BYG: Beat the Heat with Mint Tea

{image source}

I've never been a fan of mint.  I love the smell, I love the color, but I don't love the taste.  I found a reason to get over it when I took a homesteading class.  I was standing in the middle of a sweltering herb class when we were offered a glass of mint tea.  Minding my manners like my mother taught me, I took the glass of tea and drank it despite my dislike for mint.  Five minutes later the air felt as if the temperature had dropped ten degrees.  My body felt cool.  I could breath deeper.  I asked our instructor what was in the tea and her answer was simply peppermint leaves.
She said during the heat months our bodies, especially the digestive system actually heat up, and not because of the season.  It's important to cool our systems during this cycle because excessive heat in the system can burn out the adrenal glands and trigger inflammation.  All culprits that make us irritable.  Herbs have healing properties and mint in particular has a calming effect on our system as well as cooling agents.

She went on to tell us that peppermint tea was the best drink in the summer because it will actually cool us from the inside out.  After having experienced what she was saying, I prefer mint tea that is slightly chilled on a hot day to a glass of ice water.

Mint is making its way up my list of favorites (i.e. vinegar, honey, baking soda, etc).  As a bonus, growing mint to harvest for tea also has an impact in your yard.  It's a great insect repellent. 

MINT TEA

Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:

1 handful of fresh mint (any variety)
2 cups of boiling water

First, wash the mint leaves in a little white vinegar and water to clean them. Roughly cut or tear the mint leaves and add to a pot of boiling water and cover or use a coffee press. Allow to steep for about 3-7 minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea.  There really is no particular recipe, and adding honey or other herbs adds a nice touch. 

Enjoy and stay cool. 

DIY Natural Bug Repellents for Your Body

You stink!  That's what you want a bug to think of you.  It's a strange concept to think about, but bugs are either attracted or unattracted by scent.  As mentioned in the August 4(for) Green Acres challenge, mosquitoes carry the highest amount of the west nile virus in August and September.  It's important to arm our bodies so we can continue to enjoy the outdoors, and it's as easy as applying the right scent.

Lavender and mint are two herbs that mosquitoes are especially repelled by.  You will find in the recipes below that one or both of these herbs are found in the ingredient list.  While I'm mostly dealing with mosquitoes because of the serious health risk, you can also combat other pests at the same time. Here is a list of herbs and what insects they help repel.  Essential oils can be found for all of them.

As you begin to mix and use your sprays or gel keep these important tips in mind.

1.  Use the purest ingredients you can find.  Ingredients that you don't grow yourself or you don't have on hand purchase in a health food store or at a farmers market.  Read the list of ingredients to make sure they don't have a lot of additives.  We are fighting nature with nature so stick as close to it as you can.

2.  Remember to be diligent with reapplying.  Our homemade versions are not waterproof or sweat proof.  Nor do they have agents that will stay on your skin for quite some time.  By adding a conditioning agent like an oil they will be able to stay on your skin longer.

3.  Essential oils are very potent and should never be applied directly to your skin.  They could burn.  They must be diluted with water or witch hazel prior to application.

4.  These repellents do not have a long shelf life.  Over time the scent starts to diminish and scent is the key ingredient in making these work.  If you find you're losing scent you can add a few drops of essential oil to the bottle or gel and shake or mix well.

Ingredients

• Essential oils: rosemary, tea tree, eucalyptus, cedar, lavender, catnip, citronella, mint, etc.
• Witch Hazel, rubbing alcohol, or vodka (whatever you have on hand)
• Water that has been boiled or distilled water
• Olive Oil (optional)*  

Supplies
small spray bottle

Instructions

1. Fill the spray bottle half way with water.
2. Add the witch hazel to fill almost to the top.
3. If using olive oil add 1/2 tsp.
4. Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent.  The more you use the stronger the scent will be.  Mix and match the oils for a customized scent.
5. Store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh longer.
6. Spray on exposed skin and clothing* 

*Be sure to test the spray on a discrete place on your clothing to ensure it does not stain or damage.

Ingredients

• Fresh or Dried herbs: mint, citronella, lavender, catnip, eucalyptus, etc.
• Witch Hazel, rubbing alcohol, or vodka
• Water for boiling

Supplies
small spray bottle

Instructions

1. Boil 1 cup of water and add 3-4 TBSP of any combination of dried herbs.  If using fresh herbs add more.  Fresh is less potent than dried.  If you feel your mix is too strong you can always dilute it later.  
2. Take off the heat, mix well, and cover to cool.  Be sure to keep the lid on so the oils (scent) don't evaporate.
3. When cooled, strain the herbs out and mix 1 cup of witch hazel, rubbing alcohol or vodka and funnel the mixture into a spray bottle.
4. Store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh longer.
5. Spray on exposed skin and clothing*  

*Be sure to test the spray on a discrete place on your clothing to ensure it does not stain or damage.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of clear aloe vera gel (not dyed green)
• 2 tsp tea tree oil
• 2 tsp citronella oil
• 1/2 tsp rosemary oil
• 1/2 tsp local honey (optional) - honey has antibacterial components and also adds moisture to the gel.  It will not make the gel sticky. 

Note: The oils above can be exchanged for other oils depending on what insects you are trying to repel.  I would trade out peppermint or lavender for tea tree oil to work better on mosquitoes.  

Supplies
Small jelly jar or baby food jar

Instructions

1. Pour the aloe vera into a bowl. 
2. Add the essential oils and honey if you are using it and mix well.  The gel may look slightly creamy.
3. Spoon into a jar and cover with a lid. 
4. Store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh longer.
5. Slather on exposed skin.

• Rub vanilla extract (not imitation) on your skin with a cotton ball on the hot parts of your body: behind your ears, underarms, the crease of your elbow, behind your knees, etc.  You can also add vanilla to any of the receipts above.
• Rub the leaves and flowers from fresh herbs all over the skin, especially anything in the mint family.

What to Do When You Want to Give Up

There are some days I wake up and wonder why I garden.  To my amazement, something always grows even when I'm neglectful.  Gardening is work.  Not that I'm afraid of work, but I can't help but ask what it's all for occasionally. 

The mockingbirds are eating my tomatoes, the ants have annihilated my strawberries, and the cabbage loopers, well, they are an annual problem.  Not to mention all the weeds that keep finding their way into my delicious soil.

But then, there are the rare moments when it all comes together.  When halfway through eating supper it hits me that all but two of the ingredients on my plate came out of my garden.  As if eating the food my very hands grew was almost rote.  I blossomed with excitement.  This is the pinnacle I've been trying to reach.  I am far from feeding my family 100%, but the idea that eating what we have available takes me one step closer to reaching my goal.  Plus there is the fact that I didn't even think about it.  

However hard the process is, I can assure you it is all worth it.  Just knowing what I'm feeding my body isn't full of pesticides or other chemicals, genetically modified, or is processed seriously makes me giddy.  I'm slowly learning it's about trial and error.  To be cliche, Rome wasn't built in a day, and I'm coming to terms with the fact that the perfect (to me) homestead cannot be built in a season.  I needed the reminder too, and it tasted like real food. 

So my advice to you is - keep moving - keep growing.  If one tomato is all you end up with, so be it.  It's about the journey, not the destination.

By the way, the meal was...
sausage* and sauteed onions
steamed purple carrots
roasted rosemary potatoes
tomato & basil salad with vinaigrette*
strawberries, peaches, and blackberries for dessert

*not from the garden

BYG: Early Harvest

They say you are not supposed to apologize for all of a sudden abandoning your blog for days. It is your blog after all and you set the schedule, but here I am about to grovel.

I have been busy. That part is true. I'm settling into a different sort of life and trying to make my relationship a little more front and center. The "good at relationships" gene seemed to skip me. And while this post is to show you how busy I am in the garden, it's also a confession. Periodically I comb through the questions of do I really want to keep blogging, and what is my point exactly? Until that gets sorted out in my head I abandon this space.

Additionally, while I try to get my garden to produce something cc's dad's garden is growing like crazy. I have a mess of beans to freeze, and squash to pickle for him. I made homemade runzas last weekend with this cabbage.

In my own garden I've been dealing with cabbage loopers and ferocious ants.  All of which are out to destroy my garden.  So I've been in the yard, and studying up in books on how to take care of the destroyers naturally. 

On top of that the weather in Texas is grand right now and I'm taking full advantage.  Instead of sitting in my studio on a computer I'm spending time outside, which limits blog posts.  Also, my busiest season to about to hit, so fair warning there will soon be summer vacation over here at indigo 26.  Maybe I'll find reason to keep this space when it's over. 

So yes I've been busy and I'm sorry to have been gone so long, but I'm also wondering why you return to this space.  What do you enjoy?  What would you like to see more of?  Less of?  I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Using Ladybugs As Natural Pesticide

When I started my garden this year I knew I would have to keep an eye on my leafy veggies.  Without close observation they can be decimated by a little pests that are hard to see.  Organic gardening requires diligence, but there are resources to help fight the pests.  Ladybugs are one such example. 

Ladybugs are beetles that are beneficial to any garden.  They will munch on aphids, mites, scales, and whiteflies, all of which are annoying in your garden.  You can actually order them in the mail to get a jump start on your yard. 

I recently ordered 4,500 of the little ladies, and gents, from Planet Natural.  They have great instructions on how to release them into your garden to minimize mortality and they provide tips on how to keep them from flying away.

When the box arrived on my doorstep it was in the afternoon, which is not a good time to release them. So, as instructed, I put them in the refrigerator until it was time.

The next morning I made sure my lawn and garden had plenty of water.  The grass still had the morning dew but I watered a few of the vegetables.  Then I took the cloth bag out of the box and opened it near the food source.  At first, they were a little hesitant, maybe lethargic from the chill of the refrigerator. 

Then they started pouring out of the bag.  I moved it to several different locations in my garden to ensure the little ladies and gents had enough food and water. 

They were very thirsty after their long journey.  I found several of them sucking on water droplets.

I wanted them to stick around my yard so prior to the release I made sure they had places to live.  They need holes and other hollow spaces to nest in.  I have several fireplace logs that are rotting in my back yard so I stacked them in a quiet corner near the garden.  I also made a few habitats similar to this to put around the yard.  They love daisies, yarrow, and tansy and frequent gardens that have these plants so I made sure I planted these flowers as well. 

I have always loved ladybugs as my garden shoes would indicate.  I remember as a child picking them up and letting them crawl all over my arms.  It's fun to see them in my yard because I know they are hard at work.  They are my little organic garden warriors!

Backyard Garden Update

It's been awhile since I've done a BYG update.  Spring is rolling right along and veggies and flowers are getting planted, and others are sprouting.  Now is the time I'm caring for my little ones with compost tea and watering when needed.  There has been a bit of activity.  

When I started the garden this year I made a map of my beds and pots in a journal, and I marked the plants in the garden as well.  This year I used leftover paint sticks for markers.  I cut them in half.  Without referring to my journal I'll know what's starting to come up.  

I'm trying something new this year.  I'm growing heirloom German Pink tomatoes from seeds.  I got them at Seed Savers Exchange.  I planted them in eggs shells that I washed out and saved.  When they are big enough I can directly plant the shell in the garden.  

I recently noticed these sprouts growing up in the grass.  I thought perhaps I dropped a few seeds during planting.  They were EVERYWHERE.  It finally dawned on me that when I started my compost bin I broke down my fall pumpkins to start the pile.  I remember thinking then I would regret that later. I am pulling new pumpkin sprouts daily!  

There have been quite a few visitors to the garden already.  Of course there are plenty of birds, ants, and spiders. One of my favorite visitors was this incredible moth that stayed with us for a few days.  

And while there is no sign of hummingbirds yet, the butterflies have been taking advantage of the feeder. It has been a very uncommon season for butterflies.  We have more this year than I can ever remember seeing before.  One night, as the sun was shining on the west side of the house, they covered the siding as I stood in awe.  Of course I didn't think to get my camera.  

I'm ready for a good push of heat so everything will start shooting up.  We had a good dose of rain this weekend and that will help as well.  Before I know it, harvest will be here!  

It's not too late to start your garden.  See the links below for ideas. 

Composting

10 Easy Vegetables to Grow 

Constructing Raised Beds

Planning a Backyard Garden

Choosing Seeds

10 Easy Vegetables To Grow In Any Space

Onion Start



I truly believe that you can grow a garden wherever you call home. If you think outside of the box, fruits and vegetables can be grown in containers, window sills, community gardens, or any grass space with sunlight. Never has there been a more perfect time to try your hand at gardening. If you truly want to know the origin of your food, start growing it yourself.

The following are ten easy vegetables to grow. I've included a link to the Old Farmer's Almanac for more detailed information about how to grow each individual plant.

1.   Beets | sow seed in spring or late summer

2.   Zucchini | sow seed in late spring
3.   Carrots | sow seed in spring or late summer. deep, loose soil
4.   Leaf Lettuce | sow seed or starts in early spring. lots of water
5.   Beans | sow seed in late spring

6.   Onions | plant small starts in early spring
7.   Peppers | plant after last frost
8.   Radishes | sow seed in spring or fall

9.   Tomatoes | plant after last frost

10. Spinach | sow seed in spring or fall

When growing in any container, your soil quality is vital. Plants get all their nutrients from the soil. As you prepare your beds or containers keep in mind that you will most likely have to buy or make your own soil. Compost is an easy solution to nutrient rich soil and very affordable. If you are just starting out, your local feed store or gardening center will have it for sale. Your Local Cooperative Extension Office is also a great resource to see what type of soil is in your area, and what plants will grow well. They even offer soil testing kits if you plan to garden right in the ground.

++ RESOURCES ++

How I constructed my garden boxes
How I Plan My Garden
Best planting dates for seeds Seed Starting Plan
Container Gardening Planner
Square Foot Gardening - Planner
Square Foot Gardening - Plant Spacing 
Smart Gardener
Old Farmers Almanac

BYG: Raised Beds

I recently got my raised garden beds put in at the new house.  We have had exceptionally wonderful weather in Texas so I am getting a jump start on the garden this year. 

The best part about backyard gardening is you can grow produce wherever you live.  You don't have to have a yard or a raised bed.  If all you have is a patio you can plant vegetables in pots.  It can all be modified for any living situation.  

For my beds, I reused the boards from my previous garden boxes.  There was no sense in throwing any of them away.  The pain of storing it has been well worth it.  Since we have increased the square footage of our yard we are growing the garden as well.  There are several little people in the neighborhood that seem to have an interest in the garden and I want to make sure I have plenty for them to do when they stop by.  I made the two squares I had last year into one rectangle and I'm going to add another one to the left of it.

I also had plenty of weed barrier left from the roll I bought last year.  This is a key step if you are planning on building raised beds.  To keep grass and weeds from growing up in your beds, you'll need it on the bottom of your boxes. 

I've been saving all of this soil in four large trash cans.  The original investment was big and I didn't want it to go to waste.  If you are just starting out use the ratio above to create the perfect balance for vegetable growing.  Soil is the foundation of your garden so it's worth it to make sure it's full of nutrients and free of chemicals.  Once you have it, and you're composting, you shouldn't have to purchase any more. 

I still need to increase the volume of my soil because I am planning on growing potatoes, onions, and carrots and need more depth since I have the weed barrier on the bottom they can't break through.  This is why I started the compost bin you can see in the background.  

I'm planning on planting early this year because of the weather.  It can't hurt to try.  I'll be sharing that journey here.  I hope you come back to check in on the indigo garden.  

For a full tutorial on how to build a raised bed, click here.

++++++++++++

For the month of February I am working on raising scholarship money to send kids from low income families to an outdoor school.  Will you help me?  Click here to read my story and to donate to this worthy cause.    

BYG: Composting

left | Backyard Composting           right | Worms Eat My Garbage

I had a very productive weekend.  The weather hit 70 on Sunday so I took advantage of it and got a few things set up in the yard.  The worst part about moving is having to start all over again, but I have a much better yard this time, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

I finally have enough space for a large compost bin.  My previous yard was too small and we got a notice every time we moved something outside of the fenced yard.  Composting is fairly easy and really important for any gardener.  It is basically fertilizer that is nutrient rich, chemical free, and made with your food and yard waste.   

Even if you don't have a yard, composting on a smaller level will feed your indoor plants and windowsill herb gardens.  It keeps waste out of the landfill and is a good 4(for) green acres practice.     

My bin is still a work in progress.  I kept my pumpkins from Halloween because I knew I would be starting my bin soon.  I've started with a mix of green and brown material.  I need to work on breaking it up a little more to get the process moving quicker, but eventually it will look like this:

{source}

Starting to compost is easy.  There are tons of resources out there, but two of my favorites are pictured above.  While teaching environmental science I ran across these two books and they are truly helpful for the novice composter.  Oh, and I have actually kept a worm compost bin in the house.  It keeps the smell down.

Do you compost already?

BYG: Seed Catalogs

{source}

It's hard to believe that I actually had a garden of any sort in the last year.  Between the insanely hot summer, and the move, my garden felt like more of a flop than a success.  My good soil is still packed up in trash bins with holes, waiting to make the debut in garden boxes at the new house.  While the workload is too overwhelming to think about on this chilly winter day, it is actually time to start thinking about what I want to plant this year. 

I just ordered a seed catalog, and I feel a little guilty about it, but I know I can cut and paste the pages or recycle it.  I just want something tangible that I can pour over for days while I make up my mind.  You can now do most of your seed purchasing on-line.

With all the genetically modified seeds floating around these days, I'm getting a little picky about my choices this year and I'm willing to pay a little more money for seed God didn't intend for us to tweek.  The catalog I ordered is from Seed Savers Exchange.  There are many great safe* seed companies out there with organic seeds, but this small company holds a special place in my heart.  They specialize in heirloom seeds.  Maybe it's just me, but when I bite in a tomato these days, I don't usually know I'm eating one.  What I mean is, they have been modified to pack well and travel long distances and the flavor has been taken right out.  If I'm eating a tomato, I want to taste it. 

Heirloom seeds have been saved from plants over the generations.  They have NOT been modified.  They are a big part of our heritage and I want to help preserve that movement by supporting this company that is working to make that happen. 

The January/February issue of Urban Farm has a great list of seed catalog companies and you can find more information in this post.

What are you planting this year? 


*A pledge that has been signed by some seed companies that states they will not knowingly sell genetically modified seeds.  Go here to see a list of companies that have signed the pledge. 

Farm Life

Backyard Garden: Crying Onions

This is a bittersweet harvest of the onions from my garden.  I had to take them early in order to remove the garden to put the house on the market.  They will be hung to dry by their stems in the garage.  Then they will the moved to the pantry for storage until use in a recipe.  I think they will be delicious in a frittata.

Backyard Garden: Salad Bowl

This is the third round of leaf lettuce I've harvested from the garden.  I planted a variety: prizeleaf, royal oak leaf, salad bowl, ashley and black seeded simpson.  All from Burpee.  Every type has done very well.  Lettuce is an early crop for us.  It doesn't fair well in the Texas heat, and I'll miss it in the summer months. 

I spaced out the plantings to optimize the harvest.  I planted three squares of lettuce the last weekend in March and planted two more squares a couple of weeks later.  Now that I've gotten all that I can get from the first planting, the second planting is ready to be harvested.  This method ensures that I have lettuce longer. 

In order for your lettuce to grow back when it comes time to harvest, cut all the leaves around the outside of the plant and leave the center stalk.  I use a pair of scissors to do the cutting.  The leaves will grow back 2-4 more times.



While I do eat a lot of salads there are other ways to use these greens. 

• Make a frittata with greens on top covered in vinaigrette dressing.  Barbara Kingsolver has a great recipe from her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. 
• Add it to a pimento cheese sandwich made with homemade bread.  I did this for my mom and she loved it.
• Add it to omelets like you would spinach.

Of course if you do love a good salad there is nothing like adding homemade dressing to give it a little zest without weighing it down with oily, processed dressings. 

**********

Homemade Vinaigrette
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

It's important to use the best possible, quality ingredients.  Cheap olive oil will not taste good on your home grown lettuce.  Put all the ingredients in a small jelly jar, and shake.

**********

My first planting of carrots will soon be ready to harvest as well. I'm looking forward to that.

What is coming out of your garden?

Backyard Garden: Babies

pepper  *  pea  *  tomato

Other than watering I haven't touched the garden much since I planted.  In fact I haven't given it much attention at all so I was surprised to see the these babies growing. I was harvesting my second round of lettuce when I spotted the pepper.  A garden really doesn't have to be work.

It makes me all the more thankful for planting an SFG this year.  Read more about it here and here.