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Author: Paul Callaghan - Organic Lifestyle Magazine Author: Paul Callaghan - Organic Lifestyle Magazine

Why Grow Your Own Organic Food?

You are concerned about environmental issues, health issues, and human rights. The tsunami of information blasted at you has left you bewildered. When the problems of the world are so huge, what can one person do?

With one small step in your own backyard, with little expense and just as much effort as you can fit into your busy lifestyle, you can reduce your environmental impact, improve your health, and develop vital skills for the future—you can grow your own organic food.

A few years ago, almost all agriculture was organic without anyone actually naming it as such. In the early part of the twentieth century, corporate interests began to flood the food market with various petrochemicals to improve the yield of crops. And make no mistake, the yields did improve. Improved yields meant improved profits, and big business took food production away from the local and individual.

From the 1930s on, people such as Rudolf Steiner became concerned about the costs associated with chemically enhanced growing, and not just the financial ones. More often than not, such people were labelled as freaks and primitives. Indeed, here in New Zealand, one of the first organic chain stores was named Cranks as a kind of joke against that impression. In the last few years, as environmental concerns have grown, organic growing has become more mainstream. Although it is still only a part of the world’s food production, it is an increasing portion.

It is encouraging that those with a vested interest in the technological approach to food production are beginning to speak the same language as the organic growers. Even Monsanto’s website is littered with references to being sustainable. Now I’m not holding up Monsanto as a light of good practice, but they do recognise that there is a valid argument. As far back as 1999, Robert Shapiro, then CEO of Monsanto, said “The commercial industrial technologies that are used in agriculture today to feed the world… are not inherently sustainable.”

My own journey towards organic growing began with my health. I had problems with my digestion and realised that I needed to eat healthier. Buying lots of fruit and vegetables from the local supermarket was my first idea. However, I soon realised that much of the produce had little or no taste, although it looked great and stayed “fresh” for quite a while. As a young man, I had worked on chemically dependant farms in several countries, so I knew how much fertiliser and pesticide could be forced into food, especially food grown for export, which needs to stay on the shelf for a long time.

I began to yearn for the taste of the tomatoes my dad grew when I was a kid, so I started to buy organic produce. But these days I have three kids of my own and I just can’t afford to pay premium prices for everything we eat. Growing some of my own food became the only option.

Some people could have other reasons for choosing to grow their own organic food. They may feel they do not want to contribute to an economic system that exploits both people and the environment; they know the use of enormous amounts of oil-based products to bring food to the table is completely unsustainable. Likely some are concerned with the toxic effects of the chemicals with which much of our food is laced. Some may just want a measure of independence in an increasingly dependant world.

Many people today are ready to make an effort to reduce their impact on the planet. If the scenarios of global warming and peak oil are correct, we are in for a century of huge change. It is unlikely we can rely on governments to solve our future problems. As individuals, we need to take responsibility for ourselves. What could be more responsible than learning the basic skills of producing food?

There is one thing that people who grow their own food using organic methods rarely mention, though it is as important as any of the health, environmental or socio-political reasons. It’s fun! There is a deep satisfaction in watching your kids fancy a snack, then wander out to the strawberry plants to help themselves. Serving up a fresh salad to your friends and being told that your lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and onions are delicious makes you smile. If you have prepared the soil, planted the seed, fought the slugs in hand to slime combat, and lovingly watered and fed your salad, you’ve earned a real sense of achievement.

We live in a world of increasing stress. Putting your hands in the soil helps. As modern busy people, we have lost appreciation for a simple pleasure our ancestors took for granted.

It’s not always easy to produce food. Pests, weeds, climate, and time constraints all conspire to defeat us. However, when problems are overcome, the satisfaction is that much greater. If something is hard won, we appreciate it more.

A packet of heritage seeds costs just a few dollars. From that packet you will be able to grow a decent crop and collect seeds for the future. Every year the garden costs less.

Eating better and cheaper food while reducing your carbon footprint makes you feel good. When you think in terms of “food yards” instead of “food miles,” the environment benefits. Whether you have a few acres where you can become self-sufficient, a backyard which can supply the taste of fresh produce in season, or just a window box for a few herbs, we can all grow some of our food organically. Give it a go. You’ll enjoy it and so will the planet.




Planning Your Organic Garden

So you have decided to make a change in your lifestyle and start growing some or all of your own vegetables and fruit. Some careful planning now will save you money and effort in the future.

Many new gardeners begin in the springtime with a hiss and a roar. They plants lots of seeds and seedlings and enthusiastically set to weeding, hoeing, and digging.

The first time a garden is weeded the sense of achievement is palpable. New gardeners know they are getting more fit and their aching muscles are helping to improve their health. By the third weeding, caring for the garden has become another chore. Many give up. By harvest time, their weed choked beds and tiny harvest convince them they just don’t have a green thumb and perhaps growing food just isn’t for them.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

With a little planning, anyone can enjoy growing at least some of their own food. Planning a garden can be divided into three categories: where, what, and how much.

Where?

For some reason many people seem to find the sight of their vegetables to be less than aesthetically pleasing. We have been conditioned to believe ideal beauty is a “clean” lawn surrounded by geometric beds of perfect flowers, no matter how unproductive and ultimately pointless it is. Too often vegetable beds are stuck up at the end of the yard, away from the house and the water supply. These gardens are usually ignored, infested with weeds, and full of slugs, spiders, and snails.
To make the most out of your garden you need to position it with three things in mind: sun, water, and access.

Plants need at least six hours of sun per day; many types will need more than that. Watch your garden and work out which areas get the most sun. Many houses are built to take advantage of the sun so that the best place for your garden may well be right next to the house. This is ideal as you will then have a close supply of water for your plants. You’ll find weeding is much easier. Just stop and remove a couple of weeds each time you pass by and you won’t even notice the aches and pains. And come harvest time, you will spot the ripe fruits before the birds do.

What?

I grew zucchini in my first year of gardening. I realised about halfway through the summer as the first fruits were coming ripe that no-one else in the family would eat them. The compost pile did very well that year. A little planning would have saved me the wasted effort. Have a look at what vegetables and fruit your family eats regularly. In terms of saving money, it may well be that your favourites will be cheapest in the shops at the same time as you harvest at home. Never mind. Home grown will always taste better.

If you are a complete beginner, start with the easier plants. Carrots, radishes, tomatoes and potatoes do well for many beginners. Of course, it will depend on your climate. If there is a little bit of shade, lettuces and salad greens will probably be good for you. You have to realise, though, that for most of us gardening is not an exact science. You will go through a bit of trial and error before you get things right for your patch. It is probably best to concentrate on doing a few things well at first rather than spreading yourself too thin and growing lots of things poorly. Build your skill set one step at a time.

How Much?

This part of the planning can be further divided into two parts: how much food do I want to grow, and how much time can I spend in the garden? If your lifestyle is frantically busy and you really don’t think that you can commit too much time to your garden, it may be best to grow a few herbs and maybe a tomato plant or two in pots.

I am a firm believer in the nudge form of change when it comes to lifestyles. So, if you are too busy to run a full garden, start small. Those few pots will almost certainly grow into more and more. Gardening is like that—it’s addictive. If you try to make huge changes all at once, you are less likely to succeed. A few herbs and a tomato this year, some salad greens next year to go with them. Make the changes small and you can live with them more easily. Set yourself smart goals for each year.

How much produce you actually grow is a little more complicated. It is likely that you will have at least one crop that does much better than expected and provides quite a surplus of food. Once you have been through every recipe for cooking and preserving and find that you still have some left, it’s time to appreciate the community of gardeners. Give some away to friends and family. The fine flavour of home grown food may wellencourage them to take up growing their own, too. Swap some with other gardeners. Don’t forget to swap your tales of success and failure too. Most gardeners love a good chat over the fence.

Look at your garden. What do you eat? How much can you grow? How much time do you have? Plan for your success.

Further Reading:



Tomato Stuffed With Spiced Macadamia Walnut Cream, Endive and Watercress

First blend to a cream:

  • ½ cup   macadamia nuts
  • ½ cup  walnuts
  • ¼ cup  water
  • 2  tbsp  fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp  chili powder
  • 2 tsp  sea salt

Transfer to a mixing bowl and add:

  • ½ cup  chopped watercress
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
  • 4  chopped cherry tomatoes
  • 2  wedges yellow tomato chopped into cubes

Mix well and refrigerate.

Tomato Stuffed With Spiced Macadamia Walnut Cream, Endive and WatercressTo serve, cut the top off of a medium size tomato. Scoop out inside to make a “tomato cup”. Chop up the insides and add to the macadamia walnut cream. Place 2 endive leaves, a pinch of watercress, and blades of chive in the tomato cup. Fill  with the Macadamia Walnut Cream. Top with a sprinkle of black pepper, chopped walnuts, and a cherry tomato. Serve on a bed of water cress drizzled with lemon and olive oil.