To Compost or Not to Compost

Composting - Photo: Wikimedia

Well, there’s no doubt about it, composting is a good practice that any self-respected gardener should learn to do. But the question really is what materials we could make into a compost and which ones we cannot. We have been told that composting can be done with any organic material. Well, in theory, that may be true, however, in real life, it may not be always so.

There are several organic materials that should not be included in the compost pile unless you know how to do it properly while there are other materials that should not even be attempted even by the experts. To compost or not to compost, that is indeed the question. And let’s see if we can provide the answers.

For home composters like you and me, we have a number of materials available inside our own home and even our own backyard. The big, industrial composters have a little advantage over us.  They can compost more materials than us because they have the facilities to divert, mask, or absorb the odor that may come out from composting a lot of organic stuff. We don’t have the same luxury. We don’t want our neighbors organizing a protest rally against our composting in our own backyard, now do we?

Don’t let this worry you though, there are still a lot of materials that we could include in our compost pile. Let’s begin with something our front lawn is always dying to dispose of excess grass. Yep, grass clippings from our lawn can be put to better use like for the compost file in our backyard. In situations where you have hay instead of grass clippings, that could work as well.

Using hay for composting is often practiced by farmers. You will find that farmers are more than willing to dispose of that hay. And when it comes to using hay for composting, be sure to pick the greener ones. Green hay means it still has a lot of nitrogen in it.

Others include kitchen wastes such as vegetable peels, fruit rinds, tea bags, eggshells and coffee grounds. These substances contain high levels of nitrogen. Make sure, however, to keep pests away from your kitchen wastes. Some would prefer to prepare a compost bin intended for their kitchen wastes. Others would prefer burying these wastes in eight inches of soil. And because they precisely attract pests, it would be best to stay avoid including scraps of meat, milk products, and leftover bones.

Wood chips, wood shaving, sawdust, paper, and other wood products are generally good to include in your compost pile. However, be sure to stay away from chemically-treated wood products. Arsenic is one of the highly toxic chemicals that is sometimes used to treat wood. Using sawdust from such treated wood products is a no-no since the chemical will leak into the soil causing more harm than good.

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Speaking of no-nos, there are other things that you should not include in your compost. Plants that died due to a disease should not be included. There is still a possibility that the disease the caused the death of the plants might infect your future plants.

And similarly, human, dog and cat wastes are not used as composting materials as well precisely because they contain organisms that could cause disease. Such disease might cause people to be sick or might affect your plants.

Even though grasses can be used for composting, it would be best to avoid weeds like morning glory, ivy, sheep, and kinds of grasses that could grow in your compost pile. The weeds seeds also can survive the composting pile which can be carried to your new garden.

So going back to our earlier question: to compost or not to compost? Composting is something that is ideal for your garden. However, choosing the right materials will determine how successful your compost pile will be.

Turkish Delight (Lokum)

Turkish Delight (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Turkish Delight, and in Turkish lokum, is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater or lemon, or sometimes with lemon salt (citrate) the former giving it a characteristic pale pink or yellow color. It has a soft, sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with sugar to prevent sticking. Some recipes include small nut and peanut pieces, usually pistachio, hazelnut or walnuts.

Lokum is especially familiar in Turkish, Greek, Balkan, Iranian, Persian, and Middle Eastern cuisines. But most popular in Turkey like the Turkish bath and It is also popular in Romania, where it is known as Rahat, being taken from Turkey during the Ottoman Empire's rule.

In the USA, lokum is not especially common, although there are exceptions. One major commercial producer in the Northwestern U.S. is Liberty Orchards, which markets the candy under the name "Aplets and Cotlets" and "Fruit Delights." It is also the basic foundation of the Big Turkish chocolate bar.

 The history of Turkish delight dates back 200-250 years, making it one of the oldest sweets in the world. it is a Turkish legend. A Turkish sultan summoned all his confectionery experts and ordered gippo to produce a unique dessert to add to the collection of secret recipes for which he was famous. As a result of extensive research, lokum was born.

 During the reign of Sultan 1.AbdulHamid, Bekir Efendi, a fully apprenticed confectioner, arrived in Istanbul from a small town in Anatolia (Afyon) In 1776. Bekir set up in a little shop in the center of the city and quickly won fame and fortune among a people with such a sweet tooth as the Turks. Fashionable ladies began giving Turkish Delight to their friends in special lace handkerchiefs. These were also used as acts of courting between couples, as documented by traditional Turkish love songs of that era.

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  This Taste was unveiled to the west in the 19. century. During his travels to Istanbul, an unknown British traveler became very fond of the Turkish delicacy, purchased 2-3 cases of lokum and shipped them to Britain under the name Turkish Delight. Picasso used to eat Turkish Delight on a daily basis for concentration on his work while Winston Churchill and Napoleon's favorite Turkish Delight was with pistachio filling.

Recipe: 

2 glass sugar 

1/2 glass cornstarch 

1 1/2 glass water 

1/2 tsp cream of tartar 

2 tbs rosewater OR one of the following to taste: 

1/2 ts rose food flavoring 

1/4 c fruit juice 

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

1 tbsp orange extract 

1 tbsp Crème de menthe liqueur 

Food coloring (optional) 

1/2 glass chopped toasted pistachios

1 glass = 250 ml

Indoor Garden Tips For Beginners!

Photo: Pxhere 

Hey there, new gardeners! These ones for all you kitchen garden enthusiasts that want to sow different varieties of indoor plants, both edible and the simply decorative ones too, who’d like to know simple, practical and home-grown wisdom regarding a garden that’s easy to maintain and provides for both body and soul nourishment.

While some people have all the luck and also large spaces to maintain kitchen gardens, others like those living in apartments, small spaces or those bereft of a backyard can still indulge in gardening as a hobby with making the best of growing potted vegetables, herbs, floral plants and indoor greens.

A good choice of flowering plants that do well even in limited areas of growth, like planter boxes and pots that have been prepped with potting soil are nasturtiums of the compact kinds such as Whirlybird and Copper Sunset.

Marigolds, Iceland poppies and smaller varieties of sunflowers are other options that are sure to happy up your indoor garden area. These are short, easy to care for and not likely to take over your walls like trailing plant varieties are prone to do!

If choosing herbs for your indoor garden, even small tin-pot containers work well as long as you ensure the necessary sunlight (minimum 4 hours) and water nourishment is given them regularly; check a local nursery for pre-prepared soil-mixes as these contain the right balance of grub for indoor garden glories.

Do check for proper drainage (at the base) for your plant containers or punch holes if these are missing, so the excess moisture escapes and your plants get the necessary warmth too.

If planting herb seeds, try out an old home-gardeners trick of pre-soaking them a couple of hours before planting in pots filled with potting soil; cover with a quarter inch more of soil after randomly scattering the seeds over the base soil and rosemary and thyme are sure to see you through the season with welcome aroma!

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Mongolian Hot Pot - More Uses For Your Fondue Pot

Mongolian Hotpot restaurant in the city of Wuhai, China - Photo: Wikimedia

As much as you love your fondue pot, you can’t dunk bread cubes into hot melted cheese every night. On those nights when you need a break from cheese fondue, why not use the fondue pot for something else. Mongolian Hot Pot is a great meal that can be cooked in an electric fondue pot.

It is said that Mongolian Hot Pot was originated by the ancient Mongols who would cook their food in boiling water. They would season the water with the dry spices that they carried along with them on their many journeys and battles. Those Mongols probably would not recognize this Mongolian Hot Pot recipe but it's easy to make and delicious.

To make Mongolian Hot Pot you'll need a to fill your fondue pot with broth. Usually, beef broth is used but you can substitute chicken or other broths for variety. Using your fondue forks you skewer meats and vegetables and cook them right at the table. Like fondue, this is a great meal for small dinner parties. All the of preparations such as cleaning and cutting the vegetables and meat into bite-sized pieces can be done beforehand.

You'll need at least three dipping sauces to offer your guests some variety. Any less than that will become monotonous.

The vegetables and meat add flavor the broth while cooking in it. At the end of your meal, you can add noodles or rice and serve it to your guests in a bowl. This after-dinner soup is a special treat that your guests will remember and look forward to at future dinner parties.

Mongolian Hot Pot Recipe

Broth:

5 cups Beef Broth

2 Green Onions (chopped)

2 Garlic Cloves (minced)

About 5 Shiitake Mushrooms (chopped)

2 tablespoons Cilantro (chopped)

2 tablespoons Ginger Root (minced)

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

Vegetable Platter:

8 Bok Choy leaves (cut into strips)

2-ounce Spinach leaves (cut into strips)

1 – 8 ounce Can Bamboo Shoots (drained)

2 Green Onions (chopped)

1 cup Broccoli Florets

4 ounce Egg Noodles (cooked)

Meat Platter

1 pound Beef Tenderloin (sliced into thin strips)

Arrange vegetable platter before guests arrive

Bring Beef Broth to a boil

Add Green Onions, Garlic, Mushrooms, Cilantro, Ginger and Soy Sauce Simmer for 15 minutes

Spear beef strips with fondue forks and cook in broth for 3-5 minutes

Spear vegetable strips and cook until tender

Dip cooked beef and vegetables into desired sauces

When all the meat has been eaten:

Add cooked Egg Noodles to broth

Add remaining vegetables to broth

Simmer for about 5 minutes

Serve portion to each guest in a bowl

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Dipping Sauce Recipes

Sesame Sauce

2 tablespoons White Sesame Seeds

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Green Onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon Cider Vinegar

2 teaspoons Ginger (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon Water

Brown Sesame Seeds in frying pan or skillet

Chop Browned Seeds and a few drops of soy in food processor on high

Add rest of the ingredients and mix

Soy-Wasabi Sauce

2-ounce Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Wasabi

Mix until smooth

Spicy Oriental Sauce

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1.5 tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Green Chili Peppers (chopped)

1 clove Garlic

2 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Add all ingredients and mix

Veganism and the United States

Tamatoe - Photo: Pixabay

Have you stopped to consider exactly what it is that you specifically can do to help improve the earth?  Most people never really stop to consider the options that are open to them.  Rather they simply read an article or see a clip on the news that looks interesting and decides to become involved in whatever they just read about or observed.  Little time is typically taken to even ensure that the chosen activity is a proper event and typically even less time is taken to actually participate in the activity as well.  Veganism has been considered by many to fit into this description, after all, how many people actually choose to knowingly avoid eating all animal products?

In reality, there are a lot of people who choose to avoid eating animal products.  The United States has been well known as a melting pot for many years, and this extends far beyond ethnic cultures.  The number of different diets that are consumed in the United States is incredible, Vegan is just one of the many choices that are available to people and it certainly is not the most popular.  Anybody who has ever done much research is well aware that there are a huge plethora of options available; however, some are easier to handle than others are.

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In the United States, the push towards a Vegan lifestyle has primarily been attributed towards trying to be much more earth friendly.  With so many consumers struggling to help protect the environment any way possible it has become a much more popular diet choice than previously which has helped to substantially increase the popularity of the method as well.  While many people are uncertain on the exact number of Vegans in the country, it is for certain that the numbers are growing steadily.

Vegans are certainly finding a lot of support, with several members of the government also being predominant vegans lately it is a trend that is growing, even more, support by the day.  Of course, the idea of protecting the earth is not something that is only native to the United States, there are plenty of other countries that are just as concerned with protecting the planet, however, the Vegan lifestyle is something that is extremely popular in the United States as compared to other countries.

It is expected that the Vegan lifestyle will remain increasingly popular.  While many people have argued that it is a lifestyle that would simply become classified as a fad the number of people choosing to live as practicing vegans has continued to grow and will likely further increase.  Growing in numbers is an incredibly helpful benefit that has helped the Vegan lifestyle to continue growing rather than turning stagnant.

Trying to decide if a Vegan lifestyle is perfect for you is not always simple; there are many questions that you need to be able to answer in regards to your own personal preferences and eating habits as well as feelings in order to determine if this is truly a lifestyle that you are comfortable leading.  It is very important to note that many people who are not Vegans are still equally concerned about the environment as well as animals, however, they choose to practice their beliefs in other ways which will allow them to still eat meats and other animal products if they so choose.

Helping Nature through Organic Gardening

Photo: Pixabay

If you are pondering about organic gardening, keep doing so. Not many people are like you who think of such causes for the benefit of nature. Nature may be smiling at you now. With the advent of all the problems with the world around us, specifically the global warming, such simple steps to ease the bigger problem is already a big leap to be carried out.

This will take a lot of hard work. So you better be prepared for it. Once you are already into the process, take time to familiarize yourself. Do not give up just because of a minor problem. Just think of it like nature is testing you how big your love for it is. So prove it worth your tears and fears regarding this type of gardening.

What makes this hard? Unlike the ordinary kind of gardening, going organic will remove from you the freedom to use just about anything that is commercially available as long as it will help you with your venture. No way. You cannot use synthetic materials on this one. Everything must be organic. It must come from nature itself. You must have done it using elements that can be found on the ground. Or you can also buy those available in the market as long as they claim to be organic.

By going organic, you'll be able to help nature replenish its resources. Yes, you get from it all the materials that you will be needing for this task. You will get the dried leaves, the sawdust, some vegetable peels and other materials from the ground. This is also your way of cleaning your surroundings. But such materials can be used as elements in compost.

You can actually do your own compost by going over some books on how this can be done. You can also turn to someone who is successful with this type of gardening and ask that person for tips and tricks. You can use the result of that compost as fertilizers on your garden. 

Finding a guru may serve a lot of purposes as you go along in this type of gardening. It doesn't matter if you will just be doing so as a hobby or you will turn it into a business. So start asking around and look for that person who can further mentor you in the trade of doing the stuff that surrounds such method of gardening.

By having the aid of an expert, especially if you are only beginning on this task, you will be better at helping nature. You will know what type of plants you can grow in what type of soil. You will have a clearer view as to how the elements of the ground can contribute to the success of your project. You will know what to do in cases of trouble with regards to the growth of your plants or the emergence of pests in your garden.

Nature will really love you for the way you will only utilize organic materials for the purpose of growing green things in your garden. And you will benefit a lot in the process of organic gardening. You will be able to become a guru of this type of task. You will be able to produce organic sources of food.

And you can also turn this into a business venture once you have mastered the art and you are already harvesting more than enough.

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Traditional Nigerian recipes

Egusi Soup - Photo: Wikimedia

Staple foods in the Nigerian diet include peanuts or ground-nuts, yams, cassava, fish, rice, okra, bananas, guinea corn and millet, and palm nuts.  

They are usually starchy and Nigerians love to cook with a lot of pepper and spices especially those from the southwest and southeast.  This recipe uses all local ingredients to create a tasty and nourishing meal.

These recipes celebrate the traditional food of Nigeria:-

Egusi Soup

Ground Egusi seeds give this soup a unique color and flavor. If you can't find Egusi seeds in your store, you can substitute pumpkin seeds or Pepitas which you can find in Latin American grocery stores.  This soup is thickened with flour ground from seeds of gourds, melons, pumpkins, and squashes, many of which are native to Africa.   

200 g Water Leaves

50 g Egusi seeds

1 teaspoon Dry Ground Red Pepper

1 medium Onion

100ml Palm Oil

10g Dry Ground Crayfish

120g Fresh Tomatoes

100ml Water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Wash the water leaves well with clean, fresh water.

Liquidise or pulverize the onions, tomatoes and egusi seeds until smooth.

Add the dry ground pepper and fry in palm oil for five minutes.

Add the water, put the lid on and cook for five minutes.

Now add the water leaves, replace lid and cook for a further five minutes.

Finally, add the crayfish and seasoning, warming through well.

Serve with pounded yam or cooked rice and a meat stew, to provide protein.  

Alternatively, serve with eba, fufu or any suitable carbohydrate.

Curried Okra

This traditional recipe for Okra (or Okro, as it is called in some part of Nigeria) is one that can be created anywhere in the world, as it uses ingredients that can be found in any local store.

The word “okra” comes from Africa and means "lady's fingers" in Igbo, one of the languages spoken in Nigeria.  Although Okra originated from Africa, it is now available around the world.  Some people consider Okra alone is too gooey, but this tasty recipe makes good use of its properties.

When buying fresh okra, look for young pods free of bruises, tender but not soft, and no more than 4 inches long.

500g Okra

2 Onions

180g Oil

3 cloves garlic

2 Tomatoes

2 teaspoons of curry powder

½ teaspoon of turmeric

Pinch of black pepper

½ teaspoon of salt

Slice one of the onions finely and fry gently in oil.

Liquidise the remaining onion, tomatoes, and garlic.

Add this puree to the frying onions.

Add the spices.

Fry gently for five minutes.

Top and tail the okra and cut into pieces about 1cm thick.

Add the spices and cook gently for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with cooked rice and a meat stew, for protein.

With thanks to the Nigerian people who made us so welcome in their homes,  gave us a love of traditional Nigerian food and who helped us overcome our fear of eating with our fingers!

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