Make Your Own Granola Bars!

I can’t tell you how excited I am!  Well, I’m sure that it’s not the most exciting news ever, but it’s still pretty cool.  I have been making my own granola bars for the past three weeks now, at a fraction of the cost per batch that I was paying for a box of commercially produced granola bars. 

Due to my gluten-intolerance, I need to eat a gluten-free diet, and as most folks are aware who purchase gluten-free pre-made foods at the store (especially if you try to go as healthy as possible), they can get very expensive.  The bars that I was buying were averaging $5-6/box easily, and with the addition of the regular ones that I was buying for my husband (who has no food allergies), we were probably spending about $8-10/week just on granola bars and/or cereal bars.  Convenient?  Yes.  Economical?  No way.  

As with my last week’s post about making a “draft dodger” to halt the cold draft below my front door, I was recently inspired to make my own granola bars based on a post that I came across in my personal Twitter feed.  I have to give a shout out to “Homestead Honey” for her video that she tweeted about a month ago, demonstrating how she made her own granola bars.  I thought, “What a great idea!” and a couple of weeks ago I was inspired to start making some myself.

I wanted to find a similar recipe to follow, so I found this one after searching online for a bit, and I tweaked it slightly.  The bars are tasty, easy, and I love that you can add just about anything you want to the basic dough to make these bars your own creation.  I also love that I know exactly what is in them, and I don’t have to worry about consuming any unhealthy ingredients. 

I have added semi-sweet chocolate chips (I have learned that the regular kind works best, not the miniature kind- they seem to somehow melt out of existence during the baking process), shredded coconut, raisins, chopped peanuts, and chopped almonds to the dough, and so far, all of the batches that I’ve made have been quite tasty. 

Although I’ve never tried, you could also use almond butter or another type of nut butter instead of the peanut butter, and it would probably work just as well.

To my gluten-free readers:  This recipe calls for oats, which some people with gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease do not tolerate well.  For some people, this has to do with reacting negatively to the protein that exists within the oats themselves, while for other people, this has to do with a potential problem of cross-contamination with gluten-containing products that can occur in some manufacturing facilities.  If you are unsure whether or not you should consume oats, please avoid eating these bars and other oat-based foods until you are certain that you can tolerate them. 

I have found that for myself, as long as I get my oats from reputable sources that do not have issues with cross-contamination, I have done fine with consuming oatsand have not experienced any negative reactions.  As with any food source, it is a good idea to do research on the manufacturers of the products that you purchase.  If you grow your own oats and know exactly where they came from, to you I say, “Rock on!”

Money-saving tip:  Buy your supplies in bulk!  If you get hooked on these yummy bars and get into the routine of making them all of the time like I do, you will save a lot of money by buying your oats and other ingredients in bulk.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

(Makes an estimated 16-18 bars, depending on the bar size)

Ingredients:

(From upper left to lower right) Peanuts, chia seeds, honey, oats,

semisweet chocolate chips, and peanut butter

Shredded coconut and raisins

3 cups rolled oats

2 tablespoons chia seeds

½ cup chopped nuts of your choice

¾ cup natural peanut butter

½ cup honey

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9x13 baking pan.

2.  Mix together the peanut butter and honey in a small saucepan, and heat on low.  Stir mixture frequently while heating until it turns slightly runny and creamy.

3.  Mix together the oats, chia seeds, chopped nuts, and any additional ingredients you wish to add (possible ideas for add-ins include chocolate chips, dried fruit, flax seeds, shredded coconut, etc.… go wild!) within a large bowl.  Pour the peanut butter-honey mixture over the dried ingredients and stir (using your hands to mix the ingredients together seems to be the easiest way to mix everything well).  The mixture should be pretty sticky, not crumbly.  Add in a bit more peanut butter to the mixture as needed if your dough is crumbling apart. 

4.  Transfer the dough to your greased pan, and press it firmly into the pan.  Rolling a rolling pin over parchment paper that covers the top of the dough has been an effective method for me.

As you can see, this granola “cake” that I made doesn’t take up the entire 9x13 inch pan.  I personally prefer thicker granola bars, but you may wish to try rolling the dough out further to make thinner bars.   Thinner bars might crumble apart more easily, but it might be worth some experimentation.

5.  Bake your granola bar “cake” on the center rack of your oven for about 25 minutes, or just until it is slightly browned.

6.  Remove from the oven, and cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Place a second wire rack over the top of the “cake” and flip it over.  Tap on the bottom of the pan or use a butter knife to loosen up the granola cake so it will easily come out of your pan.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

7.  Once the granola cake has completely cooled, you can cut it into bars or squares on a cutting board.

Umm… tasty!!!!!! Granola-y!!!!!

How I Made a No-Sew “Draft Dodger” in Less Than 5 Minutes

Older Home = Huge Energy Losses

I live in an older home, built in 1920.  While my husband and I love the character of our house, especially the lovely older style woodwork, it is not very energy efficient, and this definitely does not sit well with me.  Our goal is to increase the overall energy efficiency of our house, including the installation of new energy efficient windows and insulated siding, but right now our budget comes tremendously short of being able to make those kinds of improvements. 

In the mean time, we have done a number of things to try to save energy, such as replacing more inefficient incandescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs, purchasing a new Energy Star-rated dishwasher and refrigerator, turning off lights and electrical equipment when they are not being used and washing most of our laundry in cold water.  While these may not ultimately be as impactful as having new windows and siding, we are doing what we can, where we can until we can make those improvements, and all of those even minor efforts will add up over time. 

Not too long after moving into our house last spring, we also had an energy audit performed on our house by our energy company to determine where we were wasting energy.  I have personally learned a lot about saving energy over the past few years, but there are still a number of energy efficiency topics where my knowledge is lacking and I need some additional help.  I highly recommend getting an energy audit done on your home if you can, because even if you can’t afford to make the major changes right now, you will receive an assessment that highlights opportunities for saving energy in your home.  Knowing this information and taking action will not only help to reduce your environmental footprint, but saving energy at home also translates into saving money, and who couldn’t use some extra money right now?  Utility companies often have programs that offer incentives to their customers who get an energy audit done.

My 5-Minute “Draft Dodger” Project  

In the spirit of saving energy, I was quite excited to discover a quick and easy solution to the drafty gap beneath my front door.  After noticing that sunlight was shining through that gap, I could almost picture all of the warm air (and money spent on our energy bills) being sucked right out of our house.  This would not do any longer!  Fortunately, about a week before I noticed the gap, I came across this free, temporary solution while checking on my personal Twitter feed. 

Thanks to this blog post by Living Simply Free, I now had an easy way to block these cold, wintry drafts.  I had heard about using this technique to block door drafts in the past, but my recent discovery was very timely, as things have remained very cold lately where I live. 

However, as great as Living Simply Free’s suggestions were, I have very few skills when it comes to sewing (which I am hoping to remedy in the future, perhaps by taking an online sewing class or two).  Therefore, I went a MacGuyver-style route and rigged up a draft dodger with no sewing required that I made from an old towel, an old pair of jeans, and some twine that I already had lying around my house. 

All I did to create my awesome and free draft dodger was to stuff a rolled large towel into one of the jeans pant legs, folded the other pant leg over the stuffed one, and wrapped and tied some twine around the jean-towel “bundle” in five places along its length.  I placed my creation at the bottom of that front door in front of the gap, and voila!  No more (or at least no more greatly noticeable) cold wintry drafts entering our living room!

My no-sew “draft dodger.”  To make your own, just take an old large towel, roll the towel up, stuff the towel into the pant leg of an old pair of jeans, and tie some twine, yarn, or string, around the “bundle” in spaced increments. 

The rolled up towel inside my “draft dodger" bundle

Does it Work?

The first big test for me as to whether this was actually working is that I was no longer having a chilled behind (and a chilled rest of me to match) when I did my Downward-Facing Dog and other yoga poses in the morning.   This works out well for me, as it’s rather difficult to relax if you are chilly!  I guess that even I have my limits when it comes to being one with nature and the elements…

If you are sewing-impaired like me, this no-sew version of a door draft dodger might be a good solution for you.  I know that mine is keeping my living room a lot warmer these days!

The energy-sucking gap at the bottom of my front door!

My draft dodger, helping to keep my living room warm and snuggly!

8 Tips for Growing Indoor Herbs in the Winter

One of my two perennial lavender plants that I have been keeping indoors during the cold and dark days of winter.  My permaculture herb spiral can be seen outside the window in the background, which I use to grow herbs outdoors during the growing season.  

 Last Saturday, I attended a half-hour class on growing herbs indoors during the winter.  It was being offered for free at one of my favorite local garden centers, so the price was right.  Also, since my experience with keeping herbs alive that I brought inside for the winter has been less than stellar so far (sadly, I’ve had a number of botanical fatalities so far…), I thought that I could learn a thing or two (which I definitely did!).

Since I’m sure that I’m not alone in my herb-growing endeavors, I thought that I’d share with you what I learned from both the mini-class and the handout that they provided to the participants.  This information may be pretty basic for many of you, but many new gardeners like myself are starting from square one, and we need all of the help we can get.  I hope this information is helpful to many of you seeking to maintain some culinary and medicinal herbs indoors during the wintertime. 

8 Tips for Growing Indoor Herbs in the Winter

1.  The most forgiving herbs to grow indoors.   Just about any herb variety can be grown indoors if its basic growing requirements are met.  However, parsley, chives, mint, thyme and oregano tend to be the most forgiving varieties when it comes to inadequate or inconsistent watering and lighting, and also tend to be more disease-resistant.

2.  Light.  In general, herb plants need to have about 6-8 hours of sunlight to grow (the more, the better).  During the wintertime in many regions, there is simply an inadequate supply of direct sunlight during the day.  If this is the case where you live, a grow light (which provides the full-spectrum of light for growing plants) may be necessary to help supplement your light source.  Fluorescent lights can also be used, but grow lights provide the best light for your plants.

3.  Water and humidity.  Since most varieties of herbs originate from the Mediterranean, they tend to do best in somewhat drier conditions.   The basic rule of thumb for indoor herbs is to water less often, but more thoroughly.  Let the soil be dry to the touch between the times that you water, and when you do water your plants, water until it runs out of the bottom of the pot.  Don’t let your herbs sit in water for more than a couple of hours (you can put pebbles in the bottom of the pot to assist with drainage), which can cause root rot problems. 

• The higher the temp and the lower the humidity in your home, the faster your soil will dry out.  
• As is typically the case for watering plants, water the soil, not the leaves.  Watering the foliage can lead to fungal conditions.
• Plants in smaller and terra cotta pots will tend to dry out more quickly.

4.  Fertilizing.  The recommended fertilizer for herbs is a balanced fertilizer, with equal parts nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K).  This will typically show up on the label as something like “10-10-10,” with the ratios being N-P-K.  Nitrogen is important for leaf growth, phosphorous is important for the growth of buds and blooms, and potassium is important for the growth of roots and stems.  A fertilizer that enhances the growth of blooms is not recommended, since for most herbs (although there are certainly exceptions to this rule such as calendula), the medicinal and culinary portion is in the leaves.

Generally, herb plants only need to be fertilized about once per month when they are actively growing.  Since many herbs can be dormant during the winter, you likely won’t need to fertilize them much during this time unless you see evidence of active growth.  

The mini clippers that I purchased for herb harvesting.

5.  Harvesting.  To harvest your herbs, what works best is to use a small pair of pruners, called “clippers,” or “snips.”  These tools will help you to cut and harvest the delicate herb stems and leaves.  Do not yank on the leaves or pull stems off.  This can create injuries to your plants and provide entrance points for pathogens and infections.

The more you harvest, the bushier your herb plant’s foliage will become.  Also make sure to nip the flowers off of your herb plants.  By cutting the flowers of the plants off, the plant will put its energy into growing foliage and not into reproducing (flowers are a reproductive part of the plant).

6.  Pests.  There are a number of pests and diseases that can affect your indoor herb plants, especially for those plants brought in from the outdoors.  Common pest and disease problems for inside herb plants include aphids, fungus gnats, and white flies. 

Inspect your plants regularly, and never use chemical pesticides if you will be eating your herbs or using them medicinally.  Insecticidal soap work well if you spray it on all of the leaves, but be sure to wash off any plant material that you harvest, as there will likely be soapy residue remaining on the plant. 

           

Other pest tips:

• For fungus mites, let the plants dry out.    Problems with fungus mites should decrease as the favorable conditions for fungal growth decrease.
• Sticky traps are also good for dealing with fungus gnats and white flies.
• You can also try dipping the foliage of the affected plant into a bucket or large bowl of tepid soapy water.  Gently spraying the foliage with some weak soapy water using a water bottle should also work. 

7.  Transferring your herb plants indoors and outdoors.  

When transferring outdoor plants indoors:  Place them in a shady outdoor location for two to three weeks before you bring them indoors, or the leaves may drop off due to a lack of energy needed to maintain their thick outdoor leaves.  Once you have brought them indoors, try to give them as much sunlight as possible.

When transferring indoor plants outdoors:  Just like us, plants can get a sunburn if not given a chance to develop their thicker and stronger warm season leaves before being placed in the outdoor sunlight.  To avoid scorching your plants when transitioning them to the outdoors, first place them in outdoor shade for a couple of weeks, and then to full sun.  This gives them an opportunity to develop tougher leaves to withstand the more direct outdoor sunlight of the spring and summer.

8.  Tips for Mixed herb Containers

If you want to grow more than one variety of herb plant within the same pot there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Determine the growing needs of each of your herb plants, including how large each plant will be when it grows to maturity.  Your plants will need room to breathe and grow.  For a 12” diameter pot, there should be no more than five plants, and in the case of some larger plants, even this may be too crowded for the space available.
• Mounding or trailing plants like thyme, oregano, and peppermint should be near the edges or toward the front of the pot. 
• Tall plants like rosemary and columnar basil should be planted toward the back or in the middle of the pot.
• Mid-range plants like sage, chives, and parsley should be arranged in order of shortest to tallest from the edge of the pot.

Bonus info:  I also learned during the class that the essential oils of herb plants growing indoors during the winter will likely not be as potent as those grown outside in the sun during the warm time of the year.  The warmer temperatures and the increased access to sunlight during the growing season encourage the plants to produce more of these phytochemicals, but these conditions are generally absent during indoor winter conditions.   Don’t be surprised if the herbs that you are growing indoors during the winter have a milder scent or flavor than you are used to.

If the leaves on your plants have a burned look, they may have gotten too cold and have gotten a little frostbitten.  This can happen if you have your plants sitting on the windowsill of a drafty window.  Moving the affected plant(s) back from the window about 6-8 inches should make your chilly plants happier.

My First Experience Growing Microgreens

Last fall, I was shopping at one of my local garden centers, and was thrilled to discover that their end of growing season clearance sale was going on.  I then proceeded to have a great time picking out a plethora of different seed packets for my garden next year.  I have heard that the germination rate of older seeds may not be as great as first year seeds, but I was excited to find so many different types of seeds at such a great price, and was willing to try growing them anyway.  In the meanwhile, I have tried to store these seeds in a relatively cool and dark place to keep them as viable as long as possible.  Here is a great article about the germination rates of older seeds and how to tell if yours are still good.

During this shopping experience, I also came upon a table with other clearance items, including some greatly price-reduced kits for growing microgreens, the seedlings of various vegetables and herbs.  Intrigued, and given that the kits were only $2.00 a piece, I purchased two of them, along with a number of additional microgreen seed packets sitting on the same table.   I brought them home, and stored them underneath a table holding the potted herbs that I am trying to keep alive throughout the winter (I’m sorry to report that my current indoor potted herb success rate is less than spectacular without a grow light, however.). 

The autumn passed, as well as the recent holiday season, and soon January arrived.  I had been keeping busy with work, the busyness of the holidays, and all of the responsibilities of home upkeep, and so I forgot about my microgreens kits.  Then one day recently, I looked out of my window at the snow… I looked at my potted herbs on the table… I looked back out of my window at the frigid, white, lifeless, snow and sighed.  I missed the sunny days, the warmth of spring and the summer, and the fresh foods harvested from my garden.  

I looked back at the herbs on the table, and then I noticed the microgreens kits just sitting there beneath that table, waiting for new, green life to spring forth and bring freshness to my world until spring finally arrives and it will be gardening season again!  Okay, I admit it: those of us living in the temperate North have to savor any fresh & green plant life wherever it may be found during the long and chilly winter season.  I have personally been known to lurk around botanical conservatories and in the tropical exhibits at zoos just to be around living plant life in the wintertime.  Don’t deny it, you’ve been there too.  I’ve seen you!…

So, I decided to try growing the microgreens, and that growing something green in the middle of winter would be fun.  Included in each kit were two packets of microgreens seeds (my first try has been a kit that contained arugula seeds), a special growing pad made from natural plant materials that serve as the substrate to grow the greens in, and a plastic reusable growing tray with a “biodome” cover that acts as a greenhouse to help provide the warm and moist environment for proper seed germination.   

The fairly simple process required to get started using the kit is:
     1.)     Wetting the germination pad
     2.)     Sprinkling the seeds on the pad
     3.)     Placing the tray in a sunny location
     4.)     Ensuring that the germination pad remains saturated as the plants grow
     5.)     Keeping the tray covered with the plastic cover until the seeds germinate 

I found that I only had to water the growing pad about twice to keep it saturated with water over the course of the seven days that it took for my microgreens to grow, approximately once every three days.  Of course, if I had kept my microgreens tray in a warmer and drier spot such as near a radiator, I would probably have needed to water the growing pad more often.  By the end of the week, I had little baby arugula plants growing that should add a tasty, spicy flair to my salads, sandwiches, and soups, and provide me with some superior nutrition, such as even more vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene than the mature version of these greens.   

They were fresh, they were green, and they were mine at a fraction of the cost of getting them from a grocery store or restaurant.

No Kit? No Problem!

Yes, I grew my first batch of microgreens by using a kit, but you don’t need to have a kit to grow fresh and delicious microgreens yourself.  To grow microgreens, all you really need is a clear or opaque shallow plastic container such as a salad box, some cardboard, potting soil, some seeds, and a location with lots of light such as near a window or a grow light.   I am a firm believer that you can do a lot of things yourself at home without needing to purchase a lot of fancy equipment.

Almost any type of seed can be grown as microgreens, but the most tried and true varieties include arugula, beet, chard, asian greens, and some varieties of specialty greens,due to their color, appearance, and flavor.  After an average of about 7-10 days (some varieties can take as long as 14 days), the microgreens should be ready to harvest after the growth of the seedling’s first true set of leaves.  The microgreens should be cut at the soil surface above the roots (the roots should not be eaten), and then washed, allowed to dry, and store refrigerated in a plastic bag and eaten within about seven days.  You could also harvest them when you are ready to eat them.  Just don’t let them get too big or they won’t be microgreens anymore!

Aren’t Microgreens the Same as Sprouts?

I myself had some confusion concerning the difference between microgreens and sprouts, having never grown either one prior to about a week ago.  Upon doing a little bit of research, I came to find out that there are actually several very important distinctions between the two types of greens, with the primary difference being how both types are grown. 

Sprouts are seeds that have been germinated in only water, and are generally harvested after about two days’ time.  They grow without sunlight, and have just grown a root, a stem, and pale underdeveloped leaves.  They require frequent rinsing to reduce opportunities for bacterial growth, which can be a potential problem with growing sprouts.  All parts of the sprout can be eaten, including the roots of the sprout. 

Microgreens, on the other hand, are grown in soil or other growing medium, require sunlight (or a grow light) to grow, and take about one to two weeks to grow before they can be harvested.   The greens should be cut along the soil when harvesting, and the roots should not be eaten.  Only after the leaves are fully spread should the microgreens be harvested.  The sunlight and air circulation that the microgreens receive while growing reduce the opportunities for bacteria to proliferate, providing for a safer option than sprouts (I recommend that you do your own research on the proper techniques for growing sprouts if you would like to grow them yourself.).   

Both sprouts and microgreens are quite nutritious and contain many vitamins and minerals that are great for your health.  Both are also great ways to get some fresh veggies into your diet all year round, and even if you have limited space to grow things such as in an apartment, be hopeful because you can still grow something!

Watch My Microgreens Garden Grow!

Below are pictures taken of the various growing stages of my microgreens.  I love to learn and document the processes of living things, so this was fun to watch as the little baby plants germinated and grew from seeds.  The next time that I grow a batch of microgreens, I will grow them much more densely to get a greater volume of greens growing at a time.

This is the kit that I used to grow microgreens (I am not a representative for this particular brand.  It is simply the one that I purchased and used for my own purposes. ). You can find many other brands of microgreen kits available both online and in stores.

The arugula seeds that came with the kit.  You can also see the growing pad in the background, which the kit label stated as being made of, “Kenaf plant fiber and an FDA approved binder, 

grown and made in the USA to strict horticultural standards.”  There you go…

The seeds sprinkled on the growing pad after I first watered the pad.  As you can see, there were spots that weren’t quite saturated.  After this picture was taken, I made sure that all of the pad was saturated at all times to provide plenty of water for the greens to grow.

The “biodome” cover included with the kit, providing a greenhouse environment for the germinating seeds.  You can see from this picture that some water vapor and condensation began forming shortly after placing the cover on the tray on Day 1.

After a couple of days, the seeds began to germinate and were growing roots with root hairs.

The first little leaflets started to grow.

And grow some more...

And, a few days later…

A few days later…

The arugula microgreens on Day 7, ready for harvesting.

A few of the harvested microgreens, ready to be served.

The arugula microgreens made a flavorful addition to my organic salad last night!  Very tasty and nutritious!