Plant Gardens 101

Making dried fruit and fruit leathers isn’t hard and it doesn’t have to be expensive either. While some food processors and juicers can get really pricey, a dehydrator isn’t going to cost that much and it’s a lifesaver to have fruit leathers, dried fruit or fruit jerky on hand when you can’t get out to the store for fresh food.

When buying a dehydrator, some things to consider are the materials and construction used to manufacture the product, the size, heating elements, fans and guarantees. Make sure you have room for the dehydrator in the space you have planned for it. Choose one that’s multi-purpose, with multiple trays and special trays for fruits and herbs. A side-mounted or horizontal fan is best when choosing a food dehydrator.

Here are some food dehydrators to consider. But do a little research to find just the right one for you!

Nesco American Harvest - A very inexpensive food dehydrator with five trays that don’t have to be rotated. Price is $40-$55. (more…)

Home canning can reduce our exposure to pesticides and preservatives. It can help save money, and it can be rewarding to grow your own food. It allows people to preserve tastes that you just can’t find in a grocery store (surely your own chili tastes better than a can off the grocery store shelf). Home canned items also make great gifts.

The water bath processing method is fairly simple and inexpensive. The filled canning jars are placed in the canner, which has enough hot water in it to cover the jars. The water is brought to boiling and held at that temperature for the time specified in the canning recipe. However, this method is only safe for certain foods. (more…)

There’s more to harvesting and drying sunflowers than many professional growers realize. How soon you decide to harvest them will depend largely on energy costs, temperatures, and whether you prefer them to dry naturally. Ideally, your sunflowers won’t be exposed to insects and diseases, and the temperature will be warm enough to allow them to dry on the stem. However, those circumstances are rare. In reality, most crops will be vulnerable to some level of pests and diseases. And depending upon where you live, the temperature can cause your sunflowers to freeze.

In this article, I’ll explain some of the benefits of harvesting your sunflowers early. I’ll also describe how they’re dried and why the moisture in the air can affect your crops.

Benefits Of Harvesting Early

With energy expenses escalating, you might think that allowing your sunflowers to dry naturally is a good idea. But, there are plenty of reasons why you should consider harvesting them early. First, if the temperature is close to freezing during the evenings, your sunflower crops are not actually drying. The moisture is being sealed inside. But, even if you’re not growing your sunflowers in freezing temperatures, there are still many advantages to an early harvest. (more…)

Your drying strategy will depend on whether you’re growing sunflowers for crop yield or in a personal garden. Today, we’ll focus on a large harvest. The time required to dry the crop is going to be influenced by the moisture content, temperature of the drying room, and the humidity to which your harvest is exposed. Variances in any of these factors will change the dry rate. For example, raising the temperature a few degrees will cause the moisture level of your sunflowers to decline, thereby shortening the time needed to dry them. Below, I’ll provide a few helpful tips that you can use when drying your next crop.

#1 - Use A Moisture Meter

You’ll need to invest in a reliable moisture meter. If you’re a hobby grower, you won’t need one. But, assuming you’re harvesting a large crop, a meter is essential for measuring the level of moisture contained in the seeds. It’s only by taking this measurement that you’ll be able to accurately judge the approximate drying period. If you’re already an experienced grower, you’ll probably already own one. If not, plan on spending $200 or more.

#2 - Don’t Overcompensate

If you grow other crops that need to be dried (for example, corn and grain varieties), take care not to over-dry your sunflowers. Compared with a lot of other crops, lower quantities of moisture need to be removed from them. At any given temperature, it’s easy to overdo it. If you’ve harvested your crop early to prevent bird and disease damage, they’re going to have a higher moisture content and require more time to dry. Even so, keep a close eye on the dryer and take several moisture measurements with the meter. (more…)

Sunflower seed are widely regarded as one of nature’s most potent all-in-one sources for a variety of nutrients that the body needs and is used for a wide range of health purposes with heart disease and strengthening the immune system topping the list. Is sunflower seed oil any different?

The answer is, thankfully, no! Sunflower oil retains many of the health benefits of sunflower seeds despite the pressing needed to withdraw the oil from the kernel. Sunflower oil is extremely healthy and is perfect for kitchen use due to its clean (neutral) taste (as opposed to olive oils, which has an over empowering taste that does not sit well with all dishes) and high smoke point.

There are generally two types of sunflower oil – those with a high percentage of linoleic acid and those with a high percentage oleic acid. These differ in the amount of unsaturated fats that they contain. According to the Sunflower Society, linoleic has 11% saturated fats (the bad trans fats) whereas the premium high oleic sunflower oil has just 9%. (more…)

The Item you are looking for has moved to the following location:

http://tomatoes101.com/?p=571

A site Dedicated to the “Almighty Tomato”

The sunflower has been used since ancient times as a food source – carbon dating shows Native American use from as early as 2300BC! With its long and varied history – and scientifically proven worth in keeping people healthy, there are now many uses of these popular seeds.

Growing sunflower seed at home is a rewarding experience and the myriad of uses for the seeds will only enhance your kitchen. The sunflower is remarkably unfussy as to where it will grow so long as it has plenty of sun. Sunflowers are found in such diverse places ranging from the swamps of the Amazon to the Mojave Desert – showing how resilient and adaptable the sunflower is.

The sunflower should be planted after the last frost of the year, with the seeds being planted around an inch deep and approximately 6 inches apart. Once the sunflower seedlings pop out from the ground, you should place them around 1,5 feet apart from each other – dwarf varieties can be closer (around a foot). You should water frequently after planting until they start to sprout - after that period, watering once a week should be enough.

(more…)

Wines have become a household word and most households today have access to reasonably priced wine. Drinking wine doesn’t just provide people with comfort during winter or cold weather but they also provide health benefits to the young and old alike.

A glass of red wine a day is said to prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It’s also a preventive measure against diarrhea and food poisoning. These claims are slowly being corroborated by scientific evidence, all leading to the healthful effects of moderate wine intake.

Research show that while the French eat more fat than their American counterparts, the French have fewer incidents of heart attacks. Some people attribute this to the French’s propensity for drinking wine during mealtimes. A study done by the Copenhagen City Heart Study claimed that people who consume a moderate amount of wine a day have higher chances of living a long and healthy life.

Experts agree that the flavonoid, tannin and other contents of red wine are responsible for increasing the level of good cholesterol while decreasing the level of bad cholesterol, and thereby preventing strokes and heart attacks.

(more…)

Humming birds are found throughout the Americas including the Caribbean. Known for their hovering ability and unique ability to fly backwards, humming birds hover by rapidly flapping their wings at speeds up to 80 times a second. The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world at only 2 inches long and around 1.8 grams. The Giant Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird at 24 grams and approximately 8 inches long.

They have the fastest metabolism of any birds and to sustain this they must eat their own weight and more in food daily. To do this they must visit hundreds of blooms a day to harvest the nectar. They have long bills and tongues to reach deep into flowers. They are able to slow down their metabolisms when at rest, unlike most other high metabolism animals and this extends their lifespan which has been reported to be up to 17 years. (more…)

Yes, the growing season has been lovely, relaxing and rejuvenating. Now fall is fast approaching. So what does a good herb gardener do right about now?

This is the time you can spring into action, harvesting the herbs you have, preserving them for winter — and transplanting those you can to keep them growing next year.

Propagating New Plants
After successfully growing herbs all summer, you’re ready to create new plants. There are three main methods you can do this: ·dividing the roots of the existing plants ·taking cuttings of the herbs in your gardens ·healing in or layering.

Root Division
This is a simple approach to creating more herbs. With a spade or shovel, work the roots loose from a clump of the densely growing herbs. Take this grouping out of the ground and separate the plants, starting at the roots. You want to do this rather carefully. (more…)

A good gardening tip is that you can make more plants from your existing house and garden plants. This will cut out the expense of buying new house and garden plants. Look around for healthy plants to take the stem cuttings from to plant in a peat moss mixture using rooting hormone. This is what is called the mother plant. Make sure the mother plant has enough stems so the cutting will not kill the mother plant.

If you start your house and garden plants from stem cuttings instead of seeds it will take half the time to root. There a just a few things you will need : a mother plant, a flat for potting with a peat moss mixture, a sharp knife or razor blade, rooting hormone, containers for holding water and rooting hormone, alcohol, pencil or a stick, and a plastic bag. (more…)

When choosing how to pickle or what pickle recipe’s you would like to try, there are a number of things you want to keep in mind. One of those things is which canning method you would like to use. Home canning is a very simple process that can be done in two ways: pressure canning, or water-bath canning. Pressure canning is a process that requires a pressure canner, which can be often times, be expensive. You may however be able to find a cheap one with a little bit of hunting through garage sales or flea markets. Water-bath canning, on the other hand, can be done using only a couple of simple tools. We will assume that you will be using a water-bath canning method. The following article will explain this particular method.

Firstly, of course you will need a water-bath canner. You must make sure it is deep enough to hold enough water to submerge your canning jars by at least 1 inch. You will also need your canning jars, screw-on bands, and canning lids. It is the much-less-expensive, tried-and-true way of canning. It is a way of preserving hundreds of foods, including salsa, jam, jelly, pickled fruits and vegetables, as well as relish for hundreds of years. It is a great canning method for beginners, or avid canners. (more…)

Pickled onions are a family favorite. They turn up at parties and picnics, with cheese and cold meats. They are a ‘how to make recipe’ every cook should know.

Pickling onions is a really easy way to learn about how to make pickles and how to make each pickle your own. The basics are really simple, but the possibilities for variation are endless. You can use small onions, large chopped onions and shallots. Red or white it doesn’t matter.

You can work traditionally using malt vinegar with its dark caramel tones, or ring the changes with wine or cider vinegars. You could even add a dash of balsamic at the end to bring in a touch of the Mediterranean. (more…)

Not everyone who likes to eat organic foods has the chance to do so on a daily basis. Most people will have to settle for the more mediocre fare of the same foods they have been eating for most of their lives. Other more fortunate people however, are able to enjoy organic foods on a more regular basis, and some of these people have also been blessed with the ability to bake, which gives rise (excuse the pun!) to organic breads.

Now if you’re wondering what on earth organic breads are, and whether they really do taste as if they were fresh sprung from the ground along with the carrots and the potatoes, there’s only one thing that I have to say, Ha! Organic breads don’t taste any different from your normal average everyday breads. In fact more than tasting different, people who eat organic breads and organic foods in general believe that they taste better to those of the normal non-organic, pesticide filled food varieties! (more…)

Plants from your garden will be maturing very soon leaving you with an abundance of fresh foods for great culinary uses like Tomato with Avocado salad or a Greek Salad with a hummus recipe for dipping pita bread. When your vegetable garden starts to produce for your table, you should have recipes using fresh herbs for an herb dressing, and vegetables on hand to use them in the most imaginative ways. Here are some recipes to give you maximum enjoyment of great salads and salad dressings. Be creative, use these as just examples and add a few personal touches, consider your vegetable garden as a living cuisine capable of any number of new twists.

When your tomatoes start to give up dozens of their fruit give some away, but better yet here are some recipes, an especially super one for Tomato with Avocado salad, that you can use for your family or a weekend get together with neighbours and friends. (more…)