Putting my best foot forward

Recycling in Natrona Heights Pittsburgh

2015-12-27T14:45:00.000-05:00

One of my New Year's resolutions is to recycle more. I'm glad there are some recycling facilities here in Harrison Township (here's their Welcome Packet).

Curbside recycling is OK, but could be better. Morrow Refuse takes the usual glass and metal, but only Plastics #1 and #2 (no plastics #3 through #7, polystyrene), and only newpapers, inserts and magazines (no phone books, hardcover books or junk mail).
The Harrison Township Municipal building has 24 hr drop off recycling containers that take some things Morrow won't: Cardboard (no paper board or pizza boxes), phone books, office paper (no plastic bags).
There are a few recycling collection containers that I know of - I think the one outside the Community Library of Allegheny County accepts junk mail.
The Bureau of Environmental Services at the Strip District is one of the several drop off centers in Pittsburgh - closest to me, 24 hrs - and it takes everything listed for other recycling facilities above, PLUS Plastics #1 through #5 & #7, Paperboard (food & drink cartons), Paperback & Hard cover books, Mixed/colored paper/junk mail (no plastic bags).
Walmart and other grocery stores take plastic bags (#2 & #4, bread bags, newspaper bags, outer wrapping from bulk beverages, BUT no food/cling wrap/frozen food bags bags, prewashed salad bags)

Misc

Batteries are accepted at PA Resources Council & Batteries Plus (Ross, Monroeville, etc)
Compact fluorescent bulbs at Home Depot and Lowes & PA Resources Council South Side.
Packing peanuts at the UPS store.

A somewhat useful searchable database for recycling facilities is found at the Pennsylvania DEP that allows you to search by Material, by Location or by Organization.

According to this site:

Batteries are taken at Radioshack
Dart foam cups (Foam #6, see Home for Foam) are taken back by Dart for free under the Recycla-Pack program

Abe's Market: Mindful Value for Money

2013-08-09T12:24:00.002-04:00

I just ordered a huge 88 oz (2.5 L) tin of Zoe's Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil at an unbeatable price of $37.99 from Abe's Market. I usually get this off Amazon, which usually offers really good pricing, but even their best price of $42.97 couldn't beat Abe's this time.

In addition, I got the Dr Bronner's 18-in-1 Peppermint Castille Soap 1 gallon for $55.99. This is an okay price - Amazon's price was $52. BUT, I also had a coupon code for 20% off at Abe's.

So definitely cheaper getting from Abe's for these two items. The coupon saved me $19!

I wish I'd heard of Abe's Market earlier. I love their website and the whole 'mindfulness' approach. And that 20% discount helps too! If that expires, there's also the FREESHIP coupon code that could come in handy.

Check out Abe's Market ya!

Chicken Dumping Epidemic - Only in the USA

2013-07-10T10:59:00.001-04:00

This morning's breaking news: chickens are being abandoned by their hipster owners disillusioned by notions of homesteading and self sufficiency. And a chicken shelter - who even knew there were such things?! - currently holds a couple hundred of these chooks awaiting rehoming to families around the country who wish to have themselves a pet chicken.

My first thought was 'Food...'

I'm the go to gal in my family whenever a chicken needs putting down. So far it's been Opie, an alpha rooster who was terrorizing the kids and who also left some huge bruises on my back (but I assure you it wasn't revenge on my part I adore animals really).

You'd never see this in China or Vietnam or Laos or well you get the idea. Places where chickens are viewed as food and not pet stock :)

http://m.nbcnews.com/health/backyard-chickens-dumped-shelters-when-hipsters-cant-cope-critics-say-6C10533508

Campaign against Basa Fish from Vietnam: Protectionist?

2012-08-15T16:29:00.001-04:00

Today I watched a 2010 video depicting in the most awful light, basa fish aquaculture in Vietnam. This video has had over 50,000 views on Youtube, and most of the comments slam farmed fish from Asian countries.

What piqued my curiosity however, was who would post such a video?

The poster was 'Safecatfish' who has so far posted eight videos. Safecatfish.com is "committed to supporting laws that protect the health and safety of the American consumer". While most of Safecatfish's videos draw attention to the hazards of eating fish imported from Asian countries such as China, Vietnam and Thailand, there was one entitled 'Catfish Imports Worry U.S. Fish Farmers' that said foreign catfish is 'suspect' and 'unhealthy' and want the USDA to inspect foreign fish. Interestingly not edited out of that video was a remark by John Connelly of the National Fisheries Institute that these claims were put out by 'special interest groups' to cause a 'safety scare'.

Question of the day
Is farm-raised fish from Asia being wrongfully slandered? Is there any truth in the 'Dirty Waters, Dangerous Fish' documentary (which was likely sponsored and produced by Safecatfish).

Gracie's take
I did study some aquaculture back in university as part of my first agriculture degree, and have visited numerous fish and shrimp / prawn farms around Malaysia. Overcrowding is definitely a problem, and with overcrowding comes stress-related diseases, and administration of antibiotics to keep fish alive. Farmers of these 'chicken of the sea' face similar problems as farmers of land chickens, in my opinion. Overcrowding and all the resultant issues are found everywhere in the world where animals are raised on a large scale (commercially). The situation tends to be better in developed countries - regulation and enforcement tend to be lax (or non-existent) in developing countries.

I personally try to avoid buying seafood raised on farms, unless these farms have been certified as sustainable. Which I think is an oxymoron since farmed salmon eat three pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of salmon (read the New Republic's 'Aquacalypse Now'). Buying farm-raised fish and shrimp could be contributing to environmental damage. Mangroves, which are important ecological areas and natural nurseries for fish and myriad other wildlife, are cleared to make way for fish farms. The intensive production of fish also produces a lot of waste (fish poop too) that pollute the water. Farm-raised fish not be free of mercury and other pollutants (read Scientific American's article HERE).

Is wild-caught best? Sorry, but no. Wild caught salmon and wild caught shrimp is better than farmed (for most part), but there's no guarantee that they are free from pollutants and heavy metal either. They swim in the same big sea that their farmed kin, raised in huge numbers, are pooping into. Also, wild populations are severely overfished due to our massive appetite for seafood, so it would be nice to give them a break and give them a chance to make some fish babies, no?

On the occasion that I eat fish, I would pick wild-caught fish, preferably 'sustainably caught' (fish troll or pole caught, as opposed to dredging and trawling, read more HERE). And if I were to take fish oil, it would be from wild caught fish too, preferably distilled, to remove heavy metals like mercury.

That's my two cents. Would love to hear yours!

Review of Composters: Bin, Tumbler or Build your Own?

2012-07-22T22:43:00.003-04:00

Summary of Post
I review the options available to would-be purchasers of composters, compare prices and suitability. Which bins are built to last? Which ones have glowing reviews? Which one offers a 25 year warranty? These reviews are based on feedback from heaps of composter owners, and my own opinions where relevant.

Compost Crazy
I love composting. I've always been enthralled by the idea of it and everywhere I lived, have left little piles of well rotten plant material as my legacy. I in fact wrote and presented a paper on Composting back in university where I studied agriculture. I could go on about the science of composting but I'll summarize it into one para below.

The Science of Composting: Optimum Compost Composition = Rapid Decomposition
Compost comprises a mix of carbonaceous stuff (like dry leaves, straw, wood chips), nitrogenous stuff (like fresh grass clippings, vegetable peels, juicier plant parts, chicken or horse poop), and some soil. My first compost pile, built on my tiny patch of yard in 1994, measured 3 x 3 feet and was layered with 3 parts dry leaves to 2 part horse manure, then sprinkled with a few handfuls of good rich earth. I added layers to reach a height of 3 feet. Good topsoil contains heaps of bacteria and other microbes that will greatly speed up decomposition. Like all living things, these microbes need air and sufficient water to digest the mix into compost. The dry layer provides air pockets, the nitrogenous stuff provides lots of protein for the lil microbes to make more microbe babies with, and a generous sprinkling of water keeps the babies hydrated. How much water? Well, enough that you could pick up a handful and it would feel moist, and if you squeezed, some juice would drip off. Not so much that it would be soggy and sodden - remember, the aerobic microbes need to breathe! If you drown these ones, then the anaerobic decomposers take over, producing extremely malodorous gunk that will make you very unpopular with your neighbors.

What I look for in a composter
Cold composting is fine by me. That's where I dump kitchen scraps as and when, and let it do its thing over a period of 6 months or more, then harvest the compost. If you wanted compost faster, you could get the tumbling composters (see left for an example of what a tumbling composter looks like). I've read rave reviews about them, and I've also read no-so-hawt reviews. Some say that once the tumbling composter is fully loaded, it becomes really heavy and difficult to turn (turning aerates it and speeds up decomposition). Also, you'll need to collect enough material to load it up with, and let it compost at one go. Otherwise you'll end up with a load in all different stages of decomposition.
I also wanted something that would keep out the critters. I don't want to be responsible for an epidemic of obesity amongst our neighborhood squirrels, groundhogs, mice, raccoons and what have you. Plus they are very messy eaters and have horrible table manners. In my previous compost piles, they would drag out choice pieces (they seem to really enjoy pineapple tops), and leave everything strewn all over my yard. Maybe that's why my neighbors give me dirty looks. :p

Build Your Own?
I long debated the proposition of building my own. Afterall, I do have a little know-how. But after calculating the cost of the wood needed to build it (no access to free wood pallets), and weighing it against its portability (it wouldn't be lightweight like plastic), and lifespan (wood would eventually rot, what more when used to contain compost, even more so those wood pallets), and so forth. I decided to purchase a plastic composting bin instead. I do feel kinda bad - I really don't like to buy something if I can make it myself, but I just haven't been very successful keeping out critters from my home-made composters. The wood falls apart after one or two seasons, and the bins aren't pretty. So for now I'll invest in a manufactured one. If that doesn't work out, I'll go back to the drawing board, maybe pick up Storey's Country Wisdom's pamphlet Easy Composters You Can Build.

Composting Bins: What did Gracie Pick?
When I shop online, I sort my search by popularity plus high ratings. Geobin by Presto was wildly popular as far as composting bins go (87 reviews). I wasn't too keen on the Geobin because it has no lid. My friendly neighborhood critters would go to town on my kitchen scraps every night if I got this composter. So I had to pass, even though it was attractively priced at $30. Besides, one reviewer rightly pointed out that $10 worth of wire fencing wrapped round in bin-like fashion a couple times would achieve the same result. I guess if you wanted a cheap composting bin and were willing to put some care into assembly, this would suit the purpose just fine.

The second most popular composting bin was the Soilsaver Classic (65 reviews), and from what I see, this is a sturdily built bin - not flimsy plastic that reviewers of some other bins mentioned. It has a lid that really locks and it has a 25 year manufacturer's warranty. (Who the heck gives out 25 year warranties nowadays anyway?)

I guess the warranty sold me, and I now own one of these things! I dump kitchen scraps in there daily, and it keeps things tidy. Whenever it starts to look too wet, I throw in a bunch of dry leaves to help aerate it. I don't bother turning the pile, but I read that some people do. Oh ya, I should mention that I lined the bottom of the bin with chicken wire mesh so Rats & Co wouldn't be able to dig in and get at the goodies. :)

If I hadn't gotten this Soilsaver Classic, I might just have shelled out $40 more and bought the Bosmere K676 11 Cubic Foot Composter instead. This was one of the highly rated (although only 9 reviews) composters. A reviewer, who signed off as 'David, Master Composter 25 yrs' said that this was the best of more than 50 composters he had owned and used. If that isn't a glowing testimonial, I don't know what is. :p

Well, we'll see how well the Soilsaver works for me. Stay tuned for my update!

Review of Line-Drying Contraptions and the Household Essentials 3-Arm Portable Umbrella Clothes Dryer Hanger: Easy Energy Savings!

2012-07-16T19:25:00.002-04:00

Nothing beats the fresh scent of sun-kissed and breeze-dried laundry on the line, and the old-fashioned clothesline is the preferred method of getting clothes dry for many green-minded folks out there. It doesn't consume electricity or gas (like a dryer does) and is green as green can be. Clothes last longer as they don't get beat up in the tumble dryer, although direct sunlight does fade colors.

Growing up in tropical sunshine-y Malaysia, line-drying was all I knew. When I studied in the US, I lived in a small apartment, so I had a small stainless steel clothes dryer ($20, Walmart) that I used indoors that worked great. When I married and moved in our new home, I put up a line between two sturdy poles first chance I got. (Actually I instructed my DH in this operation hehe - see detailed instructions on Mother Earth News' how-to-guide). It didn't make sense using a dryer and wasting all that lovely sunshine! I guess the only thing I didn't like about this clothesline was the mad scramble to harvest laundry whenever a sudden downpour caught me by surprise. I fantasized about erecting a transparent shade awning over the clothesline but it was too expensive.

I believe I have now found the best set up for me. It is a fabulous contraption called the Household Essentials 3-Arm Portable Umbrella-Style Clothes Dryer that easily accomodates a load and a half of laundry, even king sized sheets and comforters in a compact space-saving 15 square feet (52" across). It is portable and can be moved about - the tripod legs ensure that the dryer stays upright and stable (except in exxxxtreme wind gusts, more on that below). I positioned it on my patio, under the steel awning - so the heat from the sun 'cooks' the laundry wonderfully yet does not fade colors. And best of all, I don't have to worry about rain, hail, snow or any other inclement weather. Or bird poop even. As you can see below, I have a small load of laundry on the dryer. I hang the small items (underwear and such) on the inner lines, out of sight. Note, I don't need clothes pins!

Add caption

The dryer has toppled over in very strong winds out in my yard, but under the awning, has stayed put nicely. It looks like it is built to last, although made from aluminum, it seems like a quality grade of aluminum. It weighs about 5 lbs.

I picked this brand of dryer (Household Essentials) over the other ones as it had garnered over 100 reviews (mostly positive) on Amazon. There are so many options for line dryers one can be spoilt for choice or overwhelmed. There are retractable line dryers, portable, fixed, three or four arm, drying racks, wall-mounted dryers and the list seems neverending (search for line clothes dryers on Amazon.com). I usually go with what's proven popular with fellow shoppers, that's within my budget. In this case I paid less than $50, with free shipping. This thing has paid for itself in energy savings, twice over! Happy shopping!

Peace.

A Chilly Ride

2012-04-27T23:40:00.001-04:00

Today we rode from Freeport to Cabot and back for about 20 miles total. It was 50°F but much colder with the wind chill and in the shade. Brrr! I was glad I overdressed with my usual Pearl Izumi getup plus my black diamond fleece jacket on top. Spencer on the other hand was severely under dressed.

I stopped a couple times to take photos of the flowers. The gorgeous trillium are blooming! The colors are exquisite white red and pink types. They only lost for a short while so I'm glad to have caught them flowering.

The first asparagus spear

2012-04-25T11:24:00.001-04:00

Hello hello what have we here?

The weather here in PA has been just bonkers but I guess this asparagus couldn't wait any longer. Seeing this spear poke it's head out of the crusty Earth somehow makes me feel so excited. It's a new beginning! We've been through a lot these past few years, and not all of it good but this year is going to be the best year ever ... I can feel it in my bones.

Here's to life and living to the max!

How to Choose and Open Durian

2011-07-21T13:29:00.010-04:00

Summary of Post
Proven tips on choosing the meatiest and tastiest durian for your durian party, and how to easily open this thorny fruit without bloodshed! A perfect raw food, with a pungent aroma (some say odor or stink but what do they know :p) and exotic flavor unlike any other, it stirs the deepest, most primal instinct in one's self. I love this King of Fruits!

The creamy sweet fleshy meat of durian awaits thou who learns the art of opening the fruit

Choosing Durian
Taking orders
What little I know about the fine art of choosing durian was acquired from my Pa who is the go-to guy whenever a durian feast is to be held. His skill in picking out the best durians from the piles of durian at the stall is legendary.

Before he goes to the durian stall, we put in our orders/requests. It goes something like this:

Ma: I want the sweet one, watery one ok?
Pa: Can.
Grace: Pa, special order for me, some bitter ones, also I like the 'green' tasting ones, can?
Pa: Can.
Faith: Can get some drier ones, I don't like so wet. Creamy better.
Pa. Ok.
(and so forth)

Different colors, flavors and firmness of the durian fruit. Something for everyone!

At the durian stall / vendor

Piles of wonderfully stinky durian - please don't trip and fall!

All senses (except taste) come into play: smell, touch, sight, sound. Here's a step-by-step on choosing durian. Note: if you're in the US, you can skip this part because you'll mostly be getting only those frozen one-note Thai durians (read my opinion on them further down).

Touch & Sight: Pick up the durian with both hands. The pressure, if distributed evenly on your palms, won't hurt you. Get a firm grip! Give the fruit a careful once-over - if you see any holes on the outside, there will probably be a big fat larva feeding on the seed inside the fruit. That's not a bad thing, because it usually means less or no pesticides were applied in growing the durian (which is also why I tend to stick to 'kampung durian' instead of the expensive durian varieties, which tend to have pesticides applied to protect the high value fruit). Feel the weight - you want a heavy-ish fruit because there will be more of the yummy meat inside. However, durians can also be heavy if they contain large seeds. You don't want large seeds because that means less meat. How can you tell if the seeds are large? Read on next (under 'sound')...
Sound: Firmly shake the durian. If you hear muffled thuds - that's a giveaway for large seeds thumping against the inner shell of the fruit. If there's a lot of flesh surrounding the seed, there will be more muffle than thud. Sometimes you'll hear thuds on one side of the fruit, but none from the other side. This may mean one side of the fruit contains unripe meats (dry, hard), which is common for some varieties like D24. Avoid.
Smell: Pa's supersonic sense of smell, honed by over 40 years of practice, enables him to sniff out any flavor of durian that strikes our fancy. For mere mortals like you and I, just put your nose to the end of the fruit (opposite the stem) and inhale. Sniff a few different fruit, to get an idea of the different aromas, then choose those that smell good to you. One way to learn quickly is sniff, pick, then open the fruit to eat it on the spot. However, once you have tasted, your sense of smell will be useless for picking out anymore durian. :)

Pa usually gets a basketful of durian, about 30 - 60 fruit, depending on the size of the party. Durian sellers end up disgruntled because after he's done, only the mediocre ones are left.

A few durian that I picked for myself, used in
tonight's demo, all from different trees because I like variety in flavor

Opening Durian
Elephants roll the thorny fruit around until it is covered with leaves, then step on the fruit to bust it open. Tigers apparently use their claws to rip it open, after which they go to town on the stuff inside. It doesn't take brute force to open durian, just a little know-how and a cleaver.

First, look closely at your durian. The thorns are not evenly spaced - see where the thorns are denser in a line or groove going from stem to end? There are usually five segments, thus five of these 'lines'.

Note the 'line' of closely spaced thorns running along the middle of the fruit,
from stem to end. That's where a durian will split open easily.

That's where the fruit would split open all by itself if given a few days. The fruit below is already starting to open naturally. By that time, it will be slightly fermented (not my preference). Note: If you get frozen Thai durian, just thaw out and get it open, don't wait or it'll go bad.

Today, we're going to help it along because we can't wait anymore. Tap the tip of your cleaver into your chosen line at the end of the fruit. Once you've gotten the tip of the cleaver in, you can kinda twist it, to part the segments easily. Then use your fingers to pry it open the rest of the way.

Tap cleaver exactly into that 'line' dividing the segments. Twist.

Use your fingers to pry open the durian.

Easy peasy - all ready to eat now!

How to Eat Durian
Really? Do you really need me to teach you how to eat durian? I didn't think so. Enjoy! Just make sure you don't eat the seed. And please don't waste any of that precious flesh. The seed should be very clean after you are done with it. :)

So today I had a lovely durian tasting all by myself. With durian season in full swing now, I got a good deal - seven fruit for RM10 (USD3). Much better than the USD10 I paid for deseeded frozen Thailand durian at the Strip District in Pittsburgh last year. By the way, if you're in the US, the durian you'll most like be able to get is Thai durian. It doesn't smell as strong (read, not as appetizing). While there's lots of meat/flesh, it's fibrous instead of creamy, and there's only one mild (read, bland) flavor. Durian grown in village orchards in Malaysia are exquisite, in my opinion, and each tree produces durians with a different tasty taste.

Look at all the leftovers (below) from my private durian feast! Durian freezes well, so now I have a stash in my freezer for whenever I feel like a rich, satisfying, nutritious and decadent dessert.

My durian stash - frozen durian keeps well

No Fresh Frozen Durian Anywhere?
Picture the following scenario: You unfortunately do not have access to the fresh stuff, or even the frozen version, and you really really have a durian craving that MUST be satisfied. Even a little. Freeze-dried durian chips may well be your answer. Actually, if you have never tried this stinky king of fruits, and are morbidly curious as to how they taste (having watched Andrew Zimmern's Bizzare Foods durian episode)... sampling freeze dried durian chips may help initiate you gently into such exotic pleasures. However, keep in mind that this version is very far in texture from the real thing, which is creamy and silky smooth custardy heaven.

I love to hear from you - are you a durian afficionado? Or hate it? How was your first experience eating durian? Please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this post!

Peace.

Puppies need a home!

2011-07-12T04:48:00.007-04:00

Let me introduce you to Prim, Que Que, Reena, Nee Nee and their little Bro Pup. This litter of puppies was recently rescued (found abandoned in the FRIM forest) by a kind jogger who is providing temporary shelter until homes can be found for them. She cannot take them on permanently. If a home cannot be found for them by the end of this month, I am told that they will be put back in the FRIM forest, probably end up caught by the dog-catchers there and then killed.

Nee Nee

Prim

Que Que

Reena

The pups are two months old and in good health, but Bro Pup is currently fighting off a maggot infection and will also need a home if he pulls through. The females will be spayed for FREE when they are old enough. They just need a new home. Please, if you can find in your heart to adopt one or all of them, email me.

Thanks for looking and Peace

Container Gardening: Growing my own vegetables on my apartment balcony

2011-01-16T09:15:00.006-05:00

I love gardening and have been used to having lots of land to plant, but three months ago I moved into an apartment with two very small 'balconies' (about 3 x 8 feet each) and had to rethink veggie gardening. I'm happy to report that my vegetable container garden is thriving and I have been having fresh veggies everyday for close to two months now. It's definitely possible to grow enough for your own needs in a very small space, as long as the plants get a few hours of sunlight daily (more is better).

View of my 'balcony'

Clockwise (L-R): Long beans, chilly, cherry tomato, slicing tomato, pepper, cucumber (Only the cucumber leaf is visible)

I chose my veggies carefully - growing only what I love to eat, and choosing space-saving plants that could be trained up a string or staked upright. I started one plant each of cucumber, cherry tomato, slicing tomato, long bean, pepper, and some basil and parsley. I put each plant in a big pot with good potting soil. The cucumbers started coming a month after I sowed the seeds and I had one or two everyday until I went on vacation and the vine died (I've just started a replacement and should have cukes in a few weeks). The tomatoes and long beans have been doing well too. The tomatoes came up so quick and are putting out heaps of delicious sun-ripened fruit. I am really enjoying them.

I also have a pot each of kaffir lime (limau purut), curry leaf tree, lemongrass (serai), bird's eye chilly (cili padi or cili api), kalamansi lime (limau kasturi), rosemary... and a pot each of papaya (it's getting quite big!), custard apple (anona), ciku and pomegranate. I'll have to move them to bigger pots when they grow bigger. It will be fun to see if I can get some fruit from potted fruit trees!

Grace

Starting veggies from seed: tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and more

2010-04-06T19:22:00.016-04:00

Summary of Post
Starting seeds indoors, yourself, on a budget. As with last year I have started a bunch of seeds indoors so that they will be ready to transplant into my (hopefully) composted, tilled, and amazing raised beds when their time comes. Ever the miser, I got the entire operation going for under $5. I couldn't bring myself to buy starts - those trayed plantlets promising all manner of veggies.

How to start your seed for cheap:

Scavenge seeds. A couple weeks before beginning this endeavor, start putting aside seeds from the veggies that you eat. For example, scoop out a spoonful of tomato seeds when slicing tomatoes for your salad. Most seeds simply need air dried on a paper towel. Tomato seeds are left to 'ferment' in a cup of water for a couple of days first (gets quite gross), then dried on a paper towel. I've had good luck simply using fresh seeds directly as well. In any case, heirloom veggie seeds are a better bet because hybrids probably won't come true to seed.
Save unused seeds in seed packets. I used last year's leftover seed. I kept them in a ziploc bag in the fridge and did a 'germination test' (see below) before sowing. Most of the seeds were supposed to have expired. In fact those that I bought for pennies each last year, have 'best before 2007' printed on the packets. I'm a sucker for sales :). Surprisingly, and happily, germination was 80-100% for all the seeds, except the pepper seeds. The eggplant lagged behind all the rest, germinating from the 8th day onward.
Harvest seeds from your plants. If you had a veggie garden last year, you could let some of your veggies get big and old. They turn into seed-makers as a last push to further their generation and you can collect these seeds. Crucifers like broccoli and cabbage will produce flowers and seeds if let go. Squash, pumpkin and cucumber seeds can be scooped from old, ripe fruit (for cukes, this is when they are huge and turn yellow/orange). These seeds can be collected, dried, put in labeled aluminum foil or paper packets, and kept in a ziploc bag in the fridge for next year.
Use old containers instead of buying pots. plastic egg cartons, recycle used foam cups, give a new lease of life to used styrofoam containers. All these need are two or three holes poked in their bottoms, and they're ready to go!
Get free compost (or make your own). We compost the leaves that are raked up in fall. And we also get free leaf compost from the Harrison Hills Municipal Council. We've been using it in place of potting soil, which is kinda expensive. I haven't sterilized the compost (which experts recommend), but I might consider doing that if my seedlings get that notorious wilt that mass kills baby plants.

Germination test
I shook out about 10 seeds each of California Wonder Pepper, Marglobe Tomato, cherry tomato, Early Dutch Cabbage, De Cicco Broccoli, Long Island Brussel sprouts, Chinese Eggplant, and 5 seeds each of Yellow Crookneck Squash, Green Zucchini and Cucumber bush hybrid. I placed the seeds in little groups on moistened paper towels lining a salad tub, with labels for each group (see pic below).

The lid went on, and my germination chamber sat on a warm (70 F) radiator for the rest of the week. I then checked daily for little root nubs and sow these germinated seeds immediately (pic below shows cucumber seeds with root nubsies). After two to three weeks, whatever hasn't germinated is probably not going to, and you can bury those tiny seed corpses in your compost heap.

Retail Therapy?
Ok, so you have all this know-how on starting your own veggies cheaply. Don't let me deprive you of retail therapy if you decide you don't want the hassle of scavenging your own seed. Sometimes, it's just easier to open a seed packet and go from there. Afterall, it's still huge money savings compared to buying potted veggie seedlings at Lowes, Home Depot or your neighborhood garden center. The Ferry Morse seeds get good reviews on their seed variety and high germination rates if that's the direction you wish to take.

That's it for now!

Peace

From weed patch to bounteous veggie garden

2010-04-04T12:29:00.011-04:00

A sad, neglected weed patch

That's not going to be my garden this year! Last year I launched my 25 sq ft veggie and herb garden quite successfully - even starting all the seeds myself. I transplanted tomato, pepper, squash, swiss chard, zucchini, watermelon, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, pumpkin and cucumber starts. I put in little green plantlets that promised zinnia, sunflower, marigold. I even threw in some organic Russian fingerling and Russet potatoes for good measure. And corn too. I tried my hand at spinach, various lettuces, basil, coriander, beets, radishes, carrots, peas, beans. Did I mention okra, malabar spinach, nasturtiums and Jerusalem artichokes?

I can get over-ambitious sometimes :). It was my first experience gardening in the US and I wanted to experience it all! I figured I could figure it out on the fly, since I have like two degrees in farming. Yeah, so my Ag degrees were in tropical Malaysia and I didn't have a clue
what 'degree-day' or frost-free date was. We had blueberry bushes, raspberry, blackberry, quince, spirea bushes. We had apple, pear, cherry and other trees to prune and fertilize. Should I do this in spring or fall? I had it easy growing stuff in Malaysia where the year round temp is 85 degrees and the 'all year' growing season means not having to worry about all these temperate climate gardening issues.

An unexpected and prolonged illness and a self-imposed ban on hard physical labor - hey digging dirt is hard work - left my nicely started garden progressing into a forlorn-looking weed patch. I did get heaps of zucchini, squash and cucumbers. A bumper crop of Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) left my DH and I with an astounding case of gas, and some $200 richer. (I sold them on Ebay and Craigslist for $5/lb). We enjoyed lettuces, the sweetest ever swiss chard, a couple heads of cabbage and all the basil, cilantro, mint and oregano we could wish for. The potatoes were amazing, freshly dug then steamed with a pat of butter and sprinkling of Real Salt. We even got a respectable crop of tomatoes before the dreaded wilt did them in. But I never saw a carrot or beet, nary a melon or sunflower (slugs ate the plantlets). The corn, though tasty, was chewy (picked too late), and the 'sugar' pumpkins were tasteless (though very pretty).

I learnt a lot, and I had a good time, but I guess it was overwhelming at times for a newbie like myself.

This year, I'll do better, i.e., I'll do less ... :)

Peace.

Pastured vs organic 'cage free' eggs

2010-04-01T18:16:00.006-04:00

Can you pick out which are the pastured eggs and which are
the store-bought 'cage-free' organic eggs?

I love eggs! They are the ultimate fast food for me and I start my morning with four over easy or with garlic and tomatoes in an omelette.

There's nothing better than a freshly laid egg from one of our family's free-range hens. The yolks sit high and proud, radiating a deep orangey goodness. The sort of goodness that comes from happy birds and sunny days spent scratching dirt and pecking bugs and greens. And the flavor, oh my... I eat around the yolk - the whites go in my eager belly first - then slide the entire yolk into my mouth where it does a slo-mo burst/ooze...mmmm mmmm mmmmm....

I sometimes resort to organic cage-free eggs (Egglands Best) because
our hens can't keep up with the demand (or my demand rather :)). These have 100 mg DHA in every egg, which is a very good thing, but next to our eggs they literally pale in comparison. Being less fresh, these store bought eggs have yolks that lay flatter on the pan, and are a paler yellow (don't even get me started on the regular/conventional eggs). Cage-free means less if one knows that the hens tend to stay inside where its warmer, and coop themselves up. These hens are fed an all-veggie diet, unlike our hens, which also eat bugs.

Can you tell which ones are the organic 'cage free' store-bought eggs and which ones are our pastured eggs?

Peace

Goji Berry Plant in a Pot

2009-02-18T03:22:00.010-05:00

Summary of Post
This is an update to my Goji Berry Germinating Endeavour launched in August 2008.

Survivor: Goji Berry
My Goji plants celebrated their 6 month birthday today! I had previously sowed about 60 seeds extracted from within the largest of my organic goji berry supply. (You can get some here at about $16.50 for a 16 oz pouch). From these, about 15 germinated (germination rate 20% = Not Bad!). I transplanted 8 of the sturdiest looking seedlings, and now 5 are left standing. These are the survivors of all the worst trials and tribulations one could possibly submit baby goji plants to. Measly, meager winter sunlight, scorching heat from experimental grow light initiatives, near-drowning via over-watering by a very enthusiastic caretaker (oops!), and prolonged drought and dessication when their mommy went away to sunny Florida for two weeks (uh...sorry!).

Potted Ponderings
At six months of age, these goji plants look sturdy and healthy (I'll post a pic soon). Their leaves are a rich deep green color, which is surprising when you think about all the light deprivation they have endured. The plants actually spent the first three months of their existence looking like Goji Dwarf Wannabes. I was beginning to think that they would never grow any taller than their 1 inch height when quite suddenly some of these bad boys bust into puberty and displayed some impressive growth spurts. I had to
move them into bigger pots since they outgrew their small starter pots. The two tallest are presently a commanding 5 inches tall, while their other siblings remain sadly stunted (I feel I am to blame for this).

Repotting Goji Plants
It's not rocket science, but does need some care. I filled some 4 inch diameter pots halfway with good compost that I get for free from our awesome Harrison Township Composting Facility. Then I carefully extracted the goji seedlings (soil and all) from their starter pots. The best way to do this is to gently overturn the starter pot onto your cupped fingers and let the entire contents of the pot slide out upside down onto your fingers. The seedling should be facing downward, and its stem should be between your second and index finger. If the roots are well developed (which they should be at this point) the soil should hold together nicely. Now, with one swift and fluid motion deserving of some serious accolades, flip the root (soil) ball over (right side up) into the middle of the half filled pot (goji's new home). Hold the plant upright while you add more soil around the plant. Firm up the soil to ensure contact with the roots and give the little guy a drink. Easy right?

I'll be back with more news on my goji babies soon! In my next post, read about Goji Killing Aphids and how to deal with these goji pests.

Goji Berries in my edible garden

2008-08-27T13:34:00.012-04:00

Summary of post
How to plant your own goji berries (Lycium barbarum). Germinating and sowing your own Goji Berry plants, for those DIY- type people (like myself!).

Goji Berries: A traditional Asian "medicine"?
Being Malaysian Chinese, I've eaten goji berries since I was a baby. Chinese ladies use the dried red berries in soups and other tasty dishes. I love it as is (tastes like a raisin with lots of little seeds like a blueberry has). I also love the flavour it imparts to some of my favorite Chinese dishes. Never really thought of it as a medicine though, much less a 'sexual tonic revered in Asian herbalism'! Goji berries have become the latest health food craze here in the US and apparently can cure a plethora of maladies.

Goji berries in my edible garden
This plant packs a punch healthwise and also aesthetically. Impressive white and purple trumpet-like flowers from early summer, eye-catching fire-engine-red clusters of delicious berries on a lush green bush (max height 8 ft). The plants will fruit continuously till
the first heavy frost. And the plants are hardy to -15 deg F. Good for my PA Zone garden. I figure a row of goji berry bushes all the way down my garden will be the perfect backdrop for some other shorter edibles that I plan to grow. Birds will love the berries as much as I do, so I may have to put netting on the bushes as the berries ripen.

Planting my own Goji Berries
I had a ready supply of goji berries for cooking purposes that I could germinate. These cost about $3 per pound and are called boxthorn fruit, bought from the Asian food store in town. Spencer also had bought organic goji berries for about $15 from the Whole Foods, so I decided to use the organic ones instead. You can also order them from Amazon ($2.50 for a packet of about 50 berries will yield a gazillion teeny seeds) if you don't have any handy for your germination experiment. Make sure you don't get the 'freeze dried' ones, your best bet are the organic dried ones (usually haven't been irradiated or treated, and will germinate). Search Amazon for goji berry seeds

I started off selecting three of the largest berries and opening them up to reveal the tiny seeds within. I didn't give them any 'winter chill treatment' as recommended on Rachel's Goji Berry Website.

Then I extricated the seeds and dabbed each seed onto a moistened paper towel. I spaced the seeds far enough apart that I could cut the towel into individual seedling-contained pieces later (so as not to damage their roots).

After a week, the seeds had germinated.

I transplanted them into little plastic starter pots with drainage holes. Filled the pots with compost to give 'em a good start. Make sure the soil is pressed lightly yet firmly around the seedling roots to ensure root contact with the soil (and thus water). Water daily and place in sunny spot until bigger.

I'll probably move them to a bigger pot and transplant them outdoors when they reach about 2 feet tall. Apparently deer love snacking on goji bushes, so may have to figure out what to do about that in future.

For those who want to purchase goji plants, Gurneys is a reliable source (Click here to get $20 off your first order at Gurneys!). I haven't bought goji plants from them, but have bought a bunch of trees and seeds.
Will keep you posted!

Peace

Asparagus in my edible garden

2008-08-27T13:13:00.007-04:00

Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies and there are two feathery clumps in my garden right now. The great thing about incorporating asparagus in an edible landscape is that once established, it comes back every year for up to 20 years. It usually doesn't need watered because the roots go deep, and is low-maintenance (at least from what I read!)

Since I had never grown asparagus before, I read through several articles on how to do this. Of these, I found the extension fact sheets from OSU, MSU and UMN the most informative. A really useful guide on growing asparagus I found free and public domain from Google Book Search was Gardening For Profit, published in 1909 by Peter Henderson. The asparagus shoots in my garden are now quite skinny (smaller diameter than a pencil), so I cut back the spears and
let the new growth feather out. It makes a decorative feathery clump that is lovely to behold (pic below). At the same time, the foliage is sending food to be stored in the underground crown, ready for next year's growth. For tips on identifying a common asparagus pest check out my post on What's that bug eating my asparagus. I'm looking forward to some fresh tasty asparagus from my garden next year!

Peace

Living Simply

2008-02-01T05:48:00.008-05:00

What is living simply?

Simple Living elegantly defined by Duane Elgin is “Living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich” in 'Voluntary Simplicity' (a classic paperback. Used, for a mere 76 cents here).

Living a simple life is exactly that – simple. It does not mean forsaking all creature comforts and living like a hermit. Rather, you decide what is “enough” for you and do away with the rest. Voluntary simplicity is practised by a growing number of people who wish to tread lightly on our planet and who have no desire to keep up with the Joneses. It is a life that is ‘considered’, not thoughtless.

It is a life of consequence.

What are the benefits of simple living?

Tremendous. By consciously reducing your need to buy goods or services, you consequently lessen the need to sell your time and energy to make money to make these purchases.

The most important choice in living simply is
choosing to consume less.

After you have made this decision, you can then choose between:
1. Continuing to put in those hours at work (which then leads to choices as to how to spend the money freed up from your first decision) OR
2. Reduce your work hours (which then leads to choices as to how to spend that extra time!).

I chose the latter, and continue to choose this every single work day (I’m a recovering workaholic). I don’t get paid more for working overtime anyway, so it was/is a logical choice! I remind myself that I have more than enough (I make $600/month, before tax and before deducting expenses related to my medical conditions (Henoch Schonlein Purpura HSP and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities MCS, which I talk about in 'My disease defines me?' on my other blog).

How and where to begin this simple life?

Start by sitting back and taking a long, hard look at your possessions, particularly your costliest assets.

The most expensive purchase that should be considered is your house, for example. With the average price of a three bedroom house hovering at $150,000 and consequent repayments of $1000 a month, a house purchase is the biggest financial commitment you could make. Factors to consider when buying a house in line with living a simple life include: the living space you really need and the features that are essential to you.

The best all-round book to get you off to a good start on this is Shay Salomon's Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities. (Used, paperback $11.76).

A simple living mantra
Not for me a mansion huge,
A cosy home is my refuge.
Bedrooms, bathrooms, rooms galore,
These I don’t need – it’s too much floor
To sweep and mop and dust and clean.
I love simple, I love‘green’.

Can one person make a difference?

2008-01-24T07:07:00.008-05:00

I have a thing about plastic bags. An obsession, if you will.

I feel guilty about using them. I feel bad knowing that these handy little fossil-fuel-derived things will eventually end up in a landfill somewhere, never, ever to degrade. Or worse still, be sucked in by a jellyfish and end up choking and killing an endangered baby turtle.

To assuage my feelings of guilt and shame, I resort to one 'inaction' and several 'actions'.

Inaction #1: Don't go shopping. Shopping = packaging. And these days it is almost impossible to purchase stuff without packaging. This “Inaction #1” can be a very difficult thing to (not) do, especially if you are a shopping afficionado like myself. In which case, one must then refer to Action #1.

Action #1: Very carefully pick and choose establishments that purvey less packaging. To this end, I shop at farmers markets and the like. No Styrofoam, no cling wrap, no unnecessary packaging. Yes, sometimes it can be slightly inconvenient but nobody said saving the world was going to be easy right? Besides farmers markets are the best!

Action #2: I carry my own plastic bags everywhere. I am prepared for any occasion. They are like my little security blankets. I keep my stash close to me, not knowing
when the need to shop will strike. I never leave home without them. I have a few small, medium and large ones and these are neatly folded like you would a flag (looks triangle-like). I place them in my big cloth grocery bag. And you may ask, where do I get all these plastic bags in the first place? You'd be surprised how zealous some shopping mall cashiers are in making sure you get your daily allotted quota of plastic bags. I try hard to resist, but sometimes I am weak.

Action #3: I shop at places that I know will let me use my own bags. It can reduce the problem with overzealous cashiers mentioned in ‘Action #2’. I stopped visiting one grocery chain store because it was too much of a hassle explaining my desire to use my own bags to the manager every time I bought something there. Also, before I was allowed to enter the store and consequently give them money (buy something), my bag had to be sealed in a large plastic bag. I had no problem with this 'trust' issue, but I did not like to be responsible for the frivolous use of yet another plastic bag.

Action #4: I wash and dry my used plastic bags. As I tap out these letters on my keyboard, four plastic bags of various sizes and origins hang in my kitchen. These bags are at different stages of 're-use-readiness' processing. I even reuse bags that have held fish and meat and (oh the horror) poultry. A quick rinse, drip dry, and some sun and these bags are back in service.

Action #5: I recycle plastic bags that have been retired due to holes and other deformities. Well actually, there aren’t yet any recycling facilities for these bags in my area. So I keep all ‘em broken bags in a bag for now. One day, there will be a recycling facility where these old faithful will find a new lease in life.

I also generate very little waste, thus don’t need to use many bags for trash disposal. My trash output is about one half-gallon plastic bag a week. Usually less. I compose compost (another post)! Well, I look forward to the day where I have retired all my bags and have no more to use. This day is soon to come and you will be the first to know.