Blog

The Center for Living Peace in Irvine, CA will be hosting a series of workshops with urban farmer Eugene Cooke, the first of which focuses on Edible Gardening. Cooke has been growing food and supporting sustainable community projects for over 15 years. He is the former technical director of Food Forestry International in Los Angeles. He is currently developing the infrastructure, operations and curriculum for Truly Living Well Center for Urban Agriculture in Atlanta. His gardens are feeding families from the US to Kenya, and he’s recently been spending more time in Southern California, sharing his knowledge and experience in classes, workshops and neighborhood gatherings.

In this Edible Gardening workshop, participants will learn:

• Simple tools to make it EASY to grow food in spaces large and small
• How to use things that fill the urban landscape, like newspaper, cardboard or old fencing, to create a beautiful garden.
• How to grow a garden within your budget and can suit the needs of every grower. 
• How to create community, home, and container gardens
• Ways to accent the home and feed the family

The class will be held on Saturday, March 12^th, at 11am at the Center (4132 Campus Drive Irvine, CA 92612), for a fee of $22 (with a $12 student discount). Pre-registration at is highly encouraged. Interested parties can contact Sabrina Talukder at stalukder@goodhappens.org with questions.

Click here for more information on Eugene Cooke. For more information on the Center for Living Peace, click here.

If you are looking to make a delicious, but healthy Valentine’s Day treat for someone special, try dark chocolate covered strawberries. Strawberries not only look like a heart-shaped valentine, they actually have heart protecting qualities, as well as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. They are filled with vitamin C and antioxidants, which prevent oxygen damage from free radicals in your body’s cell structures and organs, and minimize the effects of aging. By dipping them in dark chocolate you are piling on the health benefits. And here’s how:

Chocolate is made from cacao beans (cocoa beans). The chocolate making process destroys up to half of the flavonoids in the cocoa beans, which are the antioxidants in chocolate. However, dark chocolate is produced to retain 95% of its flavonoids. The higher percentage of cocoa in your dark chocolate, the more beneficial it is for your health. Studies and clinical trials have proven that flavonoids slow the processing of "bad" LDL cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, help prevent plaque formation in arteries, and improve blood flow. By providing good blood flow the strain on your heart is reduced. Dark chocolate also has a low glycemic index, preventing your blood sugar from spiking after eating it. Lastly, dark chocolate affect’s your brain too, by improving mental function and elevating your mood. If you want to let someone know just how much you care about them, make them some of these sweet and healthy treats this Valentine’s Day.