Since 2009, a non-profit, Lettuce Grow, has been teaching Sustainable Gardening to prison inmates, providing courses leading to a certificate in Home Horticulture.
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Rethinking the Perfectly Manicured Lawn
For many, lawns have become a status symbol. In exchange for a sea of green, homeowners are expected to provide water, gasoline for mowers, time for maintenance, and often herbicides.
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Feeding Your Pet Healthy Food
There have been recalls in the past, and there is a lot to say on this subject regarding the pet-food industry and the standards — well, the lack of standards — for quality control within the industry and the FDA.
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Maritime Northwest Victory Gardener’s Almanack for the month of November
By November, it is usually too wet, cold and dark to get much production out of your yards and gardens.
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Maritime Northwest Victory Gardener’s Almanack for the month of October
While this year’s garden is fresh in mind, create or update your garden journal with a sketch of what was planted where. Note any pest or disease problems. Record what varieties did well and what did not.
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Food Chain Safety
In the past I have written about changes in food chain safety and the forces that affect the food we consume. These changes are most often the resultof political and economic powers that influence public policy. With a different approach by the new administration to keeping our food chain safe for consumers, it is important that consumers “Be Prepared” for further changes in food safety regulations: SNAP Cuts Summary from the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities July 19, 2017: ” President Trump’s 2018 budget proposes to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) by more than $193 billion over the next ten years — a more…
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The Trouble With Research (part 1)
Sponsored food- based research, is often paid for by food companies.
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New Tomato Varieties for Container Gardens
We have not been trying to keep them a secret. In fact, for the past five years we have been a conduit for introducing gardeners all over the world to new varieties of compact tomatoes.
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The Trouble With Natural
Natural foods have been popular with consumers for a long time now, and both consumers and food businesses have been interested in their appeal. Seems natural enough – why not eat naturally and avoid unnatural (or added chemical) ingredients?
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Local Medicine: Preserving Medicinal Herbs
“Herbal medicine provides relief while also assisting our immune systems do their jobs.” Herbs offer us many gifts: culinary seasonings, teas, and nutritive medicine. Even though we are nearing the end of the growing season, there is still time to harvest and preserve herbs for use throughout the winter months. Be sure to dry herbs for culinary use and for teas, store them in glass jars to protect their aromatic oils. In this article, I describe a favorite way to preserve medicinal herbs for winter use. Upper respiratory viruses are the most common ailments during the colder months, and we are most vulnerable during the seasonal transitions of fall to…
