Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Lawren Pulse" <lawren@procast.com>]

I would love that recipe on the Mexican candy with the seeds and honey.
Can you share?  Thanksa!

-----Original Message-----
From: livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:livingontheland-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
livingontheland-request@lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 10:21 AM
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Livingontheland Digest, Vol 163, Issue 3

Send Livingontheland mailing list submissions to
        livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
        http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
        livingontheland-request@lists.ibiblio.org

You can reach the person managing the list at
        livingontheland-owner@lists.ibiblio.org

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Livingontheland digest..."


Today's Topics:

   1. Re: lamb's quarters question (Pumpkin Lady)
   2. Re: In Defense Of The Family Farm by Wendell Berry (Liz)
   3. Re: lamb's quarters question (Ken Hargesheimer)
   4. Farmers? Market Tips (Tradingpost)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:28:13 -0500
From: Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@clearwire.net>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] lamb's quarters question
To: minifarms2@yahoo.com, Healthy soil and sustainable growing
        <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <48ECC37D.2040201@clearwire.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Ken Hargesheimer wrote:
>     Lamb's quarter is of the same family as Amarath which is used all
>     over the world.  Two strains of it:  one is for the leaves and the
>     other for the grain.  Some for both.  Seeds are so tiny.  Amarath
>     has red in the young leaves.

Umm... are you sure about that? Amaranth is Amaranthus and 
Lamb's Quarters are Chenopoduim. LQ are related to Quinoa, 
although all the pictures of Quinoa grain I see has it being 
tan and my LQ seeds are definitely black.

>      
>     20 years ago I was given some seed for a leaf variety and planted it
>     in the alley.  Comes up every year.  It is now about eight feet tall
>     and producing seed.  In fact, it comes up everywhere due to the
>     birds scattering the seed.

This I believe, for either one of them. Both of them 
comprise a large part of what most Lubbock homeowners call 
"weeds" ;-)

>      
>     In Mexico, one can purchased "candy" made of the seed and with
>     nuts.  Love it.  Not as widely available is in years passed.

Amaranth seed, you mean, right? I've never seen the candy 
but I have a couple of recipes. The seeds are popped and 
then mixed with honey and other things depending on the recipe.

Morgan, who still hasn't a clue when to cut this stuff. the 
seed heads are full AFAICT, but *shrug* I guess I'll cut a 
lot just before the first frost.


------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:36:52 -0400
From: Liz <liz@allslash.org>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] In Defense Of The Family Farm by
        Wendell Berry
To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing
        <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <1223477633_18946@mail2.swva.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 01:34 AM 10/8/2008, you wrote:

><http://organictobe.org/index.php/2008/10/06/in-defense-of-the-family-farm-
by-wendell-berry/>
>
>In Defense Of The Family Farm

Wendell Berry always says it so well.

His description of the devaluation of work is the argument I have 
over and over with friends and acquaintances. So many people have 
traded enjoyment of their work for the dubious guarantee of salary, 
benefits and paid vacations. I don't know many who are happy with the 
trade, but they're afraid to do anything else.

Thanks for sharing this.

Liz in SW VA
http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com 



------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 12:53:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ken Hargesheimer <minifarms2@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] lamb's quarters question
To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing
        <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>,    Pumpkin Lady
        <pumpkingal@clearwire.net>
Message-ID: <209053.94754.qm@web36502.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I am aware of the different families but had been told they are the same
group. Very similiar when they grow side by side. I have hoed LQ out of
cotton since I was young on the farm. Ken


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/livingontheland/attachments/20081008/2b2c
abe5/attachment-0001.htm 

------------------------------

Message: 4
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:40:31 -0600
From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
Subject: [Livingontheland] Farmers? Market Tips
To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Message-ID: <200810082140310187.120C3CC3@mail.lobo.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"


Farmers? Market Tips
>From Jeff Cox
http://organictobe.org/index.php/2008/04/04/farmers-market-tips/#comment-336
7

The first farmers? markets are opening up in the warmer parts of the
country, and soon they?ll be opening everywhere. You can find the markets
nearest you by visiting www.localharvest.org.

But when you do go to a farmers? market, some questions arise.

The seller may say he or she is organic, but how do you know for sure? Many
small farmers and truck patch operators may very well be organic but don?t
want to go through the paperwork and expense of getting organic
certification. Some unscrupulous sellers may tell customers what the
customers want to hear and claim their produce is organic when it isn?t.

First, ask the seller is he?s certified organic. Here in California, the
certifying agency is CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) and the
seller may have a CCOF sign displayed. That?s your guarantee that the food
is raised organically. There are certifying agencies across America. If
there?s no certification but the seller claims his produce is organic, here
are some questions you can ask to make sure the food is organic.

Ask how he controls cabbage worms. Any organic grower will know right away
that Bacillus thuringiensis, called Bt, is the sure-fire organic control for
those little green worms that chew on the leaves of cole crops (cabbage,
broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi, bok choy, and many
other vegetables). If he says that he doesn?t have a problem with cabbage
worms, be skeptical. White cabbage moths, the adult form of the green
caterpillars, are ubiquitous.

Ask how he controls corn earworms. Most organic growers will tell you that
the worms don?t eat much, and to just break off the tip of the ear where the
worm has set up shop. There are some organic controls like twist-tying the
tip and putting a drop or two of mineral oil on the tip, but they are
impractical for anyone growing a farm-sized amount of corn. A few earworms,
by the way, are a good guarantee that the corn is indeed organic, and the
farmer may tell you that.

Ask his soil pH. Any organic farmer will know his soil pH. In a good organic
soil, it will be between 6.0 and 7.0, ideally about 6.5, or slightly acid.
At 6.5, most soil nutrients are most available to most crops. If the soil is
more acidic or alkaline?that is, out of the 6.0 to 7.0 range?certain
nutrients become locked up and unavailable to crops. So a real organic
farmer knows his pH and strives to keep it as close to 6.5 as possible.
Conventional farmers are more concerned with the amount of chemical
nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium they?re putting down than with soil pH.

Keep in mind that there are two kinds of sellers at farmers? markets?actual
farmers who grew their fruits or produce, and purveyors who buy wholesale
and sell retail from stands at the farmers? markets. It?s easy to tell which
is which by asking this question:

Which variety is this? A farmer will always know the variety names of all
his fruits and vegetables, or his breed of hen if he?s selling eggs. After
all, he had to buy the seed, the woody plants, or the chicks, and he?s
carefully raised them. Choosing the varieties he likes best and that have
the highest quality is a big part of organic farming. A purveyor may know
the variety names of the fruit or vegetables he?s selling, but often may
not. If he doesn?t know, that?s as close to a guarantee that he?s a purveyor
as you?ll get.

The clincher, of course, is to ask, ?Where?s your farm?? The farmer will
know, the purveyor won?t, or he?ll name someplace far away. Remember, the
best way to eat is organic, local, and in season. Don?t be afraid to ask
questions at the farmers? market. Real organic farmers are proud of their
efforts and will communicate that to you.
~~
Jeff Cox is author of The Organic Cook?s Bible and The Organic Food
Shopper?s Guide and lives in Sonoma County, California.
Image Credit: ? Matt Ragen | Dreamstime.com
OrganicToBe.org | OrganicToGo.com
Jeff?s Posts
[Permanent Link] [Top]



------------------------------

_______________________________________________
Livingontheland mailing list
Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland


End of Livingontheland Digest, Vol 163, Issue 3
***********************************************