Urban Organic Gardener

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 container. I planned on thinning them out when they grew their true leaves so only the strongest stood. Six-weeks later and still nothing. I shouldn’t say nothing,...

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 get to partake in anymore. We just see it as congregating around a table and eating it. Some of the time it’s not even that, it’s something that’s done...

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 rounds or strips. Add thyme, chopped up basil, olive oil, salt and pepper to lemon garlic mixture. Pour it over the zucchini to cover and toss it. Put in oven at 400...

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 at the label to see where it’s from. I started to do this when I was living in NYC and saw Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru and other far off countries. There wasn’t...

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 Plastic Rice? This article is citing a source that was in Korean, but the sad part is that it isn’t out of the realm of being completely viable. If it’s...

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 sea salt into the kale until it starts to wilt down. It might take 2-3 minutes. Pour olive oil and raw honey into lemon, garlic and onion mixture. Shake it up and pour...

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 rid of the pests and insects, but what else are they doing? You don’t rinse off chemicals It’s not as simple as using some water and washing the item...

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 not nearly that artistic I got some inspiration from Life on the Balcony. Her finished containers are more stylish than mine, but I’m working on it. This would...

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 Blend up until nice and smooth adding more water as necessary. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by-Hfv2vWhg Recent recipes 8 Dehydrating Recipes You’ve Got To Try...

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 in the hands of others. Think about it. Humans have grown their own food for hundreds and thousands of years. Civilizations and societies were built around...