Archive for organic gardening
3 Top Green News Weekly Blogs of 2011
Posted by: | CommentsIn part 4 of our 5 part ‘best of 2011’ series this week, we look back at the weekly green news we highlighted from other green blog sites to establish our top 3 from Planet Forward blog readers. To recap this week, our ‘best of 2011’ series has included our 3 most popular Meatless Monday vegetarian recipes; the 3 top corporate social responsibility initiatives; and our 3 most popular green posts. Our weekly green news segment touches on several different articles covering various environmental issues, sourced from other reliable green blog websites. When we took a look at the year in review, green news subjects included green chefs, coffee-powered cars, the Greenpeace Green electronics guide, organic food and recycled homes, to name a few. Let’s see where these topics ranked:
EcoARK built from 1.5 million plastic bottles
In 1st place 10 Green Chefs, Coffee-powered cars, Health and Climate, Recycled Structures and Boeing. A wide range of topics I know. 10 Green chefs included a list of chefs serving up wholesome food whether it be vegetarian, vegan and/or sustainable. We found the concept of a coffee-powered car intriguing, and it took us all the way to England, where coffee grounds were used to power a modified Rover SD1. This edition also featured Health and Climate Change: 7 Ways You Are Being Harmed. Then we explored 5 amazing structures made from recycled plastic bottles which included the astounding EcoARK (see photo), which is located in Taipei and is built out of 1.5 million recycled plastic bottles. And finally, Boeing 787 declared its 787 Dreamliner will use 20 percent less fuel and produce 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized planes.
In 2nd place, the Greenpeace Green Electronics Guide, Home Depot Holiday Light Exchange and Buying Organic Foods weekly green news roundup. Greenpeace released the seventeenth edition of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics which rated companies on a scale of 1 to 10 and placed them in either a green, yellow or red zone contingent on their performance. Electronics providers were evaluated based on policies and practices to reduce their impact on the climate, produce greener products and make their operations more sustainable. This edition also included Home Depot’s Holiday light exchange program, which offered customers the opportunity to exchange their old holiday lights for a 30% discount off new, eco-friendly LED lights. And last but not least, we incorporated a report from the Organic Trade Association which indicated that 78% of American families are now buying organic foods.
3rd place showcased recycled 747 Jets, recycled homes and recycled art which brought the concept of upcycling to a whole new level. Architect David Hertz actually used recycled materials of a 747 jet from a California scrap dealer to make a beautiful home for organic gardening and green enthusiast, Francie Rehwald. Then we covered The Daily Green’s list of ‘Amazing Homes and Offices Built from Shipping Containers’. Shipping containers are commonly used for importing and exporting goods, but they can be recycled and upcycled into fantastic homes, offices or classrooms. Make sure you check out the truly remarkable Container City™, which includes a series of eco-friendly, condo-like homes housed in upcycled shipping containers. If you want something more private, you can’t go wrong with Ecopods, individual homes also constructed from steel shipping containers. And finally, we discovered some pretty amazing upcycled art with 10 stunning animal sculptures made from recycled materials.
And that concludes part 4 of our ‘best of 2011’ green news weekly blogs. Tune in tomorrow for our final instalment in our ‘best of 2011’ series which will include our top 3 eco-friendly crafts.
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My Organic Garden and The Long Life of Celery and a Zucchini update
Posted by: | CommentsHello my fellow garden enthusiasts and welcome (back) to the Planet Forward blog. Even though the growing season has technically come to an end, I wanted to write about my celery. I haven’t written about it all season and it was my experimental crop this year. I know celery, like many root vegetables, is not glamorous nor does it get the attention of the flashier garden residents like tomatoes and zucchini; however, it is integral to many fall dishes. Celery is part of what some call the holy trinity or the Italian soffritto or mirepoix in French. No matter the name it consists of celery, carrots and onions, and really is the basis for cooking in many cultures.
It was a day in early November when I was making a beef stew when I realized I didn’t have enough celery for the recipe. I decided to take a gamble and go out to my garden to see if my celery was still viable. Though I had closed up the rest of the garden I left the celery behind because it was small and not worth cutting. I was shocked to find that my celery had lived despite the cold weather we had experienced here in the northeast. So I cut down the celery and brought it in the house.
Young celery image courtesy of veggiegardeningtips.com
Yes, the celery stocks were very thin, I admit to that, but each head had an ample number of stocks. A few stocks had to be discarded due to either bug bites or they had wilted and withered in the cold, but over all the celery was firm and crisp. I was very impressed with the resilience of my celery. I have no clue what happened to my garden this year, but a few of the plants were able to survive long past their growing season.
My Martha Stewart organic zucchini that I cultivated from seed grew well into October and just before November they finally succumbed to the elements and withered. It is sad now that we don’t have fresh zucchini flowers in the fridge or actually zucchini to sauté and add to various dishes. However, I will not go into zucchini withdrawal because any summer stews I made were in large batches and I froze some to enjoy for the winter.
Now that the season seems to really be over (although I do still have some parsley tented in a tarp) I can start to plan for next year. I look forward to putting my new knowledge to the test and embracing whatever challenges the growing season throws at me. If you have any tips, tricks, stories or advice to share please contact me.
Until next time, happy gardening or happy garden planning.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: Eco Friendly, eco friendly living, eco-friendly lifestyle, ecofriendly, Global Warming, Green Living, greener lifestyle, martha stewart, organic gardening, planet forward, reusable, reusable bags, reusable bottles, reusable Water bottle, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable, sustainable choices, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable product, sustainable products, sustainable solutionsMy Organic Garden and Drying Your Harvest to Preserve its Flavours
Posted by: | CommentsHello once again my fellow garden enthusiasts. Wow – two garden blogs in one week. I thought I would get another one posted before the season is officially over and planning for the 2012 begins. On Wednesday I wrote about how my zucchini plants flourished well into October despite the odds and today I’d like to discuss drying the herbs from the garden.
Some herbs (like parsley) tend to be heartier than others (like basil). However, if you have herb planters you can extend their growing season by placing a tarp over them at night and on cool days. The growing season has been generous to my parsley and it has taken off like a weed. So I decided to try something different and dry it. I cut and washed the parsley then plucked each leaf off the steam and placed them in the dehydrator. I then ground up the dried leaves and kept it in an airtight container.
Image of dried herbs in bowls courtesy of foodandstyle.com (click to enlarge)
I’ve since tried the parsley in a variety of recipes and was astounded by its amazing flavour. It may seem obvious that freshly dried herbs will be more flavourful than those purchased at the store, but this was my first time drying my own parsley so I had no idea just how much more flavourful. I chopped some up and mixed it with butter (you can also use the vegan if you prefer), and then froze the mixture into logs so now I even have fresh (and delicious) compound parsley butter ready to go.
I also dried my chives, as I do every year, because dried chives can be used in a multitude of dishes. In addition to drying chives and parsley, I also dried my sage and used it on (Canadian) Thanksgiving. It gave a fresh and robust flavour to my stuffing—I’m now looking forward to using it at Christmas. Herbs are not the only things that one can dry; in addition to tomatoes you can even dry hot peppers. If you wash them then cut them in half lengthwise they will dry nicely in your dehydrator or oven. When the peppers are dry you can crumble them and they become the perfect accompaniment to pasta dishes or anything that needs a little “hot” kick.
These are ways of preserving the fresh flavours of summer so you can enjoy them all year long. So when you are wondering what to do with your surplus harvest think about drying as a viable option.
Do you any of you dry or dehydrate anything from your garden? If you have any tips, tricks, or stories please share in the comments.
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Planet Forward is an online retailer of ethically-made, earth-friendly products designed for everyday use with a distinctly urban feel. Products include reusable stainless steel bottles, stainless steel thermal travel mugs, waste-free lunch bags, reusable shopping bags, Make-it-Yourself toxin-free Green Cleaning kits, organic fashions and other accessories. SALE 50% OFF ALL PRODUCTS – SHOP NOW !
Tags: Eco Friendly, eco friendly living, eco-friendly lifestyle, ecofriendly, Global Warming, Green Living, greener lifestyle, martha stewart, organic gardening, planet forward, reusable, reusable bags, reusable bottles, reusable Water bottle, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable, sustainable choices, sustainable lifestyle, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Practice, sustainable practices, sustainable product, sustainable products, sustainable solutions
