tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65736922210132610312024-03-20T09:10:34.516-06:00Grass to VeggiesFree guides showing how you can grow, preserve and cook your own food along with musings and random stories! Straight from an urban farmer whom grows over a year's worth of food in the backyard of a typical American house.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-3465961296762188242024-03-17T20:00:00.001-06:002024-03-17T20:07:28.017-06:0010 Fantastical Things Learned from the Garden - 2024 Vibes<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- Confucius</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDfkZ9G__P8Q5Qhf9s0VzBy6qttjghaz6tUuRiGtci6kAW-_x2WlX2vh2KTXxzPUlMG8nVJ7d8m1fQ_D3so6O3zUke7qc_JixPY7tZG_Jxv_iDC67Dk02vkE7gc7SC6r4JVdGVCNaHipAs6CIwbJ_VyvZ4By_pzdcmyiP3WPT-5l2Nn_RLBVpwZZdzlo/s1000/farming%20hat%20and%20art.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Man in Hat" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDfkZ9G__P8Q5Qhf9s0VzBy6qttjghaz6tUuRiGtci6kAW-_x2WlX2vh2KTXxzPUlMG8nVJ7d8m1fQ_D3so6O3zUke7qc_JixPY7tZG_Jxv_iDC67Dk02vkE7gc7SC6r4JVdGVCNaHipAs6CIwbJ_VyvZ4By_pzdcmyiP3WPT-5l2Nn_RLBVpwZZdzlo/w240-h320/farming%20hat%20and%20art.jpg" title="Man in Hat" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pondering things learned</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div>Apparently I'm on a two year cycle of writing a new top 10 things learned article. The <a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2020/05/top-ten-things-ive-learned-so-far.html" target="">first one was in 2020</a> and <a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2022/08/10-things-to-know-about-gardening-2022.html">the second in 2022</a> and now the third is upon us. No intro is really needed so alas here is latest and greatest, top 10 fantastical things learned from the garden:</div><div><br></div><div><b>1. Stay on top of the weeds and they will go away with time.</b> Weeds are indicative of a soil health issue plus the ground does not want to be bare. If you have bare ground, weeds will grow - this is the earth trying to heal itself. If you plant something and weeds grow instead, you've got a soil health problem. There are two main approaches to weed control 1) obsessively try and pull every single weed or 2) let the weeds grow a little bit, then right when the seed heads start forming just cut the seed heads off, when your ready for the entire weed to be gone, just cut it off at the base and let the body of the weed decompose back into the soil. This makes the weed spend all of its energy into growing then it can't reproduce so over time your weed problem goes away. Keep an eye out for useful weeds - such as dandelions - which you can eat, <a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/05/dandelion-wine.html">make wine out of</a>, or a hand balm, etc. Just because it's considered a weed doesn't mean it's useless. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.</div><div><br></div><div><b>2. You do not know everything despite what you think you already know. </b> Not even close. Approach every day in the garden with a mindset of "I know nothing, what can the garden teach me today?" Do that and you will learn an immense amount every single day. The garden / nature has a infinite amount of wisdom it's willing to share with you... if you are willing to listen.</div><div><br></div><div><b>3. There is such a thing as too much compost.</b> Compost is jam packed with nutrients. If you are producing a high amount of compost and you have a somewhat small growing area, it is certainly possible to add too much compost and overload the ground with nutrients that the plants then can't absorb. Too much of a good thing... is a thing.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2024/03/10-fantastical-things-learned-from.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-28010941324737078602024-02-23T05:00:00.003-07:002024-02-23T05:00:00.144-07:00Bee Sting Remedy<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- Albert Einstein</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMPOrTMcRBCBAKaPPCelguDo1nFJOAMEbna6HCCpxjJ_IYZVFQ9BKSOMc2G9aHqNKDpCTYSDZ4rzfPxFN4VVexTfzwB8Rh80NtTLo4O5Fsz1VQWTgIMk-Luaq5ftY685qKNEHbCYP4sB6rlozQH4fc2ZDR5Mf9o9lD6cMsApRiqBI81yqbV_RRPRvQUQ/s1000/Use.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bee on Dahlia" border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="1000" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMPOrTMcRBCBAKaPPCelguDo1nFJOAMEbna6HCCpxjJ_IYZVFQ9BKSOMc2G9aHqNKDpCTYSDZ4rzfPxFN4VVexTfzwB8Rh80NtTLo4O5Fsz1VQWTgIMk-Luaq5ftY685qKNEHbCYP4sB6rlozQH4fc2ZDR5Mf9o9lD6cMsApRiqBI81yqbV_RRPRvQUQ/w320-h297/Use.jpg" title="Bee on Dahlia" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bee loving the dahlia.</td></tr></tbody></table><b><br></b></div><div>Stung by a bee? This is all you need to make the pain and swelling go away, fast:</div><div>-Honey</div><div>-Lavender</div><div><br></div><div>Grind up the lavender in a mortar and pestle (or in-between your palms). Mix it in with a little bit of honey. Apply mixture to the bee sting. Cover with a band aid. The pain starts going away almost instantly. Leave the band aid on as long as possible.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2024/02/bee-sting-remedy.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-40093966526153515192024-02-16T05:00:00.003-07:002024-02-16T05:00:00.132-07:00Seeds 2.0<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"The tiny seed knew that in order to grow it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach the light." - Sandra Kring</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5g32KaBDnjrFYMhgouc9Su7jx2KjCaK0oBycMZY52_gEr2FyJura0aO-hfgNfex0tqS_mYHcg08dgXJ2Q6VRDO0MiGhpZtyvb3Uuodbi_lgQt0xfd0sD5faFXTyYEjAn_e6dOan-qQ-T_9UELRA47ZWRY8K3KrllpSVVkQ1wVu9qON4JE4MvALkAJ_A/s1000/Seeds.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Seed" border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1000" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5g32KaBDnjrFYMhgouc9Su7jx2KjCaK0oBycMZY52_gEr2FyJura0aO-hfgNfex0tqS_mYHcg08dgXJ2Q6VRDO0MiGhpZtyvb3Uuodbi_lgQt0xfd0sD5faFXTyYEjAn_e6dOan-qQ-T_9UELRA47ZWRY8K3KrllpSVVkQ1wVu9qON4JE4MvALkAJ_A/w320-h270/Seeds.jpg" title="Seed" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seed getting planted - 2024</td></tr></tbody></table><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">An update to the <a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2020/02/seeds-where-it-all-begins-fifteenth.html">original Seed article</a> is in order! It turns out that all seeds are <b>not</b> created equal. As plants grow, they adapt to their local environment then when they produce seeds those seeds are better adapted to that specific climate that the parent plant grew in.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br>If you take these seeds across the country to a different environment, the plant may struggle, because they're in a completely new environment that has different conditions than where they came from.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2024/02/seeds-20.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-73538984705388308502024-02-09T05:00:00.003-07:002024-02-09T05:00:00.132-07:00A Year in the Cold<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"By forcing yourself to embrace the stress of cold exposure as a meaningful self-directed challenge (i.e., stressor), you exert what is called ‘top-down control’ over deeper brain centers that regulate reflexive states. This top-down control process involves your prefrontal cortex – an area of your brain involved in planning and suppressing impulsivity. That ‘top-down’ control is the basis of what people refer to when they talk about “resilience and grit.” Importantly, it is a skill that carries over to situations outside of the deliberate cold environment, allowing you to cope better and maintain a calm, clear mind when confronted with real-world stressors. In other words, deliberate cold exposure is great training for the mind."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- <a href="https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/the-science-and-use-of-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance" target="_blank">Andrew Huberman, Ph.D, Neuroscientist and Professor at the Stanford School of Medicine</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-KjkeIARM4OC9AsBO0g43N8vUn_w2YgLZMJZO9_0NeDRjg_Mqt18Swro6PUTtZUZJ10DTx8cz0wNnHMikuBBKxsw23NHJscZUv1RV3ap3My7tegVOa4HwVuOxi82pgBQr6Oy_Ck03rdXlJXTObR6SJq1zImuZ5CfP754r-AeSWq1fCFnugeqoC5iByk/s1000/cold%20spot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-KjkeIARM4OC9AsBO0g43N8vUn_w2YgLZMJZO9_0NeDRjg_Mqt18Swro6PUTtZUZJ10DTx8cz0wNnHMikuBBKxsw23NHJscZUv1RV3ap3My7tegVOa4HwVuOxi82pgBQr6Oy_Ck03rdXlJXTObR6SJq1zImuZ5CfP754r-AeSWq1fCFnugeqoC5iByk/s320/cold%20spot.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favorite ice bath spot to date - July 2023 - Mountains of Colorado - 10,500 ft. Glacier... check. Mountains... check. Trees... check. Fresh mountain air... check. Beautiful scenery... check. Sunshine... check. Very cold water... check.</td></tr></tbody></table><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Eyes closed, deep breathe in... deep breathe out... I hear distant footsteps on the trail that's about 50 feet away and past a thin layer of trees. Even 4.5 miles from the trailhead that starts way off in the middle of the mountains of Colorado, you're bound to run into at least one person. Especially if you're sitting in a lake in your underwear. You might not see someone all day, but if you're going to see someone... it's definitely going to be when you're almost naked... in the lake... and it'll probably be a big group...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I laugh as my mind wanders off to this random thought. Back to my breathing...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Deep breath in... deep breathe out...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">A minute later I hear laughter close by followed by, "What are you doing?"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">I open my eyes and turn my head to see a group of about 8 hikers all staring at me as I sit in my underwear in the crystal clear lake with water up to the bottom of my chin and trying to be as still as I possibly can to avoid heating my body up.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">"I'm hanging out in the hot tub!" as I keep my focus on my breathing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">They shoot each other inquisitive and confused looks. "Isn't it cold?" One of them asks As they glance at the snow and ice that's directly next to the lake.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Yyyuuuppp, it's pretty dang cold, but that's the whole point, gotta get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Plus it feel great on the leg muscles."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">They shrug their shoulders and continue on their way.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Deep breath in... deep breath out...</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2024/02/a-year-in-cold.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-76108772681603576212024-02-02T05:00:00.003-07:002024-02-02T05:00:00.144-07:00Roast Squash Seeds<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mFxw3Fb9aZtbQHz2Tjj52YkWvWc3sggBImdOBg1WdIiz6rW9kKx7hJgjft8gnDrwg7te72gasJROSUJbfQ4QbPTQXK67fNxcltoIocj9bJqwFyGfiSNzWUTxj4ydhkF1I2gh_S84AzV3zRpPBloJlu9Hla0Um8iBIO-cAuodZ4nGyn-H2q6eTFD3nI8/s1000/Squash%20Seeds.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Squash Seeds" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="947" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mFxw3Fb9aZtbQHz2Tjj52YkWvWc3sggBImdOBg1WdIiz6rW9kKx7hJgjft8gnDrwg7te72gasJROSUJbfQ4QbPTQXK67fNxcltoIocj9bJqwFyGfiSNzWUTxj4ydhkF1I2gh_S84AzV3zRpPBloJlu9Hla0Um8iBIO-cAuodZ4nGyn-H2q6eTFD3nI8/w303-h320/Squash%20Seeds.jpg" title="Squash Seeds" width="303"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash seeds roasting</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">Roasting seeds is a quick, easy and enjoyable snack or topping on a soup or perhaps even a meal all by itself - if you have enough of them.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you cut open a squash, instead of throwing the seeds out, roast them instead!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">All you do is pull the seeds out with your hand or a spoon. Clean the squash strands off of the seeds and pull the seeds apart from each other at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Set the oven to 350, drizzle some olive oil in a pan.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Add squash seeds to the pan and spread them out so they're not all clumped together.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2024/02/roast-squash-seeds.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-15911869568780033772023-12-08T05:00:00.004-07:002024-01-27T08:24:34.841-07:00One Degree of Change<div style="text-align: center;"><b>“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” - Andy Warhol</b></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-oua3UL1YBQmvHHtpOJte2fZBxpnleFxFnkOcfCXp-l_KbT6U_lIJXHNalhk9G6bXgBqo7-XemIMFqIeqrVQeaouXbIEW5E16l615lKfb1f7itIpIULMr7Bm1jtoglAO_rJSgZfqJEsAGy4AsFHN_IGVvwNvfIQwvJGfDWelomMoKSbQB_9YY1hZHro/s1000/f16.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-oua3UL1YBQmvHHtpOJte2fZBxpnleFxFnkOcfCXp-l_KbT6U_lIJXHNalhk9G6bXgBqo7-XemIMFqIeqrVQeaouXbIEW5E16l615lKfb1f7itIpIULMr7Bm1jtoglAO_rJSgZfqJEsAGy4AsFHN_IGVvwNvfIQwvJGfDWelomMoKSbQB_9YY1hZHro/s320/f16.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F-16 Fighting Falcon Ready to Rock! <i>(Photo taken by James)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">There are quite a lot of aspects of aviation and flying airplanes that, surprisingly, transfer over seamlessly to real life. One of the best examples of this is if you're flying an airplane and your heading is off by 1 degree then after 60 miles you will be 1 mile off course. 1 mile off course may not seem like a lot but keep in mind that resulted from your heading only being 1 degree off initially, which is a very miniscule amount. If you've never had the pleasure of trying to hold a heading to an exact degree while hand flying an airplane that's getting rocked around by changing winds and turbulence, I can tell you with great certainty... it is not easy (but it is really fun). At the same time, going 60 miles may seem like a fairly large distance but you have to keep in mind, the speed that airplanes travel at vary wildly and airplanes can cover a lot of ground... fast!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">A Cessna 152 cruising at 120 miles per hour (mph) will cover 60 miles in only 30 minutes, which is at the slow end for airplanes. A Cirrus SR-22 cruising at 240 mph will cover 60 miles in 15 minutes. A Dassault Falcon 50EX corporate jet cruising at 480 mph will cover 60 miles in 7.5 minutes. A Boeing 737-700 airliner cruising at 520 mph will cover 60 miles in 6.6 minutes. An F-16 Fighting Falcon going 960 mph will cover 60 miles in 3.75 minutes. An SR-71 Blackbird going 2,300 mph will cover 60 miles in 1.56 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Back when I was actively flight instructing (teaching people how to fly airplanes), this was one of my many favorite thought experiments to do with students, usually after their first cross country flight (with me onboard) during which they would always, inevitably, at some point during the flight, stop comparing their heading indicator to the actual magnetic compass (commonly referred to as a wet compass). The heading indicator gauge is not magnetic, it's a gyroscopic instrument and anything with a gyro in it means it has friction which means it needs to be reset often to keep it on the correct heading. It needs to be compared to the actual magnetic compass every 15 minutes and adjusted accordingly. If you forget to do this, after an hour your heading indicator will suddenly be off by about 15 degrees (some airplanes more, some airplanes less). Which is significantly more than 1 degree off, it's 15 times as much in fact! This results in you thinking that you're on course but your heading is actually 15 degrees off and each minute that goes by you'll be significantly further off course, in terms of mileage.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/12/one-degree-of-change.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-71785981226165724842023-11-24T08:00:00.007-07:002023-11-27T17:44:38.906-07:00Open Letter to Boulder County Regarding the Proposed Integrated Weed Management Plan - 2023<p> </p><p align="right" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">11/24/2023<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-admh9OM73AGEa2PdgdW_eaLyoG77gXL1jNlVpTwE8oopx7m9fSWyqWnSx4OgKEBDEJtcX3ksSNfYT4Fr9_xMIrMQEHy9ZLDJ3tAFxizjdE-YUUOuKCFCFzQuTzo0c3he4WV_UyObP3TOMkASujZ0Rtit2vwGM0OcacIwOvf1eTGezzAF7bl0wlTsSiw/s1024/2%20two%20radishes.jpg"><img alt="Two Radishes" border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1024" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-admh9OM73AGEa2PdgdW_eaLyoG77gXL1jNlVpTwE8oopx7m9fSWyqWnSx4OgKEBDEJtcX3ksSNfYT4Fr9_xMIrMQEHy9ZLDJ3tAFxizjdE-YUUOuKCFCFzQuTzo0c3he4WV_UyObP3TOMkASujZ0Rtit2vwGM0OcacIwOvf1eTGezzAF7bl0wlTsSiw/w200-h191/2%20two%20radishes.jpg" title="Two Radishes" width="200"></a></div><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">From the Office of
Grass to Veggies<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Contact:
James Lissy | </span><a href="mailto:info@grasstoveggies.com"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">info@grasstoveggies.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | </span><a href="http://www.grasstoveggies.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.grasstoveggies.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> | Longmont, CO</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Re:
Boulder County Proposed Integrated Weed Management Plan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vo7yy3QgS6IhmMrYmnFlpMiBD6HVlhxO/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><i>Download PDF Version</i></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIpQu82XtbkK0LUSj3MFfqlBGIr_X1W860reLX3Nu-bRYZ4yMJaIoYtfALYZNZsmZ3sM5PzAToNquyQgpaEucqL5YCixkgYj1SqykhXLMjaZsbPltFMQGMRfIkA3__mnPbzpDY4d6YGb7y09cTqGvmQ355fqpuvbHkjZvV78WgaMe2hnIUjW56RfHI9Q/s2048/IMG_0016.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Earthrise from Moon" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIpQu82XtbkK0LUSj3MFfqlBGIr_X1W860reLX3Nu-bRYZ4yMJaIoYtfALYZNZsmZ3sM5PzAToNquyQgpaEucqL5YCixkgYj1SqykhXLMjaZsbPltFMQGMRfIkA3__mnPbzpDY4d6YGb7y09cTqGvmQ355fqpuvbHkjZvV78WgaMe2hnIUjW56RfHI9Q/w320-h240/IMG_0016.JPG" title="Earthrise from Moon" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Earthrise from the moon – Apollo 8 – Photo by Bill Anders. “The Earth from here is a grand oasis in the big vastness of space.” – Jim Lovell</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><br></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
a resident of Boulder County, the county’s proposed integrated weed management
proposal is appalling due to its emphasis on using, over-using and unchecked
use of chemicals which pose a significant threat to human health, pollinators,
water quality, aquatic life, soil and overall health of the environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lack of pro-active notification to the
community regarding this plan, lack of emphasis on indigenous / regenerative
agriculture for weed control, lack of consideration of modern science and lack
of scientific monitoring when chemicals are used make this proposed plan highly
unacceptable.<br></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
understand that the County wants the easy button when it comes to weed
control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The County wants to be able to
suppress the undesirable weeds as easily and efficiently as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the effects that the chemicals have
on everything else in the environment is blatantly ignored in this proposed
plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the bottom of this letter, you
will find a list of scientific articles that walk you through the actual
effects that these chemicals have on the environment as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a lot of these chemicals do effectively
kill the targeted species and some are certainly more harmful than others, the
majority of these chemicals have drastic and unknown consequences on the rest
of the environment as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are
extremely important considerations since these chemicals can have negative
effects on desirable plants species, pollinators, soil health, water quality,
aquatic health, endangered species, and us humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to mention that the increasing resistance
to chemicals in the targeted weed species has been noted in several studies
which hints at chemicals that are currently effective will likely not be
effective in the future.<br></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <br></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
you read through the actual scientific and independent research a few things
become abundantly clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Governing
agencies and society as a whole generally consider these chemicals to be safe
until proven otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even after the
chemicals have been proven to not be safe, the new peer reviewed scientific
papers done by independent scientists with independent funding gets rejected
and ignored by governing agencies within the US, such as the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only
“science” that the EPA currently evaluates is what is submitted by the company
that manufactures the chemical when they first submit an application to the
EPA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These companies stand to make
billions of dollars in profit if their applications are approved by the EPA
which is an obvious and clear conflict of interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most governing bodies outside of the US peer
review submitted research to either verify or dismiss the submitted research
which makes governing bodies outside of the US currently much more reliable for
determining harm levels of chemicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The majority of these chemicals have adverse effects on plants, worms,
soil, fish, aquatic life, and seed production of desirable plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These negative effects of chemicals are
normally not discovered until well after the wide use of the chemicals, making
the damage already done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paper after
paper cites lacks of research or notes that more research is needed into
specific and potentially harmful aspects of chemical use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When research is done on effects of
pollinators, this research is usually limited to honey bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This limited research is absurd for a few
notable reasons:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bees in general are not
the only pollinators and are only a portion of all overall pollinators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honey bees are not native to the US and there
are a lot of native bee species in the US which are commonly referred to as
native bees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Native bees are extremely
important to the ecosystem since they have adapted to live here naturally,
without human assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chemical
effects on native bees have not been researched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of these native bees are solitary, do
not live in hives and live underground or in brush on the ground making them
more susceptible to the potential effects of chemicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, pollinators in general have a
wide range of foraging which also makes them more susceptible to chemical use
even if the chemicals are not sprayed directly on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chemical effects on soil and water health are
often overlooked and it is routinely discovered that chemicals once touted as
safe have drastic negative effects on soil and water health.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span></span></div><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/11/open-letter-to-boulder-county-regarding.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-34825322217658666722023-11-19T20:00:00.001-07:002023-11-19T20:01:21.134-07:00Dry Flowers and Herbs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02QmT14ePxOfo_wtdQgcZeYseiyRl4Rnq_NF6Hp820m6ljGoz6cR6yQ-akGiPL2X9M_DIokr12Fwk-2bFEI46vXGx9KmLinyZRmfxl3SBXYkV_wXyOJpzjDLfGOoIal1OY3-LozrPTrfxLkk-sK3ChpVVPheaT0K2PvuzTnjFYCLs2LmuJPuUbn9X5vs/s1000/drying%20marigolds.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Marigolds Drying" border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02QmT14ePxOfo_wtdQgcZeYseiyRl4Rnq_NF6Hp820m6ljGoz6cR6yQ-akGiPL2X9M_DIokr12Fwk-2bFEI46vXGx9KmLinyZRmfxl3SBXYkV_wXyOJpzjDLfGOoIal1OY3-LozrPTrfxLkk-sK3ChpVVPheaT0K2PvuzTnjFYCLs2LmuJPuUbn9X5vs/w320-h240/drying%20marigolds.jpg" title="Marigolds Drying" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Freshly trimmed marigolds set out to dry.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">An often overlooked aspect of gardening are the edible flowers and herbs. The benefits of these are two-fold: pests tend to stay away from strong scents and they're edible! So if you scatter flowers and herbs throughout your garden you then have a natural pest deterrent that you can also eat. In the case of pests whom like some pleasant scents, such as the Japanese beetle, the flowers and herbs will pull them away from your vegetables and into plants that you don't care as much about. It's important to note that even these dreaded beetles have scents that they do not like so diversity is key! There are a lot of benefits to growing flowers and herbs in your garden but the part that most people forget about is... eating them!</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/11/dry-flowers-and-herbs.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-72450128307626539202023-11-03T05:00:00.028-06:002023-11-03T05:00:00.138-06:00Pro Tips for Harvesting Carrots<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhz7rf8haY4fvyAams6HAbNKseUcWZOsg6xVdgG57s88hNnhS-1WVa04WTRQPX439uUfBJ4_isJEgbWKbzNjbw5cqqVCA9errDX4sC0rus7v9EZ-4YgilLde-nPs3C7BYho-zXllYTE6JlVyoZ8DLWKCwAUXgPu9BXkbAcw5APjis6cGF701bWyerzK2s/s1000/carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Carrots" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhz7rf8haY4fvyAams6HAbNKseUcWZOsg6xVdgG57s88hNnhS-1WVa04WTRQPX439uUfBJ4_isJEgbWKbzNjbw5cqqVCA9errDX4sC0rus7v9EZ-4YgilLde-nPs3C7BYho-zXllYTE6JlVyoZ8DLWKCwAUXgPu9BXkbAcw5APjis6cGF701bWyerzK2s/w240-h320/carrots.jpg" title="Carrots" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly Harvested Carrots</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">Carrots can be a pain in the butt to harvest, especially when your soil is mostly clay, such as on the Front Range in Colorado. If the soil is too dry then it's way too easy to break the carrots in half, ruining the entire carrot or worse... ripping the greens off the top of the carrot...locking the carrot into the deep grasps of the soil until the end of time. Or until it decomposes back into the ground anyways. There are some tips to avoid all of this and make harvesting carrots a breeze.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">To see if your carrots are ready to harvest, put your finger where the carrot top greens go into the ground and clear the soil away to expose the top of the carrot. This allows you to see how wide the carrot is and thus an educated guess as to if the carrot is ready to harvest or not. Do this on a few carrots and if a few look wide enough, pull one of them out of the ground and see how long they are and how tasty they are. It's always a good idea to pull a test carrot or two before you harvest all of them.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/11/pro-tips-for-harvesting-carrots.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-10572790299722861192023-10-20T05:00:00.008-06:002023-10-20T05:00:00.143-06:00Fall Spice Beverage<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymKrcuUd-U3NyHjro1goq5VoCNqFOUITdVAmqQZ7wHC-HeSQPlikKL-aHGzr6klyFWxfBo3fxQ52gJAap03VjPJ6rDBAxbL4kHWGD6HkIZ29Jc-a9z113d02ay4crP-8f2o0s_Fqh25PLGL0K3eL0uwfXZNIWbyb6dtUrjZjBPLSE5bVHpyuxmBj4DkY/s1000/fall%20spice%20beverage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fall Spice Beverage" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="885" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymKrcuUd-U3NyHjro1goq5VoCNqFOUITdVAmqQZ7wHC-HeSQPlikKL-aHGzr6klyFWxfBo3fxQ52gJAap03VjPJ6rDBAxbL4kHWGD6HkIZ29Jc-a9z113d02ay4crP-8f2o0s_Fqh25PLGL0K3eL0uwfXZNIWbyb6dtUrjZjBPLSE5bVHpyuxmBj4DkY/w283-h320/fall%20spice%20beverage.jpg" title="Fall Spice Beverage" width="283"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall spice beverage ready to be devoured!</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">Making your own fall spice beverage that will be one of the best tasting drinks you've ever had and will be a million times better than anything that the vast majority of coffee shops make is incredibly easy to do and only uses a few common baking ingredients. The base recipe is without caffeine but it is very easy to add either tea to it for a true chai or espresso or coffee for a very tasty coffee drink.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/10/fall-spice-beverage.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-69903178302220690392023-09-22T05:00:00.004-06:002023-09-22T05:00:00.150-06:00Juice It<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrlSGy_TJt2lfsEJ2a9pLU09eOCBAXJZQdxxGN7B27UOg_2X-KvorZwVY2OvzM26d7d8Cb1I7kl15taXe-llyvq56JejPc6iFAnlXlwV2Vjk8m_fRmdKez-KRGRC3y7_tY1nof8s9cSuHgOdLnEL7ZZ7TaUf0aWpGa1pi01FjizIh96qqo1GhRcVWo60/s1000/Fresh%20Juice.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fresh Juice" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrlSGy_TJt2lfsEJ2a9pLU09eOCBAXJZQdxxGN7B27UOg_2X-KvorZwVY2OvzM26d7d8Cb1I7kl15taXe-llyvq56JejPc6iFAnlXlwV2Vjk8m_fRmdKez-KRGRC3y7_tY1nof8s9cSuHgOdLnEL7ZZ7TaUf0aWpGa1pi01FjizIh96qqo1GhRcVWo60/w240-h320/Fresh%20Juice.jpg" title="Fresh Juice" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly Squeezed Juice Oozing With Color and Flavor<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">Fall is in the air, freezers are nearing capacity, vegetables are still producing like crazy. When you find yourself with an excess of leafy greens, regardless of the time of year, the solution is quite simple... juice it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Juicing the surplus leaves you with a drink that is packed to the brim with nutrition which will leave your body feeling like a trillion dollars and your energy levels on par with someone just pounded 10 espressos, all at once. It also makes it so the vegetables don't go to waste.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/09/juice-it.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-34641947485467666282023-09-15T05:00:00.011-06:002023-09-15T05:00:00.141-06:00Vegetable Stock<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"No rules. Don't be afraid to do whatever you want. Cooking doesn't have to have rules. I don't like it that way." - Masaharu Morimoto</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-obhbNinm7Wa4uh14lKveV6XT8w4X7QADVXyXo5EdOgpdjNnqKt_cLQBY7iymZMwT4IBdu7zTDUoZyLtD8CLtZuERDRWqE5zXaXh4Waa12DfwE_4RoiLolL9E0UuJfg3_QQProibXQ0J9irH5ikgH7v2NzcS8TagVQjI7tlboCqK-18eo1GqNtBEIKU/s1000/vegetable%20stock.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Vegetable Stock" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-obhbNinm7Wa4uh14lKveV6XT8w4X7QADVXyXo5EdOgpdjNnqKt_cLQBY7iymZMwT4IBdu7zTDUoZyLtD8CLtZuERDRWqE5zXaXh4Waa12DfwE_4RoiLolL9E0UuJfg3_QQProibXQ0J9irH5ikgH7v2NzcS8TagVQjI7tlboCqK-18eo1GqNtBEIKU/w240-h320/vegetable%20stock.jpg" title="Vegetable Stock" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegetable scraps ready to go!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Woah, woah, woah, did you just take your vegetable scraps and throw them straight into the compost??? What are you doing? You could make vegetable stock with those scraps first.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Vegetable stock, or if we're being honest - any type of stock - is simple to make. Take your vegetable scraps, throw them in a pot, fill the pot with water, bring the water to a boil, then take it down to a simmer and let simmer for at least an hour and a half. Give it more time if you want a stronger flavor.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Let it cool down, put a strainer on a second pot, pour the liquid thru the strainer to weed out the food scraps. Transfer the remaining liquid into freezable containers (soup containers work great), label them (you won't remember what it is, trust me), then throw them in the freezer.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/09/vegetable-stock.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-49549570672977913782023-09-08T05:00:00.006-06:002023-09-14T18:16:31.739-06:00Let It Be<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Whisper words of wisdom, let it be." - The Beatles, <a href="https://youtu.be/QDYfEBY9NM4?si=-Va1qy0XhuDGOvBa" target="_blank">Let It Be</a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxirLJ_79af7IxcaXZJLMRR_Go7JYkgWKTsbYuUXTNfStubJGNDAiaFmtwmsn2sbtIt4JMWYh8pXVin5ENbqK5Aq3o0OaC5ypEVJuiasOx6QumnVBzNP9zyo3vz8H8uvy9vki2AzlMBXO-fiesc7CNtOWa_STeUY6e6U2Hos_fH0HW_rkXrGrBqOeQ54/s750/whispering%20words%20of%20wisdom.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Whispering Words of Wisdom" border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxirLJ_79af7IxcaXZJLMRR_Go7JYkgWKTsbYuUXTNfStubJGNDAiaFmtwmsn2sbtIt4JMWYh8pXVin5ENbqK5Aq3o0OaC5ypEVJuiasOx6QumnVBzNP9zyo3vz8H8uvy9vki2AzlMBXO-fiesc7CNtOWa_STeUY6e6U2Hos_fH0HW_rkXrGrBqOeQ54/w320-h320/whispering%20words%20of%20wisdom.jpg" title="Whispering Words of Wisdom" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whispering words of wisdom - created with Dall·E AI</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some years the spring rains stick around for a long time causing cool weather well into the summer, stunting the growth of most plants. Some years the tomatoes fail. Some years the squash aren't too productive. Some years the strawberries are awful. Some years the cucumbers cease to grow.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can't control any of this, you can only control how you react to it. You can't change the weather. You can't force the plants to do anything. There are so many factors that are in the hands of the universe and well outside of your jurisdiction.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Some years the temperatures get hot in the early spring causing the summer plants to take off early and be extra productive. Some years there are literal wheelbarrows full of tomatoes and squash. Some years there are more cucumbers than you know what to do with. Some years the berries are amazing.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/09/let-it-be.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-46548710019492763272023-08-18T05:00:00.018-06:002023-09-05T23:10:24.325-06:00Fava Beans<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_klIhJFq29FCUovVIaP_GCG62wWUv2RdOL2CEohYB2jveZa0JYi8JS6HxnbEfXB4CZfgtqeOgVzJJLEE1jY_6eFd5v7XzpaV2bhmal4cHJdzaID6mt2tYTz5B9ICXSwguQlP4o8mSJBWHhXpwzMCbiQ4ynKHaBp5pJeQchvup1HfXhOdxNMEiAyUsSQ/s1000/fava_harvest.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fava Beans" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_klIhJFq29FCUovVIaP_GCG62wWUv2RdOL2CEohYB2jveZa0JYi8JS6HxnbEfXB4CZfgtqeOgVzJJLEE1jY_6eFd5v7XzpaV2bhmal4cHJdzaID6mt2tYTz5B9ICXSwguQlP4o8mSJBWHhXpwzMCbiQ4ynKHaBp5pJeQchvup1HfXhOdxNMEiAyUsSQ/w240-h320/fava_harvest.jpg" title="Fava Beans" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fava beans ready to be harvested</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">If normal beans took steroids they would turn into fava beans. When cooked right these gigantic legumes have a light, earthy and refreshing flavor. When cooked wrong they can be hard, dry and as tasteless as a rock. Fortunately, cooking favas so they turn out delicious is easy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Harvest favas when they're 4 to 6 inches long, still mostly green, and the beans inside are developed. Give them a pinch to find out. If you wait too long and they turn from green to brown, save those favas for seeds for next year.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once the favas are harvested, turn the oven broiler on. Space the favas out on a cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil on top, followed by a healthy sprinkling of salt and a little bit of pepper.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/08/fava-beans.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-46995167722109415622023-08-11T05:00:00.008-06:002023-09-14T18:16:53.360-06:00Who Am I?<div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z5pJDUFQunt0_IUtStXCMoKWm61xbF1GPm6-lJ22aRkAMrDhqg7il8HP6uHUJcouRJaWsiezJomUCavG_1GyO41_GCEPRBxyhxvxEdSBeJ3DyzOvWAul2JIv7920gbTD5-e6Kq6e_fqfla37tG4MZcVHgbu51-xeb9DiifcoUKj8FDtPPBBoFXyYx-U/s1000/farmer%20pose%20with%20beard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Farmer" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z5pJDUFQunt0_IUtStXCMoKWm61xbF1GPm6-lJ22aRkAMrDhqg7il8HP6uHUJcouRJaWsiezJomUCavG_1GyO41_GCEPRBxyhxvxEdSBeJ3DyzOvWAul2JIv7920gbTD5-e6Kq6e_fqfla37tG4MZcVHgbu51-xeb9DiifcoUKj8FDtPPBBoFXyYx-U/w240-h320/farmer%20pose%20with%20beard.jpg" title="Farmer" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocking the farmer vibes with mega beard</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div>I can change how I look just by not shaving.</div><div>I can change my appearance just by not cutting my hair.</div><div>I can change others perception of me just by wearing different clothes.</div><div>Who am I?</div><div><br></div><div>Does any of that actually define me?</div><div>Does any of that change who I really am?</div><div>So I ask you again - Who am I?</div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps I’m defined by the job I hold or the car I drive or the house I live in or the jewelry I wear or the hat I don or the outdoor gear I possess. Does any of that tell you who I really am? So I ask you again - Who am I?</div><span></span></div><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/08/who-am-i.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-63707825712927025872023-08-05T05:00:00.006-06:002023-09-14T18:17:08.062-06:00Dandelion Vinegar or Any Vinegar<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZaCjWuQyvsXSA66ZrGf42gQQfdbaSBjjOKGlVBlkk8L7D05WJsblE8tONoscHADr4tlPXo7kcvTmde7QGgTRM3KFSYN9jSpJU_Uxyp4LnvfZUBZiwNUUjvBNwkyC8gvoVWE0F-0e_jnT7kVYgFKs5keY3cpJPOrxknGcU3Fz0CMkZL5IiiM2haDb8J0/s1000/Dandelion%20Vinegar.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dandelion Vinegar" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZaCjWuQyvsXSA66ZrGf42gQQfdbaSBjjOKGlVBlkk8L7D05WJsblE8tONoscHADr4tlPXo7kcvTmde7QGgTRM3KFSYN9jSpJU_Uxyp4LnvfZUBZiwNUUjvBNwkyC8gvoVWE0F-0e_jnT7kVYgFKs5keY3cpJPOrxknGcU3Fz0CMkZL5IiiM2haDb8J0/w269-h320/Dandelion%20Vinegar.jpg" title="Dandelion Vinegar" width="269"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dandelions steeping in vinegar</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">Earlier in the year someone asked me if I had a good recipe for a dandelion vinegar. I did not, however it got me thinking, how would I make a dandelion vinegar?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Vinegars are made by taking a vinegar of some sorts, adding fresh ingredients to it, letting it sit for a few weeks, straining it, then enjoying it on salad or in cooking.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">A bunch of dandelions were on hand so a mason jar was filled half way with the dandelions, a white wine vinegar was then added. Each day for two weeks the jar was shaken to mix it all up. After two weeks the dandelions were strained and the results were... a very enjoyable vinegar for salad!</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/08/dandelion-vinegar-or-any-vinegar.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-60478188985438082352023-05-22T05:00:00.003-06:002023-05-22T05:00:00.160-06:00Dandelion Tisane (Tea)<div style="text-align: center;"><b>One should be so lucky to be like a dandelion. When they are torn down they reappear even stronger
and more resilient than before, the phoenix of the garden they are.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDZbLqlTz67Oo5zSfAFfNeIGTC2aJcER4n7j5A9QbK59rgYZq_UTpYP765kRQGnn2qnlAE9OTQFy3x49FC1n7oy85hiLTTVOL3_5STsUy2mH39Ij2UzinjEEHn1soz63cwaSUV2IBmDxQe3MakLDBWlTm62Zigkr8o9c0oLICaRM0Y-hDqnYKSwHu/s1000/Dandelion%20Tisane.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dandelion Tisane" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="951" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDZbLqlTz67Oo5zSfAFfNeIGTC2aJcER4n7j5A9QbK59rgYZq_UTpYP765kRQGnn2qnlAE9OTQFy3x49FC1n7oy85hiLTTVOL3_5STsUy2mH39Ij2UzinjEEHn1soz63cwaSUV2IBmDxQe3MakLDBWlTm62Zigkr8o9c0oLICaRM0Y-hDqnYKSwHu/w304-h320/Dandelion%20Tisane.jpg" title="Dandelion Tisane" width="304"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dandelion flowers, mint, lemon bee balm, lavender, echinacea, and chamomile</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;"><div>For those who don't drink alcohol, there's a very easy and delicious way to enjoy dandelions that is sure to make you break out into <a href="https://youtu.be/vC8gJ0_9o4M" target="_blank">extreme happiness</a>. Make a dandelion tisane!</div></div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/05/dandelion-tisane-tea.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-88974643329761873552023-05-15T05:00:00.004-06:002023-05-15T19:06:24.501-06:00Dandelion Wine<div style="text-align: center;"><b>“And there, row upon row, with the soft gleam of flowers opened at morning, with the light of this June sun glowing through a faint skin of dust, would stand the dandelion wine."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- Ray Bradbury</b></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0nFfw2Rk1T5_XZ2BOehAeAxCjVU0CDrKqV8dWPqdAY15c9aD8rMis1L3FjqRGzbTR1C6yl_WV-iqTfS1kRcOPwjmUI0wVzNlYYKyhzh2OZ007JCqvhSDSpj5JNRys4dc1vxcsFbqbhXMAgD5xrRdDA0IvF_sxcIAowNf4hoaep-t968urZpZvGCU/s1000/bottled%20dandelion%20wine.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dandelion Wine" border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0nFfw2Rk1T5_XZ2BOehAeAxCjVU0CDrKqV8dWPqdAY15c9aD8rMis1L3FjqRGzbTR1C6yl_WV-iqTfS1kRcOPwjmUI0wVzNlYYKyhzh2OZ007JCqvhSDSpj5JNRys4dc1vxcsFbqbhXMAgD5xrRdDA0IvF_sxcIAowNf4hoaep-t968urZpZvGCU/w320-h240/bottled%20dandelion%20wine.jpg" title="Dandelion Wine" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly bottled dandelion wine</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is an odd article to write seeing as I don't drink anymore for <a href="https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/" target="_blank">various reasons</a>. But about 2 years ago I made this slamming dandelion wine and it was too good to not write about so here we are.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Most Americans consider dandelions to be a vile enemy. They curse the dandelions very existence then spray them with noxious poisons that not only succeed in killing the plant but <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882949098/bayer-to-pay-more-than-10-billion-to-resolve-roundup-cancer-lawsuits#:~:text=Bayer%20To%20Pay%20More%20Than,Lawsuits%20Over%20Weedkiller%20Roundup%20%3A%20NPR&text=Press-,Bayer%20To%20Pay%20More%20Than%20%2410%20Billion%20To%20Resolve%20Cancer,causing%20them%20to%20develop%20cancer." target="_blank">causes cancer</a> in humans, <a href="https://www.soilassociation.org/media/7229/glyphosate-and-soil-health-a-summary1docx.pdf" target="_blank">destroys the soil</a>, <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/herbicide-glyphosate-prevalent-us-streams-and-rivers" target="_blank">pollutes the waterways</a> then ends up in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2658306" target="_blank">everybody's bodies</a>. Without fail the dandelions come back from seed a few weeks later and the whole process starts over again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Instead of that nonsense, what if people actually used the dandelions that grew and made them into something useful? To be clear, dandelions are already useful in their raw existence. The flower, leaves, and roots are edible, you can eat them right out of your yard. Most people cringe at that idea, even though it's free food, but what if the dandelions were turned into a delicious wine?</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/05/dandelion-wine.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-38044332582395839382023-04-29T05:00:00.004-06:002023-04-29T05:00:00.136-06:00Many Moods of Spring Greens<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn." </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- B.C. Forbes</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GsJbx5nIds_oZaZBmlpiyu1ffjL5pnYwzHxHrDursgE29VVVxeJbh19syt9TW4C0-RXJ5Xh1jA3hV--VbvaY_1csiFGypjkV90AU2LgSO85y2QdrmPnRMFn2XqQQ94Tc5Xddwx5CP-CsvH4IPM43v38ca2VoUc7RG5GNnID-N3THHhAenGON7YR5/s1000/spring%20lettuce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lettuce" border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1000" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GsJbx5nIds_oZaZBmlpiyu1ffjL5pnYwzHxHrDursgE29VVVxeJbh19syt9TW4C0-RXJ5Xh1jA3hV--VbvaY_1csiFGypjkV90AU2LgSO85y2QdrmPnRMFn2XqQQ94Tc5Xddwx5CP-CsvH4IPM43v38ca2VoUc7RG5GNnID-N3THHhAenGON7YR5/w320-h285/spring%20lettuce.jpg" title="Lettuce" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buttercrunch Lettuce - Spring 2023<br></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Plants are alive - they <a href="https://youtu.be/pvBlSFVmoaw" target="_blank">communicate</a>, they <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/plants-really-do-scream-out-loud-we-just-never-heard-it-until-now" target="_blank">scream</a>, the leaves get droopy / curled when they haven't had enough water, and the plants get upset if they get too much water. It's quite clear, plants are alive even if they don't have what we consider to be a normal brain.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Just like other beings that are alive, each type of plant has preferences and certain conditions that they like. Spring greens are where this is the most noticeable.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Spring greens like cool weather but they don't like freezing temps nor do they like it when it gets too hot (think 85+ F or 29+ C). They have very specific conditions they need to thrive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Greens that fall into this category are your arugulas, lettuce, radishes, spinach, etc. To get the best tasting greens, they require cool weather. Once it gets too hot out and past their comfort zone they start bolting to produce seed and the whole plant gets a hell of a lot more bitter the hotter the temperatures get.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/04/many-moods-of-spring-greens.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-27329804180012023192023-03-16T20:00:00.046-06:002023-03-16T20:55:49.014-06:00Fluffy Pancake Extravaganza!<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"The key dietary messages are stunningly simple: Eat less, move more, eat more fruits and vegetables, and don't eat too much junk food. It's no more complicated than that."</b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>- Marion Nestle</b></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWOLSWBJr0KWJXQblrkYMjMMbK_7oSVjm7sTpUcu0VhVKqgVN1m2Ld-y8-4i-NFcneFDHpFkQAB5cbo7jEUQPc9xahHdCREfU9nqRWF9GK-lXQI0hsKtI_J_cBurroP9Jlg1Ue9Ryla-95VaPOTQ3uloZPQy4GnxkPK9odG-7uFp2bDDL253XprIa/s1000/Pancakes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pancakes" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="966" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWOLSWBJr0KWJXQblrkYMjMMbK_7oSVjm7sTpUcu0VhVKqgVN1m2Ld-y8-4i-NFcneFDHpFkQAB5cbo7jEUQPc9xahHdCREfU9nqRWF9GK-lXQI0hsKtI_J_cBurroP9Jlg1Ue9Ryla-95VaPOTQ3uloZPQy4GnxkPK9odG-7uFp2bDDL253XprIa/w309-h320/Pancakes.jpg" title="Pancakes" width="309"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fluffy, Crispy, Creamy Pancakes!</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">The Holidays are long over. Spring keeps poking its sunny head around the corner. Yet you find yourself with mass amounts of left over cream cheese that's on the cusp of going to waste. What are you to do?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp36HqxA5x7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">Fluffy Pancake Extravaganza</a></b> of course!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">These pancakes are fluffy, crispy, creamy, not the least bit healthy and are damn good. Cream cheese and copious amounts of butter makes everything better. Don't hold back, pack mass amounts of both into this recipe, you will not be disappointed:</div><span></span></div><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/03/fluffy-pancake-extravaganza.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-3388537096515956232023-03-03T05:00:00.007-07:002023-03-03T05:00:00.157-07:00Meat Me 2.0<div style="text-align: center;"><b>“I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect.” - Temple Grandin</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br></i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-O0-daFkF8ojKDqPIl3SHKJzP1rvdiu2hw6mdbiItC59EZl23VRWOW0zflyugucb3s9EraLwj8MspLoc2v8hmluJJZvFFDehItjFdwA3AsIYqSTUFyosy5zNKnt6jHayaSorr1B2TRbfq_3Eubh5Gv4v81ViciMRujQ2jlEf2R-msxLkq7eLBiOxd/s1000/brisket.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Smoked Brisket" border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1000" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-O0-daFkF8ojKDqPIl3SHKJzP1rvdiu2hw6mdbiItC59EZl23VRWOW0zflyugucb3s9EraLwj8MspLoc2v8hmluJJZvFFDehItjFdwA3AsIYqSTUFyosy5zNKnt6jHayaSorr1B2TRbfq_3Eubh5Gv4v81ViciMRujQ2jlEf2R-msxLkq7eLBiOxd/w320-h198/brisket.jpg" title="Smoked Brisket" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisket - freshly smoked all day long - ready to be devoured. No barbeque sauce in sight, that's bark baby!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">This original "<a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2021/04/what-about-meat.html">What About the Meat?!</a>" article written in 2021 is one of the very few articles that I have written where I naively assumed it would never ever need to be updated. Up until that point in time the meat and ranching industry in Northern Colorado seemed to have been stuck in a grimy, oily, sludge and did not seem likely to change anytime soon, let alone change fast.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">My how the times have changed, since then, the amount of ranchers in the area has seemingly exploded. On top of that, the newer ranchers seem to be taking a crap ton of pride in their craft. They want you to have the best possible meat and they have become a lot more transparent about their entire process all the way from the animals being born through the slaughtering and butchering up until the meat hits your deep freezer.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/03/meat-me-20.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-15101712669770689362023-02-03T05:00:00.008-07:002023-02-03T05:00:00.155-07:00Just Add Salt<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Stranger: </b> You grow how many pepper plants?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Me:</b> <i>(thinking)</i> Last year I had about... 60.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Stranger:</b> (<i>jaw drops to the ground) </i> What???</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBdGXyf4iG3PnPE4neEmBFQIPwXaZPLMv0AHYN1i8G52aq6eZT42chIw_T1Gyo_ehtfbk6OQOoJno9Ps6X7oSr_Hed7UvrW2-oREM74lEVFr7zSSQwikqYVBlwWyJqgoE4taanXlA4Iwq8IuUZualMrfuNiig6Qbm72hDCiCkC3Q5wDKhqpd5Hyqb/s900/pepper%20jar.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="716" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBdGXyf4iG3PnPE4neEmBFQIPwXaZPLMv0AHYN1i8G52aq6eZT42chIw_T1Gyo_ehtfbk6OQOoJno9Ps6X7oSr_Hed7UvrW2-oREM74lEVFr7zSSQwikqYVBlwWyJqgoE4taanXlA4Iwq8IuUZualMrfuNiig6Qbm72hDCiCkC3Q5wDKhqpd5Hyqb/s320/pepper%20jar.jpg" width="255"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food or Science Experiment?</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">It's fascinating what people find strange. 60 pepper plants in one backyard can't be fathomed yet buying and eating <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-068921" target="_blank">ultra-processed foods that slowly kill you</a> is completely normal. It would seem as though our society has it's priorities backwards, but I digress. What were we talking about? Ah yes, the peppers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pepper seeds were just planted for the 2023 growing season and I'm currently starting 72 of them. By the time they germinate and start growing there'll probably be around 60 plants again, maybe more. What's one to do with all of these peppers?</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/02/just-add-salt.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-76872603084856410912023-01-27T05:00:00.006-07:002023-01-27T05:00:00.161-07:00Start Seeds Somewhere... Sometime<div style="text-align: center;"><b>“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” - Abraham Lincoln</b></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICNMWyjPah4G2k-qbPZV6LzGKafqZvLo52hcEjCWcbib5ElF7FsdEttIuXwCLRhRxud03DF7RgV2M4pfQJX2oLsaJw7jZrm56jpKBGaDEbyswaI-LczddpI88S47a7Ct3DMOUMAnssBkGUaB7TkR3QQNOfdRYivVQu5rntUlAdLYvSJzsjHQy4YM3/s844/seedling.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICNMWyjPah4G2k-qbPZV6LzGKafqZvLo52hcEjCWcbib5ElF7FsdEttIuXwCLRhRxud03DF7RgV2M4pfQJX2oLsaJw7jZrm56jpKBGaDEbyswaI-LczddpI88S47a7Ct3DMOUMAnssBkGUaB7TkR3QQNOfdRYivVQu5rntUlAdLYvSJzsjHQy4YM3/s320/seedling.jpg" width="284"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seedling waking up for the year - 2022.</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">Seed starting is the essential first step to a vegetable paradise. If you're in a colder climate that has a shorter growing season, such as Colorado, then starting your seeds inside is essential. Different plants have different growing times. Some plants, such as peppers, take forever to grow. Others such as radishes, have a ridiculously short time before you are reaping the rewards.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">The general strategy is to start the plants with the longest growing times first then each month keep moving along to plants that have slightly shorter and shorter growing times until you can plant outside and/or move the inside plants outside.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/01/start-seeds-somewhere-sometime.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-35530622850311593672023-01-20T05:00:00.003-07:002023-01-20T05:00:00.175-07:00Seed Starting - Think Vertical!<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” - Kurt Vonnegut</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-z_qW9lm1UdjEKoV-rApqzAzei6EWkHtTMFLU5TT02HFUWOCGdbCM-3JslEKc3a9cq3Ymqcn3P5-CyCLpEseV_UpZK5r1v6ydcd6wgcL5-hKeulSpHaFeLJ_rjaKzBfUUKbuQMuelson2Qoynps4d6yoE3yNtIeG0RJl6yH0l4TuG6_ItgaoeOdY3/s1000/shelves.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="867" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-z_qW9lm1UdjEKoV-rApqzAzei6EWkHtTMFLU5TT02HFUWOCGdbCM-3JslEKc3a9cq3Ymqcn3P5-CyCLpEseV_UpZK5r1v6ydcd6wgcL5-hKeulSpHaFeLJ_rjaKzBfUUKbuQMuelson2Qoynps4d6yoE3yNtIeG0RJl6yH0l4TuG6_ItgaoeOdY3/s320/shelves.jpg" width="277"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seed starting shelve station, succinctly standing.</td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="text-align: left;">What's one to do when one lives in a normal house and does not possess a surely luxurious greenhouse, which would make all this vegetable growing nonsense much easier?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;">Get creative of course! You don't need no stinking greenhouse to be successful, although you may dream about greenhouses nightly. In normal houses, space is almost always an issue. But that's okay, just hop on the creative train and make do with what you have. All that's really needed is some sort of shelving, a corner of a room or a wall, and some grow lights.</div><span></span><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2023/01/seed-starting-think-vertical.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6573692221013261031.post-60862109983779631472022-12-16T05:00:00.004-07:002022-12-16T05:00:00.162-07:00How Much Money Did I Spend on Food in 2021?<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"In our society, growing food yourself has become the most radical of acts. It is truly the only effective protest, one that can-and will-overturn the corporate powers that be. By the process of directly working in harmony with nature, we do the one thing most essential to change the world-we change ourselves!" - Jules Dervaes</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPIRGe5XNVWtmevUorAH4T8E8cNkCXC2MtEvSsGEvgtAgUwnAUVNJF7Bc_XKu_wGkT3FI4hWWy-RkfR34bgQEuhvuXrUy-kifdSRXVi2GU6ZNKBXtAUVyPNaOijQzb38DwlRNsCd8g1FEkUfZ16NYuRYXFSeq7PpD3sRsS8XWi2FQuxU8Nih7PkSX/s1000/table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Holiday Feast" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPIRGe5XNVWtmevUorAH4T8E8cNkCXC2MtEvSsGEvgtAgUwnAUVNJF7Bc_XKu_wGkT3FI4hWWy-RkfR34bgQEuhvuXrUy-kifdSRXVi2GU6ZNKBXtAUVyPNaOijQzb38DwlRNsCd8g1FEkUfZ16NYuRYXFSeq7PpD3sRsS8XWi2FQuxU8Nih7PkSX/w240-h320/table.jpg" title="Holiday Feast" width="240"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holiday feast ready to be devoured.</td></tr></tbody></table><br><b><br></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's almost 2023, so naturally we need to talk about 2021 before we can move on. It has <a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2021/03/how-much-money-did-i-spend-on-food-in.html">been a while</a> since we've done a comprehensive review of expenses so let's take an in depth look at food expenses for 2021, shall we?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;">Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of my food expenses there are a few important things to keep in mind: </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>1)</b> I am on my very own journey and my expenses are currently not as low as they could or should be.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>2)</b> My current food bill now pales in comparison to what it was several years ago.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>3)</b> I never want myself to feel deprived so I do still spend money on "luxury" food items when I feel like it.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>4)</b> Processed foods in the U.S. are subsidized which is why they're so cheap at the grocery store. These do not provide you with proper nutrition (plus the conventional growing practices for these foods destroy the earth) and I stay away from them at pretty much all costs. I eat real food, which is not as cheap, but it's nutritious and...real.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>5)</b> 2021 still had the coronavirus pandemic raging on, which probably makes it an excellent example for continuing to look at food expenses.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;">While I grow more than enough food to last year round, the reality is that I live in a city and I happen to live close to a grocery store in addition to a lot of great farms. I most certainly venture to the grocery store from time to time, usually for non-food items and am subjected to the same impulse buying urges as everyone else such as cookies, cheese or chocolate being on sale which as you'll see below and all end up in my shopping cart more often than I'd care to admit. Just like any other human being I most certainly enjoy eating out from time to time. I'm not a full on hermit and I do go out into the wide world from time to time so I do have food expenses... by choice though. Sure I could just not go to the store or eat out at all and I would be just fine. Just as you could wander off into the forest, build a lean-to and have that be your house for the rest of your life and you would be just fine. It's certainly possible but where's the fun in that?</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><br></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><b>Here are James the Urban Famer's Food expenses for 2021:</b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"><span></span></div></div><a href="https://www.grasstoveggies.com/2022/12/how-much-money-did-i-spend-on-food-in.html#more"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Longmont, CO, USA40.1672068 -105.101927511.856972963821157 -140.2581775 68.477440636178841 -69.9456775