Container Garden Spring 2012

My container garden is by the back door of my apartment in a 6' x 2' space on the stairwell landing. The containers are a mix of 2 Sub-Irrigation Planters, 2 Smart Pots, 1 Wally bag and a traditional pot.

The only two surviving plants from my garden last year are the Swiss Chard and the Thai Basil.

One thing I'm doing differently this year is incorporating flowering native plants to attract pollinators.

I also have an edible French Marigold. Apparently, this flower grows well alongside vegetables, as it's roots' secretions kill nematodes in the soil. Who knew?!?! I have a lot to learn about companion planting, what plants go well in a pot together or side by side.

French Marigold, Redbor Kale, Mustard Greens, Broccoli.

Rosemary and Beautiful Rockcress.

Broccoli, Canyon Delight Coral Bells, Thai Basil.

Blue Flax, Spinach, Lacinato Kale Sprouts, Swiss Chard.

Note: Last year I planted Rosemary in a Sub-Irrigation Planter. I think it was too moist of an environment and it didn't survive. This year, I've planted the Rosemary in a well-draining pot alongside a native plant that's soil preference is for a well drained soil. We'll see how it goes!

Container Garden Spring 2011

Rosemary, red lettuce, mint, swiss chard, strawberry, tomato.

Tahini Cole Slaw

Cole slaw in all sorts of forms is yummy dish that I grew up around having grown up in the south. I remember one of my favorite ways to eat it was to mix it with baked beans when they were served together. This might not sound good, but I loved it!

This recipe does not involve baked beans and is not a traditional way to eat slaw, but is very good! Though my recipe differs, I was inspired by this post.

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage

1 green apple

3-4 strands of green onion

Dressing:

4 T Tahini

2-3 lemons

1 small orange

1 T agave syrup

1 T cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

Topping:

Raw pumpkin seeds

Roasted Macadamia nuts

Health Benefits:

Macadamia Nuts

These nuts are a high energy food and contain no cholesterol. They are also a good source of protein, calcium, potassium and dietary fiber.

Purple Kale Slaw

This salad is refreshing and very simple to make. It's stellar ingredients offer your body a powerful combination of nutrients and delicious taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 bundle purple kale

1 small head of napa cabbage

2 handfuls of baby spinach

1 large yellow bell pepper

Dressing:

1 1/2 lemons

1 T brown rice vinegar

1 T sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

Health Benefits:

Kale and cabbage are part of the cruciferous family of vegetables. These vegetables are known as super-veggies and are great for cancer prevention, cardiovascular disease and high in vitamin A and C. Most health agencies recommend that you eat several servings of these vegetables a week.

Sprouted Lentil Salad

This is a refreshing and filling salad. The combination of flavors is unique and the colors are very pretty to look at. It's also a good dish for making ahead of time for a party because the dish enhances it's flavor over time.

Ingredients:

1 generous handful of baby arugula

1 cup yellow lentils

1 medium cucumber

1 green pepper

1 large green apple

the juice of 3 limes

Dressing:

1 T peanut oil

2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp ground cumin or cumin seeds

1 T dried curry leaves

Soak the yellow lentils in a large bowl filled with water several inches above the lentils for a couple hours or overnight.

Dice the cucumber, green pepper and finely dice the green apple. Combine all the ingredients in a large serving bowl and stir gently so the lime juice covers all the pieces.

Put the peanut oil in a wok and bring to a medium high heat. Add all the elements of the dressing and stir until the mustard seeds start to pop. Turn off the heat and pour over the salad. Stir the salad so the dressing mixes in thoroughly and serve or refrigerate for later.

Health Benefits:

This dish is rich in fiber and will help with weight loss. Because the salad is mostly raw, the food is loaded with nutrients and could help boost your energy.

Food Matters

Last week I rented this documentary entitled, Food Matters from my local movie spot. My mom was in town, she had a head cold and I was tired and we had about enough energy for a movie. Both of us went kinda' vegan at the same time about 3.5 years ago. We've found that if we don't cultivate our understanding of food, the body and nutrition through books, movies, trips, yoga, hikes or other means then we tend to get slack about our health. So on this weary evening, my mother and I decided that renting a movie called Food Matters, sounded like a good plan.

The documentary hits upon topics like western medicine, pharmacology, medical insurance, the importance of vitamins and whole foods in promoting health and shares many other insightful thoughts along the way. I enjoyed hearing more about these issues and feel renewed in my journey. It's a worthy hour and a half of one's day.

Avoiding Pesticides

I can't always buy organic but am still concerned with eating foods that aren't grown with pesticides. I came across this website today that ranks foods according to pesticide contamination. I didn't know that some foods tend to have more pesticides than others but according to this report they do.

http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php

Below is the list of best and worst foods that they have ranked according to pesticide contamination.

Also, there's an interesting article that describes how large conventional farmers just received a grant from the USDA to go towards fighting this list, arguing that the list is a public health risk.

http://www.greenchipstocks.com/articles/tax-dollars-funding-attack-on-organic-foods/1156