Category Archives: Nutrition

A Peace Cafe

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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I’ve been thinking and talking with friends about ways to encourage the momentum of that initial event locally. Recently, I got permission from Eagle Harbor Congregational Church to host a monthly Peace Cafe in the Fellowship Hall. The idea is to make a time and place for coming together to share experiences and ideas that can help build kinder, stronger, and more resilient community for all of us. I’m inviting our local branch of Indivisible to participate, as well as local faith communities and anyone who is interested is definitely welcome to come and talk and listen.
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Harvesting & Preserving Herbs

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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I like to wander through the garden clipping a little of this and a bit of that, then grind the herbs with flaked sea salt to create seasonal blends that grace anything from fish or poultry to desserts (but of course; sea salt with lavender, chamomile, and pepper is brilliant on berries). As a rule of thumb, you can add anywhere from a teaspoon to a quarter cup of goodies per cup of sea salt. However, it is imperative to oven dry the more richly endowed blends or they can mold despite the preservative qualities of salt. You can use any kind you like, but I prefer to use medium flaked sea salts over coarse ones (which don’t melt evenly) or very fine ones, which don’t maintain their relationship to the herbs very well. But that’s just me.
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Posted in Easy Care Perennials, Nutrition, preserving food, Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big, Bold Tomato Flavor

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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For even fuller, brighter flavor, you can also feed tomatoes with kelp extract and a mild (5-5-5) organic fertilizer. If tomato stems break before the fruit has a chance to ripen fully, the problem may be linked to using inadequate water-soluble fertilizers, especially when tomatoes are grown in pots. Liquid seaweed extracts help strengthen weak stems by supporting steady plant growth even when cold nights follow warm days. Kelp combines micronutrients and trace elements with plant hormones and growth stimulants that promote root growth, improve stem and foliage density, and increase chlorophyll production. Kelp extracts also contain traces of sea salt. This turns out to be yet another key to amazing taste. In fact, a single dose of salty seawater (1 cup of seawater per quart of tap water) can improve tomato flavor in particular. Continue reading →

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Pet Safe House Plants

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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Indoor Winter Gardens That Do No Harm Every winter, my windowsills are increasingly crowded with potted plants, from amaryllis and azaleas to miniature roses, primroses and daffodils. I love the vivid splashes of color and the fresh scent of green, … Continue reading →

Posted in Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, pests and pesticides, Pets & Pests In The Garden, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment