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March/April 2017 1
MARCH/APRIL 2017 CONTENTS
17 19 42
In Every Issue Natural Health Organic Garden
Inside This Issue 4 MAKING HOMEMADE PLANT A
Your Remarks 7 MEDICINES 19 PATCHWORK GARDEN 71
To Your Health 96 Brush up your medicine-making skills Get into the quilters frame of
with this guide to simple, effective mind to harvest a variety of food
herbal remedies. all season.
2 motherearthliving.com
Inside
this issue
Growing Connections
I WILL NEVER FORGET the day a few years ago when I visited the Seed Savers
Exchange farm in Decorah, Iowa. It was November, so the farms expansive
gardens werent in bloom, but still I left the place in total awe. I was most struck
by the meeting of past and presentthe farm houses thousands of seeds that
have been saved and handed down from gardener to gardener, many for hun-
dreds of years, yet its also home to sophisticated labs where white-coated techni-
cians tend seedlings growing in test tubes in climate-controlled incubators.
Combining the technological and communications capabilities of today with
the wisdom of the past to improve our world always makes me feel a little giddy.
I love honoring our generations of collective human wisdom and experience
while also utilizing the marvels of modern technology.
We can connect the past with the future in this way in our own gardens by
growing heirloom crops, many of which have been passed down for generations.
When we do, we preserve a piece of the past, honoring our ancestors by growing,
preparing and eating the very same plants they grew in their gardens and served
on their tables. And with the same action we help safeguard the future by con-
tributing to the preservation of our planets agrobiodiversity. We build upon the
Jessica Kellner, work of our predecessors to help shape the future we want for our posterity.
Editor-in-Chief For many of us, the present feels like a momentous time in history. Some
long for a past that seemed simpler and easier, while others are eager to move
toward a more progressive future. Whatever mix of these feelings lies within
you, the garden may help ground you. Physically connecting with the earth can
offer comfort, providing a link to our human history, our place in the world, and
hark back to the past. Growing food for ourselves and our communities can also
feel revolutionary: After all, by tending and sharing crops, we circumvent the
industrial food system, and reach across tribal divides toward a shared prosper-
ity. Gardening is also scientifically proven to calm us, reduce anger and stress,
and soothe the senseswhich is why its used therapeutically for everyone from
elementary school students to soldiers suffering PTSD and prison populations.
Plus, it yields nutritious food we can gather together to prepare and share, one of
humanitys most deep-seated cultural touchstones.
This season, whether youre motivated to plant a garden for the flavor of
homegrown tomatoes; to physically connect with memories of the past; or to
take a small step toward a sustainable future, working in the garden is certain to
offer good medicine indeed.
Three things I love this issue Ideas for a happy spring season, a bountiful garden and a healthy future
1 2 3 A clever
MEGAN AXELSSON
4 motherearthliving.com
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EDITORIAL
Jessica Kellner, Editor-in-Chief
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Circle #7; see card pg 81
Amygdala Effects
Enjoying the latest edition The National Health Service
I appreciated Jessica Kellners of Mother Earth Living and in the U.K. recommends the
article The Art of Living (Jan/Feb). a cup of dandelion tea. Mediterranean diet. I love it. I may be
However, a quote in it from Kim Rossi HOLLIE SCHINDLBECK, overweight but the olive oil and other
stopped me in my tracksenough VIA INSTAGRAM healthy fats are doing me good.-
SARAH HICKLIN, VIA FACEBOOK
that Ive pulled out my laptop at 2
a.m. to write. According to Rossi,
among the benefits of meditation are
the shrinking of the amygdala, the
brains center for anxiety, stress and Rosemary Rx Essentially Grateful
fear. While its been my experience I purchased a potted rosemary Thank you for the article How to
that meditation does indeed render all plant from a grocery store this sum- Use Essential Oils (Sept/Oct 2016).
the benefits listed in the sidebar, Ive mer. It did well for several weeks. Thanks for highlighting the fact that
never read it shrinks the amygdala. In When the weather turned chilly, I you should not take oils internally
fact, in my reading of Alzheimers lit- brought it inside. I watered it just except under careful physician direc-
erature, a loss of mass in the amygdala enough to keep the soil damp, but it tion. Some companies push essential
may be a sign of the disease. Im not seemed to stop growing. I tried repot- oil use internally and externally with
going to stop meditating, or teaching ting it, but within two weeks, it was no respect for their potency.
it in my yoga classes, but Im puzzled dead! What did I do wrong? Your article also provided some
and would appreciate some clarifica- OLIVENE CLAVON, Perry Hall, Maryland new information I had not previously
tion. Are we talking about a difference known. I will now be much more
in terminology about the physical EDITORS RESPONSE: Three culprits careful with what lotions I mix essen-
effects or alteration of amygdala, by are most often to blame for rosemarys tial oils into, knowing they have been
either meditation or Alzheimers? death indoors. 1) Lack of sunlight: Put shown to increase the absorption of
JAN DIAL, Willis, Texas rosemary on a sunlight diet before many drugs and chemicals.
moving it indoors. Without acclima- KAITLYN SMITH, Franklin, Indiana
EDITORS RESPONSE: Were happy tion, the shock of going from outdoor
to hear you experience and share light to limited indoor light can kill Salt Dough Caution
the benefits of meditation and yoga. plants. Rosemary needs at least six I loved the new tradition ideas in
Rossis statement is backed up by sev- hours of sun or fluorescent light a day. the Nov/Dec 2016 issue. I would like
eral studies: In one published in the 2) Overwatering: It sounds as if you to add to be certain to hang salt dough
journal PLOS One, researchers found didnt overwater, but in winter rose- ornaments out of reach of pets. The
that greater dispositional mindful- mary grows much more slowly and salt content is extremely high and
ness is associated with decreased gray requires less water. Overwatering can can be harmful for dogs/cats/birds/
matter volume in the amygdala. Read cause root rot. 3) Powdery mildew: etc. Hang them in out-of-reach areas
more in Scientific American: blogs. This disease can become worse indoors or dont leave pets in the area unat-
scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/ with poor air circulation. Protect plants tended. If a pet does eat an ornament,
what-does-mindfulness-meditation- indoors by blowing a gentle fan on call your vet right away.
do-to-your-brain. them for a few hours a day. TAMARA NEARBER, Anoka, Minnesota
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS We love getting your feedback. Send us your messages!
EMAIL: editor@motherearthliving.com PHONE: (800) 340-5846 MAIL: 1503 SW 42nd St. Topeka, KS 66609
March/April 2017 7
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your garden to the feeling the rich soil in our fingers and delighting at new growth. Perhaps the
only thing better is knowing the benefits of our garden bounty extend well
people and creatures of beyond the bounds of our own yards. Use the tips in the following pages to
your local community ensure your garden efforts serve others as well, from neighbors and community
and ecosystem. members to our critical pollinators.
March/April 2017 9
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March/April 2017 11
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BEST FOR GARDENING
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filters eliminate odors, Partially bury it in the process. A strainer shake out plant bulbs worm farm compos-
and compostable liner ground, then simply and spigot separate for storage or remove ter. Add up to a half-
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March/April 2017 13
Take the Guesswork
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THIS REVOLUTIONARY SOFTWARE MAKES GARDENING SO MUCH EASIER.
| CONSERVATION |
greatsunflower.org
SUPPORT LOCAL BEEKEEPERS.
Buy only local, raw honey. Most farmers
markets include beekeepers. Or, look for
grocery store products marked pure and
raw and that explicitly state they are from
chemical-free hives.
March/April 2017 15
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Why I Recommend This Whole-Food Probiotic
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| HANDY HINTS |
3 FLAVORED BUTTER
Combine minced fresh chives, gorgon-
zola dolce cheese and unsalted butter
to create a delicious compound spread.
Blend 4 ounces gorgonzola dolce, 5 COOPERATIVE COMPANION
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, Chives are helpful as companion plants
1
8 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 stick of for tomatoes, carrots, apple trees and
softened unsalted butter in a medium- roses. At first growth, the plants will
size bowl. Form the mixture into a repel aphids from tomatoes, mums and
log and refrigerate until firm. Use this sunflowers. After about three years of
compound butter to accompany grilled growth, theyve been known to pre-
meats, such as steak or hamburgers, or vent apple scab and rose black spot.
use it as a sauce for gnocchi.
2 SUPER SALADS
Chive blossoms make lovely additions 8 BYE-BYE, MILDEW
to salads, whether the blossoms are Try this gardening trick from the blog Little
in the salad itself (they have a subtle House Living to protect garden plants from
onion flavor), or are used to make mildew: Combine chopped chive leaves and
a homemade flavored vinegar for water. Boil the mixture for several minutes on
dressings. Visit our Herbal Living site the stove, then let cool. Once its reached room
for a recipe: herbs.motherearth temperature, pour the chives and water into a
living.com/chive-flowers-for-cooking. spray bottle, and spray on garden plants.
March/April 2017 17
Earn a graduate degree
Let nature be in natural health that honors both
ancient traditions and contemporary science, and
your teacher. helps you develop a healing presence.
William Wordsworth
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he Organic Manual
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Natural Health WELLNESS + REMEDIES + BEAUT Y
your own simple, effective and improve our health, and its much easier than you may think. If you already
make herbal teas, then making infusions, decoctions, tinctures, salves and
herbal remedies, and add poultices can quickly become part of your repertoire, too. Dont worry if they
medicine-making to your sound confusing; youll soon discover how to prepare a variety of plants to
self-sufficiency repertoire. make a range of simple but effective herbal medicines.
March/April 2017 19
HEALTH HERBAL MEDICINE
One very important note before you of water (two teaspoons per cup of TINCTURES
begin making herbal medicines: Always water instead of one). Tinctures are alcohol extracts of
make sure you are using the correct fresh or dried herbs. Theyre highly effec-
plant (check the Latin name) and the DECOCTIONS: To extract the medici- tive at preserving a plants active constitu-
correct part of the plant (flower, leaf, nal compounds from seeds, roots or ents. You can make a tincture from roots,
roots), as some parts may be toxic if stems, youll want to make a decoction, leaves, seeds, stems or flowers.
used internally. which involves boiling the herbs and To make an herbal tincture, finely
allowing them to simmer for about an chop the fresh, clean herb you are using.
Internal Medicines hour, usually allowing one heaping tea- You can also use dried herbs. Either way,
TEA TIME spoon of dried herb per cup of water. the idea is to chop the herb as much as
Making herbal tea may seem fairly Note that this method is less suitable possible, to give the alcohol as much
straightforward, but to reap the greatest for berries, flowers and leaves because surface area to act upon as you can.
medicinal value from herbs, we need it tends to destroy many of the delicate Some herbalists recommend grinding
to do more than dunk a tea bag in hot medicinal compounds they contain. As dried herbs in a coffee/spice grinder
water. There are two main forms of with infusions, you can use fresh herbs, before making a tincture.
herbal tea: infusions and decoctions. but you typically need to double the Place the chopped or ground herb
amount of herb matter per cup of water. in a half-quart or quart-sized glass jar.
INFUSIONS: Infusions are the com- What if you want to make a tea from Fill the jar with as much plant mat-
monly known form of herbal tea, in some combination of roots, berries, ter as possible to ensure the medicinal
which herbs are literally infused in hot seeds, stems, flowers and leaves? Start value of your tincture, keeping in mind
water, usually one heaping teaspoon by making a decoction with the roots, that youll need enough alcohol to
of dried herb (or one teabag) per cup seeds or stems. Bring it to a boil, then completely submerge the herbal matter.
of hot water for 10 to 20 minutes. This reduce to a simmer to continue brewing Top with vodka or pure grain alcohol,
is the ideal method for extracting the for an hour. Turn off the heat and add making sure all of the plant matter is
medicinal compounds in most berries, any berries, flowers and leaves. Allow submerged in the alcohol to prevent
flowers and leaves. You can also use the mixture to steep for an additional 10 mold growth. Note that different kinds
fresh herbs, but because of their higher to 20 minutes. Now youve extracted the of alcohol will produce different kinds
water content, you usually need to dou- best medicinal compounds from all of of tinctures. Visit mountainroseblog.
ble the amount of herbal matter per cup the herbal components youre using. com/guide-tinctures-extracts for more
information. Date and label the jar, and
An herb poultice is made allow the mixture to sit for two weeks,
by combining chopped
shaking daily to encourage extraction.
or powdered herbs with
warm water and applying After two weeks, strain the contents
directly to the skin. through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. After
most of the liquid has gone through the
sieve, pull up the corners of the cheese-
cloth and, using clean hands, carefully
wring out any remaining liquid. Store
the herbal tincture in a dark glass jar or
dropper bottle away from heat or sun-
light to preserve its healing properties.
Tinctures will usually keep for a few
years. You can make an herbal tincture
out of any medicinal or culinary herb
that can be used internally. A typical
tincture dose is 30 drops (about one
dropperful) three times daily, but we
recommend looking up specific dosage
recommendations for the herbs you
use. Avoid tinctures if you are pregnant
or nursing, or if you have liver disease,
diabetes or alcoholism.
20 motherearthliving.com
HEALTH HERBAL MEDICINE
| EXPERT ADVICE |
March/April 2017 21
HEALTH HERBAL MEDICINE
Making herbal infused oils is par- conditions, and for dry or chapped
ticularly suited for the delicate flow- lips. Similar to herbal infusions,
ers and leaves of plants. Simply add calendula and St. Johns wort are
fresh flowers or leaves to a jar and fill excellent choices to use in salves.
it with oil, such as sweet almond oil,
apricot kernel oil, almond oil or olive
oil. Youll want enough plant matter POULTICES
to ensure the medicinal value of the A poultice is a paste made with
infused oil, but not packed so tightly herbs that is applied to the skin. It is
that the oil cannot penetrate the plant typically applied while hot or warm,
material. The plant material must be except when made with herbs that are
completely submerged in the oil to naturally chemically hot, such as chil-
prevent mold from forming. Label ies or ginger. To make a poultice, fill a
and date the jar, including the herb natural-fiber cloth bag with powdered
and the oil used. Allow the infusion to or chopped fresh herb matter. Tie it
rest for two weeks, shaking the bottle closed, and then place it in a bowl of
periodically to encourage the infusion hot water just long enough to soak
process. After two weeks, strain the and heat the herb. Remove it from the
herbs from the oil, squeezing out any water, and apply to the affected area
remaining oil with clean hands. Cap until the poultice has cooled and until
and label the jar, and store away from you experience some relief. Reheat and
light and heat. reapply the poultice. It is best to use a
fresh poultice each day.
Poultices are particularly effective
SALVES in soothing aching or painful joints
Salves are basically herbal balms or or muscles, as is the case with ginger.
ointments made by thickening herbal Calendula helps bruises and dam-
oil infusions with melted beeswax. aged skin, while echinacea boosts the
Most health-food stores sell plain immune system to help heal long-
beeswax, which can be shaved with a lasting wounds.
potato peeler or grated with a cheese
grater and then melted over low heat.
You can also buy beeswax pastilles,
which are ready to melt. Be sure to
avoid other types of wax, as they are
made of petroleum byproducts.
Allow two tablespoons of shaved,
melted beeswax to one cup of infused
oil after the herbal material has been
strained off. Melt the oil and beeswax
over low heat, preferably in a double-
boiler, to prevent overheating. Stir reg-
ularly. Remove from the heat as soon
as the beeswax is melted and well-
incorporated into the oil. Immediately
pour into small, shallow jars, tins or
lip balm containers. Let cool undis-
turbed to allow the ointment to set.
Use for skin irritations and other skin
Habitually Happy:
8 Habits of Happy People
Use these quick, simple practices to boost your happiness every day.
FOR MOST OF US, brushing our teeth at least twice a day is a habit and doesnt
require much effort or discipline. We wake up in the morning and do it without
deliberation. Forming good habits makes things easier, and it is possible to create
ones that can increase positive emotions. Here are eight habits you can incorporate in
2 Say Something Nice
The next time someone asks,
How are you doing?, think of
your day-to-day routine that can make you feel happier. something positive and specific to
say instead of automatically replying
OK or tired, says Michelle Gielan,
author of Broadcasting Happiness.
You could say something simple like,
Im great! This cup of coffee is really
hitting the spot. Or, delve deeper and
share a more meaningful experience.
A simple shift in how you commu-
nicate can help you get in a posi-
tive mindset and create contagious
optimism, causing the person youre
speaking with to share something
positive as well.
1 Give Thanks
In his book The Happiness Equation, Neil Pasricha writes, If you can be happy
with simple things, then it will be simple to be happy. He suggests writing down
gests doing something that moves
your body every day, but not to
exercise just for the sake of exercis-
three to five things youre grateful for from the past week. He wrote five a week on ing. It will be boring, tedious and
his popular blog 1000awesomethings.com while processing the loss of his marriage you wont stick to it, she writes.
and a close friend. What started as a journey toward finding happiness in his life led Think about exercise activities you
to a series of books, a TED Talk and speaking around the world about the power of loveperhaps gardening, hiking,
optimism. What you write down can be relatively small in importance (see #840 from swimming, biking or dancing. Find a
the blog, Popping bubble wrap) or relatively large (#829 Smiling and thinking of workout buddy. It will be more fun,
good friends who are gone); it doesnt matter. Whats important is that you are and youll be more likely to keep it
tuning in to what is good in your lifea habit that trains your brain to scan for up. You can also find or form fitness
positives instead of negatives. Furthermore, when you write about a positive experi- groups on meetup.com for anything
ence, you relive it, and then relive it again each time you read it, thus exponentially from tai chi to salsa dancing. >>
increasing your happiness.
March/April 2017 23
HEALTH YOUR MIND
6 Be Mindful
Many of us go through life
rehashing the past or worrying about
free and help us feel happier. Author
Gretchen Rubin, who writes about
happiness and habits in Better Than
the future without enjoying the pres- Before, says if youre feeling over-
ent. Practicing mindfulness can help. whelmed and ineffective about the
8 Nurture Relationships
Happiness researcher and
author of The Happiness Advantage,
Shawn Achor suggests starting
each day by sending a short email
or text praising or thanking some-
one you know, a different person
each day. Not only does it make us
and our recipients feel good, but
it also strengthens our social sup-
port network, so when challenges
and stress arise, we have people
who can help. Achors research has
found that deepening our connec-
tions with friends, family and peers
is one of the greatest predictors of
long-term happinesswith a corre-
lation stronger than the connection
between smoking and cancer.
GINEVRA HOLTKAMP
Circle #29; see card pg 81
March/April 2017 25
HEALTH SOLUTIONS
IF YOUR BACK FEELS bent out of shape, youre not alone. Back pain is the sec-
ond leading cause for doctor visits in the United States. According to the National
Institutes of Health, in a three-month period, more than one-fourth of U.S.
adults experience at least one day of back pain. The causes of back pain are many.
Sometimes its brought on by slouching at our desks, sports injuries or sedentary
lifestyles. In older people, conditions such as osteoarthritis may be the cause, mak-
ing spinal joints stiff and sore, and creating pressure on the nerve roots.
Back pain can be divided into two basic categories: acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute pain comes on quickly, but often ends quickly toofor example, lifting a heavy
load or falling from a ladder. Chronic pain may develop suddenly or slowly, but it lasts
longerweeks and even months. In both cases, however, its best to address and treat
the underlying causes of back pain, rather than simply alleviating symptoms.
Whether youre dealing with long-term chronic pain, a sudden back injury or | RECIPE |
painful tension, here are a few herbs, specific remedies and techniques that will help
you loosen up and relieve aches and pains. GINGER COMPRESS
FOR BACK INJURY
Herbalist Christopher Hobbs says
this recipewhich can be made
with either fresh or powdered
gingerworks wonders for back
strains, sprains, bruises and injuries.
Apply it two or three times a day for
several days to a week.
1
2 cup fresh ginger root, grated,
or 5 to 10 pinches
powdered ginger
1 tablespoon powdered cinnamon
(optional)
2 cups water
26 motherearthliving.com
HEALTH SOLUTIONS
Herbs for Acute Pain ARNICA has anti-inflammatory com- ability. However, doctors often rec-
When it comes to acute pain, its pounds that can treat sore muscles, ommend exercise for those who have
tempting to reach for seemingly simple sprains and other related pains. It comes recently suffered a lower back injury,
pain remedies in the form of over-the- in many forms for topical use, including usually starting with gentle, low-impact
counter (OTC) drugs such as ibuprofen tinctures, creams, salves, ointments, gels exercises, and gradually building up
or aspirin. However, frequent doses and oils. Note that arnica should never be intensity. If youve suffered a back
even small onesof OTC painkillers ingested, or applied to an open wound. injury, stretching or activities that cause
are hard on the liver, and they can lead additional strain are discouraged, so be
to serious side effects such as stomach CHAMOMILE can soothe tense, knotted sure to consult your physician regard-
bleeding or increased risk of stroke. muscles. Steep a tablespoon of chamo- ing treatment and activity.
Instead of drugs, try these simple natu- mile flowers in a mug of boiling water If acute back pain is injury-related
ral remedies for short-term back pain. for 15 minutes. Drink one to three cups (for example, after a fall, car accident or
of the tea a day for as long as the pain blow to the spine), its important to see
GINGER is a natural inhibitor of persists. Chamomile essential oil is also a doctor immediately. However, most
COX-2, an enzyme that uses stored often recommended for pain relief by non-injury related acute back pain can
fat to inflame injured areas and lead clinical aromatherapists, and is gentle be treated without professional help. If
to pain. In a lab study conducted at enough to be used with children. the pain interferes with normal daily
the University of Sydney, Australia, activities, and doesnt improve after
researchers discovered that ginger was Physical Treatment one or two days, consult a physician. If
just as effective as aspirin at inhibiting for Acute Back Pain mild to moderate pain persists after two
this action. For best results, take 2,000 Unfortunately, no specific exercises weeks of home treatment, your doctor
to 4,000 mg of ginger per day, or drink have been shown to improve acute may want to check for other problems
three to four cups of ginger tea. back pain, or increase functional that could be causing the pain. >>
When was the last time you had a great nights sleep?
March/April 2017 27
HEALTH SOLUTIONS
28 motherearthliving.com
HEALTH SOLUTIONS
March/April 2017 29
Circle #17; see card pg 81
are incredibly nutritious, and friends: How did you lose the weight so fast?! What magic pill did you
take?! What diet did you follow?! The secret to losing the wicked freshman
come together quickly and 15 (or in my case, the freshman 30) was not a magic pill, nor a starvation diet. It
wont dirty many dishes. was simply returning home to my mothers Mediterranean kitchen. That summer
Win, win and win! break, I traded newly acquired college habits for the foods of my childhoodand
March/April 2017 31
FOOD RECIPES
| RECIPES |
32 motherearthliving.com
FOOD RECIPES
SUZY KARADSHEH
8 large eggs aside for 15 minutes. Pat dry with towels. tomatoes and lemon wedges. Serves 6.
SUZY KARADSHEH was raised just blocks from the Mediterranean Sea in Port Said, Egypt. She shares easy and healthy recipes from all over the
Middle East on her blog, The Mediterranean Dish (themediterraneandish.com).
34 motherearthliving.com
FOOD SHOP SMART
| RECOMMENDED |
HIGH-QUALITY
OLIVE-OIL PRODUCERS
March/April 2017 35
FOOD SHOP SMART
straight-from-the-source, made-in-
determinant of both nutrition and
flavor. If possible, choose bottles with
MORE BUYING TIPS
Avoid bottles with sediment on the
America operations we love and have bottom, which can spoil the oil and
a date of harvest within the previous
personally tried (page 35), while oth- make it taste muddy.
year. If the precise harvest date is not
ers are reliable grocery store brands If you want strong-flavored oils, look
listed, your next best bet is to look for
(page 37). But these recommenda- for robust or early harvest on the
a best by date as far out as possible.
tions are by no means exhaustive: label. For milder flavors, look for
Best by dates should be about two
Hundreds of high-quality olive-oil delicate or late harvest.
years after the oil was bottled (though,
producers make oils from more than Though high cost never guarantees
unfortunately, not necessarily when the
700 varieties of olives, so the choices quality, if youre paying less than $10
olives were harvested).
are almost limitless. for a liter of olive oil, it is probably
TABITHA ALTERMAN inferior quality. >>
36 motherearthliving.com
| RECOMMENDED |
SUPERMARKET BRANDS
Tom Mueller, olive oil quality
expert, recommends the following
modestly priced olive oils he has
personally tasted to consumers who
are mainly interested in buying their
cooking oils from supermarkets and
big box stores.
March/April 2017 37
hit the road,
GAP.
| HOW TO |
40 motherearthliving.com
FOOD BASICS
Herb Salt
Herbed salts are a great way to
preserve all kinds of fresh herbs,
especially those that dont dry well on
their own, such as chives, cilantro and
rosemary. They couldnt be simpler
to make. Use herb salts on roasted
root vegetables, meats and popcorn; bottom of the jar and over the top of
mixed into dips, salad dressings and the mixture. This will ensure that the
marinades; and anywhere else youre salt is able to extract all the moisture
inspired to add flavor. from the herbs. (Alternatively, you
may dehydrate your herbs completely
4 parts finely minced herbs, before mincing and combining them
fresh or dried with salt. Let herbs dry in an oven set
1 part kosher or fine- to to the warm setting in a single layer on
medium-grain sea salt a sheet pan.)
2 . Cover herb salt tightly and store jar
1. Stir herbs and salt to combine, in a cool, dark place indefinitely. The
and pack the mixture in clean glass flavor intensity will diminish after a few
containers with extra plain salt at the months, but the salt will still be usable.
Excerpted from Preserving Everything by Leda Meredith. Copyright 2014 by Leda Meredith.
Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved.
Order today!
Call 800-456-6018 or visit www.MotherEarthLiving.com/Store
Promo code: MMLPAH35
March/April 2017 41
These common and humble herbs have proven potential
against a variety of nasty bacteria.
BY M I C H E L L E S C H O F F R O CO O K
42 motherearthliving.com
Chamomile
This seemingly delicate flowering plant is SOOTHING
actually potent medicine, particularly when CHAMOMILE CREAM
it comes to skin and dental infections. The This silky cream soothes up the side of the measuring cup.
German Commission E monographs approve inflammation as it glides across Heat on stovetop over low heat
German chamomile as a skin treatment for the skin. It is simple to make and until beeswax melts.
bacterial infections. Researchers assessed the requires few ingredients. Because 3 . Immediately after beeswax
antimicrobial activity of a German chamo- no chemical preservatives are used, melts, remove pot from stove.
mile extract against the fungus Candida albi- its a good idea to store this cream Allow to cool for a minute or two
cans and the bacteria Enterococcus faecalis. in the refrigerator. You will need a but not longer as beeswax will
Candida albicans is a common fungus associ- medium-sized wide-mouth glass begin to harden.
ated with yeast infections, and E. faecalis is an jar or a few small glass jars for 4 . Pour herbal infusion into
antibiotic-resistant and often life-threatening storing the lotion. blender and blend on high speed
infection that sometimes inhabits root canal- with lid on (with a hole left in lid
treated teeth. The Indian Journal of Dentistry 1 cup purified water for pouring beeswax-oil mixture).
published an assessment of a lab study of a 2 teaspoons dried chamomile Slowly pour oil-beeswax mixture
high-potency chamomile extract and found flowers (or 4 teaspoons fresh into infusion. It will begin to emul-
that it helped kill both microbes. This study chamomile flowers) sify as you continue pouring oil. It
could help explain German chamomiles cup sweet almond or apricot normally begins to thicken after
longstanding reputation for healing dental kernel oil (available in most about three-quarters of the oil has
abscesses and gum inflammation. health-food stores) been incorporated. Continue add-
Chamomile goes by many names but 2 tablespoons grated beeswax ing oil until youve incorporated
the two main types are German chamomile, all of it.
known as Matricaria chamomilla or 1 . Boil water and pour over 5 . Immediately pour lotion into
M. recutita, and Roman chamomile, known chamomile flowers. Cover and glass storage jars. Use a spatula
as Chamaemelum nobile. let brew for 10 to 20 minutes. to remove any remaining lotion
It is best to avoid using chamomile if you Strain out flowers, reserving from blender.
ANNEKA DEJONG (OPPOSITE)
are allergic to ragweed. Also, the drug war- herbal infusion. 6 . This lotion lasts about 3 months
farin has been found to interact with chamo- 2 . Pour oil into a heat-safe glass and is best kept in the fridge.
mile. Additionally, other blood thinners may measuring cup and add shaved
Adapted from Be Your Own Herbalist:
interact with chamomile, so it is best not to beeswax. Set it in a saucepan of Essential Herbs for Health, Beauty, and
use chamomile if you are taking these drugs. water that reaches about halfway Cooking by Michelle Schoffro Cook.
March/April 2017 43
Garlic
Garlic (Allium sativum) is best known for
its heart-protecting and antiviral properties,
but thanks to a growing body of studies on
its other medicinal properties, we also know
it is antibacterial. According to James Duke,
botanist and author of The Green Pharmacy,
garlic contains several antimicrobial com-
pounds, including allicin, a powerful, natural
broad-spectrum antibiotic.
Research in the Journal of Parasitic
Diseases found that in the lab, garlic was
effective at inhibiting bacteria involved in
urinary tract infections. Other research
showed that garlic penetrates the dentin,
which forms the bulk of the tooth, where it
works as an effective dental antimicrobial.
Most savory dishes benefit from the addi-
tion of garlic. Cooking or roasting garlic
helps mellow both its flavor and aroma to
enhance soups, stews, stir-fries, curries,
sauces and pastas. It is a staple in many
European and Asian cuisines and continually
grows in popularity in North America.
The many types of garlic range in size
from quite small to the giant cloves of ele-
phant garlic. But when it comes to garlic, it
appears good things come in small packages;
the smaller Italian or Mexican varieties seem
to be the most potent. Choose organic U.S.-
grown garlic, grown mostly in California.
In recent years, Chinese imported garlic has
come to dominate the market, but taste tests
show California garlic to be superior for
flavor. Some also question the quality and
safety of Chinese garlic. Look for garlic that
is firm and free of black mildew on the skin.
Or grow your own, as garlic is incredibly
simple to grow. Store whole garlic heads at
room temperature in a well-ventilated spot
such as a garlic keeper. Many experts suggest
consuming at least one clove a day to reap ROASTED GARLIC
maximum health benefits. For those worried about offending signifi-
Studies have shown that beneficial com- cant others or friends with garlic breath,
pounds in garlic can be destroyed or decay try roasting whole garlic by cutting off the
faster when cooked or processed so its a stem, exposing the top of each clove and
good idea to eat some raw garlic on a regular drizzling a bit of olive oil over it. Wrap it
basis. Thats fairly easy to do by adding a in foil or place in a garlic roaster and bake
clove of garlic to your next salad. But, eating at 350 degrees for about an hour. This
cooked garlic is better than none at all, and greatly minimizes its powerful aroma but
is still a great way to keep harmful bacteria creates a fabulous-tasting spread that has
at bay. the consistency of butter.
44 motherearthliving.com
Ginger
While its a staple in holiday baking, dont overlook the potent
antibacterial activity of ginger (Zingiber officinale) the rest of the
year. More and more exciting research showcases gingers potency
against bacteria, even when antibiotic drugs fail. Thats important
news as we collectively cope with resistant superbugs. Research in
the journal Nutrition found that ginger was highly effective against
Pseudomonas aeruginosaa type of bacteria that can cause a wide
range of infections, including those of the blood, lungs and ears.
The lab study found that ginger even worked against resistant
strains of pseudomonas.
There are so many amazing culinary and medicinal uses for
ginger that youll always want to have a supply on hand (fresh is
superior to powdered). Its easy to integrate ginger into the diet.
You can add fresh ginger to curries, soups, stews, vegetable or meat
dishes, stir-fries and desserts. Or, add an inch or two of fresh ginger
to your juicer when making your next vegetable or fruit juice. THAI GINGER-COCONUT SOUP
This is one of my favorite soups. It is perfect
for dinner on a cool day, but its so good
youll probably want to make it year-round.
Plus, its one of the easiest soups youll ever
make. It takes about 45 minutes to prepare
and cook but the actual prep time is closer
to five or 10 minutes.
March/April 2017 45
Thyme
Thyme is not only a welcome addition
to meat, poultry and vegetable dishesit
is a welcome antibacterial remedy for
anybody looking for a powerful herb in
the fight against a variety of infections.
Its effectiveness is largely due to the com-
pound known as thymol, which is found in
the miniature leaves of this plant. But dont
underestimate these tiny leaves. Thyme has
been found to be one of the most antibac-
terial herbs available.
In one lab study assessing the antibac-
terial action of essential oils from seven
herbs against E. coli bacteria, researchers
found that thyme oil was among the most
effective. E. coli bacteria are responsible for
many cases of food poisoning every year.
Another lab study published in the
Journal of Oleo Science found that the
essential oil of the species of thyme known
as Thymus vulgaris was highly effective
against harmful bacteria that are found
in contaminated food. The researchers
concluded that thyme oil exhibited broad-
spectra activity against food-borne bacte-
ria, including: S. aureus, [and] E. coli
While the researchers used the oil
extracts of the plants, it is likely that simi-
lar antibacterial properties can be found
in the fresh or dried herb or an alcohol-
based tincture of thyme. Keep in mind
that dried herbs tend to lose their poten-
cy within six months to a year. To make a
thyme herbal tea, simply add 1 teaspoon
of dried thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh) to
one cup of boiled water and let steep for
10 to 15 minutes. Strain and drink one
cup three times daily. NATURAL ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
With its penchant for knocking out food-borne bacteria such as
E. coli, thyme essential oil makes a handy helper in the kitchen,
where it can be used in this all-purpose blend to wipe down
countertops, faucet handles and more.
46 motherearthliving.com
Oregano HEALING OREGANO TEA
Most people think of oregano as a staple in their favorite Greek Oregano tea is often recommended
and Italian dishes, but study after study showcases oreganos potent to help ward off congestion and sinus
antibacterial properties, as well. Scientists published their research problems. Its simple to make: First,
exploring the effectiveness of oregano (in conjunction with savory) bring 2 to 212 cups water to a boil.
in the journal Helicobacter. The journal is named after the bacteria Add 4 to 6 tablespoons fresh oregano
known as Helicobacter pylori, which is a harmful bacteria and the leaves, reduce heat to medium and
cause of many gastrointestinal infections, ulcers, gastritis and a pos- simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, add
sible precursor to cancer of the gastrointestinal tract or lymphatic honey to taste, and enjoy. Drink several
system. In this animal study, the researchers found that the essen- cups daily, as needed.
tial oil mixture has great potential as a new, effective and safe thera-
peutic agent against H. pylori.
In another study published in the journal Natural Products
Communications, researchers explored the capacity of oregano
essential oil to inhibit the growth of various bacteria, including
MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
due to its resistance to the antibiotic known as methicillin. These
resilient bacteria have been linked with systemic infections of the
blood, heart, spinal cord and bones. The researchers found that in
the lab oregano oil was effective against Staphylococcus aureus and
other bacteria linked with respiratory conditions.
Other lab research found that oregano was also effective against
bacteria that cause strep throat. Published in the journal Frontiers
in Microbiology, oregano essential oil was found to be effective
against strep bacteria.
Not all oregano essential oil is created equal. Be sure to check
the Latin name of the product you choose, as some companies use
marjoram or other varieties of oregano in their products. The oil MICHELLE SCHOFFRO COOK is the international best-
should be extracted from Origanum vulgare. Of course, you can selling author of Be Your Own Herbalist (New World
Library), 60 Seconds to Slim (Rodale) and The Probiotic
also use fresh or dried oregano in your cooking by adding the herb Promise (DaCapo). Visit drmichellecook.com and
to salads, soups, stews, poultry and meat dishes, just to name a few. worldshealthiestdiet.com to learn more about her work.
March/April 2017 47
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Circle #19; see card pg 81
Zone-
by-Zone
GARDENING
GUIDE
Use our regional One of the surest ways to grow a successful vegetable
guide to choose the garden is to emphasize crops and varieties that are proven performers in
your climate. Using well-adapted varieties gives your garden a strong back-
best varieties and
bone, which frees you up to try some fun crops on the sidea guaranteed
most prolific producers formula for a satisfying season. It also gives you a leg up when it comes to
for every garden your gardens health and productivity, meaning youll be able to harvest
more food with less work.
zone in the U.S.
Begin by finding your gardening zone, using the map on page 51. The
United States Department of Agricultures Plant Hardiness Zone Map
BY B A R B A R A P L E A S A N T divides North America into zones based on minimum winter temperatures,
which we will use as a starting point. Long-lived trees, shrubs and perenni-
als are given a range of zones in which they grow best, and because a zone
number also reflects the length of the growing season and intensity of sum-
mer heat, knowing your zone helps vegetable gardeners, too.
In addition to using the map here, the Zone Map website (planthardi
ness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb) includes a pull-down menu where you can
see your states Zone Map. Once you know your zone, commit it to memory,
and read on to learn about the most unstoppable crops for where you live.
The growing seasons listed here are averages typical of the various zones.
You can find the specific length of your growing season, plus your specific
first and last frost date at almanac.com/gardening/frostdates.
March/April 2017 49
or purple pods as edible ornamentals, and fill
your freezer with long-vined Sugar Snaps.
Potatoes thrive in cool summer climates,
and the most interesting harvest includes two
or three varieties. High-quality russet potatoes
such as Gold Rush are great baking and frying
potatoes, so they are ideal when accompanied
by boilable Dark Red Norland. For early pota-
toes, try Yukon Gem, a more productive and
disease-resistant spin on Yukon Gold.
In these
chilliest
areas
of the
Ailsa Craig onion,
country, rareseeds.com
the focus
Purple Haze carrots,
is on cool- Red Express cabbage, johnnyseeds.com
weather johnnyseeds.com
crops such
as peas, Zones 3 and 4
potatoes, GROWING SEASON:
Less than 140 frost-free days
onions & AVERAGE MINIMUM WINTER
carrots. TEMPERATURES: -20 to -40 degrees This is the best climate on the continent to
SUREFIRE FRUITS: Juneberries, raspberries grow huge Ailsa Craig onions from seed or
locally purchased plants. The big, sweet onions
do not store well, but they are a delight in the
garden and the kitchen. For storage onions,
The upper Midwest, northern mountains simply grow Stuttgarter from inexpensive sets,
and New England have short, cool summers or try Copra or Red Wing from seeds.
and long, cold winters, which make them the Carrots can be spectacular in these zones
ideal climates for peas, potatoes and other cool- when grown in deeply worked, organi-
season crops. An asparagus patch is valuable cally enriched soil. Indulge in long, crunchy
because the plants are ready to start growing as Imperator types including beautiful bicolored
soon as the ground thaws, but some varieties Purple Haze or sweet and crisp Sugarsnax, a
emerge so early they can be damaged by cold. superior variety for flavor and texture.
The Canada-bred Guelph Millennium variety Broccoli can stay productive for a long
emerges a week later than other all-male aspar- time if you grow Green Goliath or Green
agus varieties, making it a top choice. Magic, which produce a large primary head
Peas of all types are prime picks, but make followed by numerous secondary side shoots.
sure to grow an elegant Green Arrow-type Stonehead makes a great early cabbage, and
shell pea because they are so beautiful and red cabbage varieties such as Red Express are
delicious. Use snow peas with colorful yellow not preferred by cabbageworms.
50 motherearthliving.com
| EXPERT ADVICE |
Zone
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
10
| RESOURCES |
Baker Creek Fedco Seeds Johnnys Seed Savers Exchange Territorial Seed
Heirloom Seeds fedcoseeds.com Selected Seeds seedsavers.org territorialseed.com
rareseeds.com johnnyseeds.com
High Mowing Seeds Southern Exposure
Botanical Interests highmowingseeds.com Salt Spring Seeds Seed Exchange
botanicalinterests.com saltspringseeds.com southernexposure.com
March/April 2017 51
Unstoppable Provider bush beans are a
great example. The long, crisp snap beans fill a
harvest basket quickly, and happy plants bear
two or three sets of pods. All summer squash
do well in these zones, so have fun growing
Gold Zucchini or Sunburst yellow scallop
squash. If you have space for sweet corn, the
gold standards for flavor and overall quality are
Ambrosia (bicolor) and Bodacious (yellow).
These are familiar names to experienced
gardeners, but have you tried Adirondack Red
and Adirondack Blue potatoes? The vigorous
plants produce bumper crops of colorful spuds
surely fall. Every season brings unexpected bouts own seeds of Red Bull or long-storing cipolli-
tomatoes. of stressful weather, so choose productive, resil- nisan excellent use of grow lights until space
ient varieties that do well in a range of soil types. is needed for tomatoes grown from seed.
52 motherearthliving.com
Pink Eye Purple Hull
peas, rareseeds.com
Lipstick pepper,
rareseeds.com
Zones 7 and 8
Mild
GROWING SEASON: Peppers are always strong performers
winters 180 to 240 frost-free days in zones 7 and 8, whether you grow super-
and long AVERAGE MINIMUM WINTER productive Hungarian Wax hot peppers,
summers TEMPERATURES: 20 to 0 degrees crispy and sweet Lipstick pimento or disease-
SUREFIRE FRUITS: Blackberries, resistant Carmen. If you prefer blocky, sweet
call for blueberries, muscadine grapes bell peppers, King Crimson (red) and Sweet
heat-loving Sunrise (yellow) were top producers in recent
okra, sweet field trials in North Carolina.
It is true that a single plant of a colorful
potatoes, Mild yet chilly winters in these zones give okra variety such as Burgundy can be stun-
peppers & way to long, hot summers best filled with ning, but none of the newer varieties can rival
peanuts. vegetables that know how to handle heat, such 1938-vintage Clemson Spineless for produc-
as okra, sweet potatoes and peppers. Summer tivity in warm-climate gardens.
is bookended by cooler spring and fall seasons. Covington and Beauregard are the sweet
Spring weather is volatile and tends to not last potato varieties most likely to produce boun-
long, while fall lasts longer and is usually less tiful crops of uniform, orange-fleshed sweet
stressful to growing plants. potatoes in a home garden. But some special
The soil seldom freezes in winter in zones 7 sweet potatoes have white flesh, and roasted
and 8, so nematodes and common soil-borne OHenry white sweet potatoes are uniquely
diseases can easily persist season after season. smooth and savory. Beautiful varieties from
As a primary defense, choose tomato variet- Japan and Korea with red and purple skins
ies with some disease resistance, for such as Violetta and All Purple are easy and
example Roma VF or Heinz interesting to grow, too.
1350 for processing, and Peanuts can be terrific fun to grow in
Ozark Pink VF for slicing. zones 7 and 8, and the plants thrive in hot
In the Southeast where summer weather. Lima beans love heat, too,
Tomato Spotted Wilt and often escape damage from pests because
Virus (TSWV) is they are defended by hooked leaf hairs. Yet
common, growing the most productive summer legumes are
DAVID PAPAZIAN
TSWV-resistant varieties such as Bella Rosa Pink Eye Purple Hull peas, which will
Beauregard sweet
or Mountain Glory will help ensure a strong practically grow themselves, provided you
potato, johnnyseeds.com growing season. remember to plant them.
March/April 2017 53
In these tropical growing zones, many
familiar vegetables are grown during the win-
ter months, or during the shoulder seasons of
spring and fall. In early spring, most gardeners
are switching from cool-season greens and root
crops to warm-natured tomatoes, peppers,
eggplant, sweet potatoes and watermelons.
Small-fruited cherry tomatoes set fruit
even in high heat, so varieties such as orange
Sungold or red Sweet Million are dependable
choices. The Heatwave II red slicing tomato
sets fruit in hot weather, and Southern Star
(also known as BHN 444) stands up to TSWV
and several other diseases.
54 motherearthliving.com
| HELPFUL HINTS |
Grow-Anywhere Varieties
Are there some vegetable varieties that grow almost
anywhere? Based on our review of dozens of cooperative
extension publications, these varieties appear on lists
of recommended vegetable varieties in a wide range of
climates. They are easily available in seed racks in many
retail stores.
March/April 2017 55
A Flexible
Home
When it comes to creating their best life in their dream
home, Kimberly Sampson and Adam Maltese have found
flexibility to be their familys greatest asset.
BY J E S S I C A K E L L N E R P H OTO G R A P H Y BY E R I N L I T T L E
E
were driven to design their small, efficient and hyperfunctional dream
home on a wooded lot in Maine by a common parental desireto do
the best they could for their children. Having grown up in upstate New
York, Kimberly says she took a childhood spent in nature for granted.
But as her children grew up in a coastal Maine town and she saw the emphasis on
busy schedules and technology in so many modern lives, she realized she wanted to
give her kids the opportunity for something more.
Kimberly and Adams desire to create a home in nature led them to a neglected,
off-the-beaten-path tract of land a few miles from the Maine coast that had been
something of a dump site for area residences, as well as a nearby sawmill. It had
housed gravel pits and was completely overgrown after having been clear-cut in the
1950s. But Kimberly and Adam liked its size, manageable at four acres; its diverse
ecosystems, which include pine forest, wetlands, ponds and bogs; and its seclusion,
a few miles outside the small town of Damariscotta.
56 motherearthliving.com
CLOCKWISE FROM
UPPER LEFT: Kimberly
Sampson and Adam
Maltese were dedi-
cated to living in har-
mony with nature, and
cleared as few trees as
possible for their small
home and school-
house. The buildings
are clustered at the far
end of the property,
creating a sense of
seclusion. A clean,
minimalist design
ensures both build-
ing and maintenance
remained efficient and
affordable. The
family goats, Forest
and Leaf, are tended
by many, includ-
ing Kimberly and
Adams children and
Kimberlys students.
Before moving,
Kimberly helped run a
two-acre community
farm. Now she calls
her expansive kitchen
garden small. The
Sampson-Maltese
home has had to be
flexible as the kids
have grown from
children to teens.
Enabling their chil-
dren to grow up amid
nature was the driving
factor behind building
this home.
March/April 2017 57
Jumping In A Natural Education
Adam and Kimberly say they both have a knack for jumping into projects with After the family moved and
both feet, and they certainly did when it came to building the house. They bought started settling in, Kimberly, a
the land and built the house in less than a year, with Adam handling nearly lifelong educator, began to envi-
every task himself (along with a few days help from generous family members), sion a new purpose for their
from setting the foundation piers to building the extensive front porch (one of landa new project to dive into.
Kimberlys aesthetic requests). Adams father was a general contractor, so Adam Here our children have this
has a lifetime of experience with building projects, and his work as an architectural lovely experience of being able
designer (he worked freelance at the time the house was built and now works to have their early years outside,
for design-build firm Knickerbocker Group in nearby Boothbay) meant he had she says. She wanted to share that
plenty of design ideas for the couples own home. This was a chance to try some experience with more than just
building techniques Id wanted to try but hadnt had the opportunity, Adam says. her own family. Ive been caring
The concept was to keep the building as clean and crisp as possible and with as for children and families for more
few components as possible, and to make each component do multiple jobs. than 20 years, and now more than
They chose to keep the house small, in part for construction practicality. By ever I see the benefits of children
sticking with the size of the largest commonly available building materials, Adam spending time outside. I have seen
was able to construct the home in a modular style, keep costs down, and source that outdoor time helps children
supplies as close to home as possible. While Adam and Kimberly wanted the grow strong and helps build their
home to be efficient, they valued an adaptive, workable design over aiming for imaginations. Conflict resolution
net-zero. I see it time and again, Adam says. People will build these houses that is rarely needed between children,
are wonderfully efficient, and five years later they remodel and they kind of undo and I feel in the long run children
the resources theyve tried to be conservative of. They havent used a lot of heat- perform better academically. In
ing oil, but then they cut a hole in a wall and replace windows with new ones and addition, children who spend time
upgrade other systemsit sort of blows the whole idea. in nature regularly are shown to
So instead of aiming for state-of-the-art, they chose to aim for functional, have a deeper lifelong appreciation
durable and flexiblea home that would last for many years. There were also liv- of the environment.
ability reasons they wanted the house to be small. By staying small, they would Kimberly decided to open a
minimize their home maintenance requirements, and theyd be able to opt for nature-based preschool out of
higher qualityeven on their trim budget. I didnt want to take care of our her home. Adam built a small,
house often, Kimberly says. Were pretty tidy, and I didnt want to spend a lot efficient schoolhouse next to
of time maintaining a tidy home. So we knew we wanted a small home. But there the main house, styled to match.
were also a few beautiful things we wanted. If it was small, we could have the Today, about eight students aged
beautiful rug or sofa. 3 to 6 gather at the Little House
58 motherearthliving.com
A Home
for Wildlife
Kimberly Sampson and Adam
Maltese worked to minimize the
material inputs that went into
building their dream home. The
two were also conservative when
it came to developing their plot
of land. Keeping the building
site small and clustering build-
ings together meant they could
preserve the forests, wetlands
and bogs on the remainder of
their four acres. They worked
to enhance these natural areas,
clearing away brush, and open-
ing up land that enabled animals
to migrate through their prop-
erty. The old gravel pits have
been cleaned up and become
ponds. Today, their land is home
to a huge array of migrating
birds, including a variety of
ducks, geese, loons, blue herons
and songbirds. Frogs sing from
the ponds. And the property is
regularly visited by foxes, fishers,
coyotes and even moose. I feel
like theres been a resurgence of
life here because of clearing and
opening and putting the good
work in, Kimberly says. It has
such a good energy, all the ani-
mals want to come and visit.
March/April 2017 59
School (littlehouseschool.org) to spend their days exploring the forest and caring room into four smaller compart-
for the schools chickens, ducks and goats. They spend about 70 percent of their ment rooms and back to two
time outdoors during spring and fall, and about 40 percent of their time outdoors bigger rooms, to accommodate
throughout winter, with activities that range from collecting wild cranberries to changing needs as the kids grew.
watching salamanders and toads in the pond. Inside, they do work drawn from This dynamic aspect has worked
both Montessori and Waldorf educational philosophies, and learn practical crafts especially well thanks to the homes
such as baking bread. Its a forest-based curriculum, Kimberly says. Its a forest modular design.
and farm school. One of the girls calls it a goat school. What this house has taught
Kimberlys main goal is to take children out of the hectic pace of modern liv- me, or maybe its age or wisdom,
ing and let them move more slowly, give them time to be curious. One of the as were starting to see the kids
things the parents appreciate is how slow our day is, Kimberly says. If it takes grow up, is how dynamic our
this much time to gather the eggs, it takes that time. Sometimes for 15 minutes house had to be, Adam says. In
we are just looking at the pond. In this world, were often rushing from A to B so a larger house, with enough space,
quickly. Were rushing from soccer to dance to swim lessons; theres this feeling of there is forgiveness built in. Weve
anxiety. When you come here, all of that just stops. had to change the house multiple
times because its so small, were
Flexible Lifestyle constantly tweaking and changing
When it comes to a homesteading lifestyle, Kimberly and Adam look to flex- the system. The kids change on
ibility as well. Although they grow a kitchen garden, preserve some of their own uswait a minute, you guys are
food, own goats and collect eggs from their chickens, they also both have careers bigger now. It was almost like this
they love, so they look for a happy balance of self-sufficiency and livability. Its was a lesson on the dynamics of
been this constant evolution, Adam says. It gets easier and things start finding a how things change. Were looking
more steady rhythm, and then we want more. We say, Lets do this or that. at our future, too, projecting into
The couple continually looks to add new endeavors that enrich their fam- when the kids are in college, and
ilys life. Each year, they take on new projects (last year, they cleared a new field our house will change again. Weve
for potato planting, and this year theyre considering taking on a rescue donkey tried to make portions of the
and pony)but they dont pressure themselves to live entirely self-sufficiently. house so they can be reconverted
And just as their lives have evolved over time on the property, so too has their again, when it wont have to be
home. When the blended family first moved in, the four at-home kids were 6 broken into two big bedrooms. We
and 9, two of each age; today they are 12 and 15 (Kimberlys oldest son lives and used the flexibility built into that
works in upstate New York). As the children have grown, theyve shifted their system in ways we may not have
home, adding a 16-by-20-foot addition that includes a master bedroom and some expected at first. Small forced us
much-needed storage spaces, and reworking the childrens spaces from one large to be continually flexible.
60 motherearthliving.com
CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE LEFT:
The large, open loft structure of the
childrens bedrooms has allowed
them to rework the space numer-
ous times to suit evolving needs
for privacy and togetherness. In
Kimberlys nature-based school,
work from Montessori and Waldorf
traditions combine with real-life
outdoor skills. The home, build-
ings and garden are nestled in
amid the forest for total immersion
in nature. Kimberlys students
model masks made with fall leaves.
Kimberly and her students some-
times play with a horse cart her
family found for free from an area
farm. Kimberly and Adams two
12-year-old daughters enjoy relax-
ing on the houses large porch.
March/April 2017 61
62 motherearthliving.com
Slow
Loss
Explore how shrinking
biodiversity affects the foods
we loveand what we can
do about it.
BY S I M R A N S E T H I ,
F R O M B R E A D, W I N E , C H O CO L AT E :
T H E S LO W LO S S O F F O O D S W E LO V E
March/April 2017 63
I had no idea how hard it was to get a coffee bean from a forest in company. At least 90 percent of all con-
Ethiopia to my local caf, or how much work and care went into mak- tainers of yogurt, milk and ice cream
ing a premium bar of chocolate or a hearty loaf of bread. I had no idea made in the U.S. are made with milk
how endangered the best, most delicious versions of these things are. from one breed of cow, the Holstein-
Understanding what it takes to sustain and save those foodsin farms, on Friesian, known as the highest-producing
our plates and in lifelies in the recognition that how we eat is a reflection dairy animal in the world.
of how we live. By sustaining agricultural biodiversity, we sustain ourselves. This increase in sameness is what
Eating with the fullest pleasurepleasure, that is, that does not conservationist Colin Khoury and co-
depend on ignorance, Berry adds, is perhaps the profoundest enactment authors of the most comprehensive
of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience and cel- study to date on the diversity (and lack
ebrate our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living from mystery, thereof) of our food supply call our
from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend. global standard diet. The research-
ers analyzed 50 years of data on major
The Standardized Diet crops eaten by 98 percent of the popula-
For millennia, weve made decisions about what to grow or not grow tion. They found diets around the world
and what to eat or not eat. Thats what agriculture is: a series of decisions we, have expanded in terms of amount,
and our ancestors, have made about what we want our food and food system calories, fat and protein, with the great-
to look and taste like. But our ability to make these decisionsand indulge est number of our calories now coming
in our pleasuresis being compromised in ways that are unprecedented. from energy-dense foods such as wheat
While some places in the world are experiencing an increase of diver- and potatoes.
sity in certain parts of their diet, the general trend is the same one we see But this availability obscures the
in phones and fashion: standardization. Every place looks and tastes more more challenging truth that Khoury
similarand the country that sets this trend is America. The refined car- and his colleagues discovered: Globally,
bohydrates, animal proteins and added fats and sugars that make up the foods have become more alike and less
majority of our diets have also become the template diet for the world. diverse. As the amount of food around
I know it feels counterintuitive to contemplate loss, particularly against the world has shrunk to just a handful
the backdrop of floor-to-ceiling aisles in supersized supermarkets. In a of crops, regional and local crops have
Walmart (the No. 1 grocery chain in the United Staes) in Winston-Salem, become scarce or disappeared altogether.
North Carolina, I counted 153 flavors of ice cream and eight brands of Wheat, rice and corn, plus palm oil and
yogurt. But then I looked further. The choices are superficialprimarily soybeans, are what we all eat nowthe
in flavor and secondarily in brand, most of which are owned by the same same type and the same amount.
ABOVE LEFT: Heirloom plants offer much greater diversity in flavor and appearance than conventional
grocery store choices. ABOVE RIGHT: America is the trendsetter in the growth of the global standard diet.
64 motherearthliving.com
| CASE STUDY |
In the United States, wheat is distinguished The antithesis to this flavorless, chemical-
by season, color and hardness. Hard wheats, filled bread is bread made with minimally
such as bread grains and durum, are largely processed local, heirloom grains. Carolina
grown in Midwestern states including Ground, the only mill in the southeastern
Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado. United States dedicated to the exclusive
Soft wheats, primarily used for cakes, pas- processing of regional grains, grinds local,
tries and biscuits, are grown in the South. heirloom grains in small batches with the
germ crushed into the endosperm flour,
Understanding that the more popular U.S. spreading its oils and flavor. When sift-
market is for hard wheat, local growers in ing, Carolina Ground removes larger bran
Maryland, Virginia, and North and South particles but doesnt fully separate the
Carolina approached wheat breeder and three components of the grain berry, says
plant geneticist David Marshall and asked founder Jennifer Lapidus. What we offer
if there was a way they could expand into to the bakery is a distinctly different flour,
ABOVE: Most of the variety
those types. And my first reaction was... with flavors not detected in a roller-milled in grocery store products
no, Marshall says. But then I said, Well product. involves flavoring or branding,
take a look at it. So we did. not differing ingredient variet-
Chef and co-owner of Blue Hill restaurant ies. BELOW: In the U.S., the
After much research, in 2009 Marshall and Dan Barber clarifies, Using freshly ground Holstein-Friesian cow breed
his colleagues developed two lines that provides at least 90 percent of
whole-grain flour allows you to taste things
milk, yogurt and ice cream.
did particularly well in North Carolina and in the grain you otherwise would have
Virginia and were released as premier vari- missed. Each new graineven each new
eties of hard winter wheats by and for the harvestwe receive is very different. So, in
East Coast. One of the projects long-term that sense, there is very much a terroir to
goals, Marshall explains, was to see if they breada story thats being told not only
could greatly reduce East Coast millers and about the soil but also about a larger com-
bakers reliance on trucking or shipping in munity of breeders, millers and bakers.
tons and tons of flour that had been pro-
duced in the central U.S. So far, its working.
March/April 2017 65
Yes, this increase in carbs, fats and proteins has helped feed hungry they speak to a startling trend: We rely
people, but on a global scale its also increased our chances of becoming on fewer species and varieties for food
what author Raj Patel calls stuffed and starved. The world overconsumes and drinka treacherous way to sustain
energy-dense foods but eats fewer foods rich in micronutrients (the small what we need to survive. Its dangerous
but essential vitamins and minerals we need for healthy metabolism, for the same reason investment experts
growth and physical development). While 795 million people go hungry, tell us to diversify our financial hold-
more than 2 billion people are overweight or obese. And both groups ings: Putting all our eggs in one basket
suffer from micronutrient malnutrition. (figuratively or literally) increases risk.
The global standard diet is changing the biodiversity of nearly every The loss of agrobiodiversity has and
ecosystem, including the 100 trillion bacteria that live in our guts, part of will transform not only what and how
whats known as our microbiome. The foods and drinks we consume add we eat but who will have the resources
to or, increasingly, detract from the diversity of our intestinal flora and to eat at all. Because behind every one
have implications for how healthy or unhealthy we are over the long term. of these foods and drinks are the people
The factors that contribute to this change are complex and interconnected, who rely on them for their livelihoods
but the main reason for this shift is that weve replaced the diversity of from field hands and factory workers to
foods we used to eat with monodiets of megacrops, funneling resources and grocery clerks and chefs.
energy into the cultivation of megafields of cereals, soy and palm oil. As How do we feed one another? And
farmers from all over the world move toward growing genetically uniform, how will we feed one another? Its
high-yielding crops, local varieties dwindle or disappear. This is why were impossible to escape the headlines and
now facing one of the most radical shifts weve ever seen in what and how news reports expressing concern about
we eatand in what well have the ability to eat in the future. future food security for our growing
population. But 805 million people are
More Food, More Hunger hungry today. This includes more than
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United one in five American households with
Nations (FAO), 95 percent of the worlds calories now come from 30 spe- children that are food-insecure. A sta-
cies. Of the roughly 30,000 edible plant species, we cultivate about 150. tistic that, when broken down by race
And of the more than 30 birds and mammals weve domesticated for food, and ethnicity, becomes even more heart-
only 14 animals provide 90 percent of the food we get from livestock. The breaking: Almost 40 percent of African-
loss is staggering: Three-fourths of the worlds food comes from just 12 American kids and 30 percent of Latino-
plants and five animal species. While these numbers are rough estimates, American children are undernourished.
ABOVE LEFT: Although we produce more than enough food to feed the global human population,
one in five American households with children is food-insecure. ABOVE RIGHT: Buying unusual and
heirloom varieties from local producers is a great way to impact diversity on a local level.
66 motherearthliving.com
| CONSIDER THIS |
3 FREQUENT FARMERS MARKETS and craft beer over, say, a Bud Light. All foods can
exhibit a taste of place. Support makers who Journalist and educator
support farmers growing heirloom variet- Simran Sethis book Bread,
highlight those unique characteristics and Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss
ies. In produce, start with fruits and veg-
take time to savor the array of flavors these of Foods We Love is about the
etables in colors and shapes different than rich historyand uncertain
foods offer. (The tasting guides in Bread,
the uniform ones on grocery store shelves. futureof what we eat. The
Wine, Chocolate are designed to help.) book traverses six continents
With meat, eggs and dairy, ask where and
to uncover the loss of agri-
how livestock was raised. (Rearing practices cultural biodiversity, told
impact soil diversity and diversity in breeds.) 7 GROW YOUR OWN. Seed Savers through an exploration of
the senses and the stories of
Exchange and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, bread, wine, coffee, choco-
March/April 2017 67
For the past 20 years, the rate of global food production has increased as we sustain the diversity found in the
faster than the rate of global population growth. The world produces wild, on farms and in stored collections
more than one and a half times enough food to feed everyone on the that contain the traits we might need:
planet, which is also enough to feed the population of 9.6 billion we immunity to a disease, greater adapta-
anticipate by 2050. tion to a changing climate, the possibil-
This matters because a lot of the changes we see in food and agricul- ity of higher yields or greater nutritional
ture have been made in the name of feeding hungry people. But the chal- valueand delicious taste.
lenge isnt simply an issue of production; its one of access. Food and the But in order to support this diversity
resources required to buy food arent efficiently or equally distributed. and facilitate change, we have to start
Thats why the hungriest people in the world are smallholder farmersthe thinking differently about the food in
more than 500 million people responsible for feeding the majority of the our fields and on our plates, and be
worlds population. The people who grow food are too poor to buy it. more discriminating about its sources.
The majority of these farmers are women, most of whom live in How do we buck the system just a little
extreme poverty, which is why they are moving to cities and entering the bit? Khoury asks. Think of oil. Were
formal workforce in higher numbers. (Women have always worked, but definitely eating more of it: soybean oil,
they arent always recognized or paid for it.) Add to this fewer home gar- then palm oilmuch more than other
dens; less time to grow food; the exponential growth of supermarkets and oils around the world. Although it isnt
fast food joints; and a bit more money with which to buy cheap, processed immediately obvious that eating olive
food. Youve now got a recipe for the global standard diet. oil would be radical, in the big picture
thats exactly what it is. Eating olive oil
Reversing the Trend is now a radical act. Eating anything
Soon after I started researching this book, I saw a bumper sticker that thats not rice, wheat, corn, soy or palm
read Extinct is Forever. Its true. Its what we face every time we shrink oil is radical.
agrobiodiversity from thousands of varieties down to a handful. We stop The revolution starts here, on our
growing it, we stop eating it and, slowly, it disappears. The loss of genetics plates, by looking at the pillars of our
is accompanied by the loss of knowledge on how to grow foods and how own diets and by making simple changes.
to prepare and eat them. Its the cultural erosion that accompanies the The way to take back this power for our-
genetic one: Our culinary traditions are going extinct, too. selves is to understand why we eat what
Fortunately, a lot of these changes have occurred in the last few we eat. And to understand what were
decades, which means they can change again. That is, of course, as long losingso we know what to reclaim.
68 motherearthliving.com
Bread, Wine,
Chocolate
The Slow Loss of Foods We Love
Part love letter to the ingredients that give us daily
pleasure, part wake-up call to the homogenization that is
threatening to wipe out the diversity of our food supply,
Bread, Wine, Chocolate explores the history and
cultural importance of our most beloved tastes and the
modern challenges they face.
Food has always been connected with joy, desire, and comfort.
Lovein the culinary sensecan be found in extreme and exotic
places but also (or even more so) in the most simple of everyday
pleasures. Taste is both primitive and sophisticated, inherent and
evolved. Our response to sweet, salty, bitter, or sour relects biological
characteristics as well as emotional connotations.
in linear thinking in the forward and linear: They do all their soil prep in spring, then plant the entire
garden around May 1st. Throughout the year, theyll harvest whats ready, but
garden, try the quilters may not follow up with more planting. But using this method, we end up with
frame of mind to harvest a 12 heads of cauliflower at once, then none the rest of the season. Thats not how
variety of food all season. we shop for food, and it makes the garden less useful than it could be.
March/April 2017 71
GARDEN TIPS & TECHNIQUES
For the past several years, Ive taken a different approach. To make full use of my
relatively small growing plot and harvest a wide variety of vegetables every week, Ive
CANOPY CROPS will be in the
garden a relatively long time, like Fixed
gardened via what I call the patchwork philosophy. I take advantage of my space by Crops, but they lend themselves well to
sowing little patches of crops wherever possible, whenever possible. I spread out the interplanting. This means theyre spaced
planting of any given crop so that Im not putting it all in the garden at once. The idea far enough apart when theyre first
is to maximize production and diversity, and to never leave a spot empty that could be planted that you can tuck in another
growing foodeven a small amount. Growing my patchwork garden not only yields fast-maturing crop between them. For
more overall food, but introduces a fun element of strategic planning. instance, in late spring if I transplant
I invite you to see your whole garden as a colorful patchwork quilt thats constantly five tomato starts, I have to space them
changing. Forget straight rows or one planting date for each season or each crop, appropriately so they have plenty of
and think more in terms of an evolving network of different-sized rows and patches room to mature. That leaves temporar-
that youre continually sowing throughout the year. ily empty space between and along the
plants when theyre young, where I can
The Strategy sow patches of fast-maturing greens
Theres no single prescriptive plan for planting a patchwork garden. Rather, this is and radishes, which Ill harvest right
about seeing your garden in a new and unusual way. To help you visualize some pos- about the time the tomato plants get
sible planting progressions, Ive divided several popular garden crops into Rotating big enough that they need that space.
Crops, Fixed Crops and Canopy Crops, organized in the chart on page 73. Corn can work the same way, and can
also function as a living trellis for pole
beans and a canopy for squash, such as
ROTATING CROPS comprise fast-maturing crops; one and done crops that
dont offer a continuous harvest; cool-weather crops that only take up space from
in the traditional three-sisters planting
technique.
spring to summer or from summer to fall; and overwintering crops, such as garlic,
that will only take up space during late fall of one season, and then until midsummer In general, with patchwork garden-
the following season. ing, youll have an advantage if you
choose quick-maturing varieties. Long-
season broccoli, for instance, can take
FIXED CROPS generally need to stay putor fixedlonger than Rotating
Crops. Thats because they either need a long growing season and plenty of warmth to
more than 90 days to mature, but much
faster varieties have been developed that
mature, or they continually put on a harvest once they reach maturity, meaning youll produce in 55 to 65 days. The quicker
benefit from keeping them in the garden until frost. your crops mature, the sooner youll be
able to fill those patches with new crops,
In a patchwork garden, take
and the more overall food youll harvest.
advantage of vertical growing
spaces whenever you can.
Using season-extension devices, such
as cold frames and mini low tunnels,
will also give you extra time to fit more
patches into your plan.
Theres a temptation to cram too
many plants into a given spot with this
method in an attempt to grow more.
That wont pay off. Although youre tuck-
ing in small patches, take care to plant
crops far enough apart that they have the
space they need to mature and thrive.
Because patchwork gardening is all
about maximizing space and potential,
it goes hand-in-hand with vertical grow-
ing. Any time you can save space by
growing up a trellis or support, such as
with cucumbers, do so.
If you can, start your own seeds.
Days to maturity is one thing, but days
72 motherearthliving.com
GARDEN TIPS & TECHNIQUES
| LEARN MORE |
Your Quilt Patches Let this chart of popular crops guide you in selecting planting patches throughout the year.
The times to maturity listed are estimates. Ive included tips on whether to transplant or direct sow, but in some cases, you can
make either work.
CANOPY CROPS
Cucumbers Transplant 40 to 55 days from transplant Plant in late spring and leave until frost
Melons Transplant 65 to 80 days from transplant Plant in late spring and leave until frost
Pumpkins/ Transplant 65 to 100 days from transplant Plant in late spring and leave until frost
winter squash
Sweet corn Direct sow 70 to 90 days Succession sow in blocks in spring/early summer
Tomatoes Transplant 55 to 90 days from transplant Plant in late spring and leave until frost
March/April 2017 73
GARDEN TIPS & TECHNIQUES
spent in the garden is another. You can sublet a lot of days to your seed-starting pots. Sowing Your Quilt
Even try transplants for crops like beets, which are often direct-sown, to decrease time Youll want to know your first and
in the garden and increase the patches you can squeeze in. Seed-starting also offers last average frost dates. You can look
you more control over timing. Instead of transplanting all your fall cauliflower on one yours up by ZIP code at davesgarden.
day, you can start a small number each week for several weeks, and then spread out com/guides/freeze-frost-dates. I suggest
those transplant dates over time. writing your dates at the front of a gar-
Ive left perennial crops out of this discussion, but that doesnt mean they cant dening journal that you store right with
make up permanent patches in your overall quilt. In fact, they should! I simply plant your seed stash.
around my perennials, such as rhubarb and strawberries. As soon as your ground is workable
in spring, you can begin sowing patches
of cool-season crops, such as peas, salad
A GARDEN BED IN LATE SPRING mixes, radishes, spinach and turnips.
Even with these, dont put all of any one
Almost-mature
beets crop in at once. To keep a continuous
Mature peas harvest flowing, break crops up in suc-
growing up
Almost-mature
cession patches. For instance, plant a
teepee
Mature lettuces
broccoli little patch of salad turnips each week
for several weeks. Or, plant a patch
New tomato each of snow peas, snap peas and shell
starts
Zinnia peas around a few teepees as early as
possible. Then, about four weeks later,
Young lettuces
Radishes plant another teepee of each. This is the
Almost- strategy market gardeners use to ensure
mature
New tomato continuously available produce at mar-
cabbage
starts
Just-planted beets ket over many weeks, and you can make
this work on a micro scale at home so
Newly planted the fresh produce youre harvesting rep-
Salad mix peas under resents a beautifully diverse mix.
teepee
As soon as any crop is harvested,
refresh that spot by working in a rich
soil amendment, such as composted
Carrots halfway to maturity Newly planted carrots Salad turnips
re peas
manure. Then, fill the spot with a new
ing up planting. In a single spot, you can gen-
pee
SAME GARDEN BED 1 MONTH LATER
erally grow at least two crops in one
seasonsometimes even three or four,
Bolt-resistant spinach Tomato plants depending on crops days to maturity
Summer and on the number of frost-free days
salad mix
Marigold
in your region. For example, you might
Mature lettuces sow salad mix and spinach in a cold
frame to harvest in spring, then sow car-
Zinnia rots to harvest in late summer, and then
Newly transplant kale and collards to harvest in
planted fall and into winter.
Almost-mature carrots
beets Any time youre using Fixed Crops,
youll likely only be able to fit one other
DEVELOPED BY SHELLEY STONEBROOK
Swiss chard
crop into the mix in that patch. For
Young basil instance, you might plant your spring
snap peas in one spot, and then about
Mature peas the time those are done producing, you
growing up could plant some sweet and hot peppers
Green beans teepee
Carrots halfway to maturity in the same spot, which will stay in the
ground until frost.
74 motherearthliving.com
GARDEN TIPS & TECHNIQUES
You can always mix and match what goes into your patches. Lets say youve produce. If I go to the farmers
harvested all your early spring lettuces that were growing in a 2-by-4-foot patch. market to buy broccoli, its unlikely
Next, you might replace that one crop with two or three other crops, depending on Id buy six heads on the same day
how much you want of each to ripen at a given time. Perhaps youll sow a 2-by-2-foot (unless Im planning to freeze them).
patch of carrots and a 2-by-2-foot patch of beets to fill that 2-by-4 spot. Id rather spread them out over the
Then, a few weeks later, when space opens elsewhere, you could sow more small course of several weeks.
patches of carrots and beets. In some seasons, I might sow any given Rotating Crop as One strategy for getting around
many as six or seven different times throughout the year. For me, there can hardly be a this conundrum is to form a small
patch too small. Even if I have five individual beets growing in a single square foot, thats patchwork gardening group with
fine! Thats the perfect amount to harvest for a delicious side of roasted beets for dinner. friends or neighbors. You can make
Because youll be rotating so many different crop families through many little a date to go shopping for plant starts
patches, youll want to stay mindful about crop rotation. From year to year, I especially every couple of weeks or so. Then,
try to rotate my Fixed and Canopy crops, so that Im not planting, say, tomatoes or split up what you buy. For instance,
other nightshades in the same spot until a few seasons have passed. if you have three gardeners in your
Youll notice in the list of Fixed Crops, Ive added flowers. Im a fervent proponent group, and you take home that six-
of popping in long-season blooming plants wherever possible to draw a diversity of pack of broccoli starts, everyone
insects and pollinators to my garden. plants two that week. You can also
swap seeds within the group to try
Join a Quilting Circle new varieties and further elevate your
When you buy a six-pack of broccoli starts from your favorite garden center gardens diversity.
and take them home to plant, eventually, youll have six mature broccoli heads SHELLEY STONEBROOK
ripen at about the same time. That doesnt fit with how we shop for and use
One-Hour Cheese
Claudia Lucero gives readers step-by-step recipes to make 16 fresh
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GARDEN BASICS
76 motherearthliving.com
GARDEN BASICS
more to cover them. Water until broader leaves and therefore grows
lightly moist, and move to a warm into a lush, full plant worthy of con-
place where temperatures range sideration as an edible ornamental.
between 70 and 80 degrees, such as Ginger and turmeric are pho-
atop your refrigerator. Warmth is toperiodic plants that concentrate
more important than moisture dur- on growing big roots when nights
ing the pre-sprouting process, which become longer in August. Fertilizer
takes three to six weeks. becomes less important as new
When pointed buds appear at the growth subsides, but adding an inch
surface of the soil mix, move your of fresh soil to the tops of the pots
plants to dark-colored, three-gallon helps keep root development on track.
pots filled halfway with organic pot- According to the Rodale Institute,
ting soil (dark containers accumulate ginger should also be hilled (raised),
more solar warmth than light ones). allowing the soils nutrients and air
Cover the plants with only two inches pockets to become more accessible.
of soil at first, and add more every
couple of weeks as more shoots Harvesting and Storage
appear. Move plants outdoors when Wait as late as you can to harvest
nighttime temperatures stay above your roots, but do it before freezing
55 degrees. In early summer, you weather. Pull the entire plant, loosen
can gently transplant them to larger soil around the roots with your fin-
5-gallon pots or square planters. gers, and then clean the roots with
a strong spray of water and clip off
Providing Food and Water the upright stems. Baby ginger holds
Ginger and turmeric thrive on together in a clump until you break
plenty of water, so plan to water your it apart, while turmeric roots readily
plants daily in midsummer. Every detach from the mother clump.
three weeks, top-dress them with a Ginger and turmeric will keep in
balanced organic fertilizer or a few the refrigerator for several weeks, but
handfuls of very rich compost, such the best long-term storage method
as composted poultry manure. If your is freezing. When you want a small
plants are growing slowly or showing amount of either spice, simply take out
yellowing leaves, they are not receiv- a frozen piece, grate off what you want,
ing sufficient nutrients. and return it to the freezer. You can
Both ginger and turmeric grow store baby ginger or turmeric in regular
into upright plants three to four freezer containers, but freezing small
feet tall. The stems and leaves of amounts in vacuum-sealed bags works
ginger are narrow and bamboo-like even better.
compared with turmeric, which has BARBARA PLEASANT Bushel and Berry is a collection of
easy to grow, exceptionally beautiful
and delicious berry plants for the
home gardener. Available at select
8 Great-Tasting Heirloom
Veggies to Grow
Try these delicious garden heirlooms chefs and foodies love best.
ASK ANY CHEF what they think about The most flavorful veggies dont always
heirloom vegetables, and youll probably look like the traditional ones youve grown up
be met with glowing praise. Their superior seeing in the grocery store produce section,
taste, flavors and beauty all help transform says April Yuds, an organic farmer, beekeeper
ordinary dishes into something specialand and food enthusiast at community farm
thats the reason many chefs specifically seek LotFotL (an acronym for living off the fat of
out heirloom fruits and vegetables for their the land) in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. You might
restaurant dishes. have to eat a purple striped bean, a cucumber Dragons Tongue beans
We can bring those same benefits to our that is round and yellow, or a carrot that is not
own kitchens by planting heirloom seeds orange in order to find that outstanding taste.
in our gardens. But their wonderful contri- So how do we know the best veggies to
butions to delicious dishes arent the only plant if were growing for taste? We asked
reason to grow these plants: In the 1980s,
a study by Rural Advancement Foundation
some of our favorite chefs and gardeners
across the country to weigh in and gathered
+
International estimated that 90 percent of eight fantastic picks. Of course, this list is
the seeds available at the turn of the century just scratching the surface of the dazzling What is an
were no longer available. In recent years, array of colors and tastes available from heir-
thanks to the work of gardeners and non- loom seeds. This season, try growing some Heirloom?
profit organizations around the country, the of these varietiesand experiment with Heirloom fruits, flowers,
practice of saving and reviving heirloom other heirloomsand your taste buds will herbs and vegetables
seeds has seen a resurgence. thank you at harvest time. are seed varieties that
have been saved and
passed down for a long
timeusually more
than 50 years, but some
are centuries old. They
have been selected for
flavor, resistance to pests
and diseases, and other
important traits. Unlike
modern hybrid and
genetically engineered
plants, heirlooms are
open-pollinated, which
means they will grow true
to their breed and can
therefore be saved by gar-
deners from year to year.
If you are shopping for
true heirlooms, note that
in practice, many open-
pollinated plants end up
Slices of bright pink watermelon being called heirlooms,
radish look stunning in a salad mix. regardless of their age.
78 motherearthliving.com
GARDEN PLANT SELECTION
RADISH: WATERMELON
This gorgeous, aptly named radish
BEAN: DRAGONS TONGUE
You may do a double-take if you see
resembles a watermelon with its green these gorgeous beans at a farmers mar-
exterior and hot pink interior. In the
kitchen, the versatile watermelon rad-
HOT PEPPER: FISH
As hot peppers go, the fish pepper
ket. Unlike the typical green bean, these
famous Dutch heirlooms are yellow with
ish can do pretty much anything, says is the gold standard, says famed food purple streaks. But these beans are more
Michaela Hayes, chief food preserva- historian William Woys Weaver. Weaver than just a pretty face: Almost 100 gar-
tionist, chef, farmer and co-owner at is the steward of the Roughwood Seed deners at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Rise & Root Farm in New York. Hayes Collection, specializing in heirloom have given them five-star reviews, not-
also runs the preserved food company seeds. The fish pepper came from his ing their flavor and versatility. Superbly
Crock & Jar, which features the water- grandfathers personal collection, so he delicious, they are perfect young and
melon radish in its popular spicy kraut. grew up eating it. The heat of this pep- fresh or lightly sauted, but also make
They are a hard radish, so they hold per can vary from one to the nextso a great shelling bean after they mature.
up great in a pickle, staying crisp and test first! Then experiment with it in Gardeners say they hold up well when
crunchy, she says. Their brilliant pink cooking. The fish pepper is excel- blanched and frozenimportant
centers turn even more amazing as they lent with shellfish, Weaver says. Chef because this compact plant is a hearty
pickle. Its delicious raw, too. Hayes Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen in producer. Described as an annual favor-
recommends them julienned or sliced Baltimore makes a pepper sauce with it ite by gardeners from California and
superthin to add flavor and color to called snake oil. The pretty, variegated Hawaii to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania,
salads. To grow this radish, which is best plant offers ornamental value, as well these fast-growing beans are hailed by
grown in fall, look for the name its clas- try planting a couple among flowers or growers as one of the best gardening
sified under, Chinese Daikon radish. in containers. choices theyve ever made. >>
March/April 2017 79
Circle #xx; see card pg 72
GARDEN PLANT SELECTION
80 motherearthliving.com
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March/April 2017 81
GARDEN PLANT SELECTION
About the size of a golf ball, its per- Mangini features simple, quick-
fect quartered for cooking. Its bright pickled Chioggias in her book, The
flavors come out even more when Vegetable Butcher: Simmer 13 cup
cooked, making it ideal for tomato apple cider vinegar; 2 teaspoons
sauces. Hayes recommends combining sugar; 12 teaspoon sea salt; 1 garlic
Plate de Haiti with other heirlooms clove, halved; and 1 bay leaf over
to create a sauce with great depth and medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
variety of flavor. Use all different Pour over roasted Chioggias cut into
kinds of tomatoes when youre making chunks, and refrigerate overnight.
a sauce, she says. Its just like when Before serving, drain the liquid and
youre making an apple pieits best toss pickled beets with 1 tablespoon
when you use lots of varieties. For olive oil, 12 teaspoon lemon zest, 1
more heirloom tomato recommenda- teaspoon chopped fresh herbs, and a
tions, check out our list of 12 delicious sprinkle of coarse or flaked salt.
options on page 80, or simply check
your local farmers market.
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March/April 2017 83
Making Plant
Medicine
This book is a preferred herbal reference,
clearly explaining the methods for making
everything from simple teas to professional-
quality, mixed solvent tinctures. The herbal
formulary is by far the most complete
reference available to the modern herbalist,
covering the parts used, methods of
extraction, practical usage, dosage and
contraindications for 143 herbs that can be
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EYE-CATCHING AND EASY to care for, succulents are simple to incorporate into any
number of creative dcor projects. This fun living picture frame project from the book
Idiots Guides: Succulents makes use of the plant familys diverse shapes, textures and
colors by displaying the succulents vertically rather than sitting upright. All it takes are a
few materials and light weekly watering to maintain this lush living decoration.
Theres something appealing about plants growing vertically rather than in a pot.
Succulents do especially well in vertical arrangements, so they are a popular choice for
creating living pictures. A living picture can cover an entire wall, or it can be something
smaller and more personal. If youre growing indoors, small and personal is a great
CASSIDY TUTTLE
option. Find a color palette of succulents that you like, or choose a variety of shapes and
textures. Rosettes are a popular choice for living pictures, but branchy, trailing, and even
somewhat tall succulents work well too. >>
March/April 2017 85
GROW, MAKE, BUILD LIVING PICTURE
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