How to Grow your Own Local Produce

CHEFTALK

How to grow your own local produce?

A recipe to grow your own vegetables

The day after I wrote my previous blog, the one about the food trends, I received a message from a Facebook friend, living in California. She sent me a couple of stunning pictures,  showcasing her, I must say, very impressive vegetable garden, the place was beautifully kept and what impressed me most was that everything they had planted was growing in pots.

The idea

Jalapeno Peppers

I thought that when all these incredible looking vegetables can grow in pots than all of us should be able to have our own home grown produce.  Maybe we do not all have or live in a Californian climate but there are definitely vegetables that can grow in different climates and when they can grow in pots you should be able to grow them anywhere, on your balcony or indoors, in case you do not have a garden.

Upon asking, she told me that the pots, they are all black, become very hot and they need to water them daily because the climate she lives in is pretty hot at times. She gets her husband to do the watering, I found that an idea on itself. 

I live in a hot climate as well, but have not been able to grow even one vegetable in a pot, the proof is on the left, so I decided to try and figure out how and what is the best way to grow your own vegetables.

I Googled it –up.  Unfortunately for me, I do not know a lot about gardening let alone vegetable gardening, I rely on what I read (and think that I can believe what I read), in that respect I always get a little up-set when I come across statements that are not helping me. The first statement I found was ‘You can grow vegetables in a pot, even when you do not have much sunny ground’. Next line ‘all you need is a big pot, soil and six hours of sun per day. Poof, I am out.  To be fair I decided to read a bit further and found that six hours of sunlight actually meant six hours of daylight, benefit of the doubt for that one.

How to start and what you need

Important part is the type of soil to use, sounds like getting the right ingredients to cook a dish, I understand that a lot better. Temperature of the soil seems to be important as well, also something I can comprehend. Gardening is like cooking and can therefore be fun.

Potting medium

You need to use a high quality mix containing peat moss and perlite, blend in a complete fertilizer, preferably an organic one containing alfalfa meal, bone meal or kelp meal. It is starting to sound like a recipe by now and I am getting more exited. Soil polymers help to regulate the dry wet cycle especially when you water by hand, these small crystals absorb their weight more than one hundred times in water and keep the roots of your precious baby plants moist when you forget to water them for a day or so.

Some soil temperatures at planting time:

Beans              at least 60 degrees

Carrots            at least 55 degrees

Cucumbers      at least 70 degrees

Eggplant          at least 70 degrees

Peppers           at least 60 degrees

Potatoes          at least 45 degrees

When you get your soil temperature within this range, you’re off to a pretty good start. 

Any vegetable that grows in the ground can be grown in a container, as long as you use drainable pots. Big sized crops like pumpkins may not be worth the effort but you don’t have to stick with so called patio varieties. Most standard size vegetables are suitable for container or pot culture. For beans and carrots, plan to sow the seeds directly in the soil filled container. Grow other types of vegetables from seed or purchase ready to go plants. Eggplants, peppers and tomatoes take about eight weeks to develop into seedlings ready to be replanted into a bigger pot.  

Loads of Tomatoes

I truly believe that growing your own vegetables is worth a try and can be very rewarding and cost saving. I wish to thank my Facebook friend for this great idea and allowing me to use the pictures from her vegetable garden.

When you become a successful gardener and have a respectable harvest. 

Pre-prepare the excessive crops, vacuum and freeze. 

That remains a splendid idea. 

   

www.vacupack.com   www.vacupack.ca

By: The gardener under study. Marinus Hoogendoorn     

The Food Trends Of 2014

CHEF TALK

The food trends of 2014

Every year the new food trends for the coming year appear all over the food lovers media.

Food is next to water and in exceptional cases shelter, the main survival for man. Trends are for the imagination of people. Here is my selection for your imagination.

1. Locally sourced produce:

Americans are increasingly craving for produce grown in their own region, rather than imported delicacies. The National Restaurant Association found in their ‘What’s Hot in 2014 chef survey, that the top trend for 2014 will be locally grown produce and locally sourced seafood and meats.

So we can expect more stuff from our backyard on the menu when we go to our favorite lunch stop. Aren't we funny people? We were dying for imported products from exotic holiday destinations, now we want the return of the carrot.

2. Vegetables triumph:

Meat loving America goes veggie. Another survey found that more than half of all Americans eat at least one protein free, or vegetarian meal per week, up 40% since 2007. One third of all restaurants have at least one vegetarian dish as entrée without shying customers away.

That is good news for all animals and animal lovers. The vegetarian food campaigners are beating the Paleo diet lovers. Top veggies are onions and tomatoes. Locally grown? Let’s hope so.

3. Healthy Kid meals:

The N.R.A. found that parents are fighting obesity among children. They want healthier kid’s meals on restaurant menus. One of the top 10 trends.

This show’s where the local produce and veggie trends come from. Parents are looking at their own obesity. Blame it on the kids menu and forget that they feed their kids. Anyway, more apples and yoghurt is a good idea for many of us.

4. Gluten free:

Who ever thought that gluten free was a passing-by trend will be proven wrong. Buck wheat pasta, rice noodles and more recent popular grains like quinoa and amaranth are still high on the trend list.

This is great news. All purpose flour is questionable by GMO dis-likers, so a bit of ‘healthy’ competition is more than welcome.

5. Instant ice cream:

In conjunction with the homegrown and get your local produce, this form of modern handicraft was just a matter of time. The use of liquid nitrogen is already popular in eateries, drawing many when dessert arrives. Soon it will appear all over the country making our ‘local ice cream’ in seconds.

Heston Blumenthal, the master of the smoking plate, has been running around the globe with a bottle of liquid nitrogen for a few years now, so this trend was just a matter of time. Your locally produced strawberry with local produced cane sugar ice cream, on a locally produced gluten free bun, seems to be the upcoming craze. Ice cream sandwich. Yum.

6. Nuts:

High protein, healthy nuts are high on the list of carb-cutting Americans. A survey conducted late last year found that 70% of American households have nuts on hand and incorporate them in all three meals they consume per day.

Jimmy Carter pleaser. Nuts are good for you though and flax seeds are very high in Omega 3 fatty acids. Many other nuts have good health properties. Dr. Oz says that 3 meals plus 2 snacks per day helps to promote metabolism. So go for it, nuts work great in snacks.

7. Quality Pizza:

The times of cheap, layered with low-quality ingredients, pizza are ending. Artisan, Gourmet pizza chains are on the rise and gaining popularity among pizza lovers. Big backers are behind this trend and therefore it is likely to take the country by storm. You can expect a Gourmet pizza outlet in your neighborhood any time.

I beg your pardon, does this mean that America has been swallowing 350.000 slices of cheap low quality pizza everyday without realizing. These slices of soggy dough that touch the floor faster then they reach your mouth when they are pulled out of the delivery box. Homemade pizza is still your best choice when you ask me.

8. Chicken Wings:

America can’t get enough of them. In 2012, 13.5 Billion chicken wings were marketed. During the Super bowl weekend more than 1 Billion chicken wings are cooked, grilled, roasted, BBQ’ed and eaten. Stunning figures. Still the USDA predicts a 3% increase in chicken wing production.

Pretty much a contradiction to the veggie trend but it strikes with the local produce trend.

9. Upscale comfort food:

It is said that America should watch out for more upscale comfort food. Mac and cheese with sautéed salami, peppers, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and onions. “Highbrow comfort foods are popping up all over the menus” says a well known Hospitality Consultant based in California.

Somewhat baffling, if sautéed salami, peppers, garlic and onions with tomatoes, sun-dried or not, is upscale or “highbrow” what are these producers stuffing the Mac & cheese now with then?

To conclude: I love this stuff, looking forward to next year trends but wish to add that overall it seems that healthier eating is on the rise and that is a promising trend.

www.vacupack.com   www.vacupack.ca 

My trend, home cooked food, a balanced diet, by in bulk to save cost, buddy share, portion pack, vacuum and chill or freeze. KNOW WHAT YOU EAT!!

  

Living on a Budget

Living on a Budget

My name is Sue Adams and I work part time for VacuPack. I work for them a few hours a week, as I am retired and living on a fixed income. Below are a few things that I have found helpful in staying within by budget.

 1.   When grocery shopping, watch for sales or shop at the warehouse stores.  Buy larger quantities      and vacuum seal fresh vegetables, fruits, grains,meats. etc.  Vacuum seal your food in various size packages to be used at a later date for soups, stews, dinners or appetizers.

       http://vacupack.com/vacuum-sealers-home-style/vacupack-vacuum-sealer/vacupack-elite-vacuum-sealer-home-unit.html



 2.   You can cut spending painlessly by keeping track of all your expenditures.

 3.   For necessary purchases (food, insurance, transportation, etc.) be sure to comparison shop to find the best pricing.

 4.   Build an emergency fund.  This will help you to avoid having to take out a loan to cover unexpected expenses.

 5.   Limit your spending for birthdays and holidays (especially Christmas).  It is easy to overspend on others, but not wise.

 6.   Arrange with your bank or credit union to automatically transfer funds from your checking to your savings account, each month.  If you add that amount to your monthly budget, you won't even miss it, and it will be there in case of an emergency.

 7.   ALWAYS avoid using high interest credit cards and payday loans.

 8.   Save your coins (your loose change) and add it to your savings account.  You will be surprised how quickly this adds up.

 9.   If you are a low or moderate income earner, you may qualify for an "Earned Income Tax Credit".
Pay down your debt with part of this credit.

 10.   If you are employed and your company offers a 401K program and your employer will match your retirement savings, you should take advantage of this option.

I hope these simple ideas will help you in the new year.

Written for PMG by:

Sue Adams

WWW.VACUPACK.COM
1-800--227-3769

Vacuum Sealing Vegetables

Vacuum Sealing Vegetables

Remembering the days.  The days when my grandmother use to can vegetables!  It was a huge and mysterious process, involving a number of glass jars, rubber gaskets and an element of danger.  If the jars were too hot and the pressure inside built up, the jars could have exploded. A possibility of sending flying glass everywhere.  For that reason, we children were not allowed in the kitchen while this was going on. Or maybe the element of danger and mystique it was a great excuse to keep us out of the way. 

Vacuum sealing is a much easier and safer process.  There is little danger, outside of burning one’s self with hot pans or boiling water, certainly not likely to be as dangerous as flying glass!

The New Vacupack Visaal  http://vacupack.com/commercial-vacuum-sealers-packers

Vacuum sealing vegetables can save time and money down the road.  If you buy fresh vegetables when they are in season, they are usually much cheaper than they will be if you wait and buy them later from the grocery store. During the summer and fall months when we harvest vegetables or buy them from local growers, we package our vegetables for use at a later time, using our VacUpack vacuum sealer.  It is easy to have control over the contents and the size of the packages.  We package  “soup mix” vegetables, mixed vegetables, corn, carrots, peas, green beans, potatoes and wax beans. We package them in sizes just right for our family, not forgetting to plan to have larger packages for holiday cooking.  Peeling potatoes on Christmas Day is a pain. It’s much easier to pull out a pre-packaged bag of potatoes and just throw it into a pot of boiling water, allowing us much more time to spend with our loved ones instead of sweating in the kitchen!

We have a standard home stove, so there are only four useable burners.  Save stovetop space by putting several packages of different vegetables into one big pot, freeing up your burners for other use. This method for vacuum sealing vegetables can be time consuming if you have a lot to do but it is a very easy process.  

The Vacupack SousVide Bags are built for this process.  Traditional Vacuum Sealing bags will leak the boiling water into the bag destroying the food. 

http://vacupack.com/roll-bags-pouches/sous-vide-bags

First, boil water in a large pot.  When the water is boiling, add your vegetables.  You do NOT want to cook them all the way through.  Leave them in the boiling water only until they are hot through.  Then, immediately remove them and place them in an ice water bath until they are cool.  Drain them and then vacuum seal them.   Label the packages with the contents and the date and place them in the freezer.  When you wish to eat them, simply put the bag into boiling water for a few minutes until the vegetables are hot and they will come out tasting as fresh as they day you bought them.

You can also simply let the vegetables thaw and use them for dips and vegetable trays as well.  Having pre-cut and pre-packaged vegetables is a huge convenience when entertaining and is a bit of a luxury when you think about the amount of work and cost that is saved by using a vacuum sealer.

Another thing we do with our VacUpack vacuum sealer is to package small packs of vegetables and freeze them, also pre-made meals, then we take them to grandmother’s.  She is getting on in years now and we provide these fresher vegetables, and homemade meals for her, which offer more nutrients than canned vegetables and traditional frozen store bought meals.  She loves to eat them and it is much easier for her to cook them rather than struggle with cans (her arthritis makes her hands weak). The fact is, the more you use your vacuum sealer, the more ideas you will have and you will be limited only by your imagination. 

Happy cooking! 

Written for PMG by:

Jacqueline Moderson
-
Excellence in Customer Service/Support, Proofreading and Data Entry

www.vacupack.com

1-800-227-3769