Thursday, June 21, 2012

eat

some of the edibles growing in my garden or in pots on my deck...
Meyer lemon
There are several lemons on this plant!  They are about the size of a couple cherry tomatoes put together.  Here's a photo of the lemon in my hand. ↓  See the beautiful sweet-scented lemon blossom in an earlier POST.



hot peppers
I've brought this plant inside for 2 Winters now.  During that time, it lives in my basement and is very neglected and is watered very little.  It revives when brought outside and exposed to sun and watering.

baby mixed lettuces
Growing lettuce, Asian greens, Swiss chard, and spinach in pots is so easy!  I simply pick the outer leaves and the plants keep on growing.

yellow cherry tomatoes
My FIRST ripe tomato!  I'm so excited!  and it's not even July yet!  Yes, yes, I do know it's small...but it's ripe...and it's my first!

stevia
I have 2 kinds of stevia growing in pots on my deck.  The leaves are a natural sweetener.  The tags says "300 times sweeter than sugar without the calories."  I had a plant in the past which I over-wintered in my basement.  I suppose it was too neglected because it didn't make it.  Stevia is hardy in zones 8-10.  

thyme, rosemary, and a couple basil leaves visible in the back
I love basil!  I grow several varieties, which I start from seed, in pots on my deck.  Both basil and rosemary smell so heavenly!  I bought these 3 plants and put them together in one pot.  Only the thyme is a perennial in my zone, so I'll plant that in the garden in the Fall.

thyme in the garden
Thyme is in the mint family and spreads by runners underground and by seeds.  I think it is a pretty and low growing addition to the garden.  The lavender flowers attract bees.

parsley flower and leaves
The parsley is going to seed.  That's great because fresh, new plants will soon be coming up.  (This parsley is growing in the pot in which the Carolina wrens made a nest.  See that post HERE.)


EAT:  to consume or ingest food to provide for nutritional or medicinal needs, especially for energy and growth.  All heterotrophs* must eat in order to survive.

We all know what eating is, but the question that remains is what exactly is food?  According to Michale Pollan, humans ingest much edible food-like substances.  One of his food rules is "Don't eat anything incapable of rotting.”  (In Defense of Food:An Eater's Manifesto)

In thinking of food, we do need to consider how it was raised.  Our health is at stake.  I won't go into any depth here.  
I will share this list that I recently came across.  It is published by the nonprofit EWG--Environmental Working Group, whose mission "is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment."  The list is a Shopper's Guide to Pesticide in Produce.  The link is in the list below.  I will share with you here the 3 worst produce items:  apples, celery, and sweet bell peppers.  The website itself is interesting to peruse. 

*heterotrophs--organisms that need carbon but cannot fix it themselves.

LINKS:
115 Michael Pollan quotes
Fresh, the movie, BLOG 


I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!

photos by me © 2012    all rights reserved

35 comments:

  1. You've got a great garden going! I'm so mad I didn't get any tomatoes and peppers planted this year! Time to hit up the farmers market :)

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  2. First of all, your plants are coming along nicely! I strive to make my little container garden more like yours:) I ate my first ripe cherry tomato in an omelet today! Secondly, I LOVE Pollan. Read all of his books:)

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  3. That lemon is so pretty! Everything looks so fresh and delicious, I love fresh herbs. Like the comment above I'll be going to the farmers' market for most of my produce. Our spring weather was so weird I hardly got anything planted.

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  4. The place we rented for a week on Jekyll Island had a Key lime tree and a cumquat(sp???) tree that still had some fruit on them. Both were so delicious!

    Your photos are wonderful!!!

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  5. great success with your fruit and veggies -- and out of the ordinary. I envy your results!

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  6. thanks for the pesticide list. I've always known about apples, but wasn't sure what the others were. Thank you for the link. Your produce looks beautiful.
    Dana

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  7. sounds like a great link! And I was just thinking about getting apples last night! Love all your herbs. Do you put the stevia in tea? {:-D

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  8. You have an awesome edible garden! I enjoyed seeing the pictures of your many various plants. Maybe someday I'll get the motivation to do some gardening.

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  9. Yum! Everything looks so good! Congrats on your tomato!! There's nothing better that a freshly picked tomato that you grew yourself!

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  10. Your garden looks fantastic! I wish I had a green thumb!

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  11. Yum! Everything looks great and there is a bit of envy in me as I look at the photos. I know that is wrong but what a great turnout for your hard work.

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  12. Great garden plants! Wow! I enjoying growing things, too.

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  13. A ripe tomato already - what a treat!

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  14. Wonderful and delicate pictures, with these so exquisite and delicious detalless plants, my favorites are the tomates.Saludos.

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  15. My dear friend,
    9 times out of 10, if we eat this kind of food on a regular basis, chances are we will be much more healthy. Great and interesting pictures.

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  16. onderful garden and wonderful post of things you can 'Eat' from your garden. Do you give lessons? Mrs. Jim gave me a lemon tree one year. It is still growing.

    But, ... The first year it had six lemons, the second year two, and no more for the next four years now. It blooms but no lemons set on. I think the bees have all left us. And the birds are of 'no account.'
    ..

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  17. I would love to have a lemon tree! I use lemon in all kinds of things. I'm a big iced tea drinker and I go through about 2 lemons a week in my teas. I'm so jealous!!!

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    1. I got it last fall. I was told to treat it like a ficus, bringing it indoors in the Winter. It's outside now. We'll see how it goes....

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  18. Absolutely beautiful! I am so jealous of the tomato, we are at least a month away...

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  19. Absolutely beautiful! I am so jealous of the tomato, we are at least a month away...

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  20. I'm thinking tall cocktails with fresh lemon and tomato salsa! Yum!

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  21. Your tomatoes are way ahead of mine. I just got the yellow flowers on mine still. I love planting a garden in pots. That way I avoid bunny nibbling. ;)
    xo Catherine

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  22. It's amazing what you are growing in containes! I think you should indeed be proud of your little ripe tomato. Bravo!

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  23. I love your garden, especially with all the vegetables and herbs you have their. My cilantro came back this year, and Italian basil too, but they don't do so good.

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  24. It looks like you will have a lot to EAT! We joined a community garden this year because our yard has so much shade that apart from our fruit trees (lemon, pear, and pomegranate) we can't grow much food. My hubby did plant a couple of barrels with tomatoes, squash, chives, and peppers. We'll see how they do. He also tells me that we have a volunteer pumpkin vine growing in the mulch pile, so that should be fun.

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  25. What a wonderful garden you have! I love it each year when my herbs pop back up without tending in the yard (& I'm in Zone 5!). Enjoy your delicious produce.

    & that EWG is a great site, I always go there when I want to check out makeup and creams, too.

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  26. What a wonderful bounty! And lovely photos on your blog!

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  27. You are going to have some excellent meals out of that bounty.

    Is there anything more exquisite than fresh fruits and vegetables glowing in the sunlight!

    Thanks for a beautiful little link this week.

    A+

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