Posts tagged: produce
How to Make Sparkling, Carbonated Fruit.
By Chrisjob
Dude! Don't you wish you'd seen this over the summer during the height of berry season!?
My fave food blog CHOW offers this fine video tutorial - carbonated fresh fruit! You add fruit and berries to a C02 powered soda bottle, and then give them the gas. After about thirty minutes, the liquid in the fruit gets all bubbly, making it a fun addition to salads, desserts, and drinks!
Food Flags.
By Chrisjob
These food flags, created by WHYBIN for the Sydney International Food Festival are not only made completely from edibles, but from produce and cooked dishes that hail from the countries whose likeliness is ablazed.
How To Use Up Your Tomato Tonnage.
By ChrisjobEarlier this summer, it seemed as if we'd never get any red tomatoes...the high amounts of precipitation kept the leaves limited and the fruit green.
But now...here they come, faster than any household can consume. Here's three ideas, quick "sun-dried" tomatoes, DIY ketchup, and an easy freezing technique, that uses your bounty to the fullest.
How To: Make Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Wash.
By Chrisjob
Whether your produce is treated or straight from your own organic-method backyard, it's always wise to wash it before consuming. If commercial, washing will remove any chemicals, waxes, or supplements, and if natural, it can help rid your goodies of dirt or insects. A quick spray 'wash' helps save water, plus "most chemicals used on produce won't be washed off with a simple application of water—if they were, they wouldn't be very effective in th » READ MORE
Cherry Jubilee Week: Easy Cherry Syrup and a Sparkling Cherry Cooler.
By Chrisjob
So, on Saturday, I went to pick up my weekly CSA harvest, and the wonderful young lady pointed to an enormous box of bing cherries, and said, "Also, you're welcome to take as many of those as you want, but they're super ripe, so they gotta be used today."
"Really?" I said, as I grabbed a produce bag.
"Yeah. Take the whole box if you want..."
Well, I DID want, so I took the box, and realized, as I popped my third into my mouth on the walk hom » READ MORE
How to Store Your Seeds for Next Season.
By ChrisjobKnow what's better than growing your own produce and herbs from your own seedlings? Growing them from seeds from your own harvest. It's even more ecologically responsible, eliminates more middle-people, and...well, passes the savings onto you.
The real trick is figuring out the optimum environment to let them lie dormant so they're prepped to germinate next season. TipNut has all the tricks laid out here.
Drive-Thru CSA Opens This Week.
By Chrisjob
Community Supported Agriculture - CSA - "consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production." (From Wikipedia)
They're kinda like instant grocery shopping...so, the Ramirez Farm in Riverside California has combined the system with another instant service, the dr » READ MORE
How To Ripen Tomatoes.
By Chrisjob
I can't speak for the rest of the States, but in my climate, the intense amount of rain and cool temperatures equals little sun, very few fireflies, and enormous homegrown tomatoes still a bright green on the vine. So, here's a few options from TipNut to encourage ripening on and off the vine.
Sew Your Own Cheap & Easy Produce Bags
By DIY Maven
A while back I picked up a set of three produce bags at my local co-op for about 9 bucks. I love them, but I must admit I did balk at the price. The always very crafty Linda at Craftstylish shows us how easy it is to sew our own CHEAP produce bags using mesh fabric. To make some, you'll need the following » READ MORE
10 Tips for Starting a Simple Garden.
By ChrisjobBriana Feola of Brainstorm Print & Design. is a full time artist with a huge passion for gardening. She's assembled ten great tips for Indie Fixx on getting started with your own food production garden.
1) START SMALL
2) START PLANTS INSIDE
3) COMPOST!
4) OBTAIN APPROPRIATE SUPPLIES
5) PICK SEEDS AND PLANTS NATIVE TO YOUR AREA
6) GET PROPER FENCING TO KEEP CRITTERS OUT
7) GET THE SOIL READY
8) DON’T PLANT TOO SOON
9) DON’T FORGET TO » READ MORE
13 Strategies for Shopping Farmer's Markets.
By ChrisjobTis the season for locally grown goodness, sunny Saturday mornings, and actually smiling at those who grow and pick your food.
So, do it well, with these thirteen suggestions from the Chicago Tribune:
1 Make a schedule.
2 Decide on your priorities.
3 Plan your cook-in nights.
4 Bring your own reusable bags.
5 Get up early.
6 Don't expect bargains.
7 Do a walkthrough first.
8 Meet the vendors.
9 Ask for tips on preparation and recipes.
Ten Ways to Use Herbs to Freshen Your Home.
By Chrisjob
In most areas of the country, it's almost time to go ahead and plant your produce-producing annuals. But unlike your fresh fruits and veggies, you can actually use your herb seedlings as soon as you get them in the ground. Here's ten ways from TipNut to use fresh herbs in your spring cleaning and home maitenance.
- Homemade Herbal Carpet Freshener Recipe
- Herbal Mattress Freshener
- Homemade Herbal Lavender Dryer Bags
- Bugs-Be-Gone Bags
- Homemade Her » READ MORE
How To: Celery Stamped Gift Wrap.
By ChrisjobPotato pirnts are fabulous and super fun, but their big blocky, starchy selves mean either a huge block of color, or your own, carved design.
But, give mother a nature a chance to pick the pattern this time with making prints with celery. A little wispy, a little floral and a whole buncha cool. Pair with some scrap paper for an excellent homemade gift wrap option.
Make Your Own Melon Brains.
By Chrisjob
It's always marvelous to see what can be created with a bit o' produce and a knife. This autumn, besides all the brilliant jack-o-lanterns (which are created, after all, with produce and a knife), the watermelon brain joins the flanks nicely. Click here for a full how-to from Scoochmaroo.
How To Keep Fruits and Veggies Fresh With Proper Storage
By Chrisjob
So...apparently its not as simple as putting things you want to be crisp in the 'crisper'...no wonder my SoySnaps keep getting soggy.
Buying fresh produce is essential to not only a healthful, but tasty, lifestyle. But unlike their frozen, or (blech!) canned varieties, fresh fruits and vegetables can become spoiled if not used quickly enough. Divine Caroline offers this handy chart and other storage tips to protect your investment and the flav » READ MORE
Video How-To: Sustainable Food Shopping.
By Chrisjob
Improving your home's efficiency and lessening your dependence of fossil fuels is only part of the necessary change. You also have to eat like you give a damn. Check out Dr. Bill Chameides' first video for The Green Grok on sustainable food shopping.
What To Plant Now: Seeding for Late Season Success.
By Chrisjob
Hmmm...Who knew? It's not too late to plant new vegetables to enjoy this season, even from seeds! Beans, carrots, summer squash, cucumbers, herbs like parsley, basil, and cilantro are still fine for summer, and its actually time to start planting cold weather crops broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, and turnips. And you can wait until mid-August for greens such as lettuce, spinach, and argula. "Starting seeds in July can be tricky, though, because it’s so » READ MORE
What You Should (and Shouldn't) Buy Organic.
By ChrisjobOrganic foods and produce are healthier for consumers and the environment, but they can be expensive and acrue large transportation costs. Greenopolis has collected a list of those things that are worth buying organic, and those that its best just to try to buy locally when possible.
No Need:
- Avocado
- Banana
- Pineapple
- Kiwi
- Mango
- Papaya
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Onions
Yes, Indeed:
- Fruits: Peaches, Apples, Nectarines, Strawberr » READ MORE
Just say NO to plastic produce bags and hello to BYO Bags!
By DIY Maven
So you've switched from paper or plastic and gone to reusable grocery bags. If you haven't yet done so, it's now time to ditch non-recyclable plastic produce bags for something a bit more earth-friendly too. A great alternative to them are the fabulous BYO Bags. They’re made of a lightweight nylon mesh that’s not only breathable, but durable, washable, quick drying and, of course, reusable. I found my set of 3–one small, one medium and one large » READ MORE
Find Your Local Farmer's Markets.
By Chrisjob
The USDA has assembled a searchable database for finding markets that feature fresh, locally grown produce and other comestibles. Simply enter your city and state or zip code, and find markets in your area. How useful!
Via.
