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	<title>Merdinda Bobis &#187; Gardening</title>
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		<title>Home Improvement Options To Increase Property Value</title>
		<link>http://merlindabobis.com/what-you-should-consider-regarding-home-improvement/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 09:49:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Adriana Noton</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[There are many home improvement options that homeowners can utilize to increase the value of their property. The selling price of a home can go up drastically based on certain upgrades. But home enhancements can be costly depending on the scale of the project. If your changes require a professional contractor then the costs may run quite high. You should know the cost involved before making any changes. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/what-you-should-consider-regarding-home-improvement/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are many home improvement options that homeowners can utilize to increase the value of their property. The selling price of a home can go up drastically based on certain upgrades. But home enhancements can be costly depending on the scale of the project. If your changes require a professional contractor then the costs may run quite high. You should know the cost involved before making any changes.</p>
<p>There are a number of tips you should keep in mind when it comes to installing improvements to your property. The key is to implement cost effective methods. Larger projects may require an actual loan. You want to be knowledgeable about the types of upgrades necessary in order to manage the costs. You also want to know the best enhancements to make that will yield the highest value over time.</p>
<p>It is important to note that homeowners that have put in the investment to upgrade their property will sell it much faster than those that have not. Anything that you can do, even if it is just a nice paint job, to add value to your home, it is advise to go forward with the project. The upgrades to do not have to break the bank. But the more improvements you make the better price you will get for your property.</p>
<p>If you do decide to refinance make sure the end result will yield the necessary profit. You want to be smart about the the enhancements you decided to move forward on if, in the long run, it will serve to be a profitable project. Refinancing is a big decision. But it can oftentimes be a better choice than not installing the upgrade whereas you may end up losing money.</p>
<p>The best upgrades are found in the kitchen and the bathroom. Experts agree that homes with updated bathrooms will sell faster. An older property with an updated kitchen and bathroom is a highly desired property on an open market. You must do your research and know which rooms will yield the highest profit.</p>
<p>Enhancements that involve add on rooms are another smart move to make when upgrading your property. Adding on additional living areas like a game room or guest room will also increase the value of the home. Decks are another bonus feature for an add on. When planning your upgrades not only do you want to consider costs but you will also want to know how long the particular improvements will last. Roof work lasts the longest as long as it is done correctly. A new chimney can last slightly more than one hundred years. And if you are adding asphalt shingles, those can last anywhere from fifteen to thirty years.</p>
<p>Other improvements to consider are wood decks which can last up to fifteen years. And tile work can also be a long lasting improvement, last up to one hundred years. You will also want to know how long new appliances will last. For example, a good refrigerator can last up to fifteen years. And a new washer and dryer may have a life of up to thirteen years.</p>
<p>Home improvement is a major undertaking and there are a lot of considerations to keep in mind. It done correctly, it is a wise investment that will prove to turn a substantial profit when the time comes to sell. Know the demands of the market and which upgrades are necessary for you to get the best price on your property.</p>
<p>Looking to renovate your home? Then contact your local home improvement experts to make your renovation dreams reality!</p>
<p>categories: home improvement,home,house,gardening,home renovations,tools,plumbers,plumbing,painting,business,family,society</p>
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		<title>Composting &#8211; Complete Details</title>
		<link>http://merlindabobis.com/composting-complete-details/</link>
		<comments>http://merlindabobis.com/composting-complete-details/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 07:40:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Steve Jenkins</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.merlindabobis.com/composting-complete-details/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is an alternative --- <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Build-a-Compost---Inside-Secrets&#38;id=4242888"><i>composting</i></a>. It's a good idea whose time has come again. Now more than ever it makes sense to compost all of your family's food waste, plus paper and any other organic carbon-based waste you can. By composting your household food waste, you are not only reducing strain on already overtaxed landfills, but you are also providing yourself with a source of rich fertilizer for your garden. With your own compost on-site, you no longer have to go to the store to get fertilizer. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/composting-complete-details/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There is an alternative &#8212; <em>composting</em>. It&#8217;s a good idea whose time has come again. Now more than ever it makes sense to compost all of your family&#8217;s food waste, plus paper and any other organic carbon-based waste you can. By composting your household food waste, you are not only reducing strain on already overtaxed landfills, but you are also providing yourself with a source of rich fertilizer for your garden. With your own compost on-site, you no longer have to go to the store to get fertilizer.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re not a gardener, you should still make your own compost &#8212; you can give it away to acquaintances who are gardeners you can sell it or you can practice random acts of kindness by spreading it on select neighborhood parkways or secluded park corners.</p>
<p>Making quality compost is not complicated. You just need a place to put your compostable materials be it a separate corner of your yard that you designate as your compost heap, or one of the many commercially available compost bins. Compost heaps must be turned and aerated every couple of weeks, and you should follow manufacturer directions for working with a compost bin.</p>
<p>Be forewarned, different compost bins can handle different materials, and most composting systems cannot handle meat, bone or excrement. There are two big problems with composting meat 1) It takes longer to break down than most vegetable matter and 2) Meat attracts scavengers like raccoons an opossum that can spread your compost all over the neighborhood. Compost tumblers address both these issues by making it easy to frequently aerate your compost and by being more secure against roaming critters.</p>
<p>Another alternative appropriate for meat and other food waste, the &#8220;Green Cone&#8221; system, is secure and includes packet of composting enzyme that accelerates the composting process. The Green Cone does not, however, produce compost to be redistributed elsewhere. Instead, it breaks down the contents and lets the nutrients seep into the surrounding earth for a radius of about 15 feet. Ideal placement for a Green Cone would probably be the middle of a vegetable garden. The Green Cone is also capable of handling small amounts of animal excrement.</p>
<p>If you are interested recycling more significant amounts of manure, I would suggest you look up the &#8220;Humanure Handbook&#8221;. It&#8217;s about composting human excrement to reduce stress on sewage treatment plants and the special challenges associated with the process. Pet waste will usually go to a landfill, so following the principles in the handbook to handle pet waste would relieve even more stress on landfills.</p>
<p>Composting excrement is not for everyone, but it is worth considering.</p>
<p>Does starting a compost pile help save the world? Remember that the less rubbish needs to be taken away in garbage trucks, the less gasoline they use and the less material is sent to the landfill. This is all good.</p>
<p>What can you compost? Vegetable and fruit peels, apple cores, small rodent and rabbit bedding, tea bags, coffee grounds, shredded paper newspaper and cardboard, and egg shells all work. To make good compost, you generally need a mix of 3:1 paper/cardboard to vegetable waste.</p>
<p>A lot of localities now sell compost bins and some will even subsidize the cost for homeowners &#8212; people need only ask at their local township or village offices.</p>
<p>If your municipality does not offer compost bins, there are many build your own sites on the Internet with details on how to build your own compost bin. All you typically need is some wood, chicken wire, and a four by four foot carpet remnant to cover your compost pile to retain heat.</p>
<p>If building your own compost bin is too much work, you can buy one, whether standalone or tumbler, from your local home and garden shop or on the Internet.</p>
<p>Place your waste in, turn as necessary to aerate, and in six to eighteen months waste that would have gone to the landfill will have been changed into one of the most valuable resources for rejuvenating the earth: rich black compost. <strong>Composting</strong> is the answer to a lot of problems You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.</p>
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		<title>Hydroponics Needs Efficient LED Grow Lights For Indoor Gardening</title>
		<link>http://merlindabobis.com/hydroponics-needs-efficient-led-grow-lights-for-indoor-gardening/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 17:18:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sacha Rathe</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.merlindabobis.com/hydroponics-needs-efficient-led-grow-lights-for-indoor-gardening/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are looking for a quantum leap in your hydroponic indoor gardening endeavors LED Grow Lights are just the thing you need. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/hydroponics-needs-efficient-led-grow-lights-for-indoor-gardening/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you are looking for a quantum leap in your hydroponic indoor gardening endeavors LED Grow Lights are just the thing you need.</p>
<p>Designed from the get go to suit the needs of indoor plants, these lights are genuinely different to the lights sold to growers in the past. LED Grow Lights promote themselves as they bring customers flooding back to purchase more of these miracle lights that save on energy usage and costs and give impressive results in growth.</p>
<p>First the existing products on the market was researched and tested to assess what the best technology available was. Different combinations of these lights were set up in an indoor garden situation to test what results they gave. Competing products using similar technology were put through the same greenhouse test, thus these LED lights really are certifiably better.</p>
<p>Plant growth and health were not the only factors considered. The lights had to also be reasonably priced for the service they provided. While other companies have increased the price of their less effective lights over the last few years, these lights are 70% cheaper. Given that these lights produced a greater yield per plant by a large margin, the price is even more cost effective.</p>
<p>The advantages are that while they use less power to produce a high intensity light in a small space, they also reduce the amount of heat produced, making them effective even for plants that are heat sensitive or that react negatively to UV rays. A gardener with space constraints or no ventilation outlets will therefore still be able to use these lights. The lights are strong enough to penetrate to many layers of plants and there little noise is produced.</p>
<p>The secret to these LED lights is that they give a greater percentage of the right light in the spectrum of chlorophyll absorption. In addition to their full spectrum range, they provide lights that amplify either the blue or the red light in the spectrum allowing plants to receive exactly the wavelengths most suited to their growth. HID lights produce far more yellow and green light, to which the human eye is more sensitive, making these lights look extremely bright. LED lights are not as bright as they produce less yellow and green.</p>
<p>Finally, happy customers are the best judge of quality and glowing reports of extraordinary growth characteristics and breathtaking results back up the company&#8217;s assertions. Indoor gardening is a growth market and many people find pleasure in having a range of edible or beautiful plants indoor. People grow finicky rare orchids or humdrum salad greens for the dinner table. Finding a solution that saves on the amount of money given to the local power company and at the same time contributes to protecting the environment from further pollution is welcomed. Hydroponic specialists naturally care about where they live on as they take aesthetic pleasure from cultivating the fruits of our planet.</p>
<p>Hydroponic gardening in an indoor environment is not for the average couch potato and LED Grow Lights will delight many a hard working gardener who loves his/her hobby.</p>
<p>Looking to find the best deal on LED grow lights, then visit www.led-grow-lights.com to find the best advice on LED plant lights for you.</p>
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		<title>Take Precautions With Lawn Tractors</title>
		<link>http://merlindabobis.com/take-precautions-with-lawn-tractors/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 16:51:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Eddie Simms</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.merlindabobis.com/take-precautions-with-lawn-tractors/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[They're the most efficient solution for sophisticated landscapers. Lawn tractors will help those people that do not have much time to look after their wide expanses of grass. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/take-precautions-with-lawn-tractors/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>They are the most effective solution for sophisticated landscapers. Lawn tractors will help those people that do not have much time to look after their wide expanses of grass.</p>
<p>Among heaps of other features, they&#8217;re trustworthy, efficient, really fast as well as straightforward to drive, a large quantity of fun while working, what else do you need?</p>
<p>However, not everything is so perfect, and they can be possibly unsafe for those that don&#8217;t respect the safety factors.</p>
<p>It is clear the indestructible feelings that you&#8217;re feeling when driving a giant lawn tractor are engaging. You are there, sitting on top of a surprisingly strong machine which replies to</p>
<p>Your orders right away. Probabilistic data out there say that year to year, many people experience lawn tractor accidents due to either wrong or hazardous use.</p>
<p>These are some serious pointers when driving a lawn tractor :</p>
<p>Clear the cutting area of objects that might interrupt rune smooth work. This is a crucial step that most house owners forget. This could risk spraying objects out the side of the grass tractor, and so harming any one within hundred feet. Attempt to use blades guards to lower the risk when operating those tractors designs.</p>
<p>Always use safety wear when operating power tools. Don&#8217;t forget to wear thick shoes and gloves if required. Wearing glasses is as straightforward for shielding your eyes from flying insects as well as direct impacts. You never can spot when these guards will be required.</p>
<p>Always purchase quality machines and part for those machines.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re a professional lawn tractor driver, you might be counting on your years of experience. In any case of your great driver gifts and how responsible you&#8217;re feeling on the tractor, you can never trust machines and you need to be aware all the time.</p>
<p>The more prepared you are for any sort of circumstance concerning accidents and safety, the better off you&#8217;ll be. If you ignore one of the tiny safety details when riding these machines, you can find for yourself that lawn tractors aren&#8217;t a kid&#8217;s game.</p>
<p>Next, reviewer Eddie Simms discusses more on John Deere Lawn Tractors for you to review.</p>
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		<title>John Deere Mowers To Suit Every Budget And Every Garden</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 16:30:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Stephen Drury</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.merlindabobis.com/john-deere-mowers-to-suit-every-budget-and-every-garden/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When it comes to rural and garden equipment, there's one name that springs to mind. That is John Deere. This is one of the oldest commercial corporations in the USA and it has won countless awards over time for its products. For home purposes, there are is a large range of John Deere mowers. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/john-deere-mowers-to-suit-every-budget-and-every-garden/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When it comes to agricultural and garden equipment, there&#8217;s one name that springs to mind. That is John Deere. This is one of the oldest commercial firms in the USA and it has won countless awards over the years for its products. For home purposes, there are is a large range of John Deere mowers.</p>
<p>You can get many push mowers, also called &#8216;walk behind&#8217; mowers, in variable sizes. Depending on your preference, some models work off gas, while others need electricity. All have an adjustable height control and some come with facilities for other attachments.</p>
<p>For gardens that are quite rough, it is a good idea to get a walk-behind mower that has a rear wheel drive. Many models also come with a handy mulch bag. You should expect glorious reliability from John Deere&#8217;s walk-behind models because all of them have Briggs and Stratton engines.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ve got a enormous garden, you may wish to consider one of John Deere&#8217;s many riding mowers. These are little tractors that come in all kinds of sizes with varying degrees of power. One of the most popular models for home use is the X540 which runs on a 26hp motor.</p>
<p>manifestly when it comes to choosing a tractor mower suitable for your property, there are a couple of things to take into account. How big is your property? Is the terrain flat or rough? How much can you afford to spend? How much work does the tractor have to do? Once you have established these facts, you can choose the right model.</p>
<p>All John Deere products are sold with a guaranty, and parts and spares are readily available. Because all of their products are so well manufactured, the prices are quite expensive. A viable possibility is to try to find a second hand mower online . Look for &#8216;used John Deere mowers&#8217; and you&#8217;ll come up with loads of items.</p>
<p>Author Stephen Drury includes more on John Deere mowers from the John Deere Mower Store resource.</p>
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		<title>Learn More About Lawn Tractors</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 13:35:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Eddie Simms</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[In this piece you will find data about lawn tractors. Knowing the costs, various uses, and the way to use this particular tool safely will help you make the educated call about which lawn tractor is best for you and your uses. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/learn-more-about-lawn-tractors/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In this piece you will find info about lawn tractors. Knowing the expenses, various uses, and the way to use this tool safely will help you make the knowledgeable call about which lawn tractor is best for you and your uses.</p>
<p>One way to think about lawn tractors is as simply being tiny tractors, and for the most part that is correct. However because of their smaller size they have a range of uses that make them ideal for the home, hobby farm or weekend garden enthusiast.</p>
<p>If you want a tractor for different sorts of farmwork for rather less than a pair of acres, then a farm tractor is almost certainly the top choice for your situation.</p>
<p>Usually, a lawn tractor of to up to 7-10 HP will also have a ZTR ( zero turning radius ) feature to help when working in a smaller field. This feature allows the tractor to get into otherwise inaccessible areas, and be much easier to get around in small areas or where there are lots of obstacles to avoid.</p>
<p>Some of the roles that might be finished by lawn tractors include hole digging, lawn rolling, ploughing, cutting, and plenty of other roles. The power take off shaft makes these roles simply easy and a lot more fun than they otherwise would be.</p>
<p>A lawn tractor is a powerful machine, so use it consciously and follow the manual&#8217;s instructions thoroughly. Each gardener driving a lawn tractor should be concerned about safety, at least to the point of not taking their new &#8216;toy&#8217; for granted.</p>
<p>Lawn tractors are designed with a low center of balance and that is why there is very little chance of the grass tractors tipping over. Even so it&#8217;s essential to use the following safety cares, and watch your speed, especially when you are on an incline. A little rock may result in your lawn tractor to have issues and presumably harm you, and damage the tractor at the same time.</p>
<p>When getting off from the grass tractor, ensure that it is turned off first and that all attachments are in touch with the ground, if at all practicable. These may seem to be just simple tips, but it is these little things that may ensure you enjoy all aspects of having a lawn tractor at your disposal so much more.</p>
<p>Next, Weldon Duffy covers much more regarding Spare Parts for a John Deere Tractor which you can access via the John Deere Tractors website.</p>
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		<title>The Best Way To Buy A Lawn Tractor</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 13:34:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Eddie Simms</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Lawn tractors are sometimes little tractors intended for farm work up to two acres. There are a number of attachments to the tractor, which can reduce your manual work quite considerably. This could help you employ your available time effectively in working on your garden in trim condition all year round. Lawn tractors are flexible items of kit. They can do lots of roles such as cutting, ploughing, lawn rolling, lamp post hole digging, and masses of other roles that need to be done around the farm or home. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/the-best-way-to-buy-a-lawn-tractor/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Lawn tractors are sometimes small tractors intended for farm work up to two acres. There are a number of attachments to the tractor, which can reduce your manual work quite considerably. This may help you employ your available time effectively in keeping up your garden in trim condition all year round. Lawn tractors are flexible items of kit. They can do a large amount of roles like cutting, ploughing, lawn rolling, lamp post hole digging, and lots of other roles that need to be done around the farm or home.</p>
<p>These roles are made possible through their power take off shaft. This makes lawn tractors one of the gardener&#8217;s very best buddies.</p>
<p>Purchasing a lawn tractor is much like purchasing an auto. The price of a used model is much less even if there is little more wear than being driven out from the show room floor.</p>
<p>Consider the tractor you are purchasing very conscientiously. It is sometimes recommended that you try the tractor for yourself and get an idea about the time required in attaching and detaching the various accessories. Test-drive the tractor, and try to get a feel of getting out and in of tractor. Just taking it for a test spin, doesn&#8217;t mean you have to get it there and then. Resist the pressure, and consider your options carefully.</p>
<p>The basic model available is a Bolen 762F76, and the John Deere Spin-Steer SST-16 is available, albeit at a higher price bracket. The Poulan Pro PK185H42ST is between these two in both price and quality.</p>
<p>Remember this is just the cost of tractor alone without accessories. Accessories can include lots of different pieces. Just to begin with you can have a cover, a grass collection bag, small and big carts, and much, much more, all of which can add to the price, making it even more vital to get a superb price at the start. If you&#8217;re going to use your tractor purely for lawn cropping, and you have got a little farm of one or two acres, you may have a glance at the stand-behind mower instead of going for a full on lawn tractor. All the same, look around and in this economy you need to be ready to find some real bargains if you look around.</p>
<p>Next, reviewer Weldon Duffy covers what more you can discover about Used John Deere Tractor for you to review.</p>
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		<title>A Seasonal Look At Cooking With Essential Oils</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 11:16:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Penny Livegood</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Our summer gardens are officially in full bloom! Lettuces and leafy greens have already pushed through the spring soil, and now precious tomatoes and peppers are beginning to swell with the sweetness of the sun. Maybe last year you took a chance on cantaloupes, and this year you're trying your hand at growing an herb garden that can be dried and used through the cold winter months. Whatever the contents of your backyard garden or patio pots, the bounty of the warm months inspires us all to eat well and connect with the earth, the true source of our well-being. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/a-seasonal-look-at-cooking-with-essential-oils/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Our summer gardens are officially in full bloom! Lettuces and leafy greens have already pushed through the spring soil, and now precious tomatoes and peppers are beginning to swell with the sweetness of the sun. Maybe last year you took a chance on cantaloupes, and this year you&#8217;re trying your hand at growing an herb garden that can be dried and used through the cold winter months. Whatever the contents of your backyard garden or patio pots, the bounty of the warm months inspires us all to eat well and connect with the earth, the true source of our well-being.</p>
<p>For much of the year, our produce is trucked in from far-flung farmlands. Once summer arrives, though, everyone gets the opportunity to claim their birthright as gardeners and cultivators of their own food. What&#8217;s best, local summer harvests allow us to experiment with simple, nutritious meals. With very little effort, a meal of fresh vegetables and summer fruits can become a decadent feast. And if your simple cuisine asks for a hint of the exotic, you can harvest a bouquet of flavors from the most unlikely of places: your aromatherapy medicine chest.</p>
<p>You already know that when using essential oils, it is always important to find therapeutic-grade oils. Because oils are concentrated substances, distilled from mass quantities of plant matter, you want to find the highest quality oil you can. While this makes sense when you think of essential oils being absorbed into the body through the skin, always sticking with therapeutic-grade oils has an added benefit: these powerful oils can easily be incorporated in cooking, too. Never thought of it that way before? Scent has a stronger influence on our perception of flavor than our taste buds do! With that in mind, here are a few simple ways the repertoire of essential oils can add a splash of flavor to your simple summer menu.</p>
<p>First and foremost, let&#8217;s address the issue of food safety. Essential oils are, obviously, plant-derived substances. While you may not want to eat a hunk of frankincense resin straight from the tree, frankincense is still a naturally occurring substance. It is not poisonous in small quantities, but it may make you want to brush your teeth immediately. Many essential oils are expressly dangerous for internal consumption, such as wintergreen and birch, but other oils can be used in small quantities for internal health as well as for cooking. In fact, the FDA has qualified many of the common essential oils as GRAS, Generally Recognized as Safe, substances. This means that, although they are not categorized as food additives, they can be consumed without apparent side-effects. When considering which oils to cook with, this is a good rule of thumb: essential oils of citruses, spices and other commonly-eaten foods are probably going to make excellent additions to your cuisine. Just be cautious when using essential oils that are known to irritate mucous membranes, such as cinnamon, oregano and peppermint.</p>
<p>How can essential oils improve your summer harvest? Let&#8217;s first consider one of the gifts of the Mediterranean region: the citruses. Oils like grapefruit and lemon blend beautifully with olive oil for simple, tangy dressings. All it takes is one drop of oil per tablespoon of oil, and your salad will be transformed. Love guacamole? Try a few drops of lime oil mixed with ripe avocado and serve it with corn chips or jicama slices. Still munching on this spring&#8217;s spinach? Mandarin orange essential oil, which smells heavenly, is refreshing drizzled on greens. How about beverages? Oils add dimension to juices and fizzy waters, too. By mixing grapefruit, mandarin and lime in equal parts, seltzer water is transformed into a healthy citrus soda without the sugar found in commercial brands. As with all aromatic oils, though, don&#8217;t overdo it. Thankfully, a little bit of oil goes a long way.</p>
<p>What about the bevy of essential oils derived from well-loved cooking spices? Sweet marjoram, basil, ginger, thyme, oregano and bay can all be used to enhance food. Try blending sweet basil oil in with a tomato-mozzarella-Italian parsley pasta, or put a drop of ginger oil in your summer bok choy and carrot stir fry. Like your coffee with cardamom, Arabian-style? One drop of this oil transforms regular coffee into a delectable treat (hint: try this drink iced!). Cooking spice essential oils tend to be surprisingly strong, so again, don&#8217;t be lavish with them. Too much oregano or thyme oil will definitely ruin an otherwise balanced dish, so be careful. It&#8217;s also usually a good idea to wait to throw the oils in until the food is nearly done cooking, thereby reducing the chance of evaporation before you&#8217;re able to enjoy your creation.</p>
<p>Essential oils can also be used when making sweets. Vanilla and cacao essential oils infuse foods with their distinctly delicious flavors without the addition of refined sugar. And, different from extracts, essential oils do not contain alcohol, the substance used to distill food flavorings out of plant matter. For many, a couple of drops of vanilla bean essential oil in a cookie recipe tastes better than the sugary, chemical concoctions we find in commercially-made desserts. The same goes for cacao. Think baking chocolate! Dark, bitter yet definitely &#8220;chocolate.&#8221; Lucky for us, the chemical constituents of chocolate that make us feel happy are best found in the darkest cacao. Toss a couple of drops of cacao essential oil in your yogurt and experience the elation of a chocolate high without the guilt!</p>
<p>Summer food has a way of reminding us of life&#8217;s simple pleasures. From a basic family barbeque to a neighborhood feast, the fruits of the season enable us to take care of ourselves while taking care of the earth, too. Essential oils bring new dimension and ease to already simple fare, and often the addition of an oil adds nuance to a dish without the need for an extra trip to the grocery. So remember: if you find yourself the sudden hostess of an impromptu summer get-together and you&#8217;re down to soy milk, just toss water, ice and essential oil of lime in a glass and call it a spritzer. This is summer, after all!</p>
<p>Flower essences, in addition to essential oils, are magificent botanical medicines. For more of both, visit www.anandaapothecary.com browse the extensive library and product selection.</p>
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		<title>Indoor Hydroponics Gardening &#8211; The Facts!</title>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 18:22:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Damian Jackson</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[Have you ever thought about getting into indoor hydroponics gardening as a hobby or way to make extra money? <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/indoor-hydroponics-gardening-the-facts/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever thought about getting into indoor hydroponics gardening as a hobby or way to make extra money?</p>
<p>Below is a list of advantages of indoor hydroponics gardening when compared to traditional soil based gardening:</p>
<p>1. After your initial set up costs, maintenance and running costs are around 20% lower than the usual methods.</p>
<p>2. You can fit more plants in a smaller area despite the actual plants being larger! This is because the roots tend to be much smaller as they don&#8217;t need to expand to find nutrients in indoor hydroponics gardening.</p>
<p>3. Maintenance time is greatly reduced! There is no weeding involved and no need to water hydroponic plants. All you need to do is pick your plants when they are ready!</p>
<p>4. The yield is year round! This is because you will have manipulated the growing conditions to be optimum for whatever you&#8217;re growing! This is great for off season periods as you could sell them for higher prices.</p>
<p>5. You can grow them anywhere; basement, conservatory, living room, corridor, bedroom, greenhouse, garage or rooftop.</p>
<p>6. Indoor hydroponics gardening will result in plants around 40% larger! This is because they are living in their dream conditions and have access to all the nutrients they need.</p>
<p>7. A common mistake made by many novice gardeners is under or over watering! As you don&#8217;t water hydroponic plants, this problem is eliminated!</p>
<p>8. Due to the reasons listed above, your plants will grow up to 50% faster too! This is great for feeding large families and for making profit!</p>
<p>9. As you don&#8217;t need soil, you don&#8217;t need a garden. So if you live in a crowded city centre apartment block then you are at no disadvantage! If you live in the desert or the arctic you can still grow what you want! This is how we&#8217;ll be doing it on Mars one day!</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re serious about Indoor Hydroponics Gardening then you should learn more about how to set it up! Indoor Hydroponics Gardening is becoming the future and is fun, exciting and potentially profitable!</p>
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		<title>What Happens To Soil After Long Years Of Spading And Fertilizing?</title>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 08:13:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Thomas Fryd</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[In our sub-division, an old farmstead, our neighbor's lot included the old farm garden. Its soil was like black velvet from a half century of spading and fertilizing. A paling fence kept out older chickens and dogs and a fine wire netting over the palings kept out little chickens, rabbits and skunks. It was the finest garden I ever knew. The rows were meticulously compass-wise, cultivation was as regular as sunrise, rotation of crops a marvel and production a gardener's dream. <a href="http://merlindabobis.com/what-happens-to-soil-after-long-years-of-spading-and-fertilizing/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In our sub-division, an old farmstead, our neighbor&#8217;s lot included the old farm garden. Its soil was like black velvet from a half century of spading and fertilizing. A paling fence kept out older chickens and dogs and a fine wire netting over the palings kept out little chickens, rabbits and skunks. It was the finest garden I ever knew. The rows were meticulously compass-wise, cultivation was as regular as sunrise, rotation of crops a marvel and production a gardener&#8217;s dream.</p>
<p>But our garden occupied what once was the drive in and turnaround of the old farm. Our garden stuff was amateurish. The soil was so stony and heavy we actually used a pick, sometimes. Our neighbor, leaning on his picket fence, would smile, shake his head and talk to us.</p>
<p>&#8220;Nein goot, nein goot!&#8221; he&#8217;d say with high commiseration. &#8220;Schmall kartofel, schmall peans, schmall dinks, all.&#8221;</p>
<p>Every chance he got, he&#8217;d talk like that. It was too often to be accidental. We paid no attention to that and even when he turned his baby chicks loose on our &#8220;schmall dinks,&#8221; we didn&#8217;t mind. We thought they&#8217;d do little harm.</p>
<p>But when he liberated his large flock of laying hens, we felt the next move should be ours. Our plans were completed by the third afternoon. When the hens arrived, we put them to test.</p>
<p>Down a route, sketchily drawn in scattered grain, our visitors ate and cackled and continued on into the tool shed where we had heaped more grain. Most of them were eating too greedily to realize what was up. We closed the tool shed door and caught them carefully and put them in the slatted crate we&#8217;d prepared beforehand. We supplied them with a pan of water, nailed the crate shut and then carted it by wheelbarrow to our neighbor&#8217;s garden gate.</p>
<p>On top of the crate we had tacked a conversationally informal little note &#8211; a direct, hen-to-master communication. First, in German in case mother tongue proved more impressive; then, in English in case it didn&#8217;t.</p>
<p>Dear Master :</p>
<p>We&#8217;re in here because we ate to the roots all of our neighbor&#8217;s very tough pea-vines and were starting in on his tougher lettuce bed. What we ate robbed him of about $100 worth of badly grown things. We would have preferred our own juicier stuff, but we couldn&#8217;t get in the only garden we have a right to be in.</p>
<p>Your affectionate HENS</p>
<p>Of course, dogs and cats don&#8217;t eat corn. What then is effective when you find the bull dog in the pool and the lilies on the bank? We know of people who electrified the edges of their pool. Dogs shun it in horror but so do birds, and it&#8217;s dangerous if small children are about. And, it is against the law.</p>
<p>Personally, I have faith in the message method with slight alterations to suit each case. Almost any neighborhood dog can be caught and cajoled into serving as a messenger. Speak softly to the little beast and tie a note around his neck. The little note might read something like this :</p>
<p>Dear Master:</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve just had a glorious bath. Because I couldn&#8217;t find enough water at home, I took it in the lily pool next door. It was so hot today, I stayed in the water a long time. The only thing that interfered was those water-lilies. I destroyed something like $20 worth of them. But I had a splendid bath.</p>
<p>Affectionately and faithfully yours, FIDO</p>
<p>The humane society invites telephone calls. They come, pick up and haul off the intruder. They make the terms upon which the owner may have his property back. Such societies try to educate pet owners and poultrymen by propaganda which says any animal that is well fed and watered will stay at home.</p>
<p>But, on the other hand, any gardener living next to even the most intelligent, well-trained, well-cared for dog knows that the dog just will bury bones. He will hunt up the close-to-shrubs, secluded spots for the job. Also, on a hot day, any dog high-bred or mongrel, well-fed or starving, thirsty or not &#8211; will look up the coolest, dampest nook for his nap. If it happens to be the pansy bed, why it&#8217;s the pansy bed.</p>
<p>How far have we come in solving the problem? Not far. A pet-to-master message is only one way of meeting it. And, of course, one neighbor or both can always put up a fence. As the poet says, &#8220;Good fences make good neighbors.</p>
<p>The topic &#8211; Alyssum Care is one of the 1000&#8242;s of articles found at www.plant-care.com. Learn more about lawn care, landscaping, houseplants, gardening and more. Visit us today. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.</p>
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