tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22978102098439502452024-03-13T19:53:59.612-07:00Green and fitAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-58875241188142787842013-04-21T10:24:00.000-07:002013-04-21T10:24:08.122-07:00Greenhouse and Hydro UpdateMy greenhouse has become my refuge, my space, my little paradise. I am also realizing that it is a lot of work as my relaxing sessions sitting among my plants always lead me to chores such as watering, bug hunting, dead heading, fertilizing, adjusting the pH and nutrients in the hydroponics, shutting vents, transplanting, moving plants around, etc. It's all worth it though as I know my next session will allow me to sit among plants that are happier than they were the day before, at least for a little bit before they again call me to more greenhouse chores.<div>
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Since my last greenhouse post, I have made some changes to my hydroponic system. It didn't take long to realize that algae can be a big problem in a hydro system. I liked the flexibility of using open gutters in my NFT system for being able to move plants around and to adjust their spacing. However the strong spring sun and warmer temps quickly left everything in contact with water covered in thick algae. This led to other issues such as unhealthy roots and root rot. Healthy roots in a hydro system should be bright white not brown and certainly not green. </div>
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I realized that I needed to cover the gutters as best as possible so I cut some strips of leftover greenhouse siding to fit into the gutter, cut holes in the strips and reinserted the net pots. I used my skill saw so the strips are a little rough and don't fit as well as they could. Adding some spacers under them to keep them out of the nutrient solution solved this easily enough. This seems to be working pretty well but I think I will eventually want to replace the wood strips with plastic to prevent mold and rot and for easier cleaning.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cucumber Inserted into Cover Strip</td></tr>
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Another part of cleaning up the gutters was to remove my spinach as the roots were covered in algae and the plants were beginning to bolt. Most of the spinach was replaced with some head lettuce, more chard, some peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and collards (peppers and tomatoes will probably go into another hydro system when I get time). I did not replace the collards and rainbow chard as they seem to be doing well. In fact, the collards do amazingly well in this type of system and three plants have produced more smoothie greens, salads and wraps than my spinach and chard combined.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZPa8e0Bywc2ZdOgecBiXOgcM5tOJvsZUSspiGb5A1wCWtMmWm6G204xLp68W3W8H5YOIaC8A5opXDN0H0BhvBvQSLQ5RnezynzvFIgI_SIXTCrq_UBzDZNJRYgTqIiGF_HvPFcU6dTe5/s1600/P1070105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZPa8e0Bywc2ZdOgecBiXOgcM5tOJvsZUSspiGb5A1wCWtMmWm6G204xLp68W3W8H5YOIaC8A5opXDN0H0BhvBvQSLQ5RnezynzvFIgI_SIXTCrq_UBzDZNJRYgTqIiGF_HvPFcU6dTe5/s1600/P1070105.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collards and Chard</td></tr>
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I would also have to say that the lettuce is doing extremely well also. I have one plant that is nearly 15 inches across after only about 30 days. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud7j0-AGrt_3slbUYPPmcdcsqwKO_WW8DDEpG17JZa2lRhZYQwmN5dY8clJoayrn45ABBRreiE7UTlhhyphenhyphenqsqWarjDtTed4zA758ZJFWOCFCiEgTUOfTDpTL3n-Sw7REE9bYirh1wQgFeW/s1600/P1070095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiud7j0-AGrt_3slbUYPPmcdcsqwKO_WW8DDEpG17JZa2lRhZYQwmN5dY8clJoayrn45ABBRreiE7UTlhhyphenhyphenqsqWarjDtTed4zA758ZJFWOCFCiEgTUOfTDpTL3n-Sw7REE9bYirh1wQgFeW/s1600/P1070095.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettuce</td></tr>
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Or should I say, was doing extremely well? As time went on, I noticed my lettuce wilting. At first I thought it was because of the heat but then noticed that it seemed to be wilting earlier in the day while still cool. After some research, I concluded that my problem was probably due to lack of oxygen caused by water damming in the system and that I was drowning the roots. This was also aggravated by some of the larger plants like the collards and chard which had huge root masses causing water to build up behind them. I therefore had to rearrange all of my plants so the larger ones were at the upper end of the gutter leaving the younger plants down stream to have only a thin film of water passing under their roots. I also got a timer to turn my pump on and off throughout the day so the gutter would have time to empty completely allowing the roots needed exposure to oxygen. </div>
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I wasn't sure what the best timer settings should be but finally decided to have it on for an hour then off for an hour all day long except that it would run constantly for 5 hours during the hottest hours of the day. This seems to be working fine. I will probably play around with the settings more in the future.</div>
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The timer actually solved another problem as well which was to allow the aquarium heater time to heat the water in order to circulate warm water over the roots at night. Without the timer the reservoir temperature was only a few degrees warmer than the air temperature as the water flowing through the gutters would quickly cool off through exposure to the cool gutters. Now it warms up nicely between circulations. I am hoping that this does not shock the roots as they are constantly cooling down an being heated up every cycle. The plants seem happy so I guess I won't worry too much.</div>
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After these changes, I noticed that the plants were quickly growing healthy roots, taking in more nutrients, and that most of the lettuce plants seemed to be doing better with less wilt. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxc1dMqFmRKZ8QKQCux8W71q2k6-v7F4CmHq7qdzi-4JR0xedYGem2ae4UNTrfNrNK1rjiUA5eEUz3x-QQRaPeJ-NEM-qP3p8PiHybJmNZNTpe6-7DX6PrQqjSbwBPDZH-Y4l2Lh2CJm1/s1600/P1070107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxc1dMqFmRKZ8QKQCux8W71q2k6-v7F4CmHq7qdzi-4JR0xedYGem2ae4UNTrfNrNK1rjiUA5eEUz3x-QQRaPeJ-NEM-qP3p8PiHybJmNZNTpe6-7DX6PrQqjSbwBPDZH-Y4l2Lh2CJm1/s1600/P1070107.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Root Growth</td></tr>
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In fact it was time to have a head of lettuce for lunch. This is the cool thing about hydroponic lettuce as I brought it in and placed it in a bowl of water, roots and all so it would be super fresh for the salad. It turned out that my wife couldn't make lunch that day so I decided to put the lettuce back in the gutter for another day (Try picking a head of lettuce out of your garden and then putting it back). Then...</div>
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Looking into the bowl I noticed several small "wormy" things. This wasn't good. Could it actually be that something was eating the roots of my plants that would be causing them to wilt? Back to the computer for more research. I quickly realized what my problem was, fungus gnats. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyua9fhlJvMzP56dNfbPuEJN_tnwjslh5YcK71yLsisN9Eecn6rufDZGYXm3b_fI-Nbg43uGLlqg5h_bLotUsUlzK4SisLELfUINjEZFIo67JwiUULCu9cjJGqWGRw05nIz3bKcmbvKaoj/s1600/Fungusgnat_larvae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyua9fhlJvMzP56dNfbPuEJN_tnwjslh5YcK71yLsisN9Eecn6rufDZGYXm3b_fI-Nbg43uGLlqg5h_bLotUsUlzK4SisLELfUINjEZFIo67JwiUULCu9cjJGqWGRw05nIz3bKcmbvKaoj/s1600/Fungusgnat_larvae.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fungus Gnat Larvae</td></tr>
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I had heard that this could and probably would be a problem in my greenhouse. It seems that I've been tempting fate all along with this project and have had to pay each time. I had noticed these little guys for awhile and figured they were probably harmless. I was really more distracted by the left over fruit flies that had come from the worm bin (which I removed way too late!).<br />
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If you start plants in your greenhouse or have house plants, you've probably seen these little guys. They are the small 1/8 inch flies that flutter around at the base of your plants. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfCcDpya7BZb3sp0CfJr4LhMh6mNQB91GajeD3o1t_-ns7bQC6CbAUTNAZtUaCTT_3X1RrvAOEKKbVGoZwNDD8njp9pCxRUlwEdNS4zQ25sbJrUgcqmMmNCRkr-EIQ0oVOhxcbuGUcZ5d/s1600/220px-Trauerfliege.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfCcDpya7BZb3sp0CfJr4LhMh6mNQB91GajeD3o1t_-ns7bQC6CbAUTNAZtUaCTT_3X1RrvAOEKKbVGoZwNDD8njp9pCxRUlwEdNS4zQ25sbJrUgcqmMmNCRkr-EIQ0oVOhxcbuGUcZ5d/s1600/220px-Trauerfliege.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fungus Gnat</td></tr>
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They don't fly well and prefer to run around when disturbed. They lay their eggs in moist areas and the larvae hatch and eat the decaying matter in the soil and, at times roots and the base of young seedlings. I had noticed such damage to some of my potted tomatoes.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27Z8Ah8XhPmLaeAW_NlB6xC0vqcGZa5cujO-8p9jCGGOcGZeSEjytfXdy-RIcRYIdDP3qSIgoAUfVQjyfcHlyd1ElAnGWmBNr8x19SzPLWn6klrIQLoi_MxkTwH6ejVQRErya5RrdwK0J/s1600/P1070110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27Z8Ah8XhPmLaeAW_NlB6xC0vqcGZa5cujO-8p9jCGGOcGZeSEjytfXdy-RIcRYIdDP3qSIgoAUfVQjyfcHlyd1ElAnGWmBNr8x19SzPLWn6klrIQLoi_MxkTwH6ejVQRErya5RrdwK0J/s1600/P1070110.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fungus Gnat Damage in Tomato Seedling</td></tr>
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Now what? It seemed that my potted starts were mostly unaffected by these little guys except for one stevia start that is probably damaged to the point of no return. I still didn't like the idea of all those hidden larvae eating away under the soil's surface. But my real concern was my prize lettuce that was getting damaged as the larvae didn't have any other food in the hydro system other than the roots of these plants. I proceeded to remove the affected lettuce, harvest many of the large leaves, trim the roots and rinse off the larvae. I then sprayed the roots with neem oil, re potted and put them back in the hydro system.</div>
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This was only a short term fix. How to get rid of these guys so I'm not perpetually plagued by their presence was the question. I researched solutions and saw that there were lots of products available to kill them. However, most were not available locally and my nearest hydroponic supply store is over an hour away. After much thought and research I decided to try something called BTI or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis which is a microbial larvicide which kills the larvae of many variety of Diptera. I have read that this would include fungus gnats. This was available at my local garden supply store in several forms. One is in the form of doughnuts and the other is in small packets like tea bags. The former is used in fish ponds and the latter is for watering troughs for farm animals. </div>
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I opted for the tea bag variety which will supposedly treat 500 gallons of water. Seems like a bit of overkill but why not. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTHbdpkeZYNhiWj-XrdADdC_yqD7KC8H8_8izQw_5LS7wZWJ81-d2WeluJp38GxWYaH62ThKHSX7GjQJxXRN7DCfRDx18sdpix12SH2WDyNo9oEJZSnO3yM0Qjxx2RF4WGPY8G0mDNEhyphenhyphen/s1600/P1070108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTHbdpkeZYNhiWj-XrdADdC_yqD7KC8H8_8izQw_5LS7wZWJ81-d2WeluJp38GxWYaH62ThKHSX7GjQJxXRN7DCfRDx18sdpix12SH2WDyNo9oEJZSnO3yM0Qjxx2RF4WGPY8G0mDNEhyphenhyphen/s1600/P1070108.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BTI Packets</td></tr>
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I placed the tea bag in a 5 gallon bucket of water to make a concentrated solution which I let steep overnight. The next day, I took out a gallon and added it to another 5 gallon bucket and topped off with water. I then proceeded to water all of my plants in the greenhouse with the "killer" solution. I also topped off my hydro reservoir with it as well.</div>
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Only time will tell. The BTI supposedly will kill the larva in 24 hours and will continue to work for up to 30 days. It will however not kill the adults which live for about a week. So hopefully in a week or so I won't see anymore of those guys skittering around my lettuce or my starts. I will then be able to cross off one more chore from my list of many allowing me to sit and enjoy my paradise for just a bit longer next time.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-87906736873719403832013-04-07T09:18:00.000-07:002013-04-07T09:34:13.879-07:00Wild EdiblesAfter a winter of store bought fruits and vegetables at off season prices, I look forward to having fresh produce from my garden. I especially look forward to things like kale, spinach, collards and chard of which we devour large amounts each day in our morning green smoothies.<br />
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Over the past years, I've done everything possible to get those greens as early as possible. This year, things are looking pretty good. I have some kale, chard, collards and chicory that wintered over.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyKV1FYSGhIjpA8de2fntAUWnHVJU-nycDd4HdfPr4j2xlywLUjx16PbbE-ZOS5AihB-wiPuvd_P-j2sHBYsUNQcXuF15bLFAS0AvJO2rDXXlTHHG1EyG40r2Nvm-xC1i57ut_LYnX9IQ/s1600/P1070079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyKV1FYSGhIjpA8de2fntAUWnHVJU-nycDd4HdfPr4j2xlywLUjx16PbbE-ZOS5AihB-wiPuvd_P-j2sHBYsUNQcXuF15bLFAS0AvJO2rDXXlTHHG1EyG40r2Nvm-xC1i57ut_LYnX9IQ/s1600/P1070079.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overwintered Kale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir86V99_tmK4sHHFK5mg8CKsji9cGDYuBI6odliWu4pqP_p5IBh6f9wYUJg4woEPdzXqFPsJVIHbsV90ys8C0SOR2uVvLUFf0UCWozq6Qq2ORFbRj0UkUYCZ8kTqyYob_hpxlDrJ04GIDN/s1600/P1070080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir86V99_tmK4sHHFK5mg8CKsji9cGDYuBI6odliWu4pqP_p5IBh6f9wYUJg4woEPdzXqFPsJVIHbsV90ys8C0SOR2uVvLUFf0UCWozq6Qq2ORFbRj0UkUYCZ8kTqyYob_hpxlDrJ04GIDN/s1600/P1070080.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Collards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzEdNZjrixEROFsqwuhr0oP9A3Q8FNAuInFI8b40YgMerg-9cM5qJvkX2WwfESCmmhTiI52NRv2kGvq_AjZ_BoCobvDIIsBo3OXesk7KIEnZaNy8WU9DMyF8UBvbpXwsXRR84TGPTrOCj/s1600/P1070078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzEdNZjrixEROFsqwuhr0oP9A3Q8FNAuInFI8b40YgMerg-9cM5qJvkX2WwfESCmmhTiI52NRv2kGvq_AjZ_BoCobvDIIsBo3OXesk7KIEnZaNy8WU9DMyF8UBvbpXwsXRR84TGPTrOCj/s1600/P1070078.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Chicory</td></tr>
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In early March, I planted some beets, peas, chard, collards and lettuce which are making good progress. Last fall I even built a greenhouse to try to grow greens over the winter which was a great help with salad greens but just couldn't really produce much in the way of smoothie greens as the winter days are too short and the temps are just too cold for things to grow very fast.<br />
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Well after all the stress of trying to get things growing early, I've had a little bit of a revelation - wild edibles. These are the wonderful things that you see turning green and growing with vigor every spring in your yard and local countryside. Don't knock them until you've tried them as they are super healthy and have detoxifying properties for the body which we need after a long winter without fresh greens. Here is a list of my favorite wild edibles and ones that most of you probably can find in your yard, lining your driveway or in the vacant lot or field nearby.<br />
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1. My favorite and one of the most healthy greens in this category would be the dandelion. I used to hate these and cut them out of my lawn. Now I embrace them. Dandelions are included as one of the top 6 herbs in Chinese medicine and are great for our general health. Here is a paragraph about the health benefits of dandelions from the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dandelion-Celebration-Unexpected-Cuisine/dp/1879863510/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365267892&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dandelion+celebration-the+guide+to+unexpected+cuisine" target="_blank">"The Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine" </a>by Peter Gail.<br />
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Suppose your doctor tells you, on your next visit, that he has just discovered a miracle drug which, when eaten as a part of your daily diet or taken as a beverage, could, depending on the peculiarities of your body chemistry: prevent or cure liver diseases, such as hepatitis or jaundice; act as a tonic and gentle diuretic to purify your blood, cleanse your system, dissolve kidney stones, and otherwise improve gastro-intestinal health; assist in weight reduction; cleanse your skin and eliminate acne; improve your bowel function, working equally well to relieve both constipation and diarrhea; prevent or lower high blood pressure; prevent or cure anemia; lower your serum cholesterol by as much as half; eliminate or drastically reduce acid indigestion and gas buildup by cutting the heaviness of fatty foods; prevent or cure various forms of cancer; prevent or control diabetes mellitus; and, at the same time, have no negative side effects and selectively act on only what ails you. If he gave you a prescription for this miracle medicine, would you use it religiously at first to solve whatever the problem is and then consistently for preventative body maintenance?</blockquote>
He goes on to claim that Dandelions rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value. If only part of these claims are true, it seems like a good thing to consider adding to ones diet. Further research on Dandelions will show similar claims.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHASusOyfCgh9KpLFJuUTnRmSSBi4iIxHB-gqW5fjUWNabRpRJe1D3m_Na9dFXEvguesvxLK0vaoKCcGr_am4z9e7jvN8l_sSdoqCOZ5tjMoL9t-27GBixCEMc4UWkje6FJJr7v5j8Gz6/s1600/P1070065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHASusOyfCgh9KpLFJuUTnRmSSBi4iIxHB-gqW5fjUWNabRpRJe1D3m_Na9dFXEvguesvxLK0vaoKCcGr_am4z9e7jvN8l_sSdoqCOZ5tjMoL9t-27GBixCEMc4UWkje6FJJr7v5j8Gz6/s1600/P1070065.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dandelions for the morning smoothie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I use Dandelions as a green for my smoothies and am able to use 3 or 4 large plants without noticing any bitterness. I usually supplement with other greens but think you'd be surprised at how well they smoothie up! I also save the roots and cut them into small pieces which I toast in the oven. They can then be ground in your coffee grinder and used to make espresso or dandelion tea which tastes surprisingly like coffee.<br />
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2. Wild Violets have been something I've enjoyed a lot this spring as well. They make a great green for salads or smoothies and you can eat the flowers too. Try using the greens and flowers to make a beautiful, tasty salad. Wild violets are a good source of vitamins A and C.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwjjJoZPyiw0FF0KgnDc9VsrIyOiOMERlvBdHBdrJO3v0_A9Gr_AbodQK9gNihEVa-DYohgU6dF5-0mqFm1wHJtULk8OO8l0SCSLlMO2M-gZqLRB1LaZToeAwmH9aChLr6tUa58hlUmwp/s1600/P1070082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwjjJoZPyiw0FF0KgnDc9VsrIyOiOMERlvBdHBdrJO3v0_A9Gr_AbodQK9gNihEVa-DYohgU6dF5-0mqFm1wHJtULk8OO8l0SCSLlMO2M-gZqLRB1LaZToeAwmH9aChLr6tUa58hlUmwp/s1600/P1070082.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild violets in my yard</td></tr>
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3. Mallow is that darn weed with the huge root that you can never seem to pull up when weeding your garden. Mallow leaves have are a little bit uncomfortable to eat as they have small hairs on them. They do, however, make a great base for a smoothie an have a very mild taste. Mallow tea, made from the roots, is good for soothing sore throats and can be very cleansing for your body as well. Mallow is said to be good for helping boost your immune system and is also anti parasitic and has anti inflammatory properties.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga20fQSc2NsxF4uGFRy8lqkSdFiILer_jtF3N9RtBdo3MS8BnnLGidVqic2hGF9cHBoN_vD2_IgtAVHIYqWUGYWrCSq3a-RQuqERopNDcrYs4xezzQhouvqxAmQmDTwjUu8vXmar0b4jI-/s1600/P1070070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga20fQSc2NsxF4uGFRy8lqkSdFiILer_jtF3N9RtBdo3MS8BnnLGidVqic2hGF9cHBoN_vD2_IgtAVHIYqWUGYWrCSq3a-RQuqERopNDcrYs4xezzQhouvqxAmQmDTwjUu8vXmar0b4jI-/s1600/P1070070.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mallow - "To weed or not to weed?"</td></tr>
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4. Lambsquarters are another weed that seems to be everywhere in your garden. I love lambquarters in smoothies and the greens can be good in a salad. The tender stocks remind me of young snow peas and could be steamed or sauteed like asparagus as a tasty dish. I usually use them in smoothies or munch on them fresh as I'm weeding the garden. Lambquarters are high in vitamins A, C and K (with a serving providing more than 100% RDA of each), riboflavin, niacin, clacium, manganese, potassium an iron.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgSLuQAXMcrhcp_Moz6Z_UZYbIS0RxGnVkacwZzZgco071GXvMElblOpaDg-lrRO00Qk2kS084AfOHu_xMBOCWZ1zrHJ3V_Z9sFwFA_3u8G1W5IGLwPL160NwjPK82YnJDgjPQWBJGoMk/s1600/Lambs-Quarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgSLuQAXMcrhcp_Moz6Z_UZYbIS0RxGnVkacwZzZgco071GXvMElblOpaDg-lrRO00Qk2kS084AfOHu_xMBOCWZ1zrHJ3V_Z9sFwFA_3u8G1W5IGLwPL160NwjPK82YnJDgjPQWBJGoMk/s1600/Lambs-Quarter.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lambsquarters</td></tr>
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5. Purslane is that little succulent type of weed that grows low in your garden. I used to let it grow as ground cover before I knew what it was. Purslane, being high in vitamin A and C, has a nice fruity flavor. It is also a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids having as much or more than some fish oils. I have never been able to find enough of this in my yard to do much more than nibble on it. I leave it in my garden as ground cover but end up walking on it. However, if you could find a good supply of it, I'm sure it would be great in a salad, smoothie or soup.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGeaWAuLTWA7axGbCHGXr2JyWC3CdZVzP_-jc-nItp78FzgZIcAu-gY646PdnTK3ZGDDUn9ne5iXDagxorKJqTdQJfWev7UOBQmUGwG3gkqeEHPkCWdhHSPiD639WvQd-TcfDgMruXAv2/s1600/purslane_500_400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGeaWAuLTWA7axGbCHGXr2JyWC3CdZVzP_-jc-nItp78FzgZIcAu-gY646PdnTK3ZGDDUn9ne5iXDagxorKJqTdQJfWev7UOBQmUGwG3gkqeEHPkCWdhHSPiD639WvQd-TcfDgMruXAv2/s1600/purslane_500_400.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purslane</td></tr>
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6. I usually find plantain in my yard among the dandelions. And no, this is not the banana type of plantain. Rather it is another healthy, green leafy plant that most of us have in our yard. One of the main uses of plantain is as a topical application for insect bites, stings and cuts. It contains allantoin which is an anti-inflammatory that kills germs an speeds healing by encouraging growth of new skin cells. For this reason plantain is used in many commercialized creams and ointments found at your local drug store. Plantain is even said to be able to soothe poison oak or poison ivy rashes and can also be made into a tea to treat a cold or sore throat as it also has "pain killing" properties. I use plantain in my smoothies when I can find it. It is not the best green to eat in salads but reminds me a lot of chicory in taste and texture. Plantain is a good source of calcium, minerals and beta carotene.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWidBr3FtsPghyphenhyphenPsAXmIDQrLq0e_16-c5uQE1ADqGMxxZyTfyyQxLgDvB1aJeRD-0vyzOidGEa4aeECoS5lYdLuhpbjzbxg2Roup0tp1pChjbPH7PZylgl3f88kfyEGMEceR7PIPGz3mI/s1600/P1070077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWidBr3FtsPghyphenhyphenPsAXmIDQrLq0e_16-c5uQE1ADqGMxxZyTfyyQxLgDvB1aJeRD-0vyzOidGEa4aeECoS5lYdLuhpbjzbxg2Roup0tp1pChjbPH7PZylgl3f88kfyEGMEceR7PIPGz3mI/s1600/P1070077.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plantain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
7. Chickweed has recently shown up as a local weed in my garden and along the edges of my lawn. It shows up early in the season with dandelions, mallow, violets and clover. Young chickweed tastes amazingly like spinach. It has a pleasant texture and is great in salads or as a supplement in smoothies. Chickweed is also a medicinal that has historically been given to people to aid in their recovery after serious illness. It can be mixed with clay as a poultice for healing sores as well. According to the <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/407614-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-chickweed/" target="_blank">Livestrong website</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Chickweed is taken by mouth to treat stomach problems, intestinal complaints such as constipation, disorders of the blood, arthritis, lung diseases including asthma, kidney disorders, inflammatory conditions of the urinary tract, rabies, and scurvy or vitamin C deficiency. It is also used to relieve extreme exhaustion. Chickweed is applied to the skin to relieve various skin conditions such as skin wounds, ulcers, burns, arthritis pain an symptoms of eczema.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLAw9quXYhQOEWQdCFuaWD_zMK_OYtoP_Un-XHAzKXd-S4coj14TT0tBM_ws0fRWxcQxJ4XuXKXbxjz0qzqj4gNzzO6r41IqvuIkV5iUkOCTYLTZWnd7_9oMxnOyZGi2QEHyzfT7ZH2ev/s1600/P1070069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLAw9quXYhQOEWQdCFuaWD_zMK_OYtoP_Un-XHAzKXd-S4coj14TT0tBM_ws0fRWxcQxJ4XuXKXbxjz0qzqj4gNzzO6r41IqvuIkV5iUkOCTYLTZWnd7_9oMxnOyZGi2QEHyzfT7ZH2ev/s1600/P1070069.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chickweed </td></tr>
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</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglT2EQj3onAcgaS2M-LJl0Vfv9dg7BYz8cr3VH62BqI-3arliEk80xfTdOUr2-jnqnSWkMyto9VLdgcTfNuyMvP8-k0gOCpHBcKZRWLLyVm489NpBBR7juIJJz3gmkBi3olsJolcHGL3DC/s1600/P1070068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglT2EQj3onAcgaS2M-LJl0Vfv9dg7BYz8cr3VH62BqI-3arliEk80xfTdOUr2-jnqnSWkMyto9VLdgcTfNuyMvP8-k0gOCpHBcKZRWLLyVm489NpBBR7juIJJz3gmkBi3olsJolcHGL3DC/s1600/P1070068.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackpot! Dandelions, violets an chickweed all together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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8. Clover seems to be everywhere and red clover is especially good for you. Clover can be eaten in salads, as a steamed vegetable or made into tea. Red clover is used in treating many medical conditions such as cancer, mastitis, gout, coughs (as an expectorant and suppressant), and asthma. It is also a potent detoxifier of the blood, lungs, liver, kidneys and lymphatic system. Red clover is high in protein and a good source of calcium, lecithin, chromium, magnesium, potassium, an vitamins A, E, and C.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxaTdLNUFutNtNXpznr7bBHxW9ijU6xPsLTEaqtqMHfDv4nDx84sbp3SGKKr4bcYQGPAIA95O0gX2ShJxM2X60ZRe8YqVvZf3nKjAwJ8WD_YdUYg0-XTM7Jg8f04EvvO-XUME-D9Klmmkz/s1600/P1070076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxaTdLNUFutNtNXpznr7bBHxW9ijU6xPsLTEaqtqMHfDv4nDx84sbp3SGKKr4bcYQGPAIA95O0gX2ShJxM2X60ZRe8YqVvZf3nKjAwJ8WD_YdUYg0-XTM7Jg8f04EvvO-XUME-D9Klmmkz/s1600/P1070076.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young sweet clover</td></tr>
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So get out there and see what you can find to tide you over until your spring garden begins to produce. You may be surprised at how many plants you can find and how tasty and healthy they are. So in the meantime weed with purpose and green up!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-59628997015379765122013-03-10T12:29:00.000-07:002013-03-10T12:29:07.177-07:00Greenhouse UpdateIt is starting to feel like spring and spring has certainly arrived in my greenhouse. Recently we have had some sunshine and outside temperatures in the 50's. In the greenhouse, I've been opening two of my windows and am able to keep it from getting much warmer than 70 degrees which is a great temp for my greens and for comfortably spending time with my plants.<br />
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I am excited that I have most of my garden plants started and doing well on a shelf in my greenhouse. I have peppers, tomatoes, basil, stevia, eggplant, kale, chard, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli going and an experimental pot of snow peas which is already looking like it will start producing some soon.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXSs1MDVODoVrNpfBaiGyO-mFSW4pZsGkPiX50iqrlIUZVyLu1KOMqryQT7RW8667-dkPV_7ph4giIOUUsWNTgU48lQVzBH_jSfMNT_wfwfuT4DDbUQt0077gz0UNZR2P5CXUJlOb1KRx/s1600/P1070043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXSs1MDVODoVrNpfBaiGyO-mFSW4pZsGkPiX50iqrlIUZVyLu1KOMqryQT7RW8667-dkPV_7ph4giIOUUsWNTgU48lQVzBH_jSfMNT_wfwfuT4DDbUQt0077gz0UNZR2P5CXUJlOb1KRx/s1600/P1070043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basil and Stevia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vZ-kBhUkXJrBx8fTPLfnxyEh5jvzuLR9D6nfXh6KK7PHcj0y1MfT7UBpIJ_mLV45hpEYJygyuiv08EnFug_zLhTn7idccPJSUtE9hkbcHk_h3uEwYh1PSpu8CKIbD7pY6Z7MNLbX5-FM/s1600/P1070044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vZ-kBhUkXJrBx8fTPLfnxyEh5jvzuLR9D6nfXh6KK7PHcj0y1MfT7UBpIJ_mLV45hpEYJygyuiv08EnFug_zLhTn7idccPJSUtE9hkbcHk_h3uEwYh1PSpu8CKIbD7pY6Z7MNLbX5-FM/s1600/P1070044.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starts for my garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T3GV5NQenUgjeJ0CCx9_ICxZmwu7mfxHIN4ZdhLzJWSwYO_iMNKvN2OAs2YmnOqavl4YKtpc-YxJouZRKac8ZBMlyIzNVPY7dr2lGHe4jqgP0WopMhny9SghDRmiGHMWQTOj-Gl4fK_F/s1600/P1070045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T3GV5NQenUgjeJ0CCx9_ICxZmwu7mfxHIN4ZdhLzJWSwYO_iMNKvN2OAs2YmnOqavl4YKtpc-YxJouZRKac8ZBMlyIzNVPY7dr2lGHe4jqgP0WopMhny9SghDRmiGHMWQTOj-Gl4fK_F/s1600/P1070045.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow peas started in January</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I also have been dabbling a little in my garden too with a row of beets, green onions, mixed greens and a variety of small head lettuce. The last couple of years, I have taken some old storm windows and put them over my newly planted seeds with good results. I find that things usually germinate quickly, don't get washed around in early rains and can get established enough so that the birds won't peck off all the tops before the secondary leaves emerge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKylzpVAPNMs7Rq8nR-q170WgsG2UoJVnnvICy9PEWeZhJxrTyCRL1_MmnGtukD80pnWsQOFzk_ZNGmRsg4tGyd0MqIrJ4CmICJC0KKHAztgAXD52bhyphenhyphenc1aZUTaTwGovHsrWbF6FNma_Gg/s1600/P1070053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKylzpVAPNMs7Rq8nR-q170WgsG2UoJVnnvICy9PEWeZhJxrTyCRL1_MmnGtukD80pnWsQOFzk_ZNGmRsg4tGyd0MqIrJ4CmICJC0KKHAztgAXD52bhyphenhyphenc1aZUTaTwGovHsrWbF6FNma_Gg/s1600/P1070053.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm Windows over Seedlings</td></tr>
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The NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) hydroponic system is still producing awesome spinach and the chard, kale and collards are almost too big for it. I had to add some of the blue painter's tape over the net pots to keep them from toppling over. I have recently added some small head lettuce to one of the gutters and am planning on putting in some basil and a couple of cucumber plants that I will trellis up the far end of my greenhouse. The chard and kale are now bolting. Knowing that these plants usually don't flower until the following spring leads me to believe that my "somewhat" warm greenhouse was not able to fool them into believing that winter hadn't come yet. As for the collards, they are huge but, as of late, I have been having a tough time keeping them happy. On hot days they have been wilting and are also showing signs of nutrient deficiency. I have recently replaced the water and nutrients in the system and they seem to be doing better.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zkyz844rhXr4NIP38TBHdM9vlhC1rcoyitmsNCwTbLrncSfJ8nm9ud7pKSdN80IuiRiLB3TQ-IoRAXe_L3_WH7v5NbYn_edkC5mKp_1WDJOGF5-ph0trVbNdQuSj9QfoIocexUUVGgyc/s1600/P1070054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7zkyz844rhXr4NIP38TBHdM9vlhC1rcoyitmsNCwTbLrncSfJ8nm9ud7pKSdN80IuiRiLB3TQ-IoRAXe_L3_WH7v5NbYn_edkC5mKp_1WDJOGF5-ph0trVbNdQuSj9QfoIocexUUVGgyc/s1600/P1070054.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydroponic Collards and Spinach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFnJvmjhXhLN7NyHKW7AtKGksiC6-3o25LaWZuOgvV_mvzB-aGd_uoQ0vlbTiifA-P1Sz_KhkaWQtOeV4viq80VY1ETOJjnS5azLb4vFZQOmCDmBh807x0xG_vW7ZkBEp0eXreeaR1QXl/s1600/P1070048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFnJvmjhXhLN7NyHKW7AtKGksiC6-3o25LaWZuOgvV_mvzB-aGd_uoQ0vlbTiifA-P1Sz_KhkaWQtOeV4viq80VY1ETOJjnS5azLb4vFZQOmCDmBh807x0xG_vW7ZkBEp0eXreeaR1QXl/s1600/P1070048.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spinach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKDWxkGV1_aOY2eyUPrXOKF2kvCEYv-uFHtq4DLVaF73L33fkA2YsBkppDCJb9SNtyRwDOz4KhKU0K-Fv1MHutS5V1o1nxLXXyuN0bD-A6Xr8jtwGzsvKPIMS1FxXGcCfnajhHaU9x0vO/s1600/P1070047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKDWxkGV1_aOY2eyUPrXOKF2kvCEYv-uFHtq4DLVaF73L33fkA2YsBkppDCJb9SNtyRwDOz4KhKU0K-Fv1MHutS5V1o1nxLXXyuN0bD-A6Xr8jtwGzsvKPIMS1FxXGcCfnajhHaU9x0vO/s1600/P1070047.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collards. Note the nutrient deficiency but new center growth looks better</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefegbNbLLTGBuQYqK1MRZFCwGyR5H4kYpu_MX2WGlPmW6asfXVGgIm-QHDUwHd-4MHuh6QLVQGUQt7I0nUhiVqFcq3qKdqH7occ_vu8NtDhAEh2jTV2vH8rF7ngU3-MAQySI3vVQUpOr5/s1600/P1070049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefegbNbLLTGBuQYqK1MRZFCwGyR5H4kYpu_MX2WGlPmW6asfXVGgIm-QHDUwHd-4MHuh6QLVQGUQt7I0nUhiVqFcq3qKdqH7occ_vu8NtDhAEh2jTV2vH8rF7ngU3-MAQySI3vVQUpOr5/s1600/P1070049.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqrb5M06A_URj04H-BYov3Rw0S7iMC-6agEYRt2ck_HOEO7GnBn47rVoN6vyO9VSm2KBEkG0GI5p7teMLCZjki3dqPv5lyOmpV79y9GmbPVtICgJgBjFwC_AUCmxMDni3Efphs7kUeIk6/s1600/P1070050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqrb5M06A_URj04H-BYov3Rw0S7iMC-6agEYRt2ck_HOEO7GnBn47rVoN6vyO9VSm2KBEkG0GI5p7teMLCZjki3dqPv5lyOmpV79y9GmbPVtICgJgBjFwC_AUCmxMDni3Efphs7kUeIk6/s1600/P1070050.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly Planted Hydroponic Head Lettuce</td></tr>
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After this episode, I realized that I needed to get a little more high tech to manage the hydroponics so I bought a ppm (parts per million) meter to measure the amount of nutrients in the water. This allows me to have enough for optimum growth but not too much so that I will burn the roots. I also got some solutions to raise and lower the pH of the system as needed. I think that the collards were probably sensitive to having the solution a little too acidic which can prevent nutrient uptake.<br />
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I am also realizing that algae in my gutters is probably going to be a problem at some point. Most NFT systems don't allow sunlight to reach the solution like mine does. I have seen people use pvc pipe and drill holes in it to hold the net pots. I have also seen systems built with pvc post covers which are meant to cover a 4x4 post. When starting my system, I was hoping that the plants would grow quick enough to shade the gutters and prevent an overgrowth of algae. This has proven somewhat true. The main reason for using gutters was for the flexibility of plant spacing. I figured I could do like I do in the garden and thin plants as they got too big, allowing more space for the others. I have found this to be difficult as the roots become so intertwined that you risk damaging the plants through this process.<br />
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Yes. I was warned. Bugs will be a problem in any greenhouse. And I was in such a hurry in the fall to put some greenery into my greenhouse for my winter sanity, that I brought in all my outside herb pots, potted some cold and weary plants from the garden such as a tomatillo, pepper and eggplant. To make things worse, I got the bright idea of having a worm bin for compost tea and worm castings for my plants. In doing so, I needed worms quickly so I dug up some from my compost pile. Yes, I got worms and a whole lot more. I began noticing centipedes, earwigs, all kinds of maggots and grubs. After a short warm spell, I began to see that there were all kinds of flies and gnats coming out of the bin. The system uses stacking bins, so I eventually removed the lower ones with all the mystery creatures in them and this seems to have eliminated most of the problem.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkR9JBHL6lKUQjpuQHDuzbOfdcRquycS0eRoq5Zg7AVwuIUrre867LcaShR7JPshf1_u6jYzClwWuBIfscbMQdzzFn-vV7UEojLTD2IbYF8EVaPJI_Cqr2iRK30i9Q1Zxr2U7fwk0Nv-U/s1600/P1070051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkR9JBHL6lKUQjpuQHDuzbOfdcRquycS0eRoq5Zg7AVwuIUrre867LcaShR7JPshf1_u6jYzClwWuBIfscbMQdzzFn-vV7UEojLTD2IbYF8EVaPJI_Cqr2iRK30i9Q1Zxr2U7fwk0Nv-U/s1600/P1070051.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Nesting Worm Bins</td></tr>
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The bug story does not end here as I have found aphids on my spinach and kale plants. So far, it's not too out of hand but I've been keeping an eye on them daily watching for new infestations as they break out. I have also been spending a lot of time with my magnifying glass looking for eggs, etc on all the plants in my greenhouse. I have since learned that aphids give birth to live young and do not lay eggs. Each mature aphid can give birth to up to 12 aphids per day!<br />
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However what I noticed in this process was quite surprising - predatory insects feeding on the aphids! I love this as I am a firm believer that nature will eventually come into balance if given time. I carefully inspected the tray of spinach that I planted last fall expecting to find a lot of plants infested with aphids yet only one plant was infested with aphids and the rest were clean. The infested plant had some eggs on it and several predatory midge larva on it. I was seeing some of these midges on my hydroponic spinach as well as some lacewing larva. So, in retrospect, maybe the compost pile and other plants being introduced into my greenhouse have helped create a "somewhat" balanced ecosystem setting the stage for summer. We'll see. I will post further on this later as I hope to have the same symbiotic balance in my vegetable garden outside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DFuOv5lddgYk37TbNacT6hVVSC8I0g9rTjYGka8vQswCD_RfotxXHFJsiCiL5-jbUdedlV2jNdLKNxaasMzNq0EV8oElTObhMpPxyX1VFKj5KlViIyrJYZZR794p8bhv02A_1LTR-io0/s1600/Aphidoleteslarvae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DFuOv5lddgYk37TbNacT6hVVSC8I0g9rTjYGka8vQswCD_RfotxXHFJsiCiL5-jbUdedlV2jNdLKNxaasMzNq0EV8oElTObhMpPxyX1VFKj5KlViIyrJYZZR794p8bhv02A_1LTR-io0/s1600/Aphidoleteslarvae.jpg" height="280" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Predatory Midge Larvae</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENd3q0wZEJeRCheAWBSVNtuGlg3iPgIuRRi1uCMil9cO-kvb31Ia4cVAeLvnalkyFA964EQ45LiSsUr6z2R0oFexwJMZ_GWHbRC6oyfwVsZHGyZ54_DS7k67fMb-wXM6dQgBgGKl62SEI/s1600/Brown_lacewing_larva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENd3q0wZEJeRCheAWBSVNtuGlg3iPgIuRRi1uCMil9cO-kvb31Ia4cVAeLvnalkyFA964EQ45LiSsUr6z2R0oFexwJMZ_GWHbRC6oyfwVsZHGyZ54_DS7k67fMb-wXM6dQgBgGKl62SEI/s1600/Brown_lacewing_larva.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacewing Larvae</td></tr>
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So what's next for the greenhouse? I am planning another hydroponic system for several tomatoes and peppers. We'll see if we can get a ripe tomato and pepper before the 4th of July. I will also be struggling with heat management as I'm not sure what the temps will be on a 95 degrees summer day. Wish me luck.<br />
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Have a great spring and thanks for reading!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-70508384424207484032013-02-18T15:20:00.000-08:002013-02-18T16:10:07.653-08:00Hydroponics in the Winter GreenhouseThis time of year I get really anxious for spring so I can grow more of my own produce. Eating healthy can be expensive, especially in the winter. Yesterday I bought a bunch of kale (no, not a whole bunch, just one bundle) for nearly four dollars. This makes for a pretty expensive habit when I use nearly the whole thing in my morning smoothie. It is for this reason that I built a greenhouse last fall hoping to grow more of my own greens throughout the winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TFjaE7oWgsKOfVzflqWCwZcZdiP2Jf6VXlRwYYF_zPYtagg3-iGksKPpPiRwe1VKSFjVjyDRiwsipoQ8DZXGvvfqTjPkqXWiscmnaAxvhppXWpE8DUodt1O9p7Lh1d_z1gCoQHorg0QM/s1600/Winter+Greenhouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TFjaE7oWgsKOfVzflqWCwZcZdiP2Jf6VXlRwYYF_zPYtagg3-iGksKPpPiRwe1VKSFjVjyDRiwsipoQ8DZXGvvfqTjPkqXWiscmnaAxvhppXWpE8DUodt1O9p7Lh1d_z1gCoQHorg0QM/s1600/Winter+Greenhouse.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Winter Greenhouse</td></tr>
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So I'd like to share some things about having a winter greenhouse. First of all, I live in North Central Washington State where the winters can be pretty cold and gloomy for days or weeks due to inversions that form during the shortest days of the year. Temperatures can be below 0 F. but are usually more likely to be in the teens at night and 20's or 30's during the day. This winter was no exception as we probably had about average temps for our location.<br />
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I completed my greenhouse last October in hope of having greens all winter long. Having had some coldframes going for the last several years, I realized that the key to having greens during the winter is getting them started early in the fall so that, when the weather gets colder and the daylight hours are short, you are able to still glean some fresh greens from time to time as things just don't have enough daylight to grow much during December and January.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Cold Frames</td></tr>
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So I was able to take a couple of large trays about 20" x 40" and maybe 3" deep and plant them in late September in anticipation of putting them in my greenhouse when it was finished. I rooted some cuttings from my garden tomatoes as well just for kicks. Upon completion of my greenhouse, I realized that I had plenty of space so I decided to plant some spinach, collard greens and kale, each in their own container.<br />
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Well the winter started out pretty mild and I had some good results from my plantings. I was able to pick greens from the large trays several times for a few salads and the other greens seemed to be coming along nicely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9-L-jLvz-RVueTjZ2kJlctSDm5EILEoAdSumJYzgsfixMEb0F6krwFAw63-A9HTDOaYCY1yeoyzsS8ryGd1rfISHR21KAjYs5mQX8DXYVGYfxLlmUrJ5Ri6S4JXjuiNvJJbXebMZjjIO/s1600/Trays+of+Greens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9-L-jLvz-RVueTjZ2kJlctSDm5EILEoAdSumJYzgsfixMEb0F6krwFAw63-A9HTDOaYCY1yeoyzsS8ryGd1rfISHR21KAjYs5mQX8DXYVGYfxLlmUrJ5Ri6S4JXjuiNvJJbXebMZjjIO/s1600/Trays+of+Greens.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trays of Greens</td></tr>
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In December, the weather turned cold and cloudy and my greenhouse went from having sunny days and 75 degree temps to cloudy days and 50 degree temps. Things almost quit growing altogether. I had to put a space heater in there to try to keep things from getting too cold. I even tapped into our central heating system to pump some warm air into the greenhouse (thank goodness it is attached to the side of the house!). Even with all this, temperatures got a little colder each night until it was getting down to 40 degrees at night and only warming to 50 degrees on cloudy days. The thermal mass of 20 five gallon buckets of water was not able to warm up enough to make a difference and probably even kept things a little cooler during the day in spite of possibly moderating the temps somewhat at night.<br />
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I knew this would be a year of experimentation so I had to ask myself what I could do to get more production from the winter greenhouse. My initial goal was to keep things simple and inexpensive but I'd already cheated by using a heater and pumping heat into it from the house. I thought about purchasing grow lights but decided that the cost of setup and electricity would be more than I wanted to deal with my first season. This is when I began to experiment with hydroponics.<br />
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Hydroponics in a nutshell is the process of growing plants with nutrient rich water in a soiless medium. Given this definition, there are all kinds of options for how to set up a hydroponic system in a small scale greenhouse like mine. I didn't want anything too complicated so I started with a simple system called deep water culture (DWC).<br />
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DWC is really a pretty simple system for anyone to set up. My setup consisted of a five gallon bucket and an aquarium air pump and airstone. I made four three inch holes in the bucket lid for my plants which were placed in plastic cups full of gravel (actually, three holes were for plants and the fourth was for me to insert the air tube and airstone)and later an aquarium heater). I melted quarter inch holes in the cups to allow the water to circulate through the rocks and to the roots. I placed the airstone in the bottom of the bucked, filled the bucket with water and a light solution of Miracle Grow fertilizer to about an inch of the top. I then put the lid on and placed the plants in the holes so the roots were about halfway in the water and turned the pump on. The principle of this system is simply to aerate the water so that the roots don't drown and plants really thrive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQefxigBAIu-iDE6bxQvCtByCquMxyUt7zmf0naS2MkHfa-0hir3ZdgOxfdYVjLHD9up2PgyIpTO0JBKTo1z6SexE7JOY4b4sTHs2r_NXIZMj-k1aX6Bu3C9JuxsB_qgzhUoZmVenmur2t/s1600/DWC+System.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQefxigBAIu-iDE6bxQvCtByCquMxyUt7zmf0naS2MkHfa-0hir3ZdgOxfdYVjLHD9up2PgyIpTO0JBKTo1z6SexE7JOY4b4sTHs2r_NXIZMj-k1aX6Bu3C9JuxsB_qgzhUoZmVenmur2t/s1600/DWC+System.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DWC System</td></tr>
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With this setup, I had another bright idea which was to heat the water in the bucket with a submersible aquarium heater. The hole for the air tube was big enough for me to insert it into the water. After all, it was easier to heat five gallons of water than it was to heat my whole greenhouse. My plants began to grow and the roots soon were poking out of the holes in the cups into the water below. This was pretty amazing yet I was realizing that this system would only grow three plants and I really wanted a system that would produce enough plants to make a difference in my grocery bill! After further research, I decided that I could upgrade my hydroponic system to a nutrient film technique system (NFT) and grow even more plants.<br />
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In a NFT system, a shallow flow of water with a hydroponic fertilizer added moves across the roots of the plants which are in some sort of a tray or trough placed at a slight incline. A pump is used to pump the water from a reservoir at one end to the other end where it gently flows across the roots via gravity back to a reservoir. This process constantly recycles the water providing roots with ample access to nutrients and water for efficient growth.<br />
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I scrounged around and pretty much found what I needed for this system lying around my house. I already had the reservoir, the air pump and airstone and the aquarium heater. I needed to add a water pump and a rain gutter and some plastic tubing, all of which I just happened to have. I did have to purchase the ends for the gutter which weren't too expensive. The submersible water pump went in the bottom of the bucket surrounded by a nylon bag to keep anything from plugging it up. The tube came out a hole in the bucket lid and ran along the ground to the far end of the gutter where it was placed through a hole so the water would run into the gutter and flow back toward the bucket. I drilled a hole in the end of the gutter so the water would drain back into the bucket to be recycled again and again. I did have to add an in line valve to control the flow as it needed to be a trickle, not a gush.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbWiJNiiKi0V04L31CSfFCcaNcn1GlJ8ZFfiH5eGwBN-RAgqaZP_l61d_eYXBwODHF8X3a57P1oXqVO5Rstzzdd_RTcpCw0ZUk-gZ6r6Eqes5A_4Pv_Or12hTKOp_5VVIZPylFVsUD7Fc/s1600/NFT+System2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtbWiJNiiKi0V04L31CSfFCcaNcn1GlJ8ZFfiH5eGwBN-RAgqaZP_l61d_eYXBwODHF8X3a57P1oXqVO5Rstzzdd_RTcpCw0ZUk-gZ6r6Eqes5A_4Pv_Or12hTKOp_5VVIZPylFVsUD7Fc/s1600/NFT+System2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NFT System with second gutter. Note that the spinach in the gutter was transplanted from the tote in the upper left of the picture. See the difference!</td></tr>
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So within a couple of hours, I had my system set up as a new home for my three plants from the DWC system but I still needed another 25 or so plants to fill up the gutter and make full use of its capacity. And, rather than dealing with cups, gravel, melting holes and the wrong fertilizer solution, I ended up buying three inch net pots, hydroponic fertilizer and soiless medium (similar to pumice stone) from a local hydroponic supply store. The net pots are just small plastic pots which allow water to pass through them and over the plant roots. The roots ultimately grow out and along the gutter preventing plants from becoming root bound.<br />
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Since I already had some container spinach and collards in the greenhouse, I decided to transplant some into the net pots for my system. To do this, I gently removed them from the soil and submersed the roots in water to remove most of the soil. I then dangled the roots in the net pots so they were touching the bottom and placed the grow medium around them and base of the plant until each plant was supported. These went directly into the gutter where the flow of water would supply them all the nutrients for growth and hydration.<br />
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Nearly two months later, in spite of colder temperatures and short daylight I got some pretty amazing results.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A1MuxlPrviwMIvFUr4kt2lMkn_FjTwQ7kjB9jypV71VhVxT0tIpCxzaRgXJ-u9GyRL7NLUieGwHp3W7Q_PzBJqQbWrgL-IMLQ_jhipneXg5w9jgwn2SRH6N5CY9tdsnemcRohqsiAuTD/s1600/NFT+System1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6A1MuxlPrviwMIvFUr4kt2lMkn_FjTwQ7kjB9jypV71VhVxT0tIpCxzaRgXJ-u9GyRL7NLUieGwHp3W7Q_PzBJqQbWrgL-IMLQ_jhipneXg5w9jgwn2SRH6N5CY9tdsnemcRohqsiAuTD/s1600/NFT+System1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NFT System</td></tr>
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Now that it's February, the days are getting longer and we are getting some pretty sunny days. The plants in my hydroponics system are over twice as big as their siblings left in cold soil. I think the hydroponics helped but also believe that the warm water on the roots made a huge difference</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xHew5lpg5V21omJIkHM3ACNSv8QYTq6gO_MrJcv5lSMRDf2EQH72R_SvqFgyZntFfIuatxQ-iAb0P5Wr1A34YehlKMArHljgWuhLSfzzMKMnloJOL75JLOXGHHvzYDnBIhnYYO0HkGgV/s1600/Non+Hydro+Collards.JPG" height="240" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Non Hydroponic Collards</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje04SDld45W-BUq0LKgKgwi7Jct6HmBb4aMS0elKnRnbl047zC5E8804a5gsUUJk9egMFtSc6XIe92s3sJxy6Q4GWYICX9lCdLlfcZonzksaJ7ZyNMzJ9XyT1hcfgc4CVq-leH3Ryz8k1/s1600/Hydroponic+Collards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje04SDld45W-BUq0LKgKgwi7Jct6HmBb4aMS0elKnRnbl047zC5E8804a5gsUUJk9egMFtSc6XIe92s3sJxy6Q4GWYICX9lCdLlfcZonzksaJ7ZyNMzJ9XyT1hcfgc4CVq-leH3Ryz8k1/s1600/Hydroponic+Collards.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydroponic Collards</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xHew5lpg5V21omJIkHM3ACNSv8QYTq6gO_MrJcv5lSMRDf2EQH72R_SvqFgyZntFfIuatxQ-iAb0P5Wr1A34YehlKMArHljgWuhLSfzzMKMnloJOL75JLOXGHHvzYDnBIhnYYO0HkGgV/s1600/Non+Hydro+Collards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeZyDaV_3wG1VbpKWDdFhKrRDN2gj800f_zm4nYpzTAK-lkzscA4nq0PzPleZYVg0vKHMgoNl5jonD3bploFHRiD_Eu-SmMWAjwte-I1MilQpmUxNZrSO8wFRZT9mg9gr1aM3OImjbwfy/s1600/Non+Hydro+Kale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeZyDaV_3wG1VbpKWDdFhKrRDN2gj800f_zm4nYpzTAK-lkzscA4nq0PzPleZYVg0vKHMgoNl5jonD3bploFHRiD_Eu-SmMWAjwte-I1MilQpmUxNZrSO8wFRZT9mg9gr1aM3OImjbwfy/s1600/Non+Hydro+Kale.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Non Hydroponic Kale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJqbkYqvLRl9OOdmOr1wqF3mnOTfZQnPlTZrwz-TKSBb1Kx7w0rlPkA3z4V67JTcVCX0kD8HSoAlDDWxAnw6kQngLdCMpHpx4hkNiTJ_sjAsIDjEW6xHa5UZaqsCcSoCcqz0k7lIE4-9_/s1600/Hydroponic+Kale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJqbkYqvLRl9OOdmOr1wqF3mnOTfZQnPlTZrwz-TKSBb1Kx7w0rlPkA3z4V67JTcVCX0kD8HSoAlDDWxAnw6kQngLdCMpHpx4hkNiTJ_sjAsIDjEW6xHa5UZaqsCcSoCcqz0k7lIE4-9_/s1600/Hydroponic+Kale.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydroponic Kale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQEyKOqkZcXo4nGjn7QxdY_qrhK8f5XEe1yxfwe92TEYS_oI-2591yoS8aRtyVJDn_sXXn_43F6p_3heoQEwLeeaA4lwPiWti4j5QVaToSqsTjxGyE77v4QoHPdBzrE-mpQ5l4bbHmRlC/s1600/Hydroponic+Chard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQEyKOqkZcXo4nGjn7QxdY_qrhK8f5XEe1yxfwe92TEYS_oI-2591yoS8aRtyVJDn_sXXn_43F6p_3heoQEwLeeaA4lwPiWti4j5QVaToSqsTjxGyE77v4QoHPdBzrE-mpQ5l4bbHmRlC/s1600/Hydroponic+Chard.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydroponic Swiss Chard</td></tr>
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I am realizing that this system will be great for this spring and I have even added a second gutter to further increase my production. I may even be adding more gutters soon and am planning on a somewhat different system this summer for tomatoes and peppers that I hope to be eating well into the winter months. And who knows what it will evolve into next winter, but I have hopes of more greens and smaller grocery bills in the future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-18897564561465079192013-02-11T18:54:00.000-08:002013-02-11T20:36:27.612-08:00Carob Date TrufflesWell here I am still blah blah blogging. And if you're still reading, then you are to be commended either for being such a loyal follower or someone who is truly serious about making some healthy lifestyle changes. Whatever the reason, you're still here and you deserve to be rewarded with a blog about a great, healthy treat.<br />
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I am on month 11 of being vegetarian and have seen some great changes. I rarely get sick, and if so it's only for a short time. My fitness still seems to get better each month and I may be in the best shape of my life. I have more energy and seem fine with less sleep than what I used to get. My weight is stable and never seems to change no matter what I eat (but it's rarely ever processed food or snacks). And my cravings for that sweet treat every night has diminished greatly. But I do still get a craving from time to time and have realized I need to listen to my body and trust my cravings now as they seem to be telling me what my body truly needs rather than me telling my body what to eat as I used to do. Make sense? Anyway, now when I get that desire for something sweet, one of my favorite treats is a carob, date truffle.<br />
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You'll love these. Really! I mean if you've ever eaten a date recently, you know these things are super sweet and make a great natural sweetener. I love eating dates for a snack or after a workout as well as they are loaded with natural sugars and lots of vitamins and minerals that help your body recover quickly. Dates are a good source both soluble and insoluble fiber, helping with digestion and possibly lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. They are also a great source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin A and iron. You just can't go wrong putting such a wonderful, natural food in a treat such as date truffles.<br />
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Another ingredient in these truffles is raw coconut oil which has now become my favorite "healthy" oil. Coconut oil is a good source of short and medium chain fatty acids which are easy to digest as they require no bile or pancreatic enzymes to be broken down. Rather they are passively absorbed through the digestive tract into the blood where they are used an an immediate source of energy. It is for this reason that coconut oil can boost your energy and increase your metabolism helping promote weight loss. Also, coconut oil has amazing antiviral, antibacterial and anti fungal properties.<br />
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Nuts, the other important ingredient in these truffles, are also a healthy addition to one's diet (just a note that, for nuts to maintain many of their healthy qualities, they should be consumed raw rather than toasted or roasted). Nuts such as walnuts contain essential Omega-3 fatty acids which are necessary for brain and nerve function. Just 25 grams of walnuts will give you 90% of the recommended daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3's have anti-inflammatory properties which may help lower blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, raise good cholesterol and reduce the risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Nuts are also high in antioxidants, vitamins B and E, and are a great source of minerals such as iron, zinc and magnesium.<br />
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Let's add another healthy ingredient to round out the healthy benefits of these truffles, carob powder. Carob is high in antioxidants, vitamin E, is antiviral and antibacterial and is considered a digestive aid. Carob is naturally sweet so that helps too!<br />
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So no more "gut bombs" for dessert. Instead make and eat some of these raw, healthy, delicious and easy to digest truffles that won't give you heartburn. Your body will thank you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOT7x-mxVlgp1ijXbZViHqAIUecHoPfZGx1qiPbDrELmjXk1kJyKQZU1it3l6HBpvgso16KSF-yaGW49NDkmEWPCplI_iT2v_wSBlMBmHK7FsXzwPMnifqXvtBIkb6zT1Jp9g1K7UmuEv/s1600/IMG_0823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOT7x-mxVlgp1ijXbZViHqAIUecHoPfZGx1qiPbDrELmjXk1kJyKQZU1it3l6HBpvgso16KSF-yaGW49NDkmEWPCplI_iT2v_wSBlMBmHK7FsXzwPMnifqXvtBIkb6zT1Jp9g1K7UmuEv/s1600/IMG_0823.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's the recipe for Date Truffles:<br />
(approximately 15 truffles)<br />
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10 large Medjool Dates pitted and chopped<br />
1/4 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts, almonds or pecans<br />
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil<br />
2 tablespoons carob or cocoa powder<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
pinch of sea salt.<br />
Extra cocoa or carob powder for coating the truffles. You could also use chopped nuts or coconut.<br />
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Mix ingredients well. This can be a sticky job but well worth it. Roll into small balls and coat with carob/cocoa powder. Refrigerate for a bit to firm them up or eat them right away if you can't wait. I'm not sure how long they'll keep in the fridge as mine never last more than a couple of days : )<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-81709144647310305962013-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:002013-01-27T18:08:53.566-08:00Get Alkalized!As technology and our lifestyles have changed with the times so have our diets. We are now eating stuff out of boxes, cans, cartons and bags, most all of which are highly processed. Most likely in the last week you have had several of these: coffee, bread, rice, pasta, steak, wine, beer, pizza, fast food, chocolate, soda, chips, cookies and medications of some sort. I'll bet that if, you're like I used to be, you probably have 3 or more of these each day. Eating foods like these coupled with our daily stress are sure things that will cause our bodies to become too acidic. Over time, this high pH (acidic) state of our body will most likely cause us health issues at some point in the future.<br />
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So why is pH so important? The main reason is the simple fact that our blood needs to maintain a nearly constant pH of around 7.35-7.45. If our blood stra<span style="font-family: inherit;">ys just a bit </span>from this, the result will be serous damage to our body and even death. But never fear, our bodies are wonderful creations equipped with systems to maintain our blood's pH even while having bad eating habits.</div>
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A healthy body is able to maintain our blood's pH through the systems of elimination of acidic residues and toxins or by adding buffers to adjust it. The elimination of acidic residues and toxins is done through our urinary tract, our skin and through respiration. If we are not able to eliminate all the excess acid residues and toxins in this manner, our body will move them to our extremities or put them in fat cells (and even create more fat cells) to protect vital organs such as our heart and lungs from becoming too acidic. At the same time, a healthy body is also able to produce its own buffers to adjust blood pH. If our bodies are too acidic and no longer able to keep up then blood pH is adjusted through the removal of calcium and magnesium from our bones and muscles. The result of either system being overly taxed results in an overly acidic body eventually causing health conditions such as bone and muscle loss, muscle fatigue, bone spurs and bone pain, inflammation, arthritis, chronic skin conditions and fungus or even cancer - all pretty scary stuff.<br />
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If you want to test your body's pH, you can get a pretty good idea by simply using <a href="http://www.trimedica.com/AlkaMAX-pH-Test-Strips-100ct/productinfo/0738/#.UQVcAr_IWSo" target="_blank">pH test strips</a> that you<br />
can buy at most drug stores or health food stores.<br />
<img alt="Product Image" height="200" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/_vqjq4p2jkDzlKu7Y665O49bEbtgcKjwhHP_U1syWCX1xQ0vaz-lKEk6QC9uGzkt-JxwcDr-ilghyklcypL66JOXZkcldtufVfOszxl0fA8N1C8IYfRHBLEeUb62IWD8AwWsjiLhq7s=s220-c" width="200" /><br />
You can either test your saliva or your urine. Of course, test your saliva between meals and before drinking any liquids. It is good to test yourself two or three times a day over a period of several days to get an idea of whether or not you are overly acidic. Also, it's a good idea to take note of your diet during these times as well to see how different foods may be affecting your body's pH. A healthy pH reading for saliva would be 6.5-7.5 and 6.0-7.0 for urine.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Now comes the challenge of what to eat. Many health experts are recommending that we adopt an alkaline diet, rich in <a href="http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm" target="_blank">foods that help make our bodies more alkaline</a>. A good place to start would be a diet with 50 to 75% alkalizing foods. Such foods include most fruits and vegetables, especially dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and avocados. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyA65Vy0ghUvJVDuCzhiK7tijMIm37xsZY1ppm4v_BECyProe30Q" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, fruits like lemons and limes are very good "alkalizers" as well (I know this is counter intuitive, but many acidic foods become alkaline in the body due to the minerals left in the body after digestion). And we should also limit foods that are acid forming. Unfortunately, these foods are probably the ones that we include in most of our daily meals. <a href="http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm" target="_blank">A short list</a> would be most grains and grain products such as pasta or bread, meats, eggs, nuts, sweets, coffee, black tea, carbonated beverages, dairy and any processed foods including most canned foods. Also, most medications and supplements are acidifying as well.</span><br />
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Where to start? Don't go crazy and try to change everything all at once. I suggest adopting one or two things from this list and see how it affects your pH. Keep adding until your pH is where you want it to be.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://greentobefit.blogspot.com/2013/01/ooh-its-green.html" target="_blank">Green Smoothies</a> - Green smoothies are a great way to change a typical acidic breakfast of eggs, toast or cereal with a super alkalizing drink.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Limit Acidic Beverages - I know we have to have our coffee or carbonated beverage, but try keep it to a minimum and switch to alkalizing drinks such as herbal teas or fresh lemon or lime juice in water. Also, if you have to add sweeteners, use stevia which is alkalizing. Substitute milk with unsweetened almond milk.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Raw Apple Cider Vinegar - Mix a teaspoon or two of raw apple cider vinegar in a glass of water 3 times a day between meals will help you become more alkaline..</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Juice- Juicing fruits and vegetables can be a great way to alkalize. Limit sweet fruits and stick with mostly vegetables for best results. Also, <a href="http://greentobefit.blogspot.com/2013/01/watching-grass-grow.html" target="_blank">wheat grass</a> works wonders for me.</span></li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AMlZK-Yb9bY/UPJSQxVlxmI/AAAAAAAAAGw/59wdplHNBP0/s1600/IMG_0511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AMlZK-Yb9bY/UPJSQxVlxmI/AAAAAAAAAGw/59wdplHNBP0/s320/IMG_0511.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adopt a New Grain - Experiment with grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth and teff. They are all gluten free and much healthier choices than grains such as wheat and rice. Also, sprouted sprouted grain bread is much better than traditional bread. Sprouting makes grains more like vegetables and unlocks many nutrients. Ezekiel bread is a good choice but I really like <a href="http://www.daveskillerbread.com/killer-bread/sprouted-wheat-bread.html" target="_blank">Dave's</a> sprouted wheat bread. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Snack Better - Try carrying a bag of dried dates or figs or raw nuts such as almonds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds with you for when you want something to get you by until the next meal. Or an apple or some veggie sticks work too.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eat a Salad - No, not that little one that's iceberg lettuce and mostly croutons and ranch, but one that fills your plate with dark, leafy greens, peppers, tomatoes, avocados and sprouts (sprouts are super good for you!). Include some raw nuts or dried fruit if you'd like and top with your favorite "healthy" dressing. Remember to eat the rainbow! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Find some Alternatives - Instead of eating that big "gut bomb burger", check the menu and have a veggie burger instead if available. Also, sweet potato fries are a healthier choice than traditional fries. You might be surprised at how good they are. Or make your own<a href="http://www.sistersrunningthekitchen.com/recipes/burgers/favorite-black-bean-burgers/" target="_blank"> veggie burgers</a> at home. Try meatless tacos with seasoned quinoa, potatoes or spaghetti squash. Also, <a href="http://www.rawmazing.com/raw-recipe-simple-almond-cheese/" target="_blank">nut cheese</a> can be a tasty alternative to other cheeses. For condiments, choose <a href="http://www.followyourheart.com/products/" target="_blank">Vegenaise</a> instead of mayo and try <a href="http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-healthy-live-food-products.html" target="_blank">Bragg's</a> line of products. Finally, use Himalayan or Celtic sea salt instead of processed salt. Both have alkalizing minerals in them.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <img alt="Original Vegenaise" src="http://www.foodservicedirect.com/productimages/NFR0605493S.jpg" /> <img alt="Liquid Aminos 10 oz (New! Glass Bottle) - Click Image to Close" height="200" src="http://bragg.com/zencart/bmz_cache/5/55b101eada707895e5d3059f3d560f32.image.188x550.jpg" width="68" />. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are like me, I'm sure you most likely need to work on your diet and add some healthier choices. Try some of the suggestions from above. Best wishes and get alkalized!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-21606697631100656792013-01-19T10:03:00.000-08:002013-01-19T15:49:24.785-08:00Ooh, it's Green! "Ooh, it's Green!" or something of the sort is the response I usually get when I show off one of my green breakfast smoothies. And I would have to admit that, at first I wasn't really keen on drinking anything with buzzed up greens in it. Really, If you want to have something green, have a salad right? And smoothies are really supposed to look like something from an Orange Julius or maybe even the McDonald's drive through. Well look is one thing and taste is another so I figured I would try the infamous green smoothie since I was told they taste great.<br />
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I'm guessing I've been doing green smoothies regularly for about 3 years now. I remember when I first started the breakfast smoothie routine. I'd start with some almond milk, yogurt, whey protein powder, a banana, maybe some peanut butter, frozen fruit and a small handful of fresh, organic spinach. Dang! It was pretty good in spite of the light green color and I couldn't even taste the spinach.<br />
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Well, the good thing about lifestyle changes is they don't have to happen overnight. The green smoothie that I describe above is far from the green smoothie that I have daily today. My "smoothie making" skills evolved and my tastes changed. Now I see the greens as my a blank canvas on (in) which to add a nearly infinite combination of healthy ingredients. Case in point, I have many friends who make green smoothies now and everybody's are different but they are all a healthy alternative to a typical "American" breakfast or lunch.<br />
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So if you're looking to adopt just one healthy change to your lifestyle, I'd recommend the green smoothie as one of your best choices. Once you start with green smoothies, you'll feel refreshed and energized each morning. Maybe it's just knowing that you've just loaded up on super healthy live food full of enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Ever wonder if you're getting your daily 5 servings of fruits and vegetables? If you do your smoothie right, you'll have them and more by the time you leave the house each morning. Smoothies are great for your digestion, help you lose weight and can keep you from having that morning carb crash. They may also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce your chances of getting type 2 diabetes and reduce joint pain and arthritis. The list goes on...<br />
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So what's in a green smoothie? Here's my list of things you might try.<br />
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<li>Liquid Base - You have to have something in there to get things moving. These might include water, milk or nut milk, juice, kefir, kombucha, rejuvelac, coconut milk or water.</li>
<li>Greens - Yes, for it to be green you need greens. It is suggested that you rotate greens as they all have a different nutritional profile. Spinach is a good place to start as it seems to have a pretty neutral taste. Other suggestion would be chard, kale, baby greens or lettuce, collards, beet greens, dandelions, chicory, cilantro, parsley. Remove any woody stems or parts from the greens.</li>
<li>Binder Fruit/Vegetable - If you want your smoothie to be smooth you'll need to include something with lots of soluble fiber in it. This will keep things from separating and help give your smoothie a better taste, feel and texture. My three favorites are bananas, mangoes and apricots but avocados work well too. Other ingredients that help are pear, peaches, peanut butter and almond butter.</li>
<li>Fruits - If you use banana or mango in your smoothie, you don't really need to add more fruit but it's nice for variety and will make it taste awesome. Plus it's a great way to use up that box of apples or bag of oranges that are likely to go bad soon. I like apples, oranges, berries, pineapple, kiwi and grapes. </li>
<li>Probiotics - These are some of the good yeasts and bacteria that you want in your digestive tract. They will help fight bad bacteria which may cause sickness and help with digestion. These are optional but I would recommend them if you want your smoothie to be a "one stop shop" health drink. I use kefir or kombucha regularly in mine but you may also use rejuvelac, yogurt with live culture such as Activia or probiotic capsules or pills.</li>
<li>Super Foods - Why not? If you're going to have a healthy drink, make it super healthy! A few of these would be chia seed, raw honey, bee pollen, raw coconut oil, baby coconut, ground flax seed, goji or acai berries, spirulina, raw cacao or hemp protein. I use raw coconut oil and ground flax in most all my smoothies. I also enjoy bee pollen and chia when I have them.</li>
<li>Something Cold - You'll want your smoothie to be cool and refreshing so add any of the following: ice, frozen bananas, frozen fruit. I love the tropical mix of frozen fruit when I have it but usually I just use ice which works fine.</li>
<li>Vegetables - O.K. While we are on the super healthy drink kick, we might want to add some veggies. I usually do this if I have a smoothie for lunch to give it more of a "V-8 type" flavor. You might add celery, cucumber, tomato, carrots, beets (love the color - a red smoothie!), cilantro or parsley.</li>
<li>Something Acidic - A good smoothie should be fruity. I usually add some fresh lemon/lime juice or raw apple cider vinegar to taste. This will make a bland smoothie come alive.</li>
<li>Supplements - If you have supplements that you just can't seem to remember to take, take them with your smoothie or add them to it. Some that I've incorporated into my smoothies are: fish oil, vitamin powders, probiotics, green powders and protein powders.</li>
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What about Blenders? Most gurus of the green smoothie swear by the Vitamix which is a great blender. However, you may not want to put forth that kind of money to get started with smoothies so I'd recommend trying whatever blender you already have first. We started using the Magic Bullet Blender until we realize we wanted bigger smoothies with more goodies in them. We bought a second blender that burned up within a week or two. We finally got a simple two speed Oster blender for $50 that we've been using for years and it does a great job. So I'd highly recommend it as your first blender if you don't want to pay the $400 or $500 for a top of the line blender.<br />
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So here is one of my smoothies (Note that it makes two large servings).<br />
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I start with 1 1/2 cups kombucha tea (or other liquid) and add greens to the top. This one also has 6 large strawberries in it. Blend.</div>
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I fill the blender up with spinach again and blend again.<br />
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I add two bananas, juice from one lime, 1/2 cup flax seed and two heaping tablespoons of raw coconut oil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of bananas, ground flax seed and raw coconut oil</td></tr>
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I blend once more until smooth with a couple handfuls of ice cubes.</div>
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I'm now ready to serve, drink and enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His and her smoothies<br />
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You may want to start with something a little more simple so here's what you might want to try for your first smoothie.<br />
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Ingredients for one serving:<br />
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1 cup juice <br />
1/2 cup yogurt<br />
1 banana<br />
1 cup baby spinach<br />
several ice cubes or frozen fruit of choice<br />
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Blend together all ingredients until smooth. Serve and enjoy! <br />
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As you can see, the sky's the limit when it comes to green smoothies. You can make them as simple or as complex as you want and they can be different every day. You'll never get bored and your body will thank you. <br />
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For more history and information on green smoothies, visit the people who made them popular at <a href="http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes" target="_blank">http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes</a> .<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-89444318549277026192013-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:002013-01-13T08:42:15.350-08:00Watching the Grass Grow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Buying local, seasonal and organic produce has become a common practice for people living the "whole foods" lifestyle. What a great concept to be able to buy local, healthy produce from your own community - produce that is fresh picked, alive, and ready to nourish your body. You may start with the first greens of spring, move onto berries and stone fruits. Then would come tomatoes, corn, beans and peppers. Finally we would enjoy melons, squash, potatoes, beats and carrots and such.</div>
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Anyone who lives in the northern reaches of the United states or Alaska would soon realize that this practice of buying local, seasonal and organic produce only works until about the end of October leaving November, December, January, February and most of March to fend for whatever types of healthy foods we can find. </div>
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Many times these winter season foods have been stored for months or shipped to our local supermarket from thousands of miles away. Those tomatoes that you buy might last a week before they begin to self destruct while those that you had fresh from your garden last fall would last a month on the counter before doing the same. Face it. It's just hard to get that same freshness and vitality from winter produce.</div>
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It is no wonder that this time of year is also Flu season. There has been quite a bit of research done on the healthy effects of eating a raw "plant based" diet. These foods are alive and full of enzymes that help our bodies easily digest them releasing the many vitamins and minerals provided from such a diet to nourish our bodies. On the contrary cooked and heavily processed foods are void of life and enzymes causing our bodies to work harder to digest them which can weaken our immune system making us vulnerable to the seasonal colds and flu common during the winter months. </div>
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It has been shown that eating these cooked and processed foods causes a condition called "digestive leukocytosis", which is an immune response causing an increase in white blood cells in our bodies. <span style="font-family: inherit;">In the 1930's some research was done by a Dr. Kouchakoff' who found that </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">after a person eats </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">cooked food, his/her blood responds immediately by increasing the number of these cells. A rise in the number of leukocytes after eating was a well-known phenomenon called 'digestive leukocytosis.' Since digestive leukocytosis was always observed after eating, it was considered a normal physiological response. No one knew why the number of white cells would rise. It appeared to be a stress response—as if the body was reacting to something harmful, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, an infection, or some sort of trauma. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, through further research it was found that digestive leucocytosis does not occur after eating raw, whole foods. Eating raw foods then allows your immune system to save it's energy for other things like the cold and Flu that everybody in the office is sharing this time of year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Raw, whole foods? Local, seasonal, organic? Where? If this is a key to good health during the cold and Flu season, what can we do? Might I suggest that you spend some time watching the grass grow? Yes, in spite of the snow in my yard, I've been watching the grass grow since November - the wheatgrass. And what a great place to watch it grow but perched on top of my entertainment center above my TV.</span></div>
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Wheatgrass is a simple solution for something grown local, in season and organic. It has tons of benefits to keep you healthy in the meantime while you wait to reap the fresh produce of the warmer months to come. According to the <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wheatgrass/AN02108" target="_blank">Mayo Clinic's</a> web site, </div>
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Wheatgrass does provide a concentrated amount of nutrients, including iron, calcium, magnesium, amino acids, chlorophyll, and vitamins A, C and E. Wheatgrass fans say that its rich nutrient content boosts immunity, kills harmful bacteria in your digestive system, and rids your body of waste. Some proponents tout wheatgrass for cancer, anemia, diabetes, constipation, infections, skin conditions, colon cleansing, ulcerative colitis and joint pain, among other health concerns. Wheatgrass may also be promoted as a good way to help meet your daily target for vegetable servings.</div>
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There is a lot of information about the immune boosting, healthy benefits of wheat grass so I encourage you to do a little research on your own. Most likely, you will be like me and realize that growing wheat grass in the winter months makes a lot of sense so <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL0URJcZF8w" target="_blank">get started</a>!<br />
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I keep three flats going at a time to ensure that I'm able to get 4 or 5 ounces of juice per day split between my wife and me. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juicing with masticating juicer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite green energizer -wheat grass juice</td></tr>
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So stay healthy this season by growing your own "local, seasonal, organic" raw goodness in wheatgrass. You will enjoy watching the grass grow but not nearly as much as you'll enjoy the energizing benefits of this wonderful "seasonal" drink.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-69954056641762714472013-01-07T19:13:00.002-08:002013-01-09T11:56:01.901-08:00Welcome I like to think of myself as a pretty healthy guy for approaching the 50 year mark. I've always been active and passionate about the outdoors and tried to eat a relatively healthy diet. I've never really been too over weight or had any really serious health problems other than an on and off struggle with asthma. I've been blessed in that regard because I've always had some bad habits too. I have always loved to eat. Eating a whole pizza by myself or a second piece of cheesecake were commonplace. I would drink coffee all day long until I swithched to a few beers in the evenings and more of each on weekends. I'd get into the cookies or ice cream or whatever other sweets I could get in to. Out of all this was born my desire to balance these bad habits with some healthy alternatives such as eating better and exercising regularly.<br />
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Over the past 4 or 5 years I've been working out with two guys who are in excellent health, Phil and Jeff. Phil lives a cleaner lilfestyle than I do as he doesn't drink coffee or alcohol and he's been exercising regularly for years. Jeff is a raw vegan who rarely has anything that strays from this category and has recently begun exercising regularly over the past several years as well. Anyway...whether it was biking or skate skiing (which are our main activities), I was always lagging behind Jeff and Phil. <br />
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After a year or so we became more equal in performance during our workouts but Jeff, the raw vegan, seemed to consistenntly have the edge over both Phil and me. I was amazed at this as I always thought that elite athletes needed to eat tons of fish and lean meat, dairy and carbs like pasta (not that I really consider us elite athletes). Yet Jeff could go strong for a 70 mile bike ride or a 20 mile skate ski. I realized that some days my legs would feel weak and I just couldn't seem to be competitive while other days I felt reallly strong and was able to challenge Jeff and Phil.<br />
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Given all of this, I decided that Jeff was either endowed with some kind of great exercise gene or that there had to be something to this raw vegan thing. So I began to adopt some of Jeff's diet suggestions. I started with green smoothies for breakfast. I progressed to eating a mostly vegetarian diet. Then I graduated to having breakfast and lunch mostly raw. And currently, I am working on trying to eat mostly raw foods but also trying to focus on alkalizing foods as well.<br />
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Currently, Jeff and I now seem to be the leaders during our workouts. Phil is now making comments like "I guess I'll have to become a vegetarian to keep up". I now feel consistently strong during exercise and realize that diet has made all the difference.<br />
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I'll be the first to admit that lifestyle changes like these are not easy but they will make a huge difference in ones life. However such chages will most likely help you feel better and have more energy, lose weight, sleep better, perform at a higher level while exercising and look younger! I'm hoping that, through my blogs, I can help others adopt a few healthy changes in their daily routine. So stay tuned for lots of hopefully interesting stuff be it a green smoothie for breakfast, a new grain like quinoa or teff, wheat grass shots or microgreens, a garden tip, new recipes or maybe even an exercise tip just to mention a few possible topics.<br />
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Best wishes!<br />
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Keith<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297810209843950245.post-81475933000775485072013-01-07T10:07:00.000-08:002013-01-13T17:06:32.361-08:00Kick some Asthma!As we start the new year, many of us once again return to making resolutions about our health. Maybe we want to lose weight or eat better. Maybe we want to exercise more or quit some of those bad habits that we have. I wish you luck, but if you are like the average person resolutions are soon forgotten and we return to our old ways just to start over again the following year.<br />
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Well even if your diet doesn't work out, or if your new exercise routine fizzles, I want to encourage you to be proactive with your health. So many times, we become sick or have a health issue and we rush off to the doctor looking for answers. I've been there and doctors can be a great resource to help us get better many times with just a cream, some pills or possibly a shot and life is soon back to normal. This is all great when this quick fix works. But what about the times that you don't get better and have to go back? More cream, more pills, another shot? At some point we have to say enough.<br />
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Now let me tell you my story. At 45 years of age, I had struggled my whole life with asthma resulting in numerous trips to the doctor or to the emergency room in the middle of the night. I was given painful allergy tests and weekly shots to reduce my reactions to pollen and other airborne particles. Doctors gave me pills, inhalers and specific instructions how to get better and manage asthma through their use. I was ok with that for a long time because it worked.<br />
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Then came the day that I had to see my allergist to renew my prescription for my inhalers. One was for asthma attacks and the other was for daily use to prevent them. The resulting visit required me to breath in tubes and do a variety of tests to check my lung function. The doctor asked me if I was taking my daily inhaler as prescribed and I guiltily told him that I only used it when I was feeling short of breath. I was told that this was not sufficient and that I needed to take it twice a day as directed. He went on to tell me that I had the lungs of a 60 year old and that if I didn't manage to get my asthma under control right away, I'd develop chronic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COPD">obstructive airway disease</a> <strong>(</strong>COPD). OK, COPD or take my medicine as directed? This was not a tough decision for me. He sent me home and told me to come back in a month to see how I was progressing.<br />
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A month later, I returned to my allergist who asked how I was doing. I told him that I was taking my medicine as directed and felt like I was getting worse. Some more tests and he sent me off with a prescription of the highest dose provided for this medicine. After several more weeks, my asthma was getting even worse. I was constantly short of breath and taking my rescue inhaler several times a day. I found myself clock watching so I could take my next dose of meds to try and feel better. I was relatively young, exercised regularly and ate a pretty healthy diet. I was not going to live the rest of my life taking large doses of inhaled steroids to prevent the ominous COPD that was ensuing if I didn't. That is when I said enough is enough.<br />
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I decided to research some natural methods to control my asthma. In my search I came across the Buteyko Breathing Method developed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Buteyko" title="Konstantin Buteyko">Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko</a> . His belief was that asthma is a reaction to hyperventilation or "overbreathing". This overbreathing causes us to breathe out too much carbon dioxide (CO2) from our lungs. Healthy lung function should maintain an ideal 6-7% CO2. So where do we get that CO2 from when the air we breathe in has less than 1%? Our body has to make it! So asthmatics breathe in such a way that we purge our lungs of most of this CO2. The result will be an asthma attack or a reaction to this lack of CO2 in our lungs.<br />
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This was a revelation because, as asthmatics, our tendency is to try to breathe in deeper and more air when we feel an asthma attack coming on. We struggle to force air into our lungs which only makes our body react more. What really needs to happen, is that we need to breathe less so that we can build up the CO2 reserves in our lungs. Aha! Now I understood why I had to keep taking higher and higher doses of asthma medication. The medication allowed me to continue to breathe improperly which would create an even stronger asthmatic reaction from my body. And this overbreathing would also explain why some people have exercise induced asthma as an increase in breathing rate could cause CO2 deficits as well.<br />
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Now how did I put all this knowledge into practice? I went to Amazon and found a book by <span jquery1357492334268="97"><span class="contributorNameTrigger" jquery1357492334268="96"><a asin="B006X1OD3UB003WUXJ58" href="http://www.amazon.com/Patrick-McKeown/e/B006X1OD3U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" id="contributorNameTriggerB006X1OD3UB003WUXJ58" jquery1357492334268="82">Patrick McKeown</a> titled <span id="btAsinTitle">"Asthma-Free Naturally: Everything you need to know about taking control of your asthma". This book was a great resource in understanding asthma and the Buteyko Breathing Method. After reading the book, I began working on my breathing on a daily basis. </span></span></span><span jquery1357492334268="97"><span class="contributorNameTrigger" jquery1357492334268="96">After three months, I was able to quit my asthma medication and have not used it for over three years now. I live an active lifestyle and exercise regularly without any asthma symptoms. I regularly will go for a two or three hour bike ride or skate ski in the cold of winter while being asthma free. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span jquery1357492334268="97"><span class="contributorNameTrigger" jquery1357492334268="96"></span></span><span jquery1357492334268="97"><span class="contributorNameTrigger" jquery1357492334268="96">Of course, it's highly unlikely that you will ever learn about the Buteyko Breathing Method from your allergist. I'm betting that he/she probably doesn't really even understand the connection between CO2 content and lung function. </span></span><span jquery1357492334268="97"><span class="contributorNameTrigger" jquery1357492334268="96">So I encourage you all to be proactive in your health. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. God gave us miraculous bodies that can heal themselves in many cases without modern medicine if we take the time to understand and remediate the causes of our illnesses rather than just taking a pill or a cream or a shot to alleviate the resulting ailments.</span></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02326566606467539968noreply@blogger.com0