THE LAVENDER FIELDS - AHHH...

Last week, I drug my loving husband and son out to the Keys Creek Lavender Farm.   (They are such good boys - humoring me!)  This is the only USDA certified organic lavender farm in San Diego.  Located in Valley Center, California and only open to the public a few weekends a year (May-June) - the fields are beautiful, lined with many different varieties of lavender.  There is a gift shop (of course), as well as a refreshment stand which serves lavender scones, which you can have with lavender butter or lavender honey.  You can wash it all down with lavender tea or lavender lemonade, if you wish!  Bees buzzed throughout the fields, a sign that these bees are doing quite well!  There was a guitarist whose music echoed throughout the fragrant farm.  My hubby and son even loved it!  We were able to see the distillery where they extract the oil from the plants.  All around, a lovely afternoon.  

Here are some lavender tips:

* When a recipe calls for rosemary, try substituting lavender leaves, in equal (or less) amounts.

* Dried lavender is much stronger than fresh lavender.  (One tablespoon of dried lavender = 3 tablespoons of fresh lavender.)

* Make lavender infused sugar by placing a few tablespoons of dried lavender in a Mason jar with about a cup of sugar.  Wonderful in teas, sprinkled on top of fruits and desserts, or in baked recipes.

* If you are not growing your own lavender, be sure to only use culinary (English, Provence) lavender in your cooking.  Otherwise, you may end of with a very perfumy dish! 

* A little goes a long way - don't let the lavender overwhelm your dish.

* Lavender is best if used within a year a it's harvest date.

* Buy organic lavender!  You don't want to be ingesting chemicals along with that fragrant herb!

* Once your lavender sachets run out of scent, you can re-invigorate them with a few drops of lavender oil.

* Lavender is a very calming herb.  Use it's oil after a bath and before bedtime to help you sleep.

http://www.keyscreeklavenderfarm.com

ORGANIC GARDENING - TIP OF THE WEEK!

Do you have a problem in your organic garden with those pesky earwigs?  

Here is a trick I use to get rid of them without the use of pesticides.  

Pour some vegetable oil in a shallow container. I use the bottom half of a plastic cup - I just cut the top few inches off. Place the container at the base of your plants that are getting eaten by earwigs. These critters really come out at night and devour a small plant in a few hours. By morning, you will notice tons of earwigs have collected in the container.  

PERFECT DAY

Perfect days just happen.  You can't make them happen.  Take, for instance, Mother's Day this year.  My son was playing at his grandmother's that morning and the last thing he wanted to do was be torn away from his playtime there to spend time with mommy.  I was devastated!  "It's Mother's Day, d*** it!"  I thought, "How could you not WANT to spend time with your loving mother!!!"  Anyway, he finally acquiesced.  We went ocean kayaking (one of my favorite things).  The weather was a bit gloomy - but it didn't look too choppy out there - that is, until we hit the water.  I swear, it was like the perfect storm.  For those of you who haven't been ocean kayaking, you have to take your kayak directly out.  If there is a wave cresting towards you, you HAVE to paddle hard - right into it - and hope you ride over the top of it.  "Oh my god," I thought "What was I thinking!?!"  My son was at the front of the kayak, the perfect view for the 6 foot swells that appeared out of nowhere.  Well, needless to say, we made it!  But, that day was not the perfect day I had hope for.

But take this morning, for example.  Hubby had to work this morning, so after brewing a pot of Roger's Family Organic Fair Trade coffee, my son and I went out into the backyard in our p.j.'s and gardened.  The doggies watched intently and stayed by or side the whole time.  Kitty was inside, jealous, I think!  My boy helped to spread organic fertilizer and seed.  Then, he dug holes to make his own "golf course."  We, sadly, found a dead rat - victim, probably of a crow, and buried it.  He offered a sweet eulogy that the rat come back one day as a baby rat.  Then, we hopped inside to clean up and I made yummy buckwheat pancakes (chocolate chip for him, blueberry for me).  As I cooked, I lit some Nag Champa incense and had Souad Massi blaring on the iHome.  Next, we will go on a "date" - a children's fair whose proceeds go towards pediatric cancer research.   Later, we will come back - more yard work.  Then, I have to learn my lines for a play which starts rehearsals in two days (I am an actor - hey, and I have a job!  Yeah!)  And then, dinner with family tonight!  Doesn't get much better than this.  A perfect day....

Hydroponics

Yesterday, we went to visit Archie's Acres, a hydroponic farm in Escondido, CA.  We have seen them at our local farmer's market and at Earth Fair this year in Balboa Park.  And when the opportunity came up to put a garden in at the school my son will be attending next year, I immediately thought of them.  We are basically turning a parking lot into a beautiful outdoor space, complete with an organic, hydroponic farm, a lovely picnic area, an activity area, and a playground.  The hydro garden will work well, since we have no soil to dig into.  It will require much less space than a traditional garden.  Plus, it is sustainable.  A hydroponic garden requires much less water than a traditional garden and is virtually pest free!

But I had no idea how cool it would be until I visited the farm for myself.  

THE FARM WAS FULL OF ROW AFTER ROW OF GROWING TABLES WITH PERFECT PLANTS THRIVING IN EACH GROW SITE.  COCOA MULCH OR VOLCANIC ROCK IS THE GROWING MEDIUM.  NO SOIL IS EVER USED.  THEREFORE, HARMFUL INSECTS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE PLANTS.  MICRO-TUBING LEADS INTO EACH BUCKET.  IT CONSTANTLY FEEDS THE PLANTS “ONE DROP AT A TIME”  WATER AND ORGANIC NUTRIENTS FROM THE RESERVOIR TANK.  THE TANK RECYCLES THE WATER AND ORGANIC NUTRIENTS CONSTANTLY.  EVERY 2 WEEKS, THE WATER IS CHANGED AND NEW NUTRIENTS ARE ADDED.  FOR A EVERY 75 GALLONS OF WATER THAT A TRADITIONAL “IN- GROUND” GARDEN USES, THE HYDROPONIC GARDEN USES ONLY 15 GALLONS OF WATER!  SINCE THESE PLANTS DO NOT HAVE TO BATTLE PESTS, DISEASE, AND ROT - THEY GROW VERY VERY FAST AND PRODUCE VERY VERY HIGH YIELDS.  FOR INSTANCE, A PEPPER PLANT GROWN IN SOIL MAY PRODUCE 20 PEPPERS.  IN A HYDRO POT, IT WILL PRODUCE 4 TIMES THAT MUCH!  KAREN, CO-OWNER OF ARCHIE'S ACRES SAYS, "AT THAT POINT, YOU ARE MAKING PEPPER JELLY!"  

So, we hope to garner lots of support at my son's future school for this project.  The growing tables will be kid-height, so it will be easy to reach.  Also, an added bonus is that people who are in wheelchairs could easily access this type of garden.  That is a beautiful thing!

Worm Composting - BLACK GOLD!!!

Okay, it looks a little gross!  But earthworms are amazing little creatures.  They help to break down the organic matter in your compost bin and produce the most AMAZING fertilizer for your garden...worm castings!  (Yes, worm poop.)  But did you ever look to see what is in some store bought fertilizers?  Everything from sewage sludge (BAD) to bat guano (poop) (GOOD.)  

Here is how to make your own compost heap - which you can harvest into this fantastic fertilizer.  The cheapest method (while still keeping tidy) is to create a wooden box.  You don't really need a lid.  But, you should drill some holes in the bottom for air circulation.  The box should be at least 3' x 3'.  On the bottom, place wet, shredded newspaper.  The worms like that.  Then add some garden soil.  Next, add some green matter which will provide nitrogen.  Green matter can be anything from kitchen scraps (veggies, fruits) to grass clippings.  Do not put anything in there that has had non-organic herbicide, insecticide, or fertilizer on it.  Also, no cat or dog poop.  And, no meat products.  Then, cover with brown matter (dried brown leaves, small sticks, straw).  This provides carbon to the compost bin. You can also throw in crushed egg shells, paper towel tubes, fireplace ashes, paper towels, tissue, and dryer lint.   I like to cover the whole pile with brown paper bags, or palm tree "paper" that has fallen off my palms.  You could also use a small tarp.  This keeps the rodents away.  

You can buy red earth worms from your local nursery.  Sometimes they may need to order them, so call ahead.  Place the worms in the bin, but be sure not to put them right in the center of the pile, due to the heat of the compost.  They will find their way to the good stuff.  (PS - They don't like citrus rinds.)

Keep the bin slightly moist (like a wringed-out sponge.)  You will also get faster breakdown if you "turn" the pile every few days.  After some time, you will have rich, dark brown "humus"- the BLACK GOLD fertilizer - which you can sprinkle around the base of your plants before watering.  

There is really no way to screw up the compost bin - the organic matter will break down no matter what.  With a bit of extra care - it will break down faster.  The worms help this a lot.  Plus, the big bonus for me is that a compost bin with worms has virtually no flies and pests.  Bugs hate worm poop.  "So, bring it on, worms!  Poop away!"