Author Archives: Mike Lieberman

It’s almost July. Crazy ain’t it?!?! Around the country most of you should be at least a month deep into your growing seasons. You should have already thinned out some seedlings after their true leaves shown and done succession plantings. You’ve already shared your spring garden ideas with me and last month you told me how your May gardening was coming...

Here’s what you’ll need: 1 large ripe peach Tablespoon of dried tarragon or some fresh sprigs 2 handfuls of walnuts 1/4 of a small red onion 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons of oil divided. You can use olive oil, but I used coconut oil. Bed of greens. Mine were red leaf lettuce and arugula. How to make: Heat up a pan and put the walnuts on it to dry pan roast them. Stir...

The main reason that so many people get behind chemical gardening and agriculture is the belief that it’s the only way to feed the world. This load of crap has been force fed to us by the same companies that are producing the food. What else do you expect them to say? They have all of us believing that with the rising population and our limited resources that organic...

Isn’t it mad frustrating and annoying when you start your seeds and they don’t sprout? Generally seeds will take somewhere between 7-14 days to sprout, depending on the seed. Once it hits that 14 day mark with no sprouts, start getting concerned. About six-weeks ago, I started some lemon balm seeds on my balcony garden. They were planted in four parts of the...

I’ve said it before that we are humans, therefore we grow food. If you look back at societies, civilizations and communities, you will see that the common factor was growing food. Over the past 100 or so years, that skill has been lost to chemical agriculture and the ability to transport food long distances. There is so much that goes into food that we don’t...

Here’s what you’ll need: 3-4 small zucchini or 2 large 1 lemon 2 cloves of garlic 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme or tablespoon of dried 3-4 leaves of basil or tablespoon of dried Tablespoon of olive oil Dash of sea salt and pepper How to make: Chop up garlic put into a small jar or dish. Squeeze lemon over garlic. Let sit for a few minutes. Cut up zucchini into...

One of the reasons that I started my fire escape garden in 2009 is because I learned that on average our food travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate. That’s about the distance from one coast of the United States to the center of the country. The next time you are at the grocery store or supermarket (aren’t they the same thing?), pick up some produce and look...

I am gonna start to write a new monthly post and call it the “WTF Food News.” In the post I’ll highlight some food stories from the previous weeks that make you tilt your head, curl your brow, lift your shoulders and make that face like you thought you had to fart, but something else came out. So here is the first installment: Care2: Is China Manufacturing...

Here’s what you’ll need: 1 head of kale 1 lemon Few slices of onion Clove of garlic Tablespoon of olive oil Teaspoon of raw honey Dash of sea salt How to make: Chop up garlic and onion and put into a small jar or dish. Squeeze lemon over garlic and onion and let sit for a few minutes. Cut up kale and put into bowl. Sprinkle sea salt over kale. Massage the...

When people ask why they should grow their own food, one of the top reasons I give is because of the chemicals and pesticides that are used to treat our food. Just because you are growing your own, doesn’t mean that you aren’t using chemicals and the toxic crap like Miracle Grow, but it means that you have more control over it. Yes the pesticides might be getting...

People (haters) often bust my balls about how ugly my balcony garden is. They say that it’s beaten up and used 5-gallon containers and not very pretty. I’ve decided to take the challenge of the haters and decorate my self-watering containers. One of my containers was decorated by my girlfriend, Anita, who did a much better job than I could ever do. Since I’m...

Here’s what you’ll need: 1 lemon Handful of dill Handful of cilantro Handful of parsley Handful of basil Tablespoon of olive oil Few slices of onion Half handful of nuts or seeds of your choice (I used sunflower seeds) Clove of garlic How to make: Squeeze lemon into blender or food processor Add rest of the ingredients Splash in some water to get it movin ...

When people ask why they should grow their own food, I don’t break out all kinds of reports and studies that tell how it’s better for you and the environment. I break it down even simpler and tell them it’s because we are human. It’s what we do. It’s not until the last 100 or so years that we’ve stopped growing our own and put that responsibility...

Here’s what you’ll need: Bok choy Mustard greens 2-3 Carrots 2-3 broccoli florets How to make: Cut up bok choy, mustard greens, carrots and broccoli florets and layer in your steamer. Steam for 10-12 minutes Add to serving bowl. Top with sauce of your choice or with olive oil, lemon and sea salt. ...

We all know that food is wasted in our country, but there was a post on Planet Green “1/3 of Global Food Production Goes to Waste” written by Sara Novak that caught my eye. Think about that. Over 30% of the food in this country that is grown for human consumption is wasted. To me that shows a lack of appreciation for food. It’s not too much of a surprise...