Life Juicer [Giveaway]

Juicing has become very popular in the last few years. Natural, fresh, raw juices can be very nutritious and packed full of fruits and vegetables. Skip the store-bought, sugar-laden juices and make your own with a Viatek Life Juicer. Enter to win a Life Juicer below! 

Deliciously Savvy Is Hosting a Giveaway For 1 Lucky Winner to Win a Life Juicer from Viatek! This is normally retailed at $300 but is on sale right now for $150 on Viatek's Website! There are so many fabulous reasons that this is one of the best juicers that you can buy so enter today & Good Luck!

Sponsored By: Viatek

Hosted By: Deliciously Savvy

Co-Hosted By:

Amy & Aron's Real Life Reviews // Mom Junky // My Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Life // To Kitchen, With Love // Primitive Gypsy // IMHO Views, Reviews and Giveaways // Seasonal Family Fun // Heartbeats~ Soul Stains // My Silly Little Gang // PaulaMS' Giveaways, Reviews, & Freebies // Michigan Savings and More // Capri's Coupons

PLUS a Big Thank You to all of the Blogs Helping to Promote This Fabulous and Healthy Giveaway!

FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ PINTEREST

1 Lucky Winner Will Receive a Life Juicer Of Their Very Own!

$300 RV

And Now The Giveaway!!!

Giveaway Dates ~ 03/28 9PM EST until 04/21 11:59PM EST

Entrants must be 18 years old to enter and giveaway is open to US residents only.

Any Questions Email Me At mcushing7 (at) hotmail (dot) com.

This giveaway is in no way endorsed, affiliated or associated with Facebook,

Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This giveaway is valid only

in the United States. Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter.

This giveaway will end at 11:59PM (EST) on 04/21/2016.

Good Luck! Enter Below

Also we all “love it if you like us” on Facebook!

By Supporting Our Blogs Via Social Media You Are Helping Us To Provide Fabulous Prizes For Amazing Future Giveaways! Good Luck & Thank You!

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Buying Local at a Farmers Market

Last year, a mommy friend introduced us to a local farmers market on Thursday afternoons. We have been going on a pretty regular basis and have loved getting to know the farmers and artisans. The farmers market moves inside a church basement for the winter, so we can still get some items (though limited).

Farmers markets are a great way to buy organic food. I found that the food is fresher and will usually last a little bit longer than store bought organic items. I have also found that the prices for organic produce, grass-fed beef, pasture raised chicken and pasture raised eggs are usually cheaper than purchasing the items at Whole Foods. Plus, a farmers market is an opportunity for my toddler to run around, listen to music, and connect with the community.

Here are some photos from our trip this week.

 

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Garden: A Surprise Visitor or Ten!

I wanted to post monthly garden updates, but time has gotten away from me and the garden is a bit overgrown. I have had this problem for a few years. I carefully plan what goes into each location, practicing the square foot gardening method, loosely. Somehow, within a few months, plants starts to crowd each other.

This year, I left a path so that I could get to the back of the garden cage. The seeds in the compost that my husband added decided to sprout and bless us with about 10 tomato plants. The tomato plants are growing in random spots: at the entrance, in the middle of the carrot rows, and of course, in the path that I left for myself.

Nonetheless, I am thrilled! I have avoided planting tomatoes in the garden because of the black walnut tree right beside the garden. The black walnut tree gives off a chemical that is toxic to some plants, including tomatoes. When I discovered tomato seedlings in the garden, I thought it would be a great experiment to see if tomatoes would actually grow.

Today, there are about 10+ tomatoes, 4 different varieties, growing on about 6 plants that have grown enough to put out blossoms. I have identified them as heirloom tomatoes that we received from last year's organic CSA and some seeds from our homegrown tomatoes.

Here are some photos of the garden cage (lots of critters around here) and the herb garden that desperately needs to be harvested. Also, excuse the wilted plants, it was a hot day and I had not watered yet.

>> Do you have a garden?? How is it doing this year??
 

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Ark Survival Seeds: Heirloom Non-GMO Seeds [Review]

This past weekend, my husband and toddler sat on the grass while I harvested vegetables from the garden. My husband helped me find the peppers hiding underneath the leaves, the tomatoes on the volunteer vines that are starting to take over and the sugar snap that are starting to brown in the heat of the summer. The 16 month old toddler walked around and tried to pick a small jalapeno pepper he has had his eye on for one week. Gardening has become one of my passions and my hobbies. I love the ability to grow my own food. I love being able to go into the yard and pick out a ripe pepper, sugar snap pea or tomato to eat on the spot. Though I do buy seedlings and starter plants at the store, I prefer to sow seeds directly in the ground or start seeds indoors in the winter. I focus on organic and heirloom seeds when available. Ark Survival Seeds are 100% non-GMO, non-hybrid, heirloom, chemical-free produce seeds that are perfect for the average American home garden or storing for self-reliance needs.

Ark Survival Seeds    

   ($24.95, purchase on Amazon)
Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Heirloom, non-hybrid
Non-GMO
Chemical-free
Extended life breathable paper storage

One of the first things I noticed is that the packaging is made from paper. Paper storage for seeds is preferred because it is breathable and prevents moisture from accumulating. Ark Survival Seeds are stored in individual paper packets within the larger resealable paper bag. I store seeds that I will use in the near future in the fridge and seeds that I store for self-reliance needs in the freezer (they will keep longer this way).

Since the growing season is already under way, sowing the seeds would not have been prudent. I do plan on sowing the cold weather crop seeds in a few weeks. These include: radishes, beets and lettuce. I will sow the Ark Survival Seeds directly in the ground, following the instructions that are indicated on each seed packet.

I love the variety of vegetables that I can grow with Ark Survival Seeds. If my family had to grow our own produce (without the option of going to the grocery store), Ark Survival Seeds offer a great variety that will keep us satisfied and also offer options for canning and saving seeds. I would feel confident to save the seeds are they are non-GMO, non-hybrid and GMO. The open pollination keeps the seeds true to the original ones and offers us the best option for high quality vegetables.

I plan on starting some of the seeds indoors during the winter months and then transplanting to the garden. I will also add some of the seed packets to my long-term self-reliance storage. Ark Survival Seeds are an affordable and high quality option for growing your own food or adding to your long-term food storage. The sampler pack is perfect for the beginner gardener or a master gardener.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.

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How I Save the Bees [#CTWW]

I have always been scared of bees because of the fear of getting stung. I remember walking through a grassy field when I was a kid and getting stung on the bottom of my foot. Ouch! As I have grown into an adult and started to question more of the world around me, I realized there is no need to be afraid of bees. Society makes us think that bees are dangerous. People always seem to run away from them. If you leave the bees alone, they will leave you alone. I tended to the tomato container garden behind the purple cone flowers being frequented by huge bumble bees with no stings. The buzz of the bumble bees actually became comforting for me.

Let's change our perception of bees to being the source of our food. Bees pollinate the majority of food crops in the world. Therefore, the decline of bees should alarm everyone. What foods will we lose if the bees are not around to pollinate the majority of worldwide crops?

This week's challenge:

This week, take action to protect honey bees. Please choose at least one action from the following list:

• Plant at least one native, flowering plant in your yard. Avoid hybrid plants ... they don't produce enough nectar or pollen and are useless to bees and other pollinators.
• Plant a vegetable garden.
• Let pests live (natural pest controllers, like Lady Bugs, need them for food).
• Keep your lawn and garden pesticide-free.
• Eliminate chemicals in your home.
• Provide a year-round, clean source of water for bees (rainwater collection, a small garden water feature, bird bath, etc.).
• Leave some dead trees or plants in your yard ... bees will nest in them. Or, place a bee house in your garden.
• Buy organic food.
• Take up beekeeping.

As the gardening bug has already bit me for this season, I have been buying plants and planting, and buying and planting. I have spent a lot of time outside during the past week. As I do the daily "garden and yard tour," I have made notes about where I can apply the above actions to protect bees. Below, I cover what actions I have already implemented and the actions I am planning on implementing in the coming month.

Native, Flowering Plants
Every year, I purchase a 3-5 plants to plant in the garden bed in front of the house. I focus on perennial, cold temperature tolerant, flowering and deer resistant plants. A variety of different colored and sized flowers is important to attract different bees.

To Do - start a flower garden in the back yard, close to the vegetable garden. The blackberry and newly planted blueberries bushes also need some bees. Maybe I can add some flowering plants to the herb garden.

Question - how can I tell if the flowering plants are hybrid or not? I have been able to find some heirloom vegetable plants, but how do I know if the Shasta daisy or the phlox is a hybrid or not?

Vegetable Garden
Check! Vegetable garden, herb garden, blackberry and blueberry bushes in the back yard. Tomato container garden in front of the breezeway.

To Do - plant more herbs in the front garden bed (edible garden). They are deer resistant and edible.

To Do - expand the container garden in front of the breezeway is companion plants for the tomatoes.

To Do - add a water feature to provide clean source of water for bees.

Dead Trees and Plants
There is an area behind the back fence between us and the house behind us. Honeysuckle, wild grape vine, weeds and other random plants provide a natural habitat for animals, critters, and bugs. Whatever is too big for the compost or will take a long time to break down goes over the fence.

Chemical Free House and Yard
A bucket a day keeps the weeds away! I have reinstated the daily weed pulling, at least until I get most of them knocked down. I stopped using chemicals in the yard 3.5 years ago and after a couple of years of not pulling weeds, we have grown super weeds in the yard. Luckily, weed pulling is therapeutic and relaxing for me, so I have been spending 30-60 minutes outside during baby's naps pulling weeds.

>> Are there any features of your garden or yard that help to protect and sustain the bee population??

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Growing Your Own Food with Gro-ables

This post brought to you by Gro-ables. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every year, I learn more and more about gardening and make bigger and bigger plans. The back yard garden will continue as in previous years. The front yard container garden that I started last year will be expanded. And, I am still formulating my plans for an edible front yard garden (if only the deer and critters would not eat my plants). That being said, I would still call myself an amateur gardener. I look at friends and others who have elaborate gardens and I yearn for more knowledge and experience. When you would like to start a garden, but fear that you do not have the knowledge and experience, Miracle-Gro Gro-ables pre-packaged seed pods offer an easy way to grow your own herbs and vegetables from seed.


Miracle-Gro Gro-ables are seed pods that are designed to simplify the growing process so that it is not overwhelming and confusion. Soil types, sunlight requirements, and spacing can be overwhelming, even to an experienced gardener. After selecting about 10 types of seeds for the garden, even I get overwhelmed by all of these requirements. This new product from Miracle-Gro guarantees the seeds to grow, when used as directed. Seeds are available in herbs and vegetable varieties. I love the ease of planting seeds for as little as $1.29-$1.49 per seed pod. This is very affordable when you consider the cost of seedlings and grown plants.


I will be growing Cilantro and Globe Tomatoes. I hope to use both in a simple homemade salsa recipe.

Easy Salsa Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup of globe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of onion, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tsp jalapeno, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
Dash of salt

Dire​ctions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve with tortilla chips.

I am already getting excited about some of the warmer days that we have had. Seed catalogs have been pursed and the garden planning has begun. Miracle-Gro Gro-ables are a great way to amend the seeds I saved from last year to guarantee great results.

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Do You Know What You Are Eating? [#CTWW]

This week's challenge:

FIRST ... Please visit Organic Consumers Association and read "Tell the FDA: No Watered-Down, Voluntary Federal GMO Labeling Rules!". You can also visit this PAGE for recent articles. Read through the information to lean about the GMO issue.

THEN ... If you live in the US and agree, sign the mandatory GMO labeling petition.

I was reminded, during a recent chat with my husband, that everyone has their "thing" that they focus on. We choose our own "things" to care about. Our "things" might be different from someone else's "things," but that is what makes each of us special and unique. That's how we make collective progress in this world. One of my big "things" is GMO labeling. While breeding plants to achieve desired characteristics keeps in line with nature and the environment (breeding has been done since the beginning of human civilization), genetically modifying living organisms by inserting genes that usually come from other species should be looked at with great scrutiny. I avoid GMO foods for three reasons: 

1) GMOs are not natural,
2) short and long term side effects are not known, and
3) heirloom qualities and varieties are lost.

I try to be open to new ideas. I am all for making the world a better place, but in the right way. Cows are meant to eat grass, plants are meant to be watered, and food should grow from seeds that have been naturally bred, harvested, and saved. I believe that GMO foods are not natural. Therefore, I avoid them. As a consumer, I do not know what genes have been inserted into the GMO food nor do I know how the alteration of genes affects the nutrition and health of the food. A zucchini might look like a zucchini, but the way the body processes it might be completely different.

This leads me to the second point. The general population does not know the short and long term side effects of growing and consuming GMO foods. Some large corporations might know the short term side effects, but long terms side effects will only show up in future generations. Let's assume that GMO foods are not safe for us. If they are proven safe after enough years of research and consumption by consumers, then I might reconsider. Eating a food that has been genetically modified could pose risks to our body because the body might break it down in a different way. The nutrients might be different. The cell structure itself could be toxic to our bodies. We just do not know. Although we do not know the internal changes caused by genetic modification to the food itself, we do know that the seeds of these foods are not viable.

GMO seeds cannot be saved and reused. Laws and regulations prevent the farmer from saving GMO seeds and replanting next year. Every year, the farmer who chooses to plant GMO seeds might acquire new seeds. For thousands of years, farmers have been harvesting and saving seeds, preserving the qualities of the foods that we eat. Since GMO seeds have been genetically modified, using them might yield a completely different food than expected. Farmers having to rely on large corporations to provide them with seeds is getting away from the art and science of farming. Some might say that they are just seeds. I say that a seed grows into a bush/plant/tree that supplies us with the foods to keep us alive. The quality of those seeds is of utmost importance.

If you are curious about the GMO labeling debate, read the article above. If you feel strongly about knowing exactly what you are eating, sign the GMO labeling petition.

Remember, buying Certified Organic produce and shopping at farmers markets are the best ways to avoid GMO foods. Certifications like GMO Verified Project are also helpful.

>> Would you like to know if the foods you buy are genetically modified? Why or why not??    

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How to Get Kids to Eats Vegetables and Fruits [Review]

Even before getting pregnant, I had goals and visions of a child who would eat and try everything. I swore that I would do everything possible not to have a picky eater. Following the Baby Led Weaning (aka Baby Led Solids) philosophy will hopefully decrease the chances of a picky eater. If appropriate, I offer the baby the same table food we are eating. Setting an example for my child by offering him the same foods that we eat is a good way to ensure healthy eating habits. Of course, not all children are made the same and not all children will try what you offer them (I have been offering avocado for weeks now...he is not taking to it). Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables is a great resource and innovative tool for parents who would like for their children to learn to enjoy eating fruits and vegetables.

Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables       ($19.99, free shipping)
Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Award winning
Equal focus on vegetables and fruits
Suitable for ages 6 months - 5 years

The concept of Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables is simple. Children copy what other children are doing. If a child sees another child eating a vegetable or a fruit, they will do the same. This concept was discovered by the creator of the DVD after she realized that her daughter was more willing to try a new fruits and vegetables when she observed another child eating the new fruit or vegetable. There must be something about watching a person your own size versus an adult. Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables is broken up into twelve chapters, each 6-8 minutes long, that focus on twelve fruits and vegetables. Each chapter shows a child eating the fruit/vegetable in a similar setting as you would at home. (You wouldn't put a big plate of broccoli florets in front of your kid?!? :) )

Subject: 10 month old baby boy

Background: We have been using Baby Led Weaning, offering appropriately sized and prepared table foods to our baby. While he can munch on most things, hard fruits and vegetables like raw carrots are avoided because of the potential choking hazard. He has two bottom teeth.

Results:
First, I watched a chapter of the DVD with my baby in my lap. I wanted to see what the DVD was all about before I sat the baby down to eat. The baby was intrigued by the DVD for a couple of minutes and then lost interest.

Second, I brought the laptop into the kitchen so he could see the other kids eating while he had the food in front of him. I placed a couple slices of avocado on his tray. When we started on solid foods, we offered avocado and he tried it, but he has not been as keen on it over the past couple of months. No biggie here. We will keep offering. Maybe he does not like it now, but he might in the future. Back to the DVD. I played the Avocado chapter. Again, he watched for a minute or two, touched the avocado, put it in his mouth, and then pushed it around or dropped it on the floor.

I realized that watching Copy-Kids and offering the same fruit/vegetable will probably work better when he is a little older. Although babies younger than 10 months understand what is going on around them to some degree, they do not really take in and process what they are seeing. Furthermore, continuing to watch the DVD and offer the same food will help the baby understand what is going on and copy the kids on the DVD. Be aware that it might take a few times of watching the DVD before your child mimics the behavior of Copy-Kids. Repetition is key.

If your children are picky eaters or you would like for them to try new fruits and vegetables, Copy-Kids Eat Fruits and Vegetables could be a great tool for you to try. The DVD is simple, straight-forward, and could be effective in the right setting.

Disclosure: Please remember to supervise your children, especially babies, when they are eating foods. The DVD is not a replacement for adult supervision. I received one or more of the products mentioned to facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.

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Preparing For The Winter Months

I have been posting a lot of review and giveaway posts lately, so I thought I would share a personal post. I am grateful to try new-to-me eco-friendly and natural products. Maybe they will inspire gift ideas for the Holidays. In our neck of the woods, the temperatures have fallen and the clouds cover the sun most of the days. The trees have lost all of their leaves. Anyone who goes outside is bundled up tightly. I am glad to see that the neighbors continue to go outside for walks and runs, even with their babies. Aside from spending my days caring for and playing with a baby, keeping the house in order, and trying to get out of the house often, we are busy with the following activities.

Winterizing the Yard

I am always a little sad when it is time to winterize the yard because it means that the colder months are here. The garden has been cleaned up. I am letting the plants dry up and will till them under the soil instead of composting. This method will put nutrients back into the soil. I put away the garden hose and watering can into the garage. The rain barrel has also been put up. Bushes have been pruned back. I left some of the leaves that gathered around the front garden bed plants to act as natural mulch for the winter.

Preparing for the Holidays

Gift lists are traditionally exchanged among our family at Thanksgiving. Therefore, we have been busy creating a gift list for ourselves and the baby. Check out my Green Baby Holiday Gift Guide for eco-friendly and green gift ideas for a baby. This year, we decided to do holiday gift shopping online to save time, money, and be environmentally conscious. Buying online reduces our carbon footprint because we are not driving to the store. Yes, the item is still being transported, but it is only transported once instead of twice (shipped to the store and then we drive to buy it).

Working Out Indoors

I cancelled my gym membership a few months ago. Gasp! After having the baby, I preferred to spend time with the baby instead of going to the gym and putting him in the gym's day care. We recently bought a jogging stroller, so I am able to run during the day. My husband found our old Jillian Michael's workout DVDs. I will continue to run outside as long as it is safe with the jogging stroller and transition to the workout DVDs.

Decluttering the House

November and December have become our months for cleaning out clutter and donating old and unused items to Goodwill. We also save items for my parents' neighborhood garage sale in May. Even though we have done a mass decluttering of the house every December for the past 3 years, we always find something that we can donate or pass on to someone else. There is nothing better than getting rid of old and unused stuff that someone can find a use for. Goodwill and Freecycle are the best ways to find a new home for an old or unused item.

I cannot believe this year is almost over. We began the year with me being pregnant and preparing for the arrival of our first baby. We have experienced lots of joys, and some challenges, with this new chapter and we look forward to ending this year on a positive note by spending time with our families.

>> How do you end the year? How are you preparing for the Holiday season??
  

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Reduce BPA Exposure from Food Packages [#CTWW]

This week's Change the World Wednesday challenge comes at just the right time. I have been working on my emergency preparedness kit and restocking the pantry with what else by canned and prepackaged items. To make things a little more interesting, the challenge in front of me is as follows.

This week ban BPA from your life. Need some ideas? Avoid canned foods, including prepared soups, vegetables, sauces, soda and beer. Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Say no to printed receipts; they contain BPA. 

An audit of my pantry showed a number of items in cans. Since can lining potentially contains BPA, my task is to find these products in safer containers. The table below shows the items, the container I usually purchase these products in and what changes I plan on making to the container. 

Some items are only available in cans, so I will plan on freezing or caning (in glass jars) the fresh vegetables myself. I prefer to eat vegetables fresh, so the items I buy in jars are mostly legumes and vegetables.

Product	BPA Package	Non-BPA Package
Beans	Can	Buy and store dry in glass
Tomatoes	Can	Freeze or can fresh in glass
Tomato Sauce	Can	Glass jar
Soup	Can	Aseptic (paperboard carton)
Jalapenos	Can	Freeze or can fresh in glass
Coconut Milk	Can	TBD

A little side story for you...

During the last grocery trip, I was shopping for ingredients to make a Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe that called for canned tomatoes. As I stood in the canned goods aisle, the little "greenie" on my shoulder reminded me of this week's challenge. I turned around and went back to the produce section to pick up 5 tomatoes. I decided they would taste better and I would eliminate exposure to BPA and one more can going into the recycle bin.

>> What are some items in your pantry that can be switched for BPA-free packaging??

  

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Hello Winter!

Ok, ok, maybe not Winter, but definitely a cold Fall! It seems like we skipped from 70 degree weather straight to 40 degrees with very low temperatures overnight that prompted me to pick the remaining peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes. My running gear has transformed from shorts and a tank top to pants and a long sleeve shirt. And baby wearing, well...I don't know that I would call it. You decide for yourself. Let's just say that my husband's Addidas jacket make for a nice cover for the baby and me. I am sure the neighbors were wondering what the blue covered head sticking out of my jacket was. Either way, the baby and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood.

 

>> How is the weather changing in your area??
 

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Vegan Red Curry Vegetables [Recipe]

My husband and I love Thai food! One Friday night many many years ago, he wanted to make Thai at home. From that moment, we have been trying every single recipe, no matter how intimidating. Red Curry Chicken has become one of our favorite recipes and I have adapted it to scallops and a variety of vegetables. Either way, this dish is delicious no matter what you put in it. Don't be intimated by the curry. You can control the amount of spice and heat.

Today, in the spirit of reducing our footprint and this week's challenge of cooking one (or more) vegan meals, I bring to you Red Curry Vegetables. The vegetables alone are delicious, but if you are inclined to add meat for your non-vegan family members, then add about a pound of diced chicken, pork, or beef right before you add the vegetables and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Red Curry Vegetables with Basil

Total: 25 minutes
Prep: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or your preferred vegetable-based oil)
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (add more for medium/hot spice level)
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk, shaken2 teaspoons soy sauce (optional)
2-3 cups of sliced vegetables: bell peppers, onions, baby corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, eggplant, etc.
10 large basil leaves, chopped (can leave out)

Equipment: A large frying pan with tall sides and lid works much better than a wok.

Directions: 
1. Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the curry base and simmer for 2 minutes, so that it is dissolved and foaming. Stir frequently so the curry does not burn.
3. Stir in the can of the coconut milk. Cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the coconut milk begins to bubble and thickens.
4. Add vegetables and stir into sauce. Cook for about 5  minutes.
5. Stir in soy sauce (optional).
6. Turn heat down to Low-Med, close the lid, and simmer for 5-10 minutes until vegetables soften. If you prefer a thicker sauce, keep the lid off.  
7. Add the chopped basil.
8. Serve over brown rice.

Tip: Experiment with the amount of curry and the different types of curry. Our favorites are Panang Curry (sweeter and milder) and Massaman Curry (aromatic and loaded with dry spices). 

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Nesco Digital Food Dehydrator [Giveaway]

Prize:

Nesco Gardenmaster Digital Pro Food Dehydrator

ARV $170

Hosted by:

A Lucky Ladybug
and 
M.O.O.N.

"New Digitally Controlled" unit! Top mounted fan eliminates liquids dripping into the heater chamber. Expands to a giant 20 trays so you can dry large quantities all at once! 1000 watts of drying power means you can dry more, faster. Patented Converga-Flow® forces heated air down the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray, converging in the center, for fast, even and nutritious drying. If you are an aspiring gardener or love to visit your local farmers market, then you need a dehydrator.  There is no better and easier way to preserve in-season produce than to dehydrate it.
Fast, Powerful Fan! A quiet, 2,400-RPM motor and specially designed 4-1/2 inch fan mean faster, more nutritious drying.  Adjustable Thermostat!  The adjustable 90-160 degree F digital control gives you the flexibility to get the best results.

 As needs grow, this four-tray unit can be expanded with accessory Add-A-Trays®, up to 20 trays (20 sq. ft.) Drying pressure adjusts automatically to the number of trays.  Included  accessories: No-Spill Fruit Roll Sheet, Clean-A-Screen®, Jerky Spice Packet and Cure.

**If you are a company and would like to see your brand advertised in a M.O.O.N. event similar to this please contact MakeOurOwnNetwork@gmail.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway
"Make Our Own Network" solely organized this event and I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are 100% my own and may differ from your own or even those stated in this post. All Natural Katie is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. This giveaway is open to the Continental US only (because of shipping costs) and will end on August 29th, 2013

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Garden: Katie vs. Squirrel

Good potting soil

+ organic fertilizer

+ tomato plants from local nursery

+ ripening fruit

= Big Boy tomato munched by squirrel!

After thinking about it for a few minutes, I decided to cut off the 1/4 eaten by the squirrel and eat the rest myself! The Big Boy tomato was delicious!

I do have bird netting around the front of the pots to keep deer out, but over the past few months, it has gotten a little loose as I go over and under it to pick fruit. My weekend task is to reestablish the bird netting to protect the rest of the fruit.

>> How do you protect your garden and plants from small and big critters??

  

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Wordless Wednesday: What Happened to the Yam?

I cannot say exactly how long the yams/sweet potatoes have been in hanging in a canvas bag in the basement, but I estimate at least 6 months. I finally decided to take a look at them. Two of out five were still usable. The other three, well....they were not rotten....they were rock hard! Out to the compost three go!

(petrified yam, usable yam)
  

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Garden: Planting in Progress

Because of other time commitments this year, I decided not to start anything from seed. The plan: buy plants and sew seeds (snow peas, spinach, carrots, radishes, sunflowers) directly in the ground. I still have a few plants to buy to fill out the space, including eggplant, basil, and whatever else inspires me.

Snow peas and spinach on the left. Peppers and chives on the right.

A transplant from the compost pile! :)

A few small apples on the way, if the apple blossoms were pollinated.

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