Oxygen Plant

  Don't know what to do with the overwhelming amounts of citrus peels (orange, lemon, lime or clementine)? Make some delicious aromatic salt.  In our previous posts, we talked about using food waste (cucumbers, brocoli, salad and coffee) in compost. However orange peels slow down the decomposition process and kill off beneficial microbes. Therefore an alternative to composting would be to turn it back into useful and flavourful seasoning.  The video below offers a step by step approach on how to make your very own aromatic salt with orange peels, all in the comfort of your home.  *Captions are available The finished product can be added to any dish you like, or can even serve as a gift or to trade with others.

You might find yourself stuck with rotting fruits or vegetables with no clue what to do with all this waste. Composting is a great alternative to simply throwing your food waste in the trash.  Did you know that Canadian landfills accounted for 17% of national methane emissions!  The best way to reduce methane emissions through personal action is to divert it from landfills. In nature, methane is produced by the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) bacterial decomposition of vegetable matter. There are multiple ways to prevent this methane release, and one of those solutions can be beneficial for your garden, and improves your soil, therefore saving you money!   In the pictures above, several food waste items are present.  Brocoli base  Expired salad (slimy texture) Moldy cucumber  These discarded food items are a great way to add nitrogen in your garden soil! Here we took the waste and blended it (be mindful that this consumes quite a lot of energy), in ...

Bone meal is one of the most popular fertilizing amendments all across the world. It provides nitrogen and calcium as well as phosphorus (N-P-K macronutrients). Phosphorus is integral to a plants energy system and its structure as well as being central to photosynthesis.   By cooking, boiling, pressure cooker, instant this depended on the bones, will clean them. This can take up to 6 hours, so it is recommended to plan accordingly.  You can either pulverize the bones or cook them first. We decided to cook them first and then crush them.  Once they were crushed using a mortar (which does less damage to the blades and uses less energy), you have on your hands the finished products. Feel free to generously apply the end product into your soil, given that high concentrations will not burn your plants. However it is recommended to put about a table spoon for each gallon of soil.  Enjoy the free fertilizer! 

Wether you cook at home, or are interesting in making homemade candles, this DIY is for you! If you happen to have a big barbecue or a taco night with neighbours or friends, you might find yourself with a lot of leftover grease (animal fat). You can transform that grease into a homemade candle, that can be used for outdoor dinners, to repel mosquitos or to create a nice atmosphere out in the backyard.  Once you have cooked your meat, strain it and make sure that the grease itself and the stock has separated. Let it sit in the cold or in the fridge (if you leave it outside be mindful of animals that might want to dip their paws in your bowl).  In your jar place the wick which will burn through your candles. You can buy a wick at art stores or get a cotton rope as an alternative.  Once the animal fat has cooled and separated, heat it back up in the microwave and pour it into your candle base. During that step, strain the liquid once again to avoid any pieces of meat from fa...