The Munchies

So this must be who is eating my basil...

We found this enormous snail in our driveway a few days ago. He certainly solves the mystery of why my seedlings keep getting mowed to the ground and why my basil has seen better days. The kids thought he was wonderful. We took him for show and tell, and he was a big hit. But at the end of the day I LIKE MY BASIL BETTER! He was shown mercy and released a day later in the schoolyard, but his compadres will not be so lucky.

Attempting to grow organic, I researched my options (asked my mom) and chose to use diatomaceous earth . It is a microscopic one-celled organism and successfully kills slugs, and insects by dehydration. It's much cheaper than other organic and non-organic options. So far I have seen a major improvement! I sprinkled it around the plants that have been under slug and snail "siege", and only a few days later they are standing up straight and have no new damage.

Lemonade from Lemons

This year my garden did not perform well. It looked healthy and grew unremitting, but did not yield. I did not harvest ONE squash, zucchini, or heirloom tomato. I would check my plants, they were green and thriving and producing dozens of blossoms. Then the next day my blossoms would be on the ground, as if they were perfectly snipped from the stem. Even my hibiscus were doing the same thing. There must have been a thief in the night (but I'm not sure who the culprit was).

Lemonade from lemons,

check out this lovely recipe that utilizes all my bonny blossoms. God bless Jamie Oliver:

Zucchini Flowers
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/crispy-zucchini-flowers-stuffed-with-ricotta-and-mint-recipe/index.html

And a little side note:

There is a patch behind my garage that would be perfect for a garden. It's a nice open rectangle, and when we bought this house that was what I envisioned for the space. The reality, however, was quickly revealed, after moving in, that this space does NOT get enough sun. I know you've heard me whine about this before, but I couldn't seem to let it go. I had no available space for a garden, and no good gardening sun. How could I live with out a garden? I had just discoursed myself to the idea that this space would never be a garden and I needed to work with what Mother Nature had provided. I decided to be content, and utilize my main flowerbed in the middle of the yard as my organic shaped vegetable garden. It bothered me a little, but I surrendered. I surrendered control, I surrendered having to have everything go my way, and I surrendered the idea of everything being "perfect" or "just so". Enter Hurricane Ike...knocked down an enormous tree in my neighbors yard. While I'm sad my neighbors had to use their hard earned cash to have the tree completely removed, I'm ecstatic because it cleared the shade and now my patch behind the garage is a SUNNY PATCH! Hello, garden! It just goes to show you once again good things can come out of less than ideal situations: lemonade from lemons. We don't know what awaits around the next corner. There are forces unseen and unbeknown to us that can change the course of our life, and sometimes all it requires is surrender.

Mystery Stomaches

My six year old has mysterious stomachaches. I hear the same concern echoed by her peers’ parents. After eating certain foods my daughter will have flushed cheeks,

sweaty brow, rapid heartbeat, and sometimes vomiting. I have friends who have carted their grade schoolers to the gastrointestinologist to cure what troubles these little buddies, but to no avail. The specialist often chalks it up to “stressful living” or some other vague diagnosis.

My quest begins…so of course I’m aware of the main food allergies being nuts, corn, wheat, dairy, and soy, and since my daughter was allergic to cow’s milk protein when she was younger, this is where I started. After cutting out dairy for a few days it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. We have, however, switched to organic milk after some research I happened upon {from Journal of the National Cancer Institute}. I’ll tell you why:

Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) is a replica hormone used by dairy farmers to enhance milk output. It is relatively new on the scene, introduced in 1994. Because of the increased milk supply, the cows are more prone to developing mastitis and in need of antibiotics. Both of these synthetics have been linked to a host of health issues including, but not limited to allergic reactions, early menses, and certain types of cancers. I’ve changed my outlook at the grocery store, what once appeared to be astronomical milk prices now looks to me like a very inexpensive health care plan.

More informed, but mystery stomachache still not resolved. I began to notice her reactions were only after we ate out or she ate school lunch. Immediately I pulled back the reigns on fast food and that unfortunately INCLUDES school lunch. I also omitted frozen convenience foods in this category. This required minor adjustments in our family. It was a retraining of my brain on what to prepare and a broadening of perspective on what is “convenient”. {ie: It may take four extra minutes to make a pb&j, but I don’t spend 45 minutes cleaning up puke and hearing a very uncomfortable daughter complain. Time gained, not lost.} As far as restaurants go she can order the grilled chicken and vegetables at most restaurants serving high quality food, but unfortunately she can NOT find anything that will stay settled at Mexican food restaurants (super disappointing).

While I haven’t pin pointed exactly what causes her reaction, I have narrowed it down to something synthetic in highly processed or enhanced foods. I’m narrowing my focus to preservatives and mono sodium glutamate. So I end this post with “to be continued”… I will pinpoint “it” and will gladly report back to you as soon as I do. If any of you have suffered similar symptoms and/or have found success I would love to hear from you as well. Please, however, do not take my word for “it”. If you have problems of your own I encourage you to do your own research, and by all means feel the way you feel about synthetics and bio-engineered food. I’m not here to persuade you, but I personally subscribe to a philosophy of food consumed in it’s most natural state is appreciated and utilized best by the body.

Green Cleaning

My sister-in-law, Mary, just moved to a new house. While moving she threw out all her harsh chemical cleansers, and now Mary is "going green". She wants to be more eco-friendly and Detox her home.

If you are made of money, there are supermarket shelf options to purchase. I'm a fan of Method, Mrs. Meyers, Simple Green, and Seventh Generation. These are companies who use plant derived ingredients and/or "safe" synthetics as well as run their companies eco-responsibly.

Since genuinely green alternatives can be pricey and hard to find, I put together a list of simple and inexpensive ingredients readily available that can get the job(s) done.

Vinegar

Mild acid cuts through grease, disinfects and discourages mold. It's effective in cleaning glass and tile, and removing odors.

Baking Soda

Highly versatile, mild abrasive that can disinfect, eliminate odors, and will not scratch surfaces.

Borax

Useful and powerful cleaning agent. It is effective in removing mold and mildew and acts as an anti fungal. It is helpful in laundry cleaning as well.

Soap

Environmentally friendly dish washing liquid, or bar soap made from vegetable oils and animal fats.

Kitchen

~Multipurpose Cleanser

For cleaning glass, stainless steel, and plastic laminate surfaces fill a spray bottle with 2 parts water, 1 part distilled white vinegar.

~Microwave: place a glass bowl filled with 1/4 cup of vinegar in 1 cup of water. Place inside and microwave for 5 minutes. When finished dip a rag into the mixture (be careful--hot) and wipe off splatters.

Bathroom

~Toilet: pour a mixture of 1/2cup borax in 1 gallon of water into your toilet bowl, scrub with a toilet brush, then flush. Once a month, pour half a box of baking soda into the toilet tank. Let it sit overnight, then flush a few times the next morning. This will help to clean the tank and the bowl.

~Tough tile and porcelain stains: 1 cup of borax and 1/4 cup of lemon juice turned into a paste. Apply the paste to the problem area, rub it in with a sponge or rag and then wash away with warm water.

~Tile grout: use an old toothbrush and straight vinegar to restore the white grout.

~Mold and Mildew: mix 3 TBS of white vinegar, 1 tsp borax and 2 cups of hot water in a spray bottle. Work over the mildew areas, let it soak and then wash away.

General

~Windows: Use multipurpose cleanser and wipe dry with newspaper.

~Stain Remover: For carpet stains use Borax. Dissolve 1/2 cup of borax in a pint of water. Sponge the solution, wait 1/2 hour, shampoo, let dry, and vacuum.

Laundry

~Adding 1/2 cup of borax to load with regular amount of laundry detergent is an effective stain remover and laundry deodorizer.

~Adding 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to your washer's rinse cycle can kill bacteria in your wash, make clothes soft and smell fresh, brighten whites, keep clothes static free, and set the color of newly dyed fabrics.

Homeade Teas & Edible Flowers

(Getty images from Country Living)

While you are waiting for your produce to ripen, or like us here in Texas your summer garden begins to burn up and fall garden ideas start creaping into your head, here are a few ways to reap benefit from your edible backyard?

Plants that are safe to eat — and drink

EDIBLE (AND DRINKABLE) FLOWERS
Alliums (flowers and young shoots), bee balm, carnations, hibiscus blossoms, hollyhock, honeysuckle flowers (the berries are highly poisonous), Johnny-jump-ups (flowers and leaves), lavender (blossoms and leaves), nasturtiums (flowers, buds, leaves, seedpods), pansies (flowers and leaves), roses (petals, leaves, and rose hips), violets (flowers and leaves).

EDIBLE (AND DRINKABLE) KITCHEN HERBS
Basil, chamomile flowers, chives, dill, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, peppermint and other mints, rosemary, sage, thyme, verbena.

EDIBLE (AND DRINKABLE) BUSHES AND TREES
Birch leaves (especially when young), blackberry leaves, citrus blossoms (lemon, orange, grapefruit, etc.), elderberry flowers and ripe berries (the leaves and unripe berries are poisonous), gardenia, hibiscus flowers, honeysuckle flowers, pine needles (white and black), raspberry leaves.

EDIBLE (AND DRINKABLE) WEEDS
Chickweed, chicory (flowers and buds), dandelions (flowers and leaves), goldenrod, good King Henry, kudzu, lamb's quarters, plantain (or white man's footsteps, as the Native Americans called them), purslane, stinging nettle.

How to Steep Herbal Tea :

Gather your plants and place them in your tea pot. Pour boiling water over them and let them steep for 3-6 minutes.

(Photo from Herbs for Texas)

Obviously you should NOT eat flowers or plants that have been sprayed with pesticides. But hopefully this sheds a new light on harvesting in your backyard.

Nontoxic Bug Blasters

.Do you ever bring home fruit flies from the super market? If so simply mist the fruit flies with a spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol. They will fall to the floor and then you can sweep them up.

.Seems like certain times of the year sugar ants march a trail along the counter tops, but now they don't have to. Squirt some lemon juice into any holes or cracks where the ants are getting in, and scatter lemon peel around the outdoor entrance. The ants should get the message.

.Sprinkling cayenne pepper or borax at the point of entrance will also keep the ants and insects from entering your casa.

.If you have roaches mix equal parts of sugar and baking powder over the infested area. The sugar will attract the roaches, but the baking powder will kill them. Replace the mixture frequently.

.Want to get rid of anthills in the backyard? Pour vinegar over them. Viola~

.Vinegar can also be used as a mosquito repellent. Simply moisten a cotton ball with vinegar, rub it over your skin and keep the mosquitoes and gnats at bay.

.Is a pesky mosquito bite itching like crazy? Simply wet a cotton ball with ammonia (or Windex ) and rub it on the bite. The itch will be alleviated.

.Cedar, cedar, and more cedar. Cedar chips in your closet keep moths from eating your lovely sweaters. Fresh cedar mulch helps repel many pesky insects away.

.Remove dog ticks by first rubbing the tick's back with rubbing alcohol, and then grab the tick as close to the dog's skin as possible and pull it straight out with tweezers.

.Slugs are lushes. Place shallow pans of beer in the flower bed next to slug munched flowers, and in the morning you should see "wasted" slugs.

.Insecticidal Soap: In your garden you can spray insects feasting on your pretty plants with a simple concoction of 1 tablespoon of (non-phosphate) dish soap mixed with 1 gallon of water.

Reader Question- A Thief In The Night

It has been so fun this year to watch my little tomato plant grow. We didn't have a garden growing up and I love homegrown tomatoes. So I have anxiously waited for my little tomato plant to produce for me. About six weeks ago my first little tomato appeared, followed by a couple others. My husband had planted pie pumpkins and a couple of weeks ago we were excited to see the beautiful orange blossoms open up. Imagine our sadness when one morning all of the orange blossoms were gone. We thought perhaps our daughter or one of her friends had picked the blossoms. Oh well, we still had the tomatoes. Imagine my surprise today when I went out and my biggest tomato was gone. It happened overnight while my daughter and my dogs were all tucked away in their beds. Was it birds? Bunnies? What can I do to prevent this from happening to my other little tomatoes? Thanks for your help!

Thanks again!
Kristi, Texas

P.S. I am also curious because the lower leaves on my tomato plants are all dry and kind of "hole-y" I know we are watering plenty (perhaps too much even?), do you think that is caused by some type of bug or is my plant diseased?


Dear Kristi,

Mere speculation on my part, but I assume the thief is a rodent. I would assume a squirrel or a bunny. Remember naughty Peter Rabbit? In this part of Texas we have squirrels that "forage" everything from almost ripe tomatoes to whole hibiscus buds. There are a few ways to handle your situation.

• An organic fertilizer, Blood meal, (found at feed stores or nurseries) sprinkled around the base of your plants acts as a repellent for rodents. However, it must be reapplied after rain, or excessive watering.
• Rodents can also be repelled by cayenne pepper. Or mixing a spray solution of 1oz Tabasco sauce to 1 gallon water. You can spray this on your plants, and it should effectively keep rodents away.
• If all else fails and you can't beat them, you may just have to invite them over to dine. Offer a feeder, on the opposite side of your yard, filled with corn and sunflower seeds. In theory this keeps them content and out of your garden. It's only theory, but worth a try. Squirrels are loners and territorial so it should not attract more.

I harvest my larger garden variety tomatoes before they ripen on the vine. I have learned to pick them a little early (when the slightest shade of orange starts to appear) and let them finish ripening in the window sills. They are still tasty and I actually get to "taste" them. The birds are also very attracted to bright red tomatoes ripening on the vine. So I recommend an early harvest. I have also found that I am able to harvest so many more cherry tomatoes than I am larger variety tomatoes. I pluck the sweet 100s right when they turn orange. I bring them in and they turn deep red in my window sill. The little ones seem much easier to protect. I hope this is helpful. You've put so much work into your tomatoes I hope the next ripe ones are enjoyed by you and yours. If not... Annie get your gun. :)

P.S. The bottom leaves of your tomato plants will get yellow and holey. You should hopefully have fresh healthy growth at the top with lots of new blooms. If you haven't already put a tomato cage on your plant, do so. Because it should grow up and out!

~Sarah

The Dirt Doctor

I recently checked out Herbs for Texas by Howard Garrett. It's a fabulous book. It's full of wonderful herb info, but I was pleasantly surprised by Garret's very simple break down of "going green" into a Basic Organic Program for homeowners.

Howard Garrett aka The Dirt Doctor gives a very informative and persuasive argument for eliminating toxic poisons in our landscapes and gardens. He provides ample resources including a radio talk show, an organic forum, numerous books , as well as a weekly column in the Dallas Morning News.

"Organic" is such a buzz word these days, it makes you wonder how many people are trying to be "green" and don't even know what it means. Garret very simply states, "The Basic Organic Program is about making good decisions." When making decisions about your garden ask these questions:

1. Will this product help or hurt the earthworms?



2. Will it stimulate life and health?

When we use synthetic fertilizers and toxic chemicals we deplete the soil of helpful organisms and hummus. The soil in turn becomes less productive, and more prone to insects and disease. In contrast, every time organic fertilizers are applied the soil grows better and better, healthier and healthier - forever. Healthy soil produces healthy plants, and healthy plants resist disease and don't attract insect pests.

Up until I read this book I added miracle grow to just about anything. But I am a changed woman! Unable to see the error in his ways, my husband happens to be the "ortho-max diazinon" king. (Not really but he loves his synthetic fertilizers and pesticides because of the instant results.) Eeek! but I think this book will make a convert out of him.

I can't re-write his book (even though it would be my pleasure) but here are some fantastic highlights:

• Before WWII manure was the primary fertilizer and sulfur, tobacco, and good bugs were the primary pest controls.



• With more money spent today on pesticides than ever before, about one-third of all food crops are still lost to pest insects. That's the same percentage as before the pesticides became available.



• For his recipes of organic concoctions and compost follow these links.

Read Garrett's work, and you will be so fully educated on the organic way it will feel like common sense.

Guerrilla Gardening

I've recently picked up You Grow Girl from the library. It's a very handy, low-fuss guide to gardening, written and photographed by Gayla Trail. Trail seems to have equal parts passion and know-how. This book is perfect for the city gardener. She'll walk you through the basics and answer most novice gardening questions. She also gets into some trouble-shooting, and dives deeper into organic gardening for the more motivated gardeners. This book WILL grace my bookshelves.

I particularly enjoyed her "guerrilla" growing chapters. "Who says you need a garden to be a gardener? Cities and suburbs are packed with fallow land, empty lots, sidewalk cracks, and wasted space ready for planting guerrilla-style." She is an advocate for a "green revolution" and says all you need are seeds, shovel, compost, and some water.

This philosophy instantly conjured up memories from my trip to St. Lucia. The open land in St. Lucia is public land, so any citizen can pick a sunny hill on the side of the road and plant their garden. My husband and I were hiking through the rain forest there and came upon local St. Lucian's gardening, and gathering indigenous "public" bananas. It was a cultural eye-opener and I loved it. What I loved even more was when this barefoot man, carrying a bucket and bananas on his head, walking through the rain forest received a call (and answered)

HIS CELL PHONE! You have got to love the millennium???

For American community garden links look here: http://www.communitygarden.org/

For an elementary school garden link look here: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/kinder/sgardens.html

Do your part and litter some seeds about.

~Sarah

Reader's Question~Whiskey Barrel Garden

Dear Backyardfarming,

I came across your blog on another blog and had a question about gardening. I noticed you had planted certain veggies in whiskey barrels? We are also renting and was wondering about the success of it. I am in CA and so we are putting in our garden this weekend, was wondering about plants (like tomato) you can put in one whisky barrel? Just curious if you could help me with this.

Thanks, Sow Seeker

Dear Sow Seeker,

The whiskey barrel garden is super simple and super successful.

1. How to fill the whiskey barrel (wb):

You will need to drill some holes in the bottom for proper drainage. Then you will want to add some rock or hummus. This helps promote drainage as well as consume space so you don't spend your whole paycheck on DIRT! If you don't want to go organic and just want to go easy you can buy a few bags of miracle grow garden soil. This year we went organic and used a mixture of manure, organic garden soil and compost. Fill your wb full because as you water your plants throughout the season the soil will settle.

2. What to plant:

We have had great success with tomatoes and green beans. But i don't see any reason why you couldn't grow cucumbers, squash, or any number of veggies!

3. Spacing:

In general we have put one vigorous tomato plant, with some marigolds and a few stalks of basil or cilantro in one wb. I think you could put two cherry tomato plants in one wb. Cherry tomatoes are fun because you get lots of fruit to harvest. Plus you can usually get them before the squirrels or birds. If you are planting from seeds, make sure to read the info packet because it will tell you important spacing and growth information.

4. In general:

I think keeping it watered and using good soil with proper drainage is the key. You should have great success!

~Sarah

My Texas Container Garden

Here are the Moyar's green beans sprouting. Aren't they pretty? They are Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans. I checked them today and they have started climbing up the poles. We made the tee-pee for the green beans to climb. It was very simple. We had some extra quarter round in the garage. We cut four long pieces and tied them together at the top. We planted three green beans around each pole, and now they can grow up to the top! It will also provide a cool place to grow lettuce in the hot summer like we have here in Texas!

A little FYI about green beans we learned through trial and error. The first year we tried green beans we had a bumper crop, but shortly thereafter they all died. We were so bummed, and being novice gardeners we ripped them all up. The next year we tried again. The same thing happened, but we never got around to ripping them up after they died, and then a few months later they came back. I don't know if this is supposed to happen, but we will try it again this year and see if it works again.

Here are our tomatoes. These are the Sweet 100's. They are growing so quickly. You can see we have 3 flowers, soon to be, God willing, 3 yummy cherry tomatoes. We also have an Heirloom Hillbilly growing. Completely inspired by this post, we tried an heirloom this year. He is growing much slower, but he seems healthy.

I'm getting a bit nervous because the sun has shifted and the leaves are starting to fill out on the trees and all my (hopeful) sunny spots in the backyard are disappearing. I don't know if this backyard will have enough sun for a full garden????

Just a gardening update,

~Sarah

P.S. Look how cute for the kiddos.

K.I.S.S.

I have this little motto K(eep)I(t) S(imple) S(ister). It helps me to prioritize what is important. Imagine how delighted I was to come across this book the other day. I've been practicing the 3R's since I was waist high to a grasshopper, and we were good stewards, fixers, savers, and re-users long before it was chic and trendy, but in my quest to "get back to the basics" I'm really intrigued by the amazing versatility of vinegar. In this book there is a whole chapter dedicated to "nature's most practical liquid".

Did you know vinegar can:

• Erase Ball Point Pen Marks- pen ink (or crayon) on the wall? dab on full-strength white vinegar using a sponge, repeat until the marks are gone


• Unglue Stickers- to remove a sticker or decal saturate with full strength white vinegar (i've used rubbing alcohol for this too)


• Remove Water Rings on Furniture- to remove white rings off wood furniture, mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil and apply it with a soft cloth while moving with the wood grain. use another socft cloth to shine it.


• Clean Your Microwave- fill a glass bowl with 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water, zap for 5min and then dip a rag and clean off the splatters


• Stop Reds from Running- soak new brightly colored garments in a few cups of undiluted white vinegar for 10-15min before first washing


• Remove Pit Stains- pour undiluted vinegar on the stains and rub gently before laundering


• Ease a Sunburn- to cool a bad burn dab with a cotton ball soaked with white or cider vinegar


• In the Garden- vinegar can treat rust, black spot and powdery mildew~mix 1tbsp cider vingar in 4 cups water into a recycled spray bottle and mist in the early morning or evening until the condition is cured

There are countless other uses, but in general it seems to really be good at removing odors. Everything from garlic breath, to cigarette smoke, to pet accidents. If you are interested in a D-I-Y spot and stain remover follow this recipe:

Fill a spray bottle with 5parts water to 1part white vinegar

Fill another spray bottle with 5parts water and 1part ammonia

Saturate the stain with the vinegar solution, let it set for a few minutes, then blot and dry

Next spray on the ammonia solution, and blot. Repeat until the stain is gone!

If you use any of these and they work let us know. Good Luck, and thank you, Reader's Digest for Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things.

~Sarah

Ramblin' Roses

I've recently moved into a new house, and shortly after I moved in I noticed roses in the front yard. I'm not exactly sure what kind they are, I think they are a sort of Climbing Rose. Maybe a Trailing Rose? Either way they were unkempt and didn't have many blooms. I have killed many a rose bush in my day, and instantly thought "Those are goners." However, one day my mom walked past them, put her good ole' Texas A&M Agronomy education to use and said, "You know if you will trim these to the second five they will do great." The second five??

She explained, after a bloom dies look down the stem and you will notice the leaves grow off the stem in bunches alternating of threes and fives (sometimes you will get even numbers in the mix as well). So walk down the stem and find your first set of five leaves, then keep walking down the stem until you find your second set of five leaves. (You may pass many non-five leaf groupings on your way down the stem. That is okay!) Then trim right above the second set of five!

Now I have such healthy happy roses. I feel empowered and I can tell they are rapidly becoming my babies.

~Sarah