Back to Green Living Skills with Mary's Wholesome Living

Mary doing her thing

Written for Mindful Metropolis, August Mindful Business Matters Blog

Do you love the idea of growing your own fresh produce, making home made bread, blueberry preserves, kombucha tea and such – but you don’t live on a farm or know where to begin? Not to worry. We have a local gal who will have you living like a farm kid in the city in no time.

Mary Lydon Krystinak, founder and woman extraordinaire of Mary’s Wholesome Living Ltd., (MWL) teaches back to basic green living skills. She and her husband John always wanted to live on a farm and loved the idea of self-sufficiency, but life happened…career, family, etc. They still made sure they grew plenty of their own food and kept a small farm charm about their house.

Now Mary is on a mission to “provide practical education, real life experiences and helpful connections to live a more down-to-earth lifestyle.” She believes people want to know what’s in their food. Cooking from scratch gives you complete control over what you add or leave out (like pesticides). It is also a growing trend as the commitment to buying local food continues through CSA’s and farmers markets.

Upcoming Classes

• September – All things tomatoes, salsas, marinara sauce, soup, etc

Canning is very environmentally friendly. Mary says glass jars can be used for years (she has some that are over 40 years old) and they need no additional energy for storage, with a shelf life of up to 2 years. She goes a step further and puts her scraps from canning into the compost or her worm bin to feed next years crop.

Mary’s Wholesome Living Classes are held around the suburbs, but are mostly often taught at the Two Mothers Foods’ kitchen in Naperville, Ill. The classes are all hands on learning and focus on what’s seasonal and include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Canning
• Pickling
• Preserving
• Cheese Making
• Bread Making
• Kombucha
• Butter
• Ghee
• Gluten Free Baking
• Composting
• Worm Farming
• Lasagna Gardening
• Knitting

If you are interested in learning more or attending a class you can join MWL’s email list via wholesomemary@att.net or the website.

Alexandra Gnoske is an Environmental Expert. She is the Author/Illustrator of "Loui Saves the Earth" and Founder of RECYCLE ME.