Growing health food plants- How to make so-so food taste delicious-(newer post)

good idea for old jeans https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.corvetteforum.com-vbulletin/639x640/thumbnail_gardening_jeans_27376c684ec5d1b0da6dbc6091538f13d69d3cb0.jpg
:lol:
 
Hi guys,
got some 46-0-0 fertilizer.
Broccoli needs extra nitrogen. the heads are much improved, and taste great, not like the dead stuff in the store. The 46 dissolves in water, so i pour it on when needed. just 2 or 3 tsps per gallon.
,
last year i got some Detroit beet seeds at DG for 50 cents. Only 1 cam up and would not grow for 2 months. Gave it some 46 and it took off 8) Cooked it, sliced and froze. i add 1/2 oz to oatmeal w/salt. Turns it red 8) and tastes great. The greens i put in my black bean stew. Seemed to disappear, but they have great nutrition too.
Got another pack of beet seeds recently, but i figured it is too late for the low insect growing season in the winter. Decided to test anyway. So 14 came up, and that was half the pkg. They are growing very good- i also use a little 10-10-10-5-10-3. I'm surprised the bugs don't like the beets :thumb: I kill bugs daily on the broccoli this time of year, but nothing eating the beets so far. :bigthumb: Beets are known to increase bike range by improving blood flow. :bigthumb:
 
Put 2 window screens 2' above the beets 8) They get full sun until 11am, then the screen cuts the intensity of the sun. they were wilting despite plenty of water. now they are fine.
Mosquitoes are after me so i made an anti-mosquito shirt. Hot glued bits of styrofoam all over inside a shirt, so their drill can't reach and there is plenty of airflow.
Planted a test batch of my 1st home grown broccoli seeds and all 7 came up. Broccoli does not like over 75F so i put a screen over the pot and so far they like it. highs are 85F. Put the pot in the fridge at night so they won't get leggy. In the past, without the screen, broccoli sprouts would die in an hour in the 85 sun :shock:
 
I'm in the middle of a new test- weeds as fertilizer, and the results are very good- way better than the commercial 10-10-10 :shock: i cleared the weeds to plant some PSP purple sweet potatoes, and i was about to put the weeds out for trash pick up, as usual. Instead, i dug 2 holes and stuffed in the weeds, and covered them with 6" of sand/dirt. i stuck a psp slip in each spot. and i planted 4 others in the patch.
2-3 months later, the weed for food patch has healthy vines, like 5-10 feet :shock: and the others are pathetic. so bad that i pulled 1 out and stuffed some weeds under it (2 weeks ago) and now it is doing great :bigthumb:
the weeds were full of seeds, but they did not poke thru so far 8)
.
just found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6B-bURMx-s&ab_channel=SelfSufficientMe
similar, but not what i did
he used young weeds without seeds :thumb:
 
Hi Marty,
nice pile :thumb: the reason i threw out weeds was because of all the seeds. i've been composting sycamore leaves past 3 years. Next time a neighbor throws out a rotted fence, i'll save a good section :thumb: the sycamore leaves do help some, but the weeds are fantastic. my next test is to dig a trench and let weeds grow a few weeks/months, then when i plant, i'll throw in a bunch of fresh weeds/ old ground up leaves, dirt, and just let the bottom weeds get buried. :thumb: and in the back, instead of mowing the weeds, i'll let them grow for plant food 8)
 
my neighbor stopped by, and she also has a farm. i told about how i used weeds, and she thought i was crazy :lol: i showed her the plants, and i could see she didn't believe it :roll: so i told her it was not my idea, and was nothing new. Told her where i learned it.
In the 1960's i lived on a farm and we rented 5 acres to an expert crop farmer, he plowed under the weeds, and planted wheat or soybeans. NO fertilizer and NO weed killer. Weeds are good, and help the next crop grow. :bigthumb:
(nowadays they harvest the weeds and make hay for cattle, bale them and sell them, so they have to use fertilizer)
so she said she will try it :thumb:
.
So, if people ate less meat, they would not need as much hay, and less fertilizer would be needed for wheat, etc, since they would not have to feed as many cows. Bread would cost less, since weeds are free 8)
 
Are you also into natural products for hair and skin care?
I just started using this all natural soap a while ago and I need to find a similar all natural shampoo, all I found was a bar shampoo which seems odd to me. I am also on the hunt for all natural sun protection products (other then mud :lol: )
When I lather up, and cant pronounce the ingredients list, its scary.
Maybe you california, texas, fla crowd have some tips. Long pants, light long sleeve t, a wide mexican hat with a chin strap and ray bans with strap. Something that wont fly off when ebiking or the wind picks up gardening.
 
calab
i use Ivory soap. made from fat and lye. on my bald head too :D
A surprise from my 7% fat diet- my clothes take a long time to get dirty. only do laundry every 30-40 days :shock:
seems the fat in food was coming thru the skin before.
As for the sun, i go out early, before sunrise. or wear a hat.
 
Just planted 20 red onion seeds. i like onions in my stews, but never tried to grow mainly because they were so cheap to buy. Like 3# for $1, then for $2, now onsale $3, and the red are 1.69/lb not cheap anymore, and i'm still cheap , so will try to grow.
Easy to make mistakes. i learned that onions require a specific length of sun, and that up north a day is near 16 hours and here in FL around 12 hrs. crop will fail if wrong variety is used. Red Creole is said to be correct for FL.
Did you guys know the daylight time varies that much?
 
Dug up some psp and most were disappointing. tiny and poor taste :roll: Been putting the leaves in my stew, at least i got something. :thumb:
But got 3 really nice 6 to 8 oz psp from the weed test :bigthumb: and to my surprise there was not a trace of all those weeds i stuffed in the hole :shock:
better flavor too :bigthumb:
so all new plantings will get weeds, or grass 8)
 
i've had problems with moles. UNTIL NOW 8) 8)
moles dig under the plants and eat worms, etc. Plants like to eat worm poop, makes veggies taste delicious.
After the last 2 storms there were lots of twigs blown off the trees. i stuck like 10 twigs around each plant that had moles; pushed them down deep enough to make an underground fence. working great so far :bigthumb:
 
on 12 plants, the mole got into one, did a lot of damage to the roots, so i transplanted it for R&R.
last 5 days the mole comes back. i smash down the dirt, and the next day it is back to the empty spot. anyone know what the mole is thinking? :roll: :lol:
 
I'm about to test this out. Just got a blender to make smoothies. Will be doing experiments on raw broccoli greens. I've already learned how to make delicious non-meat stews. But raw greens need some help.
Here is the blender
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185676705780
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ps- the mole keeps going to the empty spot every day :lol:
 
they got into the other patch and did a lot of damage :eek: plants wilted for 3 days even tho i added stakes after, which stopped them once again :thumb:
so i had some 325mg aspirin, and covered 6 of them with peanut butter :thumb:
3 at each patch at 7 am. 7:20 am 3 were gone, and the other 3 were licked clean :twisted:
.
A single dose of Bayer Extra Strength Aspirin contains 500 mg of acetylsalicylic acid which should be enough to kill an average size rat.
:bigthumb:
will stop my headache if they ate the pills 8)
 
99t4 said:
Matt Gruber said:
...peanut butter...
Click to expand...
Probably not moles.
Click to expand...

You may be right :|
yesterday 5pm
i put 2 ground up aspirin in 1/4T of pb. Dug a 2" hole above a tunnel. i stuck the spoon down into the hole, so i could see the bait with a flashlight.
720am the hole was closed with an inch of spoon handle sticking up. i was going to the store so i left it.
came back 8am and the spoon was gone :twisted: there were dig marks from above :roll: so it could be that pesky squirrel that took the spoon. found spoon in driveway licked clean. :thumb:
What i don't know, is did a mole eat any of the pb. did the squirrel find a half empty spoon or a full spoon.
Squirrel often digs up my plants, i guess looking for, peanuts? Once it stole ALL my loquats, so if i'm rid of the squirrel :bigthumb:
 
Moles are still doing some tunnels, so i'm doing a test of "mole screen"
Have 20x4' of 3/4" mesh, free on trash day.
Transplanted 1 broccoli that was too crowded and not getting enough sun, but moles now and then. Dug hole, stuck in a piece of screen, then dirt, etc, and replanted the broccoli. :thumb: Can moles squeeze thru 3/4"? Can they chew their way thru?
Also considering stuffing just a grocery bag in a hole. Will moles chew thru the plastic? Also could limit drain holes to help keep roots wet. Have to water 2x a day due to sand rapidly draining.
 
Matt Gruber said:
What i don't know, is did a mole eat any of the pb.
Click to expand...
Again, probably not a mole. PB not in their diet. Strictly worms, insect larvae, and grubs.

Will Moles Eat Peanut Butter?

Here’s the thing: a slew of different pests can be lured by peanut butter. It (alongside peppermint oil) is basically the gold standard of vermin control.

The mole? Not so much.

Because this animal has evolved to crave a very specific insectivore diet, its tastes simply don’t include that of nuts or sugar.

Also, its habitat isn’t conducive to a peanut butter bait. Most vermin and rodents can easily sniff out the distinct aroma of peanut butter and run toward a dollop of it because they live out in the open.

From https://www.peststrategies.com/pest-removal/mole-removal/what-do-moles-eat/
 
home depot says my 3/4" screen will do the trick :bigthumb: easy to throw screen in the hole when planting next year or transplanting.
https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/how-to-get-rid-of-moles-and-gophers/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901fca3cad4
thanks for the replies 8)
 
just picked the biggest broccoli leaves, six up to 12"x10" :shock:
going in tommorows stew :bigthumb:
also got some nice sweet potatoes at publix, only .45/lb- 1st time in a year, since i have purple (but small crop this year).
trick i learned by accident is to let the stew stick to the bottom of the pot. the higher temp gives it an amazing flavor. and i cook the lentils 3 hours despite the bag saying 45 minutes .
Big pot gives 4 days of meals :bigthumb:
Neighbor set out a set of 6 nice Emeril SS pots w/aluminum clad bottom and glass lids, about 2 months ago. i'm using the 8 qt pot :twisted:
 
Everything tastes better in a stew. A stew you can easily take to work, anywhere. But what if it is too thin, more like a soup?
Add a thickener. Rice? works but rapidly absorbed. I had pre-diabetes in 2017. So i want lower glycemic foods. Barley is absorbed very slowly. Types of barley
Whole barley- sold as bird seed, has hull. not for humans, but i'd like to cook some as an experiment(it sure is cheap :lol:
Hulled barley- best - hard to find at a reasonable price.
Pot barley- almost as good, ground down a bit, hard to find, on ebay 22 lbs for about $45 shipped.
Pearled barley- what Publix sells 16 oz, dry, $1.69 all i can find locally. makes 3 or 4 pounds when cooked! enough for about 8 quarts of stew, 2 big pots.
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coming next split peas
 
Base stock- what i always start out with in the 8 qt pot.
1.5 cups dry split peas (16 oz bag Publix $1.14)
1.5 cups lentils (16 oz dry $1.33)
1/2 cup dry black beans ($1-2 per dry pound)
rinse off, and check for tiny pebbles
add about 1 gallon water - (do this the day before and let sit overnight)
note:some beans are deadly raw- don't ever put raw beans in a blender in a smoothie.
always cook beans at least as long as the pkg directions.
There are lots of beans for sale, i also do a stew with kidney beans instead of lentils, for example. Finding what you like, or don't dislike, is a trial and error process, and takes time. Anytime i buy beans i don't like, i don't throw them out, i just add like 1/8 cup until they are gone. This is a small reason why a stew is better than, say, a plate with each item separate. I would not anymore, eat navy beans alone, but a few mixed in the stew just disappears and doesn't bother me. Also some experts say to try a new food for 30 days, and you may end up liking it. This happened with broccoli leaves. At first i did not like them, but now when i run out, i miss the flavor. And sweet potato leaves- taste awful, even now, if i put in too many. But when i put in up to 30 leaves i like them (since i grow them, not sold in stores).
So your stew will be different than mine, but you will probably like it better because you will add vegetables that you really like for sure. Before adding the vegetables, i simmer the base stock for 2 hours. Then i add
1 cup pearled barley, stir some, but as it sticks to the bottom of the pot, everything tastes better. If it sticks bad and you can't stir it, just shut off the burner and let it sit 5 minutes, and it stirs easily.
After the barley, i add fresh vegetables, timed to not overcook. Whatever is on sale at the store that i like. Like for Thanksgiving they had sweet potatoes, celery, and onions. The sale items often are fresh and in season, so quality is best. I also like handing the clerk a $20, and getting change. My stew lasts me 4 days :bigthumb: Spices are an individual choice and necessary to get to "delicious". I add 3 shakes of oregano, and 3 shakes italian seasoning when i add the onions, 6 minutes before burner off. And 3 teaspoons of salt. most everybody likes salt :thumb: Big pot will take hours to cool off. I let it stand for 1 hour before eating as the barley keeps absorbing water. If i feel it needs more flavor, i will stir in 4 ounces of tomato paste.
8)
.
(if you really like meat, add, say, a half pound of stew beef, and you will get that beef flavor, which, when it simmers for like 2+ hours is pretty good)
 
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