Juice. Ya Gotta Like It!

With 13 days under my belt and a few more to go, I've got to be able to prepare juices that I can handle on order to keep going. When I started it was a bit difficult because I was so new at it that I had no idea what fruits and veggies to combine, so I just picked out what sounded good and boy was I disappointed! For 3 days in a row I made myself drink juices that were terrible. I even made it a matter of prayer to try to figure out how in the world I could make this work for me. Anyway, as I thought through it I realized that I really like my citrus smoothie so maybe I should try using those fruits for juice. I did and it became a base for doing a little mix and match. This is my basic breakfast recipe with a few variations included:
First I gather my fruit and veggies.

I include:
1 Grapefruit
3 Oranges
2 Carrots
a 3" chunk of Cucumber
2-3 Kale leaves

Then maybe some
Strawberries
Or Cranberries
Or an Apple
Remember that grapefruit and cranberries are a bit sour so you want to combine them with something sweet. It also helps to think the other way around when making up your own recipes. You don't want juices that are too full of sugars, even if they are natural :) Before I finish my batch of juice I taste it to see if I like it. I usually do because I start with a tried and true combination but sometimes I need to adjust for the sweetness level. With the strong flavor of the oranges and grapefruit I can get away with adding things like Kale and Cucumber. After the juice is deposited in the collection pitcher, stir the juices together before serving. I especially like to dilute my juice with some ice.
If you line the pulp bucket with a produce bag it will make clean up easy! Also, you can recycle your pulp and peelings by blending them in your blender and making a lovely garden smoothie for composting the garden!

And Now, How To Protect Your Garden

I've found a safe and effective way to spray my garden veggies for bugs! While I'm no expert I'm giving tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow crooked neck squash, pumpkins and strawberries a go for this year. After googling and reading recipe after recipe, here's one that I made up myself that uses ordinary household items and repels multiple pests. It's safe for the garden and non-toxic to those of us who'll be eating those vegetables as well:

GARDEN BUG CONTROL SPRAY-
1C. Water
1T. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Garlic Clove
1-2 Dashes of Hot Pepper Sauce
like Tapatia
1T. Biodegradable Liquid Soap (preferably)
or Dish Soap

Liquefy all ing. in blender except liquid soap. Strain through a cloth, if necessary. Pour into spray bottle, add dish soap, cap and shake just to mix in. Allow bubbles to dissipate, and fill the rest of the way with water, to make 32 oz.

Try spraying a little on each variety of plant and wait for 2-3 days to make sure it will not damage the plant. (My plants are fine.) Spray in the early morning or late in the evening, when temperatures are at their coolest to keep leaves from burning. Spray onto both sides of the leaves. Repeat every week or as often as needed. If you get the leaves wet when watering you'll need to respray.
I know it's early in the gardening season but we've had ours for 3 or 4 weeks out there and so far it's working on those pesky little critters!

Here are the resources I used:
ehow home, GardenMandy, and Recycle your day

PS. The Garlic will also prevent that destructive mold from appearing on the squash.
PS. Again. I found out that sprinkling corn starch around the garden repels hornworms.

Here's to growing a great garden!

How-To Feed Your Garden, or Instant Composting

This is a great way to use all your fruit and veggie scraps and plant items that didn't make it to the dinner table. (Please do not use animal products ie. meat, milk, eggs or fats.) You've probably heard of composting? It's where you save all your scraps and put them into a pile outside for months while waiting for them to break down into the soil for fertilizer? Well, this is an instant way to do the same thing! I read a comparison in someone's info and they called the time it takes "warp speed"! What I like best about this is it doesn't cost anything, you don't need any fancy bin, and it doesn't smell. All you have to do is save your scraps
for a day or two. Then you blend them in the blender with a cup or two of water. I'm sure you already know not to try banana peels or corn cobs. They won't blend!

Mix this garden smoothie into some soil. I like to do half at a time so I don't have to wonder if I stirred it all the way to the bottom.
Then I put the mixed soil into a pot, or you can directly stir it into your garden space wherever you will be planting.
And lastly I add the plant, this one's a bell pepper, and water it!
Happy plant, happy pocketbook!

P.S. You can also add this to the garden later by putting it in the ground beside the plants.

How-To Get The Kids To Eat Their Vegetables?!

Everyone already knows about putting peanut butter in celery, topping it with a few raisins and calling it "Bugs On A Log". Then I thought maybe an apple could be cored at the top and center only, leaving the bottom closed and filling it with peanut butter and raisins, but that's a fruit and not a veggie! A while back our family brainstormed this very problem of how to encourage the kids to at least be willing to give those vegetables a try and here's what we came up with:
~ Veggies-On-A-Stick. Use a little toothpick and line up cherry tomatoes, olives, squares of bell pepper, or whatever you think you can get away with!
~ Disguise them by blending them into sauces, like carrots into spaghetti or tomato sauce (compatible colors). They can be chopped tiny and hidden in meat loaf, meat balls and casseroles. We have been known to blend spinach into our citrus smoothie! (And yes, that's my poor blender pitcher that got melted when I took it somewhere and was left to drain on the stovetop!) Here's what I put in my Citrus Smoothie:
1 Can Pineapple with juice
2 Oranges
a handful of Fresh Baby Spinach (The older it gets the stronger the flavor)
and 2 C. Ice
You can start out with less spinach and gradually increase the amount to give the kids a chance to get used to the flavor. But it's a nice sweet way to eat your greens! This makes at least 2, 2C. servings.
~ Veggies get a very nice flavor when sauteed in coconut oil, plus you get benefits like, 1. It's a fat that doesn't harden with higher temperatures, and 2. It actually helps with weight loss!

~ Let the kids become involved with food. Allow them to grow a vegetable or two in their own corner of the garden. They can help prepare their own salad. Let them create! Some parents become concerned when their kids want to "play" with their food, but if that play will encourage them to eat it (and isn't too messy), why not?!

~ Here is also a place to go for a chart to help them want to eat a rainbow of veggies!

I can't promise what will work for your youngsters, but maybe these little tips will help get your juices flowing and you'll come up with something innovative and new. Then you can share those with me! ...PLEASE?

You can click here for Google Image's, "kids veggie creations", or click below for photo sources and lots more info:

Rainbow Chart.............carrot butterfly................. pirate.................girl with garden cabbages