Greenhouse with tilapia lettuce herbs and cucumbers

A completely integrated food production system using retractable roofs to create optimal growing conditions using the advantages of the natural outdoors and a greenhouse.


Green Sky Growers, a rooftop farm, is located on top of the Garden Building in Winter Garden, Florida, and is the first Certified Green building in the world with commercial-scale, Aqua-Dynamic farming on the rooftop. Green Sky Growers produces tons of fresh vegetables and fish on an annual basis without the use of harmful pesticides.

• Environmentally friendly growing practices include the harvesting of rainwater that is recycled in the Aqua-Dynamic growing systems. 
• All the growing systems continuously recycle 100% of the nutrients and water.
• The majority of food produced is available to the local Winter Garden community, thus providing healthy, locally grown and low carbon-footprint food.
  
  
  

  CCRES AQUAPONICS 

  project of NGO

  CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES (CCRES)

Read More..

Winter Survival Foraging Class with Dan Farella of Return to Nature

A few weeks ago I saw a post on the Philly Permaculture Facebook group for a Winter Survival Foraging class in Somerset, NJ. I was going to be in Brooklyn that morning and since the class was in the early afternoon, I thought itd be cool to check out.

I checked out the instructor, Dan De Lion, before coming to the class. If I was going to be picking wild plants and eating them, I wanted to have an idea about who was telling me what was safe and not safe to eat. I saw that Dan had several comments from people who had taken previous classes and lived long enough to post thankful remarks about the experience. I also saw that he had several of his own YouTube videos about foraging, posted articles about wild food pretty often, and had his own project, Return to Nature, to teach about wild food and medicinal plants. He seemed to know his stuff, so I felt pretty confident.

I arrived at the park a bit early and chatted with some other people waiting for the class. When Dan arrived, he sat down in a grassy area next to the parking lot and sat down. I came over and introduced myself, as did several other people who were now waiting for the class. After introductions, Dan asked how far we thought wed have to go to find an edible or medicinal plant. It turns out, there were several within a few feet of us. We picked some small wild strawberry leaves, and some wild onions (from the Allium family).

They both looked like what I had always thought of as weeds, I would have never guessed they were related to strawberries or onions. The onion looked like a round blade of grass, and the strawberry, some sort of small clover or something. Dan also pointed out how to make sure that the plants were safe to eat, and not a similar looking toxic plant. He noted that we should look for orange spots on the underside of the strawberry leaves, which could be a fungus that could make us sick. With the wild onions, we would need to dig down to the bulb of the root and make sure that we only eat plants with, "one bulb, for one plant." Multiple bulbs with one plant, or vice versa could make us sick. I was also impressed that Dan knew the scientific name of many of the plants we found. I particularly liked the mild but distinctly onion-y taste of the wild onions. I brought a few home to share with my girlfriend.

As a side note, permaculture videos that Ive watched have taught me that many "weeds," actually have value when we look at them a bit differently. Ive always been taught that theyre invasive, worthless plants, but Ive read that they can be used to heal nutrient deficiencies in soil, and many can even be eaten as nutrient dense foods. This was another reason that I was interested in taking the class. Ive heard about foraging for wild mushrooms and other plants, and it seemed like something I wanted to know about.

We moved on to some nearby pine trees and talked about them a bit. Dan shared some pine needle tea, and explained how we could make our own. Did you know that pine needle wreaths were originally given as DIY tea gift kits? You would break off some pine needles and some other spices or herbs in the wreath to stew different teas. I always thought that they were decoration. More evidence of how our society is losing touch with nature-focused traditions and knowledge.

Dan also asked us to notice how we felt after drinking the tea. He mentioned that all the knowledge about wild plants in books came from people consuming the plant and being aware of how it makes you feel physically and mentally. He stressed that if we want to learn about foraging and wild plants that we should touch, smell, and taste the plants that were taught are safe. This leads us to a more intimate connection with the plant than just looking at it, and deepens our knowledge of these plants.

Some other plants that we came across within a short walk were lance leaf  plantains (a "drawing" plant that can help with big bites or stings, or even ulcers), Mugwort, Sweet Annes Lace (wild carrots), Pokeberry, Primrose, and Curley Dock.

Overall, the experience was a lot of fun, and I learned about a bunch of plants that I can look for during my hikes in the Spring. Some I can eat, and some I should avoid, and now I have a better idea of how to tell the difference. I feel like this is just the beginning of my education about wild foods. If you are near Philadelphia or New York, and are interested in learning more about wild foods and other nature skills, look up Dans project Return to Nature. I know Ill be looking forward to his future classes.

www.ReturnToNature.us

Read More..

How to Grow Tomatoes Growing Tomatoes With Simple Tips Tomato Growing Tips

Tomatoes are one of my favourite vegetable. It is very easy to grow as well as enjoyable to eat. Though technically tomato is a fruit of the plant but we all prefer to call this a vegetable. If you take proper care of your tomato plants, the yield can be overwhelming.

Scientific name : Lycopersicon sp

The tastes of tomatoes are very sensitive to the surroundings. So rather than focusing on only one variety, it is always sensible to try 3 to 4 varieties. It will help you find out which is the best variety suitable to your locality.

Tomato Plants and Sunlight:

Keep your tomato plant to a place where the plant will get plenty of sunlight. The fruit formation of a tomato plant requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. You can read more about the effect of sunlight on different plants in our earlier article here.

Tomato Cage for Supporting A Tomato Plant:

A Tomato plant needs support for its growth. You need to build cage or stakes at the time of planting. Staking keeps fruits off the ground whereas a tomato cage help the plant to hold its upright position.

Tomatoes require plenty of water, specially during the summers. But while watering a tomato plant do not wet the leaves or the stem of the plant. Always put water directly into the soil near the roots(see watering guide for details).

Pruning Tomato Plants:

Take out any shoot that grows between the stem and main branches, these shoots always hinder the fruit growth. In gardening this process is called pruning of plants. With the same logic cut off the tip of the plant. It will help the plant to become more bushy with much more fruits.

How To Plant Tomatoes:

You can start either from seed or through seedlings purchased from nurseries. If you are starting from seeds, it is recommended to use seedling trays.fill these trays with potting soil and sow the seeds there. It is important to keep the trays indoor until the seeds germinate. Once they have grown up to 15- 20 cm you can transplant them outdoor. See transplantation techniques for detail.

Before planting the seedlings make the soil ready by tilling and mixing compost or manure with the soil. It is recommended to plant the seedlings 2ft apart.

It is necessary to keep the soil fertile. Add fertilizers two week prior to picking and two weeks after the picking.

Tomato Pests and Diseases:

Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to many pests and diseases. Horn-worms, Aphids, white-flies are few of the tomato pests which can reduce the production of the plant. Late blight (specially during monsoon) and distorted leaves are the common diseases to the plant. It is always wise to plant basil along with your tomato plant. Basil is a fantastic companion plant for tomatoes. It will help in distracting little pests from your tomato plant. This type of planting is called companion planting.

Harvesting Tomatoes:

Never pick tomatoes in green condition they will rot before get ripe. Leave them on the vine as long as possible. Never try to refrigerate ripe tomatoes. It will spoil the texture and taste of the perfectly ripe home grown tomato which is best eaten sun warm from the kitchen garden.

I hope these simple tomato growing tips helped you in growing tomatoes. Do these simple steps and you can enjoy your home grown favourite vegetable and also find the distinctive flavor and taste which are definitely missing when you buy those from the stores.

Thanks for reading. Keep your comments coming.

Read more about tomatoes: 
FAQs About Tomato Growing
Top 8 pests of Tomatoes
Simple steps to save tomato seeds 

Top Five Companion Plants For Tomatoes

Read More..

Obama Algae

President Obama talks with students at the University of Miami about algae as potentially one of the most productive ways to address our fuel needs as the price of gas continues to rise.

CCRES AQUAPONICS
Project of NGO
Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources (CCRES)

Read More..

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta with Lemon and Arugula

Now that the strawberries have officially made it to our farmers market, this weeks recipe is a combination of both a spring favorite and a year-round staple at Lone Duck Farm:

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta

with Lemon and Arugula

 

 

Source

 

Strawberry Ricotta Bruschetta with Lemon and Arugula
Be sure to use a fresh ricotta for this recipe. A creamy, mild goat cheese may be used in place of the ricotta. Makes 2.
2 large strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 slices peasant or levain bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1/4 cup fresh ricotta or mild goat cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup arugula leaves, washed and dried
Freshly ground black pepper
Toss the strawberries and balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl; set aside. Preheat oven broiler. Brush bread slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Broil in the oven until golden brown, turning once.
Smear the ricotta over the bread slices. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Pile arugula on the bruschetta. Remove the strawberries from the vinegar, shaking off excess liquid, and arrange over the arugula. Whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt into the remaining vinegar. Drizzle over and around the bruschetta. Garnish with black pepper.
?

?

Read More..

Weather got you down You are not alone I am here with you

Michael Jackson aside, this weather has not been conducive to my motivation. Im sure many of you can relate. However, I have to count my blessings as I hear reports of the winter weather my friends and family in the Twin Cities are experiencing (complete university closures in late April?!?). At least our snow isnt sticking around- and Matt and I have the opportunity to refresh ourselves every time we step into our own little oasis (aka: the greenhouse). With our milder temperatures and the extended daylight, we arent needing to heat it during the day at all- in fact, we have to run the occasional fan! Our "peak" temperature this spring hit 120 degrees, which gives our chilly outdoor garden fits of jealousy. We dont tell the overwintered garlic about all the greens and the neon chard- everyones got their limits, you know?

Inside the greenhouse, though, things are different. No frosty resentment here-  and the bright, beautiful Swiss Chard seems to be loving the conditions, whatever they are. (Just in case youre interested, chard makes a great substitution for cooked greens in most recipes- pastas, soups, casseroles- and it is consistently on those super-food lists you can find.) Barbara Kingsolver once said that if she were only allowed to grow one vegetable, this would be it- and Im inclined to agree with her.

In other rafty news, our lettuce count is running a bit low this week (due to increased interest- wow, you guys!), but dont you worry- our rafts are full and our harvest is looking great for next week- and even better for the following week. Weve had to start shading the little basils and arugulas (too much light!), but theyre promising to be delicious! Look for them on our lists in the coming weeks.

So our offerings this week are:

• Swiss Chard! (Want to try it without the pressure of cooking something new at home? Head over Cafe Soeurette and order some Rainbow Chard Fettuccine!)
• Parsley
• Celery
• Watercress (try it on your sandwich, you wont regret it!)
• Limited lettuce

Read More..

Farm Market Update

We will unfortunately miss the last two weekends of the West Bend Farm Market due to other commitments. But fret not, our hungry friends: we will still have on-farm hours each Tuesday! And as always, give us a holler if youd like to stop out another day of the week.

And dont forget, we continue to grow all 12 months of the year so you dont need to go back to the tasteless greens at the grocery store just because the farm market ends.

Hope to see you soon!

Read More..

Lone Duck Updates

Well, lets share the big news first: Little Duck has hatched! All is well and were thrilled- its amazing how quickly you can fall in love with someone so little! Of course, the practical part of this update is to share that our on-farm hours will remain the same (1-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, and other times are available- just ask!).

In other news, you may have seen this article about different kinds of fish that pose a risk to your (or the environments) health. If you havent, Id encourage you to click on the link- its a good starting point. There are a lot of other articles out there if youre interested in learning more about your piscatorial choices, but the number one thing to keep in mind is that neither farmed or wild-caught fish are inherently better. It all depends on which kind of fish and how theyre caught and managed.

While we may not be able to provide for all your fishy desires, Lone Duck Farm tilapia is sustainably raised, farmed without antibiotics and with strict safety measures. Fresh tilapia is a firm and flaky white fish (its much firmer when fresh than the frozen packages youll find in the grocery stores) and we are more than happy to discuss the details of why you can feel good about this choice!

Contact us today to talk about getting some delicious tilapia for dinner!

Read More..

Nutritional elements contained Spirulina

CCRES SPIRULINA PROJECT

Amino-acids composition of bulk spirulina powder

Essential amino acids per 100 grams of bulk spirulina powder Isoleucine 3.17g Leucine 5.02g Lysine 2.70g Methionine + Cystine 2.19g Phenylalanine + Tyrosine 5.00g Threonine 2.78g Tryptophan 0.84g Valine 3.48g (Total amount of essential amino acids) (25.18g) MORE INFO HERE

Non-essential amino acids per 100 grams of bulk spirulina powder Arginine 3.60g Alanine 4.11g Aspartic acid 5.47g Glutamic acid 8.02g Glycine 2.85g Histidine 1.09g Proline 2.04g Serine 2.74g (Total amount of non-essential amino acids) (25.18g)

Pigment contents of bulk spirulina powder
(per 100 grams)

 

Components

per 100 grams of bulk spirulina powder

Chlorophyll-a

1.29g

Total carotenes

157mg

Xanthophylls

81mg

Phycocyanin

7.56g

Major carotenoids

?-carotene

201mg

Zeaxanthin

72mg

Lutein

ND

Spirulina consists of the wide range of healthy/nutritional elements, more than 50 different kinds.

 

 

Amino acids

Valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, methionine, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, cystine, tyrosine, histidine, arginine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline and serine.

Vitamins

Beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K1, vitamin?K2, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 and inositol.

Minerals

Zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, sulfur, selenium, cobalt, cupper, chromium and manganese.

Other nutritional elements

Dietary fiber, polysaccharides, linoleic acid, gamma-linolenic acid, phycocyanin, zeaxanthin, chlorophyll a, nucleic acid and SOD.

Generally, some nutrients function better in concert with vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

 

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

 special thanks to 

Mr. Atsushi Egashira

 President of DIC LIFETEC Co.,Ltd

 

Read More..

Weekend Gardening Projects

An Herb Spiral in Germany

This weekend was beautiful here in New Jersey and Delaware.  I finally had the opportunity to start work on my garden projects.  I recently bought a Big Bag Bed raised bed, inspired by this youtube video from John from GrowingYourGreens.com.  It’s a pre-made raised bed made from durable cloth, which allows greater drainage than a normal raised bed, and induces air pruning of the roots, which should help growth.  I also convinced my landlord, who lives on the first floor, to buy 2 of these Big Bag Beds and let me help him with his own garden.  I was hoping to fill the beds on Saturday, but I couldn’t find coco coir anywhere around me.  I tried Home Depot, Lowes, and two local garden centers, and called a bunch more.  Everyone had peat moss, but no one had coco coir.  Peat moss is extremely harmful to the environment to harvest and is very unsustainable.  I refuse to use it if at all possible. 

So, I ordered some coco coir and Azomite Rock Dust on Amazon, which should arrive tomorrow, and then I’ll fill the beds.  I also need to get either seeds or plants to put in the bed.

My Plan is to loosely follow this design.

On Sunday, I went to Delaware to work on some projects at my parent’s house.  I’m building an herb spiral with a small pond, according to the plans here:

Herb spiral in progress.  Itll have a sprinkler system to water the garden from the water in the little pond.

My dad and girlfriend helped out, and we got the pond hole dug, and some decorative bricks laid down to mark out the garden.  We also started filling it in, but we’ll need more stones to complete the garden on a future weekend.

The coldframe

My dad had saved an old window that he got through his work, and build a cold frame.  Since it’s not that cold out now, I was planning to use this to start some seeds, for now.

Starting some seeds

I asked my girlfriend to start some seeds that I had with some of our kitchen compost and garden soil mix, and we seeded some tomatoes, lettuce, kale, spinach, strawberries, basil, and arugula.  I’m not sure if it’s too early or late to start seeds, or if I’m doing it right, but I’m just going to go for it.

Im starting with just the IBC tote, and once its running well Ill add the 50 gallon stock tank as an additional grow bed.

IBC Tote aquaponic garden

The last thing that we worked on was the IBC tote aquaponic setup that I obtained last Fall.  It’ll sit in a small dirt patch and in the winter we’ll build a thin but tall greenhouse frame from PVC to shelter the setup.  I still need a threaded PVC connector and to set up the bell siphon before it’s ready, but most of the plumbing and the pump are ready.  I’m also getting an inline hose water filter tomorrow so that I can filter the water that I fill it with.  Hopefully within the next month this will be pumping water and holding fish!

It was a busy day, but the beautiful weather kept everyone’s spirits high.  Happy Easter!

Read More..

Keeping the Black Dog at Bay with RonsToms

I woke up this morning with a small sense of impending doom. A bit anxious and a bit fidgety. Wanting to get out of bed and yet really wanting to stay under the duvet and hide.
Completely overwhelmed but not sure by what.
I got out of bed and got back in again.
Eventually the need for tea was too much and I got up but ended up under a blanket on the sofa, just with tea in my hand.
I quite often have days like this, but usually have to ride rough shod over them in order to get to something but today there was nowhere to go. Nothing to hide behind.
So I did a load of work. I updated the events section of the Incredible Edible Bristol website, scheduled Facebook posts and Twitter updates, firmed up my diary for the week ahead. After around 3 hours I was still anxious, and had nothing left to do in terms of work, so I forced myself to look at what the problem was........
Sometimes when the black dog is around I really want to do something but I cant. Physically it is as if my body and brain work against me to persuade me that I must do a zillion other things rather than actually do the thing that will make me feel better, more in control.
So I took myself off to a local garden centre, thinking that a bit of plant therapy might help, but however hard I kept thinking about what I might need for the garden it was impossible to make a decision. I bought potatoes for one of the beds we are working on in the city centre and came home.
And then I remembered some seeds that I had. Last summer I was sent some American heirloom tomato seeds from Ron Finley in LA in a package along with a t-shirt. I had kept those seeds safe since then and through our move thinking that they would be grown on the allotment this year, probably in the greenhouse and then it occured to me that actually my issue for the day had mainly been that I was panicking about not having an allotment. Not the kind of earth shattering all consuming panic that can knock you off your feet, but that slow, niggling panic that really makes you have to work out the issue which will often hide behind other things and catch you out.
Of course I have a new garden and I have a greenhouse in it, but having had an allotment for the best part of 20 years I realise now that the plot sized space in my life is huge and gaping right now. Us allotmenteers have the seasons embedded within us and this is the time of year when usually Id be barrowing large amounts of muck around the plot to keep warm, beginning things off in the greenhouse and making plans for the growing year ahead whilst drinking copious amounts of tea in my shed and the black dog, in its usual cheeky way, has jumped on the fact that there is a gap in my usual schedule and jumped into it.

So I found those seeds, along with a few others and sowed them. Popped them into pots of soft, seived seed sowing compost, popped their labels in and watered them whilst whispering "grow you buggers, grow," as taught to me by Alan Titchmarsh whilst watching him plant a tree on one of his shows. I never plant or sow anything without that phrase.
And immediately I felt that black dog start to disappear. So I sowed some crimson flowered broad beans too and popped a mashua root into some compost too whilst I was outside and playing with soil. And then, in a way I have never done before, I popped my seed potatoes into egg boxes and put them on the kitchen windowsill to chit so that they are ready for the potato sacks I am going to grow them in. I sorted out my seeds and looked at what I can grow in the garden, and what I could grow in containers and had a long think about what and why I was going to grow if I dont get an allotment this year, which is very definitely possible. I havent quite made a strategy but I have decided I am going to look at growing mainly heirloom varieties and there will be a blog about that at some point in the fairly near future.
And then I felt better and again it occured to me how fortunate I am to have gardening in my life. not just professionally, but as a human being who needs that connection with soil, with the earth and with nature. If there is one thing I am determined to do this year it is work with others who have yet to be able to access the therapy that growing plants, be they edible or ornamental, is. There will be more on that soon too, but in the meantime Im glad I made myself have an honest conversation with myself today because I have sent that black dog packing and that makes today a good day!!

If anyone might like to know, the tomato seeds are all cherry varieties from a selection of US nurseries. They are T. Red Pear, T. Isis Candy and T. Black Cherry and if you want to follow how they grow I will be documenting here and also on Twitter with the hashtag #RonsToms which was coined by Alison Levey of The Blackberry Garden blog fame!!

Read More..