Bio-Bubble Bread - a low phytic acid, 24 hour ferment bread

Starting at sundown, combine the following into a batter and incubate overnight until sunrise.

1 cup of Bio-Bubble
1 cup untreated rain water
2 cups organic wholemeal bread flour
40-50 grams pure honey
1 small dash of unrefined sea salt

At sunrise add the following to make a dough, knead and incubate all day until sundown.

1 heaped teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
2 heaped teaspoons organic flax seed
1 heaped tablespoon organic poppy seed
1 heaped tablespoon organic caraway seed (optional)
1 heaped tablespoon organic rosemary, fennel seed of coriander seed (optional)
2 cups wholemeal flour, enough to make a moist dough. Bakers choice of wheat, rye or spelt.

An hour before sundown insert hearth rock or fire bricks in over and preheat for at least an hour to 200C. Knead dough into a round loaf and score, lightly, for expansion. Flour heath and set loaf on hearth to bake for approximately 40-50 minutes, or until center is barely baked. Air cool. This bread should have a crust.

Theory behind 24 hour bread


The purpose of this bread if to bring the flour to life from its inert condition as grain.l This is a simple method that starts with finely ground whole grain flour. It can take place of the more cumbersome method of malting (sprouting, drying and grinding) whole grain to make the dough.

One of the reasons people have trouble digesting bread and develop allergies to protein rich grains such as wheat is that these grains in their inert state contain phytic acid which inhibits uptake of minerals, especially magnesium and zinc.

Enrenfired Pfeiffer's chronmatographic research into breads and bread baking suggests that flours needs to ferment as a dough for 12 to 16 hours for phytic acid to be destroyed and the resulting bread to be digestible.

Bio-Bubble serves to mediate and provide microbial support, much as plant juices - or even the clay in the soil - do. This balance between the digestive processes of lime (CaO) and the ripening processes of silica.

The result is a rich, flavourful bread that surmounts the three chief problems most people have with breads - phtic acid, yeast and undigested gluten. Phytates block absorption of magnesium and zinc. Yeasts exacerbate Candida problems and undigested gluten triggers allergies.

What is Bio-Bubble™?

Bio-Bubble™ is a fizzy, fermented probiotic powerhouse, featuring food-based antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes and billions of beneficial microorganisms per serve.

"This defence food offers probiotic support that is far more potent than many of the task-specific probiotics. This is a fizzy, fermented liquid derived from the microbial digestion of eight organic cereal grains and several legumes including alfalfa and soybeans. Probiotics involve a numbers game where the aim is to overwhelm the 'bad' guys with the 'good' guys and you will see that the benefits can extend far beyond bio-balancing.

Bio-Bubble link here

Rosa's Spelt Bread

Ingredients

375 ml of water
1 slice of butter, approximately 2 tablespoons
2 cups of wholemeal spelt flour
2 cups of white spelt flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of milk powder
1 1/2- 2 tablespoons of unrefined brown sugar
2 teaspoons of fine celtic salt or 1 1/2 tsp of normal salt
1 sachet of Tandaco Rapid Rise yeast (if not available use the most active yeast you can source)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in order as listed above into the breaker maker (if using a timer ensure the yeast can't touch the water).

Unused portions can be frozen.

Sunday in my Garden

The winter weight gain has been creeping onto areas of my body that are already evident enough, so I decided that as today was such a glorious winter day I would work in the garden and enjoy the sunshine and hopefully the exercise! The day is so glorious that it feels like spring and from the way some of the trees are sprouting they must feel that it is spring too!

No better way to get exercise than carrying watering cans around the garden! I made a mix of 1 tablespoon of Instant Humus and 7 litres of water. Carrying a7 litres of water is a great weight exercise, and cheaper than a gym membership! If we are going to have an early spring then no better time to increase the moisture and nutrient retention in our soil!

I can never describe the wonderful feelings and emotions that I feel when I use organic products to nurture my garden. For one, I know that I am using a mineral rich humic acid derived from ancient plant matter! I gifted myself an extra thrill by mixing it all in with a stick pruned from one of our trees. For those who know me, they will be aware that I love a good stick, and this is a great stick to use to stir things!

By the time I had watered the shady south eastern part of the garden, I had developed quite a “dewy” appearance as they describe honest sweat in those old romance books! As usual I finished with a lovely cup a tea, and a sense of having accomplished something that really mattered, unlike a lot of other things I did today!

more than food for thought

Folk wisdom in Japan says that one should eat 30 different foods types every day. Counting herbs, spices, oils, nuts and seeds, it is  estimated that the typical Italian diet contains approximately 60 different food groups. The comparable estimate for the typical Western diet is just 20 food groups. So it may not be the high olive oil content and low level of saturated fats in the Mediterranean diet which confer the well-known benefits: it may be the variety as well. This would explain the French anomaly, where the consumption of butter, cream and cheese is legendary, but where freshness and variety of herbs and vegetables are also paramount.

                                Dr  Carole Hungerford. 2009.  Good Health in the 21st Century,  pp10,11.

If I was honest, I would have to admit that there are more than a few days when I would be challenged to eat even that paltry 20 food groups. 

 Note to self - do better for my own sake!

Mo, Cu and Zn - Total Cover

Molybdenum (Mo)

Plants: Supports nitrogen-fixation and nitrate conversion into plant proteins.

Copper (Cu)

Soil: Copper deficiencies can appear in boggy soils high in carbon (peat) as well as sandy soils where large quantities of nitrogen have been added.

Plants: Copper is a protein nutrient and is essential for chlorophyll production, sugar synthesis, seed and root metabolism.

People: Needed for iron transportation and the formation of haemoglobin.

Zinc (Zn)

Soil: If you have over applied phosphorous using chook manure pellets over the years, then you probably have induced a zinc deficiency. The answer is to use a foliar spray to by-pass the soil-based lockup. Zinc is important in the soil for the health of beneficial microorganisms, particularly nitrogen fixers.

Plants: Zinc is often call the energy micronutrient for plants.

People: Zinc is essential for the proper functioning of reproductive organs and for the immune system.

Link: Total Cover

Good Soil Bugs – Make them feel at home, and make it good enough to eat!

Often referred to as the soil food web, a healthy, living soil will be teeming with microbes, both beneficial and pathogenic (infective; able to cause disease). Including species of bacteria, fungi, algae, nematodes, protozoa, arthropods and earthworms, soil microbes are all vital in maintaining a healthy soil structure.

Often we’ll hear of a garden that is receiving the best of everything but still not thriving, something is just not right. The problem could be lack of beneficial soil microbes. How can this happen?

There are a number of reasons for a lack of microbes including indiscriminate use of fungicides, biocides, herbicides, nematicides or fumigated landscape soils and high salt fertilisers.

Microbe brewing is one way to overcome these problems and is easier than beer brewing. In just 24 hours, in ideal conditions you can brew billions of microbes that will help bring your soils to life!

As with all garden inputs, wear gloves and a breathing mask to ensure you don’t breathe the microbes into your lungs.

Once you have brewed and applied your microbes help create a comfy microbe home with regular composting, add minerals like Soft Rock phosphate and feeding the soils with kelp, fish, aloe, molasses, humic acid and fulvic acid. 

Managing Micronutrients : Iron, Magnesium, Boron

Iron (Fe)

Plants: Carrier of oxygen for the essential production of chlorophyll.

People: Central elements in haemoglobin and essential in the function of hundres of enzymes and proteins.

Magnesium (Mn)

Soil: More available in low pH soil and can be tied up in soils with high calcium or phosphorous.

Plants: Strongly support seed germination, fruiting and ripening. Important for nitrogen metabolism.

People: found in mitochondria and is a key component in energy metabolism.

Animals: Needed for normal growth and bone formation. Essential is reproductive health.

Boron (B) Boost

Soil: Humus is the boron storehouse, so if you don’t have good levels of organic matter you will probably have boron deficient soils. Calcium is the “trucker of all minerals” and boron is the “steering wheel”, so calcium will not work as well when boron is lacking.

Plants: Calcium can operate to full effect only if boron is present. Boron is also very important during the reproductive stage as it regulates flowering, pollination and the fruit to flower ratio. This is particularly important in fruit trees. A foliar spray just before flowering will supply boron and all other minerals at this critical time.

Deficiency Symptoms: Hollow stems in broccoli, woody texture in strawberries, flower and fruit drop in the orchard and poor seed set are all symptoms of boron deficiency. You may also see die back on passionfruit and grape vines.

People: This mineral also impacts calcium metabolism in humans. Boron influences the release of calcium into the blood and the absorption of calcium into our bones. Boron deficiency has also been strongly linked to arthritis and it is important in red blood cell development.

Animals: Boron has been used for over 30 years for the treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in farm animals and could also be used to treat these problems in pets.

au naturale in the garden

Home made sprays can be very poisonous and need to be labelled and stored appropriately. They will kill natural predators such as lacewings and ladybugs, so be careful where you spray and watch for over spray.

Keep out of reach of children.

Because of their toxicity and the likelihood of careless labelling, home made sprays should be mixed in small quantities and used immediately.

Home Made Garden Sprays

Aphids and Thrip – Can be controlled with soapy water, onion or garlic spray  and white oil.

Garlic Spray –Crush garlic cloves and steep in an equal quantity of vegetable oil for a week. Add some soap mixture and dilute 1 part mixture to 10 parts water. Store in a glass container.

Pikelet spray – For aphids, scale and caterpillars, mix together 1 tablespoon of white flour, a quarter cup of milk and 1 cup of water. Spray on leaves.

For Scab or Mildew:

Chive Spray – Use dried chives. Pour 600 ml boiling water over approximately 20g chives. Leave to stand for one hour. Strain. Dilute one part spray to 2 parts water.

Cabbage Moth Spray – 50g soft soap, 150g salt, 10 litres water.

Melt soap in water, add salt, strain through fine strainer to get rid of lumps of soap if you want to use tis in a pump spray. Liquid cleanser mat be used in place of soap.

Easy All-Purpose Insecticide Spray

Mix  1 bucket of water, a small packet of Epsom salts, 1 teaspoon Condy’s Crystals (all available from the chemist)

Rhubarb spray (all purpose) – Cut up one kilogram of rhubarb leaves and boil in two and a half litres of water for 30 minutes.

Grate 1/3 of a cake (60g) of pure soap into 3 ½ litres of boiling water to dissolve. When cool, mix together and strain for use . Bottle and label as very dangerous. I suggest that you make this one only for immediate use.

Snails and Slugs

Sawdust, shell grit or sand heaped around new plants will deter slugs and snails.

Bury tins up to the neck and put beer in the bottom, or just fill saucers with beer near new plants. Slugs and snails attracted to the beer. Empty every morning.

Cut the top and bottom off plastic bottles and place them around each new plant. Alternatively, use ice-cream or margarine containers to form a collar around the plants until they are large enough to lose their appeal to the snails.

Fill a shallow bowl with water and cover with a layer of natural bran. Snails will crawl into this thinking it is a solid fall down and drown.

Moss

To remove moss from path, mix equal parts of vinegar and methylated spirits. Apply with a scrubbing brush. Scrub well ten leave for 15 minutes. Scrub again with the mixture, leave another 15 minutes. Sweep with a broom.

To promote mossy growth on rocks or paths, tip milk over them.

Garden Tools

To prevent rust, clean tool after use and rub secateurs and cutting tools with petroleum jelly.

Quassia Chips

Use to deter possums.

To repel possums in the roof the chips can be spread around the area where they are entering the roof as well as throughout the roof cavity. Homemade Quassia spray is easily made and can also be sprayed around the roof cavity and entry points.

To repel possums in the garden

For ornamental plants you can spray on the leaves, stems and trunk of the plants, you can also do this on fruit trees avoiding any soft skinned fruit that is ready to be picked.

If you are protecting your edible herbs and vegetables from being the eaten it is best to spray to saturate the ground around the plants, if the quassia is sprayed on the foliage of your herbs and vegetables they will not only taste bitter to the possums but also to you!

Apply quassia spray for 5 days in a row. This should be long enough for the possum to realize that this is not the tasty treat that he thought it was. Re apply the quassia spray after rain or watering. If the possum comes back for more repeat the spray for another 5 days.

To make a spray to repel possums and insects

Add 25g quassia chips to 500ml water in a saucepan bring to the boil, turn heat down, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, strain and add 25ml liquid soap. This is then diluted 1part to 3 parts of water before use. Put in a spray bottle to apply to affected area.

Bucket method

You can also make a spray by soaking the chips in a bucket of tap water, use around 200g of quassia chips to a 9-10 litre bucket of water let them soak for 24 hours before straining off the bitter liquid. This can then be sprayed on the affected area.

Adding 5g of pure soap flakes per litre of spray is an effective wetting agent for the above spray.

Don't spray it on food crops less than a week before you consume it

Terracotta Pots

After cleaning and drying wipe over with linseed oil. Apply a second coat after an hour or so, and they should look like new again.

Concrete Paving

Cover stains with one part detergent to 6 parts kerosene. Hose off after 5-10 minutes.

Sulphur (S) – Soil Health and Your Health

Soil: Sulphur is essential for our detoxification systems and in a world with 74,000 registered chemicals we need all the sulphur we can get! Sulphur is stored in humus, so in soils with low organic matter we need to add sulphur each season.

Cow manure contains good levels of sulphur, but luxury levels of sulphur can be obtained from other natural products. If you have a heavy clay soil then gypsum should be used. It is the sulphur component of this material that bonds with the soil tightening minerals to create leachable compounds. You will also be delivering good levels of sulphur to your garden.

In Plants and Pets: Sulphur imparts flavour to fruit and vegetables and it is the main component of strong smelling onions and garlic. It is sulphur that makes members of the allium family so protective for our health.

Two essential amino acids are sulphur dependant and this mineral offers a big boost to all root crops (particularly potatoes).

Your pets will also benefit from sulphur. One of the most effective treatments for ticks and fleas involves a raw egg and a tablespoon of coconut oil fed to the dog each day (eggs are an excellent source of sulphur). Alternatively, you can feed dogs elemental sulphur every two or three days at rates of half a teaspoon for small dogs and a whole teaspoon for a large dog. You don’t need to poison your dog with toxic chemicals to prevent parasites!

Link: Nutri-Store Gold

Essential Oxygen (O)

Most beneficial microorganisms require good levels of oxygen to thrive. In fact, it could be argued that oxygen is the most important element in biological gardening. Aerobic soils are richly supplied with oxygen while anaerobic soils lack this element.  Earthworms create pathways for oxygen to enter the soil and calcium opens up (flocculates) the soil to let it breath. Gypsum can break up heavy clay soils to sponsor better oxygen intake, while compost can improve you soil to create a highly desirable crumb structure.  Light tillage with a fork can also help aerate soils.

Potassium (K) – Supplying the spark plug to your soil!

Soil: Light sandy soils contain very little clay, which is the storage medium for potassium. In these soils potassium is easily leached so it is a good idea to spoon feed (little amounts applied often). Heavier soils have much better potassium storage, but they will still need recharging from time to time. Liquid correctives are very effective when potassium needs recharging.

Plants: Potassium acts like a sparkplug which triggers over 50 enzymes within the plant. There is a higher requirement for potassium during the filling of fruit and seed. A liquid corrective can be an invaluable input. Potassium also helps to build disease resistance, strengthens cells, buffers temperature extremes and regulates the opening and closing of stomata (also stomata; plural stomata,  is a pore, found in the leaf and stem epidermis that is used for gas exchange).

Plant Deficiency:  This is the most mobile of all minerals so deficiency symptoms will appear first on the older leaves. This potassium shortage in lower leaves can trigger disease in many crops. The brown spots that appear on the lower leaves of tomato plants are a symptom of potassium deficiency. Potassium deficient leaves often have scorched edges. Fruit and see will be small and often shrivelled and the fruit will lack flavour. 

People: Potassium is an important electrolyte that plays a critical role in muscles, heart, kidney and nerve function. The ratio between sodium and potassium in the diet has an impact upon kidney health and associated issues with high blood pressure. Those suffering hypertension should increase their potassium input while reducing sodium intake. Potatoes, bananas, avocados and apricots are rich in potassium.

Link: Backyard Blooms

Retaining moisture in your garden

Moisture retention is becoming more important as the cost of water increases and the availability decreases.  Climate change is likely to exacerbate these issues. Building humus in the soil becomes the most rewarding strategy to reduce moisture loss.

Humus improves soil structure and seriously increases your moisture holding capacity, If you can increase the humus levels by just 1% then every square metre of the soil can now retain 17 litres more water.

Composting is an excellent way to build humus, but you might also consider green manure crops whenever there is a chance. When green manure is dug back into the soil, the organisms convert the organic matter into humus. My strategy is to use Instant Humus, to encourage humus production.Yes, it is a product we sell, but it works so well! 

The most successful commercial composting system in the world is called CMC composting and it has some important lessons for the home gardener as well. It has been found that the addition of  10% clay has proven to produce a form of stable humus that can continue offering benefits for up to 35 years!

If you can’t access a friable clay, then you might add some soil or Soft Rock Phosphate.

Feed the Soil and Feed the Plant, or Soil good enough to eat!

After you have addressed mineral balance with lime or dolomite and a complete fertiliser, then it is time to fee the soil life and feed the plant. Mineral update is determined by mineral imbalance and soil microbes.

The best way to build soil microbes is with a champagne food source and/or compost. You may be quite content with the response from balancing and feeding the soil but if you are keen to achieve exceptional, problem-free growth, then you might also consider foliar feeding the plant.

Foliar feeding is a direct route into the plant, which bypasses any problems in the soil. Stomata are tiny little mouths on the underside of plant leaves, which are actually designed to capture carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and for moisture transpiration. Stomata are, in effect, the gateway between the outside and the inside of the plant and when nutrients are supplied to the leaf and enter via the stomata it is actually 12 times more efficient than applying those nutrients to the soil.  Apart from this increased efficiency , there are other reasons to foliar feed. Soil-based lockups where too much of one mineral antagonises the uptake of another are common and foliar feeding bypasses these lockups and delivers directly to the plant.

Some plants will respond better to a soil application of liquid minerals while others prefer foliar applications.

Mastering Magnesium (Mg)

Soil: Magnesium tends to tighten soils so it can be used to improve the loose structure of sandy soils. However, if there is too much magnesium in a heavy clay it makes the soil sticky and can tighten it up with an associated restriction of oxygen and soil-life. Gypsum is the best tool to reduce a magnesium excess.

Plants: Magnesium is the central molecule in chlorophyll, the green pigment which houses the sugar factories that fuel photosynthesis. If the soil is missing magnesium, the lifeblood of the leaf will be lacking and that loss of chlorophyll will be clearly visible. It is a little like the anaemia associated with iron deficiency in humans as magnesium is to plant sap what iron is to blood, Magnesium is the most important enzyme activator of all minerals so it impacts many different aspects of plant growth and health.

Deficiency Symptoms:  Interveinal mottling (pale blotches between the veins) occurring on the older leaves. There may also be premature leaf drop in some species.

People: Magnesium has been claimed to be the single biggest deficiency in the western world. It is the “master mineral” responsible for 350 different enzymes. This missing mineral is needed for a healthy immune and detoxification system and it is an important mineral for heart health. It is important for bone health as calcium but often ignored.

Animals: Magnesium plays a major role in neuro-muscular health and bone density in animals. Grass tetany in ruminant animals is directly linked to a magnesium deficiency.

Common Forms: Magnesium carbonate (magnesite), dolomite and sulphate (Epsom salts). 

Getting your pH right!

The first step to getting the pH ( figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral, lower values are more acid, and higher values more alkaline) of your soil right, is to measure the soil’s pH. This is as simple of making a50/50 mixture of soil and deionised water, waiting 5 minutes and then dipping a pH strip into the mixture. These inexpensive strips are available from Plant Health Solutions in a form that measures finer graduations than normal. You are seeking a pH of 6.4 for optimal plant health growth. It is always important to try to understand why your soil is acidic or alkaline.

The best option is a soil test so there is no guess work involved. If you have acreage, a soil test can be worth its weight in gold. It is common to waste huge amounts of precious time, driving blind in an acreage gardening project, when a soil test would immediately clarify options and strategies.

If you can’t justify a soil test then these guidelines may assist you to diagnose the source of your pH imbalance:

If you have a light, sandy soil that is acidic, then you probably need a mixture of calcium and magnesium (dolomite) to correct the imbalance.

If it is heavier soil with more clay component then you probably need limestone to alkalise the soil and you might choose to include some gypsum to help break up the clay. If the soil is heavy and alkaline, then there is probably too much magnesium and sodium, so gypsum is the correction of choice.

Connecting with Calcium (Ca)

Connecting with Calcium (Ca)

Soil: Calcium opens up (flucculates) the soil, improving structure and allowing roots, earthworms, oxygen, water and microbes to move freely through the soil. Calcium is a critically important nutrient for the health of all life in the soil and it is also an important key to achieving the ideal soil pH of 6.4 (where nutrients are most available).

Alkaline soil with calcium carbonate deposits 

Plants: Calcium is often referred to as the ‘trucker of all minerals” in relation to its role mobilising other nutrients. Calcium sponsors cell division and hence it promotes root, stem, and leaf growth. Calcium is also a major mineral governing cell strength and associated disease resistance. This mineral often determines the quality of your fruit and vegetables and if you are seeking a problem-free garden then it should always be a first priority to address any calcium deficiencies.

Plant Deficiency Symptoms: Stunted root systems and a lack of vegetable vigour. Blossom end rot in tomatoes, capsicums and zucchini. Internal browning or blackening of celery, potatoes and brussels sprouts.

People: Calcium is one of the major minerals linked to bone health and skeletal strength but needs to be balanced with magnesium. It is also a key player in cell function and it regulates the uptake of minerals into our cells. Just as it influences plant uptake of minerals, calcium is an electrolyte important for cellular  messaging and the electric life of cells.

Animals : Calcium is a key element in maintaining good growth and bone health in animals. It is also important for healthy hormonal function and reproduction.

Common Forms: Lime stone contains 40% calcium and the finer ground the lime, the faster the response. Builder’s lime is called calcium hydroxide and it contains 30 times more soluble calcium than limestone so it can be used for “fast food”. However, this “hot” material should always be combined with humic acid or compost to buffer the burning potential. Dolomite contains 20% calcium and 10% Magnesium. Gypsum (calcium sulphate) contains 20% calcium and 15% sulphur. Guano contains 35% calcium and 12% potassium.

Link :  Trio

Plant Health Soultions 

Selecting compost and manures

Manures and composts come in may forms. In choosing to use any of them you should consider what you aim to achieve.

Mushroom compost has great levels of carbon and is terrific for building soil profile while not having an impact on nutrient levels.

Animal manures will have differing mineral analyses depending upon the source. Chicken (chook) manure contains good levels of phosphorous, while cow manure contains a greater overall mineralisation. All animal manures are a good source of the important minerals, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, and chook manure is also a good source of calcium.

All animal manures need to be used sensibly to avoid imbalance and nutrient run-off into the surrounding environment.  We need to strike a balance in garden inputs as an oversupply of nitrogen via manures can risk unhealthy nitrate contamination of our vegetables.

If manures are composted or purchased in a composted form then there is no risk of leaching or oversupplying nitrates because the nitrogen has been complexed and stabilised. Composting can increase the availability of the nutrients, introduce effective soil microbes and break down carbon into humus making it more effective in terms of water and mineral retention in the soil. Overuse of uncomposted material can lead to serious mineral imbalances and lock-up trace elements.

There is also the potential issue of weed seed contamination. Nitrogen in fresh manures is volatile and easily escapes into the atmosphere. Incorporating into a compost pile or digging the manure into the soil can help slow down this mineral loss.

Chook (chicken) manure is considered ‘hot’ when fresh. This means it is likely to burn delicate and sensitive plant roots and some soil microbes. It is a good strategy to compost this manure if that is possible. This manure has a fairly low carbon content unless it contains sawdust or straw.

Mushroom compost has a high carbon content but it is generally low in overall nutrient content. The pH of mushroom compost can range from 6.8 to 8. Preferably select a product with a pH below 7.

Cow manure and products made from cow manure have good levels of carbon and nitrogen but usually contains weed seeds as well.

Horse manure has great levels of carbon and breaks down quickly. Compost worms love horse manure but care needs to be taken to avoid manure straight after the animal has been wormed o vaccinated if it is to be used to feed worms. Once again there will the issue of weed seeds.

Green manure can be grown during the off-season or when resting beds in a rotation. Green manure crops build humus levels while feeding your beneficial soil microbes and earthworms. In warm areas try oats, Japanese millet, buckwheat, mung bean. In cooler areas, fava beans or fenugreek can be used.

Playing the saw by Beryl Cook

The Allotment by Beryl Cook

Colour me phosphorous (P)

Soil: Australian soils are often low in phosphorous (P). Native plants have adapted to this efficient take up of any available phosphorous, but exotic plants and food crops require supplementing with phosphorous. Phosphorous is most available to plants in a 6-7pH range.

Plants: This energy mineral is used in virtually every aspect of plant growth, including photosynthesis, and the formation of plant sugars and starches. Phosphorous promotes vigorous early root (excellent for root vegetables) as well as stem growth and flowering. The colour intensity of flowers, fruit and vegetables is determined by phosphorous.

People: Phosphorous is needed by every cell in the body and together with calcium, is essential for bone structure, pH balance and membrane structure in cells. This mineral  closely linked to reproductive health.

Animals: As with people, phosphorous is essential for bone structure and must be balanced with calcium and vitamin D for maximum benefit. It is essential in the production and mobilisation of energy and is required for reproductive efficiency.

Plant Deficiency Symptoms : Plants are usually stunted with a reduced capacity to produce fruit. Leaves can take on a dull green to purple hue, often affecting older leaves first. Purple lower leaves are a classic sign of phosphorous deficiency.

Old farm sites often have a good store of phosphorous locked away from years of super phosphate applications. Home gardeners can tap into this frozen reserve using inoculums of phosphate solubilising organisms.

Soil pH is a powerful guideline to nutrient uptake and it has been determined that a pH of 6.4 is ideal. At that level, the best balance of availabilities is found, so that your food plants will be providing the highest nutrient density for you and your family.

People often think pH as an indicator of calcium levels in soil, but magnesium is just as important, particularly in lighter soils. In these soils it is advised to use dolomite rather than limestone as you will require both calcium and magnesium.

An acid soil is equivalent to an empty pantry because it is dominated by the mineral, hydrogen, which is the acid element and it is not a plant food. 

potage is a thick soup, and a potager whence it comes

Willowbrook Park

Potager : The traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden

I was over at Willowbrook Park looking at the progress of their potager, and wishing for an abundance of land, and finances. In the meantime, I will enjoy their efforts, and the fruits of my own raised bed!

Willowbrook Park

Nitrogen – our number one soil nutrient

Nitrogen is the nutrient required in the largest amount for plant growth. In the natural scheme of things, nitrogen is largely sourced from the atmosphere where 74,000 tonnes of nitrogen gas hovers above every hectare.

Soil bacteria are responsible for the conversion of this gas into plant available nitrogen but they need good levels of calcium, sulphur and molybdenum to perform this role.

The aim of biological gardening is to optimise conditions for natural nitrogen fixation while supplying supplemental nitrogen in a natural form. Nitrate nitrogen is the form most commonly used in commercial home garden fertilisers and it is not conducive to the production of nutrient-picked, insect resistant crops. In fact, it encourages the exact opposite! Nitrates are taken into the plant with water and this dilutes all other nutrients. This mineral deficient plant then more easily falls prey to insect pests and disease. Just like a healthy human, a healthy plant has a strong immune system!

Nitrogen is the basis of vigorous growth as it is needed to build protein, hormones and enzymes. Along with magnesium it is the main mineral in chlorophyll, the green pigment that houses the sugar factories that produce glucose through photosynthesis. The best sources of natural nitrogen include compost, manures and fish fertilisers.

However, it is essential that your plant food contain molybdenum so that the plant has access to the “free gift” from the atmosphere – nitrogen.

Plant deficiency symptoms: a nitrogen deficient plant is often a thin straggly plant with fewer stems and poor vigour. The leaves are uniformly pale and yellow (including the leaf veins) 

Mulder's chart represents the relationships between minerals and why a correct balance is so important to achieve maximum mineral availability. 

How nutrients are stored in the soil

Soils consist of clay, humus, silt and sand. It is the clay and humus that store the soil’s minerals. They do this by forming tiny particles called colloids that are electrically charged.

Clay and humus are negatively charged, but humus also has some positive charges. Minerals are therefore either negatively or positively charged. Minerals that are positively charged are named cations. The negatively charged minerals are known as anions (no, not onions, anions!).

Cations are attracted to the negatively charged clay colloid and they can also stick to the humus colloid. However, anions can only be stored on the positively charged humus colloid.

This means that if there is no humus in the soil, then anions like nitrogen, sulphur and boron will not be easily stored and will in fact leach readily. Sandy soils contain very little clay or humus so that there is very little storage capacity. That is why sandy soil needs such regular fertilising.

The mineral storage capacity of a soil is vitally important to the nourishment of your garden plants. Such soils require a complete fertiliser and soil conditioner where multiple ingredients have been composted in a high carbon base. 

green land

Did you get out in the garden this weekend?

I spent some peaceful time hand watering dry areas.

Luckily it was out of the wind we are currently experiencing.

I adore the garden above. I could spend some serious time sitting on that bench.

photo from here

Packing Fruit according to Mrs Beeton

As the fruit approaches the ripe state, nets or mats on short stakes should be suspended beneath, each having a lining of dry moss or lawn grass, not to supersede hand-picking, but to guard against accidental falling. When gathering is to take place, a shallow basket should be selected, covered with a layer of moss or leaves, and each fruit at is removed from the tree should be deposited in it. Packing delicate fruit for short journeys requires much care. Let us recommend for this purpose a box sufficiently deep to hold two tiers of fruit, and no more, and pack these with the following precautions: The box being ready, and a quantity of well-beaten and dry moss, or dried lawn grass in the absence of moss, being provided, wrap each fruit, with the bloom untouched, in a piece of tissue or other equally soft paper, and pack them pretty closely with moss until the first layer is complete, then make it perfectly level by filling up with moss, placing an inner lid over the tier, make a second layer in the same manner, and put the lid in such a way that the fruit, without being exposed to pressure, will nevertheless remain steadily in place.
 

The Best Of Mrs Beeton’s Kitchen Garden, p214   

Thrips according to Mrs Beeton

Tiny insects causing silvery of yellowish mottling on leaves; these pests can be sprayed with a strong solution of garlic in boiling water plus 1 tbsp horticultural oil, left to cool. Avoid gardening in bright clothing, as this can attract thrips.

   The Best Of Mrs Beeton’s Kitchen Garden, p244.   

caps off to capsicum!

The red capsicum seed that I germinated from a (heaven forbid!) supermarket bought capsicum are all strong and healthy but a long way from being productive! Right now, the thought of using them in a recipe is a long way off, but I can dream and plan!

This recipe is on my "to cook" list!

Roasted Pepper Sauce

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

The flavor in this sauce is deepened by peppers, which are first grilled or roasted, then cooked in olive oil with onion, garlic and chili flakes.

2 to 2 1/4 pounds (4 large or 6 medium) red peppers, roasted or grilled

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

1 fresh basil sprig

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1. Peel and seed the roasted or grilled peppers, then dice. Strain any juice left over in the bowl after peeling and seeding, and set aside.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wide saucepan. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the peppers, salt, basil sprig and chili flakes. Pour in the juice that you set aside, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer the mixture over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes until the peppers are very tender and the mixture is thick and soft. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, uncover and turn up the heat. Cook until most of the liquid boils off. Remove the basil sprig, adjust seasonings and remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: About two cups,

Advance preparation: This will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks if you pour a film of olive oil over the top.

Nutritional information per 1/4 cup: 72 calories; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 2 grams protein

green peas are made of this

Our green shelling peas are already flowering, and so I am really looking forward to harvesting fresh green peas to shell and enjoy. I love them fresh, and have a habit of eating more than I pop in the saucepan, but those that do survive my very well be treated to the following recipe!

Easy Peasey!

Peas in Milk and Mint

Serve with boiled new potatoes

2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons of butter

2 cups shelled fresh green peas

Salt and pepper to taste

A few mint leaves, freshly chopped

1. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until hot, but not boiling.
2. Add peas, salt and pepper, and gently simmer until the peas are bright green and soft but not mushy.
3. Remove from heat and add the mint leaves. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

More from The Dirty Life

Excerpt from The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball (page 58)

By the time we’d gotten to Essex, his notion of a whole-diet CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] was complete. He wanted to build a farm that was so diversified it could supplant the supermarket, the kind of farm our great-grandparents’ generation grew up on, but built big enough to feed a community instead of a family. We would produce everything our members needed, beginning with the edible – a variety of meats, eggs, milk and dairy products, grains and flours, vegetables, fruits and at least on kind of sweetner- but expanding, eventually to all the other things a farm could provide, like firewood and building materials, and exercise and recreation. The farm itself should be a self-sustaining organism, producing as much as possible, its own energy, fertility and resources…He still liked the idea of a cash-free economy, but he recognized the need for capital, in the start-up phase at least. Members would pay us one price up front, and there would be a sliding scale for low-income members that would slide all the way down to zero.

The Dirty Life - good enough to eat!

Food, a French man told me once, is the first wealth. Grow it right, and you feel insanely rich, no matter what you own.

Kristin Kimball, The Dirty Life, p 16.

Last night, with The Agronomist away visiting farmers in the north of the state, I crawled into bed early with a copy of The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball and a large cup of tea! Sheer bliss!

The Dirty Life is a memoir of "farming, food and love". It is the story of a love affair between a city girl and a man who wants to farm organically. Organically for this man means shunning mechanical tools such as tractors; it is draft horses for this man! It is also the story of the farm that they rescue and turn into a flourishing business where they supply the food needs of over one hundred local families. This is a cause that is becoming very dear to my heart, and of course the use of draft horses hit a sentimental note for me, as I recalled my Dad’s love for the heavy work horses (the man in my banner is my Dad!).

Essex Farm near Lake Champlain (USA) is crafted into a “whole farm”  where for an annual fee members can each week collect their share of beef, pork, chicken, milk, eggs, maple syrup, grains, flours, dried beans, fruits and forty different vegetables that are seasonal.

Kristin Kimball reminds us of something that many of our grandparents knew all too well, and that is that there is happiness and great rewards to be gained from hard physical work, best agricultural practices, good food, a small footprint, and pursuing our dreams and passions.

This is a book not just for those of thinking of a tree change, but more so a book for those people wanting to change the way they eat and the way they view the world around them.

As I wrote, this is something that is a growing passion for me. It has always been for  The Agronomist. We have always gardened as organically as possible, and The Agronomist has always maintained that he would never, ever work for a chemical company, only too aware of what these global companies have been doing to our food and land. I have no doubt that he would allow us to be homeless before he would take that path. So, time to put our actions to our words.

We have a business, Plant Health Solutions and we are making available to gardeners, nurseries and farmers pure, organic nutrient products that will feed that lovely soil that gifts us with our wonderful food. There is also a range of human and animal health products as well. The Agronomist is happy to provide agronomic advice as well.

 The Agronomist has been toiling away on the website for weeks and weeks, and it still needs some tweaking, so if you visit right now, just be prepared for a work in progress sign. Our clients will be able to buy online, from anywhere in the world.

Our growing excitement about this project is indeed making me feel insanely rich, despite being insanely poor right now, if you catch my meaning! It feels good to have a real passion again, and something that The Agronomist and I can pursue together – soil good enough to eat!