Organic Gardening: #Pests

Over the years I have had my share of pests and I can tell you it would be one of the biggest challenges in organic gardening. You have to be on top of any changes with your garden and know the signs of pests or potential disease. You could easily lose a crop if you do not address issues quickly. I am always learning innovative ways to battle with them. Two pests in particular will challenge me each year, aphids and miners.

Aphids are a worldwide group of insects popularly called plant lice, attacking nearly every garden and greenhouse crop. Small, soft bodied, they are usually green but may be brown, yellow, pink or black, depending on where and what they are living on. Mine are usually white or light green in color. They feed by thrusting a sharp-nosed stylet from their beaks into the plant cells and sucking out the sap; lovely things they are. The plant's resulting loss in vitality is shown by discolored areas on the foliage, curing of leaves and blighting of buds and fruits. 

I have found them in my collards, cabbage, broccoli and kale. I will notice a leaf curled into itself and this is a sure sign of an aphid infestation. Sometimes they switch to varieties of peppers, including jalapeno, red, yellow and serrano peppers. On peppers they will attack the blooms. 

They love a dry climate so keeping everything moist and off the ground helps. I will rinse my infected crop daily and remove heavily infested leaves. I recommend spacing your seedlings out which also deters these pests from spreading. Lady Bugs will eat aphids and soapy water is somewhat successful. I will be testing some new approaches this year, including tobacco tea. I'll be sure to post any results.

Aphids

The second pest I have encountered is the leaf miner. An insect that spends part or all of its life between the upper and lower surfaces of a leaf, getting its food from the tissues and usually eating a tunnel that shows as a pale or white area against the normal green leaf, a narrow twisted path. 

I have found this pest on my spinach and beets especially. This year I spotted the leaf miner eggs on the back of the spinach leaves and decided to just harvest it all before they had a chance to take over. The eggs are white and line up symmetrically on the underneath of the leaves. I rinsed each leaf and was able to harvest most all of the spinach thankfully. 

Last year my entire beet crop was stunted because so many miners had infested the leaves, not allowing the roots to obtain vital resources. I removed the infested leaves last year but the plants never recovered, so my beets were the size of radishes. This year I will grow beets again but will recognize the little white eggs and rinse them off and work to remove infested leaves quicker. I will try the tobacco tea too, but it will need to be timed appropriately and be sprayed before the eggs are laid. 

Leaf Miner

Happy Organic Gardening,
The Dirty Girl

How do I love thee?: #Cauliflower

I found over the years many recipes that I love with cauliflower and I create new ones all the time. Cauliflower has proven to be one of the most versatile vegetables in my kitchen and I am always pleased with its performance and reliability.

Cauliflower is a biennial herb developed from the wild cabbage but distinguished from cultivated cabbage by its swollen flower-stems which form white (or other colors) heads and suggest its name "stem-flower". Of all the members of the cabbage group cauliflower can be most finical. I have had luck with cauliflower in the garden, as long as I can keep the aphids at bay. When the heads start to poke through into the sun I tie the leaves to shade the flower (head) so that it won't get brown from sun exposure. In addition, I use the entire plant and will juice or sauté the leaves in a dish.

In the kitchen I use cauliflower in a number of traditional dishes, like an Asian stir fry or simply seasoned and steamed or raw cauliflower dipped in a tofu ranch dressing. But where is the fun in that! 

Cauliflower is a great replacement for the white potato it can be steamed and then blended and seasoned into a creamy potato-like dish. It will have fewer calories and be just as tasty. I have also used it as the base for a vegan Alfredo sauce, also steamed; I blend it with roasted garlic, nutritional yeast, almond milk and spices. One of my favorite dishes is cauliflower wings with a nice lite batter and baked with Frank's Red Hot. I am now experimenting with the other beautiful colors of cauliflower.

I will likely have cauliflower in the garden this year and will be sure to post the progress. I think my biggest challenge will be having enough of it as I don't have the room for 20 plants!

Happy Cooking!

The Dirty Girl

Quickie Chili

On those cool nights we will enjoy my Quickie Chili! You can do this fast on the stove top or cook it half the day in a crock pot. Nothing better than the smell of chili in the house! 

Equal parts of canned bean (drained)

• 2 cans of pinto
• 2 cans of black beans
• 2 cans of red kidney beans

One 28 oz. can of Muir's roasted tomatoes diced.

One onion chopped (yellow or white)

Pickled jalapenos or fresh organic jalapenos to taste

Garlic minced (out of the jar is fine) - I-2 table spoons

Cumin two table spoons

Chili powder - 3-5 table spoons

Optional - Cilantro (dried or fresh)

Optional - drained can of corn

Optional - organic red/yellow peppers diced

Place all of the ingredients in a crock pot or stock pot. You may need to add some water or vegetable broth so that you can easily stir the chili. For stove top cook on medium heat and stir frequently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. In a crock pot cook on medium/high heat for 4-6 hours.

Happy Cooking,

The Dirty Girl

Vegan Food Shopping

If you are new to being vegetarian or vegan, going to the grocery store can be a daunting experience. I personally am vegan and usually only eat whole food. If you are transitioning and/or eliminating animal products check out the freezer aisle as there are likely frozen vegetable options for fish, chicken and hamburger. These options can supplement your cravings as you move to a plant based lifestyle.

Do your research! Get the up-to-date "Clean 15" and "Dirty Dozen". You can simply Google the list as there are many resources. Check out the Active Vegetarian We want to know what is heavy in pesticides and when we should choose organic produce.

Source: Active Vegetarian 

Secondly, shop for your produce first. This is just personal preference, as I will get inspired in the produce section and then I can visit some of the other aisle for seasoning and what-not to add to my dishes. This helps me get out of the store quicker, as I am not, for example, revisiting the spice aisle.

Rice and beans can be your reliable "go to" not only for healthy meals but on your budget. I try to stay out of the middle aisles, as they have tempting "healthy" options that aren't really healthy. I stick to produce, rice, dry beans, canned roasted tomatoes and other canned vegetables and soups. Many vegetarians are heavy in pastas, breads and noodles, be careful and balance your meals so that you are heavier on the vegetables. If you do this you will have more meals that are nutritious, low in salt and tasty.

Try something new! As you spend more time in produce you will see items that maybe you haven't had before. Have you cooked a kohlrabi? I will buy something that I have no idea as to how to prepare and take it as an opportunity to try something new and learn in the process.

Salads are also a good "go to". If you have one large salad a day it is a great way to not only get fresh vegetables in your routine but it’s also easy on your budget. You can mix it up with different ingredients and never get bored. If I have leftover stir fry or vegetables fajitas I will throw that into my salad the next day, add garbanzo or black beans, quinoa or rice and you can always make your salads different.

Happy shopping!

The Dirty Girl

First Harvest of 2018 (Spinach and Arugula)

Last year we had extended warm weather that carried well into September. I decided to plant lettuce and spinach, in the hopes to have some late crops to harvest. 

The weather changed suddenly and I knew quickly that there wouldn't be enough time for them to fully grow, so I left them. Also, I had onions that never got big enough to harvest so I took a gamble and left them in the garden over winter as well.

Spinach

It is April and our spinach and arugula look fabulous to my surprise! They both taste good and will be our first harvest for this year. I will need the space for new crops and so will harvest likely within the next week. The onions can stay; I would like to see how big they will get now that the weather is warm. We have added compost, organic fertilizer and water to support their growth.

As you can see below, in the image, the compost is clumpy but will break up as it dries out. We will hand till it into the garden before planting new rows.

Row of Arugula, Onions and Spinach

Radish Pico De Gallo

Radish is usually our first crop harvested each year in June. I am ambitious with my radish crop, as I want as many as I can manage in our small space. 

This recipe was created a couple of years ago when I had a huge crop of radishes and I needed to figure out how to enjoy them to their fullest...and of course, share! 

Enjoy! 

• Equal Parts of diced radishes, cucumber and white onion. 
• Add 1/2 to 1 cup of lime juice (depending on how much you are making) Fresh limes are the best.
• Add diced jalapenos (fresh and organic)
• Add cilantro, cumin, and salt to taste and serve with tortilla chips

Warm Day for Tomatoes!

It is a warm day for tomatoes! Everyone is outside! 

Remember to not let the pots get too hot as you will fry your roots. Add dirt to any plants that look too spindly and this is a good opportunity to water as well. 

These babies will go back into their indoor greenhouse after some much needed natural light.

Friday Drink: The Dead Parrot

So, this may not sound like a vegan friendly drink, but it is and it's sooo very good. Nicely balanced and, in part, good for you ;) Try it and let me know what you think!

In a shaker with crushed ice add:

• Two shots of your preferred Vodka
• Two shots of Pomegranate juice (organic)
• One ounce lime juice
• One ounce triple sec

Shaken and served up!

Status Update: Seedlings

Our seedlings of yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli and peppers are coming along nicely. They are extremely fragile, as many haven't formed their true leaves yet. 

I have them outside for some natural light today. If the wind picks up they will come inside, as I don't want to stress them out to terribly.

Facts not Fears

Check out this site so you know what fruits and vegetables to buy organic! Facts not Fears https://ift.tt/2ql9cDh

Last Season's Harvest: Spaghetti Squash Dinner!

This week we cut open the last of our harvested spaghetti squash for dinner. We harvested it in early September 2017. We kept fresh by keeping it in a cool, dark corner of the kitchen. 

We brushed it with olive oil and baked it for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Topped it with our homemade pasta sauce (sauteed clove of garlic, 28 oz can of Muir Crushed Roasted Tomatoes and Italian seasonings) and served it with an arugula salad. 

For the salad dressing I made a agave/mustard dressing. (mustard, agave nectar and almond milk). Bon appetit!

Garden 2018: Seedlings

We started our tomato seedlings inside about three weeks ago. We also started, cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli in small peat pots about a week ago. It is not to late to plant these.

The best advise I can give you is to not worry about the science of gardening, just get the seeds into the dirt, keep the seedlings moist and warm until they sprout and then water on a schedule, to allow the seedlings to dry out a bit between watering, and add dirt as they grow. We have a small greenhouse (purchased on Amazon) that allows us to keep the seedlings inside at a sunny window and protected from predators (aka Pekoe the cat). Note Tomato plants are poisonous to cats.

Broccoli, Squash and Cabbage Seedlings

Tomato Seedlings

If you have the space in the yard or in a large container, this is the time to plant peas outside. We expect our first harvest this spring to be our peas. Tasty peas are a good reward at the brink of the garden season.

Last year we had strong tomato plants from seed shown here:

2017 Tomato Seedlings (Last Year)

Spicy Spring Lentil Soup

• 1 onion diced, white or yellow (small)
• 28 oz can of  Muir's Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 package of Fernandez enchilada seasoning,(or your own mix of chili powder, chipotle, cayenne seasoning)
• 1 cup of red lentils
• 1 32 oz box of Vegetable Broth
• 1 red pepper diced 
• 1-2 diced serrano peppers (depending on how spicy you want the soup)
• tablespoon of lime juice
• 1 orange pepper diced 
• 1-2 yellow squash, medium size diced 
• 1-2 zucchini squash medium size diced
• 1 cup of diced carrots
• 1 cup of chopped cauliflower 
• 1 heaping tablespoon of garlic minced
• fresh cilantro - handful cut (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 3 dashes of chipotle Tabasco or equivalent

Put all ingredients in a Crock-pot and cook on high 4- 6 hours or until ingredients are tender but not overcooked.Salt to taste and serve with slices of avocado on top.

Go Vegan You Dirty Girl!

I want to be part of the wave of positive foodies that will change the emotion attached to the word "Vegan". Even in my own household I have recognized the negative connotation adhered to the word. In a restaurant I  have been conditioned to not use the word Vegan but to request no dairy, fish or meat with my dish. (Yes, I am going to continue to capitalize Vegan!). If we continue to promote being "Vegan" as a positive movement, more people will benefit from eating a plant based diet.

I'm a bit tired of defining the word, but thankful it is now moving up in mainstream conversations on Facebook, Twitter and publications. At the Tony Robbins UPW event (Unleash the Power Within) in San Jose, CA this month, I was happy to see the open encouragement of a plant based diet. UPW in itself was a powerful, life changing experience, a topic for another day, but I thought to myself at the time, what a movement it would be if 12,000 people decided to no longer eat animal products! How awesome that would be if it transcended to friends and families?

Why are you Vegan? Isn't hard to find something to eat? Where do you get your protein?...are all questions I hear often. The truth is, I get it, I was skeptical too when I was introduced to "this way of living". I have probably eaten more animals in my lifetime than most of you and once could never imagine a meal without meat. Originally, from Texas, I learned early on that everything has meat or an animal product in the ingredients. For God's sake I would put a slab of bacon and a stick of butter in my famous Black-eye pea Soup!

In my late thirties I started to see my health degrade. I was pre-hypertension, had kidney stones, constant vertigo, low energy, intestinal issues, horrible menstrual cycles and I couldn't keep the weight off. My stress was through the roof and I had bouts with depression. Because my Mom had always relied so heavily on pharmaceuticals I couldn't bring myself to follow in her foot steps, I saw the end result and it wasn't pretty.

My husband and I watched "Forks Over Knives" and "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and I realized there was hope. We made small changes, first removing everything in the house that had high fructose corn syrup. Red meat was easy, so it was second to go. Pork, was just as easy to remove from our diets and then we pealed away the chicken products and eventually fish. Fish took a little longer to remove from our diet but became easier, as it was harder and harder to find fish that was actually clean and from a good source. As we removed the animal products from our diet we added fruits and vegetables. Condiments were easy as well, as there are so many options available for salad dressings, dips, and sandwich spreads.

Fresh Spinach

The result: My blood pressure drastically improved in the first 60 days, and has been excellent since. I lost 10-15 lbs over the course of 3 months and I have kept it off to this day (8+ years later). I haven't had a kidney stone since being Vegan. My energy is through the roof. It took about a year, but my vertigo is gone. I was able to get off of the "Pill" as my hormones evened out and I no longer suffer from depression. I am finally happy and health, as it should be.

Being Vegan positively impacts the environment and the welfare of animals. I may not have started my journey initially for the animals but it certainly solidifies why I will always remain Vegan as I love animals and know that we, as a society, need to shift our food consumption to  plant based food.

I have many sources that I contribute to my daily routine. I have attempted to take the best from the experts. Finding what works for me and incorporate it into a life routine. First off, eating Vegan isn't hard, it is quite simple. I hope by sharing this information it will encourage you to consider a plant based diet. I will dive into the how's of Vegan food shopping and cooking in a future posts, but putting that aside this is my daily routine:

Daily

• 6:30 AM - Morning Juice (green with lots of veggies) 
• 8:00 AM - Coffee with Soy Milk 
• 10:00 AM -  Mixed Nuts with raisins  (snack)  
• I try to keep this to a good size hand full

• 12:30 PM - One big salad a day (either for lunch or dinner)
• I am creative here I mix in beans, quinoa, roasted Brussels sprouts etc. Try taco salads, spinach salads, kale salads for example.
• For alternate lunch option try a Vegan Soup (chili, minestrone, lentils) 

• 3:00 PM - Orange or a Banana 
• 7:00 PM - Big salad or vegan cooked dinner

This is my M-F routine, I have a bit more flexibility on the weekends. I hope this information is helpful to you and if you have any questions please reach out.

Live well,

Dirty Girl Suzanne

While in Switzerland...

While in Lucerne, Switzerland we visited a local grocery and I was amazed by the selection and size of the produce! Everything is organic, Europe doesn't use pesticides like the U.S does. 

Europe uses crop rotation, natural fertilizers and a stewardship of the land to ensure production for generations.