Monday, September 3, 2012

Green Smoothie Ingredients: Fruit in 7 months?

espalier Learn to Espalier with Valya A picture is worth a thousand words, this from: http://www.rawfamily.com/news/2012/08/espalier.jpg

Victoria Boutenko writes: "Now we realize why she (Valya) was so excited. From the trees and bushes that Valya received in the mail only six months ago, we are already harvesting our own apricots, figs, mulberries, black currants, peaches and grapes. We are now looking forward to our own pears, persimmons, and pawpaws".


Having read this post Learn to Espalier with Valya, I immediately thought of friends Dirk Becker, Nicole Shaw and Compassion Farm and what use I could put this information to and wrote:

"I remember your regrets about not planting fruit trees years ago. I too have similar thoughts, but here is an answer Learn to Espalier with Valya. Fruits in just 7 months?"

Espalier? My pruning books talk about this, but I was under the impression it was a long term project and too labour intensive for me...

So I decided to do my own research and as usual I began with Wikipedia: Espalier

(/ɨˈspælɪər/ or /ɨˈspæli.eɪ/) is the horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth originally for the production of fruit, by pruning and tying branches to a frame so that they grow into a flat plane, frequently in formal patterns, against a structure such as a wall, fence, or trellis, and also plants which have been shaped in this way.

File:Espalier - Belgian fence.jpg

  • 2010-10-10 05:04 Andyvancleve 640×480× (266695 bytes) Belgian Fence being trained at the flowering shrub farm. Andyvancleve www.floweringshrubfarm.com
More information on fruit tree forms are here.

I am most interested in keeping my neighbours and their animals out of my food garden. To that end I've erected a fence and gate, netting and planted scarlet runners, climbing nasturtiums, Himalayan Blackberries and am utilizing the Hawthorn tree already there.

Thanks to Valya, Victoria Boutenko and Wikipedia for getting me thinking about how I can train more permanent trees to produce earlier than I ever thought possible.

It is now September, 2012, time to think about planning my First WINTER GARDEN...
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Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Monday, August 20, 2012



Health

boka hotell berlin



Top Blogs
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Joel Salatin And Dr. Mercola

Two of my favourite personalities talking about things near and dear to my heart. Discussions about farmers market and how food is distributed. Food and the Health connection... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gBwCQspdwo&feature=player_embedded#!
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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Just Eat Them Invasive Species!

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Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Friday, August 3, 2012

Back To The Land

I've moved. I left behind all those fruit trees, plants in my garden and the herbs that I came to love at 13140 Thomas Road, Ladysmith. I had to take a very small (smallest in the park I'm told) Mobile Home Park Bay at Southgate Mobile Home Park ; municipal address,  #4 - 1226 Lawlor Road, Nanaimo, BC. V9R 6L6Here is the City of Nanaimo Property Report

1226 LAWLOR ROAD - Property Report

Home > Data > Property > 1226 LAWLOR ROAD
General Information Parcel Graphic
Address:
4 1226 LAWLOR ROAD, NANAIMO, BC
Map of 1226 LAWLOR ROAD, Nanaimo BC
Open as KML (Google Earth)
Open in Google Maps
Open in Bing Maps
Folio: 70371.040
Plan:
Size:
Legal Description: BAY 4, NANAIMO DISTRICT, SOUTHGATE PARK (UR BILLING FOLIO 16759.000)
Zone R12
MOBILE HOME PARK RESIDENTIAL

Please select ZONING from the THEMES menu in NanaimoMap for more information.
Garbage Calendar
(click on route number to view calendar)
Sewer Benefiting Area YES
GIS Link 216764
Location
49.13225, -123.9232
View other properties on LAWLOR ROAD, or search for other Nanaimo properties.

So that is what the City of Nanaimo says is there. But here are my pictures of what is there now, I took these July 31, 2012.

Front is Annamie's 1989 Toyota Tercel DX, 5 door hatchback, my 1973 Datsun 620PL (Pickup Light) is next and behind the green tarp (now removed) is my 5' x 7' shed. To the right is my home: a classic 1974 Citation 5th Wheel, fully skirted and converted to a Mobile Home Park Model (on jack stands, no 12V. system, it is all 110V. except for the running lights and no propane system. It is now all electric and the holding tanks for fresh, grey and black water have been removed.




Although I have air conditioning, I want to shade my home naturally and so save electricity. So I made this planter across the front and planted Scarlet Runner Beans  that will grow and shade the front as well as hiding my unit.



Turning the corner, along the right side of my fifth (the West side), I've planted Climbing Nasturtiums.


Annamie Colina is watering my garden area out behind the shed, around the perimeter of which I've also planted the Scarlet Runner Beans for privacy, food, flowers and to help the netting keep the neighbourhood cats out. As soon as I dig the soil, the cats are in there fouling it with their smelly, squishy (a result of being fed Purina dried food) wastes. Our cat, Christine, is fed raw organic chicken and the difference in smell and volume of her wastes and her health has been remarkable! Cats are carnivores and feral cats catch and eat smaller animals.


Another picture of Annamie Colina watering my plants. In the foreground is the power and telecommunications pole for the neighbouring Bay #5 that I recently replaced as the former post was rotted away as was mine for Bay #4.


Part of my Container Garden. I only have plants that I can eat. So
there are strawberries , garden strawberries , (a hybrid), orange day-lilies , parsley , and clover.



This is my square, black composter to make my compost for my plants in the right hand rear corner of my bay. Beside it, to the right are my 2 ferns . In front of the composter is another day-lily with a volunteer thistle growing alongside. I only became aware of Thistle edibility recently. To the right of that is growing what I believe is a Fire-weed . Time will tell. There's a Dandelion sprouting in my Miner's Lettuce. The final container contains one of my
favourite spring pot herbs: Stinging Nettle.


To the right of the parking, is a strip of soil that I'm encouraging to go natural. There's Chickweed, Dandelion , Quack or Couch grass and Plantain.


This is a Hawthorn that for a variety of reasons, have become very important to me: My N.D. (Naturopathic Doctor) has recommended a herbal tincture of Hawthorn for my C.H.F.



 This is my favourite berry, a Blackberry.



This area of my garden, back of the shed, I've broadcast Mustard and Kale seed.


 Lavender has a place in my garden for a number of reasons.


There is a lot going on in these containers in my garden. Lower left, clockwise is violet , strawberries, sage, oregano, day-lily flower, lemon balm, mint, strawberries, clover and day-lily again.

I love the macrobiotic concept: Eat what grows where you live in season! If we all could keep this in mind, imagine the fossil fuels we could save the world. So in Nanaimo what are we supposed to eat in the winter?

I like to keep in mind what GROWNFOODS stand for.

Remember? G=Green, R=Raw, O=Organic, W=Wet or Wild, N=Natural which means FOODS should be grown and used to nourish our bodies as God intended, not as mankind plans to profit from.

So let's eat  Winter vegetables, sprouts, dried fruits, dried vegetables, fresh or dried seaweeds, nuts and seeds.

Please be very sure about what you eat! There are many good guides, I like the Wild Edibles Series on YouTube | Sergei Boutenko

 

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Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

My Inexpensive Wonderfoods

I wrote:

Yes, thanks! We LOVE banana based smoothies and milkshakes!

Talk about inexpensive too! I'm on a very limited BC Disability Income so that is really important and I need organic!

Here in Nanaimo, B.C. we regularly get organic bananas at the Superette Foods on the corner of Albert and Wilson for twenty seven cents a pound or if we buy the whole box, even cheaper! Would you believe, we bought a 40 pound box today, July 31, 2012 for just $2.99! That's right less than 7 and 1/2 CENTS per pound!

Until the bananas begin to show brown spots the natural sugars haven't yet developed, but most people reject them as "overripe" as they are picked green and that is what they believe bananas should be like: firm and green! We take our haul home and slice them into rounds, putting 2 to 2 1/2 bananas in each Ziploc bag and then freeze.

Also we have a discount health foods store (Nanaimo Green Store) that sells frozen almond Silk, 1.89L for $1! We usually buy a box of six for $6.00. We thaw the Silk as needed and add the frozen bananas in our blender. Experiment until you get the desired consistency. Also today we got strawberries at the Superette: Dole Fresh, 1 pound for $.99! We treat the strawberries the same way as bananas and if we feel like "splurging" add the strawberries and bananas 50/50. Still way cheaper and far more nutritious than a fast food outlets "milk products shake!

We've also begun adding the frozen bananas to our green smoothies coz they (bananas or mangoes) help to take away the "swamp odor" and act as an emulsifier.

I have been told that I'm suffering CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) and the only way doctors have for me to get better is a stent or invasive surgery. I prefer the natural way first, am already getting better thanks to raw foods like these.

This was in response to: Legalize Banana Smoothies by Frederic Patenaude frederic@fredericpatenaude.com to me







Hi Chris,

This morning I woke up with this incredible craving for
bananas!

In the summer, we have so many delicious fruits available,
like mangoes, peaches, watermelon, cherries — that I find I
don't desire bananas that much during that time.

Yet this morning, my craving for bananas was so intense that
I ended up running to the store to get some.

And then I came back and made this huge banana smoothie.

After drinking it, I got this surge of energy.

I thought, this stuff is so good it should be legalized!

Oh wait, bananas are not a drug...

But they might as well be one, a great natural energy
booster.

The best way to get started eating more raw foods is to make
giant banana smoothies in the morning. And your smoothies
don't need to contain just bananas!

Use bananas as a staple, but also add other fruits and
greens such as:

- Frozen fruits (berries are great)
- Fresh seasonal fruits like mango or peaches
- Baby spinach, Swiss chard, kale
- Fresh herbs (try crazy combinations like basil or mint)
- Fruit that will go bad soon if you don't eat them (like
that wrinkled apple in the back of your fridge)

For variety you can even replace water with some
almond-milk. Store-bought almond milk may not be raw, but it
doesn't contain that much fat at all, and adds an
incredible, creamy taste to smoothies. You could use it
occasionally as a treat — but not all the time.

You just can't go wrong with banana smoothies. As long as
you use ripe spotted bananas as the base and some liquid
(1/2 cup to 1 cup), then you can add almost anything but
sawdust to the smoothie and it will taste good.

Banana smoothies are excellent after exercise, as a recovery
drink. Try adding a bit of fresh celery to it to make it
even more like a real recovery drink. Celery adds natural
sodium which helps in rehydration.

The great thing about bananas is that they are fairly cheap.
By calories, it's certainly the most affordable healthy
choice you can make.

When I lived near Montreal, I would buy an entire 40-pound
case of organic bananas at a distributor for around $30-35.

Even if you can't afford organic bananas, don't be afraid
to buy conventional. Conventional bananas are listed very
low on the list of pesticide-containing foods. Due to their
thick skin, they are considered pretty safe.

Sometimes, you can find bananas for less than 50 cents a
pound! When I was younger, I would often buy them at less
than 30 cents a pound in some stores. It seems like the days
of really cheap food are over, but at least bananas have
remained relatively cheap.

I'm not one of those people who say you must absolutely eat
30 bananas a day.

You just need to eat the amount of fruit that you need,
based on your energy levels and your lifestyle.

I personally could not make bananas the #1 staple of my diet
all the time, but I enjoy them often and overall, it's
probably the main fruit that I eat throughout the year.

If you've procrastinated giving raw foods a try, start with
banana smoothies. You'll love them so much that you'll
wonder when they'll become illegal!

Frederic

PS: To comment on this article, go to:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=2445

Our Address Is:
Raw Vegan
358-1917 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7
Canada
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada

Bananas in Smoothies and Milkshakes

I wrote:

Yes, thanks! We LOVE banana based smoothies and milkshakes!

Talk about inexpensive too!

Here in Nanaimo, B.C. we regularly get organic bananas at the Superette on the corner of Albert and Wilson for twenty seven cents a pound or if we buy the whole box, even cheaper!

Until the bananas begin to show brown spots the natural sugars haven't yet developed, but most people reject them as "overripe" as they are picked green and that is what they believe bananas should be like: firm and green! We take our haul home and slice them into rounds, putting 2 to 2 1/2 bananas in each Ziploc bag and then freeze.

We have a discount health foods store (Nanaimo Green Store) that sells frozen almond Silk, 1.87L for $1. We thaw the Silk as needed and add the frozen bananas in our blender. Experiment until you get the desired consistency.

We've also begun adding the frozen bananas to our green smoothies coz they (bananas or mangoes) help to take away the "swamp odor" and act as an emulsifier.

I have been told that I'm suffering CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) and the only way doctors have for me to get better is a stent or invasive surgery. I prefer the natural way first, am already getting better thanks to raw foods like these.

This was in response to: Legalize Banana Smoothies by Frederic Patenaude frederic@fredericpatenaude.com to me







Hi Chris,

This morning I woke up with this incredible craving for
bananas!

In the summer, we have so many delicious fruits available,
like mangoes, peaches, watermelon, cherries — that I find I
don't desire bananas that much during that time.

Yet this morning, my craving for bananas was so intense that
I ended up running to the store to get some.

And then I came back and made this huge banana smoothie.

After drinking it, I got this surge of energy.

I thought, this stuff is so good it should be legalized!

Oh wait, bananas are not a drug...

But they might as well be one, a great natural energy
booster.

The best way to get started eating more raw foods is to make
giant banana smoothies in the morning. And your smoothies
don't need to contain just bananas!

Use bananas as a staple, but also add other fruits and
greens such as:

- Frozen fruits (berries are great)
- Fresh seasonal fruits like mango or peaches
- Baby spinach, Swiss chard, kale
- Fresh herbs (try crazy combinations like basil or mint)
- Fruit that will go bad soon if you don't eat them (like
that wrinkled apple in the back of your fridge)

For variety you can even replace water with some
almond-milk. Store-bought almond milk may not be raw, but it
doesn't contain that much fat at all, and adds an
incredible, creamy taste to smoothies. You could use it
occasionally as a treat — but not all the time.

You just can't go wrong with banana smoothies. As long as
you use ripe spotted bananas as the base and some liquid
(1/2 cup to 1 cup), then you can add almost anything but
sawdust to the smoothie and it will taste good.

Banana smoothies are excellent after exercise, as a recovery
drink. Try adding a bit of fresh celery to it to make it
even more like a real recovery drink. Celery adds natural
sodium which helps in rehydration.

The great thing about bananas is that they are fairly cheap.
By calories, it's certainly the most affordable healthy
choice you can make.

When I lived near Montreal, I would buy an entire 40-pound
case of organic bananas at a distributor for around $30-35.

Even if you can't afford organic bananas, don't be afraid
to buy conventional. Conventional bananas are listed very
low on the list of pesticide-containing foods. Due to their
thick skin, they are considered pretty safe.

Sometimes, you can find bananas for less than 50 cents a
pound! When I was younger, I would often buy them at less
than 30 cents a pound in some stores. It seems like the days
of really cheap food are over, but at least bananas have
remained relatively cheap.

I'm not one of those people who say you must absolutely eat
30 bananas a day.

You just need to eat the amount of fruit that you need,
based on your energy levels and your lifestyle.

I personally could not make bananas the #1 staple of my diet
all the time, but I enjoy them often and overall, it's
probably the main fruit that I eat throughout the year.

If you've procrastinated giving raw foods a try, start with
banana smoothies. You'll love them so much that you'll
wonder when they'll become illegal!

Frederic

PS: To comment on this article, go to:
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=2445

Our Address Is:
Raw Vegan
358-1917 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7
Canada
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada
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