Is It Worth it? – Making Your Own Strawberry Jam

If you have been blessed with kids you know that Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches aren’t just an easy go to meal that you are sure the kids will eat but really a staple in the weekly menu. It is surprising how may jars of jam you can go through with two kids. So a couple of times of year a group of moms get together and we go to a local farm and go strawberry picking. For $10 you are provided a small bucket and can fill it overflowing with beautiful, fresh, ripe strawberries. This year we decided to all get together a preserve our bounty by making jars of strawberry jam.

For those who were wondering here is the recipe pulled straight from the farm’s website: http://www.washingtonfarms.net/

Cooked Jam
5 cups crushed berries (2qts)
7 cups (3lbs) sugar
1 box powdered fruit pectin

1/2 tsp of butter (not necessary, but I like to use it as it prevents froth)
Stir powdered pectin into the berries. Bring berries, pectin and butter to a rolling boil (meaning, when you stir it, it doesn't stop boiling) and stir in the sugar all at one. Again, bring the mixture back to a rolling boil (it might take 4 or 5 minutes to get it back to that rapid rolling boil) and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and fill jars. After the jars are sealed, we put them in a canner (I got mine on ebay for $15) and boil the jar in hot water for 5 minutes. This will ensure a tight seal, so that you can store the jars in your pantry for the rest of the year.

If you don't have a canner, you can use the following recipe:

Freezer Jam
2 cups crushed berries (1qt)
4 cups sugar (1 ¾ lb)
¾ cup water
1 box powdered fruit pectin
Add sugar to fruit and stir well. In a saucepan boil ¾ cup of water and the fruit pectin for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the hot pectin and water to the fruit and continue stirring for 3 minutes. Put in containers. Let stand 24 hours and store in freezer. When you need jam, you can take it out of the freezer and store it in the fridge for a week or so.

So, was it worth the trouble?

Filling our buckets took less than a half an hour on a Friday morning and was a fun activity for the kids. Yes, making the jam and sealing it in mason jars probably took a couple of hours worth of work but we made an evening of it and it was great fun.

From the 5 buckets of strawberries we picked, we used about 3 of them for jam. We yielded 40 jars of jam in varying sizes totalling 320 oz of jam.

A jar of generic, store bought jam will cost around $2.49 for 18oz (13.8c per oz). You might be able to get it cheaper than that, but any cheaper and you usually get preservatives and coloring to go with it. So, 320 0z of store bought jam would cost $44.16. With $30 of berries, $7.45 of pectin and $3.87 of sugar, our total was $41.32. If you're new to jam making, you would have to add in the initial investment of the cost of jars, but I was able to snag some from a friend at no cost and we'll be able to use the jars for years to come.

The cost comes out essentially the same - so was it worth it? Absolutely!

The #1 reason for me is taste. Once you've had home made jam, you'll find that your trained palate finds it difficult to go back to the store bought stuff.

#2 - I don't want to get all holistic, but it's the love that goes in to each and every jar. There's something extraordinarily gratifying about hand picking the berries from a local field, crushing them and going through the cooking and jarring process and then serving the wonderful gourmet end result to your family. They're also great as gifts. You'd probably never show up to a friend's house with a jar of Kroger jam, but home made jam... ah... that's another story!

#3 - You're encouraging local farming and business. It's great to have a huge strawberry field here in our own community. If no one supported it, the operation would close down and it's entirely possible that yet another Walmart would pop up in it's place.

#4 - The kids get to appreciate where food comes from. No, it doesn't just magically appear at the supermarket!

#5 - It's a fun social event. Sure, you could sit down and watch a movie, but dinner and a "jamming" session - a fun way to share a Friday night.

If you get a chance give it try. You may find that you love it too.

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Afford Organic By Buying Locally or Growing Your Own

Lately I've been frequenting my local farmer's market early on Saturday morning. The above is a picture of the bounty from one of my local trips. First apples of the season, the sweetest corn I've ever tasted and some great organic heirloom and chocolate tomatoes. No one can deny that buying organic produce is certainly more expensive than purchasing it's traditional counterpart, but frequenting a farmers market is one way to get what you need for less. For families that truly must stretch their dollars, farmers markets give an opportunity to buy some traditional produce at less than they would pay at a supermarket, which gives them a few extra dollars to spend on adding a percentage of organic items to their basket.

With summer winding down, many farmers markets will shut down towards the end of October. If you havent yet had a chance to visit a local farmers market, I recommend you try it before the season ends. The cucumbers are crunchier and the corn is sweeter (truly!). Not only is the food tastier, but you'll also be cutting down on your carbon footprint by buying locally and you'll personally get to know your growers. For more info. on where to locate a farmers market in your area and where to pick your own year-round, read my previous post here.

On a sidenote - albeit an important one... with the recession and the severe drought in California, produce prices are sure to rise in the upcoming months, so you may want to consider growing your own. Did you know that California produces about half of US grown fruits, vegetables and nuts? Some crops are produced solely in California. As of 2007, the state was home to 1 in 10 farms. According to the 2002 census, 9 out of the top 10 producing counties are in California (stats can be found here). Less water = crop issues = higher prices. We're all trying to save money by clipping coupons, but there are rarely coupons for produce, so I encourage all who are reading this to come up with creative ways to avoid the high prices of this precious commodity.

One of the ways our family is trying to save and eat healthier is to grow veggies on our back deck in planter boxes. By purchasing a packet of seeds, some potting mix and a container, you can enjoy veggies like fresh tomatoes without breaking the bank. With the success of our planter boxes, I'm also planning on installing a small garden in our yard with vegetables this winter - I'll update you more about that project in the days and weeks to come. Here's a pic of my son proudly displaying his own fresh-picked tomatoes (he helped plant them and he's responsible for watering the tomatoes and picking them):

Where you do you buy your fruits and veges from? Do you have tips on purchasing produce on a budget or growing your own produce?

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Free JASON bodycare kit with rebate

I love Earth's Best products. If you also use Earth's Best products, you'll probably be interested in this. Send in a redemption form along with $15 worth of receipts, box tops or labels for Earth's Best products and receive a travel kit containing 2-in-1 Shampoo & Body Wash, Extra Rich Therapy Crème, Everyday Lotion, Mineral Based Sunblock SPF30+, and Diaper Relief Ointment. They also have an offer on a book called "Guess How Much I Love You" which can be obtained by sending in 12 UPCs and a $1.95 s&h fee. Don't forget to print out your coupons on their home page!

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Organic Coupons - Where to Get Them Right Now

Here's my latest list of currently available coupons for organic and natural products so you can go ahead and print your coupons and/or get them at your local stores right now. This information is current as I post it, but featured coupons on various sites may change during the month, so I recommend that your print the coupons you want as soon as you see them.

If there is an organic or natural foods company that you’d like to see more of or have requested coupons from a specific company and received them, let me know. If you find this useful, please comment! Have fun finding healthy eats on the cheap...

After the Fall
(Natural and organic juices)
Currently the 75c coupon is not available via the link on the site, but you can sign up for their newsletter for news about new products and future promotions.

Applegate Farms
(Organic and natural hot dogs, bacon, sausage, frozen food, cheese snacks, deli).
Click on “Enjoy a Healthy Lunch” to sign up to receive e-mail updates of the Child Nutrition Act petition and they’ll instantly e-mail you a pdf of a $1 off any Applegate Farms product coupon.

Alexia Foods
(Natural and organic appetizers, breads, mashed potatoes, oven fries, onion rings, nuggets).
Register to get a $1 coupon off any Alexia Tuscan Style Panini.

Attune Bars
(Probiotic bars)
Take the 14-day challenge from Jan 1-July 30 09. If you eat one bar a day and don’t feel a difference, you’ll get a full refund (up to $28). Also, check Mambo Sprouts to see if a coupon is available.

Arrowhead Mills
(Natural, organic, whole grain and gluten-free hot and cold cereals, pancake mixes, seeds and grains)
There is a $1 peel-off coupon on selected products that entitle you to $1 off cereal, valid thru 12/31/09). Also, if you send in 3-5 UPCs, they’ll send you either $15 or $25 of OXO kitchen tools.

Aura Cacia
(Pure, sustainable essential oils, aromatherapy for adults, kids, baby).
In the shopping section, tell a friend about the products via a simple online form and they promise to send just 1 email to your friend and give you 20% off your next order. Also, you can become a grassroots advisor and receive 25% off your next online order after filling out a survey. Finally they have an e-newsletter you can sign up for to receive special offers.

Back to Nature Foods
(snacks, bars, nuts, granola).
See Delicious Living for coupons.

Barbara’s Bakery
(Cereal, snacks)
See Publix Go Organic.Sign up to get coupons in the mail and via e-mail.

Barleans Organic Oils
(Oils)
See Mambo Sprouts for coupons.

Biokleen
(SLS and phosphate free cleaning products).
This is often on sale at Kroger and you can check Mambo Sprouts for coupons.

Blue Diamond
(Natural almonds, nut and rice snacks, almond milk)
50c printable coupon in the promotions section.

Brown Cow Farm
(Natural yogurt).
They have a regular 50c or 75c printable coupons for yogurt when you submit your email address.

Carlson Norweigian
(Nutritional Supplements).
See Health ESavers for current coupons.

Cascadian Farm.
(Organic granola bars, frozen fruit, cereals, frozen potatoes, fruit spread, juice concentrates, relish)
See Publix Go Organic for current coupons.

Clif Bar
(natural bars)
See Publix Greenwise, Publix Go Organic and Health ESavers for current coupons. Also, sign up for the newsletter and receive samples in the mail.

Coleman Naturals
(Natural and organic antibiotic-free, hormone-free meats).
If you take their quick survey, you will be able to print $5 worth of coupons at the end.

Corazonas
(cholesterol-lowing chips)
Take the 28-day challenge. If you eat two 1oz servings of chips per day and you don’t see a reduction in your cholesterol, you can get a refund for your chips up to $24 when you submit your redemption form, receipts and cholesterol test. Valid 1/1-12/31/09. Also, you can get promotional information by signing up for their newsletter.

Crown Price
(Oysters, sardines, tuna, crabmeat and more).
If you take their quick survey, you will be sent a $1 coupon in the mail. Also, you can get printable online coupons from their Consumer Corner link. Finally, join their Frequent Buyer Program by attaching the bar code labels from any five cans of Crown Prince Seafood on a 3"X5" card and mail them in to get 5 50¢ off coupons for any Crown Prince item. There is no limit to this promotion.

Country Choice Organic
(Cookies and snacks).
See Publix Go Organic and Mambo Sprouts for current coupons.

Delicious Living
Printable coupons for a variety of products.
Current coupons include 50c off off Indiana Popcorn, $1 off Back to Nature products, 75c off Lunberg Rice Chips, $1 off Embodi juices, $1 off Meyenberg goat milk products, 75c off RW Knudsen juice, 75c off Santa Cruz juice, $1 off Steaz energy drink, $1 off Zenergize drink vitamins, $1 off Tonnino tuna, $1 off any 2 Health Valley organic products.

Dreamfields Pasta.
(High fiber, low glycemic pasta)
$1 coupon off one box, plus promotions by signing up for their newsletter.

Earthbound Farm
(Organic fresh fruit, vegetables, dried fruit, snacks, cookies, granola, beverages).
You’ll get coupons for misc. Earthbound Farm products and a free pocket guide to choosing organic produce when you complete a quiz. Also, see Publix Go Organic for current coupons.

Earths Best
(Organic baby food and snacks)
Coupons for baby food and Sesame Street snacks. Sign up for their newsletter to receive promotions. Also, keep an eye out for peel-off coupons on select packages that entitle you to a free Elmo CD entitled "Elmo Loves You" when you purchase 3 items.

Ecover
(Ecological cleaners)
Two coupons here for 75c off any product and $1 off any laundry product

Embodi
(Natural juice)
http://www.drinkembodi.com/. See Delicious Living for current coupons.

Endangered Species .
(Chocolate)
See Health ESavers for current coupons.

Enjoy Life Foods
(Allergy-friendly, gluten-free cookies, granola, snack bars, bagels, trail mix, chocolate chips, chocolate bars).
Coupon for 55c off any Enjoy life Foods products.

Envirokids
(Organic cold cereal, bars, snack food).
See Publix Go Organic for current coupons.

Ethnic Gourmet
(Natural frozen entrees)
See Mambo Sprouts for current coupons. Sign up to receive offers from A Healthy Way of Life (The Hain Celestial Group).

Fair Trade Honey
(Organic fair trade honey).
Several bottles have a $1 off coupon on them.

First Juice
(Organic fruit and vegetable juice for kids)
Complete the online form to receive an online coupon for $1.00 off of any 2, 8oz or 32oz bottles

Food For Life
(Natural and organic Ezekiel 4:9 breads, muffins, pasta, tortillas, buns, yeast-free bread products, and parent company to Sunrise Organics, Natural Food Mill and Crystal Falls )
They have a link for e-coupons on their site, but I can’t get it to work – keep trying!

Garden of Eatin
(Organic blue corn chips).
You may get a popup that asks you how many chips are in a serving. It then let me print a coupon for $1 off a bag. Also, sign up to receive offers from A Healthy Way of Life (The Hain Celestial Group). Next, several packets have a peel-off that entitles you to $1 off when you purchase both the chips and a Newman’s Own salsa. Lastly, the newspaper often has coupons for Garden of Eatin chips.

Genisoy .
(Organic protein bars, chips, nuts, trail mix, shakes, powders)
If you head over to the produce department, you may find several Bolthouse Farms beverages with a tag coupon that entitles you to a free Genisoy protein bar with any Bolthouse Farms beverage purchase.

Greens to Go
(Natural antioxidant drink mixes).
See Mambo Sprouts for current coupons.

Health E-Savers
The natural version of Coupons.com
A great resource for organic and natural product coupons.

Health Valley
(soups, bars, cereals)
See Delicious Living for current coupons. Sign up for special offers. They also have a sweepstakes that runs until Jun 30 09 for chances to win spa certificates, free product coupons etc.

Horizon Organic
(Organic milk, yogurt, cheese).
Sign up to acess current $1 coupons for various products.

Ians Natural Foods
(Natural and organic frozen breakfast, entrees, fries, snacks for kids)
Click on “resources” and enter your e-mail. You’ll get $1 off any Ians Alphatots. See “Mambo Sprouts” for additional printable coupons.

Immaculate Baking Company
(Organic cookie dough).
See Publix Greenwise for current coupons.

Imagine Foods
A quarterly newsletter with coupons published by The Hain Celestial Group.$1.50 off any 2 here.

Kahiki
(Antibiotic free frozen Asian entrees).
Fill out a short survey to get coupons and sign up for newsletter for coupons.

Kashi
(Natural whole grain cereal, cookies).
$1.50 off any 2 bars/cereals and $1 off any one Sunshine cereal here. If you buy selected twin pack of chocolate cookies, you’ll see a big coupon attached which will entitle you to a free ½ gallon of Silk Soy milk when you purchase the cookies. I’ve also received several coupons for Kashi cereal and bars by signing up to Vocalpoint. Also see Publix Go Organic for current coupons.

Laura’s Lean Beef
(Antibiotic free, hormone free beef products).
Sign up to get an instant printable coupon. Sign up for newsletter for an instant coupon.

Liberte
(Natural yogurt).
See Mambo Sprouts for current coupons.

LifeWay
(Kefir products – drinks, pudding, cheese, cream cheese).
See “Mambo Sprouts” for coupons.

Lundberg
(natural rice, risotto, chips, rice crackers)
See Health ESavers and Delicious Living for current coupons. Also, sign up for specials on their site.

Mambo Sprouts
Miscellaneous printable natural and organic product coupons. Also, if you live in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver/Boulder, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, you can get a copy in the mail. They also provide Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats with a Special Events coupon booklet, which is distributed at events sponsored by each store throughout the entire year.
Current Mambo Sprouts coupons online include $1 off any 2 Wolfgang Puck organic broth or stock, $2 off 1 box of Heathy to Go products, $1.50 off any 2 Ethnic Gourmet frozen entrees, $1.50 off any 2 Rice Dream/Soy Dream frozen desserts, $1 off Organic Valley cheese, $2 off Barleans Omega Swirl, $1 off 3 Liberte yogurts, $2 off any 2 Ians nuggets, patties or stix, $1 off any Country Choice oats, $1 off any Lifeway product.

Meyenberg
(Goat milk products).
See Delicious Living for current coupons.

Midel Cookies
(Natural cookies).
May possibly have coupons in Kiwi, Eating Well, Real Simple Family, Vegetarian Times and Gluten-Free Living, available at health food stores. Check magazines.

Morningstar
(Meatless burgers, hot dogs, chicken substitute, breakfast items, snacks).
Sign up to be a Morningstar Insider and get special offers and coupons. After you sign up, you’ll receive via e-mail a 75c coupon off one package of Morningstar Farms Southwestern Style or Ginger Teriyaki Veggie Cakes.

Muir Glen.
(Organic canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, purees, soups, ketchup)
Join the Tomato Connoisseurs Club and receive an instant $1 coupon.

Nature Made
(Natural vitamins).
New members who sign in get three $1 coupons.

Nature’s One
Baby’s Own organic formula
$1 off coupon for any 32oz juice. Also, for every 24 proofs of purchase, you’ll get coupons for two free cans.

Nature’s Path
(Parent company to Envirokids, Weil, Organic Optimum, Nature’s Path Organic, cold and hot cereals, bars, waffles, breads, baking mixes).
See Publix Go Organic for current coupons.

Newmans Own Organic
(organic tomatoes, sauce, dressing, chocolate, peanut butter cups, dog treats and more).
$1 off any thin and crispy pizza here.

Numi
(Organic tea).
Selected boxes have a $1 off 2 boxes peel-off coupon.

Odwalla
(Natural juice).
See “Mambo Sprouts” for printable coupons.

Organic Prairie
(Organic meat).
Printable coupons for steak, hotdogs, deli meat, other.

Organic Valley
(Milk, cheese, cottage, cheese, butter).
Coupons for milk, soymilk, cheese, cottage cheese, butter. Also see Publix Go Organic, Mambo Sprouts and Health ESavers for current coupons.

Publix Greenwise
(Monthly magazine available at the front door at Publix and at the customer service desk that contains both Publix and manufacturer’s coupons. You can also get a free subscription delivered to your home.
The Spring 2009 issue of Publix Greenwise has the following coupons: $1 off Silk half gallon (exp. 5/30/09), $1 off any Seventh Generation product (exp. 5/31/09), $1 off any four 6 oz cups of Rachel’s yogurt (exp 5/30/09), $1 off any 2 Immaculate Baking Co. cookie doughs (exp. 5/30/09) and $1 off any half gallon Horizon Organic milk (exp 5/30/09)

Publix Go Organic! for Earth Day coupon booklet
Now available in Publix stores
Has the following coupons: $1 off any 3 Clif or Luna Bars, $1 any 2 Van's products, 75c off any RW Knudsen Family juice, $1 off any Barbara's organic cereal, 75c of any Santa Cruz Organic juice product, $1 off any 4 6oz cups or 1 32oz container of Stonyfield organic yogurt, $1 off any Nature's Path or Envirokids product, $1 off any Country Choice organic product, $1 off any 2 Seventh Generation products, $1 off any 2 Earthbound Farm packaged salads, $1 off any 2 Cascadian Farm products, $1 off any 2 Kashi Organic Promise cereal, $1 off any Traditional Medicinals product, $1 off any 2 Organic Valley products (All coupons expire on August 31, 2009)

PJ Madisons
(Organic ice cream)
Fill out a very brief survey and you’ll be able to view a 25c coupon.

Popcorn Indiana
(Natural popcorn).
See Delicious Living for current coupons.

Quantum Health
(Immune boosting supplements).
Several coupons on their website. Also see Health ESavers for more coupons.

Rachels
(Yogurt).
See Publix Greenwise for current coupons.

Rice Dream, Soy Dream, Almond Dream
(Rice milk, soy milk, almond milk)
Sign up for a 75c coupon here . See Mambo Sprouts for additional Soy Dream coupons and Mambo Sprouts for additional Rice Dream coupons.

Rice Select
(Organic rice).
Sign up to the Rice Select Flavor club and get a $1 coupon in the mail and a free re-useable shopping bag. Also, see “Mambo Sprouts” for printable coupons.

Rosetto
(Natural pasta)
$1 printable coupon.

RW Knudsen Juice
(Natural and organic juices)
$1 off coupon for Sensible Sippers juice boxes. See also Publix Greenwise, Publix Go Organic and Delicious Living.

Santa Kruz Organic
(Organic juice, peanut butter )
50c off juice boxes, 75c off Peanut Butter. Also see Publix Go Organic and Delicious Living for current coupons.

Seventh Generation
(Natural cleaning products, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, diapers, wipes).
Coupons for diapers, wipes, laundry, cleaning, dishwashing products.

Shikai
(Natural haircare, lotions, bronzers, facial care, shower gels)
Spring special of 20% off all original shampoos, everyday conditioner and henna gold.

Silk
(Natural soymilk).
Sign up to receive e-mail offers and they’ll instantly send you 55c coupon via email. See Publix Greenwise for additional current coupons.

SO Delicious.
(Dairy free ice cream and soy yogurt)
There’s a 50c coupon on the back of select boxes of ice cream bars.

Soyjoy
(Health bars)
Printable coupon for $1 off 5 bars.

Steaz
(Energy Drinks).
See Delicious Living for coupons.

Stonyfield Farm
(Organic milk, smoothies, yogurt, ice cream).
Coupons for yogurt, milk, smoothies, ice cream. See Publix Go Organic for additional coupons.

The Natural Dentist
(Toothpaste and mouth rinse).
2 printable coupon. Also, you can take the healthy mouth challenge. Purchase two 16oz products and if you’re not satisfied, send in your receipts along with the rebate form and proofs of purchase for a $10 rebate.

Tofurky
(Meatless Italian sausage, hot dogs, franks, jerky, deli slices, holiday products)
75c coupon for any Roast. See Health ESavers for additional coupons.

Tonnino Tuna.
See Delicious Living for current coupons.

Traditional Medicinals
(Organic medicinal teas).
See Publix Go Organic for coupons.

Yogi Organic Tea
(Tea)
They're currently offering free samples (I think the samples come with coupons).

Vans
(Natural, wheat-free waffles and breakfast sandwiches).
See Publix Go Organic for coupons.

WholeFoods.
Has an in-store publication called The Whole Deal which contains Mambo Sprouts coupons. However, they are only for in-store use, so you may have to check with your store to see if they are accepting competitor’s coupons before using them.
The April 1-May 31, 2009 issue has coupons for the following 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods brand) items: $1 of organic salad dressings, BOGO pasta, BOGO facial tissue. Others: $1 off 2 Odwalla, 75c off 2 Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, 70c off one Back to Nature product, 50c off one Ians, $1 off one Oikos product, $1 offf Arico chips/cookies, 50c off ThinkThin/thinkGreen bars, 765 c off one Thai Kitchen, 55c off 1 Balance bar, $1 off 1 Lifeway product, $1 off 2 Krispers products, $1.50 off 2 Nature’s Path cereals, 50c off Indiana popcorn, $1 off Fiji multi-pack water, $1 off 1 Annie’s Naturals dressing, $1 off Seeds of Change rice/grains or simmer sauce, $2 off 2 Organic Valley Cheeses, $1 off Organic Valley butter, $1 off Organic Valley half and half quart or 2 half and half pints, $1 off Bear Naked Granola, $1.50 off 2 Kashi cereals, $1 off 2 Rudi’s Organic, $1 off 2 Vans, 55c off San-J Tamari, 50c off 1 Tasty Bite, $1 off Cascadian Farm cereal, Buy 5 get 1 free Stonyfield Farm yogurt, $1 off Hylands Calms Forte, $2 off Spectrum Flax Seed oils/capsules, $1 off Udo’s Oil.

Wolfgang Puck Soup
(Organic soups).
See Mambo Sprouts for coupons.

Zenergize
(Energy Drinks)
See Delicious Living for current coupons.

If you're looking for other coupons that aren't necessarily natural and organic, click here.

Do you know someone who enjoys organic and natural foods and loves to save? Share the love!

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Where to Pick Your Own Fruits and Veges

Have you ever gone to a farm and picked your own fruits and veges? Well, if you haven’t, you really should give it a try. There’s just something to be said about getting produce directly from the source.

If you’re interested in picking your own produce, check out http://www.pickyourown.org/. The website lists farms (and farmers markets) in the USA and other countries along with crop calendars so that you can plan your trip. They also have an abundance of resources on finding canning equipment and supplies, making jam, preserving, etc. I looked up my own county and it turns out that in a 20-30 minute drive, I can pick blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, muscadines, apples, pears, pumpkins, scuppernongs (not even sure what these are – will have to google this), tomatoes, figs, squash, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, muscadines and more and we’re not even in a rural area!

Be patient with the site, it takes a while to load, but it’s worth it if you’re serious about finding local places to pick fresh fruits and veges.

I took my sons to the strawberry patch twice last year. We picked strawberries and made strawberry jam and strawberry ice cream. We were so hooked on home made jam that I then went on to make peach jam and pear preserves. We also went to a pumpkin patch, at which point I made pumpkin pies from scratch (I guess I was feeling particularly domesticated last year). I wanted to pick apples too, but by the time I figured out where we could go to pick them, the season was already over. With Pick Your Own, I’m not going to miss the apple-picking season this year. What’s funny to me though is that we live in the Peach State, and we don’t have a peach orchard in our county! Go figure…

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Contact Manufacturers to Request Organic and Natural Foods Coupons

Last week I made three posts regarding organic and natural foods coupons:

1) A list of manufacturers of organic and natural products that currently have coupons in circulation either on their website or through flyers
2) Manufacturers that offer specials and coupons if you sign up to their online lists
3) Manufacturers that don’t currently have specials or coupons but with links to their sites in the event that you would like to contact them directly to request coupons.

On the last post, I encouraged readers to contact their favorite companies to request coupons.

Many people wonder if contacting a company to request coupons really works. Well, after I put up the last post, I received a comment from Consumer Services Manager, April Riggs at Sweet Leaf Tea Co. April commented “Thank you for adding Sweet Leaf Tea to your coupon search list! We are happy to help consumers experience our products. Send us an email through our website requesting a coupon!” Thanks for your comment April and I’ll move your company to my “available coupons” list next month.

Now head on over to Sweet Leaf Tea Co. and ask for your coupon! Also, if you've asked other companies for coupons and received them, let me know.

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Organic Coupons – Where to Find Them - (Stage 1)

Many people hesitate to clip coupons from the Sunday paper, claiming that the coupons are generally for junk food. While I don’t completely agree with that statement (refer to my post “Questions from Readers…Aren’t You Sacrificing Healthy Eating for Junk Food When You Use Coupons?”), I do hope that more organic and natural foods coupons will be made available in the paper. That being said, just because they’re not in the paper, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get your hands on organic and natural coupons right now, as you sit at your computer. I regularly obtain organic coupons and combine the coupons with sales to get free or low cost organic and natural items (I always have a coupon for organic milk!).

So… where can you get coupons for organic and natural products? Well, look no further! I’ll be updating this post monthly so you no longer need to do the legwork. Just visit my blog to find out where to get them! Most of these brands can be found in the natural section of major supermarket chains.

Over the next three days, I’ll post about where to find organic and natural coupons. This will be broken in to three categories:

1) I want my organic coupons today! (coupons that you can get your hands on right now and/or companies with current promos)

2) Yeah, I can wait a bit… (sites that promise special offers if you sign up). This has been posted. Read here.

3) Maybe if I ask, they’ll send me some (sites that don’t have e-mail lists). This has been posted. Read here.

If there is an organic or natural foods company that you’d like to see more of, please leave a post. Also, as companies update their sites, you may find new coupons that I haven't mentioned or go to a site and notice that a coupon has disappeared. If this happens, please let me know. Also, if you find this useful, please leave a post so I can know that my hard work is not in vain (and thanks to Danny for sitting up at 2am creating the links on this! You're a rock star!)

So here’s the first category…

I want my organic coupons today!

After the Fall (natural and organic juices)
75c coupon (wait until the page has fully loaded).

Applegate Farms
(organic and natural hot dogs, bacon, sausage, frozen food, cheese snacks, deli). Sign up to receive e-mail updates of the Child Nutrition Act petition and they’ll instantly e-mail you a pdf of a $1 off any Applegate Farms product coupon.

Alexia Foods
(natural and organic appetizers, breads, mashed potatoes, oven fries, onion rings, nuggets). Sign in to get a $1 coupon off any Alexia Tuscan Style Panini.

Attune Bars (probiotic bars)
Take the 14-day challenge from Jan 1-July 30 09. If you eat one bar a day and don’t feel a difference, you’ll get a full refund (up to $28).

Arrowhead Mills
(natural, organic, whole grain and gluten-free hot and cold cereals, pancake mixes, seeds and grains). There is a $1 peelie coupon on selected products that entitle you to $1 off cereal, valid thru 12/31/09). Also, several Arrowhead Mills packages have a peelie with a redemption code that entitles you to a free cooking class (worth up to $100) when you purchase 3 products from Spectrum, Arrowhead Mills, Hain Pure Foods, Imagine or SunSpire totaling $10 or more (offer expires 3/31/09 and cooking class certificate will be valid thru 4/3/10. Lastly, if you send in 3-5 UPCs, they’ll send you either $15 or $25 of OXO kitchen tools.

Aura Cacia (pure, sustainable essential oils, aromatherapy for adults, kids, baby).
If you make any purchase from their site during January, they’ll send you an orange pomander aromatherapy air freshener. Be sure to check the box on checkout.

Back to Nature Foods (snacks, bars, nuts, granola).
See “Publix Greenwise” for coupons.

Bear Naked (organic fruit and nut granola, trail mix).
They are currently offering a free sample on their site. Also, you get a free trail mix if you purchase over $19 of product online).

Biokleen
(sls and phosphate free cleaning products). This is often on sale at Kroger. See “Mambo Sprouts” for coupon.

Blue Diamond
(natural almonds, nut and rice snacks, almond milk). 50c printable coupon. See “Mambo Sprouts” for additional printable coupons.

Brown Cow Farm
(natural yogurt). Several 50c and 75c printable coupons for yogurt.

Coleman Naturals
(natural and organic antiobiotic-free, hormone-free meats). If you take their quick survey and they’ll mail you coupons.

Corazonas (cholesterol-lowing chips)
Take the 28-day challenge. If you eat two 1oz servings of chips per day and you don’t see a reduction in your cholesterol, you can get a refund for your chips up to $24 when you submit your redemption form, receipts and cholesterol test. Valid 1/1-12/31/09.

Crown Price
(oysters, sardines, tuna, crabmeat and more). $1 printable coupons.

Delicious Living
Printable coupons for Santa Cruz and Knudsen organic beverages, Kashi cereal, goats milk, popcorn, rice chips.

Dreamfields Pasta (high fiber, low glycemic pasta).
$1 coupon off one box.

Earthbound Farm (organic fresh fruit, vegetables, dried fruit, snacks, cookies, granola, beverages).
You’ll get coupons for misc. Earthbound Farm products and a free pocket guide to choosing organic produce when you complete a quiz.

Earths Best (organic baby food and snacks).
Coupons for baby food and Sesame Street snacks. Also, keep an eye out for peelies on select packages that entitle you to a free Elmo CD entitled "Elmo Loves You" when you purchase 3 items.

Eat Smart Snacks (natural chips and dips).
See “Publix Greenwise” for coupons.

Enjoy Life Foods (allergy-friendly, gluten-free cookies, granola, snack bars, bagels, trail mix, chocolate chips, chocolate bars).
Coupon for $1.25 on any two snack bars.

Fair Trade Honey (organic fair trade honey).
Several bottles have a $1 off coupon on them.

Food For Life (natural and organic Ezekiel 4:9 breads, muffins, pasta, tortillas, buns, yeast-free bread products, and parent company to Sunrise Organics, Natural Food Mill and Crystal Falls ). They have a link for e-coupons on their site, but I can’t get it to work – keep trying!

Garden of Eatin (organic blue corn chips).
You may get a popup (I went in an hour ago and it wasn’t there) that asks you how many chips are in a serving. It then let me print a coupon for $1 off a bag. Also, sign up to receive offers from A Healthy Way of Life (The Hain Celestial Group). Next, several packets have a peelie that entitles you to $1 off when you purchase both the chips and a Newman’s Own salsa. Lastly, the newspaper often has coupons for Garden of Eatin chips.

Genisoy (organic protein bars, chips, nuts, trail mix, shakes, powders).
If you head over to the produce department, you may find several Bolthouse Farms beverages with a tag coupon that entitles you to a free Genisoy protein bar with any Bolthouse Farms beverage purchase.

Gerber Tender Harvest (organic baby food).
$1 coupons for baby food, Graduates entrees and snacks.

Horizon Organic (organic milk, yogurt, cheese).
$1 coupons for various products.

Ians Natural Foods (natural and organic frozen breakfast, entrees, fries, snacks for kids)
Click on “resources” and enter your e-mail. You’ll get $1 off any Ians Alphatots. See “Mambo Sprouts” for additional printable coupons.

Kahiki (antibiotic free frozen Asian entrees).
Fill out a short survey to get coupons.

Kashi (natural whole grain cereal, cookies).
If you buy selected twin pack of chocolate cookies, you’ll see a big coupon attached which will entitle you to a free ½ gallon of Silk Soy milk when you purchase the cookies. I’ve also received several coupons for Kashi cereal and bars by signing up to Vocalpoint.

LifeWay (kefir products – drinks, pudding, cheese, cream cheese).
See “Mambo Sprouts” for coupons.

Maranatha Nut Butter (peanut butter).
See “Mambo Sprouts” for printable coupons.

Nature’s One (Baby’s Own organic formula).
For every 24 proofs of purchase, you’ll get coupons for two free cans.

Knudsen Juice (natural and organic juices).
$1 off coupon for Sensible Sippers juice boxes.

Laura’s Lean Beef (antibiotic free, hormone free beef products). Sign up to get an instant printable coupon
Mambo Sprouts.

Mambo Sprouts
Miscellaneous printable natural and organic product coupons. Also, if you live in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver/Boulder, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, you can get a copy in the mail. They also provide Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats with a Special Events coupon booklet, which is distributed at events sponsored by each store throughout the entire year.

Midel Cookies (natural cookies).
Currently have coupons in Kiwi, Eating Well, Real Simple Family, Vegetarian Times and Gluten-Free Living, available at health food stores.

Morningstar (meatless burgers, hot dogs, chicken substitute, breakfast items, snacks).
Sign up to be a Morningstar Insider and get special offers and coupons. After you sign up, you’ll receive via e-mail a 75c coupon off one package of Morningstar Farms Southwestern Style or Ginger Teriyaki Veggie Cakes.

Muir Glen (organic canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, purees, soups, ketchup).
Join the Tomato Connoisseurs Club and receive an instant $1 coupon.

Nature Made (natural vitamins).
New members who sign in get $1 coupons.

Numi (organic tea).
Selected boxes have a $1 off 2 boxes peelie coupon.

Odwalla (natural juice).
See “Mambo Sprouts” for printable coupons.

Organic Prairie (organic meat).
Printable coupons for steak, hotdogs, deli meat, other.

Organic Valley (milk, cheese, cottage, cheese, butter).
Coupons for milk, soymilk, cheese, cottage cheese, butter.

Publix Greenwise (monthly magazine available at the front door at Publix and at the customer service desk that contains both Publix and manufacturer’s coupons). You can also get a free subscription delivered to your home.

The Winter 2009 issue has the following coupons: $1 off Eatsmart all natural snacks (exp. 4/30/09), 50c off Apple and Eve Organic Juice (exp. 3/31/09) , $1 off any Back to Nature granola and trail mixes (exp. 2/28/09). The only Publix coupon is the Horizon coupon. All others are manufacturer’s coupons that can be used at any store.

PJ Madisons (organic ice cream). Fill out a very brief survey and you’ll be able to view a 25c coupon.

Rice Select (organic rice).
Sign up to the Rice Select Flavor club and get a $1 coupon in the mail and a free re-useable shopping bag. Also, see “Mambo Sprouts” for printable coupons.

Rosetto (natural pasta).$1 printable coupon.

Seventh Generation (natural cleaning products, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, diapers, wipes).
Coupons for diapers, wipes, laundry, cleaning, dishwashing products.

Shikai (natural haircare, lotions, bronzers, facial care, shower gels).
Free Color Reflect Daily Moisture Conditioner with the purchase of any Color Reflect Shampoo.

Shop Nature Oasis (online natural foods market).
Printable coupons for Organic Valley milk, Boiron, Tofurky and more).

Silk (natural soymilk).
Sign up to receive e-mail offers and they’ll instantly send you 55c coupon via email.

SO Delicious (dairy free ice cream and soy yogurt).
There’s a 50c coupon on the back of select boxes of ice cream bars.

Soyjoy (health bars)
Printable coupon for $1 off 5 bars.

Stonyfield Farm (organic milk, smoothies, yogurt, ice cream).
Coupons for yogurt, milk, smoothies, ice cream.

Sunspire (dairy free, gluten-free chocolate chips and bars).
See “Mambo Sprouts” for printable coupons.

The Natural Dentist (toothpaste and mouth rinse).
$2 printable coupon. Also, you can take the healthy mouth challenge. Purchase two 16oz products and if you’re not satisfied, send in your receipts along with the rebate form and proofs of purchase for a $10 rebate.

Tofurky (meatless Italian sausage, hot dogs, franks, jerky, deli slices, holiday products).
75c coupon for any Roast.

Yogi Organic Tea (tea).
They're currently offering free samples (I think the samples come with coupons).

WholeFoods.
Has an in-store publication called The Whole Deal which contains Mambo Sprouts coupons.

If you're looking for other coupons that aren't necessarily natural and organic, click here (my favorite is a 50c coupon off Cottonelle toilet paper, which my local supermarket will double. The toilet paper retails for 99c, so I'll get it for free! - and yes, you can print out a couple of these coupons!)

To stay up to date on the latest freebies, samples, hot deals, AND organic and natural coupons, subscribe to Affluent Pauper for free updates

How to Use a Breadmaker

A few months ago I was having a conversation with a friend and she told me that she made bread. I mentioned that I've always wanted to buy a breadmaker, but have hesitated because I didn't this to be just another gadget that ends up gathering dust in the basement after the infatuation has died off. I mean, how many garage sales have you been to where they're selling their once-loved ab roller for a dollar? My friend offered to give me her breadmaker. I was very excited about the prospect of making bread but then there was a glitch... the breadmaker didnt have a manual and because the breadmaker was a discontinued, it was hard to track down the manual. But after some research, I came to find that breadmakers have fairly standard features, so once you figure out the basics, you're on your way to a lifetime of healthy, inexpensive bread! I make bread several times a week (oat bread, hallah, cinnamon, italian, etc.) and it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is. You just dump all the ingredients in to a machine, walk away and you come back a while later to a tasty loaf of bread!

Inspired by other blogging moms such as The Centisible Sawyer, I've gone ahead and made a video about how to use a breadmaker! If you're ever been curious about whether or not it really is that easy... check out my YouTube video. After you've watched the video, click on the image so that you can rate it. Please, please rate it!

Questions from readers…Aren’t you sacrificing healthy eating for junk food when you use coupons?

Not at all. That being said, “healthy” is a relative term and it means different things to different people. For example, some people don’t eat meat because they consider it unhealthy. Others see lean meat as a healthy protein. Some stock a wide range of traditional fruits and vegetables at home, while others opt for organic produce. Then there are those of us who diligently try to buy organic and then to save time, we cook those same organic foods on carcinogenic aluminum foil or we nuke the food in the microwave. Go figure.

That being said, I’m often able to combine coupons and sales to get free or low cost organic, natural and healthy items. If you click look at all the free stuff I got in May (June 3rd post) you’ll notice that I combined coupons and sales to get, among other things, free organic yogurt, whole grain pasta and natural cereals. Today, the penny item at Publix was organic oatmeal, and last week it was Greenwise natural toilet paper. So it’s not just about mac n’ cheese, hotdogs and candy. It’s entirely possible to get amazing deals on healthy food. I rarely pay full price for organic milk. Sure, there isn’t an abundance of coupons for fresh produce, but perhaps by saving on other items, you’ll have more money to spend on your favorite healthy produce!

The following manufacturers are currently offering coupons on their sites. Keep in mind that some sites will allow you to print coupons several times. Hitting the back button also helps. Also, just because you print coupons today and reach your maximum printable limit, it doesn’t mean that you can’t go in a few weeks from now and print more (or that you can’t use an alternate computer to print more). I recommend that you sign up for newsletters at your favorite sites so you’re the first to know about special promotions and coupons.

Stonyfield Farm – Coupons for yogurt, milk, smoothies, ice cream
Horizon Organic - $1 off coupons for various dairy
Organic Valley – Coupons for milk, cheese, butter
Mambo Sprouts - Booklet with miscellaneous natural and organic product coupons
Earths Best - Coupons for baby food
Arrowhead Mills – if you send in 3-5 UPCs, they’ll send you either $15 or $25 of OXO kitchen tools
Rosetto - $1 coupon off pasta
Earthbound Farms – coupons for misc. products (7/13 update - I registered on their site for free info. and received two Earthbound Farm coupons for 75c and $1 off lettuce and six 55c coupons for Horizon Organic products.
8th Continent Soy - $1 off coupon for soymilk
Seventh Generation – coupons for diapers, wipes, laundry, cleaning, dishwashing products
Knudsen Juice - $1 off coupon for juice boxes
The Healing Garden – misc. coupons for moisturizer
Organic Prairie – coupons for steak, hotdogs, deli meat, other
Coleman Naturals – coupons for meat
Misc. products – dairy, skincare, gourmet, homeopathic coupons

As you can see, organic merchants offer a variety of coupons on their websites. I’ll continue to post new sites for coupons as I hear about them. If you know of any that aren't listed here, let me know!