A Terrarium as an Indoor Garden

carnivorous plants - Photo: Flickr

There is a solution for you if you love the look of plants indoors but don’t have the time or a green thumb to take care of them.  A terrarium is a self-contained plant habitat.  Once you have set-up the terrarium and closed the lid (on the jar or another container you have chosen) the plants inside create their own eco-system – all you have to do is enjoy it.

The choices for terrarium containers are only limited by your imagination. Traditionally a smaller aquarium is used with a lid but a glass jar or other container will work nicely too.  Plastic will work as well, just make sure that it is a clear plastic or you won’t be able to admire your handiwork once it is completed.  Whatever size or material you choose for your terrarium the most important factor is that it does not leak.  You need the water and moisture to stay inside for it to work and you don’t want a mess inside your house.

The plants that you choose should all thrive in similar conditions and grow well in a humid environment.  Popular plants to put into a terrarium are carnivorous (Venus Fly Trap, sundew, or pitch plant) or rainforest plants (chamaedorea palms, small ferns or fittonia).  

Terrariums are a low-maintenance indoor garden.  They need indirect sunlight (not too bright) and no water is needed after the initial water is added.  The heat from inside the terrarium evaporates the water and then it condenses on the lid falling back down to the plants.  This process will continue keeping your plants alive.  If there is too much water present, you may need to vent the terrarium (with a vented lid or opening the top a small amount) just be sure to keep an eye on the soil’s moisture level (not too wet or dry).

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Seven Fun Things You Can Do with Popcorn

Photo: Pixabay

What type of popcorn lover are you? How do you cook it, stove top, microwave, air popped or campfire roasted? How about toppings, naked, salted, drenched in butter, cheese laddened, covered in caramel, or coated in chocolate.

Plain popcorn balls are great on their own. However, you can easily change them into something spectacular. You can cover a popcorn ball with white cake icing and red licorice lace to resemble a baseball. If that is too much, you can dress them up by wrapping them in a colored plastic wrap. For Halloween, wrap them in an orange plastic wrap, glue on cut out construction paper eyes, nose and mouth for an edible mini jack-o-lantern.

Popcorn lends its self for great ideas during Halloween. Don't forget the freakishly realistic witch's hand. All you need is plastic food preparation gloves, candy corn for the fingernails, fill with popcorn and a ribbon to close off the bag. Add a plastic spider ring and watch the fingers bend in odd directions.

Need to keep the kids busy for Christmas? Why not set them in front of a bowl of popcorn and string popcorn garland for the Christmas tree. This will keep them busy for a little while. Maybe it will even become a family tradition.

Going to visit a family for the holidays? Why not send a popcorn tin.

Need a teachers gift? Why not make a movie night kit. Fill a bowl with candy, microwave popcorn and a gift certificate to your local movie rental store. This is always a great gift. Or you could fill your own tin with some of the recipes below. 

Make your own old-time favorite homemade cracker jack mix. (recipe)

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Crackerjacks Caramel Popcorn

Category: Caramel Corn 

Serves/Makes: 4 cups   |  Difficulty Level: 3    |  Ready In: 1-2 hrs

Ingredients:

4 cups freshly popped corn lightly salted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup corn syrup (light)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Options 1 cup of peanuts

Directions:

My wife makes this and it has crackerjacks beat; 

Put popcorn in a shallow roasting pan (large pan). In heavy saucepan mix sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Stir over medium heat until boiling. Continue boiling 5 min. without stirring. Remove from heat; add vanilla and baking soda. Pour over popcorn; stir to coat well. 

Bake in preheated 250-degree oven for 1 hr., stirring several times. Cool, break apart and store in a tightly covered container. (Cool on waxed paper so it won't stick to the pan) Note; if desired 1 cup. peanuts may be added to popcorn BEFORE adding caramel sauce.

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How about chocolate covered popcorn. All you need is cooked popcorn and chocolate chips. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in the microwave taking time not to burn the chocolate.  Put the melted chocolate in a plastic bag, snip the corner off making a tiny hole the size of a pencil point. Squeeze and drizzle over popcorn. Let cool until hardened. This makes great favors for any party.

Now that you have some great ideas, get popping!

Author: Gary Nave

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A DIY Craft For All Ages - Great Gift Idea Too!

Photo: Flickr

Those wishing to grow indoor herbs, a sill sanctuary filled with flowers or a simple resting place for healthy, veggie sustenance can bank on this craft-idea to bring joy to their homes - or that of loved ones (should you wish to gift it).

Here’s what you need: a drill machine, a store-bought or home-made window box with drainage provided, drainage tray, sand-paper, compost and soil (or mixture bought from a nursery), favorite seasonal flowers, acrylic white and colored paints, overcoat of clear gloss to hold in the colors, a 2 inch paint brush and turpentine.

Method: Rub the sand-paper over the outside of the window box to smoothen out the rough edges; in smooth strokes, apply the base coat of white paint, wait for it to dry fully before applying the second coat.

When completely dry, paint in colored designs you like - hearts, leaves, lattice and stripes are some popular choices - and wait for the colors to dry before going

ahead with the overcoat of clear gloss. Let dry in sunlight overnight.

Fix the painted window box to your chosen spot by the window after machine-drilling holes into it, placing drainage tray and an inch-thick layer of pebbles at the bottom, then before covering these with compost and soil mix and sprinkling the plant seeds.

Lavender and Geranium grow well in small areas as do chives, mint and sage.

Whatever plants you choose, take care to water them regularly and treat them with adequate fertilizers (even slow release ones are available, so do find out about these) to keep from withering.

If opting for different varieties of plants, sow the tallest at the back, bushy ones in the middle and trailing kinds towards the front of the window box to give it an aesthetic look that’s peachy keen for the outsiders - looking in.

(Yeah, you’re sure to have plenty of those too - with such a great garden idea decorating your home!)

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Simple Crockpot Recipes for a Three-Course Meal

Crockpot - Photo: Flickr

I never thought a crockpot can be so versatile.  On a recent challenge with a couple of friends, we came out with a three-course meal; appetizer, main dish and a dessert, all done in with a crockpot!  With the help of our cookbooks, you can make wonders. Let me share the crockpot recipes with you and try it for yourself.  Maybe you can argue that this may not be a three-course meal, but it sure was a party-saver...

Smoked Sausage And Beans  

2 lg. pork-n-beans (3-21 oz. cans)

1 pt. chili sauce

1 c. barbecue sauce

1 c. sweet and sour sauce

1 1/2 lbs. smoked sausage (sliced into bite-size pieces) 

On a 12-inch Dutch oven, place all ingredients in Dutch oven. Mix together. 

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Crock Pot Chicken In Mushroom Gravy  

3 whole chicken breasts, halved

1/4 c. dry white wine or chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (4 oz.) can mushroom, sliced

Salt & pepper 

Place chicken pieces in crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Mix wine and soup. Pour over chicken. Add mushrooms. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Recipe may be doubled in a 5-quart crock pot. 

Spiced Fruit Cobbler

4 cans or 1 qt. fruit

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. sugar

1 pkg. white cake mix

1 1/2 c. water

1 1/2 c. water

2 eggs 

Place drained fruit slices in bottom of Dutch oven. Sprinkle with spices and sugar. Blend cake mix, water and eggs. 

Pour over fruit mixture. Cover and cook 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Enjoy!

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Growing Cacti in an Indoor Garden

Indoor Cactus -Photo: Maxpixel

The homeowner who wants to start a home garden that is light on the maintenance needed may decide to buy cacti.  This is a good plan because they need less water than most plants and are quite hardy.  Although there are still care instructions that need to be followed to increase the life and longevity of a cactus.

Cactus plants are used to the heat and being dry, for this reason putting them in a 

windowsill with full sunlight is optimal.  Depending on the cactus and the amount of heat it is getting you may not have to water it for weeks at a time (once a month is the recommended watering schedule).  Cacti like coarse soil, it is recommended to use a soil that is meant specifically for a cactus instead of a generic mix.  When a fertilizer is needed you should also purchase a fertilizer that is just for cacti.

When watering a cactus, you want to be careful not to over water it.  A good tip to prevent this from happening is to place the cactus pot in a shallow dish full of water.  The plant will soak up all of the water it needs through the drainage hole in a period of 1-2 hours.  Complete this task and don’t worry about it again for another month unless the plant is starting to get a shriveled look.

When handling your cactus, be careful they can hurt.  If the pot is not large enough to hold onto without your hands getting to close to the prickly part of the pant use a folded newspaper and place it around the plant.  This will protect both your hands and the plant when moving it.  If you do get a piece of a cactus in your finger, remove gently with a pair of tweezers or a piece of strong tape.

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Plum Good Apple Pie

(The picture does not correspond to the recipe) - Photo: Pxhere

Flaky Crust:

2 1/4 cups (550 ml) Five Roses Cake & Pastry Flour

1 tsp (5 ml) sugar

3/4 tsp (3 ml) salt

1/4 cup (50 ml) cold butter

1/2 cup (125 ml) shortening

1 egg

Ice water

Filling:

1 lb (500 g) red plums, stoned and sliced

3 large apple peeled and chopped

1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

3/4 cup (175 ml) granulated sugar

3 tbsp (45 ml) Five Roses All Purpose Flour

3/4 tsp (3 ml) cinnamon

1 egg yolk

1 tsp (5 ml) milk

granulated sugar

Crust: In a bowl mix flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter, then shortening until the size of peas. In a measuring cup, beat egg and stir in enough ice water to equal 1/2 cup (125 ml). Stir egg mixture, 1 tbsp (15 ml) at a time, into flour mixture until pastry is moistened and holds together in a ball. Press dough together and flatten into two 5-inch (13 cm) rounds; wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 min.

Filling: In a bowl toss fruit with lemon juice. In a small bowl, stir sugar, flour and cinnamon; stir well into fruit. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness, to fit 8-inch (20 cm) pie plate. Trim edge of pastry and brush edge lightly with water. Roll out pastry for top crust, cutting steam vents. Spread plum/apple mixture evenly into bottom crust. Place top crust over cutting about 3/4-inch (1.5 cm) overhang; fold under bottom crust edge, pressing to seal. Finish crust edge as desired. In small bowl mix egg yolk and milk, brush a little over crust and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake at 425ºF (220ºC) for 10 min.; reduce to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake for another 30 min. or until apples are soft and crust is golden brown.

For "free" recipes call Five Roses at 1-800-561-3455 or visit www.fiveroses.ca.

Author: News Canada

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The History of Organic Gardening

Photo: Pixabay

You could say that the history of organic gardening started centuries ago when ancient civilizations would till the soil, plant the crops and then harvest them. As the demand for such goods increased, fertilizers or pesticides were used to help grow crops but because  It was only later on that people realized these were also being eaten after they were washed thus there was a campaign to go back to organic gardening. 

There was renewed interest in the 1980’s that people in the US began to switch back to organic gardening. The Department of Agriculture even gave the farmers incentives to this old approach and as the demand for such products grew, more and more people have shifted to this method. This has been the trend in many countries, especially in Europe. 

But what is organic gardening? Well, aside from no longer using fertilizers and pesticides, gardeners will have to rely on compost, crop residue, crop rotation, integrated pest management and mechanical cultivation in order to preserve soil productivity and combat pests. 

Currently, such organic gardening methods are regulated by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements which helps farmers grow crops in 75 million acres of land across the globe. 

Their goal can be summed up into two words and that is sustainable development so that the land that is used will be around for the next generation because there is a healthy ecosystem. 

Is organic gardening effective? The answer is yes. Over a 22 year study that was released to the public in 2005, the results showed that going back to the basics produces the same amount of corn and soybean yields as conventional methods. However, it does so by consuming less energy and without any pesticide residue. 

A study done by the University of Michigan shows developing countries that practice organic gardening could double or even triple their crops mainly because they do not have the financial resources to buy pesticides or fertilizer. 

The nice thing about organic gardening is that farmers are not the only ones that can do it because you too can make this happen in your own backyard. You just have to learn how to till the soil and keep it in good condition, how to make your crops grow and how to fight against pests so you will be able to harvest them. 

You can even turn this into a hobby and see how fun it is to make grow your own vegetables instead of buying these from the grocery. So, go online or buy a few books to learn how easy it is to do. 

Remember, the key to a successful harvest regardless of what you decide to plant is all in the planning. Take into account how much you are willing to spend, your limited space and how much time and effort is in your hands. 

You will also need to get the right gardening tools like gloves and a tiller to break the soil because it makes the task much easier than doing this by hand so that in a few months, you will be able to see what you planted grow.

As you can see, the history of organic gardening isn’t really something new. We have been doing it for a very long time and we probably lost sight of it but we learned our mistakes and we are simply going back to the basics. 

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