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Green Tips
Safe Weed Control
We often think of the wonderful healing qualities of plants and gardens, but fail to realize how much damage we can do using conventional gardening products. Use these eco-friendly, health friendly tips to control weeds in your garden without chemical herbicides that can cause serious health problems.
Use this tried-and-true recipe for weeds growing in sidewalk cracks and between bricks, not in the garden (the plants will be killed).
- 1 cup salt
- teaspoon liquid detergent
- 1 gallon vinegar
Easy Directions: Combine the ingredients in a bucket. Stir to blend. Sprinkle over weeds.
Helpful Hints:
- Use a small shovel or your hands to pull out weeds. (You can compost the weeds to produce rich soil after you've removed them.)
- Lay down newspaper between rows, and a thick layer of mulch. This will prevent weed seeds from sprouting.
- For greatest ease, remove weeds when the soil is damp.
- It is easiest to remove younger weeds, so don't let them get out of control. "Nip them in the bud," so to speak.
- Try to get all the roots. Damp soil makes this easier.
Homemade Insecticidal Soap
Soap is an effective all-purpose pesticide and still is safe for you, the environment, kids and animals.
Soap has been used for centuries as an all-purpose pesticide. It disrupts insects' cell membranes, and kills pests by dehydration. Dr. Bronner's Liquid Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap has even been diluted with water and used to kill the gypsy moths that infest apple trees.
The key is not to use too much soap, or you'll also kill the vegetation near the pests. If you follow the proportions of soap to water in the Soap Spray recipe, below, the vegetation should be fine.
Note: Buy a liquid soap and not a detergent. Health food stores have liquid soaps, such as Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soaps.
Soap Spray
- 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid soap
- 1 quart water
Combine ingredients in a bucket, mix, then transfer to a spray bottle as needed.
All Purpose Pesticide Soap Spray
- Strong smelling roots and spices such as garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger, rhubarb leaves, cayenne and other hot peppers, are all known to repel insects.
- A handful of roots and spices
- Enough boiling water to cover Soap Spray (recipe, above)
Add the roots and spices to the bottom of a mason jar. Cover with the boiling water, screw on the top, and let set overnight. Strain, and add to the Soap Spray. Note that this will rot, so use it all up or freeze leftovers for another time.
Variation: Garlic Spray
- Use 1 to 2 heads garlic. Deer and rabbits hate the smell of garlic.
Caring for Cut Flowers Without Chemicals
I always keep a bouquet of fresh flowers on my desk. Their beauty and aliveness are a nice balance to all the machines in my office. I cut flowers from my garden or purchase cut flowers (organically-grown of course), so I want to keep them fresh and beautiful as long as I can.
Here is the key to success:
The key to caring for cut flowers is to remember that, even when cut, they are still living. Cut flowers drink, breathe, and eat, just as they do when they are connected to their plant. Some flowers, such as tulips, even continue to grow after being placed in a vase. Eventually flowers will fade and die, as all living things do, but we can prolong their life and loveliness with proper care.
"Proper care" to most florists means using those little packets of commercial floral preservative that usually come with cut flowers. These contain the basic components needed to support the life of cut flowers in their vase environment, but they are not very natural. The packets contain a chemical biocide, an acidifier, and sugar.
While there is little danger to you when using these floral preservatives, you can provide all these requirements and more, using natural methods.
WATER
The primary determinant of how long a cut flower will last is its capacity to drink water freely.
Plants have vascular systems much like the human cardiovascular system, only much simpler. The plant's vascular cells operate like a set of drinking straws, drawing water up into the leaves and flowers. In order for water to flow freely into the plant, these cells must be kept open.
The type of water you use also makes a difference. Water that is soft (with fewer minerals) and more acidic flows more easily through the vascular cells.
Water also needs to be kept free of the bacteria, yeasts and fungi that feed on the sap that seeps from the cut flower stem. The minute you place a cut flower into a vase of water, bacteria start to grow. Within 3 hours, there can be 30 million bacteria in the vase. These bacteria clog the tiny channels that draw water to the flower.
To give your flowers the best possible opportunity to benefit from water, follow these steps:
- 1. Before you place cut flowers in water, always give the stem a fresh cut. Cut stems at an angle with a sharp knife. An angle cut exposes a larger area of the stem for water intake. Cutting with scissors pinches the stem, reducing water intake.
- 2. Immerse stems in lukewarm water as soon as the cut is made. A newly cut stem begins to scale over immediately, blocking vascular cells.
- 3. Remove any leaves that are below the water line to prevent rotting and ensure a bacteria-free water environment.
- 4. Change the water daily. Trim the stalks a bit each time you change the water to open up the vascular cells. Changing the water regularly also helps control bacteria without using chemical biocides. This is the single most effective thing you can do to prolong the life of flowers.
- 5. Add a copper penny to the vase, which acts as a natural fungicide.
AIR
Flowers need to breathe, so give them some room. Flowers arranged loosely in a vase will last longer than flowers tightly packed. Allow enough room between stems for air to circulate.
FOOD
Flowers do well with plain white sugar for food. Use about a teaspoon per cup of water. Or, use a small amount of a natural fertilizer.
LIGHT & TEMPERATURE
Heat will cause cut flowers to wilt more quickly, so keep them out of direct sunlight.
GATHERING FLOWERS
If you like to cut flowers yourself from your garden, the best time is early in the morning. The air is cool, the plant is filled with stored food, and the flowers are at their most fragrant.
Cocoa Mulch Danger Alert for Pets
Most people are aware that chocolate is dangerous for dogs to eat. I never made the connection that the ingredient in chocolate from cacao beans--theobromine--would also be present in cocoa mulch. Further research from poison control centers has confirmed that cocoa mulch can kill pets. Cocoa mulch contains more of the deadly theobromine than chocolate.
Unfortunately, many home owners are unaware of this danger to their pets, and as cocoa mulch becomes more popular as a great way to reduce weeds and pests, more pets are getting ill or dying after eating it. Many pets like the taste of cocoa mulch. According to the humane society, 9 ounces can kill a 50-pound dog, while a little over 5 ounces can cause seizures.
If you are worried your pet may have eaten cocoa mulch, contact your veterinarian immediately or call the Animal Poison Control Center at 1-888-426-4435 for expert advice.
As you stock up on fresh herbs this week and through the season, here is a way to make them last through the winter til next season:
Freezing Fresh Herbs
Wash fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro thoroughly, spin dry and chop. Store in a freezer-proof container. Don't thaw; simply scrape the flakes out of the container for immediate use. Cilantro and garlic are a great combination and a must in many cuisines. When you have extra cilantro on hand, make a paste of cilantro, garlic and salt, sautéing them in a little vegetable oil. Divide into tablespoon size chunks to freeze (this can be done in an ice cube tray and then later emptied out into a freezer bag). They make a great addition to soups, sauces and guacamole.
Five Simple Home Remedies - Yard & Garden
So often the home garden pest control remedies work as well or better than the chemical counterparts, and with the added bonus that with these formulas made of kitchen cupboard ingredients, are safer for the environment, and you don't need to worry about poisoning yourself, your pets, or the food in your garden!
Simple Soap Solution
- 2 Tbs. soap flakes
- 2 liter warm water
Dissolve soap flakes in water and apply directly to infested areas every 5-7 days. Note: Too much soap can cause burning on plants.
Pests affected: aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies.
Garlic Oil Spray
- 10-15 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tsp. mineral oil
- 600 ml water
- 1 tsp. liquid dish soap
Soak garlic in mineral oil for 24 hours. Strain garlic out and add 600 ml water and 1 tsp. liquid dish soap. Mix thoroughly. Spray plants with this solution.
Pests affected: Aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies
Fungicide for Mildew and Black Spot
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 liter water
- 1 tsp. soap flakes
Dissolve baking soda in 1 liter of warm water.
Add soap flakes to help solution cling to leaves. Remove infected leaves from plant, then spray top and bottom of remaining leaf surfaces to control spread of the disease.
Sticky Traps
- 1-2 Tbsp. Vaseline or preferably, Unpetroleum Jelly
- 4”x8” plastic cards or cardboard
- Waterproof yellow paint
Apply paint onto both sides of the card and let it dry. Once the paint is dry, apply Unpetroleum Jelly liberally over both sides of the card. Place the card just above the plant canopy.
Pests controlled: Flying pests, such as fungus gnats, and whiteflies.
Sowbug Traps
- 1 small plastic container with lid
- 2 Tbsp. cornmeal
Cut a small hole at the base of the container, large enough and close enough to the bottom to allow sowbugs to climb in. Place cornmeal in container. Place container into area infested with sowbugs. After feeding on the cornmeal, the bugs will drink and then explode! (Replace cornmeal frequently.)
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
Fruit flies can be a pain, especially in the summer. They're hard to get rid of. But try one of these ideas!
Mix the following ingredients together in an open jar or other container:
- 1/2 qt water (2 c)
- 2 T sugar
- 2 T (white) vinegar
Add a couple of drops of liquid dish soap
Leave the mixture sitting out in the infested area, as long as needed.
Non-lethal Fruit Fly solution
A non-lethal way to get rid of fruit flies is to put a half of a banana into a jar or glass, and cover with plastic and then poke small holes in the plastic. The fruit flies will fly in to get the banana, but won't be able to get out. When you believe you have trapped them all, simply put the banana outside.
HOW TO INTERPRET ORGANIC AND SIMILAR LABELING
Since you will be without us for a few months and will be at the mercy of Grocery Store food and therefore the labels it has, we offer this as an explanation of what the labels mean.
Organic Labeling
With new products and claims appearing, it seems, every day, it's a challenge for consumers to see through the hype and choose what's best for their families, especially while juggling coupons and jockeying an over-stuffed shopping cart. "Some labels are highly meaningful, while others are misleading or even deceptive," says Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., director of the Eco-Labeling Project for Consumers Union. What to do? Read with X-ray eyes: The best labels are transparent, hide nothing and have no conflict of interest. For help in seeing through some of them, here's a checklist.
Organic Labeling
USDA Certified Organic
Foods carrying this label must be produced without antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, radiation or synthetic pesticides or fertilizers."It took a long time [10 years] to develop the USDA organic label, but it is highly meaningful for foods," Rangan says, explaining that the organic standards were developed with broad public support and that the label requires certification by independent, government-accredited organizations.
The USDA-certified organic cotton label is also highly meaningful, but personal-care products bear watching, due to ongoing but thus-far unsuccessful attempts by industry to dilute the organic standards.
Local and Regional Labels
Federal truth-in-advertising laws cover origin designations, and local/regional food labels are starting to contend with imports from abroad. Many farmers' markets impose strict local-origin requirements on vendors, and a number of stores, such as Wild Oats, and Whole Foods and local small and independent Natural Food Stores often have local-food displays.
The California Clean label is organized by small-scale, in-state farmers (californiaclean.com), and the Appalachian Harvest label (appsusdev.org, 276-623-1121) is overseen by Appalachian Sustainable Development in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee.
The Core Values Northeast label marks apples from New York and New England grown with integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, which minimize the use of synthetic pesticides. Managed by the IPM Institute of North America (www.corevalues.org, 608-232-1528).
Protected Harvest is a new label for IPM-grown foods. Healthy Grown Potatoes from Wisconsin currently bear this label (www.protectedharvest.org).
Bird Friendly. This coffee and chocolate label, overseen by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (www.nationalzoo.si.edu/smbc, 202-673-4908) and verified by organic inspectors, ensures that growing techniques preserve ample shade cover and provide sufficient habitats for avifauna.
Certified Humane Raised and Handled. This relatively new program sets verifiable standards of treatment for livestock that go above and beyond current laws, including prohibiting growth hormones and non-therapeutic antibiotics, giving animals space to exercise in and requiring stricter environmental controls. Overseen by Humane Farm Animal Care (www.certifiedhumane.org, 703-435-3883).
Grass-Fed. Cows and sheep fed their traditional diet grass tend to have a lower impact on the environment than those raised on grains in industrial feedlots. Grass-fed meat is lower in overall and saturated fat and has more omega-3 fats and vitamin E. The term "grass fed" itself, however, isn't well regulated, and such a label doesn't necessarily mean cows spent their whole lives eating the stuff. Some companies have advertised their beef as "grass-fed" even though the fine print adds "grain-finished for flavor," which can mean months in feedlots. See the Meat Product Report at thegreenguide.com for reliable companies.
Green Seal. This venerable nonprofit provides independent certification based on its high eco-standards for a wide range of products, including paper, paints, adhesives, household and industrial cleaners, windows, heating and cooling units and hotels (www.greenseal.org, 202-872-6400).
ForestStewardship Council. This international accreditor has developed standards for certifying wood products harvested from well-managed forests (www.fscus.org, 877-372-5646). Its certifiers include Rainforest Alliance (www.rainforestalliance.org) and Scientific Certification Systems (www.scscertified.com).
Fair Trade, administered in this country by the nonprofit group TransFair USA, ensures that a minimum price or living wage has been paid to farmers and laborers. Coffee, tea, chocolate, mangoes, bananas and pineapples so far bear this expanding mark, which is rated "highly meaningful" by CU. At the same time, some businesses, perhaps desiring to cash in on TransFair's success, have begun selling products marked "fairly traded" or something similar. Such labels may or may not be backed by independent certifiers, and must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Whole Foods, for instance, eschews TransFair in lieu of using its own system to vet its products.
Less Meaningful Labels
Free Range. These words are exclusively regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for poultry (and not eggs), and require only that chickens be given access to the outdoors for "an undetermined period each day," according to USDA standards.
Natural.There is no government regulation for this term except regarding fresh meat and poultry products, on which the "natural" label, administered by the USDA, is considered neither meaningful nor verifiable by CU.
Hypoallergenic. This term has no official definition or independent certifying agency.
Antibacterial. This term is regulated but has different meanings depending on the class of products. The American Medical Association and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise against home use of antibacterial soaps, which may lead to bacteria resistance and don't clean any better than ordinary soap. (For info, see www.epa.gov/oppad001, 703-308-0127; or www.fda.gov, 888-INFO-FDA.)
Cruelty Free. This term has no official definition or independent certifying agency.
Non-toxic. This term has no official definition or independent certifying agency.
Fair Labor/ Sweatshop-Free: There is not yet a fully transparent label for apparel made under standards of fair labor conditions and pay. Sweatshop Watch (www.sweatshopwatch.org) and Co-op America (www.coopamerica.org) urge shoppers to buy Fair Trade certified foods and to look for union-made clothing labels; the latter provide lists of approved companies (www.greenpages.org); the Fair Labor Association lists companies that comply with its code of conduct (www.fairlabor.org).
Country of Origin
Consumer advocates have been pressing for this label as a means by which shoppers can avoid foods that may be tainted by lax environmental laws in other nations such as shrimp from Vietnam that may have been over-treated with antibiotics. Starting September 30, 2004, fish and seafood sold in the U.S. were ostensibly required to have a label identifying the country of origin-but the rule will not be enforced for a year. Jerry Redding, a USDA spokesperson, says that Congress has passed a two-year moratorium for other foods. And the House of Representatives is considering an amendment that would make the labeling program voluntary.
All About Bell Peppers
By Sibella Kraus, produce expert
If you're planning a barbecue or picnic, bell peppers are one of the best vegetables for the grill. The smoky flavor enhances their meaty sweetness.
Sweet red peppers are especially appealing with their bright red color. These peppers start out green, then turn a muddy green/red. In mid-August or early September they complete their transformation into glowing red peppers.
Yellow peppers come from seed that produces yellow peppers.
Red, yellow and green bells are available year around, so many people don't realize they have a local growing season. These local bells are often more flavorful than some of the standardized peppers we get year around.
Anaheims and pasillas, especially, are wonderful on the grill. Try serving a platter of assorted grilled sweet and hot peppers along with other grilled vegetables, such as onion slices,eggplant and summer squash, or with barbecued meats.
How to select: At the market, look for firm peppers with smooth skins and fresh-looking stems. Wrinkled peppers are starting to lose moisture and crispness. For roasting, choose peppers that feel heavy for their size, a sign that they have thick, meaty walls. (Some specialty peppers naturally have thin walls; they may be delicious but they will be harder to peel.)
How to store: Peppers lose moisture quickly after harvest, which is why some commercial growers wax them. To prevent moisture loss at home, store them in a dry plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper.
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