I have been busy/lazy since my last post but wanted to take time this morning to go over a few money saving things I have discovered and want to take some time and pass this on to you.  I am sure by now that everyone has discovered the increasing prices in fresh produce.  Whats worse is if you wish to buy "organic" then you will pay even more for it.  Hmmm that makes sense, pay more to NOT poison our food with chemicals, "I'll take a salad hold the agent orange please"!  

Okay, so you want to save some money at the store, and have fresh produce in your kitchen without worrying about running down to the market, well its easy!  I currently have the following growing in the house, and it was one of those 'yeah right" moments that you just have to try.

Scallions:  great in soups, or on salads.  Buy a bunch of scallions and never have to buy more?  I have my bunch regrowing in the kitchen window in a large mouth Mason jar.  Simply place your scallions in the jar with about 1-2" of water.  When you need the flavorful green top, cut the top off just above the white part and place the bottom back in your jar of water, the green will regrow, rather quickly I might add.  Mine are a week old and I still haven't gone threw them all.  The first ones I used are almost back to the height they were when I bought them.  I drain and add new water every morning checking to ensure the bottom doesn't start getting mushy.

Bok Choy and Celery:  Another "yeah right" moment.  Most of us have always just broken the stalks off and cut the bottom off and thrown away, STOP!!!!  For this I saved a 1 gallon Ice Cream bucket and it works great.  Cut your Bok Choy, celery off about 2" from bottom of stalks, place the bottom part in your container and add water covering about 3/4 minimum of the bottom.  Bok Choy works the fastest.  The next day you could see the new growth from the center.  Celery grows at a slower rate so be patient.  Place your container in a sunny area and watch it grow.  When they start showing signs of root growth plant in potting soil and you will have a vibrant edible house plant.  This will also work with Romaine Lettuce, carrots and other stalk based produce.  

White/Red Onions:  When you clean your onion and cut the tops and bottoms off, don't throw them away.  Place the bottom (I haven't tried the tops yet) in a window sill to dry out for a little while.  Once you see the cut side is drying out, place it in planter or in onion bed with root side down and cover with about 1-2" of dirt.  This should regrow your onions.  

Garlic:  You can regrow garlic from the small centers of your store bought bulb.  Take your clove and simply place it bottom side down about 1-2" of dirt covering it.  If there are a couple small ones place about 6" apart.  During the winter months these will grow an extensive root system and next fall you will have your own home grown garlic.  

Basil/Oregano:  These make for beautiful green house plants that you can either pick leaves from bottom  of stems and dry to use in your dishes. 

Onion/garlic beds:  You can use an old pallet preferably from non treated lumber, oak is best.  Take your pallet apart and use side rails for corners and build yourself a small box with the slats.  These are very inexpensive and make for great recycled wood box planters.  As you fill up your planter and use your onions simply replant your onion or garlic bulbs and have an never ending supply.  

Once you have a few of these going it will feel great to know you don't have to leave your front yard or house to get some fresh produce, and will save you a lot in the long run!

Home made Oatmeal Honey Wheat Bread....yuuuuummmmmmmm!!!

My recipe for Honey Wheat Bread.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup of warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey (can be skipped)

 After mixing all the ingredients, the dough is allowed to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours until the volume is doubled. The dough is kneaded to get rid of the big bubbles and make it uniform. The dough is placed in loaf pan and allowed to rise again for another 2 hours until it fills the loaf pan. It is baked in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F (175° C) for about 1 hour until golden brown.

You can add rolled oatmeal if desired.  I think next batch of dough I am going to try with adding 1/2 cup of plain oatmeal.

 This is simple will post link to website I got the recipe from.  I did modify slightly.  I used whole wheat flour (vegan) and I started with the 2/3 cup of water but had to add a touch more to get it to work.  Below you will see how my grandson likes it.  MMMM peanut butter.  Bottom picture I got creative and placed homemade applesauce and folded it like a turnover.  It was AWESOME!!! Hope you enjoy!  Here is the link

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/mind/bread.html

Remember keep your food nude!

I could not believe this when I heard about it, so I searched and sure enough its sadly true.  So let me clarify so I don't end up in the same situation.  I am only advocating that people eat veggies, without all the additives, free of all processing, in other words nude, plain, raw however you want to say it.  I am only advocating that food in its natural state tastes better, not because its healthier for you.  Don't eat veggies and grow them free of chemicals or pesticides because it is healthier for you, do it because your too broke to buy  chemicals and pesticides.  Grow them in your house and turn your yard into a garden because gas prices have you too broke to otherwise drive a gas guzzler to the store and buy store bought.  Don't preserve food because you want to save money do it because you don't have any money to save.  Grow it and preserve it because you are trying to get your daily exercise.  Here is the link, I'm headed to a burger joint to get me a grease filled double cheese burger, super sized fries, and coke, ice cream cone for desert, then heading back home to wait on my heart attack because that's what the government wants and it will be easier for them to find me.

Here is the article:

http://www.naturalnews.com/035691_dieticians_free_speech_nutrition_advice.html

We really need to get a clear definition of "Organic"!!!  For the purposes of this blog and in my views "Organic"  means natural.  In short, the natural process of decaying matter into soil and plant nutrients.  Yesterday I was gathering some soil in containers for my indoor garden.  I have used Miracle Grow in the past and it worked wonders for me.  However with this new lifestyle I figured lets google Miracle Grow and see what pops up.  Below is one of the links I found, and frankly found the results shocking.  In light of this both those who say it is, which is mainly Scotts who makes it claim it to be organic.  However there are studies which say otherwise.  So I for one will not be buying and using it anymore.

The clear way to having healthy soil is to use and make healthy soil.  When getting soil for a pot to move some basil inside for the winter I gathered some great soil.  Here in the Southern States of the US we have mainly what is called red clay.  Some plants do well others suffer,  and rarely do you ever see black dirt.  However it is here if you are willing to look for it.  I know where to look in my own backyard to get black soil.  Almost any place where there was a tree or in wooded areas where leaves and limbs have naturally decomposed you can find it.  For me this is where some trees were cleared and the stumps remained.  Since I didn't want a backyard full of stumps I cut them off at ground level so they would decompose more rapidly.  In many places people have the stumps ground down which really is just using a machine like a ditch witch to mulch the stump up.  Regardless close to where the stump was there is a lot of good healthy Organic black soil.

Prior to placing soil into the pot, gather up some grass clippings mixed with old leaves and place them in the bottom.  Then place your soil on top of them.  This will release nutrients to the roots of the plant while they are decomposing.  If you have a compost pile, mix it in with your soil you can use a bucket or wheel barrel for this.  This will aid in helping your plants get the right amount of nutrients without all the chemical garbage.  In a later post I will discuss composting.

Here is just one link on Miracle Grow and quotes the study they used.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/2307/#b

Here is a friend from the UK blog, she has a lot of great info, give her a look.

http://21stcenturynaturalliving.blogspot.co.uk/

Here is another blog I follow for tons of neat ideas to help yourself become more independent.

http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/

WHAT IS THAT???  Have you ever stopped and looked at your plate and wondered what is in it?  Have you ever stopped at the store and looked at the ingredients label?  Sure most of us have looked at the nutritional value label, but have you noticed all the artificial flavorings, let alone wonder why everything has corn syrup in it?  Is corn syrup some kind of magical glue that food can not possibly be made without?  I remember as a young child going to the garden to help, pulling up a carrot and eating it right there,  or beans, and don't get me started on blackberries!  We have over the last 100 years or so become so dependent on someone else to look out for our health and not taken it into our own hands.  We go to the doctor to get regular check ups so we can confront disease in its early stages but then we stop by some burger joint and eat something that who knows what it is anymore.  When I was a child my mother would take me to the doctor because I was sick.  He would prescribe Penicillin that was only enough for two days, and I was better.  Now after a week of Penicillin we're still sick!  Why because we have become so immune since we ingest all this stuff in our daily diet.  Anyone who has raised a baby calf from birth can tell you it is cheaper to buy milk replacer that is medicated than it is non medicated.  Now that makes sense, to pay more to leave something out.  Hamburger is blended back with fat for what reason I don't know.  70/30 hamburger is 70% beef 30 % fat, same with 80/20, while ground chuck which is supposed to be leaner is more expensive!  Now this really makes sense lets pay more for you not give me extra fat!  I'm still looking for the part of the chicken nuggets come from.

So what do we do?  First is start reading ingredients.  Start becoming aware of what you are eating, or like me go on an herbivore diet.  When was the last time you ate a peach, juice running down your chin or heard the snap of a carrot when you bit into it?  Now that is something worth savoring.

Through out this blog I will, and hopefully you will too, be posting our trials and triumphs in going organic, what it organic means and how to live healthier lives like our forefathers.

Here is the link to a great herbivore diet.


http://www.drherbivore.com/index.html