New Online Magazine Opportunities

I'm both honored and excited to announce the upcoming launch of the magazine named after this blog. There was a struggle with the name of the magazine, but it was determined that "It's Your Life" fits with the natural living theme of the magazine.

With a desire to educate others in how to live a happy, healthy, natural life the name of the blog seemed to fit. After all it is your life and you have choices to make in regards to how you live it. Do you want to continue living sick and tired or are you sick and tired of it? Now this magazine gives no guarantees, but instead seeks to open minds to the various health and mental problems many suffer. What most do not know is how complex our bodies and minds truly are and what it can take to make or keep them healthy.

Through my journey to a happy, healthy, natural lifestyle I have learned alot and continue to learn. Sharing the experiences I have had personally and the inspiration of others who have also overcome physical and mental health problems without drugs is what this magazine brings to its readers. Striving for a unique magazine that has never been done before we have come up with some great ways to help our readers lead a happy, healthy, natural lifestyle.

What You Will Find in Our Magazine

• Unique articles geared towards natural healing of various health and mental problems 
• Articles geared towards physical fitness its importance and the many benefits it brings
• Self sufficiency on various levels rather you just want to grow your own food or strive to be totally off the grid
• How to avoid GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and improve your health along with unique recipes
• Superfoods are important for our bodies as they bring various vitamins and minerals other foods do not. 
• Herbs for health, healing, and growing
• Detoxing and avoiding heavy metals and other toxins
• World news that makes a difference to our health
• The mind is a terrible thing to waste yet so many of us do find out how powerful your mind is and how it can bring you peace, happiness, and financial freedom
• You will be introduced to coaches who can make a difference in various aspects of you life.
• Homeschooling is an important part of the natural living lifestyle as our children were given to us to raise and bring up. Each issue will include a topic with links for study, knowledge, and fun.
• All advertisements will be geared towards natural living if it be those who create, provide, or can bring to us something that effects our life in a positive manner.

 

This magazine incorporates all these topics into one magazine by writers who are either living what they write about or have a strong passion for the mentioned topics. 

Call To Action

• We are seeking more bloggers passionate about these topics to write for us in exchange for advertisement with a live link and bio.
• If you have a product you would like to advertise geared towards natural living we will do it in exchange for a link to the online magazine on your site, will include a live  link time span to be determined.
• FREE issue for those who will put up a link to the magazine in their sidebar for that issue
• If you have a topic you would like to see written about that no one else has addressed email me @ edjumpoff@yahoo.com.

These terms are for a limited time only to be determined.

The deadline for the first magazine is Monday March 16, 2015 contact Joyce Wheeler editor, writer, publisher, and co-designer for more information @ edjumpoff@yahoo.com.

April is Autism Awareness Month if you or someone you know has dealt with this health problem naturally we want to hear from you. We are seeking an article on a family who done this and know that they are out there. So, many families deal with autism and they need to know that if caught early enough it can be eliminated.

Meal In A Bowl & Green House

 My husband cooked the last of our pork roast from the farmer in the crock pot. However, I was craving a potato with some gravy. Sooo what I did was use the broth from the roast to make some gravy. I cooked my potato, shredded some of the pork, and added that, oh I have some corn left over, throw that in, and add gravy. Ohhhhh this was sooo good, and filling.

 This is the shortest post I have ever written, but I'm going to throw in something random here.

We have been talking about building a green house for awhile now, well we started. My husband decided for various reasons to build right outside of our patio. Previous owner put these bricks in a space, but as you can see weeds were growing through the cracks. So, our first step was to get rid of the bricks. This was day one.

 Yesterday (Oct 30) day two we were able to get four holes dug, not easy, and three posts up along the two pretty pink supports (to be painted later.) The mosquetos thought we were a meal, and we stopped before getting the fourth post secured.

I have to say that the patio is undergoing a transformation at the same time. However, we feel a green house is more important at this time.

Fall Garden, No Till Method

My summer garden did not do as well as I would have liked, but not discouraged trying for a fall garden. This will be the first time we are planting a fall garden. It is wonderful to not have to till or deal with the remains of our summer garden.

A couple at church told us about a no till method called Back to Eden you can watch the video online, but I found it to long. Most of the information given was how well it worked for various people, and not until the end did they talk about the actual method. Although I will say that the main person has a very interesting story how he discovered this method.

So mainly what you do is take four pieces of newspaper together and put those down, keep repeating this while overlapping. I took the picture on the patio just so you could see what I mean. When we actually did this the corners of the layered papers meet, and we put some soil on top so the wind would not blow it away.

We found an organic brand called Lady Bug at our local  feed an seed. Once all the paper was down we covered it with about 4 inches of the Lady Bug Square Foot Gardening Blend, then we put 4 inches of Lady Bug Revitalizer Compost on. In the summer we used seedlings, and put them in and then used leaves around them for mulch.

The picture up top is how one section looks today. Notice there is nothing else growing there except for our tomato plants. That is the beauty of this method, and if something does happen to sneak in, it is easily removed, just pulls right out. Ahhhh no weeding, more time for other things.

For  newspapers we found a neighbor who normally recycles them, our friends contacted the library and has them save old papers. WARNING do not use the shiny advertisement pages.

Also read Our Fall Garden if you would like to know which vegetables we are growing that are winter hardy in areas with mild winters.

We used a product that is easy to grow with and I have contacted them to see if I can do a giveaway for their awesome product. Either way I will do a review for the product, but it would be nice to include one to giveaway.

Another section using the Back to Eden method.

Our Fall Garden

As I said this is our first year doing a fall garden. I have learned that there a large variety of vegetables that grow during the winter months here in the south. For instance we just planted some lettuce and found out that the seeds will not sprout if the ground is more than 80 degrees. Oh that is why our lettuce has not sprouted yet.

Up point is we do have seedlings of carrots and onions. Even though these are also winter vegetables they are still at risk for pests here in the south. Planting onions and carrots together will help to avoid both the onion fly, and the carrot fly. Wondering if the onions will keep the rabbits away from the carrots.

Other vegetables we are growing are cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. I am ordering cauliflower, broccoli, and spaghetti squash today from Mary's Heirloom seeds.  We will also be growing some peas which will do well here in Louisiana were it is rare that temperatures drop to freezing or below.We have some organic potatoes, I will let some start sprouting eyes, and then dry them before planting.

While  these vegetables are great to plant in Louisiana check your zone to see which vegetables you can grow during the fall.

Do you plant a fall garden?

We went out last Sunday and planted seeds, and lucky me ended up with a whole bunch of chigger bites. On the up side I still have some Eden Salve left, I bought a 2 oz tin last fall, and we have used it for mosquito bites, ant bites, and now chigger bites. This stuff is great, put it on at the first sign of a bite and it will not itch. Use on mosquito or ant bites at first signs, and the bite will not swell. If you would like to purchase some, please use the affiliate link located on the right for The Bulk Herb store.

Working Garden, Plants & Trees

I have two rules when it comes to animals around the house, first is if their natural environment is wild and free than that is where they need to stay. Second is that animals must serve some type of purpose if it be the cats keeping the snakes, and mice at bay, or if they contribute to the dinner table.

Read about calendula here.

I feel the same way about what I plant around my home, it has to have a purpose, not just look pretty and take up space. The house we currently live in is surrounded by useless bushes, and plants they are either here because they look pretty or serve as ground cover . I am literally surrounded by three types of Zinnias, while they are great for attracting bees, they are no where near the garden. Plus there are other flowers such as marigolds that not only attract bees, but aid in keeping unwanted garden pests out of the garden, and have medicinal proprieties as well, and might I add they are attractive. Currently I have two species of marigolds, one is calendula, and the other is just marigold.

I also have a nice variety of herbs I am growing all can be used to flavor my food, but they also have medicinal properties as well. Take for instance thyme great in season vegetables or breads, but also aids the immune system and more. How about cayenne great on a pizza, or use to relieve pain. I want some peppermint to both keep away the ants that plaque us in the summer, but also for the medicinal benefits. I learned that peppermint should be cut from another plant in order to be beneficial medicinally, so I searched for a resource.

Read more about Jatropha curcas

While I was searching for peppermint plants I found a site called Horizon Herbs. I started looking around their site and found some trees, and shrubs that are pretty amazing, so want the following. Jatropha curcas shrub, dude!!! The seed from this shrub can actually provide biodiesel fuel capable of running a standard diesel engine, plus it also aids in hemorrhoid relief, and more. Then there was this tree the Empress tree, native to china. The leaves from this tree removes carbon dioxide from the air and replaces it with breathable oxygen at twice the rate of other trees. It is also great for shade, making farm trellising, and pharmaceutical grade charcoal.

When you start thinking about plants, trees, or shrubs to plant around your home make sure they will provide something more than just shade, or beauty make sure they will work for you.

This blog was shared at the Wildcrafting Wednesday blog hop and here.

Knowing Your Seeds

Photo credit

If you are planting with seeds it is important to know how what they would go through before sprouting. For instance would they sit on the ground some where through out winter, which is what I am talking about today.

Photo credit

Recently I bought this awesome book by Tammi Hartung called "Homegrown Herbs," A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying more than 100 Herbs, which you can purchase at The Bulk Herb Store through the affiliate link on the right. I love, love this book for herbs, not only does it tell you everything about various herbs, how to grow them, what their companions are, how to harvest them, but it also includes recipes for medicines, and personal care, along with others for cooking.

Recently I planted a variety of vegetables, and herbs, and noticed that my Yarrow was not sprouting. I went to the book, and looked in the personalities section to read more about this herb, and find out what was wrong. It turns out that this seed needs to go through what is called stratification. See some seeds dropped to the ground, and are left there through out the winter months. During that time they are exposed to moisture rather it be from snow or rain, and would also experience times of freezing, and thawing which benefits the seeds.

So to mimic this process seeds need to be placed in a ziplock bag, with a few drops of water, shack the seeds to coat them with the water, place in the freezer for a month, take them out to thaw for a few hours. This process should be done over a two to three month period of time. However, if the seeds would experience a milder winter, not frozen this process can be accomplished through the use of the refrigerator.

In the back of the book there is a section called "Herb Personalities, A Closer Look at Each Plant,"
Here she tells you witch plants need to go through the cold stratification process, and for how long. However, she doesn't tell you if you should use the freezer or the refrigerator. There is a chart of the plant habitat preferences, a little common sense, and using this chart I think can help us figure it out on our own, It would be convenient, however, if it was included in the personalities section.

While that is only one thing I learned from this book there is so much more. Once my herbs have bloomed I look forward to using the "Harvesting from the Garden" section of this book. I also love that she has included so many charts, diagrams, and colorful useful photos. I highly recommend this book for those just starting out or those who would like to learn more. Other chapters in this book include the following.

• An Introduction to Growing and Using Herbal Plants
• Selecting Plants and Designing Your Garden
• Secrets to Great Soil
• Propagation Methods
• Garden Maintenance
• Pest and Disease Control
• Harvesting from the Garden

This blog was shared on Wildcrafting Wednesday and here.

 

Growing Zucchini

Photo credit: It's Your Life

This is the first time I am growing zucchini from a seed, and as it started to sprout, it reminded me of Audrey 2 from the movie “Little Shop of Horrors,” so now that is her name. Like Audrey 2 I thought I was going to lose my first zucchini plant. I noticed the roots were growing up out of the soil, and had to adjust her two different times before she started sprouting.



My friend and fellow blogger Mary from Back to the Basics invited me to blog on her blog.  Read the rest of this over by Mary, and learn more about "Growing Zucchini" organically.  Oh and I also included some of my favorite Zucchini recipes.

Companion Planting

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Companion planting is the best way to grow your garden naturally with out harmful chemicals or pesticides. This method is different also because many times herbs, and even flowers are incorporated into the regular vegetable garden. By using different types of herbs, flowers, and vegetables together they help one another in various ways.

You can see from the picture on the right that using this method creates a very non-traditional vegetable garden. But look how beautiful it is.

Take the Three Sisters method, this is where you plant corn, beans, and squash together. The beans not only crawl up the corn for support, but they also supply nitrogen into the ground for the corn to thrive. The squash also places an important role as its big leaves prevent weeds from growing. However, this is only one example of how of plants help one another.

Let's take a look at the Marigolds, these are great to plant around the border of your vegetable garden. Not only do they attract bees which is vital for pollination, but also deter other pests from the garden. However, it is not with out fault as some pests are attracted to the Marigold, and will devour it, but better the Marigold than your herbs, and vegetables.

Some insects are welcome in the garden and help to avoid others that could destroy garden. Take the lady bug for instance, they can consume up to 50-60 aphids per day. To attract lady bugs to your garden plant yarrow, cilantro, dill, or flowers such as scented geraniums or dandelions.

Planting herbs near vegetables can enhance the flavor like peppermint enhances the flavor of cabbage, kale, broccoli, and  kholrabi. Basil is great to plant near tomatoes, not only does it enhance the flavor, but also deters the horn worm, and other pests. Also plant basil near sweet and hot peppers to enhance the flavor.

Many plants are great to grow just for the benefits they give to the soil in your garden like the beans. Borage is an excellent source of calcium, use the leaves as mulch around your zucchini, it also attracts bees. Some plants should be planted before planting your herbs, and vegetables like alfalfa. Alfalfa is said to be the farmer's plant of choice for natural pest control, but it also is high in nitrogen, and other minerals that benefit the soil.Alfalfa, oats, wheat and others should be planted before and after the growing season than incorporated into the soil.

As you can see there are a variety of ways to garden naturally, yes it takes planning, but it is worth it to get healthy vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. If you look at the top of the page you will see I added a new tab for organic gardening links. I will continue to add as I continue on my new adventure of companion planting.

Do you use companion planting in your garden?

Organic Gardening: Carrot Flies

I always thought I had a brown thumb, but have come to realize I just never took the time to learn about whatever it was I was trying to grow. I ordered a nice selection of GMO free seeds which include vegetables, and herbs from Mary's Heirloom Seeds, she is having a sale by the way.

Photo credit

Well, eager from some GMO free veggies, I planted the atomic red carrots I purchased. Everything was going fine until I noticed some small insects flying around them. Research lead me to discover the carrot fly which lays their eggs near the plant, larvae hatches and the maggots feast on the carrot root. You can see from the image on the right the damage this tiny pest can do.

So, how to avoid this little pest without using chemicals became my next goal. The most suggested method to avoid these pests is companion planting with onions. Because the carrot fly uses its sense of smell to detect the carrots, the onions will mask the smell. It also turns out that the carrots help the onions to avoid onion flies.

When planting, plant a row of onions,  then carrots, and then onions. Consider using two types of onions, I have red onions, and think I will also plant some green onions which I love to cook with.

I found this great site for companion planting, click on the letter of the herb or vegetable, and just read the simple yet concise information. I also started an organic gardening board on Pintrest some may be interested in.




This blog shared at Wildcrafting Wednesday, and here.