Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
World Kitchen Garden Day Aug 22nd ~ Meetup.com
Check out:
http://www.meetup.com/World-Kitchen-Garden-Day/18481/
August 22, 2010 at 2pm
Meet up in my backyard to celebrate World Kitchen Garden Day. Please RSVP on the www.meetup.com site. Bring photos of your garden if you have them. If it rains, it will be cancelled, sorry. But hooray if it rains!
http://www.meetup.com/World-Kitchen-Garden-Day/18481/
August 22, 2010 at 2pm
Meet up in my backyard to celebrate World Kitchen Garden Day. Please RSVP on the www.meetup.com site. Bring photos of your garden if you have them. If it rains, it will be cancelled, sorry. But hooray if it rains!
Hornworms...Amazing and Terrible!
While spending time in my tomato patch, I noticed green tomatoes that had been eaten. Then I saw that the tips of the yellow pear cherry tomatoes were missing. Then I saw the droppings. I knew then that Tomato Hornworms were busy doing their thing. The next step was to find them, the masters of camouflage. I had to sit and adjust my eyes so I could begin to see. With a little patience, I began to see them move and chew. I managed to capture and relocate, across the road to a field, 5 hornworms. They did not seem pleased. However, even if they do not find something else to eat of their liking, they can be a part of the food chain, by becoming lunch for some very lucky birds.
I have picked lots of zucchini, peas bursting out of their pods, and green beans. I am waiting for my cranberry beans to mature, and I have begun to harvest a few pink ping pong cherry tomatoes. Patience though, for I know when the tomatoes start ripening, there will be a flood of juicy, organic tomatoes for bottling and bruschetta. I cannot eat enough fresh brushcetta!
Storing food is often a bit of a dilemma. I do not have a deep freezer. I have only been bottling food. Salsas, tomato sauces and rhubarb jam have mostly been my favourite foods. However, this year I am going to pickle some beets and a green bean salad. Results will be forthcoming.
Storing food is part of my preparedness plan. I understand that our food supply chain is on the edge of a knife. If the cost of oil continues its march toward $100 a barrel, costs are passed on the consumer, and if they go too high, it can affect those of us who live on a modest income. If oil goes to $150-200 a barrel, food importation will likely experience difficulties, thus reducing supply, driving prices up due to continued demand. So, I may need to feed myself, my family, and maybe some neighbours if this happens. So bottling food is part of my insurance against starvation. I know this sounds a bit neurotic, but our 'just in time' delivery systems do not provide urbanites with a good back-up supply. I've read that the typical household has only 7-10 days of food, and our officials state that the government only has a 3 day supply for the entire population. Grain supplies have fallen too. And up until now, knowing that we can rely on our stores as having everything we want and need at our fingertips, has been the norm. But, things can shift on a dime. And I want to try to be moderately prepared for any hardship. I recommend reading Sharon Astyk's book 'Depletion and Abundance'.
Therefore, my seed saving activities are in full swing. My kitchen table is covered with dishes with seeds of all kinds, drying, waiting to be catalogued and stored in the basement for the spring. Wish me luck.
I have picked lots of zucchini, peas bursting out of their pods, and green beans. I am waiting for my cranberry beans to mature, and I have begun to harvest a few pink ping pong cherry tomatoes. Patience though, for I know when the tomatoes start ripening, there will be a flood of juicy, organic tomatoes for bottling and bruschetta. I cannot eat enough fresh brushcetta!
Storing food is often a bit of a dilemma. I do not have a deep freezer. I have only been bottling food. Salsas, tomato sauces and rhubarb jam have mostly been my favourite foods. However, this year I am going to pickle some beets and a green bean salad. Results will be forthcoming.
Storing food is part of my preparedness plan. I understand that our food supply chain is on the edge of a knife. If the cost of oil continues its march toward $100 a barrel, costs are passed on the consumer, and if they go too high, it can affect those of us who live on a modest income. If oil goes to $150-200 a barrel, food importation will likely experience difficulties, thus reducing supply, driving prices up due to continued demand. So, I may need to feed myself, my family, and maybe some neighbours if this happens. So bottling food is part of my insurance against starvation. I know this sounds a bit neurotic, but our 'just in time' delivery systems do not provide urbanites with a good back-up supply. I've read that the typical household has only 7-10 days of food, and our officials state that the government only has a 3 day supply for the entire population. Grain supplies have fallen too. And up until now, knowing that we can rely on our stores as having everything we want and need at our fingertips, has been the norm. But, things can shift on a dime. And I want to try to be moderately prepared for any hardship. I recommend reading Sharon Astyk's book 'Depletion and Abundance'.
Therefore, my seed saving activities are in full swing. My kitchen table is covered with dishes with seeds of all kinds, drying, waiting to be catalogued and stored in the basement for the spring. Wish me luck.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Summer ~ Full Moon in the Garden
Been busy keeping up with all the new developments in the garden. My beet seeds were harvested, winnowed, and are now drying for storage. I cut all the carrot seed heads today. They are all curled up, with their prickly coverings. I had no idea when carrot seeds would be ready. I had to look it up online, only to discover that commercially prepared carrot seeds are processed to remove all remnants of the prickly hairs covering carrot seeds.
Now...I wondered why? I think it is to ease their planting in commercial carrot grower's fields, perhaps because of the seed planting equipment? Adulterated seeds? A carrot seed circumcision? I really like being able to recognize a seed, and to know that it has not been sprayed with an enhancer or a inhibitor....don't you?
A friend had passed an email on to me today indicating that MSG, the flavour enhancer, has begun to be sprayed on more crops. If you have an allergic reaction to MSG, which is a known migraine instigator for many people, shouldn't this be labelled on the foods, along with all the other additives? At least we could make an informed decision whether or not to buy it. This is, of course, the corporate market laissez-faire approach, buyer beware!
So, as I've begun to harvest from the garden, I am documenting exactly how much I do indeed bring in through the back door. Yellow zucchini, green and baseball zucchini, peas, lettuce, beans, spinach, parsley, oregano, chives, and green onions have all been enjoyed for dinner.
And to please the garden gods, I have been offering some classical music, mostly Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The monarch butterflies sitting on the flowers seem to enjoy it!
Now...I wondered why? I think it is to ease their planting in commercial carrot grower's fields, perhaps because of the seed planting equipment? Adulterated seeds? A carrot seed circumcision? I really like being able to recognize a seed, and to know that it has not been sprayed with an enhancer or a inhibitor....don't you?
A friend had passed an email on to me today indicating that MSG, the flavour enhancer, has begun to be sprayed on more crops. If you have an allergic reaction to MSG, which is a known migraine instigator for many people, shouldn't this be labelled on the foods, along with all the other additives? At least we could make an informed decision whether or not to buy it. This is, of course, the corporate market laissez-faire approach, buyer beware!
So, as I've begun to harvest from the garden, I am documenting exactly how much I do indeed bring in through the back door. Yellow zucchini, green and baseball zucchini, peas, lettuce, beans, spinach, parsley, oregano, chives, and green onions have all been enjoyed for dinner.
And to please the garden gods, I have been offering some classical music, mostly Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The monarch butterflies sitting on the flowers seem to enjoy it!
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