Q: I’d like to learn more about organic gardening. Where should I start?
A: Organic gardening is more a philosophy of garden maintenance than it is a particular regimen. Success depends upon encouraging healthy plants and soil and creating an environment that welcomes good insects to prey on the bad ones.
Practices that upset the natural balance, including using pesticides — which kill beneficial insects such as bees and lacewings in addition to the targeted pest — should be avoided. Nontoxic, plant-derived pesticides don’t provide a lasting viable solution to pest problems, either.
Most organic gardeners wash aphids and other insects off plants with a strong stream of water, deter pests with fabrics or fences, time planting and pruning to avoid the emergence of a certain insect and pull weeds by hand instead of using herbicide.
Another way to keep a garden free of pests is to collect and discard dropped foliage from plants with a fungal disease.
Vigilance is imperative to ensure insect problems are dealt with before they have an opportunity to worsen or spread.
Recycling nutrients through composting is also central to organic gardening. Synthetic fertilizers are high in salts that can make the soil inhospitable to vital microorganisms; composting builds up the soil by adding what plants take away.
As soon as compost has decomposed into a dark, crumbly substance, it can be added to the garden. Many organic gardeners make compost “tea” by steeping finished compost in warm water and straining it to make an excellent liquid fertilizer for flowers and vegetables.
Another key precept is maintaining plant vigor. Plants that are healthy do not require frequent fertilizing, whereas plants growing under stress are easy targets for opportunistic pests, so it’s crucial to site a plant properly and to understand its needs.
An organic approach also requires an understanding of the importance of contributing natural resources, including water and soil, and taking steps to conserve them, such as preventing soil erosion, collecting rainwater, using natural mulches and disturbing soil as little as possible.
Q: I love Irish food. But when I make shepherd’s pie, it doesn’t taste like I recall. Do you have any suggestions?
A: When I make shepherd’s pie, I use lamb instead of beef. It makes a delicious pie. I saute the meat with a little shallot, salt and pepper and maybe some herbs. Leeks are really good with lamb. And I steam carrots separately before I add them to the pie to preserve their flavor and texture.
Q: Is it possible to remove an ink stain from leather?
A: Ink can be exceptionally difficult to remove from any material, particularly leather. The easiest solution is to take the item to a professional cleaner, who has access to products and chemicals that are not readily available.
If the spot is on a large or unwieldy piece of furniture that is difficult to take to the cleaners, such as a sofa, you can treat it yourself. Apply a leather-safe stain remover (available at hardware stores) to a white cotton cloth, and blot the stain.
If the blemish doesn’t disappear, lightly mist it with a renovating spray (available at shoe stores) in the same color as the leather.
To prevent spots on a leather surface, apply an anti-stain spray, such as Scotchgard, to the item in the same way you would upholstered furniture. Lightly coat the entire surface; let dry completely.
Q: What is the best way to clean a pan that has scrambled egg stuck to it?
A: First of all, I always use a stainless steel pan, not a nonstick one, when cooking eggs.
Start by heating a pat of butter until it bubbles and coats the bottom of the pan and then pour in the egg. Making scrambled eggs is like making an omelet, but you have to keep moving the eggs around with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides of the pan from time to time.
If you use enough butter, the eggs won’t stick to the bottom, and the cleanup will be very easy. While the pan is still hot, fill it with water, and let it soak for an hour or two.
Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. E-mail to mslletters@marthastewart.com.
&Copy; 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.
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