Store summer in a jar!

Sounds tempting, doesn't it? I would give almost anything to have the sweet taste of an Ontario peach in my mouth in mid February, when winter just doesn't seem to end! If you aren't already a seasoned veteran, this is the year to start canning, pickling and preserving.

In order to get you started, I've rounded up some of our best articles about pickling, canning and preserving below.

Do you preserve your summer bounty? Do you have any tips for beginners? Are you a beginner and are going to try your hand at canning this year?

• Essential home-canning tools

• Perfect summer preserves: Tips for canning success

• How to tell if your jam or jelly is set

• Canning and preserving: Chili sauces and salsa recipes

• Juicy jam recipes

Biodegradable pens! Who knew?

Do we have to scrutinize everything we use, and question if it's harmful to the environment? Yes, even though it can be a challenge at times, I strongly believe we do. And wherever it's possible to make changes, we should. A coworker of mine recently turned my attention to Paper Mate's new biodegradable pen and mechanical pencil. I admit, before this I never gave much thought to my writing utensils, but now that I know we can even make small changes in that department, it's something I'll think about every time I pick up a pen or pencil.

Paper Mate's new products will decompose in your soil or home compost within a year. They're made from a product called "Mirel", a bioplastic derived from corn sugar. The other thing that's great is both the pen and pencil can be refilled. Paper Mate Biodegradable will be available this September.

Looking for more good news? The pens will run for about $1.50, and the pencils for $3.15. Pretty reasonable in my opinion!

There are also plenty of pens and pencils on the market that are made of sustainable wood and the same bioplastic material - they're cute and make a great gift.

Next time you write down that grocery list, think about what your pen is made of.

I'm sure your all starting to enjoy the first vegetables from your garden. On Sunday for Father's Day I picked a some mixed greens, rocket lettuce and radishes to make a delicious post-dinner salad for my dad and other company. I've been dying to taste fresh, tender Ontario lettuce all winter, and there I was savouring lettuce from my own back porch. It's led me to one conclusion: Summer is grand!

Delicious back porch goodness! I can't wait for my green onions, carrots and tomatoes ...

What have you been enjoying from your vegetable patch?

Don't forget to enter my PC Green giveaway! I'll be announcing a winner this Friday.

Water wisely this summer!

Summer's upon us now, and with the much-anticipated heat we have to keep a close eye on things in our garden to ensure everything is properly hydrated. Dry soil and tomatoes just don't go hand in hand! However, our responsibility doesn't stop at caring for our lawns and gardens. Us Canadians are the second highest users of water in the entire world. That made you gasp, right? Well, here's another factoid: In the summer, our water usage increases by 50 per cent! Not even the greenest of us can go without watering our gardens, but it's of utmost importance that we do what we can to curb our usage.

Here are some quick tips to help you use less water in the garden:

• Always water your lawn, garden and plants in the early morning or evening. Don't wait until mid-day to give everything a good drink - the sun is high in the sky at this point, and your plants will dry up quickly.

• Consider investing in a rain barrel. It will collect water from rain falls and you'll have an endless supply of H2O for all your watering-purposes!

• Plant flowers and plants that require a lot of water close together, so when it's time to water you just have to douse a specific part of the garden, as opposed to the whole thing. Also, try to plant these thirsty fellow below little slopes in your garden, as they'll be happy for the run-off.

• Add some compost or mulch to your garden as it helps the soil retain water. Compost also gives your plants an endless supply of nutrients, so they'll grow big and strong!

• Add an array of native plants to your garden as they already suit our climate!

Do you have any advice for using less water in the garden this summer? Share you watering advice here!

Hiking - A common summer pastime.

With summer arriving in mere days, we all find ourselves willing to pick up hobbies we let fall to the wayside in the winter. One of my most beloved hobbies, running, always gets put on the back burner as soon as there's a chill in the air. There's something about motivating myself to run on ice-covered sidewalks that doesn't really get me up from the couch. This bad attitude lasts from about December to late February. But now that the weather's warmer (and I have no fear of slipping on the ice and breaking an ankle), I can hardly wait to put on my running gear and pound the pavement a few times a week.

There's also a lot more opportunity to get out hiking in my surrounding areas. And with the days getting longer it's just so easy to find an excuse to wile away the time in the woods.

I also intend to keep up with my gardening, catch up on some reading and do some more cooking.

What hobbies will you pick up this summer? Are you going to revive and old craft project? Learn a new talent? Or simply pass the time relaxing on your back deck?

Don't know what to occupy the time with? Try out one of our favourite eco-friendly craft or hobby ideas.

Also, don't forget to enter my President’s Choice Green Stow Away Shopping Bag contest!

Lots of sprouts!

The seedlings I planted about two weeks ago have burst through the soil and are healthy and growing like crazy. Can you identify with that feeling of looking in at your seedlings, and seeing some green heads poking through the soil? I was so happy! I can't wait until it's time to plant my tomatoes (and other goods) outside and to eat a salad made from produce totally foraged from my very own backyard. I've also planted lettuce, carrots, green onions, peppers, nasturtiums, impatiens and geraniums in containers out on the back porch - and there are lots of sprouts popping up in these containers too. I love heading out back when I come home from work to admire all the work I've done. It hasn't even been too much trouble or overly expensive, especially when I consider that amount of produce I'll be enjoying over the summer (that is if little critters and other backyard visitors don't enjoy them first!). The advice you've all given me in this post has been put to good use.

Don't forget to enter the Air Miles My Planet giveaway. I'll be picking five winners tomorrow afternoon.

Check out my sprouts (I'm just so proud of them, I had to show you).

My little seddlings have burst through the soil!

For those of you who made it to the Green Living Show over the weekend, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. What a great event it was! It sure was easy to kill a couple of hours mulling around the show. My most favourite part was the Farm Fresh Fare area and the Grapes and Hops Tasting Pavilion. Both areas sold tasting tickets which allowed you to scour around for yummy samples right up your alley. I enjoyed some delicious Cameron's Dark 266 beer. I'm a big fan of Cameron's, but had never tried the Dark. The verdict: DELICIOUS. Then off to the Farm Fresh Fare to sample Jamie Kennedy's Sour Cherry Smoothie (for those who don't know, he is big on pickles and preserves - and it was quite a treat to taste such great sour cherries). I also enjoyed not one, but two cinnamon buns from Brick Street Bakery who had a stand set up. I feasted on way more delicious food, but am embarrassed to put it all down on paper!!

I've been enjoying the week off work and have been able to catch up on (or start!) some gardening. I finally got some seeds started indoors (and am very late in getting that going), as well as on the back porch. As I have a tiny yard with almost no space to garden in, I'm experimenting with containers. I have many a helpful books I've been consulting along the way (which you'll be able to see in the photograph). I've started tomatoes, basil, thyme, impatiens and marigolds indoors, and planted some lettuce, carrots and green onions outdoors. I bought my tomato, lettuce and basil seeds at the Green Living Show from a very nice woman who gave me tons of helpful advice. She sold me Brookport tomato seeds for my containers, telling me that they're good in smaller spaces as they grow more like a bush. I've never heard of them, but I'm certain they'll be scrumptious. I'm very excited about my little garden, so you'll be hearing lots about it over the season. Do you have any tips/advice/stories for or about container gardening?

Also, I have many great goods left over from my Earth Day giveaways, so be sure to check back regularly for more contests and random giveaways.

Waiting patiently for my goods to grow!

I want to thank you all for giving me such sound advice about starting my little garden. You all obviously know a great deal about gardening - far more than I do. What I would give to walk around your vegetable patch, selecting things for a fresh summer salad! Without further ado, the winner of Marjorie Hariss' Ecological Gardening is (more...)

Yay. Spring is here!

Happy spring to you all! I couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief this morning when I remembered that today is the first day of spring. That thought alone got me out of bed and out the door in an unusually chipper manner. I hope the change of season has freshened your outlook too.

Now, the moment I know you all have been waiting for. The winner of the FilterForGood Prize Pack is (more...)

Today’s Green Living post is by Tara Nolan. She is the web editor of our sister site, CanadianGardening.com. Check out Canadian Gardening’s new site after you read her post about going green in the garden.

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