Federal Govt Attempts to Seize Control of Food Retail System

Will this be coming to Canada soon?

May's Bounty

 The bounty of May....

 Vegetables

• okra
• zucchini
• rhubarb
• artichokes
• asparagus
• spring peas
• broccoli
• lettuce

Fruit

• cherries
• pineapples
• apricots

 To save money choose fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Overbuy and freeze, can or, dehydrate for use later.

Absolutely Love this Picture

Happy Belated Earth Day

These commandments were written in 1990 by Ernest Callenbach.


1.  Thou shalt love and honour the Earth for it blesses thy life and governs thy survival.

2.  Thou shalt keep each day sacred to the Earth and celebrate the turning of the seasons.

3.  Thou shalt not hold thyself above other living things nor drive them to extinction.

4.  Thou shalt give thanks for thy food, to the creatures and plants that nourish thee.

 5.  Thou shalt limit thy offspring for multitudes of people are a burden onto the Earth.

 6.  Thou shalt not kill, nor waste Earth’s riches upon weapons of war.

 7.  Thou shalt not pursue profit at the Earth’s expense but strive to restore it’s damaged majesty.

 8.  Thou shalt not hide from thyself or others the consequences of thy actions upon the Earth.

 9.  Thou shalt not steal from future generations by impoverishing or poisoning the Earth.

 10.  Thou shalt consume material goods in moderation so all may share the Earth’s bounty.

 If only we would live by them.

Eating Weeds, Why Not?

Why bother eating weeds?

We live in a nation of extraordinary food abundance. Foraging wild foods requires knowledge, skill, and a lot of work (and time). Plus, it takes most people a while to acquire a taste for the often-stronger flavors of wild foods and to learn to prepare them creatively.

• Unlike our cultivated food crops, which we pamper with selective breeding, fertilizers, and chemicals that protect them from disease-causing microbes, wild plants have evolved sophisticated strategies for foraging everything they need in an intensely competitive, often-hostile environment. They often contain higher nutrient levels than those found in cultivated food plants, especially trace minerals.
• Wild plants also must manufacture all the compounds that protect them from excess solar radiation and from the attack by fungi, viruses, and bacteria, as well as larger predators. The same compounds plants manufacture for protection from environmental assaults may serve humans as anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, pain relievers, and in many other ways. These health-promoting compounds, which generations of selective breeding have all but eliminated from our cultivated crops, are responsible for the stronger flavors of wild foods. You’ll need to experiment to find tasty ways to serve them.
• Finally, for me anyway, foraging a little of my food from the wild satisfies some deep, primal need, connecting me to the natural world around me and to my hunter-gatherer ancestors.

Before you start foraging: Important rules of thumb

• Never use any plant for food, beverage, or medicine, unless you can identify it with certainty. How do you learn? Read books on wild-food foraging. Check to see if your Master Gardener program, or community education center offers wild-food foraging workshops. Seek old-timers who know their weeds and ask if you can accompany them on their foraging trips.
• Never forage weeds from lawns or agricultural fields that have been heavily fertilized or sprayed with pesticides. Know the history of the land you forage on.
• Don’t harvest wild greens and roots from lawns or other areas frequented by domestic pets whose droppings may contaminate your harvest. This is especially important if you plan to eat your wild foods raw.

Thanks to Margaret Boyles.

Make Your Own Insecticidal Soap

I have learned to make my own insecticidal soap. In the stores, a small bottle will run approximately $7 or more. You can make your own for much less!

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons baby shampoo
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 gallon of water

Mix all of the ingredients together. An old, gallon milk jug works great. Then pour it into a hand sprayer or a clean spray bottle. Mark any bottles and store them properly. Spray the solution on all of the plant that is infected with bugs. You may need to spray your plant everyday for three or four days to make sure that you have killed off all of the bugs and any newly hatched ones. This will save money for insecticidal soap and save money on replacing plants that have died due to insect infestation. Now, sit back and enjoy your bug free garden!

Happy Gardening!

April Fools Day

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.... things are happening which I must pay attention to.
And, with that serious stuff in mind, I had to post this you tube joke video.
Watch, enjoy and laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9tgAA85OUM