How to Build Hoop Houses : Greenhouse & Hoop House Irrigation

click for short video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j09zP84boM&feature=related

How to grow wheatgrass, simple and cheap!

Click for short video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL0URJcZF8w

Growing Swiss Chard - advice on how to grow Swiss Chard

Chard is a green leafed vegetable that makes a good alternative to spinach. Growing Chard can be easier than growing spinach as it is better able to withstand higher temperatures and water shortages.

As well as its value as a food crop Swiss Chard also has a very striking value as an ornamental plant and so often appears in a gardens ornamental borders or ornamental pots. Chard is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. It's stalks can be of various colours.

Chard is known by a number of different names in including Swiss Chard, Spinach Beet,and Leaf beet.

Preparation

Dig over the soil and dig in some organic matter a number of weeks before sowing. This will help soil moisture retention and soil aeration. Make sure to break up any large clods of soil with your fork and rake the soil to obtain a fine soil structure in which to plant your Chard seeds.

Sowing

Sow Chard in early spring to avoid the final hard frosts. Chard is normally sown directly into the soil, not in seed trays for later tranplanting.

Sow the Chard seed in rows around 45cm apart and about 5 cm apart. The seeds should be sown at around 1 - 1.5cm depth. Germination can take anywhere around 1-2 weeks.

The plants will need thinning to about 15-25cm between plants. If left until around 15cm in height before thinning then the thinned plants can be treated like an early harvest and the young leaves will be extremely tender and tasty.

Position

When growing Chard you should position the plants in a spot that receives a good amount of sunlight. Chard will tolerate partial shade but will give a better yield when in a sunny spot.

Chard is a cool weather vegetable and may withstand a very mild frost.

Soil type

Chard doesn't like a soil that is too acidic, an acidic soil will stunt growth. Chard grows well in a soil of around 6.5 - 6.8.

The soil should be able well drained but be able to hold moisture well so a soil with a good amount of organic matter is ideal.

Tending

To extend harvesting past the first hard frost you can put the plants under a cloche or polytunnel to extend the growing season.

Chard is sturdier than spinach and can cope better with water shortages, however you should still water regularly to ensure optimum growth and prevent bolting. Bolting leads to premature flower and seed production and will divert the plants energies away from leaf growth.

If a flower stalk develops then clip it off to extend the harvest.

Harvesting

Chard is a pick and come again crop. For multiple harvests from the same plant simply pick the outer leaves and leave the inner younger leaves. You can pick leaves after they have reached around 15cm in length. Chard can be harvested until the first hard frost this way.

Chard does not store well so should either be eaten within a few hours of picking or stored in the salad box of the fridge for a maximum of 3 days.

Be sure not to damage the central terminal bud at the centre of the young growth.

You can also if you wish harvest the whole plant.

After picking the leaves simply wash and add to salads or wash and then quickly heat in a pan using only the water that clings to the leaves after washing. This will avoid overcooked soggy chard leaves.

Varieties

Chard varieties are available with a variety of stalk colours - red, yellow and white.

http://www.gardeningpatch.com/vegetable/growing-swiss-chard.aspx

Growing Spinach - advice on how to grow Spinach

Spinach is relatively easy to grow in cool climates and it is packed with nutrients such as iron, protein, vitamin A and chlorophyll.

Whether raw in salads or lightly steamed spinach is a suitable accompanyment to a wide range of dishes.

Preparation

Germination of spinach seeds can take anything between a week and 2 weeks.

Dig the soil to around 30cm depth as this is how far the plants tap root can develop. Work some organic compost or manure into the soil to help provide the necessary nutrients for growth.

Because of the benefit of organic matter cover crops and green manure crops are beneficial prior to planting spinach.

Check the soils PH and if necessary add lime.

Sowing

You can plant spinach in early spring. To stagger your crop over summer you can plant part rows every few weeks. The last planting should be about 50-60 days before the first frosts.

Sow your seedlings / seeds around 7cm apart in rows about 30-40cm apart.

Position

Position your spinach plants in a position that does not experience high temperatures. Spinach grows well in partial to full sun.

Soil type

Spinach likes a moist but not waterlogged soil. Using a mulch of straw or grass clippings can help to retain moisture levels in the soil.

The soil should contain a good amount of organic matter to provide the spinach with the nutrients it requires.

Spinach doesn't like acidic soils, a good PH is around 6.3 -6.8. Add the appropriate amount of lime to the soil if necessary.

Tending

Make sure the soil is moist. An inch of water per week is adequate when there is little rainfall. Thin out your spinach seedlings as required but try not to damage the roots of the plants you leave in the soil.

Effects of an over acidic soil can be seen in the yellowing of the edges of seedling leaves, low germination rates and slow growth.

Harvesting

Spinach is ready to harvest at about 40-50 days after planting.

The spinach leaves can be harvested whenever they look big enough and ready for your salads etc. Make sure to start picking leaves on the outside of the plant, the inner leaves will then continue to grow and produce a new crop. Alternatively you can harvest the whole plant.

You should aim to eat the spinach straight after picking and washing in cool water. You can store the washed leaves in the fridge for a few days but the taste and nutrient content is best after picking.

Varieties

Slow bolting varieties are varieties that take longer to develop a seed stalk and thus focus more growth towards the leaves. Short days and cool temperatures result in better crop yield as bolting is deterred whereas long days and higher temperatures encourage bolting.

http://www.gardeningpatch.com/vegetable/growing-spinach.aspx

How to Grow Bean Sprouts SIMPLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-1V4vtV8Yo&feature=related

How to Make a Hoop House or Green House for Cheap.

BuddyClubGardening

This is for a small, manageable, seedling starter green house. Really this is all any small family needs, you can actually make it any size you need, small or large. Have Fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efQYpzNJOiE

Growing microgreens and sprouts at home EASY

chicagobotanicgarden

Nice video here, please click link to be directed to YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h1ADMsKQTg

10 Good Reasons to Grow Your Own Food:

1. Great tasting, fresh, and nutritious food right outside your door.

There is no doubt about it, home grown food tastes better and is more nutritious than imported foods. In fact, the nutritional content of fruits and vegetables begins to decline the moment they are harvested. Considering the typical weeks or months it takes for much produce to get form the field to our plate, it is no wonder that both taste and nutritional content have highly declined.

2. Practice good economy.

Both economy and ecology come from the same Greek word oikos meaning “household.” When we grow some of our own food, we are beginning to bring together both the ecology and the economics of our household. Many urban dwellers find that they are able to save a substantial amount of money every year by growing some of their own food. The value of one apple tree producing bushels of fresh, organic apples year after year cannot be underestimated. Such a practice also reduces many of the “hidden” environmental costs (use of fossil fuels, water, pesticides, soil erosion) of the food that we eat. Furthermore, much of the food we import is grown by underpaid workers in difficult conditions on land that is much more needed to sustain their local populations.

3. Nurture your physical, emotional and spiritual health.

The therapeutic benefits of gardening are many. The physical activity involved in regular gardening activities contributes to general health and well-being. The pride and satisfaction that comes from harvesting one’s own produce is hard to match. Growing and consuming our own food, however, goes one step further – it connects us to the earth in a fundamental way that has been lost for most of us. Thomas Berry says that “Gardening connects us to the deepest mysteries of the universe” and many gardeners find that this is so.

4. Create beautiful, aesthetically pleasing spaces.

Gardening is a very creative activity and growing your own food is no exception. Developing a landscape with diverse food producing trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals adds tremendous colour, texture, smells and tastes to the local environment and in turn attracts many insects, birds, butterflies and other creatures. Such a beautiful landscape nourishes both the body and the soul.

5. Conserve wilderness, natural areas, and bio-diversity.

As world population and consumption increases, the pressures on our little remaining wilderness and natural areas builds. When we grow some of our own food, we help to reduce the pressure on yet uncultivated lands. This is particularly critical as the available agricultural land on the planet is finite and is degrading at a very alarming rate. Our own gardens can contribute to supporting bio-diversity both by decreasing pressure on wilderness areas and by providing additional habitat for local flora and fauna.

6. Connect with your own bio-region.

One cannot help but learn about their own ecosystem when actively gardening. Gardeners, and particularly food gardeners, are invariably more attentive to the seasons, the weather, the water cycle, and the local flora and fauna. Our gardens and we ourselves, become active participants in the bio-region in which we live.

7. Learn and preserve endangered wisdom and essential knowledge for living.

While most of us are the descendants of small farmers, there are relatively few people who now know and practice the essential human activity of growing food. With close to half of the world’s population now living in cities, it will become increasingly important for urbanites to play a role in learning and passing on this critical wisdom. From Africa to Asia to Latin America, city dwellers in the Southern hemisphere are leading the way in developing intensive urban agriculture. Many cities in North America are beginning to rise to this challenge.

8. Contribute to world food security.

Most of us depend on others, usually “far away others” for all of our food. When food production is far removed from where we live, we are vulnerable to events or circumstances that could interrupt this flow of food. The inevitable decline in the availability of fossil fuels will spell great changes for world food production and distribution in the coming years. It will be in all of our interests to invest in local food production – from our own yards, to our communities, to the farms that surround our cities.

9. Help to preserve diverse seed stocks.

The diversity of world seed stocks have been rapidly declining over the past 100 years. As more and more agriculture is controlled by transnational corporations whose primary agenda is to exert control over food production for profit, fewer and fewer strains of many fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes are now available. The development of genetically modified crops further threatens the integrity of our food supply. By planting and collecting diverse seeds, you are helping to protect our common heritage created by countless generations of small farmers over the past five thousand years. (For information on seed conservation in Canada go to Seeds of Diversity).

10. Reduce climate change.

Growing our own food is a tremendous way to reduce our impact on climate change (see The Earth Policy Institute). Most large scale, conventional farming uses tremendous inputs of fossil fuel in the form of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, fuel for machinery, and other indirect means. Fruits or vegetables grown thousands of kilometers away must be refrigerated and shipped from the field to our community. Much of the food (some estimates are as high as 50%) never gets eaten as it is lost due to spoilage at various stages of the production and distribution chain.

When we choose to develop a yard lush with fruit trees, shrubs, vines, and diverse annuals and perennials, we are reducing our own use of fossil fuels and are also contributing to the absorption of CO2. This very simple act can be a major step in redirecting our path towards a more sustainable future.

http://www.theurbanfarmer.ca/edible_landscaping.html

For the original article, please click the link http://www.sodahead.com/living/10-good-reasons-to-grow-your-own-food/blog-273363/

As in the earlier post, the new labeling laws will go into effect by Jan 1st 2012. I have posted an informative article here with the link to the Federal Register and the phone numbers for you to call for more information.

• Avoid processed foods. They are unnatural so are more difficult for your body to break down which means they will lie in your gut making you feel bloated and lathargic. Eat things which are not messed with such as raw fruits and vegetables, brown rice, wholewheat pasta and so on.
• Avoid diet soft-drinks and other products containing artificial sweeteners (such as light yogurt). The artificial sweeteners are much worse for you than real sugar. If you can't give them up, make the real thing a very occasional treat. Look at the ingredients list and avoid anything with aspartame.
• Seek solace in the fact that once you are used to eating fresh, healthy food you'll really begin to like it. You will stop craving cookies, chips, fries - everything that was damaging your body to begin with.
• Eat before you shop so you can focus on your grocery list without having any unnecessary cravings.

edit Warnings

• There is a vibrant debate in health circles about whether organic food is healthier. Some believe that the chemicals in conventional foods are just as safe and healthy as the expensive organic alternatives. Organic food advocates would argue the opposite. Everyone agrees that organic options have just as many calories as non-organic options. So even if it is organic, make sure you pay attention to your calorie intake.
• You should always consult your doctor before making drastic changes to your diet and your lifestyle.
• Excess body fat is hard on your body. It's hard on your heart because it needs to work extra hard to push blood through your larger body. Your body builds extra veins that run through the extra body fat and has to work harder to push blood through those veins.
• Excess body weight is also hard on your muscles and joints. Carrying around extra weight puts more pressure on your knees, hips, and back. While this might not have a huge effect in your youth, you will feel it as you get older.
• Any drastic change in your diet can cause constipation, so make sure you eat a lot of dark green leafy vegetables, and other naturally high fiber foods. Your digestive system will typically adjust after a week or two, but you should consult your doctor if it continues. (Other good sources of fiber include: flax seed, psyllium, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and beans!-- Remember, you can always look at the nutrition facts to see the daily percentage of fiber given in different foods. For fresh, unpackaged foods, you can look up nutrition facts online; although, it usually won't ever hurt you to eat fresh, unpackaged fruits and veggies!)
• Make sure there isn't a lot of unhealthy food in your house that can tempt you. Give or throw away the foods you shouldn't eat. You can't eat what you don't buy!
• Please do not underfeed yourself. Even if you have extra body fat, do not let yourself go hungry. That is worse than being fat. Eating the right food and exercising daily is a much better way to lose weight!
• Don't ever under-eat. Going hungry or skipping meals will actually make you put on weight. Your body will think you're experiencing famine so will hoard all the fats you ingest to see you through a time of little food. This will make you feel lathargic, depressed and listless.
• Diets don't work. Don't think you can just eat well for a few months then go back to a diet of junk food and expect to stay slim and healthy for the rest of your life. You need to completely revolutionise your lifestyle. It's hard work but it's worth it.

For the original article, please click the link http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Healthy

 

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Protect Family Farms! Save Food Freedom!

By Stanley Fishman, Author of Tender Grassfed Meat

The FDA has gone to war. It has marshaled all its resources, and obtained the support and help of the FBI, sheriff’s departments, attorney generals, police departments, courts, and dozens of other state agencies. Agents with drawn guns, laboratories, warrants, lawsuits, injunctions, embargoes, press releases, internet postings, armed raids, the seizure and destruction of huge amounts of property, breaking into private buildings, are just some of the methods the FDA has used in this war.

What horrible crime justifies all this vast effort and expense?

There must be a serious threat to public health, at the very least?

Is the FDA taking action against the drug companies who have killed hundreds of thousands of Americans with dangerous prescription drugs?

No.

Is the FDA closing down the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) that pollute our land and water with actual lagoons of manure and waste, that spread dangerous bacteria into the soil, that create great suffering for animals who are crowded together so tightly that they cannot even turn around?

No.

Is the FDA raiding the large industrial food facilities that cause illness and death from their profit-over-everything practices, and have been the cause of every recent food safety outbreak?

No.

The FDA is targeting single family farms that produce raw cheese.

The FDA is trying to drive them out of business, with the enthusiastic support of various state agricultural agencies.

How many people have died from raw cheese from the targeted farms?

None.

How many people have become ill from raw cheese from the targeted farms?

None.

How many people have complained about being ill from raw cheese from the targeted farms?

None.

Why has the FDA gone to war against family farms making raw cheese?

Raw Cheese Is Legal, when Properly Made and Stored

You might think it is illegal to make and sell raw cheese. It is not. The FDA’s own regulations, in place since 1949, allow the selling of raw cheese in interstate commerce. The cheese must be aged at least sixty days, which results in beneficial bacteria destroying the harmful bacteria, if the aging is done properly.

In the 61 years that have passed, there have been no deaths and very few, if any, illnesses caused by properly aged raw cheese. This excellent record makes properly aged and stored raw cheese one of the safest foods, as well as one of the most nutrient-dense. Raw cheese is widely used all over Europe, with little or no reported illness. In fact, the great legacy cheeses of Europe are all made from raw milk, and have been enjoyed safely for hundreds of years.

Tyranny at Work

When the government uses its awful, overwhelming power to crush and destroy a person or a business that has harmed no one, and broken no law, it is tyranny, plain and simple. The kind of tyranny that freedom-loving people have resisted throughout history. The United States of America is supposed to be a free country, with our fundamental rights protected from government abuse and tyranny.

The FDA is focusing on tests that show the presence of a very common bacteria called listeria monocytogenes, which is sometimes considered dangerous. However, nobody has had a reported illness traced to this bacteria for at least 38 years. FDA’s Ace in the Hole

The system is not working here. There are many examples, but I will pick three.

The Rawsome Raid

On June 30, 2010, armed agents from the FBI, the FDA, the California Department of Agriculture, and the local police department entered a warehouse owned by the Rawsome Co-op. Rawsome is a buying club that provides raw and organic foods to its members. You can see the video of agents brandishing guns in the co-op here. You would think they were looking for armed drug dealers, or terrorists, instead of people selling food. Fortunately they did not shoot anyone.

The government agencies had a warrant that allowed them to take samples of the foods contained in the warehouse. If they had simply knocked on the door, and politely gone about their business of taking samples, nobody would have resisted them. The use of large numbers of armed agents, the brandishing of guns by agents obviously ready to shoot, belongs in the old Soviet Union, not the United States.

Instead of just taking the samples authorized by the warrant, the agents seized all the raw dairy products, placing them in unrefrigerated containers. This took place during the sweltering heat of a Los Angeles summer. Some of the cheese seized had come from Morningland Dairy.

Morningland Dairy

Morningland Dairy is a family owned farm in Missouri. They have been making high quality raw cheese for thirty years. In all those thirty years, nobody has ever claimed that they got sick from this fine cheese.

More than seven weeks after the Rawsome Raid, Morningland Dairy was visited by agents of the FDA and the Missouri Milk Board. The agents embargoed all the cheese in the dairy, preventing its sale, without a hearing, without trial, without testing the cheese that was there. Morningland Dairy was informed that the California Department of Agriculture had tested Morningland cheese seized in the Rawsome raid and found it to be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. The testing took place SEVEN WEEKS AFTER the cheese was seized and placed in unrefrigerated containers. The circumstances of the testing were not in compliance with FDA regulations, and there was no indication of whether the cheese was even refrigerated during the seven hot weeks between seizure and testing. Nevertheless, the FDA and the Missouri Milk Board demanded that all the cheese at Morningland be destroyed. The cheese was worth $250,000.

The FDA later reported that Morningland had issued a voluntary recall of its cheese, which Morningland denies. The FDA sent Morningland a letter citing the California tests and claiming that Morningland’s cheese was an “acute, life threatening danger to health.”

The Attorney General of Missouri has gone to court to try to get all the cheese at the farm destroyed. The family is currently engaged in a desperate legal battle to save their business. Their ability to earn money had been severely reduced by the embargo, and this financial pressure may result in the death of their farm.

You can find a detailed description of what was done to the family farmers at Morningland here.

And there is even more information on Morningland Dairy here.

Estrella Family Creamery

The Estrella Family Creamery is a family farm that makes some of the most delicious raw cheese in the nation. A number of their cheeses have won awards for excellence. They have been in business for many years, and their cheese has been widely distributed. Their cheese has been a very popular item at many farmer’s markets in the Seattle area. Nobody has ever claimed to have gotten sick from their cheese.

Earlier this fall, the FDA and a Washington state agency claimed that some of Estrella’s cheese was contaminated with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes. The problems centered on one cave, and the company voluntarily destroyed the affected cheese and issued a recall for several cheeses. The farm made changes that solved the contamination problem. It must be emphasized that nobody got sick from the contaminated cheese.

The government agencies demanded that ALL the cheese at the creamery be destroyed, which would be a financial disaster for the farm. The FDA demanded that the creamery recall ALL of its cheese, including the types that had never been contaminated. The creamery refused. The creamery had testing done which proved that none of their current cheese was contaminated with listeria, or anything else.

In October, three carloads of FDA agents and Federal Marshals drove onto the farm, and closed it down. The Estrellas are now prevented from selling their cheese, though they are going to court to fight for their business, at great expense.

There is more information on the Estrella Family Creamery here.

S510 Will Give the FDA Almost Unlimited Power over Agriculture

We have seen what the FDA will do to make war on small family farms now. If the FDA gets the almost unlimited power over farms that S510 will give it, the situation could be much worse, with family farmers facing up to ten years in federal prison.

The FDA Is Not Evil, But It Is Misguided

The FDA has done much good in the past, and could do so again. I used to admire the FDA, and it used to do a great job of protecting our food supply.

I think it is important to realize that the average employee of the FDA is not an evil person. The FDA is full of people who really want to protect us, who are devoted to making our food safer. People who really care about what they do. Good people, full of talent and dedication. But they have to follow the directions of their superiors, and they have been trained to believe certain things which are not accurate. It would be terrific if the FDA would stop focusing on small farms that have hurt no one and use its power and ability to take on the real threats to safety, the threats that are actually killing people, like dangerous drugs, filthy food processing facilities, tainted imported food, and factory food filled with dangerous chemicals and pathogens. They could become heroes again.

What We Can Do

First, we can contribute money to Estrella Family Creamery and Morningland Dairy, so they will not be destroyed by the shutting down of their business and can finance their fight in court.

Keep Family Dairying Alive!
Click the Pledgie Buttons for details!

Estrella Family Needs Your Help in Washington State!

Dixon Family Needs your Help in Missouri!

Second, we can contact our Senators and ask them to stop S510, or support the Tester amendment and remove the criminal penalties.

We must ask our congresspeople to stop FDA tyranny against family farms, and turn the FDA against the real threats to food safety. If they do so, we can save Morningland Dairy, and the Estrella Family Creamery, and many other good farms and dairies that have come under attack.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Monday Mania blog carnivals.

See more posts about how to save farms at Save Farm Freedom Friday!

Read more

« Save Our Food Freedom and Right to Privacy! Stop S510
Thanksgiving, Freedom, and S510 »

For the original article please click this link http://www.tendergrassfedmeat.com/2010/11/19/protect-family-farms-save-food-freedom/

http://swansonhealthcenter.com/Recipe_Blog.html

PET FOOD NEEDS

Local Harvest features many wonderful products made by small family farms, to host the delicate needs for your pets.

Here is the link http://www.localharvest.org/store/pets.jsp

It is convenient for some of us to make our pet foods, for others it may be time consuming and require special attention.I found that the prices offered by the farms and producers are reasonable here on local harvest and from the product descriptions, they seem to be of high quality and beneficial. Happy shopping!

§Catfish and tilapia: Healthy or harmful?

By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.

There's an interesting discussion in this month's "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." What it boils down to is this: Is the fatty acid mix in catfish and tilapia healthy or harmful? The debate has even reached the popular press. Why all the fuss?

First off, since 2000, catfish and tilapia rank as two of the most popular fish consumed in the United States thanks mainly to their taste and relatively low expense. And both contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Consumption of these types of fatty acids is thought to be associated with reduction in blood pressure and reduced risk for certain cancers, inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and even mental decline.

You may not have heard so much about a second ingredient they contain, omega-6 fatty acids. Like omega-3s, these are polyunsaturated and help lower blood cholesterol levels, however they are thought to play a role in clotting function, are inflammatory and susceptible to oxidation — thereby possibly increasing risk for blood clots, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and cancers.

The National Institutes of Health funded study by Weaver and colleagues looked at the favorable omega-3 fatty acid content and unfavorable omega-6 contents of commonly eaten fish and found that while catfish and tilapia contain both, they contain a high amount of unfavorable omega-6 fat.

They report that a 3-ounce portion of catfish or tilapia contains 67 and 134 milligrams respectively of the bad fat (the same amount of 80 percent lean hamburger contains 34 milligrams, and bacon 191 milligrams).

Does this mean you should give them up? No! The rebuttal by Harris is in the same journal. He says the logic of judging fatty fish by the amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fat contents is flawed. Governmental and professional organizations haven't used such a ratio for years.

He also says that to think that eating catfish or tilapia — because of its high omega-6 content — is more risky in terms of heart disease than eating bacon or hamburger is "flawed."

My take? I'm going to continue to eat fish — at least twice weekly. I'm going to choose a variety of fatty fish — including tilapia and catfish along with others especially high in the good fats such as salmon, tuna and mackerel.

P.S. When you see this on the evening news you can say that you got the scoop here.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tilapia/MY00167/rss=10 Original Article