Food for Thought

I just finished reading an article in the February/March 2007 issue of Mother Earth News, entitled "Why Grow Your Own Food?" The article was written by Harvey Ussery, a 21st century homesteader. I just wanted to share this passage from the article:

Surely there has been no society in human history more estranged from the natural world than ours, and we experience that broken relationship in what we eat and the way we eat it: artificial foods bearing little relation to their origin in soil or in living plants and animals; eaten thoughtlessly, on the run.

Modern eating is above all about forgetting - about what it is we are eating, about its origins in living systems. The alternative is to learn to know our food intimately, to care intensely about its quality and its role in our lives, to share it with gratitude and respect.

Whenever we grow our own food, or seek it from local sources, we reconnect with the natural year, the passing of the seasons, the interdependence of all forms of life in the great web. By participating in the creation of our food, from soil to table, we find our way back to food as a sacred gift.

Composting

"Buy worms, fight global warming!" At the Athens Farmers' Market this past Saturday, I heard this being shouted into the crowd. One of the vendors was selling worms for compost bins - and having a lot of fun doing it. "Grow worms, not war!" Though this man was presenting the subject with humor, composting is, seriously, a great way to help the environment. Instead of sending much of your waste to the landfill, you can turn it into rich compost for your garden.

Composting is a simple biological process. Microorganisms, fungi, bacteria, and worms digest organic matter, such as leaves, grass and vegetable scraps. The result is compost or humus, a nutrient-rich soil.

There are two types of compost bins - open-sided and enclosed. You can buy them or make your own. My compost bins were wooden boxes that my husband brought home from work. The enclosed bins break down matter more quickly, because they hold in heat and moisture better, but open-sided bins work great, too.

To create a compost pile that generates a lot of heat, you should mix one part "green" materials with three parts "brown" materials. Green materials include grass clippings, garden prunings, green weeds and leaves, eggshells, and fruit and vegetable scraps. Brown materials include straw, sawdust, shredded paper and dry leaves. Do not use meat or sugary foods in your compost. You want to layer the materials, alternating green and brown. Gently water the pile as it grows, keeping it moist, but not soggy. Regularly turn the compost to aerate the materials. Heat, moisture and air will speed up the composting process.

Worms help speed up the decomposition process, too. You can do what I do, which is look for worms after a rainy day, or you can buy them at bait stores or places like the Athens Farmers' Market. If you have a garden or flower beds, consider starting a compost pile. It will create fantastic soil for your plants, and reduce the amount of materials you are sending to the landfill. Go worms!!

A Perfect Day for Planting

This morning I transplanted my tomato and pepper seedlings. It's a nice, damp day - perfect for planting. My mom gave me some tomato plants - mine were starting to look a little sad. I did plant one of them, a Roma tomato, just to see how it will do. My bell pepper seedlings didn't look too bad. After nuturing my little plants, I felt a little like a mother bird, pushing her chicks out of the nest. I hope they do well.

It's nice to see all the squares in my garden holding veggies now. The pea and lettuce seeds I planted are doing great. The sugar snap peas are getting big enough that I'll need to find some sort of small trellis for them to climb. The Romaine lettuce looks like miniature heads of lettuce. I just hope the rabbits don't find them!

Last year, I started a small herb garden by my back step. The thyme I planted is still doing well, and today I planted rosemary, cilantro, and basil. Fresh herbs are a great way to add some zing to your cooking. You can save a lot of money by planting your own.

Well, spring has sprung. The hummingbirds are back from their travels south, and are busy emptying our feeder. My rhododendren is blooming, adding some beautiful color to the yard. My crops are planted, and now all I can do is to continue to nurture them and cross my fingers! :)

Jamaican Jerk Marinade

One of my favorite ways to serve pork is in the Jamaican jerk style. It's the perfect blend of savory and sweet, spicy and citrusy. There are many Jamaican jerk marinades on the market, but they almost all contain high fructose corn syrup and other additives. For a more authentic taste without all the chemicals, I use the recipe below. I like to marinate thick cut pork chops from the farmers' market for several hours, and then grill them on charcoal. You could also use this marinade on poultry and even fish. It can marinate up to 1 1/2 pounds of meat.

Jamaican Jerk Marinade

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (more if you like it extra hot!)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. ginger
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Mix all ingredients. Reserve a small amount to use as a sauce if you like (before you place the meat in.) Place meat and marinade in a gallon size plastic bag. Massage the marinade into the meat and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours. (The longer the meat marinades, the more flavorful it will be.) Remove the meat and cook with your preferred method.