So I did set a few New Year's revolutions.
The first one is that I will eat more fruits & veggies each day--at least 5 servings of different f&v, and most of them raw.
Might sound like a funny resolution for a vegetarian, but it's one that I need. I've gotten into a rut of eating a lot of processed foods--mostly starches or simple carbs--and I need the vitamins and fiber from the real thing.
The second part of that resolution is that I need to eat more organic produce. It's a bit beyond our budget to _buy_ all or even lots of organics. But I really should (and will) grow more myself, year-round.
The odd thing about keeping this resolution so far this year is that I'm not cold anymore. I am almost _always_ cold--so cold that I carry a cardigan sweater with me and wear it most all the time. So cold that I can rarely go sockless, and anytime I read I have to have a blanket to cover me up. So cold that I can't sleep at night w/o John next to me because he is my only source of heat.
But the last few days I've been warm, even downright hot. At night I've been scooched way over to my side of the bed--not even touching John. I've been wearing shorts and short-sleeves. It's a lovely feeling to be warm.
Maybe it's not a side-effect of the increased veggie consumption. But I feel like it is because that's all that's changed in my life/diet lately.
:)
3 comments:
I came out on the site opposing new year "revolutions," but those seem pretty sane and realistic.
We take a pragmatic approach. We have a large garden and grow quite a bit of food in our highly organic garden, including fruits and berries. The limiting factors seem to be the time and labor we can sustain through the late part of the summer (too big -> big time failure) and a few pests that organic techniques just don't seem to control here. I had to give up on winter squash after several years, for example.
The way I deal with the store is also pragmatic. I grow most of my own carrots, but organic carrots are not too expensive when my own supply peters out in January. Foods that tend to have a lot of pesticides and are very expensive in organic form like commercial strawberries I do without. Leafy green vegetables that I can't grow in the winter are worth buying organically most of the time. I use whole grains but don't sweat whether they have an organic label.
Good luck!
-Gray
Do you mind me asking what type of carrots you grow? I _love_ homegrown, but I either end up with stumpy little carrots or such long skinny ones that I can't pull them out of the soil very (they break too easily)
It's probably a problem of my gardening style (raised beds a la square foot gardening), but I'm always looking for tips & growing suggestions from fellow gardeners...
Do you have a seed catalog/company that you are loyal to? I've used Territorial, PineTree and JohnScheepers. All are good but I'm not completely satisfied with any of them.
I use Napoli, Rhumba, and Bolero, but I don't know if this will help you. New England soil and climate are pretty different from yours. All three varieties are available from Johnny's of Maine (johnnyseeds.com). I buy most of my seeds there, but you will probably have better luck with growers adapted for your area.
The problem with long brittle carrots is the soil. You need very deep soil rich in organic material, without stones, roots, or other objects that could prevent them from growing or releasing well. If your carrots branch, your soil needs work. I use 4x10 raised beds, double dug, and with 18 years of compost added. There really isn't much difference between quare foot techniques and other raised bed techniques. I pull the fall crop after the top couple of inches of soil hav frozen.
My biggest carrot problem is germnination in the early part of the year. Weeds tend to surface before my carrots have grown enough to weed and thin.
Good luck, and have fun with the new seed catalogs!
-Gray
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