Ridgetown Dirt

Ridgetown Dirt
I just returned from a weekend in the county, just North of Ridgetown and can't help mentioning that the dirt there is wildly abstract to the dirt here in Windsor, it's light orange in colour first off and I only saw one earth worm!

I was told it is made up predominantly of clay, I would need verified evidence to confirm this, so it's alleged.. Funny though, growing up in the county, I was told so many stories by my various family members, handed down from generation to generation with no verification.. most of it is false, I've learned the hard way on a few.

Anyway, I shoveled and moved a few wheelbarrows of it and the consistency of each shovel full made me lol, just fell apart like flour. And dusty, wow, fine dust at that. I was COVERED in the stuff, my jeans were yellow. You almost need to wear a mask, seriously! when I see this sort of stuff I just want to immediately do some kind of analysis of the dirt to see what types of minerals this is made of, ya know.. too bad I don't have a Lab. I really should have one by now after all this dirt observing. Alabama's dirt was pretty fantastic stuff too, red... red dirt. I'll never get over that one.

Ridgetown Ag school is pretty impressive, their gardens are spectacular.

So, I go visit my uncles and take a peak at their garden, I nearly fainted. Their lettuce and spinach are a foot high! I said, when did you guys plant this stuff.. in February in the snow??? And, they replied, go pick up some triple 15 fertilizer and your garden'll feed an army. Leave it up to them to douse that shit with fertilizer. gross.. I say let nature do its job.. who cares if my lettuce is two inches tall in June.. I can wait! I also don't drive a F350 Dually Ford pickup so..... my priorities are in a better place ! Ya think???

Anyway, I also drove a tractor on part of the road.. hmmm... I felt pretty bad for the twelve cars behind me!

Thanks for reading these thoughts.. too bad I don't have a picture, I'll have one for ya'z next time..

Seeds of Diversity Canada - 2009 Resource List

Check out the 2009 Resource List ~ "The following seed companies and nurseries sell heirloom and rare or endangered varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs. In some catalogues, the heirloom varieties are noted as such, but in others they are not, so you have to know what you are looking for...All prices are in Canadian funds unless specified. The U.S. seed companies listed here will send seeds to Canada, but usually cannot ship living plants, bulbs, potatoes, etc across the border.."

Ref. http://www.seeds.ca/rl/rl.php

More on Diversity...

...There are parallels between a sustainably diverse ecosystem and a strong society and economy. Among people, differences such as one's culture, vocation, opinions and beliefs help keep society diverse and better able to adapt to new circumstances.

Archaeologists have determined that North American hunter-gatherer societies lived longer and were healthier than settled agrarian cultures. With today's environmental conditions, it is more important than ever to get fresh, nutrient and vitamin rich, uncontaminated, food. Consider doing planting rotation and adding compost to your garden several times a year.

In the past ten years, an estimated 15 - 20 percent of all plant species have gone extinct. Fortunately, in part because of the efforts of home gardeners and seed companies, there are an increasing number of new food plant varieties. Still, many of the older heirloom varieties are becoming commercially extinct.

When you go to purchase your seeds, chose Open-Pollinated seeds: meaning each plant is genetically different from its neighbors and seed can be harvested that can be replanted. The offspring resemble the parents. This genetic diversity generally ensures higher survival rates in adverse conditions.

Keep in mind that in some regions, notably Windsor-Essex county fairly minimal organic insect control may be required for growng corn, broccoli, cabbage, beets and spinach...

To health and fresh food,

ParallelIntersect

Growing Alfalfa Sprouts in a Jar at Home

Click on the title, it'll bring you to a well documented Alfalfa Sprouting method. I dumped seeds in a jar and covered them with luke warm water..this is my first try at growing them! I only had a few seeds this time, as this is my first trial run, I'll pick up more if it indeed works.

"Alfalfa sprouts are the young shoots of the alfalfa plant, eaten within four to seven days of germination. Along with numerous other sprouts, alfalfa sprouts are eaten as a health food, and can be found sprinkled on sandwiches, mixed with salads, or added to stir fries. Since the seeds can be germinated in controlled environments year round, there is no specific season for alfalfa sprouts.

Sprouts in general tend to be very nutritionally rich, because they contain much of the energy the plant needs to grow up. Alfalfa sprouts are high in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, along with an assortment of antioxidants and amino acids such as canavanine. In addition, alfalfa sprouts contain substances known as phytochemicals, which are not nutritionally necessary, but appear to benefit human health.

Unless the sprouts are cultivated very carefully and handled well, they can become a breeding ground for bacteria. This becomes especially true once alfalfa sprouts leave the grocery store, where they may sit in a fridge for several days before being eaten. When grown at home, however, alfalfa sprouts are fine, and a healthy addition to the diet."

Ref. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-alfalfa-sprouts.htm

Windsor's Weather Forecast Almost Looks Like a Sine Wave

We're getting closer to spring, but still not out of the woods.. The amount of non-freezing days has to exceed the freeze days before we can start working the soil. It looks about equal today...

Re -discovering Local Food

Victory gardens should come back in style. Given the Financial Meltdown... why not get Obama and Harper/Ignatieff to grow a garden and show it's the cool thing to do!

This Thaw is Only Temporary

With the temperatures rising, and the soil exposed, one would be led to believe spring is right around the corner. Sorry to say, but this is likely a temporary warm spell. Unbelievable how all the snow melted in a matter of a few days. Check out the Weather Network's 14 day trend.. it shows snow by next week and a decline in temps below zero.

Don't fret, it's the perfect time to start thinking about what seeds you want to order to get a jumpstart on the special heirloom varieties you may want to grow.

I recommend you get your orders in before the beginning of March, especially if you are interested in starting cool weather vegs indoors such as Strawberry, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Brocoli, Spinach, Onion, Celery.

Hot weather vegs should also be started around mid March to get a nice strong seedling - Tomatoes, Eggplants, Pepper**can be difficult to grow from seed (hots are easier to start). And many herbs as well should be started from seed indoors ie. - basil, lavender, mint, lemon balm, chamomile.


To health and fresh food.

Check out my seed distributor links to the top right!

It's Blistering Cold and We are Knee Deep in Snow.. Perfect Time to Start With Garden Plans !

Deciding what to grow for a given year can be a very exciting time.

Reviewing what worked/didn't work for you last year can facilitate and prepare you for a bountiful harvest that's a notch above last year's.

Last year was the first year of gardening for me in Windsor, Ontario. The growing season brought quite a few lessons learned to light in the following areas:

1. Garden Layout -

• individual sunlight requirements
• working with shadows
• hot, shade, wet, dry spots
• working around the trees and fences
• trellis structures for climbers
  
• companion planting
• access for weeding and harvesting
• considering room required for of each vegetable type
• weed control, use biodegradable plastic
  

2. What to grow?

• consider yield of the variety
• what were the favorites as far as yield, quality, health, level of care
  
• Food Intentions - preserves, cooking
  
• what vegs didn't take well ie. not the right variety for your purpose
• Disease?
• feedback from taste testers
• Did any vegetable have a high space required vs yield per plant ratio
• What was missing??
  
• what veg's were purely ornamental and impractical - okra?
• any variety, leave you saying. I'm not growing that again!
  

3. Climate

• Assume a similar wet (June-July) and dry (Aug - Sept) for 2009 ?

4. Compost

• Adding Worms
• Mixing

I've been cruising the online seed sites to educate on the topic of seed diversity, as well as pick out the perfect mix of seeds for this year's garden, here are a few sites I recommend you check out:

Salt Spring Seeds Salt Spring Island, BC Canada
Salt Spring Seed Sanctuary Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada, Salt Spring Island, BC
Williams Dam Seeds
Richters Herb Specialists
Seeds of Diversity Canada
Seed Savers Exchange

Harvest and Preserve Peppers, and Tomatoes

A number of details need to be completed at home before I leave for 3 weeks in British Columbia, Canada.


Harvest for today, Aug 19th pictured above. Delicious Brandywine & Cherry tomatoes & Basil.
Lemon and pickle cukes are to the left. Mix of hot and sweet peppers below. Hungarian yellows, sweet yellow, jalapenos, and red chilies..


I canned five quarts and one pint of raw packed diced tomatoes and one qrt of pickled hot peppers today using the water bath boil method. Dried the remaining peppers. I didn't remove the skins on the tomatoes, added fresh basil leaves, a bit of salt, and lemon to increase the acidity. For the peppers, I added garlic & celery leaves, in a vinegar and salt brine. Next batch I'll remove the skins and do a hot pack, to reduce processing times and to prevent separation....see pick at bottom of post. The raw pack method required a boiling time of 85mins! (ref.1) The solids appear to have separated from the liquid, I sure hope they taste good. I wish I would have read this BEFORE beginning the process....



''Some recipes for tomato products specify only hot pack canning. This is because an enzyme present in cut or crushed tomatoes causes separation of solid and liquid in the finished product when the raw pack method is used. Heating the tomatoes or juice quickly, as required in hot pack recipes, inactivates the enzyme and prevents separation. In raw pack, the enzyme has a longer period of time to act before the heat of the canning process inactivates it.'' (ref.2)

1. Ref.1 The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest, Carol W. Costenbader
2. Ref.2 http://ces.ca.uky.edu/muhlenberg/Canning%20Tomatoes.htm

Local, Fresh Food

As I walk through the produce aisles at my local supermarket, I am sadly reminded of how our community pays way too much for nutrient void, tasteless food that has traveled thousands of miles and picked weeks ago and force ripened on the truck.

Some disappointing observations:
Garlic - China & Phillipines, Tomato - Mexico, Melon - Texas, Strawberries - California, Herbs - Texas. Bulbs of garlic being shipped to us in containers across the oceans from China? Absurd! Garlic is one of the most simple veg's to grow - just ask me and I'll guide you through the process... Our basic survival skills are being lost and we must reclaim them, now. If we don't, our health will continue to suffer and the statistics for this region will just get worse. Do you really want your children to suffer the consequences worse than you did???? It's time for a paradigm shift.

Windsor Essex County has some of the best land in Canada to grow vegetables and fruits... We know this from the early settlers who specifically chose this region to live and farm. When did we lose our roots? Our identity?

We need take action and responsibility, and stop allowing the supermarkets from emptying our pockets on veggies that we can grow fresh here. The average suburban Windsorite lives in a house with a front and backyard. what are these yards being used for? High maintenance grass. Why not set aside a parcel of your yard to grow your own fresh veggies and fruits? With a little help to start things off, you'll be reaping the benefits of a ripe bountiful harvest full of nutrients, freshness, and flavour. And, you'll be amazed at the results. Plus, you'll be able to pass on your skills for next generations to come.