Sunday 21 April 2013

Happy Earth Day!

For Earth Day, and for every day, I'm doing my share:


 
 
This pot is from a collection I bought in Portugal thirty years ago.  Twenty years ago they all lost their nickel linings.  Re-silvering them would have been very expensive, because they would have to be shipped over a thousand miles away to have the job done.  Most of these are now decorations kept high on a kitchen shelf, but this one has a job to do.



This gets emptied often, where it becomes useful.  During the summer, our compost turns to excellent garden soil within about six weeks.



Once I spilled a lot of kasoori methi, the most pungent spice I know of,  all over the kitchen floor.  Waste not, want not, I swept it into the compost.  That entire summer my compost was curried.  This compost box is a home built variety, made out of scrap plywood.  It's tucked behind the garage, and turned over about every two weeks.  When it gets warmer, and we're outside more, it will usually be discreetly covered with leaves or soil, so it doesn't look too bad when we're walking past.



It's cold and bleak here, even in late April.  Luckily it's warm in there.



As our nights are cold, even in the summer, I grow tender vegetables in here.  This is my source of chillies and tomatoes.


Not only am I growing many of my own herbs and spices, I can relax knowing they aren't filled to the brim with pesticides. 
 
Sometimes mint growing in the garden doesn't come back in the spring, probably because I like to grow fancy varieties.  Instead of buying mint plants, which run around five dollars each, I buy a big bunch of fresh mint in the grocery store, for about two dollars, and root that.  I get about ten mint plants out of that deal.  Enough for tons of mint over the summer, and as much dried mint as I can desire for home grown mint tea.  Outdoors, I grow zuchini, kale, arugala, chives, onions, carrots, peas, potatoes, mint, methi, cilantro, and beans.


You can't buy delicious tomatoes in North America.  If you want to eat them, you have to grow them yourself.  All home grown food, and homemade food is healthier than what comes rolling out of a factory.  Not only are you helping the earth, you're helping your own body when you take the time to compost, garden and cook from scratch.



Our home grown bounty tastes better than anything that can be bought, and we know it's full of vitamins, and free from pesticides.




What else can we do for ourselves and our Mother Earth?

2 comments:

  1. Greetings to you too Mary! How wonderful that you are able to do this!

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  2. Happy Earth Day to you as well! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    ReplyDelete