The Treasure of Soil

When I mix up soil I think of how precious it is. With just handfuls of soil we can grow a garden plant that actually feeds us.

At times when I mix soil I know I have somethings special. It just looks good. My soil has sifted dirt,  manure, biochar, leaf mulch, and dead bugs from using my bug zapper.

Sometimes I think I have made soil that is more valuable than gold. Gold is great if you have a buyer, but it can't grow food. In a famine your vegetables will be more valuable than many gold Krugerrands.

Soil that is perfect is not compacted. It easily falls apart. It is able to add oxygen to your soil which allows plants to utilize nutrients through their healthy root follicles. Plants break down sugar to release CO2, water, and energy. This requires oxygen.

I use biochar for one simple reason: It helps to retain difficult to hold nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. Nitrogen tends to run-off regular soils, upsetting ecosystems. I want to keep the nutrients that I have within the soil without having them leech away.

I like rabbit manure. You can use it fresh from the cage. It needs no aging. Rabbit manure has nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, many minerals, and lots of micro-nutrients. It also has many other beneficial trace elements like magnesium, calcium, boron, zinc, manganese, cooper, sulfur, , and cobalt. Forget about raising rabbits to eat, use them for their manure.

Dead bugs are new to my soil. I should have been using them sooner. Bugs are so nutritious that many in the world eat them. I have a less direct approach for using them than for food. I use them in my soil. I keep my dead bugs (dead from a insect zapper) in a jar until I mix my soil. I mix them well. There are other insects like ants that like to carry them away to their home underground.

When soil is mixed and applied it will provide homes for earthworms and microorganisms. These creatures will make for a healthy garden and enrich your soil even further.

I think any plant would like some of my newly mixed soil. When my plants begin to look sickly that's when I give them a shovel full of new life by adding my special soil above their tired roots.

I'm a Baleologist: I Study the Science of Growing in Bales

There is a science in growing in bales. I remember the time I planted parsley in a green bale. What was I thinking? It's shown in one of my videos. What isn't shown is that it died in a week. Why? I was ignorant in the science of growing in bales.

Most people are ignorant in the science of gardening until they become master gardeners (not the kind in name only). Science is not that easy to come by. I wanted to find out the answer of a simple question, "What is the ideal temperature for plant growing (not starting seedlings)? We know that seeds begin to die at 108 degrees F and definitely die at 140 degrees F but what is the ideal temperature for plant health? Could the death temperatures for seeds be the same for plants, I don't know yet. Are plants more fragile?

I had an idea to see what the soil temperatures were in different part of Hawaii. Hawaii is the most ideal place to grow, right? I found a sight that gave me real useful information for a price. They wanted $75.00 just for viewing their data. How would you like to make that kind of money when people view your posts? I'm not rich and I'm not stupid so I declined their offer.

Today I made a green bale. I'm leaving the question about optimum growing temperatures for another day. I went out into the hot elements and found the most weediest and seediest materials in order to make a green bale. I even added some mint, the notorious plant that consumes gardens with it pervasive root system.

I chose the weediest and seediest materials.

It's green

 It is a simple test. I'm going to check the temperature of the bale at different times of the day and week. I feel like a volcanologist. Maybe, I'll get spontaneous combustion; the bale will consume into a ball of fire lighting up my garden. My water hose is nearby, so I should be safe. I haven't yet seen a bale fire, but anything is possible doing field work with green bales. I wonder if I should put on a fire-retardant suit and gloves just to be safe. It is tough being a hay baleologist (a new word for our type of science) . 

I chose a weedy location to lay my bale.

Well enough silliness, I've got probing to do. It will be interesting to see if I get seed destructive heat that also kills the grass beneath the bale. Time will tell but for now I have a nice 78 degrees F. You can grow in it but it won't live long.

New Gadget For Your Equipment Bag

Instant-read thermometer by Weber should be in everyone's equipment bag. Using a probe is the only way to know how hot your bale is reading before planting. We have studied the temperatures that make seeds unviable and now with this device we will be able to know exactly what is going on inside our bales.

I tested a few aged bales today but my next test will be on a green bale on a hot day. I will know exactly the temperature that my green bales can reach on any given day.

This evening the temperature was 84 degrees F.

My temperature probe read about the same even though I held it in my hot hands. 

103 degrees F

  

Older Leaf Bale

These were all older bales. If I was cooking bales for a straw bale garden, I would definitely check the temperatures. Having hot bales will not only cook seeds but also any seedlings you might try to start in a bale.

How I Use Cardboard for Weed Control

Whenever I go to the store, I get cardboard. It is the only sure way of controlling weeds. I place cardboard everywhere I want to smother grass or weeds.

I not only lay the cardboard down but I put more dirt and weeds on top.

My pathways get weedy very fast. It is because I have not used cardboard. When I clean up my pathways from the weeds I skim some of the dirt with the weeds included. I then lay it or toss it on the spot where I have laid my cardboard. This gives me a double effect. I smother weeds under the cardboard and also kill them on top of the cardboard, too.

It is also a very good idea to plant a cover crop over your recovered weed space. This will ensure that you might not have to reclaim the same space next year.

http://www.extension.org/pages/18525/plant-and-manage-cover-crops-for-maximum-weed-suppression#.VZCgqPlViko

Blackberries

I went out on a blackberry adventure today. I love blackberry jelly even though it means having to brave the ticks, snakes, chiggers and thorns.

I had one mishap. When I reached for a large berry a wasp stung me. It wasn't that bad but I did have some swelling. The sting didn't subside until I found a plant on the roadway in which I took a leaf and rubbed it on the bite.  The pain went immediately away. The plant kind of looked like plantain but I knew it wasn't.

When I got home I tried some plantain. When I rubbed it on the bite the pain came back. It did not help my insect bite. I tried many plants like sage, mint, and lemon balm. None worked like that little unknown plant in the old dirt road. I would of went back to view the plant again but I had jelly to make.

Today I only got three and a half cups of berry juice.

You can cook the berries and strain the seeds, however. my way of using a juicer gives me more juice. I also add water at the end of uicing in order to obtain more juice from the pulp around the seeds.

The basket strains the juice for me with centrifugal force.

I save the seeds for my biochar can. At 140 degrees F or 60 Celsius the seeds will become unviable. They can be used for mulch or biochar.

To make jelly I use one package of Jel Ease and 1 cup of sugar for every 3 cups of juice.

Cook the juice down to about 1/2 of the original juice. Out of 3 1/2 cups of juice I made 1 1/2 cup of jelly.

It takes a long time to reduce the juice. After cooking or reducing, cool, and refrigerate.

All that work for a tiny bit of blackberry jelly. But when you taste it, you will say it was worth it.

It's Alive: Chia Head Baby

I've never seen a chia head monster and I certainly don't believed in such a creature.  I have drawn pictures of one before but I never saw one. It's all make believe. At least that is what I thought.

I've heard the warnings about using hay bales, but I continued to use them anyway with no fear of them sprouting weeds. I do understand that gardeners want to grow in bales without a lot of weeds.

One day I experimented using a tiny straw bale I bought at a craft store. It was a simple experiment in growing. I soaked the bale in water and fertilizer but did not cook it in the sun.

I planted my seeds and then it happened: I saw what looked like chia growing from all sides of the bale (I actually brush on the wet chia seed and it sprouted). It was a hideous sight. This was the first time I saw chia growing on a bale.

I moved the chia straw bale outdoors hoping the sun would kill it. Minutes later—I mean minutes— something terrible happened: IT GREW ARMS AND WAS BECKONING ME LIKE A CHILD WOULD FOR HIS FATHER.

I ran into the house and slammed the door shut. Was I insane or dreaming this? Then I heard a sound from outside. I went back outside to investigate. The little straw bale chia head was crying. In compassion I brought the little guy into my house.

He had this silly little grin and felt slimy as I picked him up. He spoke his first words as I carried him inside, "DA DA!

It was a mistake to bring the little guy indoors. He wanted to be the life of the party. He was the main attraction on one of my cabinets.

He even tried to make a friend with our dog Belle.

Belle was not too pleased.

He thought it was funny when he took a nap on our dinner table.

 He was a hit at my house and made plenty of friends.

So now I've seen a real live straw bale chia head. Many thought that hay bales become chia head monsters. However, I've seen a real one and it was made out of straw. He's really quite cute.

Hay Bale Phobia

Fear In Using Hay Bales

Are you afraid of using hay bales because they might sprout weeds like a chia head and take over your garden? Ever since I have been using hay bales instead of straw bales I've always heard the tale of how bad hay bales are at bringing weeds into our gardens. Here is a sample:

"Make sure you use real straw rather than hay...Hay has lots of seeds inside, which will sprout and could invade your vegetables crops."  

"If you use hay—with all those seed heads intact—as a garden mulch, the seeds will sprout and you'll become an unintentional grain farmer." 

"Hay bales for gardening are less popular as they have the whole stalk and seed heads with mucho seeds. They also often have other weeds and grass seeds to cause trouble."

"I wouldn’t use grass or any other hay. It often has seeds."

You get the idea. Hay bales are bad while straw bales are good. For all the years I have been making bales I have never seen a bale with sprouts. I'm sure there is one. Maybe someone can send me a picture of a chia head type hay bale. 

Why doesn't my hay bale sprout weeds. They are mostly made up of the worse kind of weeds, and yet I haven't had a bale sprout weeds. I know it must be true. Everywhere on the web people tell me so.

Let's look at the science behind hay bales. Most of the bales I use in the garden have been aged. I tried using green bales to grow in but plants will die. When the bale cooks naturally in the sun and even after a rain the temperature within the bale gets extremely hot. Experts say that most hay fires occur within the first six weeks after baling.

Let's learn from the firemen:

http://www.firehouse.com/forums/t107643/

"Wet hay favors the growth of organisms which generate heat and can increase hay temperatures up to 150 degrees F. Once hay heats beyond this point, chemical reactions take over and can increase temperatures to the point of spontaneous combustion. With "wet" hay packed tightly in bales and stacked together in large quantities, fires are very possible. Whether hay which is in this situation actually starts to burn or not depends mostly on the size of the stack and the material surrounding it.

If you suspect that your hay may be heating up, the temperature can be measured and monitored by using the following process:Drive a pointed 2" pipe into a hay bale and lower a thermometer on a string down into the pipe. Wait 10-15 minutes for the temperature to stabilize, then pull it out and read the temperature. Repeat this in several bales. If a thermometer is not readily available, drive a solid metal rod or pipe into the center of the bale and after 15-20 minutes withdraw the rod. If it is too hot to hold in your hand, the situation is critical. The temperature should be determined and appropriate action taken."

Did you catch the degrees? We learned that hay generates a lot of heat. They can get so hot that they start fires. Now I know why my bales never sprout. They reached a point where the seeds in the bales become unviable. If the bale gets hot, the seeds or whatever sprout your bale might have will die.

Seeds are not made out of super-organic materials. They are fragile. They can take only so much heat before they become useless. Again, lets examine the science. 

Temperature

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/temperature-kill-seeds-82867.html

"Seeds begin to die at temperatures above 108 degrees Fahrenheit, but require longer periods of exposure at lower temperatures. At temperatures below 140 degrees Fahrenheit some species are not affected by heat treatments. The most effective way to ensure that you kill all of the seeds is to heat them to a temperature above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds mixed into compost or topsoil require higher temperatures and longer exposure times than bare, unprotected seeds."

Temperature then means a lot. If you live in the Arctic, then you should perhaps be careful in using hay bales. If you find one under the snow, let it alone. But if you live in a hot place like I do in Missouri then you should have no problems using hay. I always suggest using spoiled hay. Spoiled hay has already aged and been heat treated naturally so you should have no problems using it.

Bean Burgers

1. Soak your beans for a few hours then rinse. Look for any debris you might find with your beans and remove. No one likes rock or hard chunks in their beans.

I used half of a  20 oz. bag of beans

2. Add water to about two inches above the beans. Bring your beans to a boil for about 5 minutes. Let your beans set or rest overnight and then rinse again.

3. The next day after rinsing, bring your beans back to a boil and then simmer until done.

4. Use about 2 cups of beans and mash. I used an Oster hand blender and was careful not to over do the blending and mashing.

5. Add one cup of bread crumbs  ( I used panko crumbs) and two eggs.

Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for deep-fried foods such as tonkatsu. The biggest difference between panko and standard breadcrumbs is that panko is made from bread without crusts.

6. Season to your satisfaction. I used chili powder, seasoning salt, paprika, Cajun seasoning and cumin. Mix it all together. I also used a steak rub when cooking the bean patty. 

7. Use your patty press and make thin patties. I used a cake spatula when removing my patties.

8. Cook until golden brown on each side. Try to flip them over only once. Add cheese if you prefer.

I left my patty in the press until I partially cooked it on
one side. It keeps the patty from falling apart when
removing. I also used a cake spatula when
removing them from the press.         

Not one fell apart.

9. Make your burger.

 I used cheese, lettuce, green onion, sweet onion, and 

tomato.

I topped it off with Salsa.

Es bueno! Muy deliciosa!

I Embrace Many Styles of Eating

I think I got very mellow in my latter years. I don't get riled up like I used to. It takes a lot for me to become agitated. I don't like to rant or rave or try to coerce anyone to my way of thinking. We should all be able to share our views without fear of rejection, or humiliation.

I Like All Styles of Eating

I admire the vegan, vegetarian, meat eater, and the sweet tooth. They have chosen a way of eating that is tantalizing. I enjoy a good hamburger at a restaurant or a bean burger made by a vegan chef. I even have a positive reply when asked by a Vegan if I'm one of them?

"Are you vegan?"

"Yes," I will reply. "At least I am at this moment."

If a friend gives me a jelly bean cookie. I would readily take it with thanksgiving on my lips without shunning it away for its loaded sugar content. My mother taught me good manners. We should not act offensive or cruel in not accepting the hospitality of others.

I accept those who may not be so graceful as I am. There are those who refuse my cooked vegetable. They push them aside while saying, "Are you crazy. I am not eating that crap." I accept their refusal of my cooked vegetables. I even have some limits as to what I eat, myself. I will not eat cream corn. I hate the stuff. Don't get it near me. I might faint or pass out in horror. It tastes demonic. At least to me.

There are those who abject to killing animals for food. We have all seen the same movies. Bambi is left an orphan because some deranged hunter killed his mother. My favorite cartoon character is Mighty Mouse. Even today, I really don't like killing mice. In my mind, I'll always remember the mouse that came to save the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ9gcF8rfOI

I remember a dialog from my favorite move called, Hombre:

Audra Favor: I can't imagine eating a dog and not thinking anything of it.

John Russell: You even been hungry, lady? Not just ready for supper. Hungry enough so that your belly swells?

Audra Favor: I wouldn't care how hungry I got. I know I wouldn't eat one of those camp dogs.

John Russell: You'd eat it. You'd fight for the bones, too.

Audra Favor: Have you ever eaten a dog, Mr. Russell?

John Russell: Eaten one and lived like one.

Audra Favor: Dear me.

I don't think people who eat meat are blood thirsty murderers. I don't place animals on the same level as men. I know a lot of us act like animals, but for most of us we are civilized and want to live moral lives. 

You might think it is strange but I think most animals serve the greatest good when they can be use as food. There is no greater sacrifice than to give their lives for humankind. By the shedding of their blood they keep most of us alive in order to make this world a better place. 

I do think that animals that are used for food should be killed in the most humane way. We should never torture any living creature. I know nature feels otherwise. Protected wildlife like cougars and eagles kill animals in sometimes the most gruesome way. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeOWbPBNYPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPUP8ey3MjE

If I was a salmon I would dread being eaten by a grizzly bear. Grizzly bears do not care for the way they kill a fish. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NcJ_63z-mA

Civilized men should be better than beasts when they kill their prey. We should kill swiftly with the least amount of prolonged agony.

I do have conviction about abandoning pets. If you do make a pet then you are responsible for them like you would any member of your family. You should never gain the trust of a animal and then violate it by cruel and inhumane behavior. I have many abandoned pets. If left on their own they would die in the harsh elements of Missouri. Our family gives them a home as best as we can with food and water. It looks like a zoo here at our place but someone must care for these abandoned animals. 

I was only going to write a short introduction for my bean burger recipe. The post is coming. Stay tuned for my great tasting bean burger. Vegetarians well be proud even though I used two eggs in the recipe.

Long Life Hall of Fame: Jeanne Calment

Jeanne Calment at the age of twenty

Jeanne Calment a Supercentenarian

Jeanne Calment, a French woman, lived to be 122 years old. Was it just the luck of the French that a woman in Arles lived to such an old age?

Many have shown pictures of Jeanne Calment smoking a cigarette but she was far from being a chain smoker at least in her later years. She smoked in moderation. It has been written that she only smoked one or two cigarettes a day. When I was young I lived near Los Angeles, CA and had inhaled more pollutants a day from smog than she ever did smoking by smoking one or two cigarettes a day.

Arles, France

Jeanne lived in Arles, France all of her life. It is an historical town situated in South of France. She knew very well the cobble stone streets that headed for the open air market. The market gives a mouthwatering experience to all its travelers. The market sells clothes, jewelry, and delicious foods. Along with the market you can find little shops and restaurants.

This open air market in Arles, France is not like supermarkets in Missouri (USA) that I am are used to. We are very limited in fresh produce. We do have farmer markets on roadsides but a lot of the produce freshness has degraded from setting in extreme hot temperatures (I've seen water melons setting in direct sun) for hours.

In this French market there are stands and stands of the most beautiful and colorful fruits, vegetables, spices, garlic, honey, meats, and cheeses. A traveler once stated, "This fabulous market was a feast for the senses!!   

Olive Oil the Magic Lotion of Life

Being able to eat delicious foods is an enabler to anyone desiring to grow old. Jeanne Calment was doing something for her health that many might have missed. Most reporters only concentrated on her smoking or eating chocolates. She was also an olive oil nut. I mean it in a good way. She ate it and used it on her skin.

http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/amash-clement-olive-oil-longevity/25126

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Human-Resources/4485/Secrets-of-The-Longest-Lived-Person-122-years-And-Whats-In-It-For-You.html

 The Faith Connection

A lot of old people declare that it is their religious faith and belief in God that blessed them with old age. Jeanne Calment declared her faith in God when she made this statement after the death of her 97 year old brother, "God didn’t want there to be two hundred-year-olds in the same family, so it fell to me". She evidently believed in God. Another time she stated, "God has given me all I have asked of Him.”

http://www.demogr.mpg.de/books/drm/007/3-4.pdf

Let's Have Fun While Growing Older
 

Jeanne Calment was a fun lady. She enjoyed life and having fun. “I had fun; I am having fun.” We should never lose our zest and enjoyment of life. We are on an adventure and we should gladly embrace it.

We can learn a lot from people like Jeanne Calment; people who show by example the way to grow old gracefully and beautifully. There are things we can do to become healthy and perhaps extend our lives. But we must never forget to always enjoy life to its fullest. If we do live longer, we want to do it in a wise way that makes old age worth living. 

Accidental Watering

Today I left for town and ate at Steak and Shake. They have great salads. I always eat a salad to give me the live enzymes to aid in my digestion.

Salads

When I was shopping I had this idea about using my stainless steel mesh sink strainer for sifting small amounts of soil. Why strain it? It is cheaper than always buying potting soil for small seedling.

Dollar General sales them for  $1.65.

When I got home I looked at my garden. To my surprise, I left the water running. I was amazed that I didn't waste any of it. The water had run off and ended up in my trenches ( I grow some plants in bales in trenches).

It not only filled one trench; it filled all three and none escaped the garden. Today we had 90° F heat and it was okay to give my garden trenches some water.

I had placed my trenches so they would catch the run-off. I first did a simple check. I Placed my hose in the back of my garden and ran for a while. I soon saw puddles forming in my yard from the hose in my garden. It showed me the main direction of the run-off. The water ran mostly North. Since that was the case, I ran my trenches from east to west.

This check might not work everywhere but it did in Missouri. I suppose some places might not have any run-off. It might just run straight down like into a sink hole. I wonder what watering a garden in that situation would be like? The water flowing in an endless hole and going deep within the ground.

This trench filled with so much water that it looked like a swimming hole.

One trench overflowed and the water ran east. It watered some corn.

Before I go. I have to show you my latest bloom. It is a fiery orange daylily.