April harvest Key limes and calamondins

April harvests

Calamondin + Key Lime

Calamondins and Key limes, what a way to start the day, especially during cold and rainy April. While some curl there face when they eat a cala whole, Me on the other hand, gobble these up like candy at christmas. Key limes are another favourite of mine, in fact, limes, dare I say, are my favourite. Something about there taste sends my brain on a joyride. The smell of a fresh picked persian lime is no less then a oceanic blast of citrus heaven, leaving you unsure of whether or not you want to eat it or smell it all day long. This love for limes has actually lead me to start a few from seed just to see what happens ( red finger lime + Indian sweet lime). I am still in wonder of the finger limes as I have yet to try these little beauties, actually, I have yet to try any of the varieties from Australia due to there tight restrictions on selling live plants internationally. I believe this has changed somewhat as Im starting to see things pop up online. The only way I was able to get the red finger limes was from ebay. It was a year or more now and I have forgotten the seller and the account I used to order,lol. But from what I wrote down, It was the wild red type from the rain forest. One of the only varieties to grow true from seed, with the red colour holding in the inner pulp, even if its not true from seed, the chance of something new is just as interesting and I dont mind waiting 4-7 years to find out, in this case I believe, good things come to those who wait.

If anyone out there has an Australian citrus there selling/trading IM INTERESTED !!

Even if its seeds. I would love to get my hands on an outback lime!!.

So to cap off the night, I figure it calls for a home grown salad with homemade Calamondin dressing and a key lime beer ( HOORAAA!! for MILL ST). 

Good night fellow growers.

Calamondin turkey salad

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Hormone free meat!!!!!! well not really

Hormones in food - Antibiotic food

Now a days with every agri business claiming one thing after another, the hormone issue is one fraught with confusion. While the government has acknowledged the rBST growth hormone to be of concern, they fail to recognize the implications of other so called "natural" growth hormones used and still  taught to farmers today. The most humorous blogs/websites are put up by the government, filled with hypocritical statements like

there has been no evidence that has shown that animals treated with growth hormones are a threat to human health. 

And on the same page write 

Reducing exposure with your food intake

Although growth hormones and antibiotics are considered safe for food production in Canada, consider the following tips to reduce your exposure to these additives:

• Organic foods have fewer traces of antibiotics than non-organic foods.
• Since beef cattle are the only animals that contains growth hormones, consider choosing organic beef instead of conventional beef when you can.
• Thoroughly wash all vegetables and fruit for thirty seconds under running tap water to minimize the intake of antibiotics.

This is all off of the (eat right ontario) website located here 

http://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Farming-Food-production/Hormones-and-antibiotics-in-food-production.aspx

And if you would like to look at the alberta agriculture and rural development page, you will clearly see what is being used and taught to "farmers", why they use it and there so called "benefits" in production.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/beef11691#Introduction

Growth hormones in food

Whether or not these "farmers" are required to state they have used "natural" or synthetic hormones is a whole other question. This should be brought up any time you speak to a farmer, be informed, if you feel any type of pull back or beating around the bush, say thank you and walk away. People who practice good farming methods are happy to talk about what they grow with ( I know I am ).

The old time farmers from the industrial age are lost in a world of herbicides/pesticides/ growth hormones/antibiotics/ and petroleum. IMO This should not be called farming, this is a disgrace to the name. All it has done is wrecked our land, seeds and health, giving rise to corporations like Monsanto and Dow chemical. 

Farmers??  you dont deserve the name.

This post will be more towards growth hormones with a follow up on antibiotic use.

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