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Tips from the Farm Kitchen: Preparing Dried Seaweed

2012-01-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

Nori

To enhance its sweet delicate flavor, nori should be toasted before being used. Check the packets, as some nori available in the shops is ready-toasted. Toast sheets over a flame for a few seconds, or place on a cookie sheet and put in a hot oven for 30-60 seconds.

Continued at... Preparing Dried Seaweed

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Seaweed Nori

Home Grown: Ferns Freshen Flats

2012-01-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

Ferns bring life into a room any time of year.

In airtight winter homes, they also can be champions at filtering the air. Of 86 plants tested by researchers, ferns topped the list at formaldehyde removal. In fact, seven of the top nine performers were ferns.

Continued at... Ferns Freshen Flats

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Australian Tree Fern

Farm Fresh: Cavy IQ Test

2012-01-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

Cavy is a nickname for the Caviidae of rodents native to South America, otherwise known as guinea pigs. Talkative, social and rather cute, these animals have been known to be highly intelligent.

To determine the intelligence of a cavy, carefully observe the cavy's responses as you read the following statements out loud and in sequence:....

Continued at... Cavy IQ Test

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Snack Mixes from Mountainside, New Jersey

2012-01-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

Made to Order Snack Mixes available direct from the producer in Mountainside, New Jersey.

Founded in 1998 by Dr. Bimal K. Biswas, Dr.Biswas's Nutritional PLUS produces branded made to order type fresh snacks, including a Fiesta Mix, Hi Energy California Mix, Granola Mix, and a Hi Energy Tropical Mix with low or no sugars, low carbohydrates and low salts.

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Home Grown: Saving Holiday Gift Plants

2012-01-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Ornamental plants like poinsettias, Christmas cacti, Christmas Kalanchoe, amaryllis bulbs and miniature Christmas trees are often given as gifts during the holiday season.

Unfortunately, these plants usually don't come with plant care information. And the gift getter may not have a green thumb.

Many people mistakenly leave these plants outside without realizing they aren't very cold hardy. Freezing winter temperatures can quickly turn your new plants to mush. Then your plant-gifts are only suited for the compost bin.

Continued at... Saving Holiday Gift Plants

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Have You Tried... Edible Ornamental Peppers?

2012-01-23T18:41:00.000-08:00

Can you eat your peppers and enjoy looking at them too?

Yes, you can.

Peppers don't have to be just green and bell shaped and relegated to the supermarket shelf or home garden plot. This genus of plants has the genetic potential to provide a wide array of possibilities for the kitchen and the ornamental garden and sometimes both at once.

Continued at... Edible Ornamental Peppers

Have You Tried...?
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Explosive Ember

Here's How To... Keep Your Fish

2012-01-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

Landing a fish is great sport, but converting a prize catch into flavorful fillets, steaks or pan-fried entrees is just as challenging and awesomely rewarding.

Great fish flavor doesn't begin at home, or even at the campfire, however, but as soon as the catch is removed from the hook.

"There are only two ways to keep your catch impeccably fresh: by keeping them alive or by keeping them on ice," explains Minnesota fishing guide and chef Ron Berg in Northwoods Fish Cookery.

Follow the link at... Keep Your Fish

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Venison from Moundridge, Kansas

2012-01-19T16:34:00.000-08:00

Now available with Venison in Meats:
Farm-Raised venison from Moundridge, Kansas

USDA inspected farm-raised venison now available direct from the farm in Moundridge, Kansas.

At 2.4 grams of fat and 120 calories per 100 grams of meat, venison is probably the healthiest choice of all the red meats.

This venison comes from one of the few Fallow Deer farms in the United States. Domestic venison farming is important and popular in Europe and New Zealand, while virtually unknown in America.

Fresh and snack venison is available as burger, sausage, medallions, chops and roasts.

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Home Grown: Barks of Winter

2012-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

In the lush green of summer, the bark of woody plants is barely noticeable. Winter strips all that away, though, and invites us to pay more attention. A close look at the bark of many trees reveals far more intricacy and complexity than simple protection would require.

Although it takes many years for bark to reach its mature stage, some trees are worth planting for this characteristic alone. In some cases, the texture is so unique they can be identified simply by touch.

Continued at... Barks of Winter

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Artwork: White Birch Bark

Home Grown: Seed Catalogs

2012-01-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

It won't be long before your mailbox is filled with seed and plant catalogs of every description. These messengers of good things to come arrive at a time when most of us are up to our ankles in snow and ready for the escape these publications offer.

However, as you thumb through the pages you might run across words that are unfamiliar. These words translate to 'horticulture speak' and are put there to help you make decisions in buying the right seed or plant for your garden.

Although words in seed catalogs might seem unfamiliar, it is important to understand their meaning. Knowing what these words means can add a lot to your horticultural knowledge and make you a better informed consumer.

Continued at... Seed Catalogs

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Home Grown: Ornamental Grasses Stand Up To Winter

2012-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Whether you love them or not, ornamental grasses stand on their own in winter. Even the heaviest snow can't permanently bend them to the ground and the low angle of winter light enhances their beauty and appeal. In the minimalist landscape of winter, grasses shine.

Few other plants offer such a huge variety of textures, forms, sizes and cultural adaptations as grasses.

Most ornamental grasses grow to mature size in just one season, and there's a grass to fit any landscape, even the narrowest strip of soil between walkways and buildings.

For sustainability, it's hard to beat them. They're drought-tolerant once established; largely unaffected by pests or diseases; work well in containers; provide habitat and food for birds and other wildlife; their deep root systems stabilize banks and discourage gophers and other "tunnellers"; they can grow in almost any type of soil; and they actually improve rather than harm soil quality and fertility.

Continued at... Ornamental Grasses Stand Up To Winter

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Guavas direct from the grower in Fallbrook, California

2012-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

Available now with Guavas in Farm Produce :
Guavas available direct from the grower in Fallbrook, California

Fresh California grown Asian Guava (Psidium guajava) now being shipped.

Guavas are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and the dietary minerals, potassium, copper and manganese. Having a generally broad, low-calorie profile of essential nutrients, a single common guava (P. guajava) fruit contains about four times the amount of vitamin C as an orange.

This fruit is often prepared as a dessert, in fruit salads. In Asia, fresh guava slices are often dipped in preserved prune powder or salt. In India it is often sprinkled with red rock salt, which is very tart.

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Home Grown: Frost Seeding

2012-01-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

Livestock producers looking to renovate pastures should consider frost seeding, a low-cost method which increases yields and improves quality with little commercial nitrogen.

Frost seeding involves broadcasting a grass or legume seed over a pasture and letting the natural freeze/thaw cycles of late winter and early spring move the seed into good contact with the soil.

Continued at... Frost Seeding

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Holidays and Notable Events: Chinese New Year

2012-01-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year's treats include candy, seeds, fresh fruit and dried and candied fruits. Fresh fruits include oranges, tangerines, clementines and kumquats, all symbols of abundant happiness.

Tangerines with their leaves intact are believed to bring security in relationships with family and friends.

"Lucky Money" envelopes are usually given to children for New Year's.

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Home Grown: Creating a Container Herb Garden

2012-01-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Growing plants can be a great deal of fun, especially if the plants are easy to care for. That's why a favorite group of plants for home gardening is culinary herbs. Not only do

these plants add a variety of color to the landscape and are good filler plants in perennial and herb gardens, they add flavor to your favorite food dish.

Growing herbs in containers can add variety, fragrance, and a splash of color to a deck, balcony, patio, or any small space. Herbs can be used alone in containers or mixed with annual flowers or vegetables.

Continued at... Creating a Container Herb Garden

Here's How To... Heat a Home

2012-01-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Lots of insulation is certainly the most important key in building a warm house, but thermal mass and solar input can still make a big difference.

One thermal mass system is the thermal rock bed. Air is warmed in a solar panel and blown through a rock bed beneath the house. This is essentially the "forced" air method of solar heat, where the warmth is stored until needed, then blown inside the house.

One of the best ways to use thermal mass is in the form of a radiant floor. A radiant slab is any masonry floor with embedded pipies for hot water heating. Most other heating systems warm only the air, leaving cool surfaces throughout the house that feel like they are sucking the heat away from you. Comparatively, a warm slab underfoot gently releases a steady flow of heat, so the atmosphere feels comfortable even when the air is slightly cooler than normal.

Follow the link at... Heat a Home

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Home Grown: Clearing the Air with Houseplants

2011-12-23T22:57:00.000-08:00

Houseplants certainly add to a home’s décor, but they can also purify indoor air.

“This is an area that’s been largely ignored, and the health issues are potentially astronomical,” says University of Georgia horticulturist Stanley Kays. “We spend as much as 90 percent of our time indoors breathing indoor air that often contains a diverse range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which are toxic.”

House plants can absorb those VOCs. To determine the best air-purifying houseplants, researchers at the University of Georgia evaluated 32 plant species. Of those tested, purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternata) best removed VOCs from the air.

Continued at... Clearing the Air with Houseplants

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Fresh Guavas from Yorba Linda, California

2011-12-23T01:24:00.000-08:00

Available now with Guavas in Farm Produce:
Fresh guavas from Yorba Linda, California

Also known as Guayaba, this subtropical fruit is classified as a berry.

Picked ripe off the tree, Guavas have a subtle and floral flavor with sweet and sour undertones.

Soft and creamy when ripe, Guavas have a fully edible rind and small seeds that are edible too. No one can resist its rare and irresistible floral aroma. One bite will transport you to a tropical paradise.

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Long Handle Shoe Horn from Highland Park, Illinois

2011-12-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

Now available with Woodcrafts in Handmade:
Long Handle Shoe Horn from Highland Park, Illinois

This 31" Long Handle Shoe Horn is one of the longest shoehorns you will ever find. It makes putting shoes on easier than ever, with less effort and virtually no bending required than with shorter shoe horns.

The flexible spring in this shoe horn provides you flexibility needed to easily slip your foot into virtually any shoe from any angle.

There are eight individual pieces that create this shoe horn. It consists of a polished solid wood spindle attached by means of a brass spring to a high quality plastic tortoise-shell shoe horn. Hanger cap included for convenient storage.

All parts are made and assembled in the USA.

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Arizona Citrus from Gilbert, Arizona

2011-12-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

Available now with Oranges and Other Citrus in Farm Produce:
Arizona citrus available direct from the grower in Gilbert, Arizona.

This fruit is grown and ripened in the warm days and cool nights of a high desert climate using old, time tested root stock, giving it exceptional sweetness.

The Arizona citrus season extends from December through May with different varieties available at various times throughout the season. All fruit offered is grown either organically or with very minimal treatment, and guaranteed fresh.

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Home Grown: Gifts for Gardeners

2011-12-17T23:18:00.000-08:00

If you have gardeners on your shopping list, whatever you do, don’t give them cheap tools. Give them something they’ll remember.

Most serious gardeners would much rather receive one high-quality garden tool than a bunch of cheap ones that won’t last a year. And please don’t give an adult a set of child-size tools.

Continued at... Gifts for Gardeners

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Egg-Free Raisin Loaf from Seattle, Washington

2011-12-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

Now available with Bread in Baked Goods :
Egg-Free Raisin Loaf from Seattle, Washington

This is a gluten-free, wheat-free bread made with no dairy or egg. Made from white rice flour, tapioca starch, and raisins, it is a good source of Vitamins B1 and B2 and iron.

Sold in a pack of six 16-ounce packages of raisin bread (96 total ounces).
Top with cinnamon for a perfect breakfast bread.

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Home Grown: Preserving Poinsettia

2011-12-16T20:49:00.001-08:00

As the holidays pass, they usually take with them the colorful blooms of the poinsettia plant. There are ways, however, to extend the life and blooms of the plant. Here are some tips...

Continued at... Preserving Poinsettia

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Holidays and Notable Events: Hanukkah

2011-12-16T12:04:00.001-08:00

Celebrations of Hanukkah often include lighting a special eight-branched lamp called the chanukiah or menorah, starting with the ninth candle or bowl of oil called the Shamash. The Shamash is used to light the remaining eight, one for each night.

The holiday's symbols include the dreidel top that children spin to earn golden chocolate coins called gelt; the menorah, which represents the enduring faith of the Jewish people; and the oil of Hannukah, whose significance is highlighted in the preparation of fried foods, such as potato latkes or pancakes.

Other traditional Hannukah foods include latkes, doughnuts called sufganyot, or blintzes.

In 2011, Hanukkah will begin at sunset on Tuesday, December 20 and continues to sunset on Wednesday, December 28.

Christmas Ornaments from Curtis, Washington

2011-12-16T11:30:00.001-08:00

Now available with Christmas Ornaments, Stockings and Decorations in Handmade:

Mount St. Helens Christmas Ornaments direct from the artist in Curtis, Washington

Hand blown from the volcanic ash of Mount St Helen’s, these colorful glass Christmas ornaments are perfect gifts for the ornament collector and anyone who enjoys and appreciates fine art glass.

An ornament stand is included with each ornament display year-round on a desk or table.

Available in four different colors: Azure, Evergreen, Ice, Rose.