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I have been reading about WWII Victory/Freedom Gardens lately. I am not sure when the concept began but our history is rich with stories of people who used times of war and economic depression (like The Great Depression) to get proactive and start growing their own food. During WWII you could find posters encouraging you to start your own garden and avoid the restrictions of food rations and to become more self sufficient during those stressful times. Families grew their own food on what land they had. Other people gardened in vacant lots, on rooftops, and in city parks. Public schools even designated areas for gardens and the students maintained them.

The purpose behind the freedom/victory garden was to lessen the demand on commercially grown produce and thus more would be available to the Armed Forces and lend-lease programs. It reduced demand on materials used in food processing and canning. Railroads could focus on transporting munitions and not food. And of course giving the people an important job to do helped maintain the morale of Americans on the home front. By preserving fruit and vegetables for future use they were also preparing for the worst.

So what does this have to do with the present? Well, we are facing an economic depression right now. Our country is at war, gas prices are $4-6 a gallon, and gas prices are causing food prices to skyrocket as well. In the local paper here in Ohio I was just reading about people having to spend 20-30 percent of their income on gas. After they pay their living expenses, if they can, then what do they have left to buy food with?? If ever there was time to bring the freedom gardens back I think now is one of those times.

Although the reasons for starting one might be slightly different. By growing your own food you will become less dependent on greedy corporations to feed your family and become more self sufficient. You will save money by not having to buy food at the higher prices you see now and you will save gas money too. You can grow enough to can and preserve food for later use. You can grow and extra row for the needy in your local community. You can grow heirloom fruits and veggies and help preserve our heritage and the great flavors and colors of these lesser known varieties. You can help send the message that during times of recession the answer is hard work and voluntary simplicity not “shopping” as our current President would have us believe…where the only entity who gets ahead is the corporation.

Also, we may want to garden for food security reasons just like they did in WWII…not because we think we will run out of food but because conventional food growers often use noxious chemicals on our food. Their dirty practices may also expose us to things like salmonella as we have seen just recently with spinach and tomatoes.

To that end I am now calling my modest garden a freedom garden. You can see some pictures of what we have here…I will be adding more as the season progresses. I am growing several varieties of lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, spinach, beans, 4 varieties of tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, squash, and watermelon. We will also be growing our own pumpkins this year. The items we like that we are not growing I will be buying at my local Farmer’s Market. Corn for instance takes up too much space so we can buy it from our farm neighbors. There is also a farm nearby that sells raw nuts and some fruits we won’t be growing. We will be getting apples from a nearby orchard.

It is a wonderful feeling to grow your own food and feed your family with nothing but your sweat and hard work. It is also a great feeling to become less dependent on “the man”. I also like teaching my kids important lessons…aka where food comes from and how to grow it yourself! Preserving food is also another great skill. One book I highly recommend on that topic is Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning, it is full of great information on preservation techniques using salt, oil, sugar, alcohol, vinegar, drying, and lactic fermentation.

If you don’t have a yard to garden in you might try some of the following:

1. Plant in containers on your porch, patio, or window.

2. Look for a community garden that will give you a designated spot or plot to garden. You can also join up with friends or family and plant at one of their homes if they have the space.

3. Find a small secret place to garden at a local park. I know one gentleman who gardens in various places in Central Park!

4. Do you have an elderly neighbor who used to garden but can’t anymore? Volunteer to work their garden in exchange for half the produce.

5. Buy from local farms and skip the middleman.

So now it is your turn. Are you gardening to produce your own food this year? What is your motivation?

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Last year when the lead toys fiasco all came to light, I briefly blogged about a new company called Green Toys. They take recycled plastic and other environmentally friendly materials and turn them into stylish and practical toys. They are made in the USA so you don’t have to worry about weak safety standards like you would if they were imported from China. They comply with all safety standards prohibiting phthalates and BPA.

My family recently got to test drive these great toys made from recycled milk jugs and they got a BIG thumbs up here. They are perhaps a bit more expensive than toys you could buy at Wal-Mart but you really do get what you pay for. Green Toys are sturdy and attractive…not cheap and flimsy looking. I love the darker pastel and earthy colors and to me they just shout out QUALITY. I think they are a much more appealing than anything you could find at a big box store, they are tough and will stand up to some serious play, and they are turning garbage into treasure.

Green Toys covered the basics with the following toy sets:

Green Toys Tea Set (17 pieces) - What little girls don’t love tea sets? I know my daughter does. She has several and unfortunately some of them are the cheap, low quality ones, so we are phasing them out. Her favorite tea set is a Strawberry Shortcake set made with real ceramic but since she is 4, I prefer she play with something less breakable for a while and earth friendly, green toys are perfect. The colors are beautiful with blues, greens, purples, and mauve.

Green Toys Cookware and Dining Set- If you have a play kitchen in the house then you need this cookware set. It has 27 pieces including a stock pot with lid, skillet, plates, bowls, cups, and 4 utensil place settings. It uses the same color scheme as the tea set so this makes a great pair for kids who like to make believe they are cooking and throwing diner parties. My kids could spend all day slaving over their hot imaginary stove.

Green Toys Indoor Gardening Set- My kids get plenty of exposure to gardening outside but other than cut flowers we sometimes forget to bring nature indoors so this is a fun set for kids. It is adorable. It comes with 3 pots, a pea-pod shaped planter tray for the pots to sit in, a trowel, soil, and 3 packets of organic seeds. The seed packets (Teddy Bear Sunflower, Zinnia, and Basil). It is pretty easy to use too. Just drop in the peat, soak with water, wait 30 minutes and you are ready to plant. Unfortunately the pots do not have drainage holes so if your kids will be watering they need to be careful not to get things too wet. We will see I guess, if this presents a problem.

Green Toys Sand Set- We have a nice sandbox outside so these are a hit of course. If you are familiar with sand toys then you will likely know how cheap and breakable they usually are but these are sturdy and sure to last for several summers. The set comes with a bucket, a sand castle mold, a shovel, and a rake. These are perfect for your personal sandbox at home or for trips to the beach. They stay true to the gorgeous blues, greens, and oranges that the other set use too.

Overall I was very impressed with these toys. They will last, the kids like them, they are attractive, and they make use of landfill waste…turning it from trash to treasure. This green mom likes Green Toys.

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We are already starting to collect pictures and ideas for our Spring Slideshow! The last one we did was in the summer.

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Spring has somewhat sprung here in central Ohio. There is a light dusting of snow on the ground as I write this but the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Yesterday a beautiful Cardinal was sitting in an evergreen tree right outside my bedroom window. I also have some rather ugly plastic flower arrangements hanging on my back porch that were there when we moved in. I don’t have a heart to remove them though because every spring a few finch families build nests in them. I have seen a lot of nesting activity this week.

I believe I am rethinking my thought that fall is the best season. I just didn’t appreciate spring until I lived in an area with harsh and dreary winters. I am ready for spring and for planting season. My dining room is overrun with seedlings just waiting to make their debut outdoors so I have gardening on the brain.

I am not the only one because the local gardening centers and nurseries are getting new life too. I saw a gal drop a huge chunk of change on gardening stuff the other day and it got me thinking about how gardening doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are a few ideas for frugal gardeners:

1. Grow Your Own Plants from Seed - Seeds are cheaper than nursery grown seedlings so growing your own will save you some green. Local seed exchange programs and community gardens might also provide you with free seeds.

2. Don’t buy peat pots when you can use your leftover toilet paper rolls, eggshells, or newspapers for free.

3. Instead of buying containers for container gardening why not recycle household stuff like old boots, buckets, baskets, metal tins, old toys, apple barrels, wheel barrels, broken plastic tubs, etc. A few years back (in Arizona) I took two old wheel barrels and stacked them on top of each other in my front yard and planted in them. The result was so gorgeous that a picture of it ended up in a small local newspaper.

4. Make your own pinwheels. I use pinwheels in my garden to detract critters and while they are not that expensive (usually only 1.00 a piece at the store) I can save $10.00 bucks or so and have a nice time crafting with my kids by making my own…and they aren’t plastic…which is a plus. I just love the look of pinwheels blowing around in the garden, it is lovely. Ribbon attached to a stake works good too.

5. Look for open bags of soil at your local gardening center and seedlings that are past their prime. You can usually get some steep discounts on those items. Ask the cashier if they can cut you a deal.

6. Re-purpose broken watering cans by using them as planters or by cutting off the spout and using them as refill containers for bird feeders.

7. Do you or any of your neighbors have fish tanks? When it comes time to clean the tanks use the water to give your plants a tonic they will love.

8. Use a plastic garbage can to collect rain water by putting it under a drainage pipe. Then just scoop out water as needed instead of reaching for the hose to water plants.

9. Use kitchen scraps to make your own compost and put banana peels under your roses to give them a potassium boost.

10. Cut down on fanciful flowers and plant some drought tolerant plants instead like one of my personal favorites, hens-and-chicks.

11. Grow food and you won’t to buy as much at the grocery store! You can even grow your beauty products.

12. Put old saucer or plates under your pots to collect water run-off.

13. Line your pots or containers with 6-8 sheets of newspaper to help them retain moisture so they won’t need to be watered as much.

14. When it rains scoop up your indoor plants and set them outside for a little while to get a drink.

15. Shop for gardening tools, containers, and lawn and patio furniture at yard sales,  garage sales, and barn sales.

Do you have any frugal gardener ideas to share? I would love to hear your ideas!

Technorati Tags: frugal, garden, food, recycle

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I ‘ve got Spring on the brain so I thought I might share some of the stuff I am doing to get ready for planting season.

There are actually many things around the house that can be used to get seedlings started and it makes use of garbage you have around the house, effectively recycling things to give them another use.

First off…to start seedlings you need some little pots. There is no need to buy them…you may already have them. You can make little planters from toilet paper rolls, newspaper, and eggshells.

To make planters from toilet paper rolls:

• Cut each roll in half and press it flat.
• Make four, half-inch to three-quarter-inch slices on one end of the roll to create four equal-sized flaps.
• Open up the roll and fold in the four little flaps like a box bottom.
• Fill with soil and plant your seeds!

You can grow these indoors next to windows (for light) or under grow lights and then when it comes time to plant them in the garden just unwrap the bottom and stick it in the ground. The paperboard of the toilet paper roll will disintegrate over time.

Egg shells can also be used for smallish seedlings and be put directly in the ground for planting. It is easier to manage them if you keep them in an egg container so if you get egg containers from the grocery make sure to save them AND the egg shells. If you get fresh eggs (like I do part of the year) then ask a friend to save their egg containers for you. Freecycle is also a good place to ask people for their garbage, LOL.

Newspaper is another super easy planter. Just take a piece of newspaper and fold it in half once or twice lengthwise. Then roll it around a can or a glass to make the basic “tube” shape. Pull the can or glass out and then fold one half in to make a bottom. Now you are ready to add soil and seeds and these planters can also go directly in the ground and you don’t need to unravel the bottom as newspaper will disintegrate pretty fast.

If you want to get a jump on your outdoor planting but worry about an unexpected frost I have a solution for that too. Save your plastic juice or milk jugs … or ask neighbors for theirs if you don’t use them… and then cut the bottom 2-3 inches off so that you have the perfect cloche to put over your seedlings in the garden. You need transparent milk jugs though not the white or yellow ones that won’t let light through. Also, the 2-3 inch section you cut off can now be used as a tray to start more seeds.

This cloche will protect your seeds from cold, frost, and bugs while allowing them to grow still. Using cloches for bug management also helps you keep to your organic intentions too.

I hope these ideas help you get motivated to start that dream garden this year. For more inspiration you may want to check out Mother Earth News.

Technorati Tags: garden, organic, cloche, milk jug, recycled, pot, seedlings

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We had a cold snap this weekend. The temperatures started dipping pretty low and that meant performing some of those cozy, cold weather rituals that give you such feelings of comfort..for me at least. I don’t know why it is but there is something so thrilling about making that trip into the basement or storage closet to pull out some jackets and sweaters and your goose down comforters and family quilts. I don’t get so excited about summer as I do about chilly weather and the prospect of snuggling up with a soft blanket and lighting that first fire in the fireplace.

I had been preparing for that first fire since we had a tornado here a few weeks back and tons of trees all over the county fell…it was the perfect time to start stockpiling wood for winter. And so lighting a fire today was very nice. My kids loved it to…in fact I don’t think my oldest son moved away from the fire for most of the day, LOL. He did take take a break to hop into his John Deere motorized truck and bring wood up to the house.

Last year we were in a house with a propane fireplace and I am sure that is probably less of a pollutant but it is just not the same. This year we have a home with three fireplaces…one each in the family room, living room, and in the basement. I am looking forward to seeing how they heat up the house so that we don’t have to run the furnace very much. I need to get some more of those Enviro-Log starter logs too.

I was also happy to pull my favorite chilly weather, Billabong hoodie out of the closet today. You may remember when I talked about it before and how my fellow Chemo patients would look at me like I was crazy when I wore it…it has a beautiful embroidered skull on it. I have been getting similar looks here in small town Ohio, LOL. But I love it…my parents bought it for me on a trip to Disneyland they surprised me with while I was going through Chemotherapy.

This weekend is the Applefest too with warm apple cider, apple pies, hay rides, corn mazes, and a live folk band. I LOVE fall!

So what are your cold weather comforts?

Technorati Tags: fall, cold waether, fire, fireplace, apples, hay ride, apple pie

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Do you compost? Well, this is a loaded question. It seems if you don’t compost then you are not doing your best to recycle and avoid needless landfill waste. Composting is the ultimate way to recyle because you are in fact hosting the recycling facility yourself. The recycling plant is in your backyard. Having a compost bin probably should be the first thing you do in an effort to reduce your waste and be a good “green” mommy and a good steward of our earth. BUT….composting can seem a bit daunting. I have always dabbled with composting but was quick to give it up for one reason or another….usually because it attracted unsavory critters if it was outdoors and it smelled to high heaven if it were kept indoors or in any other way confined.

When I moved to my new digs I found I already had an well established compost bin, so I figured it was worth another go and after several months I can call my self a confident composter. Yes, it has bugs but no rodents or other creatures except maybe an occasional raccoon. It doesn’t smell in the least either. In my research to find the perfect compost equation I have some tips to share:

1. The easiest compost bin is one that is low to the ground, open on the top, and large.

2. Add scraps such as raw and cooked foods, vegetable peelings, tea bags and coffee grounds, hair and nail clippings, and egg shells. Also add crumpled up paper, egg cartons (not the platstic or styrofoam ones), paperboard, tissues, and toilet roll spindles.

3. Avoid putting any meat or dairy or food items made or cooked with meat or dairy in the compost bin.

4. If the compost stinks add more crumpled paper and cardboard to help with moisture.

5. The best compost is at least 6 months to a year old, hence the need for a big bin.

6. Don’t let the compost dry out. If you live in an arid climate or you are experiencing a drought you may need to add water.

7. Too much of one material will slow the process down. Mix it up and make sure a variety of materials are composting.

I can’t wait to spread the resulting composted soil on my garden next year! Even though I am happy to say I compost I do realize that it is not such an easy thing for many families, especially those with limited space. So now it is your turn. Tell me abut your compost bin or lack therof.

Technorati Tags: compost, gardening, weeds, scraps, food, gree living

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I just love the availability of delicious local foods during the summer months. This week at my local Farmer’s Market I found potatoes, rhubarb jelly, kohlrabi, and a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie. All of it was made or grown or by local farmers.

And shortly after my trip to the market I stopped by the community garden and picked several bags worth of sugar snap peas, snow peas, yellow wax beans, turnips, hot peppers, green bell peppers, and zucchini. My mom, who is a BIG snow peas fan, cooked up a delicious beef and snow peas meal. All but the rice was local.

In the next few days I will be heading back to the community garden to pick the first of summer’s sweet tomatoes in many varieties. My son is especially looking forward to harvesting the yellow tomatoes we planted called Lemon Boys. I will let you know how they taste smothered with balsamic vinegar and mozzarella cheese. Oh I can hardly wait!

Technorati Tags: community garden, eat local, farmer’s market

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I think I may have mentioned awhile back that I missed out on planting a garden at my home because I moved right during the prime planting time. Well, I was pretty bummed about this but I ended up finding a great way to plant my veggies and eat them too. Some friends and I ended up starting a community garden. Four families all congregated at one member’s home and dug up a large portion of their backyard (they have a couple acres) and we worked for several days planting our dream garden.

On the list of things we planted were onions, 4 different radish plants, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots, 6 different bean plants, cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, hot peppers, herbs, and 6 different tomatoes. I am sure there is more that I am forgetting. We put newspaper and/or straw down between the rows to keep weeds at bay and keep the ground moist. The garden is looking incredible!

After only a few weeks we harvested some peppers, daikon radishes, and zucchini. One zucchini was HUGE. And of course everything tasted delicious. It cannot get fresher than this…picking it in the afternoon and eating it up in the evening.

This has also been a great experience for my kids to work with other people and build a sense of community and of course share the excitement with them too. It makes me want to start a community garden on a larger scale. According to the American Community Garden Association “community gardening improves the quality of life for people by providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education.”

I can see this in action on a small scale already. To see it on a grander scale would be a true blessing.

Technorati Tags: community garden, gardening, planting, veggies, eating

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