Green is the Color of Love

Although I'm happily paired off, I don't really like to make much of a fuss over Valentine's Day. It just seems kind of weird to make your big expressions of love at the same exact time as millions of other couples. But there's no denying the appeal of being doted on any day of the year, and making your gifts green is a nice way to show you’ve put a little extra thought into things.

Forget the overpriced, pesticide-laden—and truth be told, kind of generic—bunch of long-stemmed roses and pick up some fresh wildflowers in your loved one's favorite colors at your local farmers' market. (If you must go traditional, at least make 'em organic.) Fair-trade, shade-grown chocolate is nice, but a homemade treat can be even sweeter. If all the best restaurants are booked, whip up a candle-lit dinner at home. Can't cook? Keep it simple with a romantic picnic, a formula that's endured for hundreds of years: a jug of (organic) wine, a loaf of bread--and thou.

Sierra Goes to the Movies

As film and book reviewer for Sierra, I have to sort through a lot of well-intentioned, but too often dull, strident, or esoteric material. In today's crowded media marketplace, I'm sure even the good stuff struggles to find an audience. So I'm pleased to report that one of the quirkiest, most enjoyable movies to pass my desk in recent months is now showing in select theatres.

As I wrote in January, "The Real Dirt on Farmer John is the true story of a misfit Midwesterner whose artistic spirit and associations with outsiders provoked his neighbors' suspicions--and then helped him save his family farm. Filmmaker Taggart Siegel's documentary begins as an elegy for a dying way of life, but it ends with hope as Farmer John revitalizes the community by bringing in urban dwellers hungry for a connection to their food and the land."

If the movie makes you want to run out and start getting your groceries straight from the ground, it's easy to find a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program near you.