Tag Archives: Growing your own food

By Kim Robson: Gardening can be expensive. Every year, I start a summer container garden. By the time I buy two or three bags of potting soil, a variety of plants, and maybe a few new pots, I’ve spent upwards of a hundred bucks. But it is possible to garden …

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By Larraine Roulston: Gardening has been described as a “happy endeavor.” Research suggests that breathing in the soil’s bacteria can increase the brain’s serotonin levels. This may indicate that gardening offers therapy that acts as a natural antidepressant for young and old alike. My mother, a gardener with a truly great green thumb, …

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By Kim Robson: Most of us have gotten pretty good at reading food labels. But have you looked at the ingredients list on those store-bought bags of “organic” fertilizers? You may be shocked to find these components included: Chicken or Turkey Feathers Manure Dehydrated Manure Chicken Litter Bone Meal Fish …

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By Fredrica Syren: I love this time of year when our homestead is completely exploding with vegetables and fruit and sometimes even unexpected too much of one or two kinds. It’s a luxury problem I know so you won’t here me complaining and instead I love the challenge of coming …

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By Kim Robson: At our home, we love to grow our own veggies whenever possible. Fresh herbs top the list for culinary and medicinal uses. Every spring, I start a container garden for the season. Invariably, I pick up a variety of herbs to grow. I usually get mint, basil, …

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By Larraine Roulston: Layering fruit/vegetable peelings with dry yard trimmings makes a great soil conditioner to enhance your garden. When soil is healthy, the helpful microbes greatly outnumber the harmful ones and keep them under control. Finished compost not only feeds the good microbes by increasing their numbers and diversity but also eliminates the …

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By Kim Robson: We vegetarians do love our mushrooms. They’re meaty, filling, and full of vitamins and minerals; but they are also virtually calorie free and add delicious umami to food without the extra salt. Certain mushroom extracts can help stop migraine headaches (in addition to a number of other …

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By Fredrica Syren:  I love this time of the year when our homestead is exploding with ripe vegetables and fruits. My tomato plants are producing like never before, and on top of that, I also received tomatoes from a neighbor who does not know what do with her huge tomato …

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By Kim Robson: Come springtime, I always have a glut of empty mason jars that have been emptied gradually over the fall and winter. They clutter up our gardening shed, clinking around and getting in the way of things. It’s too early in the year to start canning — so …

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By Larraine Roulston: Many farmers and backyard gardeners who enjoy their freshly picked organic harvest can seize the opportunity to share their excess bounty with those less fortunate. As they see it, they are delighted that soup kitchens, food banks and pantries are able to distribute much more than just processed foods. In Canada, …

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