Pests and Parasites

I'm going to share two very reliable pesticides, that as far as I can tell do not harm the pollinators, but care must be taken.  First, I use Diatomaceous Earth as a natural pesticide against the hard shelled insects.  I do take care, not to dust the blooms, though.  I've searched and read both warning and safety comments regarding honey bees and DE, so I avoid dusting the blooms.

The other pesticide I use, first came about by accident.  I had planned to make my own Tabasco sauce last year, but wasn't real sure about it, so I just bought a couple of bedding plants at a local nursery.  As it turns out, they were mislabeled.  I thought the peppers seemed an odd shape compared to the pictures on Tabasco sauce bottles, but I figured, "What did I know?"  So, I put a few of those almost round, with a point, red peppers in the blender with some water.  When I removed the blender lid, my eyes began to water.  I knew this was not Tabasco sauce in the making.

I had thought they looked like habaneros, and sure enough, a quick Google search showed images of habaneros that looked exactly like the hundreds of peppers that were growing in my garden.  Well now, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with these peppers, but I knew I had no intention of eating them.  Last year was a particularly difficult year due to drought.  It seems the only thing really thriving were the grasshoppers, and they were making short work of my garden, when I noticed something.  The habanero plants were beautiful!  There were no leaves missing, no hoppers jumping!

That's when it occurred to me, to at least try it.  So, the concoction in the blender went into a spray bottle and out to the garden.  It didn't take long for the grasshoppers to move on.  Now, I make a point of raising one habanero plant on my deck.  It keeps the pests from the other plants and produces enough peppers to make my pesticide!

Jerusalem Artichokes

This site definitely promotes the concept of purposefully providing food for ourselves and our families, but we also want to take the time to point out and remind our readers that YHWH may already have some pretty amazing things already planted in your neck o' the woods.

I'm including a couple of photos of Jerusalem artichokes.  The edible part is the root, but they are just beginning to bloom in the Ozarks, which means everyone north of the seventh growing zone probably still has time to be watching for these lovely bunches of yellow flowers.  The blossom itself, to me, resembles a daisy in size, but much larger and all yellow, not just the center.  Some have compared their appearance to miniature sunflowers, as they do often stand quite tall.


The appearance of the root is something of a small potato in color, and very tuberous looking.  The texture is similar to that of water chestnuts, with a mildly nutty flavor.

I'd urge you to do a bit of research, then be watching.  We just never know what special treat our Creator has placed in our path.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	304 kJ (73 kcal)
Carbohydrates	17.44 g
- Sugars	9.6 g
- Dietary fiber	1.6 g
Fat	0.01 g
Protein	2 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.2 mg (17%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.06 mg (5%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	1.3 mg (9%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.397 mg (8%)
Vitamin B6	0.077 mg (6%)
Folate (vit. B9)	13 μg (3%)
Vitamin C	4 mg (5%)
Calcium	14 mg (1%)
Iron	3.4 mg (26%)
Magnesium	17 mg (5%)
Phosphorus	78 mg (11%)
Potassium	429 mg (9%)
Link to USDA Database entry Percentages are roughly approximated from US recommendations for adults

Getting it Together

If we could just get the folks in the second link connected with the entrepreneur in the first link, we'd be accomplishing something!  "Nuff said!"

http://www.growingpower.org/  This site has some fascinating information!

NO GMO

Make Something Grow

I usually speak in rather broad terms, as I never want to indicate everyone must be limited to specific foods or specific methods.  Grocery Underground is aimed at using our talents for the glory of our Creator, being creative in moving away from worldly system dependence, and protecting ourselves from "frankenfood."  We, here at Goshen do not proclaim dogma, nor do we try to stir fear, but today I have to make a specific suggestion.

Our food is costing more while offering less nutrition.  We get caught up in busy schedules, falling back on instant and prepackaged.  Most people, even apartment dwellers have a house plant and at least one window.  Many even have balconies.  Here's the plan that provides an instant snack with actual nutrition.  Make a vegetable or fruit a house plant or use a window box for raising a mini garden.

See what you are good at and see how quickly something will grow.  I have actually kept fresh lettuce and salad fixin's growing all winter in a sunny window, before I got my greenhouse.  My favorite handy snack are radish pods.  One radish will produce hundreds of them and they are snappy tangy little snacks along the lines of sugar snap peas.

I'm not suggesting you'll raise your entire food supply in a window box, but fresh snacks are a definite option!