Seed Catalogs

I love Seed catalogs! They began arriving right as the garden season for the year in wrapping up. I put all the catalogs to the side and then, when the cold of December gets to Ohio, I pull out the jems and start dreaming of next year. I try to support small Heirloom seed companies; they also seem to have the best catalogs. My favorite ones are 

Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds

High Mowing OrganicSeeds

Johnny’s SelectedSeeds

Seed Savers Exchange

Jung Seeds and Plants (This is company is not all organic however does have special verities of perennials that are valuable)

Dixondale Farm (Onions only)

Mountain Rose Herbs (Herbs only)

All of these companies have free seed catalogs, just sign up online.  Click the link above which should take you to the correct place to sign up. I buy the big catalog from Baker Creek because it has fantastic pictures and great articles.

The first time I look through each catalog, I circle all of the seeds I am interested in plating for the next year. Then I sit down with all of the books and cross reference prices and volumes. Some seeds I buy in bulk and others I get the standard small packet just to try them out.  I order 90% of my seeds from Baker Creek and High Mowing however sometimes I find something to try in one of the other catalogs. Do you order seeds each year, save seeds, or buy from a local store? 

I am in zone 6 and it is time to stop dreaming and start planning.  I am very excited to begin the planting and growing process for the new year.  I hope you join me in my love of the garden.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Health

 

Bragg ACV

I drink a mixture of 2 table spoons(TBSP) Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 TBSP lemon Juice, ½ teaspoon (tsp)   fresh ground cinnamon, and a pinch of cyan pepper in a 10 ounce glass of water every day.  It sounds horrible but I promise its snot that bad. I can taste the lemon above everything else and the taste is worth it! I started drinking this as a way to take Apple Cider Vinegar every day. I am going to list the benefit of each part of the drink below. By far, the best change I have seen is that I am less attractive to mosquitos! This is huge for me because up until now. I was the girl that everyone wanted to stand by because every one of those little vultures would come after me and leave others alone! 

My Mother-in-law told me to start drinking vinegar and mosquitos would leave me alone. It sounded like a bit of an old wives tale however many things that sound crazy are based in some reality so I gave it a try! According to the old farmers almanac, if you ingest enough Apple Cider Vinegar you will develop a body odor that will repel insects, including black flies. I am here to tell you it works and no I do not stink like vinegar.  I am being bitten way less and even my husband has commented that he sees the little devils around me but they are just not biting! 

Apple cider vinegar is often looked upon by natural wellness enthusiasts as cure all. Taking a tablespoon or two of it every day is said to cure everything from gout to allergies and more. It is important that the apple cider vinegar you take be organic and have the "mother" in it to be of most benefit, that is, the snotty looking thing in the bottom of the bottle.I use Braggs Organic Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar ® which can be found it in just about every grocery store. Some other benefits of drinking Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) include the following.

• Rich in potassium, a mineral that is often lacking in adult diets. This mineral is key for growth, building muscles, transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity etc. It also helps to prevent brittle teeth, hair loss, and runny noses.
• Rich in acetic acid, which is said to slow the digestion of starch which can help to lower the rise in glucose that commonly occurs after meals.
• Rich in ash, giving ACV its alkaline property. This aids your body in maintaining proper pH levels for a healthy alkaline state (it is particularly important if you drink a lot of coffee or wine).
• Regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.
• Rich in malic acid, giving ACV its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
• Improves bowel irregularity and helps remove toxins from the body at a faster rate.
• Weight loss by breaking down fats so that your body can use rather than store the fat.

Lemon Juice. I use lemon juice mostly for the taste because it really helps cut the apple cider vinegar. I use both bottled lemon juice and fresh. Fresh is by far the best however that is not always possible so I use bottled when I need to. Lemon juice does have its own benefits including the following. 

•    Prevent kidney stones, lemon juice raises citrate levels in the urine. Studies have shown that this could protect against calcium stones in the kidney.
• Support weight loss,lemon juice contains pectin, a soluble fiber that has been shown to aid in weight-loss struggles. It also stimulates your digestive track and adds vitamins C.
• Potassium, bananas are not the only way to get a big helping of potassium in your system. In addition to vitamin C, lemons offer 80 milligrams of potassium that helps your body stay strong and nimble.
•  Balance pH, while lemons may seem quite acidic, they are a surprisingly good source of an alkaline food that can help balance your body's pH.

Cinnamon. I use fresh ground from whole cinnamon sticks. Research has found that it is not only delicious, it is healthy too. Just make sure that you are buying true cinnamon and not cassia, which is often sold as cinnamon in stores. I buy Cinnamon sticks in bulk from olivfood.

• Lower cholesterol, Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
•  Blood sugar regulation, several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.
• Yeast infection help, in some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.
• Cancer prevention, in a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
• Anti-clotting, it has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
• Arthritis relief, in a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
• Anti-bacterial, when added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
•  Brain health, one study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
•  E. Coli fighter, researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
•  High in nutrients, it is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Cayenne I just use a small pinch in each glass.

• High levels of essential minerals, cayenne, even when consumed in small quantities, provides sufficient levels of iron, copper, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and selenium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Selenium is an anti-oxidant trace element required by the human body for smooth heart and liver functions.
• Alkaloid compound capsaicin, which gives strong spicy pungent character. Early laboratory studies on experimental mammals suggest that capsaicin has anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, analgesic and anti-diabetic properties. When used judiciously, it also found to reduce triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels in obese individuals.

I am not a medical professional and can only base my knowledge on what I have experienced. Give the drink a try for a few weeks and let me know if you see a difference. Feel free to leave out the Cayenne or Cinnamon if you cannot have either one. As always, trust your body and if you have any medical conditions consult with your doctor before adding anything unusual to your routine. 

References 
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cayenne-pepper.html
http://www.fitsugar.com/10-Reasons-Lemon-Juice-Good-You-14860617
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=27
http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/6-healthy-reasons-eat-more-real-cinnamon-not-its-cousin
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5875/15-Reasons-to-Use-Apple-Cider-Vinegar-Every-Day.html
http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/02/health-benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar-acv/
http://www.bragg.com/
http://www.draxe.com/video/secret-detox-drink-transform-your-kitchen-episode-36/

Fall Planting

The time has arrived to start planning for your fall planting!  It is hard to take time away from an increasingly busy summer garden to think about fall however now is the time to plan what vegetables you would like to have growing when the leaves start to fall and the sweaters come out of storage.  We live in zone 6a which means each winter, on average, our risk of frost is from October 19 through April 22.  If you live in a different zone, the Virginia Cooperative Extension provides the following handy formula to help you determine when to plant for fall harvest.

• Take the first frost date for your area (ours is October 19^th)
• Subtract the number of days from seeding or transplanting outdoors to harvest (this is the days to maturity)
• Subtract the number of days from seed to transplant if you start your own seed
• Subtract the average harvest period (this is the length of time you expect to be harvesting your crop for fall)
• Subtract the Fall Factor (about two weeks)
• This equals your fall planting date

So, for example, here in Ohio our first frost date is October 19th and we want to figure out when to plant De Cicco broccoli for fall harvest, we approach finding the date like this:

The High Mowing Organic Seeds catalog lists the days to maturity for De Cicco broccoli at 48 days from transplant.  We need to add another 4 weeks, or 28 days, for the time from seed to transplant.  De Cicco has a long harvest window, so we will estimate 21 days for the harvest period.

• 48 days to maturity
• 28 days seed to transplant
• 15-20 days harvest period
• 10-14 days Fall Factor

This formula tells us that about 100 days before October 19th is when we want to seed, making the fall broccoli planting date around July 13th.

Here is a basic guide for planting dates in zone 5-6

Vegetable Planting Calender | eHow.com

Woodhaven Place

Welcome to Woodhaven Place Homestead and Gardens!  We moved in Christmas week and spent the last 6 months getting this wonderful property ready for the growing season.  For three years, we have been reading about homesteading and looking for a property that would fit our budget and location.  A complete stranger we met walking around an open house told us about what would become Woodhaven Place in September.  The house was not on the market; at the time the owners were remodeling it to sell as for-sale-by-owner.  We discussed an offer with the owners and two days later put our house on the market, 30 days later had an offer, and we closed both houses the same day one week before Christmas!  Talk about a God-thing, we were amazed over and over how the process just kept moving forward in spite of all the odds against this happening. 

This is what our property looked like when we moved in Christmas week

Woodhaven Place is almost 6 acres in the middle of the suburbs.  Driving up to our home you would never know a working homestead was in the back.  We are surrounded by woods on all four sides with (after much work) cleared acres in the middle for a garden.  We back up to farm land on one side and the other three sides have suburban homes hidden by a thick perimeter woods.  With huge evergreen trees and hardwoods protecting our little homestead on all sides, you get the feeling of being out in the middle of the country however are only 5 minutes away from the mall. 

 One acre is very beautiful dense woods.

We have been so blessed to find our dream property right in the middle of our family and friends.  

Because we really are “urban homesteaders” we have a fantastic opportunity to expose farming, bee keeping, food preservation, and many other homestead skills to the surrounding community.  We believe that we have been placed in the perfect position to do what we have always wanted, live a more self reliant life and show others how to do the same.