Got Aloha for a Teacher?
It is easy to go to the store and purchase a box of fertilizer for your garden. But why not take advantage of natural amendments that are all around us, free for the taking.
1. Look No Further Than The Sea.
Seaweed is a nutrient rich garden amendment full of trace elements. Unlike a commercial fertilizer that only feeds your plants, seaweed is a natural amendment that feeds your soil. We have an abundance of invasive seaweed washing up on our shores every day. Collecting seaweed for your garden helps keep our shorelines healthy and enriches your soil.
2. Vermicasting and Bokashi Composting.
Vermicasting and Bokashi composting are two ways to turn your kitchen scraps into rich organic compost, necessary for a healthy garden. While vermicasting uses composting worms, bokashi composting uses microorganisms to anaerobically ferment, or pickle, organic waste. While finished vermicast can be added directly into your garden, the contents of a full bokashi bin must be buried and allowed to sit for two weeks before it can be used. Bokashi composting includes meat and dairy.
Garden to Table recipe: Starfruit, Shiso and Sea Asparagus Salsa Verde
I love grilled meats, especially steak or fish, with salsa verde. Something about the contrast of the rich meat with the piquant sauce makes my taste buds buzz. I have made traditional salsa verde, with parsley, anchovy and olives but I have also discovered that you can change out the ingredients for a different spin on the classic green sauce. Here is my local take on one of my favorite condiments. Note: You can keep this 100% local by omitting the garlic and only using macadamia nut oil, if desired.
Makes about 3/4 cup
1 ripe starfruit, edges trimmed, sliced and chopped, seeds removed
6 large shiso leaves, chopped
5-6 sweet basil leaves, chopped
3T finely chopped sea asparagus, plus more to taste if necessary
1 small scallion, chopped (white and light green parts)
2T macadamia nut oil
3 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
Squeeze of Meyer lemon
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Add more sea asparagus and lemon juice to taste. Use immediately or make ahead and store in refrigerator, with parchment paper covering surface of salsa verde to allow flavors to meld. Enjoy with local grilled meat or fish. Enjoy!
Energy
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Waste
Comments posted prior to adopting Facebook comments.
Never thought about using seaweed before. I would add a number 3 - composting. One of the easiest ways to compost is to just pile up cut grass and yard trimmings (instead of tossing out). In a month, that pile will be rich compost.
I agree Olin! Do you compost with food scraps too?
Yes, for many years 100% of our organic food scraps have gone into our compost piles (save for a few that get past the transfer bin during family parties). Meat and dairy end up in the trash though I am testing some bokashi so we can recycle meat and dairy as well. So far, food grown in pure compost has grown faster than any other method I have tried including aquaponics. I recently harvested eggplant grown in pure compost and was surprised to see about 20 eggplants from one bush - our non compost eggplant usually bears a couple at a time. Good stuff!
Nice! Compost reigns supreme!
Great tips! I just recently started collecting seaweed when I go to the beach and putting it around the base of my plants as mulch. I also thought about blending it up with some water and "watering" the plants with it - do you think that would be more effective in getting the good stuff to the plants/soil?
That sounds like a great way to add time release fertilizer to the plants as the seaweed breaks down.
Kasha, We rinse the seaweed and put it directly in our garden beds. Blending it may work, too...why don't you try it on some non-critical plants in your yard? Don't use your good Vitamix, though. Buy a used blender at Goodwill and dedicate it to smelly garden projects like seaweed stew and home-brewed pest control potions.
Good idea! Thanks.