Dawn I haven't found it anywhere around here yet. The Tractor Supply store has the others you mentioned but I never found Urban Farm unless it sold out quickly. I looked again today but was in a hurry. Saw the others again. I don't go to the Wally World in Guymon unless it is an absolute necessity. Maybe 4-5 times a year. And when I do it is usually for gardening supplies and I'm in a hurry. I will be in Garden City in a few weeks so will do some looking there. I emailed them asking about a subscription last summer and the lady said as of then they were selling subscriptions. Jay

smdane05 - Sounds really good! I've definitely found gardening to be relaxing and interesting. It's work too, but even that's rewarding. I wish I would have started a long time ago. I hope you do well with tomatoes. I'm not sure when would be a good time to start those, as they seem to like warmth. I'll probably start back with them in April or so. I did get a lot of experience with them last summer. I got some good ones, but also had several battles, which I can go into more detail later, if you'd like. As for preserving, I've only dabbled in veggies, and preferring a quick harvest. Maybe this year I can get into fruits. I've read conflicting information that blueberries are either hard or easy to grow. They're so healthy for a person though that it does makes sense to try and grow them. I'd imagine that they would need more sunlight than veggies. Books and reference materials do sound like a great way to go, along with these great online forums. I have a Rodale's Illustrated Guide to Organic Farming (think that's the title) with great information, and an herb book. I too have thought about catching the rainwater, though this past year was certainly not a great one for that. The tricky part around here is making sure the mosquitoes don't get into the water. You know, they'd breed terribly. I haven't seen a water catchment system yet that gets around that, though I have an idea/design to try that might work. I wonder though about using aquarium water. Doesn't it have algae and bacteria, and/or clorine in it? None of those could be good for a healthy garden. Seems risky to me. It's important to strive for good materials in everything you use. I recommend going organic as much as possible, and watch for recycled items with a possible checkered past or connection (even through Wal Mart and Home Depot).

This is complicated. Maybe we should just discuss brownie recipes. In lieu of that, let's just for now try to focus on two aspects of the question, food quality and conservation. Wasn't there someone who, early in the discussion, cited a large study published in Science magazine? I can't find that post now but the study is the most important one I am aware of. The full text can't be accessed at the Science web site without subscribing. It is available elsewhere on the web. The study sampled and compared wild and farmed salmon from many regions around the world. The level of PCBs and other dangerous substances was found to be "significantly" higher in farmed salmon. The word "significant", when used in this sort of document is understood to mean statistically significant, which is not the same as the every day usage. Statistical significance means that a difference between two samples can be proven mathematically at a certain criterion. It does not mean the difference is important. If I sprinkle 2 grains of salt on my order of fries and you sprinkle 4, the difference obviously is statistically significant. But is it important? Neither one is enough salt to affect the taste at all. Significant but not important. The study found, at some locations, levels of certain toxins at 10 or so parts per billion. At those levels, differences of say, 4 parts per billion would be significant. But important? FDA standards allow hundreds of times that concentration. But that is not the end of the controversy. Some, including the authors of the study, prefer the standards of the EPA over those of the FDA. EPA standards are much stricter. This is where science and politics collide. One might think that the "Food" and Drug Administration would take precedence over the "Environmental" Protection Administration in the matter of food safety. But that would be too simple. I have to observe that, although the importance to science of a "not statistically significant" finding is equal to, often greater than, one of "statistically significant". The importance in press releases is not. Everyone wants the results of their work to be "significant". Well, that is the health issue in a nutshell, a very small nutshell. The conservation issue is more difficult. Jim Here is a link that might be useful: Global Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Farmed Salmon

I have a weak immune system. In the last couple of years I've experienced more allergic reactions, including one every time I ate beef. At first we thought it was the use of either onion or garlic in the recipes used by others (I'm allergic to both). It wasn't until I prepared it at home that we realized it was the beef. I've also had allergic reactions to every antibiotic I've been given, but one. Put this information together with your post and it explains a lot, doesn't it? We are working toward growing all of our vegetables organically and raising our own poultry. I wonder if I would have a reaction to beef raised organically? Thanks SO MUCH for posting this information. The more we learn, the more we realize that the government IS NOT protecting us on any front. We have to educate ourselves and take steps to protect our families - especially when it comes to what we put into our bodies. Betty