SO as the holidays rapidly approach us and no one seems to have enough time to do all the stuff they want or need to do I would like to offer just a few tips that may make your holidays a little greener!
I am sure everyone is busy wrapping gifts, I can remember the days of garbage bag after garbage bag FILLED with wrapping paper that just get tossed to the curb, so much waste!! Why go spend your hard earned money on paper that is just going to be thrown away after about 30 minutes of use? Why not have a more " old fashion" way of wrapping by using news papers or paper bags and maybe decorating them up with some pine cones or string bows??? And after all the paper gets torn off the presents it can be put into your compost bin or tilled directly into your garden!!
May of use have had the same lights used for decorating for years...and that is good....however there are many more options these days for more energy efficient lights. So if you need to replace any of yours this year try going for the LED lights that are just as bright but use less energy. And if you are just replacing some that you already have don't throw away your old ones take them to the Goodwill or Salvation Army so that someone else can enjoy them.
And then there is the question " what on earth do I do with all these boxes???" Well since you asked, flatten them down and put them on top of your garden. Why? First they act as natural weed suppression.....if the weeds can't get sunlight they can't grow! Second worms love cardboard boxes. The boxes will actually attract worms to your garden....and we all want lots of worms!! Lots of worms = healthy soil!
Please make sure you are composting all your food wastes too. I know I do ALOT of cooking for the holidays and what better way to get that compost bin full? ( and if there is any left over beer from your holiday parties put that in the compost bin too!!!)
Some of you may be using the fireplace or wood burning stove....don't throw away that ash!!! Spread it out into the garden, flowerbeds or put it directly into your compost bin. ( just make sure it is not hot so you don't damage your bin!!!)
In some towns and cities there are recycling programs for your tree...but if your location doesn't have that you don't have to throw your tree in the trash! Let your tree dry out and shake off the needles to use as mulch or dry your tree and have a little bonfire and use the ashes for the garden or compost bin! You can even just put the tree in a corner of your yard to let it decompose naturally. By doing this you are actually creating a habitat for birds and other little creatures. They will use the tree until it is no more.
Well I guess that is all for today. If you can think of something I forgot or have your own little tips please feel free to leave your ideas in the comment section below!!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
" First Timers"
As I was milling about today I realized that some people reading this blog may have never gardened or planted anything before..... I apologize for not giving you the basic information to get you headed in the right direction. So today i will inform you about........
SOIL!!!!!
No not dirt......SOIL! You may thinking to yourself...what is the difference???? Well let me explain!
Dirt.....dirt is something that is on your clothes, shoes or a road. You do not want to plant anything in Dirt....Dirt is, for all intensive purposes,.....Dead....and if you plant in dirt your plants will be too!!
Soil ....it could be argued that soil is the foundation for all life....but that is a little too philosophical for me so lets just go with soil is ALIVE. ( ok I don't mean soil is alive like it will go have a cup of coffee, or mop the floor for ya but bare with me!)
Soil does, in it's own respect, breathe....there is a gas exchange that does go on within the soil. Soil houses many ( too many for me to count) organisms ...large such as worms, small such as ants and microscopic such as various bacterias.....good and bad. A good soil has all the essential nutrients for plant growth. ( Dirt has... NO NUTRIENTS)
Some of us are blessed to have very rich soils...however in this day and age with all the subdivisions and building that goes on most of us have lost our layer of top soil in our back yard and we are left with the sub-soil.....still soil but not as "good" as the layer that was taken away. So what are we aspiring gardeners to do???
First off I recommend getting a soil test done on your property. This is a rather simple, inexpensive process you can do with the help of your local Co-op or extension service. What you have to do is go around your property and collect some soil from several different spots....mix it all together and if you are using your Co-op you can just take it to them in a baggie but the extension services have little boxes to fill up. Once you turn it in they can email you the results that will give you more information than you probably ever wanted to know about your soil!
But, from this information you can determine the health of your soil and there will be recommendations of what needs to be added to your soil to improve it. Now keep in mind these soil testes are are used to determine the soil health usually for large farms growing specific crops.....so there may be some wiggle room as to what you really need to do to improve your soil. But DO NOT be afraid to ask the people who did your soil test for explanations. That is what they are there for!
Ok so have I bombarded you with enough information today? Well Soil is the most important thing for your flowerbeds or garden so I am sure we will discuss this again until then...... if you have any questions or comments let me know!
SOIL!!!!!
No not dirt......SOIL! You may thinking to yourself...what is the difference???? Well let me explain!
Dirt.....dirt is something that is on your clothes, shoes or a road. You do not want to plant anything in Dirt....Dirt is, for all intensive purposes,.....Dead....and if you plant in dirt your plants will be too!!
Soil ....it could be argued that soil is the foundation for all life....but that is a little too philosophical for me so lets just go with soil is ALIVE. ( ok I don't mean soil is alive like it will go have a cup of coffee, or mop the floor for ya but bare with me!)
Soil does, in it's own respect, breathe....there is a gas exchange that does go on within the soil. Soil houses many ( too many for me to count) organisms ...large such as worms, small such as ants and microscopic such as various bacterias.....good and bad. A good soil has all the essential nutrients for plant growth. ( Dirt has... NO NUTRIENTS)
Some of us are blessed to have very rich soils...however in this day and age with all the subdivisions and building that goes on most of us have lost our layer of top soil in our back yard and we are left with the sub-soil.....still soil but not as "good" as the layer that was taken away. So what are we aspiring gardeners to do???
First off I recommend getting a soil test done on your property. This is a rather simple, inexpensive process you can do with the help of your local Co-op or extension service. What you have to do is go around your property and collect some soil from several different spots....mix it all together and if you are using your Co-op you can just take it to them in a baggie but the extension services have little boxes to fill up. Once you turn it in they can email you the results that will give you more information than you probably ever wanted to know about your soil!
But, from this information you can determine the health of your soil and there will be recommendations of what needs to be added to your soil to improve it. Now keep in mind these soil testes are are used to determine the soil health usually for large farms growing specific crops.....so there may be some wiggle room as to what you really need to do to improve your soil. But DO NOT be afraid to ask the people who did your soil test for explanations. That is what they are there for!
Ok so have I bombarded you with enough information today? Well Soil is the most important thing for your flowerbeds or garden so I am sure we will discuss this again until then...... if you have any questions or comments let me know!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
An "indoor" project!
OK so most of us have had our first hard freeze and it seems like spring is a million years away.....so now is a good time for a project!!! This does take a little planning and preparation but it will be worth it in the end!
I try really hard not to endorse products but I will make an exception .....there is a wonderful book I read a few years ago called "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte which is all about companion planting.
First of please do not feel any pressure to by this book you can look up most of the information free online these days but I really liked to have "something to carry around" while I was trying to figure out the maze of companion planting. ( I do warn you the abundance of information can be very overwhelming that is why I liked to have the book on hand.)
Many of you may be asking yourself.....great a book? But what the heck is companion planting???
The concept is not hard.....certain plants ( like carrots and tomatoes) "like" to be planted next to each other. There are many plants that do not like to be planted next to each other and that information is important to know too! However all the information about what can be planted next to each other can seem daunting!
Why do they like to be planted next to each other...... well in the case of carrots and tomatoes.....they each give off certain chemicals to keep pests off each other. ( A natural insect defense!) In other cases of companion planting like corn and beans....the beans replenish the nitrogen in the soil and corn uses a lot of nitrogen as it grows. ( so less fertilizer is needed)
From my previous posts you all know that I like to do things " on the cheap", by using companion planting we can cut the costs of fertilizers, insecticides and even some herbicides. Not only is this cost effective it is also great for the soil and environment because you are using less chemicals in general! ( which i find is a great thing!!)
I really haven't told you about a project yet..... ok well here it is. Once you have all your information about companion planting.....
First you must decide what you will be planting in the spring. Next go through and figure out what is best to be planted next to each other ( that is what takes the most time) and then start planning the garden. I like to get a piece of graph paper and use that as my "garden" and map out what will go where. It may seem a little overzealous but I also use different colored pencils to depict the plants....so then everything is color coded and can be easily read and followed ( and you don't forget what is suppose to go where!!) After all this preparation your garden will be a breeze to plant in the spring!! ( This practice can also be used in your flower beds....not just the garden.)
So I am sure your compost is also coming along well and couple that with companion planting... and hopefully you will not have to spend any extra money on any chemicals this coming growing season!!
If you have any other garden organizing tips and tricks please leave them in the comment section!!!
I try really hard not to endorse products but I will make an exception .....there is a wonderful book I read a few years ago called "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte which is all about companion planting.
First of please do not feel any pressure to by this book you can look up most of the information free online these days but I really liked to have "something to carry around" while I was trying to figure out the maze of companion planting. ( I do warn you the abundance of information can be very overwhelming that is why I liked to have the book on hand.)
Many of you may be asking yourself.....great a book? But what the heck is companion planting???
The concept is not hard.....certain plants ( like carrots and tomatoes) "like" to be planted next to each other. There are many plants that do not like to be planted next to each other and that information is important to know too! However all the information about what can be planted next to each other can seem daunting!
Why do they like to be planted next to each other...... well in the case of carrots and tomatoes.....they each give off certain chemicals to keep pests off each other. ( A natural insect defense!) In other cases of companion planting like corn and beans....the beans replenish the nitrogen in the soil and corn uses a lot of nitrogen as it grows. ( so less fertilizer is needed)
From my previous posts you all know that I like to do things " on the cheap", by using companion planting we can cut the costs of fertilizers, insecticides and even some herbicides. Not only is this cost effective it is also great for the soil and environment because you are using less chemicals in general! ( which i find is a great thing!!)
I really haven't told you about a project yet..... ok well here it is. Once you have all your information about companion planting.....
First you must decide what you will be planting in the spring. Next go through and figure out what is best to be planted next to each other ( that is what takes the most time) and then start planning the garden. I like to get a piece of graph paper and use that as my "garden" and map out what will go where. It may seem a little overzealous but I also use different colored pencils to depict the plants....so then everything is color coded and can be easily read and followed ( and you don't forget what is suppose to go where!!) After all this preparation your garden will be a breeze to plant in the spring!! ( This practice can also be used in your flower beds....not just the garden.)
So I am sure your compost is also coming along well and couple that with companion planting... and hopefully you will not have to spend any extra money on any chemicals this coming growing season!!
If you have any other garden organizing tips and tricks please leave them in the comment section!!!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Vocabulary Lesson
I know I know nobody likes vocabulary lessons but this one is very important! I promise there will not be a test!
So everyday at the grocery store, in the news and in general conversation we are bombarded with terms we might not know the meaning of and rather than seem foolish we may pretend to know what they mean ( I am guilty of this!). However, it is very important to know these terms so we are not taken advantage of or buying things we don't understand.
First off I would like to explain Hybrids. Hybrids are a good thing. the easiest way to define them is to use an example.....if you have kids....they are hybrids. ( two sets of genes coming together to make something different from the originals) It has been scientifically proven that hybrids are very useful, they have something called "hybrid vigor" where the best of each individual is presented in the offspring. In the food world you will run into hybrids in the grocery store. Pluots for example are a tasty fruit which is a hybrid of a plum and an apricot. Some apple varieties are also hybrids.
Next lets tackle Organic. Most of us know what organic is but lets make sure. For something to be grown and marketed as organic it must go through a lengthy certification process by the federal government. The farmer may not use any synthetic pesticides or herbicides! But DO NOT BE FOOLED......herbicides and pesticides are still used on organically grown food.....they are just "natural". And in no way can something organic be genetically modified! ( keep reading to find out about GMOs)
Now one of the most confusing things I run across is when a food is labeled..." all Natural". ( ok my problem with this is ....isn't all food natural? I mean it comes from nature...therefore it is "natural" right??) I like to refer to this labeling as a marketing ploy. My reasoning behind this is....the food is not organic....synthetic pest management techniques are still being used ....the only thing I can conjure up is that the food is not genetically modified....thus it is "natural".
This leads me to "Grain Fed" meat products. Most all commercially produced animals are grain fed. The conundrum lies in what grains they are fed. They grains may be organic or regular. As a consumer you must read the packaging very carefully. ( most organically grain fed animal products are kept in their own little section at the grocery store)
Be careful not to get grain fed confused with grass fed. Grass fed means that the animal's diet consists of grass....this grass may or may not be organic...so once again we must read the label carefully.
Alright....this is a debate I try to avoid but we must talk about it..... Genetically Modified Organisms. ( GMOs) What does this mean.....well in simple terms the "organism" is literally shot with certain genes to acquire certain attributes. That doesn't seem to simple huh? OK an example to clarify....I think most of us have heard of round-up ready crops ( this means that the crops can be sprayed with the herbicide round-up and they will not die) well how does this work? A kernel of corn is injected with a gene from the herbicide....so when the herbicide is sprayed on the corn the corn is resistant to the affects of the herbicide...this is like a human getting a flu shot....we are injected with the a weakened form of the flu so antibodies are built up with in our body so we don't get the flu. Have I confused you yet???
SO the debate lies in.... are GMOs good for us or bad for us???
I have not come to a conclusion on this. There are good points and bad points.
The good:
less herbicides and pesticides can be used on crops
things like vitamins can be injected into foods to make them more nutritious
the cost of growing can be less because of not having to use so many chemicals
The Bad:
GMO seeds are expensive for the farmer
There are patents on these seeds so only certain companies can make them
Will there be any long-term side affects to humans from eating them
( this is just a small list.....I don't think I could it everything into one blog!)
So what are we to do? How do we decide what to feed our families? The best advice I can offer is to be informed. I wish we could have an expert with us while grocery shopping to let us know about all the products but I guess that is not realistic so we have to become our own experts. And spread the word....let people know the differences between all the terms listed above. ( I have run into some people that think red peppers are GMOs because they are red and not green but after a simple explanation, they changed their opinion) With more knowledge we can make better choices. I hope I have provided some of that knowledge in this blog! Please give me your comments and questions below!
So everyday at the grocery store, in the news and in general conversation we are bombarded with terms we might not know the meaning of and rather than seem foolish we may pretend to know what they mean ( I am guilty of this!). However, it is very important to know these terms so we are not taken advantage of or buying things we don't understand.
First off I would like to explain Hybrids. Hybrids are a good thing. the easiest way to define them is to use an example.....if you have kids....they are hybrids. ( two sets of genes coming together to make something different from the originals) It has been scientifically proven that hybrids are very useful, they have something called "hybrid vigor" where the best of each individual is presented in the offspring. In the food world you will run into hybrids in the grocery store. Pluots for example are a tasty fruit which is a hybrid of a plum and an apricot. Some apple varieties are also hybrids.
Next lets tackle Organic. Most of us know what organic is but lets make sure. For something to be grown and marketed as organic it must go through a lengthy certification process by the federal government. The farmer may not use any synthetic pesticides or herbicides! But DO NOT BE FOOLED......herbicides and pesticides are still used on organically grown food.....they are just "natural". And in no way can something organic be genetically modified! ( keep reading to find out about GMOs)
Now one of the most confusing things I run across is when a food is labeled..." all Natural". ( ok my problem with this is ....isn't all food natural? I mean it comes from nature...therefore it is "natural" right??) I like to refer to this labeling as a marketing ploy. My reasoning behind this is....the food is not organic....synthetic pest management techniques are still being used ....the only thing I can conjure up is that the food is not genetically modified....thus it is "natural".
This leads me to "Grain Fed" meat products. Most all commercially produced animals are grain fed. The conundrum lies in what grains they are fed. They grains may be organic or regular. As a consumer you must read the packaging very carefully. ( most organically grain fed animal products are kept in their own little section at the grocery store)
Be careful not to get grain fed confused with grass fed. Grass fed means that the animal's diet consists of grass....this grass may or may not be organic...so once again we must read the label carefully.
Alright....this is a debate I try to avoid but we must talk about it..... Genetically Modified Organisms. ( GMOs) What does this mean.....well in simple terms the "organism" is literally shot with certain genes to acquire certain attributes. That doesn't seem to simple huh? OK an example to clarify....I think most of us have heard of round-up ready crops ( this means that the crops can be sprayed with the herbicide round-up and they will not die) well how does this work? A kernel of corn is injected with a gene from the herbicide....so when the herbicide is sprayed on the corn the corn is resistant to the affects of the herbicide...this is like a human getting a flu shot....we are injected with the a weakened form of the flu so antibodies are built up with in our body so we don't get the flu. Have I confused you yet???
SO the debate lies in.... are GMOs good for us or bad for us???
I have not come to a conclusion on this. There are good points and bad points.
The good:
less herbicides and pesticides can be used on crops
things like vitamins can be injected into foods to make them more nutritious
the cost of growing can be less because of not having to use so many chemicals
The Bad:
GMO seeds are expensive for the farmer
There are patents on these seeds so only certain companies can make them
Will there be any long-term side affects to humans from eating them
( this is just a small list.....I don't think I could it everything into one blog!)
So what are we to do? How do we decide what to feed our families? The best advice I can offer is to be informed. I wish we could have an expert with us while grocery shopping to let us know about all the products but I guess that is not realistic so we have to become our own experts. And spread the word....let people know the differences between all the terms listed above. ( I have run into some people that think red peppers are GMOs because they are red and not green but after a simple explanation, they changed their opinion) With more knowledge we can make better choices. I hope I have provided some of that knowledge in this blog! Please give me your comments and questions below!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Black Gold!!!
Today I would like to talk to you about Black Gold.....no not the kind the Beverly Hillbillys found...but Manure...yes Manure....don't wrinkle up your nose....it is a good thing, a very good thing!
I have seen so many friends and family members spend lots of cash buying all kinds of "magic" potting mixes and fertilizers to get the best looking flowers and most productive gardens. Finally this year I was able to convince a few that spending all that money was unnecessary!!
All you need is Manure!!
Ok maybe that is an over simplification but.....let me explain. The Average cost of store bought super growth soil is between 4 and 5 dollars a 20lb bag,(let me use the example of the flower bed we build at my family's house) ...... They would have needed around 10 bags of the premixed stuff so that would have cost...around $50 bucks....just for the soil. So since I was in charge of getting all the supplies together I went and got 8, 40lb bags of top soil for around $1.50 each and 2, 40lb bags of composted Manure for about $1.50 each. A neighbor had some peat moss they shared so no cost there. I spent a grand total of about $15 bucks. That is a $35 savings!!!
Now we mixed a bag of soil about a half a bag of manure and enough peat moss to double the volume in a wheelbarrow and filled the spaces we were going to plant.
We purchased 4 flats ( about $10 worth) of flowers from a local greenhouse that looked a little past their prime, since it was later in the season...but with a small amount of pruning and a good dose of water the plants FLOURISHED!!! ( well the squirrels liked one of the varieties of flowers we bought so they didn't make it!!)
SO instead of spending a total of $68 for flowers and "super soil" we spent....$25 for the flowers, soil and Manure for a grand total of $43 in savings! Not too shabby!! And convincing that skeptical family member who didn't believe that it was going to work...PRICELESS!!
Now before you go out and buy manure there is a few things you should know.......
You should always get composted manure preferably from cows. Cows go through several digestion processes that animals like pigs and horses do not ...so almost all weed seeds and plant disease will be killed after passing through a cow's digestive system and as we all know composting actually makes this even more true. ( we don't want to put contaminated manure in our flower beds and gardens) Don't get me wrong, you can get horse or pig manure but just make sure it is composted so you are not inadvertently putting weed seeds where you don't want them!
Also....please do not be afraid that it is going to smell !!! There is a little smell but it is not like driving through the country side during the spring and fall while the farmers are spreading manure on the fields ( otherwise referred to as "fresh country air" ) I promise you your flowerbed or garden will not smell like that!!!
I am pretty sure you have all started your compost bins for next spring ...Right???? Well the combination of your compost and a few of the ingredients listed above and I am positive you all will have the best looking flowers and gardens in town!!
I have seen so many friends and family members spend lots of cash buying all kinds of "magic" potting mixes and fertilizers to get the best looking flowers and most productive gardens. Finally this year I was able to convince a few that spending all that money was unnecessary!!
All you need is Manure!!
Ok maybe that is an over simplification but.....let me explain. The Average cost of store bought super growth soil is between 4 and 5 dollars a 20lb bag,(let me use the example of the flower bed we build at my family's house) ...... They would have needed around 10 bags of the premixed stuff so that would have cost...around $50 bucks....just for the soil. So since I was in charge of getting all the supplies together I went and got 8, 40lb bags of top soil for around $1.50 each and 2, 40lb bags of composted Manure for about $1.50 each. A neighbor had some peat moss they shared so no cost there. I spent a grand total of about $15 bucks. That is a $35 savings!!!
Now we mixed a bag of soil about a half a bag of manure and enough peat moss to double the volume in a wheelbarrow and filled the spaces we were going to plant.
We purchased 4 flats ( about $10 worth) of flowers from a local greenhouse that looked a little past their prime, since it was later in the season...but with a small amount of pruning and a good dose of water the plants FLOURISHED!!! ( well the squirrels liked one of the varieties of flowers we bought so they didn't make it!!)
SO instead of spending a total of $68 for flowers and "super soil" we spent....$25 for the flowers, soil and Manure for a grand total of $43 in savings! Not too shabby!! And convincing that skeptical family member who didn't believe that it was going to work...PRICELESS!!
Now before you go out and buy manure there is a few things you should know.......
You should always get composted manure preferably from cows. Cows go through several digestion processes that animals like pigs and horses do not ...so almost all weed seeds and plant disease will be killed after passing through a cow's digestive system and as we all know composting actually makes this even more true. ( we don't want to put contaminated manure in our flower beds and gardens) Don't get me wrong, you can get horse or pig manure but just make sure it is composted so you are not inadvertently putting weed seeds where you don't want them!
Also....please do not be afraid that it is going to smell !!! There is a little smell but it is not like driving through the country side during the spring and fall while the farmers are spreading manure on the fields ( otherwise referred to as "fresh country air" ) I promise you your flowerbed or garden will not smell like that!!!
I am pretty sure you have all started your compost bins for next spring ...Right???? Well the combination of your compost and a few of the ingredients listed above and I am positive you all will have the best looking flowers and gardens in town!!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Food Chain
Oh yes I have been inspired to write another blog so soon. To my dismay, It has become all too clear that many people do not understand our food chain....and by this I mean the process that our food takes to get to us. So I am going to explain.......
Several times a day while I am stocking ye ole produce I am asked "is this fresh"? Or I hear the comment.."oh just in time for the "fresh" produce. Or.... "do you have anything that is "fresher"?
I am sorry for what I am about to do........
I have to crush your thoughts that your produce you are buying at your grocery store is remotely "fresh".
I know I know.....it is our job as your friendly produce workers to make everything look as "fresh" as we possible can but....alas....it is not as "fresh" as you want it to be!!!!!
NO matter if the product you are buying is organic or conventionally grown it is at least ....at least 30 days old when you pick it up at the store. ( Caveat.....When stores offer local grown produce it may be "fresher")
Ok a little explanation is required.....we all know that produce is grown on farms.... ( it gets my goat major food makers are advertising "farm fresh veggies" in their products...where else would they come from???) Most of these farms are located in California, Washington, Florida...and several other states so lets follow a specific product.
California grown strawberries.......so these little gems are picked when almost ripe, packed, sent to a distributor...or there may be a couple of distributors before they "land" some where. Here they may be kept several different ways.....some produce is stored in oxygen deprived coolers to slow the ripening process, some are iced, and some are sent through a process to actually ripen.....ok so now a grocery store decides it needs some strawberries so they order them ( usually 2 days before they arrive) then they are received by the store and stay in the cooler until they are ready to be displayed.
Keep in mind I can not say for sure how long this journey takes....very few products actually list when they have been picked so even to us produce workers it is kind of a mystery how long these things have been "off the vine".
Do not forget that there are specific growing seasons for specific items. When a product can not be grown in the US we get it from countries around the world to include....Brazil, Chile, The Netherlands, Mexico and several Asian countries that grow very specific kinds of produce.... so that chain is long and takes much more time and is more expensive. ( Some people get very frustrated in the middle of January when they can't find strawberries that have been grown in the US...... but January is not a good time anywhere in the US to be growing strawberries!!)
Now when a store is advertising " A new crop of apples" this week it truly is the newest crop of apples....the ones you bought last week were still from the previous year....yes the previous year.
Please don't think I am telling you not to buy wonderful fruits and veggies.......I want you to buy them and lots of them...they are good for you....but just realize the process behind getting that produce!
In a perfect world we all want to buy stuff that was just picked off the vine this morning...but in reality the only way that will happen is if we do it ourselves!! But if consumers still demand strawberries in the middle of winter....we will provide them....and people will buy them no matter what the cost. Until we as a country start to reform our habits and eat produce while it is in season... our food will still have a very long road to travel before it hits the grocery store shelf.
Several times a day while I am stocking ye ole produce I am asked "is this fresh"? Or I hear the comment.."oh just in time for the "fresh" produce. Or.... "do you have anything that is "fresher"?
I am sorry for what I am about to do........
I have to crush your thoughts that your produce you are buying at your grocery store is remotely "fresh".
I know I know.....it is our job as your friendly produce workers to make everything look as "fresh" as we possible can but....alas....it is not as "fresh" as you want it to be!!!!!
NO matter if the product you are buying is organic or conventionally grown it is at least ....at least 30 days old when you pick it up at the store. ( Caveat.....When stores offer local grown produce it may be "fresher")
Ok a little explanation is required.....we all know that produce is grown on farms.... ( it gets my goat major food makers are advertising "farm fresh veggies" in their products...where else would they come from???) Most of these farms are located in California, Washington, Florida...and several other states so lets follow a specific product.
California grown strawberries.......so these little gems are picked when almost ripe, packed, sent to a distributor...or there may be a couple of distributors before they "land" some where. Here they may be kept several different ways.....some produce is stored in oxygen deprived coolers to slow the ripening process, some are iced, and some are sent through a process to actually ripen.....ok so now a grocery store decides it needs some strawberries so they order them ( usually 2 days before they arrive) then they are received by the store and stay in the cooler until they are ready to be displayed.
Keep in mind I can not say for sure how long this journey takes....very few products actually list when they have been picked so even to us produce workers it is kind of a mystery how long these things have been "off the vine".
Do not forget that there are specific growing seasons for specific items. When a product can not be grown in the US we get it from countries around the world to include....Brazil, Chile, The Netherlands, Mexico and several Asian countries that grow very specific kinds of produce.... so that chain is long and takes much more time and is more expensive. ( Some people get very frustrated in the middle of January when they can't find strawberries that have been grown in the US...... but January is not a good time anywhere in the US to be growing strawberries!!)
Now when a store is advertising " A new crop of apples" this week it truly is the newest crop of apples....the ones you bought last week were still from the previous year....yes the previous year.
Please don't think I am telling you not to buy wonderful fruits and veggies.......I want you to buy them and lots of them...they are good for you....but just realize the process behind getting that produce!
In a perfect world we all want to buy stuff that was just picked off the vine this morning...but in reality the only way that will happen is if we do it ourselves!! But if consumers still demand strawberries in the middle of winter....we will provide them....and people will buy them no matter what the cost. Until we as a country start to reform our habits and eat produce while it is in season... our food will still have a very long road to travel before it hits the grocery store shelf.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Recycling
I have been trying not to be to political or controversial on this blog however, there is something that has really been annoying me lately. In this political climate of unemployment and tough financial times I can only think of an easy solution that would bring about many jobs and also help our environment. What could be such a great thing???
MANDATORY NATIONWIDE RECYCLING!!!!
How would this help??? Well there are many ways.
First, Did you realize that 75% of our domestically produced natural gas is used to make water bottles? Bottled water...really? Yes it is true. Only a very small fraction of these bottles are recycled! I see it every day, cases upon cases of bottle water purchased and where I live there is not mandatory recycling so I know that most of these bottles are going into the landfill.....and they will be there for hundreds of years...yes hundreds. I don't want to bore you with all the facts and figures but for instance recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W bulb for up to 6 hours and there are 24 bottles in a case of water......that is a lot of energy to be saved!!
As far as metals go they are usually recycled more frequently because people get paid by the pound for these metals.....but we can still do better. A recycled six-pack of aluminum cans could save enough energy to drive a car five miles, or, it means one recycled aluminum can is equivalent in energy to a half a can full of gasoline. ( and I know a few readers of this blog have experience with six packs!! )
Much glass has been replaced by plastic because plastic is lighter and easier to ship.
And with the invention of email, computers and a lot of people finally being aware of recycling, paper and cardboard is very widely recycled. But still.....Each year more than 900,000,000 trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills for all uses.
Now I know some of you live in states where there is mandatory recycling and bottle deposits I just don't understand why this is not a requirement for the nation! ( And some of you may be thinking how could recycling help our economy?) Well here are my thoughts......
You have to have people to collect, sort and process the recyclables this equals job creation!!!!
We can save tons...yes literally TONS of fossil fuels by recycling which will increase our energy independence and reduce the need to drill and frack wells in wildlife and watershed areas.
Nobody seems to want a landfill in their back yard but I have often hear..."but recycling is such a hassle", Really??? How big of a hassle would a landfill be In your back yard?? Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space....think of how much compacted waste would fit in that amount of space! You have to admit our landfills are not getting any smaller! We are, and have been, encroaching on wildlife habitats for years for our landfills....so If we can make the landfills smaller....we can have more "green space" which is more beneficial than a landfill!
SO what can you do??? Well besides recycling.....write letters, emails and make phone calls to your elected officials to encourage them to put laws on the books in favor of recycling!!! Talk with people about recycling, set an example for your children by recycling. Ask yourself how can we be such a technologically advanced society that ignores something so simple as recycling???
MANDATORY NATIONWIDE RECYCLING!!!!
How would this help??? Well there are many ways.
First, Did you realize that 75% of our domestically produced natural gas is used to make water bottles? Bottled water...really? Yes it is true. Only a very small fraction of these bottles are recycled! I see it every day, cases upon cases of bottle water purchased and where I live there is not mandatory recycling so I know that most of these bottles are going into the landfill.....and they will be there for hundreds of years...yes hundreds. I don't want to bore you with all the facts and figures but for instance recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W bulb for up to 6 hours and there are 24 bottles in a case of water......that is a lot of energy to be saved!!
As far as metals go they are usually recycled more frequently because people get paid by the pound for these metals.....but we can still do better. A recycled six-pack of aluminum cans could save enough energy to drive a car five miles, or, it means one recycled aluminum can is equivalent in energy to a half a can full of gasoline. ( and I know a few readers of this blog have experience with six packs!! )
Much glass has been replaced by plastic because plastic is lighter and easier to ship.
And with the invention of email, computers and a lot of people finally being aware of recycling, paper and cardboard is very widely recycled. But still.....Each year more than 900,000,000 trees are cut down to provide raw materials for American paper and pulp mills for all uses.
Now I know some of you live in states where there is mandatory recycling and bottle deposits I just don't understand why this is not a requirement for the nation! ( And some of you may be thinking how could recycling help our economy?) Well here are my thoughts......
You have to have people to collect, sort and process the recyclables this equals job creation!!!!
We can save tons...yes literally TONS of fossil fuels by recycling which will increase our energy independence and reduce the need to drill and frack wells in wildlife and watershed areas.
Nobody seems to want a landfill in their back yard but I have often hear..."but recycling is such a hassle", Really??? How big of a hassle would a landfill be In your back yard?? Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space....think of how much compacted waste would fit in that amount of space! You have to admit our landfills are not getting any smaller! We are, and have been, encroaching on wildlife habitats for years for our landfills....so If we can make the landfills smaller....we can have more "green space" which is more beneficial than a landfill!
SO what can you do??? Well besides recycling.....write letters, emails and make phone calls to your elected officials to encourage them to put laws on the books in favor of recycling!!! Talk with people about recycling, set an example for your children by recycling. Ask yourself how can we be such a technologically advanced society that ignores something so simple as recycling???
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Food Safety
In light of the recent outbreaks due to contaminated produce I would like to give you some advise on how to reduce your risk!
I currently work in the produce department of a grocery store and with out getting too specific, as so as not to scare you away from produce, I will be gentle in telling you about the stuff that goes on that you may not be aware of.....
First off there is no official law or rule that your produce stocker must wear gloves while handling your produce...unless we are cutting up the produce then we must wear gloves!
People are really not all that careful while walking through the produce department......yes they do not cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing....they may drop stuff on the floor.
Some feel the need to handle every piece of produce before making their selection...they smell it, knock on it, flick it....to make sure of the freshness of the product.
They may go through several bags of grapes to select the perfect grapes.
This list could go on and on and on.....
So what are you to do to protect yourself??
WASH ALL PRODUCE BEFORE YOU CONSUME IT!!!!!
Now you don't need to buy all the fancy products out there that claim to rid your produce of any nastiness it may have. All you need to do it fill your sink with cool water and add a cap full of bleach to wash your produce in. Make sure to rinse well !!!!
You may be asking yourself....why should I wash stuff like melons and things with a very thick skin??? This is what I explained to the husband one day when he asked the very same thing.....yes certain things have very thick skins .....however when you cut through the skin and drag your knife through the "meat" you are also dragging what ever was on the skin to begin with...dirt, bacteria or what ever else all the way through the product!!
Be informed about what you are buying!!! Your local produce workers should know about all recalls and where their products are coming from....so just ask...if they don't know have them find someone who does know.
And be aware that even organic products can harbor stuff we don't want to ingest so they must be washed too!!!
I hope this was helpful and did not scare anyone because that is not my intention I just want everyone to be aware!!!
I currently work in the produce department of a grocery store and with out getting too specific, as so as not to scare you away from produce, I will be gentle in telling you about the stuff that goes on that you may not be aware of.....
First off there is no official law or rule that your produce stocker must wear gloves while handling your produce...unless we are cutting up the produce then we must wear gloves!
People are really not all that careful while walking through the produce department......yes they do not cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing....they may drop stuff on the floor.
Some feel the need to handle every piece of produce before making their selection...they smell it, knock on it, flick it....to make sure of the freshness of the product.
They may go through several bags of grapes to select the perfect grapes.
This list could go on and on and on.....
So what are you to do to protect yourself??
WASH ALL PRODUCE BEFORE YOU CONSUME IT!!!!!
Now you don't need to buy all the fancy products out there that claim to rid your produce of any nastiness it may have. All you need to do it fill your sink with cool water and add a cap full of bleach to wash your produce in. Make sure to rinse well !!!!
You may be asking yourself....why should I wash stuff like melons and things with a very thick skin??? This is what I explained to the husband one day when he asked the very same thing.....yes certain things have very thick skins .....however when you cut through the skin and drag your knife through the "meat" you are also dragging what ever was on the skin to begin with...dirt, bacteria or what ever else all the way through the product!!
Be informed about what you are buying!!! Your local produce workers should know about all recalls and where their products are coming from....so just ask...if they don't know have them find someone who does know.
And be aware that even organic products can harbor stuff we don't want to ingest so they must be washed too!!!
I hope this was helpful and did not scare anyone because that is not my intention I just want everyone to be aware!!!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Easy Applesauce
I have tried to resist, until the weather got a little cooler, but I can't wait any longer!!!! I have to give you my easy applesauce recipe!!
Now feel free to experiment with this and tweak it as you see fit!
SO you will need:
A crockpot ( Your ingredients will vary according to the size of your crockpot)
Roughly 3lbs of apples of your choosing ( I highly recommend Honey Crisp apples but I also like to throw in a variety of what ever is on sale)
Cinnamon ( or some of those cinnamon heart candies)
Maple syrup ( or what ever sweetener you prefer)
One cup of water
Directions:
Peel, core and chop apples into bite size pieces. ( fill to top of crockpot, just make sure you can get the lid on)
Add 1 cup water
Add flavor...if you remember I don't regularly use recipes... so start off with a moderate amount of cinnamon and maple syrup ( probably a 1/4 cup of syrup) you can always add more later!
Cover pot and turn on low ( I like to do this right before I go to bed then I wake up to the house smelling like apple and cinnamon goodness!!) But if you do it during the day cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Give it a couple of stirs as it is cooking but I don't like to over stir because I like the "chunky style" applesauce! The more you stir it the less chunky it will be so you can decide on that!
There are many options you have for using your applesauce....
eat it just like applesauce, freeze it for later, share it with friends and family but my favorite is to eat it while it is still warm over some ice cream...just to cut the sweetness!!
Don't forget to compost all your peels and cores!!!
Do you have any yummy apple recipes???? Please feel free to share!
Now feel free to experiment with this and tweak it as you see fit!
SO you will need:
A crockpot ( Your ingredients will vary according to the size of your crockpot)
Roughly 3lbs of apples of your choosing ( I highly recommend Honey Crisp apples but I also like to throw in a variety of what ever is on sale)
Cinnamon ( or some of those cinnamon heart candies)
Maple syrup ( or what ever sweetener you prefer)
One cup of water
Directions:
Peel, core and chop apples into bite size pieces. ( fill to top of crockpot, just make sure you can get the lid on)
Add 1 cup water
Add flavor...if you remember I don't regularly use recipes... so start off with a moderate amount of cinnamon and maple syrup ( probably a 1/4 cup of syrup) you can always add more later!
Cover pot and turn on low ( I like to do this right before I go to bed then I wake up to the house smelling like apple and cinnamon goodness!!) But if you do it during the day cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Give it a couple of stirs as it is cooking but I don't like to over stir because I like the "chunky style" applesauce! The more you stir it the less chunky it will be so you can decide on that!
There are many options you have for using your applesauce....
eat it just like applesauce, freeze it for later, share it with friends and family but my favorite is to eat it while it is still warm over some ice cream...just to cut the sweetness!!
Don't forget to compost all your peels and cores!!!
Do you have any yummy apple recipes???? Please feel free to share!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Fall Is here....well close enough!
Sorry for the bloggus interuptus.....so much to do and so little time to do it! But I am back!!
So now that it is nearing fall and you want to get your landscaping ready for the winter months by trimming everything back and replanting various things........hold on until you finish reading this!!
I have had some friends and family asking advise about redistributing the plants in their yard. They wanted to dig up a few things and place them elsewhere.....I told them to STOP!!!
Let me say this first, if you have some perennial plants in pots and would like to transfer them to a more permanent home for the winter.....this is a good thing....do it as soon as possible so the roots can get reestablished before cold weather sets in!!
HOWEVER.......If you are wanting to separate or dig out any bushes or plants STOP!!!!
Why you ask????
Because plants have natural growth cycles. They produce certain growth hormones at certain times of the year. For most plants this is in the spring....not the fall!!! ( there are some that do well in the fall like mums, but for most plants it is the spring)
For instance a family member wanted to uproot a lovely rose bush to move it to a different location to make room for some fig tree cuttings......I told them wait until the spring....for two reasons......the rose bush will bounce back better if replanted in the spring because it will be producing it's growth hormones and the fig tree cuttings will not have time to establish themselves before the cold weather sets in!
I know it is very tempting to go out into the yard and trim back all the trees and bushed so they look neat through the upcoming winter but.......when we do this we are actually making "wounds" in the plants where pests and disease can enter before the plant has time to "heal" itself because it is not producing the growth hormones this time of year.
I know it may be hard to do but just put down those pruning shears till spring,but just step back relax and enjoy not having to do so much yard work for a change!!
But do make sure to clean up what is left over in the garden and put it in your compost bin so you can use it for fertilizer next year!!!
Let me know if you have any questions about any specific plants you may be wondering about!!
So now that it is nearing fall and you want to get your landscaping ready for the winter months by trimming everything back and replanting various things........hold on until you finish reading this!!
I have had some friends and family asking advise about redistributing the plants in their yard. They wanted to dig up a few things and place them elsewhere.....I told them to STOP!!!
Let me say this first, if you have some perennial plants in pots and would like to transfer them to a more permanent home for the winter.....this is a good thing....do it as soon as possible so the roots can get reestablished before cold weather sets in!!
HOWEVER.......If you are wanting to separate or dig out any bushes or plants STOP!!!!
Why you ask????
Because plants have natural growth cycles. They produce certain growth hormones at certain times of the year. For most plants this is in the spring....not the fall!!! ( there are some that do well in the fall like mums, but for most plants it is the spring)
For instance a family member wanted to uproot a lovely rose bush to move it to a different location to make room for some fig tree cuttings......I told them wait until the spring....for two reasons......the rose bush will bounce back better if replanted in the spring because it will be producing it's growth hormones and the fig tree cuttings will not have time to establish themselves before the cold weather sets in!
I know it is very tempting to go out into the yard and trim back all the trees and bushed so they look neat through the upcoming winter but.......when we do this we are actually making "wounds" in the plants where pests and disease can enter before the plant has time to "heal" itself because it is not producing the growth hormones this time of year.
I know it may be hard to do but just put down those pruning shears till spring,but just step back relax and enjoy not having to do so much yard work for a change!!
But do make sure to clean up what is left over in the garden and put it in your compost bin so you can use it for fertilizer next year!!!
Let me know if you have any questions about any specific plants you may be wondering about!!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
It's Compost Time!!!
Finally there is a chill in the air and , at least for this week, it is feeling like fall!!! This is a good time to look at the garden that has produced so much during the summer and figure out what to do with all the "leftover" plants!
Now first let me dispel a couple of compost myths!
Compost isn't smelly...if it smells you are doing it wrong!
You don't have to live on a farm to compost!
Compost will not attract every animal in the neighborhood...if it does your doing it wrong.
Composting is NOT hard....not at all!!!
Ok lets go back to the beginning....why should we compost?
Composting is actually recycling your food or organic waste. ( by organic I mean anything that was once alive...plants that is) This form of recycling can keep 1200lbs of waste per family of 4 out of a landfill every year!
Compost is the "ULTIMATE" fertilizer!!!!!! Compost will contain all the essential nutrients that your plants need! There will be no need to buy any other fertilizer. ( no extra fertilizer means saving money)
Compost will increase the water holding capacity of your soil. ( what does that mean?) Well...it is pretty much as it sounds...your soil will hold a certain amount of water....by adding compost this capacity will be increased which turns into less watering in your garden which means saving money!!!
Now that we now why we should compost....how do we compost???
There are several great websites that offer many composting choices! I do not want to sway you by suggesting a particular one so I encourage you to do a little research to find the best compost method for you!
I found great success with the garbage can method of composting!
The most important thing is figuring out what you can compost.....the easiest way to do this is to remember NO ANIMALS!!!! DO NOT compost anything that came from an animal!!! NO fat, oil, bones or meat!! ( you can compost eggshells if you wash the eggs out first) If you don't compost these things you will not attract animals to your compost pile or container!! ( let me clarify this a bit...some animals will be attracted to your pile...bugs, worms etc. but you want these animals there they are actually beneficial to you and your compost!)
SO what can you compost??? Just remember PLANTS!!!! Any plant or things that came from plants can be composted!!! (However, I would suggest to not compost weeds or any plant that has a disease! Your compost pile will produce heat as decomposition is occurring this heat may not be enough to kill weed seeds or diseases so you will inadvertently be adding these back to your garden when you use the compost.) But any other plant material is fair game!!
I do have a few suggestions.....
make sure to chop anything large such as melon rinds. I learned this the hard way .....I put large pieces of melon rinds in my bin and attracted hundreds of fruit flys to my neck of the woods...and house! And the smaller the pieces the faster the decomposing occurs!
Make sure to turn your pile regularly..this will speed up the process also!
If you don't have enough materials to compost ask your neighbors for help.
You also may be wondering how long will it take my "garbage" to become compost? Well this time will vary! Depending on where you live, what time of year it is,the compost method you choose and how much you add to your compost..... the time can be anywhere from 3 months to a year. This may seem like a long time but if you start now you will have some compost to use in the spring.
I could write about this topic forever....I have tried to keep it brief so that I did not bore you all...so if you have any questions please feel free to ask....or share your composting experiences in the comment section!!!
Now first let me dispel a couple of compost myths!
Compost isn't smelly...if it smells you are doing it wrong!
You don't have to live on a farm to compost!
Compost will not attract every animal in the neighborhood...if it does your doing it wrong.
Composting is NOT hard....not at all!!!
Ok lets go back to the beginning....why should we compost?
Composting is actually recycling your food or organic waste. ( by organic I mean anything that was once alive...plants that is) This form of recycling can keep 1200lbs of waste per family of 4 out of a landfill every year!
Compost is the "ULTIMATE" fertilizer!!!!!! Compost will contain all the essential nutrients that your plants need! There will be no need to buy any other fertilizer. ( no extra fertilizer means saving money)
Compost will increase the water holding capacity of your soil. ( what does that mean?) Well...it is pretty much as it sounds...your soil will hold a certain amount of water....by adding compost this capacity will be increased which turns into less watering in your garden which means saving money!!!
Now that we now why we should compost....how do we compost???
There are several great websites that offer many composting choices! I do not want to sway you by suggesting a particular one so I encourage you to do a little research to find the best compost method for you!
I found great success with the garbage can method of composting!
The most important thing is figuring out what you can compost.....the easiest way to do this is to remember NO ANIMALS!!!! DO NOT compost anything that came from an animal!!! NO fat, oil, bones or meat!! ( you can compost eggshells if you wash the eggs out first) If you don't compost these things you will not attract animals to your compost pile or container!! ( let me clarify this a bit...some animals will be attracted to your pile...bugs, worms etc. but you want these animals there they are actually beneficial to you and your compost!)
SO what can you compost??? Just remember PLANTS!!!! Any plant or things that came from plants can be composted!!! (However, I would suggest to not compost weeds or any plant that has a disease! Your compost pile will produce heat as decomposition is occurring this heat may not be enough to kill weed seeds or diseases so you will inadvertently be adding these back to your garden when you use the compost.) But any other plant material is fair game!!
I do have a few suggestions.....
make sure to chop anything large such as melon rinds. I learned this the hard way .....I put large pieces of melon rinds in my bin and attracted hundreds of fruit flys to my neck of the woods...and house! And the smaller the pieces the faster the decomposing occurs!
Make sure to turn your pile regularly..this will speed up the process also!
If you don't have enough materials to compost ask your neighbors for help.
You also may be wondering how long will it take my "garbage" to become compost? Well this time will vary! Depending on where you live, what time of year it is,the compost method you choose and how much you add to your compost..... the time can be anywhere from 3 months to a year. This may seem like a long time but if you start now you will have some compost to use in the spring.
I could write about this topic forever....I have tried to keep it brief so that I did not bore you all...so if you have any questions please feel free to ask....or share your composting experiences in the comment section!!!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
What is sustainability?? Water Conservation
Ok back to business..recent events of the last week had me a little off course!!
So water conservation .....what does that entail.....well I will let you in on a few tips and tricks!!
Hopefully you have seen blog about the "self watering garden", this is one tool to help conserve water used for your landscaping and gardens ( if you didn't read it you don't have to tell me just go ahead and do that!) I also think it is very important to incorporate as many perennial plants into your landscape as possible. If you can get native perennial plants even better!! These types of plants will grow longer roots than annuals and so they will have access to a wider range of water in the soil. ( these two things will be the subject of an upcoming blog ..so stay tuned!)
One thing that baffles me to this day is how people will basically scalp their lawns in the middle of the hot summer and wonder why it is turning brown and then they will water it and complain about having to water cause it is so hot outside. If you are guilty of this please stop!! Just raise the mower deck up a few notches! This will save water 2 ways.....1 it won't be so short ...therefore the grass will not have to "work" so hard to regrow and will have less stress..... and 2nd the grass actually provides shade to the soil underneath it so the evaporation of water will be less if the grass is a little longer ...this will lead to little or no water necessary!! ( we have had an exceptionally dry summer where I live and there is a lot of brown lawns...this doesn't mean you are a bad home owner it has just been HOT and DRY...not conducive to a green lawn.)
Now that we have taken care of the outside what can we do on the inside???
I have seen lots of advertisements for fancy gadgets you can put in your toilet tank to displace the water....the cheap way....why not just use a brick or similar size rock...same effect...lower cost!! There are also new water save flappers for the inside of the toilet also...and relatively cheap about 2-3 bucks.
Low flow shower heads and aerators for the faucets are also savers....in some places you can actually get these for FREE by going to your electric companies website and taking a free home energy audit. ( I did this a few years back and got a box of goodies in the mail...light bulbs, aerators, foam light socket insulators etc.!)
This little tidbit may shock some of you....it actually saves water to run a full load of dishes in the dishwasher instead of washing them by hand...good reason to get a dishwasher if you don't already have one!!
Many washers these days are also much more efficient in their water usage...some saving many gallons a year...but they can be some what pricey..so this would be more of a long term goal but keep your eyes out for scratch and dent models at your local stores......just be sure to ask that they are in no way defective besides the cosmetic damage...trust me on this... I will spare you the details!!
Oh I forgot to mention earlier that keeping your grass longer will also cause less erosion. When the soil dries out a crust develops and it is harder for the water to penetrate that crust so when it rains the water will have more of a tendency to run off the surface instead of soaking in .....and if a very hard rain comes along more soil particles will be displaced...and even more on hilly regions ....which is erosion at work!!
Ok I think that is it for now! If I forgot to mention anything you do or know about water conservations let me know!!!
So water conservation .....what does that entail.....well I will let you in on a few tips and tricks!!
Hopefully you have seen blog about the "self watering garden", this is one tool to help conserve water used for your landscaping and gardens ( if you didn't read it you don't have to tell me just go ahead and do that!) I also think it is very important to incorporate as many perennial plants into your landscape as possible. If you can get native perennial plants even better!! These types of plants will grow longer roots than annuals and so they will have access to a wider range of water in the soil. ( these two things will be the subject of an upcoming blog ..so stay tuned!)
One thing that baffles me to this day is how people will basically scalp their lawns in the middle of the hot summer and wonder why it is turning brown and then they will water it and complain about having to water cause it is so hot outside. If you are guilty of this please stop!! Just raise the mower deck up a few notches! This will save water 2 ways.....1 it won't be so short ...therefore the grass will not have to "work" so hard to regrow and will have less stress..... and 2nd the grass actually provides shade to the soil underneath it so the evaporation of water will be less if the grass is a little longer ...this will lead to little or no water necessary!! ( we have had an exceptionally dry summer where I live and there is a lot of brown lawns...this doesn't mean you are a bad home owner it has just been HOT and DRY...not conducive to a green lawn.)
Now that we have taken care of the outside what can we do on the inside???
I have seen lots of advertisements for fancy gadgets you can put in your toilet tank to displace the water....the cheap way....why not just use a brick or similar size rock...same effect...lower cost!! There are also new water save flappers for the inside of the toilet also...and relatively cheap about 2-3 bucks.
Low flow shower heads and aerators for the faucets are also savers....in some places you can actually get these for FREE by going to your electric companies website and taking a free home energy audit. ( I did this a few years back and got a box of goodies in the mail...light bulbs, aerators, foam light socket insulators etc.!)
This little tidbit may shock some of you....it actually saves water to run a full load of dishes in the dishwasher instead of washing them by hand...good reason to get a dishwasher if you don't already have one!!
Many washers these days are also much more efficient in their water usage...some saving many gallons a year...but they can be some what pricey..so this would be more of a long term goal but keep your eyes out for scratch and dent models at your local stores......just be sure to ask that they are in no way defective besides the cosmetic damage...trust me on this... I will spare you the details!!
Oh I forgot to mention earlier that keeping your grass longer will also cause less erosion. When the soil dries out a crust develops and it is harder for the water to penetrate that crust so when it rains the water will have more of a tendency to run off the surface instead of soaking in .....and if a very hard rain comes along more soil particles will be displaced...and even more on hilly regions ....which is erosion at work!!
Ok I think that is it for now! If I forgot to mention anything you do or know about water conservations let me know!!!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
PLEASE HELP ME......with my irrational fear!!
WARNING.....if you are as creeped out by snakes as I am you may not want to read this!! ( or maybe you do to get some tips from the other readers)
OK so this has nothing really to do with being green I just need HELP!!!
A little back round info on me:
Not much really freaks me out. I can handle most bugs and animals, I don't like the sight of blood but I can get past it ....but put a snake in my line of sight and GAME OVER!! I don't know when this irrational fear appeared or why but it is here and so far I have not been able to shake it. I don not like to see them on TV, in a magazine, in pictures and definitely not in my yard!!!
So far this summer there have been 4 sightings of the slithery little creatures in my yard!!! First there was the " I am just sunning myself on your pretty rocks", Second was " I am going back to my home under your garage", Third was " I am just helping myself to one of the tasty frogs in your decorative pond" and lastly was the " I am on the way to a party and just using your driveway to get there". ( I am assuming the last one was on the way to a party cause it was Saturday night roughly 11pm and I almost stepped on it while on my way to retrieve the mail cause I just got home and where else would a snake be going at 11pm on a Saturday??)
Now I am assuming that the 3 sightings were all the same snake ( I sure hope they are not all different ones) but the last one was a very small snake....a "baby" probably. The first 3 all looked the same...black probably a foot or 2 long the last one I didn't get a real good look at but it was only maybe 4 to 5 inches long.
So here is where I need the HELP! HOW DO I GET RID OF THESE THINGS????
I have used moth balls on several occasions but I am not sure they are working...for obvious reasons! So what else can I do? I know it is not practical to put a rope around my entire yard...but I heard that was a myth ? I am open to ANY and ALL suggestions!!
Usually when I want to know how to fix something I google my problem but every time I look at a website it has pictures of the little creatures thus creeping me out! I would rather not use live traps...that pretty much goes with out saying, I would rather not use any chemicals that will hurt other critters around my house. But right now I am pretty much open to anything!!! Snake charmers, Native American chants to get rid of them, old folk remedies...whatever.....SEND ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS!!!!!!
( I mean nothing could make me look more ridiculous than I did last night while running ..with my knees practically hitting my chest...while flailing my arms and trying not to scream so loud to wake up the neighbors!!)
OK so this has nothing really to do with being green I just need HELP!!!
A little back round info on me:
Not much really freaks me out. I can handle most bugs and animals, I don't like the sight of blood but I can get past it ....but put a snake in my line of sight and GAME OVER!! I don't know when this irrational fear appeared or why but it is here and so far I have not been able to shake it. I don not like to see them on TV, in a magazine, in pictures and definitely not in my yard!!!
So far this summer there have been 4 sightings of the slithery little creatures in my yard!!! First there was the " I am just sunning myself on your pretty rocks", Second was " I am going back to my home under your garage", Third was " I am just helping myself to one of the tasty frogs in your decorative pond" and lastly was the " I am on the way to a party and just using your driveway to get there". ( I am assuming the last one was on the way to a party cause it was Saturday night roughly 11pm and I almost stepped on it while on my way to retrieve the mail cause I just got home and where else would a snake be going at 11pm on a Saturday??)
Now I am assuming that the 3 sightings were all the same snake ( I sure hope they are not all different ones) but the last one was a very small snake....a "baby" probably. The first 3 all looked the same...black probably a foot or 2 long the last one I didn't get a real good look at but it was only maybe 4 to 5 inches long.
So here is where I need the HELP! HOW DO I GET RID OF THESE THINGS????
I have used moth balls on several occasions but I am not sure they are working...for obvious reasons! So what else can I do? I know it is not practical to put a rope around my entire yard...but I heard that was a myth ? I am open to ANY and ALL suggestions!!
Usually when I want to know how to fix something I google my problem but every time I look at a website it has pictures of the little creatures thus creeping me out! I would rather not use live traps...that pretty much goes with out saying, I would rather not use any chemicals that will hurt other critters around my house. But right now I am pretty much open to anything!!! Snake charmers, Native American chants to get rid of them, old folk remedies...whatever.....SEND ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS!!!!!!
( I mean nothing could make me look more ridiculous than I did last night while running ..with my knees practically hitting my chest...while flailing my arms and trying not to scream so loud to wake up the neighbors!!)
Storms...What is the big deal???
Due to recent weather events, Irene, I have decided to take a different turn for this post.
Needless to say the recent hurricane has been a topic of lots of conversation this weekend and I realized many people don't understand what the "big deal was". We all know that weather predicting is not an exact science and sometimes we tend to be skeptical of just how much damage these storms can cause. As a country, or world for that matter, we have not been keeping track of weather for very long.... in the grand scheme of things. Technology has sure helped weather forecasters to be able to predict times, directions and magnitudes of storms, but they still can not predict damage and they will never be able to...why you ask? I am going to try to explain that ...to the best of my ability!
I have heard several newscasters trying to prepare everyone for this recent 100 year storm. Well what is a 100 year storm?? Well it is literally a storm that happens once every 100 years. How do we know it is a 100 year storm? Well....it is a guess at best!! Our weather records are barely 100 years in the making so it is thought that this storm will only happen once every 100 years.
Why do we categorize these storms in this way? Storms are rated by years, for instance 25, 50, 100 and 500 year storms. Now a 25 year storm is suppose to happen every 25 years a 50 year storm every 50 years and so on and so on. Our weather records are pretty good for the last 25 and 50 years but when it gets to 100 years it is sketchy at best!! ( We have no idea if there has ever been a 500 year storm!!)
This rating system is VERY IMPORTANT!!! It is used to determine many things from how to build, where to build and what to build.
One of this biggest concerns with Irene was the amount of rain and water that was going to by forced onto land and how fast that said water will go away. This is called the "peak run-off rate". There is a rather complicated formula that is used to determine this. The mathematics are not all that hard but the factors that go into the formula can be difficult to figure out. This formula takes into account the soil type, where in the US you are located, the slope of the land and how much rain is received in an hour.
This formula is very important and used to determine how to build levees, dams, retaining walls and yes even buildings! We can also determine with this formula how much erosion will take place from the run-off of water.
Now lets all think back to science class when we use to pour water into cylinders filled with different materials like gravel, pebbles and sand...I hope you all did this !!! The cylinders with the gravel filled with water faster, the pebbles a little slower and the sand the slowest....why is this important??? Because this is just like different types of soil...they all have different rates of absorption. So it can be determined how fast the rain and water will be absorbed in different landscapes. Please keep in mind that concrete and blacktop can not absorb water...it just runs off to the lowest level of the landscape.
There have been more examples of storms that hit the east coast in the North Carolina region so it kind of easier to more accurately predicted how the storm will affect that region. BUT, in New york City there has not been many of these types of storms.
SO what is the big deal? Why were there so many warnings and evacuations?
Now we have to think back to history class.....what did our landscape and population look like 100 years ago? VERY different than what it is today!!! There were no high rises buildings, subways, tunnels or mile after mile of concrete!! The population density was also MUCH lower!!
To put it bluntly....there is/was absolutely no way for anyone to predict how a storm like this would affect these cities along the northern Atlantic coast....it has never happened in recent history! Since this storm was weakened as it "stood" over the the North Carolina area the affects on the areas as the storm moved north was much less than expected!
However......the amount of rain still falling in the area is a problem! There has already been a lot of rain in the region for the month which has saturated the ground. So the rain that is now falling has no where to go. So now the biggest risk of this storm is the flooding that is following it. This is when the peak run-off rates come into play again. Most structures are built to withstand 100 year storms. But let me reiterate....100 years ago the landscape looked much different than it does today!! This storm is basically a test for some of the man made dams and levees in the area....let's hope they pass the test!
What is the bottom line??? LISTEN to the storm warnings!!! Weather forecasters and safety officials are doing their best to keep everyone safe. There is no way to precisely predict the affects of these large storms. The only way we can know for sure what is going to happen is to see what happens when the storms go through different areas. Then we can compare the storms and more accurately predict what will happen the next time. Unfortunately we will not know the worst case until it happens!
Remember that old saying " if we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it"? It was not so long ago we had to learn the hard way from Katrina....let's not let that happen again!!!
If you were or are in the path of this storm let me know how it has affected you and the area you live in....and please, please stay safe!!!
Needless to say the recent hurricane has been a topic of lots of conversation this weekend and I realized many people don't understand what the "big deal was". We all know that weather predicting is not an exact science and sometimes we tend to be skeptical of just how much damage these storms can cause. As a country, or world for that matter, we have not been keeping track of weather for very long.... in the grand scheme of things. Technology has sure helped weather forecasters to be able to predict times, directions and magnitudes of storms, but they still can not predict damage and they will never be able to...why you ask? I am going to try to explain that ...to the best of my ability!
I have heard several newscasters trying to prepare everyone for this recent 100 year storm. Well what is a 100 year storm?? Well it is literally a storm that happens once every 100 years. How do we know it is a 100 year storm? Well....it is a guess at best!! Our weather records are barely 100 years in the making so it is thought that this storm will only happen once every 100 years.
Why do we categorize these storms in this way? Storms are rated by years, for instance 25, 50, 100 and 500 year storms. Now a 25 year storm is suppose to happen every 25 years a 50 year storm every 50 years and so on and so on. Our weather records are pretty good for the last 25 and 50 years but when it gets to 100 years it is sketchy at best!! ( We have no idea if there has ever been a 500 year storm!!)
This rating system is VERY IMPORTANT!!! It is used to determine many things from how to build, where to build and what to build.
One of this biggest concerns with Irene was the amount of rain and water that was going to by forced onto land and how fast that said water will go away. This is called the "peak run-off rate". There is a rather complicated formula that is used to determine this. The mathematics are not all that hard but the factors that go into the formula can be difficult to figure out. This formula takes into account the soil type, where in the US you are located, the slope of the land and how much rain is received in an hour.
This formula is very important and used to determine how to build levees, dams, retaining walls and yes even buildings! We can also determine with this formula how much erosion will take place from the run-off of water.
Now lets all think back to science class when we use to pour water into cylinders filled with different materials like gravel, pebbles and sand...I hope you all did this !!! The cylinders with the gravel filled with water faster, the pebbles a little slower and the sand the slowest....why is this important??? Because this is just like different types of soil...they all have different rates of absorption. So it can be determined how fast the rain and water will be absorbed in different landscapes. Please keep in mind that concrete and blacktop can not absorb water...it just runs off to the lowest level of the landscape.
There have been more examples of storms that hit the east coast in the North Carolina region so it kind of easier to more accurately predicted how the storm will affect that region. BUT, in New york City there has not been many of these types of storms.
SO what is the big deal? Why were there so many warnings and evacuations?
Now we have to think back to history class.....what did our landscape and population look like 100 years ago? VERY different than what it is today!!! There were no high rises buildings, subways, tunnels or mile after mile of concrete!! The population density was also MUCH lower!!
To put it bluntly....there is/was absolutely no way for anyone to predict how a storm like this would affect these cities along the northern Atlantic coast....it has never happened in recent history! Since this storm was weakened as it "stood" over the the North Carolina area the affects on the areas as the storm moved north was much less than expected!
However......the amount of rain still falling in the area is a problem! There has already been a lot of rain in the region for the month which has saturated the ground. So the rain that is now falling has no where to go. So now the biggest risk of this storm is the flooding that is following it. This is when the peak run-off rates come into play again. Most structures are built to withstand 100 year storms. But let me reiterate....100 years ago the landscape looked much different than it does today!! This storm is basically a test for some of the man made dams and levees in the area....let's hope they pass the test!
What is the bottom line??? LISTEN to the storm warnings!!! Weather forecasters and safety officials are doing their best to keep everyone safe. There is no way to precisely predict the affects of these large storms. The only way we can know for sure what is going to happen is to see what happens when the storms go through different areas. Then we can compare the storms and more accurately predict what will happen the next time. Unfortunately we will not know the worst case until it happens!
Remember that old saying " if we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it"? It was not so long ago we had to learn the hard way from Katrina....let's not let that happen again!!!
If you were or are in the path of this storm let me know how it has affected you and the area you live in....and please, please stay safe!!!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
What is Sustainability??? Saving Electricity
So now that I have captured some followers ( hopefully there will be lots more to join soon) I would like to tackle some topics that I find very important ....not only to my life personally but, my community and the world.
We all have heard the media "buzzwords" global warming, going green, sustainable living, alternative energy etc. We have even been bombarded with these terms from both sides of the coin...Pro and Con. So much so that I think people have started to turn a deaf ear!
Disclaimer......I don't think extremes work!!! I am not trying to turn anyone into some tree hugging hippie who must give up their car and ride a bike everywhere, stop shaving legs and arm pits and totally "live off the grid". However I am not condemning those who choose this life style.
My Belief....we can all make small changes in our every day life that can had up to huge savings...not only for our wallets but our communities and the general public at large.
Saving electricity:
If your parents were anything like mine we got in trouble for not turning off the lights...not really because they were thinking about saving electricity but about saving money. I am glad I was brought up this way because it continues to resonate in my life today.....not only do I save money by turning off unnecessary lights...I also think of the consequences from saving some energy. The more energy I save the less coal is burned for my electricity. ( since I live in the south most of our electric comes from coal burning plants)
I have energy efficient light bulbs in everything in my house...granted more expensive than the traditional light bulbs but we would only purchase one pack at a time as our budget allowed.
The thermostat is set at 70 in the summer and 68 in the winter. So we dress accordingly in the house we put on a sweater if chilly or remove something if warm. I absolutely LOVE that time of year when you can throw open the doors and windows and just let the breeze blow through....unfortunately over the course of this year there has not been many days we could do that it seems as if we went straight from having the heat on to having the AC on!
When I go to bed I turn off the TV, cable box and unplug my computer...why have the cable box on while I am asleep???
I try to do laundry and run the dishwasher in the evening after the temps have cooled down, this is also when I do my baking, this is putting less strain on the grid. ( The power company in my area has started charging different rates depending on the time of day you are using electricity....so it costs more to do these things during the day.)
As far as "big" things go we do have energy efficient washer, dryer and refrigerator in the house. I tried to buy and energy efficient range but come to find out they are not rated. I would like to be able to say that my AC unit is up to date and the most energy efficient model but unfortunately that is not in my budget! Ok, Ok, I admit I do not have the best windows either...but during the heat of the day I keep my blinds and curtains closed to keep out the sunlight which in-turn keeps the house cooler. I have ceiling fans in just about every room that help circulate the air.
After reading all this you may be thinking to your self..." why on earth is this lady telling me all this simple stuff??"
Well here is why...... my home is approximately 1100sq ft. My highest electric bill for the year has been $119. And if you have been paying attention to the weather in the southeast you know how hot it has been here this summer!!!
Why does this matter to you, my electric bill doesn't directly affect you? Correct! I mean I am the one who has to pay it every month so why should you care??
Imagine for just a moment that every one would pick just one of these things I have listed above to do, how much electric could we collectively save???
Are we going to be able to solve the world's energy crisis by turning off one light? No, but it has been proven that conservation can do more to help solve the energy crisis than any other form of energy production!!
It may seem as if I am telling you to throw a pebble into the ocean...it won't make a big splash....but it will cause many ripples!!!
Now that I have shared my energy saving tips with you.....let me know what you do to save energy!!
We all have heard the media "buzzwords" global warming, going green, sustainable living, alternative energy etc. We have even been bombarded with these terms from both sides of the coin...Pro and Con. So much so that I think people have started to turn a deaf ear!
Disclaimer......I don't think extremes work!!! I am not trying to turn anyone into some tree hugging hippie who must give up their car and ride a bike everywhere, stop shaving legs and arm pits and totally "live off the grid". However I am not condemning those who choose this life style.
My Belief....we can all make small changes in our every day life that can had up to huge savings...not only for our wallets but our communities and the general public at large.
Saving electricity:
If your parents were anything like mine we got in trouble for not turning off the lights...not really because they were thinking about saving electricity but about saving money. I am glad I was brought up this way because it continues to resonate in my life today.....not only do I save money by turning off unnecessary lights...I also think of the consequences from saving some energy. The more energy I save the less coal is burned for my electricity. ( since I live in the south most of our electric comes from coal burning plants)
I have energy efficient light bulbs in everything in my house...granted more expensive than the traditional light bulbs but we would only purchase one pack at a time as our budget allowed.
The thermostat is set at 70 in the summer and 68 in the winter. So we dress accordingly in the house we put on a sweater if chilly or remove something if warm. I absolutely LOVE that time of year when you can throw open the doors and windows and just let the breeze blow through....unfortunately over the course of this year there has not been many days we could do that it seems as if we went straight from having the heat on to having the AC on!
When I go to bed I turn off the TV, cable box and unplug my computer...why have the cable box on while I am asleep???
I try to do laundry and run the dishwasher in the evening after the temps have cooled down, this is also when I do my baking, this is putting less strain on the grid. ( The power company in my area has started charging different rates depending on the time of day you are using electricity....so it costs more to do these things during the day.)
As far as "big" things go we do have energy efficient washer, dryer and refrigerator in the house. I tried to buy and energy efficient range but come to find out they are not rated. I would like to be able to say that my AC unit is up to date and the most energy efficient model but unfortunately that is not in my budget! Ok, Ok, I admit I do not have the best windows either...but during the heat of the day I keep my blinds and curtains closed to keep out the sunlight which in-turn keeps the house cooler. I have ceiling fans in just about every room that help circulate the air.
After reading all this you may be thinking to your self..." why on earth is this lady telling me all this simple stuff??"
Well here is why...... my home is approximately 1100sq ft. My highest electric bill for the year has been $119. And if you have been paying attention to the weather in the southeast you know how hot it has been here this summer!!!
Why does this matter to you, my electric bill doesn't directly affect you? Correct! I mean I am the one who has to pay it every month so why should you care??
Imagine for just a moment that every one would pick just one of these things I have listed above to do, how much electric could we collectively save???
Are we going to be able to solve the world's energy crisis by turning off one light? No, but it has been proven that conservation can do more to help solve the energy crisis than any other form of energy production!!
It may seem as if I am telling you to throw a pebble into the ocean...it won't make a big splash....but it will cause many ripples!!!
Now that I have shared my energy saving tips with you.....let me know what you do to save energy!!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Summertime Food Ideas
Today I would like to share with you some easy ways to use up all that fresh summer produce that is so widely available right now.
To be perfectly honest with you I don't use many recipes ...I do a lot of trial and error. But, since these ideas are rather simple I know all of you out there will have no problem doing these "recipes"!
Corn
I have spent countless hours watching people shuck ear after ear and inform me that they are going to boil all the flavor right out of the corn! I have an easier solution:
Leave the corn in it's husk, soak in water for at least an hour then just put it on the grill, shuck and all, for 20 minutes. Turning ears once every 5 minutes.
Don't be afraid if the outside is all charred the inside kernels will be steamed to perfection! Just peel and eat.....I think it goes without saying that you have to roll it in butter first! The good thing about this method is that all pesky silt will be burned off while cooking so less muss and fuss!!
Summer Squash and Zucchini
I have often contended with the " I don't like that" phrase ( and I don't have children) when it comes to these summertime treats......until I put them on the grill!
Slice you squashes either lengthwise to in rounds...in rather thick slices.
In a large bowl combine squash, a couple of cap fulls of canola oil ( enough to evenly coat slices) and add your favorite spices. I like to use just salt and pepper or a salt free mix of herbs....if you are growing herbs in your garden this is a perfect time to use them! Then put your prepared slices on the grill. Grill until tender!
Easy Fajitas
Depending on the size of your family you may want to increase or decrease the amounts to suit your needs.
Marinade one package, usually they come in a pack of 3 breasts, of boneless, skinless chicken breast in your favorite fajita seasoning mix. ( following the directions on the package)
Half 2 green peppers removing the stems and seeds
Peel and slice 2 onions into thick rounds
Grill...until veggies are tender and your chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in the thickest part of the breast.
Slice your chicken and veggies into bite sizes pieces and place in your favorite tortillas with your favorite toppings! ( I like cheese, sour cream and salsa!)
Eggplant
I tried cooking this yummy little veggie several different ways .... I always got the "it is alright" review until....you guessed it I put it on the grill!!
One family favorite is Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches:
Peel and slice, into thick rounds, 1 large eggplant and evenly coat slices with oil.
( now depending on what your family likes, all these topping can be used or you can use what ever your family will like....)
Peel and slice one large onion into thick rounds
Grill eggplant and onion until tender.
Now it is time to make your sandwiches.... I like to use those " new buns" that aren't really buns.....kind of the flat sandwich buns you can find in most grocery stores...what ever variety you like!
Layer the eggplant, onions on the bun......and then use your imagination.....maybe some slices of tomato, the grilled squash from above, a slice of your favorite cheese and what ever condiments you like!
This can be a great meal if you are having guests that are vegetarians!
Skewers:
A great idea when you are having guests is veggie skewers. They can be customized to what ever is on sale and what ever veggies you like!!
If you are using wooden skewers it is a good idea to soak them in water before putting your veggies on them so they don't burn and fall apart on the grill.....trust me I speak from experience!!
For a party I once ( with the help of several people ) skewered whole baby portabella mushrooms, yellow and zucchini squash, onions, green peppers and grape tomatoes. ( the squash and onion were cut into thick triangle shapes by cutting round slices into quarters)
We did individual skewers for each veggie because the cooking time varies. Any spice you like can be sprinkled on after skewering ( is that a word? Well it is now!) and then put them on the grill...until the veggies are tender! Now be aware that the juice inside the tomatoes will be hot so use a little caution before taking a bite!
You can serve the skewers intact or take the veggies off of them before serving.
Please beware.... sometimes parties have those people who will steal the skewers to "make sure they are fit for consumption" before they are served....we like to call these people the party vultures....don't be too hard on these people...they mean well!
I would like to invite all those out there who have read this to share your ideas or recipes in the comment section. I love trying new things and I LOVE TO EAT!!!
To be perfectly honest with you I don't use many recipes ...I do a lot of trial and error. But, since these ideas are rather simple I know all of you out there will have no problem doing these "recipes"!
Corn
I have spent countless hours watching people shuck ear after ear and inform me that they are going to boil all the flavor right out of the corn! I have an easier solution:
Leave the corn in it's husk, soak in water for at least an hour then just put it on the grill, shuck and all, for 20 minutes. Turning ears once every 5 minutes.
Don't be afraid if the outside is all charred the inside kernels will be steamed to perfection! Just peel and eat.....I think it goes without saying that you have to roll it in butter first! The good thing about this method is that all pesky silt will be burned off while cooking so less muss and fuss!!
Summer Squash and Zucchini
I have often contended with the " I don't like that" phrase ( and I don't have children) when it comes to these summertime treats......until I put them on the grill!
Slice you squashes either lengthwise to in rounds...in rather thick slices.
In a large bowl combine squash, a couple of cap fulls of canola oil ( enough to evenly coat slices) and add your favorite spices. I like to use just salt and pepper or a salt free mix of herbs....if you are growing herbs in your garden this is a perfect time to use them! Then put your prepared slices on the grill. Grill until tender!
Easy Fajitas
Depending on the size of your family you may want to increase or decrease the amounts to suit your needs.
Marinade one package, usually they come in a pack of 3 breasts, of boneless, skinless chicken breast in your favorite fajita seasoning mix. ( following the directions on the package)
Half 2 green peppers removing the stems and seeds
Peel and slice 2 onions into thick rounds
Grill...until veggies are tender and your chicken is thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in the thickest part of the breast.
Slice your chicken and veggies into bite sizes pieces and place in your favorite tortillas with your favorite toppings! ( I like cheese, sour cream and salsa!)
Eggplant
I tried cooking this yummy little veggie several different ways .... I always got the "it is alright" review until....you guessed it I put it on the grill!!
One family favorite is Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches:
Peel and slice, into thick rounds, 1 large eggplant and evenly coat slices with oil.
( now depending on what your family likes, all these topping can be used or you can use what ever your family will like....)
Peel and slice one large onion into thick rounds
Grill eggplant and onion until tender.
Now it is time to make your sandwiches.... I like to use those " new buns" that aren't really buns.....kind of the flat sandwich buns you can find in most grocery stores...what ever variety you like!
Layer the eggplant, onions on the bun......and then use your imagination.....maybe some slices of tomato, the grilled squash from above, a slice of your favorite cheese and what ever condiments you like!
This can be a great meal if you are having guests that are vegetarians!
Skewers:
A great idea when you are having guests is veggie skewers. They can be customized to what ever is on sale and what ever veggies you like!!
If you are using wooden skewers it is a good idea to soak them in water before putting your veggies on them so they don't burn and fall apart on the grill.....trust me I speak from experience!!
For a party I once ( with the help of several people ) skewered whole baby portabella mushrooms, yellow and zucchini squash, onions, green peppers and grape tomatoes. ( the squash and onion were cut into thick triangle shapes by cutting round slices into quarters)
We did individual skewers for each veggie because the cooking time varies. Any spice you like can be sprinkled on after skewering ( is that a word? Well it is now!) and then put them on the grill...until the veggies are tender! Now be aware that the juice inside the tomatoes will be hot so use a little caution before taking a bite!
You can serve the skewers intact or take the veggies off of them before serving.
Please beware.... sometimes parties have those people who will steal the skewers to "make sure they are fit for consumption" before they are served....we like to call these people the party vultures....don't be too hard on these people...they mean well!
I would like to invite all those out there who have read this to share your ideas or recipes in the comment section. I love trying new things and I LOVE TO EAT!!!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Self Watering Garden or Flower Bed
Ok, so this is going to take some planning and a little experimenting on your part!
I know you all have been up at 2am watching infomercials and have seen the things you stick in your plants so you don't have to water them everyday....and they are expensive, so what is a cheap gardener, like myself, to do??
( this is where you have to start planning and preparing for next year)
You are going to need any old milk jugs, juice containers....anything gallon size that did not contain any hazardous materials, if you wouldn't drink it don't let your plants drink it!! Rinse these containers well and store them until next spring.
How many you ask? ( here is where the experimenting comes in) I don't know!! The size of your garden or flower bed will determine how many containers you need. I would suggest 1 container every 4 feet.
Fast forward to spring when you look and see all the containers you have saved. ( Hopefully your shed or garage is not bursting at the seams!)
Here is the fun part...you will need a drill, preferably with a 3/32 size drill bit. Drill 5 or 6 holes in the bottom of your containers. Now you have 2 options...you can set the containers on top of the ground every 4 feet or you could dig about 4 inches in to the soil and place the containers in the ground. So plant your plants as regular then every 4 feet place a container in the same row. Also put one at the beginning and end of every row. ( For example if you have an 8 foot row you need one container at the beginning, one 4 feet in and one at the end...so 3 containers)
If you are using the containers for your flower beds that are in regular view and don't want everyone seeing just plain ole plastic containers, then get the kids involved....have them decorate the containers how ever you would like!
After you have placed all the containers where you want them fill them with water.
Here is the "scientific" part. As the soil drys it will pull the water from the containers as needed, kind of like a capillary action but, if the soils is moist the water will remain in the containers!
MAGIC! You now have a Self-watering garden or flower bed.
Well ok so you still have to fill the containers when they need it. For a while you may have to keep a close eye on your containers until you get an idea of how fast the containers empty...which of course will be more or less depending on the temperature and rainfall in your area.
Your containers can be reused year after year or all year round in your flower beds. A little bonus to give you the warm and fuzzys.....you just kept all those plastic containers out of a landfill!! ( I am sure you would have recycled them anyway instead of throwing them away....RIGHT?????)
I know you all have been up at 2am watching infomercials and have seen the things you stick in your plants so you don't have to water them everyday....and they are expensive, so what is a cheap gardener, like myself, to do??
( this is where you have to start planning and preparing for next year)
You are going to need any old milk jugs, juice containers....anything gallon size that did not contain any hazardous materials, if you wouldn't drink it don't let your plants drink it!! Rinse these containers well and store them until next spring.
How many you ask? ( here is where the experimenting comes in) I don't know!! The size of your garden or flower bed will determine how many containers you need. I would suggest 1 container every 4 feet.
Fast forward to spring when you look and see all the containers you have saved. ( Hopefully your shed or garage is not bursting at the seams!)
Here is the fun part...you will need a drill, preferably with a 3/32 size drill bit. Drill 5 or 6 holes in the bottom of your containers. Now you have 2 options...you can set the containers on top of the ground every 4 feet or you could dig about 4 inches in to the soil and place the containers in the ground. So plant your plants as regular then every 4 feet place a container in the same row. Also put one at the beginning and end of every row. ( For example if you have an 8 foot row you need one container at the beginning, one 4 feet in and one at the end...so 3 containers)
If you are using the containers for your flower beds that are in regular view and don't want everyone seeing just plain ole plastic containers, then get the kids involved....have them decorate the containers how ever you would like!
After you have placed all the containers where you want them fill them with water.
Here is the "scientific" part. As the soil drys it will pull the water from the containers as needed, kind of like a capillary action but, if the soils is moist the water will remain in the containers!
MAGIC! You now have a Self-watering garden or flower bed.
Well ok so you still have to fill the containers when they need it. For a while you may have to keep a close eye on your containers until you get an idea of how fast the containers empty...which of course will be more or less depending on the temperature and rainfall in your area.
Your containers can be reused year after year or all year round in your flower beds. A little bonus to give you the warm and fuzzys.....you just kept all those plastic containers out of a landfill!! ( I am sure you would have recycled them anyway instead of throwing them away....RIGHT?????)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Refrigerator Pickles Made Easy and Cheaper Than Store Bought
Have you been the lucky recipient of the bounty of friend’s gardens or just can’t resist buying up all the wonderful cucumbers in season right now? So what do you do with all these cucumbers? After all we can only eat so many cucumber sandwiches! Here is a quick easy recipe for refrigerator pickles:
Ingredients:
5 to 6 large cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1 onion, sliced
4 cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp turmeric
Directions:
Ensure you have a one gallon container with a tightly fitting top. Add the sliced cucumbers and onions until it is ¾ of the way full. Then add the rest of your ingredients in no particular order of importance. The last step is to SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, until all ingredients are well mixed!! Place your container in the refrigerator for 5 days shaking vigorously once each day. On the fifth day, enjoy!! Most people I know cheat and can’t wait for the five days to pass before trying (me included)!
Ingredients:
5 to 6 large cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1 onion, sliced
4 cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp turmeric
Directions:
Ensure you have a one gallon container with a tightly fitting top. Add the sliced cucumbers and onions until it is ¾ of the way full. Then add the rest of your ingredients in no particular order of importance. The last step is to SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE, until all ingredients are well mixed!! Place your container in the refrigerator for 5 days shaking vigorously once each day. On the fifth day, enjoy!! Most people I know cheat and can’t wait for the five days to pass before trying (me included)!
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