What can I say, she did it again!

I've said it before, I don't like January much, except for two things: LP's upcoming birthday and the Martha Stewart Living issue. Please don't think that I'm obsessed with her (OK, maybe I am a little), but this magazine is so great, it's really the gold standard for all things pertaining to the home. Her recipes and instructions are always perfectly detailed and explained (and good!) without being really fussy, it's impeccably written, the design and pictures are outstanding, and her team really has a knack for finding interesting things, not just cooking and crafts but also tours of historic homes, peculiar landmarks, artisan farmers who raise heirloom chickens or grow long-gone vegetables, collecting pieces that are part of American history, etc. Don't laugh, M and I definitely have an old farmer's almanac side in us: every Sunday we religiously watch and thoroughly enjoy La Semaine Verte (The Green Week) on the French CBC -it's a program on agriculture and farming, with commercials for cow milking industrial equipment, country fairs and animal shows!

The MSL January issue is always one of my favorites: it perfectly embodies my mood at this time of year, wanting to start over again and do better...

Change things up a little in our home: our current project is installing new shelves above the washer and dryer, to free up a downstairs closet that will inherit all the disorganized and scattered sheets, blankets, pillows and cushions we have. We chose basic ones, but will pretty them up a little with these über-cool decals you now see everywhere.

Start thinking about the next gardening season... Pick forsythia and crab apple branches, bring them inside to put them in water, so in a couple of weeks the warmer air will trick them into thinking it's spring and they will light up our dreary days with their blossoms...

Cook and bake (healthily): Thai chicken soup, citrus muffins, stuffed Savoy cabbage, orange and fennel salad...

Get healthier: I'm determined to lose this weight I've recently gained, and I am back on track thanks to an iPhone app that helps me track my calories... It's so simple but it works, because it really makes you aware of portion sizes and curbs mindless eating...

But my favorite part of this current issue had got to be a feature titled "Fresh Thinking: Organic, Local, Seasonal". It *exactly* summarizes an earlier discussion I initiated on this blog last year about choosing produce (for instance here, here, and here). It provides wonderful explanations, answers, as well as a guideline I will keep on referring to.

For instance, what does organic mean? No chemical pesticides or fertilizers, no GMOs, no irradiation, and no hormones or antibiotics (for animal products). Does organic necessarily means it comes from small farms? Actually no, there are gigantic organic farms that have been accused of repeating the less fortunate models of traditional agriculture, such as planting a single crop that will end up somewhat depleting the soil, but as a trade-off they contribute to the wider distribution and greater affordability of organic products. Which one should be preferred, organic or local? According to them, local in certain circumstances, like if the available organic option comes from really far away. They also address seasonality, emphasizing the good sense solution of at least trying to respect nature's rhythm. Of course at least here it would be virtually impossible to only eat local most of the year, and the idea is not to stop enjoying pineapples and mangoes, but you can still make an effort, like freezing berries at their peak instead of buying them in the winter, when they're not any good anyway.

Every aspect is discussed: costs, availability, nutrition, environment (the most striking statement in the whole article has to be that the runoff from fertilizers used for corn and soy crops in the lower Midwest has created a 3,000 square miles dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico where nothing except damaging algae can survive!!!) Did you know that the fruit most eaten by Americans are bananas, by far? And yet, it is only grown in one state: you've guessed it, Hawaii.

The article additionally lays out a gorgeous spread of the "Dirty Dozen" -the fruits and vegetables that contain the highest levels of pesticides (number 1: peaches) and therefore if bought organic can reduce your exposure to pesticides by a whopping 80%, as well as the "Clean Fifteen" -the ones that contain the lowest levels (number 1: onions) and therefore may not be worth the fuss. I downloaded the list over the summer and keep it in my purse, but really, there's nothing like a visual...