Freshtopia Videos
newest 100 freshtopia videos / freshtopia widgets / media rss:

We ve been composting in our homemade worm bin for 5 months now. Through trials and tribulations, we ve learned a lot about the right environment for worms! In fact we experimented so much, that we managed to decimate our entire worm population. *Sigh*. Master composter and Freshtopia diva, Barb Finnin, came by to see how our worm bin was doing after all this time. Thank goodness she was so encouraging! She helped us haul our semi-composted compost (and dead worm population) to our new backyard composting bins where it can still be useful. We also get a look at a Wriggly Wranch-a multi-layered worm bin that our neighbors purchased at a discount from our county waste management. Seems that if you can get the discount, the layered method is the way to go. We will try again using homemade methods, but this time we ll have a little bit more knowledge to keep our worms alive. Thanks Barb!

We enjoyed our conversation and worm bin making adventure with Freshtopia's Barb Finnin so much that we've decided to give you another little taste! Barb and Ryanne discuss the radical-ness that is composting and how to avoid bringing non-compostables (darn plastic bags!) into your home. Author: RyanIsHungry Keywords: freshtopia barb finnin videobloggingweek2007 compost apartment green sustainable sanfrancisco ryanishungry Added: March 7, 2008

We enjoyed our conversation and worm bin making adventure with Freshtopia s Barb Finnin so much that we ve decided to give you another little taste! Barb and Ryanne discuss the radical-ness that is composting and how to avoid bringing non-compostables (darn plastic bags!) into your home.

UPDATE: We have modified this original design to a shallower, more airy worm bin. Check out our new design here, http://ryanishungry.com/2007/09/14/vermicomposting-born-again-worm-bin/ Cheers! Good Luck! Barb Finnin is part of the amazing Freshtopia team. She s a certified master composter- her specialty is Vermicomposting with worms. We were super excited to learn that we could compost in our city apartment with a homemade worm bin even though we don t have a yard. Throwing food scraps away in the garbage is not something either of us enjoys, so having a green alternative has been more than satisfying for our sustainability goals. After 4 weeks, our worms are happy and thriving. Find out more about Vermicomposting and other forms of composting on Wikipedia. Visit Barb at Freshtopia.net. Runtime- 9:47

There's a raw juice movement sweeping the nation. ...as is seems to do from time to time. I remember my family briefly going through a similar craze when I was young. It seems to be a binge and purge business, there one minute, gone the next. This goes a long way toward explaining the impressive selection of juicers to be found in many suburbian rummage sale block parties. Well, color me a bandwagoner, I'm hooked. For how long it will last, no one knows. Many folks in the raw food community are onboard already, such as Phillip, Heidi, and Kris, to name just a few. Last week I wrote about my favorite fresh juice, or more precisely, about its color. This week we're showing how to make it. Without further ado, we give you... "The Director's Cut." The Director's Cut: 2-3 large carrots, to taste 2 ribs celery 2 ribs celery

There s a raw juice movement sweeping the nation, as it seems to do from time to time. I remember my family briefly going through a similar craze when I was young. It seems to be a binge and purge business, there one minute, gone the next. This goes a long way toward explaining the impressive selection of juicers to be found in many suburbian rummage sale block parties. Well, color me a bandwagoner, I m hooked. For how long it will last, no one knows. Many folks in the raw food community are onboard already, such as Phillip, Heidi, and Kris, to name just a few. Last week I wrote about my favorite fresh juice, or more precisely, about its color. This week were showing how to make it. Without further ado, we give you The Director s Cut. The Director s Cut: 2-3 large carrots, to taste 2 ribs celery ½ cucumber ½ green apple 1 small beet 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger Since weve been slow posting this past week, were going to be sure to include a bonus recipe in this week s edition of our mailing list, the Freshtopian. If you haven t already signed up, just enter your preferred email address in the widget at the sites upper right corner. That issue will be coming out this Sunday, so be sure to tell all the neighborhood kids to sign up to receive the free recipe and secret decoder ring. no, there s no decoder ring. Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

I m growing to really love Michael Pollan. Among other things, Pollan s seventeen minute TED Talk (above) takes us on a tour of the survival of the fittest, from a grass-eye perspective. Pollan, director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley, is probably best known for his 2006 book The Omnivore s Dilema. Regardless of your views on omnivorousness, vegetarianism, veganism, Pollan gets people thinking deeper about food and where it comes from, and that is a true service to our surprisingly nature-starved culture. Alas, you won t find many fun graphics or sound effects, but if you re a foodie and care about the world around you, you many find this interesting. This far-ranging talk covers ground from the human genome project to the sophisticated yet simply logical permaculture of Polyface Farms. You can check out some of the other TED Talks here. Oscar Director, Freshtopia.net

I don’t know why I’m only getting around to posting this now, it’s quite a treasure. A few months ago our resident Tanja-avatar-designer and most prolific video commenter, Steelee, told me about this post he had found on how to build a better mousetrap. The contraption is easy to build, effective, mouse-merciful, essentially free, and is more fun to watch than American Gladiators on ice. The jist is this: Flatten one side of a toilet paper tube Put a meal fit for a rodent at one end, a bit of peanut butter works great Get a tall trash can or bucket, 20 inches minimum Precariously place the tube on a table or counter edge, balanced with the treat end hanging over the bucket below The mouse, craving both peanut butter and confined spaces, will crawl into the tube Mouse, and tube, topple into the awaiting receptacle below Drop the critter off in the country, a mile or two away, where it’ll be healthier, if not happier The original post comes from a chap named Chris Glass. I’ve been dropping in on his site often, ever since Steelee sent me the link. The site is filled with great design, photographs, and a journal section worth checking out often. It reminds me of a personal version of one of my favorite art sites, CoolHunting. Thanks for the use of the illustrations Chris! UPDATE :: Speaking of video commenting, Steelee and Jessica just sent me this video of their TP-tube mousetrap. These two are so talented, they didn t even need the tube! Oscar Director, Freshtopia.net

This Valentine's day, we've gone buck-rogers with a racy show about aphrodesiacs! For the occasion we've concocted a pulse-punding chocolate sauce chock-full of sensuous spices like maca, cayenne, and cinnamon to get you in the mood for love. Treat your sweetie, (or yourself!) and use it to top some of our fabulous nearly raw vegan ice cream from episode #0055 , or if you live in New York, grab some awesome raw vegan ice cream from Pure Food and Wine. Feel the love! Ginger-Cardamom Ice Cream:1 recipe "Simply Vanilla Ice Cream Base" and... add to the blender:1T fresh ginger juice, or 2t dried ginger1/8t cardamom Sensuous Spicy Chocolate Sauce:Serves 2 with extra for drizzling! 3T raw cocoa1t maca powder1t carob powder1/4t cinnamonpinch cayenne pepperpinch sea saltagave to moisten, about 4Twater as needed Whisk all sauce ingredients in a small dish, add water if the mixture remains un-saucy. Serve portions of the ice cream topped with the sauce, fresh banana and chopped raw almonds.Tags: ice cream, sundae, valentine's day, vegan

This Valentines day, weve gone buck-rogers with a racy show about aphrodisiacs! For the occasion weve concocted a pulse-pounding chocolate sauce chock-full of sensuous spices like maca, cayenne, and cinnamon to get you in the mood for love. Treat your sweetie, (or yourself!) and use it to top some of our fabulous nearly raw vegan ice cream from episode #0055, or if you live in New York City, grab some awesome raw vegan ice cream from Pure Food and Wine. Feel the love! Ginger-Cardamom Ice Cream: 1 recipe Simply Vanilla Ice Cream Base and add to the blender: 1T fresh ginger juice, OR 2t dried ginger 1/8t cardamom Sensuous Spicy Chocolate Sauce: Serves 2 with extra for drizzling! 3T raw cocoa 1t maca powder 1t carob powder 1/4t cinnamon pinch cayenne pepper pinch sea salt agave syrup to moisten, about 4T water as needed Whisk all sauce ingredients in a small dish, add water if the mixture remains un-saucy. Serve portions of the ice cream topped with the sauce, fresh banana and chopped raw almonds. Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), MPEG4 Video (.mp4), Flash Video (.flv)

Thanks largely to the inspiration of Heidi Ohlander and Philip McClusky, I’ve been on a bit of a raw juicing jag for the last week. This trend is going around at the moment and I’ve finally gotten on board, or at least am beginning to wade in. While many are going on an all-juice diet for a period of weeks or months, that is not my fate, there are too many other components to my cancer diet that I need to adhere to. In fact, this post isn’t even about juicing. It’s about the color of beets. While I have been getting the charge associated with juicing, mostly I find myself drawn to the amazing colors I’ve been finding in the process. I come from an art background; I graduated with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and spent four years showing my paintings and sculptures before starting my own animation and video business. Yes, I actually made a living as a painter, believe it or not. I’ve always been attracted to earthen tones, black, and deep, brooding reds. These colors found their way into most of my paintings back in the day, circa nine or more years ago. Now fast forward to the present, and Freshtopia.net. I had never consciously considered how my preferred color palette in paintings of old might affect my tastes on the show, be it in food or show aesthetics. I just realized it has. The juicing phenom didn’t really resonate with me until a beet was thrown into the mix. As soon as a small dose of the ruby elixer entered my glass it overwhelmed, visually at least, the rest of the carrot, ginger, apple and celery juice. When the reds hit it was like something was triggered in my mind, making is something that I suddenly had to have. Yes, I like the taste of beets well enough, but in this case it was the color that got me. Interestingly, many foods deep red in color have substantial cancer-fighting properties. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an anti-cancer powerhouse. The capsaicin found in chili peppers is a powerful antioxidant. And the chemical agent in beets that give them their rich red-purple, betacyanin, is a clinically proven cancer fighter. Beets are also associated with reduced heart disease and birth defect rates. Click here to read more about the health benefits of beets. Oh, and studies cited in the former link suggest that the anti-cancer properties of beets are greatly diminished by heat and cooking, so eat them raw, or at least take it easy on the heat. Sidebar: The thing about juicing that has always bothered me a bit is the idea of throwing away all that perfectly good pulp. As such, two days ago I decided to add a bunch of pulp to a batch of flax crackers I was putting together. The next day when they were finished I was very excited to see that I had two-tone crackers, one side beet-red, the other flax-gold, again a faithful representation of my palette of choice. Apparently the liquid(ish) flax base settled through the more fibrous pulp layer – gold on the bottom, red on the top. Ok, enough romancing the red. This was all just an excuse for a little food porn anyways. Perhaps I’m a vampire at heart. I propose that in a world of vegetarian vampires, beets would be the fix of choice.

This recipe was inspired by Anthony, aka the Raw Model, and his nifty list of 5 things to eat every day for health and beauty. It was a well-intentioned soup, simple and unassuming, comprised of some of my very favorite things to eat, all in one convenient bowl. What we ended up with however, was a watery bowl of grayish-green horror, with a crime-scene chili swirl. Sorry Anthony. Despite the soup's tragic disposition, the episode may be worth a check-out, if nothing more than as a cautionary tale. "What not to do with grapefruits." The music, by our friend Justin Winokur , is great, and there is a healthy dose of nervous laughs to accompany. If we're still friends after you watch this, consider tuning in next week. Among other things we'll be showing you how to make our variation of green lemonade, as well as blogging up a storm. Here's the recipe, so you know what to avoid... Sundried Tomato-Chipotle Swirl: 1/3C olive oil 1/4C sundried tomatoes 1 small dried chipotle pepper 1t mustard Sea salt and pepper to taste Grapefruit Avocado Soup: 2 large grapefruit, peel and pith removed 1 large avocadoTags: grapefruit, raw food, soup

Happy Lunar New Year! February 7, 2008 begins the year of the Rat, the first year of the Chinese zodiac, a time of activity and renewal. Today we’ll take you on a quick tour of lunar new year basics, factoids, and food traditions. It is said that this is a good year to make a fresh start, and after the year we’ve had, we couldn’t agree more! As uncertified joy practitioners, we here at Freshtopia.net love a good reason to celebrate and eat some delicious food. So why not wear a little red, do a spot of cleaning (a lunar new year tradition), bring some fresh blossoms into your home and enjoy some healthy, auspicious fruits and vegetables? In addition to tossing a little green, Tanja put together a wonderful, earthy, spicy parsnip noodle salad for this episode. We’ll be putting the recipe in the next edition of the Freshtopian, so if you haven’t already signed up, do so by entering your preferred address in the field at the site’s upper-right.Tags: chinese new year, lunar new year, year of the rat

This episode we take you on a quick and dirty (and occasionally bloody) history of Valentine’s Day. The story of this holiday and its patron saint is still a bit of a mystery. From Roman pagan festivals Lupercalia, to saintly love letters sent from the joint, the truth behind the origins of Saint Valentine’s Day continue to illude. Be sure to check back next Tuesday, when we'll be showing you how to make some festive pagan treats of your own!Tags: history, love, lupercalia, pagan, valentine

This episode we take you on a quick and dirty (and occasionally bloody) history of Valentines Day.  The story of this holiday and its patron saint is still a bit of a mystery.  From Roman pagan festivals (Lupercalia), to saintly love letters sent from the joint, the truth behind the origins of Saint Valentines Day continue to illude.  Be sure to check back next Tuesday, when we ll be showing you how to make some festive pagan treats of your own. -Oscar Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), MPEG4 Video (.mp4), Flash Video (.flv)

A quick tour and history of this surprisingly young fruit.

This episode would probably be better titled "Sage-Pistachio Pesto", but the allure and onomatopoeia possibilities of the word squash were too many to avoid. This recipe is another winner. We originally shot this episode before we left on our cross-country train trip, but we had the dish again last night and I can honestly say it's even better the second time. I'll be asking for this one again soon. The episode calls for shredded butternut squash as a base, though after trying it over shredded parsnip last night, I have a slight preference for the latter. Sage-Pistachio Pesto: 1/2 Cup fresh sage 1/2 Cup raw pistachios 1/3 Cup olive oil 1 small clove garlic 1 T nutritional yeast Peel, de-vein, and chop garlic. Add all pesto ingredients to food processor and blend to desired consistency. Serve over julienned butternut squash, or the shredded vegetable of your choice. Thanks once more to Justin Winokur for his generous contribution of just the right music. Happy new year Justin!Tags: food, freshtopia, pesto, pistachio, raw food, SAGE

Going home.

This is an event that will one day reach great renown… the first Christmas Special in online media history. Well, the first to our knowledge at any rate. This is day one of three action-packed days of Freshtopian Christmas cheer, featuring food, fun, green gift ideas, holiday stress relievers, and more. In today’s episode we will first illustrate a reclaimed stocking craft idea. Next, Barb Finnin gives us some green stocking-stuffer ideas (see links below for purchase). Lastly, yoga instructor extraordinaire Kate Schox shows us a holiday stress-relieving pose. Happy Holidays!Tags: Christmas, freshtopia, freshtopia.net, stockings, yoga

It s day two of the Freshtopia.net Christmas Special! We hope you enjoyed our first day of Christmas Pockets, pocket stuffers, and relaxing yoga. Now get ready to plunge into a recipe that s more than fit for the holidays: Vegan White Chocolate Ice Cream with Port-Poached Figs. This is the perfect dessert to curl up with next to your fireplace . . . or if you live like we do at the BOT house, the one and only heater in the house. In this episode we talk about the divine and delectable ingredient raw cacao butter. It is a must-have in the pantry, yet it’s hard to find in the store so we recommend purchasing it online. We hope you are tantalized by today’s recipe and prepare it for your friends and family this holiday season. Come back tomorrow to view the Freshtopia.net Christmas Finale! Vegan White Chocolate Ice Cream with Port-Soaked Figs: Based on a Recipe Created With Love from Heidi and Justin Makes About 1 Quart 2 Cups Raw Cashews 2 Cups Purified Water 1/2 cup Maple Syrup 1/2 cup Agave Nectar 1/4 cup grated raw cacao butter (raw white chocolate) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR 1 vanilla bean pinch of sea salt 1 Cup dried organic figs, halved 1 Cup port or organic red wine 1 teaspoon vanillia Blend all ingredients in blender for 2 minutes to reach as smooth a consistency as possible*, chill mixture in freezer for about 1 hour. Process mixture in ice cream maker according to your model’s instructions, we’re using Cuisinart’s ICE-25. Place into re-sealable container and put in freezer to firm up! *Note: if using a regular blender, consider soaking the cashews in the water to soften and make blending easier.

Welcome! This is an event that will one day reach great renown… the first Christmas Special in online media history. Well, the first to our knowledge at any rate. This is day one of three action-packed days of Freshtopian Christmas cheer, featuring food, fun, green gift ideas, holiday stress relievers, and more. In today’s episode we will first illustrate a reclaimed stocking craft idea. Next, Barb Finnin gives us some green stocking-stuffer ideas (see links below for purchase). Lastly, yoga instructor extraordinaire Kate Schox shows us a holiday stress-relieving pose. Note too the bonus clip below today’s episode. This is a cropped reissue of last year’s Christmas episode, in which we make a little something called Freshtopian Analog Nog, a rich, sweet, comforting and dairy-free alternative to classic egg nog. We love this recipe, and are hoping it will make its way into your rotation of Christmas traditions. Click the “green gift ideas” banner in the left column to learn more about today’s green stocking stuffers, as well as other great green gift ideas. … Oh! And be sure to click on your video Christmas card in the left column as well. Just look for the picture of the lovely Tanja Andrews!