Posted on 30 June 2010 by urbangardencasual.com
By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter
Dinner and a movie has become a family tradition that we all look forward to every summer.
There is nothing like spreading the sheet over the fence and projecting our movie or choice on the homemade screen.
We can relive or introduce the time of drive-ins without leaving the backyard.
But this year is different.
My children are bringing their “special” friends to share our family tradition. I look forward to the new recipes, new movies, and new memories that these “special” friends will bring to our movie night. But most of all I am looking forward to my kids’ calling from their own homes wanting to know when “Family Movie Night” is going to be and helping them pass on the tradition of “Family Movie Night” to their own children.
Below is what we have planned for our Lady and the Tramp movie night. But be creativity in your own movie night that is how memories are made.
Snacks: Carmel Corn, Gummy Worms, and Italian Ice
Drinks: Sparkling grape juice with dinner and Lemonade with Basil frozen Ice Cubes
Entree: Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs with Garlic Bread and Mixed Breed Salad (mixed green salad)
Dessert: Spumoni
Recipe for homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
Posted on 18 April 2010 by urbangardencasual.com
By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter
The first day of spring provided me with the perfect weather for one of my favorite eco-friendly activities.
After a long, cold winter I like any excuse to celebrate Mother Earth and encourage others to do the same.
So on the first warm day I get all my supplies together to start my celebration that I spread across the country.
One may ask what such a project could be and I would surprise you with one simple answer that is a plantable letters or cards.
These letters or cards are made from all the junk/scrape paper that I have kept over the winter and seeds that I have saved from my garden or purchased from a local discount store. These handmade letters or cards are mailed to my friends across the country with updates about my life and reminding them to celebrate April 22 (Earth Day) by planting their letters or cards.
Planting these letters or cards can spread seeds of hope and truly can prove that 1 person can make a difference in this world even if it is one plantable letter or card at a time. So with the directions below spread your own seeds of hope.
Handmade Paper
Supplies
Posted on 17 December 2009 by urbangardencasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
Germany has been leading the way in urban gardening for many years.
They started the current trend of green roofs back in the 1960s.
Michigan State University’s Green Roof Research Program states that “It is estimated that 12% of all flat roofs in that country are green and the German green roof industry is growing 10% to 15% per year”.
Berlin has been pioneering another current trend - urban farming. Many of the 74,500 local gardens contain edible plants. The fervor for local gardening began back in the World War 1 and 2 years.
However, Berlin’s senate, faced with the task of balancing a budget ridden with debt, says that some of the gardens may have to be bulldozed in favor of new construction.
Spiegel Online Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 13 November 2009 by urbangardencasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
Social media and the Internet changing the world as we know it.
We are able to share information with just one click of the mouse.
I can ask a garden question on Twitter and get answers from around the world within minutes.
It’s amazing.
The Internet is growing at an astonishing rate. New websites pop up every minute. There’s a whole world to be discovered….if you can only find it. Search engines can help, but you don’t always even know what you’re looking for.
Stumble Upon is a social media service that strives to help you find your favorite new websites. You will be directed to random sites based on your stated interests and the recommendations of your friends. I have spent hours just clicking the button and zooming around the Internet.
You sign up for an account with Stumble Upon and check off what kinds of topics and websites you are interested in visiting. There’s a toolbar to be downloaded. Once that is ready, you just start pushing Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on 03 November 2009 by urbangardencasual.com
By Vanessa Richins
I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was growing up.
I would visit the tidepools and find the crabs, sea anenomes, limpets and more.
We took trips to a local science center where people could peer at smaller creatures under the microscope.
One kind of tiny ocean dweller is the diatom. These are algae that have developed a hard outer shell. They come in many shapes and sizes and are exquisitely beautiful, as these pictures show. After they die and fossilize, they are ground up into a fine powder called diatomaceous earth.
What does this have to do with urban gardening?
It turns out that many insects can be killed by using diatomaceous earth. The ground outer shell has very jagged, sharp edges that cut the exoskeleton of the insect when it comes into contact. This allows the sun and air into their shell, so they dry out and eventually die.
Since diatomaceous earth is made from natural algae, it’s Read the rest of this entry »
