The Rhythm of Biodynamic Farming

Biodynamic farming is a healthy and natural approach to farming that does not use pesticides. It focuses on the basic principles of nature - which is organic and self sufficient - to produce nutritious high quality foods. The "founder" of biodynamic farming was Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), a highly trained scientist and respected philosopher of his time. He was the first to expose the dangers of synthetic fertilizers, which were just appearing in his time. His perspective of farming was seeing it as "a single, self-sustaining organism that thrives through biodiversity, the integration of crops and livestock and the creation of a closed-loop system of fertility."

Rudolf was able to recognize the importance of the healthy interplay of cosmic and earthly influences. The cycle of the Earth is carried out in relation to the cosmos, in a kind of in-breathing and out-breathing. It has a daily exhalation in the morning and the daily inhalation in the evening. Biodynamic farmers spray preparation 500 (cow horn manure), which promotes reproduction and growth, root movement, soil stimulation and micro bacterial life. It also helps germinate seeds and regulates lime and nitrogen content in the late afternoon or evening during the "in breath", while some preparations and agricultural tasks are performed in the morning to compliment the "out breath".

Biodynamic agriculture, is needed at a time when it is well known that pesticides are harmful to our soil and food (ultimately our health). Farmers would be wise to put it into practice because of it's healthy self sustaining methods, which uses the earth's energy and focuses on the basic principles of nature. We are aware of the moon, the sun and the rotation of the earth playing a part in high tides. But earth rythyms as well as cosmic solar & lunar/moon rhythms are rhythms that sustain all life on Earth. Some feel we should value biodynamic farming's self sustaining methods as science and I agree.

There is a small percentage of farmers who currently use biodynamic farming methods. John Chester, a filmmaker-turned-farmer in Moorpark, is one of them. He focuses on biodynamic, or biomimicry, in which every aspect of the farm works in sync, feeding off of one another and using nature as a guide on what to do, and what not to do. His farm is surrounded by sheep, cattle, pigs, roosters, dogs, birds, and horses. He uses the animals to keep their lawns manicured and get an endless supply of manure. You can't get more simple and self sufficient than that. Learn more. Check out the links below and share with others!

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein

Image above taken from http://www.earthhaven.ca/

https://www.biodynamics.com/what-is-biodynamics
https://www.organicconsumers.org/categories/biodynamics
http://lexiconofsustainability.com/biodynamics/
http://www.quantumagriculture.com/node/257
http://www.windows2universe.org/sun/effect_on_earth.html
http://www.biodynamics.in/Rhythm.htm
http://www.agroliving.com/2014/04/29/biodynamic-cycles-the-in-and-out-breath-of-the-planet-earth/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/eshachhabra/2016/02/24/why-one-farm-startup-is-filming-their-biodynamic-story-for-oprahs-own/#5c339a327ddc
https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/#.VvLZuWQrJFQ Pin It

Happy New Year - around the sun!

One of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics is known as 'Feng Shui'. Feng Shui relied on astronomy to find correlations between humans and the universe before the invention of magnetic compasses. The purpose of Feng Shui is to create an environment with good qi. Qi in Chinese martial arts, refers to 'energy', in the sense of (positive and negative) 'life force'. When we have good design in our homes, our rooms are filled with vibrant energy.

'A traditional explanation of qi as it relates to Feng Shui would include the orientation of a structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding environment, including the local microclimates, the slope of the land, vegetation, and soil quality.' -excerpt from wikipedia

To begin creating this type of living space, it is always recommended to have a professional Feng Shui practitioner guide you in achieving this harmony effectively. However, here are a few ways to start putting some of these techniques into practice:

1. Find the room in your home or apartment where energy is strongest (such as where guests like to hang out in). This area would be used as a working space that will help bring you popularity, success and money.
2. Sleep against a solid wall, the headboard should be against the wall and the foot of the bed should never be in line with the door.
3. Place air cleaning plants around the home to reduce anxiety and remove toxins.
4. Clean the front entrance. The front door should be well maintained and solid and the front area of your home should be clean and not cluttered. Make it welcoming and from this focal point, you should have beautiful pieces of art and furniture that feels pleasing.

Happy New Year!

image source: http://www.decoist.com/2013-09-25/feng-shui-tips/

Information sources:
http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/home-garden/home/feng-shui-for-good-energy-1.1954611
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui
http://www.vogue.com/13383560/how-to-feng-shui-your-home-easy-ways-beginners-guide/

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'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated'

Quote by Mahatma Gandhi
"Animals have always played an important role in agriculture. Not only do they provide us with food and fiber, but they also help to recycle nutrients and add to soil fertility. Over recent decades, however, the farming of animals has become increasingly separated from its natural existence on the land." Read More...
More on helping farm animals: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/
 

Image taken from http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/

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To Love

'Freedom and love go together. Love is not a reaction. If I love you because you love me, that is mere trade, a thing to be bought in the market; it is not love. To love is not to ask anything in return, not even to feel that you are giving something - and it is only such love that can know freedom.' - Jiddu Krishnamurti

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'When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.'

Quote by: Jimi Hendrix!

Lifen Yang, from Tusheng Restaurant located in Kunming (Yunnan province of China), grew up in the countryside of China. She desired to work on her family farm but was sent off to university. After she graduated, Lifen educated her family on organic farming and although their neighbors didn't support them not using chemical fertilizer, she convinced her father of it's health benefits. Her father made the decision to not use pesticides, even though their quantity and income wasn't much, because the quality of the food was better. Through the wisdom of his daughter, he was able to see the connection between the unhealthy state of the people in his village and the food they ate. They were living with disease because their food contained a lot of fertilizers with pesticides. Lifen and her family own a small restaurant that sells food that comes from their organic farm. Their story was filmed by Daniel Klein from The Perennial Plate. Check out his video here. Enjoy!

'The movement of eating is magical if you really think about it. You put food in your stomach and then it becomes part of your body. My power is limited... It's just a small restaurant.' - Lifen Yang

Images taken from 'The Middle Way' video by Daniel Klein

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'Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth'

quote by: Buddha

All civilizations have depended on the sky to guide them in growing crops. Just as old astrologists studied the position of the moon, sun and stars, an elder of the Dogon tribe (from West Africa) climbs to a place amongst the rocks to observe the sun as it moves along a heel stone, in order to determine the exact time that the people must sow their seeds. Since their region is dry (dessert), planting must begin at the precise moment during the short rainy season. This will ensure their survival. 

Elsewhere, in order for crops to grow successfully, farmers/gardeners use a Farmer's Almanac to assist them in sowing seeds. An almanac contains yearly information that includes weather forecasts, planting dates and times of the sunrise, sunset, eclipses, the moon and full tides. It is believed that the earliest published Almanac was in 1457. Some early Farmer's Almanacs were written by Benjamin Banneker (1792-1797) who calculated the astronomical information himself and who also included information on medical treatments. 

Modern 'civilization' does not allow for us to observe the skies as our ancestors once did, with an exception to those who continue to live simply and with a strong connection to the earth. Farmer's Almanac.com provides information (both for U.S and Canada) on weather, gardening, preserving the earth and more!

For more information on this years Spring Planting Dates for Toronto, click here.

Worm Moon Image taken from Phillip's Natural World 3.0

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The Organic View

June Stoyer, the host of "Organic View' radio show, recently conducted an interview on the important roles of honeybees and bumble bees, and the dangers we are faced with from their decline. One of her guests, Graham White from Scotland, states that the US has roughly 200 million acres of crops treated with pesticides. This means every seed, every year, year after year is exposed to toxins! He points out that pesticides, in the past, were used as a reaction to the invasion of insects, but the way they are now being used is as a 'precautionary insurance'.  Bees, birds and other insects are disappearing on a massive scale because 200 million acres of US land are poisonous to all forms of insect life - yearly! 

Insect life is crucial for human survival. Their most important role is pollinating flowering plants such as vegetables, that feed us! We can expect a shortage of food in the future with continued use of toxins/pesticides. You can listen to the short interview here. Genetically modified foods, which are implanted with these toxins, will continue to give the human body allergic responses and cause diseases. 

UPDATE: For a 'bee saver' kit in the U.K. click here.

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'In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.'

Quote by: Kozuko Okakura

Our indoor cherry tomato plants had been growing really slow since we planted them a few months ago. Growing indoor vegetables and herbs is challenging, but rewarding with a little patience. We were concerned about their growth so we went to get some advice. After visiting an indoor gardening supply shop, we purchased another grow light and some vitamins/nutrition for our cherry tomato plants. We replanted them into larger pots, added some new soil with vitamins and since then, it has made a dramatic difference. Our tomato plants are now flowering and it's just a matter of time that we begin to pollinate and see our first cherry tomatoes emerge!
A few weeks ago, we also purchased a small potted basil plant from our organic delivery service and we split the plant in two. We also cloned it to start a third plant and the results are looking good so far!
Below: Photos of our cherry tomato plants and our basil herbs. Enjoy!

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The Benefits of Barley Miso Soup

In Japan, those affected by radiation sickness from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were treated with miso soup. Miso neutralizes toxins and alkalizes the blood. It contains an excellent source of digestive enzymes, probiotics, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals! We wanted to make miso paste from scratch but were uncertain about the exact process of fermenting. We decided to purchase some barley miso paste for now, until we can learn how to ferment it ourselves. Miso soup is very healthy and tasty! See our simple recipe below. For more information on miso and radiation sickness click here.

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Spicy Mango Salad

Other than cold soups, salads are another great option for raw food ideas. One of our favorite salads is the Spicy Thai Mango Salad. The mix of spicy, sweet and sour makes it a flavorful meal! Our salad was made with all raw ingredients including red onion, cilantro, garlic, ginger and lettuce with a mix of spice! Very tasty and energetic!

Below: Spicy Mango Salad and some updated photos of our (very slow indoor growing) cherry tomato plants!

'Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience' - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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'Find patience in the breath of life'

Quote by: Ryunosuke Satoro 

Our indoor cherry tomato plants are coming along real slow. They appear healthy but are not growing very tall - just yet. Unfortunately we lost our basil plants that we were also growing indoors. Something went wrong and they're all gone. We'll be planting some seeds soon and trying again.  At least we haven't lost any of the tomato plants and still hope to harvest some cherry tomatoes in the near future.
Below: Our updated tomato plants photos.

Below: A couple of tasty meals - a dairy free pizza with a thin crust (gluten free), homemade tomato sauce, onions, garlic, spinach, yams and oyster mushrooms AND a breaded eggplant dinner with a side of French green lentils, spinach, asparagus, onion and garlic! We can't get enough of that pizza! Yummy... 

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'Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.'

Quote by May Sarton
Our indoor tomato and basil plants are growing healthy so far. The tomato plants are now 44 days old. It is a challenge to grow them indoors and it requires patience! Butterflies play a major role in gardening. During every walk to the park we see butterflies and moths, but we don't see too many around our neighbors' gardens. If you have an outdoor garden, you can raise your own butterflies for your backyard and help in maintaining the ecosystem. Here is an excellent link on attracting helpful animals to your garden.

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Long Awaited Asparagus

We are doing research to start planning for our indoor and outdoor gardens, on our property. In considering what we would grow, we thought of many vegetables including asparagus. Asparagus is frequently added to our daily meals. Asparagus contains anti-inflammatory nutrients such as flavonoids quercetin, rutin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin. It provides a wide variety of antioxidant nutrients, including vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and the minerals zinc, manganese, and selenium. If you are interested in growing your own asparagus, as we are, it is important to know that it takes 3 years to harvest from the time a crown is planted! This was something that we didn't know. It might be best to buy a 1 year old crown/plant from a nursery or garden center, so you don't have to wait an extra year before harvesting. You can learn more about growing and harvesting asparagus here.

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'Nature's way is simple and easy, but men prefer what is intricate and artificial.'

Quote by Lao Tzu.

It has been 32 days since we planted our beautiful organic cherry tomato plants! We are excited to see they are growing healthy so far. We are also eager to try them for cooking, we have 16 tomato plants and 14 basil herbs growing.
Below: Two of our tomato plants and some pics from the park. Enjoy!

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Herb Garden Permaculture

The spiral herb garden is beautiful in design and has the ability to save water and attract pollinators. The herb spiral is edged with a dry-stacked stone wall, which gets taller as it spirals toward the garden's center. 

In Cleveland’s Midtown Urban Farm, a spiral garden is overseen by Milene Benedict, the Farm site manager. She says the garden typically requires little watering because of it's smart design. The plants are placed according to their needs, for example, plants that need full sun go at the top or on the south side of the spiral. Plants such as cilantro that rapidly to produce flowers, go on the east side where they’re shaded from the hot afternoon sun.

We're going to be applying this design to an outdoor garden on our property. Click here to learn how to build a spiral garden. If you have more information, please share.

photo by Ed Suba Jr. and taken from bangordailynews.com

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Moving Into Their New Home

Today marks the 24th day since we planted our organic cherry tomato plants. We are growing them indoors using indoor grow lights. We did some research to find out how to correctly place them in their pots, to ensure proper growth. Many people suggested we place pebbles or rocks at the bottom of the pots so that the roots don't rot from water sitting at the bottom. We also came across others recommending we use seaweed for the soil because of the nutrients it contains from the sea. We took this information into consideration and replanted the tomato plants in their new home (two in a pot) until they are ready for a bigger one. If anyone has any tips to share about indoor gardening, it's greatly appreciated. Click here to see their timeline photos.

Our basil herbs are also coming along, can't wait to try them!

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Sustainability in the City

Sustainable Suburbia is a website that shares information about living sustainably, specifically in suburban and urban environments. Sustainable Suburbia’s editor, Kirsten McCulloch, lives in the suburbs with her family and has a background in writing and editing; she has had a life long interest in living sustainably. We wanted to be a part of their 'Sustainable, Simple, Slow Living Blogs' list, so we can also share our information with others who are trying to do the same. If you have a blog of your own about living sustainably, add yourself to their list. It's a great feeling coming across others who are trying to share information about the earth's abundance of food and resources that is available to us for living a more peaceful, productive and relaxing life. There are many creative ideas out there to share, including healthy eating, so be a part of it! For information about rain collection here, in Toronto, check out this link. For compost information, click here.

photo taken from robcooper.com, click on image to check out his post on building rain barrels.

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Oven Baked Fish on Coconut Brown Rice with Salsa

This recipe was inspired by the 'Grilled Marinated Fish with Tropical Salsa and Coconut Rice', found on the Food network website. The recipe below is our own. Enjoy!

Recipe

Serves 2 

Ingredients: 

fish and rice

1 large organic red onion

3-4 organic garlic cloves 

1 organic wild leek

1 cup of organic gluten free short grain brown rice

handful of organic Italian parsley  

organic ginger 

organic extra virgin olive oil 

2 cups of natural/organic coconut milk* 

1 tsp of organic honey

sea salt 

organic pepper

2 speckled trouts**

1 piece of organic lemon 

salsa topping 

1 organic tomato 

2 organic Italian parsley stems 

1 small organic red onion 

sea salt 

organic pepper 

Directions: (Start with fish and rice ingredients) 

1. Chop onion, garlic and wild leek. Let sit for 5 minutes. 

2. Rinse rice and leave in strainer to drain. Set aside. 

3. Finely chop the handful of parsley. Set aside. 

4. Cut ginger into thin strips and then into smaller pieces. Set aside. 

5. Heat a medium sized sauce pan at low heat and add some extra virgin olive oil. 

6. Add garlic and 3/4 amount of the chopped onions to pan and mix occasionally for 2 minutes. 

7. Add rice to the pan and continue to mix together, lightly frying ingredients. 

8. Continue to mix for 3 minutes. 

9. Pour coconut milk into pan and boil at medium- low heat. 

10. Add 3/4 amount of the chopped Italian parsley, honey, some sea salt and pepper. Stir. 

11. Cook for about 30-40 minutes. 

12. In the meantime, wash fish and set aside 

13. In a glass oven dish, add 1/2 of the remaining parsley and 1/2 of the remaining onion. 

14. Place fish on top of parsley and onion side by side. 

15. Top fish off with the wild leek and the remaining parsley and onion. 

16. Then squeeze the lemon juice on top. 

17. Place in oven after rice has been cooking for 20 minutes. 

18. Bake fish for about 15-20 minutes. 

19. Continue to stir rice from time to time, you will see the coconut milk start to thicken. 

20. Chop tomato, parsley and onions into small pieces, for salsa mix. 

21. Add them to a small bowl and add some salt and pepper. Set aside. 

22. Continue stirring rice occasionally until ready. 

23. Remove fish from oven when it's ready. 

24. Once rice is ready, turn off heat and remove pan from burner. Rice should be moist. 

25. On a plate, scoop up the rice and create a bed of rice. 

26. Using a spatula place fish on top of the rice. 

27. Finally, top off with some salsa. 

28. Eat and Enjoy! 

* We made our coconut milk by cracking open a natural coconut, breaking it into pieces and then juicing it. We then added organic coconut water to complete. (1 cup of each to supply us with the 2 cups necessary for the recipe above.) 

**We buy our speckled trout/char from Kolapore Springs, a fish farm that harvests freshwater shrimp to be used as supplements for the fish they farm. Very healthy and tasty fish! 

UPDATE: Rice should be pre soaked over night (8 hours or so)

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Below: Update on the growth of our indoor tomato plants. We will be transferring them into their own pots soon!

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'When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves'

Quote by Ken Druse.

Today marks the 5th day since we have started our tomatoes in our mini indoor garden. The tomato seeds have sprouted and we have 12 newborns that are vibrating with life. We have them sitting under some indoor grow lights and we can see a few more that want to reach out of the soil. Very exciting! Today we will be planting some Urban Harvest basil seeds that we ordered from our organic home delivery service. Can't wait.

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Planting the Seeds

We are starting our mini indoor garden today, where we will be growing some herbs and cherry tomatoes! We purchased our cherry tomatoes seeds at The Green Living Show in Toronto, from Urban Harvest. These tomatoes are said to come from Hidalgo, in Eastern Mexico - a region where these domesticated tomatoes grow wild. Tomatoes are known for their outstanding antioxidant content. They provide an excellent amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene; a very good amount of the mineral manganese; and a good amount of vitamin E. They aid in bone and heart health. Can't wait to try them!

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