Replies

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Natural Pest Control

Here are some of the kitchen-cabinet remedies we’ve tested over the years and found just as good as many chemicals and sold in garden centers.

FRUIT COCKTAIL.You can buy Japanese-beetle traps of all sorts, but most are no more effective in trapping these pests than a can of fruit cocktail. Open the can and let it sit in the sun
for about a week to ferment. Then stand it on bricks or wood blocks in a
light-colored pail. Fill the pail with water to just below the top of the can and
put it about 25 feet from the plants you want to protect. The beetles,attracted
to the sweet and potent bail, will fall into the water and drown. (If rain
dilutes the fruit cocktail, you’ll have to start anew.)

BUTTERMILK -The scrourge of many outdoor ornamental plants, and indoor ones, too, is the mite, so tiny it would take 50 of them to cover the head of a pin. The most common one, the red
spider mite, causes yellowing and stippling of foliage and twisting of leaf tips.

There is a simple home cure that works on the ornamental plants and fruit trees. Mix 1/2 cup o buttermilk, 4 cups of wheat flour and 5 gallons of water and strain through cheesecloth. Sprayed a plant, the mixture destroys a high-percentage of mites as well as their eggs.

EPSOM SALTS AND BORAX -If you raise muskmelons that taste flat, the trouble could be a lack of magnesium in sandy soil. University of Maryland tests show that muskmellons can be sweetened
by spraying the vines with a solution of borax, Epsom salts and water. Use 3-1/3 tablespoons of household borax, plus 6-1/2 tablespoons of Epsom salts, in 5 gallons of water. Spray foliage when the vines begin to “run” and again when fruits are about two inches in diameter.

SOAP, DETERGENT, TOBACCO. -Soap effectively controls fungus gnats, tiny black flies that may thrive in the soil of your house plants. Make suds of laundry soap, and pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup
around the top of the pots. Any bar laundry soap will work, but naphtha soap works best. (my note, good old Fels Naphtha again to the rescue!) Soapsuds also make a fine killer of soft-bodies pests such as aphids. And nothing beats liquid dishwashing detergent for getting rid of whiteflies, one of the worst pests gardeners have to contend with. Also called “flying dandruff,” these snow-white insects, each about 1/16 inch long, congregate on the underside of leaves and suck
sap. They also secrete a sticky substance that attracts a black mold and kills foliage.

Mix 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent in a gallon of water and spray the undersides of leaves every five days for 15 days. Repeat once a week thereafter, until the insects are eradicated. If you’re a smoker or use tobacco in any form, be sure to wash your hands with laundry soap before handling plants.

TOMATOES, PEPPERS,EGGPLANTS, petunias and other members of the Solanaceae family. The soap deactivates tobacco-mosaic virus which may be present on your hands and helps prevent it from spreading to plants. A plant that already has this virus must be removed and destroyed immediately.

On the other hand, for garden plants and house plants (except those ofthe Solanaceeae family), you can’t find a better aphid killer than nicotine. Soak two or three cigarette butts in a cup of water to get a brown “tea”.

Mix in a little soapsuds and dip infected parts of house plants in the solution or use it as a spray. Tobacco juice also is highly effective in killing such pests in the soil of house plants as symphilids, fungus gnats and springtails. Pour a cupful around the base of the plant. (Caution: nicotine is toxic: keep the mixture our of the reach of children and pets.)

BLEACH
-To protect ripening tomatoes from fungal diseases, wash them with a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach to a quart of water, and dry with a paper towel. Wrap each tomato in newspaper, and store in a basket or tray in a cool place (any area with a temperature around 55 degrees).

To sterilize your garden tools and old clay or plastic flowerpots, scrub them with a brush. Then soak them for a few minutes in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.

TALCUM POWDER -It you’re plagued by rabbits, try dusting your plants with ordinary talcum powder. It also works like a charm in repelling flea beetles on tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and other plants.

GARLIC -If you’re looking for ammunition to keep cats and dogs away, chop up abulb of garlic or a large onion, add a tablespoon of cayenne pepper, and steep in a quart of water for an hour. Add 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent to help the mixture stick to the plant. Strain what you need into a sprayer or watering can and sprinkle it on plant leaves. The rest will remain potent for several weeks if refrigerated in a tightly covered jar. (Do not spray outdoors on
windy days as solution may burn you reyes. Indoors, be careful not to breathe the
fumes.)

VINEGAR -Azaleas and gardenias need an acid soil. If you live in a
hard-water area, your plants may suffer from too much lime, causing leaves to
turn yellow.

Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to a quart of water and pour a cupful or
so around the base of a plant every two or three weeks until the yellow
disappears.

Vinegar is also useful in making a preservative for cut flowers.

Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of cane sugar in a quart of water.
Use in vase instead of plain water.

BEER -Placed in shallow pans flush with the ground, beer is a safe, inexpensive killer of snails and slugs. The pests crawl into the pans and drown. In a report to the Entomological Society of America a few years ago, Floyd F. Smith of the U.S. Dept. ofAgriculture said that in a series
of four-day greenhouse tests, beer attracted more than 300 slugs, while metaldhyde, a standard bait,attracted only 28!!!!!!Very likely at this date in time, there may be other stuff on the market that “updates”all this, but I for one, am surely going to get a LARGE can of talcum powder for my tomatoes!!!!!

Everyone stay safe,

Dar in Tucson

http://www.sharingsustainablesolutions.org/great-garden-tips/

Great Garden Tips
Tagged with: gnatswater

Bees or Wasps in the House Spray the insect with hair spray. The spray will stiffen their wings and they will plummet to their death.

Black Flies or GnatsWater soil with a mix of 1 teaspoon of ammonia and 1 quart of water. Do this every 3 days for 3 weeks.

Alcohol SpraysUse for aphids, mealybugs, scale, thrips and whitefly control. Mix ? cup Isopropyl alcohol (70%) with 1 cup water and spray on leaves and pests. Alcohol can burn the leaves of certain plants. African Violets and Apple trees are sensitive to alcohol sprays. Test a few leaves on your plant before you spray the whole plant.

Caterpillar Deterrent Citrus SprayCaterpillars don’t like the taste of citrus, it’s bitter chemicals run the caterpillars off.To make a citrus spray, grind up the rinds and seeds of any citrus fruit. Soak over night in 2 cups of water. Strain out the pulp, add 2 t liquid soap to mix. Spray on plants.

Garlic Oil SprayUse for control over aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs, June bugs, leafhoppers, squash bugs, and whiteflies. * Mince 1 bulb garlic * soak in 2 t mineral oil for 24 hours * mix 1 pint of water with 1 T liquid soap * add garlic mix to water and soap * Mix throughly * Strain out garlic and place into a jar for storage Use 1 to 2 T garlic oil mix to 2 cups water. Spray plants covering all leaf surfaces.

Fire Place AshesUse wood ashes from your fire place to control any soft bodied bug such as pear slugs and regular slugs. Sprinkle the powder where ever these creatures travel. The powder dehydrates the slugs and they die.

Low-fat For AphidsTo control aphids apply nonfat dried milk, mixed according to the box, onto the leaves of your plants. The aphids get stuck in the milky residue and perish.

Slug TerminatorSpray slugs with a mix of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water to terminate your slugs. Mix vinegar and water into a trigger sprayer and spray directly onto the slug. They will die almost immediately. Also spray the ground around your plants and any hidden slugs will come out of the sprayed soil and die.

Drunken SlugSet a shallow pan of beer (the darker the better) out into the garden where the slugs hang out. They can not resist the taste of beer and crawl in and drown.

Slug trapUse a plastic pop bottle to catch slugs. Remove the lid, cut the pop bottle just below the curve of the neck all the way around. Invert the neck piece and staple it inside of the main piece. Throw in some slug bait or some beer and set in the garden where the slugs are doing the damage. The slugs can crawl in but don’t crawl out.

Slug StopperSprinkle a ring of moth crystals around the base of your plants to keep the slugs from eating your plants. The slugs as well as cats, dogs and raccoons will stay away from these plants.

Weather Forecasting CricketsYou can tell the outside temperature in Fahrenheit by counting the number of chirps made by a cricket in 14 seconds then add 40 to it.

Earwig CatcherEarwigs like dark, tight places to hide in during the day. Lay some corrugated cardboard out in the garden where you have had earwig damage. The earwigs will climb into the cardboard to hide during the day. Collect the cardboard and burn it.

Codling Moth BrothTo catch codling moths, use a mixture of 2 parts vinegar and one part molasses. Place this mixture in a tin can and hang it in the apple tree. Clean out the moths and place more mix in the can when needed.

Fly CatcherTo catch flies, place a piece of meat in a jar. Using a quart jar, place a small piece of meat and ? inch of water into the jar. Punch a few holes big enough for the flies to crawl in, into the lid of the jar. Screw on the lid and set in a good fly location. When the fly crawls in, it can’t get out. Clean out the jar when the smell gets to strong or it gets full of flies.

Yellow Sticky TrapsTo catch white flies, gnats and aphids use STP motor oil treatment or honey. Smear motor oil treatment or honey onto bright yellow plastic and place it amongst your plants with bugs. When the plastic gets full of bugs, wipe them off and reapply STP motor oil treatment or honey and set the trap out again.

How to Get the Skunk Smell off of Your Pets * 1 quart 3% Hydrogen Peroxide * 1/4 cup baking soda * 2 teaspoons baby shampooMix up solution. Thoroughly wet dog and shampoo in. Let sit for 5 minutes then rinse. Be sure not to get the solution in the dogs eyes. The percentage of Hydrogen Peroxide is not strong enough to bleach the dogs hair.

Protect Your Grapes from the BirdsJust before your grapes ripen when the birds start to get into them protect your crop with plastic grocery bags. Punch each bag full of air holes. Slip a bag around each bundle of grapes and staple to hold bag in place.

Spank Your Fruit TreesFor more fruit production, take a rolled up newspaper and spank the day lights out of the trunk of your fruit trees. This action loosens the cambium layer and more sap will flow up to the tree producing more fruit. This is for more fruit the following year.

Mini GreenhousesWhen you first place your seedlings out you will want to protect them from to much wind, sun or frost. A gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and the lid off is the perfect mini green house for setting out your plants. If it is going to frost, just put the lid on for the night. If the jug keep blowing off, cut off the top of the handle. Next run a stick through the handle, this will secure the jug to the stick. Push the stick down into the ground to anchor it. The wind will not pick it up now.

Mini Shade HouseWhen first setting out seedling the can be wind burned or sunburned. To help the acclimate your plants to the great outdoors you can protect them with a mini shade house. Cut out a 18 inch by 24 inch piece of woven fence material, being sure to leave the extra wire that sticks out when you cut it. Bend it into the shape of an arch. Cut a piece of burlap 20 inches by 26 inches. Hook the burlap over the ends of the fence material. Set the whole unit over your transplanted seedlings. Leave this over them for a week to harden off your plants. This is great for working people because you never build up heat under this covering so you don’t have to take it off during the day if the sun shines to hot.

Dress up Your GardenUse old panty hose for tying up your plants. The panty hose are strong and will not cut into the tender stems.Another use for old panty hose is to place them over the heads of your cabbage. As your cabbage grows the panty hose will stretch.

Canned CornTo keep birds and squirrels from eating your corn, place aluminum pop or beer cans on your corn ear. Prepare the cans by cutting off the tab end. Next punch air holes all the way around the can. When you see birds or squirrels getting into your corn, slip a can over each ear until it is ripe.

Eggshell PlantersEggshells make great plant starters. When you crack your egg, just take off the tip of one end. Rinse out the shell and poke a small drain hole into the bottom of the shell while it is still wet. Fill shell 3/4 full of potting soil and plant seeds. When it is time to plant out just crush the egg shell and plant into the ground. The egg shell adds lime to help feed the soil and plant.

Mildew on Your PeoniesSprinkle your peonies with cinnamon to stop molds and fungi. Tokyo researchers have found that fungi will not grow in the presence of cinnamon.

Clothespin for RosesTo avoid being stuck when working with roses, use a spring type clothes pin to hold the stem instead of your fingers.

Baking Soda SprayUse baking soda to control fungal diseases, especially black spot on roses.Dissolve 1 t baking soda in 1 quart of water, add 1 t liquid soapSpray entire leaf surfaces of plants every 3 days for 21 days. Reapply after every rain.

No Room for a Garden?If you want to grow a tomato plant or a cucumber plant and you have no room. Get a bale of straw, poke some holes in it and pour compost into the holes. Plant your vegetables right into the bale. Water when needed. The decomposing bale will feed your vegetables all season.

Soak Your Feet or Feed Your TomatoesEpsom salt is great for getting your tomato plants to produce large crops of tomatoes. It also helps to prevent blossom end rot. Use 1/4 cup around the base of each tomato plant every year.

Easy Sowing of Small SeedsSeason salt or spice shakers are great to use to sow small seeds. Place your tiny seeds in the shakers with some fine sand and shake away. The sand helps to evenly distribute your seeds so they don’t end up in one pile.

Quick Sprout CarrotsSoak your carrot seeds in a glass of warm water for 24 hours. Drain off water and place carrot seeds evenly on several wet paper towels. About ? inches apart. Layer the paper towels in a glass baking dish. Place a sheet of plastic wrap between the layers. Cover the whole dish with plastic wrap. Place in a warm location for about a week. When you start to see little white sprout coming out of the end of the carrot seed it is time to plant them. Place the paper towel in the garden row. Cover lightly with soil and water lightly. Your carrots should be up in a few days.

Rid Your Sidewalks of Weeds and GrassTo kill weeds and grass in unwanted places such as the cracks in your side walks, pour boiling salt water directly onto the weeds or grass for an instant kill.

Hammer Those Tough WeedsFor those hard to pull weeds, hook them with the claw end of a hammer and pull.

Pickle Those WeedsTo kill weeds in areas that you don’t plan to plant anything you can use a solution of vinegar and salt. * 1/4 cup vinegar * 2 t salt * 1 quart water Spray weed until soaked. Heat of the day is best.

Fizzy BubblesTo clean the dirt and stains out of the crevices and cracks of your hands. Drop two denture tables into 2 cups of warm water. Soak your hands for 15 to 20 minutes. It will also remove the dirt from under your nails and will also soften your hands.

I invite you to use this guide as a first step in developing you own garden survival list. Mentally walk through the garden season and list all of the items you use. If any of them are “modern appliances” you will need to think of a man powered replacement or back up system. Contact your local county extension agent and find out what pests lurk in your neck of the woods. Get the supplies you will need to eradicate the pests that will plague your garden. Find a gardener to buddy up with. There should be several experienced gardeners in your area. Go ask them some questions. Find out when they plant, what they plant, what pests they deal with, what kind of fertilizer they use, be sure to take notes. Most gardeners love to talk about their gardens. Go to the library and find some books on gardening. The ones you like have the book store order for you. Fore thought and preparation is the key. It is very possible for us to feed our families from our garden.

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Garden Plot: My Experience
Tagged with: organic gardening Robert Kourik`s
Organic Gardening

I started organic gardening in the mid-seventies, when French bio-dynamic intensive methods were the fad. For years I grew most of my own food and medicine in a small garden on an organic farm north of Santa Barbara, CA. Here’s how:

A companion bed of herbs and vegetables. I planted a thick bed of herbs and vegetables. After selecting the main ones I wanted, I added a few plants purely for their value as companion plants: e.g., horehound for the tomatoes and yarrow for the herbs. Then I sorted everything out according to likes and dislikes, e.g., tomatoes like both dill and carrots, but dill and carrots dislike each other, so the carrots went on one edge and side of the bed; the dill went on the other. Then I arranged things according to soil strata, e.g., root crops mixed with bushy herbs; tallest plants at the back. and kohlrabi thrown in for comic relief. Companion planting also brings out the best in some plants, e.g., sage and peppermint, which I grow for medicinal use, also drive away cabbage butterflies and carrot flies. The bed is 4 footx12 foot. The plants are:

1) Tomato 2) Dill 3) Horehound 4) White sage 5) Zucchini 6) Peppermint
7) Echinacea Chamomile 9) Yarrow 10) Comfrey 11) Catnip 12) Parsley
13) Thyme 14) A mixed row of carrots, beets, lettuce, and kohlrabi
15) Oregano 16) Mixed beets and lettuce.

Growing barrels of potatoes, I got my hands on four plastic 50-gallon barrels. I drilled drain holes in them, set them up on blocks and planted spuds in them. Here’s how: Cut up potatoes which have started to sprout, leaving an eye or more on each piece. Dry these out for two days in a cool, dry room. Then plant in a shallow layer of soil and compost in the bottom of the barrel. As the potatoes grow up, add more soil and compost. After they reach the top of the barrel, I plant a couple of bush beans in each barrel. The beans protect the potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle, and the potatoes protect the beans against the Mexican bean beetle. As soon as the potatoes flower you can find little spuds in the soil. When the whole plant dies back, kick over the barrel for a bountiful harvest. I have two barrels of red potatoes, one of white russet, and one of Yukon gold.

Grow a Mound of Zucchini, and following an idea from Robert Kourik’s Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally, I cleared a section of yard and hoed the dead plants, green weeds, and topsoil into a long berm atop a space I whose clay crust I had forked loose. I put a layer of compost and a layer of dirt atop the berm. Then I poked holes through the dirt and planted the zucchinis in the compost about a foot apart. I expect to get mass quantities of zukes from now til October. It is 8 foot long. Grow a row of garlic:Keeping a huge stand of white and Swiss chard from last year, I planted a row of garlic. Using garlic bulbs from the grocery store, I pushed individual cloves just beneath the surface, and then heavily mulched. I grow and eat mass quantities of garlic year-round as both food and medicine.

Eat the weeds: Spearmint, nasturtiums, red clover, and dandelions all grow wild nearby. I make a garden salad with about half wild greens and half from the garden. I even let a few dandelions flower and go to seed in the garden. This will give you a start: lots of salad, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini. Plus highly nutritious comfrey and garlic.

* Replace your soda pop and coffee with peppermint tea.
* Treat headaches with camomile and catnip tea (both are delicious in salads).
* Treat colds and coughs with horehound and sage. Heal injuries with yarrow and comfrey.
* Prevent illness with echinachea.

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Cheese Making

Cheddar Cheese:

To make a 1 1/2 pound cheese, combine 2 gallons of whole milk with 3/4C of Buttermilk, let mixture set at room temp. overnight to ‘ripen.’ Next day warm the milk gently in a double boiler to 86 Degrees F and mix in one cheese rennet tablet dissolved in a glass of cool water and let the mixture coagulate undisturbed. When the milk curdles (about 45 mintues), cut the curds into 3/8 inch cubes. Mix the curds and allow to stand for 15 minutes,then heat again, slowly to 100 degrees F. Cook for about an hour until a piece of cooled curd retains its shape when squeezed. If it crumbles,it needs more cooking. Drain the curds for a few minutes and rinse out the double boiler, then cheddar the curds.

To Cheddar the curds:

Return them to the double boiler, spread over a rack lined with cheesecloth. Cover and reheat to 98d.F for 30 to 40 minutes until the curds form one solid mass. Remove the curds, cut them into strips 1 inch. wide and return them to the pan. (NO HEAT)Turn the strips every 15 to 20 minutes for an hour. Cut the strips into cubes and gradually mix in 1 tablespoon of salt, being careful not to bruise the curds. Let them stand for 10 minutes, put them into a cheesecloth, and press them an hour. Remove the cheese from the press, unwrap it, dip it in warm water, and fill in and smooth off any cracks or uneveness. Rewrap in a clean cheesecloth and weight with 40 pounds for 24 hours, then remove and let cheese dry for four to five days in a cool,airy location. Turn cheese twice a day during this time period and wipe it dry each time with a clean cloth. When a hard, dry skin has formed, rub it with oil or seal it with paraffin. Cheddar can be eaten after 6 weeks but is best if aged six months or more. American Cheese is actually a mild variety of Cheddar cheese.

TIP

Coating cheddar cheese in parafin is an axcellent way to preserve it.

Colby

Making Colby cheese involves the unusual steps of adding cool water to the curds after they are cooked. The result is a mild, moist porous cheese. Because of its high moisture content, colby does not keep well. Use pasteurized whole or skim milk. Heat 2 gallons of milk to 88d.F and add 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir and let sit for 30 minutes. Dissolve 1/4 cheese rennet tablet or 2 1/2 junket tablets in a glass of cool water and add to the milk stirring well. Allow to coagulate (about 30 mins.) then cut the curds into 3/8 inch cubes. After mixing the curds for 10 minutes, heat gently to 98d.F, increasing the temp about one degree every three minutes. Continue to cook at this temp. for 40 minutes, then slowly add cool water until the temp lowers to 80d.F and remains stabilized at this point. Turn off the heat and gently mix the curds for 15 minutes. Drain the curds and mix in 6 tablespoons of salt. Put the curds into a cheese hoop or mold and press them lightly for half an hour, then add more weight for an hour and a half. Coat with paraffin when the surface has dried or rub with vegetable oil or salt. Ripen in a cool place (40-50d.F) for two or three months.

Small-curd sharp cottage cheese

The key to either of the ‘cottage’ cheeses is to heat the curds gently and gradualy. Cottage cheese is made my allowing the milk to coagulate, or clabber, without rennet. Heat a gallon of skim milk to about 72 degrees F, and add 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir thoroughly then cover the milk and let stand undisturbed in a warm place for 16-24 hours until it coagulates. You can use raw milk, but because of the risk of unfavorable bacteria developing, you will probably have better results with pastuerized milk. Do not let the temperature drop below 70F during clabbering. When the milk has clabbered, cut the curds into 1/4 inch cubes, mix and let rest for 10 minutes. Then slowly raise the temperature to 104F increasing it by 5F every five minutes. Continue to cook at 104F for 20 to 40 minutes or until the curds feel firm. The curds should not stick together when squeezed, and the inside of the curds should appear dry and granular. If necessary, raise the temp. as high as 120F. When the curds are cooked, drain and rinse them. Add a teaspoon of salt for every pound of curd. For a creamed cottage cheese add 4-6 tablespoons of sweet or sour cream.

Large Curd Cottage Cheese:

Is made with rennet. Heat 1 gallon of skim milk to 90F (NO HIGHER), and add 1/4 C. of buttermilk. Dissolve 1 1/4 junket tablets or an eighth of a cheese rennet tablet in a glass of cool water, add it to the milk and let stand at 90F. Test the milk for coagulation after a few hours. When the milk has coagulated, cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then heat to 110F by raising the temp. 5F every five minutes. Test as for small curd cottage cheese, and raise the temp as high as 120 if the curds are not ready. Drain, rinse and cream as for small-curd cottage cheese.

HINTS

When rinsing cottage cheese, first remove cooked curds from heat. Drain through cheesecloth, allow to stand for a minute or two, then lift up the corners of the cheesecloth to make a ‘bag.’ Dip the bag several times into warm water, rinse for two minutes in ice water to chill the curds and let the water drain off.

Farmers Cheese

Is made by using the cottage cheese recipe above, except you use whole milk rather than low-fat. After coagulation cut curd into 1/4 inch cubes. Heat slowly to 104F. and continue to cook until curds reatin shape after being pinched or pressed with the fingers. Drain, rinse and pour into an oblong shape in a clean, folded cheesecloth. Wrap cloth over and press lightly with a board.

Cream Cheese

Combine 2 C. heavy cream w/2 T. buttermilk. Suspend the mixture in a clean cheese cloth over a bowl for 24 hours or until the cream thickens. The longer you leave it suspended, the drier the cheese will be. Season with salt or herbs for taste if you wish.

For a tangy cream cheese and with less fat, use yogurt in place of the cream and Buttermilk.

ASSORTED RECIPES & TIPS

Herb Rice

* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
* 2 beef or vegetable boullion cubes, crushed to powder
* 1 teaspoon green onion flakes,li>1/2 teaspoon each: rosemary, marjoram or oregano, and thyme leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt or celery salt

Curried Rice

* 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
* 2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed to powder
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt or celery salt

. In a large mixing bowl, stir all the ingredients for either rice and pour into a sealable container.

To Cook: In a large saucepan combine either the Herb or Curried Rice mixture with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir once and cover. Simmer for 14 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Each mix makes four servings.

Salmon or Tuna Dinner

* 1 package macaroni and cheese
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 (6 to 7 ounce) can tuna or salmon, flaked
* 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can, undiluted, Condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 can peas (same size as soup can)

* Stir macaroni into 6 cups (or whatever you feel is necessary to make noodles) boiling, salted water (1 tsp. salt)
* Boil rapidly for 5-7 minutes, until noodles are tender.
* Drain macaroni. Add 2 tablespoons cheese powder packet, margerine or butter, milk and soup. Stir.
* Gently stir in tuna or salmon and peas (or green beans).
* Heat to serving temperature.

Unbelievably Easy Fish Chowder

* 4 tbsp unsalted butter
* 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
* 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1 quart fish stock or clam juice
* 2 pounds cod, haddock, or halibut, cut into 1-inch chunks.
* 2 cups milk
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* Paprika, for garnish
* Oyster crackers, to serve on the side

1. In a Dutch-oven or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring, until they are well coated with the butter.
2. Add the fish broth or clam juice to the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes. Add the fish chunks and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the fish cook in barely simmering broth until it is just done to taste, about 5-7 minutes longer. Stir in the salt and pepper.
3. Serve the chowder garnished with a sprinkle of the paprika and the oyster crackers on the side. Serves 6.

Tomato Basil Soup

* 4 cups tomatos (fresh or canned) peeled,seeded and crushed
* 4 cups tomato juice or chicken stock
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 12 to 14 leaves fresh basil
* 1 cup butter
* salt pepper

In large pot, bring tomatos & liquid to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and pour half into a blender. Add 1/2 of the basil, cover and blend, starting with lowest setting and working up to highest. Blend for 1 minute or until smooth & pour into medium sized bowl. Repeat with rest of tomato mixture. Pour blended soup back into pot and bring back to boil. reduce heat to low adding butter and cream. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring often. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve with fresh French or sourdough bread. Makes 8 servings Makes 4 cups

Salsa

* 1 pound diced ripe tomatoes
* 1 finely diced small red onion
* 2 seeded and finely diced jalapeno peppers (if you like it hot…leave the seeds in)
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine in a large glass bowl and let stand for 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Can immediately if you’re going to put it in the pantry.

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Companion Planting

The following is a list of vegetable and herbs which grow well together and protect one another from insect attack.?? Many herbs are natural insect repellents that can keep your garden bug free and reduce or eliminate the need for potentially harmful pesticides.

By using Companion Planting, many gardeners are discovering that they can discourage garden pests without harming helpful insects such as bees and ladybugs. Some herbs, through their odors or root secretions, will deter pests naturally. An added bonus is; these same herbs, planted as companions in your garden, will season the fruits and vegetables of your labor.

Some herbs even improve the flavor or growth rate of their companion vegetables. Companion planting is the ultimate way to bring the balance of nature into your garden. Just do your best to match the suitable herb with the suitable plant and the rest will follow.

BASIL:
Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor and to repel flies and mosquitoes. Do not plant near rue.

BAY LEAF:
A fresh leaf bay leaf in each storage container of beans or grains will deter weevils and moths. Sprinkle with other deterrent herbs in garden as natural insecticide dust.

BEE BALM (Oswego):
Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor.

BORAGE:
Companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. Deters tomato worms.

CARAWAY:
Good for loosening compacted soil.

CATNIP:
Deters flea beetles.

CAMOMILE:
Improves flavor of cabbages and onions.

CHERVIL:
Companion to radishes for improved growth and flavor.

CHIVES:
Improves growth and flavor of carrots.

DILL:
Improves growth and health of cabbage. Do not plant near carrots.

FENNEL:
Most plants dislike it. Plant to itself.

FLAX:
Plant with carrots, and potatoes.

GARLIC:
Plant near roses to repel aphids.

GOPHER PURGE:
Deters gophers, and moles.

HORSERADISH:
Plant in potato patch to keep away potato bugs.

HYSSOP:
Companion plant to cabbage and grapes, deters cabbage moths. Do not plant near radishes.

KELP:
When used in a powder mixture or tea spray, this versatile sea herb will not only repel insects but feed the vegetables.

LEMON BALM:
Sprinkle throughout the garden in an herbal powder mixture.

LOVAGE:
Improves flavor and health of most plants.

MARIGOLDS
(Calendula): The workhorse of pest deterrents. Keeps soil free of nematodes; discourages many insects. Plant freely throughout the garden.

MARJORAM:
Improves flavor of all vegetables.

MINT:
Deters white cabbage moths, and improves the health of cabbage and tomatoes.

MOLE PLANTS:
Deter moles and mice if planted here and there throughout the garden.

NASTURTIUMS:
Plant with tomatoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, and under fruit trees. Deters aphids and pests of curcurbit family.

PARSLEY:
Plant and sprinkle on tomatoes, and asparagus.

PEPPERMINT:
Repels white cabbage moths.

PETUNIAS:
Remember mom or grandma planting these? She had good reason, even though she may have only planted them for tradition’s sake. They repel the asparagus beetle, tomato worm and general garden pests. Also, a good companion to tomatoes, but plant everywhere.

PURSLANE:
This edible weed makes good ground cover in the corn. Use the stems, leaves and seeds in stirfrys. Pickle the green seed pod for capers.

ROSEMARY:
Companion plant to cabbage, beans, carrots and sage. Deters cabbage moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies.

RUE:
Deters Japanese beetles in roses and raspberries.

SAGE:
Companion plant with rosemary, cabbage, and carrots to deter cabbage moths, beetles, carrot flies. Do not plant near cucumbers.

SOUTHERNWOOD:
Plant with cabbage, and here and there in the garden.

SUMMER SAVORY:
Plant with beans and onions to improve growth and flavor. Discourages cabbage moths.

TANSY:
Plant with fruit trees, roses and raspberries. Deters flying insects, Japanese beetles, striped cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and ants.

TARRAGON:
Plant throughout the garden, not many pests like this one.

THYME:
Deters cabbage worms.

VALERIAN:
Good anywhere in the garden, as a powder.

WORMWOOD:
Keeps animals out of the garden when planted as a border.

Source:http://www.i4at.org/library.html