Category Archives: Sustainable Gardening

Recycled Manure Creates Power And Great Poo

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This summer, I received a load of crap that made me very, very happy. I’ve been using aged cow manure in the garden for years, especially appreciating its soil conditioning qualities. Cow manure is weed free, thanks to cow’s multi-chambered tummies and the tiny seed-eating aphids that live in manure piles. It’s also the best top dressing I’ve ever found, looking (if not smelling) like chocolate frosting, a most handsome effect. Continue reading

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Healing Winter Soups

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Eating Well When Unwell After years of caring for my mother and having her in my bedroom for the past few months, I am feeling a great rush of relief and relaxation since her gentle death last week. Indeed, the … Continue reading

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Crispy, Crunchy Yakon Recipes

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Crisp and juicy, raw yacon tubers have a delicate flavor, somewhat like a cross between an Asian pear and jicama, with a texture similar to that of water chestnuts. The sweet flavor comes from oligofructose, a form of sugar that the human body does not metabolize. That makes fresh yacon both wholesome for diabetics with a sweet tooth and a dieter’s dream. As they cure, yacon tubers gain in sweetness as the oligofructose converts to fructose, glucose and sucrose. Stored in a cool, dry place, unblemished tubers can last for months, but any that are broken should be eaten quickly. Yacon Recipes:
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We Need Safer Slug Baits

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Commercial Brands Are Toxic After All Slugs are the Northwestern gardener’s worst pest, followed distantly by aphids. For years, I’ve promoted the use of Sluggo and other iron phosphate-based slug baits as a safe, nontoxic alternative to metaldehyde baits, which … Continue reading

Posted in Garden Prep, Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged | 26 Comments