Over The Fence

Better Get a Bone Scan

ethne.clarke@rodale.com — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:48:13 +0000

Everyone should get a bone scan, and Rainbow Light, makers of organic nutritional supplements, have made it easy to get a heads up on the state of your superstructure. They are visiting locations all over the USA with their mobile scanner; it looks like a foot massager, but instead of giving your tootsies a soothing soak, it sends an ultra sound through your ankle bones. The reading will inform you whether or not a full scale bone scan is necessary.

Visit the Bone I.Q. website to find the interactive map, plus all kinds of information on keeping bones healthy and yourself happy.

Thank you Rainbow Light!

Chef Salts

Katie Walker — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:45:46 +0000

I love trying new things (especially free new things). Also, when it comes to cooking, I would like to expand my repertoire beyond spaghetti. So when these Chef Salts landed on my desk (actually my editor’s desk) I jumped at the chance to experiment with them.

We got it in two different “flavors”, although it comes in six. The first was 7 Salt, which is comprised of sea salt from Maine and Bali, volcanic salt from Hawaii and India, pink salt from Pakistan, smoked salt from Wales, cracked Tellicherry and green peppercorns, and a speck of sugar. It is recommended for steaks, poached salmon, baked potatoes, and popcorn.

The second salt was Tuscan Herb. It has: garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram, fennel, cracked Tellicherry and green peppercorns, and a hint of sugar (again with the sugar!). It is recommended for grilled seafood, tossing with pasta, or chasing a wild boar through the underbrush.

I got so overeager about the salts that I decided to try them in almost all of their stated uses (with the exception of chasing a wild boar through the underbrush – that’s just not my thing.)

First up – Popcorn. I cooked the popcorn in olive oil on the stove, with a few cloves of garlic, as recommended by the website. Then I sprinkled on the 7 Salt. It was surprisingly sweet, like Kettle corn. I usually hate Kettle corn, but I actually really enjoyed this stuff, and I think it was because it was more complex than just salt and sugar. I would definitely eat this again.

Next – Steak and Baked Potato with 7 Salt. I coated the steak with the salt before grilling, and gave it a sprinkling again after the grill. This was the only seasoning the steak got that night, and it was great. It didn’t need any additional sauce or marinade, and it tasted just like an expensive steakhouse steak.

The Baked Potato was less thrilling. It was an interesting flavor, but nothing to write home about. In fact, when I went to eat the next potato (they were small), I reached for the regular salt. Oh well, nothing’s perfect. (Actually, that’s a lie. One thing was absolutely perfect. Keep reading to find out what)

Tuscan Herb time – First was grilled salmon. It worked well on the salmon, although I think it might have been better on halibut or tuna, something without as much flavor as salmon. Salmon is also a fish that needs a lot of salt, but with the Tuscan Herb that meant overkill on the other flavors. I would definitely try it again, though.

And now, the life-changing, ah-mazing, call-your-mom-right-now-because-this-is-so-good-application of the Tuscan Herb….

PASTA!!! I kid you not, this literally made me not want to have pasta again without this seasoning. It was salty, crunchy, flavorful – just all around surprising and and it made me feel like I was eating a $35 pasta dish, instead of a $0.35 one. My roomate added some of the seasoning to her pasta sauce, and said it also dramatically improved the flavor of the sauce. But I didn’t care, I was too busy slurping up my buttered noodles. When was the last time a bowl of buttered noodles felt like a treat? For me, it usually symbolizes a failure in creativity. But from now on, I will add my Tuscan Herb and eat my pasta with glee.

The School Lunch Bill

Katie Walker — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:30:26 +0000

On December 13th, President Obama signed into law a school lunch bill that any fan of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (or just good, fresh food) will be proud of. The White House blog has released a comparison chart showing examples of meals before and after the bill. As one who ate these school lunches not that long ago, I can tell you these kids are lucky. Chicken patties, beef tacos and mushy spaghetti were never favorites around the lunch room. In fact, my high school had a special lunch line, where for $2 more we could get better meals (spicy chicken fingers, Papa John’s pizza…better, not healthier). In none of these situations were our nutritional needs being served, and I can attest to the fact that from first through eighth grade, I always chose the chocolate milk over the plain. If given a chance, what kid wouldn’t? So kudos to the school lunch bill, if anyone deserves fresh, healthy meals, it’s the eight-year-olds who have to sit through long division.

Egglings!

Katie Walker — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:02:14 +0000

So around this time of year, I start feeling the effects of not having fresh herbs and vegetables at my disposal every night. It’s also the time of year for buying lots and lots of presents. Luckily, I found the solution for both problems while trolling the web – Egglings! These cute herb growers look like they would add a touch of spring, even when it’s below freezing outside. Just imagine showing up with one of these as a hostess gift! Much better than wine.

The company makes other variations on this same idea, including the Nyokki, which grows grass

the taterpot, which has the cutest little facial expressions

and the Petit Coco, for the more sophisticated herb grower

It’s always fun finding new products, especially ones that will make great gifts.

Test Garden Update: Debbie Leung, Olympia, WA

kvzpxtwfnr — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:35:05 +0000

Bill’s comments below prompt me to report on my experience with the squash ‘Kumi Kumi’. I found it great for stuffing—I used rice, tomato sauce (homegrown and homemade, of course), spices, sausage, and I don’t remember what else. Not only does ‘Kumi Kumi’ have great flavor to compliment the stuffing, but its hard shell made the perfect bowl for it. But it is very hard to cut open—much easier when I got my rubber mallet into the act. Then I steamed the cut-open Kumi about 20 minutes, mashed the squash in the shell, stuffed it, and baked it until hot through. It’s been quite a hit. It also seems to get more orange as it sits awhile after harvest.

I’m also experimenting to see if the hard shell helps it maintain eating quality after freezes. I left mine on the porch during temps down in the teens and it’s holding up!

Test Garden Update: Bill Nunes, Gustine, CA

kvzpxtwfnr — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:25:19 +0000

I’ve never gone much for pumpkins solely for decoration—no surprise to those who know I haven’t much patience for flowers. But I do appreciate FOOD that is pretty, and the ‘Kumi Kumi’ squash we trialed this year (below) fits my criteria. It’s a beautiful ribbed flattish pumpkin. I suppose I’ll eventually eat it, but for now it’s lovely to look at. I do like to use seasonal produce as table or outdoor decorations. I just like to make sure I eat them before they go bad.

Our average first frost date is nominally November 4. We were about two weeks later than that this year. Still haven’t made it below 30F as far as I know, although the east side of the valley probably has. We had a series of storms right about the time we hit freezing that brought 1″ of rain, depending on exact location. Then some beautiful end-of-November days that had me out in the garden in a T-shirt. About 1/2″ of rain last week kept me from having to water anything and the winter veggies are all happy as can be.

My season for lettuce is just ramping up right now. I’ve been harvesting one bed of cutting lettuce for a few weeks. There are tried-and-true varieties ‘Red Salad Bowl’ and ‘Tango’. Plus ‘Kweik’, which I haven’t decided if I will harvest for a salad mix or allow to grow for heads (or both). The bed of Organic Gardening test varieties is a bit behind, and I’ve just started cutting them this week.

Test Garden Update: Leslie Doyle, Las Vegas, NV

kvzpxtwfnr — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:49:14 +0000

The harvest from my garden continues. This month I’m harvesting the orange saffron threads from the Crocus sativus blossoms (above).

Only 20 more pomegranates to juice—our muscles are very sore!

Some of the juice is going into these little Starbucks bottles I saved over the years (finally found a use for them). I need another freezer. Some of the pomegranate harvest is now jelly.

I am finished harvesting the pistachios. We got a huge amount this year. I dried them and froze them. Have you ever tasted a fresh-dried and frozen—not roasted—pistachio? Not many have. They are really good; different. If you like pistachios, you would like these better than the roasted.

Carmex vs. Burt’s Bees

Katie Walker — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:57:25 +0000

I did a scary thing today – I looked at the ingredients in my lip balm. I say scary because I’m not sure it’s something I ever truly wanted to know. I’ve been using Carmex® for years, especially in the winter when my lips get extremely dry (it’s also great as a cuticle moisturizer). But I’m also loyal to Burt’s Bees®, because it’s all-natural. So how unnatural is Carmex®?

First things first – the ingredients:

Carmex® vs. Burt’s Bees®

Menthol Beeswax

Camphor Coconut oil

Phenol Sunflower seed oil

Fragrance in Petrolatum Peppermint oil

Lanolin Lanolin

Salicylic Acid Tocopherol

Cocoa Butter Rosemary leaf extract

Wax Base Soybean oil

Canola oil

A few things bothered me when I read these two lists. First, is that Carmex® contains a drying agent – Salicylic Acid, the same active ingredient in zit medication. Why would a lip balm, which is supposed to moisturize, need a drying agent? Second “fragrance in petrolatum,” which is their fancy way of saying Petroleum Jelly. Again, Petroleum Jelly initially holds moisture in for your lips, but it also doesn’t allow your lips to absorb any moisture, leaving them as dry as they began.

But the ingredient that really got to me was Phenol, which is not only an anesthetic (which I need on my lips to what? Why would I want to numb my lips?) but is also an alternative to formaldehyde for embalming, and in large injections can be used to kill a person! And while I suppose being able to embalm someone on the spot may come in handy some day, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database rated it a 9/10 (High Hazard) on its ingredient safety scale. This rating applies to the ingredient itself, not the product containing it, but still. Phenol is one of Carmex’s® three active ingredients (at .4%) and it’s considered that dangerous? When I read that I threw out my Carmex® forever.

Ultimately, everyone makes the decision about what to put in and on their body. People having been using Carmex® for years and still live to tell the tale. But when I have the option of putting something on my lips, which is eventually digested through my body, why would I choose a product with such dangerous ingredients? Carmex® recently announced that they’re changing their packaging to eliminate 20% of the plastic from the traditional jar. That’s great. But changes to Carmex® really need to start with the ingredients.

Long live Burt’s Bees®!

Hairy Carrots

JeanneEmery — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:29:08 +0000

I’m a little bit of a lazy gardener. Meaning I don’t fuss and if I can leave something, I do. For example, I plant enough carrots in the spring to last us through the growing season and well into winter. But I don’t dig them up. I don’t plant them in troughs filled with sand and covered with newspapers and set in the cool room in our basement. We just leave them in the ground and stack a couple bales of straw on top to keep them cozy. In the middle of February, you can catch me tramping through the snow, tipping a bale aside and digging delicious carrots for soups and stews. They do lose some of their sweetness over time, but there is something satisfyingly sweet about eating from your garden in the middle of a blizzard!

What does all this have to do with hairy carrots? Well, this year I happened to notice our Purple Dragon carrots getting hairier and hairier as the season drew on.

I know the longer a carrot sits in the soil, the more root hairs it develops, but since we have left ours every year for the last four, this didn’t seem to jive with our experience in years past. I dug a little deeper and found out too much nitrogen can cause excessively hairy carrots. (Okay, you can stop laughing at the string of “hair club for carrots” jokes and the like probably running through your head at the moment!) We’ll be skipping the deliveries of mushroom compost for a while to let the soil balance out again. And, in the meantime, we’ll be enjoying our hairy purple dragons well into the winter.

Test Garden Update, Leslie Doyle, Las Vegas, NV

kvzpxtwfnr — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:54:32 +0000

Last weekend I got two 4-month-old Australorp hens (photo below). They have very sweet dispositions—really. These are huggie chickens. I had to get more hens since I built a larger pen area around my coop. No square inch of my precious and little 1/2-acre city lot can go unused.

The second photo shows the new fence I put in to keep my chickens out of the garlic and veggie beds. This is a portable fence (my design) and it is held up by the planter boxes along the outside and a couple of 15-gallon nursery pots on the inside. The coop is on wheels, so the fence has to be movable too. The gate has those hinges that close it when I forget (often).

See the pole lamp? It’s to fool the chickens into thinking the days are longer, so they keep laying. I don’t know if it will work.