Organic Food Gardening Beginners Manual: Review

By Bobbie Laing

For anyone wanting to plant an organic fruit and vegetable garden, Julie Villani‘s book, Organic Food Gardening Beginners Manual is an excellent resource. Whether you are a beginner or just want some advice on your existing garden, you will find step-by-step instructions and some valuable advice on every aspect of home gardening in this manual.

Having your own produce allows you to enjoy healthier, more delicious food right from your own back yard. I remember running out to the back of our property, while preparing dinner, to pull up some very luscious green onions. They were great with almost any meal, and my family loved them.

No, I’m no gardener. The previous tenants of our three-acre plot in the country planted these onions, as well as some other delicious things.

I’m sure you have heard the old adage, “If I knew then what I know now”. Well, that about sums up my feelings about that property and all of the potential it held.

You see this was some twenty years ago, before I realized the dangers of the chemicals found on our fresh produce in the grocery store. Convenience was my impetus in regard to these wonderfully organic fruits and vegetables.

With the produce found in grocery stores, you will find that not only are there potentially dangerous chemicals clinging to the fruits and vegetables, but some of the chemicals they use actually rob them of their nutrients.

“…Chemical fertilizers used by commercial growers produce lush growth by swelling produce with more water. On a per-weight basis, organic food has more “dry matter” (i.e. real food). Partly because of this, organically grown foods contain higher levels of nutrients.”

So, convenience and nutrition are just two of the many benefits of having your own garden. Not to mention the environmental benefits of eating locally grown produce.

Inside you will find things like,
· How to eliminate the use of chemical pesticides – no need to spray anything nasty in your garden again
· How to start your own organic food garden with simple, easy to follow steps – great for beginners
· How to provide the freshest, nutritious, most delicious foods for your family
· The basic tools you’ll need to get started.
· How easy it is to convert your current gardening practices (if you garden already) to organic gardening practices

Happy Gardening!!

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Why We Should Like Bugs and Worms

Do you like bugs and worms?

Well if you do, you can feel vindicated by today’s topic, and if you don’t you may change your mind after reading today’s guest post. This is also a great teaching topic to share with your children. Won’t you sound so smart next time you are outside with your kids looking at bugs in the garden? Teach them about the microscopic bugs at work in our soil, and the important agricultural role they play.

Remember, even the Hobo Spider deserves his place in the environment, and we just need to respectfully avoid encounters without going on spider killing rampages.

Please enjoy part II in the series of “Organic vs. Commercially Farmed Food” by Stephen Cox.

Within any healthy soil are billions upon billions of microorganisms. Some microorganisms live in a symbiotic relationship with plants. For example a certain type of microorganism actually puts out a protective net around the plants roots in the soil and the net is covered with a type of glue.

When, along comes a microscopic parasitic worm, it gets caught in the net. Other microorganisms, which also live symbiotically with the plant punch a hole in the invader’s body, liquefy its organs, which are the most nutrient dense part, and feed that to the plant.

With commercially farmed produce the fields in which the foods you eat are grown, have been repeatedly sprayed with chemical toxins that kill the microorganisms in the soil. It’s not dissimilar to chemical warfare because pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and other chemicals resemble neurotoxins. And the food you’re eating is growing in an environment where tons of this toxic waste is being dumped. It would be naive to believe that it is not somehow finding its way into our food, our water and our general environment.

With little to no microorganism in the soil to support plant life commercial farmers turn to chemical fertilizers. Have you ever wondered why it is we hear on the news that someone used fertilizer to blow something up? That is because the chemical fertilizer the food we’re eating and using very closely resembles gunpowder.

After World War II ended the governments of the day were left with all these munitions factories. So they spent millions of dollars (at the time it was a colossal amount of money) to convince farmers that if they weren’t using this stuff they were stupid. This was not a decision made with the best interests of health and wellbeing in mind. We’re talking straight economics.

Organic Solution

I grow some of my own veggies – carrot, spinach, broad bean, broccoli (incidentally a cup of broccoli contains 205% of the necessary daily intake of vitamin C and just 43 calories), rocket, onions, lettuce and herbs. All in a very small patch of land just 1 meter wide by 2 meters long. No pesticides. No chemical fertilizer.

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to boost your health and wellbeing. You’ll be giving the environment a helping hand at the same time. The vegetables you grow for yourself will not need to be harvested by large machinery and then shipped thousands of miles to a location where they may be kept in cold storage for weeks, even months. All those activities produce greenhouse gasses and contribute to global warming.

Growing your own food has other benefits.

It really grounds us and connects us as human animals with nature and our world.

Sometime we get disconnected and forget that we are part of something bigger. Disconnection can be a powerful source for unhappiness and depression.

The process of energy exchange as you plant, tend, water and harvest your own plants is something that really needs to be experienced.

It is a process of caring and love as opposed to rampant destruction for meaningless profit. You’ll gain joy just from watching the plants burst with life and growth in the sunshine after each rain.

Plants can take our stress much like they take our carbon dioxide. I find they help me to let go each afternoon when I spend a few moments giving them attention. It is in every sense a very holistic activity. If you have children I couldn’t imagine a better project you could enjoy with your children. Children are constantly learning and they can learn a lot from tending a garden.

Organic Conclusion

Life feeds on life. There is a constant cycling of energy transference. First the microorganisms support plant life. Plants are consumed by herbivores and omnivores. Carnivores and omnivores in turn consume the herbivores. All produce waste (even plants drop leaves), which is food for the microorganisms, and all die which also feeds the microorganisms. And so, on it goes.

The disruption of the energy transference cycle at its very root, by killing microorganisms through commercial farming practice, means the life that feeds on the life before it cannot possible be naturally healthy. Human and animals that eat sick plans will not themselves be well. Nor humans that eat sick animals.

Do you still want to kill all those bugs and worms in your garden?

Read Part I of this series “Organic vs Commercially Farmed Food”

For more great articles by Stephen Cox you can visit BalancedExistence.com. Stephen is a graduate student in Australia. Read more articles by our featured writer, Stephen Cox.

Related Reading:

On organic farming and global warming

Organic farms produce same yields as conventional farms

Can organic farming feed the world?

The Top Eleven Easiest Foods to Grow

How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

How to Make a Green Bean Teepee

Berries that Should Run Wild

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

The Top Eleven Easiest Foods to Grow

With the rising cost of gas, the price of food is just going to continue to rise as well.

For those of us in Washington experiencing “Juneuary” the yield of crops in this area may also be rather disappointing, and therefore result in an additional increase in local produce costs this summer.

Growing food that doesn’t require a great deal of maintenance is a simple way to cut organic costs in your kitchen.

Whether you are lazy or you are simply very busy and searching for “efficient” gardening tips, choosing the easiest fruits and vegetables to grow will save you time and money in the long run.

The key to starting your first garden is to choose foods that practically grow on their own. Pick a sunny patch, water daily, and sit back and watch them grow. Really, if I can grow this stuff- then anyone can grow this stuff!

The Eleven Laziest (er… efficient) Foods to Grow:

• Garlic-Grows as easy in a sunny pot garden as the ground. A renowned antimicrobial agent and cardiovascular herb, garlic has a multitude of medicinal properties.
• Carrots-The beta carotene in carrots is best absorbed when they are cooked. Eating cooked carrots is therefore a better form of antioxidants than in their raw form. Research shows that beta carotene may be protective for those with cataracts and macular degeneration. Beta Carotene may also prevent healthy people from developing these visual disturbances.
• Tomatoes-Enjoy fresh off the vine or canned in to your own homemade organic spaghetti sauce. The lycopene in tomatoes actually become more bioavailable with cooking, or processing.
• Potatoes- Harvest fresh as needed. Be sure to eat the peel of these organic potatoes! The peel contains vitamins and fiber to balance your blood sugar and keep your energy stable.
• Strawberries-Best to grow these yourself as non-organic strawberries are on the dirty dozen, the notorious top twelve dirtiest produce that should be purchased organically.
• Radishes- Not just for rabbits! Radishes are essentially a “free food” meaning they have almost no calories. So go ahead-enjoy them with a little home made organic cucumber ranch dip! I won’t tell anyone.
• Cucumbers- Are sure to keep you cool this summer. Mix up some refreshing ice water with fresh slices of cucumbers, mint, and lemon.
• Beets-A liver cleansing, blood building food. Enjoy as your carbohydrate side dish in lieu of bread and more fattening carbohydrate choices. Grate in to salads, roast with olive oil, or juice with carrots for an invigorating pick me up.
• Nasturtiums-The flowers and leaves add a beautiful and spicy addition to summer salads. Plant in hangers on your decks for décor and to protect the leaves from slugs.
• Green beans- You can easily train these to grow anywhere! If you have a small back patio train them to grow up your fence using bean stakes, or make a green bean teepee!
• Squash the #1 laziest food to grow! Vegetables like zucchinis, pumpkins, and other summer squashes practically grow themselves! Watch out and make sure they have plenty of room to spread out! Root vegetables and squash make great side dishes for your meals. A fabulous way to keep weight down is to avoid eating empty calories like bread and fill up on healthier sources of carbohydrates like these starchy vegetables.

The easiest way to learn about what grows well in your area is to start visiting your local farmers market. Ask questions (and of course buy something while you are there). You can then learn to grow your garden accordingly. Farmer’s Markets are a great teaching opportunity to share with your kids!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table. Feel free to share you favorite lazy foods to grow in the comments.

~Dr. Nicole

Naturopathic Physician

www.KitchenTableMedicine.com

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

As a naturopath I have learned an appreciation for vegetables, and have had an easier time incorporating them into my diet.

Foods that I once perceived as evil, I actually now regularly eat.

I even eat seaweed!

Often I will read some scientific research on some piece of produce out there and think “Oh, well I guess I can eat that, I had no idea that broccoli was going to do all THAT for me!”

And so my Standard American Diet (SAD) has progressed from tuna casserole, Chef Boyardee, cereal, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to vegetables, brown rice, and flaxseeds.

Yes, I was once that annoying child that would sit in nightly combat with their parents over a Brussels sprout.

The rare exceptions that I would willfully eat vegetables were the summer months that my sister and I would spend “foraging” our backyard garden for carrots, green beans, tomatoes, herbs, radishes, raw corn right off the cob, fruit of the season and maybe even a freshly dug potato or two. I always freely ate those vegetables with a certain level of curiosity and adventure that a can of Brussels sprouts could never muster for me at the dinner table.

Personally I think the best way to get most children to eat, enjoy, and appreciate vegetables is to teach them how to grow their own. Growing vegetables is educational, fun and gives children a new found appreciation for food and how much work it takes to get it on their plate.

This is the perfect time to start a fun little gardening project like a children’s vegetable patch. You can even make a pretty decent kid’s garden in a big wooden planter. Simply fill it with fresh organic dirt so you know they will be safe to get their hands really dirty (and maybe their mouths too). Sprout seeds indoors and transfer them out to the patch when they are ready. Involve your kids with each step along the way. To learn more simply read my article on “How to Grow an Organic Kid’s Garden”.

Now most children that get the choice to be responsible for every part of the decision making process from which seeds to purchase, wear to plant, when to pick, and what recipe to make the vegetable in to, will have a tough time not being curious enough to want to sample and enjoy the final project.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table! What is your favorite tip for getting kids to eat healthier?

~Dr. Nicole Sundene

Naturopathic Physician

www.KitchenTableMedicine.com

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

Grow an Organic Kid’s Garden

Teaching your kids to grow fruits and vegetables is easy.

In my article on “The Best Way to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables” I discussed the importance of allowing kids to grow their own vegetables.

June is a great time to buy your kids some vegetable starts that will be sure to flourish when planted.

An organic patio garden or several patio gardens placed in key locations; are a great way to keep your kids busy while you are relaxing, working in the kitchen, or doing other outdoor tasks.

Why not put your kids to work and have them help put some food on the kitchen table for a change?

How to Make an Organic Kid’s Garden:

• Find a sunny location where plants are sure to grow.
• For EACH child, buy a large wooden barrel and fill with organic dirt. Don’t use pesticides as your kids will be digging around with their bare hands, and maybe even eating the dirt. Remember playing with dirt is half the fun of their garden. By using a large container, and organic fill dirt, you can easily control the quality of dirt that your children are playing in. Organic dirt is especially important for kids with skin problems, allergies, or asthma.
• Buy starts or sprout your own seeds indoors of tomatoes, green beans, carrots, zucchinis, squash, potatoes, strawberries, herbs and other simple plants that are easy to grow.
• Promote how much fun it is for them to get to water their garden each day! Find them a cute little child size’s watering can. Do watch out for over watering though!
• Make a big deal when they finally grow a vegetable and prepare a special meal with their fruits or veggies.
• Emphasize how delicious fresh tomatoes or strawberries are picked right off the vine!
• Have them weed their own garden each day and hand remove bugs, slugs, and snails.
• Use the opportunity of growing vegetables to teach your kids appreciation for all the work that goes in to producing food, in hopes that they will become less wasteful adults.
• Teach them the botany behind how plants grow, and briefly explain how the plants use energy from the sun to make sugar and chlorophyll.
• If you have more space you can create a larger organic garden for your kids!

For those with more space:

• Plant easy to grow produce for them to tend to like strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, potatoes, carrots, and squash liberally. Make it their “summer project” to grow food for the family to enjoy.
• Build a Green Bean Teepee! Simply take green bean stakes and form them in to the shape of a teepee. Train the green beans to grow up the stakes and by August your kids will have a fun little fort to hide away in!
• Grow a whole apple orchard or plant other trees for them to play hide and go seek in.
• Build a green house for growing peppers, tomatoes, and herbs.
• Make an organic compost bin and teach them about composting and how worms digest plant materials to make dirt.
• Teach them the difference between a “weed and an herb”. Weeds are typically invasive plants. Herbs are “weeds” that have medicinal properties. Common herbs to learn about are dandelions, nettles, red clover, plantain, and cleavers. Honestly though, most weeds are simply herbs once you make friends with them.

Remember that if you have a garden of your own, avoid the use of heavy pesticides and go organic when at all possible. Organic dirt is vitally important for the kids and pets that actively play in your garden.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table!

~Dr. Nicole Sundene

Naturopathic Physician

www.KitchenTableMedicine.com

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™

How to Make a Green Bean Teepee

Green bean teepees make for a healthy hide out.

You can easily create a fun foliage fort for your kids or a secret meditation hideout for yourself by forming wooden stakes and strings in to a teepee shape and training the vines to run along them.

Who knows?

Maybe your kids will snack on a few beans while they are in there!

Yet another fun way to “Get more vegetables in to your kids diet” .

Green beans are full of fiber, protein, beta carotene, B-vitamins, calcium, and potassium.

Fresh picked green beans are a fabulous addition to your kitchen table. Fresh foods are full of more energy and vitamins than any foods found in your grocery store. Pick them immediately before serving, to taste and feel the difference.

Excess green beans can be frozen or pickled for future enjoyment. Simply spread out on cookie sheets and freeze before storing to prevent them from sticking together.

Have fun with vines like beans! Get creative. Why stop with a teepee? Perhaps you can make an entire gazebo!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen table!

~Dr. Nicole Sundene

Naturopathic Physician

www.KitchenTableMedicine.com

©KitchenTableMedicine.com, LLC ™