I Wormapost

I cannot tell you how much organic refuse we create in this day at my household.
In an attempt to eat better, we do make a fair amount of refuse.
In having to peel certain superstore purchased foods due to commercial coatings.
But alas I have employed several thousand refuse workers to tend to this problem.
Thankfully I came into a broken large chest style freezer.
Here is where the magic takes place.
I simply feed my workers in a box formation from corner to corner covering each weeks
organic refuse.
These amazing creatures supply me with plenty of nutrient rich material for all my
gardening needs.

It is possibly the easiest and quickest way to recycle into usable composted material.
If you have leaves and grass clippings, they love them too.
I even add a little bit of shredded black and white newspaper from time to time to buffer the
wettness. It mseems to keep things at a consistant state and adds a little bulk.
I have a complete a - z listing of Composting Do's and Donts
I wouldn't give anything to my worms you couldn't regualrly compost safely.

My worms are getting a kick this week with a little starbucks coffee grounds.
I intend to give them a 25 gallon bucket of houre manure too.
I like to give things a good feed inthe beginning of July, to make them stronger for the
harsher, everchanging weathers of SC.

check out this site for that information
http://buffy6900.tripod.com/id10.html

Weak Wormy Tea is excellent for watering your seedlings. Make them happy from the start

I am going to try and get a pic to add here before the day is through ;)

Green It Forward
EarthSource Services
Victoria

Earth Is NOT A Disposable Planet

I am hopping upon my soapbox this A.M. because I am just disgusted at the number of the population that wears the Green Shield but with not a care in the world about actual daily Green practice of some kind to Save the Planet.
Wearing conservationalist tshirts and carring a couple cases of bottled water in the trunk does not a EcoWarrior make. Kind of Contradictory since plastic bottles are a problem in landfills.
Those of you who purchase the reusable shopping bags and put the plastic one inside them, kind of a joke isn't it...?

Buying foods from a grocery or superstore are everyday practice and there are some things you can get nowhere else, but when I ask our future (kids) where your veggies come from and 75% respond with WalMart it absolutely breaks my heart. As it should others too.

It is sad that the family unit is not what it used to be. It was once a standard practice, to teach the children how to do things that were meaningful to family, home, & body. Things were done with togetherness, a pride in heritage, and a thirst for knowledge. Now a trip to the superstore results in alot of unhealthy habits being instilled. Convenience does not have a Conscience.

A starting point in solving alot of the issues today, starts with kids of tomorrow. In history every generation has had a choice of poisons for the populations, envoronmentally, mentally, socially, and physically. If I am not mistaken it is from some unnatural chemical. From Genetically Modified Organisms, to Artificial additives into all sorts of different living venues. I do not believe Science is required a long enough testing window to accurately access the outcome of llongterm build up of their Frankenstein Products.

But back to my original thought, Kids need to be made knowledgable of their foods, origins, additives, unknowns. Educational tools are being removed from the systems cirriculum that are vital for children to be knowledgable and make better decisions. School lunchroom are an atrocity, and it is such a joke that alot of kids think chicken is a nugget, a joke I personally do not deem funny.

Children need to let the Growing of their food catch them in the time of their lives when there is the largest sparkle in their eyes. A love for growing and understand that it is a good thing is something that grows stronger when it is nurtured. Families who garden together are healthier in the top most meaning of that word, in all facets of life. Kids needs to feel the life in the soil and watch it feed their food to understand. They also need to meet the farmers in Fresh Markets allow them to really talk, and question. They will increase their level of awareness of the entirety of the world of they are given the proper opportunities. Their questions are important to them, do not discount their validity at any time.
They will grow in the garden, just like the plants, and they will learn to keep the Earth clean from evil contaminates. Grow Green Kids because maybe they will make better decisions than our ancestors, and they will make a difference. It has to start with a few real changes in the parents though, Parents are you willing to teach Green Practices, it takes dilligent consistancy.

I have been guilty of making bad environmental decisions in the past, And yes because of my circumstances and location I do have to visit Walmart But I do try to make a difference by making and teaching my kids the most EcoFriendly and sustaniable ways of doing things. We are lucky enough to live in an area where we can grow our own seasonal vegetables and we do. I have also made it my mission to teach as many children as I can where their food comes from, and I hope it makes that difference we all desperately need to continue to survive on this life pulsating rock called Earth ;)

Do or Do Not.There is No Try. ~ Yoda

Shrimp and Bok Choy Slaw With Peanut Dressing @MotherEarthNews

Big thanks to @MotherEarthNews (Twitter) for this recipe
We'll see if the kiddos like it, got lots of bok choy to try all kinds of recipes with ;)

Shrimp and Bok Choy Slaw With Peanut Dressing
Bok choy means "cabbage" in Cantonese. You can substitute napa, savoy or green cabbage if you like.

9 to 10 cups sliced bok choy
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup red, white or daikon radishes, thinly sliced
4-ounce bag of frozen cooked salad shrimp (optional)
Fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

Dressing:

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter (I use unsalted natural peanut butter)
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and chopped gingerroot
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Dash of cayenne pepper or chili oil
About 1/4 cup boiling water

In a blender mix all of the dressing ingredients, including the boiling water. Blend until smooth, adding a few drops more water if its too thick (the sauce should be the consistency of ketchup). Refrigerate in a plastic container until needed. The sauce will get thicker when it's chilled. This dressing keeps for at least a week.

To make the slaw, defrost the shrimp unopened in a bowl of cold water. Dry the vegetables thoroughly after washing so they don't add liquid to the dressing. Slice the bok choy crosswise into thin slices. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.

Just before serving, toss the salad ingredients with the dressing. (The salad gets unappetizingly soggy if the dressing is added ahead of time.) Serve topped with fresh mint. Serves 4 as a main course.




Just a little fyi from this page
Slaw Ingredients

What is slaw? I'd say anything that can be grated, although Mr. Webster may disagree. Here are some unusual vegetables to try in your slaws:
•Raw beets, grated
•Daikon (white radish), grated
•Broccoli stems, grated
•Kohlrabi, peeled and grated
•Jicama, peeled and grated
•Red, green, yellow and purple sweet peppers, sliced into thin strips
•Bok choy, thinly sliced
•Napa or savoy cabbage, thinly sliced


Cabbage Growing Tips

Cabbages can be sown or grown as transplants. It is a hardy, cool-season crop with an optimum growing soil temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a preferred soil pH of 6.5. A cup of organic fertilizer for each plant (plant the seed a half inch deep, five seeds per foot) and one to two inches of water each week is all it takes to produce a bountiful harvest.


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