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balkanradfem · 2 years

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If you've wondered what I'm up to.. welll. I've tried to make another foraged soup. But this time, I thought, it wouldn't be slimy. Because I wouldn't put any chickweed in it. And we discovered recently, chickweed that is cooked and blended becomes slimy.

So I used a lot of nettle, leek, potato, and wild onion broth. And the soup was... the soup, it, it was, slimy. It was incredibly slimy and I don't know who did it, was it leek??? Was it nettle?? Was it the POTATO? Which one of you two faced filthy plants forced me to eat a slimy soup TWICE IN ONE WEEK?!

I honestly am at my wits end with the slimy potato soup, I am going to try nettle+oat milk next, if this one turns slimy too, then it's just going to be baked patties of foraged food, and soups can just be from garden food + slime free. Gods.

I've been also running very low on my dried yarrow supply and I was getting worried, because it's not yet starting to bloom, and I need it for my menstrual cramps, so I kept just using less and less. I also made a plan, that this year, I would gather more yarrow than it fits into my little jar, and I would store it in a dark place. Because dried plants stored in transparent jars actually fade with time and lose color and scent and they get less effective, and if I was smart I'd keep them in dry bags in the dark cupboard.

Then one day I went to clean my cupboard because it was really messy and I found just bags of stored goods that I completely forgot I had. I found a whole bag of dried dill, dry aronia berries, dry horsetail and sage and there was also a full paper bag of dried yarrow! Because I already remembered last year that I need extra yarrow! And that it's safer to keep it paper bag in a dark place! I already made that entire plan and got enough yarrow and saved it in a bag in a cupboard and then forgot the entire thing because I am not very good with memory! This gave me a huge boost of happiness, the yarrow from the paper bag was better quality, smelled better, and was more effective as a medicinal tea, bless my past self. I also want to make a soup from that dried dill, but I'm unsure if I need to hydrate it first, and for how long, I'll have to ask the plant lady, I feel like she made dill soups before. Dill is actually crazy nutritious which I didn't realize until I googled it and then I was just stunned, that thing could fulfill most of my nutritional demands for the day if had a lot.

I've been to the garden for a few times, planted potatoes, parsnip, parsley, celery, spinach, onions and peas. My peas are doing so poorly it's getting ridiculous, I think I really need to get proper seeds for them. The plant lady warned me that with peas it doesn't really work taking the dry seeds directly from the plant and then planting them, but I thought, well why wouldn't that work, and did that, and each year I get worse and worse results. I might need to look into different varieties, I'm not getting enough peas.

I am, however, getting my kale going to seed, and I've been waiting for years for that to happen! I'm out of kale seeds and I'm going to try and protect a few of the blossoms so they stay true to type, I did make sure to get a heirloom variety so I could keep it forever once planted, I know brassicas are very likely to cross-pollinate, I'll make a little bag out of cheesecloth and trap a few blossoms in there, so that no bee can cross-pollinate them and hopefully I'll be able to pollinate them with a paintbrush and then collect some good seeds.

Everyone in the community garden is still ganging-up on me over the no-till garden, even the plant lady doesn't believe it can be done, and I'm very stubborn and refuse to dig thru the soil. I think at this point it doesn't even matter because every single worm, bug, snake, mouse, slug and mole have been digging thru my garden already, every time I try to poke a hole in it to plant something, I find a hole or a whole goddamn cave carved inside of there, it's been dug thru enough. Also, the plants are way better at pushing the soil apart with their roots, than I am with my tools, somehow the wild plants manage to push their roots thru deepest mud and honestly I don't feel the urge to compete with that. My job is to add organic matter and add fertility and feed those worms who then go on to also fertilize the soil. But I guess everyone else feels a little bad tilling and digging while I'm just piling leaves on top and acting like I'm also gardening, when in their eyes, I am wronging the space by failing to garden the proper way. And then they see my failed baby peas and go 'see, this is because you're not tilling' and I'm just, ughh, there are multiple reasons for my pea failure.

Being the youngest one there and then refusing the wisdom of proper, 40-years-of-experience gardeners is not a great position to be in, but I'm so in love with my garden, I can persevere thru that. It still does grow me enough food to keep me happy the entire year, so others being critical of it isn't the worst thing in the world. I do have a lot to learn, but I learn only by experience, not by doing whatever I am told.

#gardening #foraging #cooking #herbs #yarrow #life #stories #updates #i got into legit fights in the garden about my methods #and it makes me sad #i'm not doing anything criminal by gardening my way #but everyone is upset with me :(

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clatterbane · 2 years

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Tonight's delight: An aggressively "healthy" but surprisingly decent frozen dinner! (Or, about half of it since that's what I could hold.)

I picked this up a while back, largely on the basis that it was (a) convenient, (b) probably fairly easy to swallow, (c) gluten free, (d) decently balanced, and (e) full of actual vegetables and stuff. I like vaguely Indian lentils and rice, so maybe it won't be too bad with a little jazzing up? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kept putting off eating it, and with my brain's awesome "out of sight, out of mind" capability? I mostly forgot it was there until I ran across the box while looking for something else. (Still really need to pick up some shelves/bins to help organize the freezer crap!)

Welp, I guess supper is sorted!

GI giboxen.se - Nutritionally calculated & ready! INDIAN LENTIL STEW - LACTO-VEGETARIAN LENTIL STEW WITH EDAMAME BEANS, SPINACH, TOMATOES & SUNFLOWER SEEDS

If I had spent more time in Sweden, I might have some clue who the grinning dude whose face is plastered on both sides of the box is supposed to be--and how that is intended to make me want to buy the thing. As it is, I am happy enough just letting that remain a small mystery for now! Lest some "diet guru" bullshit should make me less inclined to eat the thing now that it is waiting in my freezer.

WHAT MAKES THE GI-BOX UNIQUE? The GI box consists of ten different ready-made and nutritionally calculated lunches and dinners created by the diet expert Ola Lauritzson. The food contains a good balance between protein, natural fats and high quality carbohydrates. We have placed particular emphasis on using only fine ingredients and minimizing the salinity of the food. Thanks to the fact that we freeze the food immediately after cooking, the nutritional value of the food is maintained while we can offer long shelf life. From a nutritional point of view, cooking in the microwave is the most gentle way to heat the food. With the Gl box, you get a really good meal that can be prepared quickly, whether you eat at home or at work.

INGREDIENTS Red lentils, brown rice, tomato, water, spinach, carrot, CREME FRAICHE, SOYBEANS, broccoli, grilled peppers, coconut milk (maltodextrin, MILK PROTEIN), onion, sunflower seeds, ginger, tomato puree, salt, rapeseed oil, lemon juice, rice starch, garlic, vegetable bouillon (onion, carrot, parsley, rosemary, lovage, pepper, cumin), cumin, coriander, chili, cinnamon, white wine vinegar, black pepper.

The ingredient list took a little extra manual correction, after Google Translate completely choked and shat itself toward the end. 🤔 No idea why, but this has been an issue before with some longer sequences of ingredients off labels in that (fairly straightforward) format.

Anyway, that sounded like a pretty reasonable collection of ingredients, with nothing actually offputting in there.

And, the finished product tasted pleasant enough and certainly filled my belly up nicely! Pretty much what I was hoping for tonight. With some actual vegetables, which my body has really been asking for.

Added some handy Creole seasoning, for a little more salt and heat to suit my taste better. Could have done without the added texture of the edamame and sunflower seeds--both rather intrusively thrown in the cooked rice. I'm also still a little baffled by the gratuitous glob of hot sour cream over to one side (why? who decided that would enhance the eating experience? 🤔), though it wasn't an unpleasant addition. But, those were my main quibbles with the meal.

Another item that I might not actively seek out again, but wasn't sorry to eat. And I won't mind going back for the other half later! Maybe add a little lemon juice to the lentils then.

#food #frozen dinners #low spoons food #gluten free #lentils #vegetarian #swedish food

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glammnaturallyoil · 3 years

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3 Supplements that actually grow your hair

Taking care your hair goes beyond buying the most expensive hair creams and shampoos off the supermarket shelf or that fab online store! Of course those may work, depending on their quality but you must know that the real work begins from within the body!

What do I mean?

Your hair care starts from what you put into your body. As a matter of fact, your hair draws its strength from the food that you eat but there are particular nutrients that your hair needs to grow into the thick and long mane you want.

Just like your bones need calcium to be stronger, your hair need it’s own set of nutrients too to grow healthy, here are 3 absolutely necessary vitamins that your hair needs to grow;

Vitamin A

The most vital vitamin, your body in general needs Vitamin A to grow and your hair is not left out of this goodness! Basically, this vitamin also helps the skin glands to secrete sebum which gives your hair natural moisture and keeps it healthy.

A deficiency in Vitamin A will lead to hair loss, however, an overdose of this vitamin will lead to hair loss as well which is why Vitamin A supplements have to be taken with care. You can also get Vitamin A from foods like milk, sweet potato, eggs, spinach, carrots, yoghurt etc.

B Vitamins

Biotin is one of the best B vitamins known to directly contribute to hair growth and leave you with longer, thicker mane with consistent use.

People with Biotin deficiency often experience hair loss and an intake of Biotin supplements often solves this problem.

The great thing about Biotin is that your CANNOT overdose on it. Since it is a water soluble vitamin, any excesses that your body doesn’t need is flushed out through the urine or feces

Biotin also helps to convert the food you eat to energy which is necessary for you to even perform any action! Asides from Biotin, other B vitamins also help to create red blood cells in your body which help to transport oxygen and nutrients to the hair scalp which is very necessary for hair growth.

You can get B vitamins from foods like meat, fish, whole grains, seafood and greens.

Vitamin C

You’re probably very familiar with this vitamin! They’re everywhere and with very good cause to!

You see, Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant that helps to protect against free radicals that can damage your hair. What’s more, Vitamin C helps your body to create collagen - which is very important in the growth of your hair, skin and nails.

Good sources of Vitamin C are citrus fruits, peppers, strawberries etc What’s more, it prevents your hair from aging! Bye to gray hairs!

Other amazing nutrients for your hair include;

Vitamin E - almonds, avocado, sunflower seed

Vitamin D - cod liver oil, mushrooms, fatty fish

Iron - eggs, red meat, spinach

Zinc - oysters, beef, lentils

Protein

You need supplements if you do not get enough of these nutrients in your food everyday. Remember that your hair growth starts from the inside out and what better way to achieve that than with the Biotin Hair Growth Gummies?

Every hair needs that extra TLC and yours is no exception, especially if you notice your hair is thinning or becoming too much in your comb. In fact, if you just want thicker and longer hair, then you are on the right path.

The great thing about taking supplements is that it gets absorbed in the hair stream and not only majorly contributes to your hair health but your general body health as well.

Infused with 10,000 mcg of Biotin per gummy, you get your daily dose of Vitamin B in one gummy! You don’t even have to worry about overdosing (because trust me, you can get carried away by the taste of the yummy gummies!). It comes in an easy to carry pack that can fit in as little as your purse so you don’t forget to take them everyday. CONSISTENCY IS KEY!

Click this link to order your own Biotin gummies NOW!

https://glammednaturallyoil.com/collections/best-sellers-1/products/strawberry-gummies-for-hair-growth

#naturalhairs hairgrowth naturaloils healthydiet #hairgrowthvitamins #hairgrowthgummies

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feitanswife · 5 years

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How to kinda sorta feel like an adult/exist without someone doing everything for you

*learned entirely from experience and tested by a real person

1. Buy a bundle/container of spinach (high in iron and fiber, the two things I, an otherwise healthy 20 y/o have had random health problems with due to my parents never feeding me anything healthy) put it on/in everything. Breakfast sandwiches, savory dishes, get creative it adds no taste! This goes hand in hand with #2 and 3

2. Buy a blender, learn to love smoothies. Smoothies lie to you about their contents. The one I had this morning? If I hadn’t made it myself I’d have no idea it was 50% spinach leaves and chia seeds. You can’t taste them, it’s trendy for the instagrams, and my digestive system has never been more grateful

3. Half-cook. Buy instant food and put more shit in it. You don’t need to know how to make pasta sauce from scratch, just buy the box, put some chopped up leftover chicken and green stuff in it halfway through the cooking time, suddenly you’ve made an actual meal in 10 minutes. Instant ramen + bag of frozen veggies + random leftover meat cut into chunks = better than my moms homemade soup tbh

4. If you have a dishwasher, small things like tongs, forks, cups that aren’t really that dirty, anything that doesn’t need to pre-soak... never hits the sink. Never. Do not pass go, do not collect 200$, go STRAIGHT to the dishwasher.

5. Ready your coffee maker the night before. After you drink your fill and won’t be using it for the day, fill it up with grounds and water. When you wake up all you have to do is press a single button, no more half-asleep fumbling.

6. Having a candle lit and any music playing in the background will make you feel like 150% more grown up and sophisticated I promise

7. Target’s Opalhouse brand candles are only 7.99 for a pretty big one and they’ve got the most scent payoff of any candle that price I’ve ever seen. I can smell my “island nectar” one across a table, unlit, with the lid on. Red Shed has really good ones too but I have no idea where those ones are sold and they’re a little more expensive.

8. Cauliflower is just dollar store broccoli, it has all the same nutrients just... less of them. But you can mash it up and make discount mashed potatoes which is neat.

9. LAUNDRY!!! Read your laundry labels, write down notable things on a board/paper and put it up by your washer! Mine says things like “hand wash yellow leggings and rose print skirt, suede and velvet things turn inside out before washing, do not under any circumstances wash the wool pencil skirt mom I’m not losing another one YES I’m still mad about the patchwork mini from 10th grade!”

hand washing isn’t hard. You know how you’re supposed to fill the cap of the soap and pour it in the washer? You only need like 1/2 that much soap usually. Take the cap and don’t rinse it if you need to hand wash something, the excess on the lid is usually the perfect amount to wash bras or a skirt in the sink. And FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T PUT BRAS IN THE DRYER THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A CRIME! AND DONT HANG UP KNITTED THINGS IT MAKES THEM STRETCH!

10. Everybody and their brother has said this but cake mix: milk/milk sub instead of water (yes I’ve tried, almond milk makes a difference too, esp almond coffee creamer, that’s what I get since it lasts longer in the fridge and I really only use it in smoothies/coffee) melted butter instead of oil (or just really nice olive oil if you’re not for the dairy) and an extra egg if you’re feeling fancy

11. Invest on a basic cheap set of piping tips and bags if you ever think you’re going to make cupcakes for any reason. Frosting cupcakes to an acceptable level is literally one of the easiest things to do with the right equipment and people act like you’re Picasso for squeezing a bag of sugar goo over a tiny cake!

12. Get a small, easy to care for plant to put in your windowsill. Rosemary is always a good bet cause then you can make rosemary chicken which is delicious, but a succulent or two works if you, like me, kill everything you touch. It makes you look and feel responsible even though all you do is dump water on it like once a week.

13. You always need tape, AA batteries, rubber bands, and a small screwdriver. The moment you don’t have one is when you need it. Do yourself a favor and get a battery tester.

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kriskebob-blog · 6 years

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Day 1, Part 1: Me vs. the grocery store

Hi again. It was really nice to hear from some of my friends and family in response to my post last night! I’m really excited to know that some people are down to read my long-ass posts about plants. I’ve also had several people offer me cookbook suggestions or even offer to have me plunder their own stash. Thanks for being my enablers, guys! (No seriously, thank you, I love you all sm.) Also, I can now reveal that my grandma texted me this morning to confirm she did indeed read my first post to its end. She’s the best!!!! This blog is rapidly evolving into a dual-purpose food/my grandma fan page and I can’t be sorry for it.

So it’s Friday afternoon as I write this but the day I’ll be writing about is actually Wednesday. Can you tell it took me a little while to get going with the actual blogging part of this project? Anywho, I woke up Wednesday and after taking some time to wake up with a coffee, I flipped open my shiny new How Not to Die cookbook to the pages with the 2-week meal plan. I scanned the lists of recipes, already nervous. There were so many listed for every single day. I’m used to preparing dinner each night and eating leftovers for my lunches. For years my tried-and-true breakfast almost every single day has been two hard-boiled eggs and a piece of toast. So I’m really only used to having to prepare a fully involved meal once a day. You wanted to do this, I reminded myself. You have the summer off. You have the time! Trying to calm my nerves, I opened up the notes app on my laptop and began typing the names of the suggested recipes. There are no page numbers referenced on the meal plan pages, which would have made things a lot easier, just sayin’, Dr. Greger! I found the recipes and opened the grocery list Google Doc I’ve shared with my husband since we moved in together. I started typing up a shopping list.

This was more than 48 hours ago at this point, but luckily I did stop to write down some initial thoughts. I shall share them with you now, verbatim:

How the f@#! am I going to buy everything we need for all this? How will it fit in my fridge? Will I spend literally all day prepping all of this? Am I even going to be able to find everything I need for these recipes?

...

16 recipes compared to my normal 4, MAYBE 5. Eating this way is obviously the vanity project of the wealthy wtf

...

It’s only two weeks. I can spend 2374623645 dollars on food for just half a month right? right?? It’s normal to spend money on hobbies? Gah

...

What the hell is date sugar?

...

I am definitely using vanilla extract instead of buying a giant vanilla bean Fresh turmeric? Where would even sell that? Ground sounds just fine to me

I noted that I began this process at 8:55. At 9:21 I wrote:

I give up… because I can already tell I’m going to be buying WAY too much produce to fit into my crisper drawer. The original plan had been to stock up enough stuff to carry me through until Monday but I can see now that’s just not going to be realistic at all. I’ll stock up on enough stuff to get me through to Friday night. I don’t want to grocery shop on the weekend if I can help it. I’ll just go again on Friday. Then I’ll probably have to go again on Monday, maybe Tuesday if I’m lucky. That’ll be three grocery store stock-ups in one week. I wanted a hobby, didn’t I?? Time to go back and redo my list to only reflect recipes for the next three days then.

I put a break in my recipes list. Alright. That brings me from 16 recipes to 8. Feels much more manageable. I look at the huge list of ingredients I amassed on my Google doc and decide it’d be easier to just delete it and restart from scratch than go through and try to remember what I now do and don’t need. 9:30.

9:45 - done. Still a LONG list. This is only for 2 days plus a dinner. But to be fair I did include stuff for a couple of desserts.

I’m a tad concerned by how none of these recipes call for ANY salt.

I was more than a tad concerned, actually. But I had my mission lined out. It was time to head to Big Y.

Of the common local grocery store chains in Connecticut, Big Y is probably the nicest one. My husband and I used to frequent Stop & Shop but we stopped because the produce kind of sucked and anyhow the set-up of Big Y is a lot more appealing. I drove on over to the Ellington Big Y, hopeful that I’d be able to find the majority of the items I needed, but also aware that I’d probably end up at Whole Foods later that day.

I’d been so focused on getting together my massive shopping list and hustling out to the store that I hadn’t attended to my basic personal needs with as much care as usual. I realized two things almost immediately as I crossed the parking lot: I kinda had to pee, and I was also sort of thirsty/hungry. Should I get a lemonade or something from the cafe? I wondered briefly then decided against it. I’d be fine til I got home, surely.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in the produce section. I bagged up two heads of lettuce and an even bigger head of red kale. I bought the biggest container of baby spinach they had and then also the biggest bag of regular spinach. Cilantro and parsley. Scallions. And that was just from the greens section! I was already tired by the time I got to the natural foods section, and I had only shopped for stuff whose location I already knew.

I spent some time figuring out which seeds/nuts I needed that Big Y sold by the weight. It’s a really convenient and cool system, except the stupid sticker-printing machine is sort of finicky. I must have spent a solid ten minutes before I had the correct amount of almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, etc. Okay. Now I needed to look for some stuff that I genuinely had no idea where exactly it might be. I knew they likely were somewhere in this natural foods section, I just didn’t know where. Stuff like hemp hearts and nutritional yeast (sounded gross but it was called for in quite a few recipes). I found them eventually. Cool. Now I needed canned tomatoes and beans, but Dr. Gregor really wanted me to be sure I bought cans without a BPA liner. Seriously? Was that really going to be the thing that would make or break if I lived to see 100? But I didn’t want to half-ass the Dr. Gregor lifestyle. It was only for two weeks, after all. After way too much time studying the shelves of tomatoes and beans, I ended up with two cans of diced tomato that cost twice as much as the brand I normally purchased... and the same exact generic brand of beans I normally went for, because none of the beans at Big Y seemed to be BPA free. Whatever. I was hungrier and grumpier by the minute. I wanted to stuff something into my mouth full of sugar and gluten and whatever other chemicals were out to kill me, stat. Almost done. Just had to find frozen okra (vegan gumbo, y’all! Stay tuned), and also miso. I wasn’t too worried about the miso. Big Y has a decent Asian foods aisle... one that I paced up and down at least four times before accepting that they didn’t seem to have miso. They also didn’t have date sugar, a key ingredient to a no-bake brownies recipe I wanted to try. I have a major sweet tooth (can you tell?) and the idea of two weeks without chocolate bars or ice cream was something I refused to entertain without some sort of chocolate dessert option. Okay. No miso, no date sugar. I also hadn’t been able to find “whole wheat tortillas - no salt added” anywhere in the store. So, I’d be going to Whole Foods. I had figured as much.

I checked out with a whopper of a bill and tried not to die too much inside at the fact that this was only two and a half day’s worth of groceries. After all, I had needed to stock up on several crunchy hippie type pantry items I hadn’t already owned. Thank god I already had a pretty sizable spice collection or my bill would have been even higher. I tried not to think of how this wasn’t even everything on my list. Not only did I still need to go to Whole Foods, but I needed to go to the farm stand.

Shout-out to Johnny Appleseed’s Farm in Ellington. Sam and I love them, and they love us back! Okay, they love Sam back because he told them once that he had gone onto Google and fixed an incorrect listing stating they were permanently closed. They really love Sam for that. They have no idea who I am unless I walk in with him. But that’s okay. Every late July through October, Sam and I buy as much of our produce as possible from Johnny Appleseed’s. I stopped over there to load up on tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, and an ungodly amount of zucchini. The woman ringing me out seemed amused. “Lots of squash,” she commented. “What’re you cooking?” I stared at her, trying to remember. The recipe planning I’d done only a couple hours ago already seemed such a blur. “Zoodles,” I managed finally. “You know, like when you try to pretend you’re eating pasta but it’s actually vegetables?” She chuckled and nodded. “You make your own sauce from scratch too?” “Usually,” I told her, feeling a sudden pang of longing for a nice meaty bolognese. Wow, I really wasn’t going to be cut out for this meatless life for long. I told her goodbye and got into my car. It was sweltering outside and 10x worse inside my black interior car. I now definitely needed to pee and I was starving. Home couldn’t come fast enough.

Of course, before I could eat my lunch I had to go through the battle of trying to fit all of this produce into my refrigerator. Even with the clearing out of the usual cartons of eggs and older produce that I’d tossed earlier that morning, it was definitely a game of Tetris trying to fit all of the extremely perishable items I’d just purchased into my fridge. I didn’t even entertain the thought of trying to fit all the vegetables in the crisper. Just to fit them in the fridge itself was an accomplishment. Thank god I hadn’t been quite stupid enough to try to buy enough groceries to last us through Monday. Dear lord, I was really going to have to go back in two days and do this again? You chose this, you chose this I sang to myself repeatedly in my head as I grabbed the container of my last non-vegan meal for two weeks: zucchini turkey meatballs, romano cheese, and marinara sauce over spaghetti. It was damned good. This is still healthy, isn’t it? Do I definitely have to give up cheese, Dr. Gregor?

Now came the time for my final real dessert of the next two weeks. Something I end up binging on far too often when Sam leaves me at home unsupervised for too long: Aurora honey nut granola with chocolate chips mixed in. It’s so good!!! And I definitely went especially overboard that day knowing it was my last sugar binge for awhile.

Alright. It was time to head to Whole Foods. The closest one to me is in Glastonbury and a solid 25 minute drive away. The air felt heavy and oppressive as I headed out into the heat. Ominous dark clouds hung low in the sky. I could feel the nasty air pressure in the depths of my sinuses. Blah. Almost done, I told myself. The parking lot at Whole Foods was mobbed. Why are so many people out on a random Wednesday afternoon, I grumped to myself as I narrowly avoided running over a perfectly nice young family (sorry, strangers!!) and found myself a spot. I walked inside and immediately started rubbing my arms up and down. It was freezing. One thing I love about Big Y is that they keep a lot of their refrigerated items behind doors. I forget how cold other grocery stores are.

I don’t go to Whole Foods very often. I knew where the ethnic condiments were but had no clue where I might find “whole wheat tortillas, no salt added.” I wandered the entire length of the store twice over and finally found a small selection. They really didn’t have much to offer in the way of wraps. Too many carbs for the Whole Foods shopping crowd, I guess? I settled for normal whole wheat tortillas that did indeed have salt as an ingredient. What do you want me to do, Dr. Gregor? I’m only one person. I at least then found the date sugar no problem. Okay. Cool. Only the miso left.

I wandered into the Asian condiments aisle... and essentially repeated the same pacing act I’d done at Big Y, except I went back and forth even more times because I had a hard time processing that Whole Foods wouldn’t have what I needed. I mean, they’ve got some weird stuff there! They have like 5 different brands of ghee! Miso sounded like such a basic Asian condiment to me. We’ve all heard of miso soup, no? But it was nowhere to be found. Ugh. Fine. I’ll go to the Asian market in East Hartford. It’s not that far from here anyways, I tried to reassure myself. I could feel a sugar crash hitting my bloodstream. I wanted a juicebox and a nap.

I checked out and made my way to Je Mart. I wandered up and down their aisles and couldn’t seem to find miso there either. It finally occurred to me that I was obviously missing something here. Like I really should have done at Big Y in the first place, I pulled out my phone and Googled “Where do I buy miso in the store?” Within 5 seconds I realized I’d been looking in the wrong spots of the stores the entire time. Miso isn’t a bottled or jarred condiment like Sriracha or curry paste. It’s actually sold in plastic tubs in the refrigerated section. Look near the tofu, the infinite wisdom of the Internet advised. I turned around and what do you know, literally right behind me was the refrigerated section with the tofu. And within five seconds I spotted it: a tub of miso!!! I grabbed at it ecstatically and scanned the label. Was this the white miso that Dr. Gregor had specifically demanded? It didn’t specify, but it looked pale enough for me. And it was only $5 for a pretty decent sized tub. I handed my money gleefully to the cashier and went on my way. Finally.

I got home and put away my new purchases. It was about 2:20pm and I was beyond exhausted. I really shouldn’t have eaten that much granola, I thought morosely as I flopped onto the couch. I wanted to rewatch Forks Over Knives (it’s on Netflix!). If I started now it would end right around 4, a good time to start trying to actually prepare some of the meals I’d worked so hard all the day just to shop for.

I’m not saying that I napped for the entire documentary because I definitely didn’t. I remember some parts of it. But can I guarantee I didn’t nap at all? No, no I cannot.

This was another long post, so obviously I’m going to need to give us all a break and stop here before going on to Part 2, in which I’ll finally talk about cooking and eating these recipes. These first couple of posts have really just been a lot of exposition, I promise I’m going to get to the meat of the plot soon! (pun intended)

For now, here’s a picture of the miso I drove all over the state searching for before finally acquiring for the very reasonable price of $5 (fyi - Big Y does have miso but it’s red miso and it’s $7 so I guess all’s well that ends well):

#food blog #food writing #veganism #healthy cooking #plant based #whole foods #still bad at tags

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bluesycobalt · 6 years

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Wine Selection

Returning to a thought process in progress:

-And they all have that same uniform, of the tight hip-hugging jeans and belly-revealing crop-tops

With little flower patterns on them, black background, high-heeled peep toe-shoes

And it looks ugly very try-hard too much promiscuity on display

Although I s’pose I’ve no say in the matter

I’m not s’posed to have judgements, it’s not a Buddhist thing

Neither is wanting wine but I want wine too, I drank it all yesterday, polished the bottle off, by myself

A text – a certain M.M. – reminds me I need to move my car – for the football game

It’s Friday night, yeah, and he reminds me I’m not doing anything. Not deliberately but he does.

Mostly because I wonder often whether he is attracted to me I’ve sometimes got the hint

Or maybe that’s arrogance in fact it’s probably arrogance and it

Comes from wanting to be attractive, I think, I don’t think I’ve ever been attractive to a woman

So I guess – I s’pose – I just about conjecture that what I’m thinking here is that if a gay man

Is attracted to me

That the shit would at least be covered in chocolate

But then again when I go to his parties, with all the gay men, I have straight friends that are hit on, not me, though

I pass the pharmacy and the way to moving my car and I think, man,

I could use that wine

But I’m not going to, I’m being austere, I’m taking two meals a day only

And what meals they are too: bibimbap with bean sprouts, garlic-spiced spinach, steamed rice, fried carrots, tempeh seasoned Korean-style with brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, roasted sesame seeds, and then bibimbap sauce with real gochujang, and salt-and-peppered shiitake mushrooms

The thought of those shiitakes drag me elsewhere, back a year ago, to conversation club

Every week with a Ms. C-ko who I impressed with my food and made laugh with my jokes

Always wondering if she would want to do something outside

And never asking, I didn’t want to be the guy (no really, it’s just conversation club man, back off)

She was warm and soft when I gave her a hug before she returned to Japan

She yelled for me across the street and wasn’t bothered by the vicious sweat of late-April Florida

I’m wondering – I’m really wondering – if I could just save my progress this would all be so easy

We pull into the parking garage and there’s Mr. S who is missing this week’s dungeons and dragons

For a camping trip with his girlfriend

We wish him well and I wish to wake up in his place

And I wish the woman I gave a ride to the internship orientation to

Would text me. I’m not going to text her in case of

(no thanks I’m busy for the indefinite future please lose my number)

I’m supposed to be above this, aren’t I? All those hours in the meditation hall…

All cool and collected…

Non-chalant…

Not even looking at the girl bending over… Ass in the air…

“Oh really? Didn’t notice her.”

Of course, when I’m not lying to myself,

I probably want to fuck just about every woman I meet. I want to fuck my teachers, I want to fuck my classmates, I want to fuck C-Ko and I want to fuck the haffu from business class that I saw today

At coffee hour, looking like a doe

More intoxicating than that are thoughts about being that doe, about being the object

I feel a kind of juicy-creamy good-sickness stronger than when I vomited this past Sunday

Thinking about that

Thinking about being the object. It’s happened, actually

There was one woman that – stuttering words, blushing face, talking about what kind of boyfriend she would want – I could tell liked me

That was terrifying. Utterly. Like I’d grabbed a snake and couldn’t put it down. She’s in business class too.

I wonder if she sees me looking at haffu-san like so much venison

Of course I’m a vegetarian

Walking back to my apartment I see couples together or

Worse still, somehow,

A single partner face-timing, out in the open, like it wasn’t such a foul evil

I’m back in my room now and I want that wine, badder than I want anything

And knowing I won’t go buy it

#writing #poem #poetry #spilled ink

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balkanradfem · 2 years

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So I've been writing happily about gardening, but this year was in fact, different than the others. This spring, I've been hit with bad phases of being mentally ill, and even as I started the year excited about plants, it didn't stick. I remember my first year starting plants; I'd spend hours just gazing at them lovingly, finding it soothing for my anxiety. This year, I barely managed to pay attention enough to water them. A part of my transplants even dried off because I was not watering correctly, but I had planted extra, so it wasn't a problem. I still raised the biggest volume of plants than any year before.

Since I rely on my plants to feed me, I kept being worried that my lack of energy, enthusiasm and interest would result in poor harvests, and poor year for eating. This wasn't something I could afford. I kept delaying transplanting first plants to the garden, some because of chronic exhaustion, some due to the bad weather, but then it got very warm very fast, and I couldn't delay it any longer. It didn't feel as it usually does. I wasn't excited; in fact, I barely managed to get it done and came home to rest as fast as I could. I only came again to the garden a week later, when I could gather enough energy to get myself there, and by that time, tons of weeds showed up, the soil needed mulching, it was time to do a lot more work, and I was overwhelmed and worried. I used to come to the garden every single day in the spring, and do this work little by little, so I wouldn't even notice the strain. Now, there was a lot to do, and I didn't feel like doing much at all.

It turned out, I shouldn't have worried. Having less energy to relocate to gardening would have been a problem in my first, and second year of gardening, but at this time, I'm a 4th year gardener. And 4th year gardeners have experience and knowledge that allows them to grow more food, even when they don't have as much time or energy for it all. 4th year gardeners can grow more than one person's worth of food.

I got to the garden one day, and spontaneously started doing one thing after another, until I was there for 4 hours straight, taking care of all of the weeds, planting everything that needed to get planted, mulching the entire garden with recently mowed grass and fertilizing whatever looked a bit stuck. The garden started growing so fast, and so vibrant, I suddenly found myself bringing home spinach, swiss chard, leeks, lemon balm, chives and celery, and that helped a lot with my enthusiasm. Next time, I planted all of the beans, green beans, squash, fixed the garden a new fence, and proceeded to work on the field, planting ground cherries, mystery squash and potatoes. And I realized, I had actually done all of the things in time for them to be done, and I didn't waste my efforts for the things I knew wouldn't work. Last year, I'd been planting so many beans, garlic, pumpkins and carrots onto the field, and none of it worked at all, so this time, I stuck to the ones that worked the best – zuchinni and cucumbers. I made sure to plant beans and carrots in my garden instead, where they grew successfully.

My garden chores now are just to bring some more sticks, plant the rest of the tomatoes and peppers, wait for the squash to germinate and plant it apart, watch over what plants are going to seed in order to collect the seeds, water the peppers when the rain stops coming. That's not a lot of work! I feel like the enthusiasm came back to me as soon I figured things will actually work out and it's not too late to do anything. It's getting so hot, I bet the tomatoes will grow very fast from now on, and I'm looking forward to eating them.

#gardening #growing food #mental illness #worrying about food #if i had to dig my garden i wouldn't have managed it #no till is great

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livingcorner · 3 years

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Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Indoor Garden

Whether you’re been wanting to save yourself trips to the grocery store for fresh produce or the latest pandemic is making you long for a taste of nature, starting a garden seems like the most logical answer to your troubles. But if you’re a city dweller without a backyard space or you constantly deal with inclement weather, it’s not the most feasible option. One solution: Bring the outdoors—and all its luscious greenery, dirt, and smells—inside with an indoor garden.

Not only does gardening in your humble abode count as a fun new quarantine hobby, it can also have profound health benefits, according to research. Studies have shown that gardening (in or outdoors) is linked to an increase in life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and cognitive function, as well as reductions in stress, anger, fatigue, and depression and anxiety symptoms.

You're reading: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Indoor Garden

“Plants make me smile and do exactly what the research has found—lower my stress and elevate my mood,” says Melinda Myers, gardening expert and host of the Great Courses’ How to Grow Anything DVD series. “Tending plants, watching them grow, and continually learning as I try new plants and techniques keeps me excited and interested in trying more and sharing what I have learned with others.”

And you don’t need to be a plant master to successfully start an indoor garden. To Julie Bawden-Davis, founder of HealthyHouseplants.com and author of Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, the special touch needed to tend to an indoor garden isn’t necessarily something you’re born with. “I would say that everyone can develop a green thumb,” she says. “It’s like anything else—you need to practice. The more you practice, the greener your thumb will become.

Ready to give indoor gardening the old college try? Follow this step-by-step guide to starting an indoor vegetable garden or herb garden and setting it up for success.

Step 1: Decide which herbs and vegetables you want—and are able—to grow.

Before you dump some soil, seeds, and water in a pot and call it a day, you need to carefully plan out your indoor garden. Ask yourself: “How much room do you have to garden indoors? Will you use artificial light to expand planting options? And what herbs and vegetables do you eat and use when preparing your meals?” says Myers. These questions will help you figure out which herbs and veggies—and how many of each—you’re able to maintain in your growing conditions. If you’re planning on using only natural light in your slightly shady apartment, for example, you wouldn’t want to grow peppers. And if you only have one tiny sunny area of your living space, you probably won’t be able to grow dozens of plants.

The Best Vegetables for an Indoor Garden

Since natural light can be a challenge while growing indoors, Myers recommends choosing plants that can tolerate a bit of shade, such as leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, and kale. These greens take around 45 days to reach maturity—meaning you can have a fresh salad in a month and a half. As for veggies outside of the greens-realm, Myers suggests choosing radishes, beets, and carrots, which can hold up against some shade, for indoor gardens. If patience is not a virtue you’re known for, microgreens are the best bet—these small but nutritionally mighty greens can be harvested just 10 days after planting the seeds, she says.

If you’re hoping for fresh homegrown cherry tomatoes, eggplant, or peppers, you’ll have to put in a bit more effort. These plants need the most sunlight and grow flowers that need to be pollinated in order to create fruit. Unlike leafy greens, root crops, and tubers, which self-pollinate, these plants typically rely on bumble bees and wind to move pollen from the male to the female reproductive structures, according to the Gardening in Michigan extension at Michigan State University. Since there aren’t any bees around your indoor garden to help with that organically, you’ll have to do the work yourself by using something such as kids’ watercolor paintbrush to transfer pollen from one flower to another, says Myers. Depending on the variety, it’ll take anywhere from 65 to 110 days for the plant to start producing edible goodness, she says.

The veggies you’ll probably want to avoid growing in an indoor garden: Pumpkins, watermelon, and squash—and not just for the obvious size issues. These plants tend to climb, sprawl, and overall take up a lot of space, says Bawden-Davis. Beans and peas aren’t the easiest to grow inside either, as they grow on spreading vines, she adds.

Read more: How to Build a Vertical Garden Frame? | Slick Garden

The Best Herbs for an Indoor Garden

For indoor herb gardens, choose basil, chives, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, and thyme—flavor boosters that often thrive indoors and under most gardeners’ care, says Myers. Rosemary and bay leaves can be a bit more challenging to maintain, while cilantro likes cooler temperatures and requires several plantings to build up enough supply to actually use in your cooking, she adds.

Using Food Scraps for an Indoor Garden

While you’ve probably seen those Facebook videos that show someone loading up a pepper with soil, followed by a time-lapse of a stem growing straight out of the veggie, growing with any food scraps you have lying around the kitchen isn’t that easy. It’s not always the most productive way to grow vegetables, but it can be done, says Myers. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, and onions tend to work best with this method.

Starting peppers and tomatoes from seeds left from last night’s dinner takes a lot of time, and you might end up with something that tastes and looks very different from the vegetable you collected seeds from, says Myers. The reason: The types of veggies you get at the grocery store are hybrid plants, meaning it was created by crossing plants from two different “pure lines,” or lineages of plants that have been inbred. Since this hybrid plant contains genes from two distinct family lines, its offspring will have a random mixture of genes from the original pure lines, giving you both desired and unwanted characteristics, according to South Dakota State University.

Step 2: Choose between a soil-based or hydroponic indoor garden.

Using pots filled with soil is the most common way to grow herbs and veggies indoors, but it’s not the only way. In indoor gardens, potting soil helps anchor the plants, provides air space for oxygen to get to the roots, and serves as a reservoir for water and nutrients, says Myers.

However, hydroponic gardens, which involve growing plants directly in water sin soil, are becoming more popular. In this growing system, freshwater helps provide oxygen to the roots, and liquid fertilizer is added to the water to give plants the necessary nutrients typically found in soil. “Hydroponic growing takes knowing the correct mix of nutrients to put in the water, so it can be a little more complicated than planting in the soil,” says Bawden-Davis. “However, there are hydroponic growing systems like Aerogarden that make it easy to do.”

Deciding whether to use a hydroponic system such as an Aerogarden (Buy It, $169, amazon.com) or pots with soil all comes down to your price point and growing space, says Myers; hydroponic gardens tend to have a high price tag, but they often come with artificial lighting so you can grow anywhere.

Step 3. Figure out your indoor garden location.

In general, the best location for an indoor garden is the area with the best light, says Bawden-Davis. Putting your plants up against a window is A-OK—under the right conditions. If you have northern-facing windows, plants can sit directly on the sill, as the light isn’t so intense and hot that it will harm them. Western-facing windows, however, may be too hot, and plants will need to be placed two to three feet away from the windows, says Bawden-Davis. Your local climate matters, too: Gardeners in the North may need to back their gardens away from cold windows in the winter, says Myers. You should also avoid placing your indoor garden where it could receive drafts of hot air (think: heating vents) or cold air (like the air conditioner), which can damage plants, she adds. (Related: How One Woman Turned a Passion for Farming Into Her Life’s Work)

If your only available indoor garden space has zero sunlight, you’ll need artificial lighting. This full-spectrum artificial light (Buy It, $15, amazon.com) simulates daylight and is available in various types of bulbs, including ones you can screw into light fixtures you already have in your homes, says Bawden-Davis. Just make sure to position these grow lights directly over the planters for the best results, notes Myers. To give your indoor garden an extra boost of sunshine, consider placing pots on a reflective or white surface, which will bounce light back into the plants from below, she adds.

Step 4: Choose containers to grow your produce in.

If your indoor garden is going to be soil-based, pick up containers that are suited to the plants you’re growing. Tomatoes and peppers need at least a one- to two-gallon pot for smaller varieties, and a three- to five-gallon pot for larger, while greens can grow in most sizes of containers, says Myers. To ensure each plant’s roots have enough room to grow (important for giving the plant enough energy to produce veggies), use separate containers for each large vegetable plant, though multiple plantings of small greens and root crops can be grown in the same container if there’s enough room for them to reach their full size, she says.

Along with the size of the pot, the features of the container itself can make or break your indoor garden. Opt for plastic containers, which are lightweight and hold moisture longer, and those that have drainage holes to prevent the soil from becoming overly saturated, says Myers. “I like to place my containers on trays or saucers filled with pebbles,” she says. “The excess water collects in the pebbles and the pot is elevated above the excess water to avoid root rot. It also saves time pouring off the excess water each time I water my plants.”

If you’re more of a “set it and forget it” person, consider buying a self-watering container—a style of pot featuring a water storage tank underneath the plant. Much like a dry sponge quickly absorbing any liquid it comes in contact with, parched soil will pull water up from the reservoir when it needs it. The result: Instead of watering a few times a week based on your intuition—running the risk of overwatering or under-watering—you only need to fill the water reservoir when it’s running empty. This extends the time between watering and helps those who tend to neglect their plants or don’t know when to water, says Myers. She recommends a self-watering planter with the TruDrop System (Buy It, $139, amazon.com)

Step 5: Load it with soil.

Whatever you do, don’t dig up some soil from your backyard or neighbor’s outdoor garden and pour it into your pot. Instead, use a quality potting mix, says Myers. Potting mixes have a balanced mixture of peat, compost, or coir (the fuzzy fibers of a coconut shell) to hold moisture, as well as vermiculite, perlite, or rice hulls to promote proper drainage, she explains. The soil from an outdoor garden, on the other hand, may not hold enough water (or hold too much), be depleted of essential nutrients, or be too heavy and dense, which can pack together tightly and make aeration difficult. (Related: Your Guide On How to Make a Compost Bin)

When choosing a potting mix, look for one that’s light and fluffy, and if you’re going for organic veggies, use a mix that’s certified and labeled by the Organic Materials Review Institute, says Myers. Aside from good ‘ol dirt, potting mixes may contain fertilizer, so be sure to check the bag, so you know how often you should be fertilizing. Some boast a “starter charge” of fertilizer that’s used up after two or three waterings, while others, labeled controlled-release, time-release, or slow-release, include a fertilizer that provides small amounts of nutrients over a long period of time, explains Myers. If your chosen potting soil doesn’t contain fertilizer from the get-go, consider adding one that contains the right amount of nitrogen for vegetables plants (which need less than leafy plants and grass) and slow-release to provide a steady flow of nutrients. Nitrogen is the key nutrient for plant growth and helps create lush, green leaves, which then help capture the sun’s energy, convert it to sugar, and ultimately create delicious vegetables, per the Northeast Organic Farming Association. “It reduces your workload, and I am all about that,” she says.

You can also add moisture-retaining products to help hold water near the plant roots and reduce the frequency of watering. One sustainable, organic option: Wild Valley Wool Pellets (Buy It, $11, wildvalleyfarms.com). “It can be incorporated into the potting mix to reduce watering by up to 25 percent,” says Myers. This feature makes it extra important not to overwater your indoor garden, as plants growing in soil that is too wet won’t be able to get enough oxygen, leading to root death, stunted growth, and yellowing leaves, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Read more: How Thick Should the Mulch Be in a Planting Bed?

Step 6: Plant those seeds, transplants, or scraps.

Once you’ve picked up your containers and soil for your indoor garden, it’s time to choose your seeds. You’ll probably have the best selection with online seed companies (try: Sustainable Seed Company, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, or Johnny’s Selected Seeds), but your local garden center will likely carry them in the spring, says Myers. Pick up seeds that have a high germination rate (meaning many of the seeds end up sprouting) and are dated for the current season, she says. While some seeds can last for years when managed correctly and kept in a cool, dark place, the germination rate usually declines with age. Your best bet: Passing over the discounted seeds that were packaged two years ago and grabbing one dated with the current year instead. You should also look to the label for the estimated size the plant will get once it’s full-grown, says Bawden-Davis. “If it gets much bigger than two feet or so tall and wide, it’s probably not a good choice for indoor growing, as it will get too big,” she explains.

Planting Seeds

When planting seeds, place them at the depth recommended on the packet. Keep the potting mix slightly moist (think: a sponge that has been wrung out) until the seeds sprout and the seedlings begin to grow, suggests Myers.

Planting Transplants

In the summertime, you might be able to score transplants from garden centers, which take less time to get to the point of being ready for harvest than seeds. Plant the transplants at the same depth as they are growing in their original container. Once the plants have successfully rooted and started producing new growth, you can harvest a leaf or two as needed, and this regular picking will actually encourage the plants to continue producing, says Myers.

Planting Food Scraps

Some of the best vegetables to grow from food scraps are those that produce shoots—aka sprouts—as they age or when placed in water. These shoots are the new growth from seed germination within the vegetable and are where leaves will develop. Some vegetables, like carrots, turnips, and other root veggies, will only re-grow their top leafy greens when placed in water. Onions, garlic, scallions, and leeks grow shoots when their stems or bulbs are placed in a shallow dish of water, while sweet potatoes begin to sprout at the tip when left in the pantry too long. To grow potatoes from these scraps, cut the sprout off a few inches below the growing point, plant in potting mix, and water as needed. For regular potatoes, which sprout across the vegetable, cut the potato into pieces so that each chunk has a sprout or two. Plant in potting mix and water as needed.

To grow herbs from scraps, cuttings may be used. Choose a three- to four-inch cutting of a firm stem with leaves, remove the lowest leaf, and stick it in a moist potting mix. Keep the potting mix moist until roots form, about two weeks, then reduce watering frequency. Keep the potted cutting in a bright location out of direct sunlight, and move to a brighter location once rooted.

Step 7: Water your indoor garden.

How often and how much you water your indoor garden plants all depends on your growing conditions and the age of your plants. In general, “the warmer you keep your house, the lower the humidity, and the sunnier the location, the more often you will need to water,” says Myers.

For seeds that have sprouted and began to grow, gradually extend the time between waterings and water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil are starting to dry, making sure to pour out the excess, says Myers. With newly planted transplants, keep the top few inches of soil slightly moist for the first few weeks, then gradually reduce your watering frequency as the plants become more established, she says.

A good rule of thumb: “If the soil is dry when you stick in your finger or a moisture meter, then it’s time to water,” says Bawden-Davis. And tap water is typically fine to use for your indoor garden, but if your plants look to be affected by the minerals in your tap water and are getting brown leaf tips, try switching to filtered water, she adds.

Step 8: Fertilize your indoor garden.

If the fertilizer in your potting mix or the slow-release fertilizer you added at the time of planting has run its course (the packaging will tell you how long it lasts), you’ll likely want to continue using some kind of fertilizer, especially if your plants are showing signs of nutrient deficiencies, including pale leaves and stunted growth. You can continue adding slow-release fertilizer as directed on the label, or use liquid fertilizers that are added directly to the water, says Myers. Opt for one designed for flowering plants or a balanced fertilizer, which has the same amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—the three fundamental nutrients in plant nutrition. These fertilizers are applied every two weeks or month (again, check the label), but consider starting with a diluted solution, as fertilizer recommendations are usually designed to achieve the maximum level of growth and could actually be more than your plants require, says Myers. Over-fertilizing your plants can cause sudden, immense growth, but the roots may not be strong and large enough to supply the plant with enough water and nutrients, possibly reducing the number of vegetables it can produce.

If you’re using a granular fertilizer, make two-inch deep holes, one to three inches apart in the soil with a tool that’s smaller than the diameter of a pencil. Then, sprinkle the fertilizer directly into the holes and cover with soil and water, says Bawden-Davis.

Step 9: Don’t get discouraged.

Whether you think you have a green thumb or not, know that it’s totally normal if your kale plant shrivels up or your basil looks sad and droopy, so don’t call it quits before you take a bite into something you’ve grown with your own two hands. “Everyone that gardens kill plants—it’s part of the learning process,” says Myers. “And don’t be afraid to ask for help—gardeners love to share their knowledge, passion, plants and produce.”

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/your-step-by-step-guide-to-creating-an-indoor-garden/

#livingcornernews

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teenylittleparadigmshift · 6 years

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DONE TODAY:

- rule from yesterday that's becoming a really useful new standard to avoid dehydration: if the hose gets used for plants I need to drink from it too. Every time. - pulled the pine straw out of the car and used it and the paper bags and the found roofing tiles from earlier in the season to line and mat another stretch of the wheelbarrow path - used some pine straw to also mulch the strawberries now that I've pulled most of the ridge grass - I NEED to find a replacement to seed so the grasshoppers have somewhere to be, or else I need to just let the weeds grow back - thinned out the tall grass and ragweed in the pollinator meadow stretch - left any ragweed that was close to flowering and tried to only pull grass that was the oversized and sparse kind but zoned out a few times and got some of the important matted stuff too, shit, sorry bug friends - mixed the bee seeds packet freebie from the garden center into some dry dirt and seeded throughout that stretch and watered rain-style with the hose - sorry again to the bug friends I know they weren't expecting it but hopefully everyone came back later to finish collecting and eating - seeded a fall harvest round of every pea I have seeds left for, mostly around the milkweed and the comfrey/raspberry cane ridge (and stinging nettle still again, sonofabitch), marked with tear-offs from the seed packets stabbed through with sticks because by then it had been an hour plus in ninety plus degrees - seeded cucumber bush and green beans, also bush kinds, around the upper field in sun, then hit rain-style with the hose - seeded a mix of kale, spinach, (both different varieties thank you dollar/discount stores) and...what was it, something else - BROCCOLI RAAB, because it had a short growing season, through any shady places I could find, so mostly the same places I put the peas, which works out because they use a lot of nitrogen and the peas fix nitrogen back into the soil from the air - used a bucket and watering can to drain the pulled-comfrey-compost-tea bucket (oh god the smell, the site that recommended it was not kidding about that) and consequently nipped a generation of mosquitos in the bud (which I feel a little bad for even though I shouldn't) and used it to fertilize the new seeds, the elderberry bushes, and the tomatoes and carrots/"ancient grains" - hit the tomatoes, carrots, grains and squash with some hose-rain too - tried burying some leftover calendula seeds in the comfrey ridge - hopefully they'll germinate, grow into fall, and self-sow where they're at for pollinator but also wedding and general happiness purposes -I'm missing something and I don't know what - took a break, then tried to write out options for meals for the week the bumblebae's gone so I don't have to think too hard about it -- I think I can actually make a huge batch of rice tonight and freeze portions I can heat again to cut back on how many times I have to immediately wash the rice cooker or not be able to go through with a planned meal - planned a couple of friend times including one with @nouveauqueer that gives me an excuse to make broth and a large batch of a scratch sauce that you really need an excuse to make, which can all be canned for using again without having to do the work. Yaaaaay.

#Tracking #gardening #farming #diary #journal #memory keeping because brain #brain injury #tbi #chronic illness #planning

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wellnessroutines · 7 years

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Green Smoothie Recipes for Weight Loss

I have actually constantly actually enjoyed smoothies. They're fresh, pleasant, and loaded with ingredients that assist gas and detox your body. Certainly, there are some smoothie mixes that typically aren't so healthy. You understand, the ones made with sugar laden juices, chocolate syrup, or non-organic peanut butter, but when you're mindful to just what enters into your healthy smoothies they can be a terrific resource of power and cleansing. This is particularly real for eco-friendly smoothie dishes! Over the previous few years, eco-friendly smoothies have exploded in appeal due to their remarkable purifying and also health and wellness advantages, and also yes, there is real fact behind the green smoothie mix madness!

I prefer to have an eco-friendly smoothie AT LEAST once a week, but as soon as a day is preferable. It's a fast method to load up on your greens without needing to devour broccoli and kale at the dinner table every evening. The majority of us do not eat virtually as lots of eco-friendlies as we should, and smoothie mixes are a fantastic way to correct this on the go. You could also blend up a set at the beginning of the week to store in the fridge. The blend will certainly last you for a couple of days, and it's so very easy to bring with you before job or on the way to the gym!

Green smoothie mixes can additionally aid in weight management! Exactly how you ask? There are key eco-friendly active ingredients that detox your body, make you feel full, and all around promote a much healthier way of life. I'll damage them down for you below.

KALE

Kale has no fat and also is very reduced in calories, so right there you could see exactly how this leafy environment-friendly adds to weight loss. Merely one cup of kale is FILLED with vitamins A, C, K and also B6, along with manganese, calcium, potassium as well as even more! It's high in fiber as well as packs a mean antioxidant punch with beta-carotene, vitamin C and flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol, which are super-nutrients!

SPINACH

You can alternate kale as well as spinach in your healthy smoothies if you prefer one over the various other, or just really feel like something brand-new from day to day! The nutrients you get from spinach are quite similar to kale - iron, magnesium, calcium, as well as bunches of vitamins and anti-oxidants, plus it's very reduced in calories. It has additionally been discovered that spinach aids curb yearnings for sugary foods, treats, and also other undesirable foods. Curbing these yearnings will certainly ensure you're not loading on the pounds as a result of those fatty eats.

MATCHA

I worked at a tea store for two years as well as it was among our most significant vendors because of its health advantages and weight-loss buildings. A tsp of matcha boosts your power just as high as a mug coffee(!), as well as is packed with anti-oxidants. It additionally speeds up your metabolic rate as well as really purges your system for a healthy and balanced detoxification. Merely include a scoop to your favourite smoothie recipe in the early morning as well as reap all the feel-good benefits!

AVOCADO

Avocado is chock-full of nutrients, minerals and vitamins, as well as the kind of fat located in the environment-friendly fruit (mono-unsaturated fat) is actually important for weight-loss. Not only that, however it's one of the ideal appetite removers around! It also helps control your sugar metabolic process due to the fact that of its high vitamin K content. Adding an avocado to your smoothie is among the very best things you can do pre-workout, as it majorly improves your energy and also maintains your metabolic process revved also after you have actually finished your fitness center sesh.

I additionally have a couple of pointers of my very own for active ingredients that will certainly take your eco-friendly smoothies up a notch in regards to weight loss.

PROTEIN POWDER

Protein allows you to really feel complete for longer, which makes it less likely that you'll snack on various other junk foods. There are a bunch of protein powders out there, so see to it you do your research study to discover one that is excellent top quality as well as will help your preference buds (I love vanilla!).

CHIA SEEDS

Chia seeds are one more component I contribute to ALL of my healthy smoothies. They resemble this little very seed that has actually lately blossomed in the health and wellness world with a lot of fantastic benefits! Chia seeds are basically unsavory so adding them to your smoothie mix doesn't make much of a difference taste-wise. They're also extremely high in anti-oxidants, along with protein as well as fiber, which both have been found to help in weight loss.

From Oh She Glow’s renowned Green Warrior, to a scrumptious vanilla matcha mix from The Full Helping, have a look at the 25 finest environment-friendly smoothie mix dishes for weight loss!

1. Coconut Peach Green Smoothie (Simple Green Smoothies)

2. Vanilla Matcha Avocado Smoothie (The Full Helping)

3. Creamy Banana Green Smoothie (Roxy’s Kitchen)

4. Rainbow Smoothie (Kitchen Sanctuary)

5. Spinach and also Green Tea Smoothie (Healing Smoothies)

6. Eco-friendly Warrior Healthy protein Smoothie (Oh She Glows)

7. Minty Melon Smoothie (Simply Quinoa)

8. Avocado Coconut Shake Shake (Chew Out Loud)

9. Green Detox Smoothie (Gimme Some Oven)

10. Spinach and also Lemongrass Smoothie (Kitchen Corners)

11. Avocado as well as Broccoli Smoothie (A Tasty Love Story)

12. Banana, Pear, Avocado and Hempseed Smoothie (The Full Helping

13. Green Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie (Oh My Veggies)

14. Cucumber, Parsley as well as Ginger Smoothie (Mamabee)

15. Popeye Green Smoothie (Healthy Living Ideas)

16. Banana Peach Green Smoothie (A Simple Pantry)

17. Metabolism-Boosting Smoothie (Pop Sugar)

18. Strawberry Pomegranate Eco-friendly Smoothie (3 Boys Unprocessed)

19. Green Ginger Apple Smoothie (RawAyurveda)

20. Detoxstar (Prevention)

21. Avocado, Spinach and Coconut Smoothie (Women’s Health)

22. Citrus Crush Smoothie (Simple Green Smoothies)

23. Peach and also Fresh Pineapple Eco-friendly Smoothie (The Café Sucre Farine)

24. Refreshing Lime Environment-friendly Healthy protein Smoothie (Boomer Nutrition)

25. Apple Kiwi Green Smoothie (Simply Whisked)

So there you have it. 25 environment-friendly shakes to aid you loosened weight! Function them into your early morning regimen, or before or after your workouts to sustain, cleanse as well as lose those unnecessary pounds!

If you appreciated this collection of green smoothie mix recipes for fat burning, please share them on Pinterest!

And if you're trying to find more health-related tips and methods to aid you look as well as feel your finest year-round, please follow our Health as well as Physical fitness board where we share all type of terrific ideas!

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