Grey Duck Garlic: How to Grow Big Garlic Top Ten Tips for Giant Sized Allium Bulbs! Do you want to grow prize winning garlic? Would you like to raise really large garlic bulbs? Garlic responds well to optimal growing conditions and with a little special care your crop can increase dramatically in size. Right: Tiny but cute Siberian bulb on the left and large elegant German Red bulb on the right. With a little effort and some soil preparation, you can grow huge gourmet garlic for top chefs, high end restaurants, CSA’s, Farmer’s Markets or yourself. Hardneck gourmet garlic can sell for $8-$30 pound (depending on market and quality). 1) Use good quality large seed garlic: If you want the biggest bulbs at the county fair start with good quality seed garlic free from disease. Start with BIG cloves. We have noted that larger cloves are more resistant to adverse conditions and frost. Below right: Romanian Red bulbs typically contain 2-6 extra large cloves. 2) Prepare soil well: Soil should be loose, loamy and easy to dig. References:
Thy Hand Hath Provided: Braiding Garlic Jamey pulled our garlic the other day. We found that the right time to pull it is when some of the leaves/stems are turning brown, while most are still green. Other years, we waited until the stems were all brown. The bulbs with all brown leaves had more cloves that were already separating from the bulb and tended to sprout faster. If some of the leaves are still green, the bulbs' papery covers are more intact, keeping the cloves from splitting and sprouting as soon. I still have a braid hanging in our kitchen from a year ago. When I tried braiding garlic for the first time last year, I was a bit disappointed by instructions I found on line. Today I am writing for you what I wish I could have found- instructions with pictures (I'm a visual learner). Braiding Garlic Start by cleaning as much dirt as possible off of your garlic. *Update 7/17/09*: It was two weeks ago that I braided my garlic (seen in the pictures above and below). garlic cleaned with roots cut off, ready for braiding
Edible Flowers Chart Edible Flowers This chart is a collaborative research project by Amy Barclay de Tolly and Home Cooking Guide Peggy Trowbridge. The links will take you to full color photos of the specific flowers to help with identification, but please don't depend solely on these photos. Be sure you know exactly what you choose to consume. If you are allergy-prone, it's probably best to forego consumption of flowers. For more information, refer to the article on Incredible Edible Flowers and Poisonous Plants and Flowers Chart. • Poisonous Plants and Flowers Chart • Edible Flowers Information and Recipes • Herb Information • Spice Information • A to Z Recipes and Food Disclaimer: The author and Home Cooking Guide have thoroughly researched all the aforementioned edible flowers. • Edible Flowers Chart • Edible Flowers Information and Recipes • Herb Information • Spice Information • A to Z Recipes and Food More Herb RecipesReturn to Recipe Index A to Z Recipes and Food | Articles by Topic
Edible Flowers, How to choose Edible Flowers, Eatable Flowers, Edible Flower Chart, List of Edible Flowers, Incredible Edible Flowers Edible flowers are the new rage in haute cuisine Photo of edible flowers picked in Linda's garden in July (lavender, thyme, dill, cilantro, day lily, squash blossom, Nasturtiums, chives, and basil). After falling out of favor for many years, cooking and garnishing with flowers is back in vogue once again. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popularin the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign. Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. One very important thing that you need to remember is that not every flower is edible. In fact, sampling some flowers can make you very, very sick. You also should NEVER use pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat. Never harvest flowers growing by the roadside. How To Choose Edible Flowers - Edible Flower Chart: Directions:
Foraging: 52 Wild Plants You Can Eat Here are a few common North American goodies that are safe to eat if you find yourself stuck in the wild: Blackberries: Many wild berries are not safe to eat, it’s best to stay away from them. But wild blackberries are 100% safe to eat and easy to recognize. Dandelions: The easiest to recognize is the dandelion, in the spring they show their bright yellow buds. Asparagus: The vegetable that makes your pee smell funny grows in the wild in most of Europe and parts of North Africa, West Asia, and North America. Elderberries: An elderberry shrub can grow easily grow about 10 feet and yield tons of food, their leaf structure is usually 7 main leaves on a long stretched out stem, the leaves are long and round and the leaves themselves have jagged edges. Elderberries are known for their flu and cold healing properties, you can make jelly from them and are very sweet and delicious. Gooseberries: Mulberries: Mulberry leaves have two types, one spade shape and a 5 fingered leaf. Pine: Kudzu: Daylily:
How to grow a kiwi plant from seed | Growing Wild Kiwifruit is so tasty; it’s intoxicating. All my life, I’ve enjoyed the unique flavour and texture of kiwis but never stopped to wonder where they come from and how they grow. It took 24 years, countless fruit salads, and the digestion of innumerous tiny black seeds before I thought about planting some. After my first kiwi sprouts emerged from the soil, I did some research and realized that Canada, with its uncomfortably cold winters, is not an ideal environment for growing kiwi plants. While fairly hardy, kiwi cannot survive temperatures below -18 degrees celsius. Whether you’re planting to observe or to consume, here’s how you can get growing your own kiwi vines: Things you’ll need: 1) A kiwi. This is they type of kiwifruit I used! 2) A small mug or container. 3) Paper towels, a plate, and a clear plastic container. 4) Potting soil. 5) Containers/pots. 6) Sun, or a grow light. Method for sprouting kiwi seeds: 4) As soon as you’re seeds are sprouted, it’s time to plant. Water. Like this:
How to grow a lemon tree from seed | Growing Wild When life gives you lemons, grow trees! If you’ve ever seen a flowering lemon tree, you’ll understand why. For those of you who haven’t, allow me explain. Typically, lemon trees flourish outdoors year-round in hot, sunny regions, but they can also thrive indoors as edible houseplants in cold-season climates. This is the little tree with big fruit in the shop I work at. And while rooting cuttings is a sensible option for fast fruit, lemon tree cuttings are not readily available in many parts of the world. Here is a step-by-step guide to growing your very own lemon tree from seed: Things you’ll need: 1. This is a Meyer lemon! 2. 3. 4. Method for sprouting the lemon seed: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Here are my little guys one month after planting. At a little less than two months old, this little guy is upgrading to a larger home. 8. Water. Like this: Like Loading...
Identifying Native Plants - California Native Plant Society So often when out on a hike, visiting public gardens, or just touring gardens around your neighborhood, we see a plant or flower that we like, and wonder if it is native to California and whether or not it will work in our own gardens. Will it attract pollinators? Is it compatible with what is already planted in your garden? While some plants cannot be easily identified without a complex key or even a microscope, most of the more common plants can be identified by an amateur botanist with an eye for detail. If you do not know the name of the plant, but know the general area where you saw it you can use a search engine such as the one found on the California Native Plant Exchange website. If you already know the name of the species, you can access Cal Flora or Cal Photo directly by clicking on the links below: Regional Plant Identification Sites: National Park Service: Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains
Off Grid Info - Food Independence - Where To Get Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO Seeds - Organic Seeds Join 75,000+ Fans on Facebook: Follow Us On Pinterest: Please Share This Page: Here is a useful list of 40+ 230+ companies supplying heirloom / non-GMO / organic seeds. **UPDATE** This page has proven to be massively popular...! , we are gathering them up and will add them to this page as soon as we can. Please Like Off-Grid On Facebook to stay in touch and receive our latest posts! USA (states in alphabetical order) EUROPE (except UK & Ireland) South Africa All inquiries - please contact: Privacy Policy | About
Heirlooms, hybrids and GMOs: A hackers guide to knowing the difference - NaturalNews.com Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by: Derek HenryTags: GMOs, heiloom seeds, hybrid plants (NaturalNews) There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the food supply, and for good reason. Natural, nutritious food seems to be rare compared to its altered, compromised counterparts. This has forced labels onto food, which has created some confusion for the consumer as to what exactly they are buying. The most natural way to produce plant-based foods, and the way it has been done for thousands of years, is what we now refer to as heirlooms. It's quite simple actually -- you save the seeds of a fruit or vegetable that has favorable characteristics (color, shape, size and flavor are the most commonly considered) and plant them on a yearly basis. In this case, the seeds are in no way manipulated. Since these seeds can be harvested and planted on a yearly basis, farmers never have to concern themselves with buying those particular types of seeds again. As a result, the nutrient content has decreased.
Foraging wild food with 12 easy wild foods that anyone can harvest Nature's Superfood on your doorstep In days gone by, wild foods were all we had, that used to be staple diet necessary for human health and survival. Often full of natural medicinal benefits, wild foods often saved lives in times of famine, war and ill health. It’s a little bizarre to contemplate how radically removed from nature we have actually become. As intensive farming methods and consumerism came into being, our general attunement to nature fell away, and our knowledge thereof has somewhat dwindled. Increasing food prices, uncertain times of global change and decreasing food availability has invited more and more people to contemplate alternative ways of finding food by foraging. Full of nutritional goodness Most, if not all, wild edible foods are packed full of vitamins and minerals that far surpass any cultivated varieties of fruit and vegetables. Finding out what's available in your locality I’ve posted information about 12 of my favourite wild foods below. Most of all enjoy!!!
7 Natural Uses For Baking Soda In The Garden Share Baking soda is a vital part of green cleaning and has so many uses in the house, but what about the garden. Here are 7 ways to use it in the garden. 1. Mix 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 gallon of water. 2. Powdery mildew is causing major problems with impatiens this year, but also can be a problem for other plants, like lilacs, cucumbers, squash and zinnias. Spray Recipe: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid Mix all the ingredients together and spray plants weekly. 3. Mix in 1 gallon of water, 4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon biodegradable soap. 4. Pour or sweep baking soda in a thick layer into cracks on a sidewalk or patios. 5. Mix equals parts flour and baking soda and dust plants (cabbage, broccoli, kale) being eaten by cabbage worms. 6. Simply wet the crabgrass, pour a heavy dusting of baking soda on the weed. 7. Source: Plant Care Today