In preparation for the Winter months here are just a few tasks to be getting on with this month.

1.  Rake up and compost falling leaves.  Not only will this leave your garden looking tidy, but you will also be giving your compost a good boost.

2.  Cut down annuals and add them to the compost.

3.  Pot up tender perennials and bring them into the green house or cold frame for over-wintering.

4.  Plant out spring bedding in your borders or pots.

5.  Prune rambling and climbing roses and tie in new stems.

6.  Start planting Spring bulbs in beds and borders.  Or, layer bulbs in pots for a stunning Spring display.  Deep plant daffodils or tulips, cover with a layer of compost and then add a shallower layer of crocus.

7.  Protect tender plants staying out in the borders with a layer of mulch around the crown.

8.  When you have finished in the border give it a light forking and then rake over to remove excess debris.

9.  Place your order for fruit trees and bushes ready for planting out from late Autumn.

10.  Keep harvesting the last of any fruit, rake up and compost any windfalls.

11.  Prune back autumn fruiting raspberries and blackberries.  Take the raspberry canes right back to ground level.  For blackberries, take out the stems that have produced fruit this year and tie in the new growth.

12.  Prune out any suckers that have appeared around the base of ornamental trees.

13.  Collect and store watering equipment in the greenhouse or shed.

14.  Insulate outside taps and pipes with bubble wrap.

15.  Protect glazed pots from cold weather with insulation or bring into the shed or greenhouse.

One big area that is seeing a lot of green these days too is the beauty industry. Consumers can actually make a positive impact on the environment by choosing certain beauty products over others. And organic beauty products, like other organic products, having positive health benefits for users.

Unlike many commercial beauty products which contain chemical ingredients–and some known carcinogens–organic beauty products are literally all natural. They will not contain dangerous synthetic ingredients, parabens, or artificial fragrances. In addition to this, they will use products that are grown in a manner that is better for the environment.

Organic coconut oil is a very popular beauty product today–specifically virgin coconut oil. This is not only because it is good for the environment. It is also because virgin coconut oil is unrefined, which means that its great natural components are not stripped away during the refining process.

Virgin coconut oil has an extremely high antioxidant content and is rich with wonderful antiseptic fatty acids that are great for skin care. The oil fights off free-radicals, which makes it a terrific anti-aging product. It also helps to fight off bacteria and fungi that cause infections in the skin.

Along with all of this, virgin coconut oil is a great skin moisturizer. In fact, it is so highly moisturizing that it is often used to soothe skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. And it has a small molecular structure so it penetrates deep into skin and does not lie on the surface.

Want to find out more about coconut oil, then visit Barbara Beckham’s site on how to choose the best coconut cream and other coconut products for your needs.

The secret is to think about the large items (typically bicycles or ride on mowers) and ensure there is enough space to house them.

Build a couple of box frames of thick timbers for the walls and join them together to make the front and back. A pitched roof is the hardest part, but looks right and is less prone to leaks than a flat roof. Once a timber frame looks right, clad it in cheap wood. Old palettes are a great free resource, but go with whatever you have to hand. To cover the roof, felt is cheap and easy, ceramic roof tiles are excellent, thatch looks cool, wooden shingles are fantastic and a natural living roof of gets you maximum green points.

So, why spend money on a mass produced shed when you can design and build your own. Since you built it you can change it, so get fancy with fretwork, windows, extra levels and so on. Let your imagination run riot and your shed evolve into something truly amazing.

One very simple and effective way to start is to use environmentally safe clean products at home. I know, I know, you are probably saying to yourself “environmentally safe” equals more money. Not the case at all. I bet that I can show you several ways to make eco-safe products from things that you already have in your pantry or kitchen cabinets. I’m talking about inexpensive, easy to make, environmentally safe cleaning products that work as well, or in some cases better, than expensive and toxic chemicals.

Understandably you may be suspicious about this article, but I never believed in any of this stuff before, and to be perfectly honest, thought it was a bunch of bull. It wasn’t until my wife showed me how using some of these items to do everyday household cleaning chores, that I became a believer. I must admit I like saving money as well.

Not thinking of myself as an “environmentalist,” writing an article about ec0-friendly products would be the last thing I would ever do, however I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t observed it’s value. Who would have ever thought that a few simple household items would ever equate to eco-friendly cleaning products.

Don’t go out and start to buy expensive eco-friendly cleaners, because you most likely have almost all of the items you need already at home. Besides, eco-friendly means more money and no one needs to spend more on cleaning items these days. If I told you that it’ can be a lot cheaper to make your own, and get the same results, I’m sure you wouldn’t hesitate to try it.

A good example is making your own all purpose cleaner. Something that you can use to clean up the kitchen counters, wipe down cabinets, clean windows and mirrors and even spot floor clean ups. Use a mixture of white distilled vinegar and water to clean just about anything. Vinegar not only cuts through grease and grime effectively but also has disinfectant properties as well. This means that you can use it in the bathroom to clean in and around toilette bowls.

It seems that in most households the kitchen is the main room. It’s the center of the household and as such it has a tendency to get dirtier than other parts of the home. In our house it seems that the counter tops are constantly getting dirty and need to be wiped down often. First of all using chemicals to clean kitchen counter tops is expensive and can be toxic. The vinegar and water solution is safe and effective for any kitchen surface including the refrigerator and microwave.

I was absolutely impressed with the results of some of the organic cleaning recipes we share on our blog below, I think you will be too.

For more free information on organic cleaning tips and recipes, you can go to our free household tips website.. Free reprint available from: Going Organic For Home Cleaning.

There are huge differences between the industrial process and traditional baking and few of them seem to benefit the consumer. They are all about speeding up the proceesing of the loaves.

Here is how Chorleywood bread differs from a traditional bakers loaf.

Firstly the flour is milled at a much higher temperature and pressure than normal to break the starch molecules up. This lowers the nutritional content of the resulting loaf.

Secondly they use much more salt which we know is bad for us

Thirdly the chorleywood loaf needs twice the regular level of yeast, and this has been linked to the dramatic rise in yeast intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome and thrush (Candida albicans).

Chorleywood bread uses hard fats. These used to be saturated fats but we now know about that danger so we have switched to fractionated fats, about which we know little.

Then finally in the industrial loaf there is the ascorbic acid and emulsifiers E471 and E472.

This all leads to a loaf with a much higher water content, so although it might seem cheaper, in reality you are paying extra for water.

So, this is why I decided to always buy from a proper local baker or bake my own bread

Remember, supermarkets are all about profit.  So, fight the power and grow your own.  In the UK, the home of the National Fruit Collection is Brogdale Farm in Kent. They have about 400 varieties and will create a cutting especially for you so you can grow your own tree. So, get down there in october, taste the apples (and they are amazing), find a flavour you adore and get a cutting grafted onto a rootstock suitable for your garden.

The first thing you need to do is to find a good sunny area to plant them. They will do best when you grow them in full sun. They will grow in areas of partial sun but you are not going to get the size that you would get if you grew them in full sun.

Once the area has been decided upon you will need to make sure that the area is completely rid of weeks, invading grass and of course rocks. Tomatoes don’t like a lot of rocks in their soil. You can then plant your tomatoes about 18 inches apart, make sure they aren’t any closer because this will cause them to compete for the sunshine. Also you can begin planting them in very late spring when you know there will be no more frost to endanger them.

Once you have them in the ground you are going to need to put a tomato or plant cage around each of your plants. You especially need this support for when the plants get larger and start bearing fruit. These can easily be found at any store that has a garden center.

Tomatoes love water so make sure they get plenty of it. When you water your plants make sure that you check all of the soil to ensure that it is wet all around your plants. Make it a habit to check your plants at least three days a week maybe even more. Use this time to get rid of weeds and grass and to water. Of course if it rained there probably is no need for watering.

When they start growing it is important that you take their limbs and gently arrange them on the supports of their cages. This is going to not only give them support but it’s going to encourage them to grow taller and spread more to absorb the sun they need to flourish.

Relatively soon you will begin to see the yellow flowers forming and this is a sign that your plant is getting ready to produce your tomatoes. It is very important that you continue to give them plenty of water during this time. Once the flowers appear they will begin to turn into tomatoes and will before you know it be ready to pick. A good rule of thumb is to pick your tomatoes the first day after they have turned red totally. If you would rather have them a little bit riper when picking then wait a couple of days before picking. When picking, all you have to do is take the tomatoes and twist them like you are twisting off a cap from a bottle.

Don’t stop checking your plants on a regular basis once they begin producing the fruit, you need to stick with the routine you started with and make sure that you also trim off the dead and wilting limbs that might occur during the summer. This is going to help your plants to continue producing for you through the entire summer.

Some watering tips you might want to take heed to; try watering your plants in the early hours of the day till around 10 am or begin around 6 pm in the evening until the sun goes down. It is never a good idea to water any of your plants when it’s during the heat of the day. Also remember that your entire plant loves water so don’t forget to water the whole plant when you are watering them.

Want to find out more about Champion Tomato Plants, then visit Tom Burnquist’s site on how to choose the best Tomato Plants for your needs.

All that is needed is 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil, 50g of chopped onion, 2 teaspoons of good quality Madras curry powder, 1 heaped teaspoon of tomato puree, 150ml of red wine, 120ml of water, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of salt, sugar, a twist of pepper, the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons of apricot jam or mango chutney.

The oil should be heated and the onion added until transparent. Next is the curry powder and tomato puree, which are cooked for a few minutes. Once cooked, add the other ingredients, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Once cooked, it should be strained through a sieve and cooled.

You can serve the basic sauce wonderfully with an apple and celery salad. To make this salad, you will need 2 granny smith apples, 4 celery sticks, a teaspoon of sultanas and some lemon juice. You will also need 150 ml of double cream for this recipe

Apples should be peeled and sliced into matchstick fashion. These sliced apples should be combined with celery and sultanas in a bowl with lemon juice. Put it in a refrigerator for 30 minutes and then take it out to mix it up with cream and previously made sauce.

You can use this sauce for cauliflower cheese dish also. You have to first cut the cauliflower into florets and also need a few other ingredients; 30g butter, half teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 pinch chili powder, 300ml milk, 50g plain flour, 1 teaspoon English mustard, 125g grated cheddar cheese and 1 green chili chopped finely.

Whilst the florets are being boiled for 5 minutes and then drained, the oven should be preheated to 180C. The butter should be melted in a pan, and then the cumin seeds, chili powder, milk and flour added. It should be thoroughly whisked until smooth, and the heat reduced.

After cooling down the pan, add cheese mustard and the sauce prepared earlier. Combine them well and put a little amount of that mixture on ovenproof dish with the added cauliflower. Put the rest of the sauce on and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven until golden and serve.

Above mentioned dishes are just few samples of delicious Southeast Asian vegetarian recipes. But you can make many other delightful dishes by using the curry sauce as its base. They can be served with any meal.

Vegetarian recipes are used by top cooks around the world to showcase the flavor and variety of ethnic foods. You can select vegan recipes for nutrition and appearance.

Certification of organic food produce regulates and dictates the trading of organic food create. It somehow acts as a high quality assurance to the clients who need to acquire these products. A lot of food merchandise are now being said to be organic and the certification method of these goods will assist identify which products are genuinely made out of organic supplies. An authorized person is sent to evaluate, inspect and check of the basic requirements for a item that is said to be organic. He or she compares the product to their standard in able to accurately say that the product is organic. if these standards aren’t met with the comparison of the goods then the merchandise may well not be classified as organic and it won’t gain any label, statement and certification that it truly is organic.

Certification of organic food merchandise is necessary for the reason that you will discover now an improve in its consumption and that there are actually so a lot of items which are labeled organic but are in fact not. Inside the certification of organic food item, an agent of the regular top quality of organic foods assesses and inspects all the contents of the product. He or she makes the final call no matter whether the product is organic and conforms to the organic regular of foods, therefore those which do not fall within the standards will not be certified to be organic, along with the producers or businessmen of these goods are not allowed to a certificate, logo, and statement that their merchandise are organic.

The production method of organic produce is also required of standards in order to pass the organic set standards required. Chemical pesticides, herbicides and pesticides aren’t to be employed in the production of organic food goods. This is set to be able to assure the buying customers of the necessary steps to create the proper choice of switching into organic foods. Farmers that create organic goods want to have a certification to ensure that they can go on with their organization of trading organic items into the marketplace. All enterprise establishments that has to do with food production may well be candidate for the certification of organic food products so long as their food create has passed and qualified the standards sets for organic food items.

The standards set in terms of organic food goods in diverse countries differ from one another but probably the most basic requirements are all of the identical in terms of growth, storage, food procedure, packaging and shipping. These aspects are all regarded as from country to country.

The crucial thing to take note when selling organic produce is to get certified and meet the required standards so that these can be labeled and be offered to customers without having any problems mainly because no certification of these products would not make the customers patronize the items. Customers need to also be well educated and well informed so that they’re not misguided and manipulated.

Looking to find the best deal on organic food, then visit www.theorganicfoods.net to find the best advice on organic baby food for you.

Philippe accidentally dropped it in the pan in which the beef had been cooked, yet served it up anyway. The policeman came back with a few friends the next day to try the ‘dipped’ sandwich so the French dip sandwich was born. The sandwich bar is still there and still serving French dip sandwich recipes nearly 90 years later.

Being French, Philippe would have described his sandwiches ‘au jus’, which means ‘with juice’, but lots of Americans do not realize this so ask for their French dip sandwiches ‘with au jus’. Nowadays, the sauce is frequently specially made or concocted separately so that it is far more elaborate than just the meat juices from the pan, but you can make it as complex or as simple as you wish. There is also no reason why you can not make up vegetarian or fish French dip sandwich recipes

Recipe 1

French Dip Sandwich Serves 4

1 can Franco-American Au Jus Gravy 4 servings thinly sliced roast beef 4 servings French bread or long hard rolls, cut in half lengthwise

In a 10 inch skillet, combine gravy and beef. Over a gentle heat, warm through, stirring from time to time.

To make the sandwiches, place the beef on the bread. Serve each sandwich with small bowl of gravy for dipping.

Recipe 2

French Dip Sandwich Au Jus Serves 8

3 pounds beef, chuck, trimmed 2 cups water 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 bay leaf 3 peppercorns (3 to 4) 8 French rolls, split lengthways

Place beef in a slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or until beef is soft.

Remove meat from juices; pull apart with forks and keep warm. Strain juices; skim off fat. Pour juices into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on toasted rolls.

Recipe 3

French Dip Sandwiches Serves 4

1 long loaf French bread 1/2 pound cooked roast beef (from deli or leftovers) 1 package roast beef au jus gravy 4 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cut French loaf in half lengthwise. Spread with butter then sprinkle with garlic. Wrap in foil and heat in oven until warm. Mix gravy as directed on package and reheat beef in juice. Drain beef from gravy then put on bottom half of warm bread. Put top on sandwich and slice. Put gravy into small bowls (one for every person). Dip sandwich in gravy to eat.

Serve with French fries and a salad.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on many topics, but is currently concerned with French dip sandwich recipes. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.