preparedness

10 Vegetables That Even New Gardeners Can’t Mess Up

You know that home-grown vegetables taste great. You also like the fact that with a home garden, you can save money and avoid harmful pesticides. Perhaps you’ve even experienced the satisfaction that comes with growing your own food.

But what if you’ve never had much of a green thumb? If you lack gardening experience, starting your own vegetable garden can seem pretty overwhelming. Here’s the good news – many vegetables are surprisingly easy to grow.

Before you begin your garden plan, be sure to check this USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to find out when it is best to plant vegetables in your area. The map divides North America into 11 growing zones that are based on climate. Then check the hardiness zone on your plant container or seed packet to make the best purchasing and planting decisions.

Now, here is our list of ten vegetables that even brand-new gardeners can’t mess up.

1. Lettuce

There’s something very rewarding about growing your own salad fixings, and it is easy to do. You can plant lettuce, which is a cool weather plant, in spring or fall. Lettuce grows well in both garden beds and containers. You can even tuck lettuce plants in and around flowers if you’d like. Spinach has similar needs as lettuce but is even more cold-tolerant.

Lettuce prefers sun or partial shade and well-drained soil, and it is ready to harvest when the head appears fully grown. Harvesting is easy; you just snip off the leaves as you need them. To keep your supply of fresh lettuce going, plant a few small crops at a time. Here is a helpful article about growing lettuce from Southern Living Magazine.

A few tips: Harvest lettuce in the morning before the sun can wilt the leaves. Try planting garlic or chives around your lettuce plants to help keep pests at bay.

2. Green Beans

Green beans come in many varieties, and most are super easy to grow. If you choose a pole bean variety, be sure to include trellises for them to wind around as they mature. Bush varieties grow along the ground and require less space than pole beans. Bush beans also usually do not have strings.

Green beans like full sun and well-drained soil. Here is a good beginner’s guide to growing green beans.

Tip: If your beans plants begin to yellow, you probably need to add nitrogen to your soil. Try spreading some bone meal around your plants.

3. Cucumbers

Cucumbers are perfect for your home-grown salads and for preserving for later use as pickles. Like beans, cucumbers come in bush varieties and in vining plants that run along the ground or on a trellis. Generally, the vining plants produce more cucumbers, while bush varieties are better suited to containers or small gardens.

Cucumbers prefer full sun and well-drained soil. They grow quickly, so check your vines daily. To remove fruit, cut the stem above the fruit with a knife or clippers. Pulling them off may damage the vine. This article from growveg.com will help you get started with your cucumber crop.

Tip: Look for patio cucumbers that grow well in pots and containers. Water your garden cucumbers with a soaker hose or drip irrigation system to prevent common leaf diseases caused by excess moisture.

4. Zucchini

Do you know someone who is always armed with an armful of zucchini to give away in the summer? That should give you some idea of how easy squash is to grow.

Squash plants like full sun and well-drained warm soil. They are a vining plant, so you can allow them to run along the ground or offer them a trellis. Some of the squash varieties that do well in containers include Bush Acorn, Black Magic Zucchini, and Bush Crookneck. Harvest To Table offers solid information on growing zucchini at home in this article.

Tips: Avoid pulling on the stem to harvest squash. It is best to snip off the vine with scissors to avoid damaging the fruit. Plant marigolds and nasturtiums near your squash to help keep pests away.

5 & 6. Carrots and Radishes

Root vegetables such as carrots and radishes are good choices for beginning gardeners. Both are considered fast-growing cool weather crops. They also are fun planting projects for children – especially if you can plant them in a see-through five-gallon bucket that allows kids to see the underground growth process.

Root veggies need partial shade and deep, well-drained soil. Raised beds are perfect if you are sowing seeds into the ground. Here is a helpful video on how to grow root veggies in containers.

Tips: Take care not to overcrowd seeds and make sure the dirt is loose enough for rapid growth. Once seedlings emerge, thinning may be required for healthy growth.

7. Peppers

These aromatic plants, including jalapeños, bell peppers, banana peppers, and cayenne peppers, like the heat. If you wait until after the threat of frost has passed to plant, they will reward you with quick growth.

Pepper plants prefer direct sun and well-drained soil. Be careful to give them plenty of water and to keep away weeds that can siphon off their moisture supply. Bonnie Plants offers helpful information on growing peppers in your home garden in this article.

Tip: Peppers come in many sizes and varieties, including ornamental and dwarf kinds. You will know they are ready for harvest when the peppers have turned bright red, green, or yellow. If the colors start to fade, you have waited too long for peak freshness.

8. Tomatoes

Fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes and summer just seem to go together. And tomatoes are one of the mainstays of the home garden. In fact, there is no comparison in taste between a home-grown tomato and a store-bought one. Plus, tomatoes are versatile; you can use them as is or freeze or can them for later use.

You can start tomatoes indoors four to six weeks before the last frost date, or you can purchase seedlings. Plant tomato plants in areas of full sunlight in soil that drains well. Tomato leaves can turn yellow because of watering issues (too much or too little) or lack of nitrogen. Add bone meal around the base of each plant to solve a nitrogen shortage. Get some inside tips on how to plant, grow and harvest tomatoes in this article from The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Tip: Don’t plant tomatoes and peppers next to each other. Keep a few rows between the two different kinds of plants to avoid cross-pollination by bees that will adversely affect the taste of your veggies.

9. Okra

Okra is a drought-tolerant plant that loves the heat. You can plant your okra seeds in the ground as soon as nighttime temperatures reach 55 degrees. If that is too far along in the season for your liking, you can sow them indoors and transfer outdoors when things warm up. With consistent moisture, okra can withstand high temperatures. Here is an article from Good Housekeeping on how to grow okra in your home garden.

Tip: Okra plants flower in the morning, and you can pick the pods when they are three- to five inches in length. If you wait too long to harvest, the okra will become tough and less flavorful.

10. Pumpkin

Nothing says autumn quite like a pumpkin patch – even if it is a small one. Like their smaller squash cousins, pumpkins are easy to grow. Best known for their bright orange hue, pumpkins actually come in a variety of colors and sizes. Some are good for baking, and others are good for carving.

Pumpkins prefer full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Pumpkin vines do need room to spread, but if you have a small space you can accommodate their sprawl by planting them at the edge of your garden. Here is a comprehensive article about pumpkin gardening from The Old Farmer’s Almanac. And if your goal is to grow the largest pumpkins possible for Halloween carving, here is an article from Burpee titled How to Grow Huge Pumpkins.

Tip: Pumpkin plants need a lot of water and soil nutrition to stay healthy. A soaker hose works best since foliage can develop rot and other diseases with frequent sprinkling. You can train small pumpkin varieties to vine up a trellis.

Some final words of advice for the beginning gardener: When we start out, many of us dream of a big vegetable garden that can feed our families at every meal. The reality is that those gardens require a lot of space, time, and attention.

It is okay – in fact, it is preferable – to start small as a new gardener. Be ready to take what you learn into the next gardening season.

In addition to selecting your plants from the above list, here are a few other considerations.

Location, location, location. Find a spot for your garden that gets plenty of sunlight and protection from wind. Take into consideration the garden’s proximity to water.
Make use of the space you have. You can grow veggies in raised beds and in containers. Hanging baskets and vertical gardens are other ways to make efficient use of your space.
Forget rows. Rows may work for farmers and heavy equipment, but home gardeners don’t need them. Find creative ways to combine plants underneath and between other larger plants.

Want to learn more? Here are some well-illustrated and informative books designed for beginning home gardeners:

preparedness

4 No Cook Meals For Surviving The Pandemic And Food Supply Shortages

When it comes to your food supply, you just can’t risk not having enough. These no cook meals will be a great addition to your food supply planning. Check out the recipes below!

No Cook Meals to Help You Through the Pandemic

As of the writing of this article, there are 20 meat processing plants that have been shut down due to COVID-19 infections. We have been worrying about these types of effects on our food supply for months now, and this is the first real sign of how infections can affect the food supply.

When you walk into a supermarket, you might not see all the choices you had in the past. An empty meat case is a humbling thing for your eyes to fall upon. It’s the shocking realization that the seemingly infinite supply of chickens, pigs, and cows that are butchered for us has begun to run dry!

To deal with this issue, we are going to present four no cook meals that will help you create dinners at home that will feed your family without worrying so much about what’s available, or unavailable, in the meat case.

1. Smashed White Bean, Avocado and Salted Pork Sandwiches

Smashed White Bean, Avocado and Salted Pork Sandwiches | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

As preppers we get beans. There are a bunch of ways to use beans and this a great example of how you can pack a sandwich with great nutrition and protein.

Serving: Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Can of White Beans
Olive Oil
1 Avocado
8 Slices of Whole Grain Bread
8 Slices of Salted Pork (Prosciutto, Ham, Virginia Ham)

Instructions:

Begin by draining your beans in a colander then smashing them up in a bowl add a few glugs of olive oil, salt, pepper. This little mix is delicious. If you add some minced rosemary, you can even turn this into a delicious dip.
Pit your avocado and cut it in half and then quarters lengthwise. Leave the skin on.
Lay the bread out on a clean work surface for assembling the sandwiches.
Spread your mashed bean mix onto one side of the bread.
Peel your avocados and slice 1 quarter for each sandwich. Spread slices over the bean spread.
Add a few slices of your pork to over the top of the avocado.
You can finish this sandwich with some lettuces, fresh sprouts, or just eat it as is.

2. Delicious Crab Salad

Canned crab is a protein option that will likely be around through much of this meat crisis. It does have to be kept in refrigeration, but it’s delicious and this chipotle mayo salad is great in the spring and summer.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Crab Meat
1 Bunch of Asparagus
Chipotle Mayo
1 Bunch of Green Onions
1 Bunch of Cilantro

Instructions:

Drain your crab in a colander and set it in the sink.
Slice your asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Throw them into a bowl.
Thinly slice your onions and your cilantro and throw that into the bowl, as well.
Gently toss in the crab meat.
Squirt on enough Chipotle mayo to coat everything and toss gently not to break up the crab meat.
Chill in the fridge and serve.

3. Simple Greek Salad

Simple Greek Salad | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

The combination of simple summer ingredients makes for an incredible quick salad that you could add other proteins, too, if you wanted. These could be canned meats.

Ingredients:

2 Large Tomatoes
1 Cucumber
1 Red Onion
¼ Cup of Feta Cheese
A Few Sprigs of Fresh Mint
½ Cup of Kalamata Olives
Balsamic Dressing

Instructions:

I like to cut the tomatoes in large chunks and have them kind of be the main course in this salad. Peel and slice your cucumber in half. Remove the seeds and either dice or slice in half-moons.
Peel and slice your red onion in half. Julienne your, or thinly slice, your half onion.
Add all these ingredients to a bowl. Finely slice your mint.
Add your olives, crumbled feta, and mint to the bowl and add enough dressing to coat everything.
Stir it up and allow this to chill for at least an hour for the flavors to really blend.

4. Mediterranean Tuna Lettuce Wraps

Mediterranean Tuna Lettuce Wraps | No Cook Meals for Surviving the Pandemic and Food Supply Shortages

Using some similar ingredients and adding a protein like tuna, you can create some delicious lettuce wraps. The key to a good lettuce wrap is to have most of the items around the same size. So, consider that when you are preparing this dish.

Ingredients:

Iceberg or Butter Lettuce
Canned Artichokes
Canned roasted Red peppers
Fresh Cucumber
Feta Cheese
Minced Olives ¼ Cup
2 Cans of Tuna
Green Onions
Basil

Instructions:

Start by peeling all the full leaves from your lettuce. Set them on a plate either cover them with a wet paper towel or put them back into the fridge.
Dice the peppers, artichokes, and cucumbers into cubes. Go no larger than ½ an inch.
Thinly slice your green onions and basil and add them to a bowl with your diced vegetables. Add your loves to this bowl and mix them thoroughly.
Crumble your feta cheese over the mixture.
Drain your tuna thoroughly and then add that to the bowl, as well.
Gently toss this mixture. Try not to break up the tuna and the cheese too much but incorporate it thoroughly.
If you want, you can add some olive oil to the mix or a few glugs of balsamic vinegar. It’s also delicious just how it is.
Scoop a few tablespoons into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and eat up!

These no cook meals should help lessen the stress you feel when thinking of what to feed your family. If you don’t have the specific ingredients, use your creativity, and use what you have. You might discover a new recipe while you’re at it!

What’s your favorite no cook meal recipe? Please share it with us in the comments section!

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This Article Was First Found at survivallife.com Read The Original Article Here

preparedness

Billionaire Whistle Blower: Wuhan Coronavirus Death Toll Is Over 50,000

Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui recently revealed leaks from Wuhan crematoriums. He claims based on the number of bodies their furnaces are burning, the death toll could be as high as 50,000.

A Chinese billionaire and whistleblower who lives in U.S. exile says Wuhan crematoriums have burned 50,000 coronavirus victims. | Credit: Chinatopix via AP

The official coronavirus death toll in China is a little over 800. But an exiled Chinese businessman says crematoriums are leaking the real figure.
A billionaire whistleblower alleges Wuhan has crematoriums working 24/7. He claims they’ve cremated some 50,000 coronavirus victims.
Guo Wengui is a Chinese billionaire living in exile in the United States.

The official coronavirus death toll is some 800 people in China. The current official death toll worldwide, outside of China, is 774. But a Chinese billionaire with a history of blowing the whistle on his former government says the real figure is much higher.

Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui recently revealed leaks from Wuhan crematoriums. He claims based on the number of bodies their furnaces are burning, the death toll could be as high as 50,000. Wengui made the bombshell allegations in an interview with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Whistleblower: 1.5 Million Coronavirus Cases In China, 50,000 Coronavirus Deaths In Wuhan

He also claims to have inside information that there are 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in China. Wengui is emphatic that these are not merely quarantined or “under observation” but confirmed cases of coronavirus infection:

China has struggled to contain the coronavirus. But it has also struggled to contain public outcry against censorship and tight control of information. Dr. Li Wenliang, who sounded the alarm about the disease, succumbed to an infection and died this week. The Chinese government arrested him for blowing the whistle.

Then officials tried to suppress news of his death. Afterwards, millions of Chinese citizens saw the hashtag #IWantFreedomOfSpeech on Mandarin language social media. But the Chinese government censored that too.

Are Wengui’s Crematorium Claims Credible?

Watch VICE’s 2017 profile on Guo Wengui. At the time, he published bombshell documents alleging corruption in the Chinese government. He got the attention of the media and reportedly the U.S. State Department.

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