1. Editors Corner
   • Have the Winter Blues?
   • Spring – Just Around the Corner!
   • Follow up – Thank You
2. News & Events
   • Newmarket Farmers Market
   • Mushrooms – Current Status
   • Mothership Update
   • Greenhouse Kits and Low Tunnels
   • “Good Neighbors”
3. How To:
   • James’ Mushroom Recipes:
4. Questions from Readers
   • Organic vs Non-Organic Seeds

Editors Corner

Have the Winter Blues?

At this time of year, many of us suffer from a legitimate syndrome known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It can manifest itself in very subtle ways or be quite debilitating – fatigue, depression, sleep pattern disruption, decrease in libido, over eating (especially carbohydrates which can lead to weight gain) and a myriad of other symptoms.If you are like me, taking this syndrome seriously can make a HUGE difference in your mental and emotional health during the LOOOOOOONG cold winter months. Day length and sun/light exposure have a lot to do with the manifestation of symptoms. It is known that decreased day length and light intensity can change brain chemistry, it is just not known exactly how.

Having dealt with this for MANY years, I will just share a couple of thoughts and intervention techniques that have helped me greatly.

Since exposure to the sunshine causes our bodies to produce Vitamin D, there has been a lot of research on this front. Recent research indicates that it is a critically important compound in the body. An obvious solution is to get some exposure to sunshine every day. BUT, research also indicates that most people in the northern latitudes don’t get the exposure they need in the winter and are therefore quite deficient in blood levels of Vitamin D. Light therapy has become a widely used method of mitigating the symptoms of SAD. Research has indicated that it may not be the QUALITY of light that is the problem but rather the QUANTITY. In other words, you may not specifically require SUNLIGHT, rather just STRONG light (such as fluorescent light at levels at least 25 times normal bright house light levels). There are many “light boxes” for sale out there and choosing the right one can be confusing. The Mayo Clinic has a good website on SAD with great information on light therapy and light boxes.

If you are at all familiar with the field of epigenetic science, you already know that vitamin D has receptors on virtually every cell system in the body. Its importance in everything from cardiovascular and breast health to bone maintenance and prevention of several childhood diseases has been well established. Recent research has even caused the Canadian government to raise its RDA (recommended daily allowance) to 1000 iu (the US RDA is at 400 iu). My personal nutrition program includes 2000 iu of vitamin D3, fish oils (molecularly distilled), vitamin K2 (which acts in conjunction with calcium and vitamin D3 for bone health), vitamin C and a good multi vitamin daily. The omega 3s (EPA and DHA) in fish oils have been shown to be critically important components of overall brain health and function. Extensive research has shown omega 3s to be as effective in the treatment of depression as many of the prescription drugs currently in wide use.  I take much more than these but these are a core part of dealing with my “winter blues”. Exercise is also a critical component of your mental and emotion health year round but even more so in the winter. Endorphins and serotonin are your friends! I could also go on about your food intake and its either positive OR negative effect on your mental and emotional well being – but we will leave that until later. So, if you suffer from the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, do some research on it! You CAN make a HUGE difference in how you feel during the winter!

Spring – Just Around the Corner!

OK, I lost myself for a moment in the exuberance of anticipation! Enough time has passed since last summer that we are actually forgetting how “challenging” last year’s growing season was. On the other hand, we are rapidly reaching that point where we might gladly trade a family member for an 80 degree day of gardening!

So, as we sit by the fire watching the snow fall, how should we channel all that pent up gardening energy? Here are a few thoughts that always help me:

FIRST:  Have faith! If history is any indicator, Spring will return! When I feel like I will never shed my bright red Union Suit for another pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I look out to the spot where my crocuses are and remember the great joy they bring me when they ALWAYS reappear in the Spring. Yes my friends, we WILL be warm again!

SECOND:  Understand what happened to last year’s growing season. Virtually everything that could go wrong with a growing season came together in a great confluence of gardening’s Dark Side that would warm Darth Vader’s heart. A cold, wet Spring. Little or no sunshine for the first half of the summer. The invasion of the cut worms and slugs. Early blight and mildew. And then the devastating Late Blight! Caused by a combination of early import of infected plants by large retailers and perfect supporting weather conditions, it virtually destroyed the region’s entire tomato crop and much of the potato crop too. If you are a home gardener, don’t feel alone. Most commercial growers also lost their crops – causing quite a few to go out of the business. I have grown all my life and can’t remember a year with so many challenges. If this was your first year gardening, cheer up. It can only get better! And it will.

THIRD:  This is a good time to sit down with a pad and paper. Start planning your 2010 garden now. It will allow you to maximize your yield and prepare for whatever challenges you/we will encounter in the coming growing season. Here are some things to consider as you think ahead:

* If you already have a garden – how is the soil? Have you had the ph checked? If not, put it on your list. Ph is critical for proper plant growth and productivity. Have you been composting and adding organic matter to your garden yearly? If not, draw up your plans for a simple compost pile and pick a spot in the yard. Build it early in the spring. Compost is one of the best things you can do for your garden. Draw up a diagram of what you grew and where in last year’s garden. Plan to plant things in different places in 2010. Crop rotation is VERY important in disease prevention and nutrient balance. Even Medieval gardeners knew this. We will give you more information on this at a later date. If you are planning to put manure on your garden this coming year, remember that it should be at least 120 days old (not counting frozen time) to be safe from e-coli and other nasties that come out of animals. E-coli is NOT your friend.

* If you are putting in a new garden or your first garden – seriously consider RAISED BEDS. They are a great way to grow for many reasons. If you don’t have room for a conventional garden or raised beds – take heart! You can grow everything you want in containers with great success. We will write more about container growing at a later date. Raised beds and containers can actually make gardening what it was meant to be – fun and easy!

* For everyone – figure out how much food you need/want to grow! This will greatly aid you in the design of your garden.  Ask yourself and your family what vegetables you like to eat! Plant most of your garden with these vegetables and take a small space to experiment with new or unfamiliar varieties. Buy seeds or seedlings of varieties that have proven track records for this specific region. For example, some pepper varieties will perform very well in this region. Others will not perform at all. A good solution to this problem is to buy locally from growers with a good reputation. In addition to choosing the proper varieties, consider using square foot or French intensive growing techniques. This is a system of growing that gives you around twice the yield in the same amount of space. Less space equals less weeding, less watering, less fertilizing, less work. More efficient, more fun, more productive, more earth friendly!

* Consider putting in an extra few plants to grow food for someone in need. Nothing will define the meaning of growing to you more than sharing your harvest with someone in need. We will talk about this more in the near future.

As we approach the season more closely, I will talk at length about many of the thoughts above. I will also talk about things like extending the season with low tunnels, row covers and greenhouses. What to plant and when (far too many people plant too early or too late, wasting time, effort and money). How to preserve water and eliminate weeds through mulching. How and when to fertilize your seedlings and mature plants. Keeping your ornamental hanging baskets flowering all season long. How to deal with pests and disease. What to do about early and late blight.

If you have questions about gardening, send them to me. I will try to answer them on the website or personally. My/our commitment is to help you get the most food and enjoyment out of your garden. It is a New Year, I am looking out at the spot where my crocuses lie sleeping, and I know that Spring will return again. Stay warm my friends and start planning that perfect spring garden!!

Dr. Tomato

Follow up – Thank You

The last Winter Farmer’s Market at the Stone Church in Newmarket was a great success.  We sold out of our famous Grey Dove and Italian Oyster Mushrooms in less than a half hour!  Hopefully we will have more of our mushrooms to offer at the next market, however it is an unpredictable crop to grow and seems to decide on its own when it feels like fruiting, and when it doesn’t!  We will keep you updated before the next market as to the status of our Grey Dove and Italian Oysters…

Supplies are getting slim as we dig our heels into the thick of winter, however we will have some more of our well-received Solarganic Salad Mixes, as well as fresh Asian greens, radishes, and herbs.

We look forward to the next market, and hope to see you there!

Until Next Time,

The Healthy Home Harvest team
feedback@healthyhomeharvest.com

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News & Events

Newmarket Farmers Market

When: Saturday, January 16th from 9:00am until 1:00pm.

It is in Newmarket at the Stone Church. For those of you not familiar with Newmarket, the Stone Church is up on the hill behind the Post Office in downtown Newmarket. This is our favorite farmers market! Good atmosphere, live music, some wonderful vendors, good food and a variety of  products. We hope to have a pretty good selection of greens such as lettuce varieties, Asian greens, radishes and gourmet turnips. As always, the fresh mushroom situation will depend on how co-operative the mushroom spawn decides to be. It is a fickle and somewhat unpredictable little organism! See you there!

Mushrooms – Current Status

Grey Dove:  Currently Sold Out
Italian Oyster: Currently Sold Out

Due to the high demand on our mushrooms, our supplies sell out before they even become available. Watch our website for more information as stock becomes available.

Mothership Update

James is proud to announce that the Mothership successfully navigated the brutally cold weather of the past several weeks using NO gas, oil or bio-fuel. The small woodstove rumbled gently along in the corner. We are currently working on some new modifications that will raise the efficiency level even higher! As you know, Healthy Home Harvest LLC is deeply committed to growing techniques that either totally or greatly eliminate both energy consumption and overall carbon footprint. We cannot reach ZERO immediately, but we will continue to redesign, experiment and commit ourselves until we come as close as possible! We are also committed to helping you, our customers and friends, learn how to take some of our methods and implement them in your own garden or home. Together, we can make a difference!

Greenhouse Kits and Low Tunnels

You already know that James and I make our own greenhouse components and make them available to you. This spring, we will offer these components in simple, cost effective packages either through Healthy Home Harvest LLC directly or several retail outlets at various convenient locations.

If you keep up on the whole “green movement” and earth friendly gardening world, you know that for years, growers like ourselves have used structures called “low tunnels” to extend the growing season, increase productivity and reduce pest and disease damage. These low tunnels are just “mini greenhouses” in the range of 3 feet high and 6 feet wide. By buying as many or few mini hoops as you need, you can make them as long as you want. Instead of plastic covering them, they are covered with a light, breathable agricultural fabric that allows air and moisture to pass through, but keeps bugs out! The environment under the fabric stays warmer than the outside temperature (most plants love this!) allowing you to grow earlier and later in the season. They also allow you to “push” plants that like a warmer climate (such as peppers, eggplant, sweet potatoes) to produce as if they were several hundred miles to the South. They keep cabbage moths off broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Flea beetles off eggplant and peppers. The hoops themselves will be VERY cost effective (I’ll let you know next week) and can be used for as many years as any of us will be able to garden! The fabric is also VERY inexpensive and can be used for several years if care is taken. If you want to greatly expand your growing capabilities but can’t quite afford your own greenhouse yet, these low tunnels are a wonderful way to go!

“Good Neighbors”

If you watch any television at all (we just get channel 11 on a small portable TV) do yourself a favor and watch the British comedy GOOD NEIGHBORS. Tuesday night at 9:30pm or Saturday night. Both funny and very thought provoking for those of us search for an alternative life path. If you garden you will LOVE this show!

How To:

James’ favorite way to eat Grey Dove and Italian Oyster Mushrooms:

Many people have been asking how I, being of course one of the two growers of our famous mushrooms, prefer to cook and prepare them.  Well…My taste is honestly pretty simple with these. To my personal advantage, some of the mushrooms we grow are not up to visual standards for sale, however are perfectly fine to consume.  These are the ones that Dr. Tomato and I readily get to enjoy and experiment cooking with.

I’ve come to enjoy simply adding them to already familiar meals, such as sautéing with steak or venison, adding to pasta sauce, adding to a stir fry, or especially adding to omelets and egg sandwiches.  Being that they are so meaty and able to stand on their own, they are also perfect to feature as the main part of a meal.  My personal favorite still always comes back to this one…

Hand peel the mushrooms into thin strips from the cap down to the stems.  Lightly sauté them on a medium heat in butter until they have become limp and begin to gently brown up.  Olive oil can be used; however butter truly reveals the best flavors of the mushrooms.  Careful not to crowd them or add too much butter, else they won’t brown properly!  Add a pinch of fresh rosemary for the last minute of frying, and then serve over lightly buttered toast.  I eat this almost every day for breakfast, and frankly, it’s my favorite!

Questions from Readers

Question:

Is there any difference in using “organic” vs. “non-organic” seeds to start my veggie gardens?

Answer:

Is there a difference?  Yes.  “Organic” seeds come from organically certified plants, and aren’t treated after harvest with any chemicals.  Not all “non-organic” seeds are treated; however they are harvested from plants that may have been grown using a variety of chemicals and pesticides.  Some people are strict about only using organic seeds.  Others see no harm in using “non-organic” or treated seeds.  At the end of the day, it’s a matter of personal preference and availability.  At Healthy Home Harvest, we make all attempts to grow our veggies and herbs exclusively from organically certified seeds.  We are also committed to never using genetically modified seeds.  The topic of seeds and the differences between what is available in the market is a complex subject, and will be discussed at length by Dr. Tomato in our next newsletter.

About the Newsletter

The Healthy Home Harvest newsletter is a bi-weekly publication which consists of news, events, how-to and reader submitted questions.