January 31, 2010

Yes!  It's dirt under the fingernails time again!  The onion seeds have been planted and are now sitting pretty on grow mats under lights.  This is my first time planting onion from seed, I've always bought plants before.  Half went into a 50/50 mix of perlite and peat and half went into a 40/40/20 mix of perlite/peat/farm soil.  We'll see what comes up.  I sure do hope they end up looking as nice as the ones pictured above!

All the seeds are in, minus a few on backorder.  All I have to do now is wait until the time is right to start them.

Went way overboard on tomatoes – no surprise there…but with names like Zapotec Pleated, Orange Strawberry, Purple Smudge, Persimmon, Pink Grapefruit, Martian Giant, Aunt Ruby’s German Green and so on – what’s a tomato junkie to do?

Also trying artichokes this year – there is a variety that can bear in one year – an annual up here in the not always frozen North – unless maybe I can grow one in a big pot and overwinter it, hmm…

So, you know what didn't work for seedlings - well, here is what has worked.

Find some space where you can set up a shelving unit near a sunny south window or glass door.

Plant your seeds in trays that will drain.

Use a thermostatically controlled heat mat set to about 90 degrees for heat loving plants - or heating pads set on low.

Suspend shop lights from the shelving unit (mine has mesh shelves) so that they are just above the seedling trays.  Move the light units up as the seedlings grow.

If you use a potting mix such as peat and perlite (1:1), start fertilizing the seedlings once they're up.  I've tried waiting until the first true leaves but it just seems to delay progress.  Fertilize weekly.

I've used a variety of fertilizer recipes - here is one -

Per gallon of water:

1 tsp each of Synergy, Mineral Matrix, and, Ruby Fulvic, 4 tsp BioGrow, and 1 oz Maxicrop

from time to time I've also added Nature's Nectar nitrogen and potassium according to package directions

I had the healthiest seedlings ever last year - I'm not sure that all the ingredients are absolutely necessary but this year I didn't have the BioGrow or the Maxicrop or the Nature's Nectar potassium and the seedlings did poorly.

Pot up your seedlings to bigger containers as they grow and start getting them outdoors as soon as possible to get direct light.

Take the move slow - seedlings can die of sunburn.  A few minutes twice a day is enough for the first few days - then start increasing the time in the sun.  I usually double the time outdoors each day.  Once they can stay out for an hour they can stay out all day.  If it's cool out let the seedlings stay warm in some sort of greenhouse.  I use a small "Flower House" - a pop-up greenhouse that's about 2 feet tall and fits several seedling trays.

On transplant I most often add a handful of alfalfa meal to the planting hole and wet it down with a fertilizer solution - I'm not convinced it makes a real difference but I've been superstitious about it.  You can try experimenting - if it doesn't really make a difference you can certainly save yourself some money and time!

Now is a good time to start fall crops such as fall cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, and summer lettuces.

From a friend who prefers to remain anonymous...

http://www.pesticidefreebc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=75&Itemid=139

This link is about the Canadian Cosmetic Pesticide Act which...I'm beginning to giggle here....bans the use of glyphosate and others...Round-up and Weed/Feed lawn chemicals in Ontario....lots of giggling....and the soon in the entire country. (I love the word cosmetic in the title!  Spotlights a sort of cocky vanity about "weed" control.)

I have to see the pesticide problem from inside the landscaping industry everyday and despair of this sort of legislation ever happening here but...perhaps there's hope.

The poisons have made everybody apathetic and slovenly about the constant use of the evil stuff for plants in driveway cracks, etc.  The landscaping company I work for routinely sends out Dr. Death to spray sod prior to installing gardens.  I've lost track of the number of times that someone complains about poor seed germination and then answers affirmatively when I ask them if they use Preen/pre-emergent on their garden beds.  Sigh. 

The boss gets a frowny face when I take a weedwacker to the knee high weeds in the nursery, saying that he'll just get the pesticide guy-Dr. Death-to "knock the weeds down because that's more efficient".  He sends out untrained, non english speakers to apply pesticides, Dr Death mixes his poisons and chuckles Oops when he spills them etc etc etc.  And these are "professional" level people.  I'm quite convinced that Dr. Death is a major Rush Limbaugh fan due to neurochemical damage from pesticide exposure.

And always, I have to be careful what I say at work to the general public.  I quote my grandmother...one year's seeds, seven year's seeds, recommend regular weed wacking, heavy mulching, corn gluten pre-emergent and so on.  All too much work compared to Round-up .......grrrrrrrr.   I may move to Ontario....-

The days are growing shorter and the farm season is drifting to a close.  The garlic has finally been planted and tucked under its blanket of hay.  Now all that remains is to finish digging the carrots.

The season was a tough one - too much rain in the spring, hardly any during peak growing season, and way too much rain this October.  The late blight took half of the tomato harvest and neither the corn nor the winter squashes did much. 

But still, Mother Nature without much help from me, turned in an amazing performance. The freezer is stocked with asparagus, spinach, beans, edamame, beets, eggplant, and tomato sauce.  I'm currently freezing pepper and still have more beets to process.  The fridge is stuffed with cabbages, carrots, and leeks.  Garlic, onions, and potatoes are jostling for room in the basement and there are enough spaghetti squash to last through till next harvest - not to mention some beautiful Long Pie pumpkins.

The late planted sunflowers all bloomed before the frost and smiled over the harvest.  The dry beans were a mixed story - the ends of the rows produced a nice fruit set but the middle plants had lots of empty pods.  I'm still puzzling over that one...

I will miss the days on the farm, the dirt under my nails, the sunshine on my back, the birdsong, the rustle of the wind in the tall grasses, the scent of wild daisies, and the delicate flowers of the Queen Anne Lace.  I will miss the bees and dragon flies and toads and frogs.  But the land needs to rest, to gather strength to pour into next year's harvest. 

Still, there is much to look forward to - eating my way through the harvest, the coming crop of seed catalogs, starting seedlings, the whole amazing cycle of life for which I am abundantly grateful.

I stand in awe and reverence as I consider the miracle of life and the kindness of the Earth in providing such bounty. 

A new year and a new season just around the corner.  This year I am ordering my seed early - well earlier than I have in the past and yahoo - only two out of stock items out of all the seed I ordered.  Still have to order the potatoes but then all I have do is sit back and wait for the seeds to show up at my doorstep.

I'm trying a few new things this year - starting onion from seed (and ordering onion plants too - I don't want to get too cocky), going to try annual artichokes, and of course I am on my now annual quest to successfully grow broccoli and cauliflower.

A few of my favorites are no longer carried by my usual suppliers but thank heavens for the internet.  There are a number of small seed houses out there that carry off the beaten track  stuff and I stumbled across a number of intriguing seed varieties while I was tracking down Wadenswiler Kraut cabbage, Brown Golding romaine, and Green Pineapple tomatoes.

New seed sources this year include: Diane's Flowers, Trade Winds Fruit, Garden of Cures, and Wild Garden Seed.  Shawnee is a fan of Southern Exposure seed so check them out too.  This year potatoes will come from Roniger's - a huge selection of organically grown certified seed.

Most seed for this year is coming from Fedco, Johnny's, Abundant Life, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek, Seed Savers Exchange, and Territorial.  I'm repeating a lot of last year's varieties but of course a fell in love with some new varieties of tomatoes and peppers and was not able to resist their siren call.

We are now eating our way through last year's harvest - potatoes, carrots, winter squash and pumpkins, spaghetti squash, sweet and hot peppers, beets, asparagus, home canned pickles, cabbage, homemade sauerkraut, dry beans and snap beans, eggplant, onions, garlic (I love garlic...), tomato sauce - I mean really - how fortunate can one person be?

So, seeds are ordered, I'm eating my way through the winter stock (did I mention how incredibly good the Purple Rain carrots are?  not to mention the White Satin and Amarillo carrots...), listening to my Synister Dane CD (http://www.synisterdane.com/home.html), and plunging head first into political activism.

So, great vegan veggies - great activist musis, and a world to fix!  Yep - life is good.

Love has its price.  That price is grief.  Today we lost our little love, Jeffrey, to kidney failure.  Jeffrey came to us just six short months ago, a rescue from a local shelter.  Jeffrey had been found by police in an abandoned apartment.  He was in horrible shape with badly matted fur and toenails that curled under his paws.  He also had leukemia.

Despite it all, Jeffrey was a happy little guy who loved being petted and hanging around the nearest person.  He loved food and, after wolfing down his own meal, would lurk around his rescue-mate Pumpkin’s bowl as she ate, waiting eagerly to snatch any leftovers.

Jeffrey delighted us with his Bichon “waddle” (if you have ever been privileged to share your life with a Bichon then you will know what I mean).  Even more delightful was his Bichon “run”.  Jeffrey took an ownership interest in the house and always took great care to alert us when there were raccoons hanging about outdoors – going on high alert with his tail high and a bark ferocious enough to scare away the intruders.

Jeffrey graced us with his presence and we are only sorry that he could not spend more time in our home.  He will, however, live on in our hearts.  He was a kind soul, who despite abuse and neglect, learned to love and trust again.

Jeff – thank you for your lessons in love and for the joy and laughter you brought into our lives.  We miss you, buddy.  We will always hold you close in our hearts.

November 19, 2009

Today I joined nearly 100 climate activists and testified at an EPA hearing in Chicago support of what is commonly known as the "Big Polluters" rule - the EPA's first step in controlling greenhouse gas emissions.  Below is the text of my testimony and a link to follow that you can use to register your support of the rule during the public comment period. 

Please take action today - we do not have a moment to lose.

I am among the most privileged of people and it is time to give thanks.

Reverence, despite the unseasonably cool weather and the too much too little cycle of deluge and drought, is producing a beautiful harvest, even if not as abundant in years past.   The second crop of snap beans is gorgeous - the Yellow Rocky was beans are tender and sweet, the green Provider beans are living up to their name and providing a second bountiful harvest, the Royalty Purple and Royal Burgundy beans are slugging it out for title of best purple bean ever.  The dry beans are producing a nice set and the edamame are finally all harvested and processed.  I expect we will be able to eat edamame every week straight through to the next harvest.  The Agate and Fiskeby edamame will not be coming back - small and sparse pods and the flavor is not noticeably different from the heavily laden Shirofumi variety. 

The tomatoes have set a good crop and I am waiting for them to color up - harvest should start in just a few days.  I even have eggplants and peppers this season - not many but given the very few plants in the ground and the late date of planting I am overjoyed to have what I have.  I even have a few of my particular favorite - Apple Green.

I will have close to 60 pounds of spaghetti squash - we can skip pasta this year - the spaghetti squash will take us through till the next harvest - they hold remarkably well in cool storage.

I am digging potatoes - they are smallish due to the prolonged dry spell but they are tasty and beautiful and I am pretty sure we'll have enough to see us through.  The corn, sadly, was a major bust - though planted in time, it suffered developmental delays due to problems with soil fertility and the weather.  Still  - I am enjoying snacking on the tiny ears right in the field - corn -  like melons and tomatoes and cukes - are best eaten picked just off the plant - and I mean just off  - like standing right there in the field and savoring the bounty of the Earth.

The garlic and onions are all harvested and about ready to go into storage - the garlic is nice and  big and the onions are tasty, if smaller than normal.

The carrots and beets are sizing up and there will be at least a few winter squash.  The cukes and summer squash did not produce well but we still have more than we can munch through right at the moment.  Time to get snacking on the cukes and making a few summer squash sautees. 

As you can see - there is so much to be thankful for.  The opportunity to grow healthy and peaceful food for my family - the gorgeous colors and tastes and textures of the harvest - being able to spend time doing what I love - being surrounded by the wildflowers in the hedgerows - Queen Anne's Lace, yarrow, milkweed, wild daisies, and more I can't name - sharing some of the harvest with the animals that are kind enough to share their home with me.  These are the times in life that create the sense of wonder and awe and reverence that imbue life with it's meaning.

I am also grateful to all my farming friends for their counsel and advice and encouragement.  I'm grateful for my neighbors who offer the use of their barn, shed and well, I am grateful for Sue and Gary who taught me so much and who grow awesome vegetables - and I'm grateful that their corn turned out well and that I could put up 6 dozen ears for the winter.  I am grateful for the help of my husband and daughter who patiently pulled edamame pods from the stalks (several hours of work) and shucked corn.

There is so much more - it would take me hours to write it all down.  Despite the bumps along the way, I can truly say that I am among the most fortunate people who have ever lived.  Thank you to everyone in my life - your support, friendship, and love are what I am most grateful for.

Seems many folks still think that women don't get heart attacks.  Well, it's time to think again.  While women have heart attacks slightly less frequently then men they die of them more often!  Many medical personnel tend to dismiss women's symptoms and women's symptoms are often very different than those experienced by men.

The Chicago Tribune provides this list of symptoms:

Most frequent symptoms before heart attack for women:

(Most women experienced at least one symptom daily or several times a week in the month before.)

Unusual fatigue: 70.7 percent

Sleep disturbance: 47.8 percent

Shortness of breath: 42.1 percent

Indigestion: 39.4 percent

Anxiety: 35.5 percent

Chest discomfort: 29.7 percent

Heart racing: 27.4 percent

Most frequent symptoms during a heart attack for women:

Shortness of breath: 57.9 percent

Weakness: 54.8 percent

Unusual fatigue: 42.9 percent

Cold sweat: 39 percent

Dizziness: 39 percent

Nausea: 35.5 percent

Arms weak/heavy: 34.8 percent

If you experience these symptoms make sure to have then checked out - and if your doctor dismisses these symptoms - particularly if you have a family history of heart disease - find another doctor!

BPA and Your Health

You've probably heard of BPA by now - a chemical found in polycarbonate plastics (think shatterproof water bottles and baby bottles).  While concern has been circulating over this chemical for some time the evidence is steadily building that this is a chemical you should remove from your life.  BPA has been linked to Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver enzyme abnormalities in adults.  Here's a short list of items that often contain BPA -

Shatterproof water and baby bottle, reusable plastic food and beverage containers, paints and adhesives, linings of metal cans, CD's and DVD's, and many plastics with a recyclables code of 7.  BPA is also found in organic (and non-organic) canned foods such as tomatoes (the cans are lined with a BPA containing resin), recycled cardboard (often used for pizza boxes), wine and beers (often fermented in resin lined vats), carbonless credit card receipts, and aluminum soda cans.

Avoid using as many of these products as possible - ditch that old water bottle (and especially those baby bottles), stay away from soda (just plain a bad thing for your health, in any case), canned acidic foods, and don't reheat in plastic containers.

 For information on specific products you can visit www.safemama.com

Best Medical Prices

If you live in the Chicago area you can now go on-line to shop for prices on healthcare.  Leslie Ramirez has established a website to help those who are uninsured or underinsured shop for medical services.  Dr. Ramirez cautions that price is not the only factor in choosing a health care service provider - quality also counts.  She offers the following tips - talk to your healthcare provider about options for medication, tests, and treatments.  Shop around for price and use your findings as a starting point for negotiation with other providers.  Realize that the prices on Leslie's List are subject to change by the provider.  You can visit Leslie's List at www.leslieslist.org.

Getting the Most Out of Your Sunscreen

Farming is an occupation in which having a good sunscreen is important - eight to ten hours in the sun everyday is a challenge for any sunscreen.  The Environmental Working Group has published a list of the 10 most effective sunscreens which can be found at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/ewg_sunscreen.pdf.

Unfortunately, most of the popular brands of sunscreen do not make the cut!  They either do not provide enough protection or they have hazardous ingredients, including oxybenzone which is absorbed into the skin and can cause hormonal disruption, allergic reactions, and cell damage.

Here is a list of the sunscreens found to be both effective and safe by the Environmental Working Group.

 The Environmental Working Group also rates a host of other products including cosmetics, baby care productions, skin care products, eye care products, nail care products, and oral care products.  Check out what you're currently using to see how safe and effective it is at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Summer Fruit – in the Winter?
 
Who can resist the mouth watering sweetness of a perfectly ripe peach, nectarine, or plum in mid-August?  Isn’t one of the sad times of autumn when along with cooler temperatures these taste treats have come to an end until the following summer?
 
Well, you don’t have to wait any longer, right?  Aren’t these foods now available year-round at your local supermarket?  Why wait to buy them as U.S. grown produce when Chile, Argentina, and other Latin American countries can grow, pack and ship them and we can dine throughout the year on our ‘summer’ fruit?
 
Here are some reasons you may want to rethink putting foreign grown fruit on your winter shopping list:
 
-Government food inspectors find twice the amount of pesticide residues on imported vs. domestically grown fruit.

-Air freight emits more greenhouse gases per food mile than any other mode of transport and importing fruit only adds to our carbon load.  For this reason even buying these imports organically clashes with the idea of ‘green’.

-The EPA reports that chemicals like Iprovalicarb and Tolylfluanid, and Mepanipyrim, which at times are applied to apples, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, and other fruits in some foreign countries, are likely carcinogens, but are not even registered for use in the U.S.

 -Pesticide manufacturers are free to export pesticides that are either forbidden or severely restricted in the United States. 

-From 1997 to 2000, the most recent period for which the data are available, nearly 65 million pounds of these products went to foreign destinations for application to crops sent to the U.S. and elsewhere.  Central America might be the worst offender in the occupational use of pesticides as the Pan-American Health Organization estimates almost 400,000 pesticide poisonings occur each year in the region .

-Harm to humans aside, chemicals like Monocrotophos and Carbofuran are known bird killers.  They are at least partially restricted here but can be applied to crops overseas.  2 recent articles, from The Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/american-songbirds-are-being-wiped-out-by-banned-pesticides-804547.html, and from the International Herald Tribune,   
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/30/opinion/edstuchbury.php tell the sad story of the role played by these chemicals in the rapid decline of our songbirds.
 
In wintertime when you are tempted by that luscious looking "product of a foreign country" fruit, consider instead crispy-sweet Washington State apples, juicy Florida oranges, or red-ripe strawberries from Southern California.  For more information, see "What's Fresh Near You" at www.NRDC.org.  You’ll be acting to reduce global warming, combating pesticide related illnesses in Latin America, helping our songbirds, and your family will be eating more healthfully.

This Newsletter may be excerpted, reproduced or circulated without limitation.
(Special thanks to Dr. Michael Fry of the American Bird Conservancy for his important contributions to this newsletter) 

Flavor Can Help with Weight Loss!

As if you really needed another reason to eat farm fresh locally grown veggies - but...a study by the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago found that boosting the flavor of food helps you feel fuller faster and decreases the amount you eat!  So why eat those flavorless lettuces, tomatoes, or eggplants from the grocery store when you can get farm fresh produce chock full of flavor and nutrition - and lose weight into the bargain!  Spicing up your food with fresh garlic, onions, and peppers is also a sure fire weight to eat more flavorfully! 

Relaxation Can Turn Your Genes On and Off

Dr. Herbert Benson of Massachusetts General Hospital has conducted studies demonstrating that relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga, and prayer improve health by changing patterns of gene activity.  You don't have to be an expert practicioner to reap the benefits, the study revealed similar changes in both experienced and novice practicioners.  So, slow down and smell the roses while you're tasting (really tasting!) your farm fresh produce!

Healthy Food Equals a Healthy Pregnancy 

An unhealthy diet during pregnancy can increase your child's risk of obesity and elevated blood sugar and cholesterol according to a study by British researchers.  Eating a diet of junk food leads to higher levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin in offspring.  So remember - Cheetos do not qualifiy as a vegetable just because they are orange!  The evidence keeps accumulating - a healthy diet is a diet rich in whole foods with plenty of veggies, fruits, and whole grains!

Shower Curtain Hazards

No - we're not talking about the scene from Psycho - but this is just as scary.  Vinyl shower curtains and shower curtain liners emit toxic chemicals that have been linked to liver, respiratory, reproductive system, and central nervous system damage.  That new shower curtain smell - just like new car smell - is not good for your health.  A while back I switched to a linen shower curtain - check them out in the Gaiam catalog (www.gaiam.com) . 

Don't Bother with Weed and Feed - Eat Those Dandelions!

Dandelions are an early spring treat, tasty in salads - and you can make them into wine - though I've never tried that.  Warmer days make dandelions bitter but that doesn't mean you should declare war on these lovelies.  Dandelions nourish bees, attract ladybugs, and their deep roots help aerate compact soil.

On the other had, typical lawn treatments are bad for you and bad for the environment. 

Synthetic fertilizers have large amounts of water soluble nutrients that very often wash out of lawns and into natural waterways (my village has banned phosphorous fertilizers for just this reason!).  The runoff causes algal bloom which sucks oxygen out of the water and kills other aquatic life. 

Weed and Feed products are even worse.  Weed killers also run off but also leach into groundwater, end up tracked into our homes, and volatilize into the air we breath (ever notice the stench after a neighbor has had their yard chemically treated?).  A typical weed killer, 2,4-D has been linked to an increased risk for non-Hodgkins lymhpoma.  Inert ingredients may do nothing for your lawn but many of them can include harmful amount of heavy metals and pose a risk to pets and children playing on your lawn.

Pesticides also contaminate water and threaten wildlife.  Sixteen of the thirty most common pesticides are serious hazards to birds, twenty-four are toxic to fish, and eleven have adverse effects on bees.

These products are harmful to human health as well.  2,4-D is found in 63% of homes.  Children are at special risk.  Fifty percent of pesticide contact comes withing the first five years of live.  The Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that exposure to garden pesticides can increase the risk of childhood leukemia by sevenfold.  Pesticide exposure also increases miscarriage rates, breast cancer risk, and Parkinson's.  Dogs who are exposed to lawns treated with herbicides have double the risk of canine lymphoma and four to seven times greater risk for bladder cancer.

Read the entire article plus how to have a beautiful SAFE lawn by clicking here:

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-4-77-1698,00.html

Also consider lobbying your homeowner's association and community to ban phosphorous fertilizers and to restrict or abolish use of harmful herbicides and pesticides.  Communities have a public health responsibility to their citizens.

 Eat Veggies, Stay Young

According to the May 2007 issue of Organic Gardening, people who eat leafy greens keep their brains functioning longer.  A research study done by Rush University Medical Center found that large amounts of leafty green vegetables were protective of brain functioning, including memory and thinking speed.  Other research demonstrates that healthy fats such as olive oil have a similar effect.  So, have a nice big salad, today, and add a splash of a nice olive oil based vinegrette! 

Diet Basics (and Acids)

Science News, in the March 29, 2008 issue, reports on a Tufts University study that found a diet rich in potassium significantly reduces muscle wasting in adults over age 40.  And what’s the primary source of dietary potassium? Fruits and vegetables! (You didn’t really expect me to say “cookies” did you?)

Turns out that our bodies convert animal protein and cereal grains into acid residues.  (I really didn’t believe that the first 10 times I heard it – but the science is the science…) Our bodies then raid muscle and bone in an effort to balance out the excess acid – so that ham and cheese on rye or that cheese pizza you’re munching on are contributing to the breakdown of your muscles and bones rather than building them up.

Bottom line?  Cut back on or eliminate those animal products from your diet and go easy on the cereal grains.  Add lots of heart (and muscle and bone) healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet.

The link, http://www.saeure-basen-forum.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=39 , will take you to a list of the acid/base effect of common foods.

And don’t forget the exercise!