Archive for the ‘Compost’ Category

Nutrient Decline in our Food Supply

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

by Catherine Haug, December 11, 2012

We all rely on the quality of our food to sustain us and keep us in good health. We trust that foods of vibrant color are rich in antioxidants and vitamins; for example, beets, oranges, carrots, cherries and berries. We trust that leafy greens with rich, dark color are rich in minerals, vitamins and bitters. We trust that fresh meats and dairy are rich in protein, essential oils, and vitamins.

But is our trust warranted? Certainly prior to the industrial age, that trust was well-placed. But modern agriculture is all about the bottom line, and food quality is often sacrificed in pursuit of that goal. Crops are treated with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and refreshed with contaminated waters. Animals are fed these inferior crops, and in many cases fed crops that are not their natural diet. All of this leads to nutritional deficiency in our foods.

Just how bad has it gotten? What can we do to reverse the trend? (more…)

Why ‘Pasture-Raised’ trumps ‘Organic’

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

by Catherine Haug, June 12, 2012 and David Brown, November 2011

Most of us believe that Organic is the best you can buy, to feed your family. And it certainly is better than commercially-produced fresh and processed foods. But is it really the ‘best’ available?

I’ve posted on this topic before (see Related Posts, below). David Brown (avid gardener, compostor, and health researcher from Kalispell) writes about the advantage of ‘pasture-raised’ over ‘Organic’ when it comes to animal foods like meat, dairy and eggs. (more…)

Planning your eco-friendly yard & garden

Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Honeybee

by Catherine Haug, March 24, 2012

(photo, right from BugGuide.net)

The Bigfork Eagle included a great article in their Living Green supplement this week: “Tips for an eco-friendly garden space.” I’m sorry I cannot give credit to whomever wrote it, because the article doesn’t include the author’s name. Read on for my take on the three ideas, one of my own, and links to other articles on this subject. (more…)

Stuff about Gardening

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

D. Bates Squash Garden in August

by Catherine Haug, March 20, 2012

(photo, right, by Don Bates)

It’s time to get busy preparing your garden for the season. Some of us already have gardens; some are thinking about creating a garden; and others are utilizing their local community garden (such as Bigfork-Ferndale Community Garden at St. Patrick’s).  The seed companies have sent out their seed catalogues for us to drool over. Have you caught the gardening bug?

Mother Earth News has some great articles on garden design, soil health and other gardening topics:

About the articles, and more

(more…)

What to do with all those leaves: mulch, mold, & compost

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

by Catherine Haug, November 2, 2011

Using leaves in your compost or as mulch is an excellent way to return nutrients to the soil. But it’s not as simple as just piling them on. The Composter Connection has a great article on composing leaves: Using Autumn’s Bounty: Leaf Compost, Leaf Mulch, Leaf Mold, by Bill Kohlhaase.

You can read the entire article online, but here’s a few notes I made as I read the article. (more…)

On Composting, Mulching, Humanure, & Sewage Sludge

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

by Catherine Haug, with David Brown, July 15, 2011

Dave Brown: Sifting compost

(all photos by David Brown unless noted otherwise)

Kalispell gardener and composter David Brown has been conducting composting experiments in his yard for years.  From using a simple hole in the ground which he fills with kitchen and yard waste, to a sophisticated separating toilet, David is a wealth of ideas.

See also his earlier article, originally published in the Daily InterLake: Composting: Yard Waste (11).

(more…)