Hummingbird Garden & Birdseed Pilaf

So a couple of weekends ago I saw a hummingbird. This is important because I am fast approaching a new decade and it is the first hummingbird I have ever seen in my life. Yes people, this urban raised girl has never seen a hummingbird before. I had heard of them and really thought they weren't in Jersey but lo and behold one of those mystical little creatures was loving my orange cosmos.

Photo courtesy of: Red Bubble: Ruby-throated Hummingbird on cosmos by Michaela Sagatova

Now we're inspired to plant a hummingbird garden next year. So what exactly do hummingbirds look for? According to Defenders of Wildlife "They primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen." I've also heard they are attracted to red flowers, that's why so many hummingbird feeders have red in and on them. The red can be obtained from various sources including sugar water with food coloring... YUCK. Our approach will be to plant flowers that will attract the hummingbirds - we're doing it the good old fashion way.

So what are these hummingbird attracting flowers? Well right off the bat I would say the cosmos are a winner, they didn't bloom until late July and are much bigger than I expected but they got us two birdies (I missed the second one, or the first one coming back for more).

According to Wild Bird Watcher there are a ton of natural wonders that can work

Annuals	Perennials	Vines	Shrubs
Fuchsia	Bee Balm	Coral Honeysuckle	Butterfly Bush
Impatients	Canna	Cypress Vine	Flowering Quince
Jacobiana	Cardinal Flower	Morning Glory	Lantana
Jewelweed	Coral Bells	Scarlet Runner	Manzanita
Petunia	Four O'Clocks	Trumpet Creeper	Mimosa
Salvia	Foxglove	Canary creeper	Red Buckey
Shrimp Plant	Hosta	Carolina jasmine	Tree Tobacco
Snapdragon	Lupine	Glory vine	Turks Cap
Nicotiana	Columbine	Cypress vine	Weigela

You will notice that my cosmos aren't on this list - this goes to show that there are lots and lots of flowers out there that can make a nice hummingbird playground. I wouldn't mind a nice patch of cosmos, fuchsia, impatients, mimosas, petunias, salvia and jacobiana. I'll have to see the bloom rates to make sure we have something going from spring into fall.

Speaking of fall and birds, here's something to try while we wait for spring:

Birdseed Pilaf

1/2 cup Millet*
1/2 cup Red Quinoa*
1/2 cup Spelt*
6 cups Water Divided
1 - 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
6 - 10 Cardamom Pods
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Cumin (I like Cumin a lot)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
3-6 Garlic Cloves**
1/2 Onion or 1 - 2 Shallots**
1 Thumbtip Size Piece Ginger**
1/4 cup Dried or 1/2 cup Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms 

1 Large Bay Leaf
1 tsp Salt (Sea Salt, Pink Salt etc...anything but table salt) OR Kombu

After soaking the grains overnight rinse and discard water. In a good pot heat coconut oil and add the spices through to the sesame seeds. Let them cook for a few minutes and then add the garlic, onion or shallots and ginger, let them cook for a few minutes. Add the grains and incorporate them well into the spice mixture, let them cook for about 3 minutes to get a nice spice coating. Then add the remaining 3 cups of water, the mushrooms, the bay leaf and salt or kombu. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 30 - 45 min depending on how soft you like your grains.

I also use this same recipe to make brown rice and different beans. Feel free to play around with the spice combos too.

* Soaked overnight in 3 cups water
**Minced, I like to put it all together in the mini chop

Juice Feast!!

I did a juice feast this weekend, with a clear calendar and temps in the hundreds for the last few days I figured it would be a perfect time to attempt my first juice feast. For those of you that are not familiar with the term juice feast this is when you do what can be considered a fast except you drink lots of fresh juice, instead of fasting you feast - get it. Here's the blow by blow:


Saturday 7:30am
I finally saw the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Thursday. My  good friend Nicole from Pioneer Valley Vegan highly recommended it. It was moving, so much so that it inspired me to do my own juice fast - feast really since I plan to drink approximately 5 32oz juices and one turmeric tonic.

Here's the cache of veggies for the 2 days

I know I'm not fat, sick or nearly dead but a juice feast can be very beneficial to all of us. Even if it's just a day or two. Personally I think more than 10 days is putting you at risk for problems with your teeth, especially if there are fruits in your juices.However, having seen quite a few  morbidly obese people come down to a healthy weight and stay there by continuing to eat a healthy diet makes the case that for someone in that condition this can be life-saving.In addition to the health benefits I want to lose 2 or 3 pounds. Those of you that know me know I'm vain. I'm turning 40 at the end of this year and the plan is to look fantabulous. So this means going from a BMI of 22.6 down to 21.9 which is where  I want to be, right in the middle of the healthy range of 18 - 25.


So in 10 min I plan on getting out of bed and making the first juice of the day. Here's the menu of juices I plan to drink:

Juice #1: Green Juice (based on Organic Avenue's Green Love juice):  Watercress Cucumber,  Spinach,  Celery,  Romaine, Beet Greens, Collard Greens,  Pear,  Lemon,  Parsley  

Juice #2: Veggie Juice (based on Organic Avenue's Veggie Vibe juice):  Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Beet Greens, Lemon, Parsley, Carrot, Beet, Ginger 

Juice #3: Green Lemonade (based on Organic Avenue's Green Lemonade juice):  Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Lemon, Ginger, Water, Salt 

Juice #4: Mild Green Juice (based on Organic Avenue's Mellow Love juice):  Cucumber, Spinach, Celery, Romaine, Parsley, Salt 

Juice #5: Berry Juice:  Cucumber, Celery, Carrot, Beet, Ginger, Strawberries, Blueberries 

Juice #6: Turmeric Tonic (based on Organic Avenue's Turmeric Tonic):  Lemon, Carrot, Ginger, Water, Salt, Turmeric, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper  

12:30pm

On to Juice #2. I did my morning workout and had my wrist adjusted - too much sudoku while commuting. I was going to get a massage but at about 11:30 I was feeling hungry. Now this is interesting because I usually have a banana, watermelon and an orange for breakfast and am hungry by 11am so Juice #1 is a keeper. I do think I'll need to have a juice every 3 - 4 hours to keep hunger at bay. Juice #1 was at 8am so it makes sense to be hungry by 11:30am. Energy is good and no detox effects so far. Once I finish this one I'm off to my massage.


8pm

About to have Juice #4. I'm hungry. Energy level is fine. I think it's definitely psychological. Jared was eating peanut butter and it took all of my will not to rip it out of his hands. Also the romaine in Juice #4 was giving me a craving for a sandwich. Not sure if I will be able to hold out until Monday morning. Not because of hunger but because of wanting to give in to cravings. Hopefully the next juice will satisfy some of that - it's a berry one so should be really really good.

Juice #5

11pm

I only made it to Juice #5, the berry one. It was delicious. I felt like I was having a real treat. I'm off to bed now. Hopefully I can get a good night's rest and do this all again tomorrow. I have to admit I am craving real food, a collard wrap would hit the spot...

Good night

Sunday 8am

I feel OK. I slept pretty well. Only got up once to pee. I woke up hungry, nothing special though, the same as any other day. I'm hoping to kick the food fantasies. I keep thinking about stuffed grape leaves. I'm also down 1.5 pounds which is nice. If I lose the same today I'll be at the 3 pound goal and only 3.5 away from my ultimate goal weight, yippee!!

Juice #2

5:30pm

I did my 90 min Yoga X DVD this morning I also took a nap that ended up me missing Juice #3. I'm now on Juice #4. I'm a bit surprised that I was out of commission for so long. Is it the fast? Is it the heat? Yoga or my body making up for lousy sleep earlier in the week? Probably all of the above. I've decided to break the fast tonight, something light with the berry juice. Some veggies in a collard wrap, nothing fancy.

7:30pm

Break of the fast. I had 2 brazil nuts and a collard leaf wrap it consisted of zucchini, carrot, basil, tomato and sauerkraut. I seasoned it with a little extra virgin olive oil, Herbamare, kelp granules and cayenne... As soon as I finished I ran to the bathroom, I'll leave it at that.

11:30pm

In bed, I never had the last berry juice, ate a small bowl of blueberries with raw cacao nibs instead. I also had 3 tortilla chips with Jared's spice peanut butter concoction, that was good, good enough to maybe have when entertaining... My tummy feels a little off, looks like I should have had even milder snacks. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back to normal.

Signing off and good night.

The Results:
Total weightloss: 2.5 lbs
Energy Levels: OK, I did nap on both days and slept the full night, so even though my energy was OK I did need rest
Mood: I was on the verge of cranky but I think it had to do with the heat and boredom, I didn't go anywhere since I had to juice every few hours. And there's only so many Korean horror movie you can watch in one weekend
Sleep: Good, I took naps and slept in the evening
Skin: Looks good, can't say I notice much of a difference though
Bathroom: Pee a lot, the first day I drank the equivalent of 20 cups of juice. Day 2 I drank 12 cups, nothing to sneeze at. As for #2, it was more like #1 - ewwww TMI!

Juice #2

The Verdict:
Would I do this again. Probably for a day or so, I don't think I would hack it for than that since I love to eat but I can see where you want to "reboot" every once in a while. Also, another option is to be a juicer before 6pm and then eat whatever you want for dinner. Kind of like a juicing version of Mark Bittman. That way no matter what damage you do - and I know you are all eating right all of the time - you are getting your fruits and veggies in.

The secret to a long and heathy life

OK, OK - so I really don't know if the following is really the secret to a long and healthy life BUT I have a really good feeling about this so bear with me...

#1 Eat Well

I know I don't have to tell you to eat you 5 - 9 fruits and veggies a day, you already know that. I'm gonna say it anyway - EAT YOUR FRUITS & VEGGIES. Eat the ones that you love and try something different at least once a week. Hell even once a month can work. Eat a variety of things of every color of the rainbow:



RED: Tomatoes, Strawberries*, Raspberries, Red Peppers*, Beets, Red Apples*, Watermelon, Red Grapes*, Red Onions, Cherries, Cranberries, Pink Grapefruit
ORANGE: Oranges, Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Orange Peppers*, Sweet Potatoes, Mangoes, Carrots, Apricots
YELLOW: Lemons, Grapefruit, Yellow Squash, Yellow Peppers*, Yellow Apples, Yellow Tomatoes, Pineapple
GREEN: Kale*, Lettuce (all varieties)*, Limes, Broccoli, Green Cabbage, Leeks, Scallions, Brussels Sprouts, Artichokes, Zucchini, Acorn Squash, Avocados, Collard Greens*, Spinach*, Watercress,  Green Peppers*
BLUE & INDIGO: Blueberries*, Blackberries
VIOLET: Eggplant, Plums, Grapes*, Purple Cabbage, Purple Peppers, Purple Carrots, Elderberries, Currants, Raisins, Prunes

For a lot more colorful options please check out this out. And don't forget your legumes, nuts and seeds too! For those of you that still eat animal products, consider the source and how it was raised. Try for organically fed and ethically raised meats. For seafood, eat low on the food chain and always wild.


#2 Get Outside
Nothing beats the great outdoors, even the sun in moderate amounts is good for you. All you need is about 15 min a day out in the sunshine to reap the benefits. Use a safe sunscreen if you plan on spending an extended amount of time in the sun. Not only is the sun good for you, just being surrounded by green is good for you mind. Studies have shown that being in a park or green space can help with depression. If you go on a hike you're doing double duty by getting exercise AND communing with nature. Which brings me to #3. 


#3 Move Your Body

Again and again exercise has been shown to have lots of benefits even into old age, it helps keep everything working properly. It helps keep you limber, keep you at a healthy weight and improves your mood. While training for a marathon is great for you all you need is about 30 min every day. This could easily be a walk thought your town, dancing in your living room or an afternoon gardening... hmm, sun, outdoors, exercise, mood enhancer - can't be beat!

#4 Be a Social Butterfly
Having a social network has also shown improve mood and health. Studies have shown people that had a support system actually get better faster than people who don't. Also, having a confidant can help during those difficult times. Even pets have shown to improve the health of their people. No one should go it alone


#5 Get Enough Rest

This goes without saying, getting plenty of rest is very important. For those of you that think you can make it up on the weekend, guess again. Inadequate sleep can literally take years off of your life. Your best range is generally between 6 - 8 hours of sleep. So cut the late night TV and caffeine if it interferes with your beauty sleep.

#6 Be Happy

Remember, you only have one life - don't spend it moping around. Eating right, staying active and having friends can work wonders on helping you stay happy. 2010 was a terrible year for me but I somehow managed to stay positive. I attribute it to all of the above. Being grateful and meditating can also help you stay grounded and happy.



Here's to a long and healthy life!

*Buy Organic Recommended

White House Vegetable Garden - USDA Style

I thought this was prelly cool so thought I would share. Last week Mark Bittman, a hero of mine, posted this entry in his blog "What if the U.S.D.A Subsidized Gardens?". It included a graphic of the White House kitchen garden layout and what it would look like if it was planted with the crops that the USDA subsidizes. I know which garden I would eat from. Oh and the info comes from our friends at the Environmental Working Group - they've developed a Farm Subsidy Database, another reason to love and support them.

Backend/Frontend Report

OK kiddies, get your minds out of the gutter, what I really meant was back yard garden and front yard garden. Yay this is an actual garden post!

But first! I have one GMO update for you:  "Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada", by Aris A, and Leblanc S.1 is a Canadian study that found traces of BT toxin in the blood of Pregnant Women, their Fetuses and Non- Pregnant Women... Here is the article info from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670 - unfortunately, I don't have access to the full article, however, the conclusion is mentioned in the abstract.

AND we have a new additions to our family...

LUKE!

OK back to the backend... I mean backyard. The veggies are coming along nicely. I'm thrilled with how the squash bed is looking, there's echinacea for bees and butterflies, corn, beans, cucumbers, zucchinis, spaghetti squash and an edible pumpkin I like to call calabaza. We even have our first calabaza flower!

I'm especially happy with this one since the seeds are from an actual pumpkin I bought at the Union Square Farmer's Market in NYC last fall. I don't know the variety but it's great hardy one. That sucker was planted in 30 degree weather with only the remains of a plastic vinegar jug to protect it from the cold.

Remember this...

March

Now looks like this...

Memorial Day Weekend

As usual the sunflowers are doing great too, these guys were also planted in March. They were in the portable greenhouse along with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other various flowers (calendula, zinnias, cosmos, wildflowers, sweet william, celosia). Some of the tomatoes came up, unfortunately none of the peppers or eggplants germinated. We had to buy a red pepper plant and a couple of hot peppers, we also bought some marigold and lobelia. Not bad though, the rest of the garden is grown from seed.

The greens bed isn't doing to shabby either considering it's been 80+ degrees here for a couple of weeks. Whatever happened to spring people?? We have collards and a few varieties of lettuces that I can't really identify or recall, sorry I suck as a farmer... 

But what really warms my hears are the rogues! Yes we have squashes and tomatoes growing like weeds in the greens bed. I attribute a diet high in fresh vegetables for that. Since we compost all of our food scraps the seeds were ripe for germinating. I haven't counted all of the rogue tomato plants but I think there about 10. We also have either cucumbers or zucchinis galore, Some around the sunflowers and some in the middle of the greens patch. We also had our italian chard self sow. We let it go to seed again in hope that it will come back, especially since what I planted didn't come up.

As for the new herb garden, I'm very happy with that as well.

Echinacea

Lemon Balm

Anise

Dill & Marjoram

Thyme

Sage

Clockwise from Bottom Left: Parsley/Cilantro, Spearmint, Oregano, Chocolate Mint, Borage

I can't wait for July and August when everything is in full splendor!!

Now in the front end things have been blooming like crazy.

The poppies looked amazing, they're gone now ;(

This purple flower is also doing lovely and blooms for most of the summer - oh and if anyone knows what this is please let me know, I have no clue.

Here's another one that 's growing in the garden, I think it's pretty but don't know what it is

Peonies came out but I need to divide this fall, we didn't get a bumper crop this year.

The miniature roses are also looking quite lovely.

And of course, my mother's rose and Pippin's rose are also looking great.

Mom's

Pippin's

Our goal is to make this more of an edible front yard so I planted a couple of fun things like sage, echinacea, chives and borage. 

And for shits and giggles I planted pumpkins seeds from the most awesome jack-o-lantern EVER!

It's going to be like the great pumpkin patch Charlie Brown!

1. Aris A, Leblanc S. Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. Reprod Toxicol. 2011 May;31(4):528-33. Epub 2011 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 21338670

5%

On Earth Day I listened to a podcast that featured a panel discussion with Vandana Shiva. My newest HERO.

Dr. Shiva is a PhD in Philosophy, she is also the founder of Navdanya International, a group that is fighting the patenting of the world's seeds. Dr. Shiva passionately and articulately speaks about the farce of the Green Revolution in the 1960s in India. And how we are once again being accosted by the likes of Monsanto, Bayer, Dow and other chemical companies with their seeds that contain genetically modified organisms (GMO) and terminator technology. Threatening the future of farmers and our food supply.

As someone that always stresses organic, this got me thinking - I really need to talk more about GMOs...

According to the Institute for Responsible Technology,

"Currently commercialized GM crops in the U.S. include soy (91%), cotton (88%), canola (88%), corn (85%), sugar beets (90%), Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%), zucchini and yellow squash (small amount), and tobacco (Quest® brand). 

Products derived from the above, including oils from all four, soy protein, soy lecithin, cornstarch, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup among others. There are also many "invisible ingredients," derived from GM crops that are not obviously from corn or soy"

It might be surprising to learn that the vast majority of processed foods contain some form of the above ingredients, especially soy and corn. What may be even more surprising to some is that these foods have been released under a cloud of controversy over safety. Beginning in 1995 with Arpad Pusztai, of the Rowett Research Institute in Scotland's, testing of Monsanto GMO potatoes1. Dr. Pusztai's findings in 1999 were quite the opposite of what he was expecting. As a strong supporter of GMO food Dr. Pusztai's original intention was to show the safety of GMO foods, not the dangers.

Ten-plus years later and we are no better than we were in 1999. The safety of GMOs is still in question and the chemical companies reassuring the safety is almost reminiscent of the tobacco companies saying cigarettes were harmless... OH REALLY... What's not in question are the strong-arm tactics of the chemical companies in keeping the secrets of their patented materials, we know how they deal with farmers that save seeds - yes I'm talking to you Monsanto- this is why there is such little research out there, they need to protect their patents... OH REALLY... I love how proprietary information trumps public heath and safety - thanks FDA.

Rant aside, One can conclude that the lack of independent research on GMO foods is intentional. I'm sure we can find plenty of studies funded by the chemical companies, I'm not interested in those. I want the unbiased (un-bribed?) peer-reviewed academia version of the studies. Unfortunately, these are few and far between and the researchers that do undergo those studies do so under the threat of compromising their reputations (see Dr. Pustai's above). However they are out there. You just need to do a little searching and here's what I found at the Institute of Science in Society: a summary from The Independent Science Panel on GM Final Report and their more comprehensive report from 2003 that's called The Case for a GM-free Sustainable World, the panel concluded that:

"[Our] extensive review of the evidence has convinced us that GM crops
are neither needed nor wanted, that they have failed to deliver their
promises, and instead, are posing escalating problems on the farm.
There is no realistic possibility for GM and non-GM agriculture to coexist,
as evident from the level and extent of transgenic contamination
that has already occurred, even in a country like Mexico where an official
moratorium has been in place since 1998.

More importantly, GM crops are unacceptable because they are
by no means safe. They have been introduced without the necessary
safeguards and safety assessments through a deeply flawed regulatory
system based on a principle of ‘substantial equivalence’ that is aimed
at expediting product approval rather than serious safety assessment.
Despite the lack of data on safety tests of GM foods, the available
findings already give cause for concerns over the safety of the transgenic
process itself that are not being addressed."2

Luckily, consumers are doing more research and becoming more vocal:

According to the ABC News website,

"The U.S. government has insisted there's not enough difference between the genetically modified seeds its agencies have approved and natural seeds to cause concern. But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, more so than his predecessors in previous administrations, has acknowledged the debate over the issue and a growing chorus of consumers concerned about what they are eating."

The demand is out there for more testing and more information, we deserve to know what we are putting into the mouths of our loved ones. According to Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology, it would only take a boycott of 5% of the US population to make a significant economic impact on the GMO peddlers. And we all know that it's always about the bottom line. It's as simple as buying organic whole foods, by avoiding processed foods you drop your exposure to GMOs considerably.

Here are resources to help you join us in becoming part of that 5%, tell a friend or two!

Tips on Avoiding GMOs: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/buy-non-gmo
Non GMO Shopping Guide: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/Non-GMO-Shopping-Guide.pdf
Join Millions Against Monsanto: http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm
Buy Organic: http://www.organicconsumers.org/
Books: http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Products/Books/index.cfm


1. Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine Dr Stanley WB Ewen FRCPath,Arpad Pusztai PhD. The Lancet - 16 October 1999 ( Vol. 354, Issue 9187, Pages 1353-1354 ) DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)05860-7

2. Independent Science Panel. (2003, June 15). The Case For A GM-Free Sustainable World London: Author. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from http://www.psrast.org/caseforGMfreeW.pdf -
   Drafted byMae-Wan Ho and Lim Li Chingwith contributions fromJoe Cummins, Malcolm Hooper, Miguel Altieri,Peter Rosset, Arpad Pusztai, Stanley Ewen,Michel Pimbert, Peter Saunders, Edward Goldsmith,David Quist, Eva Novotny, Vyvyan Howard, Brian John

Recipe of the Month: Almond Milk

I haven't had almond milk in a long time. Why you ask? Because I'm cheap and I don't want to pay for all of those extra additives that you get when you purchase commercial almond milk.

I had tried to make my own almond milk last year and it was a complete, messy, almondy chunk, FAIL... I used cheesecloth, which is great for sprouting but not so much for milking. Now fast forward 6 months, I have commercial almond milk in the freezer for guests and none for me.

This past weekend I went to my local big box hardware store and decided to pick up a few paint strainer bags. My raw foodie friends on sparkpeople.com swear by these. Well, now they have another convert. I made almond milk last night and liked it so much I decided to make it May's recipe of the month.

Ingredients

1 cup Almonds (soaked for at least 4 hours)
3 cup Water
3 Dates (soaked and pitted)
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Almond Extract (optional)

You can use Vanilla Extract too, I didn't like the one I had at home so used almond instead. You can also use real vanilla beans or let the pods soak in the milk over night. I'm cheap, see above, so I'll use the extract for now.

Tools

Blender
Bowl
Paint Strainer Bag

Directions

Put the almonds, water and dates in the blender and process until the almonds are fine. Add the other ingredients adjusting for your personal preferences. Some people will add agave or other sweeteners. I prefer sticking to dates. You can experiment with other dried fruits

Once everything is processed as much as possible pour it into the strainer bag over a large bowl and squeeze until you get all of the liquid out. Pour into a sealable container and enjoy it cold.

I recommend that you double the quantities, like I said, I made this last night and already went through it! So I'm back to commercial almond milk in the freezer for guests and none for me, but that's OK, I can make more.