October 23, 2013

The Good, The Bad, and The Organic

Did you know the sale of organic produce grows 5-10% each year, but the number of organic gardeners is growing even more quickly? Oh, and about that produce...
The Environmental Working Group is a great organization and resource that can help you figure out which produce has been found to be the most contaminated with pesticides- giving you organic gardeners a rough idea of what to grow to alleviate the concerns of contamination, and which you can feel a little more comfortable buying at the grocery store. 
organic fruits
Their top 14 produce items found to have the most pesticides are:
  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Hot Peppers
  • Celery
  • Nectarines- imported
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Grapes
  • Spinach
  • Potatoes
  • Strawberries
  • Sweet Bell Peppers
  • Kale and Collard Greens
  • Summer Squash
organic vegetables
Those found to have the least are:
  • Asparagus
  • Avocados
  • Cabbage
  • Cantaloupe
  • Sweet Corn
  • Eggplant
  • Grapefruits
  • Kiwi
  • Mangoes
  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Papayas
  • Pineapples
  • Sweet Peas-frozen
  • Sweet Potatoes
You can see the complete list of 48 ranked at the EWG's full data page, which will really motivate you to start planning that organic garden for 2014!  

The worms' favorite holiday is right around the corner....stay tuned for some very scary bin pics!






October 14, 2013

Tweet Tweet...Worms in the News

I love learning about new worm news around the world each day- and there's no better way to share it than by tweeting it!
lilliworm twitter
For instance, Happy Columbus Day! Did you know that bioluminescent worms greeted Christopher Columbus over 500 years ago when he arrived in the New World? These glowing worms, also known as fireworms, perform a light show/mating dance that only lasts about a half hour twice a month during the quarter moon phase.

Worms seem to frequently be associated with our health. Whether it's a story about how cleanliness is killing microscopic worms that could help our immunity or an article about how worms are improving skin grafts- there is always something to squirm about!

If you aren't a Twitter-er, here are some of my recent posts and pictures:



October 6, 2013

These Peppers Will Be Late for Dinner

Last year around this time, I was putting OG2012 (organic garden of 2012) to sleep.

OG2013 is having none of that- it's like the bad kid that wants to stay up all night! The tomatoes are growing up over the lower fence:
organic garden
Finally, the bell peppers are in various stages of readiness (unlike last year, when the pepper crop was booming!)

These ones sloooowly gathering steam & could be a key ingredient in a delicious Autumn meal soon:
organic bell peppers
 A few have been waiting all summer to finally be a pepper:
organic pepper
 And some are considering remaining pepper flowers for the fall season:organic pepper flower
The tomatoes are not about to be outdone by the late blooming peppers!

These little guys are going strong, looking to be the prime ingredient in a batch of late season salsa:
organic tomatoes
...while these funky ones are headed straight for the worm wigwam!
organic tomatoes for the worm wigwam
No Lilliworm post in October would be complete without the mention of PUMPKINS! 

Not only are pumpkins the worms FAVORITE food, but OG2013 is growing 2 rogue pumpkin plants and both have one pumpkin:
organic pumpkin
organic pumpkin
The worms will have to wait a little longer this year for their end-of-organic-gardening-season feast!