced tea? Lemons have somehow gotten a reputation of being pretty to look at but irrelevant to eat. But in spite of their role in the restaurant industry, lemons boast of more health benefits…
Trading Diet Pills for Nopal Cactus
As you’ve probably realized by now, there’s no such thing as a magic diet pill that will instantly give you a beach model’s body. You can try every infomercial diet and read weight loss books until you go cross-eyed, but it always comes down to eating sensibly and exercising enough. Now before you get discouraged…
The Healing Powers of Olive Leaves
Although olive leaf extract may sound like some kind of new age alternative medicine, it has actually been used to treat a variety of ailments since Biblical times. Ancient Egyptians had the first recorded use of olive leaves over 5,000 years ago for the preservation of their mummies. They found that by wrapping the mummies…
Dear Seagate – How Much Nopal…is in Nopal?
Every week we will be posting anonymous questions from our customers. Everything from correct dosage, to our farming methods, and much more. Following up with last week’s Dear Seagate about Nopal cactus, we had another interesting question come in that should be shared with all… Dear Seagate I bought a cactus leaf (ear?) at the…
Champagne France, fungicide and pesticide spraying
The Champagne region of France is a beautiful part of the world, known for their pastoral settings, vineyards and champagne production. Due to international trademarks, this is the only part of the world with the right to apply the name champagne to their wine. The grapevine photograph above was taken on July 6, when…