The Herban Farmer Blog has Moved!

A new look!

The Herban Farmer blog has moved! The address is http://theherbanfarmer.com and although I will keep this Blogger site, I won’t be posting anything new here. For the latest posts please visit http://theherbanfarmer.com. You can also sign up to receive new posts via email.

I wanted months ago to move my blog over to a Wordpress site, but kept putting it off because the amount of work involved. I’m a graphic designer/web developer by trade and

How to Make Sauerkraut: The Basics

You'll need a bowl, knife, cutting board,
 cabbage and sea salt

I've been making sauerkraut for about two years now. I remember the first couple of times being really nervous about fermenting anything—I didn't trust the process. It just didn't sound safe. After reading about the nutritional benefits of raw sauerkraut in Autoimmune Disease: The Cause and The Cure, I found that buying raw kraut in the store was about $8 a pint. I could make almost two quarts for approximately $5! So,

Polyface Farms, Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund and the Future of Farming

A few short weeks ago I won a raffle. It was the first time in my life that I'd won something. The raffle was for a trip to Staunton, Virginia for the Farm to Table Legal Defense Fund's annual Food Freedom Fest. Included in the activities were dinner with bloggers Jenny McGruther from Nourished Kitchen and Sarah Pope from the Healthy Home Economist, a full day of speakers explaining the Defense Fund's cases and a full day's tour of Joel Salatin's Polyface Farms.

Thursday Dinner with the Bloggers


Thursday night's dinner at Zonodoa with Sarah and Jenny was a real treat. It was so thrilling to meet two very well-known and successful bloggers that spoke my language! We talked a little about

Easiest No Knead Sourdough Bread Ever!

This is the easiest—and best—bread I've EVER made. Seriously.

I've been experimenting with sourdough (no added yeast) bread for about a year now. I tried the "no-knead covered casserole" method before, without terribly exciting results. In my previous post, I wrote about the two day method I've been using to make two loaves of bread-pan sandwich style bread. I've been happy with the results but

Making sourdough bread without added yeast

I recently had a few people ask me how I make my sourdough bread, so thought I'd just post about it and then just send them here to read it. That's one way to get some traffic to my blog!

Before I get started, please know that I AM NOT A SOURDOUGH EXPERT. I'm sure there are plenty of web sites that share everything there is to know about sourdough. Cultures for Health is the first that comes to my mind. I am only reporting my own personal experiences here. So, here goes...

Almost 25 years ago I had bought some starter from Jedediah's in Jackson Hole. I didn't realize you had to keep feeding it and it died pretty quickly. Over the years I've tried to make my own starter from

When life gives you too much lemon balm…

I think it was 15 years ago that I had an herb garden where my chicken run now stands. At that time I planted a small cutting of lemon balm. I didn't know what to do with the stuff, I just thought it looked pretty and smelled wonderful — lemony but more like lemon grass than actual lemons. Every time I walked by the plant and disturbed the air around it, the rich lemony scent would fill the air.

Since then, I've found the stuff is as invasive as mint. It looks a lot like mint. It's actually in the mint family and when people visit my garden they always mistake it for peppermint. Lemon balm is also called Lemon Mint. Pests don't seem to like it one bit, it doesn't seem to need much water and it SPREADS. 

Lemon Balm is supposed to have calming properties, helps with insomnia, stress, digestive issues, colic in babies, menstrual pain, headache, toothache, Alzheimer's… you name it. Apparently it will fix anything that ails you! I'm always in favor of natural calming remedies and decided to try making teas with my plants.

For cold tea, I just take a bunch of the leaves, stem and all (about 2 cups, rinsed first of course), smoosh them into a ball and put that in a heat-proof container. Then I boil a kettle full of filtered water, pour the boiling water over the leaves and let it steep. If the leaves float to the top of the water, I put an upright stainless steel spoon on top of the ball of leaves and use it to weight them down. You can pull the wad of leaves out when the water cools down and use the tea right away or store in the fridge. It will keep for a couple of days. I love pouring this tea over a glass filled with ice cubes and a few drops of Stevia liquid.

The hot tea almost tastes even better! Again I take some leaves, a generous tablespoon-sized wad, and put it in a mug. I add boiling water, let it steep for about 4 minutes and end up with a rich, fragrant, lemony hot drink. Very soothing and delicious! 

You could also add mint to the lemon balm for lemon-mint teas.

As my garden overfloweth with Lemon Balm, I'm thrilled to know how beneficial a plant it is. I'd just love to be able to give some away...

DIY Pet Safe Lawn Fertilizer: Does it work?

The first person I ever saw using soap on her lawn was my Denver neighbor Mrs. Bassey back in the 80s. She was from England and had the nicest yard on the block. Mrs. Bassey would be out in her yard every few weeks with a lawn sprayer attached to her hose and filled with Ivory dish liquid. She said it broke up the clay and thatch on the ground and her lawn sure looked—and smelled—great.

Around that time I came across a book by Jerry Baker, The Impatient Gardener, which contained a recipe for lawn tonic. I tried that a few times, but eventually gave way to convenience and went back to using store-bought fertilizers. It wasn't until the past few years that I became more concerned with what exactly was IN those bags of grainy chemicals and what they might to do our pets, the wild animals visiting our yard and the environment in general. 

I searched the internet for more information about DIY fertilizers, pulled out my old Impatient Gardener and compared notes. It seems the recipe hasn't changed, but I was curious why those particular ingredients were being used. Just what do they do? I was able to find all of the ingredients at a dollar store, except for the beer. You'll get several batches from all the ingredients except for the beer and soda, so this tonic is also inexpensive. Once I've applied this to my grass, I water with plain water for a while to help it soak in. Here's the recipe:

1 cup Epsom Salts

1 cup Listerine-type mouthwash

1 cup liquid dish soap (not antibacterial, as plain and simple as possible)

1 cup ammonia

1 bottle of cheap beer

1 can of sugary soda

Put all ingredients into a one quart hose-end sprayer. I was able to get one from Ace Hardware ("Use 7 ways" says the label) that I could attach to a hose on the input side, another (short) hose on the output side and then add an oscillating sprinkler. If you don't have an extra hose or sprinkler you'll just have to stand around for a while and spray your lawn by hand. The book says it will cover up to 2500 square feet and should be used in May and again in late June, but I don't suppose it would hurt to use it more often if it's very dry in your area. And of course don't water during the heat of the day, it's wasteful and you could scorch your grass. 

So does it work? I think so, my lawn looks great! I'll keep applying this tonic throughout the summer and update this post if anything changes.

This is what the ingredients do:

Epsom salts: Magnesium sulfate (sulfur), a critical mineral for seed germination. Vital to the production of chlorophyll, which plants use to transform sunlight into food. An aid in the absorption of phosphorus and nitrogen, two of the most important fertilizer components. Sulfur, the other major component, is also an important plant nutrient. Contributes to chlorophyll production. Makes the primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) found in most fertilizers more effective.

Mouthwash: Helps kills grubs and other grass-root-dining insects. Optional in my book.

Dish Soap: Liquid dish detergent has surfactants in it that help the nutrients in the fertilizer stick to and be absorbed by the grass while leaving the grass unharmed. Adding liquid dish detergent to your mix of ingredients can help the ingredients work better.  DO NOT use anti-bacterial dishwashing liquid as it will kill off important microbes in the lawn and soil that help "digest" thatch. It's also a wetting agent and will help break up clay soils and improve water absorption.

Ammonia: Rich in nitrogen, a nutrient that grass needs to be healthy.

Beer: Rich in carbohydrates, beer provides an immediate source of energy for microbes in the soil, which then release energy for the grass to use. 

Soda: Carbohydrates in the sugar or high-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten them can make your lawn greener and more lush by feeding the bacteria that live in the soil. The bacteria produce nutrients that grass can readily utilize for energy. Only sugary, non-diet soft drinks should be used.

Here's a healthy lawn ~ Cheers!

Do hoop houses really work?

Hoops before covering

The short answer is "you betcha!" This is my second year of using a hoop house. Last year we just put hoops over one raised bed. I used a plastic drop cloth as the covering and I wasn't completely thrilled with it. During sunny days, even if it was cold outside, the house would get incredibly hot because plastic doesn't breathe. But I planted a couple of weeks earlier than advised and all went well.

By the end of summer, the stowed plastic had begun to disintegrate. I had left it outside within quick reach just in case I had to cover the garden during one of our frequent summer hail storms and plastic just isn't meant to be out in the sun. But the hoop house was successful enough to be encouraging, so we built a second one.

After doing some internet research, I found this Agribon cold weather row cover cloth that was recommended by a few different sources. I ordered it last winter in anticipation of getting an even earlier planting going this spring. Our "last frost" date here is May 16 and still there are no guarantees. But I decided, after looking at the extended forecast for my area, to throw caution to the wind and plant a whole month early. Crazy! I got busy planting.

DIY Sprinkler pipe clips

After a week or two we had a few nights that were expected to be near freezing, so I pulled the fabric over the hoops and hoped for the best. The new fabric clips we'd made from sprinkler pipe worked extremely well and it was quick and easy to cover and uncover the gardens. They made it through those chilly nights without a problem.

Clips in use

Then came Mother's Day. Forecasts for a winter storm were being broadcast for days. First for 2-4 inches of snow. Then 6-8. Then 9-12! I decided to double my row cover fabric "just in case" and made sure none of the plants were touching the fabric on the inside. As a last resort I tried covering the whole thing with plastic, thinking the snow would slide off of it and prevent too much weight on the cloth. Not! For some reason the snow was sticking to the plastic worse than it was to the cloth, so again I ditched the plastic and hoped the fabric would stand up to the heavy spring snow.

That lumpy thing is a hoop house!

I did go out a couple of times during the worst of the snow storm to brush off accumulating snow. I was concerned about the strength of the fabric since I'd had my fingers punch through it a couple of times while pulling it over the hoops. But the fabric is amazingly strong despite it's flimsy gauze-like appearance. A few times I peeked in and warm air puffed out in my face. Apparently the soil in the raised beds had warmed up enough during the previous weeks to keep the inside temps nice and cozy.

Cozy inside!

The next morning I woke to 10" of snow and drifts up to about 18". The hoop houses had some snow on them from over night, but still they stood their ground. I think the snow actually helped insulate the beds a little more. When the sun came out later in the day, the snow began to melt and roll off. The plants inside were still warm and safe inside. And dry!

The next couple of nights were supposed to go down into the 20s, and I didn't want to take any chances. The fabric is rated to 28° and with a double layer I probably got another couple of degrees, but why tempt fate? I put an electric space heater in the house with the tomato plants and figured the other one with broccoli, onions, shallots, etc. would tolerate the cooler temps without extra help. 

Space heater = Toasty temps!

Two nights with temps around 24-28° were not a problem! Early in the mornings I'd peek into the houses and the tomatoes had actually started blooming! The heater kept the house so warm that I had to make sure I got out early to turn it off before the sun added even more heat.

I am definitely a fan of hoop houses after this year's experiment. It's now the end of May and after dodging a few hail storms my garden is waaayyy ahead of where it normally is this time of year. Maybe this summer I won't have to wait until July for tomatoes!

A head start on summer!

Next year I plan to put the hoops on a rail so I can just push them back and forth as needed. I'm also keeping the hoops up and the fabric in a convenient place this summer so if I see those green hail clouds headed my way I can run out and get things covered. It will be interesting to see how well the fabric will hold up to hail and what size hail will "break the camel's back." Keeping my fingers crossed that won't happen!

Repotting tomato plants

A big part of raising vegetables from seed is upsizing the pots they live in until they make it out to the garden. For most vegetables the process is straight-forward: carefully pop the plants out of their outgrown container into a slightly larger one, add dirt and water. You don't want to go too much bigger with the new container because the plants will spend all their time growing roots to fill all that dirt and not growing the actual plant. Most plants will only need to be repotted once before going outdoors. But tomato plants (and sometimes peppers) may take several transplants before they reach the garden. Especially if your growing season is short: You want the biggest plants possible going into the ground on your last frost date.

To get seedlings out of their container:

• Make sure the soil is wet so it doesn't stick to the plastic container. 
• Do not pull on the plant, because it will just break!
• Squeeze the sides of the cell or plastic container to loosen the soil and tip the plant out into your hand. Even if you have a six pack of cells, you should be able to get just one cell out at a time. I cup my fingers in the "receiving" hand so I can catch the soil on my fingertips while the plant is protected by the cupped part of my palm.
• If the plant is short, you'll need to put some potting soil in the bottom of the new container to raise it up. Then fill with more soil around the sides.

This plant will end up having soil almost
up to it's leaves.

As with all plants, the bigger and stronger the root system, the healthier the plant. Tomato plants have the unique ability to grow roots out of their stems. You could actually break a branch off a mature tomato plant and root it in water or soil! The trick to getting a great root system going on a tomato transplant is to bury the plant up to it's leaves in soil. Extra roots will grow along the stem. More roots mean more water and nutrition being consumed by the plant, so faster growth. I do this every time I move them to a larger container, and even when I plant them in the garden. They will have a nice tall stem again within a week.

Another thing I learned is that because of this rooting ability, tomatoes don't seem to mind having their roots disturbed when transplanting. With other plants you have to be extremely careful to not injure the roots and with some vegetables you need to plant the seeds directly into your garden soil because they won't tolerate transplanting at all. Not tomatoes! 

Same plant, one week later!

You know how when you're starting off seeds, it's recommended that you put 2-3 seeds in each plant cell, since not all seeds will germinate? Then sometimes all the seeds germinate and you're supposed to pinch off the smaller ones and keep the healthiest plant (if you pull out the smaller ones you will disturb the roots of your chosen surviving plant). Well, a couple of years ago I started separating the baby tomato plants that grew together in the cells, rather than pinching some back. All of the tomatoes transplanted this way survived and flourished! So now I end up with 2 - 3 times as many plants as I expected. I give away and donate whatever I can't fit into the garden. Need some tomato plants?

When should you plant garden seeds?

Just the beginning...

A week ago I started my seeds indoors for this summer's garden. Normally the "last frost date" in this area is around May 17, although some sources day as late as June 1—nearly three weeks later than Denver, which is only about 20 miles away! But our elevation is higher and we're in a more open area than Denver proper, which has it's own microcosm. I'm aiming for a May 3 or 4 plant date, two weeks earlier than advised, but my hoop frames with row covers will protect the garden from late-season snow and frost.

Wondering what your last frost date it? A great online source for that information is the Farmer's Almanac web site. All you need to do is enter your town or zip code into the search box and the site will not only give you a last frost date, but also a list of vegetables, when to start your seeds and when to set the plants out—all based on your frost date. Each vegetable on the list is a link to more in-depth information on how to grow that specific veggie. What a great resource! They even have an amazing on-line garden planner that you can use for free for 30 days. 

Seed start planning!

Taking plant dates even a little farther, I put together an Excel chart listing only the vegetables I plan to grow. For plants that didn't appear on the Farmer's chart, I either used the recommendations on my seed packages, the charts that come in Park's Seeds catalogs or looked for an on-line source such as Heirloom Seeds. Some seeds will be sown directly into the garden, on my plant date, so those went to the bottom of my chart. I then sorted the list by seed start date. I'm putting the Excel chart up here for download if you're interested. You can then personalize the chart for your particular plants and planting schedule. If you don't have Excel, here's a PDF version that you can edit by hand. You'll see a column labeled Actual. I decided to keep track on actual germination time, which can vary depending on temperature of the room in which you're starting your seeds.

I have sunshine on
a cloudy day!

This year I moved my seed starting operation to a small upstairs bedroom with a south-facing window. It's very easy to keep that room warm—much warmer than the rest of the house. I bought a second LED grow light to double my coverage, and added a humidifier for moisture and a little more heat, especially for those overcast or snowy days. I was very surprised to see that the first plants to germinate, chamomile and cabbage, came up within three days of planting. Their germination time is supposed to be roughly 7-14 days! In fact, everything I planted last week, with the exception of peppers (bell and Anaheim) and celery, are up and growing. I think I'll photograph their progress every Sunday and update this post with the photos.

If you're growing your garden from seed this year, you'd better get to work now! Here is a more detailed post on starting plants from seeds from March of last year.

Why are Americans so sick?

This is me, on a rant.

We, as a country, have killed our food. And in the process, we are killing ourselves.

Since Americans have been following advice given (and sometimes laws made) by the FDA, DOA and the medical and scientific communities such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, etc., there has been a drastic increase in obesity, cancer, autoimmune disease, heart disease and dementia in America, just to name a few. As of 2004 almost half of all Americans suffer from chronic conditions, children as well as adults. Before 1920, heart disease was rare in the US. Now it's the leading cause (40%) of death. During that time period, the consumption of animal fats and meats declined while the consumption of vegetable oils in the forms of margarin and shortening, and sugar and processed foods rose 60%. (NT pg. 5) Other cultures around the world that have adopted our "western" diet have seen the same decline in their health, while remote people that retain their native traditional diets remain healthy: no chronic diseases, dental decay or mental illness. (NT preface)

Rosie wasn't the only riveter!

I'm not sure just how things went so far south as to how we handle and relate to our most elementary need: sustenance. Some people say it started when we went from hunter/gatherers to farmer/agriculture/manufacturing. Some people blame the WWII and then the women's liberation movement for creating changes in women's roles: going from the family food preparer, housekeeper and caregiver to the working women who were in desperate need of conveniences to help them juggle work, home and family. However it happened, I don't like it.

We've given away our power by trusting doctors, government (FDA and DOA), pharmaceutical companies, cereal companies, dog food companies, soda companies, energy drink companies, etc. as they tell us what we should eat, what we should do and what we should take to be healthy. We don't even question them—we believe they are there to protect us, by law. We have given away our power, period. We don't research how pharma companies pay for studies to make their products look safe, how they wine and dine medical professionals and have their check books deep into medical schools, how dog food companies and pet pharmas pay for vets' education, continuing education and more. We don't realize how many studies are faulty, slanted or flat-out falsified.

These are "cageless" chickens.

How factory farmed food  animals (FFFA) are mistreated, abused and genetically altered to make the biggest profits, given antibiotics to compensate for their compromised immune systems from overcrowded living conditions, fed by-products from other industries because they're cheap and easy to get and fatten animals up quickly.

We rarely think about how we eat what we eat eats. Read that slowly, it does make sense. Really. All the unnatural foods fed to FFFAs end up in their meat, which we consume. FFFAs have a serious imbalance in Omega 3's because they're not eating the pasture grasses for which their bodies were designed. That's why everyone is gulping down Omega 3 fish oil capsules! But then, where do those capsules come from? If it's farmed fish, they too are being fed garbage. Soy, corn meal, chicken and pig feces (yes really), canola oil, dyes, arsenic and… antibiotics. With loads of PCB and other chemicals thrown in just for fun.  And really, do any of us want animals of any kind to suffer?

Think you can
wash off pesticides?

I'm not just talking about animals. Vegetable, nut, fruit, grain and fruit farms are being over-farmed due to zero crop rotation. The soils become deficient in vitamins, minerals, healthy bacteria and nutrients— and so are the crops they produce. To make up for the lack of nutrients in soil, they are being sprayed with chemical fertilizers.  Don't get me started on Monsanto, but they are genetically modifying seeds (GMOs) so they are "Roundup ready." You know Roundup, the stuff you spray on weeds and "they won't come back?" Well, weeds become a problem in the fields as well, competing with the food crops for water, space and nutrition. The quickest, cheapest and easiest way to deal with them is to spray with Roundup.The genetically modified plants can withstand the barrage of herbicides while the weeds die. The food plants soak up Roundup like Koolaid. Think that stuff can be washed off? Then they sell you more chemicals in a spray bottle to "wash off" the pesticides. Right. So once again we're eating foods that are nutritionally deficient and loaded with poisonous chemicals. Yum.

Not just potatoes! click

And then there's the dry and canned convenience foods. Ever read the labels? All the nutrients have been removed by processing, sterilizing and preserving. Any of the "good" bacteria found in raw milk and milk products, pickled foods and preserved foods have been killed off by heat processing and chemical preservatives. That's why there are so many of those probiotic commercials! Food in boxes comes with labels almost completely written in laboratory-speak. No more MSG? Look again, it's been renamed to hydrolyzed protein, just one of 50 names to throw us off the trail. Loads of flavor enhancers and lab-created vitamins to make up for dead food, preservatives to keep an infinite shelf-life (but they add expiration dates so we will throw out unused products and buy more).

Read this amazing,
enlightening book!

Is it any wonder that people are sicker than ever? More cancer, more autoimmune diseases, more allergies, asthma, GI problems, heart disease, gluten intolerance, mystery illnesses.

I say, let's take back our power! Here are just a few ways we can step back from the commercial food industry and get back to what's real, natural and healthy. Don't feel overwhelmed -- take one step at a time. Our bodies have done an amazing job surviving despite what we expose them to, but it's just a matter of time. Although, if you're already suffering from any sort of chronic illness, your body is telling you NOW is the time for a change. It IS possible to stop illnesses that have already begun, and recover as well. I've seen it myself. If you want to learn more, read 

Autoimmune Disease, The Cause and The Cure by Annesse Brockley and Kristin Urdiales. Even if you don't suffer from an autoimmune disease per se, the detailed information in this book will explain a lot of what's going on in your body and WHY.

Take your power back — Ten easy ways to get started!

1. Read labels. Try to get an idea of what's in the food you're buying and what it will do to your body. Many of the chemicals found in personal care products, laundry products, air fresheners and household cleaners are known carcinogens. (AI, pg 196) Environmental Working Group ranks over 15,000 brand-name products and has loads of information on what's in other things we are exposed to or consume.

2. Buy good quality water filters. Fluoride and chlorine/dioxins are in our water supplies and many products. Don't forget we are bathing in this same water and absorbing the chemicals through our skin. Fluoride is a by-product of cement, metals and nuclear weapon manufacturing and used as a rat and cockroach poison. It has been proven that fluoride does not strengthen teeth; just the opposite in fact. Chlorine/dioxin is a pesticide linked to various cancers, heart disease, miscarriage and birth defects. (Info from pg. 183, Autoimmune book, see link below.)

2.  Get educated. Read more books like Nourishing Traditions (a cook book but first and foremost a WEALTH of information) and Autoimmune Disease, The Cause and The Cure. Follow Annesse and Kristin on Facebook, they are always updating with new information and responding to people's questions.

Natural =  Not from another planet.

3. Know where your food is coming from! Again, read labels. Is it organic, certified organic or "natural." Any GMOs? Are the chickens "cage free" or "free range?" Both are misnomers and deliberately misleading. Is the meat pastured and grass finished? Learn the differences and how truthful agriculture really has to be under our lenient and misleading labeling laws. Pay more attention to the way your food is being raised and processed. You'll be eating what they eat, animal or plant. The ideal solution would be buy from local farmers and see their farming and animal treatment practices in person. There are resources on the internet for finding raw milk, organic produce and pasture-fed animals.

4. Be willing to spend more money on organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed free-range meats, dairy and eggs. You can start gradually. It is SO worth it. And pay attention to grass-fed meats vs. grass-finished. Ranchers will finish cattle and other animals off in feed lots being fed garbage to fatten them up before going to market, which drops the quality of the meats. Don't be fooled by that, you want pasture-raised, pasture-FINISHED meats.

Indoor tomatoes!

5. Start a garden. I realize it's not possible under all situations, but you can even start small and grow herbs indoors and tomatoes and other patio vegetables in planters on a porch or balcony.  I currently have a potted garden in my second story guest bedroom and it's doing great!

A lot of neighborhoods have community gardens where for a small fee you get a little plot of land and can spend time tilling the earth, getting close to nature and meeting new friends.

Another way would be to volunteer at a local organic farm and get fresh, healthy food for trade.

6. Question authority. Is there a special interest group (soy growers, corn growers, sugar growers, pork growers "the other white meat", high profit industries, chemical manufacturers, ad nauseam, their marketing budgets and lobbyists) behind what you're being told? Honestly, no one is interested in taking care of you and your health other than you and possibly your family and friends. If there's a profit involved, you can be assured there's corruption, deceit and greed. No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I just read a lot.

7. Take up a new hobby such as canning your own foods (or foods from farmers' markets), culturing vegetables and dairy, cooking more meals from scratch. Get the whole family involved. It's so easy to make your own salad dressings (and mixes), rice seasonings, sauces and gravies, marinades and rubs, mashed potatoes and more from wholesome and organic herbs, meats and vegetables.

8. Research cooking oil options, butter and animals fats—I guarantee you'll dump the vegetable oils in a heartbeat.

9. Ditch the cans of soup, stews and chilis. If you're making soup, stew or chili, make extra and freeze it in freezer-safe canning jars. Stay away from processed foods, avoid all canned food (as in cans, glass jars are better) and opt for frozen foods at the very least. As far as fruits and vegetables go, the frozen ones were frozen at their peak of ripeness and have not been heat processed to death. Check for preservatives!

10. Learn the truth about chemically manufactured table salt vs. sea salt, what's wrong with boxed cereals, crackers, MSG, raw vs. pasteurized milk, margarine vs. butter. I could go on and on. Here's a paper written by the Nourishing Traditions author Sally Fallon to get you started, Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry. It will shock and disgust you when you read about what we have been unknowingly eating, and it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Let your food
be your medicine. Why, oh why,
don't we listen to this man!

Our food has ceased be safe and nutritious as commercial food providers have slowly seduced us into being dependent on them. I've learned so much about how we've learned to trust industry and government agencies, pharmaceutical and agricultural interests, thinking that they know what's good for our bodies. We've been taught that we should fear handling food prep ourselves because of all the things that can "go wrong" when a layperson tries to grow, preserve and even cook their own food!

Don't let this nonsense continue! Step up to the plate :-) and take the time to feed yourself and your loved ones properly. To quote Sally Fallon, author of the Dirty Secrets article mentioned above:

"To be healthy, we need to prepare our own food, for ourselves and our families. This doesn't mean you have to spend hours in the kitchen, but you do need to spend some time there, preparing food with wisdom and love. If no one in the family has time to prepare food, you need to sit down and rethink how you are spending your time, because this is the only way to get nourishing foods into your kitchen. We can return to good eating practices one mouth at a time, one meal at a time, by preparing own own food and preparing it properly."

Indoor gardening -- Is it feasible for the average home owner?

What do urban farmers do in the winter, when they can't get their hands on decent tasting tomatoes and herbs? When their green thumbs long for gardens during long, cold, snowy winters? When they get tired of paying a fortune for fresh organic produce that doesn't taste any better than the rest of the produce in the store? This urban farmer brings the garden indoors.

Last year's seedlings

For years I've successfully started my outdoor garden from seeds germinated indoors, weeks ahead of time. A couple of years ago I bought this amazing LED grow light that made my seedlings flourish like never before. The first winter I bought it I tried growing a number of veggies and herbs, not intending to keep them very long. I was just curious how they'd do.

Indoor garden

But a few weeks under the light gave me fully edible chard, collards, parsley, basil and other herbs. The tomato plants had a  little tomatoes on them and the green beans had miniature beans growing. I was impressed!

This fall I decided it would be a fun experiment to try to make it through the entire winter growing tomatoes and herbs indoors. I wish I'd started earlier, like maybe in September. But I didn't get things planted until after Thanksgiving. I started with the typical little plastic seed packs and seed starter mix. One each of three different  types of tomatoes: Costoluto Genovese, Brandywine and Roma. Some basil, dill, parsley, oregano and sage. Rosemary from the store. I also started some white sage, which I never had luck germinating previously.

White Sage & Dill

Once the seeds sprouted, I moved them to the window in the guest bedroom. It's south-facing so it gets a lot of our hot Colorado winter sun. It's also the warmest and most temperature place in the house. I hung the grow light over the plants using a light stand with a boom arm. The light was just under 12" from the plants. I plugged the light into a timer-- one less thing to think about.

Within about 3 weeks the plants were outgrowing that space. I moved the guest room furniture to a different room to make more space. I bought this great stainless rack at target and placed it front of the window. Since the shelves are very adjustable, I gave the now overgrown tomatoes a shelf to themselves, with a short shelf above them for the herbs. The grow light sits on yet another shelf above that. I position the herbs in a way that the tomatoes below them can still get light from the LED and everyone is happy.

Lemon tree

In the beginning I was only running the grow light from 4 pm (sunset) until 10 pm.  But the plants weren't looking as healthy as they should. They weren't the deep green I wanted and some were getting a little spindly.  A happy plant will look strong and stocky. So I increased grow light time until midnight. That, plus the slightly longer daylight since we're past the solstice has made a big improvement. I added a cool temp humidifier, although I'm not sure I need it. On sunny days I swear it gets close to 90 in there! I found a variegated lemon tree at the grocery store and that's now producing new leaves. Let's see if I can keep it alive.

Basil!

I've been using the herbs for cooking almost every day. The basil especially impresses me since I think of them needing a lot of light in the garden, but they look perfectly normal indoors.

Babies!

The tomatoes have little fruits on them and I'm curious if they'll get large enough to ripen. And how long might that take? If they're still around in late May, I will most likely introduce them to the outdoors. I'm also curious if they will taste better than store-bought tomatoes. If they don't, I'll ditch my goal of growing tomatoes indoors in the winter and just stick to herbs. After all, why buy those teeny $4.00 packets of herb snippets in the grocery store when it's so easy to grow my own for the cost of one seed?

If the tomatoes are a success, I'll keep better records next year on plant dates, grow time and even photograph them weekly to have a clearer idea of how they're doing.

It's now early February.  I'll update this post at some point to let you know how things are getting along. Wish me luck!