Category Archives: Organic Mama Cafe

Jul 28
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Make Your Own Compost

By | Organic Gardening | No Comments

Compost is an invaluable resource for those gardening in the desert like us Arizonans. Our soil tends to be clay heavy, not very welcoming to gardens of food or flowers. Never fear! A simple adjustment using things you already have around the house can  help.

Composting –

1. Adds necessary nutrients

2. Compost aerates the soil and allows those little plant roots room to expand and create a stronger root system.

3. Compost enables the soil to retain water better and minimizes water run-off since the water can actually soak down into the soil. This means you can water less frequently and save money.

4. Reduces household waste by utilizing items you would normally toss.

Here’s how it works.

Compost is comprised of organic materials that are broken down by microorganisms until they turn to rich dark soil. Once compost has turned to soil, just mix it into your garden soil.

In order to have a successful pile, you need 4 things.

1. 50% Browns – mulch material like dry leaves, pine needles, twigs, nut shells

2. 50% Greens – veggie and fruit scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, tea bags

3. Water –  keep the pile just moist enough to seem like a wrung out sponge.

4. Oxygen – turn the pile about once a week to keep it aerated. A shovel should do the trick.

DON’T ADD – greasy items, milk products, meat etc. Keep it plant based and you’ll be in good shape. For more info, check out the EPA’s compost info.

A properly composed compost pile should NOT smell. If it does, try adding a little more brown to the mix.

I recommend getting a compost bin from the City of Phoenix.

Happy Composting!

Jul 20
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Fritter Frenzy!

By | Recipes | One Comment

Despite the squash bug invasion I’ve been fighting in my garden this summer, my plants are still producing a lot of squash. We put it in squash gratin, we’ve grilled it, we’ve baked it and we’ve added it to soup. Aaaannnnddd, there’s still more squash. (Yay?) Thankfully, my friend Danielle came to our rescue and shared a great Mario Batali recipe for squash fritters with me.

They were AWESOME.

I didn’t actually know what a fritter was before making this but I would compare it to potato latkes. Basically, shredded veggies with cheese, eggs and a little flour.

Since according to my sister Laura, I am unable to follow a recipe without adding my own twist, I changed Mr. Batali’s recipe as well. This is mainly because I didn’t have all the ingredients in the original recipe. I actually think that fits his style of cooking. After all, “necessity is the mother of invention” right? I have squash. Lots of squash. I needed a new recipe, even if I didn’t have all the ingredients. So there.

I started with 3 shredded squash – crookneck and zucchini. (More than the recipe called for ’cause I have a lot of squash!)

I added lemon zest till I thought I had enough – about half a small lemon.

Then, I added 2 eggs, garlic and about 1/2 c. sheep feta since I didn’t have ricotta. No biggie!

I added sea salt and pepper to taste and squished it together! If you usually don’t touch your food, you should. It makes it taste better. Really!

In went 1 cup or so of flour, which I gently stirred into the mix. A little fresh chive would have been a delicious addition.

I only used tablespoon of olive oil to cook the entire batch of fritters in my wok. In 2 T amounts, I dropped each one into the pan, spread them out a little and cooked them on medium low (remember I used a wok) till they were golden brown on each side. There were A LOT!

My husband loved them. He ate them with hot sauce.

I loved them too but the jury is still out on my kids.

That’s ok.

More for me!

Jul 19
0

Squash Bug Invasion!

By | Organic Gardening, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Last week, I missed being at my “real” garden for about three days because I was busy with other things. Big Mistake!!! When I arrived on Thursday, I discovered squash bugs doing an inappropriate mating ritual on my beautiful squash plants. Being a natural girl, I started looking for ways to take care of the problem without chemicals.

There are four squash plants in this bed. 3 crooknecks and 1 zucchini

Garden pests are sneaky little creatures. I’d been carefully watching my plants prior to their arrival, looking for eggs and hatchlings, but didn’t see anything till the whole plant was covered with creepy little bugs.

After the invasion, I definitely found signs everywhere.

Like squash bug eggs. I gently rubbed them off the leaf into a glass of soapy water.

Leaves with big chunks eaten out of them. Stinky nymphs!

Bug-eaten! Poor little leaf.

Can you see the little white bug? He's a young squash bug and has an incredible appetite.

Told you they were being inappropriate! Gross. They are consenting adults but - Ugh - GET A ROOM!

Here’s what I’ve done so far to get rid of them.

1. Removed all bugs that I can see (or catch!) and drop them into a glass of soapy water. Squishing bugs grosses me out. Ugh.

2. Removed eggs and give them the same treatment.

3. Removed the dead matter around the plants so there isn’t any place for the bugs to hide. Well, other than the leaves!

4. Sprayed the leaves with soapy water. I don’t actually know if this works for squash bugs but it was all I had at the moment.

5. According to a grower at the Roadrunner Farmer’s Market, Neem oil should work. I don’t want to use Neem because if ingested, it’s reported to contribute to miscarriage.  In case I get pregnant, I think it’s better not to put that on my food. I checked with Dave the Garden Guy and he says Diatomaceous Earth should work. So I’m going to get an applicator today. I bought a huge bag of food grade DE from a feed store.

I learned a few things with the squash bug incident.

1. Don’t use straw for mulch because they love to hide in it. I suspect this is true of other pests as I’m not sure what a better solution is so maybe some of my wise farmer/gardener friends can help. Maybe just a heavier compost?

2. Don’t plant so many of the same thing in an area. Thankfully squash leaves are big and fairly easy to search for bugs and eggs but I might not have had so many if they’d been a little more separated. Or not. I’m too new at this to know.

3. Include companion plants that repel pests – like nasturtiums or marigolds. I was lazy this year and didn’t include them in this part of the garden. I paid for it!

For now, I’m still picking the bugs off my plants because they don’t seem to be killing it – yet. If I can’t clean up the problem in the next week or so, I’ll probably destroy the most infested plants so they don’t infect my fall crops. It’s time to start planting that next!!

If you’ve dealt with these bugs before and have any natural, non-chemical options for me, I’d love to hear them!

Jun 21
0

Super Summer Smoothies

By | Recipes | No Comments

It’s summer and my girls and I have been on the go a lot, swimming and visiting with friends. Hot weather equals lighter fare so we have been drinking smoothies for breakfast or as snacks. Plus, they’re really fast and don’t require heating up the kitchen. Who can argue with that?

I strongly believe that a body which is consistently nourished with good food will crave the food it needs to survive its current environment. At least this seems true with myself and my kids. Of course, the opposite occurs when I consistently barrage my palate with lots of sugar and nutrient deficient food, because those things have an addictive quality. That said, we crave water-laden fruit in the summer, definitely needed in the Arizona heat. So, in summer, our smoothies are fruit based but I usually manage to sneak a few veggies in as well.

These aren’t exact measurements because, well, I don’t use them myself. I am more into percentages that I increase or decrease based on how many people I’m serving. Here are my basic guidelines for fruity smoothies.

1. Only add enough liquid like yogurt, nut milk or coconut milk to get the blender moving. The flavors will be stronger and the smoothie will have a richer texture. If, like my husband, you enjoy more liquid-y smoothies, use more liquid.
2. Buy organic fruit frozen*. It’s more cost effective than fresh and creates an ice-cream quality in your smoothie.
3. Add a banana unless you need to avoid them for some reason. They add creaminess and they are full of nutrients.
4. Try skipping the sweetener. Fruit, especially bananas, are rich in natural sugars. If you must sweeten more, try raw honey or raw agave syrup. Just a splash.
5. Blend till everything is really smooth. Nothing like a chunk of something to ruin a good smoothie. We’re lucky enough to have a retro Vitamix (the stainless steel one) we received as a gift. And we love it.

Here are a few of our regular smoothies. I’ll post others as we create them.

Basic Fruit Smoothie
yogurt (almond milk or coconut milk)
banana
frozen fruit like strawberries or raspberries
1 apple, sliced and quartered
1/4 cup of chopped red cabbage (you won’t even taste it, I promise!)
splash of vanilla
*Variation – instead of chopped red cabbage, add 1 cup or so of fresh spinach to your smoothie. You can use more because it has a mild flavor and won’t change the overall taste of your smoothie.
Pina Colada Smoothie
Coconut milk (you can use light or full fat)
Banana
Frozen pineapple
1/4 cup of shredded carrot
Chocolate Smoothie
Almond milk
Banana
2-3 T. Almond butter (you can use a handful of almonds but I’d only recommend it if you have a good blender or it’ll be crunchy – and not in a good way)
1 T. raw cacoa nib powder or more if you like super chocolate (rich in antioxidants & flavonoids. Available & reasonably priced at Mountain Rose Herbs)
a few chunks of ice
This one is more of a treat, since it tastes like ice cream 
Contains caffeine so use with caution if serving to children, just like you would anything containing chocolate. Otherwise, you may be looking at a very late bedtime!
*Organic Mama Money Saving Tip $$$
If you run across a great sale or a friend needs to unload a bunch of fruit from their trees that you just can’t eat in time, try freezing it. Just wash, slice, freeze on a cookie sheet and then bag. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a huge bag of frozen mush. Still usable for baking but difficult to use for smoothies.