Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Christmas Gifts - Living Plants

Living Plants Are a Gift That Expresses Life 



Many of us struggle with what to give for the holiday.  My thoughts go to gift cards and money.  However, this option seems too trite, and I know I love to get a gift that someone has put a little thought into.  Gift cards to a nice eatery are common in my family.   I struggle with the idea that you can't have your cake and eat it too.  Eating out is nice, but once the gift is gone, where is that lingering reminder that someone cared enough to give me a gift?  

Here are a few ideas of gifts that I would like to receive, and I hope you can create a loving moment when you give these living gifts.  Living - yes, as in plants.  Greenery that is alive, fragrant, and creates a lasting image of the one who gave it. 

Product Details
This little 4 inch orb comes with sand, gravel and the plant with instructions so simple even kids can succeed in growing it.  This Hinterland Trading Air Plant Tillandsia Bromeliads Terrarium Kit with Pebbles and Moss Great Little Houseplant is a sweet little gift.

Fragrant plants are a special treat, especially indoors when the outdoor plants are under a blanket of winter.



Hirt's Arabian Tea Jasmine Plant - Maid of Orleans - FRAGRANT - 4" Pot
  
This Jasmine grows indoors and can be moved outside in warm weather.  It is ever blooming and only needs a bright window for light.

Italian Herbs on the kitchen window are great gift for the cook in the family.  For salads, pastas, and sauces, these herbs will provide a freshness to many meals all winter long.

Product Details
Garden at Home 42414 Italian Herb Trio
Three ceramic containers included in this set will grow chives, basil, and oregano.  The 3 x 3 x 3 in containers sit in a drip tray to keep window sills neat.


A favorite aromatic herb of mine is Rosemary.  I love to rub it's branches as I pass by, and the fragrance lingers in the air and on my hands.  A great holiday gift, in my opinion.


Product Details
Tuscan Blue Rosemary Plant One Gallon



Rosemary is hardy only to Zone 8, so it cannot be outdoors in my Zone 6 winters.  That is when I bring this plant into a bright, sunny location for the winter.  Care is minimal, and watering too much can be a problem.  Only water when branches start to droop.  And speaking of branches, rosemary branches and leaves are a great addition to poultry dishes and sauces.  


Citrus trees in containers are another fragrant plant we can give for the holiday gift.  Orange and lemon are popular trees grown as houseplants.  Imagine that aroma on a dark, dreary day - sure to brighten up the mood.



Product Details
2-3 Year Old Improved Meyer Lemon Tree in Grower's Pot, 3 Year Warranty

The Meyer Lemon tree has lush foliage and fruit is delicious.



Terrarium & Fairy Garden Plants - Assortment of 5 Different Plants in 2" Pots
These five terrarium or fairy garden plants come in 2 inch containers and are perfect to freshen up a container or start a new one.   To provide a suitable container this  is available also.



Anchor Hocking 2-Gallon Heritage Hill Jar with Glass Lid

Product Details
H Potter Square Terrarium Gothic Style




Terrariums enclose the plants into their own eco-system when planted with potting soil and a slight amount of moisture.  The enclosed case keep the soil moist, and the plants thrive in a 'rain forest' type of environment.


Some of these small plants do well in a miniature garden.  All design features of an outdoor garden, sitting on a table top.  Many garden features can be replicated with pathways, benches, and accessories one would find in a full size garden.

Product Details
Miniature Fairy Garden Driftwood Bench, Assorted



     
This fairy bowl is a sweet combination of miniature garden and terrarium.


Giving a live plant is a heart-felt gift.  Life is expressed in the growing of plants, and will enhance any decor.  And who isn't blessed with a gift that grows on you?
































       

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Thanksgiving Turkeys Have Green, Sustainable Value

Thanksgiving Turkeys - Have Green Options


The holiday season is approaching and the demand for turkey on the festive tables is reaching it's yearly high.  The turkey, a fowl that is native to North America, is a traditional favorite for the holidays. And the desire for recipes for using the left-overs will saturate the searches in the coming weeks.The Minnesota Turkey industry provides 47 million turkeys for Thanksgiving, 22 M for the Christmas holiday, and Easter requires another 19 M turkeys. But to get all of those turkeys to market, the industry creates tons of waste. 

The staggering numbers of turkeys consumed has created a massive amount of turkey litter (poo) that could be piling up in mountains of waste with a smell that penetrates whole neighborhoods.  Tons of turkey littler, 750,000 tons (!) is just one number I found for Minnesota, which is the top turkey producing state in the U.S.  
Bulk turkey litter on farms



Turkey poo is trucked from farms to electric producing power plants.  There the turkey litter, which is a mix of manure and bedding, is burned to create steam that will produce enough electricity to serve 60,000 homes in the region.

  

Fibrominn Plant, Benson, Minn.


Staggering numbers of turkey litter is transported from local farms producing 4500 - 5000 semi-truck loads.  After the litter is burned, that massive, bulky, smelly product is reduced to 18 dump trailers of ash.  Ash that is sold back to the farms as a nutrient rich organic fertilizer without the bulk - without the odor.   

Bulk to Ash



This product is a mere 2% of the original mass of manure, but the nutrient values and ease of applying this form of turkey litter is unsurpassed. Applying manures from any source to farm fields has created environmental problems.  The Phosphorous and nitrates build up in soils, then these substances in the soil leach from the manures into runoff, affecting groundwater and surface waterways. 



This lab report of broiler litter ash indicates the intense concentrations of nutrients are 10 - 17 times more concentrated than the bulk poultry litter.  This added benefit of using turkey litter ash is powerful  and the ash is lighter in weight and transportation costs are much less than moving the tons of raw material. The nitrates are burned up in the combustion process. In addition to the added macro-nutrients of N-P-K of the ash, the micro-nutrients that plants also need is concentrated at higher levels than the raw manure.

Turkey Farm

Even though the turkey litter is not literally a 'left over', this by-product of the turkey industry is being used to it's maximum benefits for a very sustainable source for power.  


Feathers

Another by-product of the turkey industry is feathers. Turkey feathers offer another source for organic fertilizer.  Feather meal is processed from all poultry sources, duck, chickens, and turkeys.  By a pressurized steam process , feather meal is a great, slow-releasing organic fertilizer that is high in Nitrogen.  As with all organic fertilizers, micro-organisms in the soil will release the nutrients to plants. 

The sustainable energy source for our times -  truly a green option. Turkeys - litter, to generate electricity, litter to generate organic fertilizers, and feathers to generate organic fertilizers. The turkey litter and feathers are indeed sustainable with no seasonality for the product. The birds are always going to 'go' and litter is unlimited.  Oh, and let's not forget, turkey is the star of the holiday feasts.  

Visit Fort Wayne Photo
    
Thanksgiving turkey has many high grade advantages for our time. Taste, Tradition and Sustainability. 
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