Have You Ever Wanted to Raise Tilapia in an Aquaponic Hydroponic System.
The number 1 Instructional video of its kind. This DVD provides instructions on how to build your own inexpensive aquaponics system and how to start growing produce and fish organically. By combining hydroponics and aquaculture anyone can enjoy a healthier and happier lifestyle of eating affordable super foods.
Aquaponic Basics invites you to participate in a $5 Billion dollar industry. Tilapia is in the top 5 of US seafood menu items and growing in popularity. The demand for high quality organically grown food has skyrocketed in recent years...
Monday, November 28, 2011
Introduction to Aquaponics Basic DVD Now Available on Amazon and CreateSpace.
You will learn how to build your very own system for less than you think.
This video will show you how to plant arugula in an aquaponics garden.
This is a new system, but the germination of the seeds took only about one day.
I will be tweaking the system over the next few weeks and documenting my observations. However, thus far it appears successful.
This is a very large system that is capable of sustained multiple grow beds. I will also be experimenting with deep water culture and rafting in addition to the grow beds systems that use lava rocks.
Water temperature and salinity is critical. Crabs are not going so good.
I found that it is important to measure the salinity in the water. In addition, everything was to do with water quality. This seems more complicated than it actually is. There are only a few test that I should have ran to ensure my success.
Measure and maintain the salinity of the water.
Measure and maintain the temperature of the water.
Use a method to oxygenate and water.
Filter the crab waste from the water using an aquaponics system.
Its has always been a dream to go out into my backyard and harvest bushel after of bushel of sweat blue crab. This is to document my attempt at accomplishing this goal.
Use:
1 Above Ground Pool
1 40lbs of Pool Salt
12 Female crabs (inseminated)
I planted a grow bed with organic Arugula 3 days ago. As you can see from the video, the seeds have done more than germinate. The seeds have already sprouted.
That is the beauty of this system of farming, things are accelerated. I am looking forward to harvesting a crops in 3 weeks.
Steps to making clams and red cabbage wine reduction over pasta.
The Winter Park Arts and Jazz Festival in Orlando is a semi-annual event that is a must do. There are a great deal of restaurants lining the side streets to satisfy just about any craving. During the summer of 2011 I and the Mrs. were craving a good half carafe of chardonnay. Satisfying this craving was easy, once we stumbled into the Wine Room of Park Avenue. They have an excellent selection of wines under $20, perfect for your Nappychef.
Everything goes great with wine, especially clams and pasta. Now the most important thing to remember when cooking with wine is to only use something that you also enjoy drinking by itself.
A wine reduction will only intensify the taste. So, if you select that stuff you used to drink in college that has a screw off cap or comes in a box with a straw, your meal will have just about that much elegance.
Take a wine class if you get a chance and attend some wine tastings. It is a great way to unwind after work and narrow down what you actually enjoy drinking.
Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video.
Check out Nappychef35 for other do-it-yourself videos from Shane and more videos in the Colorful Cooking category.
I would love to hear comments from you too!
If you want to cook some delicious Clams and Red Cabbage Wine Reduction Over Pasta without paying for the flight to Italy, here's an easy way to do it yourself.
To complete this How-To you will need:
24 - 36 Middle Neck Clams
1 Red Cabbage
3 Cups of Chardonnay (White Wine)
4 Cloves of Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Olive Oil
Baby Portobello Mushrooms
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
2 Cups of Curly Pasta
1 Sprig of Rosemary
3 Bay Leaves
Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
Step 1: Minch and saute the garlic in olive oil for 1 minute on medium heat.
Step 2: Add 1 Cups of Wine, bring to a boil.
Step 3: Add clams and steam them open.
Step 4: Remove the clams and set aside. Remove clams from shells and chop them up.
Step 5: Add 2 Cups of wine to clams broth.
Step 6: Chop up the red cabbage into long strips.
Step 7: Add mushrooms, basil, rosemary and cold butter chips to the clam broth. Reduce heat and simmer.
Step 8: Add cabbage and remove from heat. You only want to wilt the cabbage so that it retains its color.
Step 9: Cook the pasta al dante in lightly salted water and olive oil for 10 minutes.
Step 10: Cool the pasta under cold water.
Step 11: Add clams and wine sauce to the pasta. Optional, sprinkle red pepper flakes.
Step 12: Enjoy your masterpiece.
Thanks for watching How To Make Clams and Red Cabbage Wine Reduction Over Pasta! If you enjoyed this video subscribe to the Nappychef35 YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=nappychef35
Today was somewhat of an adventure. The wife and I went to our local university to have our soil tested. Wait, let me back up a bet. The previous day, I went to the landfill to cop some of the free compost everyone in the know has been raving about. I lined the trunk of my car with a rain tarp (this thing has a billion uses) and filled up.
So, obviously, I was very pleased with a trunk load of this black gold. Eagerly, I unloaded and tilled into the soil. It looked great. You know, black the way you might expect volcanic ash to look. So, I just knew this ground was ready yield the best fruit and vegetables imaginable. However, just to be certain, I went to the garden department to get some combination compost and cow manure to give it some more kick. Someone had mentioned that compost lacked nutrients and was really only good for holding moisture in the soil. So, I don't know what to believe.
Back to today. At the lab, we received what we thought was some good news. The lad said our soil was neutral Ph. We did not really know what to make of that. It was explained that we should have no problem planting in the soil. Well, experience would suggest other wised. So we had to fish for an answer, if our soil was good for planting so we would get the big fat harvest one day. Finally, they suggested using some fertilizer. Plants need sun, water and food. This test was only about PH level.
I still don't know what PH has to do with anything. But, apparently our soil was good, and the different samples, one of with was filled with expensive Miracle Gro and everything else, were indistinguishable.
Finally, we called uncle Ralph. This is my wife's uncle in Arkansas that grew a prize winning watermelon that weighed 75lbs. He confirmed that its important to feed the plants. He used 13-13-13 fertilizer. I had just put down some 12-5-7 all purpose fertiziler. With a little bit of research on the web, I felt comfortable that this was indeed some good stuff. In subsequent feedings, I may upgrade to the triple 13, but this seems good so far.
The folks at the lab had recommended fertilizer with some pretty low numbers. Whatever. I'm going to stick with uncle Ralph.
I am determined to grow a plant from a seed this year.
Last night I consulted my wife's uncle Ralph in Arkansas. He grew an 85 pound watermelon last year that was sweet and delicious. He said looking at the Farmer's Almanac today and tomorrow was a good day for planting seeds.
March 2011 22nd-23rd Excellent Time For Planting Root Crops That Can Be Planted Now, And For Starting Seedbeds. Good Days For Transplanting.
I looked at the Old Farmer's Almanac for my region and it gives the best time to plant crops year round. So yesterday I scrapped all of my seed pots and just dumped them, unlabeled into my green hoop house.
I read the instructions on the back of the Jiffy Mix bag and followed them to the letter, I believe. Here is how I am attempting to grow cilantro and onions, beginning March 22nd, 2011.
Step 1: A got a potting tray from the feed store up the street and loaded it with the Jiffy Mix. It is really light and fluffy, almost like saw dust. So far so good.
Step 2: I watered the Jiffy Mix until it drained through the bottom of the tray. Apparently, having good drainage is really important to get the seeds to germanate. I had been attempting this with the paper egg carton materials without any success. I neglected to put holes into the egg crates so they could drain and I did not have it very wet. Whenever I checked it in the morning it was completed dried out.
Step 3: I added the cilantro seeds to the seed tray. The package said to push the seed about a 1/4 of an inch into the the soil mix. So I did that. I didn't make a really deep hole. But I believe I achieved the depth that was required to plant the seed.
Step 4: I covered the seed with more of the Jiffy mix and used a spray bottle to make it damp. I didn't get too much water this time. When I used the egg carton, I probably soaked it. Here I am confident that I've gotten it right.
Step 5: I covered my newly seeded tray with plastic wrap and poked a series of air holes with a toothpick. Previously with my egg carton trial, I did not cover it at all. This explains why it was all dried out in the morning.
Last step was to place it in a warm place out of direct sunlight and wait for the first signs of life to appear. So, I placed the tray into my hoop house. Now, I concerned that if this isn't direct sunlight my other plants are getting what they need. However, if it is direct sunlight the seed tray may not germanate. I guess I'll find out in about 10 days the results of this experiment.
I also planted some onions in a seed tray that used potting soil that had been mixed with black cow manure. This is a test to see which will grow the faster, if at all.
