the highlight of my week? picking up our organic csa veggie box!

sure to inspire this week’s recipes are:

- 2 red bell peppers and bunches little green ones
- green beans
- cherry tomatoes and 3 large heirloom tomatoes
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 3 baskets of strawberries (can’t believe their still growing here!)
- 6 ears of corn
- 4 zucchinis
- 1 bunch of carrots
- 3 heads of lettuce

getting this box of local organic veggies every week is truly the most rewarding food we get. it keeps us in touch with the seasons, eating locally and cooking different things every week. use local harvest to help find a community supported agriculture farm in your area!

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buying organic (and local!) produce is extremely important to me. sometimes though, my wallet just won’t allow for it. knowing which items are most and least important to purchase organic has been a tremendous help to me (and our bank account!), so i thought you might be able to use the info as well. here’s a simple guide to what you should always buy organic, and what other items are naturally low in pesticides (usually due to their thick skins).

THE WORST for pesticides (buy these organic):

spinach, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, kale/collard greens, potatoes, bell peppers, celery and grapes.

always try to buy these organic, as their thinner skins allow for the most amount of pesticides to reside within.

THE BEST (lowest in pesticides):

onions, sweet corn, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, eggplant, pineapple, sweet potato, melons and avocado.

when you’re in a money pinch, you can always rest assure that these veggies and fruits have the lowest amount of pesticides.

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first csa box of august! local organic veggies and a yellow fleshed watermelon – yum.

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yesterday, we picked up an extra csa box from our local honor stand, and i think i’m addicted. freshly picked organic produce from a farm i can see out our living room window. now that’s a farm to fork mileage i can be proud of!

for a california june, we got carrots, strawberries, raspberries, fennel, kale, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, dill and some beets. now it’s time to plan our meals for the week! do you have any favorite ways to use beets?

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LABELS. they are everywhere, yet there still needs to be more. they can be overwhelming, confusing and even misleading! today i’m going to introduce several labels that you should keep an eye out for and support. next week we’ll discuss some that can be a little misleading, or confusing. are you ready?
 

organic. certified by the us department of agriculture to meet standards that don’t allow the use of most conventional pesticides, genetic engineering, and routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones in livestock. visit the usda website to learn more.

fair trade. fair trade partnerships seek to offer better trading conditions to, and secure the rights of, marginalized producers and workers, especially in developing counties. certification by the fair trade labeling organization international guarantees that a product’s fair trade claims have been independently audited and verified.

local. there are no consistent standards for use of the term, which may refer to a region, a state or the immediate ridgeline or watershed. it may also be applied to product that are made locally but of imported ingredients.

clean. foods certified by organizations like scientific certification systems to have met voluntary standards in one or more areas of potential concern, including pesticide residues, food pathogens, industrial contaminants and heavy metals, and food safety procedures and practices throughout the food supply chain.

fair labor. currently two organizations certify safe and fair ag labor practices in the u.s.: scs certified and safe ag employer. criteria include equitable hiring, and employment practices, safe workplace conditions, workers right to organize, worker housing, child labor, and access to health, education and transportation services.

sustainable. sustainable food certification programs address an array of social and environmental issues that go beyond ‘organic’, including safe and fair working conditions, healthy and humane care for livestock, reduced pesticide use, reduced water and non-renewable energy use, and enhanced soil health. visit the food alliance to learn more.

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{say yes to carrots, alba, burt’s bees, terra sport, badger}

i know some of you still have snow covered grounds, and others of you may be pulling out your jackets for the upcoming winter season, but no matter what the weather, we all need to protect our precious skin, right? it seems that every year i struggle finding a decent sunscreen. i get weary of reading labels and finding chemical after chemical listed. i have tried several all natural sunscreens, and while some have worked, others have left me burnt, white streaked or greasy. so my question for you today is,

have you found an all natural, chemical free sunscreen that you like?

please do share! i’m desperate.

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inspired by natural and antique materials, brittany broas of home ground creates the most organic and lovely jewelry.  with earrings, bracelets and necklaces, her affordable fall line has something to compliment every style.  enjoy free shipping within the u.s. through the month of december, and gather some of her lovelies for gifts… of for yourself!

interested in advertising on going home to roost? click here to find out more!

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caroline’s taking a little break today, so i’m here to share some useful gardening q&a with you!  we often get questions from readers, and caroline’s answers are just to good to keep from you!

{abby lanes}

Question: Recently I have noticed that my tomato plants – all 8 of them – are not producing anything. I got a little concerned because they are 3 feet high – they look great and happy – but no fruit! Boo!! So, i asked my gardening girlfriend what she thought I should do and she suggested that my soil may be lacking calcium. Hmmm… since I’m new to this gardening gig I think to myself: “where do you get calcium? Do I give them a little milk?” (kidding) So, i called another friend that gardens and he said to try some osmocote (sp?). I have used osmocote in the past on porch plants and they love it- but is it OK for food?? I don’t want to put any chemically stuff on something I’m going to eat. Do you have any tips? Suggestions??

Also, I have an old brick coop in the back – that needs major cleaning up – its sturdy with a tin roof (made probably circa 1930) but the open windows will need some chicken wire – and the door opening has no door (rats!). I’m pretty sure there are black widows in there and there is no way this gal is going in there to tidy it up with those monsters in there. Any tips on how to get them out? – Kristen

Answer: Hi Kristen! Non-flowering tomato plants are usually a sign of too much nitrogen in the soil. Have your soil tested at your local cooperative extension center and let them know you are experiencing non flowering tomato plants. Calcium depletion in the soil usually shows up as tomato blossom end rot – so a calcium deficiency would not be my first guess. I’m thinking they will probably have you add potash or potassium to the soil, but don’t go guessing! You can also try stressing the plants a bit – lessen up on the water for a few days. I would not use osmocote on food products – that stuff is pretty toxic to ingest. Don’t feed them anything until you get that soil test done. At this time of year it should not take long at all to get results.

Black widows! How timely as well – I found some black widow carcasses in my garage this past week and I’m on high alert now….but I’m not going to do much more than diatomaceous earth, a flashlight and a long broom to clean up the cobwebs. You can spray the chicken coop with water or use a hose end sprayer with some liquid soap mixed in to flood/kill the spiders before you actually go too far inside to clean up. Neem is also pretty effective…but you knew I would say that, I’m sure! Good luck, go in the covered up…no flip flops for you, wear a hat and long gloves. Be careful and be brave!!! -Caroline

{allison trentelman}

Question: I need help! I planted windowboxes, organic, with zinnias, sweetpeas, nasturium and cilantro. And they have bugs! Ugly little buggers, some look like beetles, others fly… but I need to get rid of them pronto. I was thinking maybe a salt water mix, or baking soda? But I really don’t want to try without advice. If you can help I would SO appreciate it! :) – Anna

Answer: Hi Anna. Thanks for your question. I would advise you to never ever use regular salt in your garden. Salt is actually really toxic for your soil and not a good idea to spray on plants. Epsom salts are a different story, but they are not effective as bug control. I would recommend knocking the beetles into a bowl of soapy water and then spraying with Neem. Here is a link to a safer, organic Neem product I have found very effective.  Beetles are tenacious and you do need to spray every few days to control them.” – Caroline

{chives}

Question: I have something eating the leaves and new buds of one of my pansies and one of my dianthus in my small flower garden…guessing they are slugs since I can’t see them during the day (better go out one night to see if I can spot ‘em!)…anyway, read to put epsom salt around the plants…did it today…think it’ll work? any other tips? (update): Went to the local landscaper today b/c the epsom salts did NOT work AND I caught one of the little buggers this morning…at the other end of the garden! anyway, she is ordering me “sluggo” – said it is safe for kiddos and pets! hope it does the trick…- Jes

Answer: Jes answered her own question! Sluggo is great for slugs and safe around kids. – Caroline

{pink princesses in the garden}

do you have any gardening questions? leave your questions here, or visit the ladybug landscaping facebook page to ask caroline directly!

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