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PERSONAL OPINION/SAFER ECONOMICAL WEED CONTROL:

The best way to have a healthy garden is to create a biodiversity landscape including native and low maintenance plants. Manual removal of some weeds is best acidic acid (vinegar) is an approved natural herbicide used to kill weeds. Use this on a hot dry day and as a spot treatment if manual removal is not practical. For larger areas, simply lay down cardboard or newspaper with a layer of mulch over top to choke out large patches.

ARTICLE OF INTEREST:

Glyphosate Toxic & Roundup Worse

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins call for urgent regulatory review of the most widely used herbicide in the light of new scientific evidence

New research findings are raising serious concerns over the safety of the most commonly used herbicide, and should be sending shockwaves through proponents of genetically modified (GM) crops made tolerant to the herbicide, which now account for 75% of all GM crops in the world.

Worse yet, the most common formulation of the herbicide is even more toxic than the herbicide by itself, and is made by the same biotech giant that created the herbicide tolerant GM crops.

Broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine), commonly sold in the commercial formulation Roundup (Monsanto company, St. Louis, Missouri USA) has been frequently used both on crops and non-crops areas world wide since it was introduced in the 1970s. Roundup is a combination of glyphosate with other chemicals including a surfactant (detergent) polyoxyethyleneamine that enhance the spreading of the spray droplets on the leaves of plants. The use of Roundup has gone up especially in countries growing Roundup-tolerant GM crops created by Monsanto.

Glyphosate kills plants by inhibiting the enzyme, 5-enolpyruvoyl-shikimate-3-phosphate synthetase (EPSPS), essential for the formation of aromatic amino acids such as phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan; which leads onto vitamins and many secondary metabolites such as folates, ubiquinones and naphthoquines. It is believed to be rather specific in action and less toxic than other herbicides, because the shikimate pathway is not present in mammals and humans. However, glyphosate acts by preventing the binding of phosphoenol pyruvate to the active site of the enzyme, and phosphoenol pyruvate is a core metabolite present in all organisms; thus it has the potential to affect other metabolic pathways. This is borne out by many reports of toxicities associated with the herbicide reviewed in the Independent Science Panel Report, The Case for a GM-free Sustainable World [1].

An epidemiological study in the Ontario farming populations showed that glyphosate exposure nearly doubled the risk of late spontaneous abortions [2], and Prof. Eric-Giles Seralini and his research team from Caen University in France decided to find out more about the effects of the herbicide on cells from the human placenta.

They have now shown that glyphosate is toxic to human placental cells, killing a large proportion of them after 18 hr of exposure at concentrations below that in agricultural use [3]. Moreover, Roundup is always more toxic than its active ingredient, glyphosate; at least by two-fold. The effect increased with time, and was obtained with concentrations of Roundup 10 times lower than agricultural use.

The enzyme aromatase is responsible for making the female hormones estrogens from androgens (the male hormones). Glyphosate interacts with the active site of the enzyme but its effect on enzyme activity was minimal unless Roundup was present.

Interestingly, Roundup increased enzyme activity after 1 h of incubation, possibly because of its surfactant effect in making the androgen substrate more available to the enzyme. But at 18h incubation, Roundup invariably inhibited enzyme activity; the inhibition being associated with a decrease in mRNA synthesis, suggesting that Roundup decreased the rate of gene transcription. Seralini and colleagues suggest that other ingredients in the Roundup formulation enhance the availability or accumulation of glyphosate in cells.

There is, indeed, direct evidence that glyphosate inhibits RNA transcription in animals at a concentration well below the level that is recommended for commercial spray application Transcription was inhibited and embryonic development delayed in sea urchins following exposure to low levels of the herbicide and/or the surfactant polyoxyethyleneamine. The pesticide should be considered a health concern by inhalation during spraying [4].

New research shows that a brief exposure to commercial glyphosate caused liver damage in rats, as indicated by the leakage of intracellular liver enzymes. In this study, glyphosate and its surfactant in Roundup were also found to act in synergy to increase damage to the liver [5].

Three recent case-control studies suggested an association between glyphosate use and the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma [6-8]; while a prospective cohort study in Iowa and North Carolina that includes more than 54 315 private and commercial licensed pesticide applicators suggested a link between glyphosate use and multiple myoeloma [9]. Myeloma has been associated with agents that cause either DNA damage or immune suppression. These studies did not distinguish between Roundup and glyphosate, and it would be important for that to be done.

There is now a wealth of evidence that glyphosate requires worldwide health warnings and new regulatory review. Meanwhile, its use should be reduced to a minimum as a matter of prudent precaution.

References
The Case for a GM-Free Sustainable World, Chapter 7, ISIS & TWN, London & Penang, 2003.
Savitz DA, Arbuckle , Kaczor D, Curtis KM. Male pesticide exposure and pregnancy outcome. Am J Epidemiol 2000, 146, 1025-36.
Richard S, Moslemi S, Sipahutar H, Benachour N. and Seralini GE.Differential effects of glyphosate and roundup on human placental cells and aromatase.Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jun;113(6):716-20
Marc J, Le Breton M, CormierP, Morales J, Belle´R and Mulner-Lorillo O. A glyphosate-based pesticide impinges on transcription. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 2005, 203, 1-8.
Benedetti AL, de Lourdes Vituri C, Trentin AG, Dominguesc MAC and Alvarez-Silva M. The effects of sub-chronic exposure of Wistar rats to the herbicide Glyphosate-Biocarb. Toxicology Letters 2004, 153, 227–32.
De Roos AH, Zahm SH, Cantor KP, et al. Integrative assessment of multiple pesticides as risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among men. Occup Environ Med 2003, 60, E11 http://oem.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/60/9/e11
Hardell L, Eriksson M, Nordstrom M. Exposure to pesticides as risk factor for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hairy cell leukemia: pooled analysis of two Swedish case-control studies. Leuk Lymphoma 2002, 43,1043–1049.
McDuffie HH, Pahwa P, McLaughlin JR, Spinelli JJ, Fincham S, Dosman JA, et al. 2001. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and specific pesticide exposures in men: cross-Canada study of pesticides and health. 2001, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2001,10,1155–63.
De Roos AJ, Blair A, Rusiecki JA, Hoppin JA, Svec M, Dosemeci M, Sandler DP and Alavanja MC. Cancer incidence among glyphosate-exposed pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study. Environ Health Perspect 2005, 113, 49-54.

Points to think about would be:

If we could not purchase or import any garden products such as soil, fertilizers, pest control, seeds and the like can we actually make our gardens so sustainable that we can make use of everything we have on site?

What about fuel? Can we find alternatives to gas powered tools, mowers and tractors? Do we want to? What if we had no other choice?

Can we store enough food for our family for the winter that grew on our very own property? What are some tips to do so?

How can we work in modern technology without backbreaking work but still remain sustainable?

I will post some of my ideas later but I can’t wait to see where this discussion will take us.

The is a great quick and easy dessert to use up over-ripe fruit and berries.

Served hot with icecream or even for breakfast with yogurt it is as delicious as it is simple:

In any oven safe pan (pie pan, loaf pan, cake pan) place 4 cups of chopped fruit and berries. If the fruit is dry such as apples, stir in 3 tbs of apple sauce.

Mix together 4 cups of oats, 2 tbs butter, 1/2tsp cinnamon and 3 tbs dark brown sugar. Mix by hand until butter is all through. place it over top of fruit and bake on 400c for 30 mins.

Fried Rice

4 Cups pre-cooked rice
4 Chopped green onions
1 egg
1tsp sea salt
3 tbs sunflower oil
1 chopped chicken breast (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet, fry chicken until cooked, scramble in egg, toss in rice salt and spring onions and fry until golden.

Sunflower guy ding

3 large stalks of sliced celery
1/2 head cauliflower
1 yellow pepper
4 chopped green onions
1 handful of sunflower seeds
1 tbs sunflower oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbs honey
1tbs cornstarch mixed into 1/4 cup of water

Sauté vegetables and seeds in oil until vegetables are tender but crispy add salt and toss. Stir in honey and quickly whisk in cornstarch mixture until glaze forms, remove from heat and serve.

Chicken Flakers

1/2 cup corn flakes
2 chopped green onions
1/2 tsp sea salt
pinch of pepper
1 egg
1/2 chicken breast chopped thinly

4 tbs oil for frying

In a small food processor grind the cornflake to a powder, next add green onions and pulse until mixed, then add the seasoning and egg, pulse until combined, toss in the chopped chicken and pulse again. Drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry for 1 minute on each side or until golden a crispy.

Pineapple Sauce

1/2 cup chunked fresh pineapple
1 cup apple juice
1tbs cornstarch mixed into 1/8 cup of water

Bring pineapple and apple juice to a simmer, whisk in cornstarch mixture until thickened. Serve over rice or as a dipping sauce.

Pot-roast chicken for 2

There is no real recipe but this is one of my favorite meals when working in the garden as it is very simple and it can cook itself while you work up an appetite. there’s nothing like the smell of pot-roast when you come in on a crisp evening good and hungry from working outside.

In this picture I put the following in a medium roast pan:

1 bone-in skin-on Chicken breast seasoned with seasalt, pepper and garlic granules (optional)
Fresh garden vegetables chunked into approximately 2” cubes/slices:
3 large potatoes
1 medium yellow zucchini
2 stalks celery
1 Onion
3 Carrots
4 baby corn
4 whole cloves of garlic (skin on)

Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast on 400 for 45 mins to 1 hour

I was so hungry when we came inside that I forgot to take a picture of the lovely golden caramelized veggies, but I assure you it was yummy!

I’m not sure who this cute creature is but he has been nibbling away at some of my Lady’s Mantle:

I purchased this high-bush blueberry this spring, the berries are much much larger than our wild ones, but not as tasty, regardless it seems to be doing well.

Amazing large and flavourful respberries from a local nursery, 10 roots for $29…Looking good.

Everbearing strawberries from Veseys $5 sale…25 plants for $5 and they are doing very well.

An anual I planted from seed in the memorial garden, not sure what it is.

A bulb from a mixture I had bought at Veseys, again not sure what it is but it grows well in the shaded garden in front of the girls coop.

Lily boardering the front lawn along side the daylilies.

Zuchini flower hiding in the backyard.

Sunflower growing in the strawberry barrels along side the garage door.