The post Microbes, Volcanoes & Good Old-Fashioned Dirt: Three Good Books on Soil Health appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>It’s a little like the Yellow Volkswagen Bug Theory. When someone you know gets a yellow VW bug, suddenly you begin to see them everywhere you go. Of course, they were there all along. You’ve just become more aware of them.
The same goes with books. Here are three books that touch either directly or indirectly on soil, soil health, rock dust and remineralization.
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Destruction and Renewal: A New Look at Mount St. Helens
Much has been written about the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, so another book about the volcano and the destruction that it left behind seems unnecessary. Yet “Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2016) by author Steve Olson is different. He writes about the event in the context of the times (high unemployment, a gloomy economy, and general malaise) and how these thing affected local and federal decision-making before, during and after the single most powerful natural disaster in American history.
The author ends by applauding the decision to preserve 110,000 acres around the volcano, giving scientists a chance to observe how the land has bounced back. Today, the area enjoys more biological diversity than it did before the blast, thanks largely to the mineral-rich volcanic ash and rock that was deposited on the soil.
On our blog: Read articles on Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes around the world, including “Rich, Healthy Soil with Volcanic Soil Amendments” and “Secrets from the Deep: Volcanic Basalt’s Mineral Benefits Are Far-Reaching.”
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Microbes and Rocks: A Symbiotic Relationship
A geology professor at the University of Washington, David Montgomery is the author of “Dirt,” an influential book which takes a fascinating (and often dim) look at the history of soil and civilization. His newest book is “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2015) which he wrote with his wife, biologist Anne Biklé.
Montgomery and Biklé tell the story of buying a home in Seattle and finding a yard filled with hard, compacted soil. As they bring it back to life, they learn about the role of microbes and the promise they hold for restoring depleted soils. When Biklé gets cancer, she learns that microbes work to benefit our digestive systems in much the same way they work to benefit the soil. Soil health and human health go hand in hand.
In the following passages, the authors describe how microbes and rocks work together for soil health and human health:
“We can’t eat rocks, yet our bodies are made of nutrients that come from rocks. Microbes play key roles in breaking down and extracting elements from rocks and getting them into biological circulation.”
“In something akin to a refining process, microbes help remove essential elements from rocks and keep them in play thereafter in the game of life.”
“Without the help of microbes transforming nutrients into forms plants can use, important elements remain uselessly parked just outside a plant’s roots, like a cargo ship stuck outside port.”
On our blog: Learn more about how rock dust fragments help feed hungry microbes in “Keep Soil Microbes Happy: Feed Them a Healthy Diet of All-Natural Volcanic Rock Dust” and “Soil Minerals and Microbes: A Partnership That Benefits Plants, People and Planet.”
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Healthy Soil, Health Food, Healthy Kids
“We are only as good as the dirt our food is grown in and our kids play in.”
The quote is from Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein, a pediatric neurologist and the author of “The Dirt Cure: Growing Healthy Kids with Food Straight from Soil” (Atria Books, 2016). Beginning with her own son, Dr. Klein discovers that much of our conventionally grown and highly processed food is harming our children’s immune systems and interfering with their gut microbiomes.
The result is lifelong, chronic illness. What is the solution? According to the author, it is good old-fashioned dirt. The “dirt cure,” as the author calls it, includes the following:
On our blog: Learn more about taking control of our children’s health by reading “Going from ‘Fed Up’ to ‘Fired Up:’ Teaching Kids About Soil Health & Nutrition” and “What do Rock Dust and Recess Have to do With Getting Kids to Eat Better?”
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Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Please share your thoughts, ideas and suggestions….and happy reading!
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]]>The post Keeping Fit: Rock Dust Helps Build Healthy Soil That Supports Sports and Recreation appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>In this post, we’ll talk about the role of healthy soil in keeping kids (and adults) active and fit through sports and recreation. Think about it: Without healthy soil, we can’t grow the grass on which we play soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, golf and polo. And where would we play ultimate Frisbee, lawn darts, or bocce?
To grow turf that provides good footing and traction, you need to start with healthy soil. Healthy soil is soil that is teeming with bacteria, fungi, algae, nematodes and anthropods. They are the busy biological “athletes” whose main task is to break down organic material and make nutrients available for plants to absorb.
Like naturally talented athletes, these biological microorganisms don’t need synthetic chemicals to perform. In fact, chemically synthesized fertilizers do more harm than good by feeding plants directly without adding anything back to the soil. Without the proper sustenance, soil cannot support healthy soil organisms, support water retention or retain essential soil nutrients. It becomes so compact and hard that it is uncomfortable to play on—and may even increase the chances of injury.
And yet, many of our sports and recreation fields are doused in chemicals year after year. Some of the reasons are cultural, i.e., we expect to see perfectly manicured and emerald green playing fields. Other reasons come down to old habits and the misguided belief that chemicals are less expensive and more reliable than organic alternatives.
But what about the safety and performance of kids who are being exposed to sports turf toxins? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found multiple pesticide residues in the bodies of children ages 6-11 at significantly higher levels than all other age categories. Yikes.
The fact is that there are viable alternatives to managing playing fields. One of those alternatives is all-natural rock dust made of volcanic basalt. Compared to other volcanic rocks which are high in quartz, basalt weather relatively quickly which means it breaks down readily in soil. Applying finely ground basalt powder to a playing field is like adding a fresh deposit of natural soil minerals.
Volcanic rock dust begins to release nutrients to turf grass as soon as the roots make contact and additional nutrients become available with ongoing weathering. The result is a steady flow of nutrients over time and an improvement in the overall root structure of turf grass. The stronger the roots, the less chance that weeds have to grow. By building overall soil structure, rock dust can also improve water retention and help prevent compaction.
So what can you do? If your school or park system is still using synthetic chemicals, advocate for organic alternatives. As part of an overall organic regimen, rock dust has been proven to help build lawns and fields that dense, functional – and safe.
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About Us: Central Oregon Basalt Products mills massive stones from Central Oregon’s legendary Cascade Mountains to produce Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster, the highest quality volcanic rock dust available. Because it is not a fertilizer and contains no synthetic chemicals or man-made additives, it is safe to use around your plants, children and pets when used as directed.
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]]>The post Protect Pets from Pesticides; Use All-Natural Rock Dust on Grassy Areas appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>Unfortunately, pesticides and fertilizers can be present on lawns and in parks for much longer than 24 hours. Chemicals on pets’ paws can be tracked back into homes—on floors, carpets and furniture. Even worse, they can be ingested when pets clean themselves.
If we can’t give up the idea of a “perfect patch of grass” then shouldn’t we at least use all-natural methods that keep people and pets safe—while protecting our groundwater and improving the soil instead of harming it?
By adding all-natural rock dust to our lawns, we are mimicking the Earth’s own method for producing healthy soil. Volcanic basalt in particular contains micronutrients and trace elements that are important to the life cycle of plants and which enhance the ability of beneficial microbes to flourish. In addition, the naturally occurring silicon in volcanic basalt helps grass to develop bigger and stronger root systems. The denser and stronger the roots, the less room there is for invasive weeds to pop up and take over.
In fact, rock dust is the secret weapon behind many environmentally conscious golf courses—proving that it is indeed possible to find a sustainable solution to the “perfect” lawn. It’s just a matter of readjusting our mindsets, which includes questioning landscaping and lawn service companies who sell “treatments” that involve the regular application and spraying of chemicals.
We’re pretty sure that if Fido* could talk, he’d say “thank you!”
(Of course, we are just using Fido as an example. Cats appreciate all-natural solutions as much as their canine counterparts! Woof! Meow!)
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When looking for rock dust made of volcanic basalt, look for a high-quality product that is listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in organic production. One product that meets this criteria is Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster which is made entirely in the USA from all-natural volcanic basalt from Central Oregon.
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]]>The post Do You Need Supplements? How Soil Nutrients Affect Human Health appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>Yet even the healthiest among us face challenges that were unheard of just a few decades ago. In a recent interview with Fox News, Dr. Michael A. Smith (author of The Supplement Pyramid) pointed out three major barriers to nutrition that today’s generation faces. They are:
1. Chronic Stress: We live in a 24/7 digitally connected culture where information is blasted at us through a fire hose. In addition, many of us are working harder to pay bills and take care of children and elderly parents. The result is constant and chronic daily stress—which puts us at risk for a variety of serious diseases.
2. Chemical Toxins: Environmental toxins surround us. According to the Fox News piece, 84,000 synthetic chemicals are currently manufactured and processed in the United States alone. Almost 1,000 new chemicals are introduced each year.
3. Nutrient Poor Soil: Every soil survey conducted by the United States since the 1920s has shown low levels of soil nutrients. Soil that is nutrient deficient produces crops that are nutrient deficient—and those deficiencies show up in our bodies.
We aren’t doctors, so we can’t say whether supplements are something to consider for your own lifestyle. But we are soil specialists, and we’ve written multiple articles about the implications of soils that have been depleted of essential minerals and trace elements.
Minerals are what create the sweetness, flavor and nutrition in our food. If they aren’t in the soil, they aren’t in the plants that produce the fruits and vegetables that we eat. Unfortunately, much of the conventionally grown produce that you see in grocery stores is grown in soil that has been depleted of minerals. So while it looks good, it doesn’t taste very good—and it isn’t giving our bodies what they need.
One of the best ways to make sure you are getting enough great-tasting, nutritious food is to grow your own in soil that has been remineralized with all-natural volcanic rock dust. Rock dust is Mother Nature’s own way of making minerals available to plants in the balanced form they need to thrive. In a sense, rock minerals are to soil health what prebiotics and probiotics are to human health.
On a larger scale, we must be willing to change the way we treat our earth’s most precious resource. We simply cannot continue with large-scale farming techniques that take minerals out of the soil without putting them back in. The way to get minerals back into our soils is to put them there. Soil remineralization is so simple, and yet so powerful—and so beneficial to the health of our soil as well as our bodies and minds.
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About Us: Our mission is to help people eat more nutritious food that they grow themselves. Our all-natural Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster is made from massive basalt stones from Central Oregon’s legendary Cascade Mountains. Rocks are crushed to produce a finely ground, 100% natural product that is approved for organic production and releases the essential minerals and trace elements that plants and humans need to flourish.
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]]>The post What do Rock Dust and Recess Have to do With Getting Kids to Eat Better? appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>The good news is that kids, parents and educators are getting the message and are making efforts to get rid of obvious health dangers like sugary sodas, sport drinks and processed junk food.
There is one big challenge, however.
HOW do you get kids to replace the junk (which has been manufactured to taste great) with the nutrient-dense food that is good for them (yet tastes very different from what they might be used to)?
Recent studies that show that a child’s external environment has a lot to do with how well he or she eats at school. A healthy environment leads to a healthier lunch. Suggestions include:
But it also stands to reason that if we want kids to EAT better, we have to GROW things that TASTE better!
The problem is that much of the conventionally grown produce that you see in grocery stores is grown in soil that has been depleted of minerals. Minerals are what create the sweetness, flavor and nutrition in our food. If they aren’t in the soil, they aren’t in the plants that produce the fruits and vegetables that we eat.
Moreover, missing minerals are just that: they are missing. No amount of organic matter will make up for minerals that are missing. And synthetic fertilizers are just temporary fixes—they give plants a quick rush of food (similar to the sugar rush you get from eating a jelly donut), but they don’t do anything to restore and rebalance the health of the soil.
One of the best ways to introduce children to great-tasting, nutritious food is to grow your own in soil that has been remineralized with all-natural volcanic rock dust. Rock dust is Mother Nature’s own way of making minerals available to plants in the balanced form they need to thrive. In a sense, rock minerals are to soil health what prebiotics and probiotics are to human health.
Still have a picky eater? Remember, kids will be kids and the best way to get them interested in fruits and vegetables is to keep introducing them to nutritious foods in a rainbow of colors. More often than not, curiosity will take over and they’ll give it a try! For more ideas, check out the ideas in this article on EcoWatch titled “How to Get Your Kids to Eat Superfoods.”
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Known as “Nature’s Original Recipe,” Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster is manufactured from volcanic basalt found in Central Oregon’s legendary Cascade Mountains. Massive stones are milled to produce a finely ground soil booster that releases naturally occurring minerals and trace elements to help your plants flourish.
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]]>The post Don’t Settle: Use Rock Dust to Grow Great Tasting, Mineral-Rich Food appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>(Of course, fresh produce will ALWAYS be better for our health than the processed and packaged junk that fills up the aisles of the rest of the store. Stick to the perimeter when you do your shopping, and buy organic whenever possible and when it makes sense for you.)
Aside from the obvious health issues (i.e., pesticides and other residue), today’s produce might not even be delivering the vitamins and minerals that it should. What we used to think of as minimally accepted levels of nutritional content have suddenly become “nice to have’s.” The reality is that most conventionally grown produce falls into the “have not” category, with nutritional content that is woefully lacking.
How did this happen? What can we do about it?
For decades, we assumed that the soil would sustain us—even if we mistreated it by over farming and through the application of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers. For a while, things worked. But it was an illusion. Synthetic fertilizers work quickly, giving plants a quick rush of food to force them into production. But they do nothing to nourish the soil, and the result is fruits and vegetables that look good but taste like absolutely nothing because they are missing the minerals that give them sweetness and flavor.
Ask any organic gardener and they’ll tell you that the first indication of declining soil health is food that doesn’t taste as good as it should. Ever bite into a beautiful red tomato…only to get a mealy mouthful? Or expect ALL iceberg lettuce to taste…blah? Then you’ve eaten inferior food. And that should get you MAD (okay, at least fired up and ready to see some change!).
The solution is a complete overhaul of how we treat our earth’s most precious resource. We simply cannot continue with large-scale farming techniques that take minerals out of the soil without putting them back in. (Nor can we wait for Mother Earth to replenish our soils. It would take an apocalyptic combination of volcanoes, glaciers and floods to deposit the necessary minerals that will undo the damage we’ve already done.)
The way to get minerals back into our soils is to put them there. Soil remineralization is so simple, and yet so powerful—and so beneficial to the health of our soil as well as our bodies and minds. For the richest soil, the healthiest plants and mineral-rich food, use an all-natural product like Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster to grow the nutrient-dense food that you and your family deserve.
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]]>The post Resolve to Feed Your Soil a Healthy Diet in the New Year appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>If you are like many people, your New Year’s resolutions may include a promise to start eating healthier. After all, it is one of the most popular resolutions year after year. For many, this means eating less sugar and starch, drinking more water, and adding plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to their daily diet.
But what if the soil could talk? Listen carefully, because chances are that it is saying “Feed me a healthy diet, too!”
Silly? Not at all! Healthy soil is filled with millions of living, breathing microorganisms that also need to eat. These hungry microorganisms compete with plants for essential nutrients and micro nutrients that are derived primarily from the organic matter that they feed upon.
Unfortunately, many soils are seriously depleted for a variety of reasons—ranging from natural conditions to over-farming and/or the application of synthetic fertilizers. The “quick-and-dirty” solution is to feed the plants, but not the soil. That’s what chemical fertilizers do. They deliver nutrients to plants directly but do not improve the overall health of the soil. In the long run, this leads to a breakdown of soil structure resulting in weaker plants, increased risk of disease and, ultimately, soil infertility. The consequences are dire—and unsustainable.
Fortunately, more and more people are awakening to the notion that healthy soil leads to healthy plants and, ultimately, a healthy planet. There are many organic soil amendments to choose from, and naturally we encourage you to read about the benefits of 100% natural Cascade Minerals Remineralizing Soil Booster which mimics the Earth’s own process for producing healthy soil.
Happy (and healthy) gardening wishes for the New Year!
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]]>The post All-Natural Volcanic Basalt is a Safe Alternative to Rock Salt and Chemical Ice Melters appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>The good news is that there are all-natural alternatives to rock salt and harsh chemicals, which can stain and corrode sidewalks and driveways—not to mention kill surrounding plants, cause long-lasting damage to soil, and endanger people and pets.
For people who need superior traction and who care about protecting the planet, Cascade Minerals has a new traction product made of the same all-natural volcanic basalt found in our Remineralizing Soil Booster. A slight difference is that the volcanic basalt, which still comes from the mountains of Central Oregon, is ground in such a way to provide excellent traction for cars, trucks and pedestrians.
How It Works
Unlike other products, Cascade Minerals’ new traction product doesn’t dissolve. It will turn ice and snow black, causing the ice and snow to melt during the day and leaving behind a layer of finely ground volcanic rock to provide traction.
By its very nature as ground volcanic rock, our new traction product digs into ice and snow and provides “instant grip” which makes it essential for carrying in a car or truck for winter emergencies.
The best news of all? Cascade Minerals’ new traction product actually delivers nutrition in the form of essential minerals and trace elements to the soil and the surrounding plants, working the same magic as our organic Remineralizing Soil Booster (which is OMRI Listed for organic production). And with no synthetic or man-made materials, all of our products are safe to use around kids, pets and other wildlife.
Our product is so safe and effective, that iconic Timberline Lodge has ordered it for the winter (see accompanying photo).
The Benefits
Cascade Minerals’ all-natural traction product:
So there’s more ice and snow on the way? We say, “Bring it on!”
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]]>The post Add Remineralizing Soil Booster to Compost to Feed your Plants a Balanced Diet appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>One way to increase the energy level, or heat, of your compost pile is to add a high quality, nutrient-rich rock dust. Rich in silicon-based minerals and trace elements, it acts as an additional source of nutrition for the millions of microbes whose job it is to break down the organic matter in the pile. Think of it as the “catalyst” that helps the hungry microbes eat their food faster!
Listen as agronomist Rich Affeldt talks about how to get the most out of your compost by adding an all-natural rock dust like Cascade Minerals’ Remineralizing Soil Booster which is made entirely of volcanic basalt from Central Oregon:
Composting is one of the best investments you can make in your garden. With the addition of mineral-rich rock dust, you can speed up the composting process and get back to the business of growing healthy and productive plants. The result is nutritious fruits and vegetables that look better, taste better, and are better for you and your family than the food that is typically found in supermarkets.
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]]>The post Food Waste: Why Curvy Carrots May Be the Key to Our Planet’s Future appeared first on Cascade Minerals.
]]>So what’s behind our wastefulness? Inefficient business practices are partly to blame. But much of the fault lies directly with us—consumers who don’t know how to shop wisely or are too finicky to accept produce that isn’t cosmetically “perfect” in appearance.
This is just one more reason that more people need to learn to grow food on their own. Home gardeners and organic growers know that without applying an overabundance of harmful chemicals there is no such thing as the “perfect” carrot or the “ideal” strawberry. Organic gardening requires a willingness to accept imperfections—things like curvy carrots and spotted pears. This is a good thing, something to celebrate!
Balancing Act
An obsession with perfection leads to quick fixes (e.g., pesticides, synthetic fertilizers) instead of long-term solutions (e.g., organic compost, soil remineralization). But put yourself in Mother Nature’s shoes—balance is far more important than perfection. More often than not, the key to growing healthy, balanced plants begins with the soil.
Here are just a few steps to follow to ensure the long-term health of your soil:
For more tips, read “Eight Steps for How to Make Better Garden Soil.”
Last but not least, learn to embrace imperfection. The “fruta feia” movement (which translates to “ugly fruit”) is gaining ground in Europe and already has its champions here in the U.S. To which we say…it’s about time!
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