Saturday, August 3, 2013

Natural Mosquito Repellents 
These are from (http://www.almanac.com)

Burn a little sage or rosemary over coals to repel mosquitoes.
Eat some garlic or rub some on your skin
Rub cider vinegar on your skin or if you eat enough you will develop a body odor that will repel insects.
Planting marigolds, chrysanthemums, basil, anise, coriander, lemongrass, and catnip

Friday, June 14, 2013

Many things you can do with Matcha (green tea powder). :
*put a little in your smoothy for extra health benefits and energy
*make a facial:  just about a teaspoon of Matcha and a little water to make a paste then spread onto face, let dry, and then wash off. It's has lots of antioxidants to combat the sign of aging, its good for sensitive skin, and it reduces inflammation.
*put a little in with your rice as it cooks (either in rice cooker or pot) and you will have a subtle green tea flavor and healthy rice too.
*and so many recipes... Check out my recipe pages (top) to find a few.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

I love bees. I really want to have a bee hive or two or more. To live and work on a farm would be my ultimate dream. On that note I just saw this online. This film just came out and I really want to see it. Check out the website and you can watch a preview. http://www.morethanhoneyfilm.com/

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

We just got the ladybugs we ordered today (live: 1,500 of them). We have a house all set up for them. We just released them and they are loving it. Hopefully they will take care of any unwanted pests in our garden. Here is a photo of part of the house just after we released them.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Marimo: Lake Akan in Japan is most noted for housing these Moss Balls. The ones in Lake Akan are the most superb samples of Marimo that can reach diameters of 20 to 30 centimeters. The following is a photo of my Marimo (I have one large and two small ones). For even more information on the history and how they become so round please take a look at this website: http://www.marimo-web.org/en/index.html


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Growing Food From Leftovers

Did you know you can grow green onions from the green onions you bought from the grocery store?  It's soooo easy. All you have to do is keep the white end (with roots) after you cut the green part for your meal. Take the white ends put them in a little pot of soil or shallow jar of water and give them some sun. And in a few days you will see new green onions growing just cut and enjoy. You may even get another round. Here is a photo of our leftover green onions.


Another thing you can grow from store bought leftovers is ginger. Just take a fresh root and plant it partially submerged in soil. Arrange so that any nubbins are pointed up or on the side, and keep moderately moist. It should start growing in a few weeks.

Sweet potatoes: Take the cut ends and half submerge in a glass of water until shoots start to grow. Cut into sections and plant. Harvest when leaves start yellowing.

Celery: Take the freshly cut bottom, soak it in warm water overnight, then plant it (cut side up) in soil. Water well for the first few days and within 1-2 weeks you should have a few slim but steady stalks.

Live Lettuce: If you purchase live lettuce (lettuce with the roots in tact) you can use the lettuce and then plant the root end (make sure you leave some of the lettuce butt in tact). Plant with some of the green sticking out of the soil. Give it plenty of water and sun and you will have a new lettuce very soon. This is a photo of the one we are currently growing.




Sunday, May 26, 2013

Fun Plant: Catnip. Easy to grow. It likes full sun. Good uses for humans: can be dried and drunk as tea and is said to sooth nerves and the digestive tract. The active ingredient in catnip is said to be ten times more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes. So grow some around your patio or deck for a natural way to block those pesky mosquitoes.

Fun Plant: Marshmallow. Yep the same one you get the candy from. It's not only good for that but can be used salads (the seeds or the leaves). The sap, seeds, leaves are all edible. It is also used to treat sore throats, coughs, etc. They are fairly hardy plants that are used to cold wet weather. They need to be kept damp.