Friday, December 23, 2011

Healthy Winter

Staying well with tips from Farmers and Friends:
I've been fortunate throughout my life to come across many interesting and knowledgeable people.
I've always loved how life seems to bring these people in and out of my life, and lately they've made their way back round again. So without further adieu let me introduce you to the people at Stone Barns Center. I can't say enough about these beautiful people and the work they do. They not only produce nutrient dense food for their local market but help train and educate the up and coming farmers of the future. This blog isn't long enough to list all the great things that Stone Barns does so check them out at http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/.  So in keeping with the theme of this blog for today here's a recipe from Stone Barns for overall respiratory health throughout the winter months.http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/elderberry-or-thyme-syrup/
Most recently my wonderful husband has been coming home from the library, yes library, with issues of Mother Earth News magazine which has encouraged us to plan for a future of solar power, beekeeping, composting, animal husbandry... you name it, it's on our list. If you haven't checked this magazine out online, on Facebook or in the flesh (in print) do so, you'll be glad you did. Here's a few helpful hints from them about staying well during these months where most of us tend to stay inside more than we would like. Basic rules of good hygiene wash the hands sort of stuff but also some helpful herbal remedies as well. Check it out here http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2007-12-07/Effective-Natural-Cold-and-Flu-Remedies.aspx
Enjoy and all the best for a Healthy Year to come!
Grow Something Anywhere!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Farm Bill

The Farm Bill
What I do know about the agriculture business is that bigger is not better.  Small farms have become major contributors to our nations economic growth. What I do know about small farms is this...
1. they tend to feed their local community
2. most small scale farms don't rely on government subsidies which have been proven to be detrimental to our nations economy.
3. small scale farms are less likely to have a negative environmental impact on the land
To learn more about the farms that produce your food and why the Farm Bill may not be good for our country check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV_nMtkmzGo&feature=youtu.be
http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2011/11/help-stop-the-secret-farm-bill/
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_24260.cfm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob303.htm
Thanks
Grow something anywhere

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

GMO's What are they and How to Avoid them

1.What are GMO's: Genetically Modified Organisms "Genes from other plants, viruses, bacteria, animals, etc. are inserted into the genes of certain products such as corn to make them more stable and resistant to drought, disease and pesticides. However, because of this cross-breeding, the safety of such foods has not been able to have been proven and other countries (and some counties in the U.S.) have banned the modified foods from being imported and/or grown."
http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/09/18/what-are-gmos-and-why-you-should-avoid-them/

2.Why should you avoid them: Many GMO's seed have been soaked in Roundup, yup the crazy super potent herbicide. "Recent research claims that Monsanto's Roundup Ready 
genetically modified crops contain an organism, previously unknown to science, that can cause miscarriages in farm animals." Um if it's unknown to science why are we unknowingly consuming food composed of GMO's? http://natural-fertility-info.com/gmo-infertility.html
        
3.How to avoid GMO's: Start by eating Certified Organic foods look for the seal. Grow your own food check out the Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman, yes it is possible to have farm fresh food all year long. Volunteer on your favorite local farm, ask questions and know how your food is grown and where the seed comes from.

4.Links worth clicking regarding GMO's in the USA and abroad 
http://www.homegrown.org/video/gm-crops-farmer-to-farmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sw2uEupTwo&feature=player_embedded

 The Movement to ban GMO's is a grassroots movement that is world wide, please join by checking out http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm  and http://www.ftcldf.org/
Thanks for reading and spread the word, and grow something anywhere!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Food: What to know

So I've been thinking about what it is I really want to share with people that are just begining to understand how important food production is to all of us. I've found that most people know very little about where their food comes from and the people that produce it. Therefore this post is all about the very important behind the scenes events that take place in the food production indusrty, so here it goes, things you should know about:
1. The Organic Consumers Association- these are the people that have your back, if you buy organic foods, they are at the forefront of the movement to ban GMO's in the USA or at the very least have them labeled. Check them out at www.organicconsumers.org
Their mission: The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The OCA deals with crucial issues of food safety, industrial agriculture, genetic engineering, children's health, corporate accountability, Fair Trade, environmental sustainability and other key topics.
2.The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund- These are the people that bail out your farmers, for doing such things as starting food co-ops and providing raw dairy to people like you and me ( or maybe just me if you haven't yet read about the nourishing benefits of raw dairy). Check them out at  www.farmtoconsumer.org
Their mission: " Protect the constitutional right of the nation’s family farms to provide processed and unprocessed farm foods directly to consumers through any legal means.
Protect the constitutional right of consumers to obtain unprocessed and processed farm foods directly from family farms."
3. Millions Against Monsanto- If you do nothing on Facebook but join this group you have done one good thing. Monsanto is "the Giant Evil" of food production. I am not exaggerating educate yourself on this biotec company because their mission is to "control the world through controlling food production". THEY ARE TRULY BIG BROTHER.
Check them out at www.millionsagainstmonsanto.org
Their mission: (In short) Challenging the Biotech Bullying of the Infamous Chemical Company
4. HOMEGROWN.ORG ( On a happy note)- they are on Facebook or you can sign up on their website to learn about all sorts of nifty stuff like bee keeping, raising chickens, canning... Super great resource for all sorts of "home" scale gardening/ farming.
Their mission: HOMEGROWN.org is a place where we can learn from each other, share our questions, and show off how we dig in the dirt, grow our own food, work with our hands, and cook and share our meals - all things that we call HOMEGROWN.
5. The Stone Barns Center (last but SO not least)- Not only is this place in NY it is also the home of serious pioneers in the food world. Com'on people it's in NY and we're not talking upstate this is a hop skip from NYC and LI. A must see and the workshops are fantastic and are for all levels of farming/home food production.
Their Mission: Stone Barns Center's mission is to celebrate, teach and advance community-based food production and enjoyment, from farm to classroom to plate. Through education, demonstration and outreach, the Center aims to spark changes in food-related practices and policies that will positively affect the health of individuals, communities, local food economies and the environment.

Monday, September 12, 2011

End of Summer Peach Salsa

End of Summer Peach Salsa
  • 1 cubed small local peach
  • 2 heirloom tomatoes (my favorite Cherokee purple & Striped German)
  • 3 chopped chives
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 fresh lime squeezed
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of sugar
  • *special ingredient ( I use something called "Bone Sucking Sauce, ingredients include habanero's and smoke hickory flavor) any hot sauce will do but the smokier the better it really compliments the peach flavor
  • chill and let sit over night refrigerated
  • Enjoy the more local your ingredients the better
   
Be sure to check the Farmer's Almanac for best days to plant, still plenty of time to plant root crops, head lettuce, carrots and more...

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Transition Foods (from summer to fall)

  Fall is in the air, at least here in NY but I still have some awesome summer goodies from the garden, and I'm ready to use them in a different way. Usually I consider it an abomination to cook heirloom tomatoes in the summer, but now I want my food warm, that's where my transition recipes come in. Summer ingredients in fall meals. These beauties were made into a tasty pasta dish.
 
Main dish: Pasta, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes garlic and fresh basil.
Side dish: Sauteed beet greens with garlic and oil
* the beet roots I put aside for another recipe... coming soon


Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Fall for food

As summer winds down it's time to start thinking about fall foods. Personally if I eat one more cucumber I don't know but something bad might happen. Clear your garden beds of any debris like old tomato plants, string beans and such and start anew, with things like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, beets, head lettuce, kale and other hearty greens. I like to add some fresh compost to any new plantings I put in. Local farm stands and garden centers should have some veggie starters to help you on your way. If you can't find any grab some seed and plant away. Once the cool weather hits you'll be glad you did all this preparation and you can enjoy some warm dishes from the garden.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Take that Irene.. how to know which green tomatoes to pick

Take that Irene- how to know which tomatoes to grab before Irene does...If the fruit feels heavy not hollow then pick it and put in a bowl with either a banana or apple. This will help ripen them. The ones that feel hollow less dense leave on the plant. Even if your plants blow over as long as they don't get ripped out of the ground they may still ripen on the plant after the storm. Some for you some for Irene.


Friday, August 26, 2011

Beets, beets, they're good for your heart...

Beets, well I'm not sure if they are good for your heart, but I'm pretty sure they are good for you. Often people tell me they love beets but so seldom do I hear people like the greens. I'm a big fan of eating the whole plant.  The greens taste amazing quickly sauteed with some sea salt, and for the root well I have a couple variations on the same recipe but here's the family fave for this summer.
Beets with Avocado and Feta
1.Quarter 6 med. size beets and boil till soft (8-10 minutes) then plunge in cold water and peel off skin.
2. Cut up about 1/4 cup chives add to cooled beets
3. 1/2 cup cut up celery
4. Cube up one cup of Feta firm cheese add to cooled beets
5. One whole firm avocado cut into small cubes add to cooled beets 
6. Add sea salt ( huge fan of Celtic sea salt) and fresh ground pepper to taste



Thursday, August 25, 2011

Grow something... anywhere

In an effort to feed my family which is quite large, I began doing what I love, growing food. What started as a pastime is now a passion. Having worked on organic farms of varying sizes and locations I began using what I know to put food directly in the backyards of people who want to eat fresh and know how their food is grown. Follow along and see how we grow... literally! Enjoy! And grow something... anywhere.