Chicken and Superbugs

In case you have just wandered onto this blog on a whim or random Google link, let me be clear about my food choices. I NEVER buy meats from the grocery stores, and not much produce except in winter when there’s no local hoophouse stuff available. I do as much home-grown and/or organic as possible.

My health is not good (stemming from years of work-related causes) but I'd probably be dead already if not for my food choices over the last few years. 

When I say I buy no commercial “no meats” I really mean it, but especially NOT any chicken. Here’s one reason why:

Half Of Supermarket ChickenHarbors Superbugs, Consumer Reports Finds

Tyson chicken houses are everywhere in Virginia, but thankfully none are very near me. They are now making biochar from the Tyson waste and I won’t even buy that for my garden. Yuck. Instead I use the charred bits from my wood stove on my garden.

I buy local organic grass-fed meats despite the higher cost, and I believe (in addition to being tasty) it benefits my health, plus cuts down my health-care costs. I cure my own bacon from domestic hogs that roam our wooded mountain slopes, and make my own butter from local cream that's not ultra-pasteurized. I also make a lot of my own cheese. Occasionally when I get off the mountain to a large city, I look for wild shrimp and fish but those gets harder to find every year. 

If you've tread much about native american and early settler life, you know they ate the organs of meat animals long before they'd eat the muscle meats. That's because the organs contain so much more nutrition that the muscles. We Americans choose less nutritious steak instead of organ meats, sacrificing nutrition for popular belief.

I admit I balk at eating brains, although my dad loved them scrambled with eggs. I eat liver, kidneys, heart, and sweetbreads. Some of the tougher cuts like hearts and kidneys sometimes get ground and used in a mixed country paté loaf. Do NOT even mention chitlins or tripe because I'm not going there!

Magnesium for Health

The majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium, and that includes me (but not for much longer for me). Both times I have been hospitalized this year, they have given me magnesium through the IV lines and I began to feel better.

Actually it took some digging to make the connection with how I felt and my magnesium levels. When a person isn't well, and is admitted to a hospital, it's easy to believe feeling better is the result of the overall course of treatment rather than focus on a single element (unless it's specific like surgery, setting bones, stopping a blood loss...).

Magnesium is extremely important for good health. Yet for far too many years this vital mineral has been largely overlooked by most doctors. Shockingly, most laboratory blood tests do not even measure magnesium status although magnesium is involved as an essential factor in more aspects of health than any other mineral. Since magnesium status is rarely measured, most doctors don't know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though about 80% of us are deficient in this essential mineral.

I did notice that both times after I was released from the hospital, I felt better overall for several days and then went into a slow decline even though the original cause had been "repaired".  It was only in recent soil testing minerals for my garden that I began to make the connection (which I actually knew about several years ago and soon forgot).

My Wish List on Amazon.com has a folder of books I want on health, and I'd had The Magnesium Miracle by Dr. Carolyn Dean listed for a long time... so I finally ordered it 2 weeks ago. Fantastic book for anyone really concerned about health and well-being! I was about halfway through reading it when I had a routine follow-up with my doctor. When they drew blood for some tests, I asked that magnesium be measured. (It is NOT routinely measured.)

Sure enough, the labs showed a magnesium deficiency, and my doctor sent in a prescription to my pharmacy for magnesium oxide (with no calcium), 400mg in the mornings, and another 400mg at night. I'm not convinced this is the best form of magnesium for bioavailability, so more research on my part is needed. For the nonce, it's what I have.

By the way, there is a serious additional benefit from magnesium: it's alkaline. Our American diet is far too acidic when it should be pH neutral, so adding an alkaline food or supplement will help towards a neutral pH balance.

Most OTC magnesium supplements have too much calcium, and the ratio of calcium to magnesium is quite delicate, according to Dr. Dean. Magnesium is necessary to properly metabolize calcium, and it keeps calcium in solution in the body, so it prevents calcifications which are quite common. Calcium causes muscles to contract, while magnesium gives them the ability to relax. (That means no more leg cramps for me!)

Magnesium (Mg) is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

Magnesium is at the core of the chlorophyll molecule, and an essential ingredient for healthy plants, and the animals (including humans) that eat those plants. All living organisms depend on magnesium in all types of cells, body tissues and organs for a variety of functions. Magnesium in human and animal bodies is important in regulating muscle and nerve functions. Half the magnesium in humans is found in our bones but only 1% in the blood.

Where can we get magnesium other than in supplements? Foods such as green leafy vegetables, some legumes, nuts, seeds and unrefined grains are good sources. (There is a list below of some good foods for magnesium.) However, if those plants do not get enough magnesium from the soil, neither do we. We know our soils have become depleted in minerals and microminerals over the last hundred years, yet few of us have soil tests done, nor do we add much-needed mineral replacements.

Without enough magnesium, plants often develop some yellowing in their older leaves between the veins. Magnesium is essential for photosynthesis, and helps activate plant enzymes needed for growth. Animals have a need for more magnesium than plants, so a plant magnesium deficiency often shows up first in the animals, especially those that graze or forage.

Magnesium in our soils
Where does magnesium originate? Magnesium is an abundant alkaline element in the earth’s crust, occurring naturally in several minerals like dolomite, vermiculite and clay soils like montmorillonite. It is the third most dissolved element in sea water, and seafoods are among the foods highest in magnesium. Alkaline soils and humus-rich soils generally contain more magnesium that acidic soils. Magnesium found in the form of magnesium ions (Mg2+) in the soil (in solution or bound to soil particles) is the most important for exchangeable magnesium. However, magnesium ions are at risk of leaching along with nitrates and calcium.

Other plant sources for magnesium are organic materials (compost), animal dung and plant material. The more magnesium taken up by the old plant material, the more will be available again for new crops. Cation Exchange Capacity, called CEC, affects the potential for plants to take up magnesium.  Soils with a high CEC tend to hold more magnesium. However, if there are also high levels of N and K (nitrogen and potassium) in the soil, less Mg will be available. 

You can add magnesium with serpentine superphosphate (a slow-release magnesium), dolomite (a calcium-magnesium limestone), and calcinated magnesite. You can also add magnesium by using Epsom salts, which is very water-soluble (thus readily available to plants) and best used as a foliar spray to prevent leaching. 

Epsom salts is a magnesium sulfate, extracted from the mineral Epsomate, and naturally occurs in water. The name Epsom comes from the town in England (Epsom) where water was first boiled to release these minerals. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil amendments (such as dolomitic lime) is its high solubility.

Some plants, notably tomatoes, potatoes and peppers require a soil high in magnesium. If you grow these, you should have a soil test done to determine magnesium levels, especially available magnesium, and then choose your magnesium amendment(s) carefully for optimal uptake.

Some High Risk Groups for a Magnesium Deficiency
People taking Certain Medications:
 
Proton Pump Inhibitors: 
Prescription PPIs include Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium)
Dexilant (dexlansoprazole)
Prilosec (omeprazole)
Zegerid (omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate)
Prevacid (lansoprazole)
Protonix (pantoprazole sodium)
AcipHex (rabeprazole sodium)
Vimovo, Prilosec OTC (omeprazole)
Zegerid OTC (omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate)
Prevacid 24HR (lansoprazole)36
 
Diuretics: Lasix, Bumex, Edecrin, and hydrochlorothiazide
 
Antibiotics: Gentamicin, and Amphotericin
Anti-neoplastic (Cancer) medication: Cisplatin
Zinc Supplements

People with Gastrointestinal Disorders - Most magnesium is absorbed through the colon so people with gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn's disease are at high risk for a magnesium deficiency.

People with Poor Functioning Kidneys - The kidneys should be able to regulate magnesium in the blood, excreting less when stores are low, however, excessive loss of magnesium through urine can occur to people on specific medications, poorly managed diabetes, and alcoholics.

People Consuming high amounts of Fiber - Eating large amounts of fiber has been shown to interfere with the bodies ability to use magnesium. However, more research needs to be done to confirm how much fiber affects magnesium.

Some Magnesium Rich Foods:
Fish - Halibut and Yellow Fin Tuna
Seafood - Oysters, Shrimp, and Scallops
Chocolate - Chocolate Nibs, Dark Chocolate, Cocoa Powder and Milk Chocolate
Beans - Black Beans, White Beans, Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Lima Beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans
Nuts & Seeds - Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Pine Nuts, Brazil Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, Cashews
Dairy - Cheese from Grass Fed Cows, Chocolate Milk, and Organic Raw Milk
Meats - Grass Fed Meats, Pastured Poultry & Eggs, and Bison Meat
Leafy Greens - Spinach, Kale, Dandelion Greens, and Beet Greens
Vegetables - Artichokes, Pumpkin, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Okra, Squash, and Parsnips
Sea Vegetables - Kelp and Seaweed
Fruit - Dried Figs, Dried Apricots, Prune Juice, Bananas, Avocados and Raisins
Culinary Herbs - Basil, Cilantro, Tarragon, Chives, Spearmint, Sage, Dill, Savory, dried coriander
Legumes - Peanuts, Chickpeas or Garbanzo, Cowpeas, Black-Eyed Peas, and Lentils
Grains - Buckwheat, Oat Bran, Brown Rice, Millet, Cornmeal, Spelt Grain, Barley, Quinoa and Whole Wheat
Tomato Products - Tomato Paste and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Blue Green Algaes - Spirulina, Chlorella, and Klamath Lake Blue Green Algae

A good substitute for refined sugar in cakes and breads, molasses is also a great source of magnesium. Molasses provides 242mg (61% DV) per 100 gram serving, 816mg (204% DV) per cup, and 48mg (12% DV) per tablespoon.
Source
Source

Growing Healthier Greens

One of the best things you can add to your garden for growing superb greens is rock dust. Volcanic rock dust, if you can find it, otherwise any rock dust is better than none. (Rock dust is good for all plants in the garden, but especially the greens because it helps give structure to the leaves.)

"Adding volcanic dust mimics glacial cycles which naturally fertilized the land. Since the last ice age three million years ago the earth has gone through 25 similar glaciations, each lasting about 90,000 years. We are currently 10,000 years into an interglacial -- a hiatus between ice ages -- meaning modern soils are relatively barren and artificial fertilizers are needed." (Quote Source)

The addition of rock dust is usually called RE-mineralization, because our soils have become very depleted in minerals over time. (Plants take up minerals as they grow, some more than others, and normal fertilizing doesn't add all the minerals back in.) There are 17 essential plant nutrients; of those, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen are absorbed from the air, while the other essential nutrients (mostly minerals) and water must be obtained from the soil.

However, what really makes a garden work is all the bio-organisms that will convert any and all the nutrients to a form the plants can utilize (take-up via roots). All the nutrients in the world are useless unless they are in a form plants can use.

When we fertilize, we usually add the inorganic nutrients consisting of NPK or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are called primary nutrients because the plants use a LOT of them. (Bagged NPK doesn't include anything else but NPK and a filler.)

The secondary (mineral) nutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Those do not always need re-application every year, but they might, so get a soil sample! The third classification is micronutrients (it's what rock dust contains and needed only in small quantities)... more than 50-60 micro-minerals like boron, manganese, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt and more are available from some rock dust sources.

The colloidal carbonaceous residue known as humus serves as a nutrient reservoir. Besides lack of water and sunshine, nutrient deficiency is a major growth limiting factor.

There is some thought that the calcium and magnesium in the rock dust converts atmospheric carbon into carbonates... which would be essentially sequestering some carbon in the soil, if I understand it correctly.

Currently, I add 2 kinds of rock dust to my garden: Azomite, and Greensand which is mined in New Jersey. I also add biochar sifted from my woodstove ashes, which I inoculate with mild urea or compost tea. All of these components give the bio-organisms something to convert to nutrients for the plants. I know I probably don't build enough humus yet... that is: I don't add enough active organic matter... but this year I plan to use EM-1 (Effective Microorganisms) on my compost and also make Boshaki to continue growing effective microorganisms for my soil life.

But remember, it all starts with rock dust to feed the existing bio-organisms in my soil, which will feed the plants that will feed me.

Latest Gardening Fashion: Slug Collars!

Split Copper Collar on seedling

Nope, I am NOT putting collars on the slugs, nor am I wearing a collar fashioned out of slugs! I'm making collars to deter slugs in the garden. Slugs are a gardener's problem almost everywhere, and living on the creek, my problems are exacerbated by also having snails who do the same kind of damage.

Years ago I read that slugs will not cross a copper strip because it gives them a jolt, so I bought a roll of 1 inch copper tape to put down on the top edges of my raised beds. It didn't work! 

Recently I read that copper actually IS effective (it was a science experiment), BUT to work, the slugs have to crawl across 3 inches of copper to build up the galvanic action between their slime trail and the copper. THEN it works!

Two weeks ago I ordered a 2 foot piece of 12 inch wide copper from Basic Copper. It wasn't cheap... but it is thick enough (16 mil) to re-use for several gardening seasons... and when it gets too beat-up and out-of-shape to use, I can sell it as scrap copper.  I probably could have used a thinner gauge of copper, but I really want to be able to use them over and over.

 

The first collars (made today) were for larger plants already in the ground, so the copper needed to be split to go around the stem. (I'm going to make all of them that way... it's easier.) I thought about taping the collar split ends together, but that would just give the slugs a place to climb that wasn't copper. In putting them around a plant, I found I could just squeeze the copper "tube" around the stem and the ends would overlap... then I pushed the collar into the ground just enough to hold it in place. 

What I did:
I cut a 4 inch wide strip off the copper sheet, then the first strip into 6" lengths... that gives me collars 4" tall, enough to push the bottom into the soil and still have 3" or more for the slugs to climb. I'm testing it tonight before I cut any more, but I have every confidence the science experiment was correct. I put those first 3 collars on small tender seedlings this afternoon, and will check them in the morning. The only thing I might change is either taller collars so more length can go in the soil for stability, or wider sections to roll into split tubes.

Update:
It Works! I will, however, make them a bit taller and wider just for my own convenience.

Insights and my Veggie Plants

I recently read a piece about Rachel Carson* on another blog; the post was written by a first-time reader of Carson’s Silent Spring.

It has been many years since I first read Carson’s great work, and probably 10 or more years since I read it the last time. However, some of the blog's quotes had me bringing some sub-conscious thoughts (relative to the quotes) to the surface. Bear with me as I get to the point!

Last year my tomato crop was destroyed by Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs* and 2 years ago by blight. Not one single tomato survived intact either year, and there is no known remedy for those stink bugs of last year! I know the stink bugs lay eggs which will hatch the following year, so I have avoided the general area from last year from planting anything this year they may attack. (Fruits reported to be attacked include apples, peaches, figs, mulberries, blackberries, tomatoes, green peppers, lima beans, citrus fruits and persimmons. This bug has also been reported on many ornamental plants and even weeds.)

Meanwhile, my tomato plants are interspersed here and there in my flower beds (some, but not all, tomato plants are volunteers growing among the volunteer winter squash and covering the leeks where the peonies are), and so far I have seen no sign of infestation on the fruits. (Crossing my fingers!) I wonder, since the tomato plants are hard even for me to locate in the jungle, if it may also hold true for the increasingly spreading and invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs? I have seen just a few of the bugs, so I know they are here, just not on my fruits thus far that I can tell. (Actually when I went out this evening to take pictures, I tore off about 25 squash leaves with eggs attached.)

More than likely though, I think it is possibly just as Carson said, “One important natural check [for insects] is a limit on the amount of suitable habitat for each species. Obviously then, an insect that lives on wheat can build up its population to much higher levels on a farm devoted to wheat than on one in which wheat is intermingled with other crops to which the insect is not adapted.”

Tomato plant among daisies, daylilys, gladiolus and northern sea oats

In only one spot are there 2 tomato plants next to each other in my flower beds; all the others are single tomato plants snuggled among the daisies, zebra grass, gladiolus, yarrow and sage, or among the monarda, coneflowers, chives and flat leaf parsley. I'm thinking this close inter-planting rather than an isolated row or two of tomatoes is an idea worth watching. Of course it wouldn't be practical on a large scale, but surely there is something viable in mixing crops somewhere between my small garden layout and huge mono-cropping.

Tomatoes in front of hyssop and zebra grass, with (heat-wilted) winter squash in between

I'm anxiously and hopefully awaiting the tomato harvest for verification. There are a couple of tomatoes that look like they are about to show a slight blush of color!

*Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) spent most of her professional life as a marine biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By the late 1950s, she had written three lyrical, popular books about the sea, including the best-selling The Sea Around Us, and had become the most respected science writer in America. She completed Silent Spring against formidable personal odds [She apparently wrote Silent Spring while suffering from rapidly-metastasizing breast cancer, racing against the disease to finish her life's work. Source], and with it shaped a powerful social movement that has altered the course of history.

(This biography was copied from Amazon, except for the parenthetical note )

*Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs are the typical “shield” shape of other stink bugs, almost as wide as they are long. To distinguish them from other stink bugs, look for lighter bands on the antennae and darker bands on the membranous, overlapping part at the rear of the front pair of wings.

The eggs are elliptical, light yellow to yellow-red with minute spines forming fine lines. They are attached, side-by-side, to the underside of leaves in masses of 20 to 30 eggs.

Adults will emerge sometime in the spring of the year (late April to mid-May), and mate and deposit eggs from May through August. The eggs hatch into small black and red nymphs that go through five molts. Adults begin to search for overwintering sites starting in September through the first half of October in cooler zones.

E. Coli in gene splicing, used to make GMO's

GMO Seed Corn, Photo by Oculator

From the photo description: "Better Living through Genetic Modification"

"An empty seed bag blew into the yard from passing farm machinery. This year's corn crop; next year's high-fructose corn syrup. I hope it doesn't do a gene swap with poison ivy! The tag boasts of three patented genes that the corn contains that make it resistant to herbicides. So: farmers can spray harsh chemicals on the corn without killing it, and thus yield more of it to make our cornflakes."

WHAT are THEY doing to my food??  I thought I had it mostly all figured out when I recently posted about the contaminated animal manure sludge being spread on our agricultural fields as one probable cause of the E. Coli outbreaks in Europe. Turns out it still might be that, plus something even more insidious... e. coli in their genes.

GMO foods now control the majority of the grocery shelves, and although I try to stay informed, somehow I totally overlooked (or forgot) the fact that Monsanto and others use E. Coli in gene splicing in order to manufacture GMO's. 

Now, I really do know not all strains of E. Coli are bad... my intestines would not function to convert ingested food to energy and/or bodily functions if I didn't have a resident host of beneficial E. Coli in my system.

However, when companies splice in not only E. Coli genes, but also antibiotic suppressor genes... who is to really know what that might create or evolve into, without years of independent testing before subjecting humans as test objects? Could replicating seeds that are E. Coli gene-spliced be the bottom line (the source) to the recent European E. Coli outbreak that reached the US during the first week of June, 2011?

Here's how gene splicing works:

1) A piece of DNA from the target cell is removed

2) A strand of E. coli bacteria DNA is inserted in it's place.  Cells are naturally resistant to gene splicing, (it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out), so you actually need to "infect" the food cell with a bacteria in order for the gene splicing to take place

3) Because cells will try to eliminate bacteria, there is also a DNA strand of an antibiotic suppressor inserted.  Pharmacists are cringing at this thought, especially since we are already in danger of becoming immune to many antibiotics!  Injecting an "anti" antibiotic into our food can NOT lead to anything good!

4) Finally a piece of genetic code for the "round-up ready" trait is inserted.  Methods of insertion include using a "gene gun" which injects all this DNA junk with little pieces of gold to help destroy the cell membranes.

5) The end product that is manufactured often is covered with tumors because of the bacterial infection that ensues.

6) Yay, now we have "food" that won't die when you put deadly chemicals and pesticides all over it in the field. Congratulations! Can't wait for dinner! (Read as sarcasm, please!) Source

Just 3 companies now control 85% of all the seeds world-wide. The only way to be sure of safe seeds is to grow open-pollinated or heirloom vegetables and hope there are no GMO fields nearby that can cross-contaminate your crops... then save your seeds. The growing number of seeds spliced with the Terminator Gene is frightening, although they are supposedly not used in the marketplace yet. The last I read on Terminator Technology was over a year ago, and the US Government then owned more than half of all the patents. WHY?

Berkely Student Food Coop, Photo by Jason Riedy

Seed Keeping has been an intrinsic part of life for thousands of years. Without the seed, there is no food.

"The gift of the seed is the ultimate gift - it is the gift of life, of heritage, of knowledge and of continuity. Saving seeds is saving biodiversity, saving knowledge of the seed and it's uses, saving cultures and conserving life."
- Dr. Vandana Shiva

Dreaming Gardens from Seeds

Photo from Jim Linwood's photostream

Yes, it's that time of the year... the mailbox stuffed with seed catalogs! It used to happen in January, and even as late as early February, but now it seems the seed companies are all trying to get their catalogs out sooner, perhaps hoping to be the first available for orders.

What is nicer on a snowy, blustery winter day than paging through seed catalogs and dreaming of a luscious, bountiful garden coming soon?

This year I am looking closely at several factors in choosing seeds. I want to continue to increase the heirloom and open pollinated vegetables in my garden so I can save more of my own seeds. I do NOT want any GMO seeds... no Chernobyl giants in my garden! I  want to buy from seed suppliers who adopt the Safe Seed Pledge which says:

"Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further asses the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately people and communities."

'Bright Lights' Chard Photo by permission from Fishon4lb

Who can resist glowing descriptions like "A beautiful chard, its colors are brilliant pink, yellow, orange, red and white... Pretty enough to plant in the flower garden, and so delicious, one of our favorite greens!" (Baker Creek's Silverbeet Chard aka 'Bright Lights', as seen above)

My seed lists always start out too long because I succumb to the tantalizing photos and delicious details of vegetables I'd like to try. I end up ordering more seeds that I can plant or manage in my garden, so this year I'm trying to be more realistic. Tomatoes have been a bust for the last 2 years, thanks to blight and stink bug infestations. Still, I will plant a few heirloom tomatoes. 

Burpee Long Keeper Tomatoes

In my pantry, I currently have 3 small tomatoes ripening, from a volunteer I missed hidden in the winter squash leaves in October. They are Burpee Long Keeper and while not a truly tasty tomato, I like that they ripen indoors starting about December, and anything is better than the red tennis balls from the supermarkets. I may plant another 2-3 of them next year from saved seed. I haven't decided what other heirloom tomatoes I will try this coming year.

Other "new to my garden" vegetables on my list are Belgian endive, bulbing fennel, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets and carrots... and I haven't selected any varieties of those yet either. I haven't grown many root vegetables before now because my soil was so compacted. The leeks, shallots and garlic I grow survived only because they do not need to penetrate deeply into the ground. Now with 3-4 years of adding compost and other amendments, I'm hoping for a little bit of success with more root veggies.

What are you dreaming for your garden?

Take the eye of a newt...

Photo Courtesy of Garethfw's Photostream

Yep, I'm going out on a limb and looking into things most folk believe is foolishness at best, or witchcraft at worst... Quantum Agriculture.

For several years I have been trying to increase Brix in the fruits and vegetables I grow. My efforts have taken me to continuing research of micronutrients, micro-organisms and biochar, with judicious additions to my garden. Even though there has been some improvement, I still believe there is something missing, something I'm not quite 'getting'.

My recent 'discovery' about Earthing for human health has brought me full circle back to Rudolph Steiner's work on Biodynamics, and folks like Phillip Callahan, Hugh Lovel, Peter Thompkins, Christopher Bird, T. Galen Hieronymus and a few others who are out there adding to that knowledge base and expanding it.

I think what I'm not 'getting' is the effects of subtle cosmic energies (various radiation wave lengths?) and how to use those energies properly to our advantage and balance. Over many centuries, humankind relied upon cosmic influences... astrology, if you will. Then as science became the rational mind, we stopped believing that the moon, or constellations or planets as they (we) moved through the heavens, could influence anything, much less the growth and nutritional value of food crops. Most of us today read our horoscopes with a grain of salt, while merely a few accept them religiously. (I suspect that's because a published daily horoscope is very generalized, and doesn't take into account all the possible cosmic influences which vary for each individual from the moment of birth.)

I started giving lip service to planting by the moon 3-4 years ago, but it has been just that: lip service. No real understanding that the various planets or constellations might have any effect, although the moon's influence (like on the tides) might. I certainly didn't explore any of the why. It just seemed akin to nonsense and flew in the eyes of what we (current generations) are taught. Oh, I saw differences in planting by the moon, but it was akin to reading "Run, Spot, Run" and thinking I understood the complexity involved overall in reading anything. I now know it's not quite so simple.

Rupert Sheldrake (Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home) introduced the phrase "morphic fields" to describe the patterns of energy that permeate all things, connect all things... from chemistry and microbiology to people, planets and galaxies. Steiner used the terms 'formative forces', 'ethers' and 'astrality' to describe morphic fields; William Reich used 'orgone energy', Hieronymus used 'eloptic energy' and Tiller used 'subtle energies' to describe the same thing.

These terms (morphic fields, subtle energy/quantum mechanics, fluid dynamics, chaos theory, fractals, holographics and projective geometry) all are part of what Lovel calls Quantum Agriculture... and I already know I will wish I had studied more physics and chemistry in college.

I have lots of research to do over the winter, and then lots more doing trials in my garden, to see if any of this actually works. My gut feeling is that it does, but it will take doing it myself to overcome any Doubting Thomas aspect. I don't really care how many angels can dance on the head of a pin; I want to know what I can do with that information!  It won't happen quickly, I'm sure. I am now four years into my work with biochar and micronutrients, and just beginning to see results.

MOTHER's Having a Party and You're Invited

From Mother Earth News:

We’re delighted to announce that this September we’ll host the first-ever MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR, a hands-on, sustainable-living festival. We hope you’ll join us! You’ll enjoy two full days of workshops, DIY demonstrations and keynote addresses from some of the nation’s leading experts on wiser living, including the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editorial team and editors from our sister magazines: Grit, Natural Home, Farm Collector, Utne Reader  and The Herb Companion.

This fun-filled, family-oriented event will feature something for everyone, from beginners to experts — and even kids — on the topics of organic gardening, small-scale agriculture, real food, renewable energy, green building, green transportation and natural health. Exhibits and demonstrations with heritage livestock and equipment are also planned, and attendees will enjoy an eco-friendly marketplace and local, organic food and beverages.

Seven Springs Mountain Resort is nestled in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania (about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh).

Details here.