MEN - How to Grow & Preserve Your Own Food (Men - 2010)

8/6/2019 MEN - How to Grow & Preserve Your Own Food (Men - 2010)

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You r Harve s t Any S e a sO u r ~ o p h u t i c a t e d L E D K IT C H E N G A R D E N o i i o u u .

y o u t o g r o w f r o m s e e d t o h a r v e A t- a n y s e a s o n 'W e i n v i t e Y O H t o e u i e r ie n c :F R . O M O F ( H O I G ro w in d o o r s f r o m s e e dt o h a r v e s t o r t r a n s p la n t s e e d l i n g s t o c o n t i n u e t h e i rl i f e c y c le o u t o f d o o r s ,L I I IL IT V O u r ~ r o p r ie t a r y ~ r o w L o g i c iMs o f t w a r @ p r o v id e s s p e c i f i c l i ~ h t w a v e l e n g t h s

f o r 5 b a s ic p l a n t g r o u p s a n d t h e 3 g r o w t h p h a s e sM A X I M U M V IE I . D S Y o u c a n g e r m i n a t e a sm a n y a s 7 2 s ~ ~ d l i n g s in o u r 1 0 " x 2 0 " g r o w t r a y .C O N V E N I E N C E O u r s o p h i s t i c a t e d c o u n te r t o pm o d e l s e a m le s s ly c o m p li m e n ts a n y k i t c h e n IY ou w ill lo ve h av in g fre sh h erb s a t y ou r fin ge rtip s!E NE RC Y E FF IC IE NT O ur 15 watt LED 's a r eene rg y e ffic ien t and long las ting fo r yea rs o fg ar de n in g p le a su reINTUITIVE Our" Auto Grow" feature adjuststhe light for you automatically from seed to harvest.CONFIDENCE Providesyou and your family withthe freshest produce possible!

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MORE THAN A MAGAZINE ... A WAY O F L IFE

4 N e w s F r o m M O T H E RLocal, Seasonal, Sustainable and Delicious!

6 G r e e n G a z e t t eAre Potent Pesticides Killing Honeybees?; Gardening ona Budget: Six Tips for Success; Industrial Farming Is Giving UsLess Nutritious Food; The Return of a Great Corn Variety

1 0 E a t i n S y n c W i t h t h e S e a s o n sYou can enjoy better food and suppOrt local farmers by buyingmeat, eggs and produce in season.

1 4 E a s y W a y s t o P r e s e r v e F r e s h F o o dA guide ro simple seasonal storage-canning, freezing,dehydrating and more.

2 0 L e a r n t o C a n f o r H o m e g r o w n F la v o rSave money and enjoy delicious "convenience" foods all winterwith this traditional food-preservation skill.

2 6 E x p e r t A d v i c e f o r G r e e n h o u s e G r o w in gBuild a greenhouse in your backyard, and you'll be amazed at itsmany uses.

3 2 U s e C o l d F r a m e s t o G r o w M o r e F o o dSow seeds in simple frames to add more than a month to yourspring garden season.

3 6 A n A m a z i n g a n d P r o li f i c I J r b a n H o m e s t e a dHow a family of four has created food and energy self-sufficiencyon a fifth of an acre.

4 2 H o w t o F i n d t h e B e s t F o o d20 ways to get fresh, sustainable food in your neck of the woods.B u i l d a B a s e m e n t R o o t C e l l a rStoring root crops in a passively cooled cellar is one of the mostefficient ways to preserve food.

48 I n s t a l l t h e B e s t G a r d e n F e n c e sWhen you protect your garden with a critter-proof fence, youcan love the wild things, sleep peacefully at night and grow agreat garden.

5 2 D r y a n d F re e z e T o m a t o e sTry these simple preservation techniques while the summertomato harvest is abundant, and you'll be glad you did when atomato craving hits in December.

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MORE THAN A MAGAZINE ... A WAY OF LIFE

W i n te r T o m a to e sWith the right light, you can grow rornatoes indoors all throughthe winter months.G r o w G r e a t S a l a d s Y e a r - R o u n dPlant your greens now and enjoy a steady supply of super,succulent salads.F a l l i n L o v e W i t h S p i n a c hPacked with nutrition, this versatile vegetable can be grownalmost anywhere.

6 8 T h e B e s t K a l e sStart this cold-hardy crop now for sweet soups and salads this winter.7 2 A ll A b o u t G r o w in g R a d is h e sCrisp, easy-co-grow spring and fall radishes sown directly in the

garden are ready co eat in less than a month!

7 4 P la n t N o w f o r G r e a t G a r l i cHere are 42 tips from six experts [Q help you grow your best crop.7 8 G o t C a b b a g e ? M a k e S a u e r k r a u t !This fun, fermented food is delicious, easy to make and good for

you, too.

8 0 F a l l ' s S w e e te s t H a r v e s tTry real, homemade apple cider and enjoy the most delightfulflavors under the sun.

8 3 R a i s i n g C h i c k e n s f o r M e a tWant to ensure that the chicken on your plate was raised andprocessed humanely? Do it yourself]

88 W a n t M il k ? G e t G o a t sYou can make all sorts of dairy products from fresh (or frozen)goat 111 ilk.

9 5 A d d i t i o n a l R e s o u r c e sM m H m E A R l l l N E W ! i ( lS SN 0 02 7- 1 53 5) L ~p ub ll s h cd b ir n on rh l y p l u s o n e a d d h io n a l s pec i a l j $ , , ~ t J eby O g d en P u b li cu io n s, IIlC,; l)O.~S W 4 21 11 1 Sr . : " lo pe ka , K S ( . , ( j G 0 9 , P er io dic al p os ca ge p aid a r T o pe ka , K :; 6 66 09 , an d al a d di ti on a l m a L ll ng c ll ic cs . Subscriptions:$i9 .9 5 f or o n e ) 'C 'd r i ll t he U n it ed S la te < ; an d i(:) p ro vin ce s; S 27 .9 5 p er y ea r i n C an ad a and $31 .95 p < ' f y ea r f or ei gn , p re pa id in U .S .f un ds. (C AN AD A G ST N BR . 8 97 45 172 0 R TO OO 1) . P osr me sr en S e- nd c ha nge s o f a dd re ss [0 Mon iER EARTH N EW S~ 1 50 3 S W4 2n d S I.; T l 1 I J C k a , KS 66609 -1265. S u bs c ri be rS : W r it e 10 M oru en F .A ftTH Na es ; 1 50 3 ~ 42n d 5 1 . : T o p e k a , K S 6 (: /i 09 1 2 6' ) o rC i ~ J I7S5.27~"4300 or 8 00 -2 34 3 36 8. O ut si de m e u .s" o I .' a l1 7 1 :1 5 27 4 .4 3OD , Su b sc r i be r s - I f r b c P o s t O f f ic e a l e rt s LJ,~ Ih:1[ rC~lIrrnagaainej~ undeliverable. w e: h av e n o f ur th er c bl lg ar io n u nl ess W receive J c o rr e ct ed a d dr e ss within t w o y e ar s. T o p U l1 ;; h; 1S ( b ac k i ss u es fromJ:JnlJ;Jr") ' 1 99 5 c o p re se m , s en d $ 7.5 0 p er i ss ue to MOTHF.K fAIUH N ew s B a c k I s su e s: 1503 S W -4 2n d S I. ;T o p e k a , KS W i 0 9 . Copy righ t2010 by O gd en P ub ti cn io ns , I nc . Al l r ig h ts r e se r ve d . M On iE R E AK IH N E. wS iS : : ; I ; r e g i st e r e d r r a d ema r k -Ma t e ri a l in Ihis publicauonm ay 1101 b e re pro du ce d i n ;m y f orrn w ith ou t w ri tt en permission. P e rm i ss io n r eq u es ts m u s t be in w ri ti ng a nd s ho uld b e d i re c te dco I J r ,' t '; l , ll W e l c h ; Ma ni ER E .- I. R Tl I N l!W $ P er mi ss io ns , 1 50 3 SW 42n(1 5 1.: T op ek a, K S 66609. Send s to ry i de as r o C h e r y l L oeg uM an lEI{ E A ItT H N E W S; 1 50 3 S \ ' / 4 2 n d 51.: T O p < k 1 . . K S 6 66 09 . O g de n P ub lic at io ns , 111C. , c an no t V C h e ld r es po ns ib le f or u ns olk ir cdmanuscr ip r s . p hm o gr np ! .s . I ll us rr ar io ns o r o rh er m a rc ri al s. P r im e d a nd m a nu fa ct ur ed in [ h e U n i te d S t :" II C So f Ame r ic a I u bl ic a n c nsM a il A g r c < 'm em N o. 4 07 54 54 7. R e tu rn u nd el iv er a bl e C an ad ia n a dd re ss e s (0: :VIOTIIER F . A l t T I i NEWS, P O B o x R75 , S T N A , W in ds or ,Ontario, C a l1 < 1 Ja N 9 A 6P 2Mo rs e EARTHNF \ r~ d " f' .. Inot recommend, llpprovt Or r : nd(m~ the prodUl1J ( l /uUtJrmll im r d P " d b y ({!rnpanirs ndl! t'Ttisirig in( / ;( " / (l g { t .z J f l~u r w rb s it e . N o r d o r - s M an -I ER E AR TH N fW 5 ~ "l h, ," e t he a dv rr ri5 m' c la im s i n Imy WilY . Y o J { s ho u ld u se )Oil,. ma n

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MORE THAN A MAGAZINE ... A WAY OF LIFE

ONLINE ARTICLESwww.MotherEarthNews.comS t a r t Y o u r O w n F a rm B u s i n e s sWith more and more consumers interested in natural, organic products,there's never been a better time to make your initial foray Into a localfoods venture. Get started successfully with this advice on assessingthe marketplace and developing a business plan.

K e e p i n g G o a t s o n Y o u r F a rm(A n d O u t o f T r o u b le )Keeping goats contained can be a challenge, but with just a lit tleingenuity and room in your budget, you can furnish the ideal setup forkeeping your herd.F o o d F o r a g i n g : F i n d a n d E n jo yW i ld E d i b l e P la n t sSave money, spend time outdoors and enjoy a wide variety of delicious,wholesome foods by learning how to forage for wild, edible plants.

S u c c e s s f u l B e e k e e p i n g W i t hY o u r O w n H o n e y b e e sA hive of bees will produce honey and help pollinate your garden andorchard. These tips from an experienced beekeeper will help you getstarted and have a great first year.

G r o w i n g M u s h r o o m s a t H o m eLearn how to grow delicious, nutritious mushrooms to sell for a profit orto enjoy yourself.

G r o w i n g S h e l l B e a n sTry growing your own shell beans (lima beans, runner beans, soupbeans and cowpeas) for a wider variety of flavors than you'll find in anygrocery store.

PLAN YOUR BESTGARDEN EVER

Growing a great vegetable garden involves Juggling the needs ofdozens of different crops. Now figuring out when to plant what-andwhere-just got easier. With the help of our interactive VegetableGarden Planner, you can quickly get the data you need to design yourbest garden ever-and you can try it free for 30 days! Our VegetableGarden Planner provides guidance and reminders to get new gardenersstarted off right, and it offers veteran green thumbs tools to experimentwith new, fun garden designs and keep a record of varret .es and othergarden details from year to year. Go to www.MotherEarthNews.comlGarden-Planner for more details.

FREE E-NEWSLETTERSGet more MOTHEREARTH EWS , more often! With our freee-newsletters, you'll get more information on the topics that interestyou most, all delivered right to your inbox. Each of our biweeklye-newsletters features original online content, timely articles fromour Archive, and more. Visit our home pageto sign up.

D IY S k i l l s & P r o j e c t sTIps, tools and techniques for fun,useful projects, big and small.

F o o d & G a r d e n i n gHow to grow your own fruits andvegetables, plus ideas and recipes forcooking with fresh, local ingredients.

S i m p l e L i v i n g & C o u n t ry S k i l lsPractical tips for self-reliant living,whether you live in the city or on acountry homestead.

H e a l t h & E n v i r o n m e n tPerspectives on health and environmentalIssues that affect you.

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6/96

NEWS FROM MOTHER

Loca l, S e asona l,S us ta in ab le a nd Del ic ious!Here at MOTHER EARTHNEws,we really enjoy eating goodfood, and we especially loveanything fresh, seasonal or homegrown.After all, what would summer be with-out a perfectly ripe, sun-warmed to-mato straight our of the garden? Andhow better to celebrate the beginningof fall than with crisp apples and deli-cious homemade apple cider?In fact, even meat and eggs have sea-

sons when they're at their best. In "Eatin Sync With the Seasons," Page 10,sustainable farming expert Joel Salarinexplains the basicsof seasonal eating,including the manybenefits of buyingwhat's abundantnow and puttingsome of it by for lat-er use. Whether it'sfood you've grownin your own gardenor deals from a lo-cal farmers market,there are many ad-vantages [Q stocking up on fresh, localfood and preserving it for winter.As Salatin explains, "If all the ef-

fort expended to get fresh rornaroeson supermarket shelves in January inPortland, Maine, were invested intofully utilizing the late August tomatoflood, it would revolutionize our foodsystem. Not only would it improveour nutrition, it would recycle dollarsinto our communities and free us indi-vidually and collectively from far-awayfood dependency."That's why this special guide is for

growing and preserving your own food.It includes lots of tips for growing a greatgarden and raising more of your ownfood, but there's an added emphasis ongetting the most our of your harvest.If you've ever been intimidated by

food preservarion, you'll be delighted

with our suggestions that make pre-serving your harvest as easy (and rasryl)as possible. As home canner extraordi-naire Roberta Bailey says in "Learn coCan for Homegrown Flavor," Page 20,"I lean toward techniques that bringout the best in each Fruit or vegetable,as well as toward those that require theleast effort."We favor the same strategy, and we

encourage YOll to check out contrib-uting editor Barbara Pleasant's article,"Easy Ways to Preserve Fresh Food," onPage 14. The charts provide a helpful

reference for thebest ways to storemost fruits andvegetables. For ex-ample, if you havewinter squash,storing it can beas easy as stickingit under your bed,while berries wouldbe delicious eitherdried or frozen.Meanwhile, what

can you do about salad greens' Don'tworry, there are other options beyondcanned (or even frozen) spinach. Manygreens are remarkably cold hardy, anda few simple season-extending tech-niques will help you enjoy then"! allwinter. Using cold frames or an un-heated backyard greenhouse is a simpleand sustainable practice that will letyou enjoy fresh salads all year. And infact, if you really want to enjoy a fewfresh tomatoes for those winter salads,we have a strategy for that here, toO(see Page 58).You'll find lots of ideas in these pages

that will help you grow and preservemore of your own food. So why notget started right now? It's a sure way toenjoy delighrful local flavors and nurri-tous meals year-round.

4 MOTHER EARTH NEWS HOW TO GROW AND PRESERVE YOUR OWN FOOD

-MOTHER

. M O T H E RE A R T H N E W STHE ORIGINAL GUIDE TO LIVING WISELY

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P ub li s/ ;( r a n d E d it or ia l D ir ec to rBRYAN WELCH

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A s si st a n t E d it o r HEIDI HUNTA s si st a nt E d it o r ALISON ROGEltSA s si st a nt E d it o r AUBREY VAUGHNASJiJtdllt Edi tor MEGAN HIRTA s si st a n t E d it o r SHELLEY STONE-BROOK

E d it or ia l I nt er n sEMILY KENNEDY" ADf\,M U ,. ll FERT 'Y BRENNA LONG

M -ICIH: LL i Vl ARTlN . . SEAN ROSNER" L lNDSEY S II : ..GELEBRITTNEY TVLE.R-MIl_HOLLAND

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8/96

GREEN GAZETTE

Are Potent PesticidesKlling Honeybees?W i t h a t h i r d o f h o n e y b e e c o l o n i e s d i s a p p e a r i n g d u e t o" c o l o n y c o l l a p s e d i s o r d e r , " i t ' s t i m e t o m o v e i n to h i g hg e a r a n d f i n d a s o l u t i o n . A s o n e r e s e a r c h e r a s k e dC o n g r e s s , " H o w w o u l d o u r g o v e r n m e n t r e s p o n d i f o n eo u t o f e v e r y t h re e c o w s w a s d y i n g ? "Colony collapse disorder has wreaked havoc on u.s. beekeep-

ing businesses (and the agriculture industry) since its arrival in2006. The absence of a known cause for the illness is frustrat-ing, and in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)was sued by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC) for withholding details about the impact of neonicoti-noids-a class of widely used pesticides-on pollinators.N a s ty N e o n ic o t i n o id P e s t i c id e sThe EPA identifies two neonicotinoids, imidacloprid and

clothianidin, as highly toxic to bees. Both chemicals causesymptoms in bees such as memory loss, navigation disruption,paralysis and death.Several European countries have already suspended these

pesticides. Bayer CrcpScience, the primary producer of both

pesticides, maintains honeybee deaths reported in Europe werecaused by unusual application errors, but they don't dispute theproven roxicity of their products.A report by Maryann Frazier, a senior extension associate

at Pennsylvania State University, points to recent studies thathave found neonicorinoids at levels more than 1,000 timestheir original toxicity when combined with a specific fungi-cide. Plus, a new study from Italy suggests honeybees may beingesting neonicotinoids at levels 1,000 times higher than thatin pollen or nectar via water droplets expressed from the leavesof corn grown from the pesricide-coared seed.Researchers at Penn Stare are concerned chat even sub-lethal

doses of these pesticides, while not kill ing the bees, are impair-ing their behavior and suppressing their immune systems.As usage skyrockets, regulation lags behind. Clorhianidin

was approved in 2003 with the condition that Bayer must pro-vide research on the chemical's effects on honeybees. The EPAreceived the research from Bayer, but did not release it toNRDCdespite numerous requests, thus prompting the lawsuit,B e e s A r e C o n s u m i n g a C h e m i c a l C o c k t a i lThere still isn't a clear answer to this increasingly desperate

honeybee mystery. Neonicotinoids are just one of many chemi-cal killers honeybees are encountering.The Colony Collapse Disorder Working Team, created by

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was formed in 2007 [0research potential causes. When testing hives for pesticides,they found more than 1 7 0 d if fe re n t c he m ic al s, and some indi-vidual pollen samples contained as many as 35 different com-pounds. (AJthough neonicotinoids weren't found in this test-

ing, the res archers say they are not discounting themas a possible contributor to colony collapse.)

There appears to be no Single cause thatcan be directly linked to colony collapse.Researchers think the disorder is the result

of many pest/viral/fungal/chemical/stress combina-tions. Pesticides, al though just a piece of the puzzle,are a variable we can control. By eliminating thisvariable, research could befocused on decipher-ing the other pieces of the puzzle. Instead,pesticide regulation loopholes are making itnearly impossible to track down the causes of

colony collapse disorder.-A man da K im ble-E oan s

A L on g erv er sio n o f t his a rt ic le , w it h n am e s o fp r o du ct s c o n ta in in g n e o ni co t in o id s , i s a v a il -

a ble a t www.MotherEanhNews.com.
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9/96

arreiel7lingon a IISix Tips for SuccessGardening can be a lot of work, but itdoesn't have to cost a lot of money. Ifinexpensivegardening is your goal, letthese rips be your guide to gardeningon a budget this year.1. Plan, plan, plan. Cheap gar-

dening is all about being prepared.Before you shop, make a list of must-have plants for the season. Be sure roinclude only those plants you'll defi-nitely use a few months from now.If you really wish yourspouse would eat morevegetables, but he orshe hates peppers, don'tsplurge on ten pepperplants. Instead, spendthat money on fruits orvegetables your wholefamily will enjoy. Then,carefully map out yourgarden early in the sea-SOil so you don't haveany guesswork whileshopping.2. Create your own

compost. Compostingmakes more financialsense than purchasingfertilizer every year.Compost your gardenleftovers as well as yourfruit and vegetablescraps from the kitchen.Used coffee grounds aregreat for composting.Add lots of grass clip-pings and dead leaves,and you'll be well on your way to acompost pile that provides cheap andnutritious food for your garden. Readmore about how to start composting atwww.MotherEarthNews.com - searchfor "How to Start a Compost Pile"and "Compost AwarenessWeek 2010:Composdng Outside the Bin."3. It's all about the seeds. Seeds

cost significantly less than seedlingsor plants, and with a little tending,

they can become just as fruitful. Startthem off in makeshift planting con-tainers such as old butter rubs or eggcartons, then transfer your seedlingsto the ground when they're ready. Forrips on when to get planting, checkout our comprehensive planting guideat www.MotherEarthNews.comlWhat-To -P la n t -Nou ca sp x . At the end of theseason, save seeds from your gardenfor inexpensive gardening next year

GREEN GAZETTE ~

you find a hoe that's worth yourmoney-search for "Hard-WorkingGarden Hoes" on our site.)5 . Skip the chemicals and groworganic. Grow your garden the old-fashioned way, without the chemi-cals. Those chemicals may fer-tilize and help keep the bugs andweeds away, but they also will findtheir way into the bellies of yourfriends and family members, not to

mention the local eco-system. Skip the addi-tional expense and learnhow to fertilize yourgarden and keep bugsat bay naturally in "ABetter Way [0 FertilizeYourGarden" and "WhyNatural Insect ControlWorks Better," bothat www.MotherEarthNews. com.6. Make friends who

garden. Your garden-ing friends can be yourmoney-saving grace.If you or any of yourfriends don't have thespacefor a full-sizeback-yard garden, perhapsyou could share a spot inone of your spaces andtake turns with tendingduries. If you all haveseparate gardens, con-sider arranging a plantexchange or seed swap

party-have everyone bring samplesfrom their gardens and trade. Yourgar-den will have greater variety withoutany additional costs. Finally, arrangewith your friends to buy seeds in largerpackers.The seedswill be cheaper, andyou can split them among one anotherwhen they arrive. Johnny's SelectedSeeds (www.johnnyseeds.com) offersseveraldifferent seed packet sizes.

- Lind sey S iegele

Y ou 'd b e s urp ris ed h ow m u ch m o ne y y ou c an s av e by g ro win g m o re o f y ou ro wn fo od . H ere 's h ow to g et m o re g re en s fro m y ou r h ard -e arn ed g re en .

too. Learn how in "Grow Your OwnSeeds" (alsoon our website).4. Don't get too fancy with your

gardening tools. Unless you're a full-time gardener, you probably don'tneed to spring for the IS-piece, all-purpose gardening tool kit. Keep itsimple when you're gardening ona budget. A shovel and one or twogood garden hoes can go a long wayin a modest garden. (We can help
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10/96

~GREEN GAZETTE

Industrial Farming Is GivingUs Less Nutritious FoodThe commercially grown vegetables, fruitsand grains that we eat today are signifi-cantly less nutritious than these foods were100 years ago, or even just 30 years ago.We now bave solid, scientific evidence of

this troubling trend. For example: In wheat and barley, protein concentra-tions declined by 30 to 50 percent be-tween the years 1938 and 1990.

Likewise, a study of 45 corn varieties de-veloped from 1920 to 2001, grown sideby side, found that the concentrations ofprotein, oil and three amino acids have alldeclined in the newer varieties.

Six minerals have declined by 22 to 39percent in 14 widely grown wheat variet-ies developed over the past 100 years.

Official U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) nutrient data shows that the cal-cium content of broccoli averaged 12.9milligrams per gram of dry weight in1950, but only 4.4 mg/g of dry weightin 2003.

P la n t b re e de rs h a ve in c re a se d y ie ld s in m o s t c ro p s, b u t t hi s i s c a us in g o u r f o od 'snu tr ie n t con ten t t o dec li ne .

All of this evidence has been assembledand rigorously reviewed by Dr. Donald R. Davis, a now(mostly) retired chemist from the University of Texas.So what's causing these declines? The evidence indicates

there are at least two forces at work. The first is what agri-culture researchers call the environmental "dilution effecr."Davis notes that researchers have known since the 1940sthat yield increases produced by fertilization, irrigationand other environmental means tend to decrease the con-centrations of minerals in those plants. These techniquesgive growers higher yields, and consumers get less expen-sive food. But now it appears there's a hidden long-termcost-lowered food quality.For example, a study of phosphorus fertilizer on raspber-

ries found that applying high levels of phosphorus causedthe yield ro double and concentrations of phosphorus roincrease in the plants, but meanwhile levels of eight otherminerals declined by 20 to 55 percent!The other force at work is what Davis calls the gene t i c

dilution effect - the decline in nutrient concentration thatresults when plant breeders develop high-yielding varietieswithout a primary focus on broad nutrient content. That'swhat rhe studies of wheat, corn and broccoli confirm.In fruits, vegetables and grains, usually 80 to 90 percent

of the dry weight yield is carbohydrates-sugars andstarches (the last things we need more of in the American

8 M O T H E R E A R T H N E W S H O W T O G R O W A N D P R E S E R V E Y O U R O W N F O O D

diet). Davis says that when breeders (and growers) spe-cifically choose varieties for high yields, they are selectingmostly for the highest carbohydrate content."These studies suggest ro me that genetic dilution effects

may be common when selective breeding successfullyincreases crop yield," Davis says. USDA data indicate thatyields have increased an average of 1.8 fold for 24 vegetablesand l.3 fold for six fruits over [he past 30 years.What call we do? Vegetables and fruits are our richest

sources of many vitamins and minerals. It seems likelythat those of us who grow food gardens (or shop at farm-ers markets) will get more nutrient-dense foods if we grow(or pay a premium for) older, lower-yielding heirloomvarieties. Odds are good that heirloom varieties may bemore nutritious than current supermarket fare. Plus, usingorganic methods such as moderate amounts of slow-releasefertilizers should help us get maximum nutrition from ourhomegrown produce. And most important of all, Davispoints out that the nutrient declines in processed foodsare much deeper and broader than the declines in fresh,whole foods.You can review the full study by requesting "Declining

Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition," HorrSc ience ,2009; 44: 15, at your local library.

- Chery ! Lo n g


11/96

GRE EN GAZE TTE ~

T h e R e tu rn o f a G re a t C o rn V a r i e tyIt is a great pleasure (0 welcomeback a wonderful-tasting redgrain corn from Italy- 'FlorianiRed Flint.' The remarkable tasteof polenta and grits made fromthis heirloom corn prompred me(0 bring it back to the UnitedStates and work to make it avail-able to home gardeners. (At theirmost basic, polenta and grits aresimply coarsely ground corn-meal.) Cornmeal made from'Florlani Red Flint' has a rich,warm and complex taste. And itmakes a polenta of unusual dis-tinction. 'Floriani' polenta is richin flavor partly because it is tradi-tionally made from whole corn-meal-polenta integrale- ratherthan the degermed corn rypicallyfound in commercial polenta,grits and cornmeal.I've named this corn 'Floriani

Red FUm' after my Italian friendswho grow it and are generouslysharing their seeds. This cornwas taken to Italy from NorthAmerica hundreds of years ago, where it was changed throughcenturies of selection by Alpine farmers who ate it themselves(rather than using corn mainly as animal feed, which has beenthe case with most corn in the United States for the last 150years). Now it comes back to us, identified by botanists as Zearostrate spin rosso della Valsugana. It was the staple polenta cornof those living in the Valsugana Valley near the city ofTrenro,

but is now only grown by enthu-siasts, such as my friend's father,Silvano Floriani.MOTHER EARTH NEWS invited

several seed companies to trial'Floriani Red Flint' in 2008,and Southern Exposure SeedExchange (www. southemexposure.com) now has a limited supply ofthis rare variety.We hope you will welcome

this wandering relation back bygrowing it in your garden. In ourtrials so far, 'Florian!' has grownwell in the South, the Midwestand in California. You also canorder polenta inteerale groundfrom 'Floriani Red Flint' fromAnson Mills at www.ansonmills.com (the company calls the grain"red trentino flint" for their rusticpolenta integrale).'Floriani Red Flint' is nor the

only neglected heirloom corn.Even as our modern diet hasbecome distorted by cheap cornsyrup and other highly processed

corn products, we are at risk of losing heirloom corns withunique flavor and nutrition. Over the next few years, MOTHEREARTH NEWS will be working with me and other heirloomcorn experts to highlight distinctive varieties and promote arevival of this nutritious, easy-to-grow-and-preserve gardencrop as an essential element in our sustainable kitchens.

- William Rubel

Fro m N orth Am eric a 1 0 Ita ly a nd b ac k a ga in , 'Flo ria ni Re dFlin t' p ack s a rich , w arm , co m ple x fla vo r.
http://www.ansonmills./http://www.ansonmills./


12/96

You can enjoy better foodand support local farmersby buying meat, eggs andproduce in season.

by JOEL SALATIN

Al fruits and vegetables are more abundant in some seasons c h a nothers, and ald10Ugh not everyone realizes it, me same is truefor meat and eggs. A s a farmer who sells directly tomy custom-ers, I think a lot about these seasonal cycles because gerong

supply to match demand isone of my biggest challenges. One of the best waysto even out the flow is to find customers who eat seasonally-buying extra. atsome times and not demanding seasonal products during the hard-to-producetimes. Often, this means freezing and preserving for later use rather than eat-ing an abundance of tomatoes or beef right now.When it happens, this synergism between season, farmer and parron is a

dance that honors the narural ebb and flow of production. Cyclical menusstimulate an awe and respect for local food connections.And such conscious planning is good for the pocket-books of boch t1Imer and patron.Mea t Is B es t S ea sona llyTremendous money and effort is expended main-

taining production ami-seasonally, but meat is best incertain seasons, just as produce is. When are the deerfattest in your area? Going i11[Owimer. Forage-fattenedbeef is also best in the fall . Once the frost has killed flies


13/96

and sweetened the grass, cows are more comforrable than at anyother time of me year. They naturally ramp up their forage intakeand back fat in f a l l to get through me lean, hard winter. On meother hand, spring is when chickens lay enough eggs so there willbe extra for raising broilers. Seasonally speaking, it makes sense toeat chicken in the summer and beef in winter,When buying meat from local farmers, you'll find mat eating the

whole animal is a related issue. Remember that a chicken consistsof something besides a boneless, skinless breast. The only waythose can be offered in the supermarket is because the industrygrinds and reconstitures me rest into chicken franks, lunch meatand McNuggets, using low-wage labor and high volume to justifYthe sophisticated machinery: In the supermarket, boneless, skinlesschicken breasts necessarily require an industrial approach to foodpreparation, but at home, it's a different story. You can eat thechicken breast, but also cook the rest of the chicken for casseroles,and freeze the broth for stock.The same is true of beef I once had

a chef ask me for 200 beefloins a year[0use for steaks in his restaurant. Myjaw dropped, and I asked him: "Doyou know how much chuck roastthat is?" Less man half of a cow canbe used for top-end steaks. The rest ischuck roast and grotUld beef, and thatmeat has to go somewhere. Steakhouses only havebeen possible in our culture since me advent of thehamburger joint.Eggs A re Seasona l, Toofu an example of how deep seasonal cycles can

go, let me describe the egg production cycle. Itstarts when little chicks hatch and begin growing.These pullers (young female chickens] begin layingat about their 20th week. At first, they lay what arecalled puller eggs, which are very small. Then mesize increases, so that within about a month, morethan half their eggs are large.The birds lay for roughly a year before molting.

That's when they lose feathers, stop laying, and es-

sentially go through a two- to four-week dormancy period. Then,sporting a new suit of feathers and looking rejuvenated followingthis rest period, they begin another production cycle. fuwithnearly alJ biological systems, rh e egg production cycle follows anescalating curve early on, plateaus for a couple of months, thengradually drops during the molting period.That's the bird's natural physiological production cycle. But

other factors playa key role in production, which, at its pla-teau, can be five to seven eggs perweek. One factor is temperature. Achicken, being a bird, has a" .high metabolism. In coldweather, a bird uses all thecalories it can ingest just tokeep warm, so there aren'tenough lefr to produce an egg.


14/96


15/96

Tips for Local and Seasonal EatingThere's a simple way to synchronizeyour eating with seasons and availabil-ity. Make a list of products avai lable inyour region and note the normal harvestmonths for each. It's a wonderfullysimple way to express the ebb and flowof the seasons. Then, preserve abundantfood for when it 's in short supply. Hereare a few more tips for getti ng started;o Visi t the local farmers market , andwhile you're shopping, ask about hardto find items. They may know produc-ers who sell things you can't get atthe market.

o Search for the food you want on theInternet. A few good resources to findfood In your area are www./ocalharvest.org, www.sustainabletable.organdwww.eatwild.com.

o I f you don't already have a chestfreezer, get one. You'l l be able to storemuch more food.

Find books about food preservationand learn more about dehydrating,canning, pickl ing and smoking. Playwith different techniques- it can be alot of fun.

o Get product-specific recipe books tosee how many different ways you canfix the same thing. Entire cookbooksconcentrate on tomatoes, squash,eggs, beef or buffalo. Explore!

If you're a rei uctant cook, try sittingdown on a Sunday afternoon andmaking out a menu for each day ofthe week. Planning ahead takes thefear out of the process. It also reduc-es the temptation to panic and buyfrozen pizza .

Ask a local farmer what he or sheroutinely has in excess, and then buyand use it. He or she will love you forit, and if you buy in bulk you can getwonderfu I fresh food at a lower cost.

to people whose umbilical. cords are tied [0 the supermarket. Butlet me describe what's routinein my family-and also was formost people until a couple of decades ago.Fi r s t , we have a couple of chest freezers. These are primarily fo r

meat and poultry, and because I can't live without ice cream. Wealso freeze quarts of blackberries and strawberries, which keepsthem from getting mushy. When corn is in season, we cut it offme cob and 6'eeze it on cookie sheets, men crumple it into plasticbags. When we need some, we JUStopen me bag in the freezer andscoop out what we want.We also have a pantry. We can about 600 to 800 quarts oHood

per year-with modern pressure canners it doesn't take that longand, once sealed, storing this food requires no energy. Whentomaroes are rolling in from the garden, we make juice and cantomatoes. We also make salsa, ketchup and tomato paste. Eachyear, we buy bushels of apples from an orchard and male ourown applesauce. When the grapes ripen in late September, wepull our the juicer and begin canning our juice concentrate.We cut it with half water to drink. The elderberries alongthe river are great for making jelly, so we reserve grape juiceFordrinking.When cabbages are ready, we have a couple of lO-gallon

crocks for making sauerkraut. Later inme season, when cucumbers are pour-ing in, we reuse [he crocks for rnak-ing pickles. (My wife, Teresa, makesfantastic sweet pickles.)Our basement serves as a root cellar

for fall vegetables and root crops. InNovember, the basement is full of but-

ternut squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes and cushaw squash.We lay mulch over late carrots in [he garden and they becomesweeter and sweeter aswinter progresses. Whenever we want some,we get a handful fresh out of me ground.Laying hens are only really productive for two years. At the end

of mat rime, we dress them and cook themin a huge roasting pan.We pick the meat off, cut it up into bite-size chunks, and eithercan it or freeze it. Then, when it's 5 p.m. and sLipper panic sets in,Chicken ala King is only a few minutes away. That precooked,ready-to-go canned or frozen meat is about as handy as it gets.This laying-by behavior is considered so normal in my family

that, T confess, we find it somewhat odd when CUStomerswho buyour meat and poultry say they don't have a freezer. And even moreso when we talk to people who have never canned or eaten home-canned food. We all choose our routines. Our i to lay food by,and enjoy eating Out of the larder all winter, "'l!'

Adapted from Ho/y Cows and HogHeaven: The Food Buyer's Guide toFarm Friendly Food. Joel Salatin is theauthor of numerous books about farming,including You Can Farm, and EverythingI Want to Do /s II/ega/: War Storiesfrom the Local Food Front (to order,go to www.MotherEarthNews.comlShopping). Visit his website at www.polyfacefarms. com.

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16/96

A guide to simple seasonal storage-canning, freezing, dehydrating and more.by BARBARA PLEASANTCanyou name three crops thatwill keep easily for monthsin a cool closet? (Try winter. squash, sweet potatoes andgarlic.) How about veggies that stay fresh

until well after Christmas when stashedin the refrigerator, or even just a cooler inyour unheated garage? (We recommendcarrots, beets and poraroes.) Whether yougrow your own garden or buy produce, thecharts on the following pages will help youeat more susrainably a ll year long.

Buying local produce and "putting itby" (or "putting it up," depending onwhere you live) is a great way to sup-port local farmers and give your fam-ily fresher, better-tasting organic food.Every bite you cake-v-roday or monthshom now-helps strengthen your localeconomy, supports more sustainable foodproduction and brings you a step closerto a more self-sufficient life.Plus, buying local food in bulk often

can save you money on grocery bills.And, as the examples in this article in-dicate, it can be as easy as going to thefarmers market when your favorite fruits

1 4 M O T I I E R E A R T H N E W S H O W T O G R O W A N D P R E S E R V E Y O U R O W N F O O D

and veggies are in season, and learningwhich techniques are best for storingeach crop. You can choose preservationmethods that fit your cooking habits andtime constraints, because most foods canbe preserved in more than one way.To simplify home food storage, we'vedivided crops by preservation methods,

starring with the ones that require theleast amount of time, trouble and ener-gy. Bur, even when canned or frozen,home-stored foods save huge amountsof energy in reduced processing, pack-aging, transportation and storage costs.Freezing is the most energy-intensivemethod of home food preservation, butyou. still can save energy when you. freezelocally grown food.


17/96

Cool Storage SuperstarsThese crops will keep for two to six months at cool room tempera-tures, and they require no processing, containers or refrigeration.Can things get any easier than slipping a few buttercup squashunder your bed, or finding a place In your closet for sweet pota-toes? The sweet flavor of these two crops actually Improves undergood storage conditions, so you're not settling for less by storing

T h e R a le ig h F a rm e rs M a r k e l i s o n e o f f i v eo p e r a t e d b y t h e N o rth C a ro li n a D e pa rtm e n to f A g ri c u l t u re a n d C o ns um e r S e rv ic e s .

ResourcesIf you need more information thanwhat's shown in the fol lowing charts,check out these online resources:

"Storing Vegetables at Home,"University of wisconsl n Extension,www.uga.edulnchfplhow/store/wisc_ vegetables. pdf

"Drying Fruits & Vegetables,"Pacific Northwest Extension, info.ag.uidaho.eduIResourcesIPDFslPNWD397.pdf

"Preservi ng Food at Home: A SelfStudy," University of Georgia,www.uga.edulnchfplindex.html

your own. When bringing winter squash home from a farmers mar-ket, cradle them in towels to avoid accidental nicks or bruises.Garlic benefits from cool conditions, but most varieties will

keep at room temperature for several months. 00 keep nuts outof the reach of hungry rodents, and freeze them after their pro-tective shells have been removed.

Crop Peak Season Hand ling and S torage Tip sGarliC Midsummer Cure at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 weeks. Optimum storage condi-

tions are 60 to 65 degrees with moderate humidity. (May also be dried.)Sweet potatoes Late summer to fall Cure at 80 degrees for 7 to 10 days. After curing, optimum storage condi-

tions are 55 to 60 degrees with high humidi ty_ (May also be frozen.)Unshelled nuts Fal l Dry at 70 to 80 degrees for 4 to 10 days. Optimum storage conditions are

45 to 60 degrees with moderate humidity. (May also be frozen.)Winter squash Late summer to fall Harvest with stub of stem attached, wipe clean. Optimum storage condi-

tions are 45 to 55 degrees with moderate humidity. (May also be frozen.)

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These foods will keep for two months or more under cold,moist conditions-no processing required. A root cellaris ideal, or you can bury boxes or barrels underground.(Search for "root cellar" at www.MotherEarthNews.com formore information and ideas.) If you live in a cold climatebut don't want to dig, you can store many of these crops

in an unheated garage or outbuilding. In warm climateswhere the soil stays above 45 degrees in winter, a secondrefrigerator may be your best option. Running an extrafridge consumes energy, but not nearly as much as isneeded to process, package and ship the crops you wouldbuy otherwise.

Crop Handlin g a nd S to ra ge T ip se ak S ea sonApples Late maturing tart apples store best. Ideal temperature range is 30

to 40 degrees with high humidity . Separate apples from root vegeta-bles because they give off ethylene gas that causes veggies to spoil .(May also be dried or canned.)

late summer to fall

Beets Summer to fall With tops removed, unwashed beets will keep 3 months o r more at32 to 40 degrees with high humidi ty. (May also be canned.)

Brussels sprouts Pull up plants, shake soil from roots, and hang upside down in acool basement. They wil l keep 3 to 6 weeks at 40 degrees with highhumidity. (May also be frozen.)

Fall

late summer to fall Plants dug, trimmed and replanted in large pots will keep up to 7months at 32 to 40 degrees With high humidity. Trimmed heads willkeep 3 months. (May also be canned.)

Cabbage

Late summer to fal larrots, parsnips Topped roots with leaves snipped off just above the growing crownwill keep 3 months or more at 32 to 40 degrees with high humidity.Roots replanted in spring will produce seeds. (May also be f r ozen. )

Onions Late summer to fall Cured pungent onions will keep 6 months or more at 32 to 40 de-grees with moderate humidity. Sweet onions store 1 to 2 months.

Fall Wipe clean, pack in loose paper, and store at 29 to 34 degrees Withhigh humidity. Most varieties store less than 3 months. (May also befrozen, canned or dried.)

Pears

Summer to fal l Store best at 40 to 45 degrees with high humidity. Varieties will be-gin sprouting in 3 to 8 months.

Potatoes

Rutabagas Fall Will keep 2 to 4 months at 32 to 40 degrees with high humidity.Sunchokes Fall, winter, spring Will store 2 to 5 months at 32 to 40 degrees with high humidity.

Can be left in the ground in Zones 6 to 8.Turnips Fall Stretch the fall season with protective covers. Topped roots store 4

months or more at 32 to 40 degrees with high humidity.

16 M O T l f E R I i i \ R T H N E W S H O W T O G R O W A N I } P R E SE R V E f O U R O W N F O O D
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19/96

Water Bath WondersPickles, acidic tomatoes and sweetened chutneys or fruit preserves have a p H levelbelow 4,5 that retards bacterial growth, sothey can be canned in a large water bathcanner. A water bath canner is nothing more than a large pot wi th a metal tray or rackthat holds glass jars at least a half inch off the bottom. They are not expensive to buynew, and used ones often can be found at thrift stores or yard sales. Canning jars wil l lastfor decades, so look for them used, too. Each time you reuse a jar, you' ll conserve all thematerials and energy that would be needed to create a replacement. Jars sealed in a waterbath canner need no refrigeration. (See "learn to Can for Homegrown Flavor," on Page 20for more on home canning.) It's important to closely fol low the recipes and instructions thatcome with your canning equipment to avoid food contamination.

Crop P eak S ea so nCucumber, pickled Summer

Fruit, whole Summer to fallor choppedFruit preserves, Summer to falljams and jelliesRhubarb Early summer

Tomato Summer

H an dling and Sto rage T ip sA salt and/or vinegar brine turns cucumbers into pickles. Add sugar,fruits and other vegetables to make chutneys. (May also be frozen.)Any well-washed fruit covered with sugar syrup can be canned this way.Use a pressure canner for sugar-free fruit canning. (May also be frozen.)Jams and jellies concentrate the harvest into small containers, plus smalljel ly jars require only 10 minutes of processing time. (May also befrozen.)Sweetened rhubarb pie fil ling is easy to can; add strawberries if youhave them. (May also be frozen.)Tomatoes with added herbs can be canned in a water bath canner, butuse a pressure canner when including zucchini, peppers, okra or otherlow-acid vegetables. (May also be frozen or dried.)

Success Under PressureYou wil l need a pressure canner to preserve foods with a pH level above 4,5, because higher tem-peratures are required to kill bacteria in non-acidic foods. Stil l, reusable jars and no refrigera-tion requirements make pressure canning a good choice. In many areas, good quality canningequipment is available in community canning kitchens. (See "Canners Come Together" at www.MotherEar thNews .com for the scoop on group canning projects.)Pressure canner gauges require care and periodic testing, but the biggest challenge with pressure

canning is the heat it creates. This is why rural homes used to have a place on the porch for a canningstove, or sometimes a canning kitchen in a corner of the shed. A propane cooker can help you movepressure canning to your deck or patio, though it's st ill best to prepare the food and jars in the kitchen.

P ea k S eas on H and ling and S torage T ip sFruits, unsweetened Summer to fal l Pressure-can unsweetened fruits whole, puree into sauce or preserve as

juice. (May also be frozen or dried.)Green beans Summer A good vegetable for novice canners. Thick-fleshed Italian and heirloom

varieties stand up to processing better than delicate filet beans. (Mayalso be frozen or dried.)

Tomato Tomatoes with added herbs can be canned in a water bath canner, butuse a pressure canner when including zucchini, okra or other low-acidvegetables. (May also be frozen or dried.)

Summer

Vegetable mixtures Combine low-acid vegetables such as corn or beans with tomatoes andherbs to use in winter soups and stews. Processing times vary by ingredi-ents and equipment. (May also be dried.)

Summer to fal l


20/96

Freezer PleasersFreezing is often the best way to preserve the flavors andtextures of delicate vegetables, and small batches can beblanched to stabilize nutrients and texture, cooled to preservecolor, then packaged in 30 minutes or less. Running a freezerconsumes energy, but reduced packaging is where the homefood preserver comes out on top. For instance, pint-size polyfreezer bags or pouches require a quarter less energy to pro-

duce than the freezer-proof boxes used for many commercialfrozen veggies.Toreduce energy consumption, keep your freezer in a cool

basement or garage, and fil l vacant spaces with plastic bottlesor freezer bags fi lied with water. Shou Id the power go off, theextra ice will slow the thawing process. Store small i tems in-side larger snap-top plastic boxes so they won't get lost.

C rop Peak SeasonAsparagus Spring to early summerBerries Spring to fallBroccoli, cauliflower Late spring, fallCantaloupe Mid to late summerChard Summer to fall

Edamame Mid to late summer

Eggplant Late summer to fallPeas Early summerPeppers Summer to fal l

Snap beans Summer

Spinach Spring, fall

Summer squash Summer

Sweet corn Mid to late summer

Handlin g a nd S to ra ge T ip sBlanch in boil ing water 1 minute, coolon ice and freeze.Rinse well, Spin or pat dry and freeze without blanching. (May also be dried.)Blanch in boiling water 1 minute, coolon ice and freeze.Cut into bite-sized pieces or make balls. Freeze and use Within 2 months.Blanch to wilt ing point in the microwave, or in boiling water. Coolon ice,drain and freeze in small batches to add to other dishes.Simmer pods in salted water 5 minutes and drain. When cool, remove beansfrom pods and freeze. Pods can also be frozen whole.Gril l or broil sl ices seasoned with herbs and salt. Freeze when cool.Blanch in boiling water 30 seconds, coolon ice, then freeze.Gril l or broil to remove skins before freezing, or leave skins on and blanchhalved peppers in boiling water 1 minute, then freeze. (May also be dried.)Blanch in boiling water 30 seconds, coolon ice and freeze. (May also bedried or canned.)Blanch to wilt ing point in the microwave, or in boiling water. Coolon ice,drain and freeze. Stretch season by growing through winter with protection.Grill or broil slices seasoned with herbs and salt. Freezewhen cool. (May alsobe dried.)Cut kernels from cob to savefreezer space. Heat just to boiling, cool and freeze.

18 M O T H E R I J A R m N E W S H O W T O G R O W A N D P R E S E R V E Y O U R O W N F O O D


21/96

Dehydrated HeroesSome of the food crops listed here need brief precooking or other special preparation, but manycan be washed, peeled, pared and popped into a dehydrator. You can also simply dry them in thesun or in a solar dehydrator. (Learn more by searching "dry food" at www.MotherEar lhNews.com.)To even out the moisture levels between different-sized pieces, place dried foods in an airtight

container in the refrigerator for a few days after drying them. If the pieces soften, dry them a bi tmore before packing away in storage. For maximum energy savings, store dried food in reusableairtight storage containers made of glass or plastic. The drying process often intensifies flavors,and dried foods take up little space. Dried foods keep three to six months in a dark room or pan-try at cool temperatures, or up to a year In the freezer.

Crop Peak SeasonApples Dry apples that ripen

early, in August andSeptember.

Berries Summer

Cherries Summer

Dry beans Mid to late summer

Fruit leathers Summer to fall

Hand ling an d S torage Tip sDip quarter-inch thick slices or rings in ascorbic acid solution (vi tamin C) toprevent browning. Dry until leathery and almost crisp. (May also be frozen,canned or kept in cold storage.)Thoroughly rinse and pat dry. Cut large berries in half, then dry until leathery.(May also be frozen or canned.)Slice in hal f or remove pits with a cherry pit ter. Dry until leathery, but stillp liable. (May also be frozen or canned.)Harvest after pods fade to tan. Remove beans from pods, then dry for 1 hour ina 150 degree oven to kil l any potential pests.Puree clean, washed fruits. Pour into jelly roll pan lined with plastic wrap.Dry until leathery, but sl ightly tacky. (Add ascorbic acid to puree to preventbrowning.)

Grapes Late summer to fall Use seedless varieties. Blanch in boil ing water 30 seconds to crack theskins, then coolon ice. Dry until leathery, but still pliable. (May also be fro-zen or canned.)

Herbs Summer

Mushrooms Spring and fall

Parching corn Mid to late summer

Peppers Late summer to fal l

Peaches, Plums Summer

Snap beans Summer

Summer squash Summer

Tomato Summer

Vegetable paste Summer to fal l

Whole grains Summer to fall

Hang bunches in a warm, well-venti lated room. Store dried leaves whole, andcrush just before using. (May also be frozen.)Wipe clean With a damp cloth or paper towel. then dry at room temperatureuntil crisp.Harvest mature ears when the husks dry to tan, then finish drying indoorsuntil you can twist the kernels from ears. Break the ears in half before dryingto promote air Circulation around middle kernels.Clean thoroughly, cut into quarter-inch thick strips or rings, and dry untilbrittle. (May also be frozen.)Dip quarters or sl ices in ascorbic acid solution (vitamin C) to prevent brown-ing. Dry until leathery, but stil l p liable. (May also be trozen.)Blanch 1 minute, cool and pat dry. Dry unt il almost brittle. (May also be fro-zen or can ned.)Clean thoroughly, cut into quarter-inch slices, and dry until leathery andbrittle. (May also be frozen.)Dip in boil ing water to remove skins. Cut large tomatoes into rings, or cutsmaller ones in halves or quarters. Dry until nearly crisp. (May also be canned.)Puree clean, washed vegetables. Cook over low heat 1 hour to evaporatewater. Pour into jelly roll pan lined with plastic wrap. Dry to peanut but terconsistency, store in the refrigerator. Use in place of vegetable bouillon.After threshing and screening, dry grains in 150 degree oven for 30 minutesto reduce moisture content. Store in airt ight, animal-proof containers. (Mayalso be kept in cold storage.)

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22/96

Save money andenjoy delicious"convenience"foods all winter withthis traditional food-preservation skill.by ROBERTA R. BAILEY

We all can agree that thereis nothing like the flavorof a homegrown gardenromato. But did you alsoknow that there is nothing like the fla-vor of home-canned tomatoes-or corn,peaches or salsa? After 20 years of put-ting up much of my own food, I took ayear off because I was moving. Duringthat year-even though I bought higb-quality organic produce, canned goodsand frozen foods~I was shocked COdiscover how much flavor and naturalsweetness was missing from these store-

20 ~ W T H E R EARTH NEWS ' H O W T O G R O W A N D PRESERVE Y O U R O W N F O O l . )

bought products. I wondered about theirnutritional value.Since rhen, I have resumed growing and

purring up much of my family's food. Iappreciate rhe quality now more chan ever,and in these times of fuel-dependent fooddistribution systems, I Find comfort ineat-ing food that did nor have to travel morethan a few yards to my table.Although canning is extra work in the

summer and tal l , I have come to think ofcanned goods as convenience foods. Towalk into my pantry at the end of a longday and pull out a jar of tomato and pima


23/96

bean soup, or to pop open a jar of straw-berry applesauce for dessert, is a luxurywell worth the summer work. There aremany items that cannot be found in thesupermarket, such as my own organic'Orange Banana' tomatoes or raspberryfruit butter for our toast. And there's agreat advantage to canning food fromyour own backyard: You will always getthe best flavor and. highest quality frompicking food at its freshest and processingit the same day.My approach to putting up food is ro

think about how I like [0eat each vege-

My approach to putting up food is tothink about how I like to eat each vegetable.

table: I eat beets pickled or steamed; I Likecarrots raw and peas I r esh or frozen; andcorn isgood fresh, canned or frozen. Thereis no sense in canning 30 pints of peasor mustard pickles if nobody eats them.That's why Iend to lean toward tech-niques that bring out the best in each fruitor vegetable, as well as toward those thatrequire the least effort. Why can carrots,apples or beets when t h ey srore so well in aroot cellar? The same goes fo r spinach andbroccoli, which taste much better frozenthan canned. Most fruits and vegetablescan be canned, as we l l as lTIany kinds ofmeat, but fo r me, canning usually worksbest for soups, sauces and s a l s a s ,Increased shelf life is another reason

to consider canning. While frozen fruits,vegetables and meats only last a fewmonths before they begin to lose qual-ity, properly canned food will last muchlonger. However, after about a year,chemical changes slowly build up thatcan affect flavor, color, texture and nutri-tional value. To get the most out of yourcanned goods, always date your jars anduse the older stock first. If that batch 0funpopular mustard pickles is stil l aroundin three or four years, empty the jars ontothe compost pile and try something yourfamily will like better.Low- andHigh-Acid FoodsTo begin canning, the two main tools

you will need are a water bath cannerand a pressure canner. Canner selectiondepends on the type of food you are pre~serving. Although bacteria won't survivein high-acid foods such as fruits and [0-rnaroes, they can thrive in low-acid foodsincluding most vegetables and meats. Forlow-acid foods, it's necessary to use a pres-sure canner, which reaches temperatureshigher than the boiling point.Perhaps the best-known type of bacre-

ria Found in improperly canned food isClostridium botulinum, which produces apotent toxin that is odorless, colorless anddeadly even in small amounts. Borulism

cases are rare, but to avoid exposure, it'simportant to follow any canning recipeexactly, and to be particularly cautiouswith low-acid foods.Acidic foods, including most fruits, are

processed in a boiling water bath. Mostvegetables are low-acid foods that need tobe pressure canned, and you should alsouse a pressure canner for any combinationof acidic and nonacidic foods. However,SOlTIeow-acid foods can be canned witha water bath canner if you follow a spe-cific recipe. For example, cucumbers arelow in acid, but when YOLiadd vinegar tothe recipe, ro make pickles, they becomea high-acid food that can be processed ina water bath.Essential Equipment\Vater bath canners are ava i l ab l e for $30

to $ 4 0 , but a good pressure canner can costas much as $200. Both should come witha rack to keep jars off the bottom of thepor. Do not try to use a pressme cookerfor canning; they are not large enough tohold most canning jars, and they do notmaintain reliably consistent pressme.Every canning book or instruction

manual comes with charts detailing com-mon foods and their respective canningmethods, and also typically includesstep-by-step instructions of the entirecanning process. Local extension officesoften have free pamphlets on the properway to can dozens of different fruits andvegetables. Another thorough source ofcanning information is the B a L L B L u e B o o ko f Pr es er u i ne, which is widely available forabout $5. Try www.amazon.com, www.ebay.com or www.homecanning.com.Other essential equipment includes

canning jars, a large measuring CLIp, along-handled spoon, a canning funnel, ajar lifter and any cooking pots needed inpreparation. Canning jars come in twostyles: modern jars with two-piece metallids, and old-style jars with glass domelids, a wire bail and a rubber gasket. TheU.S . Department of Agriculture recom-mends using the modern jars, and always

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using new metal lids. The other part ofthe lid, the mew bands, can be reused.Both wide-mouth jars and regular jars

work well for canning. Wide-mouth jarsare a little more expensive, but they're alsoeasier to fil l with some foods, especiallywhole fruits or pickles. When choosingjars, check fOf nicks on the rim or cracksin the jars, and discard any imperfect onesbecause they will not seal properly. Usingrecycled commercial food jars is not rec-ommended-theyare meant to be "sin-gle-use" jars, and may nor withstand thehigh pressure of home canning.Let the Canning BeginBefore you begin canning, read your

recipe carefully and have all the equipmentand ingredients on hand. To keep projectsmanageable, start with a small project thatfits the time you have. I avoid canningburnout by not trying to do more than onecanning session a day and by interspers-ing large tasks, such as canning dozens ofquarts of tomato sauce, with smaller, moreinteresting projects, such as trying out anew recipe for tornacillo-rninr sauce.Before or during your food prepara-

tion, you need to wash and heat the jars.To heat jars, immerse them in simmeringwater (180 degrees Fahrenheit or higher)

fill the shelves of your pantry w ith food stra ight from your gard en. Canning requires just a te wbasic tools , inc luding a w ater bath or pressure canner, em pty jars and lids, and a jar lifter lo rre mo vin g ja rs fro m h ot w ate r (p ictu re d a bo ve a nd b elo w).for at least 10 minutes, and they can re-main there until needed. A dishwasher alsocan be used on regular cycle to wash jarsand keep them hOL I often steam my jars(for 15 minutes) because it is quicker thanheating volumes of water. The jar lids needto be heated for at least 10 minutes. Thiscan be done right along with the jars, orelse in a small saucepan of water heated toat least 180 degrees. Keep lids hot, remov-ing one at a time asneeded. There is a very

Pressure Canning vs.the Water Bath MethodFor low-acid foods, use a pressure canner (upperright) to kill harmful bacteria. High-acid foods canbe canned with the water bath method, which re-quires a less expensive canner (lower right).

U SE A P RESS URE CANNER FOR:BeansSoups and stewsRed meat, f ish and poultryMost vegetables

U SE A WATER BATH CANNER FOR:PicklesTomatoesFruits: apples, berries, cherries, peaches,pears, plums and rhubarb

Fruit juicesJams, jellies and preserves

handy magnetic tool called a "wand" thatlooks like a long chopstick, which easilylifts the Bat [ids from the water. Jar bandsdo not need to be heated, just wash anddry them thoroughly, and set them asideuntil they are needed.When you moose a canning recipe, you

will find that there are two methods offill-ing jars. "Cold packing" iswhen cold, rawfood pieces are PUt in a hot jar and hotliquid is poured over them to fill the jar."Hot packing" is when the foods are pre-cooked and poured into the hot jar. Notethat the processing times for these methodsvary greacly depending on what rype offood you are canning. Follow the chart orrecipe, which also will tell you how muchhead space to leave in the jar.Head space iscritical: This isthe amount

of space between the rim of the jar andthe [Opof the food. Too much head spaceand the jar may not seal correctly. Also, theprocessing time may not have been longenough to drive Out alJ the air, and foodmay discolor at the top. Too little headspace can be a problem with starchy foods,such as pumpkin or baked beans, becausethe food boils inside the jar and may pushout the top, contaminating the sealing sur-face. The general rule is to leave an inch ofhead space for low-acid foods, includingvegetables and meats; one-half inch foracidic foods such as fruits and tomatoes;and one-fourth inch for pickles, relishes,jellies and juices. Once your jars are filled,


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remove any air bubbles by inserting a non-metal spatula or chopstick into the jar andgently agitating the contents.Clean the jar rim with a clean, damp

cloth to remove any suckiness or food par-ticles that could prevem a solid seal. Then,adjust the two-piece jar lid by setting thedisc on [he jar rim and screwing on theband. Screw the band until you meet theinitial point of resistance and no further.Place the jars on the rack in the boilingwater bath or steam pressure canner andprocess immediately. In a boiling waterbath canner, the top of the jars must becovered by I inch of water. Begin count-ing the processing time when the waterreturns to a rolling boil,In a pressure canner, place the jars on (he

rack in a canner filled with 2 to 3 inchesof simmering water. Fasten the cover, fol-lowing the manufacturer's instructions.Heat by allowing the steam to steadilyvent through the petcock (the valve onthe canner's lid) for 10 minutes, and thenclose the p e r c o c k , Starr the processing rimewhen the pressure isbrought (010 pounds.(This usually occurs when the weight rockssteadily-follow manufacturer's insrruc-dons for your pressure canner.)Pressure canners have either a weighted

or a dial gauge. For a weighted-gauge pres-sure canner, start timing the process oncethe appropriate weight begins [0lift andlet off steam. With a dial gauge, monitorit closely and begin to t ime once the gaugereaches the appropriate pressure. You willhave co adjust the heat source to maintainsteady pressure. In altitudes higher than1,000 feet, a dial gaL[ge is recommendedbecause you need to accurately increasethe pressure, and a dial gauge allows youto change the pressure in smaller incre-rnentsthan a weighted gauge. Check yourowner's manual or the Ball website, www.f r e shprese ro ine . com, for altitude recom-mendations. Dial-gauge canners need tobe checked yearly by your local extensionoffice or by the comp,my you purchased itfrom co make sure they're accurate.When processing time is complete in

a pressure canner, turn ofi- the heat andlet it sit until the gauge naturally tl.lls tozero. Wait a few minutes, then open thevent. Next, open the lid and remove thejars with a jar lifter. In a water bath can-

CANNING BOOKST he Be gin ne r's G u id e t o P re se rv in g F oo d by Janet ChadwickT he B ig B oo k o f P re serv in g th e H arv est by Carol W. CostenbaderTo order, visit www.MotherEarthNew5.comIShopping.ONLINE RESOURCESNat io n al C e nt er f or H om e f oo d P r es e rv a tio n : www.uga.edulnchfpCANNING EQUIPMENTLehman's: One Lehman Circle, P.O. Box 270, Kidron, OH 44636; 888-438-5346; www:lehmans.com. Carries canning jars, water bath and pressure canners, and other supplies.W is c on s in A lum in um Fou n dr y: 920-682-8286; www.wafco.comManufactures pressure canners.

ner, him. off the heat and remove jars from.the water. Set them, spaced well apart, ona soft cloth. Space around the jars allowscooling to occur naturally. If a jar cools toorapidly, it can break. Do not tighten thelids unless they are very loose. As the jarscool, you'll hear them "pop" when they areproperly sealed. If a jar does not seal, it canbe refrigerated and the food inside shouldbe eaten in the next few days.Once the jars are cool, remove the metal

bands, wash the outside, label. them withthe content and date, and then store themin a cool, dark cupboard or pantry. Metalbands may corrode if left on the jar, so tostore the bands, I use a wi re coat hangerthat has been cut close to one side of thehanger and then straightened and bentinto a long hook. The bands are threadedonto it, and the entire unit can be hungfrom a nail. If YOLl ever find that a jar haslost its seal during storage and that the lidcomes off with no resistance, it is not safeto eat and you should discard the food.A s the season progresses, the pantry be-

gins to fill. First, there's strawberry jam,then peas and. green beans; then it's onto tomatoes, corn, salsa, pickled peppers,blueberries, fruit juice, soups, baked beans,squash and applesauce. Soon, a rainbow ofsummer colors wi l l . form, ready to brightenmany a meal throughout the winter. ~

Roberta Bailey is a regularcontributor to MOTHER EARTHNEWS . She lives on a 16-acre farmin Maine and often cans morethan 1,000 quarts of food a year.

Dilly BeansThese crunchy, quick dil ly beans aremy favorite pickles.

4 pounds of garden-fresh green beans

FOR. E AC H P IN T J AR :1 or 2 sprigs of fresh dill1 clove of gsr l: (or to taste)Pinch of hot pepper

P IC KL ING SO tu TION :5 cups water5 cups vinegar112cup pickling salt

Place dill , garlic and hot pepper ineach pint Jar,then pack jar With greenbeans (wide-mouth Jarswork best).Bring water, vinegar and pickling saltto a boil, and pour it over the beans,fi lling jars to one-fourth Inch from thetop. Process for 5 minutes in a boilingwater bath. Yields 7 pints.

-Cheryl Long

\ \ 'Ww.MOTHEn l \ . \ l !T I !NI 'W~.COo l ! 23
http://www.motherearthnew5.comishopping./http://www.uga.edulnchfp/http://www.wafco.com/http://www.wafco.com/http://www.uga.edulnchfp/http://www.motherearthnew5.comishopping./


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THE COSTSAND SAVINGS OFHOM E CANN INGAND FREEZ INGEven if you buy produce ratherthan grow it yourself, home foodpreservation can save you money.by ROBERTA R. BAILEY produce in season in bulk at a farmersmarket and preserved some of it for win-

ter use? This option would provide thebenefits of eating local foods, but wouldyou still save money?To find out, take a look at our chart

on Page 25, which compares the cost ofcanning or freezing bulk organic producebought at a local farmers market ver-sus the cost of buying canned or frozenorganic vegetables at the supermarket.When comparing the costs, we found thatfor most fruits and vegetables, buying in

HVing.. garden and putting byour own food is the ideal forwhich many of us strive. Thefood source doesn't get anymore local, the cost is low, the flavor isincredible and the carbon footprint is normuch more than a muddy footprint onyour doormat. But not everyone has thetime or resources to plant a big garden, sowe wondered -what if y ou bought your

Th ere 's so me th in g s atis fyin g a bo ut h om e c an nin g-c-e sp ecia lly w he n it sa ve s yo u so me s erio us c ash !24 M OTHER M .R IH NEW S HOW TO (iROW AND PRESERVE YOUR OW N FOOD

bulk at the farmers market and preservi ngat home yields substantial savings.The chart shows how much freshvegetable or fruit is needed to make 16

ounces, or 1 pint, of canned or frozenfood at home. With the exception ofshell peas, all of the types of produce inthe chart show cost savings when boughtin bulk and preserved at home. Manycanned foods show a savings of 25 per-cent, while the best deals are a savings ofas much as 75 percent. For frozen pro-duce, the numbers are even better, withmany of the home-preserved foods cost-ing only one-half to one-fifth as much asthe store-bought version!Fa rm e rs M ark et S h op pin gTo get the best prices, always buy pro-

duce when it is at the height of the sea-son. Tomatoes in early summer will costfar more than in August or late summer,and their cost will rise again as soon asthe season winds down. Try shoppingthe farmers market at the end of the day,and seek our farmers who have a surplusof something they would rather not carthome. Or, talk to farmers about arrang-ing to get a bushel of something the nextweek, or when they know they will havea.surplus.Co sts a nd B en efitsBefore you decide to go into canning

or freezing in a big way, here are othercosts to consider. A large srockpor forblanching and access to cold or ice wa-ter is all you need to freeze vegetables,and gallon freezer bags may cost as little


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as 15 cents each. The typical energy-efficient freezer has an operating cost ofonly about $70 a year-and remember,that's for all your frozen foods, regardlessof whether you freeze them yourself orpurchase them frozen.For canning, there's the cost of a wa-

ter bath canner (about $30 to $40), andpossibly a pressure canner (available forless than $200). See "Learn to Can forHomegrown Flavor" on Page20 to findalit which rype of canner you need forwhich types of food. You'll also need topurchase cann.ingjars (about $1 per jar)and jar lids (IO to 25 cents apiece). Fuelcosrsvarywith propane and electricstoves,but are minimal eitherway .

Is It Worth the Effort?Preserving your own produce requiressome labor, but you can reduce the work-load and have a lot of fun by workingwith friends or family-you might eventhrow a canning or freezingparry.There'sone other big benefit to home food pres-ervation, coo: Looking at a pantry shelfof one's own jars of home-canned food isincredibly satisfying.Life isan ever-changingpuzzle.Each of

us has different piecesthat 1 cogether (0

Cons ider s tock ing up on produce in its peak season and preserv ing som e o f it fo r la ter use.

make it work. Many decisions are basedon allocations of time and money orother resources. I find that people's fooddecisions are often based on some combi-nation of these factors: Do 1 have time or space to raise myown garden?

Do I have time to freezeor can food? Do I value organic produce? Can I afford organic produce froma grocery store? How about from afarmers market!

Will preserving my own food makeit cheaper?

Issupporting local farmers importantto me?The answers vary for each person, andthey evolvewith our circumstances. But

even if you don't have time to grow agarden of your own, by buying localorganic produce you can enjoy whole-some, exceptionally flavorful varieties,a smaller carbon footprim, and in mostcases, you can save money, coo.To finda local farmers market, community sup-ported agriculture program, or farmsnear you that sell direct to customers,visit u n o u il o ca lh a ru e st .o r g . ~

sweet corn 4-5 ears $2/dz $0.83 $1.31 $0.83 $1.99-$4.62shell peas 31bs $2/1b $6.00 $1.31 $6.00 $1.99-$4.62whole tomatoes 1.51bs $lIlb $1.50 $1.31-$1.84 $1.50 N / Abeets 1 Ib $l/ib $1.00 $1.31 $1.00 N / Abroccoli 1 Ib $1.50/ Ib N / A N /A $1.50 $2.29spinach 1 Ib $4/1b N / A N / A $4.00 $4.62-$5.74pears 1 Ib $1/1b $1.00 $2.59 $1.00 $3.59blueberries 1 Ib $0.50/lb $0.50 $2.19 $0.50 $3.59-$4.78peaches 1 Ib $1/Ib $1.00 $1.99-$2.59 $1.00 $3.59"Home" prices are based on the author's personal experiences shopping at Maine farmers markets. "Store" prices are for organic brandssold at Hannaford supermarkets and local health food stores.

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EXPERT ADV CE FOR

Build a greenhouse in your backyard,and you'll be amazed at its many uses.

by H AR VEY U SSER YAgreenhouse is one of the mostvaluable additions you canmake to your property. If youwant co be more self-reliant byraising more of your own food, a green-house-large or small-can help YOllmeet many of your needs and goals. Witha greenhouse, you can plant fall and win tercrops co extend the growing season andenjoy fresh food year-round. Ir also canprovide food and shelter for poultry andlivestock. Plus, greenhouses are great placesto put worm bins. Here's a little about mygreenhouse, and. the many ways I use it.Th e G re en ho us e S tru ctu reStart with. simple components. Most

greenhouses are made from sheets of plas-tic stretched over a metal frame. You canbuy a kit with a ll the essential components.Mine is a Paul Boers "gothic" style kit (thearches come to a peak at the top, which isbetter for shedding snow). I paid more upfrom to get 1~-inch galvanized steel pipe,rather than l-inch, for added strength. Ifyour area gets any snow or heavy wind,this heavier pipe isa good investment.I also recommend using 6-mil plasric

that has been treated to resist ultravioletbreakdown. It's readily available from anygreenhouse supply, and the version I use isguaranteed for four years. I use two layersA greenhouse can be sm all enough to fit in acorne r of your garden, or large enough for am arke t g ard en er, a s sh ow n h ere .


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of plastic with a small, energy-efficientblower to inflate the space in between.The inflated "bubble" increases the insu-lating value of the cover, sheds snow morereadily, and resists "chatter" in the wind,resulting in lesswear.Choose the right size. The larger the

greenhouse, the better its ability to buf-fer temperature extremes. That's becausea larger greenhouse will have a largeramount of thermal mass-in the formof soli-that is warmed by the sun dur-ing me day, resulting in warmer nighttimetemperatures. Another reason to choose alarger greenhouse is tha r you'll f i nd moreand more things you want to do with it .Most greenhouse kits come in stock

sizes, so buying a larger stock size maymake more sense than ordering a smallercustom size. My plan was to erect a 20-by-32-foot greenhouse, but Iound t h a tby purchasing the 20-by-48 stock size, Ipicked up 50 percent more growing spacefor a mere $100.Protect your foundation. When I

Arst put up my greenhouse, Installed awooden foundation to attach me "chan-nellock" to which the plastic cover is se-cured. Because Ivoid using chemicallytreated wood, Iused 2-by-8 pine boardswith several coats of linseed oil.That was abad idea-the boards rotted out after Aveyears. My solution was [Q install asingle course of 4-inch hollow con-crete blocks on a small pou r e d foot-er, then s e c u r e a better grade 2-by-4(sealed against moisture) onto thetop of the block foundation usingI-bolrs pushed into wet concrete inthe holes of the blocks. The channellock is still screwed into wood, butthe wood i never in contact wi thearth or rain. With applications ofs e a l a n t as needed, it should last aslong asIo.Provide adequate ventilation. If

you plan [Q grow vegetable crops inthe greenhouse during me summer,your greenhouse will need heavy-duty exhaust fans and roll-up sides. Formost winter growing, however, exhaustfans are superfluous. I know growers with20-by-96-foot greenhouses who reportmar [hey get adequate winter ventilationjust by leaving me doors open as needed.

Ins ide the author's backyard greenhouse: The wooden pathway covers the w orm bins, and thereare ch icken pens by the door.

Brace for winter. I f you don't rememberanything else from this article, rememberthis: If you live in an area mat gets snow,brace the hell Out of your greenhouse!Snow isso light and fluRy, it'shard to imag-ine the load it pU[s on a big structure as itaccumulates, but the results can be dire. lnFebruary 2003, an unexpected snowstormcrushed my beloved greenhouse leaving

Brace your greenhouse to pro tect it Irom heavy snow .U ssery u se s 2-b y-4 s a s b ra ce s-th e a rro w p oin ts to ahole d rille d in to th e b oa rd th at th e b oll s lid es in to .

inch-and-a-half steel pipes on the groundlike spaghetti. After that sad experience,I put up 2-by-4 vertical braces to addsupport to the framing from the earliestpossible date for snow in late fall until thelatest possible date in early spring.

Care for the SoilEach winter, Igrow plots of tightly

spaced forage crops to cut for my poultry(usually grain grasses and mixed crucifers),which Iotate over the greenhouse beds. A sme spenr root systems decompose, t h e y in-crease tilth, fertility and humus. Of course,using compost in me greenhouse is also agood idea-it will help boost the micro-

bial populations in me soli. Mulcheshave benefits, too. They wi l l moder-ate the temperature in the soil, con-serve moisture and decompose overtime to increase fertility.There are advantages to leaving

~ the greenhouse soil fallow over the~ summer: The soil "solarizes" in the~ intense heat, which burns off soil

pathogens and will desiccate eventhe most die-hard slug. Last sum-mer, however, Iealized Iwasn't do-ing anything to improve me soil inmy greenhouse that was equivalentto my practice of cover cropping inthe garden. So r grew a cover cropof cowpeas, which do well in the

concentrated heat and the drier soil of thesummer greenhouse. The project requireda lot of water, bur improved soil quality.One caution: Avoid overfertilizing with

nitrogen. Green leafy crops can accumu-late unhealthy levels of nitrates, especially

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in the low light conditions of a win-ter greenhouse. Iever add nitrogenfertilizers in the greenhouse, and Ialways use plant-based rather thanmanure-based (higher in nitrogen)composts. Im even concerned about thenitrogen added to the soil by my summercowpea cover crop, and plan to follow itwith a quick mixed grain cover to "sop up"some of that excess nitrogen before Iplantother crops.B ring In the Ch ickensI've been intrigued for years by the idea

of keeping chickens in the greenhouse,and Iut it into practice in 2005. We in-stalled 4-inch block, rwo courses deep, tomake partitions for rwo chicken pens, us-ing poultry wire over wood framing.There are three benefits derived from

keeping chickens in the greenhouse inwinter. First, the CO2 from the poul-try's exhalations promotes plant growth.(Before you think I've gone off my rockerfactoring in chicken breath, consider thatin the Netherlands growers pay goodmoney for bottled CO2 to pump intotheir greenhouses.)Another benefit is that the body heat of

the flock moderates the overnight chill inthe greenhouse. Iannot test this proposi-don scientifically, but Ihad 43 chickens,

three d u ck s and rwo African geese in thereat the height of last winter- more than250 pounds of warm living bird has tomake a difference.Finally, Iate confining my flock in the

chicken coop during the winter, Now in-stead of doing that, Iheavily mulch th egarden area outside the greenhouse, en-close it with eleccronet fencing and releasethe birds onto it during the day. This hasmany benefits: The mulch protects the soilover the winter, the birds eat earthwormsand slugs thar live under the mulch, andthe cold-hardy pou l t r y enjoy the SU11, fi'eshair and exercise instead of being confinedto the boredom and stress of a coop.O u t-o f-S ig ht E arth wo rm sIxperimented with a 3-by-4-foot wormbin for several years.The greenhouse reno-vation seemed l i ke the perfect time to stepup to more serious vermicomposting. Wedug in rwo courses of 4-inch hoUow con-crete block for the bins, 40 feet right downthe center of the greenhouse (see photo,Page 27). EveLY8 feet, we put a cross wallof block, to create five4-by-8-foot bins, 16

U ssery harvests w orm s from his greenhouse w orm bins to feed to the chickens.28 MOTHER EARTH NEWS HOW TO GROW AND PRESERVE YOUR OWN FOOD

inches deep, each with two 4-by-4-foot lids made of three-fourths-Inchplywood on 2-by-4 framing. Whenthe flock is out of the greenhouseover the summer, their rwo 8-by-8

pens are used for an additional 128 squar.efeet of vermicomposting bin.BecauseIeeded accessdown the Center

anyway, Iidn't lose much growing spaceto the new worm bins. And those substan-tial 4-by-4 lids over the bins have beena godsend. I routinely roll a ful ly loadedwheelbarrow over them. They are a greatplace to layout work projects. We've evenSet up a table on them and had a picnicthere; and Iddressed a seated class of 16on them one raw March dayOf course all the kitchen throw-offs

that don't go to the flock get fed to theworms. But my operation is way beyondthe "worms eat my garbage" s c a l e , Iaulin pony poop by the pickup load from aneighbor who breeds and boards horses.The worms convert the manure into cast-ings (earthworm poop), one of the best ofal l natural fertilizers. Last winter, the popu-lations were finally high enough to makereguJar harvests of earthworms to feed theflock, a nutrient-dense, high-protein add i -don to their diet.W i n te r G ard en in g S tra te g y1 don't add any artificial heat to my

greenhouse, because Idon't mink usingheat from fossil fuels c o grow tomatoes inJan uary isa sustainable practice. Instead, Ichoose naturally frost-resistant plants andcount 011 the structure of the greenhouseitself ro protecr them from winter's ex-trcmes. You cOLJdsay my greenhouse gar-dening strategy is to imitate an unusuallymild winter, not to teleport my plants tothe tropics. The greenhouse protects plantsfrom winter extremes not only by slowingtemperature changes but also by keepingwind and cold rains at bay.Plants such as lettuce are not bothered

much by freezing air temperatures. Theyhave learned a neat little trick to survive,which is unsettling the first time you seeit: A s air temperature drops, the plantsmove water out of their cells into the in-tercellular spaces, so that freezing doesn'tdisrupt the cell walls. The leaves go limp(and the frantic gardener asswnes the crop


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Th is "h ot b ox " p ro te cts p la nts th at n ee dw arm e r te m pe ra tu re s to th riv e.

is lost)-but then they perk back up asthe sunlight warms the greenhouse and thecells rehydrate.The more critical factor is to prevent

freezing deep into the root wne-this isthe key to successful winter gardening. Youcould think of the soil inside the green-house asa rechargeable battery. During theday, it charges from the heat energy of theincoming sunlight. At night, it loses thatstored energy, bur it has a huge amount ofheat to lose before the soil starts to freeze.I've gone into my greenhouse after a

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MEN - How to Grow & Preserve Your Own Food (Men - 2010)